Movies Category of GlamourVanity

This is all about fun this Friday. It’s the last weekend of summer 2008 after all, go and celebrate it… or go to the movies! I hope you like comedies.

Let’s begin with the movie we’ve all heard hellova lot lately. It’s Disaster Movie with Kim Kardashian, Carmen Electra, Vanessa Minnillo and others. The comedy is spoofing most of the recent well known blockbusters and some of the well known showbiz personas, like Amy Winehouse, for example. The film tells us about a group of people who try to make their way to safety while every known natural disaster and catastrophic event hits the city as they try to solve a series of mysteries to end the destruction.

As for me, the trailer sucks.

I personally doubt it’s gonna be in any way an outstanding film but as stats say people love satire of this kind. Disaster Movie is brought to you by the guys who created Date Movie (2006), Epic Movie (2007), and Meet the Spartans (2008). So if you wanna see new DWTS star Kim Kardashian in naughty fighting with Ms. Electra, you just can’t miss it. Otherwise, here’s something else for you on the Friday movie list.

College is about three high school seniors who visit a local college campus as prospective freshmen. Somehow these guys find themselves in the center of wild campus party life and get to know what it’s like to be a college student. A nice freshman orientation weekend, right?

And here comes Vin Diesel. Love this guy. Babylon A.D is a sci-fi epic about a mercenary (Diesel) escorting a prisoner who’s a genetically altered young woman. The soldier comes to realize he has to take care of possibly the only hope for the future of mankind. Now he has to make a choice.

It’s a pity it’s the day he dies…

New FBI and conspiracy drama starring Don Cheadle (Ocean’s Thirteen), Guy Pearce (The Time Machine), Neal McDonough (I Know Who Killed Me), and Jeff Daniels (Infamous, Dumb & Dumber) hits theaters today. Traitor is a directional debut of The Day After Tomorrow screenplay writer Jeffrey Nachmanoff and is based on Steve Martin’s (The Pink Panther) story. Steve Martin is an endless source of ideas for all genres of movies, as it seems.

The film is a political espionage thriller telling us about FBI agent Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce) who heads up the investigation into a dangerous international conspiracy, and all clues seem to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations Officer, Samir Horn, played by Don Cheadle, a mysterious figure with a web of connections to terrorist organizations.

Now Clayton has to find out who’s actually the traitor. And the case gets far more complicated as it was initially expected to be.

Welcome to the world of shadows and intrigues. You sure might enjoy the film if you like this genre or like the cast, if not, then think of some better way to spend your Wednesday night.

And, oh! I got a better plan for my night tonight!

That was probably the scariest film you’ve ever seen, and it’s to be remade. Soon. According to Variety, MGM Studio’s seeking a director to remake Poltergeist. They’ve already got screenplay writers - Stiles White and Juliet Snowden, the guys who created the Boogeyman.

White and Snowden are specialists in horror projects. They co-wrote Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage and The Birds remake for Universal.

Poltergeist hit theatres on June 4, 1982 and was based on a script by Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais and Mark Victor, and was directed by Tobe Hooper. The sequels appeared in 1986 and 1988. The first film of the Poltergeist series was nominated for three Oscars.

The film is an ultimate horror movie mostly due to its so called curse.

Dominique Dunne who played Dana Freeling was murdered, Heather O’Rourke (Carol Anne Freeling) died prematurely, actress JoBeth Williams has pointed out in television interviews that she was actually told that the skeletons used in the well-known swimming pool scene in the first Poltergeist film were real.

Poltergeist was ranked as #80 on Bravo’s 100 Scariest Movie Moments.

And that’s something to refresh your memories. Poltergeist’s clown-attack scene. The quality is shitty but it’s damn scary.

That’s gonna be a wild fight to win the first prize. I’m not talking about Olympic Games, though I’m really looking forward watching beach valleyball and rhythmic gymnastics this Friday, I’m talking about box office rating for the August 22nd movie premieres.

