New Moon, the sequel to Twilight is going to be filmed, starting early March. The movie scenes will include many locations, thus will not be all filmed in the one area. The cast has been confirmed, and the film will be directed by new guy, Chris Weitz. The New Moon movie will be an interesting movie to see when it comes out, as there are high expectations by the huge twilight fan base, and being pressed for time, can the Twilight Saga live up to its name?

To give variety to the audience, the New Moon Movie will be filmed in a mixture of locations. Los Angeles, California, USA is on the list, most likely a lot of work to be done in the studios however they may decide to film outside to capture city scenarios. Portland, Oregon, USA was used back when Twilight was filmed, containing stunning scenery, it should reveal some exciting scenes. A new contender being film location Rome, Lazio, Italy is set to be used in the movie. Adding a foreign location to the mix will surely create an in-depth movie. Last but not least, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is going to be another filming location.

All of the cast are going to be kept busy filming in all these different locations, but I am sure they will be able to deliver a magnificent production, along with the new director Chris Wietz who will be able to fill the hearts of the ever so eager Twilight Saga fans.

Coffee and cinema is a natural match.  Each one stimulates the mind.  Coffee helps us to think more clearly while films can change the way we look at the world.  And they both serve as a catalyst for bringing people together.  How many times have you met someone for a cup of coffee (an old friend or a new love interest)?  And how many times have you gone to a movie on a first date, or dressed up to see a movie with all your friends on opening night?  These two wonderful pastimes overlap so frequently that it is no surprise there are so many wonderful moments of movie magic that involve coffee.  So go start up the coffee maker and check out the top five coffee movie quotes:

1. The Usual Suspects (1995)

Verbal:  “I remember when I was picking beans in Guatemala.  We used to have fresh coffee, right off the vines.  That was good.  This is shit, but I’m in a cop station.”

In this scene, Verbal Kint (Kevin Smith), is using coffee as a conversational tool to distract the officers who are interrogating him.  Remember, too, that it is Inspector Kujan’s (Chazz Palminteri) coffee cup that gives Verbal one of his best lies.  He gets the name for Keyser Söze’s supposed lawyer, Kobayashi, from the label on the bottom of the cup.  Best…movie…ever.  Not to mention, good coffee reference.

2. Look Who’s Talking (1989)

James: “Now, this is your first lesson in coffee.  Without anything in it, it’s black coffee.  Can you say black coffee?  Then, there’s coffee regular.  That means two sugars and milk, which they have forgotten, so can I borrow some of yours?  Ah, coffee regular.”

Here, James (John Travolta), is using coffee as a way to bond with Mikey (the baby).  It just goes to show, it’s never to soon to begin educating future coffee drinkers!

3. Say Anything (1989)

Diane: “I just can’t have any social life right now.”

Lloyd: “Don’t worry about it, we’re just having coffee.  We’ll be anti-social.”

Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) is trying to form a relationship with Diane Court (Ione Skye), and his quirky quips, like this one, keep her interested.  This is a good example of how people can bond over a steaming cup of joe.

4. Airplane! (1980)

Mrs. Hammen: “Jim never has a second cup of coffee at home.”

In this quote, we can see how advertising has crossed over into pop culture, as this is clearly a reference to older Folger’s coffee commercials in which a husband, disappointed with his wife’s coffee, tries Folger’s and loves it.

5. Working Girl (1988)

Cyn: “Can I get you anything?  Coffee?  Tea?  Me?”

This is a good example of the synonymous relationship between an offer of coffee and an invitation for…something more.

BONUS:  Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)

Stewardess: Excuse me, passengers, the plane is about to crash, and we may be slashed into little, teensy, weensy pieces.  Oh, and by the way, we don’t have any coffee.  (passengers scream)”

I just had to throw this one in because, really, haven’t we all felt this way if we don’t get our coffee?

What good scary movie doesn’t leave you feel really afraid to remain alone at home or move to a dark bathroom at night? If you haven’t experienced any scary sensations after watching a scary movie, you need to check out the top 4 scariest/horror movies of all time. These 4 horror films are considered the top scary movies of all time. This list is a little subjective and hence, the possibility exists you may not like them. So some pleasant advice – please go through the movie trailers of the horror movie you are considering seeing to determine if it is really worth watching.

