The top movies at the North American box office

Cast member Jamie Lee Curtis, holds Chihuahuas Angel, Chloe in the movie, at the world premiere of "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" at El Capitan theatre in Hollywood, California in this file photo from September 18, 2008.

REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Following are the top 10 films at the North American box office for the three-day weekend beginning on October 3, led by the new release "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," according to studio estimates compiled on Sunday by Reuters.

1 (*) Beverly Hills Chihuahua $29.0 million

2 (1) Eagle Eye .............. $17.7 million

3 (*) Nick & Norah's.......... $12.0 million

4 (2) Nights in Rodanthe...... $ 7.4 million

5 (-) Appaloosa............... $ 5.0 million

6 (3) Lakeview Terrace ....... $ 4.5 million

7 (5) Burn After Reading ..... $ 4.1 million

8 (4) Fireproof .............. $ 4.1 million

9 (*) An American Carol. ..... $ 3.8 million

10 (*) Religulous ............. $ 3.5 million

NOTE: Last weekend's ranking in parentheses. * = new release.

TOTALS TO DATE

Eagle Eye .............. $ 54.6 million

Burn After Reading ..... $ 51.6 million

Lakeview Terrace ....... $ 32.1 million

Beverly Hills Chihuahua $ 29.0 million

Nights in Rodanthe ..... $ 25.1 million

Fireproof .............. $ 12.5 million

Nick & Norah's ......... $ 12.0 million

Appaloosa .............. $ 5.6 million

"Beverly Hills Chihuahua" was released by Walt Disney Pictures, a unit of The Walt Disney Company.

"Eagle Eye" was produced by DreamWorks Pictures and released by Paramount Pictures, both units of Viacom Inc.

"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" was released by Columbia Pictures and Screen Gems, both units of Sony Corp.

"Nights in Rodanthe" and "Appaloosa" were released by Warner Bros. Pictures, both units of Time Warner Inc.

"Lakeview Terrace" was released by Screen Gems, a unit of Sony Corp.

"Fireproof" was released by privately held Samuel Goldwyn Films.

"Burn After Reading" was released by Focus Features, a unit of General Electric Co's NBC Universal.

"An American Carol" was released by Vivendi Entertainment.

"Religulous" was released by Lionsgate, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.

(Reporting by Mary Milliken, editing by Jackie Frank)

Read more...

Movie : Body of Lies

Movie Info :

Title : Body of Lies
Release Date: October 10, 2008
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Golshifteh Farahani, Oscar Isaac, Simon McBurney, Ali Suliman, Alon Aboutboul, Carice van Houten
Director: Ridley Scott.
Screenwriter: William Monahan.
Production: Scott Free Prods., De Line Pictures.
Based on the novel by: David Ignatius.
Producers: Donald De Line, Ridley Scott.
Executive producers: Michael Costigan, Charles J.D. Schlissel.
Director of photography: Alexander Witt.
Production designer: Arthur Max.
Music: Marc Streitenfeld.
Costume designer: Janty Yates.
Editor: Pietro Scalia.
Rated R, 128 minutes.


Synopsis :

CIA operative Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) uncovers a lead on a major terrorist leader suspected to be operating out of Jordan. When Ferris devises a plan to infiltrate his network, he must first win the backing of cunning CIA veteran Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) and the collegial, but perhaps suspect, head of Jordanian intelligence.

Although ostensibly his allies, Ferris questions how far he can really trust these men without putting his entire operation -- and his life -- on the line.

Movie Review :

By Kirk Honeycutt



If Ridley Scott gave us a new kind of war movie with "Black Hawk Down," where an army unit functioning in total chaos in a hostile city became a collective protagonist, he now engineers a new kind of spy thriller in "Body of Lies."

Here is a landscape of deserved paranoia and horrific violence, of countless life-or-death scenarios, total distrust of enemies and allies alike and open contempt for anything American -- again not undeserved. It may not be as much fun as old spy movies starring Cary Grant or more recent entertainments such as "Spy Game," directed by Ridley's brother Tony, but it feels all too accurate.

To be sure, the film retains familiar genre elements: It has double crosses and plot twists, a romance -- an improbable one -- chases, gunfights and last-minute rescues. But the fiction is rooted in a Middle Eastern reality that is always grim and unsettling. Stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe will certainly bring out their admirers, but how the action-thriller crowd will react to such a disturbing environment is a tough call.

William Monahan's tough-minded screenplay, based on a novel by journalist David Ignatius, who has covered the CIA and Middle East, sees no action or impulse as heroic. It acknowledges bravery, but this bravery is sometimes foolish and its goals often murky and counterproductive.

DiCaprio's Roger Ferris is the angry and often frantic man on the ground in the war on terror in Iraq and Jordan. Back in the U.S., Crowe's arrogant CIA veteran Ed Hoffman hovers over laptops and tracks ground movements half a world away via spy satellites. Hoffman, who would sacrifice his mother to single-handedly win the war on terror, easily earns Ferris' enmity, but Ferris needs his eyes and strategies.

In trying to flush a ruthless terrorist (Alon Aboutboul) out of hiding, the uneasy duo encounters a silky and charismatic head of Jordanian intelligence (British actor Mark Strong), an often bewildered local guide (Oscar Isaac), a computer whiz (Simon McBurney), a hapless pawn (Ali Suliman) and a nurse (Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani).

Ferris' tentative romance with the nurse is the film's most awkward device. Any relationship between a Muslim woman and American passing through Amman, Jordan, would be most unlikely in that society. Even so, the relationship is a naked stratagem to create a nearly fatal emotional attachment for the spy.

