Vezi pe imdb despre The Air I Breathe.

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kevin Bacon, Brendan Fraser, Andy Garcia...

The most interesting thing about it is the character of Jimmy (that's Garcia). He's a decent guy in a place and time where decency is a scarce commodity. He studied to be a priest, but lost the calling and became a gangster, but then he lost that calling, too, and turned "citizen" and started a business. His company is called Afterlife Advice, and the time frame of the story is back when videography was still done by professionals. The videos made by the dying people are one of the best things about this movie, and nobody who discusses it mentions them. One viewer grouches that the film's title doesn't make any sense, which seems kind of obtuse. Obviously, one thing to do in Denver when you're dead is provide your relatives with guidance from beyond the grave. Half a dozen of these vignettes are interspersed throughout. It's art within art, like the dancing plastic bag in American Beauty. Come to think of it, The Dreamers uses the same device, with clips from classic films that reflect the story, or complement it, or comment upon it.

At work, Jimmy has the gravitas of a funeral director. With friends, he's demonstrative. I can't remember a movie where so many straight guys hug so many other straight guys. For an example of his style, I like the conversation with a gay colleague who shows him an ad layout. Jimmy is not impressed. "Every fag in the world is good at this kind of shit, and I gotta wind up with one that's klunky?"

In one conversation, there's a reference to Jimmy's boat fund. This establishes him as a man with hopes and dreams, a future with something in it that's innocent and nice. What this means in filmic terms, of course, is that he doesn't have a future. What he does have is integrity. When things go south in a big way, he does his best to look after the people who are in jeopardy because they trusted him. Everybody's always telling him how different he is, like, how noble. (Being told such things must make life difficult for anybody who really is noble.) They call him Jimmy the Saint.

He's a guy who, as Damian Cannon put it, "treats everyone without judgment and tries to be all things to all men." Jimmy can function in any surroundings, and the way he does it is not by changing, but by being his same self everywhere, and it works. There are such people, and they're fascinating. I imagine Duncan Grant having the same kind of low-key magnetism. He was a painter, related to Virginia Woolf. In all the millions of words written by and about the Bloomsbury Group, nobody ever went on record as disliking him. It's so easy to envision Andy Garcia as Duncan. Grant was mostly gay, but that's exactly the point about this kind of charisma. It can be found in anyone - straight male, straight female, gay male, gay female - and it envelops everyone. Even psychopaths will sometimes, though not always, respond to the aura of a person like Jimmy.

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead became, from the first, one of my all-time uber-favorites. I'm gonna go on record that this is a great fuckin' movie. After the third or fourth time I saw it, I went online and looked at comments by regular people and criticisms by critics. Taking note of their objections, I watched the movie again. Directed by Gary Fleder, it was written by Scott Rosenberg, supposedly in two weeks. Once that becomes public knowledge, some smarty-pants critic will always say "The script was written in two weeks, and it shows." Actually, some incredible scripts have been swiftly written. John Byrum wrote Inserts over a weekend. The creation of one of these self-contained, self-referential worlds is best done in an intense burst. Philip K. Dick wrote that way, too.

Reviewers make fun of the home-brewed gangster slang, but I don't see anything wrong with it. I went pretty far into the linguistics angle, far enough to write a whole separate piece about it. Another thing the opinionators like to say about Things is that it rides on the coattails of Reservoir Dogs, copying Tarentino's mood, style, etc. And who is anybody to accuse Rosenberg's script of being derivative, anyway, when Reservoir Dogs provided such a renowned example of plagiarism? And - here's the interesting part - Things was written first. Take that, Reservoir Dogs.

So. Two toughs approach Jimmy with an invitation that can't be refused. He's been summoned by his old mentor, The Man with the Plan, a quadriplegic crime boss played by Christopher Walken, who has never been more menacing. Walken does put some strange emphases on words. But it doesn't matter. He's the creepiest. The Man is sentimental about his deceased wife, and that's related to the old-time connection with Jimmy somehow.

The Man confides to Jimmy that his son Bernard is "crazy as a shithouse rat" - and you've got to respect him for that. Not many parents can admit that their kid is a serious mess. Bernard has become especially deranged since his longtime girlfriend broke up with him. He expresses his grief through gratuitous violence against random victims, but The Man isn't so much bothered by that, as by his son's most recent indiscretion. Bernard hopped the fence of a schoolyard and interfered with a little girl, in full view of dozens of witnesses, which got him arrested. The Man has a plan for his boy's rehabilitation, and wants Jimmy to recruit some muscle and make it happen. He presents Jimmy with the news that he's bought the note on Afterlife Advice from some other gangster, so basically, Jimmy really doesn't have a choice. The Man even sweetens the deal by offering $50,000, which Jimmy can split with his helpers as he sees fit.

The new boyfriend is on his way to Denver. This suitor is to be intercepted, convinced to quit the relationship, and turned around and pointed back to where he came from. "It's just an action, not a piece of work." They're not to kill the orthodontist, only rough him up enough so he'll go away and dump the woman. Bernard will then get her back, and be happy, and give up the egregious misbehavior. That's the plan.

Jimmy can relate to Bernard's problem, because he too is in love. He's just met the very beautiful sweet innocent yet so sexy Dagney (Gabrielle Anwar). She is lovely and very slinky. Her thighs don't touch when she walks. She looks like the mermaids painted by fairy tale illustrator Arthur Rackham. There is something fetchingly weird about her top lip, like collagen gone wrong. Dagney is made for candlelight or anyplace else where she can glow softly. The first question Jimmy asks her is, "Are you in love?" because if so he'll back off. He smells her hair - it's a fucking shampoo commercial now? But here, as in so much of what we call art, superficial things signify deeper truths. Even though we don't like to admit it, scent plays a big part in attraction. Because of their relative heights, his nose happens to be in line with her hair, but it's her he's smelling.

Some viewers have complained about the rather goofy pickup dialogue sequence, but when people scope each other out as candidates for carnal interaction, the words don't matter. I mean, you've got to say something. The real action is in the looks and the moves, the vibe. Later on he says to her, "You're a thing to be amazed by," which is not bad, as declarations of love go. One online critic complains about Dagney's voice. Picky, picky.

