Posts Tagged ‘Brad Pitt’

“Life isn’t measured in minutes, but in moments.” This tagline to “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” may sound corny, but David Fincher’s movie encapsulates this message in a stunningly visual, beautifully told story.

Based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of “The Great Gatsby,” it’s a romantic fantasy about a man who ages in reverse (Brad Pitt). “My name is Benjamin Button, and I was born under unusual circumstances,” Pitt narrates. “While everyone was agin,’ I was getting’ younger… all alone.”

Indeed he did. He was born a wrinkled baby with the characteristics of an 80-year-old, almost blind with cataracts and suffering from arthritis. Benjamin’s mother died giving birth and his revolted father abandoned the homely baby on the steps of a nursing home. Luckily for Benjamin, the sweet, church-going Queenie (Taraji P. Henson), a worker in the nursing home, loved him and raised him as her child.

We watch Benjamin as he ages in reverse, his face slowly smoothing and his back getting straighter as he goes from a wheelchair to a cane to his own two strong legs. The story takes us from New Orleans at the end of World War I into the 21st century and is full of secondary and somewhat trite characters as Benjamin’s life unfolds; but, the most meaningful character we meet is Daisy (Cate Blanchett).

They meet when Daisy is a young child (Elle Fanning) and Benjamin, who is actually just six years her senior, appears as a man in his 60s or 70s; but, they manage to make a connection.

The story is adequately framed by alternating between Benjamin’s life and Daisy’s daughter, Caroline, (Julia Ormond) who is reading aloud his diary to her dying mother in the hospital. This framing device could have been corny and too reminiscent of other movies; but, Fincher keeps it dynamic with scenes that are wrought with tension as a horrific hurricane is about to hit the New Orleans hospital.

We feel something strong and powerful is coming that can’t be stopped, which is exactly what the film is about: time cannot be stopped and you can’t stop events from happening. 

This message is repeatedly told in interesting and vivid metaphors, such as the nursing home resident who continually informs Benjamin that he was hit by lightning seven times just by doing simple things like walking his dog or driving a car.

The most emotional story that demonstrates this message, however, is the heartbreaking love story between Daisy and Benjamin. As we watch Daisy grow into a wrinkled old woman and Benjamin turn into a little boy, it shows that the timing in life is everything. The digital effects and make-up that allow the characters to age (and de-age in Pitt’s case) are absolutely stunning, as well as the whole film’s beautiful cinematography. I only wish their romance was developed a little more to better understand how and why they felt so connected.

Nevertheless, Pitt and Blanchett give emotional, stirring performances in a film that shows us how precious life is because it can’t be stopped. Yet, while we can never stay the same, it reminds us that we can accept the changes in order to reinvent our lives.  

The Hollywood Foreign Press recently announced the nominees for this year’s Golden Globes airing on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 8 p.m. on NBC. This year’s Golden Globes has special significance because last year the winners were announced during a lackluster press conference due to the writer’s strike. 

Usually, the Golden Globe nominations and winners are a good indicator of who and what will be nominated for the Academy Awards. So if you haven’t seen these movies or TV shows yet, now is your time to start checking them out.

MOTION PICTURES

Drama

Best picture

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Frost/Nixon”

“The Reader”

“Revolutionary Road”

“Slumdog Millionaire”

Positively fact: Kate Winslet has two chances to be in a Best Picture winner. She stars in “The Reader” and “Revolutionary Road” where she is reunited with “Titanic” costar, Leonardo DiCaprio.

Best actress

Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”

Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”

Meryl Streep, “Doubt”

Kristin Scott Thomas, “I’ve Loved You So Long”

Kate Winslet, “Revolutionary Road”

Positively fact: While all the other actresses are previous nominees, this is Hathaway’s first Golden Globe nomination.

Best actor

Leonardo DiCaprio, “Revolutionary Road”

Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”

Sean Penn, “Milk”

Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

Positively fact: This is Rourke’s first Golden Globe nomination, and Langella’s first nomination since 1970’s “Diary of a Mad Housewife.”

