Just ask the original Bennifer (Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez).

The article also mentions the breakups of Ryan Philippe and Reese Weatherspoon, and starlets Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Mischa Barton as cases in point.  (There's a mention of Jared Leto, Criss Angel, Cisco Adler and Brandon Davis, but since I don't know who the matches are, I'll leave it to you to draw the lines.) There's also a mention of tattoos, and to me the biggest case of that point is Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder's.

So far, it's only Brangelina who has withstood the intense and frenzied paparazzi scrutiny.

Read story >>

Viendo que no fue asi, la semana pasada me doy cuenta de que no lo sera, pero dentro de esta mala noticia, hay una buena: La pelicula si esta siendo comercializada en Mèxico y podemos encontrarla en Wal-mart o HEB (aquí es donde la vi) por tan solo 40 pesos bajo el nombre de “Corazones Heridos”(Si, no la cagaron tanto con el titulo).

Ya lo dije antes, la pelicula no llego a conmoverme del todo, pero vale la pena echarle un vistazo..

Click en la pequeña imagen para ir al trailer.

Para algunos era una mala madre…

La realidad era aun mas terrible.

Via imagen

Pagina en Buymax

Mr. Deeds (Widescreen Special Edition) is available at Amazon for $9.99. To Order click here
Amazon Product Pages contain a lot of other details on this product as Customer Reviews, Sales Ranking, Special Offers, Alternate products that customers are going for and much more.Want to read these details? click here

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Other Products of Interest

• Big Daddy
• The Waterboy
• Anger Management (Widescreen Edition)
• Happy Gilmore (Widescreen Special Edition)
• The Wedding Singer

Book Review: Dracula

Abraham Stoker died in 1912 at the age of 64, but his creation, Count Dracula, is immortal (hee, hee, hee).  Dracula has become a part of the cultural landscape, starring in movies, comics and even cereal boxes.  (Count Chocula cereal was always a treat we could expect when we went on vacation each summer on Secord Lake in Gladwin county.  Other favorites included Frankenberry and Boo-berry.  Not so much of a favorite was the hard to find (and harder to eat)“Yummy Mummy” cereal.  Whoever woke up first would rush to get to the Count Chocula.  Whoever got up last, would have their choice of Yummy Mummy or whatever “regular” cereals were left.) 

In the past few years, other “Dracula” characters have appeared in their own movies.  Mina Murray (Harker) was a key to the formation of “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,” a 1999 comic that spawned its own movie in 2003.  In this movie, Mina was played by Peta Wilson. 

Another “Dracula” character,  Dr. Abraham Van Helsing was given his own star turn with Hugh Jackman starring as the vampire fighting professor in “Van Helsing” in 2004.  I have yet to see either of these movies, but after reading Dracula, I am now curious to see them both.  But before I do that, I want to re-watch Francis Ford Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” which stars Ted – er – Neo – er -- Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker.  Waaaay!  The movie also features a couple of other less-famous actors, namely Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing and Winona Ryder as Mina.  Gary Oldman stars as Count Dracula. 

This particular movie holds a special place in my heart because it was supposed to be Tracy’s and my first date although neither of us knew it at the time.  This date turned into a complete non-date for a couple of reasons.  First of all, my sister Melissa was the one trying to engineer this date, and second of all, my partner in Count Chocula crime (my cousin Doug) also went along with us.

The date of said non-date was Halloween, 1992 -- a Saturday night.  In my defense, I had never dated any of my sister’s friends, so I didn’t even consider the fact that my sister might be attempting to play matchmaker.  The night must have seemed a total disaster to Melissa because the movie was sold out before we got there, and I spent the night goofing off with Doug -- as opposed to wooing fair Tracy.  None of us knew that two years later, Tracy and I would be married. 

I finally saw “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” in 1993 when it came out on video.  Just a tip from a writer and film buff…  NEVER WATCH A MOVIE BASED ON A BOOK, IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOK.  Half of the time, I didn’t know what the heck was going on in the movie, and the other half of the time I was waiting for Alex Winter to appear as Bill S. Preston Esquire and George Carlin to appear as Rufus.  I’m betting Dracula would have been EXCELLENT as a member of Wyld Stallyns.

Well, this book review is off to a rousing start.  We’re already over 500 words and we have yet to talk about the actual book.  Since this is a book review, I guess I will cover the book too, just give me a minute to finish the intro.

The biographer, Daniel Farson has called Bram Stoker “one of the least known authors of one of the best known books ever written.”  Perhaps as a way to redeem Stoker from that fate, The Horror Writers Association presents The Bram Stoker Award annually for "superior achievement" in horror fiction.   A goal of mine would be to one day win (or even earn a nomination for) a Stoker Award.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is of course considered a classic.  Stephen King’s second published novel was originally entitled, “Second Coming,” and his concept for the novel was Dracula comes to small-town America.  The title was later changed to ‘salem’s Lot.  After reading both ‘salem’s Lot and then Dracula (I know.  I read them out of “order.”) I am pumped to begin writing the third story of the trilogy.  I can see it now… Bram Stoker, Stephen King and W.P. Evans (my probable pen name) comprising the Ultimate Trilogy of Vampire Tales.  We could even have a boxed set.  Yeah, I know.  I should just try to publish “The Kid From the Other Side” or “Wa’er Mons’er” first. 

