Salt

Angelina Jolie is an incredible artist, but I can’t say I’ve seen all of her films. The films I have seen have been great. Her portrayal of GIA still remains one of my favorites.
In the film Salt, Angelina plays an agent that may be working for both sides. Trained in Russia and infiltrated into American society. The film is right on the money considering all that is going on right now with spies in the news.

Salt makes one think because we don’t know really know who anyone is. People will do anything to survive and to seek revenge. If the price is right…
The special effects are pretty good, but nothing over the top. Angelina does get bang up a lot and still manages to look good even with a swollen eye.
She kicks a lot of butt in this film so its well worth the price of admission. The only thing is the ending. It leaves it as if there could be a sequel, but we do know Salt is a bad ass and perhaps had more people to kill.
I’d be interested in seeing a Sequel should Angelina Jolie come back.

If you’re a fan of Angelina you’ll like this film. If you like thrillers with surprise endings then you’ll also enjoy this film. It has lots of twists.

Inception

I had been planning since I saw the preview of this film to see it. I knew I would want it in my collection for the special effects alone, but I also knew I had to see it on the big screen. I realized a long time ago that when you see a film the way it is meant to be seen then you can see it on a smaller screen. It doesn’t take away from the movie. I had never seen Lawrence of Arabia, Spartacus or Gone With the Wind on the large screen in fact, it wasn’t until I saw GWTW on the big screen that I was actually able to watch it on the small screen. It was the reverse for Lawrence of Arabia and Spartacus. Both of these films I’ve loved, but I had never seen them on the large screen until they had a re-release. It gave me a new appreciation for the films.

I’m not sure if Inception is considered science fiction or action and sci fi combined with drama, but I like films that deal with the mind. The film stars Leonardo Di Caprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Paige and an appearance by Michael Caine and Lucas Haas.

People try to manipulate people all the time. When dealing with dreams, a movie can start anywhere. It’s up to the writer to make sure the audience can follow along and that its not too complicated. Separating dreams from reality is one thing, but going from one dream to another is an entirely different matter. Putting thoughts into someone's head is known as brainwashing. In the world of dreams it's known as Inception. We delve inside the characters heads and their visions of their dream world. Layers of dreams where anything is possible when people are sharing the same dream. We find ourselves watching three dreams at once. Dreams cover a lot of ground in a few minutes and reality is shorter. Christopher Nolan the director of The Dark Knight gives us something interesting and Leonardo and Joseph pull this off despite competing with special effects.

I recall the film Brainstorm which is another favorite of mine. It’s also a film that goes inside a person’s mind to deal with their thoughts. It was a film about virtual reality. It was a film ahead of its time, but now the brain becomes more and more intriguing to scientists.

Give it a look see if you like the stars or if you like special effects. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. The enveloped gets pushed a lot with things I’ve not seen before.



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The Wrestler

I am not sure what it is, but there are actors and actresses that I love and then they sort of do a film or they say something and I sort of don't care to see their films anymore. Mickey Rourke is one of those actors. Perhaps it was that he just fell out of the limelight. I remember the first film I saw was The Pope of Grenwich Village, then there was 9 1/2 weeks and Angel Heart. I guess the real reasons I saw any of these films was because of the co stars and the subject matter. The next time I was even remotely interested in seeing Mickey Rourke was in a film with Willem Dafoe called the Animal Factory. This was to be Mickey Rourke's comeback role and it was quite a role even though it was a small role.

The Wrestler was a very interesting film and he was deserving of the Oscar. Marisa Tomei was also good in her role as the stripper. It had some similarities to another film I like a lot, Leaving Las Vegas which Nicholas Cage won his oscar for and Elizabeth Shue was incredible as the prostitute.

Mickey Rourke is now being welcomed back into Hollywood with open arms and the movie roles are calling.

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Pam Grier Month

Pam Grier - May 26, is her birthday. I’ve been watching some of her movies that are a part of my collection. I watched the entire series the L word and The Miami Vice movie that introduced her in a recurring role as Tubbs love interest and undercover cop from NYC. The first Pam Grier film that I saw was Coffy when I was 12 at the Circle theater which no longer exist. There was something about seeing Pam Grier on that large screen that made me fall for her instantly. From that point on every film, magazine article, or television show she would appear on, I was there if I could.