So Jimmy goes to collect the helpers he needs. Franchise is an extensively tattooed biker type, who now has three kids and another one on the way. His wife doesn't want him to have anything to do with it, but of course he needs the money.

One guy is called Pieces, although when they go see him, he insists "My name is Olin." He doesn't want to be called Pieces any more. He has a circulation problem that makes his fingers and toes fall off. But I don't think the nickname came from the medical condition, I think that's a grotesque coincidence. I bet he got the nickname way back, in prison, or long before. Olin Pieces is something even kids could think of. (If I misheard the name and it isn't Olin, then, as Emily Litella would say, Never mind.)

The third recruit is a black guy called Easy Wind, and the fourth is Easy Wind's natural antagonist, a headcase called Critical Bill, because critical is the condition in which he tends to leave his opponents. He works for an undertaker. Jimmy and Franchise arrive to find him in boxer training mode, using a corpse for a punching bag. Jimmy catches Franchise's eye with that conspiratorial, slightly rueful, yet indulgent "whattaya gonna do" smile that one parent might flash to another when their kid does something typical, slightly reprehensible, but nonetheless cute. A Johnny Cash song blasts from the stereo, and Bill coordinates his punches with the rhythm as skillfully as any good percussionist who complements the beat of the band's main drummer.

Bill explains to Jimmy that this new exercise program is actually healthy. Since he's been on it, he hasn't beat up any live people. "It keeps my powder dry," he says. Which is actually a stupid analogy. Dry is the condition in which powder is supposed to be kept, so it can be ignited and explode at will. Wet powder is the kind that isn't dangerous. So it doesn't make sense, which is why it's good dialogue for this character, who is basically dumb as a box of rocks. Here's a real-life example. I once interviewed a conscientious apartment building manager, who wanted to emphasize how very much the place had improved since he took over. "I turned it around 360 degrees," he said earnestly. No doubt he had heard of situations being turned around 180 degrees, and figured, if that was good, then 360 degrees must be twice as good. He was clueless in regard to the fact that if something rotates 360 degrees, it's right back where it started. This is the kind of thing Critical Bill would doubtless also say.

They're going to set up a roadblock, with two team members posing as police officers. Billy begs to be one of them, promising to behave himself and let Pieces do all the talking. Against his better judgment, Jimmy gives in. There's that pesky decency again, wanting to give the guy a chance. Big mistake.

Jimmy spends a night with the beautiful Dagney, and then it's time to rock'n'roll. The crew stakes out the road. Pieces and Critical Bill are in a squad car, Jimmy and Franchise are in a truck (which is where the "cops" are supposed to bring the victim to be beaten up.) Easy is in a car. They wait and wait, and then it's night, and then it starts to rain. When the orthodontist finally shows up and gets stopped, he doesn't believe they are cops, and smarts off to them. He won't get out of his van, and of course Critical Bill loses patience and goes berserk. Jimmy can't see any of this, he's relying on Easy's radio report from his vantage point. For some reason, Easy downplays the degree of resistance the victim is putting up, and the loss of control experienced by Pieces and Bill. When Billy threatens the victim with a knife, Pieces points his gun at Billy. The crazed paramilitary fanatic seems to back off, but the orthodontist is stupid enough to mouth off one more time, and Billy stabs him fatally. Suddenly, a woman appears and screams. It's Bernard's ladylove, who has been sleeping in the back of the vehicle. Totally startled, Pieces shoots her fatally.

Jimmy and his friends take the bodies to the funeral home to be slid into a trick coffin along with a legitimate corpse. Jimmy calls Dagney but there's no answer. He goes to see The Man with the Plan, who is now attended by a corrupt cop, Lt. Atwater. The Man's for-old-time's-sake sentiment just barely allows him to spare Jimmy's life. "We go back," he says. He tells Jimmy to "put it in the wind" - accept banishment instead of death. He has 48 hours to get out of Denver. "It's the milk of human kindness I'm giving you," The Man says. But the other four fuckups are history. Like the standup guy he is, Jimmy says "It wasn't their fault. They were following my orders. I take full responsibility."

Personally, I think Easy should be assigned a large part of the blame. When the "action" went down, and he was the one who could see what was happening, he should have apprised Jimmy sooner. But he waited till the situation was catastrophic, then reported to Jimmy, "They fucked it." Then he descended on Pieces and Critical Bill, throwing all the blame solidly on them.

Anyway, The Man sentences the four accomplices to "buckwheats," this gang's term for execution in the most painful way possible, generally with a hot lead suppository inserted at high velocity, if you get my drift. The victim takes fifteen or twenty minutes to expire, and it's not pretty. Jimmy meets with his crew at the cemetery to give them the news, and they ask if he is also condemned to buckwheats. Jimmy the Saint is a guy who, generally, tries to be as honest as he can, but this is a dilemma. He lies and tells them the same fate awaits him. Or maybe he figures The Man lied to him and he's dead meat too. Which may explain his reaction when Lucinda shows up on the street covered with bruises.

Lucinda is the junkie prostitute Jimmy is sort of a big brother to. In a typical interaction, she hits him up for money and he warns "You'd better stay clean." Lucinda wants to get out of the life and find a straight job, but most of all she wants to have a baby, because that might keep her off heroin. This has the unmistakable ring of truth to it. It's an unfortunate fact that people have babies for the most putrid reasons. Anyway, one of Lucinda's regulars had beaten the shit out of her. Jimmy takes her to the office building where they guy works. They bust into a conference room where he roughs up the john in front of everybody and tells them why. Pure wish-fulfillment. Haven't we all dreamed of such a magnificent act of revenge? Even as the security guards drag Jimmy away, he's still holding onto the scumbag by the neck, dragging him along too. Would Jimmy have made this magnificent gesture in the normal course of events? Or is he extending himself because he's under sentence? It's the kind of thing somebody would do, knowing he only had a couple of days left to live. I know I have my list, and you probably do too.

To deal with the four marked men, an extremely skilled contract killer known as Mr. Shhh is called in. This is where it all starts to go a bit over the top, but then again, isn't that what movies are for? This one does depict a strange moral universe. Even Mr. Shhh is not one-sided. He gratuitously breaks up a 4-on-1 alley fight - maybe because he has a shred of decency, maybe just to keep in practice.