Anyway, I really don’t feel like you need my review of this book.  It is a classic whether I liked it or not (I did).  What I would rather do is encourage you to buy both Dracula and ‘salem’s Lot.  You should be able to get both for less than 8 bucks at any used book store.  Read them both, and then you will be ready to read the third story in the Trilogy (after I actually write it) in 2015 – the likely publication date.

3 things you probably didn’t know…

1.  Everyone thinks they know all about Count Dracula, but did you know that Bram Stoker took between 7 and 8 years researching vampire stories as well as European folklore before writing his master work.  2.  According to Stoker’s book, whatever form a vampire had taken (man, wolf, bat, etc.) at sunrise it would be locked into that form until the next sunset.  3.  Although most vampire stories claim that vampires cannot endure sunlight, Dracula was able to move in the daylight, though his supernatural powers were muted until sunset, making him much more vulnerable to attack.

This book lives up to its reputation as a classic, but that is not to say that it is an easy read.  There are portions of the book that must be endured before the rest can be enjoyed, but the book as a whole is excellent. 

Maybe now I’ll watch Bram Stoker’s Dracula with Tracy and complete our non-date from Halloween, 1992.  On second thought, I read on Wikipedia that the movie was hyper-sexual (I don’t even remember if I finished watching it in 1993), so there’s no point in making our non-date into a bad date.  Maybe I’ll just stick to the book -- which was better than the movie anyway.  Tracy and I will just have to find another movie for our next date night.

Warning: READ THE BOOK!  And don’t watch ANY vampire movies until you have!  9 out of 10.

Sinopse:

 Durante a década de 60, uma mulher divorciada cuida de suas duas filhas, mas seu jeito livre e descompromissado causa vários problemas com sua filha mais velha.

Com Cher, Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder e Christina Ricci no elenco.

Este foi uma filme que eu adorava assistir no início da minha adolescência, sempre gostei dos filmes da Winona Ryder da época pois ela sempre era uma adolescente sensível, e por isso dava a perceber que era meio problemática.

O primeiro filme que assisti com a Christina Ricci, que diferente de outras pessoas que começaram a carreira de ator na infância, ela continua brilhando até hoje.

Cher!!!!! Ela é sim uma sereia!!!

Recordo-me em especial dessa cena do filme:

Winona é apaixonada por um carinha e os dois vão pescar, daí quando ele bebe café na farrafa e a repassa para ela, a menina bebe bem do lado que o outro tinha colocado a boca e começa a pensar: "estamos nos beijando, estamos nos beijamos." rsrrs Achava super bonitinha essa inocência.

E quando ela finalmente o beijou, correu para o ginecologista com medo de ter engravidado. (primeira foto do post abaixo)

Um filme que semore terei em minha memória...

--Do you believe in destiny? That even the powers of time can be altered for a single purpose? That the luckiest man who walks upon this earth is the one who finds... true love?

Bram Stoker’s immortal tale has been retold innumerable times. Its earliest version was the German silent classic, Nosferatu, which was famous for stripping away the romantic glamour of Dracula and showing him as the true undead creature he is. It is considered by many to be the scariest film ever made. Dracula was most famously portrayed by Bela Lugosi in the 1931 Tod Browning film. Lugosi made Dracula creepy but charming, sexy but sad. He is the yardstick by which all other vampires are measured.

I have a confession to make: vampires terrify me and always have. From the time I was a child, I have had dreadful nightmares starring the blood suckers. Needless to say, on the whole I’m not too fond of them and regard them unaffectionately as giant, overgrown ticks or other parasite. I am attracted to tales of immortals and their lives, but vampirism is my least favorite form of that genre. I tend to enjoy tales told from the point of view of vampire slayers like Buffy. Dracula, in fact, symbolizes in one character the most frightening boogeyman of my childhood and just reading the novel was an accomplishment for me. It was not easy for me to watch this film either although this now makes my second viewing.

Francis Ford Coppola ramps up the blood and the sex in this adaptation. The film has a beautiful mise en scene. The female characters wear gorgeous costumes in the first half of the film before changing to more sober garments in the later portion. All of the gothic elements are in place: a graveyard, a castle, a gigantic mansion, a madhouse, superstitious peasants, wolves, bats, fog. The atmosphere is so thick it practically flows off the screen into your living room.

The cast is certainly A-list: Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, Cary Elwes, Richard E. Grant and Tom Waits. Oldman tries to duplicate Lugosi’s sexy but sad, creepy but charming routine and succeeds to a certain extent. Although I appreciate the scenes that show Dracula as the corpse he really is, I felt Oldman’s performance was better as the younger-looking romantic Dracula. Anthony Hopkins is solid as Van Helsing, but not overwhelming. Cary Elwes and Richard E. Grant are both good as Lucy’s suitors while Tom Waits is a standout as the ever creepy Renfield. Keanu Reeves, unfortunately, is a bit stiff, especially in the earliest scenes. He relaxes more in the action scenes at the end. That leaves Winona Ryder. Her Mina is a confused young woman trying to maneuver through the pitfalls of Victorian sexual morality. She loves her fiancé, but she is also drawn to the exotic stranger wooing her in Jonathan’s absence. The new feelings he inspires in her are contrary to what she has been carefully taught.

What is about vampires? What makes them so scary to some and so irresistible to others? Vampire lovers point to the temptation of immortality and usually see all of the versions of Dracula as bittersweet love epics spanning the ages. As for me, I think it could be several factors about the creatures that frighten me. One that most readily comes to mind is a deep rooted fear I have about something preying on me in my sleep. It could be as simple as associating them with mosquitoes and their bites which I am allergic to or it could be a by-product of my fear of snakes…things with fangs, perhaps? In any event, I can count on one hand the number of vampire characters I’ve encountered in any fictional form that I enjoyed and pretty much only one that I genuinely like: Joss Whedon’s character Angel. Still, if you’d like to revisit the Count one more time this is a beautifully produced, lush rendition.

