Lullaby for my Daughter

Night Evie Girl.

Ummm...Awkward

Novak Djokovic was booed loudly after defeating American Andy Roddick at the U.S. Open.

I feel for the guy.

Couple of things are going wrong here. First, Djokovic obviously doesn't speak great English. He also doesn't grasp the concept of sarcasm well. Then for some reason he didn't pick up that Roddick's original statements were obviously a joke. To top it all off, he then makes the situation worse by not taking the out that the announcer is trying to give him later on in the interview.

Somebody needs to make sure this guy thinks before he speaks.

Not a good idea to diss America's best hope at...um.... the U.S. Open in...um... New York City... Novak.

It's confirmed....I'm old

Meredith Salenger Nude Photos were posted on the always classy and extremely high brow gossip site Egotastic! today.

Apparently she posted them on her MySpace page for the whole world to see.

Which means... she's shy....obviously.

Of course when I brought the story up to my peers at work...they looked at me like my dog does when he hears a strange sound.

You know, that cute "tweak-of-the-head-to-the-side" look.

Except this time it wasn't cute.

I gave them a brief rundown of her impressive artistic credits like the engrossing The Journey of Natty Gann, or the underrated, box office smash hit Dream a little Dream and of course the critically acclaimed, and I believe Academy Award nominated film, "A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon".

Surely they'd know who she was now.

Crickets.

Ah well...maybe I am old.....next time I'll just shut up and keep listening to my Adam Ant tape on my Sony Walkman while I'm at work.

Righteous Kill - Redband Trailer

This is a movie that I've been looking forward to since last year when I first heard about the project.

Now that it's weeks away, my anticipation has significantly decreased.

I'm just hoping it's not horrible and they don't embarrass themselves.

Back in April, Patrick Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times wrote a particularly scathing and unfair assessment of Pacino and De Niro's recent work.

The title of the article was "How the Mighty have Fallen."

Ouch.

Truth is a movie starring these two should have been made 10 years ago.... heck, to be completely honest 30 years ago would have been ideal...and I'm not talking about two scenes like in Michael Mann's Heat.

I'm talking about a movie where Robert De Niro and Al Pacino share significant screen time together.

There's no doubt that these two are legends. Heck, one look at my banner on this blog will tell you that I'm a big fan of their work.

But these guys are pretty old now.

Pacino is 68, De Niro is 65.

They deserve to go for the quick paycheck, they paid their dues.

It's not really fair to expect these guys to turn in physically strenuous and emotionally demanding performances.

Let's leave that kind of stuff to Christian Bale and Daniel Day Lewis.

Here's hoping they don't embarrass themselves and the flick actually ends up being at least slightly entertaining.

Happy 200th Episode Mahalo Daily!!!

10 months and several hosts later Mahalo Daily is celebrating it's 200th Episode.

Yay!!!

Congrats to my good friend Lon Harris, super hosts Leah D'Emilio and Veronica Belmont, as well as the entire Mahalo Daily crew!!!

Zack and Miri Make A Porno - Red Band Trailer

I'm making a prediction.

I believe Zack and Miri Make a Porno will be Kevin Smith's best movie....ever.

Bold statement, I know... especially since Clerks and Chasing Amy are classic fanboy films.

But the red band trailer for "Zack and Miri" is hilarious though.

Seriously.

I think it hints at a movie that's a perfect blend of raunchy humor and an interesting premise.

It's almost a can't miss scenario.

Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks are always money, while Kevin Smith is in his hard "R" rating, raunchy, inappropriate humor type element.

Craig Robinson looks especially funny.

If that's not enough, Traci Lords and Katie Morgan co-star....in a movie... that in case you didn't glean from the title... is about making a porno.

As in pornography....you know...with gratuitous nudity.

It would take a monumental effort by everyone involved to screw this movie up.

Not gonna happen.

Movie clip of the day...

Besides being a funny clip, this scene from The Coen Brothers film "The Hudsucker Proxy" pretty much defines the nature of consumerism.




Genius.

I'm really looking forward to "Burn After Reading"

Sarah Palin...you are no Laine Hanson

While watching the press on Sarah Palin yesterday, I kept thinking of the movie "The Contender".

But then reality set in and I found out she's definitely no Laine Hanson.

She is against Pro-Choice, Gay Marriage and is a gun toting fan of hunting, as well as a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.

Oh yeah....she's also a Republican.

She's actually more like the hypocritical Sheldon Runyon.

Check out her penchant for scandals here.