Scott pushes the film at breakneck speed. He switches points of view rapidly from Ferris in treacherous terrain to Hoffman multitasking on the phone while dealing with his family and suburban life to overhead camera angles of the Predator tracking system. Urgency fills the characters' every waking moment. Rules of the day are established with primacy given to swift execution by a colleague if anyone is likely to fall into enemy hands and suffer horrifying torture.

What motivates Ferris is never clear, and this is the film's greatest weakness. With Hoffman running operations behind his back, he has no safety net, even an illusory one. He is a little too much of a white knight in this dark world, but DiCaprio gives the role plenty of brio, while Crowe -- who reportedly gained 50 pounds to play the morally and physically sloven office spook -- is agreeably obnoxious.

Taken From : http://www.hollywoodreporter.com



[OFFICIAL] Body of Lies (2008) movie trailer - HD Quality




Read more...

Movie : Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Movie Info :

Title : Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Musical/Performing Arts, Romance, Adaptation and Teen
Release Date: October 3, 2008
Running Time: 1 hr. 30 min.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic material including teen drinking, sexuality, language and crude behavior
Starring: Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, Ari Graynor, Rafi Gavron and Alexis Dziena.
Directed by: Pete Sollett.
Distributors: Sony Pictures Releasing
Production Co.: Depth of Field, Mandate Pictures
Studios: Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group
Filming Locations: New York, New York USA
Produced in: United States
Visit the movie's Official Site!




Synopsis :

Nick frequents New York's indie rock scene nursing a broken heart and playing the bass with his queercore band, The Jerk Offs. Norah is questioning pretty much all of her assumptions about the world. Though they have nothing in common except for their taste in music, their chance encounter leads to an all-night quest to find a legendary band's secret show and ends up becoming a first date that could change both their lives.

Movie Review :

By Lisa Schwarzbaum



The marvelous, magical boy-meets-girl-in-the-city-that-never-sleeps romantic comedy Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is a revolutionary movie disguised as a familiar story. Here, for the umpteenth time, are a couple of young people who straddle the borders between hipster and geek, insider and outsider, reasonably well-adjusted teen and roiling mess of adolescent self-doubt. And on one enchanted night, driving around in a Yugo the pumpkin color of Cinderella's coach after midnight, they find each other. But here, too, for the first time in a long time, are characters who seem honestly rooted in an authentic kids-of-'08 universe. Welcome to a world that may feel like a discovery to any viewer not currently a teen habitué of New York's downtown melting pot of straights and gays and Jews and goys and NYC sophisticates and bridge-and-tunnel gatecrashers, awake at all hours and open to the improvisation and velocity of the new.

Seniors Nick (Michael Cera) and Norah (Kat Dennings) come from different backgrounds — he's a son of suburban New Jersey, the one straight dude in a queercore rock band; she's a privileged, city-dwelling daughter of a record-industry mogul. At first, the pair don't realize that they fit together like the original Nick and Nora in the peerless Thin Man screwball comedies of the 1930s and '40s, this time bound together by a connoisseur's love of indie rock, hole-in-the-wall Lower East Side clubs that pound all night, a fierce ability to banter, and a luminous goodness. When the two meet cute at one such club, Nick is nursing a bruised heart — a Cera specialty — injured by a shallow bee-yotch named Tris (Alexis Dziena). Norah, who has got a mooching, wannabe-musician boyfriend (Jay Baruchel) somewhere in the wings, knows Tris as a private school classmate and longtime frenemy, but that's not the point: At the moment, Norah is accompanying her hard-partying best friend, Caroline (fearless and funny Ari Graynor), in pursuit of an elusive underground band rumored to be playing somewhere in the city late that night. It's Nick's gay pals who actually recognize that Norah is the girl worthy of their hetero buddy, and the boys engineer the getting-to-know- you circumstances, right down to providing the sullenly pretty, droopily dressed Norah with foundation garments to enhance her delicious figure.

It takes a gay man to offer a woman straight talk about her ''uniboob.'' But one of Nick & Norah's most radical accomplishments is to incorporate a population of interesting, creative, cute gay guys who lead fulfilled lives that have nothing to do with being any straight person's colorful sidekick. (It's a stunning feat, really, tossed off with ease by director Peter Sollett and screenwriter Lorene Scafaria, working from the novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.) Another achievement is granting Norah a Jewish identity that's as much an unremarkable, unshticky part of who she is as the fact that she's cool, she loves rock, and she doesn't drink. And a third is that, in the zonked-out person of Caroline (and in the gonzo risks taken by Graynor, an accomplished New York stage actor) the movie offers a whole new feminist angle on the joys of gross-out humor. Wild horses or a speeding Yugo couldn't drag from me the details of Caroline's greatest descent into transgressive yuccckkk; the whole scene is a tribute to Graynor's gumption, with help from the fluorescent-lit tattiness of Manhattan's Port Authority Bus Terminal, where it all goes down. But come to think of it, so much goes down on Nick and Norah's one enchanted evening that the best advice is to enjoy the ride — the actual ride — around this vibrant new New York. A–

Taken From : http://www.ew.com



[OFFICIAL]Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (Trailer 2008)




Read more...

Movie : How to Lose Friends & Alienate People

Movie Info :

Title : How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
Genres: Art/Foreign, Comedy, Drama and Adaptation
Release Date: October 3rd, 2008 (wide)
Running Time: 1 hr. 49 min.
MPAA Rating: R for language, some graphic nudity and brief drug material.
Distributors: MGM Distribution Company
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Simon Pegg, Jeff Bridges, Danny Huston, Gillian Anderson
Directed by: Robert B. Weide
Produced by: Tessa Ross, Paul White (II), Simon Fawcett
Production Co.: Number 9 Films, Whyaduck Productions
Financiers: Film4, Aramid Entertainment, U.K. Film Council, Intandem Films, Irish Film Board, Audley Films
Filming Locations: New York, New York, USA United Kingdom
Produced in: United Kingdom
Visit the movie's Official Site!



