I know the whole gay community know and revere this movie Latter Days, independent movie from 2003. And it is the first movie for both talented actors Steve Sandvoss (Lie to Me) and Wes Ramsey ("Charmed"). This movie also features Amber Benson ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Mysterious Skin), Erik Palladino ("ER"), and Rob McElhenney ("Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia"). The basic plot is Mormon missionary Elder Davis (Sandvoss) moves to L.A. with his group of missionaries, (which is more like a frat) to where a party boy Christian (Ramsey) lives with his singing best friend Julie (Rebekah Johnson). Christian, in a romantic movie manner, makes a bet he can 'turn' a Mormon. But, little do they know Elder Davis is has his own secret of his own. When they almost kiss, Elder Davis stops when Christian says his 'line' that always works: 'It doesn't have to mean anything.' He calls Christian shallow and leaves. The first rule he breaks is by telling Christian his real name: Aaron. Christian decides to better himself and delivers meals to HIV/AIDS patients.
Christian meets Keith (Palladino) the obligatory 'tough friend' that teaches the protagonist a lesson. He even says "I was you." Besides the cliches and formulas, this movie has its charms. It doesn't feel like you are watching an independent movie. According to the commentary, Palladino's mom told him, "Three years on "ER" and now you are doing gay porn?" LOL. Okay, back to the plot... Because of an accident that happens to Ryder (Gordon-Levitt), Aaron feels bad, Christian comforts him and they happen to kiss and the others happen to notice and Aaron is excommunicated. On the way back home to Iowa, Aaron has to wait for his flight in Salt Lake city and Christian runs for his love and confronts him. They kiss and make up and end up in a hotel after a snow storm. There they are completely nude in a lovely sex scene and Christian delivers a monologue about his past, getting deeper into the character.
Jacqueline Bisset ("Nip/Tuck," Mr. and Mrs. Smith) plays Christian's boss, she delivers a powerful performance. Bisset, who I have only seen in "Nip/Tuck" was a crazy villain and went a bit too far, but here she is perfect. As for the main actors, Ramsey calls forth vintage Ryan Reynolds in his comedy phase, but that is not an insult. And the marathon of horrible shirts he wears is mentioned in the commentary. Sandvoss gives a honest and strong performance, very heartbreaking and also sexy. With such enthusiasm, Sandvoss can be both innocent, but also has a devilish, yet knowledgeable smirk. I like how even though the character Aaron never came out of the closet and had his 'secret', he was not like 'whoa is me' or ignorant to the mechanics of things. When he strips off all his clothes to be with Christian, he is taking off all his inhibitions metaphorically.
Mary Kay Place (Pecker, "Big Love") plays his mom and she is always known for passionate moms or crazy ladies, she gives a good performance here too. The movie has plenty of little supernatural hints and connections and clues. The movie is about we are all connected. I think it is all about hope, it gives a strong message. It also gives hope to religious gay people. I understand why people love this movie. It is definitely worth watching. And it is not preachy, it is just adorable. It's just good.
Now that this potential bomb Rambo is coming out, I remember Rambo from when I was a kid in the 80's and I was like 'Wasn't the first movie called Rambo?' But it was called First Blood. I was four and I remember watching the cartoon of Rambo. I knew it was short-lived, I looked it up and it lasted one year, 65 episodes. Cartoon seasons last 65 episodes. Of course they had to turn it down. It was called "rambo and the Forces of Freedom."
When the animated series of RoboCop came out in 1988, I never saw the movie and never heard of it. I was 6. I loved the cartoon. Later on, my brother-in-law rented the 1987 movie on VHS and begged my dad to watch it. He said no because it was rated R. I begged him, saying I could handle it, and then when I saw it, from those people who have seen the movie, you know I was probably traumatized. But, the funny thing is that I wasn't bothered by Murphy being shot down, reasmbled, but what bugged me more was the psychological stuff about Murphy missing his wife and son. RoboCop only last 12 episodes. Toxic Crusaders, RoboCop, and Rambo are part of a special club, that they are animated series intended for children based on R-Rated movies. (Toxic Crusaders was based on Toxic Avenger). Can you imagine Alien Vs. Predator the animated series these days? Or Cloverfield?