There are some elements that make a horror movie worth watching. There are many horror movies which seem nothing more than comic movies. The movies worth watching are the ones which are pulse pounding, riveting, and unnerving and get you to really become squeezed inside a blanket on bed or squirming in your seat. These movies create the best scary experience and make you really feel reluctant to go outside alone or stay alone. The four scary films discussed below are considered the top scary movies of all time.

A scary movie need not always be full of ghosts and apparitions. It can be anything like alien or a psycho killer or anything that creates some kind of spooky feeling inside you as you see one. Given below are four top scary movies of all time.

Alien:

Though this is not an ghost-style movie but an outer space alien movie, it has every element of a scary movie. The sci-fi horror movie has some spine chilling scenes which are sure to frighten you. The ship in the film is in outer space and is infiltrated by monsters which all lend to create a truly horror feeling. It makes you feel glad that you are not the character in that ship. The horrifying scenes of alien monsters killing each member of the crew with sound effects make your spine shrill.

The Exorcist:

This is another scary movie that you need to see. This movie is in the list of all time best horror movies and is a must see. The movie has some uniqueness and because the story is based on true events, the movie makes you more frightened to find the small girl possessed by evil souls. The movie has been made in conventional storytelling style and creates a sense of fear in the audience.

Halloween:

In the discussion of horror movies Halloween finds a prominent position for its spooky scenes and fear filled shrieks.Rent this film and follow along with Michael Meyers as he terrorizes a small town. Another must see.

A Nightmare on Elm Street:

There are lots of horrifying turns in this movie to make you frightened and the storytelling style make it a real horror flick. Follow along with Freddie as he scare the wits out of you in your dreams. Highly recommended.

Gore is only half the reason you buy a ticket to a horror movie, and I think you know where I’m going with this. Sex and nudity is the other half, and just as the rules of cinema dictate, the price you pay for good sex is death. In “Bread Crumbs”, directed by Mike Nichols (not the one you’re thinking of) sex is on everyone’s mind, as the cast of characters is working on a quasi-professional porn shoot. It’s “Boogie Nights” meets “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” – and nearly missing each other -, and the greatest risk of the film might very well be that the sex storyline eclipses the horror – doesn’t this bring back memories of “Entrails of a Virgin”? Don’t bother watching that one. Depending on how much you buy the performances, you may start rooting for fewer scares and more sex (though, sorry to let you down, there’s not much of the latter after all).

Horror and Gore

BreadCrumbs’ violent peaks are fairly graphic and the suffering of maimed characters is painful enough to watch, so you at least have to give kudos to the creative team’s use of the camera and editing – we have to say something positive, otherwise we would feel bad about anyone having spent money on a ticket to watch the movie. What truly redeems Bread Crumbs is the fact that the film’s logic is completely believable, since there is no need for “suspension of disbelief” when you’re dealing with a bunch of porn stars, who would probably not make the most educated guesses when it comes to eluding knife-wielding maniacs.

How to Watch It

BreadCrumbs’ villains, an homage to Hansel and Gretel, are in the hillbilly horror vein, and thus may need a few drinks to impress. Dan Shaked is a bit green, and not quite up to Deliverance quality, but keep in mind his range may have been purposely limited since he’s essentially playing a mentally handicapped maniac with a drawl. If you’re a fan of old school horror you may catch some very subtle similarities to a 1970’s film called “Girly”. Whenever someone says you’re playing Cowboys and Indians, it’s usually time to take cover!

Did You Know?

In Germany the movie was released under the title “Bread Crumbs – Das Hänsel & Gretel Massaker”. I think that drives the whole concept of “homage to Hansel and Gretel” home. Definitely a version of the fairy tale we want to avoid telling our children.

If you are a fan of Billie Eilish, I cannot see you being disappointed with the recent documentary called The World is a Little Blurry. Far from being blurry, this film has a very deep and personal look at the life of Billie over the formative years of the young star’s life.

