Milk may not have won the Best Picture in the Oscars but it sure did move people. In fact it moved them so much that is not hailed by members of the gay community as the movie that will live on. I guess this is true since according to Geoff Korrs of Equality California the movie “will be shown in schools and LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) centers around the world.” In that case, it sure has a captive audience already and will continue to rake in revenue, though maybe not the box office hit type of revenue.

According to Milk’s producers though that is quite alright since their goal in making the movie is not so much to make money (though we can be sure they wanted to make enough to at least make a profit!) but to be able to tell the world about Harvey Milk’s story. They seem to have succeeded at that but we’ll have to see just how lasting and huge its impact will be. For the young gay and women who have been inspired by the movie we can be sure at least that there is more awareness about the role Harvey Milk played to help advocate social change.

I can still remember back when it was Betamax, then it was VHS, then VCDs, DVDs and now HD DVD and Blu-ray. I guess they got sick of the acronyms. Am glad in a really shallow kind of way because Blu-ray does sound better. Anyway what really does make Blu-ray better than DVDs is not the name but the fact that it uses a a blue-violet laser to read and write data instead of red laser. What this means is that the wavelength of the laser is much shorter making the writing of the data more precise. The other result is that it allows for more data to be stored in the same disc size, hence the extra features in Blu-ray discs or the higher definition of the movies.

Oh and in case you’re wondering which of the Oscar winners are already available in Blu-ray here’s a short list from Blu-ray.com.

Slumdog Millionaire
Milk
The Reader
The Dark Knight
Man on Wire
The Duchess
Wall-E
Vicky Christina Barcelona

As for the rest, most have already announced upcoming releases.

Salma Hayek has had her hands full this past several months. She’s been making headlines not just because she’s beautiful, which she always is, but because…

1. her postponed wedding to businessman Francois-Henri Pinault has finally materialized. They eloped in a Parisian City Hall Valentines day! Now how’s that for a romantic v-day? Of course, one has to wonder if they got married on Valentine’s day because their daughter is named Valentina or if she’s named thus because they really like Valentine’s day? Silly question but still I wonder.
2. she had no time for a honeymoon. At least according to Alec Baldwin who reportedly said that she had to fly right back from Paris after the Valentines weekend to work.
3. she’s fielding questions about breastfeeding – It’s not like shes the first ever woman to breastfeed a baby but she may probably the first very famous person to wet nurse someone’s baby. Salma Hayek’s video clip showing her feeding a hungry baby in Sierra Leone is circulating around the web and has drawn much attention to her. Some say it’s weird but we give her props for showing much love and compassion. Aside from the simple act of breastfeeding, according to her aside from sharing she’s also doing it to help ease stigma about breastfeeding.

Oh and yes she managed to still make an appearance in the Oscars and look really really stunning and not only that she still had time plan and host an after Oscar party for Penelope Cruz.

The Oscars is definitely the headline today and here at Filmsy it’s no exception. We wish to spare you long Oscar posts today though since we?re pretty sure you won’t lack of Oscar readings. For those who didn?t get to see the Oscars here’s this year’s winners.

Best Picture – Slumdog Millionaire (You can bet Mumbai is celebrating!)
Actor in a Leading Role – Sean Penn (MILK)
Actor in a Supporting Role – Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Actress in a Leading Role – Kate Winslet (The Reader)
Actress in a Supporting Role – Penelope Cruz (Vicky Christina Barcelona)
Animated Feature Film – WALL-E
Art Direction – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Cinematography – Slumdog Millionaire
Costume Design – The Duchess
Directing – Slumdog Millionaire
Documentary Feature – Man on Wire
Documentary Short – Smile Pinki
Film Editing – Slumdog Millionaire
Foreign Language Film – Departures
Makeup – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Music (Score) – Slumdog Millionaire
Music (Song) – Slumdog Millionaire
Short Film (Animated) – La Maison EN Petits Cubes
Short Film (Live Action) – Spielzeugland (Toyland)
Sound Editing – The Dark Knight
Sound Mixing – Slumdog Millionaire
Visual Effects – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) – MILK
Writing (Original Screenplay) – Slumdog Millionaire

As you can see it seems that the Best Picture should be called the “Slamdunk Millionaire” instead.

