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Coming in May: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides starring Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush & Ian McShane

Posted on December 23, 2010 Written by ripitup

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Pirates of the Caribbean 4- On Stranger Tides - starring Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane & Geoffrey Rush
Pirates of the Caribbean 4- On Stranger Tides - starring Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane & Geoffrey Rush. Image via filmofilia.com

Pirates of the Caribbean 4 starring Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush & Ian McShane

And Captain Jack Sparrow is back!

The first movie of the Pirates of the Caribbean Series, The Curse of the Black Pearl came out in 2003, starring Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush & Jack Davenport (Steve of Coupling). I find it to be one of Johnny Depp’s best movies. It was a perfect combo of adventure, romance & comedy – with great actors and impressive visual effects. It was huge hit with the audience and we had 2 more movies, pretty much with the same leads.

Unfortunately for me, the second part (Dead Man’s Chest) lacked the first one’s magic and the third (At World’s End) wasn’t a pleasant experience at all. Don’t get me wrong- I am not one of those people intrinsically against all sequels. I just didn’t enjoy these ones. When I heard a fourth was in the works, I couldn’t have cared less, that is until I saw the trailer.

The 4th film, On Stranger Tides is shot in 3D and looks really entertaining: there’s flesh blood, in the shape of Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane. Keira Knightley, Orlanda Bloom and Jack Davenport are not among the cast and this seems like a bonus. Sparrow has his usual quirky manners, unique sense of humor, a potential romance and more action and challenges than he can handle, including getting through zombies and surviving Blackbeard (Ian McShane) to get to the fountain of youth.

You can watch the trailer here, and decide for yourselves.

I just can’t wait until May.

Other Johnny Depp Movies & Posts

The Tourist starring Angelina Jolie & Johnny Depp

Top 8 Johnny Depp Films

Benny & Joon starring Johnny Depp, Aidan Quinn, Mary Stuart Masterson & Julianne Moore

Public Enemies starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale & Marion Cotillard

Celebrities That Aged Really Well feat. Depp

Johnny Depp A Kind of Illusion – book on Depp

Handsome Actors to Play Villains: Johnny Depp, Keanu Reeves, James Spader, Antonio Banderas and Timothy Olyphant

Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr.: Hunky Actors of the 80s and 90s

10 Celebrities to Wear Flats for: Featuring Taylor Lautner, Johnny Depp, Kevin Bacon, Jon Bon Jovi and More

Other Posts on Penelope Cruz

Vicky, Cristina Barcelona starring Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem & Scarlett Johansson

3 Happy Celebrity Couples: Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: adventure, captain jack sparrow, comedy, curse of the black pearl, fantasy, Geoffrey Rush, ian mcshane, Jack Davenport, Johnny Depp, Johnny Depp movies, Keira Knightley, movies, on stranger tides, Penelope Cruz, Pirates of the Caribbean, Pirates of the Caribbean 4, pirates of the caribbean cast, Pirates of the Caribbean on stranger tides

Fallen Mini-Series starring Paul Wesley

Posted on December 16, 2010 Written by ripitup

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Fallen Mini Series starring Paul Wesley
Fallen Mini Series starring Paul Wesley

Fallen was shot as a TV movie in 2006, also starring Paul Wesley. The movie’s plot was continued as a 3-part mini-series in 2007, each episode lasting about 80 minutes. Paul Wesley plays Aaron Corbett, a half-angel, half-human hybrid.

The first episode of Fallen also features some of the other cast members, in addition to Paul Wesley – Alex Ferris, Chelah Horsdal and Russell Porter.

I don’t know what happens exactly in the movie, but the series is good enough even if you haven’t seen the film. I know I haven’t. The series provide enough background info.

The Plot

Aaron Corbett (Paul Wesley) is a successful high school senior. He is also a good wrestler and he can obtain a wrestling scholarship. He is getting along well with his latest foster parents, Tom and Lori (Russell Porter, Chelah Horsdal) and their problematic biological kid Stevie (Alex Ferris). In fact, Stevie seems to be responding better to Aaron.

However, strange things start happening as Aaron turns 18. He starts hearing voices in his head and he gains the ability to hear what animals are saying. He also starts being able to speak any foreign language at will. He comes up with the only explanation that makes sense – that he is losing his mind.

However as he is tracked down by two separate angels, and told the impossible, he truly feels stuck. He wants no part of being an angel, although he will be left no choice as there Angels after him that want him dead and he needs to protect his family. Being 18 probably never had been that complicated…

The Verdict

The show was shot in 2007, before Paul Wesley got the leading vampire part in the hit series The Vampire Diaries. The Fallen is easily watchable and it has pretty decent effects for a mini-series.

The fight/battle scenes between the angels are pretty glorious and Aaron’s quest to respond to his calling is full of exciting twists and turns.

Paul Wesley does in fact look younger than his actual 25 and he has perfectly captured innocence, angst and frustration as well as pure love.