The camera takes us behind the scenes into her brother’s bedroom and gives us an intimate view into the recording process of songs and the act of their very creation and their inspiration. We see Billie and Finneas running through lines and rehearsing lyrics and the very creation of the words that are to become a finished song. This look at the artistic endeavor is invaluable and allows us as an audience to have a very personal look into the creative process of songwriters that we simply would not get otherwise. I found it to be personally rewarding as a creative person myself to see how easily and with practice, lines that have become famous in songs were first birthed and created. I have to say that this behind the scenes look at the creative process was one of the best parts of the documentary for me.

We see Billie’s family up close and personal, and we encounter a mother that hovers and is an intimate part of everything that Billie gets up to and is part of. Her mother is around as she creates songs, as she has meals, as she travels around the world and is there before and after her appearances on stage. We see very clearly in this film that Billie is not going to be afforded the “luxury” of drug or alcohol abuse as the closeness of her mother and father in everything that she does simply would not allow it to happen.

For her fans who have a deep understanding of her music and a great appreciation of her songs, you will be impressed with how many songs are shown in this film and her live appearances at concerts. What I found to be disturbing were Billie’s injuries and the toll that dancing on stage has on her very fragile body. I had my heart in my throat when the film captured Billie sustaining a broken ankle in one of her performances and then returning to the stage to sing whilst seated. What really impressed me was the energy that Billie puts into her performances and her desire to put on a great show every time for her fans.

As we observe Billie and listen to her, we come to the understanding that Billie really loves her fans and only wants the very best for them, whether that is putting on the best show or meeting them face to face and touching them, and hugging the lucky few. Billie does not want to be a faraway star who cannot be up close and personal to her fans and we come to appreciate that in this poignant look at the star and her makeup.

An improbable but still arresting downward-mobility story by the writer-director Matthew Tabak. Also released under the title “Auggie Rose.”

Jeff Goldblum plays the successful go-getter insurance salesman John Nolan who seems to be happy with his station in life although on the home front his relationship with his girlfriend could benefit from an emotional upgrade. The spark and the juice is simply not there.

Then one night he visits a liquor store for vintage wine and there is a holdup. In the pandemonium, the store clerk Auggie Rose gets shot dead while fetching John Nolan the wine that he wanted.

The rest of the film is a long descent (or, “ascent” according to Matt Tabak) from the level of a successful but unhappy middle-class salesman to that of a “wise loser” who solves the riddle of life by becoming a store clerk working for minimum wage. Ahh, don’t you wish cracking life’s nut was that easy?

What happens is, while nosing around to find a little bit more about the life of the murdered clerk Auggie Rose, John Nolan is carried away by his search when he meets Lucy, the girlfriend that Rose has corresponded with while he was in prison. Anne Heche plays Lucy with such warmth and unabashed vulnerability that we understand John Nolan when he cannot turn down the opportunity to say who really is. Instead, he decides to impersonate Auggie Rose.

John Nolan dances around his false identity as best as he could just to be with Lucy until it becomes unbearable to sustain the weight of the accumulated lies. When the whole edifice comes down crushing, not only his present life as the fake Auggie Rose but his old life as a well-to-do salesman is blown to dust as well. But at least he has found the “hidden key” to an “examined life.” John Nolan passes through that old Socratic test by chucking away everything that 99% of the people alive today would give an arm and a leg to acquire.

The ending is happy, sort of, although it leaves you with a bad premonition about the futures of these two lovers who have found the truth but lost their bank accounts.

A very improbable story that still vibrates with the excitement of a 2-hour long social suicide.

And if you would like to see the source of inspiration for the set designer who designed Auggie Rose’s spartan apartment unit (down to the bird in a cage), please watch Alain Delon’s film noir “The Samurai (1967).”

Movie Reviews this week looks at the Oscar winning biographical drama The Blind Side.

It is an absolutely charming story, of Leigh Anne Tuohy played by the lovely Sandra Bullock (Speed), and the story of her adopted son, and you can see immediately why she won the best actress Oscar.

