Friday, May 31, 2013

Movie List #4

It's been a busy month for me - moving to a new home among other things - so this will be my movie list for the entire month of May. I haven't watched a lot of movies this month (so it's a short list) since a Community marathon (seasons 1-4) and a re-watch of Game of Thrones (season 1) have taken a bulk of my down time.

Intermission (2003)
There's some heavy Irish accent going on in this film and I had to watch this without subtitles. So imagine my effort in understanding what they were saying. Better yet, you could go watch this film and after your ears adjust to the thick accent, you'll realize this is well-directed with an excellent ensemble and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I sometimes enjoy Colin Farrell's performances especially when he's playing the bad boy (the first scene of him chatting up this girl was the best scene to me - proof here) and I always enjoy Cillian Murphy. This is a dark comedy, an indie film set in Dublin, with a handful of stories intertwined and chaotic with a purpose. Oh, and I'm happy to read that Roger Ebert gave this movie 3 1/2 stars.
intermission movie poster

Warm Bodies (2012)
Remember that little boy from "About a Boy"? (This was the time when Hugh Grant was still making decent movies that I cherished. Anyway...) That young boy Hugh starred with was Nicholas Hoult and in Warm Bodies he's the teen zombie R who does lengthy but witty voice overs and happens to be the love interest of Aussie Teresa Palmer. The story's a no-brainer (by the way, zombies in this story are like the zombies from Plants vs. Zombies - they eat brains) and the turns are predictable but this is a better love story than Twilight and with a much agreeable ending.
Nicholas Hoult warm bodies

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Ms. Kathryn Bigelow - I'm a fan. The Hurt Locker was a fine piece of work and so is Zero Dark Thirty. Even if I (and the rest of the world) knew how the story would end, I still found myself holding my breath during the last minutes of the film, which is the same feeling I got from Argo. Jessica Chastain makes one fierce CIA officer.
jessica chastain Zero Dark Thirty

The Eagle (2011)
Whose idea was it to make this two hours long? I think Channing Tatum is an OK actor (you can even say a great one if you just can't look past that body) and I seriously thought he could pull off  playing a Roman soldier in a period movie. He's put on an accent (I think) but it's not believable. His character, Marcus Aquila, can't hold a candle next to Russel Crowe's Maximus. Jamie Bell should have been the soldier and not the slave. As for the plot, again, why does a story about looking for a small eagle statue have to be two hours long? 
channing tatum mark strong jamie bell The Eagle
If I could take Channing out of the equation and leave Mark Strong and Jamie Bell, could this film suck even less?
21 Jumpstreet (2012)
This Channing Tatum movie I like way better than The Eagle. Who would've thought there would be so much comedic chemistry between him and Jonah Hill? They were so cute together and the jokes got funnier and funnier until the end. There's a surprise cameo at the latter part of the movie from an original cast member of the 21 Jumpstreet TV show which I'm sure you'll be delighted with. And if you've already seen 21 Jumpstreet, I hope to be the bearer of good news that a sequel is in the works and is scheduled for release next year.
channing tatum jonah hill 21 Jumpstreet

Mama (2013) 
This is a fantasy-horror film presented by Guillermo del Toro and stars Jessica Chastain and Jaime Lannister, also known as Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. There are elements in this movie that reminded me of del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth which is why I liked it even more and there's also a couple of cute kids here who definitely upped the creepiness level of the story. I thought this was a good, stylish horror flick that's my type of scary.
Jessica Chastain Nikolaj Coster Waldau Mama


*Images via Rotten Tomatoes & Wikipedia

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Redheads for Rainy days

Rainy days are here and the skies are getting gloomier but there are some redhead gorgeousness out there who can try to keep you warm and toasty. 

Grace Coddington cartoon
Grace Coddington as her cartoon self
Whether they're natural or faux, there's something about these redheads that would brighten up my day, especially on a day like this since I got my feet soaking wet coming to work. Ugh. I hope this rain doesn't go on all day.

Nicole Kidman
Nicole's a superb actress and some of my favorite scenes of hers are as Satine in Moulin Rouge and Gillian Owens in Practical Magic, which is also the first movie I saw her in. She'll be Grace Kelly in the upcoming 2013 film, Grace of Monaco.
Nicole Kidman Satine
Moulin Rouge (2001)
Nicole Kidman Gillian Owens
Practical Magic (1998)
Karen Elson
Karen looks otherworldly and this top model/musician is known for her trademark crimson hair and no eyebrows look.
Karen Elson

Sophie Turner & Carice Van Houten (Sansa Stark & Melisandre)
One is a caged bird and the other is wild fire. Sansa and Melisandre have absolutely nothing in common except the color of their hair and how good they look with it. Well there is a lot of gorgeousness happening in that show.
Sophie Turner Sansa Stark
Carice Van Houten Melisandre

Emma Stone
Emma's got so many makeup looks I want to steal and I think she's the cutest one in my list, too.
Emma Stone
Loving this killer stare down look
Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I
Before Galadriel, Cate played the iconic monarch, Queen Elizabeth I, in Elizabeth (1998).
Cate Blanchett Elizabeth I