Comedy or musical

Best picture

“Burn After Reading”

“Happy-Go-Lucky”

“In Bruges”

“Mamma Mia!”

“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Positively fact: You may not have heard of some of these comedies. “Happy-Go-Lucky” came out in April and is about a woman who’s optimism has a less than cheerful effect on others. “In Bruges” was released in February and stars Colin Farrell as a hitman in Belgium.

Best actress

Rebecca Hall, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky”

Frances McDormand, “Burn After Reading”

Meryl Streep, “Mamma Mia!”

Emma Thompson, “Last Chance Harvey”

Positively fact (s): This is the first Golden Globe nomination for Hall and Hawkins. Also, McDormand is married to Joel Coen, one of the directors of “Burn After Reading.”

Best actor

Javier Bardem, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Colin Farrell, “In Bruges”

James Franco, “Pineapple Express”

Brendan Gleeson, “In Bruges”

Dustin Hoffman, “Last Chance Harvey”

Positively fact: Bardem won at last year’s Golden Globes for best actor in a drama for his performance in “No Country for Old Men.”

TELEVISION

Drama

Best television series

“Dexter” (Showtime)

“House” (Fox)

“In Treatment” (HBO)

“Mad Men” (AMC)

“True Blood” (HBO)

Positively fact: If “Mad Men” wins, it will the show’s second, consecutive win.

Best actress in a drama series

Sally Field, “Brothers and Sisters”

Mariska Hargitay, “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”

January Jones, “Mad Men”

Anna Paquin, “True Blood”

Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”

Positively fact: Jones didn’t earn a nomination last year, but the Hollywood Foreign Press must have warmed up to her portrayal of cold, isolated housewife, Betty Draper.

Best actor in a drama series

Gabriel Byrne, “In Treatment”

Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”

Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”

Hugh Laurie, “House”

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, “The Tudors”

Positively fact: Hamm won in this same category at last year’s awards.

Comedy or musical

Best television series

“30 Rock” (NBC)

“Californication” (Showtime)

“Entourage” (HBO)

“The Office” (NBC)

“Weeds” (Showtime)

Positively fact: All of these shows have been nominated before, but none have ever won. Past winners include “Extras,” “Ugly Betty,” and “Desperate Housewives.”

Best actress

America Ferrera, “Ugly Betty”

Tina Fey, “30 Rock”

Debra Messing, “The Starter Wife”

Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds”

Positively fact: Fey won last year and could be on track to win two years in a row. Messing, who also was nominated last year for “The Starter Wife,” has never won in this category despite being nominated six times for “Will & Grace.”

Best actor

Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”

Steve Carell, “The Office”

Kevin Connolly, “Entourage”

David Duchovny, “Californication”

Tony Shalhoub, “Monk”

Positively fact: All of these actors have been nominated before, but Duchovny won last year.

Angelina Jolie wielded a gun in this summer’s action flick, “Wanted,” but the role also helped her get the most bang out of her buck. In The Hollywood Reporter’s list of highest-earning actresses released on Friday, Jolie came in at No. 1.

The Oscar winner, who was No. 2 last year, reportedly made $15 million for her assassin role in “Wanted” and could make $20 for the sequel.

 It’s been almost 20 years since she burst onto the scene in “Pretty Woman,” but Julia Roberts proved she can still garner big money. She made the list at No. 2 for making $15 million for her upcoming film, “Duplicity.”

Other big movie stars of Robert’s caliber, however, didn’t make the cut this year. Nicole Kidman and Halle Berry are both Oscar winners like Jolie and Roberts but failed to garner a $10 million salary from any of their movies. 

Last year’s highest-earning actress, Reese Witherspoon, slipped to No. 3 for earning $14 million for “Four Christmases,” which has been No. 1 at the box office for the past two weeks.

Cameron Diaz, Katherine Heigl (who made her debut on the list), Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Aniston, who made $8 million for the upcoming “Marley and Me,” rounded out the list.

Despite the power wattage from these actresses, the Y chromosome still helps to make the big bucks. Will Smith can make up to $25 million per movie and Brad Pitt can get up to $20 million. 

Nevertheless, Shiloh et. al have some rich movie star parents.