She plays a conservative mother in a very nice and well-off neighbourhood, who sees Michael Oher played very convincingly by Quinton Aaron, one rainy night walking aimlessly, she asks her husband Sean played by Tim McGraw (Four Christmases), to stop the car, she asks him where he is heading seeing he is just in a t-shirt in the pouring rain, he says he is going to the gym, she asks him again why he is going to the gym, and tells him the gym closed a while back, and for him not to lie to her, he says he is simply going there because it is warm.

Prior to this, we are told the story of how Mike got into the school in the first place. The coach at this Christian school, Burt Cotton played charmingly as always by Ray McKinnon (Randy and the Mob) had been approached by a fellow to allow his son into the school, as well as Mike, the coach sees Mike and the man’s son playing basketball and sees the potential of Mike making them famous on a sporting arena, so convinces the board that it is their Christian duty to let him in. However in class Mike seems distant minded, and all the teachers are worried as he seems the slowest in the class, except for one particular teacher Mrs. Bower played the lovely Kim Dickens (Hollow Man) who notices Mike remembers the majority of what the teachers are saying, as he is able to describe in his own words the grasp of what it is they are saying, but may not necessarily write it down as eloquently as they wanted. As all the teachers are discussing Mike’s ability one day, wondering if he can write, Mrs. Bower shows them a note that Mike had written that had been thrown in the trash, speaking of his sadness and what the teachers expect of him, to do all the work alone.

Leigh asks where he lives, his parents, or grandparents, Mike shakes his head nonchalantly, and Leigh amazingly takes him to her home, with a mild confrontation with her husband as to how long Mike is going to stay, he asks “This is just for the one night”? Where Leigh nods absentmindedly, but the expression on her face is already thinking of much longer term.

Mike gets along with Leigh’s two children, her son S.J. played very impressively by Jae Head, and her daughter Collins played by the adorable Lily Collins, Leigh asks her how she would feel if Mike moved in with them permanently, she nonchalantly agrees, and when Mike is asked how he would feel moving having Leigh and Sean as his legal guardians, he smiles and thought he was already part of the family.

The Blind Side turns out is a very beautiful movie, of acceptance and love that a young man needs, and the struggle one woman faces with social services, her social circles, and the community in trying to make one boy’s life better, and what makes this movie even more amazing is this is a true story.

Movie Reviews is constantly updated with good reviews of great movies that are a must see.

I consider it a happy accident that I found this movie titled ‘The Terminal’ (2004) directed by Steven Spielberg on a streaming platform. My surprise was beyond measure when I saw the genre written in the details of the movie-comedy! Well, it need not simply be my ignorance about this great filmmaker; because in most of Spielberg’s bios or filmography the said movie is never highlighted or talked about even though the movie was a commercial success. ‘The Terminal’ tells a delightful story of a character called Viktor Navorski from Easter Europe (indicating the Russian Republic) who arrives at New York John F Kennedy airport on a private mission only to find that in the meantime his native (fictional) country Kakrojhia had undergone a military coup and a new government had taken over. Since the US was yet to recognize the new government Viktor’s passport had become invalid and the airport supervisor took away all his documents including the passport refusing to allow him enter New York city or to go back home. Viktor Navorski, played by none other than the greatest of actors Tom Hanks, cannot speak much English and goes through a series of hilarious misfortunes during his nine-month stay at the terminal. We’ll come back to the movie a bit later.

Steven Spielberg had become a household name in the US after his blockbuster ‘Jaws’ in 1975; and if he was still not a household name in most other countries like India his ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ in 1977, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ in 1981, ‘ET the Extra Terrestrial’ in 1982, his creation of the franchise ‘Indiana Jones’ from 1984 and his two huge productions ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Schindler’s List’ in 1993 have made him more than that, almost a living legend of world cinema. Spielberg is said to be the most commercially successful director of Hollywood till date with almost each of his films achieving box-office hit status, critical acclaim and Academy Awards nominations and awards. He has earned three Oscars two of which are as Best Director for ‘Schindler’s List’ and ‘Saving Private Ryan’ (1998) and one Best Picture Oscar for ‘Schindler’s List’, apart from 7 nominations as Best Director. His movies have earned an incredible 133 Academy nominations and 34 Oscars in various categories, apart from the BAFTA and Golden Globe awards. His other major awards include Cecil B DeMille Award and the AFI Life Achievement Award. Steven Spielberg at 74 years of age now has not retired yet and still making movies taking temporary breaks at times.