It goes without saying that The Fallen is recommended for any Paul Wesley fan, as well as the fans of the fantasy/adventure genre.

6.6 on IMDB. 7/10 from me.

Fun note:

It seems like angels and vampires go hand in hand:

Paul Wesley played two leading roles, one as an angel and one as a vampire

Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s David Boreanaz shot to fame playing a vampire named Angel.

All Posts feat. Paul Wesley and his Vampire Diaires character Stefan Salvatore

The Vampire Diaries starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder

The Vampire Diaries Salvatore Brothers Poll: Ian Somerhalder’s Damon Salvatore or Paul Wesley’s Stefan?

The Vampire Diaries Cast Trivia Feat. Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev, Candice Accola, Zach Roerig & More

The Vampire Diaries TV Show Entertainment Trivia: Entertainment References of The Vampire Diaries Characters

The Unlucky Vampire Diaries Characters Feat. Nina Dobrev’s Elena Gilbert & Paul Wesley’s Stefan Salvatore

The Unlucky Vampire Diaries Characters: Michael Trevino’s Tyler, Katerina Graham’s Bonnie & Zach Roerig’s Matt,

The Unlucky Vampire Diaries Characters: Matthew Davis’ Alaric, Sara Canning’s Jenna, Candice Accola’s Caroline

The Unlucky Vampire Diaries Characters: Ian Somerhalder’s Damon, Nina Dobrev’s Katherine & Steven R. McQueen’s Jeremy

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Filed Under: TV shows Tagged With: adventure, alex ferris, Chelah Horsdal, fallen mini series, fallen paul wesley, fallen tv series, fantasy, paul Wesley, paul wesley fallen, paul Wesley the vampire diaries, Russell Porter, TV shows

City of Angels starring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan

Posted on August 4, 2010 Written by ripitup

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City of Angels starring Meg Ryan and Nicolas Cage
City of Angels starring Meg Ryan and Nicolas Cage. Made in 1998. Image via http://www.dizimatik.com

Seth (Nicholas Cage) is an angel, conveniently located in the City of Angels, Los Angeles. His job is to appear to dying humans and take them with him in a friendly manner. He has the ability to appear to the humans – whether they are dying or not. He has no sense of touch or pain. He doesn’t feel fear and he is pretty much an immortal.

Maggie (Meg Ryan) is a pretty and sensitive doctor who is in a semi-serious and not so passionate relationship with a fellow doctor named Jordan (Colm Feore) from the same hospital.

Observing Maggie, Seth becomes fascinated by this pretty, humane and emotional woman. Maggie finds herself attracted to this mysterious stranger as well. Obviously an angel is not supposed to fall in love, but it is already too late for Seth. But he can’t just exactly ask her out. And soon Maggie will want to know more information than he volunteers.

Help comes in the form of a hospital patient called Messinger (Dennis Franz), who also can see Seth. But unlike Maggie, this middle-aged man has a pretty good idea about what Seth actually is. As it happens, this man used to be an angel as well. But when he fell in love with a woman, he chose to be a regular mortal. It all takes one big jump. So, Seth has to choose between the world he knows and Maggie…

City of Angels is undoubtedly a sappy love story but it does come with Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan. And it is story was somewhat more refreshing than Meg’s other romantic roles. The movie also has a great slow-rock soundtrack featuring U2, Alanis Morisette, Goo Goo Dolls and more. Being the romantic that I am, I do love the unconditional love aspect of the story – and how these two really connect and see through each other’s souls. But there is one element that can make up for sappiness and this is what the movie lacks: a good ending. But I’ll get to the that in a minute. ,

Written  by Dana Stevens- based on the German film Der Himmel über Berlin (incorrectly translated as Wings of Desire) from 1987. The German screenplay was written by Peter Handke, Richard Reitinger and Wim Wenders. City of Angels was directed by Brad Silberling.

Rated 6.4 on IMDB. Without the ending, my vote is a 6 or a 7. With the ending, I can even go as low as a 4.

And now, for those who have already seen the movie or the ones who just don’t mind major spoilers, here is why the ending breaks the movie:

Now, obviously there are many people who hated or disliked the movie as a whole or loved the film and found the ending to be just perfect. But as for me, I liked the movie a lot but despised the ending. Not just because an unhappy ending really renders Seth’s whole reason of being a human pointless but because the writer(s) chose the stupidest unhappy ending possible (I haven’t seen the German film so I don’t know if I am just blaming Dana Stevens or the others). What Meg Ryan does… I mean who does that? Seriously? Who rides a bicycle, eyes closed on a busy highway??? Even a suicidal or a masochistic person would prefer something else. But she is not even suicidal or masochistic, is she? She is blissfully happy….

If they were going to kill Meg Ryan, they could and should have at least gone with something less stupid. But I’d rather have a happy ending. Not just because I am a hopeless romantic –which I am- but I am a fun-loving, entertainment-obsessed romantic. So it is precisely because I love to have fun or at least get lost in a good story, I do demand a good ending. If it is going to be unhappy, it has to feel natural in the context of the story. I shouldn’t feel like the writer created tragedy for tragedy’s sake- which is a specialty of Nicholas Sparks and I really can’t stand how he ends his stories.