Suri Cruise ranked number one for Forbes.com’s second annual “Hollywood’s 10 Hottest Tots.”

The two-year-old daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes beat out the other 50 A-list contenders (five-years-old and younger) based on the amount of media attention she received and her parents’ popularity.

Topping the rest of the list was most of the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie clan. 

Coming in second was Shiloh, 2, (who ranked number one last year); third was Zahara, 3, and Pax came in fourth. 

Forbes.com acknowledged the rest of the family, noting that seven-year-old Maddox was too old, and twins Vivienne and Knox were too infrequently seen to qualify for the list.

Filling in the top 10:

Sam Alexis Woods, daughter of Tiger Woods and his wife, Elin

Cruz Beckham, son of David and Victoria Beckham

Matilda Rose Ledger, daughter of Michelle Williams and the late Heath Ledger

David Banda, son of Madonna and Guy Ritchie

Sean Preston Federline, son of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline

Sam Sheen, daughter of Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen

Hugh Jackman was named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive 2008.” The magazine has been dubbing Hollywood’s hottest hunks since 1985 when Mel Gibson paved the way. 

Jackman now joins the ranks of George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Denzel Washington, to name a few.

On the talk show circuit as of late, Jackman’s been promoting his newest film, Australia, a romantic epic starring another hot Aussie, Nicole Kidman.

Jackman, best known as Wolverine in the X-Men films, had tough competition this year: “Bond. James Bond” Daniel Craig (no argument there), Mad Men’s Jon Hamm (didn’t see this one coming, but okay), and (gulp!) High School Musical’s Zac Efron (obviously a joke…is he even shaving yet?).

Angelina Jolie appears on the cover of the November W, looking fantastic while breastfeeding one of her newborn twins. Now that Brad Pitt’s private photos have gone public, we see the role Jolie was born to play – that of a mother.

However, the Jolie of yesteryear—circa vials of blood and Billy Bob Thornton—hasn’t totally faded away. In the interview for W, Jolie talks of her fascination with weaponry including knives. She recalls, “My mom took me to buy my first daggers when I was 11 or 12…and I’ve already bought Maddox some things. We take him to a special shop.” However, Jolie asserts that she and Maddox “also talk about samurai’s and about the idea of defending someone as good. We talk about everything.”

These words in no way reflect the photographs that accompany the interview. Jolie looks radiant and poised, like the UN Ambassador, Human Rights Activist, and devoted mother she is today. 

As a Western, director Andrew Dominik doesn’t use a lot of shootouts, fainting women, or “high noon” dialogue typical to some Westerns. But “Assassination” doesn’t bear a resemblance to the Western genre at all, it takes advantage of creativity and storytelling. The real plot is celebrity fascination, that of Ford fascinated by James.  The fatally fated duo is played by Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck as they escort the audience through the last few days of the infamous Jesse James’ life.

The Good: Casey Affleck – In the beginning, Affleck depicts Robert Ford as a star struck young man who finally meets his hero. Later, Ford becomes as a man who feels guilty for his cowardice actions and becomes a mild celebrity himself.  There is a pathetic aspect to Ford and how he maneuvers into James’ life.  Ford is tactical about joining and sustaining a close relationship with his idol and Affleck is effortless in portraying this.

The Cinematography – This film is mesmerizing to watch. Just little factors like blurred edges of the screen with a clear center generate an old fashioned mood. It’s as if we are outsiders taking in the scenery.

A Different Look at a Legend – Thinking of the notorious Jesse James may bring up images of robberies, bandanas worn over a face, Wanted posters and the like. But this movie adds to those mental images by showing the side of him that loved his wife and children, the side that was intuitive and knew friends from enemies. It’s an intriguing “day in the life” type story.

Going Beyond – The film continues post Jesse’s murder revealing Ford’s life after the death of his hero. Ford’s patheticness doesn’t go away. Choosing not to end the film at Jesse James’ death gives the audience a look as to what happens after an infamous man’s murder in the 1880’s. There was no CSI, only the fact that Ford’s brother told James’ wife that the gun accidentally went off, thus adding to the mystery of the legend.