In the latest viewing of Things, I paid more attention to such matters as composition, etc. Looking at it as a graphic novel, I really get it. Scenes are framed like the panels in a noir "comic" book that has nothing funny about it. The set decoration is expressive. In the funeral home, when the crew fight over whose fault it all was, the background is a window made up of many small squares, all red, backlit so you get the feeling of the flames of hell. In The Man with the Plan's house, he and Jimmy talk against a similar backdrop, a window with numerous small panes, only this time there are red and white squares, like a chess board for the deadly game they're playing. I was amazed, at the end, to see so many music credits flow by. I hadn't realized I'd heard anywhere near all those songs. The selections in the sound track fit in seamlessly, always a propos and never obtrusive. And in the club, the live band is Buddy Guy. Excellent choice.

Jimmy knows a black crime boss who owes him a favor, so even though the gangster doesn't like Easy, he agrees to protect him. Besides, this gangster likes The Man with the Plan even less, so there is the principle of, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Jimmy meets with Pieces, to pay him off, but he says no, keep the money - "You do something good with it." This is quite a scene, actually. Pieces has no intention of running, and he explains why. It's a great thing for a person to be ready to die because he feels like he really lived. How many of us can say the same? That's the gist of the Pieces philosophy. Maybe this explains why, when Mr. Shhh shows up to execute Pieces, the contract killer complies with his request to "do it quickly." No buckwheats here.

Jimmy's in the diner when in comes Bernard, who doesn't yet know that his ex-girlfriend is dead. He's upset because he can't get in touch with her. The softer side of Bernard shows, and he swears he doesn't mean anybody any harm. He just wants to hear her say in her own voice that things are okay with her and the new guy. (Well, duh, you'd think it would be obvious.) "Her happiness is more important to me than my happiness," he avers. Jimmy's natural, instinctive compassion battles with disgust for this pervert, who is the cause of everything going to hell. He knows that Bernard is sincere in this moment, but also knows he's full of shit, because he can't help himself and will surely go on being more erratic. This conversation is one of the most fascinating scenes in the movie.

The person with no intention of going gently into that good night is Critical Bill, who turns his apartment into a fortress and, clad in jungle-commando drag, sustains himself on speed. He also pees in a gallon milk jug and keeps it on top of the refrigerator. Perhaps because going into the bathroom would require leaving his post, perhaps for some other reason. Regardless of the fact that he begged to wear a police uniform and take a more active part in the roadside "action," he tells Jimmy, "It was irresponsible of you to put me out on point." We all know people like this. Nothing's ever their fault. Critical Bill also tells his side of the story concerning the rumor that he's a fecal freak. Setting the record straight, he assures Jimmy that he actually only ate shit once, only a tiny little portion, and it was on a bet. For $500, who wouldn't?

Mr. Shhh shoots up a whole nightclub full of people to get to Easy. Franchise packs up his family, ready to leave town. He accuses Jimmy of not being as nervous as a fellow buckwheats candidate ought to be, and naturally he's pissed. Jimmy goes to see The Man with the Plan and asks him to spare Franchise's life for the sake of his wife and kids, which is a mistake. Jimmy sees The Man's corrupt police lieutenant talking to Dagney, confronts him in a parking lot and beats him with a bat. They end up back in the presence of The Man, and Jimmy berates him for having Franchise killed when he'd said he wouldn't. Here comes one of the most-quoted lines of dialogue.

"You gave me your word," the outraged Jimmy says.

"Jimmy, don't you see? I'm a criminal. My word doesn't mean dick."

The Man humiliates Jimmy and directs the thugs to kick the shit out of him. Dagney is threatened with dire consequences if Jimmy doesn't get out of town for real this time. Yes, he still has the option to escape, but he's now sentenced to live in constant fear, knowing that The Man might change his mind any day and have him killed either quickly or slowly. And he's not to take the woman he loves with him, or he will definitely be killed, after watching her die in some gruesome way. This is another similarity with Inserts, where the director who has failed to please his criminal overlord is punished by having his film released in a form he loathes. He'll have to live on knowing, as the boss says, "It wasn't what you wanted." The Man with the Plan is going to make Jimmy live on in circumstances where he doesn't dare include Dagney in his life.

Knowing that his days are numbered anyway, Jimmy decides to do the worst thing he can to The Man. He kills Bernard. I have to say I didn't see this coming. I never thought Jimmy the Saint would do such a thing. There may be a continuity problem. After killing Bernard, Jimmy dragged him out of the car and threw his cap after him. But a bit later, he drives past the goons who are still waiting for Bernard outside the bowling alley, and frisbee-flings the cap at them. Maybe he went back and got it.

Meanwhile, Mr. Shhh nails Critical Bill, and it's spectacular. As he approaches Bill, the knife slides down his sleeve and into his hand like a burgeoning erection. Here's a neat parallel - Bill winds up being killed by Mr. Shhh because he can't resist mouthing off one last time, which is the same way the orthodontist got himself killed by Bill. Neither of them can keep their mouth shut when appropriate. Then it's Jimmy's turn to die - but not before he knocks up Lucinda and makes an Afterlife Advice video for his kid.

This film popularized, though it didn't invent, the term "boat drinks." It's kind of an all-purpose expression of camaraderie, a salute to a utopian future, like "Next year in Jerusalem." At the end, there's a heartbreaking scene where Jimmy and his crew of four are out sailing on a beautiful day in a tropical climate, enjoying "boat drinks." The film started with a scene of blissful innocence, the little girls jumping rope on the playground. It concludes with a scene of blissful innocence, the friends in their floating Valhalla. Even in heaven, Critical Bill has a knife in his hand.

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NOTE: Michael Oppermann quotes an interview in Melody Maker which isn’t online: Screenwriter Scott Rosenberg said, "I lost my father after a three-year battle with cancer. Rather than writing directly about that experience, I decided Denver would be a metaphor for terminal disease. It's like, 30 minutes in, these guys have seen a ‘doctor', and he's told them they've got days to live"
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RELATED: Give It a Name!

Why Is He Famous?

