Thor (2011) movie review

Thor (2011)

• Release Date: 05/06/2011
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
• Genre: Fantasy, Action
• Director: Kenneth Branagh
• Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins
• The first and most important thing you should know about Paramount Pictures’ Thor is that it’s not a laughably corny comic book adaptation. Though you might find it hokey to hear a bunch of muscled heroes talk like British royalty while walking around the American Southwest in LARP garb, director Kenneth Branagh has condensed vast Marvel mythology to make an accessible, straightforward fantasy epic. Like most films of its ilk, I’ve got some issues with its internal logic, aesthetic and dialogue, but the flaws didn’t keep me from having fun with this extra dimensional adventure.
  
  Taking notes from fellow Avenger Iron Man, the story begins with an enthralling event that takes place in a remote desert but quickly jumps back in time to tell the prologue, which introduces the audience to the shining kingdom of Asgard and its various champions. Thor (Chris Hemsworth), son of Odin, is heir to the throne but is an arrogant, overeager and ill-tempered rogue whose aggressive antics threaten a shaky truce between his people and the frost giants of Jotunheim, one of the universe’s many realms. Odin (played with aristocratic boldness by Anthony Hopkins), enraged by his son’s blatant disregard of his orders to forgo an assault on their enemies after they attempt to reclaim a powerful artifact, banishes the boy to a life among the mortals of Earth, leaving Asgard defenseless against the treachery of Loki, his mischievous “other son” who’s always felt inferior to Thor. Powerless and confused, the disgraced Prince finds unlikely allies in a trio of scientists (Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard and Kat Dennings) who help him reclaim his former glory and defend our world from total destruction.
  
  Individually, the make-up, visual effects, CGI, production design and art direction are all wondrous to behold, but when fused together to create larger-than-life set pieces and action sequences, the collaborative result is often unharmonious. I’m not knocking the 3D presentation; unlike 2010’s genre counterpart Clash of the Titans, the filmmakers had plenty of time to perfect the third dimension and there are only a few moments that make the decision to convert look like it was a bad one. It’s the unavoidable overload of visual trickery that’s to blame for the frost giants’ icy, weaponized constructs and other hybrids of the production looking noticeably artificial. Though there’s some imagery to nitpick, the same can’t be said of Thor’s thunderous sound design, which is amped with enough wattage to power The Avengers’ headquarters for a century.
  
  Chock full of nods to the comics, the screenplay is both a strength and weakness for the film. The story is well sequenced, giving the audience enough time between action scenes to grasp the characters motivations and the plot, but there are tangential narrative threads that disrupt the focus of the film. Chief amongst them is the frost giants’ fore mentioned relic, which is given lots of attention in the first act but has little effect on the outcome. In addition, I felt that S.H.I.E.L.D. was nearly irrelevant this time around; other than introducing Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, the secret security faction just gets in the way of the movie’s momentum.
  
  While most of the comedy crashes and burns, there are a few laughs to be found in the film. Most come from star Hemsworth’s charismatic portrayal of the God of Thunder. He plays up the stranger-in-a-strange-land aspect of the story with his cavalier but charming attitude and by breaking all rules of diner etiquette in a particularly funny scene with the scientists, whose respective roles as love interest (Portman), friendly father figure (Skarsgaard) and POV character (Dennings) are ripped right out of a screenwriters handbook.
  
  Though he handles the humorous moments without a problem, Hemsworth struggles with some of the more dramatic scenes in the movie; the result of over-acting and too much time spent on the Australian soap opera Home and Away. Luckily, he’s surrounded by a stellar supporting cast that fills the void. Most impressive is Tom Hiddleston, who gives a truly humanistic performance as the jealous Loki. His arc, steeped in Shakespearean tragedy (like Thor’s), drums up genuine sympathy that one rarely has for a comic book movie villain.
  
  My grievances with the technical aspects of the production aside, Branagh has succeeded in further exploring the Marvel Universe with a film that works both as a standalone superhero flick and as the next chapter in the story of The Avengers. Thor is very much a comic book film and doesn’t hide from the reputation that its predecessors have given the sub-genre or the tropes that define it. Balanced pretty evenly between “serious” and “silly,” its scope is large enough to please fans well versed in the source material, but its tone is light enough to make it a mainstream hit.

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'The Rite' Movie Review

The supernatural thriller The Rite is a different kind of literary adaptation, a film not “based on” or even “inspired by” a written work, but rather “suggested by” one. The degree to which this fictional film adheres factually to its source material, Matt Baglio’s book The Rite: The Making of an American Exorcist, is anybody’s guess. Fans of The Exorcistmight argue that it’s more strongly “suggested by” William Friedkin’s 1973 horror classic than anything else.

