Pfangirl Through the Looking Glass

I honestly think the moral of the story is that you should never put the word "Zero" in the name of a music festival, or any creative product for that matter, because it clearly attracts bad luck. Since its announcement in January, Coca-Cola Zero Fest 2009, brought to South Africa by Big Concerts , Coke and 5FM , has been plagued with scandal and disaster. It started with large scale complaints about the band line-up , which was far more lightweight and pop-rocky than in previous years. It escalated when Coke demanded that an unofficial festival site , where people had been most vociferous about their disappointment, be taken offline. And now, in the latest chapter of the Crapfest saga, just 2 days before the first concert in Johannesburg, 2 high profile international acts have pulled out of the event. The official press release: CANCELLATION OF BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE & RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS BIG Concerts, the organisers of Coca-Cola Zero Fest 2009, regrettably announ...

I suppose you can classify this as the Easter edition of Girlz 'N ' Games. After all, C.S. Lewis's Narnia Chronicles are packed with Christian symbolism, including a omnipotent lion who sacrifices himself to save a sinful little boy, and is later resurrected to kick some serious White Witch ass. Anyway, this GNG comic was inspired by the news that the next Narnia Chronicles movie, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will be co-produced by Fox as opposed to Disney , who helped fund, market and distribute the first 2 films in the series. Pretty much Disney wasn't keen to split the $140 million budget with Narnia rights holders, Walden Media after the last film in the series, Prince Caspian (which cost over $225 million) didn't meet box office expectations. Fans of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, with its exciting ocean adventures, know it's a fantastic concept for a fantasy film, and nearly impossible to screw up. This said, I'll be watching the involvement o...

If you’re a movie fan you’ve probably already been submerged in hype related to Slumdog Millionaire , the hit drama about a poor, orphaned youth who defies expectations to stand on the threshold of winning India’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire game show. Not only do trailers and posters proclaim Slumdog Millionaire to be the “Feel-good Movie of the Decade” but the film swept this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, taking home a massive eight awards, including the biggie, Best Film of the Year. Now that a few months have passed since its Oscar triumph, it’s possible to approach Slumdog Millionaire with a certain degree of objectivity. However, before you can do anything else, the question has to be answered: Is Slumdog Millionaire the best movie of 2008? Unfortunately, I don’t believe it is. The chief reason for this is that Slumdog Millionaire isn’t nearly as moving or emotionally involving as you expect such a high profile, self-proclaimed crowd pleaser to be. Fellow Best Picture nominee...

It's very unusual for me to get excited about an upcoming comedy. I'm more likely to look forward to a horror film (that I probably won't end up seeing) than a comedy - probably because most films in this lightweight genre are utterly forgettable fluff. This said, there is a new exception to the rule: Sacha Baron Cohen's next comedy Bruno. That's right. The man who introduced us to Ali G Indahouse and Borat is now bringing the third character from his hit TV show to the big screen in the middle of this year. Bruno focuses on a flamboyant Austrian fashionista and ultra-gay TV presenter who comes to America. As with Borat, the film focuses largely on candid camera-type encounters between the title character and the unsuspecting public. Bruno is sure to be as controversial as Cohen's previous film as well. Just last week the film was slapped with a notorious, box office killing NC-17 age restriction for various "objectionable scenes." You can however ...

The weekend was very busy, and involved a bit of mixed fortunes as well. It started on Friday evening with a birthday dinner for the bf's father at the Waxy O’Connor’s in Westville, one of my favourite pub hangouts. I was the designated driver though, responsible for taking the tipsy boyfriend home afterwards, so alas I couldn't drink at all. Anyway, everything was going along swimmingly on the drive home until we approached an intersection quite close to the bf's house. The traffic light ahead of us turned red, and naturally I applied the brake. Instead of slowing down though, the car sped up - just as if I had put in the clutch and was now freewheeling. My first thought was that I had somehow hit the accelerator instead of the brake, but quickly checking with my feet I realised I had my foot on the correct pedal. So I applied the brake harder. Only when the pedal was touching the floor, and my leg was fully extended, did the car finally stop. Partially into the intersect...