Watching the ‘Jaws’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ had been a most exhilarating experience for most Indians like me and through such films we could understand the painstaking efforts, often risking his own life in the difficult shooting, taken by the director-no doubt at all that he made his first movie experiment at the tender age of 12 thus dedicating his whole life to the art and making world cinema all the more richer as well as entertaining. After working for a few years in the New Hollywood era that included several Television Episodes and minor films for Universal Studios he got his game-changing break in ‘Jaws’ in 1975 when he was just over the age of 30. Spielberg, rightfully, refused to make a sequel to ‘Jaws’ as those sequels made by other filmmakers could never match the unique original that still sends shivers down the spine. He did make a sequel though for ‘Jurassic Park’ titled ‘The Lost World-Jurassic Park’ in 1997 as the writer of the original came up with his second book, and that movie was also a commercial and critical success.

It somewhat follows from the narrative above that most of us always considered Spielberg as a serious filmmaker who earned huge commercial success too for his universally appealing storytelling and dedicated efforts. We could never possibly imagine he could make a movie in the lighter genre of comedy. Perhaps, it was just an experiment for this great filmmaker, and he did it beautifully too-getting inspired by a true event in the Paris airport, creating interesting characters including a romantic angle and erecting a huge filmset in the lines of the JFK airport of New York.

Now, coming back to ‘The Terminal’, the 2-hour and 9 minutes movie does not have a single dull moment tickling your funny bones all the time with Tom Hanks stumbling along with his brilliantly cultivated broken Russian or Bulgarian English while handling the obsessed airport supervisor, the security guards and the various desk officials. His character gets emotionally involved too with an airhostess played by Catherine Zeta-Jones, an Indian cleaner, a lady desk official with whom a canteen boy was romantically attached and various other delightful characters and episodes. Hanks’s character Viktor also helps a native of his region out of a tangle by his intelligent use of interpretation deceiving the aghast supervisor. The film also keeps up the suspense on what exists in the tin box that Viktor frequently takes out fondly that the supervisor who has been bent upon getting rid of him either to the police or to the FBI wants to know desperately. Such delicious elements had better be left for all those who would also like to rediscover this comedy-drama movie made by one of the legendary directors-producers-writers of world cinema.

Summary

Dementia 13 begins with Louise Haloran (Luana Anders) throwing her husband’s body overboard after his heart attack while out on a lake in a rowboat. She lies about the incident in order to claim his will. Louise types up a letter to Lady Haloran (Eithne Dunne) stating her husband is away on a business trip. Louise arrives soon after at the family’s Irish Gothic Castle. She plans to take advantage of the sickly Lady Haloran and hoping she would die soon so she can inherit the fortune.

When she arrives she begins to notice odd things like the two brothers Billy (Bart Patton) and Richard (William Campbell) holding an annual ceremony for their dead younger sister Kathleen. Their sister died years ago in a mysterious drowning accident.

While the greedy Louise is there she convinces Lady Haloran and her two sons Billy and Richard that her dead husband is away on a business trip. While talking to Billy she finds out that the castle is supposedly haunted by Kathleen.

She also schemes up a way to convince the distraught and superstitious, Lady Haloran that her daughter Kathleen is still alive. The plan involved her placing Kathleen’s toy dolls at the bottom of the lake and then suddenly they float to the surface right in front of Lady Haloran. Louise’s elaborate plot would wind up to be a fatal endeavor for her. It isn’t long till the mystery ax wielding murderer starts racking up more bodies to make certain no one finds out the horrible secret.

Dementia 13 Review

Dementia 13 is a surprisingly effective bargain basement production that incorporates slasher and mystery elements. Along with Psycho (1960), Dementia 13 is an early slasher horror film. Much like Psycho, Dementia 13 has a similar style and content. The mystery and suspense elements are heavily used in Dementia 13 like they were in Psycho. Both are in black and white and have similar cinematography. The murder scenes in this movie have great anticipatory leading up to the person’s death.