Alice Burdeu
Alice is my favorite top model winner (from cycle 3 of Australia's Next Top Model) and by far one of the most successful winners of the franchise. Good thing she complained during her makeover otherwise she would've been stuck with her bland..err.. blonde roots. 
Alice Burdeu

Julianne Moore
I don't know why she keeps playing the adulterous wife in her recent movies (Chloe, The Kids Are All Right and Crazy, Stupid, Love.) but at 52, she looks amazing without the aid of cosmetic surgery. I wish I could look as good as she is when I reach that age (Ha! I wish.)
Julianne Moore

Hayley Williams
Hayley's got the brightest hair with a matching spunky personality. Even if summer's ended in these parts of the world, MAC gave us summer in a tube with Hayley's brand all over it.
Hayley Williams

Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson
This is the only time Kirsten sported the auburn mane onscreen and this was the perfect role for her to change it. She did the Mary Jane character justice and I'm still pondering on how the new MJ (Shailene Woodley) would fare.
Kirsten Dunst Mary Jane Watson

Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of the best shows to come out of the 90's. Willow, who was part of the famous Scooby gang for 7 seasons, started out as a shy and nerdy student but remained a kind-hearted and caring character eventually becoming a powerful witch. In my opinion, Willow will always be Alyson's best work as an actress.
Alyson Hannigan Willow Rosenberg

Lily Cole
I took notice of her work after she played her first leading role as Valentina in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009). She's one lucky lass to have worked with Heath Ledger in his last movie.
Lily Cole

Geena Davis
A League of their Own (1992) is a favorite Star Movies rerun and seeing Geena play baseball with Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell couldn't be more memorable.
Geena Davis

Kate Winslet
Kate's been a redhead twice - as Rose in Titanic and as Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Kate Winslet
Titanic (1997)
Kate Winslet
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Jessica Chastain
Jessica's a recent favorite of mine after watching Zero Dark Thirty & The Help and I have YET to watch The Tree of Life. I have a copy of it in my laptop, waiting to be double clicked.
Jessica Chastain

Grace Coddington
After watching The September Issue (2009), I admired her for her creativity and passion in her craft as Vogue's creative director.
Grace Coddington
She's a former model, too!
Conan O'Brien
I got to include Conan here. His humor and intelligence make him one sexy redhead. 
Conan O'Brien
Who's your favorite redhead? Did any of your favorites make my list? ;)

*Images courtesy of About, Vogue, Wikia & Rotten Tomatoes

Monday, May 27, 2013

The Women of Westeros On & Offscreen

Game of Thrones - one of the most epic and groundbreaking TV series running right now which I am addicted to.
Game of thrones female cast
The "Game of Thrones" beauties on the red carpet
We're supposed to be on episode 9 this week but apparently we're not since HBO decided to move it to next week instead (BOO!). So there's still two more episodes left and next thing you know, we're waiting another full year for season 4. As expected there's been a lot of story arc developments in season 3 and the producers are adding more characters than they could/would kill. It's hard to choose only one favorite character (though at the top of my list right now are Arya, Jaime and Tyrion) since I tend to like them all (except for Joffrey, of course). Before the season ends, why not feature the women who don't only bring beauty to the realm but also strength and cunning, too? The men aren't the only ones playing the game of thrones.

And brace yourselves, red carpet looks are included. ;)

Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke)
Daenerys Targaryen Emilia Clarke
Daenerys Targaryen Emilia Clarke

Arya Stark (Maisie Williams)
Arya Stark Maisie Williams
Arya Stark Maisie Williams

Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner)Sansa Stark Sophie Turner
Sansa Stark Sophie Turner

Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley)
Catelyn Stark Michelle Fairley
Catelyn Stark Michelle Fairley

Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey)
Cersei Lannister Lena Headey
Cersei Lannister Lena Headey

Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer)
Margaery Tyrell Natalie Dormer
Margaery Tyrell Natalie Dormer

Melisandre of Asshai (Carice van Houten)
Melisandre of Asshai Carice van Houten
Melisandre of Asshai Carice van Houten

Ygritte (Rose Leslie)
Ygritte Rose Leslie
Ygritte Rose Leslie

Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie)
Brienne of Tarth Gwendoline Christie
Brienne of Tarth Gwendoline Christie

Talisa Stark (Oona Chaplin)
Talisa Stark Oona Chaplin
Talisa Stark Oona Chaplin

Shae (Sibel Kekilli)
Shae Sibel Kekilli
Shae Sibel Kekilli

Osha (Natalia Tena)
Osha Natalia Tena
Osha Natalia Tena

Yara Greyjoy (Gemma Whelan)
Yara Greyjoy Gemma Whelan
Yara Greyjoy Gemma Whelan

Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel)
Missandei Nathalie Emmanuel
Missandei Nathalie Emmanuel

Ros (Esme Bianco)
Ros Esme Bianco
Ros Esme Bianco
Some of these actresses look so different from the characters they're portraying and even if you don't find some of them to be beautiful, I'll just leave you with a quote from the Spider. 

"Though I suppose beauty is a subjective quality, no?" - Lord Varys, Season 1, Episode 5

Who are your favorite Game of Thrones characters? Who do you think is the fairest in all the Seven Kingdoms?

*Images courtesy of Gameofthronesfan.org, Gameofthrones.wikia & Facebook