Brad Pitt out of film due to his good looks

Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt is out of upcoming movie State of Play as the director on hindsight felt he was too good-looking to play the role.

Pitt was originally to star in the big-screen thriller as a journalist but the actor quit during pre-production, citing concerns with the script, contactmusic.com reports.

Gladiator star Russell Crowe was roped in as a late replacement for Brad to star opposite actor Ben Affleck's character of a Congressman in the film.

Director Kevin McDonald is convinced that Crowe's rough features are more suited to the role.

"In a way, I was lucky it didn't work out with Brad. The relationship between the journalist and the politician was meant to be between somebody who feels inferior, who's a bit of a schlump, who kind of can't get a girlfriend, and somebody he's looking up to and admires his polished politician friend," he said.

"That is not the dynamic of a Brad Pitt. He's not looking up to anyone thinking 'Oh, I wish I could have your girlfriend'," he added.

Deepika Padukone talks about modeling and Ranbir Kapoor

New Delhi: Actoress Deepika Padukone was in the capital yet again to extend her support to the on-going Delhi Fashion Week and Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week.

CNN-IBN's Sushant Mehta caught up with the model turned actor.

Sushant Mehta:You must be feeling really special. You walked the ramp for Tarun Talihani and now for Rina Dhakar.

Deepika Padukone: You know there is really no thought behind it. Fiama is my brand, and I will always be here for them.

Sushant Mehta: You are quite the show stopper. You must take some credit yourself.

Deepika Padukone: Show stopper or not, I have always enjoyed walking the ramp. It's great to be back and meet all my designer friends, models, makeup artists and everyone whom I started off with.

Sushant Mehta:Have you ever goofed up fashionwise. We know you are a model and everything, but have you ever goofed up?

Deepika Padukone: I don't think we should be discussing now because I have a show to go to now. Yeah, but so far no disasters on the ramp.

Sushant Mehta: Do you give Ranbir advice on what to wear because men are casual dressers, any thing like that?

Deepika Padukone:No, I think he can take care of himself.

Sushant Mehta:What do you like him in, western, Indian?

Deepika Padukone: I thing he can carry anything well.

TV star Jade Goody is dead

London: British reality TV star Jade Goody succumbed to cancer, her spokesman Max Clifford confirmed on Sunday.

Goody died at home in Upshire, Essex, in the early hours of Sunday (UK Time) after a very public battle with cancer.

Goody's cancer diagnosis had come while she was shooting for reality TV show Bigg Boss 2 in India. She had to quit the show just weeks after joining it in order to go back home and start therapy.

In February, she was told it was terminal. The actor was being treated at the Royal Marsden Hospital in west London but wanted to die at home with her family.

Doctors had said that the disease spread to her liver, groin and bowel.

Goody has recently married her boyfriend Jack Tweed. Her mother and husband were reported to have been keeping round-the-clock vigil by her bedside.

Jade Goody begged doctors to kill her after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, it has emerged. She had asked the doctors for a fatal injection or pill that would end her suffering, reports the website of the British tabloid The Sun.

Jade has secured the future of her sons Bobby, five, and Freddy, four as well as donated generously to various charities, according to reports. Reportedly, there is also a will in place by the actor about how her funeral should be conducted.

Actress Shilpa Shetty had rushed to London to meet her former Celebrity Big Brother housemate Jade Goody on hearing that the British reality TV star was close to death but was not allowed to meet her due to her failing condition.

On Monday Jade Goody had bid goodbye to her sons because she did not want them witness her death.

The 27-year-old dental nurse who shot into fame as Big Brother contestant in 2002 had lived her last seven years under media spotlight.

Britney Spears Dating Jason Trawick?

For the second time in 10 months, rumors have surfaced that Jason Trawick, a longtime agent of Britney Spears, has been handling her assets in more ways than one, if you know what we're talkin' about. We're talkin' about having sex, people. Come on.

And for the second time in the last 10 months, said rumors have been nixed rapidly. Britney Spears is not seeing her longtime agent, her camp says.

"They are absolutely, 100 percent not dating," a source close to Britney tells Us Weekly emphatically and exclusively. "He is her agent, and that is it."

E! News reported Wednesday that Britney was secretly stepping out with Jason Trawick, but the insider says, "They have never gone out on a date."

"He has been her agent for four years, and they are very close. He gets on with her family, but there is absolutely, categorically nothing romantic going on."

"Jason was on the road with Britney for her tour, but that is what agents do - support their clients. Any stories of them being together are utterly made up."

Too bad. From what we hear, he'd be a good influence on her, unlike some of the shady characters below. Can you even ID these guys? Click to enlarge pics of Britney Spears boyfriends (and husbands), past and present, real and rumored

Shah Rukh Khan is proud of his Mughal-e-Azam camera

When SRK is showing you his palacial house Mannat the one thing he is quite excited to show you is his antique camera placed near the entrance of Mannat’s second floor.

The camera is the same one used to shoot the legendary flick Mughal-e-Azam starring Dilip Kumar and Madhubala.

A source says, “SRK is very fond of this camera and loves to show it off to his guests. It is more special to him as the actor is a big fan of Dilip Kumar and loves his movies. Having possessed the camera which shot Dilip sir makes him feel ecstatic.”
The camera was gifted to SRK by IPL commissioner Lalit Modi’s wife Mrinalini.

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Bipasha Basu doesn’t mind ageing

While actresses worldwide are quite worried about the ageing process, our very own Bipasha Basu is least worried about ageing as she recently hit the 30 agemark.

Bipasha says, “I look my age, perfect. I had said that after I reach this age, I’ll start going backwards. Now that I am here, you can guess, what I will do. It’s time to go back now. Ha, ha, ha.” Regression, huh? “No, not now. From next year onwards, I will regress 100 per cent. By 2010 I’ll have a different age.”

Great Bips! We are looking forward to that!
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Police Warrant Issued For Lindsay Lohan's Arrest

An arrest warrant has been issued for Lindsay Lohan and we've got the deets. The Beverly Hills Police Department released the following statement Friday:

"In response to media inquiries, Beverly Hills Police Department is confirming a warrant was in fact issued today [March 13] for the arrest of Lindsay Lohan."