Dementia 13 has a lot of scenes shot at night and there isn’t much detail to it. The camera angles used for Dementia 13 are similar to Psycho. Dementia 13 avoids being campy, which is great since it fits the movie’s serious nature as a brave slasher film. It was done at the time when not many movies were extreme. It is a very dark picture that adds a creepy atmosphere making it effective for the murder scenes. The plot is simple, although somewhat not believable. The best elements of Dementia 13 are the mystery, suspense, and psychological aspects. The addition of Kathleen’s dolls was also good for the creepy atmosphere.

The film does a great job of masking whom the ax murderer is. When watching the different characters throughout Dementia 13 such as Billy, Richard, and the family doctor Justin Caleb (Patrick Magee), you might flip flop on who you think the killer is. This style of concealing who the killer is would later be used in the slasher horror great, the first Friday the 13th (1980) Several of the characters have a suspicious nature to them that would give you the impression that they could be responsible for the killings. The killings are done in the dark as well so the ax wielders face is completely darkened out.

The acting in Dementia 13 is decent. Underrated actor, Patrick Magee does a good job as always with his distinctive voice, playing a character that borders on insanity. You may recognize him from Clockwork Orange as the wheelchair writer who both he and his wife were attacked by Alex and his “Droogs”. He is younger in Dementia 13 and his hair isn’t gray. Patrick Magee also played John Steed in the Avengers television series.

Luana Anders, who plays Louise does an alright job playing a sleazy and greedy woman that you will not like. She is not bad looking as well and strips down to her bra and panties in one scene for the underwater swimming sequence. That underwater scene is perfectly shot much like the swimming scenes in The Creature From the Black Lagoon.

The blood/gore in Dementia 13 is really tame in comparison to today’s slasher horror films. There is very little to see in blood detail. The most graphic murder scene has one of the characters getting their head chopped off. You can see the really fake looking head rolling down into the lake. Another great thing about Dementia 13 is the menacing music. The musical score is almost as good as Psycho and Cape Fear’s theme songs. It provides atmosphere and complements the tension filled murder scenes well.

At the beginning of the movie while Louise and her husband John Haloran (Peter Read) are in a rowboat a really cool rockabilly song can be heard playing. The singer of the song sounds just like Elvis. From what I read it isn’t Elvis singing. The person responsible for the vocals does one hell of a job emulating his voice. At 75 minutes long, Dementia 13 is an interesting and engaging first movie for Francis Ford Coppola.

It’s a good low-budget Roger Corman production with mystery and suspense being its main strengths. It is evenly paced and not too slow. The movie could have used more murder scenes. To see the roots of the Slasher Horror movie genre, Dementia 13 is a good film to check out. I just reviewed Dementia 13, the public domain version that is featured on my 50 horror classic box set by Mill Creek Entertainment. A Blu-ray of the film is now available.

Betty White is a cultural phenomenon, and is known today as America’s grandma. She has had an extremely successful television career, and many people do not know that she made her television debut in 1949. Throughout her career, she has been a star in many different television series, has had many roles as a guest star, and does frequent television interviews. She has recently appeared with David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, and even has been interviewed by Larry King.

Betty White has also been on many different game shows, many with Soupy Sales and those of yesteryear. Her outstanding and very funny personality has allowed her to reach cult status recent, as her snickers commercial in the 2010 super bowl launched Ms. White into the public limelight. Hopefully this year, there will be a new superbowl commercial featuring her. With her pop-star icon status, this would be highly entertaining.

Ms. White is extremely popular. Christmas would be a good time to find and give unique and forgotten merchandise. One of her most popular television series is Golden Girls – where she played the character Rose Nylund. She was part of the Golden girls for a whopping 180 episodes. The series ran from 1985-1992. She costarred with Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty. The other Golden Girls were Dorothy Petrillo Zbornak, Blanche Devereaux, and Sophia Petrillo.

I had forgotten how excellent of an actor Ms. White was, and still is. Some of her new stuff is fluff, but her older stuff is material that has made her a legend. I’m especially fond of her work on Golden Girls.