Cons: Time – It’s too long! It’s difficult to dedicate so much time to watching the whole thing in one sitting.

Subtitles – The accents make the dialogue difficult to understand, so much so, that I had to put the subtitles on.

Getting Lost – Because of its length and that it’s so full of dialogue and narration and scenery, viewers may feel like they get lost within the movie.

Summary: Rent it or get it On Demand. “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” is a terrific example of quality filmmaking. It tells the story of a haunting life as a celebrity in the 1880’s and how, even back then, people were fascinated by fame.

Angelina Jolie made her first red carpet appearance Saturday since giving birth to twins about three months ago.  She and hubby, Brad Pitt, were in attendance at the premiere of her latest movie Changeling at the New York Film Festival.

Jolie worked the carpet, looking stunning in a strapless, black Atelier Versace gown, paired with Sergio Rossi heels, and Mikimoto pearl earrings as reported by Us Weekly.

The mom of six said her older kids Maddox, 7, Pax, 4, Zahara, 3, and Shiloh, 2, love helping out with the twins Vivienne and Knox.

“They’re funny,” Jolie told Us Weekly.  “They want to help out a lot now, but they’re still so little.”

When asked how everyone was doing by Entertainment Tonight, Jolie said everyone was great and that her and Brad were just working on keeping the twins on a schedule.

The Changeling, directed by Clint Eastwood, is set in 1928 Los Angeles.  Jolie plays a mother whose young son goes missing, but when the LAPD finds him she suspects the boy returned is not her son at all.  The highly anticipated drama hits theaters October 24.

Say what you will about their politics, multi-ethnic-all-inclusive family, and the fact they’re just a little…well “different” than most couples, Angelina and Brad knows where to put their big bucks.

The couple recently gave $2 million to Ethiopia, the country where daughter Zahara was born, in an effort to fight various diseases in that land.

While it’s easy for “us” little people to claim that they could give much more – truth is they didn’t have to give anything. Let’s face it: $2 million in Ethiopia will go a long way to help a few noble causes. And let’s not forget the many other donations they’ve made over the course of their “has-it-really-only-been-three-years?” union.

That’s not even counting the anonymous projects they’ve worked on. In giving credit where it’s due, this couple’s good works cannot be overlooked.

Starring John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Tilda Swinton

If you found “No Country for Old Men” a tad dark for your tastes, then “Burn After Reading” will light up your cinematic sensations.

Joel and Ethan Coen’s first film since winning Best Picture for the aforementioned “No Country” uses a similar plot involving a cat and mouse game. Only this time instead of getting the creeps from an air-gun toting psychopath stalking the hunter who stole his $2 million, now you’ve got a down-on-his-luck CIA agent prone to cussing (Malkovich) trying to get back a disk containing his memoirs from two bumbling, benign gym employees (Pitt and McDormand) sending you into fits of laughter.

Despite its lighter tone, “Burn” does retain the element of danger that “No Country” possessed. While this works for the latter film’s overall dark tone, “Burn” loses its spark when its tone abruptly shifts and it results in an uneven and identity crisis-plagued film.

What’s more is that the film continually jumps from character to character while sharing their different perspectives, so you never quite relate or bond with any one in particular.

The shifting of tones and characters, however, succeeds in conveying “Burn’s” exploration of a hypocritical world where cheating couples cheat on each other, gym employees would rather undergo plastic surgery than do some sit-ups, and most of all… no one – not even the CIA- seems to know what’s going on.

Perhaps it’s the Coens’ satire of our approval rating-sunken government or just a way to score laughs from a helpless and hopeless water bottle-sucking Pitt or a rambling, cartoon-esque McDormand.

In fact, “Burn’s” greatest attribute is its wacky, random performances from major film stars willing to look like complete idiots for our viewing pleasure, as well as the actors’ subtle, comedic expressions that give the impression that the camera lingered just a little bit longer after a scene to show what the character was really feeling.

“Burn” is an absurdly wacky world in which you’ll be glad to spend a little time in, but it’s doubtful it’ll make film history as did its “No Country” predecessor.