pa-pa-pa-PANDEMONIUM!

L'esordiente presunto regista Christian Alvart deve avere un sacco di parenti che gli vogliono bene, se con oltre 28.000 voti su IMDb è riuscito ad assestarsi su una media di 6.9, per il suo Pandorum.

Nata come grande idea (?) post-peperonata nella testolina dello stesso regista, inizialmente venne tentata la via della produzione a basso costo.
A dimostrazione che di ubriachi è pieno il mondo, finì invece nelle mani di un capace produttore che vi investì 33 dannatissimi milioni di dollari (non suoi) e fu così che come per ogni block-buster che si rispetti venne chiamato il grande nome che ti attira frotte di pubblico in sala: Dennis Quaid.
Tom Cruise quella sera era impegnato...
La grande idea, peraltro partorita come primo capitolo di una trilogia, incassò circa un terzo di quanto venne a costare.
C'è sicuramente una morale in tutto ciò, ma preferisco non soffermarmi troppo a pensarci...

Trama davvero innovativa: due tizi - tra cui Quaid, mica pippe - si risvegliano su un'astronave prossima al collasso. Sono dell'equipaggio, ma non ricordano quasi nulla della missione (col senno di poi, lasciare un block notes con un paio di istruzioni poteva essere una idea).
Andando a zonzo scopriranno la verità sulla loro missione (non ci crederete: la Terra era andata in mona), perché non c'è quasi nessuno vivo a bordo (viaggereste voi su un'astronave guidata da Dennis Quaid?), cosa cavolo sono i soliti mostroidi semi-umani che ammazzano tutto ciò che incontrano (spettatori scontenti?) e dove mai sono capitati.

Girato vergognosamente male, specie nelle innumerevoli scene di lotta, ciò che davvero contraddistingue il film è l'ennesima grande prova attoriale di Dennis Quaid, capace qui di mettere in imbarazzo l'intera umanità smentendo l'ultimo milione di anni di evoluzione.
Ah già: anche la signorina dai prosperosi seni anti-gravitazionali ha il suo perché.
Per il resto, solo noia, stupidità e sofferenza.
Complimenti al sottotitolo italiano - "l'universo parallelo" - composto durante una partita a Scarabeo, immagino.

Prossimamente, l'unica cosa per cui valga la pena andare al cinema in questi giorni: Splice. Numi, che bello.

Voto: 2 Trashometro^® 5/10: Fai più male che bene.
Tags: guarda mamma un film con Dennis Quaid, ehi ma quello è Dennis Quaid, fantascienza, horror, thriller, azione, combattimento, lotta, astronave, spazio, missione, ibernazione, risveglio, capsula di salvataggio, motore, esplosione, mostro, mutante, tettona, trash.

Traue, Antje

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Data di nascita: 18 January 1981
Altezza: 5' 6½" (1.69 m)

Ultimi lavori:

• Georgia (2010) .... Zoe [attrice]
• Wave (2010) .... Kate [attrice]
• Pandorum (2009) .... Nadia [attrice]
• Phantomschmerz (2009) .... Anja (uncredited) [attrice]
• Berlin am Meer (2008) .... Estelle [attrice]
• Goldjunge (2006) .... Manuela [attrice]
• Kleinruppin forever (2004) .... Ramona [attrice]
• Die Nacht davor (2003) .... Franziska Teenstätten [attrice]
• Verlorene Kinder (2000) (TV) .... [attrice]

Biografia:
Antje Traue was born on January 18, 1981 in Mittweida/Saxony. While still a pupil, she discovered her stage fever and portrayed "Jeanne d'Arc" in school's theatre. At the age of sixteen, Antje attended a music theatre casting at the International Munich Art Lab for the Hip Hop Musical "West End Opera" and was rewarded with the lead role. For four years she was on stage with the ensemble, touring Germany, Europe and New York City. In 2002 Antje moved to Berlin and played in various films and TV movies such as "Kleinruppin Forever", "Berlin am Meer" and "Phantomschmerz". In 2008 she was invited to audition for the female lead role in the international science fiction film "Pandorum", directed by Christian Alvart. After several auditions and test shootings Antje finally got the part and played her first lead opposite Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster.

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Splice (2009)

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Regista: Vincenzo Natali
Scrittore: Vincenzo Natali, Antoinette Terry Bryant
Genere: Sci-Fi, Thriller
Valutazione: 6.5/10 (8502 voti)
Durata: 104 min
Paese: Canada, France, USA
Lingua: English, French

Cast:

• Adrien Brody .... Clive Nicoli
• Sarah Polley .... Elsa Kast
• Delphine Chanéac .... Dren
• Brandon McGibbon .... Gavin Nicoli
• Simona Maicanescu .... Joan Chorot
• David Hewlett .... William Barlow
• Abigail Chu .... Child Dren

Trama:
Elsa and Clive, two young rebellious scientists, defy legal and ethical boundaries and forge ahead with a dangerous experiment: splicing together human and animal DNA to create a new organism. Named "Dren", the creature rapidly develops from a deformed female infant into a beautiful but dangerous winged human-chimera, who forges a bond with both of her creators - only to have that bond turn deadly.

Trivia random: The main scientist characters, Clive and Elsa, are named as an homage to Bride of Frankenstein (1935), a similarly themed movie. Colin Clive played Dr. Henry Frankenstein while Elsa Lanchester played Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley/The Bride.
Citazione random: Elsa Kast: [crying] What do you want? What do you want?
Dren: Inside... you...

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Cruise, Tom

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Nome di battesimo: IV, Thomas Cruise Mapother
Data di nascita: 3 July 1962
Altezza: 5' 7" (1.70 m)
Coniuge: Katie Holmes::(18 November 2006 - present) 1 child, Nicole Kidman::(24 December 1990 - 8 August 2001) (divorced) 2 (adopted) children, Mimi Rogers::(9 May 1987 - 4 February 1990) (divorced)

Ultimi lavori:

• The Hardy Men (2013) .... [attore]
• Mission: Impossible IV (2011) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Knight and Day (2010) .... Roy Miller [attore]
• Tropic Thunder (2008) .... Les Grossman - Grossman's Office [attore]
• Valkyrie (2008) .... (executive producer) [produttore]
• Lions for Lambs (2007) .... Senator Jasper Irving [attore]
• Ask the Dust (2006) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Mission: Impossible III (2006) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Elizabethtown (2005) .... (producer) [produttore]
• War of the Worlds (2005) .... Ray Ferrier [attore]

Biografia:
If you had told 14 year old Franciscan seminary student Thomas Cruise Mapother IV that one day in the not too distant future he would be considered one of the top 100 movie stars of all time, he would have probably grinned and told you that his ambition was to become a priest. Nonetheless, this sensitive, deeply religious youngster who was born in July 1962 in Syracuse, New York, was destined to become Tom Cruise, one of the highest paid and most sought after actors in screen history. The only son (among four children) of nomadic parents young Tom spent his boyhood eternally on the move and by the time he was 14 he had attended 15 different schools in the US and Canada. He finally settled in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, with his mother and her new husband. While in high school, he developed an interest in acting and abandoned his plans of becoming a priest, dropped out of school, and at age 18 headed for New York and a possible acting career. The next 15 years of his life are the stuff of legends. He made his film debut with a small part in Endless Love (1981) and from the outset exhibited an undeniable box office appeal to both male and female audiences. Though below average height and not particularly handsome in the traditional sense, within 5 years Tom Cruise was starring in some of the top grossing films of the decade including Top Gun (1986); The Color of Money (1986), Rain Man (1988) and Born on the Fourth of July (1989). By the 1990s and 2000s he was one of the highest paid actors in the world earning an average 15 million dollars a picture in such blockbuster hits as Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996), Mission: Impossible II (2000), Mission: Impossible III (2006), Vanilla Sky (2001), Minority Report (2002), The Last Samurai (2003), Collateral (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), and Jerry Maguire (1996) - for which he received an Academy Award Nomination for best actor. In 1990 he renounced his devout Catholic beliefs and embraced The Church Of Scientology claiming that Scientology teachings had cured him of the dyslexia that had plagued him all of his life. A kind and thoughtful man well known for his compassion and generosity, Tom Cruise is one of the best liked members of the movie community. He was married to actress Nicole Kidman until 2001. Thomas Cruise Mapother IV has indeed come a long way from the lonely wanderings of his youth.