If you are a hopeless romantic, this is a must for you. If you have liked anything with Meg Ryan or Nicholas Cage, watch this. If you have a soft spot for tragic endings, by all means- this is the movie for you. But if you do want to watch something depressing yet naturally tragic with Nicholas Cage (where you probably wouldn’t have wanted or rationalized another ending) watch Leaving Las Vegas. If you want an in-your-face, realistic and very impressive Cage, watch Lord of War. And if you do want to watch a different kind of Meg Ryan movie, watch In the Land of Women, where the movie is definitely not about her ending up with the love of her life.

Other Posts on Nicolas Cage

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice starring Nicholas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Teresa Palmer

Knowing starring Nicolas Cage

Favorite Actors to Play Villains feat. Nicolas Cage, John Travolta and more

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Brad Silberling, City of Angels, city of angels movie, city of angels soundtrack, Dana Stevens, Der Himmel über Berlin, drama, fantasy, Los Angeles, Meg Ryan, meg ryan city of angels, movies, Nicholas Cage, nicholas cage movies, Nicholas Sparks, nicolas cage, nicolas cage movies, Peter Handke, Richard Reitinger, romance, Wim Wenders, Wings of Desire

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice starring Nicholas Cage, Monica Belluci, Jay Baruchel and Teresa Palmer

Posted on July 23, 2010 Written by ripitup

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The Sorcerer's Apprentice movie poster, starring Nicholas Cage
The Sorcerer's Apprentice starring Nicholas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Monica Belluci and Teresa Palmer. Directed by Jon Turteltaub. Image via disnology.com

Balthazar Blake (Nicholas Cage), Veronica (Monica Belluci) and Horvath (Alfred Molina) are sorcerer apprentices to Merlin. They are all very powerful and are supposed to use magic for humanity. When Horvath makes a deal with the evil sorcerer Morgana (Alice Krige), steals a powerful magic and attacks them,  Veronica imprisons Morgana in herself ;and herself in a “grimhold” to save Balthazar and the world. Before Merlin dies, he tells Balthazar that he needs to find ther “premerlinian” (I have no idea how to spell that!!)- a sorcerer so powerful that he will be able to destroy Morgana.  So Baltahazar searches for this special person for over a thousand years, with no avail.

Come 2000 and by coincidence, the child he is looking for walks into Balthazar’s shop. His name is David Strutter, he is 10 and he is in love with his classmate Becky. Just when Balthazar gives him his special ring and tries to explain his purpose, David accidentally sets Horvath free. This ends in Balthazar imprisoning himself and Horvath in a grimhold and David running away.

Come 2010,David (Jay Baruchel) is a total physics nerd, working on a Tesla related thesis. When he runs into Becky (Teresa Palmer) at the university, he can’t believe his luck. But just when he believes he has a shot with her, Balthazar and Horvath reappear. Balthazar starts training David and involuntarily lets him date as well. In the meantime, Horvath is trying to find himself other sorcerers who can help him with his mission.

Of course Horvath can’t be trusted, Balthazar has a hard time convincing David he is the one and we find about the real reason why Horvath betrayed them.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is an absolute summer fun. This summer gave us totally entertaining action/adventure films with romantic subplots on the side and really good jokes. After Iron Man 2, Prince of Persia The Sands of Time and Knight and Day, we get another fun movie that totally entertains. I couldn’t have cared less if Inception topped this one at the box office.  The script is really well-balanced, Nicholas Cage is totally lovely and funny as Balthazar, Alfred Molina makes a fine villain (Chocolat, Spider Man 2) and Monica Belluci is gorgeous as always.

I really liked Jay Baruchel and Teresa Palmer’s performances as well. The comic timing, action sequences with magic , special affects and chemistry between the cast complement each other perfectly. I laughed a lot and had a great time. This movie is directed by Jon Turteltaub, and I have always loved his directing, regardless of the genre. He has also directed the National Treasure films starring Nicholas Cage, While You Were Sleeping and Phenomenon.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a Jerry Bruckheimer production. It was written by Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal, Matt Lopez, Doug Miro and Carlo Bernhard.




But of course keep in mind I love the combination of action/comedy/romance and I am not that into magic.I don’t likethe Harry Potter series. But I am a fan of Cage and Molina and they deliver, big time.

Trailer 1

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VZllR44gdA[/pro-player]

Trailer 2

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7ZL3XjwL0E[/pro-player]

8/10. Perfect escapism!

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: action, adventure, Alfred Molina, comedy, fantasy, Jay Baruchel, Jon Turteltaub, merlin, monica belluci, movies, Nicholas Cage, nicolas cage, romance, Teresa Palmer, The Sorcerer's Apprentice

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