(Step Up) 3 Is A Charm

The Verdict: 
GO SEE!


REVIEW:

Since Step Up 3D, the first dance movie of the year, opened over the weekend, I've already seen it twice.

Yes, it is that wow!

And the fact that it is presented in Real D 3D (my first 3D film so I was stunned in my seat for a good while) makes it twice wow!

The third in the Step Up Breakdancing/Hip-Hop dance movie trilogy (So far. I'm really hoping for a next film!) is the most exhilarating hands down.

I liked Step Up (2006), loved Step Up 2: The Streets (2008) but I am in love with Step Up 3D.

If you thought the Step Up 2 last battle scene in the rain was something else---

(if you don't believe me or didn't see part 2 watch this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv-cQrD4MS0 )

wait until you see the battle scene in water in this part. It contains the baddest (in a good way) dance choreography I've seen in awhile--- in movies and real life.

And the final dance battle? There's all these glowing, colorful lights that are on the dancers costumes that light up as the dancers dance. It's beyond incredible.

Step Up 3D (Jon Chu, Step Up 2: The Streets) follows BFAB (Born From A Boombox--- slang for very talented or pro dancers) dancers Luke (Rick Malambri, model turned actor), a breakdancer but more a film maker, Natalie (Sharni Vinson, T.V. actress turned movie actress) a dancer with a secret and Luke's love interest and Robert Alexander III but simply, Moose (Adam Sevani, Step Up 2: The Streets), the lovable, geeky but cool at the same time, Hip-Hop extraordinaire dancer.

Some of the dancers from Step Up 2 make an appearance towards the end of the film which is cool.

The plot is nothing to get excited about (but that's almost always the case with dance films)--- there's a love story (two actually, besides Luke and Natalie, Moose and Camille evolve into more than friends slowly) and of course a rivalry between two dance groups (The Pirates and House of Samurai in this Step Up installment)--- but who cares?

The most important thing in a dance movie is the dancing.

And Step Up 3D delivers big time on the dancing.

Besides the obvious breakdancing, there's a cute Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers-esque dance scene between Moose and his brainy best friend Camille (Alyson Stoner, Step Up)--- Tyler Gage's (Channing Tatum, Step Up, Fighting) baby sister from Step Up. Also, a seductive tango dance scene between Luke and Natalie.

Fans of legendary dancers Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson will surely love the scene where Moose does dead on impersonations of Presley and Jackson (the beginning of Step Up 3D is reminiscent of his This Is It as Luke's dancers The Pirates, are videotaped talking about why they dance. Ironically too, he is one of the dancer's reasons) and gives a spine-tingling little speech how dance can affect people and generations.

If you're dance fan, especially Breakdance and Hip-Hop, I don't think I need to tell you, but dance your way down to the theatres and see Step Up 3D.

You're in for an eye popping (literally!) foot stomping good time!

~Trailer:

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810088499/trailer

*The Stars:

Rick Malambri, Adam Sevani, Sharni Vinson, Alyson Stoner

~Director:

Jon Chu

~Music:

Bear McCreary

~Rating:

PG-13

~How Long:

1 hr. 37 mins.

~Opening:

8/6/2010

FUN FACTS:

~9 finalists from the T.V. dance show "So You Think You Can Dance" earned roles in this film.

* http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2010-08-06-stepup06_VA_N.htm

Ladies of the European athletics championship

The 2010 European Athletics Championships wrapped up last weekend. It was fun watching the sports, and in doing so some of the ladies competing caught our eye, too. As I've maintained before, watching athletes who are good at what they do is a form of pornography in itself, so when they're good-looking as well as proficient, it's twice as good.

We'll start with an improbable creature: a good-looking hammer thrower.

For those of you not up on your track and field, hammer throwers are usually gargantuan, barrel-shaped, sexless things. Not Italy's Silvia Salis:

Not only is she cute, but she's not half bad either. She finished seventh in the Euro champs this past weekend, with a result of 68.85m. Her personal record is 71.77m. We're fans!

