Pfangirl Through the Looking Glass

Paul and I squeezed in the last cinema screening of Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers last night at Gateway’s Cinema Nouveau. Considering the awards season buzz swirling around it and the fact that there hasn’t been a good World War II movie in a long while, we felt the need to see it on the big screen. The verdict: Flags is a good film but far from a masterpiece. The problem lies mostly with the last 30 or so minutes of the film, which seem to fall into a dull ‘And then this happened, and this, and this’ pattern. It’s a problem that often affects films based on real-life events as the film makers feel the need to complete characters’ life stories. In the case of Flags of Our Fathers, the gripping, graphic flashbacks to combat on Iwo Jima suddenly cease and we’re ‘treated’ to a series of scenes set against the backdrop of a post-War American homefront. The ultimate aim of Flags of Our Fathers appears to be an examination of what it is like to live with the ‘hero’ label, typically w...

I’m sure you all don’t want a day-by-day account of my festive week off. So here’s the highlights package: Fortunately I had finished my Christmas shopping by the 17th December or so, so Paul and I at least didn’t need to brave the malls on the weekend before Christmas other than to pick up some supplies for my Saturday night Christmas party. A good number of my friends made the bring-and-share event (where we mostly relaxed out on the veranda), but seeing as I often get into trouble for posting pics of friends on my blog, I won’t put any up here. Christmas celebrations started as usual in my household on Christmas Eve, with my family gathering for gammon and salads. I still maintain that Christmas is losing all its magic in South Africa, but driving to midnight mass with Paul and his mother (Anglican church services are almost identical to Catholic ones) I finally got a glimpse of what I was looking for. Even if you have a more secular approach to Christmas, the holiday should be abou...

Animal movies are my kryptonite. I bawled my way through Babe, Homeward Bound, even King Kong. And it wasn’t any different with the new live-action version of Charlotte’s Web , based on E.B. White’s classic children’s novel. If you are looking for wholesome family entertainment these holidays, and can’t stomach the manic childness of Night at the Museum, Charlotte’s Web offers an engaging alternative with emotional depth. Walden Media, behind last year’s The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, continues with its commitment to educational, moral movies that don’t talk down to audiences, and are of exceptionally high production values. The CGI used in Charlotte’s Web to animate the film’s farmyard animals is stunning. Charlotte’s Web might be a little too ‘Golly gee whizz’ sweet for many of today’s cynical movie goers – Wilbur the pig is especially loveable and loving – but it is one of those sincere, optimistic family films you hardly see anymore, and that’s where its power lies. It’s def...

Hmmm, let's start the day with some entertainment news nibbles. The biggie announcement of the past few days is that Dr Jones is back! In May 2008, everyone's favourite whip-cracking, Nazi-bashing archaeologist, Indiana Jones, will be returning to the big screen. Although, I'm actually terrified at the prospect of my all-time favourite film franchise (Temple of Doom was the first movie I ever saw) being ruined by attempts to cash in on the brilliant originals 20 years after the fact. I have faith in Steven Spielberg, but George Lucas has lost it and Harrison Ford is looking a little rough for the action hero stuff. From: IMDB Koepp Keeps Indiana Jones Alive Screenwriter David Koepp (Spider-Man, Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds) has succeeded in pulling off what several other top screenwriters had failed at: provide an Indiana Jones sequel that would satisfy the three principals -- George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Harrison Ford. The three confirmed on Monday that they pla...

There is plenty of material to update this blog with after my week off. In the next few days you can expect assorted entertainment news updates as well as a (very) summarised report of events over the holidays, with some pics maybe. Paul and I didn’t get to watch any new films during the past week but I realise now I didn’t post up my review for Flushed Away , from the week of the 18th Dec. So here it is… Flushed Away is the latest animated film from Aardman Studios, the same team behind Chicken Run and the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit TV series and film. While all these projects are stop-motion claymation, Flushed Away is CGI, but developed with software to exactly replicate the stop-motion experience, complete with dropped frames and occasional finger-marks on characters. Flushed Away focuses on the adventures of pampered pet rat Roddy St. James (Hugh Jackman) when he is flushed down into English sewers and emerges in the rodent equivalent of Piccadilly Circus under London. Prob...

