007

What is it about James Bond movies that guarantees its success? And why do we still want to see the new ones? I have just seen Spectre and I couldn't help myself to admit that this is still a good entertainment. But how many is enough?:) So I decided to check the statistics!

The first James Bond movie ever made is Doctor No from 1962 and since then 24 more were created! Main role was given to amazing Sean Connery and his sexy voice....at least some years ago it definitely was ;) And apparently I'm not the only one to have such opinion as Sean played "Double O 7" seven times!

As we all know, from time to time fresh blood must come, so after 5 movies with Sean the 

producers decided to give a chance to George Lazenby.

Yep, I also have no idea who that guy is and I never ever heard about him :) I'm guessing that On her Majesty's Secret Service was not a big hit or George decided to leave.

Later was Roger Moore (7 movies), Timothy Dalton (2 movies), Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig (each in 4 movies).

When I was leaving the cinema I heard someone saying " And they spent 300 m $ on Spectre"....Doctor No cost only 1m $ :)

So in your honest opinion, who was the best James Bond so far? From the classics I would choose Sean Connery. For many years I was a big fan of Pierce Brosnan simply because I never had the comparison. When Daniel Craig arrived, many discussions were around him not being the right fit but in the end he brought a new standard and class to James Bond series. And since we already know Spectre was his last one...I'm curious who will be next? :)

For the male audience there is also a Bond Girl to :) Very popular one was Ursula Andress from Doctor No thanks to the beach scene. And Halle Berry.....thanks to THE same beach scene :) Ohhh and don't forget that one of the Bond Girls was Polish! Izabella Scorupco

There is one thing that you can always be sure to be amazing in the Bond movies....CARS :)
Not that I don't appreciate the hot body of Daniel Craig or the music which also spice up the atmosphere however the cars are from the top shelf! And we like them all equally, no matter if it's from 1962 Doctor No or 2015 Spectre :)

Series, series, series...

I logged in, thought....ok then, let's write! What movie....what movie.....you know what? Suddenly it occured to me that lately I watch mostly tv series. Not that many movies worth seeing to be honest. Apparently productions of HBO or Netflix are waaaayyyy much interesting than the big screen films.

First one that comes to my mind...the new season of True Detective :)

How do you like the theme song of Leonard Cohen? It's surprising isn't it? Haven't heard it before and now...I cannot imagine not hearing it at the begining of each episode!

Totally new cast and story. So different and so familiar:) And all because of the writer, Nic Pizzollato, in my eyes he's a genius! Nothing else to add here for now...don't want to spoil the play for the ones who haven't seen it yet:)

I've also watched the first and second season of Hannibal. Mads Mikkelsen blew my mind!

Actually, I really enjoyed season 1 and Hugh Dancy as Will, their "psychological" friendship :)

Season 2...interesting, surprising...and just when I felt "hungry" for season 3, I read that this is the last one!!!!!
WHY? WHY? WHY? No idea, but still I can proudly say this is one of the best psychological/horror dramas I've ever seen.

Ohhh and be careful...such weirdo shit you haven't seen anywhere :)

Am not sure if it's right to say...I couldn't take my eyes off the amazingly prepared and presented food...when you know what is on the table:)


What else...of course, another season of House of Cards, brilliant as usual :) Do I really need to write anything here?:) YYYy no :)

New one for me that and also a nice surprise was Ray Donovan. WHOOOO??:)
RAY DONOVAN :)

This guy will save all your problems, generating more issues for himself that cannot be solved but all in all....a good piece of thriller/drama.

Soon there will be a premiere of new season but I advise you to watch from the begining.

Of course I followed Game of Thrones. And I think I liked previous season more. There is something missing but I cannot recall what? Anyone knows? :)

And one more thing....I found a serious competitor for Game of Thrones......

The Vikings!

It's not a new thing on tv, but I haven't heard about it before.

The details, script and of course the cast with the leading actor Travis Fimmel playing Ragnar is just great!


It was created for History channel, and when I googled some of the stuff, all is there! :)
Interesting to see how the real Vikings lived!

What about remakes?

Sometimes we don't even know we are watching a remake, and there are quite a few of them, but I would like to mention the ones that I saw or surely will see very soon :) However, the question to be asked is about screenwriters, do they really run out of ideas for new stories? Some remakes are done just for the profit and it totally destroys the original version of the movie. Unfortunately the tendency in nowadays cinema is going towards making more remakes and sequels....but how many is enough?

I will start with The Great Gatsby, one from 1974, the other from 2013. The original I have seen many times and I love this movie. I also read the book, but after seeing Robert Redford and Mia Farrow on the screen. For me, they were the perfect portrayal of unfulfilled love.

