Now, I didn’t see Lars Von Trier’s 2009 Antichrist, and to be honest, I am not sure I want to! I would like to see his latest film Melancholia, however. Although it doesn’t appear to be about a more cheerful subject (the end of the world, depression etc.), reviews have raved about Kirsten Dunst’s performance as a manic depressive bride. They have also praised Charlotte’s Gainsbourg’s performance as the bride’s sister.
The film did well at Cannes, despite the furore over Lars Von Trier’s unsettling comments about Hitler, and so everything points to a film worth seeing. It may not be a comforting chick-flick or a rom-com to laugh along to, but it’s probably one of the films to go and see this autumn.
Roman Polanski has finally been able to collect his lifetime achievement award from the Zurich film festival – two years after it was awarded.
He was on his way to the event in 2009 when he was arrested at Zurich airport and placed under house arrest in Switzerland, as the US tried to get him extradited to face charges of unlawful sex with a thirteen year old girl in 1977.
Switzerland eventually refused to comply with the extradition request, and Polanski was released, although his movements are still limited. He is still wanted in the US, having fled to France after pleading guilty to a lesser charge. He can only now travel to countries that do not hold extradition agreements with the States.
There was a huge outcry from some of the most prominent members of the cinematic community at the time of his arrest.
Having missed the first screening of BBC 4’s Danish crime series The Killing, as well as the American version that was aired on Channel 4, I actually got round to watching the first series when it was repeated recently. I was hooked from the first episode, and for a month, Sunday to Thursday evenings revolved around being ready to watch the latest instalment, which is sad, but true.
So, I am glad to hear that the BBC has already bought the second series and is due to show it in November. While I feel slightly disappointed knowing that Lund’s sidekick Meyer will not feature, as well as other prominent characters from the first story, I am waiting for the new story line with anticipation. I am sure it will make for some great, dark entertainment as the winter nights draw in.
Pedro Almodovar’s latest offering sees the return of some familiar themes for the Spanish director, in this portrayal of a Spanish plastic surgeon.
The surgeon, played by Antonio Banderas, has developed a new type of skin that could be used to help burns victims recover from terrible injury and disfigurement. He appears to be experimenting in secret on a mysterious young woman he keeps captive in his home.
As the plot unfolds, we are asked to question constructions of identity and the self, and examine the relationship between captor and captive. Science, too, plays an important role, and raises questions about ethical boundaries and transgression, as the surgeon takes the role of god in his captive’s life.
This is a dark and macabre thriller that is beautifully filmed and definitely worth a watch.
For today’s celeb, looking good is incredibly important no matter what the occasion. Even if you’re just popping out for a pint of milk, you need to be looking at least reasonably presentable in your designer tracksuit.
It’s hard to look like a superstar though when you haven’t got a celebrity bank balance, which is why you’re going to just love Bingo Hollywood this month. The site is giving away a fabulous shopping spree worth £500, and the lucky winner will also get their own personal shopper to boss around!
Here’s how to enter the competition and snag that shopping spree…
Firstly, sign up at Bingo Hollywood as a new player if you haven’t done so already. Next, make sure you login to your Bingo Hollywood account between 8pm and 11pm every night this month to play online bingo games and earn points for scoring full house wins.
The top three players with the most points at the end of each night’s session will be entered into the big prize draw, which will be held on 1st July 2011. The winner will received £500 in Westfield/Selfridges shopping vouchers to spend on some top celeb fashion!
Find out more at www.ohmybingo.com!
Hollywood is incredibly contradictory in the way it operates. There’s no doubt that Hollywood studios use sex and sexuality as a way of selling movies and yet they are also among the most prudish institutions in the world.
Hollywood’s sex hypocrisy is really unfortunate because it prevents it from achieving any sense of realism or any faithful depictions of sex and relationships. Britain, Spain, France, Germany and South America have much better records in this regard.
America’s approach to sex is out-dated, prudish, shallow, repressed and dilute – despite its best efforts at filling many of its lower quality productions with cheap efforts at titillation. Good films about sex just don’t come out of the US and good depictions of sex are never found in American films.
Hollywood is effectively the kinetic equivalent of Nuts magazine or The Sun’s Page 3. It has its place in the sexual arena, but if you’re looking for depth then the English-speaking world of film simply isn’t the place to find it.
The ever popular radio show, starring Ricky Gervais, Steve Merchant and Karl Pilkington, has now been televised, but, surprisingly, in an animated style. Screening on channel four, the Gervais show is an identical repeat of the recording on the radio.
The show is animated in a ‘dopey style’, in which the characters are given very cartoonish expressions, especially Pilkington’s character, who is known for his unsavoury, but funny views. The Gervais show is supposedly a show of topics which are meant to follow with serious discussion, but due to Pilkington’s rather outward views on topics, is instead a hilarious mix of banter instead.
Demi Kutcher, wife to Ashto Kutcher, had a confrontation with Kim Kardashian on twitter. Kutcher, previously Moore, took offence when Kardashian referred to a night out as ‘pimpin’. Kutcher is a big fan of women’s rights, and believes that pimping is slavery.
A pimp sells his prostitute on the streets, and the prostitute belongs to the pimp. There was a mix up, however, as Kardashian explains that she was referring to hiphop artist Jay-Z’s hit single ‘Big Pimpin’. Kardashian had hit a nightclub with Kelly Rowland, amongst other celebrities and stated she supported Kutcher’s view, even though there was a misunderstanding.
Ashton Kutcher, the ‘Butterfly Effect’ star and creator of television prank show ‘Punk’d’, has described his wife, Demi Moore, as a ‘genetic freak’, although he means this in a good way. Moore, ex wife of Bruce Willis, has three kids with the ‘Pulp Ficton’ actor, which doesn’t bother Kutcher.
He stated that the are currently enjoying life, and they even have kids as they speak. The media is dubious, as, even though Moore looks younger than she is, the point still remains that she is forty-seven. Kutcher is renowned for his television show where he sets up celebrities in the worst scenarios ever.
Recent vampire films, the Twilight Saga have hit the nation with a great success. When some of the cast turned out onto Opra, the US hit television host, many tuned in to see if the two were dating. The audience got more than they bargained for. Robert Pattinson who plays Edward in Twilight, revealed that his counterpart, Kristen, was pregnant, although he didn’t reveal if the two were dating.
Kristen was very shy when presenting with her Twilight group, and had to be encouraged by Oprah to take more of a part in the discussion, though this happened as the conversations continued.