Synopsis :

How To Lose Friends & Alienate People tracks the outrageous escapade of Sidney Young (Simon Pegg), a smalltime, bumbling, aspiring British celebrity journalist who is hired by an upscale magazine in New York City. After disrupting one black-tie event by allowing a wild pig to run rampant, Sidney catches the attention of Clayton Harding (Jeff Bridges), editor of Sharps magazine, and accepts a job with the magazine in New York City. Clayton warns Sidney that he'd better charm everyone he can, if he wants to succeed. Instead, Sidney instantly insults and annoys fellow writer Alison Olsen (Kirsten Dunst). He dares to target the star clients of power publicist Eleanor Johnson (Gillian Anderson). He upsets his direct boss Lawrence Maddox (Danny Huston), and tries to make amends by hiring a stripper (Charlotte Devaney) to dance for Lawrence during a staff meeting. Sidney, of course, doesn't stop there, finding creative ways to annoy nearly everyone. His saving grace: a rising, sexy starlet Sophie Maes (Megan Fox) who develops an odd affection for him, and in time, Alison's friendship might be the only thing saving Sidney from torpedoing his career. He has a Masters Degree in Philosophy which he doesn't reveal and also that his father is a famous writer and philosopher.

Movie Review :

by Mariana McConnell


For those of us attempting to eke out a living using the power of the written word, there are only two ways to go: keep your integrity and resign yourself to a life of righteous poverty or, conversely, be a successful hack with a fancy watch. It isn’t easy being a writer, but at least it’s a decent jumping off point for comedy. It’s been used over and over again in movies, the idea of serious journalists bitterly entrenched in the aggressively shallow world of the high power magazine. It’s used again in How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, only this time with a British accent.

Simon Pegg plays Sidney Young, a celebrity journalist who makes a moderate living sneaking into swanky parties and talking shit about the celebrities who populate them. He thinks of himself as a type of populist hero, a sort of British Jimmy Stewart who speaks truth to power without fear of repercussion. His cheeky magazine, the Post-Modern Post, is run out of his apartment, above a kebab shop.

Despite being humiliatingly kicked out of a post-awards show party he crashed with the help of a pet pig, Sidney impresses New York editor Clayton Harding (Jeff Bridges) enough with his audacity to land a job at Sharp's magazine (clearly a clone of everyone’s favorite rag for the rich Vanity Fair). It is here Sidney will learn that in the world of celebrity journalism, only the ultimate ass-kisser survives.

He starts off on the wrong foot entirely: Sidney shows up to the first day of work in a red t-shirt with “Young, Dumb, & Full of Come” printed on the front in huge block letters. Not surprisingly he makes few friends at Sharp’s, which is populated with the type of proud-to-be-dumb tools who unfortunately rule the publishing world. He does manage to charm Allison (a disappointingly wan Kirsten Dunst), a sometimes novelist who has ambitions beyond captioning photos from the latest hot rooftop party, but Sidney is too distracted by his interest in foxy ingénue Sophie Maes (Megan Fox) to recognize Allison’s budding attraction to him.

After having his insubordinate story pitches repeatedly shot down by Clayton, Sidney begins acting out with a series of sometimes funny, but mostly stupid pranks. My personal favorite is when Sidney, attending a Fourth of July party at a Hamptons McMansion, climbs aboard the stage alongside a soft jazz band and starts shouting soccer chants, entreating an off-screen Orlando Bloom to join in because “you used to be English!” It's the only truly hilarious moment in the entire film.

When Sidney finally gives up on being subversive and learns to play the game, shamed into submission by powerful publicist Eleanor Johnson (Gillian Anderson), the rewards are numerous: a huge watch, a Park Avenue apartment, a close relationship with Sophie, and a prominent byline in Sharp’s. But there it is, once again, the eternal question: is it worth it? You can probably see where all of this is going and if you’ve watched The Devil Wears Prada, you already have seen it.

Pegg has a face well suited to comedy and he uses it to great effect, twisting into looks of despair, agony, and disgust at a moment’s notice (and he has ample occasion to express those emotions), even though he hasn’t really brought anything new to the character of Sidney. He’s made a career out of playing a booze loving, pop culture literate Brit with an old school turntable and a moderately impressive record collection, and so it is here. Despite the familiarity of his character, it’s hard not to root for Pegg, even when the material he’s given to work becomes as thin as the “rexy” fashion editors in the film.

Though narratively speaking, How To Lose Friendsis generally well put together, there are a few loose ends here and there. A subplot involving Allison’s romantic involvement with lecherous editor Lawrence Maddox (Danny Huston) is set up quickly and resolved with even more speed. Sidney has a strained relationship with his father, a famous philosopher, but this, too, is set up quickly and then abandoned after a scene or two. The whole ending of the film seems rushed, as if director Robert B. Weide realized that he was so close to the finish line, he might as well hurtle over it. It’s unsatisfying more than anything else.

Perhaps this middling film might play better in England, where audiences can pick up on cultural cues invisible to us dumb Yanks. But for those of us here Stateside, it’s hard to buy the conceit that the little guy in the big city will triumph with integrity. We know better. Out here in the real world, intelligence and wit are no match for towering stupidity and ridiculous arrogance. It’s a point which How to Lose Friends and Alienate People proves all too well.

Taken From : http://www.cinemablend.com



How To Lose Friends & Alienate People - Official Trailer




Read more...

