Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Midnight in Paris ****



Director: Woody Allen
Cast: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Adrien Brody
Alison PillCarla Bruni-Sarkozy, Corey Stoll, Kathy Bates
Kurt Fuller, Léa Seydoux, Marion Cotillard
Mimi Kennedy, Tom Hiddleston


From its opening scene, Midnight in Paris establishes itself as a love song: we see how a series of shots of the city comprise a verse that thrills us because of its familiarity (ooh it's Notre Dame! ooh it's Place Vendome!) and despite its otherworldly beauty.
Paris is one of those cities that becomes universal because of the feelings they inspire even if you have never visited them. Tons of films have been set in Paris, tons of romances have been set there as well and to those less inclined by emotions, the French capital has also been the stage for some of the most revolutionary cultural movements in the world.
It makes absolute sense then, that Woody Allen would fall head over heels for it. Not since Manhattan had he shown such passion for a place as he does in this film. Structured like his iconic ode to New York City, Midnight in Paris is formed by a bookend in which we first develop the crush, a large plot development in which we suffer through the ups and downs of love and a final thought that reminds us, not only of our insignificance but about the immortality of beauty.
Throughout the film, Allen, aided by cinematographer Darius Khondji's breathtaking framing, reminds us that Paris will remain even after we're gone.
Take for example the scene in which we meet Gil Pender (Wilson), our protagonist. We hear him talking to his fiancee Inez (McAdams) about the beauty and romanticism of Paris but we can not see either of them. What we see instead is a huge pond filled with fragile water lilies. For a moment, we're not even sure if we're watching a painting or an actual real life image, Then Gil mentions something about Monet and our mind clicks, but so does the camera and we move to find ourselves in front of the people we're about to meet.
In several other scenes throughout the movie, first we see places and things and only then do the characters enter the scene. The camera is sometimes placed before them, as if suggesting the characters need to catch up with time - and wondering if they ever will be able to do it - and sometimes it seems to wander about trying to take in the riches of a city that's too overwhelming for a films's running time.
The subject of catching up with time might be the plot's biggest preoccupation, as Gil finds himself yearning to live in a different place as his writer's block increases. After working as a Hollywood hired hand- and being quite successful at it- he's trying out a novel for the first time. His trip to Paris is meant to inspire him but all he gets are insults from Inez and her parents (the pitch perfect Kennedy and Fuller).
Things get worse when they run into Paul (Sheen) and Carol (Arianda), two friends of Inez who tag along everywhere they go. He's a pseudo-intellectual who knows it all on the surface, she's the loving companion who nods at his every word.
Allen never has any problem revealing to us that the world that surrounds Gil (who in this film is the "Woody Allen character") is truly atrocious. As he usually does, he has no problem affirming that this is a misunderstood man, perhaps a bit too sensitive to be surrounded by the shrewd beings he knows. Allen has never been good at hiding his disdain for bourgeois apathy and while his characters are never exactly saints of any kind, he has always excelled at making us like them.
Gil for example seems to breathe by inertia, we're meant to dislike Inez (the things she says often make you gasp) but we're not supposed to be rooting for Gil just yet. He needs to earn our liking, he needs to achieve a breakthrough.
Woody provides him this opportunity by relying on a fantastical twist that resembles what he did in his brilliant The Purple Rose of Cairo, as in that occasion, everything happens so fast that we're unable to try and reason. Anyone who cared to deconstruct either movie by ways of physics and probability could probably accuse of them of being truly preposterous. During one scene Inez's mother describes a movie she saw as "infantile" and lacking in any believable qualities, but she doesn't deny it had charm (is she talking about the movie she's in?).
However Allen becomes the ultimate alchemist, turning the dullness of the quotidian into magic that defies the most complicated visual effects. Midnight in Paris gives him an opportunity to bask in his love for the Lost Generation and all things 20s, giving us glimpses of a city where you could run into characters the likes of Hemingway (a phenomenal, scene stealing Stoll), F. Scott Fitzgerald (Hiddleston) and Gertrude Stein (Bates) among others.
Leading us in this tour of a golden era is Marion Cotillard, playing the woman who captures Gil's heart. To reveal the many twists and turns in the movie would be to rob the audience of what can only be called utter pleasure. In the past Allen has expressed his love for classic things, however this might be the first time when he seems to find his voice through others.
While sometimes it might seem like a film meant for culture snobs (and what Allen movie isn't?) Midnight in Paris is also remarkable for its unaware passion for the arts. When Gil says to a character "you take art groupie to a whole new level" he might as well be talking about Allen and the movie.
It's no coincidence that the film seems to be based on the theory that places of great antiquity and history are forever plagued with the ghosts of those who once lived there. At many times during the film there are mentions of the main character in Gil's novel; a young man who owns a nostalgia shop, the places where you can buy old records and Shirley Temple memorabilia.
For some this is an enchanting concept (Cotillard's character is "hooked" by it) while others find it creepy and childish. "Nostalgia is denial" says Paul condescendingly, while Gil looks away finding himself in a place far away from judgment.
The movie toys with the possibility of transporting yourself to a time where everything can be perfect and Allen approaches his everlasting obsession with mortality in a way that makes the heart ache and puts a smile on your face.
We realize eventually that Allen is the shop vendor mentioned so much, he's the one always selling us nostalgia, whether it be his use of music, artistic references or the affected way in which his characters talk (the use of words like "pseudo-intellectual", "lovely" and "erotic" usually give his screenplays away).
Midnight in Paris can be read through countless layers, the magic of its ensemble alone is enough to warrant an essay but like the greatest art what's easiest to discuss, perhaps because it inspires excited, clumsy eloquence, is the feeling that it leaves you with: something that resembles the warmth of a good meal and the exhilarating joy of being in love.
After his last movie which failed to invite us into its dark world, in this one a character reminds Gil that a writer can not succumb to despair, his duty is to find an antidote to the emptiness of existence. Woody Allen seems to have taken this advice and Midnight in Paris is the kind of movie that reminds us that heaven might be a plane ride away.

