Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Monthly Wallpaper - July 2010: That's Dancing!

Get out your tap shoes and leg warmers! This month's Movie Dearest Calendar Wallpaper is all about the dance ... in film, that is.

Join Billy Elliot, Tony Manero, Ren McCormack, Peggy Sawyer and a host of timeless terpsichorean talent for a high-kickin', jazz-handin' July.  Now That's Dancing!

All you have to do is click on the picture above to enlarge it, then simply right click your mouse and select "Set as Background". (You can also save it to your computer and set it up from there if you prefer.) The size is 1024 x 768, but you can modify it if needed in your own photo-editing program.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Reverend's Reviews: Los Angeles Film Festival 2010

After a rocky opening night, during which jubilant post-screening lesbians and rioting Lakers fans threatened to collide on the downtown streets, the 2010 edition of the Los Angeles Film Festival rebounded (no basketball pun intended) and made ten days in a controversial new location an exciting celebration of independent movies.

The fest began on June 17 (which was also the night the LA Lakers won their second straight championship at the neighboring Staples Center) with the Los Angeles premiere of Lisa Cholodenko's lesbian dramedy The Kids Are All Right. Stars Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo attended, as well as Jane Lynch (Glee) and other celebs. Conspicuously absent was co-star Annette Bening, who also cancelled a press conference I was scheduled to attend the following day without explanation. Several online sources reported on June 18 that Bening's and Warren Beatty's oldest daughter had announced she was planning to have gender reassignment surgery, and that Bening and Beatty were "devastated." May they get over it soon.


Apart from The Kids Are All Right, only a few movies screened during the fest were specified as being of LGBT interest: Eyes Wide Open, the extraordinary Israeli story of two orthodox Jewish men who fall in love with each other (previously reviewed here); Dog Sweat, an illegally-shot Iranian film detailing the romantic/sexual travails of six young people, including a gay man; and Family Tree, which explores a dysfunctional French clan gathered at a sprawling country estate for a funeral.

However, other LGBT-friendly screenings included the LA premiere of All About Evil, a campy horror spoof starring Joshua Grannell (a.k.a. drag diva Peaches Christ), Mink Stole and Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson, and Pee-Wee Herman himself, Paul Reubens, presenting a 25th anniversary edition of his now-classic Pee-Wee's Big Adventure as well as a film he defined as most inspirational to him, 1938's You Can't Take It With You.


The standout film of the festival for me, though, was the eye-opening, heart-wrenching documentary, Lost Angels. Director Thomas Napper follows a number of inhabitants of downtown LA's Skid Row, composed of approximately fifty city blocks (ironically, the festival took place just a stone's throw away). As narrator Catherine Keener informs viewers, "About 11,000 people live on Skid Row, and two-thirds of them have mental illness." Another speaker pointedly states, "We don't institutionalize the mentally ill (in the United States); we criminalize them." Late ex-President Ronald Reagan receives special condemnation for cutting funding to hospitals and other mental illness treatment facilities.

One of the subjects of Lost Angels is Albert "Bam Bam" Olson, an honest and outspoken inhabitant of Skid Row who also happens to be transgender, bipolar and living with HIV. Bam Bam was in attendance at the film's June 25 world premiere (as was Keener, who is gracious and lovely in person) and told the sold-out crowd, "Making the movie gave me a purpose." Napper treats all those he caught on film with respect and dignity, and the result is most affecting.


As I'm a sucker for movies about animals, I also found the festival doc One Lucky Elephant fascinating. Ten years in the making, it recounts the saga of circus producer and ringmaster David Balding to find a suitable home for his aging pachyderm star, Flora. Balding adopted the orphaned baby elephant and cared for her for 16 years. But as she matured, Flora lost interest in performing and Balding was compelled to search for a place where she could live more freely with other elephants.

This proved to be no easy task. After numerous safari programs and zoos fell through, Balding found what seemed to be the perfect sanctuary for Flora in Tennessee. No sooner did Balding leave Flora then she became increasingly anti-social and violent. A self-professed elephant psychologist declared Flora suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder related to the violent separation from her mother and her subsequent circus training. The baffled Balding was barred from ever visiting Flora again, and the film raises interesting questions and concerns not only about the ethical treatment of animals but of the people who devote themselves to their care.


Another standout movie about animals at the fest was Cane Toads: The Conquest. Presented in 3-D, no less, it is director-producer Mark Lewis' follow up to his acclaimed 1988 short film about Australia's non-native amphibians. Introduced from South America in the 1930's in an effort to control sugar cane-destroying beetles, the poisonous toads have multiplied from an initial 100 to nearly 2 billion today. They continue to march their way west across Australia, and no attempt to halt their progress has been successful.

