Sweethalcyon.Com

• Aggressive-Voice:
  Movie Reviews – Full and capsule reviews of films released from 2002 to
  early 2006, by Scott Spicciati.
• Apollo Movie Guide – Contests,
  ratings, reviews, and links.
• At the Movies
  – Television program dedicated to movie reviews, hosted by critics A.O.
  Scott and Michael Philips. Includes streaming Flash video of current and
  past episodes.
• BigSpeeg’s Movie Reviews -
  Reviews of new and classic films, as well as video rentals. Also includes
  interviews, polls, forums, and links.
• The Book Lover’s Guide to Cinema
  – Ratings and reviews of movies current and past by a graduate student in
  English literature.
• Brick Threw Glass – Reviews by
  Matt Willey, with screenshots. Sortable by genre and release date.
• Celluloid Dreams – Reviews
  of classic films as well as movies in current release worldwide. Also
  includes several director biographies, quizzes and links.
• Chicago Sun-Times: Roger Ebert
  – Full and capsule film reviews from the acclaimed critic. Also includes
  film festival details, interviews, and essays.
• Cinema Crazed – Reviews of
  mainstream and independent films by Felix Vasquez, indexed alphabetically.
  Also includes monthly film picks and a forum.
• Cinema de Merde – Reviews of
  films from various genres, with a focus on horror and gay content.

Movie Poster 1951

I liked Keanu Reeves interpretation of Klaatu. This is an update, and updates invite comparisons. I liked it overall, however I did not like the part of the Kid. He was the Brat From Hell. Jaden Smith, Son of Will Smith Plays the kid. He plays the part so well you keep wishing Jennifer Connelly would give him a swat across the rear. Jennifer Connelly was excellent. This movie is cerebral just as the original. Not a lot of flash or whiz bangs, but enough to keep it interesting. I rented it in Blue Ray, which also makes it a bit more interesting. I recommend it.

ANNA PAQUIN

Set in a rural, swampy Louisiana parish, the show centers around Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and her clan, Season 2 is more Sexier, the story-line is more muscular, and new and mysterious characters have joined the clan. Also they are beginning to get into back stories of some of the vampires and how they were created. Season 2 takes the story into the state of Texas. Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) finds himself in a very bad situation, but Sookie comes to the rescue. Each episode leaves you wondering what the heck is going to happen next. Season 2 takes you more and more to the Dark Side. Anna Paquin, the award winning lead actor gives another superior performance in each and every episode. Season 1 was great, Season 2 is fantastic. Well worth renting, I highly recommend it.  During the second season, the influence of Maryann Forrester and the conflict between vampires and humans is expanded. Most of the cast from the first season returns and several new main characters are introduced. The same style of interconnected story telling used in the first season is repeated, with the foremost plot focusing on Maryann Forrester being revealed as a maenad.  While Maryann begins establishing her hold on Bon Temps, Sookie is recruited by Eric to investigate the disappearance of his 2000 year old maker and the sheriff of Area 9 in Texas: Godric (Allan Hyde).While Sookie is absent from Bon Temps, Sam hires Daphne Landry (Ashley Jones) to join the Merlotte’s staff. Daphne begins a romance with Sam, is revealed to be a shapeshifter, and then later also exposed as working for Maryann. Jason also leaves Bon Temps for Dallas to join the Fellowship of the Sun, which Reverend Newlin has steered in a new militant direction despite the protestation of his wife Sarah (Anna Camp). It’s discovered that Godric is in the custody of the Fellowship,and one of Godric’s lieutenants, Isabel (Valerie Cruz), sends her human boyfriend Hugo (Christopher Gartin)to assist Sookie in infiltrating the church. Though Eric’s primary interest in Dallas is finding Godric, he also attempts to place himself between Sookie and Bill. To accomplish this, he enlists the aid of Bill’s maker Lorena (Mariana Klaveno); making a more prominent contribution to the cast after a brief introduction in the first season. In the penultimate episode of the second season, once the conflict in Texas is concluded, the vampire queen of Louisiana Sophie-Anne (Evan Rachel Wood) is introduced. Both Bill and Eric visit her in an attempt to find out how to defeat Maryann.