Trivia random: Was named the #1 top money-making star at the box office in Quigley Publications annual poll of movie exhibitors a record seven times between 1986 and 2005. Being crowned the top box office champ in 2005 put Cruise one title ahead of Tom Hanks, who has been named #1 at the B.O. six times. Bing Crosby and Burt Reynolds both were named #1 for five consecutive years, and Clint Eastwood also has been #1 five times, but non-consecutively.
Citazione random: I'm passionate about learning. I'm passionate about life.
Salario massimo: $20,000,000 against 15%, per Jerry Maguire (1996)

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Pandorum (2009)

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Regista: Christian Alvart
Scrittore: Travis Milloy, Travis Milloy
Genere: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Valutazione: 6.9/10 (28154 voti)
Durata: 108 min
Paese: USA, Germany
Lingua: English, Vietnamese, German

Cast:

• Dennis Quaid .... Payton
• Ben Foster .... Bower
• Cam Gigandet .... Gallo
• Antje Traue .... Nadia
• Cung Le .... Manh
• Eddie Rouse .... Leland
• Norman Reedus .... Shepard
• André Hennicke .... Hunter Leader
• Friederike Kempter .... Evalon
• Niels-Bruno Schmidt .... Insane Officer 'Eden'

Trama:
Two crew members are stranded on a spacecraft and quickly - and horrifically - realize they are not alone. Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. It's pitch black, they are disoriented, and the only sound is a low rumble and creak from the belly of the ship. They can't remember anything: Who are they? What is their mission? With Lt. Payton staying behind to guide him via radio transmitter, Cpl. Bower ventures deep into the ship and begins to uncover a terrifying reality. Slowly the spacecraft's shocking, deadly secrets are revealed...and the astronauts find their own survival is more important than they could ever have imagined.

Trivia random: Pandorum (2009) is the first in a proposed trilogy. But its doubtful the sequels will ever see the light of day due to the first film's low box-office performance.
Citazione random: Nadia: Where's your Lieutenant?
Bower: He's not my Lieutenant.

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Alvart, Christian

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Data di nascita: 28 May 1974

Ultimi lavori:

• 8 Uhr 28 (2010) .... [regista]
• Case 39 (2009) .... [regista]
• Pandorum (2009) .... (story) [scrittore]
• Antikörper (2005) .... (co-producer) [produttore]
• Curiosity & the Cat (1999) .... (writer) [scrittore]

Biografia:
Christian Alvart was born in 1974 near Frankfurt, Germany. His strict Christian background frowned upon films and television and in his childhood he was rarely allowed to see a movie. He developed a fascination and love for the forbidden subject matter and quickly became an "expert" in his circle of friends, successfully hiding that he hadn't seen most of the films they were talking about. Instead, he read about films, their making, the novels or the source material they were based on. When he finally was able to get his hands on films he couldn't stop watching, often going to the cinema six times a week. In 1990 he started making small video and Super-8 films with his friends. The group became part of a network of hobby-filmmakers and geeks. Most of his peers were professionally working in lower positions on movies, creating their own projects in their free time. At the age of 19 Alvart became an editor and layout designer with the X-TRO Filmmagazin, soon working his way up to editor-in-chief and eventually even owning the special interest publication. In 1997, he decided to make his own films again and moved with his company Syrreal Entertainment to Berlin. To get a glance at the world of "professional filmmaking" he started as a runner, soon working his way up again to 1st AD on two features within the same year. In 1998, he wrote, produced and directed Curiosity & The Cat, his first 35mm feature film - a low budget thriller which cost only $30K. Many of his friends from the Frankfurt days were part of the project. The film was nominated for the Max-Ophüls-Award and the Prize of the Minister President of the State Saarland. Alvart then worked as a writer for several German features and TV shows. In 2005, he debuted Antibodies, his second work as a director. When it premiered at The Tribeca Film Festival he was named as one of "Five Directors To Watch" as well as the "German New Face of Cinema" at The AFI Festival. Antibodies was also invited to the Edinburgh Film Festival as well as many others, winning numerous awards.

Trivia random: Wrote the script of "Killer Queen" at the age of sixteen.

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Quaid, Dennis

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Nome di battesimo: Quaid, Dennis William
Data di nascita: 9 April 1954
Altezza: 6' (1.83 m)
Coniuge: Kimberly Quaid::(4 July 2004 - present) 2 children, Meg Ryan::(14 February 1991 - 16 July 2001) (divorced) 1 child, P.J. Soles::(23 November 1978 - 23 January 1983) (divorced)

Ultimi lavori:

• Footloose (2011) .... Rev. Shaw Moore (rumored) [attore]
• Soul Surfer (2011) .... Tom Hamilton [attore]
• The Tent (2011) .... Corey [attore]
• Legion (2010) .... Bob Hanson [attore]
• The Special Relationship (2010) (TV) .... Bill Clinton [attore]
• G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) .... General Abernathy / Hawk [attore]
• Horsemen (2009) .... Det. Aidan J. Breslin [attore]
• Pandorum (2009) .... Payton [attore]
• Smart People (2008) .... Lawrence Wetherhold [attore]
• The Express (2008) .... Ben Schwartzwalder [attore]

Biografia:
Dennis Quaid was born in Houston, Texas, the son of an electrician. He studied drama in high school and in college, but dropped out before completing his studies, moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career. His brother, Randy Quaid, had already began to build a successful career, but Dennis initially had trouble finding work. He began to gain notice when he appeared in Breaking Away (1979) and earned strong reviews for his role in The Right Stuff (1983). Aside from acting, Quaid is also a musician, and plays with his band, the Sharks.

Trivia random: He was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame in march 2005 in Austin, Texas.
Citazione random: [On The Express (2008)] At its core, it's about living your life with grace. If God bestows grace upon you, that you should live your life to its full effect. You know, Ernie Davis embodied that in his short life. He touched everybody around him.
Salario massimo: $60,000, per Playing by Heart (1998)

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

van helsing

Era un po' che non vedevo un film che facesse vacillare la mente come Van Helsing. Non tanto per le sue qualità trash, che pure non mancano; non lo consiglierei infatti agli amanti del cinepattume per un solo motivo: questo filmaccio è da sconsigliare a chiunque.
Quel che lascia sgomenti è che qualcuno abbia prodotto una cosa del genere.

In breve: emulo miserrimo del già non ricchissimo La leggenda degli uomini straordinari, l'esimio Van Helsing è in missione per conto di Dio (o facente funzioni) e se ne va a spasso per l'Europa a fracassare teste illustri, quale quella del Dottor Jekyll. Troverà pane per i suoi denti nella spensierata combriccola formata da Dracula, il mostro di Frankenstein, i lupi mannari e degli gnometti malvagi. E giurerei di aver visto anche Britney Spears, tra la folla...

Al di là di una trama imbarazzante (in sintonia con regia e dialoghi), non ci si può non stupire per la più inquietante serie di overacting che il cinema ricordi, a cominciare dal buon Hugh Jackman impegnato in una trafila di "buona la prima che ce ne andiamo tutti a casa in fretta". A tratti pare di stare in un film di ninjà.
Il tutto per 131 devastanti minuti, in cui si salvano giusto per motivi estetici Kate Beckinsale (a cui simili film devono piacere davvero tanto) ed un po' di vampiresse assortite.