"The $50,000 warrant issued by the Beverly Hills Superior Court stems from a May 2007 arrest of Miss Lohan for DUI and hit-and-run. The circumstances leading to the issuance of the warrant by the court are not readily available at this time. It is our hope that Miss Lohan will surrender herself so that this matter will be resolved in a timely manner."

In August 2007, the troubled singer and actress pleaded guilty to two counts of being under the influence of cocaine and pleaded no contest to driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher and reckless driving.

She served 84 minutes in jail in November 2007, was placed on three years probation and placed in an 18-month alcohol education program.

On a side note, her deadbeat father, Michael Lohan, says he's worried for his daughter's well-being, telling Us Weekly, "I'm always worried about Lindsay as long as she's involved in relationships that are harmful to her."

Lohan calls his daughter's "toxic" girl-on-girl relationship with DJ Samantha Ronson a "powder keg... You never know when it's going to blow up."

If only he would blow up.

Mike had no comment on whether Lindsay Lohan was drinking or on drugs.

"I feel like when you're around the right people, you do the right thing," he said. "But when you're around the wrong people, you do the wrong thing. She'll deal with [the warrant] like she has to. She's not going to ignore it. Mark my words, as long as Samantha Ronson is in Lindsay's life, nothing is going to go right!"

Marvel Entertainment Adjusts Its Release Dates

Marvel Entertainment is moving things around a bit in order to, according to their official press release, make way for the production of The Avengers. For those not up on their comics, The Avengers involves multiple superhero characters and interwoven storylines. Marvel's aiming for a May 4, 2012 release of that long-anticipated film. Marvel Studios also revealed Sony Pictures Entertainment is definitely moving forward on the next Spider-Man movie (as if there was any doubt). Spider-Man 4 will be released on May 6, 2011.

According to Marvel Studios, their master plan is to have a Marvel character-based movie "launch the summer box office season for three years in a row, from 2010 through 2012." David Maisel, Chairman of Marvel studios said, "This new schedule strongly sequences Marvel's movie debut dates, big screen character introductions and momentum. It maximizes the visibility of our single character-focused films, leading to the highly anticipated release of the multi-character The Avengers film in 2012."

The Updated Schedule:
Iron Man 2 remains set for May 7, 2010
Thor was July 16, 2010, now is June 17, 2011
The First Avenger: Captain America was May 6, 2011, now is July 22, 2011
The Avengers was July 15, 2011, now is May 4, 2012

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Top Bollywood Movie Hits of 2008

All ye' Bollywood fans and Bollywood lovers are interested in knowing which indeed was the most successful Bollywood movie of 2008. Is it Ghajini or Jodhaa Akbar? Or is there other clear winner? What do trade guides show? Which Bollywood movie truly rocked 2008? Is the most successful Bollywood movie of 2008, also your favorite movie?

Presenting here are the hits, superhits and blockbusters Bollywood movies of 2008, including a brief review. The movies are arranged according to their time of release.

1. Jodhaa Akbar : Released on February 15' 2008, Jodhaa Akbar, directed by Bollywood most prolific director Ashutosh Gowariker, was a semi hit. It went on to do a business of Rs. 62 crores. Hrithik Roshan was the USP of the film, he played Akbar so well that the historic figure is now synonymous with the actor.

2. Race: Released on March 21' 2008, Race was the first big hit of 2008. An edge of the seat thriller, the movie directed by Abbas-Mustan was full of twists and turns. As of May 30, it grossed Rs.63,67,00,000 ($14,886,600) in India, and $9,505,321 in other parts bringing a worldwide total of $24,391,921. Race is actually the fifth biggest hit of 2008.

3. Jannat: Jannat, directed by Kunal Deshmukh, was a Mukesh Bhatt film, released on May 16. Based on cricket betting, the movie extracted the career best performance of Emran Hashmi. Debutante Sonal Chauhan made a pretty picture in the movie. Jannat grossed 32,47,00,000 in 5 weeks, quite higher than its cost of production.

4. Aamir: One of the dark horse hits of 2008, Aamir directed by Raj Kumar Gupta released on June 6. The movie starring Rajeev Khandelwal was a story about how an innocent man gets trapped in the hands of religious extremists who want to bomb the city. An interesting premise, the movie did good business.

5. Sarkar Raj: Sarkar Raj, directed by Ram Gopal Verma released on June 6 2008. The movie was a semi-hit; people compared Sarkar Raj to its prequel Sarkar, and found that the sequel was not as effective as the first one. Nevertheless, it grossed 34 crores in India in its first two weeks and over $1 million in the USA.

6. Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, released on July 4 2008; directed by Abbas Tyrewala and produced by Aamir Khan, was the iconic movie of 2008. The movie was a blazing hit and it is still the favorites of the youth segment, which forms a major part of the movie going audience. The youthful movie had a cliched but entertaining story with fantastic music by A.R.Rahman. in 5 weeks, it earned approximately 52.96 crores.

7. Singh is Kinng: Singh is Kinng was a movie, all Akshay Kumar fans were waiting for. Released on August 8, 2008; the movie recorded the biggest advance booking in the history of Bollywood, second only to Ghajini. With a fantastic figure of Rs.44 crores in the first week, Singh is Kinng was the fourth biggest hit of Bollywood 2008. By September, it had already earned Rs.73 crores.

8. Bachna Ae Haseeno: Released on August 15, 2008, Bachna Ae Haseeno proved to be a solace for Yash Raj films which had only given flops before this, in 2008 like Tashan and Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. Made on a budget of Rs.18 crores, this Ranbir Kapoor earned Rs.31.20 crores in its second week, and was declared a semi hit.

9. Phoonk: Phoonk directed by Ram Gopal Verma was probably the least expensive movie, which did good business. The movie based on black magic was a success because of the subject.

10. Mumbai Meri Jaan: Mumbai Meri Jaan, released on August 22' 2008 was a movie based on 7/11 bomb blasts. A slightly documentary style film, it focussed on the repercussions of the bomb blasts. The movie was an an above average hit. The USP of the film was a power packed performance by Paresh Rawal and Irrfan Khan.

