Touch 'Em All Productions: July 2009

Friday, July 17, 2009

The Beatles: Rockband

New York – June 1, 2009 – Original band members Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, came together today to kick off the 2009 E3 Media & Business Summit with the world premiere of The Beatles: Rock Band. The first-of-its-kind music-based video game offers a revolutionary tour of The Beatles' music, career, and legacy. Presented by Apple Corps, Ltd., and MTV Games’ Harmonix Music Systems, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), The Beatles: Rock Band will be released worldwide on 9/9/09, as will the release of the entire, original, digitally re-mastered Beatles CD catalogue. (rockband.com)

Please, if you are interested I encourage you to participate and share your thoughts. I would love to get some feedback and hear what each of you took from the day's topic. Just fill in the comment box at the end of each blog and let me know what you think! To read more posts and see my entire blog click the Touch 'Em All Productions header at the top of the page!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

LOST - The Numbers (video)

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Confessions of a Shopaholic - Critical Movie Review

Confessions of a Shopaholic (2007)

Director: P.J. Hogan
Starring :Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Joan Cusack, John Goodman

Plot: Based on a pair of effervescent novels by Sophie Kinsella, Confessions of a Shopaholic is a light and bubbly confection that should appeal to those who can identify with its heroine's passion. Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher, Wedding Crashers) has a label-filled wardrobe that any fashionista would covet, but she also has credit card debt to match. She craves a job at the Vogue-like Alette, but a position at a financial magazine at the same publishing company may be her ticket in. Despite her painfully low credit rating, Becky starts dishing out advice on saving, while debt collector Derek Smeath (character actor Robert Stanton) is hot on her Louboutin heels. Meanwhile, she is competing for the affections of her charming boss, Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy, The Jane Austen Book Club), with icy Alette employee Alicia Billington (Leslie Bibb, Iron Man). A well-heeled hybrid of Sex and the City and The Devil Wears Prada, Shopalholic features the talents of Patricia Field, costume designer for those two films. The clothes are almost on an equal footing with the actors here, and each well-chosen piece in Manhattan shop windows or worn by Bloomwood helps contribute to the film's bright mood. A lesser actress might have been lost in all the colors, but Fisher is a formidable comic presence who pulls off Becky's ditsy lines and goofy falls with equal aplomb. Those hoping for a smart discourse on the perils of credit cards and excess spending are certainly watching the wrong film, but Shopaholic may just be the fashion equivalent of food porn for dieters. (rottentomatoes.com)

Review: I had heard rumors that Confessions of a Shopaholic had some potential to be humorous for the male gender that was either dragged to the theater or trapped on the couch while this movie was playing. Those rumors were horribly mistaken. It's been 6 years since Dumb and Dumberer was released and since then I have not laughed this little until I watched this movie. Maybe it's because I'm a guy, maybe it's because I hate shopping, or maybe because I live in real life and not fantasy land, but this movie was AWFUL! Beyond the main character being ditsy and delusional, both things that bug me, the acting was OK, yet it had no hope of salvaging this train wreck of a film.

I realize that "chick flicks" are feel good movies and because of this the plot suffers a little bit due to the aim towards a happy ending. But this movie was over the top. Even in a normal chick flick it follows a general pattern. A girl meets boy, girl loses boy, boy comes back to girl sort of thing. This movie was so fake that even when you would suspect that a bad thing was going to happen a good thing would happen. This is both frustrating and stupid. I am honestly surprised that I stuck with it and finished watching the entire movie. I will make up for my lost time by not wasting any more time critiquing about this poor poor film. Touchstone Pictures should return the $44 million this movie made in theaters back to those that waster their afternoons watching this film. Very disappointed, Zero Stars...

Crossing Over - Critical Movie Review

Crossing Over (2009)

Director: Wayne Kramer
Starring : Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd, Cliff Curtis

Plot: The struggle to achieve resident alien status, or gain full-blown citizenship in the United States, provides some thought-provoking material in this feature from director Wayne Kramer(The Cooler). Crossing Over is an ensemble piece that contains many overlapping story lines, most of which revolve around Max Brogan (Harrison Ford), a law enforcement official who specializes in arresting people who break stringent immigration laws. Joining Ford is Ray Liotta, who plays a corrupt immigration official who forces a wannabe Australian actress (Alice Eve) to sleep with him in exchange for a green card. The film also focuses on the rigorous guidelines laid down in post-9/11 America, with Kramer detailing the shocking maltreatment of a teenage girl who faces deportation after giving a misguided high school presentation on terrorism. These tales, and several others, all combine to present an intricate overview of the desperate and often overwhelmingly sad lengths people will go to so they can remain in the United States. Kramer’s film closely mirrors other harrowing ensemble pieces such as Paul Haggis’s Crash (2004) and Richard Linklater’s Fast Food Nation (2006). Crossing Over carefully presents many different sides of this complicated issue and also examines how coincidence and good fortune can play a part in achieving resident status. Ford is perfectly cast as the downcast lead character who battles with the moral and ethical ramifications of his job, and frequently gets too close to the people he is required to prosecute. Kramer skillfully interweaves each tale and allows just enough screen time to each of his characters, with Cliff Curtis leading the excellent supporting cast by playing an Iranian-American immigration official whose life is irrevocably altered by a series of tragic personal and professional occurrences. (rottentomatoes.com)

