Hello, Freddy

This man is Jackie Earle Haley. Former child star turned Oscar-nominated actor for 2006's Little Children. Rorschach in Watchmen. And now he's Freddy Krueger in Platinum Dunes' upcoming remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street. [x]

I don't really know what to say about his casting. I've never seen Haley act (yes, shame on me). I can tell you that any news related to remaking Elm Street leads to me jumping up and down in a fit of rage. Okay, no, not really. I just sigh somewhat annoyed. I truly feel remaking Elm Street is unnecessary. I know I don't have a say in it, but still..

[...]

DAMNIT! I grew up watching Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. It started when I was ten. My best friend and I would have sleepovers and for some reason our parents let us rent Freddy, Michael and Jason movies. It's been our thing for over a decade. How excited were we when Freddy vs Jason hit theaters. The first time (and probably last time we thought) ever we got to see these icons on the big screen! Then the Halloween remake happened, which I didn't like, but my best friend kinda did. Then the Friday the 13th remake happened, which I didn't really like, but my best friend kinda did. For the record, she pretty much likes everything. Best friend, I love you, but that's f*ckin annoying. How many times have you made me watch The Haunting?!

Anyways, the point of this story is: STOP RUINING MY CHILDHOOD! It's not funny anymore. What's next? A remake of Scream? That movie is 12 years old. I bet the Platinum Dunes guys are on the phone with the Weinsteins right now.

Back to topic, what is the point of this remake? When the Powers that Be wanted to remake The Hills Have Eyes I thought 'sure, why not.' The original was crappy and dated, so an upgrade didn't seem like such a bad idea. But why Elm Street? Robert Englund as Freddy? Iconic. Johnny Depp sucked into the bed? Classic. Top that, Platinum Dunes! (I really seem to be hating on Platinum Dunes right now so I have to add that I do love The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Yes, I'm a complex person).

There's a small upside. Kyle Gallner, better known as Cassidy 'Beaver' Casablancas on Veronica Mars has signed on to the Elm Street remake as well. Since the inclusion of big bro Dick Casablancas (aka Ryan Hansen) was among the few things Friday the 13th got right (as in, Ryan didn't make me want to stab my eyes out), I'm sure Beaver will amuse me as well.

Btw, I remember there's one movie my best friend doesn't like.. Sex and the City.

A little rant

Ohw gosh, I haven't posted here in ages. And for days I've been wanting to blog about why Doug (Aaron Stanford) from The Hills Have Eyes is one of my favorite movie characters and share my appreciation for the remake. And that I can't sit through the commentary because Aja's accent makes me giggle. But that will have to wait, because I'm tired, hayfeverish and unable to be witty and/or coherent right now.

I will say this: I feel old. I read the gossip sites and the movie sites and lately I feel I'm only reading about Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, and the Twilight stars. I'm actually trying to think of more teen stars, but I'm drawing a blank (I think that's a good thing). And what pains me the most is that I used to love Young Hollywood. My generation had talented young stars with critical acclaim. And when I'm talking about my generation, you know when I was a teen, I'm just talking about 10 years ago.

Check it: 1999 was the year of American Beauty. Thora Birch and Wes Bentley gave wonderful performances (whatever happened to them, seriously?). Kirsten Dunst was great in The Devil's Arithmetic and The Virgin Suicides, but was also effortlessly funny in Dick. Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were on the rise thanks to the still great 10 Things I Hate About You. Elijah Wood and Christina Ricci were well on their way making their transition from child star to adult roles since their memorable performances in 1997's The Ice Storm. Reese Witherspoon impressed with Election, while the cast of American Pie was a breath of fresh air.

1999 was a great year for young talent. 2009 not so much. Yes, Kristen Stewart is in Twilight and she's a great young actress. But how does Vanessa Hudgens compare to any of the actresses mentioned in the paragraph above? To be honest, I don't know much about the current teen stars. I want to keep it that way. But it kinda makes me sad for the current generation that that's what they have to look up to. People were always making fun of the now defunct WB network and its stars, but really, was it that bad?

Ahhh see, incoherent rambling. Sorry about that! I'm off to watch House on Haunted Hill. The remake one. And at one point I will make a post about remakes. You know, as soon as I figure out where I stand when it comes to those things..

Zac Efron no longer Footloose

Obviously, Zac Efron reads my blog. Only a week ago, I wrote I wouldn't support 17 Again or any other Efron related project until he leaves Footloose alone. Et voila!

Said Paramount, in a statement to TheWrap: "Footloose is a project we've longed to see re-booted for a new generation. While Zac is no longer attached, we remain excited and committed to the collective brain trust of Kenny Ortega, Neil Meron and Craig Zaden, who will reinvigorate the franchise."

Okay, so apparently Zac said something about not wanting to be 'just a cute song-and-dance man', but we know the truth. So I will go watch 17 Again once it gets released here in The Netherlands. Yes, I'm taking one for the team. And you're welcome.