Al Pacino's roles in The Godfather (1972), Scarface (1983), Carlito's Way (1993), Scent of a Woman (1992), Heat (1995), and 88 Minutes (2007) put him in a very select group: He's an Oscar winner and one of our all-time favorite actors.

Biography

Alfredo Pacino was born to Salvatore and Rose Pacino in East Harlem on April 25, 1940. At the age of 2, he quickly learned the drama of married life when his parents divorced. Al and his mother moved to his grandparents' house, where most of his days were spent entertaining his grandmother.

At 14, Al Pacino went to the High School of the Performing Arts, but his academic record was not good enough to keep him there. Given his new situation, Al spent the next several years working odd jobs ranging from mail deliverer to theater usher. Fed up with odd jobs, Al Pacino began taking acting lessons under drama coach Charles Laughton's wing at the Herbert Berghof Studio, until he was finally accepted to the famed Actors Studio.

al pacino in the godfather
After a couple of off-Broadway productions, Al Pacino starred in Me, Natalie (1969) and The Panic in Needle Park (1971), in which he astounded critics. After his superb performance, Al Pacino was offered his most popular role to date -- that of Michael Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather. His performance earned him instant stardom and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He soon followed with strong performances in Serpico (1973) , The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel (1972), The Godfather: Part II (1974), and Dog Day Afternoon (1975). Plus, he garnered Best Actor nominations for his roles in Serpico, The Godfather: Part II and Dog Day Afternoon.

al pacino in scarface

After a brief two-year break from the limelight, Al Pacino starred as a race-car driver in the 1977 flick Bobby Deerfield. He received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture Actor - Drama, but lost to Richard Burton.

The early 1980s were a bit of a dry period for Al Pacino, however 1983's Scarface put him back on the Hollywood map.The film grossed over $45 million at the box office, and Al Pacino was nominated for yet another Golden Globe. He's been known to have said in interviews many years later that Scarface was his best work.

al pacino wins an oscar for scent of a woman

In typical Al Pacino style, he took a brief hiatus from film and set his sights on theater, but returned to the big screen in Sea of Love (1989) and garnered an Oscar nomination for his work as Big Boy Caprice in the box office hit Dick Tracy (1990). In 1991, Al Pacino starred in Frankie and Johnny with Michelle Pfeiffer, who also costarred with the actor in Scarface.

Al Pacino would finally win an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of the depressed, blind Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade in Martin Brest's Scent of a Woman (1992). That very year, he was also nominated for the Best Supporting Actor for Glengarry Glen Ross, making Al Pacino the first male actor to ever receive two acting nominations for two different movies in the same year and to win for the lead role (as did Jamie Foxx in 2004).

al pacino in the devil's advocate and any given sunday

In 1995, Al Pacino starred in Michael Mann's Heat, in which he and fellow movie icon Robert De Niro appeared onscreen together for the first time. Al Pacino then went on to land the role of Satan in The Devil's Advocate (1997) and starred in Oliver Stone's critically acclaimed Any Given Sunday (1999), playing a pro football coach. Three years later, Al Pacino worked on the movie Insomnia alongside Robin Williams and Hilary Swank.

al pacino in ocean's thirteen

Al Pacino starred as lawyer Roy Cohn in the 2003 HBO miniseries of Tony Kushner's play Angels in America. He followed that up with a role as Shylock in Michael Radford's 2004 film The Merchant of Venice. On October 20, 2006, the American Film Institute named Al Pacino the recipient of the 35th AFI Life Achievement Award -- a testament to the amount and quality of work this accomplished actor has accomplished. 2007 was also turned out to be a successful year for Al Pacino, as he appeared in Ocean's Thirteen with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, and Scott Caan.
al pacino in 88 minutes and righteous kill

Despite his brief hiatus' from acting as a younger man, Al Pacino hasn't slowed down at all since the mid-1980s. In 2007, he appeared in the movie 88 Minutes, and in 2008, he worked on the suspense thriller Righteous Kill, which brought him and Robert De Niro back together again on the big screen.

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Eight major releases open nationwide today. That's a lot of films all at once, especially for October. And just like it should be, there's something for every taste. What follows below are only the briefest of concept summaries and also some trailers. The links click through to blog entries where we've already given some of the movies a lengthier consideration.

Appaloosa (Expanding from limited release): Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen play traveling gunfighters hired by a dying frontier town to stand up to a despotic rancher (Jeremy Irons). Renee Zellweger is the woman standing between the two friends. Harris also directed, and early reviews from its limited release have been for the most part positive. Harris and Mortensen's previous onscreen collaboration, A History of Violence, was a near-perfect smart bomb of a movie two years ago; seeing the two play partners in this film will likely offer plenty of intelligent action fun.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua:  We sat through a trailer for this bit of fluff last summer and our eyes are still mad at us. Live action but with plenty of celebrity voices and creepy talking dog CGI animation, it tells the story of a - Jesus God - rich chihuahua from Beverly Hills who gets lost while on vacation in Mexico and has to find her way home. Drew Barrymoe voices the dog out of water Chloe, while an Argonauts of Latino actors - Edward James Olmos, Andy Garcia, Paul Rodriguez, Luiz Guzman, Placido Domingo, and George Lopez - fill out the cast. A 90s-era Taco Bell commercial of a kid's movie, of which there's not a lot out right now.

Blindness: A kindred spirit of sorts to 2006's overrated Children of Men, Blindness stars that film's Julianne Moore as a woman who retains her sight after an epidemic of "white blindness" breaks out in her home city. The afflicted are moved into a concentration facility and left to fend for themselves with minimal assistance, and of course society and any sense of moral restraint break down. City of God's Fernando Meirelles directs this adaptation of Jose Saramago's best-selling novel, but early reviews and a chilly reception at Cannes have been less than brilliant. Reportedly unrelenting in its bleak depiction of human depravity, it's the kind of movie where one wise old inmate (Danny Glover) wears an eye patch. Get it? Of course you do.  

The Express:  There are now officially enough "true stories about overcoming the odds of racism/poverty through playing sports" movies to constitute a genre unto themselves. Ernie "The Elmira Express" Davis was the first black football player to win the Heisman Trophy, and though his pro career was cut short by leukemia his college record was an early rallying point for the Civil Rights Movement. Sports-movie veteran Rob Brown (Coach Carter) plays Davis, while Dennis Quaid plays Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder, who was - naturally - a surrogate father on and off the field. Previews have been exactly the same as all the other films of its stripe.