Here's what the director of "The Contender" Rod Lurie had to say about John McCain's pick.

"People who understand politics know anything is possible," he said. "Picking a woman is an absolute strategic idea from McCain’s point of view. He’s not talking about governing right now. The idea of this woman actually facing down Putin and negotiating with Medvedev is idiotic."

Ouch.

Ah well...."The Contender" is still one of my favorite movies....even though it's practically a fairy tale considering the real world of politics.

Inspiration for the Day

Laser Blazer on Mahalo Daily

So a pretty unique and cool event happened at Laser Blazer recently.

Obviously, it's always cool when you get a chance to meet Edgar Wright, Jessica Hynes, Simon Pegg and Kevin Smith. But it was a unique day personally for me, because both my jobs converged at this one event. Mahalo Daily filmed an episode on the Spaced DVD signing.

Mahalo Viral

Mahalo Daily is looking for a new host. We are down to the last two contestants and the final challenge was creating a viral video for the web.

I think they are both very funny videos. I especially like the participation of my good friend Lon, who steals the show....as usual.





Here's a behind the scenes video of the Touch My Body Parody:

Video of the Day

Bas Rutten is a Bad Ass....here's the proof....classic.

Redbelt Trailer

Can't wait....

"Once" - Movie Review

So I finally watched the movie "Once".

I have to admit I didn't rush to check this film out,I just thought, (incorrectly) that the film looked like some kind of romantic comedy and a chick flick.

But after watching the Oscars and witnessing how their performance and acceptance speech were the highlights of the entire evening I decided to give it a shot.

I'm glad I did.

Never in my wildest dreams would I think that it would land on my list of favorite films of last year.

It's basically one of the best movies that I've seen this.... or any year.

Great music, touching, simple story.

Truthful, moving performances by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. Fine direction by John Carney.

No hollywood bullshit, or cheesy themes...just great art.

The movie honestly feels like catching lightening in a bottle.

What's interesting is that.... it's stayed with me. I can't stop thinking about it. I've watched it now four times....another time with the commentary.

I have to admit...I'm a sucker for great music.

I've been constantly listening to the soundtrack, as well as Glen Hansard's band "The Frames", and his album inspired by the film "The Swell Season" in my car, at work, at home.

I'm obsessed.

A special film. Check it out as soon as you can.

Da Cuteness.....

Just Because.......

My Favorite Movies of 2007

It's that time of year again.

To be clear I haven't seen as many movies as I would've liked to this year, with my son now VERY mobile, and mischievous, it's hard to find time to sit down and watch a two hour movie.

Let alone have the energy.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my wife who is always very supportive, and has always encouraged me to see more movies even though I know it puts a big burden on her.

She doesn't have to be so accommodating to my silly viewing needs, so I appreciate that she puts up with my compulsion.

I'd also like to thank my friend Lon who is one of my few friends willing to catch an 11:30 P.M. film to accommodate my unusual schedule.

Like watching a three hour film......at 11:30 P.M.

The movies aren't always good either, sometimes they are really shitty movies like Southland Tales and Spider-man 3.

Bro...that's friendship.

Seriously.

So, before I begin, for some context of my movie tastes, if you haven't checked it out yet, here's my Favorite movies of 2005 and 2006.




So without further ado......








10. 3:10 to Yuma

I love westerns.

I know that this probably isn't on a lot of Top Ten lists, but I'm a sucker for the genre.

I even liked Seraphim Falls.

Which I think nobody saw.

Seriously.

The movie has a great showy performance from an affable Russel Crowe , and a solid anchor by my new favorite actor Christian Bale.

Great production design, solid directing, fun action pieces, the story is solid.

But the film for me falls apart in the end....badly.

Here was a chance to improve on the original, and they blew it.

It wants to feel important, when it should have just been a fun western.

It just loses focus..... and honestly really doesn't have a point in the end.

However still a good movie...and one of my favorites for 2007.






9. Sweeney Todd

I love Sondheim.

Pairing him with Tim Burton was genius.

I admit it's slightly jarring in the beginning, because it's a real musical. Mostly singing, maybe 10 percent dialogue. So it takes a little getting used to.

But this movie feels really fresh, and unique even though the play has been around since 1979.

It's a testament to all the creative people involved.

What's fantastic is that the film succeeds as an engaging piece of drama as well as a Broadway Musical.

Great performances by Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.

One can argue that they don't have the strongest voices, there's little doubt that they would probably struggle with the piece on stage, but this is a film, it works enough for me.