Movie : Flash of Genius

Movie Info :

Title : Flash of Genius
Release Date: October 3rd, 2008 (wide)
Genres: Drama, Adaptation and Biopic
Running Time: 2 hrs.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language.
Distributors: Universal Pictures
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Lauren Graham, Jake Abel, Bill Smitrovich, Aaron Abrams
Directed by: Marc Abraham
Produced by: Jonathan Glickman, J. Miles Dale, Eric Newman
Production Co.: Spyglass Entertainment Holdings, LLC, Strike Entertainment
Studios: Universal Pictures
Filming Locations: Toronto, Ontario Canada
Produced in: United States
Visit the movie's Official Site!

Synopsis :



Based on the true story of college professor and part-time inventor Robert Kearns' (Greg Kinnear) long battle with the U.S. automobile industry.

The Kearns were a typical 1960s Detroit family, trying to live their version of the American Dream. Local university professor Bob married teacher Phyllis (Lauren Graham) and, by their mid-thirties, had six kids who brought them a hectic but satisfying Midwestern existence. When Bob invents a device that would eventually be used by every car in the world, the Kearns think they have struck gold. But their aspirations are dashed after the auto giants who embraced Bob's creation unceremoniously shunned the man who invented it.

Ignored, threatened and then buried in years of litigation, Bob is haunted by what was done to his family and their future. He becomes a man obsessed with justice and the conviction that his life's work—or for that matter, anyone's work—be acknowledged by those who stood to benefit. And while paying the toll for refusing to compromise his dignity, this everyday David will try the unthinkable: to bring Goliath to his knees.

Movie Review :


By. Josh Tyler



Flash of Genius could have been, and nearly is the right movie at the right time. It arrives in a world where most Americans seem to feel as if their country has been sold down the river by the machinations of corporate greed. The film tells the real life story of one man named Robert Kearns, an innovator and an inventor, fighting back against that very same corporate lust for bucks and power. If only his story had been told better.

Greg Kinnear stars as Kearns, the man who invented the intermittent windshield wiper only to have his design stolen by America’s big auto manufacturers, specifically the Ford Motor Company. Kearns’ idea, like so many great ideas, comes in a flash one afternoon while driving in the rain, dealing with the annoyance of wipers with only two speeds. He wonders why his wipers can’t work like the human eyes which blink, pause, and then blink again as needed. Before long he’s working in his garage, tearing apart wiper motors and soldering connections. His solution to the problem, like so many great inventions, is simple. A rearranging of existing electronic components, put together in a way no one had ever thought of before, and suddenly he has a working prototype.

Kearns is not however, some naïve idealist. When he and his friend decide to approach the car companies to sell them his idea, they do so carefully. He does it by the book, patenting his idea and ensuring that all the proper contracts are signed and in order before he lets anyone look at what he’s done. Unfortunately, when you have enough money and lawyers, things like patents are easily ignored. Ford is the first company to bite, and they lure him in with promises of his own manufacturing plant. It seems like a done deal, until several months into the process when Ford suddenly decides it’s not interested and calls the whole thing off. A few months later, they start putting intermittent windshield wipers on their cars, and claiming they invented them.

Ford refuses to admit the design was invented by Kearns, and with money and lawyers stacked against him, everyone advises Robert to give it up. To win a case against them it will take Robert decades and to fight them it will take more money than he has. Robert Kearns refuses to quit. He’s the little guy who’s not going to take it anymore, and the fight against Ford consumes his life.

It’s a good story, it’s just not told very well. Much of the time, Flash of Genius simply fails to connect the dots. For instance, we see Robert working hard at his case against Ford. It’s really nothing more obsessive than that, the man is just working hard. Suddenly, one day his wife, who up till then has seemed kind and supportive, walks up to him and says it’s over, because she just can’t take the stress anymore. It seems out of context, out of the blue. We never see any deterioration in their relationship, we never see Robert ignoring his family or neglecting his kids. He’s a nice guy who seems to care about his family. The movie never connects the dots between Robert fighting for his rights and the affect it has on his home. We’re simply told they are unhappy, left to assume that apparently, anyone who works hard at something must be screwing up their home life… because that’s usually the way it works in movies.

It’s a problem the entire movie suffers from. It’s as if Philip Railsback’s script does a good job of hitting all the bullet points of Robert Kearns’ life, but skips right over all the connections in between them. We needed someone to string it together into one, linear story. That never happens, and it’s a shame because Greg Kinnear delivers a fantastic, fascinating performance as Kearns and the film looks sharp visually. Flash of Genius could have been Tucker: The Man and His Dream, instead it’s an enjoyable, well intentioned, yet ultimately forgettable little piece of anti-corporate fluff.

Taken From : http://www.cinemablend.com



Flash of Genius (2008) Movie Trailer




Read more...

Movie : Beverly Hills Chihuahua

Movie Info :

Title : Beverly Hills Chihuahua
Genre: Comedies
Release Date : Oct 3, 2008
Starring: Drew Barrymore, Andy Garcia, Jamie Lee Curtis, Plácido Domingo, George Lopez, Manolo Cardona, Eugenio Derbez, Piper Perabo, Salma Hayek, Edward James Olmos, Paul Rodriguez, Cheech Marin, Piolin, Luis Guzman
Director: Raja Gosnell
Rated: PG for some mild thematic elements.
Screenwriter: Jeff Bushell, Analisa LaBianco
Story: Jeff Bushell
Producer: David Hoberman, John Jacobs, Todd Lieberman
Composer: Heitor Pereira
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Running Time: 1 hr. 25 min.

Synopsis:


In the Disney comedy, BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA, a pampered Beverly Hills Chihuahua named Chloe (voice of DREW BARRYMORE) finds herself accidentally lost in the mean streets of Mexico without a day spa or Rodeo Drive boutique anywhere in... In the Disney comedy, BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA, a pampered Beverly Hills Chihuahua named Chloe (voice of DREW BARRYMORE) finds herself accidentally lost in the mean streets of Mexico without a day spa or Rodeo Drive boutique anywhere in sight. Now alone for the first time in her spoiled life, she must rely on some unexpected new friends -- including a street-hardened German Shepherd named Delgado (voice of ANDY GARCIA) and an amorous pup named Papi (voice of GEORGE LOPEZ) -- to lend her a paw and help her to find her inner strength on their incredible journey back home.