Alright, there are 4 new movies opening in South Africa today. The most high profile of these new releases is Monsters Vs. Aliens , which I've profiled before . Dreamworks' comic homage to old B-grade science fiction and horror films, this CGI-animated film would appear to be the big family movie for the Easter school holidays. Monsters Vs. Aliens is showing in both traditional and 3-D formats and looks like a lot of fun. The film shot to Number 1 at the American box office last weekend and is currently sitting on a Fresh 69% at Rotten Tomatoes . WWE fans may be keen to see John Cena's latest bid for movie stardom, 12 Rounds, in which the tough guy plays a New Orleans cop who is forced to participate in a series of cruel challenges when a criminal mastermind kidnaps his girlfriend. Renny Harlin, the man responsible for Die Hard 2, The Long Kiss Goodnight and ... erm... Deep Blue Sea, is in the director's chair but although he knows how to make a rousing action film, he...

"Feed me, Seymour. Feed me all night long..." Running now until 19 April at Durban's Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre is Little Shop of Horrors, the darkly comic rock musical that pays tribute to the B-grade horror/science fiction films of the 1950s and 60s. Most people are probably familiar with the 1986 film version of this musical, starring Rick Moranis, but for those of you who aren't, the plot is simple. Clumsy nerd Seymour Krelborn works at a dilapidated flower store on Skid Row. With the store failing and nothing left to lose, the store's cranky owner Mr. Mushnik agrees to Seymour's plan to display the "strange an interesting" plant he's been cultivating in the store window. Immediately this plant, named Audrey II after Seymour's great love, captures the public imagination and completely changes the fortunes of everyone working at the flower store. Audrey II however, is no normal plant. It it's to thrive and grow it needs something very...

There’s no school quite like the old school. That’s the message that comes through strongly in Gran Torino , the latest drama from actor-turned-filmmaker Clint Eastwood. Eastwood stars as recently widowed Walt Kowalski, a Korean war veteran and retired Ford assembly line worker who spends most of his time snarling in disgust at the changing world around him, where respect, good manners and hard work seem to have no place – not even within his own family. A shamelessly vocal racist and stubborn smoker, Walt is the product of long-gone era. Nonetheless he is a man of action that the audience easily rallies behind, especially once he stands up to the vicious local gang terrorising his Hmong immigrant neighbours. Channelling the many gruff antiheroes he’s played over the decades, and introducing just enough softness to his performance to make Walt a credible real world hero, Eastwood is outstanding. He’s in turn ably supported by the two movie newcomers who play Walt’s young neighbours. Be...

Clearly 2009 is the year of the curmudgeonly old fart, because not only do we have Clint Eastwood snarling and grumbling his way through Gran Torino, but in Pixar's big release of the year, Up , the main character is a grumpy 78 year old who has seen life pass him by. Fortunately though,Carl Fredricksen has decided it's time to realise his lifelong dream of travel and adventure, and takes to the skies - by attaching hundreds of balloons to his house. The only problem though is that an overly enthusiastic boyscout has stowed along for the ride. I must say that this new trailer for Up is far more appealing than the original, almost cryptic teaser (which I'm sure most of you would have seen if you own the Wall-E DVD). Not only does Up look suitably whimsical, but it also seems to have a retro Indiana Jones sense of adventure. Then again, I've always been a sucker for zeppelins and bi-planes. Oh, and big dumb dogs with squirrel obsessions. Anyway, I'll be very curious ...