The film takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to what is apparently a serious problem, and one can't help but fall in love with the doggedly persistent creatures of the title. The 3-D effects are unnecessary but fun. Lewis proudly announced during the Q & A after the screening that his film had been dubbed "Avatoad" after its US premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.


One other movie at this year's LA Film Fest made a significant impression on me: Hello Lonesome. A semi-autobiographical story by writer-director Adam Reid, it conveys six unique individuals' struggles to make a connection with someone else. The relationships forged are surprising, amusing and ultimately moving. One of the characters is based on Reid's sister, who died of breast cancer in 2003.

The cast of Hello Lonesome (which includes James Urbaniak, who voices Dr. Venture on the campy cartoon The Venture Brothers) is excellent, and they were deservedly honored with the festival's Jury Award for Best Ensemble Performance. Other award-winning films were Denmark's A Family (Best Narrative Film), Make Believe (Best Documentary) and Wonder Hospital (Best Animated Short).


This was the first year that the LA Film Festival was moved from its traditional, trendy Westwood location to the new LA Live complex downtown. Despite a few logistical bumps and a bit of initial culture shock (especially for opening night attendees), I thought the new venue worked very well. Also, the film selection, largely overseen by former Newsweek film critic David Ansen, was diverse and of almost-uniformly high quality. I'm already looking forward to what next year will bring!

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Monday, June 28, 2010

MD Contest: I Want A Single Man

Movie Dearest is launching our very first contest today! Thanks to the generosity of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, one of our lucky readers will receive a free DVD of Tom Ford's critically acclaimed, award-winning A Single Man starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore.

To enter, all you have to do is send an email with the subject line "I Want A Single Man" to the email address below. Please include the address you want the DVD shipped to along with your full name.


All information received will be kept confidential.  Contest restricted to US residents only please.  The winner will be chosen randomly on Tuesday July 6, the day A Single Man is released on DVD and Blu-ray.

That's next week, so enter now, and good luck!

UPDATE: This contest is now closed. Click here for the final results.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Download Grown Ups full movie online. Download with the good speed!

By: Oleksiy


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Adam Sandler's mindless new movie, Grown Ups, is a cheap, brief escape from the summer heat. Lacking plot or cinematic grandeur, the film traces the reunion of five best friends. Adam Sandler leads the pack that also includes: Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, and Kevin James. Mourning the death of their beloved basketball mentor, Coach Buzzer, the friends and their families spend the Fourth of July weekend in the woods to commemorate their late coach.

"When that final buzzer of life goes by, you should have no regrets," the wise coach says in a scene flashing back to the boys' childhood. Do not be fooled by the shrewd words; they are the only meaningful lines throughout Grown Ups. The dialogue consists of a smattering of jokes, some funny, but most not. Raunchy, juvenile humor pads the script. Half of the jokes are lost in mumbles, and the other half reverberates off of comedic moments that come in rapid succession.

The friends, now grown up and with families of their own, enjoy poking fun at one another in every possible way. Their bodies, their children, their cars, nothing is off limits for them. When is Adam Sandler going to "grow up?" Though the characters in Grown Ups are overdrawn and overly caricatured, a true friendship and camaraderie connects them. They are united by the memory of their beloved deceased coach and the years they spent playing basketball as the only reigning championship team from their school.


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Lenny Feder, played by Adam Sandler, who also co-wrote Grown Ups with Fred Wolf, is the star of the show, a hot-shot agent who is called "Hollywood" by his enemies. Married to the cold, career-oriented Roxanne, played by Salma Hayek, Lenny laments his children's fascination with technology, flat screen televisions, and brand- name bottled water. A not so subtle message in the movie, Grown Ups, is to embrace nature and to remember the great outdoors, rather than to turn into a couch potato and blackberry-toting glamazon.

The most entertaining characters in Grown Ups were Lenny's two young sons because of how overly-exaggerated and obnoxious they were. "Get me a Fiji water," one of them demands at a low-end restaurant in the middle of the woods. "I only packed for Italy," the other cries when their father asks why they are wearing designer clothing on an outdoor vacation. As Lenny's child picks up a rock at the edge of the water, Sandler speaks to himself, encouraging his son to skip the rock. The rock falls to the ground with a thud.