Was die Menschen heutzutage wohlig schauern lässt, wurde in vergangenen Zeiten durchaus ernst genommen. Wandelnde Tote, die sich vom Blut der Lebenden ernähren – diese mythischen und diabolischen Wesen, im Volksglauben wurden sie als Existent erachtet. Wie dem auch sei: Im 19. Jahrhundert kamen Schauergeschichten immer mehr in Mode. Der Vampir wurde zur literarischen Figur, ein Topos welcher unter Anderem, und vor allen, von Vertretern der Romantik aufgegriffen wurde. Als im Jahre 1897 in England Bram Stokers Roman „Dracula“ erschien, war dies die Geburtsstunde des wohl berühmtesten Vampirs aller Zeiten, dessen Geschichte in der Folge in unzähligen Romanen und Verfilmungen rezipiert wurde. Stoker ließ sich bei seiner Romanfigur von der Historie inspirieren. Um Vlad III. Drăculea, im 15. Jahrhundert Herrscher über die Walachei, rankten sich schon zu seinen Lebzeiten zahlreiche Legenden. Auch bekannt unter den Namen Vlad Ţepeş – Vlad der Pfähler – dem ihm seine türkischen Widersacher gaben, ging dieser Mann nicht nur in die Geschichte, sondern auch in den Dunstkreis der Sagen und Mythen ein.

Gut hundert Jahre später, im Jahr 1992, entstand mit „Bram Stoker's Dracula“ von Regisseur Francis Ford Coppola (Apocalypse Now, Der Pate) die wohl oppulenteste Verfilmung der Dracula-Sage. Dieser Film ist eindeutig mein Favorit unter den zahlreichen Vampir-Verfilmungen. Mit dieser Einlassung möchte ich keinesfalls den großen deutschen Stummfilmklassiker Murnaus „Nosferatu – Eine Symphomie des Grauen“ schmälern, doch Coppola hat es in seiner Verfilmung verstanden den Vampirmythos zu konzentrieren, und vor allem mit aller Bildgewalt zu inszenieren. Gleichwohl soll an dieser Stelle nicht unerwähnt bleiben, dass der marktstrategische Schachzug Bram Stoker im Titel des Films zu nennen, kein sonderlich intelligenter war. Der Kenner des Roman wird bemerken, dass Coppola ein entscheidendes Handlungselement in den Diskurs des Films implementiert hat, welcher die Intention der Geschichte massiv verändert. Meiner Meinung nach stellt diese Veränderung jedoch kein Problem da, wie ich im Folgenden darlegen werde. Tauchen wir nun also ein, in die Tiefen des „Mythos Dracula“.

Roman und Film sind von ihrem inhaltlichen Grundgerüst relativ ähnlich., so dass die Folgende rudimetäre inhaltliche Zusammenfassung sowohl für den Roman, als auch den Film Gültigkeit besitzt. Der junge Anwalt Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves) reist nach Transsylvanien um dem Grafen Dracula (Gary Oldman) ein Haus in London zu verkaufen. Harker wird relativ schnell bewusst, dass er nicht Gast, sondern Gefangener des Grafen ist. Als ihm endlich die Flucht gelingt, ist Dracula schon längst in Lodnon angelangt, wo er sich zunächst über die Freundin von Harkers Verlobten Mina (Winona Ryder), der jungen Lucy, herfällt, um dann anschließend auch Mina nachzustellen. Jedoch ist der Graf nicht nur Jäger, sondern auch Gejagter. Eine Gruppe von Männern um Dr. Seward und Abraham Van Helsing (Anthony Hopkins) hat es sich zur Aufgabe gemacht dem Untoten sein Handwerk zu legen.

Stoker erzeugt in seinem Roman mit einfachen stilistischen Mitteln eine dokumentarisch anmutende Grundstimmung. Der Roman setzt sich aus einer Abfolge von Tagebuchaufzeichnungen und Briefen zusammen, die somit eine gewisse Authentizität suggerieren. Eine geschickte Fingerübung, welche von Coppola adaptiert wurde. Auch im Film erfolgt die Narration durch die Briefe und Tagebücher der beteiligten Akteure. Cineastisch umgesetzt durch konkrete Einblendungen der Briefe und Tagebücher in den Hintergrund des Bildes, beziehungsweise der Implementation der erzählenden Stimme der Akteure, die wiedergeben was sie gerade denken/schreiben.

Nichts desto trotz: Der Film ist nicht mit dem Roman gleichzusetzen. Bei Stoker ist Dracula mehr oder weniger „das Böse“ in seiner Reinform. Coppola jedoch erweitert den Diskurs der Geschichte um die Komponente einer tragischen Liebe. Die Exposition des Films kommt im Roman nicht vor: Wir sehen den jungen Dracula im 15. Jahrhundert wie er sich darauf vorbereitet ein christliches Heer gegen die Streitmacht des osmanischen Reiches ins Feld zu führen. Er ist siegreich, doch eine fingierte Botschaft an seine geliebte Frau von seinem angeblichen Tod in der Schlacht, veranlasst diese in den Freitod zu gehen. In Verzweiflung und Zorn wendet sich der Graf bei seiner Rückkehr von Gott ab, und schwört ewige Rache zu nehmen. - So wird er zum Vampir. In der jungen Mina, der Verlobten Harkers, meint er die Wiedergeburt seiner geliebten Elisabetha zu erkennen, und begibt sich nach London, um sich mit Mina zu vereinen.