11. Rock On!!: Rock On (released August 29' 2008) , directed by Abhishek Kapoor and produced by Farhan Akhtar, was another youth favorite, like Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. Based on friendship and rock music, Rock On was treated like a sequel to the cult movie Dil Chahta Hai. It made singer-actor-producer-director (phew!) Farhan Akhtar, a household name.

12. A Wednesday: A Wednesday, released on September 5 2008, is the dark horse success of 2008. A powerful script, impeccable dialogues and a unique treatment by director Neeraj Pandey, made this probably the most watchable movie of 2008. Naseerudin Shah proved that he is inimitable when it comes to stellar performance.

13. 1920: A spooky movie directed by Vikram Bhatt (released Sep 12' 08) was high on horror around a haunted palatial house. Newbies Rajneesh Duggal and Adah Sharma gave a spirited (no pun intended!) performance. The fantastic English locales and visual effects proved to be the USP of the film.

14. Welcome to Sajjanpur: Welcome to Sajjanpur, released on September 19 2008 was director Shyam Benegal's entry to commercial cinema. The movie shot in rural set-up brought back memories of Malgudy Days and fared well at the box office.

15. Fashion: Fashion directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, gave a push to Priyanka Chopra who went down-slide with four back to back flops in 2008. It appealed to the youth and the upper crust and did good business.

16. Golmaal Returns: Released on the same date as Fashion (October 29' 2008) , Golmaal Returns was a run-away super hit. Though marred by critics, it was declared a huge success by the masses. It surpassed the first day totals of Om Shanti Om, last year, by collecting 22.03 lakhs on day one. This Rohit Shetty venture earned Rs.48 crores in the first week, making it the third biggest hit of 2008.

17. Dostana: Dostana directed by Tarun Mansukhani for Karan Johar released on November 14' 2008. The story of two men Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham, who pretend to be gays, and fall in love with eye-candy Priyanka Chopra made the box office smile. By December 12, it had already earned Rs.80 crores.

18. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi: One of the much awaited movies, the Shahrukh Khan starrer Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, released on December 12'08. Made on a modest budget of Rs.22 crores by Yash Raj standards, Aditya Chopra directed this movie to success. The movie also featured debutante Anushka Sharma. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi earned 7.5 crore net all over India and by day 1, and earned Rs.44.5 crores by week 1. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is the second biggest hit of 2008.

19. Ghajini: The most awaited movie Ghajini, proved to be a record breaking success. The most successful movie of the year and perhaps one of the all time big hits, this Aamir Khan movie directed by A.Murgadoss proved recession cannot beat quality. Released on December 25, 2008, this remake of the Southern movie of the same name is running quite strong, thanks to the Aamir Khan brand power. On Day 1, Ghajini earned Rs.33 crores, (compared to Rs.18 crore of Rab Ne) worldwide, something which is unheard off. Ghajini is all set to pass Rs.100 crores in three weeks, overtaking the lines of previous two years biggies Om Shanti Om (Rs.80 crores) and Dhoom 2 (Rs.85 crores).

Conclusion 2008: Ghajini has proved to be a big money spinner for Bollywood. The year 2008 has pooled in 15 percent or Rs.900 crore more than last year. Call it the Pareto Principal, if you will but Rab Ne and Ghajini have added another 20 percent more to the box office collection of movies preceding them. Masala films and movies based on 'terror issues' dominated 2008.

So, here is the countdown of the top 5 films of Bollywood 2008:
5. Race
4. Singh is Kinng
3. Golmaal Returns
2. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
1. Ghajini

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Cute Asian Celebrity: Fann Wong

Name: Fann Wong (Fan Wen Fang, Fan Man Fong)
Chinese name: 范文芳
Birth name: Fann Woon Fong
Birth date: January 27, 1971
Birth place: Singapore
Height: 171cm
Religion: Buddhism
Family: Parents, an elder sister, a younger brother and a younger sister
Education: La Salle International Academy (fashion merchandising, diploma)
Spoken Languages: Mandarin, English, B.Malaysia and Hakka
Profession: Actress, model and singer
Hobbies: Shopping, driving, comics reading and music listening

Fann Wong Biography:
Fann Wong got his artist name from taking the surname of her father Fann and surname of her mother Wong… thus Fann Wong.

Fann Wong won a cover girl contest at age of 16 and started her modeling career, traveling occassionaly to Taiwan for TV commercial ads filming. It was until 1994 when a Singapore TV producer invited Fann to star in a TV drama series, that Fann started her acting career.

Fann Wong debut is in TV drama “Dream Comes True” in 1994 and her acting in early 1995 production “Chronicles of Life” won her both best newcomer and best actress at 1995 Singapore Star Awards.

Fann Wong released her first music album “Fanntasy” in Singapore at 1996, but due to contract problems, the repacked album titled “I Live Alone” only released at Taiwan and other East Asia market at 1997, which was quite a hit back then.

Fann Wong was unstoppable since then, starring in various TV series, movies and music production.

In 1998, Fann Wong starred as ‘Xiao Long Nu’ in “Returns of Condor Heroes” and became a famous actress in China and worldwide Chinese community.

In 1999 Fann Wong starred in her first movie, Hong Kong production “Zhen Xin Hua.”

In 2000 Fann Wong became the first local artist to have a solo concert in Singapore indoor stadium.

Fann Wong was also the first Asian artist to feature as spokeswoman for international fashion power brand Emporio Armani.

In 2003 Fann made it into international arena with Hollywood production, “Shanghai Knights” starring alongside Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson.

In 2005 Fann starred in a Singapore-Germany joint production, telemovie “Haus der Harmonie” (House of Harmony), co-starring Philippe Brenninkmeyer and Maggie Q.

Fann Wong is currently in relation with her long term boyfriend, fellow Singaporean actor Chris Lee.