Voto: 1. Pietoso.
Trashometro^® 6/10:
Tags: horror, avventura, thriller, fantasy, azione, dracula, vampiro, non morto, lupo mannaro, licantropo, missione, dio, fede, gnomi cattivi, Jekyll, Hyde, Roma, Transilvania, Parigi, Igor, Frankenstein, mostro di Frankenstein, dannazione, maledizione, fuga, antidoto, frate, overacting, trash.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The (2003)

La leggenda degli uomini straordinari

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Regista: Stephen Norrington
Scrittore: Alan Moore, Kevin O'Neill
Genere: Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Action
Valutazione: 5.5/10 (44382 voti)
Durata: 110 min
Paese: USA, Germany, Czech Republic, UK
Lingua: English, German, Italian

Cast:

• Sean Connery .... Allan Quatermain
• Naseeruddin Shah .... Captain Nemo
• Peta Wilson .... Mina Harker
• Tony Curran .... Rodney Skinner (The Invisible Man)
• Stuart Townsend .... Dorian Gray
• Shane West .... Tom Sawyer
• Jason Flemyng .... Dr. Henry Jekyll / Edward Hyde
• Richard Roxburgh .... M
• Max Ryan .... Dante
• Tom Goodman-Hill .... Sanderson Reed

Trama:
Renowned adventurer Allan Quatermain leads a team of extraordinary figures with legendary powers to battle the technological terror of a madman known as "The Fantom." This "League" comprises seafarer/inventor Captain Nemo, vampiress Mina Harker, an invisible man named Rodney Skinner, American secret service agent Tom Sawyer, the ageless and invincible Dorian Gray, and the dangerous split personality of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde.

Trivia random: While capturing Hyde in Paris, Quartermain says Hyde has been terrorizing the Rue Morgue for some time. With his physical distortions, Hyde may well have been the roof-running "ourang-utan" (sic) from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", another famous 19th-century literary work. Indeed, both Sawyer and Quatermain refer to Hyde as a "big monkey" in the scene.
Citazione random: Captain Nemo: We have trouble.<br />Mr. Hyde: Trouble? I call it sport.

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Beckinsale, Kate

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Nome di battesimo: Beckinsale, Kathryn Bailey
Data di nascita: 26 July 1973
Altezza: 5' 7" (1.70 m)
Coniuge: Len Wiseman::(9 May 2004 - present)

Ultimi lavori:

• Everybody's Fine (2009) .... Amy [attrice]
• Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) .... Selene [attrice]
• Whiteout (2009) .... Carrie Stetko [attrice]
• Nothing But the Truth (2008) .... Rachel Armstrong [attrice]
• Winged Creatures (2008) .... Carla Davenport [attrice]
• Snow Angels (2007/I) .... Annie Marchand [attrice]
• Vacancy (2007) .... Amy Fox [attrice]
• Click (2006/I) .... Donna Newman [attrice]
• Underworld: Evolution (2006) .... Selene [attrice]
• The Aviator (2004) .... Ava Gardner [attrice]

Biografia:
Kate Beckinsale was born on 26 July 1973 in England, and has resided in London for most of her life. Her mother is Judy Loe, who has appeared in a number of British dramas and sitcoms and continues to work as an actress, predominantly in British television productions. Her father was Richard Beckinsale, born in Nottingham, England. He starred in a number of popular British television comedies during the 1970s, most notably the series "Rising Damp" (1974), "Porridge" (1974) and "The Lovers" (1970). He passed away tragically early in 1979 at the age of 31. Kate attended the private school Godolphin and Latymer School in London for her grade and primary school education. In her teens she twice won the British bookseller W.H. Smith Young Writers' competition - once for three short stories and once for three poems. After a tumultuous adolescence (a bout of anorexia - cured - and a smoking habit which continues to this day), she gradually took up the profession of acting. Her major acting debut came in a TV film about World War II called One Against the Wind (1991) (TV), filmed in Luxembourg during the summer of 1991. It first aired on American television that December. Kate began attending Oxford University's New College in the fall of 1991, majoring in French and Russian literature. She had already decided that she wanted to act, but to broaden her horizons she chose university over drama school. While in her first year at Oxford, Kate received her big break in Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing (1993). Kate worked in three other films while attending Oxford, beginning with a part in the medieval historical drama Prince of Jutland (1994), cast as Ethel. The film was shot during the spring of 1993 on location in Denmark, and she filmed her supporting part during New College's Easter break. Later in the summer of that year she played the lead in the contemporary mystery drama Uncovered (1994). Before she went back to school, her third year at university was spent at Oxford's study-abroad program in Paris, France, immersing herself in the French language, Parisian culture and French cigarettes. A year away from the academic community and living on her own in the French capital caused her to re-evaluate the direction of her life. She faced a choice: continue with school or concentrate on her flourishing acting career. After much thought, she chose the acting career. In the spring of 1994 Kate left Oxford, after finishing three years of study. Kate appeared in the BBC/Thames Television satire Cold Comfort Farm (1995) (TV), filmed in London and East Sussex during late summer 1994 and which opened to spectacular reviews in the United States, grossing over $5 million during its American run. It was re-released to U.K. theaters in the spring of 1997. Acting on the stage consumed the first part of 1995; she toured in England with the Thelma Holts Theatre Company production of Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull". After turning down several mediocre scripts "and going nearly berserk with boredom", she waited seven months before another interesting role was offered to her. Her big movie of 1995 was the romance/horror movie Haunted (1995), starring opposite Aidan Quinn and John Gielgud, and filmed in West Sussex. In this film she wanted to play "an object of desire", unlike her past performances where her characters were much less the siren and more the worldly innocent. Kate's first film project of 1996 was the British ITV production of Jane Austen's novel Emma (1996) (TV). Her last film of 1996 was the comedy Shooting Fish (1997), filmed at Shepperton Studios in London during early fall. She played the part of Georgie, an altruistic con artist. She had a daughter, Lily, in 1999 with actor Michael Sheen.

Trivia random: Richard Beckinsale's maternal grandfather - her great-grandfather - was Burmese.
Citazione random: "I look at how Keira Knightley is coiffed when she attends events. I remember going to Cannes with Much Ado About Nothing (1993) when I was 18, and nobody told me, 'Oh, here's a make-up artist or, 'This person wants to dress you, what clothes are you wearing?' It just wasn't like that when I started. Nobody even told me I could bring a friend! I just sort of showed up in a very expensive pair of trousers I bought in Harvey Nichols, and something I bought in the Sock Shop at the airport. But Keira Knightley has like full hair and make- up and a proper outfit and I think, 'Wow, she's not going to have the before photos I had to endure!' She's really lucky".
Salario massimo: $200,000, per Pearl Harbor (2001)

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Jackman, Hugh

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Nome di battesimo: Jackman, Hugh Michael
Data di nascita: 12 October 1968
Altezza: 6' 2½" (1.89 m)
Coniuge: Deborra-Lee Furness::(11 April 1996 - present) 2 children

Ultimi lavori:

• Drive (2012) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Guardians of Ga'Hoole (2010) .... (voice) (rumored) [attore]
• Unbound Captives (2010) .... Tom [attore]
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) .... (producer) [produttore]
• "An Aussie Goes Bolly" (2008) .... (producer) (unknown episodes) [produttore]
• Australia (2008) .... Drover [attore]
• Deception (2008/I) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Uncle Jonny (2008) .... Uncle Russell [attore]
• "The Directors' Series" (2007) .... (executive producer) [produttore]
• "An Aussie Goes Barmy" (2006) .... (executive producer) (unknown episodes) [produttore]

Biografia:
Born in Sydney of English parentage, and the youngest of five children, Jackman has a communications degree with a journalism major from the University of Technology Sydney. After graduating, he pursued drama at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, immediately after which he was offered a starring role in the ABC-TV prison drama "Correlli" (1995), opposite his future wife Deborra-Lee Furness. Several TV guest roles followed, as an actor and variety compere. An accomplished singer, Jackman has starred as Gaston in the Australian production of "Beauty and the Beast." He appeared as Joe Gillis in the Australian production of "Sunset Boulevard." In 1998, he was cast as Curly in the Royal National Theatre's production of Trevor Nunn's Oklahoma. Jackman has made two feature films, the second of which, Erskineville Kings (1999), garnered him an Australian Film Institute nomination for Best Actor in 1999. Recently, he won the part of Logan/Wolverine in the Bryan Singer- directed comic-book movie X-Men (2000). In his spare time, Jackman plays piano, golf, and guitar, and likes to windsurf.

