Year: 2016

Happy Birthday: Thomas Kretschmann

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thomaskretschman.jpgThomas Kretschmann

Born: September 8, 1962 in Dessau, German Democratic Republic [now Saxony-Anhalt, Federal Republic of Germany]

[on his title role in Eichmann (2007)] I was born long after the war but I still carry this collective guilt around. It’s not as much fun for a German to play a part like this than it would be for, say, Ralph Fiennes. It’s a very juicy part, but I couldn’t get myself excited to go and play Eichmann. Strangely, I have lots of Jewish friends in LA. My wife is Jewish. They were all excited that I play him, so I wanted to do it for them.

CARS 2
dir. John Lasseter
Brad Lewis
Stars:
Owen Wilson		 The Pianist
2002
dir. Polanski
starring
v Brody
YOUNG VICTORIAYoung Victoria
2010
dir. Jean-Marc Vallée
Cast
Blunt
Rupert Friend		 KING KONG Movie PosterKing Kong
2005
dir. Peter Jackson
Starring
Jack Black
Naomi Watts
Brody
BLADE IIBlade II
2002
dir. del Toro
Starring
Wesley Snipes
Ron Pearlman		 ValkyrieValkyrie
dir. Bryan Singer
Also Starring
Kenneth Branagh
Tom Wilkinson
WantedWanted
Directed by Timur Bekmambetov
Starring
James McAvoy
Freeman
Angelina Jolie		 U-571
2000
dir. Jonathan Mostow
starring
Matthew McConaughey
Bill Paxton
Kietel
moviesTHE BIG BANG
2011
dir. Tony Krantz
Stars:
Antonio Banderas
Thomas Kretschmann
Next
2007
dir. Lee Tamahori
Starring
Nicolas Cage
Julianne Moore		 MOVIE POSTERRESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPSE
2004
dir. Alexander Witt
Starring:
Milla Jovovich
Sienna Guillory

 

Happy Birthday: Peter Sellers (1925–1980)

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petersellersPeter Sellers (1925–1980)

Born: September 8, 1925 in Southsea, Hampshire, England, UK

Died: July 24, 1980 (age 54) in Lambeth, London, England, UK

Married to: Lynne Frederick (18 February 1977 – 24 July 1980) (his death)
Miranda Elizabeth Louise Quarry (24 August 1970 – 27 September 1974) (divorced)
Britt Ekland (19 February 1964 – 18 December 1968) (divorced) (1 child)
Anne Howe (15 September 1951 – 7 March 1963) (divorced) (2 children)

DR STRANGELOVEDr. Strangelove
1964
dir. Stanley Kubrick
starring
Peter Sellers
Scott

Happy Birthday: David Arquette

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davidarquette.jpgDavid Arquette

Born: September 8, 1971 in Winchester, Virginia, USA

Married to:
Christina McLarty (12 April 2015 – present) (1 child)
Courteney Cox (12 June 1999 – 28 May 2013) (divorced) (1 child)

I can relate more to people at a horror convention than I can to most Hollywood executives. They’re more passionate.

The Tripper
2006
dir. David Arquette
Starring:
Jaime King
Lukas Haas		 ScreamScream
1996
dir. Craven
starring
Neve Campbell
Courteney Cox
SCREAM 2 MOVIE POSTERScream 2
1997
dir. Craven
Starring
Neve Campbell
Courteney Cox
David Arquette
Scream 3
2000
dir. Craven
starring
Neve Campbell
Courteney Cox
David Arquette
BEAUTIFUL GIRLS
1996
dir. Ted Demme
Stars:
Timothy Hutton
Matt Dillon

 

Happy Birthday: Jonathan Taylor Thomas

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jonathantaylorthomas.jpgJonathan Taylor Thomas

Born: September 8, 1981 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA

“It [rumors of his homosexuality] was just a blatant lie put on the Internet, and then it was just a feeding frenzy… And I’m sure it was validated by my recent roles. What startled me was how willingly people accepted it.” Interview with The Advocate, February 1, 2000.

The whole thing started on this Web site called Cyber Sleaze, which should probably tell you something. My agent called me and said, ‘There’s this stuff going around.’ I got phone calls from my friends saying, ‘What are you going to do about this?’ It was just a blatant lie put on the Internet, and then it was just like a feeding frenzy. And I’m sure it was validated by my recent roles.

Happy Birthday: Martin Freeman

festreviews Happy Birthday , ,

martinfreeman.jpgMartin Freeman

Born: September 8, 1971 in Aldershot, Hampshire, England, UK

I don’t think it was a surprise that I ended up as an actor, and it was anything but a disappointment. My parents gave me the knowledge that reading isn’t a bad thing, and admitting to liking a painting doesn’t make you an arse-bandit. And that wouldn’t have been a problem either.