Review: Crossing Over tackled a topic that is always at the center of our political arena, yet is commonly overlooked by the general public. With a style much like that of the films Crash and Babyl, Crossing Over told the story of gaining United States citizenship through the eyes of people from many different walks of life. It was odd to me when I ran across this movie at the movie store. I saw a picture of Harrison Ford on the cover and read on to see that Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd were also in this film, yet I could not remember this film being in theaters? For whatever reason a movie with a star studded cast like this only warranted a limited release across the nation and only brought in $402,469 at the box office. Intrigued by the cast and the snippet on the back of the DVD case we rented it.

It was interesting to see the approach that the film took. The style of following a bunch of different story lines and sub-plots was interesting and well done as it was not too difficult to follow. We always think of the issues that we have with the Mexican/American border but often forget that the rules of citizenship apply to people from all over the world. This film approached this idea well taking us along the path of citizenship with a family from Hong Kong, an aspiring actress from Australia, a hopeful musician from Great Britain, a family from the Middle East and a young mother from Mexico. All had their own unique struggles with obtaining citizenship and it was interesting to see how they adapted into the American culture during their time in the country.

As interesting as it was as a whole this movie rubbed me the wrong way. First, there was some pretty graphic nudity and sexual situations that probably were not necessary to get the point across. It was also kind of a dull story. It kept you interested but didn't really every reach a point where you could enjoy it. The biggest gripe that I have with this movie is the way that it leaves you feeling as it ends. The last half hour of the movie is pretty intense as each of the story lines are drawn to a close fairly abruptly. It leaves you with a sick feeling in your stomach. It leaves you angry with the United States government and the regulations that they hold for becoming a U.S. citizen. And at the same time it leaves you with an understanding as to why these rules need to be in place. I'm not really sure what sort of stance that the director and writers were trying to take with this movie. I truly was not sure how I felt when the movie ended.

While this movie was very well put together and the filming techniques were very appealing, I was not a fan of the multiple story lines and questionable stance that it took. I think that IF you are interested in watching this movie you should stick to the $1 Redbox rental. I rated this film 2.5 stars out of a possible 5 stars.

Music Within - Critical Movie Review

Music Within (2007)

Director: Steven Sawalich
Starring : Ron Livingston, Melissa George, Michael Sheen, Yul Vazquez

Plot: Based on a true story, MUSIC WITHIN depicts how one man helped change policies and attitudes toward people with disabilities. Richard Pimentel (Ron Livingston) grew up with an emotionally unstable mother (Rebecca De Mornay) and lost his father in a freak accident, so he turns to public speaking in school to find direction in life and seek the approval and praise he needs. After receiving insightful advice from a public speaking mentor (Hector Elizondo), Richard enlists in the army and serves in Vietnam. He returns with impaired hearing and finds it difficult to get a job. Through friendships with Art (Michael Sheen), who has cerebral palsy, and fellow Vietnam vets with various ailments, Richard finds his calling as an employment placement advocate for those with disabilities. Catching the attention of the state governor, his innovative work leads to a breakthrough opportunity: to write the training program for employers and government agencies to improve conditions, hire, and retain employees with disabilities. His efforts ultimately result in the creation of the congressionally approved Americans with Disabilities Act. MUSIC WITHIN impeccably fulfills its mission to inform as it entertains, as it seriously explores this sensitive subject but never loses its sense of humor when dealing with the issues. Livingston (OFFICE SPACE) is perfectly cast as Richard; his earnest Everyman style inspires, and his deadpan comic timing adds warmth to a story that showcases how cold people can be. Sheen (THE QUEEN) is a marvel as the brilliant and witty wheelchair-bound Art. Their chemistry is spellbinding and their characters' unique relationship is the heartbeat of this endearing film. (rottentomatoes.com)