Über diese Umdeutung kann natürlich diskutiert werden. Die Einen mögen zu Recht behaupten, dass somit von der Intention des ursprünglichen Romans nicht mehr viel übrig geblieben ist. Die Anderen, zu denen auch ich gehöre, halten diesem Argument entgegen, dass diese Veränderung dem Film in keinster Weise schadet, sondern ganz im Gegenteil den Charakter des Grafen mit erheblich mehr Ambivalenz anlegt, als dies im Roman der Fall ist. Unbestreitbar ist auf jeden Fall, das das Zentrum der Handlung auf den Vampir verlagert wird. Steht im Roman der Kampf gegen den Vampir im Mittelpunkt, so ist dies im Film, wo es vermehrt um die Motivation Draculas geht, definitiv anders.

Erkennbar ist die Ambivalenz Draculas auch an dem Erscheinungsbild des Grafen. Zu Beginn des Films als alter, gebrochener Mann, wandelt dieser sich zu dem jungen, eleganten transsylvanischen Edelmann, der Mina in London in den Bann zieht. Die Verbindung von Tod, Dunkelheit, Verderben, Gewalt und Eros, wie er für den Vampir-Mythos essentiell ist, und sich auch bei Bram Stoker finden lässt, kommt bei der Inszenierung von Coppola voll zum Tragen. Dies manifestiert sich an mehreren Stellen: Auf die Wirkung des Grafen auf Mina wurde im Vorigen hingewiesen. Aber auch Jonathan Harker macht in Form der „Vampir-Ladys“ auf Schloss Dracula Bekanntschaft mit der erotischen Komponente des Vampirismus, als die drei Damen unseren Freund – natürlich nackt - mit ihren spitzen Zähnen „liebkosen“. Ähnlich verhält es sich mit der leicht frivolen Lucy, als sie das erste Mal dem Ruf des Untoten folgt: Das Kleid verrutschend gibt sie sich dem Monster hin, ihre Beine umschlingen seinen Körper, bevor sich seine Zähne in ihren Hals bohren. Überhaupt soll eben angesprochene Szene an dieser Stelle exemplarisch für die visuelle Klasse des Films erwähnt werden. Das Zusammenspiel von düsteren, hypnothischen Chorälen, dem in der Nacht bedrohlich anmutende Charakter des Gartens mit seinen hohen Hecken und Statuen, dem aufkommenden Wind, welcher das blutrote Kleid und die ebenso roten Haare Lucys aufwirbeln, sowie dem Heulen der Wölfe, ist dermaßen gut umgesetzt, dass es dem Zuschauer völlig in den Bann zieht. Man muss den Film schon mehrmals sehen, um sämtliche Details zu registrieren, die es zu entdecken gibt.

Interessant ist des Weiteren die Implementierung einer nicht geringen Priese von schwarzem Humor in den Film, welche durch den Charakter des Abraham Van Helsing in den Film eingeführt wird. Dieser ist, anders im Roman, nicht ausschließlich der besonnene Mann, der gegen Dracula ins Feld zieht. Nein, der Van Helsing im Film hat eine doch leicht „wahnsinnige Ader“. Anthony Hopkins spielt diesen Charakter auf bemerkenswerte Art und Weise, welche diesen spezifischen Humor sehr gut zur Geltung bringt. Keanu Reeves hingegen bleibt in seiner Rolle zu hölzern, so dass er am wenigsten überzeugen kann. Glücklicherweise ist seine Rolle im Film nicht so groß, so dass dies weniger ins Gewicht fällt. Winona Ryder hingegen weiß in ihrer Darstellung zu überzeugen. Es ist nicht zuletzt Gary Oldmen zu verdanken, dass die im Vorigen angesprochene Liebes-Tragödie dann auch tatsächlich funktioniert. Er verkörpert den Dracula mit angemessener Ambivalenz. In seinem Mienenspiel verbinden sich der uralte Schmerz der Trauer, die Hoffnung der neuen Liebe, aber auch das böse Monster, welches Dracula natürlich auch immer ist. Für viele ältere ist Dracula Christopher Lee, für mich ist es Gary Oldmen. Punkt!

„Bram Stoker's Dracula“ lebt vor allem von seiner inszenatorischen Klasse. Optik, Musik und Stil (Der Score von Wojciech Kilar: Grandios) erwecken den Mythos zum Leben. Aber auch die Story kann überzeugen. Die tragische Liebe, das blutige Spiel um Leben und Tod, sowie – am Ende – auch Erlösung erschaffen ein Film von opernhafter Dimension. Dies tröstet auch um vorhandene Löcher in der logischen Abfolge der Handlung, sowie eine nicht immer zu 100 Prozent gelungene Leistung aller Schauspieler, hinweg. Als ich mit den Film noch mal angeschaut habe, um diese Rezension zu schreiben, ist mir doch bewusst geworden, dass der Film mit Sicherheit kein cineastischer Meilenstein ist – Zumindest für die breite Masse. Für mich hingegen, der ohne jeden Zweifel eine gewisse Schwäche für den Vampir-Mythos hat und mit diesem Film aufgewachsen ist, ist er das ganz sicher.