Let’s start with Death Race, which is actually an updated version of the 1970s Roger Corman film Death Race 2000 that starred Sylvester Stallone and David Carradine. The film tells a story of adrenalized inmates in the post-industrial wasteland of tomorrow who form Death Race, the world’s biggest, most brutal sporting event. Jason Statham plays a three-time speedway champion who’s forced to take part in the race wearing the mask of the mythical driver Frankenstein, a crowd favorite who seems impossible to kill. He’s got the choice – to go and ride or rot away in a cell.

The movie Cthulhu is adapted from a story by H.P. Lovecraft about a young gay history professor Russ who gets back to his mother’s estate and meets with his pal to find out his father’s charismatic leader of a New Age cult. Russ has to deal with murders in the small town and he begins to believe preparations are underway for a mass cult sacrifice.

Playboy Mansion hits big screen. It’s The House Bunny Shelley played by Anna Faris (Scary Movie) who’s kicked out of the Playboy Mansion and who moves in with a sorority Zeta Alpha Zeta and tries to help the girls save their house.

They need Shelley to teach them the ways of makeup and men; at the same time, Shelley needs some of what the Zetas have – a sense of individuality.

Something for kinds, finally. The Long Shots starring Ice Cube and Keke Palmer is a true-story-based flick about the first girl to play Pop Warner football. Jasmine Plummer is an eleven year old girl who made history as the first girl to ever play in the tournament. Ice Cube plays the coach.

A failed actor-turned-worse-high-school-drama-teacher rallies his Tucson, AZ students as he conceives and stages politically incorrect musical sequel to Shakespeare’s Hamlet. That’s basically what Hamlet 2 is about. Politics at school… cool

By the way, talking about politics. And about reasons for concern. And about the US. IOUSA is a documentary film exploring the rapidly growing federal debt and its implication for the United States and its citizens. Director Patrick Creadon creates a non-partisan film that is a tapestry of archival footage, economic data, and candid interviews to paint a vivid and alarming profile of America’s current economic situation.

Creadon follows former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker as he travels across the country in an attempt to explain the U.S.’s unsustainable fiscal policies to the American people. In the conclusion, the film seeks to find ways out and recreate a fiscally sound nation for future generations.

This old guy always has something to surprise us with. I do believe he’s one of the most talented and unusual directors the world of cinematography has ever seen. This time Woody Allen presents us with a funny and wise comedy, meditation on love, in all its romance, exhilaration, heartache, and elusive mystery. In other words, it’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona hitting theatres tomorrow.

The film is about two young American women, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) and their amorous escapades in Barcelona. These two young ladies have completely different attitudes towards love. Vicky is sensible and engaged to a respectable young man. Cristina is sexually and emotionally uninhibited, perpetually searching for a passion that will sweep her off her feet.

Cutie Javier Bardem stars as a handsome painter, and Penelope Cruz plays his ex-wife. The painer suggests the girls to fly with him for a weekend trip to the provincial town to explore the cultural wonders, drink fine wine, and make love together. Nice proposal… Eventually, the trip ends up with a hot love triangle (remember that hugely-discussed kiss between Johansson and Cruz?)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona isn’t the film opening this Friday. There’s a wide range of flicks to choose from to enjoy in the nearest movie. Let’s check animated movies first.

Fly Me to the Moon is described as the first ever animated movie created for 3D. The film is about three young houseflies that hide aboard the Apollo 11 to fly to the moon. This animated adventure stars the voices of Christopher Lloyd, Kelly Ripa, Ed Begley Jr., Tim Curry and Buzz Aldrin as himself.

And of course… Star Wars: The Clone Wars. This time it’s George Lucas’ animated adventure of Jedis Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi as prelude to a TV cartoon series. Skywalker and his Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano find themselves on a mission with far-reaching consequences, one that brings them face-to-face with crime lord Jabba the Hutt.

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda lead the massive clone army on the front lines of the Clone Wars.

Wild Child is a story about a spoiled American teen (Emma Roberts, Nancy Drew) who’s sent to an English boarding school and where she has to fight with the strict regime and haughty Brit girls whose rigidly-enforced hierarchy rates her as the lowest of the low.

Sounds kinda familiar, right? Remember Mean Girls?