Rest in peace, Natasha Richardson

I'm sad to post that the wonderful Natasha Richardson has passed away at the age of 45. My heart goes out to her family and friends. To quote my favorite movie Elizabethtown: "This loss will be met by a hurricane of love." Rest in peace, Natasha!

Review: Confessions of a Shopaholic

I've heard many bad things about this movie. I, however, liked it. It helps to belong to the target audience, to like shopping and fashion and to adore Isla Fisher.

Fisher plays Becky Bloomwood, a shopaholic with a huge credit card debt. She dreams of working for a fashion magazine, but ends up working for financial mag Successful Savings. Becky becomes an overnight success giving people financial advice that she herself has trouble following.

Shopaholic the movie is based on Sophie Kinsella's first two Shopaholic novels: Confessions of a Shopaholic and Shopaholic Takes Manhattan. I've read them both and I enjoyed them very much. They're fun reads! I know people are disappointed that the movie didn't follow the books more closely. Or they are disappointed that they used material from the first two books for one movie. While I would've liked to see two seperate movies for the two books that both followed the books more closely, I ultimately didn't mind the changes too much.

Two things I didn't like: Luke working at Successful Savings and the moving mannequins. While I liked this Luke and Hugh Dancy as Luke, it's not the Luke from the books. Turning Luke into Becky's boss is rather convenient. And that's just lazy screenwriting. And the mannequins? OH MY GOD! How did that get past test screenings? Seriously? I want to know! Awful, just AWFUL! What is wrong with using voice over?

I liked the elements they used from the books. At beginning Becky looks at her bill and says 'OK, don't panic', followed by her assumption that her creditcard must have been stolen. I liked that Luke gave Becky money so she could buy her Denny & George scarf. I liked that Becky had to sell all her stuff at the end, and that Luke ended up buying her scarf back. That was AWWWW.

I read the books with Fisher in mind as Becky and she was perfect. Exactly the Becky I imagined her to be. I liked Krysten Ritter as Suze. I know she looks nothing like book-Suze, but since I read them knowing Krysten would play her, I didn't mind. Leslie Bibb doesn't have much to do as Alicia. I don't know why they put so much make up on her face. Leslie is a naturally gorgeous girl! Dancy was perfectly charming as Luke, but again, his character wasn't like book-Luke at all.

Overall, it was an enjoyable movie, mostly thanks to the undeniably charming Isla Fisher. A 3,5/5.

West Side Story Revisited

I love Vanity Fair. The magazine tends to bring actors together for photoshoots, who you normally wouldn't see together.. for a photoshoot. To celebrate its Broadway revival, VF has recreated scenes from the 1961 film version of West Side Story. It's like spot the celebrity. You can't really tell in the small picture below (the VF website has bigger versions), but that's Camilla Belle as Maria, Jennifer Lopez as Anita, Rodrigo Santoro as Bernardo, Chris Evans as Riff and Prince Caspian himself Ben Barnes as Tony. Not to forget that the Sharks include Minka Kelly and Jay Hernandez, while the Jets include Drake Bell, Ashley Tisdale, Sean Faris, Brittany Snow and Robert Pattinson.


For more images of this fantastic shoot, visit vanityfair.com.

Trailer Park: Confessions of a Shopaholic

I don't watch a lot of trailers online, so this feature will mostly feature (hee!) trailers that were attached to movies I've recently seen. Keep in mind that I live in The Netherlands, and that the trailers attached wont necessarily be the same as the ones in your country. In this post I'll review the trailers that were attached to Confessions of a Shopaholic.

My guesses: He's Just Not That Into You, Bride Wars, 17 Again

Sunshine Cleaning
This was unexpected! I didn't think a little movie like Sunshine Cleaning would get a theatrical release here. I mean, the movie is doing well in the US, but in limited release. Isn't that usually code for direct-to-DVD here in The Netherlands? Guess they are wising up. Anyways, loved seeing the trailer on the big screen. Amy Adams is adorable. I want to see this movie now!
To be viewed: probably on DVD cause it will end up getting a limited release here as well and no one I know wants to see it.

17 Again
Except for the Zac Efron factor, this movie looks pretty entertaining. But the scene where Leslie Mann abuses Zac's face, made me cringe. He looks exactly like her husband, played by Matthew Perry? Yeah, right.
To be viewed: on DVD. I will not support Zac Efron projects until he leaves Footloose alone.

He's Just Not That Into You
I'm just not that into this movie anymore. The more I see this trailer, the more it bores me. How is that possible when the cast includes Bradley Cooper, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johansson, Justin Long, and Kevin Connelly? Did I mention the Bradley Cooper factor?!
To be viewed: on DVD

The Proposal
Poor Sandra Bullock. Poor Ryan Reynolds. Okay, not poor Ryan Reynolds. He gets to be married to Scarlett Johansson. But they both deserve better than this. The Proposal doesn't look bad, it just looks awful. Nothing we haven't seen before. I'd rather see Bullock's other romcom, All About Steve. Not that that movie looks like a winner, but at least it has Bradley Cooper in it.
To be viewed: on TV