Erstwhile unknown Colin O’Donoghue, in his first feature role, plays Michael, a seminary student sent to Rome to learn the intricacies of demonic possession. A pronounced skeptic who isn’t even sure he believes in god, much less the Catholic doctrine of exorcism, Michael is inclined toward the more humanistic view of the “possessed” as simply disturbed or schizophrenic individuals. What they really need, he insists, is not a priest but a good psychiatrist. (That belief certainly won't endear him to the Church of Scientology.)


To rid him of such malignant pragmatism, Michael’s headmaster (Ciaran Hinds) ships him off to serve an apprenticeship under Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins), a Welsh Jesuit (shorthand for “eccentric”) and practicing exorcist. Having been around the theological block a few times, Lucas reacts to Michael’s unbelief with wry nonchalance (a Hopkins specialty and the film’s most appealing trait); he knows that Satan’s arguments will prove far more convincing than any he might offer.

And Satan gets to work forthwith, first using a pregnant Italian girl as his vessel, then incorporating other representatives of the animal kingdom, tormenting Michael with horned frogs and red-eyed demon mules. At first exhibiting admirable restraint, director Mikael Hafstrom eventually employs just about every weapon in his terror arsenal, bombarding Michael with harrowing visions and flashbacks (he grew up in a funeral home with an undertaker father, played by Rutger Hauer, who had a habit of bringing his work home with him) which offer ample opportunities for cheap scares. His trump card, of course, is Hopkins, whose character eventually becomes possessed himself, thus allowing The Rite to fulfill the Lucas/Lucifer conceit we all knew was coming.

The Rite varies wildly in tone, with Hafstrom seemingly unable to decide if his film is to be a moody, serious-minded psychological thriller or some campy, outlandish horror-comedy. By the time Father Lucas becomes possessed, and the reenactment of the first great celestial battle begins, the film gives itself wholly over to the latter. As channeled by Hopkins, the devil comes off as a less eloquent, more vulgar version of Hannibal Lecter, taunting Michael with naughty words and voraciously devouring scenery. The Dark Lord as a dirty old man is something of a novel concept, I suppose. Scary? Maybe a little. Creepy? Oh hell yes.

Mariah Carey partially reveals twin kids name

The ‘We Belong Together’ singer and husband Nick Cannon welcomed their children into the world on April 30, and revealed on the 3rd of May that both the babies will have their names beginning with ‘M’.

Mariah tweeted: “I wish I could personally thank all those around the world who continue 2(to) send congrats+prayers. They’re doing great.”

When another of her tweets read that the names of both the boy and the girl will start with an ‘M’ people from all over the world started pouring in their suggestions.

Nick meanwhile said that he feels blessed and proud of her (Mariah) for their two beautiful babies.

Neil Nitin Mukesh to romance Deepika or Sonam?

Unlike most other debutant actors, when Neil Nitin Mukesh stepped into the tinsel town he did not do it with a romantic comedy. He has done a wide genre of films right from action, thrillers to dramas, but not a full-toos romantic comedy. Most of his roles be it Johnny Gaddar, New York or Lafangey Parindey have had serious over tones.

If sources are to be believed and if things go right, Neil will get to do his first romantic comedy with Kunal Kohli who is considering either Deepika or Sonam as the leads opposite him. Deepika has already done ‘Lafangey Parindey’ with Neil but his pairing with Sonam (if it does happen) would be the first one.

It may be mentioned here that while Neil has showed great acting skills with serious roles, in real life he has quite an amazing sense of humor and keeps his co-stars on the sets roaring with laughter with his wit and humor.

Sonu Sood: Rana to roll in August

Sonu Sood insists that Rajinikanth is doing well and their period epic, Rana, has only been delayed by a month, following the superstar's sudden illness. "We were supposed to start in July, now we will roll in August," he says.

The actor's on a high after Big R told him that as soon as he heard the script, he knew only Sonu, who he'd loved in Dabangg (2010), Jodhaa-Akbar (2008) and the Tamil blockbuster Arundhati, could play this role. "At the party, he had his arm around me all evening and I was wondering, 'Is this for real?' I've learnt from him that it's not your good work, but your goodness that takes you to heights," says an awed Sonu.

He's looking forward to some amazing action in the Hindi-Tamil-Telugu trilingual that's being touted as Indian cinema's most expensive film ever. In 15 years, Sonu's built a collection of over 3,000 films in the genre and uses some as references.