Walt Disney Pictures presents BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA, directed by Raja Gosnell (“Scooby Doo”), screenplay by Analisa LaBianco from a story by Jeff Bushell and starring an all-star cast including Piper Perabo, Manolo Cardona and Jamie Lee Curtis with the voices of Andy Garcia, Plácido Domingo, George Lopez, Edward James Olmos, Paul Rodriguez, Cheech Marin and Drew Barrymore.

Movie Review :



by Josh Tyler

Last night I sat in my living room, watching America’s current Vice Presidential nominees argue over our failing economy, declaring doom and gloom for everyone who isn’t filthy rich while blaming each other for handing our money over to greedy wall street tycoons. This afternoon I walked into a movie theater and paid to see a movie about pets owned by people so wealthy, that their dog’s collars are worth more than I’ll ever make in my entire life. There has to be a connection in there somewhere, and with the nation’s economy crumbling around us it’s a strange time for a movie about canines with eff you money.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua isn’t intended for me though, or for that matter anyone who might be likely to spend their evening watching a Vice Presidential debate. No, it’s not really a kids’ movie either. Granted it is family friendly and full of talking dogs, but the kids I saw it with were fidgety and disinterested, beaten down by the movie’s needlessly divergent plot and the incessant, unceasing, often meaningless chattering of its canine stars. Talking dogs just aren’t the kiddie draw they once were. They’ve seen it, we’ve all seen it, and the novelty has worn off. This is a film created and presumably also written by, people who think dressing dogs up in clothes is really cute. Paris Hilton and lower-level office workers who own calendars featuring Weimaraners wearing hats will love it, and though you might have found something to like in the previews, I can’t imagine it being enjoyed by anyone else.

The real problem here is that they’ve picked the wrong Chihuahua as their star. It’s all about Chloe (voiced by Drew Barrymore), a white Beverly Hills raised Chihuahua owned by a wealthy cosmetics mogul and spoiled with jewels, clothes, and poolside parties with her friends. She’s loved from afar by Papi, a mangy, dirty Chihuahua owned by their landscaper. Papi (voiced by George Lopez), is a romantic, scrappy little thing and whenever he’s on screen the movie finds some life. Unfortunately he’s only a bit player in this story, which soon becomes focused entirely on Chloe when she’s accidentally lost in Mexico and must abandon her designer dog booties in enlisting the help of a German Shepherd named Delgado (voiced by Andy Garcia) to find her way home.

Chole is annoying, and kind of a bore. She chatters and whines endlessly, and of course, we all know where this is going. By the end of the movie she’ll have learned humility, given up her rich bitch ways, and fall in love with Papi. But it’s getting there that’s a pain in the ass, as she wanders through the streets of Mexico encountering random, and poorly thought out plot devices. Mostly though, there’s a lot of talking The dogs talk and talk and talk. And when they aren’t boring us to death with their prattle, the movie does something stupid. Here’s an example: The owner of a dog fighting cartel sends Chloe into the ring to battle a Doberman. She manages to escape, and suddenly the cartel boss is beside himself, determined to get her back in one piece so that he can ransom her. Ten seconds earlier mind you, he was perfectly content to let her be ripped to shreds by his guard dog. But the writers needed something to keep the tension amped up and keep Chloe on the run. So, rather than taking the effort to write a decent script, they’ve just used whatever happened to be laying around in the plot to chase her.

It’s not all bad. Some of the voice work, especially from Lopez and Garcia, is actually quite good. There’s also a completely bizarre, yet entertaining sequence in which a herd of Chihuahua’s materializes out of nowhere to defeat a group of mountain lions. I’m not sure if that was supposed to be funny, but I laughed. Beverly Hills Chihuahua is also one of the few recent movies to portray Mexico in a positive light. It’s never displayed as the poverty-ridden den of corruption and drug-running it actually is. Mexico City is made to look like New York with extra brown people, and Mexicans, at least in the context of this movie, seem like the nicest, most honest people on Earth. White people on the other hand, are all oblivious, selfish, and rich. If only that were true, maybe I wouldn’t have had to grow up on food stamps.

As for whether or not you should take your kids, don’t bother. I’ve never seen a more disinterested pre-teen audience. By fifteen minutes in, most of the children in the room had tuned it out. The ones sitting near me were doing headstands in their seats, and playing in the aisles. You might as well take your kids to Religulous. They’ll have just as much fun.
Taken From : http://www.cinemablend.com




BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA (OFFICIAL TRAILER)





Read more...

"Chihuahua" has paws on the box-office prize

By Carl DiOrio

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - It's looking like a dog of a weekend at the box office. Disney's dog, to be exact, as the Burbank studio unspools its PG comedy "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" amid expectations that the live-action with talking dogs feature could fetch up to $30 million during its opening weekend.

The film's canines are voiced by Drew Barrymore, Jamie Lee Curtis, Andy Garcia and George Lopez.

Family patrons form the target audience, but Disney executives hope the young-at-heart crowd also will come along for the four-legged romp.

"In all the screenings we've done, we have gotten nothing but wonderful marks from all the audiences who were on hand," Disney distribution president Chuck Viane said. "So there's no question that this is a commercial, family film, but I believe we can expand on that audience."

With "Chihuahua" sure to bow at No. 1, last weekend's top dog -- DreamWorks/Paramount's "Eagle Eye" -- could grab second place, if the Shia LaBeouf/Michelle Monaghan thriller rings up half its $29.2 million opening gross during its sophomore session.