Flash of Genius: Ever felt sorry for the inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper? You likely will after this Greg Kinnear-led character piece about inventor Robert Kearn's three decade legal struggle against the Ford and Chrysler corporations. Basically, he invented the intermittent wiper, an important safety device on all modern cars, and the car companies cheated him out of the profits. Lauren Graham and Durmot Mulroney co-star. Even though early reviews are middling, Kinnear's role has Oscar written all over it, and his performance might get him the award he's deserved at least once already.

How To Lose Friends and Alienate People: Simon Pegg heads this based-on-truth story of British writer Toby Young's attempts to fit in at Vanity Fair magazine. The trailer has its funny moments, mostly based on Pegg's undeniable comic timing, but the film's "The Devil Wears Prada But With A Guy" conceit may not quite deliver, despite a supporting cast including Jeff Bridges, Gillian Anderson, Kirsten Dunst, and Transformers vixen Megan Fox. We like Pegg, and it's always fun to watch Bridges vamp as the bad guy, but if the whole movie is just Pegg's wanker schtick this could be a great example of where the trailer has all the funny moments.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist: A conventional romantic comedy fashionably attired in indie duds, this Manhattan adventure directed by Peter Sollett (Raising Victor Vargas) features rising star Kat Dennings (The 40 Year Old Virgin) and possibly-over-already Michael Cera as two teens who fall in love during and after a punk concert in the East Village. The script is based on the popular novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, though Cera's character was reportedly rewritten considerably to meld with his screen persona, and the ending was also changed. Early reviews are lukewarm, and if it flops you'll likely hear all kinds of smart analysis about how Juno was just a fluke after all. Alexis Dziena (Broken Flowers) co-stars.

Religulous: Social and political provocateur - and proclaimed atheist - Bill Maher examines the worldwide phenomena of religion in this documentary directed by Larry Charles (Borat, Seinfeld). Maher's roving adventures include trips to a Christian-themed amusement park in Florida, an Islamic gay bar in Amsterdam, and an interview with a United States Senator who believes in creationism. Maher and Charles used the fake title "A Spiritual Journey" and did not identify Maher as its host when soliciting the film's interviews. Get ready for some people to get pissed off. I just hope it plays in Tennessee.

Monday we'll have a review of whatever film we decided to see first. (It won't be Beverly Hills Chihuahua.) Have a good weekend.

- Michael Kabel

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By far one of the best moments in the classic film Ocean’s 11 is the scene where dude is running through the casino with the money, and then the cops blast him right outside to “Berlin’s “Take my breath away”. This is one of the coolest movies ever by the way, the rest suck!

Production Status:     In Production/Awaiting Release

Logline:     Mitzi, a pampered Beverly Hills Chihuahua accustomed to riding in a purse goes to a spa vacation in Mexico with her owner, but when she gets lost she is forced to find her way back home.

Genres:     Action/Adventure and Comedy

Release Date:     October 3rd, 2008 (wide)

MPAA Rating:     PG for some mild thematic elements.

Distributors:     Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Production Co.:     Mandeville Films/TV, Smart Entertainment

Studios:     Walt Disney Pictures

Filming Locations:     Mexico

Produced in:     United States

Starring:      Drew Barrymore, George Lopez, Andy Garcia, Piper Perabo, Manolo Cardona

Directed by:     Raja Gosnell

Produced by:     Steven Nicolaides, John L. Jacobs, David Hoberman

GO  BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA Undersized lapdogs make me grumpy even when they don’t talk, wear pink booties and shop Rodeo Drive.

So I came to Beverly Hills Chihuahua with poison pen at the ready — only to be won over by the exuberant charms of Raja Gosnell’s comedy about a snobby, privileged Chihuahua named Chloe (voiced by Drew Barrymore) and her similarly spoiled-rotten 90210 dog ­sitter (Piper Perabo). The twosome grow some backbone when they get lost in the bowels of Baja, where the pooch must be rescued from the clutches of Mexican dogfight wranglers.

If the studios are finally going to make their mark on Latino audiences, they could do a lot worse than this wicked satire on Beverly Hills pet excess, with its sharp script, a fun performance by Jamie Lee Curtis as Chloe’s overindulgent owner, and a mostly Spanish-speaking cast that includes Andy Garcia as a clapped-out police dog, Cheech Marin as a cunning rat who’s after Chloe’s Harry Winston collar, and George Lopez as a Chihuahua from the wrong side of the tracks who loves Chloe. This being Disney, wholesome character-building messages abound, but for once they’re freshly spun as cautions against stereotyping both ethnic and canine.

And if, having seen Beverly Hills Chihuahua, your children grow up without the desire to turn their pets into idiot fashion accessories or extensions of their own shopaholic fantasies, so much the better. (Citywide) (Ella Taylor)

Mobflix rating 4 out of 5 stars

Our first movie for Yakuza month is Black Rain starring Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia and Kate Capshaw.  Douglas and Garcia are New York detectives who find themselves in the midst of a Yakuza war that makes its way to New York City.  The detectives capture the young leader of a rogue Yakuza motorcycle gang and escort him back to Japan.

While in Japan, the rogue Yakuza leader named Sato (played by Yusako Matsuda) escapes and takes out his own revenge against the detectives and Yakuza rivals.  There is a fantastic chase scene where Sato performs modern day jousting with a samurai sword while on a motorcycle.

The Japanese dectective (played by Ken Takakura) assigned to capture Sato, butts heads with Douglas and Garcia and limits their powers while they are in his host country.

We give Black Rain 4 out of 5 stars

THE GODFATHER PART II: This brilliant companion piece to the original The Godfather continues the saga of two generations of successive power within the Corleone family. Coppola tells two stories in Part II: the roots and rise of a young Don Vito, played with uncanny ability by Robert De Niro, and the ascension of Michael (Al Pacino) as the new Don. Reassembling many of the talents who helped make The Godfather, Coppola has produced a movie of staggering magnitude and vision, and undeniably the best sequel ever made. Robert De Niro won an Oscar�; the film received six Academy Awards, including Best Picture of 1974.