And I just can’t miss this one.
Mirrors with Kiefier Sutherland and Amy Smart Patton star in a horror thriller about a department store whose mirrors “seem to bring out the worst in people.”

Ex NY cop (Sutherland) working as security at a mall discovers something happening in the mirrors of a department store. He has to battle evil forces in mirrors as they endanger both him and his family. Mirrors take him to a hospital and to a schizophrenic patient’s evil spirit trapped in a mirrored room.

So, let’s sum up, a comedy, a thriller, teen movie and animation… Make your own list of priorities!

Ben Stiller’s written, produced, directed film Tropic Thunder has opened yesterday and caused a wave of criticism from Special Olympics people for “depicting a negative portrayal of those with mental handicaps.”

“We are asking people not to go to the movie and hope to bring a consciousness to people about using derogatory words about this population,” Peter Wheeler, a spokesman for the Special Olympics said. He urged people to boycott the film due to “the destructive effect of this film.”

Tropic Thunder, starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr, is a comedy about movie stars acting in a jungle combat film about Vietnam War who find themselves caught up in a real guerilla war.

“It’s sort of edgy territory, but we felt that as long as the focus was on the actors who were trying to do something to be taken seriously that’s going too far or wrong, that was where the humor would come from. [The joke is on] actors reaching for roles in terms of hopefully winning awards,” Stiller said.

It’s not only the day for great 2008 Summer Olympics opening in Beijing, some new summer flicks are also opening this Friday. A film to everybody’s taste, that’s what I think of this Friday’s movie premieres.

Elegy starring Ben Kingsley (Wackness) and Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) is an adaptation of Pulitzer Prize-winner Philip Roth’s short novel The Dying Animal. The movie also stars Dennis Hopper, Patricia Clarkson, and Peter Sarsgaard.

Elegy is a story about a celebrated college professor (Kingsley) who finds his life in upheaval after he begins a romance with a young beautiful woman (Cruz). With humanistic warmth, wry wit and erotic intensity, Elegy explores the power of beauty to blind, to reveal and to transform.

As critics say, Elegy is a “gorgeous looking film with a wry and clever script.” Cruz’s “ability to appear as if she’s actually thinking and responding organically to each situation” is highly praised. As for Ben Kingsley, he’s “the most formidable and convincing of all the good actors who have adorned the middle-aged-professor films.” Generally, the film is described as one “thoughtful filmgoers can’t afford to miss.”

Well, in case you’re more into sports films on Friday night, you can watch true-story-based The Perfect Game, the story of a team of poor boys from Monterrey, Mexico, who became the first non-U.S. team to win the Little League World Series in 1957. It was a perfect game, the only one in championship history.

And one more true-story based premiere. This time it’s not about sports but wine. Bottle Shock is the story of the early days of California wine making featuring the now infamous, blind Paris wine tasting of 1976 that has come to be known as “Judgment of Paris.” In this film Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman, 29 Palms) is struggling to create the perfect chardonnay at his vineyard.

The film reveals America’s initiation into and contribution to vinification, along with the brave and enterprising people who love nothing more than to bottle it.

Beer for my horses is a comedy about two best friends who work together as deputies in a small town. When girlfriend (Claire Forlani, Meet Joe Black) of one of them got kidnapped by a drug lord, they decided to defy their boss, Sheriff Landry, and chase the kidnappers down. They head off on an outrageous road trip to save the girl.

And here’s also something for big grindhouse fans. Quentin Tarantino produced Hell Ride reminds of the days of spaghetti westerns and tells the story of two biker gangs. Writer/director Larry Bishop stars as Pistolero, head of the Victors, a group of badass bikers who are out to avenge murder of one of their members by the rival gang, 666ers.

According to some reviews, the pulpy dialogue preceding the violent eruptions bears the mark of Tarantino. Well, we’ll see. Larry Bishop made a twisting, multilayered tale of revenge, loyalty, and brotherhood that is brought to life by a superb ensemble cast of Dennis Hopper, Vinnie Jones, Michael Madsen, and David Carradine. In the words of Comanche, one of the heroes, “The road to hell is paved with anything but good intentions.”

