When In Rome- Review

When In Rome is the story of museum curator named Beth (Kristen Bell) a single girl in New York and work-a-holic (how original). While in Rome for her sister’s wedding, a desperate Beth takes five coins out of the Fountain of Love. She soon finds out that taking these coins has consequences; the owners of the coins will automatically fall in love with her. The attention doesn’t seem to bother Beth until she falls for one of her suitors (Josh Duhamel) and things get complicated.

The bottom line is that the movie sets out to be a romantic comedy but doesn’t deliver on either of those promises. The film is romantic but in a very artificial way and it is funny but not particularly hilarious. Figure about one laugh every fifteen minutes. The problem probably stems from Duhamel and Bell who are integral parts of the romantic comedy genre in Hollywood but cannot carry a romantic comedy by themselves in order to make it really shine. Another problem is that the storyline is original for all about five minutes and then falls flat.Pacing in the film is steady throughout with no real wave of funny and romantic moments.

That said, the film was mildly entertaining if you’re really bored… go watch. If not, just wait for it to come out on DVD and then head to your nearest blockbuster.

Star rating: 3/5

Valentine’s Day Review

Valentine’s Day is a film about the interlapping Valentine’s day tales of all kinds of people; married or single, young or old. The film is directed by Gary Marshall who brought to the world the classic romantic-comedy that is Pretty Woman. Valentine’s Day sparkles due to an all-star cast that basically had every agent in Hollywood buzzing. The big names in the film include Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Garner, Julia Roberts, Queen Latifah, Anne Hathaway, Hector Elizondo, George Lopez, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey  and the acting debut of Taylor Swift. All this to say that the opening credits take up a good ten minutes at the beginning of the film.

Despite the cast of Hollywood heavy-weights, lots of film critics are punishing the film with bad reviews for its unoriginal plot line and lackluster dialogue. The truth is the film isn’t heavy in its themes and doesn’t allow the audience to skim off more than the foam at the top. That said, what does one expect with a film that essentially tells ten different stories at the same time? It would be impossible to go deep into the plot without making the film three hours long. The film markets itself as a fun, date-night romantic comedy and in that  respect Valentine’s Day does follow through on it promises. It leaves  the viewer feeling bubbly and entertained, however superficial that feeling may be. Lopez and Kutcher also provide great comic relief and the script does include some surprising plot twists.

The movie provides something for everyone because it is diverse in its characters and for that reason it’s worth spending ten dollars on a movie ticket ( or five if you go on Tuesday).

Star rating: 3.5/5

Dear John Review

Dear John is a story about an American soldier, John, (Channing Tatum) who falls in love with a girl in his hometown, Savannah (Amanda Seyfried) while on leave. The film is based on the novel by Nichlolas Sparks who also wrote The Notebook. Sparks is known for his strength in writing tear-jerking love stories.This film delivers on one of those promises but fails on the other. Surprisingly, the film is a tear-jerker and develops it’s intense, heavy-themed side-plots much more than the actual love story that is expected.

The film’s thematic elements and multi-scene format make clear that it in an adaptation and makes the film rich in emotional impact.
In terms of a romance film, the progression of the romance does not require any real emotional investment from the audience. That said, Seyfriend and Tatum do have good chemistry on screen.
Tatum does a wonderful job as an American soldier in the middle of a post- nine/eleven war. He breaks out of the pretty boy mold he’s been in for this role. Seyfried’s character, however, isn’t relatable and makes audiences wonder why she makes the choices she does.
All things considered, the film does provide the dramatic storyline its preview suggests. If your look for a romantic, valentine’s day movie though, your better off renting Romeo and Juliet because Dear John falls short in this respect.
Star rating: 3.5

Avatar: highest grossing film of all time

Just a quick post to say that Avatar has overtaken Titanic and has become the highest grossing film world wide of all time raking in $1.8 billion. It still hasn’t beaten Titanic’s domestic record (US) of $200 million but is well on its way.
I’ll keep you posted.