THE GODFATHER PART III: One of the greatest sagas in movie history continues! In this third film in the epic Corleone trilogy, Al Pacino reprises the role of powerful family leader Michael Corleone. Now in his 60's, Michael is dominated by two passions: freeing his family from crime and finding a suitable successor. That successor could be fiery Vincent (Andy Garcia)... but he may also be the spark that turns Michael's hope of business legitimacy into an inferno of mob violence. Francis Ford Coppola directs Pacino, Garcia, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Eli Wallach, Sofia Coppola, Joe Montegna and others in this exciting, long-awaited film that masterfully explores the themes of power, tradition, revenge and love. Seven Academy Award� nominations, including Best Picture.

The Godfather - The Coppola Restoration Giftset (The Godfather / The Godfather Part II / The Godfather Part III) [Blu-ray] is available at Amazon for $61.95. To Order click here
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Other Products of Interest

• Kill Bill - Volumes 1 & 2 [Blu-ray] (Amazon.com Exclusive)
• Iron Man (Ultimate Two-Disc Edition) [Blu-ray]
• L.A. Confidential [Blu-ray]
• Dark City (Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]
• The Adventures of Indiana Jones - The Complete Movie Collection [Blu-ray]

2- O Poderoso Chefão 3 (Godfather: Part III - Francis Ford Coppola)Tudo morre, só o Eli Wallach que não.

3- Cry Baby (John Waters)É John Waters saindo do gueto e Johnny Depp saindo da tv para virar o talentoso excêntrico (é, eu assistia Anjos da Lei só por causa dele). Waters já tinha ensaiado uma veia mais popular com Hairspray, mas este ainda tinha Divine a tira colo e aqui a lacuna de sua morte caiu nas costas de Traci Lords e Iggy Pop. Até Joe Dallesandro e habituais Mink Stole, Ricki Lake e Patty Hearst dão as caras.

4- Coração Selvagem (Wild at Heart - David Lynch)Fiquei anos querendo que alguém cantasse Love me Tender para mim, hoje me contento com Don't Be Cruel.

5- De Volta para o Futuro 3 (Back to the Future Part III - Robert Zemeckis)O filme é protagonizado por Clint Eastwood. Basta. Ficção científica spaghetti é o que há!

Menção inevitável: Twin Peaks (David Lynch)Meu, isso passava todo domingo depois do Fantástico, ou seja, todo mundo ficava falando da maldita Laura Palmer. Seria picareta colocar um seriado-seriado que nem ao menos é uma minissérie nesta lista, mas foi marcante pra mim e Dale Cooper é o melhor personagem da tv mundial desde sempre. Putz, que ano difícil.

Real Melhor Filme do Ano: Os Bons Companheiros (Goodfellas - Martin Scorsese)Aprendi a cortar alho com o tio Sorvino! Ah, também é o melhor filme da década.

The New York International Independent Film and Video Festival (NYIIFVF) is one of the largest independent film festivals in the world.
The New York International Independent Film and Video Festival was founded in 1993. NYIIFVF has been recognized by the film and entertainment industry as one of the leading film events on the independent festival circuit. The festival hosts film, music and art events in the two entertainment capitals of the United States: New York and Los Angeles.

Past NYIIFVF festivals have included the work of Abel Ferrara, Andy Garcia, Calista Flockhart, Selma Blair, Ewan McGregor, Dominique Swain, Busy Phillips, Cameron Diaz, Christopher Walken, Daryl Hannah, Eva Herzigova, Guy Pearce, George Clooney, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Modine, Rod Steiger, Tippi Hedren, Tony Danza, Willem Dafoe and Executive Producer Vin Diesel.

5. George Lopez (Mexico) - One of Time magazine's 25 Most Influential Hispanics In America, he never fails to crack us up, whether it's his stand-up acts or on the George Lopez show!

4. Christina Aguilera (Ecuador) - No matter how many times this Grammy winner reinvents her look, it's always her powerhouse voice that blows us away!

3. Antonio Banderas (Spain) - He's been deadly serious in Interview with a Vampire, a swashbuckling Zorro, and a totally adorable Puss in Boots!

2. Andy Garcia (Cuba) - He won an Oscar for his role in Ocean's Eleven, but this star got his first Oscar nomination back in 1991 for The Godfather: Part III!

1. Rita Moreno (Puerto Rico) - You may know her as Anita in the classic film West Side Story. Lately, she's appeared on TV shows like Cane, Ugly Betty, and the George Lopez show.

But Rita really deserves the #1 spot because she's the first female and the only Hispanic performer to win an Oscar, a Grammy, an Emmy, and a Tony!

By Alisha, InstantCast staff writer

-Vicky Cristina Barcelona: y finalmente llegó lo último del director de Hannah y sus hermanas; su proyecto español, la película que reúne a Scarlett Johanson, Penélope Cruz y Javier Bardem; no somos sospechosos en este blog del cineasta neoyorquino: al contrario, ambos nos declaramos fans sin ambages; pero esto no impide, personalmente, tener muchas, muchas reservas a la hora de hincarle el diente a una cinta de la que, de corazón, deseo que lo peor sea el título; circulan críticas por ahí alabando sus rachas de genio; parece, espero que no sea así, que al gran Allen le venimos disculpando sus altibajos por ser quien es; pero lo cierto es que, desde Match Point, su cine, al que obliga a producir una vez al año, ha entrado en una (lógica) pendiente de la que, no sé, a uno no parece que lo vaya a sacar esta Vicky Cristina Barcelona; nota: recomiendan verla en V.O., para apreciar los cambios de español a inglés de Bardem y Cruz; se supone que son las escenas más cómicas, cuando discuten.

-Los extraños: terror flojo, con Liv Tyler y Scott Speedman como pareja de segunda fila para componer al matrimonio al que, sin venir a cuento, asaltan en su casa tres extraños encapuchados; clásica premisa de "paz hogareña rota por unos intrusos" que plantea una serie de peligros nada desdeñables: cómo dosificar la trama, como hacer que avance y cómo cerrar el argumento, sobre todo, a la hora de explicar qué pintan los encapuchados en todo esto (otra solución es optar por la vía Funny Games y marcarse una ida de pinza, claro).