I am almost crying. I used to cry when I was kid but that has been stifled. I am not the type of guy to be so distraught over a celebrity or actor dying, but this is special to me. Also, it isn't that he is in one of my favorite movies, Brokeback Mountain, I really didn't expect this happening. Brad Renfro recently passed away, for still unknown reasons, I didn't even post something on that. I am not discrediting Brad Renfro, but Ledger's passing is quite frankly a shock and large surprise. I always expected Heath to have a large filmography and keep on acting like Clint Eastwood, Robert Renford, etc. And my prayers go to Michelle Williams, his very young daughter, his parents, and all of his love ones and fans. This is really tragedy, because he had so much potential and it was shame he couldn't see himself on the big screen as the Joker, which he is getting a lot of buzz around.
With the strike and not a lot of originally scripted shows, one has to wander from network to network for your favorite shows. I hate it when two cool shows are at the same time. The perfect matchup (and I hope they don't change it!) is "Kyle XY" (ABC Family), "Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles" (FOX), and "Medium" (NBC) on Monday nights starting at 8pm. The best Sci-Fi shows on television right now. I am glad "Medium" is back on Mondays.
Jessie and her amazing attention-seeking tricks. Good Episode. She walks on water and leaps down a tall building. Lot of confrontations. Nicole with Brian. Kyle with Emily. Emily with Jessie. Brian with Kyle and Nicole. And at the end, Jessi gets a big confrontation with everyone. Hilary eggs Jessi on, not to be a bitch but because she hurt Lori. At the beginning of the episode, we find out the Trager family have a lot of information on Jessie and Brian. One would expect them to figure it out slowly like they usually do. But apparently Brian is biologically Jessie's father. Nicole is concerned if Brian is a good parent. I think they discovered this to make room for everything else that has happened.
Declan is on crutches because of the battle at Madacorp last week. Curious enough, there was no scene between Jessie and Brian throughout the episode.... until the very end. Tonight we find out the Latnok ring Kyle got from Balantine wasn't the ring Adam Baylin gave him. It was actually Balantine's father's ring. Brian was the one who took the ring from the pawn shop. Now Kyle has both. As for the conversation between Jessie and Emily, basically Emily was recruiting for Madacorp at the Career Fair and Kyle confronted her. Jessie came along and Emily offered being fame and popularity. As for Andy, she is trying out a wig and Josh wasn't all for the career fair and stands up to the principal, saying he will make a difference. It is all because of Andy. He is much more serious which is good, the boy growing up. In a smart move to stop Jessie from doing a third stunt, Kyle 'ruins it' by saying he will do it along with her and the Trager kids do too. Jessie eventually goes on to it but Kyle stops her, using his powers. With water below her, he used the water in him to make her water move and make her back up.
In the beginning, Kyle accidentally levitates in front of the neighbor mother of his girlfriend and it attracts attention. The next day she appears with her friends to see the trick. At the end of episode, it is simply solved with Kyle putting his foot on the sprinkler to make her believe it was nothing. Also, interesting factoid Brian told everyone that Sara, Jessi's mom is dead. And TV Guide and TV.com have confirmed that former Rat Packer will play Sarah in an episode near the season finale, so that is curious.
I always knew Bryan Cranston deserved his own show. He needed an award for his work on "Malcolm in the Middle," but is "Breaking Bad" worthy a vehicle to get his notice? I don't know, "The Shield" was FX's first series and launched them. Some call "Breaking Bad" an effort to do the same for AMC. He plays Walter White, chemist teacher who is lead to making crystal meth in a RV when too much shit piles up: he is diagnosed with lung cancer, his wife is pregnant (Anna Gunn), his son Walter Jr. (RJ Mitte) has cerebral palsy (done quite well, he is a normal teenager) and they are about to loose their house. How did he get to this? Well, he is out on a bust with his wife's brother that is a cop and he finds a former student is a crack addict/dealer Jesse (Aaron Paul). He eventually convinces the punk looser to team up with him because of his 'connections.' The dumb kid don't know shit about chemistry and don't believe in Walter's skills until he witness the actual drug he can cook up.