When we take a closer look to our Great Gatsby...ladies, I know Leonardo DiCaprio is hot, actually he looks much better now than in his younger years but still, he is no competition to Robert Redford!

When it comes to Daisy, well...tough choice, but again I think Mia Farrow is better as fragile and neurotic Daisy. Maybe Carey Mulligan looks more glamorous in those amazing clothes of golden ages in America,but to be honest, the 2013 movie concentrates too much on the party scene, colors and all that. The Great Gatsby from 1974 has much Nextmore elegance.

Next movie is Thomas Crown Affair, and here I call it a tie :) 

Pierce Brosnan conquered our hearts with his James Bond looks but tell me...don't you think Steve Mcqueen amazing? I know, I prefer men with blonde hair, guilty of charge, but really...if you haven't seen the version from 1968, you have to! 

It is hard to compare Rene Russo to Faye Dunaway, both ladies created strong sexual energy on screen and draw attention of the viewier. Faye has this amazing scene with Steve when they play chess, on the other hand Rene dances with Pierce in such way that your heart beats faster.

The remake is maybe a bit more fun, more exciting with the last heist of Pierce and Nina Simone song in the background...but I believe that the original Thomas Crown Affair is a so called classic. Both of the films worth seeing!

There are two more movies I want to mention, after more research it caught me off guard as I had no idea of the existence of the...original! :)

A Star is Born...there is not one, not two but three versions of that movie! 

1937 with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March...never saw it, have no idea of it until...just now :)











1954 version with Judy Garland and James Mason....saw it, but somehow I only remember Judy Garland :)

And A Star is Born from 1976 which I saw a few times! Barbara Streisand with Kris Kristofferson.

The latest one is my favourite movie about love and those two actors mach each other perfectly.

The last movie is Scarface....yes ladies and gentleman, apparently it is a remake as there was one in 1932. Who would have thought?:) I did not see it and I'm not even sure I want to cause nothing can beat Al Pacino in Scarface, it's like an institution! :) And do you really think some chick from early 90s can be as convincing as a junkie as Michelle Pfeiffer? I don't think so:)

Finding Vivian Maier

I am under influence...no no...not alcohol or drugs. I am under huge influence of Finding Vivian Maier. 

To be totally honest...I am not sure if it's the movie, the photographs she took....or maybe the person she was? Maybe it is just the story itself. Her story - that was unknown until John Maloof found her... hiding in the boxes.

This documentary represents exactly what's amazing about watching documents. Suddenly you realize you are with your big boots in someones private life :)

I appreciate and admire John for making such effort with all the work he did to find out this woman. 

With her looks (too tall + weird clothing even in the times she lived in) not too handsome, if you know what I mean, weird voice and in the end...not social at all, I guess there was not big chance for her to become known in her years. Even though, many experts confirmed, she had talent. But now, this is the perfect timing, so again, hats off for John Maloof.

I really enjoyed small interviews with all the people who knew her. This gave me an image of Vivian. Actually, all those people gave me few images of Vivian as she was remembered differently by each and every one of them. Everyone had another experience, felt simillar but in a way...not simillar. And that's amazing. I bet, if I asked my friends/colleagues when I'm 70 years old, how they remember me from high school or during my 20s....every person would say sth else and all of them would be right.

I cannot stop wondering, Miss Maier was so private that no one knew how unordinary she is. How many such extraordinary people are there in the world....doing what the feel passion for and not sharing it with anyone? 

And at the same time, being very good in their "craft", maybe even knowing it but still...not wanting to share it or not being in the right moment to share it with the world.

This movie touches upon important psychological subjects as well. I don't mean mental diseases only, but also certain habits, stereotypes, the way people judge each other. 

Finding Vivien Maier reveals a lot of details about her, but still leaves mystery about her young years. What driven her to become...simply her... the way she was. Did something abusive happen to her when she was little? Did she live in big poverty? Why wasn't she looking for any partner? She was alone by choice and apparently she did not feel lonley. Or maybe she did? 

So many questions.... VERY INTERSTING STORY! Take a look at those images...simple and moving. Vivian Maier left thousands of photographs, videos and personal stuff she collected while being a nanny. When she died, only people living in the same block knew it. They mentioned her as "this old woman that was all the time sitting alone on the bench".

What's on the menu lately?

Haven't written posted for a while now....but does that mean I have not seen any movie? hmmm..sure i did :) But maybe nothing is worth mentioning here? I'll leave you to be the judge of that!