But Sony's young-skewing PG-13 comedy "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" also will compete for the silver-medal position. The musically driven romantic comedy starring Michael Cera ("Superbad") and Kat Dennings ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin") appears safe to open in the teen millions, and a particularly robust weekend could help it soar a bit higher than "Eagle."

Whatever the precise pecking order of the top films, their combined grosses should power the industry to a second consecutive year-over-year weekend uptick after a sluggish start to the fall box-office season. Less than $85 million was registered during the comparable year-ago frame, whose biggest opener was the disappointing $14 million bow by a remake of "The Heartbreak Kid."

This weekend's four other wide openers look likely to max out in the upper single-digit millions.

Miramax's "Blindness" -- starring Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo and Gael Garcia Bernal and directed by Fernando Meirelles -- is getting a wide bow, but the atmospheric thriller likely will need positive word-of-mouth from its first frame to fuel a leggy run toward commercial success. MGM and After Dark's R-rated comedy "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People," starring Simon Pegg ("Hot Fuzz"), should skew a bit older than "Playlist" and gross much lower.

Vivendi's political spoof "An American Carol" skewers liberal sensitivities and is likely to play best with even older audiences. "Carol" represents the first film release for Vivendi, whose next scheduled film is the Mariah Carey-starring "Tennessee" in December.

Spyglass Entertainment's Universal-distributed drama "Flash of Genius" stars Greg Kinnear but has barely registered in prerelease tracking surveys. Based on the true story of Robert Kearns, inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper, "Genius"might find its true road to decent returns in the DVD market.

Universal this weekend also will offer 750 sneak previews of its October 10 pigskin film "The Express," starring Dennis Quaid and Rob Brown.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter



Read more...

Music : Bryn Christopher 'My World'

Album Info :

Artist : Bryn Christopher
Album : My World
Release Date : 08 September 2008
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Polydor
ASIN: B001A52TRQ
Genre : R&B and Soul

Description :

'My World' is the debut album by Birmingham born RnB crooner Bryn Christopher. Citing many influences from Otis Reddingto Prince, his style uniquely differs to his peers. The roping in of respected producers Midi Mafia (Jennifer Lopez, Nelly) creates a funky, contemporary feel and recalls the edginess of Amy Winehouse and the laidback cool of Al Green. Includes the singles 'The Quest' and 'Smilin'.

Album Review :

by Dan Gennoe
With Amy Winehouse's '60s soul styling having succeeded where two generations of modern music failed, producing a genuine British R&B star, the rash of similarly retro contenders - step forward Duffy and Adele - was predictable. At first glance, Birmingham singer-songwriter Bryn Christopher looks like the male equivalent, but to dismiss him as just another throwback would be to overlook an exceptional talent. True, his debut album is full of Motown-isms and his vocals nod to Otis Redding, but if the influences are vintage, his vision is undeniably forward thinking.

If not the best track on the album, the best track to hear what sets Christopher apart is his cover of Portishead's ode to the misery of love, "Sour Times". As well as scoring points for going there in the first place, he wins big by turning their dank, dark crawl through an emotional gutter into a dank, dark anthem, a gleeful sing-along revelling in neediness. He bravely takes something remarkable, raises the BPM, adds elation to the chorus and makes it his own. Same song, very different perspective.

The same is true of how Chrisopher's old soul fascination manifests itself. With a voice made for the crackle of old vinyl, anything he sings will be labelled retro. Instead of denying the obvious, his collaborators - SugaRush Beat Company's Jaz Rogers and New York production duo Midi Mafia (50 Cent) - have embraced the old school sounds of motor city, while building something new out of them. Of the two, Midi Mafia take the idea most literally, sampling for the first time tracks from the Stax label's back catalogue. Given new beats, Bryn's barnstorming vocals and a high-calibre pop sheen, the sultry shimmies behind "Stay With Me", "Found A New Love" and "Help Me" find a whole new lease of high-definition life.

Better still, the Jaz Rogers tracks carve out a whole new sound for Christopher. Blurring all lines, "Smilin'", a joyous celebration with a sinister undercurrent, throws surf guitars, soul swagger and epic '80s keyboards into a beautifully bleak whole, like Gnarls Barkley doing synth-pop. Meanwhile, the post-apocalyptic gospel of "The Quest" and the frenetic and twisted "Seconds Ago", send Bryn to a nightmarish alternate reality that's as inspired as it is unexpected.

It would have been easy for Christopher to make a nice album of soul covers and plenty of cash in the process. That he chose to make a fiercely creative album instead is to his credit. That there is absolutely nothing safe or predictable about it is why he pulls it off so spectacularly. Neither slavish nor pastiche, "My World" is vintage soul for the modern age and an undeniable future classic.
Taken From : http://uk.launch.yahoo.com




Track Listings :

1. Help Me
2. Smilin'
3. Sour Times
4. Stay With Me
5. The Quest
6. My World
7. Found A New Love
8. Seconds Ago
9. The Way You Are
10. GoneGoneGone
11. My Kinda Woman/Taken Me Over
12. Taken Me Over

Bryn Christopher - Smilin'



Bryn Christopher - Smilin’ Lyrics

Tell me why I’m feeling this way
‘Cuz nothing’s the same when you’re gone,
Theres something going on with my brain
I’m finding it hard to explain

Why am I addicted to you ?
And when did I first lose control ?
Oh, how can I escape from your hold ?
And how can I change when I’m
numbed through the cold ?