In 1989, Washington Times reported about the federal authorities investigating criminal aspects in a prostitution ring. This was the biggest scandal in the history of the U.S. history. The story received some newspaper coverage but there was a blackout on American news media on the subject. For this reason, most Americans have never heard of it. One of the ring's clients arranged a middle-of-the-night tour of the White House for friends and two male prostitutes were part of the six persons. Credit card vouchers were found that were made payable to the escort service and they were tun through a 'sub-merchant' account of the Chambers Funeral Home. It was done by a son of the owner, without the company knowing. Many of the clients not only Reagan and Bush administration officials, but also government officials, locally based U.S. military officers, businessmen, lawyers, bankers, congressional aides, and other 'professionals.'
I swear the Golden Globes is my favorite awards show, out of all the award shows, the only ones I watch are the Emmies, Oscars, and the Golden Globes. The Golden Globes have always been the punching bag of the awards, not really respected. The reason I like it is because it not only gives awards to movies, but also to television. It also gives a chance to movies that may not win an Oscar. Everyone is talking about the press conference that had to happen and narrated by Larry King on CNN. Conan O' Brian expressed how strange King's commentary was. Entertainment Weekly talked about five possible ways for the Oscars can be handled. John Stewart, who has been chosen to be the host, is now under a heat lamp. Even on his show "A Daily Show," his fellow 'correspondents' teased him about hosting 'that trainwreck.'
"To C.I.R., With Love"
Kyle then gets the information. Brian comes in and tells Kyle he can't take over the computer and he will be fried like charcoal. Emily then lets Jessi go, the guards chase after her. Nicole, worried about he rboys go after them and finds Jessi. Nicole gives a frazzled Jessi a pep talk. In the chair, Kyle goes through all his memories with the Tragers and goes into cardiac arrest. Ballantine goes to maximum power, as Jessi connects with Kyle mentally and they 'end' it together. Stephen is freed from his room, when they make the glass in the room break. He connects the wire to the mainframe. They cause a blackout in the city. Jessi wakes up but faints and ends up in the hospital. Turns out, Ballantine was doing all of this without Madacorp's knowing and they arrest him. Emily takes his job. Kyle then talks to Tom, who tells him he has to be a big boy and be on his own. He then finds Amanda in his tub/bed, that her flight was delayed because the blackout. Jessi then gets a visit from Brian, saying he is her father. He gives her some info on her DNA donor: her name is Sarah and he took the picture of her and Adam.
Stuff I liked:
With the popularity of "Desperate Housewives," it not only has been dubbed in many languages, but in Spanish and also re-done for Spain, Argentina, and now, for some reason for Univision, the American Spanish channel. With a whole new cast and new names, it is completely in Spanish and set in the United States. Instead of Wisteria Lane, they live in Manzanares (Apple?) 'estrit' (Street). The first episode aired last night, it airs at 10pm Thursdays. It doesn't feel like a rerun, even though they follow everything to a tee. The first episode is exactly the same, as if they are stuck in a loop. It is interesting to see a soap opera satire done by telenovela actors. I guess they did this for those stubborn viewers would wouldn't watch any American show, in English or dubbed and will only watch Univision.
Much like Family Guy returning, Futurama had to make its stabs at Fox as well but in a much elaborate fashion. The movie goes to the trouble of introducing the characters again but it is clearly for fans of the show, more than a mainstream audience. There is a lot of time traveling and Futurama logic to go through, but it is just great. They follow a lot of their rules and serve up so many past episodes, its hard to keep track. The movie's main antagonists the Scammers, three nude aliens, are lack-luster, hit and miss and don't come off as threatening as they should be. The movie is set in 3007. The movie goes through a extremely slow pace in the beginning but it is later learned that it is necessary for the aforementioned confusing plot points and twists. The ending is worth it though, it is touching. The ending also opens up the plot to the next movie.