It's nice to finally see a musical with some real bite.





8. Death Proof

I hated Planet Terror.

I kept looking at my watch, and wishing it would end.

It was especially painful because everybody else seemed to be enjoying it.

I was dreading the possibility that Death Proof would be the same.

To me Planet Terror wasn't a Grindhouse movie.

It was a big budget sci-fi parody, seriously....I saw this movie before...it was called Mars Attacks and it didn't have the wanna be scratch marks and bad splices...trying to seem cool or unique.

The movie defeated the purpose of The Grindhouse concept.

A Grindhouse movie isn't supposed to have big stars like Bruce Willis or crazy special effects.

CGI? Are you kidding me?

Thankfully Quentin Tarantino made a REAL Grindhouse film.

Complete with a limited budget, unusual casting, and retro production design.

He even had long dialogue scenes to compensate for the lack of action due to the small budget.

Genius.

Obviously people didn't get it, much less appreciate it.

For me, Death Proof gave me a flashback to my youth.

Similar to the food critic in the movie Ratatouille.

I dropped my pen in shock and awe.

I remember watching movies like this as a kid.

They would come on late at night, when I wasn't supposed to be up.

Back then I didn't know shit about budget or storyline, or anything remotely resembling criticism.

I had no concept of a bad movie.

For me either a movie was boring, serious, probably important, and put me to sleep, or it had something fun, exciting and cool to see.

Most of the time when I watched a movie I just wanted to see something cool.

Sometimes if I was lucky, I'd stumble onto a movie that had something naughty that I wasn't supposed to see.

It was a certain type of flick, where I would have to wait, sometimes for what seemed like an eternity for the action, or the violence, or if I was really lucky the sex to happen.

When I got it...I wasn't disappointed.

Because it was usually over the top and fun.

I wasn't moved to emotional passion, or provocative thought.

I was moved to shits and giggles.

The question is why aren't there movies like that now?







7. The Bourne Ultimatum

There were lots of big action movies this year.

Big budgets, big casts, big robots, big ships.

None of them holds a candle to Bourne.

I wasn't a big fan of the Bourne Supremacy.

For me it was one of those sequels that destroyed everything that was great about the first one.

He spends the whole first film protecting the girl, and then she dies five minutes into the second film.

What the hell???!!!

What makes Jason Bourne so great, is seeing his expertise through another character's eyes.

You take that away and he's just another Rambo, or James Bond or John Mclain.

He's just like a dozen other action heroes out there.

Give him somebody to guard and protect...he becomes the ultimate hero.

Thankfully, he's in bodyguard mode here, and the results are fantastic.

The ending is a little anti-climatic. But it's still one hell of a ride.

Great action, tense suspense, wonderful sequences.

Best action film of the year.






6. Zodiac

This movie is disturbing on a bunch of levels.

The re-creations of the murders are beyond creepy.

So much care is taken into the details and accuracy.... it almost borders on worship.

But that's the point of the film.

People are constantly obsessed with details that they shouldn't be.

The film for me really takes off in the second half.

It takes on so many levels.

The audience starts to see themselves in the characters. Suddenly things that normally seem crazy start to seem rational and worthwhile.

We actually start sympathizing.

In the end we are left with nothing concrete.

The tag line said it all.

"There's more than one way to lose your life to a killer."






5. Eastern Promises

Viggio Mortensen is bad ass.

If there was any doubt before, it's beyond judgment now.

Wrestling naked, and stabbing a guy in the the eye sort of confirms that for you.

Russian Mafia, stomach churning suspense, engaging characters.

Violence, sacrifice, loyalty, deception.

This movie had it all.

I love the direction that David Cronenberg
is taking in his recent films.

Can't wait to see what he does next.






4. Rescue Dawn

Took me awhile to see this movie.

Really wanted to.

Don't know why I couldn't make it happen.

Had my favorite actor, one of my all-time favorite directors.

I guess a part of me was dreading the subject matter.

Not very fun stuff, imprisonment, starvation, and torture.

But like many of Werner Herzog's films, even in the darkest moments there's.... beauty and hope.

Amazing film, breathtaking images, heartbreaking performances.

Sadly, I'm noticing that it's being overlooked in award season.

Wake up people!!!!

Christian Bale and Steve Zahn deserve attention for their fantastic work.




3. No Country for Old Men


Holy Shit.

For god sakes get the hell out of the way.

If one values their life they'll run away....now!!!

Anton Chigurh is heading this way.

