Here’s a fantastic little movie done in comic-cartoon style. I wish I wasn’t so lazy, but I am. So, I have done the laziest thing ever and gone to Wikipedia, which has given me this:

Persepolis is a 2007 animated film based on Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel of the same name. The film was written and directed by Satrapi with Vincent Paronnaud. The story follows a young girl as she comes of age against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution, which goes horribly wrong with Islamic fundamentalists taking power and creating a new theocratic tyranny themselves; the story ends with Marjane as a 21-year-old expatriate. The title is a reference to the historic city of Persepolis.

The film won the Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and was released in France and Belgium on June 27. In her acceptance speech, Satrapi said “Although this film is universal, I wish to dedicate the prize to all Iranians.” The film was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

I’m only a few minutes into it, and I don’t know if it’s good or bad yet, but it has got a lot of rave reviews from the independent movie type people. It’s in French! With English subs! I’m so done babbling now.

Go watch it HERE.

Here’s a fantastic movie called ‘The Kite Runner’. You can tell it’s fantastic straightaway because it’s banned somewhere. In this case, in Afghanistan where it was set and filmed. Apparantly, they didn’t like the movie showing real tensions that exist in the country. Welp, like they say, ignorance is bliss, and I guess the Afghans take that seriously. I dunno.

It was first released as a novel by Khaled Hosseini in 2003 before being adapted into a film of the same name.

Tis all very sad and touching and what not. I shalln’t ruin any of the plot of it for you, but basically it is about the rightings of wrongs from your past. It features some very talented young actors from Afghanistan that portray the characters flawlessly and realistically.

After the movie was released, the child actors got threatened and bullied of course, because a lot of people are crazy and narrow minded, while others can’t differentiate reality from a movie. Sadly, Zekeria Ebrahimi, the boy playing the lead, Amir, in the movie declared after receiving death threats, that he wished he had never made the movie. Don’t blame him of course, but it’s a sad situation all the same.

Zekeria Ebrahimi and Ahmad Mahmidzada (he plays child Hassan) were paid $17,500 each, and Ali Dinesh (Sohrab) $13,700; some argue that they were underpaid. No kidding. Especially when the job came with perks like death threats. Luckily, Paramount relocated all of them to Dubai, then the United Arab Emirates for safety purposes and also agreed to take full responsibility for the boys’ living expenses until adulthood, an estimated 500,000 dollars each.

No one ever mentions Elham Ehsas (the kid that plays the bad guy Assef) though. I mean surely he must have had a bit of a rough ride after the movie debuted? I mean just coz he was a jerk in the movie doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy in real life! Unless he is of course. Oh, he’s also supposed to be blonde and blue eyed mini Hitler in the book because his mother is German (which is why he is Aryan, not why he is a Nazi), but he isn’t blonde in the movie. Just thought I’ld mention that!

Wow, I just wrote a whole movie review without telling you a thing about the movie! Better see it for yourself.

GOOD MOVIE! Watch ‘THE KITE RUNNER’ here!

The first time I heard of this movie, it was playing in the cinemas in New Zealand. The flick had been showing for the longest time. Almost like it was ‘The Matrix’ or something. Honestly, I wasn’t very interested in the least. I mean when you hear ‘The World’s Fastest Indian’, you pretty much think of a brown guy running really fast. But after a gazillion rave reviews from EVERYONE around me saying how fantastic it was, I was finally dragged away unwillingly to see it.

Turns out it was pretty amazing. Based on one hell of a true story even. I was so prepared to not give it a chance, but from the opening scene… really, it doesn’t matter who you are, you’ll be pretty much sold. I guarantee it!

Director Roger Donaldson had initially started working on this movie about 20 years ago before he started filming. He also made the original Burt Munro documentary “Offerings to the God of Speed” which is amazing to watch after watching the actual movie because everything about the real Burt, Donaldson has copied to a “T”, from casting Anthony Hopkins who makes a perfect Munro (makes a perfect anyone really, I mean it IS Anthony Hopkins!), to the dialogue used by the real Burt. If you watch both films, you’ll notice that much of the movie script comes from the documentary and out of the horses mouth. Very satisfying it is, watching a true story that is portrayed so truly, and not exaggerated or Hollywooded. Also, keep an eye out for the slogan of one of Burt’s shirt in the documentary! It’ll crack you up when you make the connection to the movie!

Tim Shadbolt, current Mayor of Invercargill (you know he dates a 22 year old!!! She’s pretty hot too. Well she was 22 about two years ago… why didn’t I just say 24? ZzZzzz don’t mind me, keep reading.) gets a cameo appearance in the movie. How cool is that?? He’s the guy on the stage with Hopkins during the birthday party. Bit of an inside joke for New Zealanders. I remember the whole cinema burst out into laughter when he came on screen.

So, I’m writing this review and recommendation of sorts as well as various useless personal observations that you probably won’t even read, 2 years after the movie debuted. Why do I do weird and pointless things like that? Mostly because it’s a great movie, and after moving to North America, realizing that none of my friends here had even heard of such a fantabulous movie. So this is for you guys. Hope you likes

You can watch “The World’s Fastest Indian” by clicking this link!

I think I’m in love…

Britney Spears is no where NEAR this hot!!! Look at that itty bitty waist and those eyes! *WiPeS DrOoL* Does “America’s Got Talent” even air in Canada? How come I’ve never seen it on TV. Maybe I’m just blind or incredibly out of touch with my idiot box. I’m sure he’s lipsynching, but he’s got some videos of himself singing on his YouTube page here and I gotta say, it sounds pretty similar. Either way, I still thought I’ld share the hot version of Britney with the world. Derrick Barry everybody! Swoon~ ^^

So, REALLY, right there is a reason to watch it on it’s own. I mean the acting is sufficiently bad, but I’m getting quite a few requests for this movie, so here it is.

Here are the French cover. A bit nekkid.

Thar are the Dutch cover. Less nekkid but got show buttbutt yay!

This is wot the movie are aboot:

It stars Maggie Q, and a whole bunch of other hot, skinny girls who are not famous enough to be mentioned. BUT, they all get to wear sex0ry clothes and do crazy kung fu stuph, and if that is not a recipe for success, what is, I ask of you??

So, a bunch of little girls get kidnapped, then trained to be assassins for years and years. As the movie progresses, they get eliminated one by one by means of crazy tests involving killing each other to prove heartlessness and killing random people sicced on them to prove survival instinctness and whatnot. The ones that finally make it out the other end become super smooth, cold-blooded killers that work for a company that deals with that kind of messy business. Stuff happens.

There isn’t really much plot, so I can’t say anything else without giving away the little surprises it does have, but if you’re a guy, and ungay, apparantly you’ll love it. Oh, it’s a Hong Kong flick, but in English.

I think that’s pretty much all I’ve got to say about that. Uh hyuk. Go watch.

HERE!! “Naked Weapon (2002)”