Well, wishing all you blog readers and friends a very happy and prosperous 2007. I'm sitting back here in the office staring out the window at glorious sunshine and quiet roads, because much of Durban is still on holiday. I have come to the realisation that I am not one of those people who return to work after a break feeling reinvigorated and raring to be productive. As usual, I ended my holiday feeling horribly down, almost tearful, at the thought of having to come back to work. Now it's not the work so much that grinds me down as it is the daily routine of getting up at 6am, and spending an hour and a half of every week day sitting in traffic. Life shouldn't be wasted like that. So now my big overarching goal is retirement by 50, so I can actually enjoy, and relax on more than 2 days of the week. And get away from the bloody rat race. Anyway, some pretty interesting trailers have been released in the past few festive weeks, and I'll go back to highlighting one eveyr ...

I'm on leave until the 2nd of Jan as of lunch time today. I'm sure I'll squeeze in some blog updates in that time (I need to put up my review of Flushed Away) but they certainly won't be daily occurrences. Just in some last minute entertainment news, the title of the 7th and final Harry Potter book has been revealed, the ominous sounding Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! And according to ComingSoon.net , USA Today has revealed the first pic of the CGI-ed Silver Surfer in the second Fantastic 4 movie (out next year). I never liked the character, or Marvel's Galactus storyline (I like my superhero comics earthbound), but I must say they seem to have done the Surfer justice. He looks pretty cool. Oh, and there's a whole bunch of new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stills and the new poster up at ComingSoon.net as well. Moving onto more festive matters, there are a few great Christmas films depicted in 30 seconds with bunnies over at Angry Alien . Watch National L...

Alright, it’s not that I don’t like Christmas. Quite to the contrary in fact. I’m quite upset Christmas seems to be dying in secular South Africa. What I am in a bad mood about is my current bad mood… if that makes sense? Mostly I’m bummed because I had started to get my hopes up about getting the last few days of this week off. That didn’t happen. Instead, I’ve been wading through 10+ proofing jobs (and I have come to despise proofing, which demands complete brain-pulping concentration and is one of those invaluable, but utterly praiseless/unnoticed tasks). And I’ve been contending with an always difficult client who is sitting bored in her office and making my life considering painful over one stupid job. I’m now on my 5th revert. I want my holidays now, dammit! I’ve reached my ‘actually giving a shit’ threshold and want this week over with. At least I can console myself with the knowledge that today is probably (hopefully) the last official work day. Our day ends tomorrow at 12 with...

Perhaps it's time to consider some of the movie highlights of the coming weeks and months in South African cinemas: 22 December 2006 Déjà Vu She’s The Man Little Children Deck The Halls 29 December 2006 Charlotte’s Web The Departed Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny 5 January 2007 The Queen Night At The Museum 12 January 2007 Saw 3 The Fountain 19 January 2007 Blood Diamond 26 January 2007 Jackass Number Two Apocalypto The Prestige 2 February 2007 DOA: Dead Or Alive Dreamgirls Rocky Balboa My most anticipated movies on this list: Apocalypto, Rocky 6, and The Prestige.

Ow, why is it that stiffness only sets in 24 hours after the exercise? Damn. Anyway, I was quite productive last night, finally wading through the mound of papers where I throw all my bank statements, accounts, receipt slips, flyers and scribbled-on scraps of paper. I threw away all the crap (filling the dustbin) and filed away everything important. How's that for festive organisation? Anyway, in terms of movie news, three new Stardust pics have surfaced online at Cinema Blend . The pic of Michelle on her enchanted chariot we've seen before, but I really love the one of fallen star Yvaine (Claire Danes) riding a unicorn. And Ain't It Cool News is reporting that Ian McKellen will be the film's narrator. Fantastic! The offbeat fantasy, based on Neil Gaiman's novel, will be released in mid 2007. --- In other news, Quidditch is taking off! On the ground that is. Although I unfortunately can't access the subscribers-only article on the Wall Street Journal site, ...