-Cuatro vidas: el novato Jieho Lee se marca una de vidas cruzadas en la que lo mejor, más allá de pretensiones filosóficas que le vienen excesivamente grandes, es su reparto: Kevin Bacon, Forest Whitaker, Andy Garcia, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Brendan Fraser, Julie Delpy y Emile Hirsch.

-Atrapado en un pirado: ¿pero es que a alguien le hace gracia todavía, a estas alturas, este señor llamado Eddie Murphy?; más aún, ¿a quién se le ocurre la idea de una especie de robot tamaño natural y apariencia humana manejado por unos minúsculos personajes, de los cuales, uno tiene la misma pinta que el susodicho robot, siendo este, claro, Eddie Murphy? (personalmente, lo único que me hace gracia, igual soy un poco primario, es ese guiño en el cartel de: "Eddie Murphy en Eddie Murphy en Atrapado en un pirado").

I don't think I was as excited about this premiere until I saw that Andy Garcia was in attendance!  He does one of the voices in this new animated comedy about a pampered Beverly Hills Chihuahua named Chloe (Drew Barrymore) who finds herself lost in the dangerous streets of Mexico.  She ends up having to rely on some unexpected new friends -- including a street-hardened German Shepherd named Delgado (Andy Garcia) and an amorous pup named Papi (George Lopez) to help her out.

Check out the stars who showed up for the premiere including, Andy Garcia, George Lopez, Jamie Lee Curtis, Piper Perabo, Placido Domingo, Alyssa Milano, and Manolo Cardona. Oh yeah and those adorable doggies!

Por fin llegó el momento de echarle un vistazo al nuevo trabajo del genio de Manhattan, 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona', una de enredos amorosos en la ciudad condal. Cita anual imprescindible para los amantes del cine, y con más razón esta vez debido al aroma "patrio" del asunto. ¿Volverá Allen a marcarse otro peliculón como 'Match Point' o habrá rodado otra comedia intrascendental como 'Scoop'? Por qué me da a mi que será lo segundo... El resto de estrenos, después del salto!

Título: 'VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA'
Dirección y guión: Woody Allen.
Países: USA y España.
Año: 2008.
Duración: 96 min.
Género: Drama, comedia.
Interpretación: Javier Bardem (Juan Antonio), Patricia Clarkson (Judy Nash), Penélope Cruz (María Elena), Kevin Dunn (Mark Nash), Rebecca Hall (Vicky), Scarlett Johansson (Cristina), Chris Messina (Doug).
Fotografía: Javier Aguirresarobe
Sinopsis:Dos jóvenes americanas, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) y Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), llegan a Barcelona para pasar sus vacaciones de verano. Vicky es una mujer sensata y está prometida. Cristina es aventurera en el terreno emocional y sexual. En Barcelona, se ven envueltas en una serie de líos amorosos poco convencionales con Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), un carismático pintor que sigue manteniendo su relación con María Elena (Penélope Cruz), su temperamental ex mujer.

Mi YO positivo piensa: "Va a estar bien, Allen rara vez decepciona. Además, será curioso ver cómo muestran Barcelona."

Mi YO negativo piensa: "Esto huele a mierdaca que tira pá tras. ¿Habéis visto el tráiler? Allen tiende a hacer una peli buena y dos malas... y la última era buena. Además, Pe y Progre-Bardem juntos... pfff... necesitaré una buena dosis de prozac"

Título: 'CUATRO VIDAS'
Título original: 'The Air I Breath'
Dirección: Jieho Lee.
País: USA.
Año: 2007.
Duración: 95 min.
Género: Drama.
Interpretación: Kevin Bacon (Amor), Julie Delpy (Gina), Brendan Fraser (Placer), Andy Garcia (el Dedos), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Tristeza), Clark Gregg, Emile Hirsch (Tony), Forest Whitaker (Felicidad).
Guión: Jieho Lee y Bob DeRosa.
Música: Marcelo Zarvos.
Fotografía: Walt Lloyd.
Montaje: Robert Hoffman.
Sinopsis: “Cuatro Vidas” está basada en un antiguo proverbio chino según el cual la vida se puede reducir a cuatro emociones: placer, felicidad, dolor y amor. La película se compone de cuatro segmentos focalizados en cuatro personajes que representan a cada una de estas emociones. La historia principal se centra en el romance entre un gánster (Brendan Fraser) que puede ver el futuro y una emergente estrella del pop (Sarah Michelle Gellar). Cuando su contrato de representación cae en manos de 'el Dedos' (Andy Garcia), un cruel jefe mafioso con aspiraciones a legitimizar sus turbios negocios gracias a la industria del entretenimiento, el gánster tendrá que escoger entre seguir a su corazón o a sus premoniciones. También veremos la historia de un empleado de banca (Forest Whitaker) que busca desesperadamente una salida a su triste y aburrida vida. Después de perder todo su dinero en una casa de apuestas regentada por 'el Dedos', se verá en la encrucijada de huir de su destino o enfrentarse a sus miedos. Finalmente, conoceremos a un médico (Kevin Bacon) enamorado de Gina (Julie Delpy), la mujer de su mejor amigo. Cuando Gina es víctima de un accidente, éste tendrá sólo 24 horas para intentar salvarle la vida.

Mi YO positivo piensa: "Puede estar bien... Caras conocidas, vidas interrelacionadas, elemento sobrenatural... Si se lo curran puede salir una peli curiosa."

Mi YO negativo piensa: "¿Otro 'Crash' a lo cutre? ¿Voy a fiarme del criterio de Bredan Fraser y de Buffy? ¿Alguien dijo emule?"

Título: 'LOS EXTRAÑOS'
Título original: 'The Strangers'
Dirección y guión: Bryan Bertino.
País: USA.
Año: 2008.
Duración: 90 min.
Género: Thriller, terror.
Interpretación: Liv Tyler (Kristen McKay), Scott Speedman (James Hoyt), Gemma Ward (dollface), Kip Weeks (el enmascarado), Laura Margolis (chica Pin-Up), Glenn Howerton (Mike).
Música: Tomandandy.
Fotografía: Peter Sova.
Montaje: Kevin Greutert.
Sinopsis: Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) y James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) habían decidido pasar una noche especial en la aislada segunda residencia de la familia Hoyt. Al regresar a casa después de asistir a la boda de una amiga, el mundo de la feliz pareja se derrumba cuando alguien llama a la puerta a las 4 de la mañana y pregunta, con extraña voz: "¿Está Tamara?"

