Vintage Madge - part 2

It's been a few months since I did my first Vintage Madge post, I figured it was about time I did another.

When we last spoke, I finished with the mid-80s. So now we head to the latter half of the decade.

When she made the True Blue album, she was married to Sean Penn. I always hated the look of the True Blue filmclip, although I quite like the song. I think it was the hair. White just doesn't suit her. But, one of my favourite songs from the album was La Isla Bonita:



Live to Tell always depressed the hell out of me. Love Open Your Heart though:



Not to mention, it was the first time the 10-year-old me ever knew of the idea of peep shows! I still hated her hair in the clip, but because the other colours were muted, it wasn't as glaring.

Papa Don't Preach was another single from the album. Meh.

Then she made the film, Who's That Girl. I loved that movie by the way. Oh, her voice annoyed me, but the outfits were delightful. Loved the tutu outfit, and the one with the red skirt and black vinyl top. And then there was Murray (the cougar).



The next major album she made was Like a Prayer. I remember the freakouts about the filmclip. OMG - Jeebus is black! Madonna's hair is brown! Burning crosses! Stigmata!

But my two favourite singles from the album were Express Yourself and Cherish. Although I must admit a soft spot for Dear Jessie. Love Song (the duet she did with Prince) is on this album, but it wasn't a single. Nor was Spanish Eyes or Til Death Do Us Part. I loved all three of these songs.

One of the things I love about Express Yourself (aside from the song itself) is the clip. If you've seen the fantastic film Metropolis, you'll understand what I mean. Plus, wet semi-naked men isn't such a bad thing either!



And Cherish is just so cheerful, you can't help but smile when you hear it.



Until next time...

Movie: Vantage Point

I saw this the other week but totally forgot about it until I was seeing what was to be released tomorrow.

Don't let my lack of immediate posting make you think this was a crap film. Sure, it wasn't spectacular, but it was pretty decent.

Sadly, what was disappointing was how I managed to pick the "twist" within the first 15 minutes of the film and was hanging out to be proved correct.

Basically, it is about the assassination of the US President and aftermath, told from 6 different perspectives (the final also brings together the ends of the other versions).

The execution of the method, while not entirely effective, was still quite good. You learnt a little more about the assassination and the events surrounding it as you saw it from each point of view.

There's not really much more I can say about it. Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, William Hurt and Forrest Whitaker star. Signorney Weaver has a smaller part as a news producer.

Anyway, not a bad film, but just wait until you can see it on DVD.

Movie: The Other Boleyn Girl

I haven't read Phillipa Gregory's novel of the same name and didn't know much of the factual history behind the story except that Henry VIII was fond of chopping people's heads off but I love a good historical romance so this appealed to me.

And it is good! Great in fact!

Reading wiki, the film differs to the book in some respects but it is still a good story. Complicated and a great look at how twisted the intrigues of court life might have been.

It was cast really well, you love to hate the ambitious Anne (Natalie Portman) and your heart goes out to her sister, Mary (Scarlett Johansson). Eric Bana is fabulous as Henry VIII though possibly a little too hot if you take into consideration the typical illustrations of the real Henry VIII. Though the costumes (which I loved!) might account for some of the paunch.

It isn't a true girly movie but it's definitely not my hubby's cup of tea.

Good to see in the cinema but not essential.

3 shishy stars out of 5

Movies: A cheats way out of coming up with something new

I wrote this for my other blog and since I've been too lazy to do much over here of late, you get a re-run... sorry :(

recent movies to share....

JUNO

this was a cool film, I liked it even though it wasn't some gripping adventure and it wasn't what I had expected either. I have come to the conclusion that when I read other people's thoughts / reviews of films I mustn't really pay attention. I thought I knew the storyline going in on this but there is a twist, or rather an upset that caught me unawares. Only because it wasn't how I expected things to go, it wasn't overly terrible and in real life I imagine a sad reality for some people.

So if you want plot details, see wiki but I reckon leave it and enjoy this quirky movie with likable characters and a cool soundtrack without any preconceptions.

BUT...

save it for DVD, it's really not necessary to see it in the cinema

3 shishy stars out of 5


RUN FATBOY RUN

I saw the trailer to this and knew I had to see it, purely because of it being a British comedy and it had Simon Pegg & Dylan Moran in it.

Again for the plot see wiki, it's a pretty safe predictable storyline but I like a feel good story.

Not quite as hilarious as I had hoped but there were plenty of laugh out loud moments to keep me happy.

It was interesting to see Hank Azaria in a different sort of role ie the bad guy or shithead as he is often referred to. I hadn't seen him in anything like this before.

Not essential to see this one in the cinema either but still worth seeing once it hits DVD.