It's been killing me to sit on this one since last Friday, but the trailer for the latest Michelle Pfeiffer film, the age-gap romantic comedy I Could Never Be Your Woman is finally online. Now the trailer was supposed to be attached to The Holiday, currently in cinemas, but there have been some major hassles in terms of the relationship between studio MGM and production company Bauer Martinez, which you can read about here . I Could Never...'s release date, despite what has been mentioned in the trailer (Valentine's Day), is still uncertain, which is not at all a good thing! Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised by this trailer, which suggests the film is nowhere near as forcibly kooky as it could be. Michelle and Paul Rudd have some great chemistry, although in no credible reality would Michelle Pfeiffer and John Lovitz ever be a couple. Ever, ever, ever. This said, here's a weird movie connection between the glamorous leading lady and the comic actor: The trailer for Sh...

The weekend was another wet and muggy one in Durban. On Friday night I helped Paul decorate his family’s Christmas tree. Nothing says ‘The Festive Season’ like stringing up lights and balancing out a tree’s baubles while Steven Segal’s Nico kicks ass on TV in the background. On Saturday I had a haircut and did some much-neglected admin tasks like vacuuming my car and watering my cacti. Back at Paul’s place in the afternoon we helped his feeble grandparents wrap their mountain-size Christmas presents and devour hamburgers while vegging on the couch. Channel surfing we came across something we’d only ever see on ESPN – professional paintball. Now don’t get me wrong. I love playing paintball, but to see guys running and jumping behind brightly coloured beanbags, with commentary and interviews, is pretty amusing. Paul and I also made a half-assed attempt at exercising, which ended up in grappling. Although Paul submitted me we’ve finally reached the point were I’m technically more advanced...

Well, as regular visitors to this blog know, this December, ever Friday will feature nostalgic Christmas entertainment. I was intended to stick only to festive movies, but Jeremy at Popped Culture reminded me of some great Christmas TV specials. I was never a big fan of the Peanuts special, but I absolutely lo-oo-oved the Garfield special. My family would watch it every year. You can watch Part 1 and Part 2 on the YouTube site, but here's the big finale sequence... in which Garfield shows he has some heart, and Odie finally reveals his top secret Christmas present: Snow White Christmas was another of my childhood festive faves. Basically the 60-minute animated film was a non-Disney sequel to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. After the Wicked Queen is defrosted she casts a spell over Snow White, her husband, the King, and their subjects, freezing them at a Christmas banquet. Only Snow White's daughter, also named Snow White, escapes. With the Wicked Queen in pursuit, Snow Whi...

Hmm, let's see... The Film Experience points out that there are some new little thumbnail pics from Michelle Pfeiffer's next film, the romantic comedy I Could Never Be Your Woman right here . I Could Never Be Your Woman is set for North American release in March. The first Pirates of the Caribbean 3 high-res pics are online at ComingSoon.net . Looks like going to the 'end of the world' is giving things a more Eastern feel. Hopefully they reign this one in at around 2 hours so I won't fall asleep in the cinema again. And this isn't exactly super-fresh news, but I learnt recently that director Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Blade 2, Pan's Labyrinth) is adapting Roald Dahl's The Witches . This would be the second time The Witches is being made into a film, with an awesome 1990 adaptation starring Angelica ("Veetches off Inkland!") Huston and Rowan Atkinson. Apparently it's del Toro's mission to give his version the book's original darke...