Mi YO positivo piensa: "Qué mal rollo dan los tíos del póster. ¿De qué irá realmente? ¿Fantasmas, psicópatas, fantasmas psicópatas? Curiosidad..."

Mi YO negativo piensa: "Otra de parejita acosada por freaks con máscaras retro-acojonantes... Con el niño deforme de 'El Orfanato' ya llené mi cupo anual... Además, ¡Pero si esta peli ya se puede descargar! Nada, nada, a ahorrar, que  hay crisis.

Título: 'TROPIC THUNDER: UNA GUERRA MUY PERRA'
Título original: 'Tropic Thunder'
Dirección: Ben Stiller.
País: USA.
Año: 2008.
Duración: 106 min.
Género: Comedia, acción.
Interpretación: Ben Stiller (Tugg Speedman), Jack Black (Jeff Portnoy), Robert Downey Jr. (Kirk Lazarus), Brandon T. Jackson (Alpa Chino), Jay Baruchel (Kevin Sandusky), Danny McBride (Cody), Steve Coogan (Damien Cockburn), Bill Hader (Rob Slolom), Nick Nolte (John Tayback), Brandon Soo Hoo (Tran), Reggie Lee (Byong).
Guión: Ben Stiller, Justin Theroux y Etan Cohen; basado en un argumento de Ben Stiller y Justin Theroux.
Música: Theodore Shapiro.
Fotografía: John Toll.
Montaje: Greg Hayden.
Sinopsis: Un grupo de actores pretenden rodar la película bélica más cara de la historia. Después de que los excesivos gastos (y los descontrolados egos de los mimados actores) amenacen con acabar con la película, el frustrado director se niega a parar el rodaje y lleva a su reparto a las profundidades de las selvas del Sudeste de Asia para “aumentar el realismo”; allí, se encuentran por casualidad con unos guerrilleros de verdad.

Mi YO positivo piensa: "No me la pierdo. El mejor Ben Stiller en una comedia escrita, dirigida y protagonizada por él mismo... Me relamo de pensarlo. Si a eso sumamos la presencia de cracks como Robert Downey Jr. haciendo de negro... amigo, si quieres encontrarme esta noche mejor que empieces por los cines."

Mi YO negativo está de acuerdo con mi YO positivo.

Fuente: LaButaca

Fdo: Stan

Holy!!  I love this movie...i mean seriously...ryan reynolds, ray liotta, jeremy piven, andy garcia...the guns...the shootouts...the violence...sure it's not for the faint of heart..but man....i caught this the other night again....that ending on the clip above just blows me away everytime...when you really believe in something....you stand up for it...that is attitude..that is confidence...that is leadership...and that my friends are what we need more of in this life.

so the movie itself is not on my short list, but again those last five minutes would be in a montage of my all time favorite scenes.  it is some great filmaking because for the whole movie there is nonstop shoot 'em up action scenes..it gets pretty psychotic...and then in the last five minutes it goes so artistically mellow.  i am not a cinematographer but i think it's pretty cool...and i've been watching flicks since luke found out vader was his father....so there you go.

Miriam Leone è la nuova Miss Italia: la ragazza catanese, nominata poco prima anche Miss Cinema, con il suo sorriso ha illuminato il concorso di bellezza, fino alla fine risultato logorante e troppo lungo (le quattro giornate, a detta di tutti esagerate, saranno comunque confermate per l’anno prossimo).

Miriam ha battuto in finale la sua quasi compaesana Marianna Di Martino De Cecco e Athina Covassi, la prima eliminata del terzetto, che si giocava la fascia della più bella d’Italia.

Catanese, alta 1,76, dai capelli color rosso rame e gli occhi verdi, Miriam, dopo essersi diplomata al Liceo Classico, sta per laurearsi in Arti e spettacolo, presso la facoltà di Lettere a Catania.

La ragazza, una speaker radiofonica, con talento nella poesia e la passione per il trekking, ha fatto felice papà Ignazio, mamma Gabriella e l’altro artista della casa, il fratellino Sergio, studente di pianoforte al Conservatorio di Catania.

La cronaca della serata: l’atmosfera è la stessa che si respirava nei giorni precedenti, con l’aggiunta dell’emozione delle concorrenti arrivate al giro di boa per la vittoria finale.

Carlo Conti, fra una battuta e l’altra, presenta la giuria, non esattamente di primordine: Martina Colombari, Lorena Bianchet Kaspar Capparoni, Bianca Guaccero, Pupo, Nino Frassica e Martina Stella. A guidare i giurati, nel ruolo di presidente di giuria Giancarlo Gianni e Andy Garcia (loro si, star internazionali).

Per un’ora si susseguono le eliminazioni, poi dopo le canzoni di Gianni Morandi, si procede alla sfilata, ad una breve chiacchierata con le ragazze rimaste e con Pupo, che non centra nulla, ma deve promuovere la sua trasmissione, Volami nel cuore, che comincia sabato prossimo.

Un’altra eliminazione e si passa alle banali domande della giuria. Andy Garcia, che è stato pagato per fare qualcosa e non solo il giurato, suona per le miss prima dell’eliminazione che lascia in gara solo cinque ragazze.

A giocarsi i posti a suon di sfilate e recite sono Benedetta Mazza, Ilaria Cusumano e le tre finaliste Athina Covassi , terza classificata, Marianna Di Martino De Cecco e Miriam Leone.

Il resto è storia nota: gli spot finali delle due ragazze premiano Miriam Leone, che riceve corona, fascia e scettro, dopo aver vinto la fascia di Miss Cinema (che per regolamento verrà data alla seconda classificata nella sezione, Valentina Mio).

Miriam Leone, che succede a Silvia Battisti, Miss Italia uscente, rimarrà in carica fino all’anno prossimo, quando una nuova gara deputerà un’altra più bella d’Italia… sperando in una trasmissione migliore!

fonte: CineTivu.com