The basic plot is that the evil nudist aliens Scammers plant a virus on Bender, making him their slave and he steals all the Earth's priceless historic treasures through time travel, they discover on a tattoo on Fry's ass. Nibbler reveals he talks once again to Leela... and most of the gang as well (he wiped their memories before) to try to stop the Scammers but fails. Hermes literally looses his head and his wife in the process and is stuck in a jar for the majority of the film. In the process, Leela meets Lars, a head-cleaner guy and they are so luvey-duvey that it gets on Fry's nerves. Fry then decides to time travel as well to go back home to 2000 and the Scammers send Bender to kill Fry.
There is a lot of butts, nudity (not full frontal), deception, and body chopping off, violence and such. Just warning those prudes. Well, that I haven't seen them like that, it is interesting to see them that way, a little hard to get use to but, they did go nuts with the allowance they got. As for Lars, I first I didn't want to like him, but he is likable, does grow on me. I did get a bit ticked off that the love Leela was feeling for Fry in the first season finale (He learns the holophonor). It isn't even mentioned in this episode. But without spoiling anything, the ending of this movie is worth it and I'll excuse it. The only thing that sucks is the songs. Well, nothing can be 100% perfect.
The DVD is delightful and full of funny gags throughout. Like, above, the chapters menu. It of course includes a commentary by David X. Cohen and Matt Groening and others. Also a live comic book reading by the cast (unfortunately we don't see them. We only see the comic book with the audio. Hilariously, Billy West gets confused doing Fry voice instead of the Professor voice), deleted scene storyboard animatics (there is a reason they are deleted), Al Gore 'You Tube' promo for An Inconvenient Truth with Bender (delightful video commentary with Al Gore, Groening, and Cohen), a math lecture (spotting various mathematical references in past episodes and the letter 'g' for the Alien Language #2.) with Cohen, Groening (who delightfully draws Bender off hand), the writers being kookie, 3-D models, the original first draft of the script, character design sketches, and more. The DVD is worth the bucks, beautiful box and illustrations inside. Even an offer for 1 of 195 works of art. Best Buy offers an extra disc featuring animatics and a un-colored sneak peak to the next movie The Beast With a Billion Backs.
Scenes are scattered through. The big time rips from the ending of this one begins this one. The universe or Earth is in trouble, so the Professor and his rival Wormstrom get involved. Out of the rips, come these giant tentacles. Fry meets a girl (Brittany Murphy) and discovers she is a polygamist. The tentacles then control Fry to be some sort of pope and then all the humans leave the robots on Earth. Also Kif and Amy get married, which is more expected. Kif barely appears in Bender's Big Score, he is mentioned by Amy but there is no scene with them together. Zap B. is his best man. The Beast With a Billion Backs looks good.
Today is Three Kings Day. What does that mean? El Dia de los Tres Reyes Magos is a Commonwealth of Puerto Rico official holiday, as well as a religious holiday. It celebrates the Three Wise Men's visit to see the newborn Christ by exchanging gifts. Traditionally, children stack bundles of hay in boxes and glasses of water for each King's camel, to then find their boxes exchanged for gifts. (Sounds familiar? Milk and cookies for Santa?) This is also done in Cuba and several other Latin American countries. In the Eastern church a variety of different names are given for the three, but in the West the names have been settled since the 8th century as Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. Also, Latinos don't take off their Christmas decorations until after January 6th, when some believe the three kings have arrived to Jesus, hence ending the celebration. In Miami, Florida; there is a parade called the Tres Reyes Magos parade on Calle Ocho (8th street) in Little Havana. Floats and activity has decrease through the years, due to lack of funds and interest. Sometimes certain aunts and uncles, neighbors and other family members that forgotten children in Christmas give presents to kids on this day.