Theres something that stirring me…. inside,
As long as you’ll stay I’ll be alright

You got me smilin’
You got me smilin’
when I think of you
You got me smilin’
‘Cuz I keep dreaming of you
You got me smilin’
I keep on smilin’
when I dream of you
You got me smilin’
‘Cuz i keep thinking of you

Now you’ve gone I’m wanting you back
I need you to make me feel good
The smoke inside my body reacts
Oh no I think that I’m under attack

It’s burning up a hole in my veins
And suddenly everything’s fine
I’m searching for some hope in this space
You see I try but I just can’t explain,
why :

You got me smilin’
You got me smilin’
when I think of you
You got me smilin’
‘Cuz I keep dreaming of you
You got me smilin’
I keep on smilin’
when I dream of you
You got me smilin’
‘Cuz i keep thinking of you

You got me smilin’
I keep on smilin’ yeah
You got me smilin’
‘Cuz I keep dreaming of you
(repeat)


Read more...

Music : Natalie Cole 'Still Unforgettable'

Album Info :

Artist : Natalie Cole
Album: Still Unforgettable - 2008
Genre : Pop General/ R&B
Release Date: September 9, 2008
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Rhino Records
ASIN: B001AW3UNQ

Description :

17 Years After The Multi-Platinum Album "Unforgettable...With Love", The Eight-time Grammyr Winning Singer prepares to release her follow-Up album 'Still Unforgettable' on 29th September with substantial UK promotion to coincide with the release. This much anticipated release is a timeless collection of popular tracks from the great American songbook, transformed to life with Natalie's beautiful vocal and iridescent flair. Natalie has had an amazing string of hits throughout the years including 'This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)', 'Miss You Like Crazy' and 'Pink Cadillac', achieving Grammy success eight times over. 1991 saw the release of 'Unforgettable' featuring her own poignant arrangements of her Father the legendary Nat King Cole's greatest hits. The album went on to sell over 14 million copies worldwide. Recorded at the historical Capital Studios in LA and produced by Natalie herself, the album features classics 'Walkin' My Baby Back Home' a duet with Nat King Cole, 'Come Rain or Come Shine', 'Here's That Rainy Day' and 'But Beautiful'. Pre-ceding the album release, is the lead track from the album 'Walkin' My Baby Back Home' - a wonderful duet with her late father Nat King Cole, which was first released by him in the 1950's - available digitally from 29th July. A brand new video for this song and an EPK is being created for TV promotion.

Album Review :

Natalie Cole's liner notes for Still Unforgettable make it sound like the Great American Songbook had been collecting dust on her shelf since 1991, when she recorded Unforgettable, the album that shot her into the mainstream. (She had been releasing Top Ten R&B albums since 1975, but Unforgettable was something else, a cultural phenomenon that inspired a Saturday Night Live skit.) Still Unforgettable features another duet with father, "Walkin' My Baby Back Home," but its make-up isn't that much different from albums like Take a Look (1993), Stardust (1996), or Ask a Woman Who Knows. While she has been reinterpreting classics on and off for nearly two decades now, she can't be faulted for phoning it in; in fact, she seems to be having more fun with the songbook than before. If you're keeping score at home, Nat King Cole was 32 when he recorded "Walkin' My Baby Back Home"; Natalie was in her late 50s when she recorded the duet with her father's vocals -- which would, for the sake of the song here, make her old enough to be her father's mother. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide

Taken From : http://www.billboard.com




Track Listing :

01. Walkin' My Baby Back Home (Duet With Nat King Cole)
02. Come Rain Or Come Shine
03. Coffee Time
04. Somewhere Along The Way
05. You Go To My Head
06. Nice 'N' Easy
07. Why Don't You Do Right
08. Here's That Rainy Day
09. But Beautiful
10. Lollipops & Roses
11. The Best Is Yet To Come
12. Something's Gotta Give
13. Until The Real Thing Comes Along
14. It's All Right With Me

Natalie Cole - Coffee Time lyrics

Coffee time
My dreamy friend
It's coffee time
Let's sing
This silly
Little rhyme
And have
A cup of coffee

Java time
My happy chum
Let's have a time
We'll celebrate
For just a dime
And have
A cup of coffee

Greetin' time
The music box
Is beatin' time
It's good
Old-fashioned
Meetin' time
We're in the pink
So come and clink
And let's drink
A cup of coffee

Coffee time
My dreamy friend
It's coffee time
Let's sing
This silly
Little rhyme
And have
A cup of coffee

Coffee time
My dreamy friend
It's coffee time
Let's sing
This silly
Little rhyme
And have
A cup of coffee
And have
A cup of coffee
And have
A cup of coffee


Read more...

Dell-Paramount deal puts "Iron Man" on PCs

By Andrew Wallenstein

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - PC manufacturer Dell and Paramount Pictures are opening a new front in digital distribution with an offering allowing consumers to order "Iron Man" preloaded into newly purchased computers.

For now, Paramount is the only studio that has signed on, and "Iron Man" -- which will be available accompanied by exclusive bonus footage for $20 beginning Tuesday (September 30), the same day as its DVD release -- is the only film being offered.

The offering is the first step Dell is taking toward setting up a broader digital content storefront that could create significant competition for Apple's dominant iTunes Store.

"The key focus here is to lead off our slow immersion into content as a major piece of the puzzle in terms of what consumers want from a PC," said Rachna Basin, director of content for Dell's global consumer group.

"Iron Man" will be presented as an option to consumers as part of Dell's personalized purchasing process, which allows buyers to customize virtually every facet of their PC from such essentials as storage capacity to stylistic touches like laptop-cover artwork. The Paramount/Marvel Entertainment film would be preinstalled on Dell's Inspiron, Studio and XPS laptop and desktop models.

Dell eventually will broaden its selection of preloaded content as it signs other studios. In time, Dell likely will enable consumers to purchase films after they've bought computers, too.

BIG PICTURE

Basin declined to detail Dell's content strategy beyond the "Iron Man" offering, but there have been rumblings in recent months that the company intends to take on iTunes with some form of digital retail presence. The plan likely involves Zing Systems, a company Dell acquired in 2007 that enables users to easily migrate content among devices.