Review: Music Within was a movie choice of Abby's, most likely because it contained the word "Music" in the title, but it turned out to be one of the more enjoyable movies that I have seen in a while. Both Abby and I are fans of movies that are based off of true stories. I think that we enjoy knowing that these cool stories that we are investing our time in actually happened, and then Abby enjoys shutting off the DVD player, picking up the computer, and looking up the characters and stories from the movies on Wikipedia and other Internet sites. Music Within was a wonderful story of friendship, triumph, and failure. This story was one of the few true stories that was successfully translated to be portrayed on the big screen and the writers, actors, and director did it wonderfully. I think that most of us are aware of the discrimination and hatred that faced African Americans during the civil rights movement and the uphill battle that women faced while they were fighting for equal rights, but it was relatively unknown to me the discrimination that people with physical or mental disabilities were facing in the late 70's and into the 80's. I really enjoyed seeing the story of a man that was advocating for those who were being treated as if they were not human beings.

Ron Livingston did a wonderful job depicting Richard Pimentel, a good hearted yet horribly conflicted character yet another character stole the show. Art Honeyman was played by Michael Sheen (Frost Nixon). Art was a man that a recently discharged Richard ran into while on campus at his college. Art suffers from Cerebral Palsy yet has a wonderful outlook on life and has this smart alec quick wit poise to him which added large amounts of humor to the film. I have to imagine that one of the most difficult roles in Hollywood to play would be a role where the character has either a physical or mental disability. In 1988 Dustin Hoffman made headlines when he won the Oscar for Best Actor in Rain Man. Since then many people have played roles in which they were depicting someone with a disability. The toughest part of this has to be doing it in an authentic yet tasteful manner. I was incredibly impressed with Michael Sheen as he portrayed Art Honeyman perfectly. I have gained a large amount of respect for him after seeing him in this role.

This story is full of ups and downs, laughs and tears, and held my attention the whole way through. There is a large amount of foul language warranting it an "R" rating, but I would recommend this movie to those of you who are old enough/mature enough for this type of movie. I rated it at 4 stars out of a possible 5 stars!

Rebecca - Critical Review

Rebecca (1940)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring : Joan Fontaine, Laurence Olivier, George Sanders, Nigel Bruce

Plot: A string of classic suspense films produced in England had earned Alfred Hitchcock a reputation in the United States, and his first American production, Rebecca, cemented his fame. Based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca was conceived to rival producer David O. Selznick's previous epic, Gone With The Wind. This psychological thriller, however, derives its grandeur from Hitchcock's careful cultivation of the title character's haunting legacy. Joan Fontaine takes the starring role and narrates the story of her life as the second Madam de Winter. Fontaine, young and innocent, meets the worldly and sophisticated Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier) while vacationing on the Riviera. After a whirlwind romance and marriage, the two return to his opulent English estate, Maderley, where Fontaine begins to realize she is not entirely welcome in her new role. Chief among her detractors is housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), who points out her every failing in relation to the previous mistress of the house, Rebecca. Fontaine is nearly driven to suicide by her inability to understand the mysterious legacy of the first wife. However, when a ship washes ashore, the mystery begins to unravel, setting the stage for the memorable and fiery climax. (rottentomatoes.com)

Review:
I would not consider myself a big reader so for me to actually finish a book is a pretty amazing feat. Even more so for me to finish a book that we were assigned to read in high school is a bigger feat in itself. I think that Rebecca was the only book that I read in its entirety during my high school days. I don't remember why it was that I actually read this one, but it happened so when I was bored and flipping channels it peaked my interest when I stumbled upon this film on TCM, which was ideal since TCM does not interrupt their movies with commercials.

The movie did not sway too much from the plot of the book written by Daphne du Maurier. Alfred Hitchcock was way ahead of his time when it comes to suspense in movies. He portrayed the drama and emotion in this thriller with utter perfection. The casting for this movie was also very well done. One of the highlights was one of the creepiest characters in movie or novel history, Mrs. Danvers, who was played by Judith Anderson. I was completely and utterly creeped out by Mrs. Danvers as I read through the book in high school and Ms. Anderson brought my nightmares to life in front of my very own eyes. The stone faced look and creepy smile almost pushed me over the edge, one of the best acting jobs that I have ever seen! The rest of this big name cast also brought their A-game making for a wonderfully enjoyable film.

Due to unenjoyable experiences with black and white films in the past I usually am turned off as soon as I see B&W, but Rebecca is a movie that I would recommend to each and every one of you! This is a classic novel that was turned into a wonderful thriller film by one of Hollywood's most renowned director's. I rated this movie 4 stars out of a total 5 stars and would recommend that all of you watch this film if you stumble upon it!