Seriously, I haven't seen anything this evil on screen since Anthony Hopkins brought Hanibal Lector to the life in Silence of the Lambs.

Except Anton Chigurgh doesn't tell funny, little, dirty, jokes to break the tension.

He shoots one in the fucken head with an air gun when one least expects it.

He doesn't even enjoy it.

Enjoy would imply that he cares on some level.

He doesn't care, people are just ants in his path.... ants that need to get out of the way or they'll be stepped on.

Chilling, and epic.

Truly one of the greatest characters in movie history.

It's that kind of performance.

It's a career defining role.

The ironic thing is that like Anthony Hopkins, when he did Silence of the Lambs Javier Bardem has been around for quite a long time.

He usually plays the leading man. The Romantic lead in foreign films.

I don't think that's going to happen anymore.

He's going to be forever remembered as the blood thirsty Anton Chigurh.

He's going to be the next great heavy...in the vein of a young Pacino and DeNiro.

Did I mention that this was a Coen Brothers movie?

Not a George Clooney, or Tom Hanks shitty kind of Coen Brothers movie.

This is Miller's Crossing, Fargo, Coen Brothers.

Thank you God...the return to greatness.


*********Note: The Final Two*********

Most years No Country for Old Men would be the best movie of the year.

But not this year.

It's a real testament of what a great movie year it was.

Now before I continue, I just want to stress that these last films have been going back and forth between number one and two.

Seriously if there was ever a year for a tie this would be it.

Even while writing this post it's gone back and forth in my head at least three times.

So in a way, this is sort of a tie for my favorite film of 2007.

I could take the easy way out, and leave it at that and say for posterity's sake I'm going to arbitrarily assign numbers to them but technically call it a tie.

But I don't want to wimp out.

So I'm going to choose, even though I'll probably change my mind again, and will continue to change and debate as the days go by.

So for my second favorite film of 2007.......



















2. There Will Be Blood


Daniel Day Lewis is the greatest living actor.

Before this movie that point could be debated.

Not anymore.

It's a fantastic performance full of wonderful, authentic, quirks and, multiple nuanced, levels.

Forgive me for being dramatic, but I hesitate to call it a performance...it's more like....a spiritual possession.

Before I saw this film, from watching the clips I thought he was doing a variation of his Bill the Butcher character from Gangs of New York.

But it's so much more deeper than that....so much more layered, his limp, his body language, the history of his soul, his stare is different.

It truly needs to be witnessed to be believed.

This is also an epic directorial turn by Paul Thomas Anderson.

Completely different from his other films, he now has established himself as one of the premiere directors of this generation.

The final scene will go down as one of the greatest scenes in film history.

It'll go down with scenes from The Godfather or Raging Bull in terms of quotability.

Epic.





And my Favorite film of 2007........
















1. The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford

Did I mention that I loved westerns?

I hesitate to call it a western really, it's more than that.

It's a drama in the west....with action...and suspense....and great performances.

The first thing one notices in the film is the look.

The production design.

The cinematography.

The feel of the film.

It's almost as if each frame can be treated as a work of art.

The performances are all fantastic.

Brad Pitt has never been better.

Casey Affleck is a revelation.

All the smaller roles are casted perfectly.

The script is remarkable, that it is based on a true story is even more effective.

The movie is also incredibly layered.

What's interesting is that the movie touches on themes that the other films on this list did too.

The setting takes place in the west like 3:10 to Yuma.

The obsession motif in this movie hearkens back to the same themes in Zodiac.

The film explores issues of trust, loyalty, and deception, not unlike Eastern Promises.

The character of Jesse James is a cold-blooded killer not unlike Anton Chigurh.

Themes of dealing with greed, guilt, and ambition are explored like in There will be Blood.

There's even a musical number featuring Nick Cave.

What does it all mean?

Nothing really except that it all adds up to a wonderful representative for my favorite film of 2007.

What a great movie year.

Mahalo Wins a Open Web Award

Looks like Mahalo has won an Open Web Award.

Check it out here:
Mashable Social Networking News

What is an Open Web Award you ask ?

"The Open Web Awards is the first ever online, open collaborative awards event, to recognize the best online communities representing web 2.0. We now have 24 confirmed Blog Partners from several countries from around the world and in several different languages."

Pretty cool considering we are in some elite company.

Crispin Glover on Mahalo Daily!!!

Crispin Glover Interview

It's not everyday that we get to hear from one of the most unique artistic talents working today. So it's super cool that Crispin Glover is appearing in today's Mahalo Daily.

Enjoy!!!