Christian Hellwig

zuerst erschienen bei: Kino, TV & Co

By Callum Goodwilliam

This review contains spoilers.

A Scanner Darkly tells the story of Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves), an undercover operative trying to find the source of a new, deadly narcotic: 'Substance D'. Set in a dystopian future in which America has lost the war on drugs, Arctor must become a user in order to infiltrate a group of addicts. He begins to suffer as the dangerous side effects of the drug causes cognitive problems, preventing the two hemispheres of his brain from communicating properly.

Based on the novel of the same name by influential science fiction author Philip K. Dick, A Scanner Darkly is another film that attempts to capture some of the effects that drug use can have on individuals and society. There are a number of films that recreational drug users often cite as being, in their eyes, 'classics'.  As many of you know, that would suggest that the films they are referring to subscribe in content, style and production to a particular period in Hollywood's history. They do not mean that, they mean 'fucking awesome'.

I have found that these films are almost always mentioned when intoxicated individuals, discuss films about intoxication: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Gilliam, 1998), Human Traffic (Kerrigan, 1999), or anything by Cheech and Chong.

The reason why, is that these particular films manage to capture the madness and fun of drugs without ever exploring in any serious manner the darker aspects of different drug cultures, or the most common problems that many people end up facing: paranoia, illness and/or addiction.

These are a selection of films I have found that no one wishes to watch or discuss when 'under the influence': A Scanner Darkly, A Scanner Darkly, or A Scanner Darkly (seriously, do not watch A Scanner Darkly).

Just like Danny Boyle's Trainspotting (1996) or Requiem for a Dream (Aronofsky, 2000) the film explores (amongst other themes including surveillance and our construction of reality) the very darkest aspects of drug use and some of the possible consequences that clearly had a very real impact on Phillip K. Dick, whose use of narcotics is well-documented.

The most striking way in which this is explored is in the film's animated style - shot digitally and then animated via a process called interpolated rotoscoping. It gives the film an extremely unnerving aesthetic (particularly the mind-bending scramble suits) that feels like a hallucinatory drug experience, or as Linklater has stated, reflects his personal experiences of lucid dreaming.

The style will certainly divide people. I found it an incredible visual experience, but simultaneously one that made focusing on the twisted narrative quite difficult. It is rare that a film has made me feel so physically uncomfortable, it affected me in a way that I am sure anyone who has had an unpleasant experience on drugs may also relate to.

Once again, Keanu Reeves manages to convey about as much emotion as a door-knob and Winona Ryder is not particularly effective as his addicted love interest, which ultimately means that the twist in the closing minutes do not carry as much impact as I believe stronger performances would have invoked.

The film is carried by the screw-ball performances of the consistently excellent Robert Downey Junior, Woody Harrelson and Rory Cochrane who appear as Arctor's addicted cronies. Using actors that have been known for drug-taking and problems gives the supporting cast's performances an additional layer of authenticity, they clearly understand the paranoid delusions that people can succumb to.

A Scanner Darkly is an interesting experience. The animation is spectacular and the themes disturbing, but the story never quite engaged me thoroughly enough. This might be because I found the whole experience slightly uncomfortable, it might be because of the performances and narrative as a whole, it is likely that both factors are relevant. I would be interested to know if the film is less engaging to those who have little interest in drug culture or if anyone else felt like they'd just been through some form of rehabilitation.

Rating: 7.5

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1. Man nehme ein auflagenstarkes Buch als Vorlage für einen Film. So geschah es mit "Der Untergang" (2004) basierend auf Joachim Fests historischer Untersuchung der letzten elf Tage Adolf Hitlers im Führerbunker. Auch Patrick Süskinds von Stanley Kubrick als unverfilmbar bezeichnetes Werk "Das Parfüm" (2006) wurde von der deutschen Filmproduktionsfirma für 10 Millionen Euro erworben. Als Macher im Hintergrund tauchte bei beiden Literaturverfilmungen der deutsche "Über"produzent Bernd Eichinger auf. Schon in den 1980er Jahren nahm sich der gebürtige Münchener den Jugendroman "Die unendliche Geschichte" von Michael Ende vor und schuf in den Bavaria Studios einen sehenswerten Unterhaltungsfilm. Dann schlich Sean Connery in "Der Name der Rose" (1986) durch die Klostergewölbe eines Franziskaner Ordens. Und 1993 erschien die englischsprachige Verfilmung von Isabel Allendes "Das Geisterhaus". Dass sich Eichinger auch an die Verfilmung des nun in der dritten und überarbeiteten Auflage erschienenen Sachbuchs "Der Baader Meinhof Komplex" (2008) des ehemaligen "Spiegel"-"Über"chefredakteurs Stefan Aust wagte, verwundert deshalb umso weniger.
2. Natürlich versammeln sich nicht nur hinter der Kamera bedeutende Filmschaffende wie Wolfgang Petersen, Jean-Jaques Annaud, Bille August, Oliver Hirschbiegel, Tom Tykwer und aktuell Uli Edel. Auf der Leinwand waren international bekannte Schauspieler wie Christian Slater, Michael Lonsdale, F. Murray Abraham, Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Winona Ryder, Armin-Müller Stahl, Bruno Ganz, Thomas Kretschmann, Alexandra Maria Lara, Dustin Hoffman oder Alan Rickman. In "Der Baader Meinhof Komplex" ist das who´s who der bekanntesten deutschen Akteure zu sehen, angefangen bei den Haupdarstellern Moritz Bleibtreu als Andreas Baader, Martina Gedeck als Gudrun Enslin, Johanna Wokalek als Ulrike Meinhof und diesmal den nur als Nebendarsteller eingesetzten Jan Josef Liefers, Alexandra Maria Lara, Hannah Herzsprung, Stipe Eceg, .....
3. Werbung muss natürlich ebenfalls sein. Viel besser als die bezahlten verkaufsfördernden Maßnahmen, sind natürlich Kooperationen mit Verlagen (die das zu Grunde liegende Werk in einer Filmversion auf den Buchmarkt bringen), Fernsehsendern (die sich an der Finanzierung beteiligen, damit die TV-Rechte erwerben und somit ein Interesse besitzen, ihr "eigenes" Produkt so gut und oft wie möglich auf dem eigenen Kanal zu bewerben, auch wenn es nach redaktionellem Inhalt aussieht) und natürlich den meinungsbildenden Printmedien (teilweise Exklusiv-Geschichten, die sich bemerkbar auf den Titelseiten wieder finden und Konkurrenzprodukte zwingen, ebenfalls über die neueste, beste, weil teuerste deutsche Filmproduktion zu berichten).