Top 5 pictures of Keira Knightley on the Google

Holly-Bolly-Masala was nominated as Best Celebrity Blog. Vote for us(right bottom side). Enjoy awesome pictures of Keira Knightley only on Holly-Bolly-Masala:

'The Edge of Love' is releasing on 20 March 2009

Starring: Keira Knightley, Matthew Rhys, Cillian Murphy, Sienna Miller

Releasing Date: 20 March 2009

Director: John Maybury

Studio: Capitol Films

Rating: NR

Genre: Drama / Romance / War

Movie Reviews:
Review by Louise Keller:
Love, war and poetry swirl together to form this cocktail of a film, in which fantasy and reality are the main, but conflicting ingredients. Sharman Macdonald (who also happens to be Keira Knightley's mother) has written a dense screenplay about a high-pitched emotional story involving Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (played by Matthew Rhys), his first love Vera (Knightley) and wife Caitlin (Sienna Miller). Infatuation, infidelity, friendship, jealousy and betrayal are not comfortable partners, as Vera and Caitlin discover with the help of Cillian Murphy's catalyst soldier hero William Killick. In keeping with Dylan's ethereal poetry, director John Maybury injects an artistic flourish to this involving drama, allowing us to understand the intricate complexities of the spiral of love and friendship in which the characters find themselves engrossed.

To Dylan, Vera lives in his sky, while Caitlin remains in his earth. In an unexpected twist, the two women in Thomas' life become best friends. 'I might like you; then again, I might not,' Miller's Caitlin tells Knightley's Vera on first meeting. It is clear from the start that Vera still holds a large crush on Thomas, her first love, but lets the persistence of Murphy's devoted and loyal William to penetrate her reserve. He falls for her beauty and aloofness as she sings torch songs in the underground shelters of the 1940 blitz. But when William heads to the isolated Wales coast during the war, and finds the threesome comfortably settled in a controversial relationship, a war of a different kind erupts. To William, life is simple when it comes to the woman he loves, but to the parasitic Dylan who feeds off life in order to create his thoughts and words, people and emotions are nothing but commodities used for pleasure.

Knightley and Miller deliver splendid performances, the former showing she has a pretty, tuneful voice. Murphy is enigmatic as the strong-willed soldier, while Rhys is suitably soppy as the weak and often detestable Dylan. The story drags at times but there are rewards as the relationships each find their footholds, and Vera is taken right to the precarious edge of love as she finally realises what is most important.

Review by Andrew L. Urban:
Artists and poets whose works have inspired and enriched our lives seem to have usually lived fairly rotten lives, and Dylan Thomas appears to be no exception. This wonderfully cinematic revelation of his life as seen through relationships with the two key women in his life doesn't have to convince us that every detail is historically accurate. It can't anyway. But it does convince in terms of characters and the mood of the times.

Matthew Rhys is remarkably effective as Dylan in a performance that captures the complexity of a man who lives to write, but is not very good at anything else. Sienna Miller and Keira Knightley are superb, too, as the sparring women united in friendship but at odds over love. Miller's feisty and risk taking free spirit Caitlin is an entire creation, while Knightley is riveting as the lovely and torn Vera.

The film's cinematic signature is made up of moody imagery that is still grounded in reality, but with poetic flourish. Angelo Badalamenti's score is elegantly understated but crucial, and Emma E. Hickox finds the right structure with her edit.

I really don't like the title, the pace sags at times and the ending is a bit of a mess, but these are luckily unharmful to the film's engaging tone and compelling characters. It's an ideal film for all those who complain about too many brash, youth oriented popcorn movies.

Tokyo! 2009 Movie Reviews and Critics

Starring: Ryo Kase, Ayumi Ito, Renji Ishibashi, Naoto Takenaka, Yu Aoi, Jean-François Balmer, Ayako Fujitani, Teruyuki Kagawa, Denis Lavant

Director: Joon-ho Bong, Michel Gondry, Leos Carax

Studio: Liberation Entertainment

Rating: NR

Genre: Drama

Release Date: March 6, 2009 (NY; Los Angeles on March 20)

Movie Reviews and critics:
Tokyo! is a curious conundrum. The movie is a triptych of short films about the titular metropolis made by Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, and Joon-ho Bong, three non-Japanese filmmakers. Each tries to offer up personalized impressions of the Japanese capital, and that alone would suggest a worthwhile cinematic experience. But the films themselves lack the intimacy with Tokyo's cultural nuances that we crave from a piece like this, trafficking instead in stereotypes and platitudes.

For its easy charm and humor, Michel Gondry's "Interior Design" comes off best. Gondry's story follows a young couple -- Hiroko and Akira (Ayako Fujitani and Ryo Kase) -- who have just moved to Tokyo, struggling to find an apartment, jobs, and generally to start their new lives. Akira's an aspiring filmmaker-artist, hence a bit of a space case, while his girlfriend Hiroko is smart but directionless. While getting started in Tokyo, they bunk up with a friend in her absurdly tiny apartment. Gradually, Hiroko pulls away from Akira and, in a Gondry-esque bit of transmogrification, she suddenly has the ability to shift from human to chair form and back. As a chair, she becomes part of the furnishings in a stranger's home, and feels herself an object of value, something she lacked as a human being. Gondry pokes fun at Tokyo's housing crisis: The living spaces are hilariously cramped, hardly more than glorified closets. With the low-key bantering of its characters, the quotidian details of Tokyo street life, its movie-within-a-movie device, the human-chair magic trick, and the overall theme of life-as-reverie, this is a Gondry project through and through. And, though not illuminating on the subject of its city, it's still a cute, clever take on Tokyo to keep us amused.

Coming a close second is Korean filmmaker Joon-ho Bong's "Shaking Tokyo," about a recluse (Teruyuki Kagawa) who's holed himself up in his apartment for 10 years. His only contact with the outside world is via his telephone, through which orders groceries and take-out pizza. When he falls in love with the pizza delivery girl, the recluse decides to break his self-imposed isolation, and sets out across Tokyo to find her. But the Tokyo that he steps into is a strangely desolate urban landscape -- the outer world has come to mirror the inner world -- as citizens have sealed themselves into their own private universes and happy-faced robots perform the task of maintaining the city. It's also a world punctuated by earthquakes, premonitions of disaster and death against which the love between the recluse and the pizza girl is the only talisman. Strikingly filmed, Bong infuses a dreamy, sullen mood to express the alienation of modern Tokyo, all unfolding against the ever-present reality of natural disaster murmuring in the background.