Anna Paquin

Anna Paquin & her Beau Vampire Bill

Beautiful and Sexy Paz Vega

PAZ VEGA is CARMEN: I loved this film, because of the story, the acting, the beautiful cinematography. This is one of the Sexier Carmen’s. Paz Vega wears the character of CARMEN as if she was born to play the part. A sexy, very breathy Carmen, a woman who gets very close and touchy with the men in her orbit. She says she has made a pact with the devil. This is a dark and almost demonic Carmen. A Carmen that invites men to the Dark Side. She demands violence from her suitors, and when other women gets in her way, she will draw blood. This is a lusty Carmen, very sexy, and there is ample nudity. This Carmen is even nude in church. It is worth renting.

Vega made her television debut in the Spanish TV series, Menudo es mi padre, which starred pint-sized rumba singer El Fary. After appearing in two other series in 1997 – Mas que amigos and teen drama Compañeros – she went on to grace the silver screen in 1999 in Zapping. The same year she also had a minor role in the David Menkes movie I Will Survive (Sobreviviré) alongside Emma Suárez, Juan Diego Botto and a cameo from Boy George.

She made her big break in 7 Vidas, also in 1999. The series was billed as a Spanish Friends and went on to become one of the country’s best-loved domestic sitcoms. Vega played Laura, a perky Andalusian girl who had come to stay with David, who had recently come out of a coma. The series was broadcast on Telecinco and finished April 12, 2006, albeit without Vega. The saucy 2001 film Sex and Lucia brought the actress to the attention of a larger audience. She then became much better known in the United States after a star-making role in the 2004 James L. Brooks film Spanglish opposite Adam Sandler. In 2007, she co-starred with Morgan Freeman in the independent film 10 Items or Less. In 2008, she co-starred with Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, and Scarlett Johansson in The Spirit. Vega is also a model. She is signed to 1/One Management in New York City.

Paz Vega very Sexy

The Lovely Paz Vega

Kitty and Nan King

TIPPING THE VELVET is a 3 part story of Nancy Astley, an oyster girl from the English town of Whitstable. Nancy falls in love with a stage performer named Kitty Butler. TIPPING THE VELVET derives from the Victorian era euphemism for cunnilingus. Nancy is played by Rachael Stirling, the daughter of Dame Diana Rigg. 1st Act. Nan moves to London and becomes a dresser for Kitty Butler, Kitty’s act is that of dressing up in men’s clothes and performing in the dancehalls of London. Nan quickly becomes part of the act, and they become lovers hot and heavy. Kitty dumps Nan and breaks Nan’s heart into a thousand tiny little pieces. 2nd Act. Heartbroken, and Heartsick Nan moves out and after a period of mourning the loss of Kitty, she begins to dress like a boy and walk the streets where she goes “ON THE GAME” she is rescued from the streets by Diana, who keeps her as her private whore/tart. Things go badly and Nan again must move on. Act 3 Nan goes back on the stage, she falls in love with a wonderful girl named Florence. Kitty Butler finds out that Nan is back and she tries to start up with Nan once again. Will she stay with Florence or go back to Kitty Butler, the woman who broke her heart. It doesn’t get any better than this, my heart was pounding as she made her choice. This is a tearjerker and sweet love story. Kitty Butler is played by Keeley Hawes (Scoop). Diana is played by Anna Chancellor. And Florence is played by Jodhi May (The Last of The Mohicans, and Sister My Sister) I loved the movie so much. Definitely a big 5*****Stars. Rent this one pronto, and there is an official BBC website for this movie with all sorts of goodies.

4 Main Characters

Liza W/ a Z

Cabaret, which is set in Berlin in the early thirties, brilliantly depicts both the decadence of the period and the rise of “The Nazi State” from ridiculed fringe group to ruling party. As many others have noted, Cabaret hardly seems like a musical, because all of the songs save one take place in the Kit Kat Klub. The performances of Liza Minelli and Joel Grey are remarkable. Indeed, Minelli’s rendition of the title song has become a classic. However, it is the one song that occurs elsewhere that is the most memorable. This song, “The Future Belongs to Me,” occurs outside in a beer garden on a sunny afternoon and is sung by an angelic-looking young Nazi with a sweet tenor voice. One by one the beer garden patrons arise and chillingly join in the singing, as the words and music change from gently lyrical to scary militaristic. As the principal characters are departing, the Baron’s shrug of the shoulders when asked, “Do you still think that you can control them” speaks volumes, especially in view of the horrors that would soon engulf millions. Most accounts of the rise of “The Nazi State” focus on intellectual matters, such as the repressive Treaty of Versailles or the world-wide depression of the thirties, but the beer garden scene in Cabaret captures, better than any book or movie that I am familiar with, the emotional effect that “The Nazi State” must have had on the Germans of the time. After all, when Germany was at one of the lowest ebbs in its history, a group suddenly appeared on the scene carrying a message of German superiority. The future did indeed belong to them, but thankfully the “future” only lasted for a few years.

