Movie Monday Carnival Posted!

Two of my features from PJ's and A Movie is posted on the Movie Monday Carnival over at Observations from Missy's Window. Please take a moment to check it out if you haven't read my posts lately.

Have a good day!

Freaky Friday-There Will Be Blood

Welcome to this week's edition of Freaky Friday.

This week I'm spotlighting Paul Thomas Anderson's, There Will Be Blood.

I watched this film not knowing much about it, except that the director of Punch Drunk Love and Boogie Nights had once again done cinematic magic and Oscar winner, Daniel Day Lewis played the lead.

Set against the backdrop of turn of the 20th century California, we meet Daniel Plainview, a struggling silver miner.

Through hard work and luck Daniel begins a career in oil, not the most glamorous job, but lucrative.

On his journey for wealth and power he acquires a orphan boy named H.W., played as a child by Dillon Freasier and adulthood by Russell Harvard, an actual deaf actor.

The two are business partners and seem to share a loving bond.

Enter Paul Sunday. He comes to Plainview with a business tip. Paul wants Plainview to come and save his family's ranch by pumping oil from the land.

Plainview and H.W. pay a visit and soon the wheels of greed and expansion are turning.

Plainview tells the people of Little Boston, California that the oil will bring in business, money, and renovation.

Along the way there is an accident that leaves H.W. deaf, automatically prompting dad to ship him off to an asylum.

However, the climax of the film, with the sanctimonious psycho, Eli Sunday, forces Plainview to send for his boy and resume the old father-son facade.

The malicious acts of the characters are fueled by the menacing music.

Daniel Day Lewis is superb with his American Accent, porno 'stache, and cold-blooded ethics.

I won't spoil the end of this incredible flick.

Just know that the freaks come out at night. So watch this one tonight.

Till next week!

Carnival of Cinema Posted!

Hello everyone.

Just thought I'd give a shout out to the Carnival of Cinema that was hosted over at Single Sentence Movie Review this week.

My tribute to Charlton Heston in this week's Monday Man is included.

So if you haven't gotten a chance to read it or if you're in the market for another review to read check out this Carnival. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Money Isn’t Everything In The Nanny Diaries

Annie Braddock, played terrifically by Scarlett Johansson, is fresh out of college and low on funds. She attempts to begin her career with an interview to a typical Fortune 500 company. But when asked to describe herself to the interviewer she chokes and bolts.

Enter Mrs. X.

She’s everything Annie has heard you should aspire to be, rich, fashionably dressed, and too busy for anyone, except chasing after Mr. X.

Lured by the thought of money and an Upper Eastside address, Annie sells out for the nanny gig.

It isn’t long before the job Annie took, is revealed to be completely different, from the job she thought she took.

Grayer, played wonderfully by Nicholas Art, is Mrs. X’s anti-Christ son. He’s rude, violent, and acts out whenever he’s not getting his way. Yet, his wall comes down and pain soothes as he and Annie bond over Peanut Butter and Jelly.

Annie’s life is on-call 24/7 to the X’s, but she still manages to hang out with best friend Lynette, played naturally by Alicia Keys.

Lynette offers both ethnicity and sound advice since Annie keeps her nanny job a secret from her mother, a nurse.

However, lies have a way of bursting in your face, especially when the child you’re watching has a 104 fever.

I expected a showdown between Judy (Annie’s mother) and Mrs. X, after the I-don’t-give-a-crap-reaction of Mrs. X, to the news her son is seriously ill, but justice arrives later.

The next move of this Upper Eastside Addams Family is to escape to the Hamptons.

Surprisingly Mr. X, crisply played by Paul Giamatti, joins them on their journey.

His company is not welcome as he fulfills his slime-ball role and tries to grab a handful of Annie.

We all know how this turns out, even if you haven’t seen the film, but rest assured Annie gets the last laugh.

Why do I love this film?

Back in December of 2004 I entered the real world with a college degree and a mother battling breast cancer.

My whole life I had written and thought I would go on to be a professional writer. Unfortunately, life and duty came first. So instead of applying to Grad School, I opted for the first job I could get, substitute teaching.

Teaching can be one of the scariest jobs on the planet, especially when you’re doing it in a school district with a bad reputation. Although, I grew to like the school I worked for, I realized subbing wasn’t for me.

My next job was for a family center that dealt with kids with mental and behavioral disabilities.

Each day I tried my best to be the stability in a storm of chaos. My co-workers constantly complained. My boss was a cross between Cruella DeVil and a gypsy. Not to mention the kids all wanted one thing, your attention.

We weren’t encouraged to pick up and hold the kids, but who’s going to walk away from a neglected or abused 3 year-old who wants a hug?

Eventually the kids seemed more excited to see me than their parents, who were also trying to get help.

While I enjoyed my job initially, the repetition of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of pre-schoolers was not my idea of a good career move. So I eventually transferred to a different department.

But my time at the center taught me that life doesn’t always follow a straight line. Sometimes you have to walk a curve before reaching your destination.

In the case of Annie the Nanny, her journey into the world of the elite let her know that the Devil does wear Prada.

Carnival Posting

My Monday Man post on Charlton Heston can be seen on the Catholic Carnival this week.

Check it out!

Wednesday Woman

Welcome to this week's edition of Wednesday Woman.

Today I'm spotlighting a woman who has captured the music world, but also dips her feet into Hollywood as well.

Yes, I'm talking about the one and only Alicia Keys.

Sassy, soulful Ms. Keys hails from the musical mecca of New York City.

With the debut of her first album, Songs In A Minor, Alicia was thrust into the world of stardom with the acquirement of five Grammys.

Her second album, Diary, won four Grammys.

With the music industry clamoring to get a piece of Alicia's action it's no surprise she has decided to try her hand at acting.

At the age of 5, Alicia played a bit part on the Cosby Show in the episode titled, Slumber Party. I remember this episode because I was a huge Rudy fan back in the day. Hey don't hate.

Years later Alicia has gone on to perform on TV shows like Charmed, American Dreams, and the Backyardigans.

Recently Alicia has appeared in Smokin Aces, The Nanny Diaries and the upcoming, The Secret Life of Bees starring Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning.

Although, no one can ever predict the success or failure of a singer turned actress, it's clear that Alicia Keys hits all the right notes on or off the screen.

Pajama Party Flick Picks - April 8, 2008

Welcome to the April 8, 2008 edition of Pajama Party Flick Picks.

John Brown presents Movie Review: Quigley Down Under (1990)... John Brown loves westerns... posted at Prepare Yourselves for a Settlement, saying, "A review of Quigley Down Under... Because sometimes it's nice to remember things like cold nights in warm theaters when you have so much less past than future with Tom Selleck looming 10 feet tall, rolling his own and Laura San Giacomo's breasts heaving."


Missy presents Letters Reveal the Real Jane Austen posted at Observations from Missy's Window, saying, "Enjoying sadness with Becoming Jane."


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