And just like that, another weekend has passed by. Fortunately next weekend is the Easter long weekend (not that I have anything planned), and as of this Friday school holidays kick off for South Africa's coastal provinces for the following 2 weeks. And that means a quieter morning commute for all us rat race participants. Yay. In terms of my weekend's activities it mostly seemed to be TV and film watching, interspersed with a bit of shopping, some sketching, an overly long stressful farewell at the airport (who knew you could be charged as much as R3000 for excess baggage?), our weekly D&D session and a return to World of WarCraft - where I've decided to eschew tedious daily quests in favour of money making from my alchemy and herbalism professions. Anyway, we watched several episodes of South Park Season 12. The highlight so far has been Major Boobage , where Kenny becomes addicted to "cheesing" - getting high off cat urine - which transports him to a Hea...

There are 4 high profile new releases in South African cinemas today. And after the past few weeks, I'm pleased to report that this batch is pretty critically acclaimed on the whole. Race to Witch Mountain - This latest family film from Disney stars Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson as a cynical taxi driver who gets roped into a race against time - and the government - when he picks up 2 teenage runaways, who also just so happen to be aliens. Race to Witch Mountain is based on the hit 1975 film Escape to Witch Mountain, also from Disney. According to critics the remake lacks the magic of the original, but having never seen that film, I can't compare. To me, Race looks pretty solid, as well as, most importantly, a safe, wholesome option for parents to take their kids to. 39% Fresh at Rotten Tomatoes . Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - I've profiled this action-horror film before as part of the Trailer Tuesday feature. Basically this third movie in the (surprisingly) popular vampir...

First there were Movies in 30 Seconds with Bunnies . Now, there are Movies in One Minute, in One Take, coming from a group of (clearly whacked) students from the University of York Filmmaking Society . Have a look - these projects are hilarious... and also very, very clever. Of course, if you've never seen Forrest Gump or Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2 , please be aware that the following contains spoilers.

I've written before about director Tim Burton 's highly anticipated new take on Alice in Wonderland , which I believe has finished principal photography and is now well into the post-production stage (to add in all the special effects and stop-motion animation). Anyway, some new images from the film (mostly concept art) recently appeared online, including this one of Alice herself (played by young Aussie actress Mia Wasikowska ). Check out more of these pics here or, for better quality, here . You see the film, from Disney, was recently profiled in the new Disney magazine, D23 . What was revealed was that the film isn't just a bog standard reinterpretation of Lewis Carroll's original story. Rather, much like the video game American McGee's Alice, and in the same vein as cult 80's classic (and one of my childhood faves!) Return to Oz, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland will feature a new storyline, and see an older Alice returning to a darker, distorted Won...

Drag Me to Hell marks the long awaited return of director Sam Raimi to the horror genre. For the past few years Raimi’s been kept busy (for better or worse) by the Spider-Man trilogy, but before that he was best known as the man responsible for the cult Evil Dead series, which melded horror with off-the-wall comedy. Raimi has also served as producer on such spooky flicks as The Grudge , Boogeyman and The Messengers . Given his pedigree it’s unsurprising then that fanboys are seriously amped for Raimi’s latest. And even though I am definitely not an Evil Dead fan (there were waay too many WTF moments in that trilogy for me!), I'm actually very keen for Drag Me to Hell. For the record, early buzz has been very good for Drag Me to Hell - even if it admittedly comes from lord of the fanboys, Harry Knowles. Anyway, although there's a Ring-esque feel to proceedings ("you can give the curse away"), Drag Me to Hell looks like a triumphant return to old-school horror. I.e...

This weekend was a surprisingly social one from my side, with a birthday party, a baby shower and a farewell braai (that's a barbecue for the non-South Africans out there). Friday evening was the birthday party, and involved much wine drinking and geeky pop culture conversation. I think some of the guys were forever scarred when a comparison between Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books and Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles forced us veteran Vamp Lit readers to reveal that Lestat guzzles menstrual blood in Memnoch the Devil . Rice may be a complete loon but she pushes limits and goes to dark places that Meyer certainly never would. The main activity of Saturday was a baby shower in the afternoon. Frankly I was dreading it because in my past experience these kind of "traditional" events veer between tedious and juvenile. Tedious, because watching someone open presents for an hour, and having to coo over assorted tiny socks and baby grows, is fucking boring. And juvenile ...