Pam Grier had made many B movies before her breakout role in Coffy.
Because the majority of Miss Grier’s earlier work was R rated, I couldn’t always get in to see the films. But I did see Foxy Brown and Scream Blacula Scream on the big screen.

In 1978, Pam Grier was in New Orleans filming Drum. It was a picture about slavery, and Pam Grier starred opposite Ken Norton and Warren Oats. I had thought about skipping school one day to get a glimpse of Miss Grier. It was my senior year and in fear that I would get into trouble I opted against the idea. That December I turned 18 and when the film played at the Lowes, which is now the State Palace Theatre, my dad took me to see the film. It was the first time I had seen Pam Grier get killed on screen. That was a bit traumatic.

I hope one day to meet her face to face. Until then I just watch her films. There are still a few films I’d like to add to my collection. Greased Lightening, that she appeared in opposite Richard Pryor and Something Wicked This Way Comes, (I have it on VHS, but I want to get it on DVD) the Disney film which made her the first black actress to appear in a leading Role.

So I continue the Pam Grier film festival for the month of May with such films as, Arena, Sheba Baby, Friday Foster, Bucktown, Black Mama, White Mama and Foxy Brown along with many others ending with the classic film that for me remains timeless; Coffy.

Coming up: Returning to NOLA, Road Home, Keeping on track, Can I take a trip?

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The L Word

The last season of the L word only included 8 episodes which I was a little disappointed in. The last season centers around the death of Jenny Schecter played my Mia Kirshner. I first saw Mia Kirshner in the film, Exotica. She has beautiful eyes and a nice petite frame. The Jenny character on the L word made us love her, feel sorry for her and hate her. I felt the same way about most of the characters, but that’s life. People have different opinions and react to things differently and so we react differently.

The reason I started watching the L word is because I found out Pam Grier was on the show. Even her character, Kit made me angry at times. The first and second seasons had some great writing and story lines. The third season went off the beaten path when they decided to kill one of the main and most loveable characters, Dana played by Erin Daniels.

The fourth and fifth season just went all over the place. The sixth season brought back some of the originality that I loved in the first season, but it was over too soon.

The show has inspired me to write again, but I have some other projects that I need to start and complete before I delve into creating some characters.

I watched the film Up Saturday which was a great film from Pixar. I also watched another animated film, The Prince of Egypt which is one of my favorites.

Upcoming entries: Foreign films


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Up

I had accumulated some Disney rewards and I decided to go to the Disney store to use them. My intent was to purchase The Princess and the Frog. It's a retelling of the classic tale and it was set in New Orleans. I had seen the film while I was in NOLA and I decided I'd add it to my collection.

I also had enough to purchase Mary Poppins and Up. I only recall seeing Mary Poppins when I was a kid and only a few musical numbers stick out. So, I'll sit and watch it again soon.

Up was nominated for best picture at this years academy awards and I can see why. This is really a good film. It's more for the teenager to adult crowd then the kids and prepubescent. It has some funny moments, but there is realism in the film. The opening tale is told with very little dialogue and then the adventure begins and we go along for the ride thinking about our own adventures that we'd like to take.
It's a film that the family can enjoy.

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Emotions

In private we can let ourselves go more than we would in public. It all depends on how one is brought up and most men are taught not to show emotion because it's a sign of weakness.
While watching the Oscars it was quite the thrill to see Molly Ringwald in a tribute to John Hughes. The Breakfast Club is one of my favorite films. It's one of those films that we can all relate too.

This morning I was shocked to see that Corey Haim had passed away. I wonder how difficult it must be for a child star to grow up and not be found as cute and adorable as they were when they were working. It also doesn't help if you can't seem to grow with your age. Although most of Hollywood strives to remain looking young, only those with those special genes can actually do it. Hollywood can be like a catch 22. Either you stayed away too long or you're just not as marketable as you once were. It's all about ticket sales. The entertainment industry is all about the dollar and if you can't bring in the money...

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