"We haven't discussed the action in Rana yet, but for Bbuddah, I convinced Vijay Master (action director) to replicate a chase sequence in the Thai movie Ong-Bak (2003). It would require me to navigate multiple hurdles, including cars, buses and auto rickshaws, as I sprint down the street," recalls Sonu. He admits that when the fight master tried the same scene, it had gone wrong, leaving him apprehensive about the risk involved. "But I carried it off in a single take and without cables. The whole of Versova was watching me and spontaneously started clapping," he adds.

Bbuddah promises to bring back the action hero of the swinging '70s and Sonu says Amitabh Bachchan fans won't be disappointed: "His famous lines that we grew up on went missing from our films. But Bbuddah will bring them back." The film's 'recap' promotional campaign using dialogue from Bachchan blockbusters including Deewar ('75), Shahenshah ('88) and Agneepath ('90), has caught the eye. 'Main aaj bhi phekhe hue paise nahin uthata' (Even today, I don't pick up money thrown at me) from Deewar is one of Sonu's favourites. And his first scene with Big B brought back memories of Zanjeer ('73).

"In Zanjeer, he was Vijay, pushing Sher Singh (Pran) out of his police station. In Bbuddah, I'm the cop pushing him out. Zanjeer, Deewar and Trishul ('78) were my Bible (sic) and I've grown up idolising their hero.

It must be my parents' blessing that a small-town guy from nowhere is today working with legends like Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan," he says. Early next year, Dabangg 2 will roll. Says Sonu, "It's such a thrill that Dabanng has bagged a National Award. I can't wait to play Cheddi Singh's more aggressive twin. He doesn't have a name yet. How about Safedi Singh? He can be dressed in all white."

KBC 5 : Coming This August

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan is all set to make a comeback to the small screen with the fifth season of hit quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati on Sony Entertainment Television in August.

Confirming the news, Mr. Bachchan tweeted: “Yes ... KBC back in August …and this time for a longer duration than last time …and yes welcome to all entrants …come join me…,"

Big B’s look this time will be styled by noted designer Rohit Bal.

The 68-year-old actor has already shot for the first promo for the season with photographer Avinash Gowariker, brother of ace filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker.

One may recall that Shah Rukh Khan was roped in for the third season of KBC but with the dripping TRPs, the channel thought better and signed Mr. Bachchan for the next two seasons in January, 2011.

"Sony and I have signed on for KBC for the next two seasons... your blessings and encouragement needed in abundance!' Amitabh had posted after signing the deal.

25 Fun Facts About Britney Spears, Written By Someone Who Works For Britney Spears

Britney Spears, whose new album Femme Fatale drops March 29, shares 25 things you don't know about her with Us. The results are ... somewhat funny.

As usual, there's no way this was a face-to-face interview. None. She doesn't do those. We give her handlers credit for channeling her here, but come on.

She collects dolls? She chews ice? She likes to draw? She shops online? She played basketball once? This is either boring, fake or old news, or all three.

Either Britney Spears is the most dull human being ever, or whoever wrote this needs to get more creative. We're glad you like iced tea, Brit, but really.

We love Britney Spears, but it would be nice to read some somewhat genuine or moderately interesting material on her once in a blue moon. Just saying.

Also funny? The fact that she says she doesn't have a cellphone. That's because daddy won't allow it. And there's no way she bathes twice a day. None.

Not that there's anything wrong with skipping a shower, but why write that when it's obviously not true. We've seen the Britney Spears pictures, honey.

Anyway, here are 25 things about Britney Spears that may or may not be true and that someone working for her tried to write from her perspective:

1. My favorite ice cream is orange sherbet.
2. I take two baths a day.
3. I love chewing ice.
4. I make a mean fake dinosaur when playing with the two loves of my life, Sean, 5, and Jayden, 4.
5. My favorite flowers are white lilies.
6. I’m a huge fan of animated films.
7. I can eat chocolate morning, noon and night.
8. I love boutique shopping.
9. I have more than 50 purses in my closet.
10. I have more than 50 jackets in my closet.
11. I love to draw.
12. I enjoy cooking spaghetti.
13. I’m secretly a photographer.
14. I’m addicted to shopping online.
15. I collect dolls.
16. I love Adele’s new album.
17. I really want to learn another language.
18. I played basketball — guard — in high school.
19. I don’t own a cellphone.
20. I’m constantly cleaning my house.
21. My favorite drink is sweet ice tea.
22. I love I Love Lucy.
23. I make my own bed every morning.
24. I made the first move on [beau] Jason Trawick.
25. I wrecked my mom’s Lexus in high school.