Extraordinary Measures – Film Review

Alright, so here is the first of what I hope will be a weekly thing. I’ll try to post a movie review at least once a week of new movies (provided I see one).
This week: Extraordinary Measures
The film stars Brendan Fraser (yes that guy from the mummy) who plays John Crowley, the father of two children with a rare genetic disorder. When Crowley and his wife (Keri Russell) are told by well-meaning doctors that their children won’t live past their ninth birthdays, the pair refuse to accept this fate. Cue in Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford), the eccentric, out-of-sorts doctor who makes his own rules.

The film presents a series of hurtles for Crowley and Stonehill and gets lengthy at points because it seems to follow a repetitive pattern with no real linear storyline.

The tone of the film also falls short with scenes being either jovial or tragic and the addition of humorous moments by Ford’s character doesn’t help its case.

That said, Fraser outdoes himself in this out-of-character role proving something very few people knew: he can actually carry a movie as the lead.

The film centers itself around some heavy themes but, considering its based on a true story, handles them well.

All in all, a good family film that makes you feel that some things are worth fighting for.

With a tagline like, Don’t hope for a miracle. Make one., What else can one expect?

3.5 stars out of 5

Summer in Montreal: A Mecca for Entertainment

With the smell of sweet summer in Montreal comes a string of festivals and events that liven the already dynamic and vivacious streets of the downtown and surrounding areas. Every summer, the mini-metropolis that is Montreal gives both locals and tourists the chance to enjoy every single moment of the summer heat. Montreal, in present years, has become a gold mine of concerts, shows and festivals. It seems therefore essential to mention a few of this year’s festivals- past, present and future- so that anyone living or visiting Montreal can take full advantage of all that the city has to offer for leisure and recreation throughout the summer.

In June 2009, Virgin Radio held its first ever Montreal Virgin Festival, a two-day long music event that featured such artists as The Black-Eyed Peas, Simple Plan and Akon. A wide range of musical styles and various talents made the event a success. “It was amazing to pay for one ticket and get to see so many different artists. I would definitely go back next year,” says one concert-goer. There seems to be near certainty that the festival will return next summer to once again please a wide range of musical tastes.

Other music festivals have also made their way to Montreal this year. To satiate the hunger of rock fans, the Osheaga Festival will be held at Olympia de Montreal from July 28th to 31st and will feature bands among the likes of Coldplay, The Roots, Arctic Monkeys and Jason MRaz.

With events both new and old, the city buzzes with excitement. The International Jazz Festival of Montreal returned this summer from June 30th to July 12th for its 30th year. Jazz and blues artists lke Suzanne Vega, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers and Erik Truffaz provided their musical talents and performed. The Jazz Festival was also graced by the presence of Stevie Wonder who performed a free, outdoor concert. The Jazz Festival, with this concert and many other free events, proved that it could survive even in tough economic times.

Also returning to Montreal for another year is the 27th edition of the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival; taking place between July 3rd and July 26th. This year’s festival features comedians among the likes of Whoopie Goldberg, Russell Peters and Martin Short. The festival is a yearly success and this year seems to be no different with ticket sales thriving more than ever and many Just for Laughs events already sold out. In keeping with a similar style as the Jazz Festival many free events are also available. Many street artists will invade St.Denis to entertain passers-by with short comedic performances. For a full list of performers and events consult hahaha.com.

Throughout the year Montreal’s Bell Center is bonanza of various performers that range from rock, hip-hop and pop music to Cirque du Soleil productions. A few events to check out at the Bell Center coming up are Lil’ Wayne, Blink 182, AC/D, Bryan Adams and teen pop sensations the Jonas Brothers. Tibet’s Dalai Lama is also gracing the Bell Center stage with his presence to speak about Buddhist belief. At the end of August, the Bell Center will be home to Walking with Dinosaurs, an interactive show of life-like robotic dinosaurs. Disney on Ice and Saka Cirque A Cheval will also offer shows throughout the months of August and September.

So whether it be music (of any genre), comedy, theatrical dance and gymnastics, religious discussion and lecture or even interest in life-like robotic dinosaurs, Quebec’s most lively city is most definitely a mecca for entertainment. Boredom is an impossibility.