Mit "Der Baader Meinhof Komplex" war ein Erfolg vorprogrammiert. Constantin Film-Chef Fred Kogel sprach gegenüber dem Handelsblatt auch davon, dass

Der Film soll noch mehr Zuschauer in die Kinos locken als der Blockbuster "Die Welle".

Nach dem ersten Kinowochenende scheint dieser Wunsch auch in Erfüllung zu gehen. 414.814 Zuschauer sahen den 150 Minuten langen Film innerhalb der ersten vier Auswertungstage. Mit diesem Ergebnis musste sich der deutsche Film zwar der Disney-Pixar-Produktion "Wall-E" (2008) geschlagen gegeben (580.000 Kinozuschauer am Startwochenende). Doch kämpfen beide Streifen nicht um die gleiche Zielgruppe. "Der Baader Meinhof Komplex" wird in den nächsten Wochen nur merklich an Zuschauerinteresse verlieren. Genauso wie Eichingers "Der Untergang" ist der RAF-Film ein Must-See. Denn ganz egal wie der Film von Rezensenten und Publikum bewertet wird - und die Kritiken sind eher mäßig. Die Menschen möchten mitreden, wenn es um das Thema Terrorismus in Deutschland geht. Dazu muss aber der Film gesehen worden sein.

Mit seinen über 4,8 Millionen Zuschauern wird "Der Untergang" aber uneinholbar für den neuesten Constantin Film-Film sein. Zweifelhaft ist außerdem, ob "Der Baader Meinhof Komplex" nicht zu komplex und speziell deutsch ist, um bei der Oscar-Verleihung 2009 überhaupt Berücksichtigung zu finden und es unter die letzten fünf Filme in der Kategorie "Bester fremdsprachiger Film" zu schaffen.

Unterm Strich ist der Geschichtsfilm ein Erfolg. Nicht nur Austs Buch wird wieder in den Bestsellerlisten landen (ein Verweis auf den Zusammenhang zwischen Kinofilmproduktion und dessen verkaufsfördernde Wirkung auf dessen Originalquelle) und auch Constantin schlägt sein Schnäppchen. Nicht zu vergessen darf dabei auch die ARD sein. Regisseur Uli Edel filmte mehr Material, welches demnächst als Zweiteiler über die Fernsehschirme flimmern wird. Vielleicht ist die längere Fassung schlüssiger und spannender, als es die Kinoversion war.

Weil Constantin Film scheinbar ein Patent auf die Doppel-Kino-Fernseh-Adaption erfolgreicher Literatur besitzt, ist dann auch für den Herbst 2009 "Die Päpstin" angekündigt. Sönke Wortmann ersetzte aus unerklärlichen Gründen Volker Schlöndorff und inszeniert Johanna Wokalek in der Donna Cross-Verfilmung. Auf ein mediales Primborium erster Klasse darf sich schon heute gefreut werden und sicherlich wird wieder vom "Filmereignis des Jahres" gesprochen werden.

I want to emphasize something which has not been said during the entire time I have been covering the disappearance of Caylee Anthony. My hometown is Petaluma, California, a small town of 55,000 in the North Bay Area. On October 1, 1993, Polly Klaas was kidnapped from her home in Petaluma. She was in my little brother's class. For weeks, my family and I, like much of the town of Petaluma, participated in helping out in anyway that I could to find her.

In the wake of the murder, Polly's father, Marc Klaas, became a child advocate and established the KlaasKids Foundation. He has made himself available to parents of kidnapped children, and has appeared frequently on shows such as Larry King Live, CNN Headline News, and Nancy Grace. Although I may not be a fan of Mr. Klaas personally, he has done a lot to help the families of missing children since the disappearance and murder of his daughter.

Cases like the story of Caylee Anthony stick in my mind and I'm always hopeful of a happy ending. But, I have seen first hand that this isn't always the case. I'll continue to pray for the safe return of Caylee, but have the understanding that this may or may not happen.

From the Orlando Sentinel:

They sang, prayed and asked God to help the Anthony family endure hostility from others and the sadness of not knowing Caylee's whereabouts. The toddler has been missing since June and her mother, Casey Anthony, is a person of interest in the case.

"We know you are out there somewhere. Caylee, wherever you are, we promise you will be back in our arms real soon," Cindy Anthony said.

