I watched the documentary, SURFWISE, that follows the odyssey of 85-year-old, legendary surfer Dr. Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz, his wife Juliette, and their nine children-all of whom were home-schooled on the beaches of Southern California, Hawaii, Mexico and Israel; they surfed every day of their lives, and were forced to adhere to a strict diet and lifestyle by their passionate and demanding, health-conscious father.

Surfers would love this movie because it’s about the eccentrically lifestyle of a surfer who decides to live the nomad life that most surfers only dream of the possibility.

While watching the movie, I had a hard time keeping track of all his children. Each a true individual of him or herself, but nowhere cognizant of what their father believes.  Some of the subject matter brought up is rather childish and uninteresting because there are more important issues in society than what this family went through.

But again, if you are a lover of the surf and dream of a life on the beach, then you’ll enjoy this documentary.

Here is some more information about SURFWISE:

In the mid-1950s Dorian Paskowitz was a successful doctor living the good life in the territory of Hawaii, until two devastating divorces and the realization that he had no interest in money or status caused him to completely upend his life. Dorian dropped his practice and traveled to Israel for a year where he lived among the Bedouins and developed a lifelong obsession with a healthy diet.  He introduced surfing to Israel and became a hero in the burgeoning Tel Aviv beach scene. Returning to the States, he met his wife Juliette, and the rest was history. They fell madly in love, steered clear of society, lived out of a tiny camper on the beach, and had 7 sons in rapid succession: David, Jonathan, Abraham, Israel, Moses, Adam, and Salvador Daniel. Then they had one daughter, Navah, and their ninth child, Joshua.

The children were raised in the Jewish tradition, complete with Shabbat on the beach every Friday night. But that’s where similarities with a normal societal upbringing end. Doc’s absolute determination was to raise his children according to the strictest standards of nature. They ate only organic and/or raw foods with no sugar or fat. Their community was their family. They didn’t need money or have to pay bills or taxes. Their home was anywhere the crowded camper was parked.

What happens to eight brothers and a sister that are raised under such extraordinary circumstances? SURFWISE is the story of a man who pursued his dreams and dragged his family along for the wild ride.

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Okay, Transformers 2, that makes sense. Iron Man 2 does as well. But Donnie Darko 2?!?

For those who haven’t seen it, Donnie Darko is a strange little indie film, written and directed by newcomer Richard Kelly, and starring Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal. It was a mix of sci-fi and teen drama, about a teenager who is visited by a giant rabbit-creature who guides him out of his house before a jet crashes into it. It didn’t particularly do well in theatres, but it became quite the success story on DVD, making it a cult classic. And for some reason, the powers that be see fit to make a sequel.

Screen Daily reported that S. Darko is already in production. It follows Donnie’s younger sister, Samantha (played by Daviegh Chase in both films), 7 years after the events of the first film. On a road trip to LA she starts having bizarre visions.

It doesn’t help that the sequel is being directed by Chris Fisher, whose three films, Nightstalker, Dirty, and Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders, were neither critical nor commercial successes. In fact, they were quite the opposite.

Richard Kelly is reported to have no participation in the film, and I can understand why. Donnie Darko was a nice little self-enclosed film about coming to terms with one’s place in life, and death. It’s not the kind of film that warrents more. Indeed, Kelly went on to make a director’s cut of the film, which to me felt inferior to the original, adding unnecessary elements to the enigmatic tale. So in light of that, here’s a few other pointless sequels we’ree probably be hearing about shortly:

No Country for Hit Men- If you thought No Country for Old Men was about the omnipresence of violence in human society, as a force that is beyond our control or comprehension, think again. Sherrif Bell is back on the job, for one last case. Chigurrh is back, and this time Bell’s gonna settle the score.

There Will Be No More Blood- A moving melodrama about Daniel Plainview’s attempt to deal with his problems, and try to get through each day without killing someone.

Control 2: The Eternal- If you thought the biopic of Ian Curtis ended with his suicide, think again. Raised from the dead, Curtis infiltrates the seedy world of New Wave by posing as New Order’s roadie, in an attempt to save the world from drugs and hair-spray. The villain is played by Martin Kemp.

United 94- The terrorists are back. But this time, The Rock is ready for them….

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The official poster from TRUMBO is here.  I am so excited about this movie.

It’s a remarkable story of Dalton Trumbo’s journey from Hollywood royalty, to blacklisted writer to Academy Award winner.  Trumbo is one of my favorite screenwriters of the Golden Era of Hollywood, ROMAN HOLIDAY is one of my favorites.

The film focuses on the writer’s own indelible words, the film features performances of some of his extraordinary letters, clips from his films and, archival and contemporary interviews with those who knew him best. Forced to write underground, letter writing became the chief repository of Trumbo’s extraordinary talents and they serve as a wonderfully entertaining testament to his boundless intellect, acerbic humor, and staggering resilience.

TRUMBO is directed by Peter Askin and is based on the play Trumbo by Christopher Trumbo. The film includes the all-star cast of Joan Allen, Brian Dennehy, Michael Douglas, Paul Giamatti, Nathan Lane, Josh Lucas, Liam Neeson, David Strathairn, and Donald Sutherland.

Here is a list of films written by Trumbo:  A MAN TO REMEMBER (voted one of the ten best films of 1938); KITTY FOYLE (ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATION); A GUY NAMED JOE (BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE AWARD); THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO (BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE AWARD); TENDER COMRADE, and OUR VINES HAVE TENDER GRAPES (BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE AWARD).The film is opening June 27th!