NHL on the FLY – July 7th

With the Montreal Canadiens not locking up Koivu and/or Kovalev, we all know what message is being sent to the rest of the team. You are expendable unless you produce. I’m not a big fan of Koivu but having him on the second line instead of Pleckanec would be a better fit. Komisarek is now known as a traitor. I hate how everyone justifies the money involved but he sucked worse then O’Byrne scoring on his own net. That was a complete failure.  With hockey starting in 3 months time, you wonder if this hockey team will do well. I think they will but you never know. With that on to the news:

Heatley: The new bad boy of hockey.  He says no twice to Edmonton.  What kind of moron asks for a trade and then nixes it because they assumed they’re going to Cali or N.Y. It’s ridiculous. They should implement a “if you want to leave the team, that’s fine but your no trade clause gets removed”. This protects the team from shipping the person and if he becomes angry like Heatley, then Edmonton should take the piece of crap.

Kovalev: Kovalev signs 2 year 10 million dollar deal that will hopefully replace Heatley on their first line. It’s funny that the fans wanted Kovalev back and staged a protest in front of the building crying “Oh I bought a Kovalev shirt, bring him back!”. I don’t see one Komisarek person complaining, more like bowing their heads in shame that they actually have Komi-fail-rek’s shirt.

Komisarek: This douche master flex is awesome for signing with the Maple Leafs because it gives me a chance to hate him without being booed now. Good riddance. He is more useless then Matt Millen was to the Detroit Lions. I love the fact the Toronto Maple Leafs are gonna have a tough D, but slow & tough are hard to come by, and you my friend Brian Burke, have signed 6 of the worst. Yeah get rid of your cornerstones in Kubina and soon to be Kaberle. They’re of no use to you in the future. Great re-sign with Grabovski. You’re stuck with a Kovalev wannabe who puts up less points for the next 3 years.

Still Availible:

Alex Tanguay

Saku Koivu

Chris Versteeg (after a fuck up in Chicago)

Francis Boulion and like 100 other Canadians

and countless others….

One problem is with so many UFA’s so little cap room to get them. Where will these guys go? We will know for sure in the comming days with updates and such, till then…

NHL on the Fly- Post Draft/UFA/RFA siginings

With the draft come and gone and no Vinny Lecavlier and no first line center, the Habs are in a pickle. Or are they? The draft this year went 1-5 as I predicted with John Taveres going first to the New York Islanders. Second went Victor Hedman of the Swedish Elite League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Third went to the Colorado Avalanche. Matt Duchene was the man picked. A star that came out of nowhere and swept up a lot of hype. In fourth we have the up and comer that is been compared to Jarome Iginla. Evander Kane can be the sleeper forward of these 3. Montreal Canadians picked a hometown favorite Louis Leblanc. A future star forward that has the possibility to put up Mike Richards numbers in 3-5 years time.

Free Agency Frenzy:

With the record books blown, and the Habs going buck wild picking up gritty / scoring players, I’m quite interested how these pick ups will pan out. Of course I’m talking about:

Hal Gill: A defense man coming from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hal is Mike Komisarek but 9 years older and 5 inches taller, not to mention about 15 pounds heavier. He will be the shutdown D the Habs need when Ovechkin, Crosby, Malkin, Savard and other big players come to town.

Jaroslav Spacek: A great pick up in my opinion. He is getting mixed reviews but overall a PP specialist that is great with the one timers. With Markov on the other side, you will see why he is worth every penny.

Scott Gomez: An ex New York Ranger which came via trade with Higgins/McDonaugh. Great trade in my opinion. A prospect that could go either way and Higgins, a now 4th line winger is upgraded for a first line to 2nd line center. I think he will do well with wingers like:

Brian Gionta: An excellent pick up by the Habs on this one. He will go well with Gomez. Expect more then 60 points from him.

Mike Cammaleri: Small but gritty forward who will kick some ass next year. Will he repeat the great performance he had last season, or will he fade without Iginla? Time will tell

And that’s all for this week.

NHL on the Fly’s Pre Draft Special

This is going to be a 2 part NHL on the fly special. With the upcoming draft tomorrow expect some big moves and shakes from teams. But before I get into that I’lls get into news.

Seems the Habs are not signing a free agent till they pick up a #1 center. They want to build a team around this player and with that said, I believe its worth the wait because this #1 center will draw in big wingers.

Brian Burke is still trying to gun for the top 3 picks.