A handful of protesters held signs across the street and taunted the supporters.

"She's dead, Cindy, give her justice," one shouted.

The protesters also called for Casey Anthony, 22, to emerge from the house. But there was no sign of her during the 45-minute gathering.

The child's grandfather pledged to keep the peace from now on.

"I will not lash out at them anymore; I'm done with that," said George Anthony. "I will tell them over there, 'God bless you.' "

Casey Anthony says she left her daughter in the care of a baby sitter. She has been charged with child neglect and check fraud.

I hope her forthcoming appearance in the new big-budget Star Trek movie makes everyone sit up and remember just how relevant this hollywood beauty used to be - and playing the human mother of Spock is no basic cameo either.  In the mean time, she's keeping herself in the public eye, and for better reasons than getting arrested.  A recent Skin Cancer ad campaign has her appearing naked for the first time.  Can't argue with that.

Former Hollywood It Girl Winona Ryder is reportedly dating Tom Green, the ex-husband of Hollywood sweetheart Drew Barrymore.

If she's happy (and who wouldn't when you're dating a comedian?), I'm happy.

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It's one of my all-time favorite movies, but it's interesting how many strange things have happened to its cast in the last two decades.

* Alec Baldwin has become notorious for anger management issues. In 1995, he punched a paparazzi photographer who was hounding him and then-wife Kim Basinger. More recently, he was vilified for calling his 11-year-old daughter a "thoughtless little pig" in a phone message that was sold (or given) to tabloid outfit TMZ.

* Jeffrey Jones (who also played the principal in Ferris Bueller's Day Off) was arrested on child porn charges in 2002. (He was paying a 14-year-old boy to pose naked in photographs for him). He was arrested again two years later for failing to notify authorities of his change of address.

* Little Winona Ryder would grow up to be arrested for shoplifting in 2001. During the trial, she faced allegations of drug abuse because when she was arrested she had a syringe and an array of prescription drugs including percocet, percodan, vicodin, valium, and morphine pills, in her purse.

* After Geena Davis and her husband Jeff Goldblum divorced in 1990, Geena married Hollywood director Renny Harlin and Harlin's ex-girlfriend Laura Dern later dated Jeff Goldblum.

* Character actor Glenn Shadix, who played the rotund and sassy Otho, underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2000, lost 100 pounds and is now virtually unrecognizable.

* Funny man Dick Cavett revealed to the world in the 1990s that he has suffered with clinical depression his whole life and was being treated with ECT, or shock therapy. In 1997 Cavett was sued for breach of contract for failing to show up to record a new radio talk show. (His lawyer confirmed he was having a manic-depressive episode.)

* Catherine O' Hara has a rare condition called Dextrocardia with situs inversus, which means her heart and other vital organs appear on the right side of her body.

* Robert Goulet died in 2007 of a rare pulmonary disease. Goulet's life, too, was not without weirdness: in 1965, the singer was roundly criticized for mangling the lyrics to The Star-Spangled Banner before a Muhammad Ali-Sonny Liston fight. Also: the longstanding rumors of Elvis Presley shooting televisions with a shotgun whenever Goulet appeared on them, were confirmed by the King's friends after his death.

Von Jennifer Lopez über Nicole Richie bis Winona Ryder, alle waren Sie da

The stars descended on New York Fashion Week on Sunday, with Olympian Dara Torres hitting the catwalk, Justin Timberlake putting on a runway show and the likes of Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci lining the front rows.

The high wattage came on a day of birthday parties for DKNY and Calvin Klein, which was celebrating 40 years in business with a star-studded party Sunday night, competing with Timberlake's presentation of his William Rast collection.

Torres strutted the runway with her 2-year-old daughter in tow at the Charles Nolan show, wearing an indigo and white-striped silk jersey tank with navy swim shorts.

Ryder and Ricci were both in the front row for Donna Karan's 20th anniversary collection.

"I like her clothes because they're comfortable and I like her as a person," Ryder said. "She's kind of great."

On Saturday, Lindsay Lohan started a minor frenzy with her appearance with gal pal Samantha Ronson at her sister Charlotte Ronson's show. Eva Longoria, Mary Kate Olsen and the crew from "Gossip Girl" were also spotted around the tents.

New York Fashion Week runs through Sept. 12, with more than 100 shows over eight days.

DKNY

Donna Karan's DKNY was born in the 1980s and the designer is darn proud of it. Her 20th anniversary collection for spring was all about highlighter colors, minis and jumpsuits for the next generation.

Karan rarely makes an appearance at the Bryant Park tents, but this was a celebration and the brand needed the bigger space to accommodate more guests. Taking their places in the front row were Ryder, Ricci and longtime Karan models Esther Canadas and Angela Lindvall.

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Winona Ryder, Christina Ricci (Mermaid reunion) and Nicole Ritchie attend the DKNY forever show!

Jennifer Lopez brings the casual fab with her everywhere that she goes!

Michelle Trachtenberg attended!

Mrs Eva Longoria!

Ms. Rosario Dawson attended!

Leighton Meester was there!

Source

I really wanted to like The Ten. I found myself laughing hysterically at one or two vignettes, some just unfunny, and the rest pretty clever. Sounds pretty uneven, doesn't it?