Aishwariya Rai childhood pictures

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian actress and previous Miss World. Before beginning her acting job, she worked as a model and obtained popularity following winning the Miss World title in 1994. During her career, Rai has acted in over 40 movies in Bollywood, English, Tamil and Bengali, which include a variety of global productions.

Britney Spears to tie the knot for a third time

Britney Spears is set to tie the knot with long-term boyfriend and former manager Jason Trawick - making it the third time the pop princess will have walked down the aisle.

Britney Spears is set to tie the knot with long-term boyfriend and former manager Jason Trawick - making it the third time the pop princess will have walked down the aisle.
The 'Toxic' hitmaker - who already has failed marriages to Kevin Federline and Jason Alexander under her belt - secretly got engaged to the 39-year-old talent manager after he wrote her a romantic poem to pop the question.
According to The Sun newspaper, Jason - who is 10 years Britney's senior - filled the entire ground floor of the couple's Los Angeles mansion with candles and roses, before presenting the star with a diamond flower-shaped ring.
The 29-year-old singer - who has two sons, Sean Preston, five, and Jayden James, four, with second husband Kevin Federline - is said to be "on cloud nine" following the proposal, as she was reportedly "desperate" to get married before she has more children.
An insider explained: "She's on cloud nine. Britney is desperate to settle down again and have more children. But she is very traditional and didn't want to start a family with Jason until they'd tie the knot."
Britney - whose first union to childhood friend Jason Alexander was annulled just 55 hours after they married in Las Vegas in 2004 - is now said to be planning a "low-key" ceremony in Hawaii once she has completed her upcoming world tour.

10 Must Have Little Black Dresses

A little black dress is a classic. It was originally made popular in the 1920s by the fashion designer Coco Chanel to be long-lasting, versatile, affordable and accessible to the widest market possible.

The little black dress is considered essential to a complete wardrobe by many women and fashion observers, who believe it a “rule of fashion” that every woman should own a simple, elegant black dress that can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. For instance, you can wear it with a jacket and pumps for daytime business with sparkly jewelry and accessories for evening.

The style of the dress ideally should be as simple as possible. But, of course, any variations are possible to flatter your body type.

We have made a little survey on this dress style and presented ten models of little black dresses that surely deserve our attention.

Little black dress by Victoria’s Secret

This dress is sophisticated by day and sultry by night. Very elegant and looks just perfect. The dress gathered bust with silk charmeuse detail. It’s cross-over, draped front.

La Femme

The dress has a black halter top that allows seeing the beautiful back of the wearer. When accessorized with nice jewelry looks perfect at evening meetings or parties.

Dramatic detail adorns smooth, fluid jersey for comfort with just the right amount of cling-and bling. Sweetheart neckline and rhinestone straps. Ruching in front and back. Slim fit. Back zip. Made domestically of imported polyester/spandex.

Matte jersey rhinestone dress

The dress is ideal for evening wear. Dramatic detail adorns smooth, fluid jersey for comfort with just the right amount of cling-and bling. Sweetheart neckline and rhinestone straps look very feminine.

Strapless Black Dress

This short form fitting strapless dress with rhinestone embellishments is very sexy. Wear it for parties with appropriate accessories to look stunning.

Short Black Dress by Alyce Designs

This beautiful short dress in black by Alyce Designs is sure to become a favorite in your closet. It is appropriate for cocktail parties, holiday celebrations, homecoming, and semi formals.

Flirty little bustle-back dress

This evening gown talks back, in matte jersey. Cowl neck and open back with ruching detail make the dress look really sexy.

Short Black Dress by Jovani

The dress is gorgeous! The figure hugging shape accentuates the curves in all the right places. And the red bow adds attractiveness and looks pretty feminine.

Flirty little V-neck dress

Victoria’s Secret provides us again with a womanly look. Pretty perfection in every fold.

Black Homecoming Dress

Short black matte jersey dress with embellishments under the bust line is an perfect choice for evening parties, homecomings and even for formals.

Short Black Dress by Jovani

A metallic short black dress with a beaded empire waist is elegant and comfortable. Add chic to your look.

There are plenty of choices in dresses of this style even besides the presented above. Just take a close look and select that is the one for you!