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This is great news because I haven’t seen James Brolin in a movie for quite some time. He is replacing James Caan in David O. Russell’s “Nailed,” with Kirstie Alley and Olivia Crocicchia also boarding the politically charged romance-comedy.

According to Hollywood Reporter, Caan and the director had a heck-of-a-time deciding on how to choke on a cookie. Brolin is lucky. He can turn to his son Josh for advice: The younger Brolin will portray George W. Bush choking on a pretzel in a scene from Oliver Stone’s upcoming biopic.

Alley plays a veterinarian who fails to remove a nail from the head of her niece (Jessica Biel) — funny. The injured woman travels to Washington to fight for better health care with the help of a disgruntled youth (Crocicchia) and falls for a congressman (Jake Gyllenhaal) - even crazier.

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I guess this movie found its audience by being a laugh-out-loud comedy hit. The story pivots on Martin Lawrence who returns to his small-town family to discover that going home is no vacation! 

The story turns out to be a hilarious weekend with an all-star cast of outrageous and lovable characters. They put him through one hilarious predicament after another before he finally learns a lesson about the true meaning of family!

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It looks like Tom Cruise and Sumner Redstone are in agreement for the next installment of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, which Cruise will star in the fourth movie.

According to Variety, Redstone said, “I consider Tom Cruise a great actor and a good friend. And if Paramount decides to move ahead with him, I will not object.” He added that the decision was “up to Brad Grey, who runs Paramount.” Redstone was seen dining with Cruise in Beverly Hills in March.Tom Cruise just celebrated 25 years since starring in his first movie, “Risky Business.”  He also was on the Oprah Winfrey show discussing everything and has a, first time ever, official web site at Tom Cruise. 

The web site is awesome and very much Cruise’s persona.

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There are no bounds for English literature. Ellen Page has decided to play one of its most famous characters, Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre.“

Bronte’s classic 19th century romance is a story of a mousy governess who softens the heart of her surly employer Mr. Rochester, only to discover that he’s hiding a terrible secret.

I am sure we all know that “Jane Eyre” is one of the most adapted novels in English literature, with at least 20 previous film or TV versions. Most recently, the BBC made it into a miniseries that won three Emmys last year. The last bigscreen adaptation, in 1996, was directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starred Charlotte Gainsbourg.  

I am sure one more “Jane Eyre” won’t hurt.  The character is quite different from Ellen Page’s “Juno.”

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Appropriately, it has been ten years since I discovered Joy Division. Having read an appealing article about them in a newspaper, I took the risk and, during a school trip abroad, forked out whatever amount of francs in the Louvre’s music store for a copy of Unknown Pleasures, with its enigmatic yet enticing cover. Popping the CD in my player, I was suddenly immersed in a world never experienced before. Within the first few seconds of ’Disorder’, its steady but muted beat, robotic yet somehow human, the strange bass tune and spiky guitars, combined with dark and profound vocals, I knew Joy Division were something special. Most people know them by their song Love Will Tear Us Apart, which was abused in a Heinekan ad a few years ago. But the band were much more, an almost literary lyricism combined with a sound that felt entirely unique. It was a sound that lasted only briefly, for the lead singer, Ian Curtis, committed suicide at the age of 23.

Joy Division have been depicted twice in cinema already. Firstly, in 2002’s 24-Hour Party People, which was a playful biopic of pretentious broadcaster and music label owner Tony Wilson. Then, last saw a film about Curtis, called Control, which received much critical acclaim. And now, we see a seemingly definitive documentary on the band being released (briefly in UK cinemas, and then on DVD in the US in June), also called Joy Division.

Directed by Grant Gee, who has directed several music videos, as well as the Radiohead documentary Meeting People is Easy, the documentary conducts intimate interviews with most of the keys players in the band’s history. Band members, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris are all present. You’d think that after so many years of the band’s legacy, the remaining members would be tired of retelling the same stories. Yet there’s still times when the sadness breaks through. Read on »

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New York firefighter Patrick Sullivan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) had no idea his seemingly idyllic life was about to go up in smoke - especially as the unwitting, second-hand recipient of advice from famed love expert and radio host Dr. Emma Lloyd (Uma Thurman). One day he is a happy, go-lucky guy looking forward to a life with his soon-to-be-bride.  The next thing you know, his fiancée Sophia (Justina Machado) is seeking couples counseling on the radio from Dr. Lloyd.  The no-nonsense, ever practical Dr. Lloyd questions Sophia’s concept of romantic love and advises her to break their engagement, which she swiftly does.  But when Patrick and his computer-savvy neighbor decide to give Dr. Lloyd a taste of her own medicine and “accidentally” join them in holy matrimony - something that doesn’t go over too well with her fiancée (played by Colin Firth) — it isn’t long before they learn that sometimes even an expert in love needs a second opinion…

Check out “The Accidental Husband” trailer at YouTube.

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Ain’t it Cool News posted the above pic of Harvey Dent, the second villain to feature in the upcoming Batman sequel, The Dark Knight. Directed by Christopher Nolan, who revamped the franchise with Batman Begins, I knew the film was going to be dark. But this goes beyond dark, it’s downright scary!

Now, I don’t know whether this is real or not. Last year Slashfilm posted some pics of Two-Face which they revealed were fake. And there’s also rumours that Two-Face, played by Aaron Eckhart, will only briefly appear in The Dark Knight, instead being set up for the next inevitable sequel. I really hope this pic isn’t fake, it would really add to the intensity of a film that is already disturbing (check out the trailer)- and that’s even before you realise that the Joker is essentially Heath Ledger’s last role.

The Dark Knight is released from July 18th.

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