**

To take a purely pornographic line for a moment, I have to admit I do find athletic bodies absolutely beautiful. Based on the past weekend, I might have to admit I have a thing for Eastern European track. Here's the Ukraine's Yelizaveta Bryzhina to kick things off:

She won a silver medal in the 200 meters with a time of 22.44, behind France's Myriam Soumare.

Russia's lovely Mariya Savinova conquered the 800m race:

And her countrywoman, Anna Alminova, competed in the 1500m:

**

One of my favorite sports to watch is the pole vault, even though the fantastic Yelena Isinbayeva is taking the year off. Her predecessor as women's record setter, Svetlana Feofanova, predictably took the gold at Barcelona, but Silke Spiegelburg put in a good performance to win the silver medal.

She is the Emma Watson of the pole vault.

Finishing a very respectable third was the young Lisa Ryzih, Russian-born but representing Germany. Those of you who watch the women's pole vault probably remember that Isinbayeva has a habit of talking to her pole. Ryzih does a similar thing. When she was trying to gear up for her last shot at 475, she harangued not only the pole but the crowd and probably the whole world. Her preparation was a sight.

Sadly, she didn't make the 475, but she'd already broken her personal record by clearing 465cm, and took home a bronze medal. Well done! At some point, she apparently also found time to pose for a German magazine:

That's right: when you want Lady Gaga and pole vaulting, you come to this blog.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the Czech Republic's Jiřina Ptáčníková, who finished a respectable fifth and looked damn good doing it.

**

Now that I mentioned Lisa Ryzih's harangues at the world, it's only fair I also note German high jump bronze medalist Ariane Friedrich, who also psychs herself up quite impressively.

Hey, she's cute, too.

**

I've just looked over this blog post, and I like it. However, as lovely as the preceding ladies are, when it comes to combining sporting excellence with being gorgeous, there can be only one.

The beautiful Jessica Ennis is a world champion heptathlete, and she just won the gold medal at Barcelona as well.

I have a huge amount of respect for all multi-event athletes. In my opinion, it's much easier to optimize for a single event than for seven. So the way I see it, what she does is awesome, and she looks great. Therefore, Jessica Ennis is the queen of Barcelona.

Explain to me again why I shouldn't like sports.

Vintage dress

dumped

Vintage Coat and Vintage floor length night gown.

Titanic 2

When I first read the news of a Titanic 2, I instantly became excited. Titanic is one of my all time favorite films, as well as one of the most epic films ever made I believe (along with most critics and fans). After over 10 years since it was released, a sequel seems due.
But when I didn't see Titanic's director James Cameron's name anywhere or even Leonardo DiCaprio's (though it would be impossible for him to be in a Titanic 2, since he died in Titanic. But hey, a girl can still dream!)--- I quickly became disappointed.
I was expecting maybe Michael Bay (blockbuster director/producer, Transformers, Armageddon) as the director or producer, but only saw an unknown one.
Not necessarily a bad thing, but when the actors are unfamiliar too, that's definitely not a good sign.
The only actor I recognize in the trailer (which looks like a TV movie) is Bruce Davison (who is most known as his mutant hater role, Senator Kelly from The X-Men series) as the captain.
Not a good sign.
Titanic 2 goes straight to DVD (thankfully!) August 24th, which is a good thing.
If this would have made it into theatres, I can't imagine the bad reception it would receive.
After the massive sucess of Cameron's Titanic, anything less is a waste.
I will eventually buy the DVD just because I'm curious about it.
The plot is interesting at least--- a new ship, Titanic 2, in 2012, is set to make the same voyage Titanic made 100 years ago. Can you guess what happens next?
At least the storyline doesn't try to pick up where Cameron's classic, beautiful 1997 Titanic left off.
Now that would have been a disaster!