Also 3 shishy stars out of 5

PS I didn't like this quite as much as Hot Fuzz

One of the best films ever!

She-ra's comment in the post below made me think of how my parents were pretty cool about me watching/reading/listening to age-inappropriate material when I was a kid. It helped me be the ingénue that I am!

Anyway, for much of my life, until The Fellowship Of The Ring was released that is, my all-time favourite movie was The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

I LOVE THIS FILM. Seriously. Love. It. Anyway, this is a perfect reason to subject you to YouTube clips of it.

While I love the intro song (Science Fiction Double Feature), the clip doesn’t make for the most exciting viewing, so I’ll just say go here if you want to check it out.

Now, when most people think of TRHPS they think of Time Warp. In fact, I think most of us have seen this song enough, so I won’t make you watch it yet again.

All the songs are fabbo, but some are stand outs - such as The Sword of Damocles; Eddie's Teddy; Wild and Untamed Thing; Toucha-Toucha-Touch Me; Rose Tint My World; Don't Dream It, Be It; and I Can Make You A Man.

And then we have Dammit, Janet:



Whatever Happened to Saturday Night?



And, the pièce de résistance:



Sweet Transvestite pops into my head at random moments most weeks.

Knowing Hollyweird's penchant for remaking classics (recent remake of Hairspray, anyone?), I know they'll get around to this one eventually. Which is just wrong. BUT, I have been thinking about this eventuality while trolling about YouTube and I've decided some of the cast should be as follows:

Janet = Anne Hathaway (maybe)
Brad = James Marsden (maybe)
Riff Raff = Richard E Grant
Rocky = Brandon Routh
Columbia = Kristen Chenoweth
Criminologist = Patrick Stewart

As for Dr Frank-N-Furter, I'm not sure. Some possibilities would be Rupert Everett and Robbie Williams. I can't think of any others off-hand. And I've not decided on Magenta, Eddie or Dr Scott. Although I think that Ray Winstone may make a good Dr Scott. Possibly.

Wild Hogs

This movie was surprisingly funny. It was actually better than I expected. Maybe my expectations were lower than they should have been, who knows?

It is by no means a fantastic film. As my mum would say "it was just a movie". Mind you, she saw this at the cinema and loved it. But she is the woman who thought The Hot Chick was funny, so you be the judge.

Best bits were (as always) William H Macy and John C McGinley. McGinley's role was very small but hilarious. Macy was a total nerd who was proud of the fact that he got a tattoo - of the Apple logo. I think I related to his klutziness.

If you rent this, make sure you watch the alternate ending. Much better than the one they actually used.

I really can't be bothered going over the plot - all you really need to know is that four middle-aged guys decide to go for one last cross-country ride on their motorbikes.

So, all-in-all it was watchable. Wait until it is weekly (or borrow it from the library). It is an amusing watch, if not fantastic.

and just for good measure... another one

The Simpson's Movie

I am a Simpsons fan and therefore felt compelled to see this movie regardless of it's quality.

I didn't hold any great expectation of brilliance for this film; ie I didn't think it would be any better than a Simpsons episode on TV and as a result I was not disappointed.

It was really just like watching their regular show only longer. Not that this is a bad thing, I enjoyed it but there was nothing extra special about this as opposed to any other Simpson adventure.

No need to pay the extra to see it in the cinema, Homer even ribs you about that at the start and quite rightly so.

I don't know that this movie will win any new fans but for what it was, it was quite entertaining for me.

If you like The Simpsons then watch it! If not, forget you ever read this post and carry on as per usual.

2.5 shishy stars out of 5

PS you can read Magic Bellybutton's review of The Simpson's Movie here

And again

This time Shrek the Third and I liked it. For some reason Shrek 2 didn't do much for me, sure it was funny but it didn't strike a chord.

This third installment went down a lot better but I got the feeling that most of the jokes and definitely the soundtrack were aimed at the adults rather than the littlies.

The soundtrack BTW was awesome and if possible the graphics are getting even better.

I like how the film makers have twisted familiar fairy tales to suit their own purposes, all those familiar princesses (Cinderella, Snow White etc etc) could not be any further from the Disney stereotypes that are being so heavily marketed to little girls at the moment.

And you know how they incorporate facial features of the artist doing the voice of the character into the character you see on screen? I kept looking at Arty (distant relative to Fiona) and could not place him though I recognised something about him. Turned out it was the little *bringing sexy back* dweeb himself, Justin Timberlake.

If you enjoy animations and a good laugh check this out on DVD, good but still not worth paying to see in the cinema.