Trivia random: Expressed great fondness for the comic book character Superman. Ironically, Superman is owned by DC Comics, the rival company of Marvel Comics, which owns X-Men and Wolverine.
Citazione random: [on his 8-year-old adopted son Oscar] He said to me the other day, 'Dad, two o'clock, hot chick.' He walks over, and I heard him say, 'Hey, my dad's Wolverine.' That's his opening line! He brings them over and asks, 'Dad, can we have a few autographs for the girls?' I'm like, 'Am I pimping for my kids?'
Salario massimo: $20,000,000, per X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Van Helsing (2004)

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Regista: Stephen Sommers
Scrittore: Stephen Sommers
Genere: Action, Adventure, Horror, Fantasy, Thriller, Action
Valutazione: 5.5/10 (60206 voti)
Durata: 131 min
Paese: USA, Czech Republic
Lingua: English, Latin

Cast:

• Hugh Jackman .... Van Helsing
• Kate Beckinsale .... Anna Valerious
• Richard Roxburgh .... Count Vladislaus Dracula
• David Wenham .... Carl
• Shuler Hensley .... Frankenstein's Monster
• Elena Anaya .... Aleera
• Will Kemp .... Velkan
• Kevin J. O'Connor .... Igor
• Alun Armstrong .... Cardinal Jinette
• Silvia Colloca .... Verona

Trama:
Van Helsing is in the world to rid all evil, even if not everyone agrees with him. The Vatican send the monster hunter and his ally, Carl to Transylvania. They have been sent to this land to stop the powerful Count Dracula. Whilst, here they join forces with a Gypsy Princess called Anna Valerious, who is determined to end an ancient curse on her family, by destroying the vampire. They just don't know how!

Trivia random: Kate Beckinsale was the last to be cast.
Citazione random: Carl: Viscous material, what did I tell you!

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

l'ultimo re di Scozia

Appena terminati gli studi, il dottor Nicholas Garrigan parte per l'Uganda a lavorare in una missione.
Pur non sapendo nulla delle travagliate vicende politiche del paese, il casuale incontro con il generale Idi Amin - da poco salito al potere - cambierà la sua vita: da suo medico personale diventerà presto il suo più stretto consigliere.

Un viaggio nella follia del dittatore Amin, pazzo paranoico eppure dotato di carisma e di un fascino magnetico. Quello che poteva sembrare una speranza per il suo popolo, si rivelò in fretta l'ennesimo sanguinario dittatore dedito più a massacrare i suoi oppositori che a migliorare la disastrata situazione del suo Paese.

C'è da auspicare che la storia sia sufficientemente romanzata, perché se così non fosse il buon dottore concorrerebbe di diritto al titolo di uomo più stupido del pianeta, avendo per giunta dato il suo contributo alla catastrofe, avendo le mani sporche di (molto) sangue e non avendo neppure pagato a sufficienza per le sue azioni.

Regia e sceneggiatura crude quanto basta per rendere l'idea di un paese (e di un dittatore) allo sbando, il film appassiona anche grazie alla buona interpretazione di James McAvoy e, soprattutto, al superbo Forest Whitaker che si è strameritato l'Oscar.

Cose imparate: decidendo dove andare puntando a caso il dito sul mappamondo, se al primo colpo esce Canada, ritentare è da idioti. Specie se al secondo giro esce Uganda...

Voto: 8.
Tags: storico, drammatico, Uganda, anni '70, dittatore, Idi Amin, medico, missione, povertà, malattie, consigliere, pazzia, follia, paranoia, massacro, strage, attentato, potere, genocidio, dirottamento, sesso, omicidio, aborto, ospedale, tortura, moglie, epilessia, figlio.

Regia

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La ricerca ha prodotto più di un risultato.

1. Macdonald, Kevin
2. MacDonald, Kevin (III)
3. MacDonald, Kevin (I)
4. MacDonald, Kevin (II)
5. McDonald, Kevin (I)
6. McDonald, Kevin (III)
7. McDonald, Kevin (VIII)
8. McDonald, Kevin (IX)
9. McDonald, Kevin (V)
10. McDonald, Kevin (II)
11. McDonald, Kevin (VII)
12. MacDonald, Kenneth (I)
13. MacDonald, Ken
14. MacDonald, Evan
15. MacDonald, Erin
16. MacDonald, Kenny (IV)
17. Devine, David McDonald
18. MacDonald, Kenneth (II)
19. MacDonald, Kenneth (III)
20. MacDonald, Kenneth A.

Whitaker, Forest

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Nome di battesimo: Whitaker, Forest Steven
Data di nascita: 15 July 1961
Altezza: 6' 2" (1.88 m)
Coniuge: Keisha Whitaker::(4 May 1996 - present) 2 children

Ultimi lavori:

• Repossession Mambo (2009) .... [attore]
• The Night Watchman (2008) .... [attore]
• Powder Blue (2008) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Vantage Point (2008) .... Howard Lewis [attore]
• Where the Wild Things Are (2008) .... Wild Thing (voice) [attore]
• Winged Creatures (2008) .... [attore]
• The Air I Breathe (2007) .... Happiness [attore]
• The Great Debaters (2007) .... [attore]
• Ripple Effect (2007) .... (executive producer) [produttore]
• Even Money (2006/I) .... Clyde Snow [attore]

Biografia:
Forest Whitaker has packaged a king-size talent into his hulking 6' 2", 220 lb frame. The athletically-inclined Whitaker initially found his way into college via a football scholarship. Later, however, he transferred to USC where he set his concentration on music and earned two more scholarships training as an operatic tenor. This, in turn, led to another scholarship at Berkeley with a renewed focus on acting and the performing stage.Whitaker made his film debut at the age of 21 in the raucous comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) wherein he played, quite naturally, a footballer. He went on to play another student pigskin player in his second film Vision Quest (1985). He gain experience on TV as well with featured spots on such varied shows as "Diff'rent Strokes" (1978) and "Cagney & Lacey" (1982), not to mention the TV-movie Civil War epic "North and South" (1985) (mini) and its sequel, the movie that truly put him on the map The Color of Money (1986). His one big scene as a naive-looking pool player who out-hustles Paul Newman's Fast Eddie Felson was pure electricity. This led to more visible roles in the "A" class films Platoon (1986), Stakeout (1987), and Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), which culminated in his breakout lead portrayal of the tortured jazz icon 'Charlie "Bird' Parker' in Clint Eastwood's passion project Bird (1988), for which Whitaker won the Cannes Film Festival award for "best actor" and a Golden Globe nomination.While his "gentle giant" characters typically display innocence, indecision, and timidity along with a strong underlying humanity, he has certainly not shied away from the edgier, darker corners of life as his various hitmen and other menacing streetwise types can attest. Although in only the first section of the film, he was memorable as the IRA-captured British soldier whose bizarre relationship with a mysterious femme fatale serves as the catalyst for the critically-lauded drama The Crying Game (1992). Always a willing participant to push the envelope, he's gone on to enhance a number of lesser films. Among those was his plastic surgeon in Johnny Handsome (1989), gay clothing designer in Robert Altman's Prêt-à-Porter (1994), alien hunter in Species (1995), absentee father confronted by his estranged son in Smoke (1995), and Mafia hitman who models himself after the samurai warrior in Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), among many others. As would be expected, he's also had his share of epic-sized bombs, notoriously the L. Ron Hubbard sci-fi disaster Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (2000). On the TV front, he was the consulting producer and host of a revamped Rod Serling's cult series classic "The Twilight Zone" (2002), which lasted a disappointing one season.In the early 1990s, Whitaker widened his horizons to include producing/directing and has since developed respect name behind the camera. He started things off co-producing the violent gangster film A Rage in Harlem (1991), in which he co-starred with Gregory Hines and Robin Givens, and then made his successful directorial debut with the soulful Waiting to Exhale (1995), showcasing a legion of distaff black stars. He also directed co-star Whitney Houston's music video of the movie's theme song ("Shoop Shoop"). Most recently, he scored with audiences helming the fluffy romantic comedy First Daughter (2004) with Katie Holmes and Michael Keaton.He is married to actress Keisha Whitaker and has two children with her, in addition to another child from a previous relationship. His younger brothers Kenn Whitaker and Damon Whitaker are both actors as well. Whitaker's multimedia company, Spirit Dance Entertainment, includes film, television and music production. Whitaker works closely with a number of charitable organizations. He has also given back to his community, serving as an Honorary Board Member for Penny Lane, an organization that provides assistance to abused teenagers, while committing himself to both 4-D All-Stars, a motivational mentor program for teenagers, and The Watts Cinema Project.

