Movies: October 2009 Archives

And the countdown continues.

Finally. A decent sports movie with a political/historical twist. Being a lover of all things film, I was surprised and delighted when I saw this "Invictus" promo air during game one of the World Series. I hadn't heard anything about this movie, but I already see some gold, shiny statues in it's future.
(It hits theaters Dec. 11.)

Clint Eastwood directs the underdog story (score!) about Nelson Mandela's attempt to unite South Africa behind the 1995 Rugby World Cup final. Morgan Freeman plays Mandela and Matt Damon stars as Springboks captain Francois Pienaar. The film is based on John Carlin's book "Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation." The title is from a William Ernest Henley poem. ("Invictus" = "Unconquered" in Latin.)

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

Emmy-winning makeup effects artist Chris Burgoyne will demonstrate and discuss his work at 7 p.m. Nov. 19 in the Room 218 of the Humanities Center at York College, 441 Country Club Road in Spring Garden Township. The free presentation is part of the Humanities Film Series at York College.

Burgoyne uses prosthetic sculpting, molding and casting techniques to bring characters to life in movies and TV shows including "The Omen," "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," Love in the Time of Cholera," "Last Holiday," "CSI" and "ER." He won the 2008 Emmy for his work on "John Adams." (Photo: YDR File)

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

Five weekend highlights. (Thank goodness for selective memory.)
Watched "Key Largo" Friday. (The movie's plot, which involved a hurricane, went well with the dismal weather that night.)

Made a stop at Central Market House for fresh apple cider. (I'm slowly admitting that it's fall.)

Saw Penn State beat Michigan at Ann Arbor for the first time this decade. (Any given Saturday.)

Rocked out at The Depot with four killer acts. (You have not lived until you've seen Tunnel of Love live.)

Attended the York Halloween Parade. (Kids + pets in costume = cuteness overload.) (Photo: York Halloween Parade; YDR File)

Catch this New Moon trailer. Can't wait!

MovieHatch.com, the online venue that gives people a voice in Hollywood, has opened the voting for its inaugural MovieHatch Makin' Movies Feature Film Competition.

Filmmakers entered video synopses and more than 100 have been selected on the site. Film buff can watch clips and cast votes through Nov. 15. The top 10 film ideas will be pitched to industry professionals. One or several scripts could be chosen for development.

Shane Free of York was selected as a semi-finalists for his thriller "Gabriel's Curse," which he wrote with his father. Watch the video. Free's paranormal documentary "Investigating the Afterlife," which was shot in Gettysburg, was screened in April at the 2009 Bare Bones Film Festival. (Photo: Submitted)

Five links to start your day off right: Part of complete, balanced breakfast.

Five links to start the day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

My sister sent me an amazing video a few weeks ago that really put me in the Halloween mood. (I probably watch it about once a day, now.) Using the site www.monstermashup.com, she uploaded photos of our family and turned us into ghouls, monsters and vampires who dance to the 1962 tune "Monster Mash." The results were hilarious. (I was cast as a mummy.)

You can set your scene and music to be classic, country or rock. If you don't have photos to upload, you can design your own characters. (Watch the movie I created.) It only takes a few minutes and you can share your finished product to give your loved ones a silly, spooky surprise.

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

Director Spike Jonze is on top of the world with his adaptation of "Where the Wild Things Are." So what the h-e-double hockey sticks was he thinking releasing his Kanye West collaboration "We Were Once a Fairytale" now?

The 11-minute movie seems to be about West wandering through a club, getting wasted and having creepy nightmares. (We think it might confirm our theory that West will land in rehab soon.)

Could this movie have predicted West's untimely outburst at the MTV VMAs? (Check out the movie minus the first two minutes above. Viewer discretion is advised. Obvi.)

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

Five must-do ideas to help you make the most of your weekend.
Def Leppard cancelled their upcoming tour dates including a Giant Center gig today. Bummer. But don't worry. There are many rockin' events this weekend.

Read about a "Six Feet Under" exhibit coming to Spring Grove. (Get a preview to the left.)

Head to the Oyster Fest Sunday at the Agricultural & Industrial Museum in York.

Fill up at the fest, then head down the road to see "Food, Inc." at the Capitol Theatre.

Sick of being single? Sign up for a local Dating Detox class.

Where are the wild things? In the YDR, of course. (Photo: HBO and David Meanix)

Dear Nicholas Sparks: You, unlike any other male on the planet, have tapped into the female psyche with your tear-jerking love stories. Despite the nauseatingly sweet plot lines and schmaltz, I can't help borrowing all your books from my mom.

However, the movie adaptations end up being even sappier. (i.e. "A Walk to Remember," "The Notebook.") I'm afraid for your new movie "Dear John." (I haven't read the book yet.) I like Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried. I like war-torn lovers. But this movie looks, well, just call your agent ASAP.

Sincerely, FlipSide

P.S. Can I pick up a hot guy if I drop my purse in an ocean, river, creek, my bathtub?

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

Have you noticed that faint stench? No need for a pit check. That's the smell of pure desperation. And it's making me ill. Legit rockers, including Thom Yorke, Bon Iver, the Killers, Grizzly Bear and Kings of Leon, want nothing more than to add tunes to the "New Moon" soundtrack.

Will rock fall under this campy, vampy teen flick's smell spell? Or will artists raise the musical stakes (yes, the wooden kind used to kill vampires) and strive for other industry achievements? You know, like Grammys. While I climb down from my soapbox and so fans don't skin me alive, here's Death Cab for Cutie's (How the mighty have fallen.) "New Moon" tune "Meet Me on the Equinox." Watch a clip of the full video.

Hark! A Zac Efron movie that looks good. (Not that "Hairspray" was bad, but "17 Again" was gawdawful.) And when was the last big movie Claire Danes starred in? I'm thinking... But Don't expect this one to be "Citizen Kane."

Expect "Me and Orson Welles" to be worth the $10. And expect Christian McKay, who plays the finicky Welles, to steal the show. The movie is due out Nov. 25. Unless there's more trouble in film paradise.

The actor Peter Facinelli, who plays Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the "Twilight" saga films, will be at the Harrisburg Mall on Sunday to raise money for his favorite charity, the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.

The photo and autograph session start at noon. Expect to pay $25 for autographs and $40 for a photo (no personal cameras allowed, according to the mall).

This season brings a box-office battle of the George Clooney flicks. Let's compare:
Title: "The Men Who Stare at Goats"
Cast: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges
Opens: Nov. 6
Plot: This dark comedy, set in Iraq is about a reporter who meets a special forces agent who reveals the existence of a secret military unit whose goal is to end war as we know it.
Oscar odds: Fair. Director Grant Heslov (co-wrote "Good Night, and Good Luck") brings Jon Ronson's book about George W. Bush's War on Terror to life. The Academy usually leans to the left, but doesn't always go for lighter films.
Title: "Up in the Air"
Opens: Nov. 13
Cast: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Danny McBride, Melanie Lynskey
Plot: Ryan Bingham is a corporate downsizing expert whose cherished life on the road is threatened as he meets the woman of his dreams and is just about to reach10 million frequent flyer miles.
Ocsar odds: Good. Oscar-nominee ("Juno") Jason Reitman directs, and it was well-received at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.