Nativity!
dir. Debbie Isitt
Cast
Martin Freeman
Pam Ferris		 MOVIE POSTERWHAT’S YOUR NUMBER?
dir. Mark Mylod
Stars:
Anna Faris
Chris Pratt
HOT FUZZHot Fuzz
2007
dir. Wright
Starring
Simon Pegg
Martin Freeman
SHAUN OF THE DEADShaun of the Dead
2004
dir. Wright
Starring
Simon Pegg
Nick Frost		 CONFETTI
2006
dir. Debbie Isitt
Cast
Martin Freeman
Jessica Hynes
Love ActuallyLove Actually
2003
dir. Richard Curtis
starring
Hugh Grant
Bill Nighy		 MOVIE POSTERTHE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS
dir. Peter Lord
Jeff Newitt
Stars:
Hugh Grant
Salma Hayek
MOVIE POSTERTHE HOBBIT: The Desolation of Smaug
2013
dir. Peter Jackson		 MOVIE POSTERTHE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
dir. Peter Jackson
Stars:
Martin Freeman
Ian McKellen
MOVIE POSTERBREAKING AND ENTERING
2006
dir. Anthony Minghella
Stars:
Jude Law
Robin Wright		 MOVIE POSTERTHE WORLD’S END
2013
dir. Edgar Wright
Stars:
Simon Pegg
Nick Frost

 

TIFF 2016 Movie Review: INTERCHANGE (Malaysia/Indonesia 2016) ***

festreviews 2016 movies, movie, Movie Review, TIFF 2016 Movie Reviews, Uncategorized , , , , , ,

Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2016. Go to TIFF 2016 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.

interchange_poster.jpgINTERCHANGE (Malaysia/Indonesia 2016) ***
Directed by Dain Iskandar Said

Starring: Prisia Nasution, Iedil Putra, Shaheizy Sam

Review by Gilbert Seah

Writer/director Dain Iskandar Said’s ambitious supernatural crime thriller takes a bit too much than it can chew though it is beautifully shot with a good mix of old-fashioned special effects and magic for good measure.

Shot in both English and Malay with the characters often switching languages within a conversation as is in the case the way Malaysians speak, the film offers a close look at the local customs and folklore as well as the shops and housings in and around Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. The supernatural is taken back to Borneo the huge Malaysian island where much is still uninhabited.

The film deals with a forensic photographer Adam (Iedil Putra) who has become a recluse. But another murder with eerie resemblances to that one has just taken place, and Detective Man (Shaheizy Sam) thinks that Adam may unwittingly have access to some answers. Photographs were found at the new crime scene, images in which Adam’s neighbour, Iva (Prisia Nasution), appears — but the pictures seem to have been taken many years before Iva was even born. There is a romance tied in with the rituals.

INTERCHANGE is a bit confusing in the way the story unfolds, and the tie in between bird and longevity is not that credible, but Said tries very hard in his movie and his effort shows.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ81AnCPqJM

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TIFF 2016 Movie Review: GAZA SURF CLUB (Germany 2016) ***

festreviews 2016 movies, movie, Movie Review, TIFF 2016 Movie Reviews, Uncategorized , , , , , ,

Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2016. Go to TIFF 2016 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.

gaza_surf_club_poster.jpgGAZA SURF CLUB (Germany 2016) ***
Directed by Philip Gnadt and Mickey Yamine

Writers: Michael Dupke, Philip Gnadt

Review by Gilbert Seah

The film begins with the map showing the Gaza Strip between Israel and Egypt bordered by the Mediterranean Sea and then goes on to show a beach with waves that is surrounded by dilapidated buildings.

It is clear that the Jewish Arab conflict, a staple in Israeli and Palestinian films is an issue affecting the characters in this documentary as well. The main characters here are the youth who have a passion for the sport of surfing – something that is unimagined for the Arab people.

Two youngsters that the film concentrate on are 23-year old Ibrahim and 15-year old Sabah. Ibrahim dreams of owning his own surfboard shop while Sabah dreams of being able to swim and surf – something girls are not allowed to do, as it is deemed shameful in the culture.

The documentary sails along smoothly revealing the troubles facing the youth in materializing their goals for surfing. The cinematography of the surfing scenes is magnificent.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qonly9By1aQ

Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.

Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month: http://www.wildsoundfestival.com

TIFF 2016 Movie Review: MOONLIGHT (USA 2016) ***

festreviews 2016 movies, movie, TIFF 2016 Movie Reviews , , , , ,

Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2016. Go to TIFF 2016 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.

moonlight_poster.jpg
MOONLIGHT (USA 2016) ***
Directed by Barry Jenkins

Starring: Mahershala Ali, Shariff Earp, Duan’Sandy’ Sanderson

Review by Gilbert Seah

MOONLIGHT is Barry Jenkins’ second feature after MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY. It is s very strange feature, very originally told (in three parts; each part titled by each of the three names the protagonist is given) of the life of Little or Chiron or Black from childhood to adulthood.

His real name is Chiron, but is called Little in school due to his small stature. Little is ‘adopted’ by a local thug and his girlfriend when he is not living with his drug addicted mother. Bullied and beaten up frequently,

Little cannot take it anymore and is arrested after he finally breaks a chair over his bully right in the middle of a class. He grows up to be a big muscled guy and meets back with his school buddy who gave him the nickname of Black. Kevin and Black had a gay sex encounter which Black can never forget. Jenkins’ film feels like it is all over the place though it is obvious he is leading his audience somewhere.

Though slow moving at times, Jenkins film is never boring and a compelling watch for start to end when the audience finally figures out the purpose of MOONLIGHT.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fYFIj16YC0

Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.

Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month: http://www.wildsoundfestival.com