*Trailer:

http://worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=18468&count=33

Little green footballs

Here's an almost-year-old but fascinating New York Times article I ran into, on the Little Green Footballs blog. I'm paraphrasing heavily, but basically he started out as one of these "anti-jihadist" lunatics, but at some point realized, as he put it in 2009 to the Washington Independent, that:

“I don’t think there is an anti-jihadist movement anymore,” Johnson said. “It’s all a bunch of kooks. I’ve watched some people who I thought were reputable, and who I trusted, hook up with racists and Nazis. I see a lot of them promoting stories and causes that I think are completely nuts.”

So, why do I post a link to this now? Some of you might guess.

Last week, Finland's premier racist web forum was shut down for the night (HS). Conflict and controversy erupted, because Finnish racists are mobilizing themselves into a political party for the next parliamentary elections, with the solidly unimaginative title of "Change 2011". The founder of "Change 2011" decided to quit the web forum and the whole party (HS), in part because he found out that - shockingly - the party founded on rampant islamophobia and racism is full of crazy racists.

I wonder what he thought these people were on about when they posted their racist rants online and went on to form a web forum seemingly dedicated to bringing together Finnish racists? I mean, what did he think their political line was going to be? What puzzles me about both of the above examples is really just that. What kind of people did they think they were going to be associating with?

I have to admit it is somewhat fun watching this "movement" implode.

Shining Cloud

The Verdict:
GO SEE!


REVIEW:
Just by the title, Charlie St. Cloud (the St. Cloud particularly), you don't have to guess there's something magical about this film.

After seeing the trailer, you definitely know there is.

Talented young sailor Charlie St. Cloud (Zac Efron, High School Musical series, 17 Again) can somehow see and speak to the ghost of his deceased little brother Sam (adorable yet sometimes annoying (in the pestering kid brother way), Charlie Tahan, I Am Legend).

One night, Charlie tries to sneak out to a party instead of babysitting Sam but Sam convinces Charlie to take him along. On the way, they are involved in a car accident and Sam dies while Charlie almost dies but is brought back to life.

Of course Charlie blames himself and instead of going off to college with a sailing scholarship he earned, he stays in town and takes a job at the cemetary where his brother is buried.

The film fast forwards 5 years later after the accident where Charlie regularly talks to and plays baseball with Sam (before the accident he promised Sam everyday at sunset they would practice baseball). Charlie not only sees his brother, but also a high school classmate who was killed while serving in the military.

Charlie slowly starts to notice and begins to fall for an ex-classmate, Tess (Amanda Crew, Final Destination 3, The Haunting in Connecticut), a headstrong sailor who plans to sail around the world.

Charlie becomes torn between keeping his promise to Sam as he struggles to let go of the past, and starting a relationship with Tess who has fallen for him.

St. Cloud is a tragic love story on one hand, with Charlie not being able to let go of his brother. But a sweet love story on the other hand, as he and Tess fall in love with each other.

The film is filled with a surprising twist mid-way (think a less creepy Sixth Sense) that I didn't see coming at all.

It is visually great look to it (there's some really beautiful ocean shots especially), making the fictitious seaside town seem like a picture perfect place to live and one you easily can get lost in.

Efron is wonderful, real and so likable as Charlie. His career has the potential to sky rocket and hopefully it will.

Kim Basinger (9 1/2 Weeks, Batman) makes an appearance as the St. Cloud boy's hard working mother. Her role is tiny but it was a treat seeing her as always.

Ray Liotta (Goodfellas, Wild Hogs) unexpectedly pops up as Florio Ferrente, the paramedic who resisitates Charlie and gives him words of wisdom on living life that eventually wake Charlie up from the frozen state he's in.

Charlie St. Cloud is a lovely little film. It starts off with tragedy but by the ending, there's a lightness to it.

St. Cloud shines.

~Trailer:

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810097537/trailer

*The Stars:

Zac Efron, Charlie Tahan, Amanda Crew, Ray Liotta, Kim Basinger

~Director:

Burr Steers

~Music:

Rolfe Kent

~Rating:

PG-13

~How Long:

1 hr. 49 mins.

~Opening:

7/30/10

FUN FACTS:

~The film is based upon the 2004 novel: The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud, by Ben Sherwood.