Top Ten Longest Hollywood Marriages

You know, all you ever hear about is who is breaking up with whom and who is recovering from being dumped. What about all those couples who have been married for forever and a day? When both people in the relationship are famous, it can be increasingly difficult to fit two egos and careers inside one house but these examples of long-lasting love are great examples of making it work. Let’s take a moment to salute couples whose love has gone the distance:
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson met on the set of their movie, Volunteers, back in 1985, married in 1988 and have never looked back. A Hollywood couple to end all Hollywood couples, the two work together and support each other: she has supported his career decisions and even coached him on his accent for The Terminal, he played office gopher while she produced the blockbuster My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The couple have two children.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith met when she tried out for an episode of Will’s television show, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, back in 1990 and married in 1997. The very close couple not only raises three children together (two of their own, son Trey is Will’s from a prior relationship) but they work together (the two starred in Ali together back in 2001. They both have agreed that divorce is not an option and work very hard on their careers and their marriage.
Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary this year and have one of the longest marriages in recent Hollywood history. The two are notoriously private about their relationship but have three children from their long union and are still going strong.

Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas have been married for 9 years. It might be the reported prenuptial agreement they have between them that reportedly states that Michael owes her millions for any indiscretion during their marriage if they divorce, but whatever the case, this marriage tamed notorious womanizer Douglas. Douglas reportedly said, “I want to father your children” when he met Zeta Jones and they’ve done just that, as the marriage has spawned two children and shows no signs of slowing down.
Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick have been married for 11 years, introduced by the actress’ brother. The couple were married in an old synagogue that was no longer used for services but have had a rather traditional marriage. The very private couple tends toward traditional values for their marriage and their son, James Wilkie, born in 2002.

Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas met on the set of Two Much and were married a year later after his divorce was final from his first wife, actress Ana Leza. This notoriously smooth actor and the quirky actress have one daughter and what appears to be a rock solid marriage. Odd rumors abound about the relationship of the actors, among them that Antonio can leave Griffith if she gains too much weight. Judging from the tattoo of the actor’s name on Melanie’s arm, the duo isn’t planning on ending things anytime soon.

Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick have another long-standing marriage, having married in 1988 after starring in a PBS movie together. This 20 year-long marriage has remained strong, bearing two children and a long history of working together. Not only has the couple worked together on multiple films, but Kevin has directed some of the episodes of Kyra’s hit tv show, The Closer.

Courtney Cox and David Arquette, a couple we’re particularly fond of covering over here, married in 1999 and, as we’ve covered,do not believe in divorce but do believe in couples counseling. The duo who would rather have a referee than an attorney work and play together, sharing a real estate business as well as a production company together. The couple have one child, daughter Coco.

Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osborne married when Ozzy had moved under her management from her father’s back in 1982 and have had one of the longest, most successful marriages in music history. The couple has survived Ozzy’s rampant drug use, bouts of physical violence, and Sharon’s cancer. The couple, who has three children together, has a marriage that even survived reality television, after the hit reality series The Osbornes made the family household names.

Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward still have to make this list, even though the actor passed away this year from a private battle with cancer. The couple had been married since 1958 and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year before Newman died. One of the most respected marriages and the longest standing in Hollywood history, Newman was notoriously faithful to his beautiful wife, famously stating in an interview, “Why go out for hamburger when you have steak at home?”

You know, all you ever hear about is who is breaking up with whom and who is recovering from being dumped. What about all those couples who have been married for forever and a day? When both people in the relationship are famous, it can be increasingly difficult to fit two egos and careers inside one house but these examples of long-lasting love are great examples of making it work. Let’s take a moment to salute couples whose love has gone the distance:

A Special Gift for Brad Pitt from Angelina Jolie

When Angelina Jolie was way younger, before she became Hollywood’s Big Mama, she indulged in pretty wacky behavior. During her marriage to Billy Bob Thornton the duo was into having as much fun as possible while being a very romantic couple and wearing one another’s blood in vials on their chests. These days Angeline is far less over the top than she used to be, but she retained the passion for extraordinary decorations. She has a mind now to give Brad Pitt one.

No, it isn’t going to be another vial of her own blood. Angie asked jeweler Robert Procop to make a diamond pendant for Brad. One of the gem’s facets is bearing an engraved love message. Nobody knows what words Angie had engraved there apart from Procop who wouldn’t open up. Moreover, the writing can’t be read without a microscope.

Procop added that the message will be engraved with a laser using a new technology.

Still, it would be thrilling to know what Angie’s message may be… It must be something touching. What do you think it can be?

Angelina will soon be able to give away handfuls of jewelry gifts to people she loves: she is collaborating with Robert in working out a jewelry line of her own, ostentatiously called The Style Of Jolie.