| Shooting Livien I saw Shooting Livien at the Philly film festival. I\'m not going to go into detail cause I\'m hoping it\'ll be shown in more venues, so that more people can enjoy this movie.I love the Beatleness of the movie and the songs in the film will definitely be playing in your head after the movie is through.The filming is gorgeous and I love how Rebecca show\'s two perspective\'s. One...John Livien\'s drug dazed POV and that of everyone else.I love the friendship between John Livien (Jason Behr) and Owen (Dominic Monaghan)I\'m afraid to say more, because I\'ll get involved and spoil everything. |
| Childhood\'s End I caught a screening of this film on the Independent Film Channel three years ago, and recorded it because I had to go to work, so I\'ve had ample opportunity to watch this film and analyze it in more than a cursory manner. Quite simply, this is a great, uncompromising film depicting people in unconventional relationships in an extremely fair and honest fashion.Childhood\'s End is structured around the development of two relationships. The first one to develop is between Greg, a whiz kid photographer, and a friend of his mother\'s, Evelyn, a fortyish, sexually adventurous divorcee. The core of their relationship, which initially appears to be a shallow May-December/Oedipal sexual attraction, develops quickly into a deeper attachment, much to the horror of their family and friends alike. Two of these friends are Rebecca, an anxious teenage loner, and Denise, and outed lesbian. They fall in love, and form a relationship against the background of their troubled family lives. I don\'t have a fancy, polished way of explaining why it is that this movie is a great one. All I can tell you is that I\'ve never seen anything so non-judgemental, or honest in all my life. These characters are not cardboard creations. Greg is an egomaniacal overgrown teenager shagging his mom\'s former best friend. This is not done for a laugh, and it isn\'t very pleasant to watch up close. Rebecca and Denise are in love, and that\'s just the way it is. The scene where the make love for the first time is the most explicit sex scene ever filmed, but somehow it is the furthest thing from pornography that I\'ve ever seen, too. This film develops in a very unconventional fashion. I was constantly surprised by the frankness of the dialogue, and the direction that the plot took near the end. I\'m not doing justice to all the other characters in the film( such as Chloe the model, who ends up as a Vegas showgirl), but there really are way too many to mention in the detail they would deserve. I look forward to the second film from Jeff Lipsky, whenever it may come. |
| 24 This show can best be described as the most innovative, ground-breaking television show of the past 50 years. The reason this show is so ground breaking is the fact that it has used split screen cameras, and a real time format to create the element of a quality made show.The show follows the worst days of likable, down-to-earth hero Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) and each episode chronicles every hour of the day, and is shot in real-time. What makes this show so unique are the character relationships, the shows writing and the attention to detail.Whether the shows themes are about kidnappings, bomb threats, personal vendettas, assassinations, or terrorist attacks the themes are handled in such a compelling way that the viewer is hooked at every jump and turn.The viewers really learn to care about Jack as we learn more about his life and his past. Kiefer Sutherland was perfect for the role as Jack Bauer, so much that many people describe him as "born for the role". Dennis Haysbert does a superb acting job as Sen David Palmer and the show has an excellent group of characters who make the support team of the show and these include Carols Bernard as Tony and Elisha Cuthbert as Kim Bauer. A big bonus of the show is that 24 is constantly surprising viewers in unexpected moments, and you never know what to expect on the show. Anything can and does happen.The scripts on this show are top class and they deserve a mention in their own right. The attention to detail as I mentioned earlier is prominent with the real time aspect of the show. There are very rarely any mistakes with the time aspect of the show, and this is a strength of the show. The show always uses multiple split screen camera shots and this is innovative work because it helps to make the show seem realistic and also in real time. You will also see most of the camera focused on Jacks point of view and this is to make the show from a humans point of view and it helps to bring the viewer more involved in the show.The story may change; new characters may arrive and leave but one thing always stays the same; the underlying story of the show is about one mans fight to do what is right. If there is a bad aspect to this show it may be that some of the action sequences are a bit too predictable, but this is rare and should not detach from the viewers viewing pleasure of the show. This show will make you feel every emotion under the sun but nevertheless it is gripping, thrilling storytelling of the highest calibre. Long may this show continue and the legacy of this show will be remembered for many years to come. Miss this at your peril 10/10. |
| EastEnders I really admire the fact that EastEnders are dealing with complex issues, such as sexual abuse, and it is one of those shows that once each episode ends, you can\'t wait for the next episode. The scripts are good, and the acting is commendable, particularly Patsy Palmer as Bianca. The soap opera has also had its fair share of villains like Leslie Grantham\'s Dirty Den, Billy Murray\'s Johnny Allen and Larry Lamb\'s Archie Mitchell. There have also been iconic characters such as Barbara Windsor\'s Peggy Mitchell and Jessie Wallace\'s Kat Slater, and there are some talented child actors such as Maisie Smith\'s Tiffany Dean, who is just hilarious at times. Of course there have been some characters that are not as easy to relate to, I never did quite like Lauren Crace\'s Danielle Jones, and there have been occasions when I\'ve read that something\'s exciting is going to happen, and for ages I am like Is it ever going to happen? Despite all this, I really like EastEnders, and try not to miss it. |
| Mamma Mia Take a Chance... It\'s Surprisingly Brilliant!While the majority of the film is brilliantly silly, Meryl Streep gives us an emotional show stopping performance of \'The Winner Takes It All. Who wouldn\'t pay to see James Bond singing \'SOS\'? Pierce Brosnan was humorously over-emoting everything but it worked perfectly within the context of the film.Donna and Sophie (Mother and Daughter) are perfectly cast with an uncanny similarity in both looks and personality. Julie Walters almost steals the whole show, sorry I mean film, with her performance of \'Take a Chance on Me\'.It does take you about 20 minutes to settle down from the excitement of this outstanding cast singing their hearts out. I\'m not the biggest \'movical\' fan but if go in with an open mind and a bunch of people and you\'ll leave uplifted and pleasantly surprised. |
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