It’s not a usual thing that movies premiere in the middle of the week. Looks like these guys are absolutely sure their film will attract viewers no matter what day of the week they choose for opening. Well, box office will say.

Pineapple Express, hitting theaters Wednesday August 6, tells us a story of two stoners (Seth Rogen and James Franco) who get involved in murderous goings on with mobsters. Dealer Saul Silver (James Franco, Spiderman) sells a rare new weed strain called Pineapple Express. And when he witnesses a murder he panics and dumps his roach of Pineapple Express at the scene. Now this roach can track mobsters back to the guys. Guys have to do something about it.

The film is directed by David Gordon Green (All the Real Girls). The screenplay is from a story by Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Judd Apatow also produces.

According to the latest reviews, “Pineapple Express is just damn funny” and it “works as a fast-paced buddy comedy with lots of laughs and a few hilariously unpleasant surprises.”

A new summer month and a new bunch of movie premiers to keep you returning to the nearest movie theatre over and over again. So that’s what you just can’t miss on the first day of August.

He’s already defeated the mummy… twice. Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser) is back in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor to check out how Chinese guys are doing over there. In the new sequel flick Fraser has to combat the resurrected Han Emperor (Jet Li) in an epic that races from the catacombs of ancient China high into the frigid Himalayas.

Rick O’Connell is joined by son Alex (Luke Ford), wife Evelyn (Maria Bello) and her brother, Jonathan (John Hannah). This time, it’s a 2,000-year-old curse to awake a mummy. The Dragon Emperor mummy will rouse his legion to quest for world domination, unless the O’Connells stop him first.

And as opposite to blockbusting nature of the Mummy, the Brideshead Revisited tells us a story of British decadence between the World Wars showing a young man (Matthew Goode, Match Point) fascinated with the wealthy Marchmain family, especially Sebastian (Ben Whishaw, Perfume) and his sophisticated sister, Julia (Hayley Atwell).

The film is based on the Evelyn Waugh novel about memoirs of Captain Charles Ryder who is stationed at Brideshead Castle. What I like about the movie is that Emma Thompson co-stars as Lady Marchmain.

In case you love movies about high school proms and douches who try to get popular and successful watch The Rocker with The Office star Rainn Wilson as an adult rock drummer who never had his shot of fame, but who finally gets his chance at the big time with his nephew’s band.

Swing Vote is something we should watch before the Election Day. Kevin Costner (The Bodyguard) is the lovable apathetic loser whose 12-year-old daughter sets off a chain of events that puts the entire responsibility for the presidential election in her dad’s hands.

Suddenly, Bud Johnson, the nobody, becomes the voice for everybody when the world realizes that his vote will be the one that elects the next president.

Is America obsessed with beauty? Darryl Roberts, the director of this documentary that opens Friday in NY and will hit LA on August 22, is wondering what people have to go through to fit in the modern standards of beauty and survive in the cruel world of catwalk shows and multiple cosmetic ads imposing lifestyle and priorities.

America The Beatiful tells the story of Gerren Taylor, one of America’s next top supermodels and stars Gerren Taylor, Paris Hilton, Julianne Moore, Anthony Kiedis, Jessica Simpson. It’s like a mirror to the American psyche to show that the same beauty that could jump-start a model’s career could ultimately destroy her young life.

The trailer for the sixth film in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, has been released online.

Judging be the teaser trailer I can say Half Blood Prince could be a much darker and more intense than previous releases. Some scenes in the trailer are more reminiscent of a horror film. David Yates returns for his second stint in the director’s chair.

The trailer opens with a worried looking Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), before wizard Dumbledore glances into the past with a flashback to Lord Voldemort’s origins.

Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort’s defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information.

Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn’t counted on Romilda Vane’s chocolates!

And then there’s Hermione, simpering with jealously but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

Cast includes Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, David Bradley, Jim Broadbent, Jessie Cave, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Frank Dillane, Tom Felton, Michael Gambon, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Helen McCrory, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Natalia Tena, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Julie Walters, David Thewlis and Bonnie Wright.

Can’t wait to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince? Will be out soon! Have you read the book? Drop a line of your expectations for the movie.