Who doesn’t want to be taken away by a very good movie? I think that that is one reason we all love watching films – the good ones, at least, take us somewhere else for an hour or two. They take us to places where we’ve never been before, give us experiences that we have never experienced, and make us feel emotions that we have never felt. These are the movies that last forever in our minds.

And I think that Taken just might be one of them. Starring Liam Neeson (how can you wrong with this hunk?), Taken is all what you want an action movie to be. Neeson plays the character of Bryan Mills, a retired CIA agent. His co-stars include Maggie Grace, who plays his daughter Kim and Famke Janssen, who plays his estranged wife Lenore.

Mills is trying to forge a solid relationship with Kim, despite the fact that his ex-wife hates him with a passion. Kim goes on a trip to Paris, which Mills is against, and gets kidnapped by slave traders from Albany. And then the fun begins.

So what makes Taken different from other action movies? Not much, really, as the formula is there. However, Neeson portrays his character to the best of his abilities and THAT is just something else. It’s just like the action movies of old – the lead character CAN do anything and he WILL. Neeson makes you believe that whatever he says and do is possible, even though in the back of your mind, you know that in real life, it wouldn’t be. But that’s what a good action movie is all about – believing that the lead character can kick the butt of anyone that stands in his way.

I used to think that I did not really like “stupid” funny movies. That is, until I experienced Will Ferrell many years ago. I still can’t stop laughing just thinking about Talladega Nights. And there are many others too. Even Austin Powers makes me laugh. And I remember liking Pink Panther to a certain degree.

The sequel, Pink Panther 2, is something else, however. It just is not the same! I couldn’t believe how rehashed the concepts and lines were – and we are supposed to have fun? It just seems to me that the people behind Pink Panther 2 were trying too hard to make the audience laugh. And believe me, there is nothing worse than a comedian trying too hard. Oh wait, there is something worse – a group of comedians in a movie trying too hard!

To be honest, I was afraid that I had lost my sense of humor while watching the movie. I thought that perhaps, it was just me. But no, other viewers felt exactly the same way! Colin Covert of Star Tribune writes:

Ponzi schemes and lowbrow comedies may be the only parts of the U.S. economy that work. The skid mark that is “Paul Blart, Mall Cop” has scarcely been mopped up and now comes Steve Martin’s insufferably stupid “Pink Panther 2″ (★ out of four stars, rated PG for some suggestive humor, brief mild language and action). Recycling bins have fresher content than this listless exercise in check-the-boxes moviemaking.

And as he said, “If you buy a ticket for this one, mon ami, le joke is on you.”

Yeah, the joke was on me…

Being an avid C.S. Lewis fan, I am unsure as to how to react to the news that Twentieth Century Fox is going to take the helm in the making of the third Narnia film. According to news reports, the movie giant has partnered up with Walden Media and will create the third installment in The Chronicles of Narnia series.

The development was announced after the Walt Disney Co stepped out of the picture sometime this week. If you recall, Walt Disney and Walden Media were the entities behind the first two Narnia films, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. And the reason behind Disney’s letting go of the franchise? “Budgetary considerations and other logistics.” Could this be a sign that Disney is being affected by the economic times?

Perhaps. The numbers that were involved in producing the first two Narnia films are around $180 million to $200 million. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe grossed about $745 million worldwide while Prince Caspian earned nearly half of that amount at $420 million. Perhaps Disney is merely playing it safe and not wanting to risk much lower turnouts.