It's still a good movie, though. It boasts a stellar cast, all of whom I love, but it should have worked more on the stories, I think. Paul Rudd narrates/introduces ten stories, each relating to one of the Ten Commandments. It's not as blasphemous as I heard it was (except for maybe one about Jesus in Mexico City), but it's certainly crude and inappropriate. While this is an uneven movie, it's definitely worth watching simpy for the story of the puppet and Winona Ryder in "Thou Shalt Not Steal" (that's all I'm going to say there).

IMDB Link

Rating:

The Good:
* New Yorker Kyra Sedgwick doing a Southern accent in The Closer
* New Yorker Rue McClanahan going Southern for The Golden Girls
* Meryl Streep doing a New Zealand/ Aussie accent (Cry In the Dark), a Pole (Sophie's Choice) and Danish person (Out of Africa)
* Aussie Cate Blanchett doing a Russian accent in The Man Who Cried, American in Babel, mimicking Katherine Hepburn's crazy Connecticut clip (The Aviator) and Bob Dylan (I'm Not There)
* Brit Kate Winslet faking an American accent in anything
* Aussie Toni Collette, ditto
* Catherine Zeta-Jones, too. She's Welsh?!
* Aussie Nicole Kidman puts on a perfect American accent all the time, a believable Southern accent (Cold Mountain), not a half bad Russian (Birthday Girl) and a passable New England accent (Margot at the Wedding)
* Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones' Diary: not a bad British accent for a Texan
* Gwyneth Paltrow's British accent is decent even though I hate her

The Bad:
* Winona Ryder's bizarre British accent in Dracula
* Natalie Portman's totally unbelievable British accent in V For Vendetta
* Anne Hathaway's bad British accent in Becoming Jane

Oh, but there are so many more. We can open it up to actors, too, if you want. Let me hear your votes.

On the eve of his new collection, the rehabilitation of the former enfant terrible of fashion is complete. Lionised by fashion editors and cherished by his customers, he is now widely praised as the new king of classic design

In 2001, Winona Ryder stole $5,560.40 worth of fashion from Saks Fifth Avenue, but was arrested when she left the tags on a blue Marc Jacobs bag. A year later, flattered when she wore one of his monochrome frocks in court, Jacobs invited Ryder to model for him. She accepted, of course, appearing in a campaign shot by Juergen Teller, snipping labels off cashmere sweaters. Responding to the stir the campaign caused, Jacobs sniggered: 'It would be stupid for me to say I didn't expect any reaction.'

'What I love more than anything,' he said recently, 'is attention.' He'll be ecstatic today then, as excitement builds for his show in New York fashion week, which starts on Friday. His is the ticket to flash, the designer who revived Louis Vuitton, who drives the $5bn business, who embraces celebrity, blogging and hype, who, when he speaks, which he does, loudly and often, says things such as: 'I do find myself entertaining.'

Professor Wendy Dagworthy, head of the school of fashion and textiles at the Royal College of Art, says he could be the next Yves Saint Laurent. 'There's that classic look to his designs. But he's a real original and it's these sorts of people who push the future of fashion. These are the people who are remembered.' 'Everyone wants to be at his show,' says Lorraine Candy, Elle's editor-in-chief, 'because there's always a sprinkle of stardust.'

With Sofia Coppola as a muse, Jacobs brings avant garde credibility to a centuries-old leather manufacturer. His designs for Louis Vuitton and his own solo label sell for almost £2bn a year, but he's known as much for his sense of humour as his Tootsie-style clothes and clinking accessories. The success of his designs means that the details - the round collars and oversized buttons - have been copied extravagantly and clones of his handbags, which, with their heavy chains, branded plates and affectionate names, were central to the rise of the 'it bag', are available on market stalls worldwide. All of which he's rather pleased with.

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20th High School Reunion Edition

Here in the UK, I don't think this 1988 teen comedy has anywhere near the cult following that it does in the states.  At the time stars Winona Ryder & Christian Slater were tipped as the coolest actors of their generation, and both went on to become A-list celebrities with a series of highly regarded roles (Winona: Edward Scissorhands, Little Women, Bram Stoker's Dracula.  Slater:  Interview With A Vampire, Broken Arrow, True Romance).  But it was here where they truly hit the mark, and its sad to say both have no where near the appeal in present day they once could be admired for.

A satirical take on the teen movie, this is so the anti-John Hughes film, with the squeaky clean, straight-A cliques painted as the villains, and the rebellious outsiders the ones you route for.  The Heathers are a trio of bitchy, popular girls who like nothing more than revelling in their own superiority and causing all manor of cruelty and  unpleasantness for those unworthy of their company.  Step in Winona Ryder as Veronica, struggling to fit in with the in-crowd, but attracted to James Dean styled loner Jason Dean (Slater), and soon he's luring her into killing off those she despises in her school in the naive attempt of making it a better place for everyone.

Now this is very much a fantasy, with a very surreal style, and goes for a uneasy-comedy approach rather than anything remotely serious, which is somewhat its failing and its biggest selling point.  Michael Lehmann's direction with Daniel Waters razor-sharp, biting script (how very! - pre-dating Clueless) although playing it safe, doesn't fail to keep you glued, and at the centre of the chaos are superb turns by a career-best Winona Ryder, and a fantastically psychotic Christian Slater.

This High School Reunion edition, one of several released by Anchor Bay holds two very interesting documentaries (with the new 'Return to Westerburg High' a particular highlight) and a feature commentary from the director, writer and producer.  What makes this edition excel though is a superb picture and sound treatment, meaning if you're a fan or even watching this for the first time - Heathers has never looked or sounded better. 

Verdict:  4 /5