Sandwiched between Gondry's and Bong's entries is Leos Carax' "Merde" -- a film least about Tokyo and most about Leos Carax. Riffing on Tokyo's Godzilla culture, Carax' tiresome, distinctly French (i.e. unfunny) comedy depicts a subterranean troll-like humanoid (Denis Lavant) who becomes a media sensation after he emerges from his sewer-home and begins harassing and killing Tokyo citizens. The troll -- dubbed Merde (French for "shit" in case you cared) -- is captured but, turns out, his oddball, simian grunting can only be understood by an equally oddball French attorney (Jean-François Balmer) who insists on defending Merde in a circus-like trial in which issues of Japan's xenophobia are obtusely explored. Self-consciously wry, "Merde" reaches for big themes on the absurdity of the news media, Japan's pop culture (i.e. Godzilla), the fear of the "other," and something about communication and language. On all counts, it's an airball. Carax' film is painfully precious and heavy handed in the worst French tradition, and has no business being part of an omnibus about Tokyo.

While intermittently enjoyable and visually clever, Tokyo! isn't remotely groundbreaking, either as cinema or as a vision of one of the world's most chaotic, complex, and exuberant cities. At its best, the movie is a stylish spin through the Tokyo universe, a play on the psychology and realities of one of the world's most urbanized societies, by two entertaining directors. And, at its worst, it's a jumping-off point for one filmmaker's tedious and solipsistic self indulgence.

Watchmen 2009 Movie Reviews

Watchmen (2009)

Starring: Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley, Matthew Goode, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman, Carla Gugino, Stephen McHattie
Directors: Zack Snyder
Rated: Unrated
U.S. Opening Date: March 6th, 2009

Movie Review:
Watchmen is a motion picture of uncommon ambition, technical perfectionism, and inspired artistry. It is also based on a beloved story that is not and was never terribly cinematic in nature. While I fully intended to discuss the film as a stand alone product, regardless of its success or failure as a literary adaptation, the finished product is so completely tied to its source that a viewer is almost required to have some understanding of the original book to at least appreciate, if not completely understand the movie. As I watched this epic unfold, I kept unconsciously referencing the original graphic novel for context, to fill in the blanks that the film itself did provide. As a faithful adaptation, it is a success. As an emotional tone poem, it is occasionally powerful. But as a stand alone feature film, intended to draw in and entertain the uninitiated, it's slightly problematic. Complete newbies will likely understand the broad strokes, but the subtleties of the material and the thematic ideologies may be lost under the surface, leaving non fans wondering what all the fuss was about.

What you need to know going in - The film is set in an alternate time line, one where non super-powered crime fighters roamed the cities before and after World War II. In this world, an accident turned scientist Jon Osterman into the all-powerful, all-blue demi-god Dr. Manhattan during the height of the Vietnam war. It's now 1985. Dr. Manhattan almost single-handedly won for the US in 'Nam, Richard Nixon has been re-elected four times, and non-government-sanctioned crime fighters have been outlawed. However, the use of Dr. Manhattan as a weapon started a nuclear arms race with the USSR and the two super powers seem on the brink of nuclear annihilation. Meanwhile, the murderous, psychotic crime fighter known as Rorschach stumbles upon the homicide of former super hero turned government spy The Comedian, a crime which may involve his old costumed buddies from the 1960s.

Ironically, for a story that is considered the pinnacle of super hero fiction, the book and film both succeed best at the smaller character moments. The first thirty minutes are sensational, as the murder of The Comedian gives way to a stunningly gorgeous title sequence (where the alternate time line is somewhat laid out in a montage set to Bob Dylan's 'Times They Are A Changing'). This then segues into introductory moments, where the heroes of old are introduced in one form or another. Focus shifts between the still operating Rorschach (a crazed homicidal imp of a man, completely unbending in his pessimistic ideology) and the long retired Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson, in a phenomenally subtle performance), who spends his days drinking with the original 1940s Nite Owl. For a good half hour, the film is a stunningly moving ode to regret, loneliness, and paths not taken, as our former heroes join together to bury one of their own, a man who cast a dark shadow over all of them.

But then, the film loses something. The human interaction and poignancy give way to cumbersome exposition and flashbacks. For nearly the entire remaining two hours, the film becomes episodic and disjointed, and the excitement dies. The production is handsome, the acting is exceptional, and the special effects are mostly effective. But, at the end of the day, Watchmen is not an exciting story. So, what came across as curious on the page often feels boring on the screen.

When the focus is on the friendship and eventual romance between Dan Dreiberg/The Nite Owl and Malin Ackerman's Sally Spector/The Silk Spectre II (she was forced into super heroism by her mother, who is played in a few wonderful scenes by Carla Gugino), the film works as a sad story of lost opportunity and unfulfilled potential. They are, alas, the only two characters who really are just regular human beings. Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) frequently monologues allegedly deep thoughts about the inconsequence of existence, all too often in the same monotone voice he uses in his 'Priceless' Visa commercials, but in the end he is more of a plot device. Rorschach (Jackie Lee Haley) only registers during the brief moments where he is unmasked, when we can see the hate and rage underneath the white rorschach blot mask (with the mask, he speaks in a growl that will remind viewers of Christian Bale's McGruff the Crime Bat). Matthew Goode, as the inexplicably optimistic Adrian Veidt (a former hero who quit and built a vast fortune selling his image) does what he can with a somewhat one-note role. Jeffrey Dean Morgan has too little time as The Comedian to register as anything other than a government-sanctioned mass murderer.