The Sedin’s are looking to sign for 12 years and 5.6 mil each brother. Honestly its great if it was not so long so that’s why Vancouver is hesitating.

Balisie lost the chance to ship out the Coyotes. Its too bad because Phoenix is a losing proposition.

The Molson bros bought our beloved Habs for a whopping $575 million. I definitely did not want them to be controlled by a gambler and a company which chooses profit over success.

And now on to the draft:

For the past couple of years we have seen and known who would go first. Crosby, Ovechkin, Kane etc… But this would be the first year where it is up in the air.  New York Islanders fan should seriously STFU if they don’t draft Taveres.  And with that I will create a mock draft of the top  teams and things that might happen.

1) NEW YORK ISLANDERS: After seeing Garth Snow (NY gm) saying he will not trade this pick, we need to see the needs of the team, and boy this team is in the down phase. With no real offense and only Mark Streit at Defense. Its safe to say that they are in need in a whole lot of help. Taveres, Hedman,Duschene are all good picks but when its there time….this is who they will pick…

John Taveres- Solely to try to get Komosarek or another defense to be with Streit. If not expect them to take Hedman

2) Tampa Bay Lightening: With a sudden chance to move Vincent Lecavlier, they are expected to also need either a D man or a F to replace Lecav. Expect them to take:

Matt Duchene- With Markov being offered in the package for Lecavlier, they don’t need a Dman, they will need offense.

3) Colorado Avalanche: This one is a no-brainer. With great offense and no D, expect them to take

Victor Hedman

and the rest:

4)Atlanta- Evander Kane

5)Los Angeles- Braydon Schenn

A lot will happen including big trade rumors including Vincent Lecavlier, maybe someone big moving up in the draft.

Expect these teams to move up in the draft:

Montreal Canadians, T.O Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars and maybe a few I haven’t mentioned..

Until Saturday when we will have the POST DRAFT SPECIAL

Lord Anish’s Full Hockey Update

As we all know by now that the Montreal Canadiens have hired a new head coach. Is he French? Check. Is he Bilingual? Check. Is he what we need to make this team go from 8th place last year to a cup this year? Yes. With over 1000 games experience and a defensive mind like no other, we have Jaques Martin.  A defensive minded coach who will make us win close 2-1 games. This bodes well for Carey Price and puts less pressure on him but let’s face it, this is Montreal. Pressure comes with a smile in the  city no matter who you are.

With July 1st coming rumors are floating everywhere that Havalat wants to stay in Chicago. Emery is rumored to becoming a Flyer and  Bertuzzi a Hab.  We’re hearing Cammeleri might become a Senator and Taveres or Duchense a T.O. Maple Leaf.  A lot of rumors flying around but there’s not enough evidence of these specific things happening. David Kreji has signed a 3 year extension with Boston Bruins. After having a remarkable year, does one expect anything different?

In News, the court battle for NHL vs Bassile seems to be favoring the Blackberry mogul. The Habs have not re-signed one person since P.K.  Subban over a month ago. I believe now that the Habs are more dramatic then an O.C. girl.

With the Stanley Cup over and done with more rumors have recently popped up:

Vincent Lecavlier: Expect Montreal, LA Kings or Edmonton to make a push for this superstar

Mike Cammeleri: Ottawa seems to be a front runner

Danny Heatley: This German powerhouse asked for a trade from Ottawa last week. There seems to be an ongoing straight exchange for Heatley with Calgary. Dion Phaneuf for Heatley is the most seen. If Ottawa can grasp him, they will turn to Komisarek and the Habs.

Marion Hossa: Detroit is looking to re-sign. Problem is they have a lot more others to re-sign first. So unless Hossa does it for 2 million a yr. Expect Edmonton to make  a grab.

Saku Koivu: Minnesota seems to want him playing with his brother.

Congratulations Pittsburgh Penguins:

On a job well done beating the Detroit Redwings 4-3 in the series and 2-1 in the Stanley Cup finals. It was a job well done. Looks like Pittsburgh wanted it more, or Marion Hossa wanted it less. Either way Detroit made one mistake and it cost them a 2nd in a row cup.

Well thats all for today peeps, I’ll be going to the draft next week but will make an update before then.

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