Roxanne (Salma Hayek) adds to her children's spoiled nature. She rudely breaks the news of the tooth fairy's non-existence to her sweet young daughter, the only one in the film, Grown Ups, who seems to believe in anything. Roxanne hurls orders at the nanny, who Lenny (Adam Sandler) insists on calling an exchange student so his friends won't make fun of him. If Salma Hayek cannot sparkle in a film, that is not a good sign. None of the roles in Grown Ups required any attempt at acting. Grown Ups seemed more like a fun chance for Sandler to whip up a few jokes while his movie star friends half-heartedly deliver the lines.


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The Last AirBender Movie 2010 Download | Watch The Last Air Bender Movie Online

By: Matt MacMahon


Watch The Last Airbender Movie 2010



Director M. Night Shyamalan is widely known as the guru of cinematic twists. Time and again, he's been able to capture the viewer's imagination and defy all expectations. But on July 1, Shyamalan will release his own game-changer in his first theatrical adaptation, The Last Airbender.


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Based on the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, this film promises to be a remarkably faithful adaptation of the show's first season, and Shyamalan spares no detail in nailing all the subtle nuances of the franchise's original designs.

So, in celebration of the upcoming Airbender film, we're taking a look back at the all major players of air, water, earth and fire. In this Split Screen feature, we examine how each character has evolved in their transition from the animated TV show to the live-action feature film.


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On the show, Aang is the young and fun-loving successor to a long line of Avatars, and is forced to put his childhood aside in order to overthrow the evil Fire Nation. Our boy here's most prominent features are his blue, arrow-shaped tattoos that run up his hands, feet and forehead, along with his yellow and orange American Apparel Air Temple garb.

And when Aang needs to level-up his airbending ways, he always has his collapsible glider-staff at the ready.

In the film, it looks like Aang (Noah Ringer) maintains his blue tattoos, but they appear to be more intricately detailed and subdued. He still wears the yellow shirt and pants, but his orange poncho is swapped out for a darker, hooded cape, naturally. Of all the actors, Ringer probably looks the most like his character, but whether or not the kid can crack a smile remains to be seen.

Katara is a powerful waterbender from the South Pole who finds and frees Aang from a block of ice and subsequently assumes the role of his "romantic interest."

Katara is best known for her blue tunic/overcoat combo and her trademark "hair loopies", and yep, that's the technical term for 'em. Katara also wears a treasured Water Tribe necklace that was given to her just before her mother died.

While the live-action Katara (Nicola Peltz) gets to keep the hair loopies, it seems that they've gone with her longer hairstyle from season three as opposed to her season one singular braid. The tunic and necklace look pretty spot-on, with the obligatory cinematic details added in. Her coat, however, is now beige instead of blue. But make no mistake; this definitely looks like the Katara we've seen on TV.


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Sokka is Katara's sarcastic and cynical brother, also from the South Pole. He usually wears a blue tunic and coat not unlike his sister, and always keeps his hair pulled back into a small ponytail.

While he has no bending powers to speak of, Sokka is still a formidable opponent with his trusty boomerang and club.

Though we haven't seen it in the trailers, the theatrical posters show that Sokka will definitely be getting some boomaraction. Like Katara, he'll get to keep his blue tunic and hairstyle, and he also gets a color switch on his overcoat (to beige... again). But even though he looks the part, only time will tell if Jackson Rathbone's got the same comedic chops to pull off his character's goofy charm.

For every great hero there has to be a villain, and that villain comes in the form of the hot-headed firebender, Prince Zuko.

After facing exile from his father's empire, Zuko is sent out to capture the Avatar in order to restore his honor. But before his banishment, he was given an unsightly facial scar to serve as a constant reminder of his outspoken foolishness. Taking to the seas, Zuko bares the crimson armor of Fire Nation royalty and pulls his hair into a long ponytail on top of his otherwise naked scalp.

Live-Action Zuko is portrayed by Slumdog's own Dev Patel, who ditches the ponytail altogether in favor of a short, spiky haircut (similar to Zuko's look in season two). His scar can still be seen across his eye, but it's substantially less noticeable and not nearly as grotesque. While his armor is still similar in design, its color scheme is much darker, utilizing more blacks than reds.

It also looks like he's picked up a badass, fuzzy robe to go with it. And yes, describing a fuzzy robe as "badass" just happened.


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Deviled Pictures - The Rise of a Film Production Company

By: Eric Shepard


Recently Eric Shepard has opened a new motion picture production company, under the name of Deviled Pictures. The company was opened early in 2009.

So far the company has produced several short films, along with a television series.

In June of 2008, Deviled Pictures had released it's first ever film. The eight minute documentary was released under the title of "New Reigns" (directed and produced by Eric Shepard). The film explores the world of rodeo and all of the struggles modern day cowboys face in order to perserve their western lifestyle in a constantly developing society. So far the film has grown greatly in popularity since it's release.