Trivia random: Met his wife actress Keisha Whitaker, nee Nash, on the set of Blown Away (1994).
Citazione random: (On his role in The Last King of Scotland (2006)) "I did a massive amount to prepare for this. First of all I started learning Swahili, learning the accent, then I had to do study all the recording as well as all the books, tapes, documentaries. When I went to Uganda I met with his brother, sister, his ministers, his generals and even to the Ugandan king. I did more research for this role than any other character I've probably ever played."

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

McAvoy, James

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Nome di battesimo: McAvoy, James Andrew
Data di nascita: 21 April 1979
Altezza: 5' 7" (1.70 m)
Coniuge: Anne-Marie Duff::(18 October 2006 - present)

Ultimi lavori:

• Frost Flowers (2008) .... David (rumored) [attore]
• Three Way Split (2008) .... [attore]
• Wanted (2008) .... Wesley Gibson [attore]
• Atonement (2007) .... Robbie Turner [attore]
• Becoming Jane (2007) .... Tom Lefroy [attore]
• The Last King of Scotland (2006) .... Dr. Nicholas Garrigan [attore]
• Penelope (2006) .... Max [attore]
• Starter for 10 (2006) .... Brian Jackson [attore]
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) .... Mr. Tumnus, the Faun [attore]
• Macbeth (2005) (TV) .... Joe Macbeth [attore]

Trivia random: Grew up in Glasgow. Moved to London at 20.
Citazione random: "I always believed that I never wanted to be an actor. I only did it because I was allowed to do it and I had to do something."

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Dracula Bis!

Non che si sia visto il primo, ma che importa? Questo Dracula II: Ascension risulta già sufficientemente trash di suo, anche senza scomodare la trilogia di cui fa parte.

Diretto da un tale e scritto da un altro tale che ha firmato alcune delle più recenti catastrofi horror, questa trilogia porta un inconfondibile marchio di qualità: "presentato da Wes Craven", che non ha mai presentato o prodotto nulla che fosse meno di atroce.

Uno SIENSIATO paraplegico si imbatte in un caso incredibile: la fidanzata/assistente topina trova, nell'obitorio in cui lavora, il corpo carbonizzato di un vampiro.
Trasportato in una catapecchia i due, con la collaborazione di un paio di allievi di Err Professor, lo resuscitano immergendolo nel sangue.
Il simpatico non-morto, che ricorda in maniera inquietante Billy Idol, verrà imprigionato ed usato per i loro esperimenti, nella speranza di curare il professorone e/o farci un sacco di baiocchi.
Sulle loro tracce niente meno che Jason Scott Lee, il più improbabile cacciatore di vampiri che la storia ricordi (qui in missione per conto di Roy Scheider, niente meno...)

La storia è di una stupidità disarmante ed i vampiri sono temibili quanto pacioccosi micetti, essendo vulnerabili a più o meno tutto: luce del sole, paletti, acqua santa, argento, pasta al pesto e chi più ne ha più ne metta.
Da segnalare la scena trash col vampiro che si libera e conta i granelli di sabbia (do not ask) ed in generale le situazioni improbabili e la dabbenaggine dei protagonisti.

Non tralasciando un po' fan-service, il film promette molto ma mostra poco, annoverando nel cast financo Brande Roderick, nota coniglietta di playboy e Baywatch-ara la cui biografia su IMDb inizia con "Beautiful and talented", azzeccandone quanto meno una su due.

Voto: 3. Trashometro^® 6/10: (trash moderno e patinato, che si crede pure d'essere!)
Tags: horror, vampiro, sangue, cadavere, immortalità, decapitazione, prigionia, obitorio, cacciatore, prete, sedia a rotelle, paraplegico, sequel, gore, sangue, trash.

"Baywatch" (1989)

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Genere: Drama, Action, Adventure
Valutazione: 4.4/10 (1100 voti)
Durata: 60::(241 episodes) min
Paese: USA
Lingua: English

Cast:

• David Hasselhoff .... Lt. Mitch Buchannon (220 episodes, 1989-2000)
• Jeremy Jackson .... Hobie Buchannon / ... (178 episodes, 1991-1999)
• Pamela Anderson .... Casey Jean 'C.J.' Parker (111 episodes, 1992-1997)
• Michael Newman .... Mike 'Newmie' Newman / ... (110 episodes, 1989-2000)
• Chris Fiore .... Brad / ... (95 episodes, 1992-1999)

Trama:
This long-running series follows the adventures of a team of lifeguards on a crowded resort beach. Veteran lifeguard Mitch Buchannon watches over the younger lifeguards that come and go with each passing season as they keep the beaches safe for vacationers. Frequently he must take action to save them from the raging seas and from the raging tempers that sometimes flare up between the young guards in this stressful job.

Trivia random: Longest running show to never win an Emmy. (as of 2005)

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Craven, Wes

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Nome di battesimo: Craven, Wesley Earl
Data di nascita: 2 August 1939
Altezza: 6' 2" (1.88 m)
Coniuge: Iya Labunka::(27 November 2004 - present), Mimi Craven::(25 July 1982 - 1987) (divorced), Bonnie Broecker::(1964 - 1969) (divorced) 2 children

Ultimi lavori:

• Shocker (2009) .... (executive producer) (producer) [produttore]
• The People Under the Stairs 2 (2008) .... (executive producer) [produttore]
• The Hills Have Eyes II (2007) .... (producer) [produttore]
• The Breed (2006) .... (executive producer) [produttore]
• The Hills Have Eyes (2006) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Paris, je t'aime (2006) .... (segment "Père-Lachaise") [scrittore]
• Pulse (2006) .... (screenplay) [scrittore]
• Cursed (2005) .... [regista]
• Dracula III: Legacy (2005) (V) .... (presenter) [misc]
• Feast (2005) .... (executive producer) [produttore]

Biografia:
Wes was born in Cleveland in 1939. After an unhappy childhood (he was raised in a Baptist family) he left Cleveland to study for a degree in English Literature, at Wheaton College, Illinois. But after illness, he left the school for one year before returning to study psychology. In 1963 he took a degree in writing and psychology and in 1964 he took a Masters from J. Hopkins University. While he was a humanities college teacher, Wes married Bonnie Broecker, mother of both his children, Jonathan and Jessica. But after few years, they separated and the children stayed with Bonnie.Wes left his job as a teacher and after employment as taxi driver he became a sound editor for a post-production company in New York. And after the co-direction of Together (1971) with Sean S. Cunningham, Wes made the horror movie, The Last House on the Left (1972). The movie, released in August 1972, was a big success as was his second movie, The Hills Have Eyes (1977), winning the critic's prize at the Sitges Film Festival.Wes has gone onto win many more awards, including one for the best movie at the Avoriaz Film Festival for _Nightmare On Elm Street, A (1984)_ . In 1999 he directed Music of the Heart (1999), a change of direction from the horror genre for which he is known.

Trivia random: Has a son, Jonathan Craven (1965) and a daughter, Jessica Craven (1968). Both from his marriage to his first wife, Bonnie Broecker.
Citazione random: On horror movies: "It's like boot camp for the psyche. In real life, human beings are packaged in the flimsiest of packages, threatened by real and sometimes horrifying dangers, events like Columbine. But the narrative form puts these fears into a manageable series of events. It gives us a way of thinking rationally about our fears."