For the second week in a row South African moviegoers have a wide selection of new film releases to choose from, with 5 biggies out as of today. Defiance - I profiled this World War II action-drama earlier this year. Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell star as Jewish brothers who fight back against the Nazis in Eastern Europe. Based on a true story, the film is directed by Blood Diamond, Glory and The Last Samurai's Edward Zwick, who knows how to make rousing films. 55% at Rotten Tomatoes . Marley and Me - Once again I've already profiled this family film about a disobedient labrador who changes the lives of couple of yuppie reporters (Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston). Based on a bestselling memoir. I think I'll be too emotionally affected by this film adaptation to watch it, but for the record it scored 60% at Rotten Tomatoes . Fanboys - Finally released after a very long delay, Fanboys is a comedy-drama celebrating Star Wars geeks. A group of buddies trek cross...

If you move in the same movie and pop culture blog circles as me, you'll probably have seen this piece of creative genius by now. Basically, its makers have imagined what Watchmen the graphic novel for mature readers, would have been like if it was a kid-friendly Saturday morning cartoon. Alas, I think a hefty percentage of the film's audience went into the cinema expecting something like this too...

Right, so as part of the 22 minutes, 22 seconds screenshot series, we’ve finally reached The Return of the King , the concluding installment in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. What’s surprising is that at this specific point into the film, yet again, for the third time in a row, hobbits are proving to be surprisingly resistant to evil influence. And they are very, very lucky. To see what I mean, don’t forget to check out The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers’ 22 minutes, 22 seconds screencaps here and here . Anyway, this scene follows on directly after the one in which an overly curious Pippin Took gets his hands on a palantir, a scrying orb that allows for long distance communication between fellow palantir users (think of it as a fantasy world equivalent of a telephone). Unfortunately for Pippin, but fortunately for our heroes as a whole, this palantir links the mind of its user with that of super deluxe evil overlord Sauron, who is still manifesting himself as a giant ...

The Goon is a lesser known comic property, an Eisner Award winning series from creator-writer-artist Eric Powell. I've written a bit about The Goon before, here and here , but for those of you who don't know, the series can probably best be described as a cross between Hellboy , Sin City and noir-ish pulp fiction in general. Set in a rundown Depression era city, The Goon focuses on a brutish mob enforcer (known as the Goon), his diminutive buddy Franky, and their oddball collection of friends (including a werewolf called Merle), as they battle an assortment of zombies, mad scientists, monsters, aliens and, of course, other gangsters who all want a piece of the Goon's highly profitable turf. Like Hellboy, the Goon isn't one for lengthy discussions - he prefers to settle matters with his enormous fists. The Goon, from Dark Horse Comics , is a highly enjoyable read, especially if you're a comic fan sick of overpowered heroes in tights and capes, and looking for an ...

I don’t know why it is, but typically the trailers for CGI-animated movies leave me disinterested – even if the full, finished products are outstanding. Monsters Vs. Aliens , the new family film from Dreamworks, is an exception to the rule. The teaser trailer above had me chuckling along quite happily from the outset, thanks to some very witty exchanges (although to be fair I did find this follow-up trailer to be a tad on the juvenile side). Anyway, the basic plot for Monsters Vs. Aliens sees Susan, a very ordinary young woman, transformed into a giant after a meteor strike. Labelled a monster, she's captured by the military and quarantined in an isolated research facility. There she meets other monsters Dr. Cockroach, the Missing Link, B.O.B and Insectosaurus. Despised and feared as these creatures are, they emerge as Earth's only hope when an evil alien overlord targets earth for domination. As is typical with Dreamworks animated films, Monsters Vs. Aliens features an all-st...