Frozen River - not a new movie as it's from 2008 and the only reason I watched it on tv was because of Melissa Leo and recommendation of Sundance Film Festival.

Story about a troubled woman living in a tralier with 2 kids and  barely making it to provide food on the table after her husband left her. Does not sound convincing, I know....but when she meets the Mohawk girl and they together start smuggling immigrants through a frozen river the story becomes intriguing.

Melissa Leo is one of those actresses who plays roles often in low budget movies with big potential. Choosing interesting scripts and stories that actually stay with you for a while like The Fighter, Prisoners or Mildred Price.

Did I like this movie? Well...it's hard to tell when you realise what a human being can do to protect their family or for another person who became close to. All in all.....interesting story :)

Omar - one of the foreign movies nominated for Oscars. That was actually on my list to see so no coincidence here. What's interesting here is that this movie was advertised as an incredible love story and it's soooo much more than this:)

First of all the background is the Palestine/Israeli conflict which is already a tough subject to deal with. Second of all, we see 3 friends that supported each other since childhood and how this relationship evolved depending on what was happening. And also....what strikes in overall, cultural differences and the way people live in that area of the world.

I must admit, i really like this movie, the story itself and the ending. 

Our main actor, Adam Bakri, is someone we will hear about in the future, he has charisma :) 

Who likes James McAvoy? Or should I ask question...who doesn't?:)

So I got a movie for you after which you'll be asking yourself if you still like him? The title is Filth.....and ohhh yes it's very filthy :) Sooo filthy I had to stop and find another day for watching it. And on top of this they speak irish so it was not that easy to follow all conversations for me at least....

It's one of those movies you watch once and never come back to it. And I'm not entirely sure I needed to watch my James McAvoy in this role :) That's all I'm going to write about this!

Kill Your Darlings - starring Daniel Radcliffe and Dane DeHaan. First one you surely know, second one...maybe you've seen in some other movie:) 

Story about famous american poet Allen Ginsberg set in the 40's beat generation of young people of New York. 

Good movie with great cast, story and history to learn. Be open minded, especially those who cannot imagine Harry Potter kissing another guy :)

I read in few articles that Daniel is trying so hard to wash away the image of the role he became so famous for. Maybe he is, or maybe he's just moving forward and proving that he can actually play well a demanding role of for example Allen Ginsberg?

Anyways, he did well! And I became familiar with the name Dane DeHaan:)

Talking about stories to remember....you have to see Oldboy with Josh Brolin!

Yet again, not a movie for sensitive people who don't necessarily like violence. The plot is about a man who seeks vengeance after being kidnapped and locked for 20 years without reason. How can such lockout change a man. What will he do when he suddenly gets out?

Good to mention that it is a remake of korean movie Oldeuboi from 2003. I have not seen it but I might.....after some years :)

You will also see Samuel L Jackson and Elisabeth Olsen along Josh.

That was my menu lately :) Enjoy!

The Golden Four

Admit it! You participated in crashing twitter when Ellen took that selfie during Oscars :) I surely did !

This is what I love Ellen for, she is kind and still funny as hell. She is real and entertaining, I can only speak for myself but personally...I enjoyed watching Oscars 2014!

There were a few "boring" moments we could skip....and a few weird ones like Bette Midler singing that song in memoriam.....those wings motions with hands....that's what I call AWKWARD :) However, let's say she is excused as in overall she's a good actress and has not a bad voice....and I loved her dress :D

Going back to Ellen Degeneres...did you notice that everybody likes her? She's such a girl next door to all those people :) They felt so good around her that they even ate pizza wearing all those fabolous clothes!

 

When it comes to Oscar numbers, all in all most of them were not a surprise to me, as I predicted :) Few unexpected ones for example Lupita Nyong'o for best supporting actress. And again....what a dress! She looked gorgeous  in it with her skin tone!

But come on...Ellen's dress was not bad either...

Am I right or am I right? :)

  

And my favorite pick of the evening and also the best actress of the evening is Cate Blanchett!

Actually The Golden Four looked amazing, Matthew, Cate, Lupita and Jared :)

Matthew got his well deserved Oscar, and so did Jared Leto. I must admit I even shed a tear when Jared was having his speech....I had no idea he can talk so well publicly. And awwwww so handsome :)

And goofy :D

I also wanted to mention one of the presenters, the one and only.....

Frank Underwood :) When he appeared on stage and started talking as Francis from House of Cards - my favorite series lately - I thought I would just kiss him as a thank you :)

And one more, I thought Julia might be getting an Oscar but.....ohh well, she has one already so no shame at all! And looking great :)