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Dracula II: Ascension (2003) (V)

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Regista: Patrick Lussier
Scrittore: Joel Soisson, Patrick Lussier
Genere: Horror
Valutazione: 4.4/10 (1080 voti)
Durata: 85 min
Paese: USA
Lingua: English

Cast:

• Jennifer Kroll .... Twins of Evil
• Jason Scott Lee .... Father Uffizi
• Craig Sheffer .... Lowell
• Diane Neal .... Elizabeth Blaine
• Khary Payton .... Kenny
• Brande Roderick .... Tanya
• Jason London .... Luke
• Chris Hunter .... Corello
• Tom Kane .... Cartoon Voice of Doctor (voice)
• John Light .... Eric

Trama:
"Dracula II: Ascension" is a sequel to "Dracula 2000," with the ageless vampire again returning from apparent extinction. The twist is that Dracula's blood will be used by a researcher (baroque performance by Craig Sheffer) to reverse the effects of a crippling disease; Sheffer's assistants (read: vampire fodder) will help. Joining this scientific survey is long-haired vampire slayer Jason Scott Lee, who seems to have stalked in from another picture--but never mind Roy Scheider, whose wizened priest might be onscreen for all of 60 seconds. Citazione random: Luke: We had nothing to do with this!::Father Uffizi: You had everything to do with this.::[examines Elizabeth]::Father Uffizi: You're turning.::Elizabeth Blaine: [weakly] Leave me alone.::Father Uffizi: The infection must have been slight to begin with. There's still a way this can be reversed.::Luke: How?::Father Uffizi: Sunlight. Take her into the sunlight. Pray that there is enough of what's human to survive the destruction of what's not.::Luke: [helps Elizabeth up] Okay.::Father Uffizi: The agony will be unimaginable. No matter how strong her will, in the end, she will fight her way back to the dark side. You must not let her.

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Roderick, Brande

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Nome di battesimo: Roderick, Brande Nicole
Data di nascita: 13 June 1974
Altezza: 5' 7" (1.70 m)

Ultimi lavori:

• The Nanny Diaries (2007) .... Tanya [attrice]
• Toxic (2007) .... Cherry [attrice]
• "What I Learned About... From the Movies" (2007) .... (2007) [attrice]
• Bunny Whipped (2006) .... Casey [attrice]
• Hood of Horror (2006) .... Tiffany [attrice]
• "The Daily Habit" (2005) .... Host (unknown episodes) [attrice]
• Lucky 13 (2005/I) .... Coolmint Girl [attrice]
• Miss Cast Away (2004) .... [attrice]
• Starsky & Hutch (2004) .... Heather [attrice]
• Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003) (TV) .... Leigh Dyer [attrice]

Biografia:
Beautiful and talented Brande Roderick joined the internationally renowned hit series "Baywatch" (1989) in the starring role as lifeguard Leigh Dyer. Winning the role over hundreds of hopefuls, Brande convinced veteran writer/producer Frank South ("Melrose Place" (1992)) that she was the best person for the job. Now in its 11th season, "Baywatch" (1989) executives brought on South to bring new depth to the show, which will showcase Brande as the lead. A native of Northern California, Brande attended Santa Rosa Junior College with aspirations towards acting. She was last seen in "Playboy"'s April issue as Miss April 2000. Brande has appeared on television shows such as "Jesse" (1998), "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place" (1998) and "Beverly Hills, 90210" (1990), as well as in numerous commercials including Dr. Pepper and Snickers. Brande currently makes her home in Los Angeles, but she is looking forward to living in Hawaii while shooting the show.

Trivia random: Playboy Playmate of the Month April 2000

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Soisson, Joel

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Ultimi lavori:

• Buried (2008) .... [regista]
• The Tribe (2008) .... (executive producer) [produttore]
• Hollow Man II (2006) (V) .... (screenplay) [scrittore]
• Pulse (2006) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Dracula III: Legacy (2005) (V) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Feast (2005) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005) (V) .... (story) [scrittore]
• The Prophecy: Forsaken (2005) (V) .... (teleplay) [scrittore]
• The Prophecy: Uprising (2005) (V) .... (teleplay) [scrittore]
• Trekkies 2 (2004) .... (executive producer) [produttore]

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Lee, Jason Scott

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Data di nascita: 19 November 1966
Altezza: 5' 10" (1.78 m)

Ultimi lavori:

• Balls of Fury (2007) .... Siu-Foo [attore]
• Dance of the Dragon (2007) .... Cheng [attore]
• Dracula III: Legacy (2005) (V) .... Father Uffizi [attore]
• Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005) (V) .... David Kawena (voice) [attore]
• Nomad (2005/II) .... Oraz [attore]
• Only the Brave (2005) .... Glenn "Tak" Takase [attore]
• The Prophecy: Forsaken (2005) (V) .... Dylan [attore]
• Dracula II: Ascension (2003) (V) .... Father Uffizi [attore]
• Timecop: The Berlin Decision (2003) (V) .... Ryan Chan [attore]
• Lilo & Stitch (2002) .... David Kawena (voice) [attore]

Biografia:
Of Hawaiian and Chinese descent, Jason Scott Lee was born in Los Angeles, California, but raised in Hawaii from the age of two. His interest in acting began while studying in high school. It blossomed further when he enrolled in Fullerton College, where he studied under acting coach Sal Romeo. His first film role was in Born in East L.A. (1987). After taking many supporting roles, he took his star turn in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993). His next starring role was in The Jungle Book (1994). Though he has not yet panned out as a leading man, Jason continues to work in supporting roles while pursuing his interest in live theater.

Trivia random: Auditioned for the role of Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat (1995), but lost out to Robin Shou.

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Scheider, Roy

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Nome di battesimo: Scheider, Roy Richard
Data di nascita: 10 November 1932
Altezza: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
Coniuge: Brenda King::(11 February 1989 - present) 2 children, Cynthia Scheider::(8 November 1962 - 1989) (divorced) 1 child

Ultimi lavori:

• Dark Honeymoon (2007) .... Sam [attore]
• If I Didn't Care (2007) .... Linus [attore]
• Iron Cross (2007) .... Joseph [attore]
• The Poet (2007) .... Rabbi [attore]
• Last Chance (2006) .... Cumberland [attore]
• The Shark Is Still Working (2006) (V) .... (associate producer) [produttore]
• Dracula III: Legacy (2005) (V) .... Cardinal Siqueros [attore]
• The Punisher (2004) .... Frank Castle Sr. [attore]
• Citizen Verdict (2003) .... Bull Tyler [attore]
• Dracula II: Ascension (2003) (V) .... Cardinal Siqueros [attore]

Biografia:
Lean, angular-faced and authoritatively spoken lead / supporting actor Roy Scheider obviously never heard the old actor's axiom about "never appearing with kids or animals" lest they overshadow your performance. Breaking that rule did him no harm, though, as he achieved pop cult status by finding, fighting and blowing up a 25-foot-long Great White shark (nicknamed "Bruce") in the mega-hit Jaws (1975) and then electrocuting an even bigger Great White in the vastly inferior Jaws 2 (1978).Athletic Scheider was born in November 1932 in Orange, New Jersey, and was a keen sportsman from a young age, competing in baseball and boxing (his awkwardly mended broken nose is a result of his foray into Golden Gloves competitions). While at college, his pursuits turned from sports to theater and he studied drama at Rutgers and Franklin and Marshall. After a stint in the military, Scheider appeared with the New York Shakespeare Festival and won an "Obie Award" for his appearance in the play "Stephen D."His film career commenced with the campy Z-grade horror cheesefest The Curse of the Living Corpse (1964), and he then showed up in Star! (1968), Paper Lion (1968), Stiletto (1969) and Puzzle of a Downfall Child (1970). In 1971 he really came to the attention of film audiences with his role in the Jane Fonda thriller Klute (1971) and then as Det. Buddy Russo (scoring his first Oscar nomination) alongside fiery Gene Hackman in the crime drama The French Connection (1971). His performance as a tough street cop in that film led him into another tough cop role as NYC Det. Buddy Manucci in the underappreciated The Seven-Ups (1973), which features one of the best car chase sequences ever put on film.In the early 1970s the Peter Benchley novel "Jaws" was a phenomenal best-seller, and young director Steven Spielberg was chosen by Universal Pictures to direct the film adaptation, Jaws (1975), in which Scheider played police chief Brody and shared lead billing with Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss in the tale of a New England seaside community terrorized by a hungry Great White shark. "Jaws" was a blockbuster, and for many years held the record as the highest-grossing film of all time. Scheider then turned up as the shady CIA agent brother of Dustin Hoffman in the unnerving Marathon Man (1976) and in the misfired William Friedkin-directed remake of Salaire de la peur, Le (1953) titled Sorcerer (1977), before again returning to Amity to battle another giant shark in Jaws 2 (1978). Seeking a change from tough cops and hungry sharks, he took the role of womanizing, drug-popping choreographer Joe Gideon, the lead character of the semi-autobiographical portrayal of director Bob Fosse in the sparkling All That Jazz (1979). It was another big hit for Scheider (and another Oscar nomination), with the film featuring a stunning opening sequence to the tune of the funky George Benson number "On Broadway", and breathtaking dance routines including the "Airotica" performance by the glamorous Sandahl Bergman.Returning to another law enforcement role, Scheider played a rebellious helicopter pilot in the John Badham conspiracy / action film Blue Thunder (1983), a scientist in the sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) simply titled 2010 (1984), a cheating husband who turns the tables on his blackmailers in 52 Pick-Up (1986), a cold-blooded hit man in Cohen and Tate (1989) and a CIA operative in the muddled and slow-moving The Russia House (1990). The versatile Scheider was then cast as the captain of a futuristic submarine in the relatively popular TV series "SeaQuest DSV" (1993), which ran for three seasons.Inexplicably, however, Scheider had seemingly, and slowly, dropped out of favor with mainstream film audiences, and while he continued to remain busy, predominantly in supporting roles (generally as US presidents or military officers), most of the vehicles he appeared in were B-grade political thrillers such as The Peacekeeper (1997), Executive Target (1997), Chain of Command (2000) and Red Serpent (2002).One hopes that a really first-class role will re-emerge for this immensely entertaining actor--he's much too interesting and likable to be out of the public limelight!