Zing founder Tim Bucher heads a 120-person division at Dell charged with spearheading the company's content strategy. In a juicier twist, Bucher used to work at Apple and settled a wrongful termination suit he brought against the company in 2005.

However, Dell has attempted and failed to mount content-oriented initiatives in recent years, including Dell TVs and a portable music player.

A digital storefront via Dell would have a huge potential footprint in the marketplace. Dell finished a close second to Hewlett-Packard in U.S. market share among PC manufacturers in the second quarter, according to Gartner Group, with 25.3 percent market share based on 4.1 million units shipped. Apple was in third with 8.5 percent market share and 1.3 million units. The market-share gap between Dell and Apple is even wider worldwide.

"To match up Dell's customization with film is an extremely potent, unique offering," said Malik Ducard, vice president digital distribution, North America, at Paramount Digital Entertainment. "I don't think there are too many players in the marketplace that can pull this off in the way they can."

The Dell "Iron Man" product is available only in the U.S. for now, but Dell is expected to make similar offers overseas.

Preinstalling content is not a new technology, though it's more common on portable devices. Nokia, for instance, preloaded Sony's "Spider-Man 3" last year on its N95 model in various regions overseas.

"Iron Man" will be available only in standard definition. Full details concerning digital rights management were not available, but Dell will allow users to burn one copy of "Iron Man" to DVD.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter



Read more...

Paris Hilton debuts new single, "My BFF"

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Leave it to Paris Hilton to ratchet up the hype for her new TV show's debut, releasing a new single, "My BFF," on the same day the reality TV program "Paris Hilton's My New BFF" first airs on MTV.

The show -- a search for a new "best friend forever" who is hot, loyal and has the energy to keep up with Hilton's hectic lifestyle -- inspired the techno song Hilton said she co-wrote with her boyfriend Benji Madden of rock band Good Charlotte.

"Could you be the one I want? Could you be the one I need?" the millionaire socialite croons on "My BFF." "All of my life, don't you know I've been waiting ... for my best friend."

The tune will become the show's theme song.

Sixteen women and two men -- both gay -- were selected from some 300,000 applicants to compete for the honor of being Hilton's best buddy, accompanying her to red carpet events and simultaneously dodging and courting the paparazzi.

They enter a predominantly pink and sparkly world of challenges ranging from make-overs -- resisted at their own peril -- to dealing with lost luggage, private jets and looking hot on a rollercoaster.

At the end of each of the 10 episodes, one contestant is dismissed by a wand-waving Hilton with a catch phrase borrowed from instant messaging culture -- TTYN (Talk To You Never).

Hilton, 27, said loyalty was key to her friendships -- both in real life and in the series. "I am looking for someone I can trust, someone who is friends with me for the right reason," she told Reuters.

"A lot of girls want to be photographed with me. They get so excited when the paparazzi are around and put their arms around me. I don't like friends who try to use friends like that," she said.

Hilton says she has struck up a real, off screen friendship with the winner of the reality show but the name is being kept secret until the series ends in December.

Already, Hilton is working on a second series of "My New BFF," this time set in London.

The new single is the first off her second album which is due out later this year. It will extend the business empire of perfumes, clothing, shoes, dog clothes, movies and TV series that she has built in the past 10 years by trading on her fame for being herself.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)



Read more...

Music : Mitch Hedberg 'Do You Believe In Gosh?'

Album Info :

Artist : Mitch Hedberg
Album : Do You Believe In Gosh?
Release Date: September 9, 2008
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Comedy Central Rec.
ASIN: B001CVCBTY
Genre : Miscellaneous > Comedy

Description :

Recorded two months prior to his death, this album contains nearly forty minutes of previously unreleased stand-up material. It pulses with Mitch's inimitable wit and spirit, it's a document of a comedy master, and it's a treat for all those who were afraid they'd never get to hear another great Hedberg joke.

Album Review :


Gone far too soon, Do You Believe in Gosh? is the first posthumous Mitch Hedberg release, one recorded live in Ontario, Canada in early 2005 when the surreal comic was working on an album that would never be. Anyone familiar with the Live in Chicago bootleg will recognize quite a bit of the material here and might also notice how it's being refined and worked into a routine worthy of official release. Unfortunately, it's not quite there yet and not up to the standards of Hedberg's two official albums -- Mitch All Together and Strategic Grill Locations -- which somehow did the impossible and linked a slew of Steven Wright-styled one liners into a cohesive end-to-end listen. This is Mitch warts and all, desperately trying to regain a rhythm when jokes start to fail and only sometimes getting in that Hedberg groove where "wow man" meets relaxed focus. The good news is that the drugs that ended his life don't seem to be affecting this set at all and the lines that do work are numerous and work splendidly. After wondering how clean the inside of cleaning fluid bottle must be, he offers "If I had a dollar for every time I said that I'd be making money in a very weird way." "Now is a hippopotamus a hippopotamus or a really cool opotamus?" is typical Mitch and the riffing on how tough kids in Venice must have "canal smarts" is hilarious. The liner notes feature scribbles from Mitch's notebooks plus a short, sweet, and heartwarming note from his widow Lynn Shawcroft. Not the Hedberg CD to start with, but for his rabid cult following this is a necessary purchase. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide

Taken From : http://www.billboard.com




Track Listing :

1. The Improv Fairy Tale
2. Door Deal
3. Hot Air Balloon
4. Headless Horseman
5. Hotels And Beds
6. Phil
7. Restaurants
8. Texas and Sea Food
9. Tea Ski
10. Canal Smarts
11. The Vacuumist
12. Belt
13. Soda Pop

Soda Pop - Mitch Hedberg




Read more...