Perhaps the problem is that so much of the original novel's appeal was its relative freshness. The depiction of heroes as dysfunctional and possibly crazed was a breath of fresh air 1987. Watchmen was a deconstruction of the super hero stories of the 1940s and 1950s, with a skewered satirical dart aimed at the 'more serious' work coming down the pike in the 1970s. Its real world setting and real world problems, the idea that masked vigilantes may be ill-equipped to handle the world's biggest problems, was somewhat of a fresh idea in 1986. Now, this specific 'what would happen if people really put on a costume and fought crime' mythology isn't any more realistic than the regular super hero stories. In fact, the broadly colorful costumes, heavily stylized action violence, and epic, world-balancing narrative actually renders it almost campy in comparison to more intimate, real-world comic book entertainments like The Dark Knight. It's themes of super heroism as a form of emotional and sexual release have been co-opted in films like Unbreakable, and the very idea of dark, gritty, ultra-violent super hero stories have become so commonplace in the last twenty years that it's actually the status quo.

Watchmen was a story of its time, and it still works as an individual character study. But its themes and ideas are no longer ground breaking, and they may not be relevant anymore. Our current fears reside not in instant nuclear annihilation by a state power, but in slow death by environmental and economic collapse. Without going into details, the slightly altered ending makes the villain's ideology even less plausible, considering how we now know how mass populations react to um... certain events.

In the end, Zack Snyder does deserve credit for not making the material more cinematic than it naturally is. Yes, there is a little more violence, a touch more action, and plenty of stylized slow motion (too much, as the film feels like the 161 minutes that it is), but the story is still basically retired super heroes talking about their old days while trying to solve a solitary mystery. He is more or less faithful in incident, and completely faithful in tone and spirit (my fear that he would make the dour, depressing story more 'cool' is unfounded). Snyder has made a suitable companion piece to a ground breaking piece of literature. He has obtained fine performances from his cast, especially Patrick Wilson. And the technical merits of this picture absolutely demand big screen viewing. But, as a stand alone motion picture, it is not quite a success. It is plodding, occasionally boring, and it struggles for relevancy in a time where its admittedly intelligent and thought provoking ideas and themes have been stolen by better big screen entertainments. For better or worse, we now have a faithful live action motion picture of Watchmen.

Hot Italian Actress: Monica Bellucci

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Sexy Wallpapers of famous Bollywood Actress: Katrina Kaif

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New Bollywood Movie: Dev D movie reviews and critics

Film: Dev D (drama)

Release date: 06 Feb 2009

Cast: Abhay Deol, Mahi Gill, Kalki Koechlin

Direction: Anurag Kashyap

Duration: 2 hours 52 minutes

About: Dev.D is a 2009 Indian romantic drama film released on February 6, 2009. Written and directed by Anurag Kashyap, the film is a modern day take on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's classic Bengali novel Devdas. Dev.D was embraced by the media ,critics and public alike.Times of India had given it 5 stars.This film is considered to be a path breaking film depicting the youth of contemporary India.

THANK God for the mavericks, the non-conformists, the infidels, the les enfant terribles. They make things happen when kitsch becomes king; when creativity crumbles; when formula pervades, fungus-like. Imagine a world without rule breakers. And then imagine, like Anurag Kashyap: unbridled, unbounded, ungrounded....

Indeed, Dev D is one such flight of fancy from the filmmaker that definitely defies all conventions and demolishes all moulds. Not only does it rewrite the technique of the artistic medium, with its unusual cinematography, dizzy editing, non-linear plot narration, turn-of-the-century dialogues and breathtakingly bizarre audio track (music: Amit Trivedi, lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya), it completely revises the ancient text which has already made its mark in its various avtars , the latest being the high-pitched rendition of the self-destructive hero by Shah Rukh Khan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas.

Kashyap has always been a contrarian filmmaker, consciously steering away from traditional Bollywood with films like Black Friday, Paanch, No Smoking. However, while his earlier films were an innovative search for his groove and rhythm, Dev D is like that heady cocktail which has the vodka pitched perfectly with the tang. (Incidentally, Dev D likes his vodka with thumbs up, washed down in unlimited portions, morning, noon and night!) Set against the rich rural backdrop of Punjab and Paharganj (Delhi), the film traces the self-destructive sojourn of a young, contemporary hero who mirrors the existential angst of the proverbial outsider, made legendary in the writings of Satre, Camus, Kafka, Kerouac and the ballads of Kurt Cobain.

But Dev D (Abhay Deol), unlike Devdas, isn't a blast from the past. In his rootlessness, his lack of purpose and his complete disconnect with the real (read traditional) world, he reflects the mindset of the archetypal new millennium 20-something who doesn't know how to blend tradition with modernity, permissiveness with orthodoxy, Oxford with Bhatinda. And so, he asks his childhood sweetheart, Paro (Mahi Gill) to send him her nude photographs through e-mail, yet can't handle the quandary about her virginity and pronounced sexuality. In a fit of aggrieved machismo, he spurns her wild sexual adventurism which sees her cycling to the neighbouring fields at the break of dawn with a mattress meticulously rolled up on the carrier for a clandestine tryst with him. (Ever seen the bharatiya naari do this in Indian cinema? Bravo, brave new Bollywood!) Little does he realise that Paro isn't mere putty in his hand and is unwilling to subject herself to any kind of ‘emotional atyachar', in the name of love.

Having given vent to her anger and pain, she simply moves on while the already disconnected Dev becomes even more dysfunctional with his alcohol and drug addiction. He moves to a seedy hotel in Paharganj and ends up after a drunken stupour in young Chanda's (Kalki Koechlin) pink and purple boudoir. Once again, Kashyap reinterprets the self-sacrificing courtesan, Chandramukhi in completely post-modern terms. Here, she is Lenny, the schoolgirl who ends up as the sex worker, Chanda, after being disowned by family and friends because she featured in a lewd MMS, that sent the whole nation in a lustful tizzy. `And they call me a slut!' exclaims the feisty escort who attends college by day and plays Florence Nightingale in shorts by night.

The relationship between Dev and Chanda begins with hate, scorn and derision with the decadent Dev unleashing his chauvinism and me-centrism on the hooker. But when the haze of cocaine lifts, the heartburn begins, once again. After having stooped to unimaginable lows, our hero dreams of a second chance. Will he get it or is Devdas destined to waste away forever? The last we saw him was at a non-descript momo joint in the seedy by-lanes of Paharganj, waiting for nirvana. Of course, he's all by himself, since proud little Paro's moved on and survivor Chanda's too strong to play doormat, willing to give up her slutty ways, for love alone.