Trivia random: On March 4, 2007, Scheider was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the SunDeis Film Festival at Brandeis University, following a screening of his classic film "All That Jazz." It was the sixth time that Scheider had seen the film, and the first time for his young daughter, Molly, who accompanied him.
Citazione random: "The important thing is to do good work, no matter what medium you do it in."

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Lussier, Patrick (I)

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Ultimi lavori:

• Condition Dead (2008) .... [regista]
• Chain Mail (2007) .... (attached) [regista]
• The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007) .... (executive producer) [produttore]
• Whisper (2007) .... (visual consultant) [misc]
• White Noise 2: The Light (2007) .... [regista]
• Dracula III: Legacy (2005) (V) .... (written by) [scrittore]
• Darkness Falls (2003) .... (visual consultant) [misc]
• Dracula II: Ascension (2003) (V) .... (written by) [scrittore]
• Dracula 2000 (2000) .... (story) [scrittore]
• The Prophecy 3: The Ascent (2000) (V) .... [regista]

Trivia random: Father of Devin C. Lussier

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Sheffer, Craig

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Nome di battesimo: Sheffer, Craig Eric
Data di nascita: 23 April 1960
Altezza: 6' 2" (1.88 m)

Ultimi lavori:

• While She Was Out (2008) .... [attore]
• American Crude (2007) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Find Love (2006) .... Interviewer [attore]
• Long Lost Son (2006) (TV) .... Quinn [attore]
• "Into the West" (2005) (mini) .... Older Robert Wheeler [attore]
• The Second Front (2005) .... Frank Hossom [attore]
• Tom's Nu Heaven (2005) .... Tom Mitchell [attore]
• Prodigal Son (2004) .... [regista]
• Dracula II: Ascension (2003) (V) .... Lowell [attore]
• Save It for Later (2003) .... Marco [attore]

Trivia random: Is very interested in music and he enjoys writing songs and playing the guitar.
Citazione random: "I think it's real easy to look at what's out there and get discouraged. I was never the best-looking guy, I was never the Tom Cruise-looking guy. I think the biggest thing I can say is don't compare yourself. Focus on making you the best you you can be as an actor and follow your own path. You can't compare an apple to an orange. It will cause a lot of self-esteem issues." - On acting in films.

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Dracula 2000 (2000)

Dracula's legacy - Il fascino del male

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Regista: Patrick Lussier
Scrittore: Joel Soisson, Patrick Lussier
Genere: Horror
Valutazione: 4.7/10 (8916 voti)
Durata: 99 min
Paese: USA
Lingua: English

Cast:

• Gerard Butler .... Dracula
• Christopher Plummer .... Abraham/Matthew Van Helsing
• Jonny Lee Miller .... Simon Sheppard
• Justine Waddell .... Mary Heller
• Colleen Fitzpatrick .... Lucy Westerman (as Colleen Anne Fitzpatrick)
• Jennifer Esposito .... Solina
• Omar Epps .... Marcus
• Sean Patrick Thomas .... Trick
• Danny Masterson .... Nightshade
• Lochlyn Munro .... Eddie

Trama:
In the millenium version of this classic Gothic horror we find Abraham Van Helsing (Plummer), who has tangled with Count Dracula (Butler) in the past, working as an English antiques dealer. Simon (Miller) is a vampire hunter in training under his apprenticeship. Van Helsing and Simon travel from London to New Orleans to rescue Van Helsing's daughter Mary (Waddell) from the family's life long nemesis - Dracula.

Trivia random: Gerard Butler's Dracula says, "I never drink... coffee," in one scene. This is a spoof of Bela Lugosi's Dracula, who spouts his famous "I never drink... wine" in Universal's _Dracula (1931/I)_ .
Citazione random: Dracula: Blood has always been the coin of our realm.

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

no country for old men

Joel e Ethan Coen tornano alla violenza, e lo fanno con stile, poco da dire.

Un cacciatore si imbatte nel teatro di una sparatoria tra trafficanti di droga: l'impossessarsi di una valigia con due milioni di dollari segnerà la sua vita; sulla sue tracce la polizia ed una serie di killer, tra i quali spicca un lucidissimo psicopatico.
Sullo sfondo - ma neanche tanto - il continuo disgregarsi della società, visto attraverso gli occhi del vecchio sceriffo (Tommy Lee Jones) che forse è più parte del problema che parte della soluzione, nonostante gli piaccia credere il contrario.

Pregevole la regia e la fotografia, tutti ottimi gli interpreti, a partire dall'eccezionale Javier Bardem che mette in scena un killer del tutto dedito a quello che più che un lavoro è una missione.

Non è un paese per vecchi è un ottimo film? Sì, senza dubbio.
È un capolavoro assoluto? Probabilmente no.
Meritava i suoi Oscar? Probabile, anche se forse non è stata poi una annata indimenticabile (e l'esclusione di La Promessa dell'Assassino grida vendetta).

Voto: 8+.
Tags: thriller, drammatico, avventura, violenza, fratelli Coen, Oscar, morte, killer, aria compressa, moneta, scommessa, soldi, droga, fuga, moglie, omicidio, sparatoria, confine, Messico, valigia, segnalatore, messicani, pickup, pistola, fucile, ospedale, ferita, mutilazione, incidente, motel, strage, sceriffo.

Bardem, Javier

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Nome di battesimo: Bardem, Javier Ángel Encinas
Data di nascita: 1 March 1969
Altezza: 6' (1.83 m)

Ultimi lavori:

• Killing Pablo (2009) .... Pablo Escobar [attore]
• Nine (2009) .... Guido Contini (attached) [attore]
• Tetro (2009) .... (rumored) [attore]
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) .... [attore]
• Invisibles (2007) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Love in the Time of Cholera (2007) .... Florentino Ariza [attore]
• No Country for Old Men (2007) .... Anton Chigurh [attore]
• Goya's Ghosts (2006) .... Brother Lorenzo [attore]
• Collateral (2004) .... Felix [attore]
• Mar adentro (2004/I) .... Ramón Sampedro [attore]

Biografia:
Javier Bardem is the youngest member of a family of actors that has been making films since the early days of Spanish cinema.He got his start in the family business at age six when he appeared in his first feature, "El Pícaro" (The Scoundrel). During his teenage years he acted in several TV series, played rugby for theSpanish National Team, and toured the country with an independent theatrical group. Javier's early film role as a sexy stud in the black comedy_Jamón, jamón (1992)_ (Ham Ham) propelled him to instant popularity and threatened to typecast him as nothing morethan a brawny sex symbol. Determined to avert a beefcake image, he refused similar subsequent roles and has gone on to win acclaim for his ability to appear almost unrecognizable from film to film. With over 25 movies and numerous awards under his belt, it is Javier's stirring, passionate performance as the persecuted Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls (2000) that will longbe remembered as his breakthrough role. He received five Best Actor awards and a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a strong-willed man who survived censorship, imprisonment, and homosexual intolerance for the privilege to write freely, only to commit suicide at age 47 in New York, ending a battle with AIDS.