This isn’t an advice column about entering gaming journalism. It isn’t even about getting the best performance out of your PC. Rather it’s a look back at 2006 – a year when gaming shifted into a higher gear, and raced onto the pop culture mainstream, particularly here in South Africa. For one thing, GEAR is now one year old, and improving with every issue. The local gaming scene has matured to the point where it can accommodate multiple gaming-focused magazines. Retail chains, devoted entirely to games and related merchandise, are opening in South Africa’s main urban centres. Such franchises may be common overseas but they’re novel here, and as such are an excellent indication of gaming’s local growth, as we play catch-up to international trends. Path of Neo and other games have enjoyed prime time TV advertising, and even car dealers have resorted to luring buyers with PSPs. Still, we’re forgetting the two biggest gaming stories in South Africa this year. Broadband Internet access is b...

Last weekend saw the online debut of new trailers for 2 of 2007's most anticipated 'geek' films - 300 , and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . The new trailer for 300 (out in March) just upped the coolness factor tenfold. I repeat again - the film looks bigger, better and more fleshed out than Frank Miller's graphic novel, on which it is based. I'm actually scared that after such superb trailers I'm going to be let down by the final, finished film (like I was with Troy). After a great teaser trailer, the new trailer for CGI-animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a bit of a let-down. With clumsy Michaelangelo, an extended burping sequence and 'monsters from another dimension', it looks like a kiddies' film. Admittedly it looks very well made, and chances are I'll give this one a chance in cinemas, but where is Shredder? What the hell is a Turtles film without Shredder and the Clan of foot soldiers?

Bah, Durban seems to have slipped into this nasty weather cycle where all week long it’s beautiful and sunny, and as soon as it hits the weekend, it clouds over and pours with rain. Now I thoroughly enjoy the rain and cold, but I would like some sun on the weekend, particularly since I have UShaka vouchers that expire on 31 Dec. Anyway, the weekend was a very chilled one. With my cold, I ended up passed out on the couch by 8pm on Friday night. 10 hours of sleep helped, and I was well enough on Saturday to finish off my Christmas shopping (as well as find some very nice, 3/4 camo pants at the Roxy store). I’m just waiting now for my last 2 online orders to arrive. After I’ve wrapped these arrivals, I’ll be finished entirely. And at least now I don’t have to brave any more shopping malls before 25 Dec. Other than that, with my head cold, it was an intimacy-free weekend. Cuddles, kisses and hugs were substituted… naturally… with Battlefield 1942 co-op. There’s nothing that screams ‘lovey-...

Well, tonight we were supposed to getting a crowd of people together for a good time at Waxy’s, but A) Paul has no airtime to phone people, and B) the sore throat I’ve had since Monday finally exploded yesterday into a nasty head cold. My chest aches from sneezing. And with my red raw nose I look like someone in Outbreak at the early stages of virus infection. Needless to say Paul is a bit concerned about taking me out in public like this, or probably spending time in close proximity to one another. So I don’t know what I’ll be doing this weekend. Certainly nothing energetic, which means I won’t be using my UShaka waterpark vouchers. I’ve got one or two bits of Christmas shopping still to take care of. Anyway, the weekend could very well end up as a repeat of last night, where, instead of doing anything constructive like working on a Girlz ‘N’ Games, or doing DVD backups, I spent the evening lying on my bed watching Superman III (the one with a horribly unfunny Richard Pryor, and paran...

I thought I’d run a little weekly feature this holiday season, focusing on some Christmas films and TV specials that played a role in my childhood. So, first up, Santa Claus: The Movie: I haven’t seen this film in years, but I remember watching it at least once ever two years from around 1988 to 1993. I remember certain key elements, like Dudley Moore’s elf mass-producing dud toys for the world’s children, Santa teaming up with a runaway, and John Lithgow’s evil corporate-type floating around and laughing manically after eating magical elvish lollipops. Wikipedia refreshed my memory, with a much more substantial outline, but I think I’d still be afraid to see it again now – I imagine it would appear incredibly mediocre, and dated.

I don't normally post up random pics on my blog but this one really tickled my... er... tail feathers;)