Deviled Pictures later produced a television series, called "In Your Kitchen" (created and directed by Eric Shepard). The show was a thirty-minute cooking program. It's goal was to try and take the comedy element of a sitcom and bring it to what would normally be a rather unappealing cooking program. This ambition of comedy proved to be successful. Soon after the premire of the pilot episode, the show received multiple positive reveiws, and people soon demanded more and more episodes. So far five episodes have been made, completing the first season of the show. "In Your Kitchen" airs thursday nights at six o'clock, on Consolidated network.

Coming soon from Deviled Pictures is a short film, titled "The Dictator Awards" (written and directed by Eric Shepard). Further information on the project will be announced shortly.

Deviled Pictures is expected to announce their first feature-length film sometime within the next year.

Note: Further information will be added on a following date.

About the Author


Eric Shepard works in independant film and television as a writer, director, and producer.

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MD Poll: Toys 'R Us

With the phenomenal success of Toy Story 3, it's very clear that everyone loves Woody, Buzz and the gang.  But which of Andy's toys is your favorite?

Make your choice and place your vote in the MD Poll located in the right hand sidebar.  Results will be revealed on July 24.

Friday, June 25, 2010

MD Poll: The Best of Times

The classic gay musical La Cage aux Folles recently made history by becoming the first show to win Tony Awards for every single one of its Broadway productions. And now, it has been named your favorite From Screen to Stage show of the 2009-2010 season!

See the comments section below for the complete results.

Reverend's Reviews: Lofty Heights

The Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights (which is making its California debut this week at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles) provides such a genial, romanticized picture of inner-city life in a Manhattan barrio that it makes grittier NYC-based shows like West Side Story and Rent look like the gloomy Long Day's Journey Into Night by comparison.

I actually spent a long weekend a decade ago in the Washington Heights neighborhood celebrated here. While the atmosphere and people were pleasant enough, it was hardly the effervescent, drug- and violence-free setting In the Heights would have viewers believe. I also encountered a number of gay and lesbian Latino residents who, somewhat curiously, aren't represented among the musical's characters.

The most authentic aspect of the production is Anna Louizos' set design. From the moment I entered the Pantages and saw the storefronts and towering apartments above them (which aren't obscured before the show by the curtain), I felt like I was in New York City. Louizos is one of the best designers in theatre today; she also did the impressive sets for Curtains, Avenue Q and Minsky's.

In the Heights has numerous other things to recommend it. The characters are vivid, the songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda (who is recreating his original Broadway performance for the LA production as well as the upcoming movie version) are excellent, and Andy Blankenbuehler's energetic, hip hop-derived choreographic style works much better here than in the recent 9 to 5. Howell Binkley's lighting design also deserves special mention, especially for its impressive evocation of a fireworks display at the end of Act I.

The touring production's cast is attractive as well as talented. In addition to Miranda's engaging presence as rapping convenience store owner Usnavi, standouts include Sabrina Sloan as the object of his affections, Vanessa (Lexi Lawson will play Vanessa starting July 6), Shaun Taylor-Corbett as Sonny, Usnavi's cocky cousin, and Elise Santora as the loving Abuela (Aunt) Claudia. Fine support is given by Jose-Luis Lopez as the neighborhood tagger, David Baida as a seller of frozen confections, and the entire ensemble.

Unfortunately, complex conflicts are largely absent from Quiara Alegria Hudes' book. The most significant are between Nina (played by Arielle Jacobs), who returns home to the barrio after secretly dropping out of Stanford University, and her parents, Kevin and Camila (Danny Bolero and Natalie Toro). To further exacerbate things, Nina falls in love with Benny, an African-American employee of her newly-prejudiced father (a fine turn by Rogelio Douglas, Jr., who was recently seen on Broadway as a flamboyant Sebastian the Crab in The Little Mermaid).


The racial issue, however, is dealt with briefly and is fairly easily overcome, and a winning lottery ticket provides a too-convenient solution to Nina's tuition woes. Otherwise, barrio life is hunky-dory in In the Heights. Sure, everyone needs more money but that's true in every neighborhood nowadays. Usnavi's store window gets broken during a blackout but little of value is stolen.

A more telling indicator of the musical's sunny avoidance of darker, audience-challenging characters and situations may be reflected in the popularity of its LA opening. The virtually full house on preview night consisted mostly of white, affluent theatergoers over the age of 60. There were few young adults and, surprisingly, even fewer Latino/Hispanic people. I suspect In the Heights is too glossy and unrealistic — not to mention unaffordable — for the majority of those it claims to represent.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.