My Celebrity Crush of the Month (v4.29.9)

January: Rebecca Hall, for being the heart as Vicky and the longed for as Varya.

February: Will Chase, for being Thomas Weaver in another short-lived musical.

March: Joseph Cotten, for a screen presence that's still vibrant after all these years.

April: Nora Arnezeder, for making my jaw drop with her angelic voice. 

My 30 Rock Goof?

How did no one catch the green screen shot during the cold open on last week's '30 Rock' before they broadcast it? But other than that, LOVED with 'Mad Men' reference...

My 'Wolverine' Quickie Review

After all the hoopla with the leak of this film, the hype for the public was going to be tough to meet- and boy, did this film falter. Sure, the character Wolverine was the most intriguing (and popular) part of the original X-Men series but the backstory these filmmakers came up with was so weak, they could've done it as an opening montage for the first X-Men film 10 years ago. 

Showing promise (with an opening credit sequence), the story never picked up and the action sequences never truly climaxed for me to care at all. Multiple plot twists has been always been a hard sell for me but there were a few here that were just WTF or 'too easy to call' to warrant any creative merit. 

To their credit, the filmmakers did try to bring some freshness to this franchise by bringing fan favorite Gambit into the mix but that initial appeal wore off quickly- not sure if it's the oh-so-familiar character development or the travesty that is Taylor Kitsch (aka Tim Riggins on 'FNL'). At least teasing a young Cyclops in a few scenes (the best visual effects came with Cyclops, it always has...) was fun for awhile.

That final battle between Wolverine and, umm... not to give anything away, a surprise(!) mutant played out like a round of Mortal Kombat added to the silliness and cheese factor that had me thinking how that was best visual effects shots they could've came up with. Perhaps after all is said and done, if FOX was to think about giving another mutant the 'origins' treatment, they should get one whose story isn't as rugged with wafer-thin conflicts. 

My Additional Hong Kong/China Pictures

Life without internet is more difficult than I first imagined. Anyway, I present to you my week in Hong Kong and Guongzhou.

Buddhist Monastery in Shatin (above) 

The Buddhists in the Buddhists Monastery. (above)

Don't read to much of my disgust in this picture taken at the site of Hong Kong's return to China.

Busy street with the cable car in Downtown.

It still baffles me that it's deemed 'safe' to use bamboo sticks as scaffling. 

I snuck a picture at the customs check between point Hong Kong and Mainland China. I give them five days before I'm asked to take this down.

The legend is true. I present to you- Neik Flip flops. 

Also, Aragon apparently has his own brand of overrated sandals.

Nightlife in Guongzhou. (above)

The inevitable picture I was going to get of a 'Slumdog' poster in Chinese.

All for now, this week- Hong Kong Disney AND Ocean Park... amusement parks galore!

My Entry Way To Hong Kong

The first of what will definitely be many photoblogs coming on this trip, here are a few pictures I took from the second tier of the double decker bus I took from the airport to my grandma's place.

Behind those hills lies Hong Kong Disney.

My Movies On A Plane

During my 20-hour(!) flight from New York to Hong Kong, I had the opportunity to watch many free movies through those nifty screens embedded in the seat in front of me. Which is good, since some of those films got lost in the shuffle at the end of last year's onslaught of movie releases. Here's a quick summary of what I thought:

- 'Yes Man', a film I'll probably forget in about a month but it was entertaining enough to keep me from thinking how much my butt is sore from sitting.

- 'Four Christmases', it was a mess but thank goodness it was only 86 minutes!

- 'Defiance', noteworthy to watch- especially in the dark while everyone around me was asleep. 

- 'Slumdog Millionaire', my umpteenth viewing and I still choke up at the end.

Speaking of 'Slumdog Millionaire', the passenger next to me asked if it was a clean movie before she watches it and I responded by saying there's some violence in there that might be disturbing. She quickly replied 'Oh, violence doesn't count'. I've always had a dilemma regarding content in films especially between sexual content and violent ones. Why does our society regard extreme violence permissible while light sexual innuendoes are taboo and not fit for our eyes? Just a thought.

 

Anyway, Hong Kong is hot and I'm tired- mo' post about HKG later.

My Tribeca Film Festival

One disappointment I do have about going to Hong Kong (tonight!) is that I'll be missing the Tribeca Film Festival. I always look forward to watching films with my favorite thespians that'll probably never be released- I'm looking at you, 'Life In Flight', and this year's film entries is no different. On the top of my list is 'The Good Guy' starring Scott Porter, Bryan Greenberg and Alexis Bledel- I have a feeling that's not going to see a theatrical release date either.

I guess I'll just have to wait until next year. 

My Glee Featurette

Another featurette. Another jolt of excitement shoots through my body for this series. So what they're trying to tell me is that May 19th could not come any sooner.

Catch all Glee obsessions here.