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THE HUNGER

The Hunger opens with Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie Picking up a very hot looking couple at a club, driving them out to a place in the burbs and having their way with them. Doing to them what vampires do to folks, drink their blood of course. David Bowie is a companion vampire to Catherine, David begins to wither and he does it very quickly and so Catherine must get a new companion. Enter Susan Sarandon Catherine’s next victim, or is she. In this film, genetic material (similar to a virus or prion) is passed from true vampires (a different species) to create temporary vampires (a few centuries or so) from humans. The human vampires act as companions until they eventually wither. Unfortunately for the human vampires, they never die (unless burned) and remain in a conscious, desiccated state (a form of living hell). The lineage of the true vampires begins in ancient times, passes through the Egyptian dynasties, and into the present. This film is heavy on atmosphere. The flirting and seduction scene between Catherine and Susan is smoldering. And there are lesbian sex scenes between Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon that is as hot as anything ever filmed, in my humble opinion. The beauty of Catherine and Susan together is absolutely breathtaking. A film that is not easy to forget, nor should it be. I give “THE HUNGER” 5*****Stars.

CHASING AMY

I have a “love-hate” relationship with Romantic Comedies. I really enjoy a decent one – and a couple of examples I’d consider “decent” are “While You Were Sleeping” and “When Harry Met Sally”. I also recognize that there is probably no other movie genre that is as suitable for “date night”: It’s where men and women’s interests overlap.

Bad Romantic Comedies can be really tedious things, and many of my pet peeves about movies come from this genre. For example, my LEAST favorite romantic comedy cliche is the moment 10 minutes before the end of the movie where our loving couple has THE “big fight” (often over nothing or something completely stupid or forgettable), followed by one of the characters tearing off to the airport just so that the OTHER partner will have the sudden revelation that they’ve *made a big mistake* and go tearing off for the airport as well – usually arriving only moments late. (With an equally cliche-filled smooching reunion that follows minutes later, before the end credits roll.)

But I digress. NONE of these horrid cliche’s fill this movie, which is full of almost believable characters and completely believable heartache.

Kevin Smith has now created a half-dozen films, and while I would classify all of them somewhere between “watchable” and “excellent”, “Chasing Amy” remains his masterpiece to date.

Holden (Ben Affleck) and Banky (Jason Lee) are 30ish buds-since-High-School who have grown into the guy fantasy job of writing a hit comic book. They get to alternate working on “Bluntman and Chronic” with making personal appearances at fan conventions where they get paid to sign autographs.

At one of these conventions they hook up with another “graphic novelist”, Dwight Ewell’s Hooper X – who is constantly educating Holden and Banky about being black and being gay. Ewell steals all of his scenes because Hooper is a perfect mix of bravado and angst which sufficiently masks his inner conflict for being black and gay.

Hooper introduces our heroes to Alyssa Jones, portrayed in a career-making performance by Joey Lauren Adams. Alyssa is cute, funny, talented, witty and Affleck’s Holden falls for her in a big way. He interrupts his usual routine with Banky just to meet up with Alyssa before finding out at the end of the first act that Alyssa is a lesbian.

A moment to discuss the language, themes and realism of the movie. Like the Kevin Smith films that preceded it, Chasing Amy uses language that is frank and honest and uses raw street vernacular to describe many things, in particular sex. I have heard many criticisms about the story contained in Chasing Amy. Joey Lauren Adams doesn’t fit lesbian stereotypes, and among those who seem to know, it is ridiculous to consider that a lesbian might be interested in a man – even if (perhaps especially if) the man is Ben Affleck. These things must be accepted to follow the movie. Smith makes it easy. In truth, the language and the issue of homosexuality are side issues in what is essentially a truly unique Romantic Comedy.

Like Smith’s first feature “Clerks” the central conflict in “Amy” concerns one character’s difficulties accepting the “history” of the other romantic interest. To say more would spoil the pleasure you would derive from enjoying the flick yourself, but it has to be stated that Smith’s resolution involves heartbreak, plenty of humor, no cliches and no airports.

If you think you might enjoy an honest romantic comedy that includes street language, frank discussions about sex and gay characters, “Chasing Amy” fills the bill exactly.

REVIEWER: MARK J FOWLER..AMAZON.COM