Dev D is indeed a coming-of-age film, not merely for the protagonist, Devender Singh Dhillon, but it is a brilliant breakthrough for Bollywood too. It really doesn't matter whether the film ends up as a box office scorcher. What matters is the fact that for the discerning viewer, Dev D is a tryst with milestone cinema, reminiscent of Baz Luhrmann's Shakespeare-shaken-and-stirred in Romeo and Juliet. Kashyap, however, gets even more adventurous and adds a progressive flourish to both the plot and the characters which are played to perfection by the three lead players. If Mahi and Kalki are riveting new finds, assured of a long innings in cinema, then Abhay Deol adds a whole new meaning to the term `Unconventional Hero'. Manorama Six Feet Under, Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye were just teasers. Dev D is the class act from the Deol who cleverly flew over the cuckoo's nest. Don't miss this film which completely reinvents the musical love story, with zany numbers like ‘emosanal atyachar', ‘saali khushi', ‘nayan tarse' and the rest. More importantly, it might just go down in history as one of the most radical Indian films, at least in its delineation of male and female sexuality.

Race to Witch Mountain 2009 Movie Reviews and Casting information

Theatrical Release: Mar 13, 2009 Wide

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Carla Gugino, Ciaran Hinds, Alexander Ludwig, Tom Everett Scott, Christopher Marquette, Cheech Marin, Garry Marshall

Director: Andy Fickman

Rated: PG for sequences of action and violence, frightening and dangerous situations, and some thematic elements.

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: Disney restarts their beloved Witch Mountain franchise with this family-friendly adventure. Dwayne Johnson (THE GAME PLAN) stars as a taxi driver who gets more than get bargained for when he picks... Disney restarts their beloved Witch Mountain franchise with this family-friendly adventure. Dwayne Johnson (THE GAME PLAN) stars as a taxi driver who gets more than get bargained for when he picks up two teen runaways (AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig). Not only does the pair possess supernatural powers, but they're also trying desperately to escape people who have made them their targets.

History: Race to Witch Mountain is an upcoming re-imagining of the original 1975 film Escape to Witch Mountain, using elements from the originating book of the same name. The film is directed by Andy Fickman and stars Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, and Carla Gugino. Filming began in Los Angeles in March 2008. Race to Witch Mountain is scheduled to be released on March 13, 2009.

Who is playing what role?...Lets find out:
# Dwayne Johnson as Jack Bruno, a Las Vegas cab driver. The director wrote in a cab driver as a main character because there was a unique relationship between the driver and his passengers. Fickman explained, "When Dwayne's driving and two aliens appear in his cab, he's stuck with them, there is an implied contract that I will get you to your destination, because that's what he does."

# AnnaSophia Robb as Sara, twin sister of Seth, a girl with paranormal powers. Fickman chose Robb based on her performance in Bridge to Terabithia (2007).

# Alexander Ludwig as Seth, twin brother of Sara, a boy with paranormal powers.

# Ciarán Hinds as Burke, the villain. Hinds described his character as a man in black, explaining, "I'm the head of the operation who's contacted directly by a man you never see...It is about protecting the country. He's responsible for it, and he'll do whatever needs to be done. That's how he sees it."

# Carla Gugino as Dr. Alex Friedman, a discredited astrophysicist. Fired from her university, she is relegated to giving a lecture at a UFO conference about hard science. Fickman cast Gugino into the role since he was a fan of the short-lived television series Threshold, in which the actress starred.

# Tom Everett Scott as Matheson.

# Garry Marshall as Dr. Donald Harlan, a government fringe scientist and UFO conspiracy theorist.

# Cheech Marin as Eddie.

# Chris Marquette as Pope.

# Kim Richards as Tina, a roadhouse waitress. Richards portrayed the girl, Tia Malone, in the 1975 film.

# Ike Eisenmann as Sheriff Antony. Eisenmann portrayed the boy, Tony Malone, in the 1975 film.

# William J. Birnes, the host of UFO Hunters, in a cameo.

# Whitley Strieber, author of Communion, in a cameo.

UK born Beautiful celebrity: Naomi Watts

Name : Naomi Watts
Birth Date : September 28, 1968
Birth Place : Shoreham, England, UK
Height : 5' 5
Nationality : British
Profession : Actress
Relationship : Heath Ledger (actor; born on April 4, 1979; split)
Best Known As : The star of The Ring

Naomi Watts detailed Biography:
Although she had been acting for more than 15 years, Naomi Watts finally had her big breakthrough role when she was tapped by David Lynch to portray an aspiring starlet in "Mulholland Drive" (2001) - the director's bizarre, darkly nightmarish vision of Los Angeles. Originally made as a pilot for a projected television series, the film found a second life when producer Alain Sarde and StudioCanal joined forces to provide funding for Lynch to re-imagine his vision as a feature film. After its premiere at Cannes, "Mulholland Drive" went on to confound or captivate critics and audiences, but nearly all were certain that Watts emerged as an actress of force and presence in such critical and/or commercial hits as "The Ring" (2002), "21 Grams" (2003) and "King Kong."

Born in England on Sept. 28, 1968, the young Watts suffered the trauma of losing her father when she was only seven years old. Four years later, she relocated to Australia with her mom and began to study acting. Eventually, she began going on auditions - it was at one where she would meet her best friend Nicole Kidman - and landed her first film role in "For Love Alone" (1986). Watts enjoyed her first substantial part alongside best pal Kidman in "Flirting" (1991), the John Duigan-directed sequel to "The Year My Voice Broke." Cast as a snobby schoolgirl, the teen actress made an impression and her career was born. Watts went on to co-star with Oscar-winner Brenda Fricker, Josephine Byrnes, Kym Wilson and a young Russell Crowe in the Australian miniseries "Brides of Christ" (1991). Duigan tapped her once again when he cast her in a supporting role in "Wide Sargasso Sea" (1992). Moving to the United States, Watts acted in her first Hollywood movie, the comedy "Matinee" (also 1992) in a bit role as an aspiring movie star. She enjoyed a cult hit as Jet Girl in the film adaptation of the comic book "Tank Girl" (1995) but box-office success and that seminal role which would catapult her to stardom still eluded her - even as she watched her longtime friend, Kidman, become a virtual international overnight A-lister after hooking herself to a star, namely Tom Cruise, in 1990.