3 shishy stars out of 5

Movie Time Again

Die Hard 4.0, I can't recall seeing Die Hard 3 to be honest and have not suffered as a consequence but when the opportunity came up to check this out I figured why not?

Bruce looks pretty good for his age (better than I expected) and he was full of the expected one liners which are part and parcel of the Die Hard thing so no disappointment there.

The sidekick was a nerdy smart arse but you couldn't help but like him.

And the bad guy *sigh* was not nearly bad enough. Yes he was wreaking havoc across the land but he did not exude evil. Bit of a fizzer there.

The action scenes and storyline got a bit crazy silly at times but full marks for special effects; explosions, general destruction and the like. I could quite happily overlook the fact that much of it was completely unrealistic, it was all part of the fun.

So I reckon if you want to watch a no thinking required action movie from the comfort of you own home (ie get it on DVD), this is for you.

2.5 shishy stars out of 5

DVD: Blades of Glory

I had high hopes for this movie. Possibly a little too high.

Ferrell can be a little hit and miss for me. I don't deny he is a very funny man, but for every Anchorman, you get a Bewitched. I think he does better in smaller roles. For example, his parts in Starsky and Hutch and Zoolander had me on the floor. The smaller parts really allow him to let loose the complete insanity that makes up his comedic performances.

Heder just generally leaves me cold. I seem to be one of the few people who just couldn't get into Napoleon Dynamite. Although he did amuse me greatly in Just Like Heaven.

But that is not to say that this movie was awful. It was no Talladega Nights. I did enjoy the movie and the creepiness of the Von Waldenberg's was spot on (could have had a bit more of them, and the ending scene at the games you could see coming a mile away, given their performances). I just didn't find it as funny as I'd hoped.

Blades of Glory is the story of Jimmy MacElroy (Heder) and Chazz Michael Michaels (Ferrell). Ice skating champions. A series of events lead them to be banned from competitive ice skating for life and both are left to try to find alternative life paths.

Until MacElroy's stalker comes to the rescue. They can no longer compete in their division (solo male), but there is nothing to stop them form competing in the pairs. With a small amount of time remaining until nationals, if they want to get back into competition they have only one choice - to head into competition as the first all-male pair.

Of course, the contrast in their personalities makes for some rather amusing moments in their quest for gold.

So overall, it was fine. Won't be buying the DVD though.

"This is my brother. And this is my brother's new girlfriend and she is NOT a whore! "

The Kingdom

The Kingdom was a good film. I wouldn't rave about it, but it was worth seeing.

Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Gardner, Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman play four FBI agents who head to Riyadh when there is a terrible terrorist attack on a compound housing Western workers. They have five days to determine who, what and how the bombings occurred. They are restricted in their movements by the Saudi police who are holding their own investigation into the incident. Foxx and co eventually win over the Colonel who is assigned to them. They convince Colonel Al-Ghazi (Ashraf Bahom) that they are more capable of investigating the bombing than the Saudi authorities - particularly when it becomes evident that it was Saudi who planned the attack.

The movie obviously has its faults. Rather than looking into the reasons behind the attack, it really only looking at the difficulties encountered by the FBI, and not the motivation behind the Saudi's wanting to keep the whole thing in-house.

The final scenes however, particularly involving conversations in two separate countries, demonstrates that people, no matter their religion or nationality, are really very much alike.

You don't necessarily need to see this one at the cinema, but I would recommend watching it at some point. It really was quite good.

As you wish

One of my all-time favourite movies is The Princess Bride.

Is there anyone who hasn't seen this movie? Man, I just love it.

For those of you who are *gasp* unfamiliar with it, the story is as follows.

Buttercup falls in love with her farm-boy, Westley. Westley leaves to seek his fortune so that they can marry. Buttercup hears that he has been killed by Dread Pirate Roberts and she ends up engaged to Prince Humperdinck.

Before the wedding, Buttercup is kidnapped by three outlaws - Inigo Montoya (a Spanish fencing master who is out for revenge for his father's murder), a Sicilian genius Vizzini, and a giant named Fezzik.

However, the outlaws are pursued by a mysterious masked man, as well as the Prince's minions.

You'll have to watch it to find out what happens.

Here is the brilliant Mandy Patinkin playing Inigo Montoya:



And here is Peter Cook in his small role (warning - spoilers). Just bwilliant.

Movie Time

I've watched 2 movies these last couple of weeks...

The good news...