Trivia random: Has four Goya Awards (the Spanish equivalent of the Oscar).
Citazione random: The only thing I can do is act, but it's not something I even feel comfortable doing. It costs me a lot, because I'm a shy person, even if I don't look it.

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Coen, Ethan

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Data di nascita: 21 September 1957
Altezza: 5' 8" (1.73 m)
Coniuge: Tricia Cooke::(2 October 1993 - present)

Ultimi lavori:

• Gambit (2009) .... (screenplay) [scrittore]
• Hail Caesar (2009) .... (writer) [scrittore]
• Suburbicon (2009) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Burn After Reading (2008) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Chacun son cinéma ou Ce petit coup au coeur quand la lumière s'éteint et que le film commence (2007) .... (segment "World Cinema") [regista]
• No Country for Old Men (2007) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Paris, je t'aime (2006) .... (segment "Tuileries") [scrittore]
• Romance & Cigarettes (2005) .... (executive producer) [produttore]
• The Ladykillers (2004) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Bad Santa (2003) .... (executive producer) [produttore]

Trivia random: As of 2008 joined (along with his brother Joel) the prestigious group of individuals to have won Oscars for writing, directing and producing in the same year, for the film 'No Country for Old Men'. The others are Peter Jackson for 'Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kind', James L Brooks for 'Terms of Endearment', Frances Ford Coppola for 'The Godfather: Part 2', Billy Wilder for 'The Apartment' and Leo McCarey for 'Going my Way'. James Cameron also won three Oscars for 'Titanic' but they were for directing, producing and editing.
Citazione random: We aren't the grandfathers of any movement. In the 1980s, the so-called indie film movement was a media creation. What I found irritating is that 'independent' became an encomium. If it was independent, it was supposed to be good, and studio films were bad. Obviously, there are bad independent films and good studio films.

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Jones, Tommy Lee

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Data di nascita: 15 September 1946
Altezza: 6' (1.83 m)
Coniuge: Dawn Jones::(19 March 2001 - present), Kimberlea Gayle Cloughley::(30 May 1981 - 1996) (divorced) 2 children, Kate Lardner::(1971 - 1978) (divorced)

Ultimi lavori:

• In the Electric Mist (2008) .... Dave Robicheaux [attore]
• In the Valley of Elah (2007) .... Hank Deerfield [attore]
• No Country for Old Men (2007) .... Ed Tom Bell [attore]
• A Prairie Home Companion (2006) .... Axeman [attore]
• Man of the House (2005/I) .... (executive producer) [produttore]
• The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005) .... (producer) [produttore]
• The Hunted (2003) .... L.T. Bonham [attore]
• The Missing (2003/I) .... Samuel Jones/Chaa-duu-ba-its-iidan [attore]
• Men in Black II (2002) .... Kevin Brown, Agent Kay [attore]
• Rules of Engagement (2000) .... Col. Hayes 'Hodge' Hodges [attore]

Biografia:
Born in San Saba, Texas, the son of Clyde C. and Lucille Marie (Scott) Jones, Tommy Lee Jones worked in underwater construction and on an oil rig. He attended St. Mark's School of Texas, a prestigious prep school for boys in Dallas, on a scholarship, and went to Harvard on another scholarship.He roomed with future Vice President Al Gore and played offensive guard in the famous 29-29 Harvard-Yale football game of '68 known as "The Tie." He received a B.A. in English literature and graduated cum laude from Harvard in 1969. Following college, he moved to New York and began his theatrical career on Broadway in "A Patriot for Me" (1969). In 1970, he made his film debut in Love Story (1970). While living in New York, he continued to appear in various plays, both on- and off-Broadway: "Fortune and Men's Eyes" (1969); "Four on a Garden" (1971); "Blue Boys" (1972); "Ulysses in Nighttown" (1974). During this time, he also appeared on a daytime soap opera, "One Life to Live" (1968) as Dr. Mark Toland from 1971-75. He moved with wife Kate Lardner, granddaughter of short-story writer/columnist Ring Lardner, and her two children from a previous marriage, to Los Angeles. There he began to get some roles on television: "Charlie's Angels" (1976) (pilot episode); Smash-Up on Interstate 5 (1976) (TV); and The Amazing Howard Hughes (1977) (TV). While working on the movie Back Roads (1981), he met and fell in love with Kimberlea Cloughley, whom he later married. More roles in television--both on network and cable--stage and film garnered him a reputation as a strong, explosive, thoughtful actor who could handle supporting as well as leading roles. He made his directorial debut in The Good Old Boys (1995) (TV) on TNT. In addition to directing and starring in the film, he co-wrote the teleplay (with J.T. Allen). The film, based on Elmer Kelton's novel, is set in west Texas where Jones has strong family ties. Consequently, this story of a cowboy facing the end of an era has special meaning for him.

Trivia random: Jones was also a resident of Midland, Texas, and attended the same high school as the future First Lady Laura Bush.
Citazione random: "I really enjoyed a remark that Howard Hawks once made. He said the most important thing is not to ask an actor to do anything he can't do. Same thing goes for horses."
Salario massimo: $20,000,000+ gross %, per Men in Black II (2002)

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Non è un paese per vecchi

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Regista: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Scrittore: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller, Crime
Valutazione: 8.6/10 (68565 voti) [#38 nella top250]
Durata: 122 min
Paese: USA
Lingua: English, Spanish

Cast:

• Tommy Lee Jones .... Ed Tom Bell
• Javier Bardem .... Anton Chigurh
• Josh Brolin .... Llewelyn Moss
• Woody Harrelson .... Carson Wells
• Kelly Macdonald .... Carla Jean Moss
• Garret Dillahunt .... Wendell
• Tess Harper .... Loretta Bell
• Barry Corbin .... Ellis
• Stephen Root .... Man who hires Wells
• Rodger Boyce .... El Paso Sheriff

Trama:
In rural Texas, welder and hunter Llewelyn Moss discovers the remains of several drug runners who have all killed each other in an exchange gone violently wrong. Rather than report the discovery to the police, Moss decides to simply take the two million dollars present for himself. This puts the psychopathic killer, Anton Chigurh, on his trail as he dispassionately murders nearly every rival, bystander and even employer in his pursuit of his quarry and the money. As Moss desperately attempts to keep one step ahead, the blood from this hunt begins to flow behind him with relentlessly growing intensity as Chigurh closes in. Meanwhile, the laconic Sherrif Ed Tom Bell blithely oversees the investigation even as he struggles to face the sheer enormity of the crimes he is attempting to thwart.

Trivia random: Is the first movie with two directors since West Side Story (1961) to win the Best Picture Academy Award.
Citazione random: Wendell: You know, there might not have been no money.::Ed Tom Bell: That's possible.::Wendell: But you don't believe it.::Ed Tom Bell: No. Probably I don't.::Wendell: It's a mess, ain't it, sheriff?::Ed Tom Bell: If it ain't, it'll do till the mess gets here.

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

Coen, Joel

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Nome di battesimo: Coen, Joel Daniel
Data di nascita: 29 November 1954
Altezza: 6' (1.83 m)
Coniuge: Frances McDormand::(1984 - present) 1 child

Ultimi lavori:

• Gambit (2009) .... (screenplay) [scrittore]
• Hail Caesar (2009) .... (writer) [scrittore]
• Suburbicon (2009) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Burn After Reading (2008) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Chacun son cinéma ou Ce petit coup au coeur quand la lumière s'éteint et que le film commence (2007) .... (segment "World Cinema") [regista]
• No Country for Old Men (2007) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Paris, je t'aime (2006) .... (segment "Tuileries") [scrittore]
• Romance & Cigarettes (2005) .... (executive producer) [produttore]
• The Ladykillers (2004) .... (producer) [produttore]
• Bad Santa (2003) .... (executive producer) [produttore]

Trivia random: Born to Edward Coen, an economist at the University of Minnesota, and his wife Rita, an art historian at St. Cloud State University.
Citazione random: Frequently we are writing characters and we are thinking, 'Wouldn't it be interesting to see such and such play this kind of a person', and the character starts to grow out of that as you are writing it. It's a combination of things that you are making up and what you know about the actor.

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Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.