In any case, the third movie is going to be The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The story (based on the book, at least, as the movie is not out yet) picks up Caspian’s story but many many years later. The once prince is now the King and is on a quest to find the seven lost lords of Narnia – a promise which he made to Aslan. The younger Pevensies and their cousin Eustace are drawn into Narnia again. The Dawn Treader is Caspian’s ship, where much of the story will take place.

Needless to say, I want to see this film.

Hey guys, do you have any plans this weekend? I am off to visit family on Saturday and Sunday but I might squeeze in a movie before doing so and the one at the top of my list is Renee Zellweger’s New In Town. It is a very light movie, rated PG-13 – perfect for a weekend break from a long harrowing week.

From what I have read, the movie is about Lucy Hill, a corporate player who has high flying ambitions – to become president of the company one day. In her effort to impress her boss, she flies from Florida to Minnesota to oversee a small factory. Hence the “new in town” description I guess. The plot seems to be pretty easy to follow – new big city girl meets local boy. First they dislike each other and then gets to know each other and end up in one another’s arms.

Of course, there are other elements to the story, like Lucy receiving orders to shut the plant down. However, she saves the day somehow by thinking of a way for the plant to make money and thus satisfy the corporate bigwigs.

Looking back at what I have just written, I am pretty sure that this movie will be a no brainer. So why do I still have the desire to see it? Well, for one, we all need no brainers every now and then. Two, Renee Zellweger has been quite successful in portraying funny characters – and her Lucy Hill character has her own brand of funny, or so I’ve heard. Oh, it doesn’t hurt that Harry Connick Jr. is the co-star.

When I first heard of the movie, I didn’t really know what it was about. Of course, once I heard all about the nominations and awards that it has received, I just couldn’t help but stop and take notice. Hence this post, which is essentially a review of Slumdog Millionaire, which by the way, is a favorite for the upcoming Oscars.

About the movie – one should not really be surprised at the experience that the movie offers. With Danny Boyle in the director’s chair, the movie was in good hands. To refresh your memory, Danny Boyle equals Trainspotting, The Beach, 28 Days Later, Millions, and Sunshine. Once again, he showcased his talent of creating a dynamic movie in Slumdog Millionaire.

Set in India – which is as dynamic as dynamic can be with the myriad of colors, sounds, and sights – the plot revolves around the life of Jamal Malik, a slumdog orphan. His lif is about to change its course – for the better – as he faces the final question in the TV game show, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Although that point is a major part of the movie, it is not only about winning the game show. In fact, it showcases a much broader idea, the idea of struggling against the odds of economics and even the odds of finding one’s soulmate.

The actors – especially Dev Patel, the lead actor – are brilliant and bring the characters to life. The hilarity seemed so real to me as I watched the movie and at the same time, I could really feel the struggles that were going on – both figuratively and literally. This is a movie that you have to experience for yourself in order to truly appreciate its essence.

I forgot all about this new movie that Benicio Del Toro is starring in. I remember seeing a feature on it a couple of weeks ago on TV and I remember making a mental note about featuring it here but I guess I forgot all about it…

Anyhow, in case you have not heard of it, Del Toro is playing Che Guevara in Steven Soderbergh’s movie titled Che. I personally think that Del Toro is perfect for the character as he is no stranger to controversial movies and roles. And believe me, the movie is as controversial as it can get.

So what is the movie all about? Obviously, it focuses on the life of the late revolutionary leader who stood for a lot of things, many of which might have been forgotten by today’s generation. The movie follows Che’s life from Mexico to Cuba then on to New York and finally Bolivia.

The beginnings of the movie can actually be attributed to Del Toro himself, who found himself enchanted with Che’s book, The Bolivian Diary. He then presented the idea for a movie to producer Laura Bickford. The result is another compelling performance from the actor. By the way, he has already won a best actor award for this performance – at the Cannes Film Festival, no less. If anything, that should be an indication that this film is something to watch out for.

Che opened in some theatres in the US late last week so you can check your local theatres for their own screening schedule.