Knocked Up
this was funny, not pee your pants funny but pretty funny in places. The story is quite predictable but it's easy to watch and leaves you smiling. Oh! and there is liberal use of the F word but it's used in humorous context and I didn't find it excessive or offensive. Hell if I'd found myself in that same situation I'm sure more than a few expletives would have slipped past my cherubesque lips too hee hee hee!
I loved the bunch of room mates, they were the funniest bit and the pregnant sex scene made me laugh out loud.
Don't stress about seeing it in the cinemas, there's no need. In fact unless your desperate, leave it until it becomes a weekly hire (or in Elizabeth's case, get it out from your local library on a rainy day where there's nothing else to do)

3 shishy stars out of 5





The not so good news...

Evan Almighty
was there ever any doubt in anyone's mind just how cheesy this movie was going to be? this is a 3 cheese pizza with extra cheese on the side.
it wasn't awful but it didn't grab me at all. The funniest bits, I thought, were the dance scenes in the end credits. Now that was funny!
Again predictable with a guaranteed warm fuzzy ending to the point of leaving me a little... Meh
Luckily it is a short film (1 hour 25 min I think) so not too much of my life has been frittered away.
At the end of the day I recommend you find something else to do with your time but if you like *cheese* then this might be to your tastes.

2.5 shishy stars out of 5

Pan's Labyrinth

I really really wanted to love this movie.

Really.

But I didn't.

Oh the visuals are amazing, the storyline is interesting, but it just didn't grab me and hold my interest.

I totally expected to enjoy it. I do love Guillermo Del Toro's work and even now I can't bring myself to find fault with the movie as such, it just left me feeling meh. On the surface I was sure to enjoy it - fantasy at its best. But, meh.

Maybe I had built it up in my mind to be spectacular. Maybe I should have seen it at the cinema as I originally intended. Maybe it was just that Captain Vidal ruined the entire experience for me. I don't know. I was certainly in the mood for that type of film, so it wasn't that that was affecting me.

I am really quite puzzled by my response.

Shish, on the other hand, enjoyed it.

Two new somethings

Raspberry Beer. Rather fun. Rather expensive. A fun treat. Always nice to find something new. Across the Universe, a movie worth watching for. See it on the big screen to get the full impact of the visuals. This could be my favourite movie of the year.

http://www.acrosstheuniverse.com/

I got some Stardust in my eye!

Stardust the film is a little different to that of the original story by Neil Gaiman. But not in a bad way.

The movie is not as dark - presented more as a children's fairytale as opposed to what really was an adult novella.

I really enjoyed it.

It is the story of a young man named Tristan (Charlie Cox) who lives in Wall - so named for the wall that separates the village from what appears to just be woods and a field, but is actually Faerie. The wall is guarded by a 90-odd year old sentry who prevents people from trying to pass to the other side.

Tristan is trying to win the heart of Victoria (Sienna Miller), and one night as they are looking up at the sky, they see a falling star. Tristan promises Victoria that she will have this star by her birthday in one week. Thus begins his adventure.

The falling star is Yvaine (Claire Danes). Soon they are being perused by a witch (Michelle Pfeiffer) who wants Yvaine's heart for her and her sisters - so they can be returned to their original beauty.

Meanwhile, the King of Stormhold (the kingdom in which the bulk of the story takes place) has died and his three remaining sons (there were four but one of them - played amusingly by Rupert Everett - has met with an unfortunate "accident") vie for the throne. The last living male heir will become king. This story becomes entwined with that of Tristan, Yvaine and the witches.

There are a couple of cameos (Ricky Gervais, Peter O'Toole) but I think the best character is that of Captain Shakespeare, a pirate played by Robert De Niro. For some reason, the two elderly ladies who sat in front of me and I were the only ones who were laughing when his character was, well, behaving like his character (I really can't tell you more than that - it would spoil it for you). It's narrated by Ian McKellen too, so that's an added bonus!

There's a lot more to the story than what I've outlined here, but you get the general idea from what I've written.

Anyway, I really enjoyed it. Nice fairytale, typical fairytale ending, but quite enjoyable. Not something you would need to see at the cinema, but if you're looking for something to see on tight-arse Tuesday, you wouldn't really go wrong with this one.

Movie: Spider Man 3

Spidey lovers forgive me for what I'm about to say...

It's not that I don't like the whole concept of Spider Man or super heroes in general for that matter, I do.

It's just that..

It's Toby Maguire for a start, he's too much of a gumby (in a bad way) to be a superhero. Kirsten Dunst gives me the irits and I'm sorry but THAT kiss. You know the upside down one? does very little for me.

This is a busy film, lots of substories going on and leaving you wondering where the hell it's all going to end up. The creepy black stuff that I thought so important to the story judging from all the images I'd seen prior doesn't even really come into it until the movie's halfway mark.

OK so everything is finally (FINALLY!) tied together at the end but by then I didn't care.

Production wise I guess it was pretty good but the story shit me no end, count me out for Spidey 4

2 shishy stars out of 5