Watts appeared in a string of TV productions of varying quality, from the "Hallmark Hall of Fame" drama "Timepiece" (CBS, 1995) to the failed 1997 NBC series "Sleepwalkers" to the above average miniseries "The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer" (CBS, 1999). Between small screen gigs, the actress was cast as the wife of a Venetian nobleman in "Dangerous Beauty/Destiny of Her Own" (1998) and as a fragile, morally upright young woman in "Strange Planet" (1999), Emma-Kate Croghan's ensemble film about a group of friends struggling to cope with modern life. Then came along a strange, brilliant man named David Lynch.

Watts was then cast in what was hoped would be her breakthrough, an ABC TV series called "Mulholland Drive," created by and directed by Lynch. Although the network passed on the quirky drama, Lynch was able to shoot additional material and create a strange, trippy picture that painted a dark picture of the dream factory of Hollywood. Indeed her dual role as perky wannabe Betty Elms and the cynical Diane Selwyn provided Watts with rich and complex material that she skillfully handled. If anyone had any doubts about her capabilities, one scene in particular clinched it: Betty auditions for a movie role and while the dialogue is trite, her reactions to her scene partner (Chad Everett) and her approach to the part allowed Watts to play many layers and moods at once. That astonishing scene alone made critics and audience take notice - to say nothing of the Sapphic love scenes between her and her fellow lovely newcomer, Laura Elena Harring.

Watts displayed a similar charisma in the Sundance-screened short "Ellie Parker" (2001), about an Australian actress trying to carve a career in L.A. Having to switch gears from auditioning for the role of a Southern belle, to trying out for the part of a street junkie, she displayed her amazing range and prodigious talent. Casting agents and directors began to take notice following this one-two punch and Watts found herself being offered choice roles. She starred as a frontier widow who harbors an outlaw in the Showtime original "The Outsider" (2002) and played a TV newswoman investigating a rash of elevator accidents in "Down" (2001).

After the rush of attention following "Mulholland Drive," Watts effectively kept herself in the public eye thanks to two high-profile relationships: one with her longtime friend Kidman, whose constant shows of support added luster to Watts' rising star; and a romantic relationship with up-and-coming heartthrob Heath Ledger, which captivated the paparazzi. But she continued to deliver the goods on-screen as well, delivering a strong, emotional performance in her first mainstream star vehicle, the haunted high-tech thriller "The Ring" (2002), playing an investigative journalist and single mom who discovers a cursed videotape. The Gore Verbinski-helmed film established her firmly as a bankable star and was such a hit, she returned to give an equally strong central performance in the otherwise less inspired 2005 sequel "The Ring 2."

Watts was equally good in the relaxed, sophisticated Merchant-Ivory production of Diane Johnson's bestselling novel, "Le Divorce" (2003), playing an aspiring American poetess in contemporary Paris who is abandoned by her husband, a French scoundrel who jilts her while she's pregnant. Once again Watts' enviable ability to conjure genuine, heart-rendering emotion served her well in the role. The actress successfully reinvented herself yet again in the brooding drama "21 Grams" (2003), playing a reformed party girl who slips back into her self-abusing ways after losing her family in a car accident. With that performance Watts found herself at the center of much critical acclaim and awards buzz, and earned her first Oscar nomination as Best Actress.

Watts' immediate post-Oscar entries included the little-seen, long-delayed Aussie crime drama about legendary bank robber "Ned Kelly" (2004), which paired her to surprisingly little effect with Ledger; and the unremarkable indie drama "We Don't Live Here Anymore" (2004), in which she played one of two academic, suburban couples who self-destructively enter into extramarital affairs with their neighbors' spouses. She then assumed a role that Kidman could not fit into her schedule - and one that Gwyneth Paltrow had already vacated - when she appeared in writer-director David O. Russell's fourth feature, "I [Heart] Huckabees" (2004), an "existential comedy" exploring the spiritual lives of a group of people involved with a department store called Huckabees. Watts played Dawn, the store's lovely spokesmodel, who is ultimately pushed to the breaking point by the complications spinning out of her sheer physical beauty. She followed up with a brief supporting turn in "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" (2004) as the long-suffering waitress ex-wife of a man (Sean Penn) slowly descending into a madness that will lead to an attempted attack on the White House.

Less satisfying was "Stay" (2005), director Marc Forster's ambitious but murky psychological thriller as the girlfriend of a shrink (Ewan McGregor) whose suicidal patient somehow begins invading his dreams and blurring the lines of their realities and individualities, including their relationship. Her next film, "Ellie Parker" (2005), was an intriguing experimental curiosity: in 2001 writer-director Steve Coffey shot Watts with a handheld digital video camera for a 16-minute short, which cast the actress as a young actress trying to protect and nurture her talent in heartless Hollywood. Over the ensuring years Watts and Coffey would reunite whenever they could find a free day together and add new sequences to Ellie's story, until he finally had a full film for release in 2005. Watts then took on a project of much bigger proportions, cast in the iconic Fay Wray role of Ann Darrow for director Peter Jackson's long-dreamt-of, much anticipated remake of "King Kong."

While "King Kong" provided Watts with even wider exposure than she had before, the thankless role of damsel in distress ultimately proved to be limiting. She returned to smaller budgets with "The Painted Veil" (2006), a romantic drama about a young English couple (Watts and Edward Norton) married for the wrong reasons who relocate to Shanghai, where she falls in love with another man (Liev Schreiber - later to become her real-life boyfriend post-Ledger and fiancé in April 2006). In "Eastern Promises" (2007), Watts played a London midwife who delves into the past of a Russian prostitute after she dies during childbirth, only to stumble into a Russian police operation trying to expose a major Eastern mafia prostitution ring.

Naomi Watts Photo Gallery

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