Tomb Raider Underworld (TR 8) : hot HQ pics and wallpaper

Tomb Raider Underworld in the 8th sequel of the famous Tomb Raider gaming series and was released in 2008. Crystal dynamics was the developer of this game and this was the third game in series to be developed by them.







Tomb Raider Underworld continues the story from where the TR : Legend left it or finished it. It explains the part which was remained unexplained in the previous parts of the game i.e TR : Legend and Tomb Raider ; Anniversary.

Need for Speed Pro Street and Most Wanted : HQ game pics and wallpaper

Need for Speed (NFS) is known as a series of escalating video games put together by Veteran elegant manufacturer EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. The tv show seemed to be before produced by the Veteran dependent firm Individual Software, which became generally known as EA Canada. The series premiered with all the Requirement of Swiftness in Finds, Japan, and European continent in 1994.





 Initially, the tv show appeared to be private into the fifth new release appliances and ended up being advertised in of the seventh new release online game consoles by 2008. The games comprise mainly of racing by using different motorcars on different songs, and also to several point, incorporate watch likes and dislikes in accelerates

Neverwinter Nights : HQ game photos

Start playing centers on the sophisticated of your reputation the kind of personality becomes the last word leading man of a typical account.



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Hitman 5 - HQ game wallpapers

The shows involve Agent 47 (regularly just termed as “47″ or “Mr. 47″), an assassin-for-hire, whose flawless data places him in large request among the many well-to-do and top-notch. The video games are created with a mix of orchestral and electronica piano musical marks, calm by Jesper Kyd.



 Hitman 5 is contained in the acts in line with the Eidos squad and will have features out of your impending Hitman 2 movie which happens to be less than fortunate because Hitman blowers identified that the show was not in the slightest degree much like the sport and shall ruin the fifth Hitman story line

Heavenly Sword : HQ game wallpapers and pics

Nariko’s warrior relations feels in a prophecy of any fighter sent out of your heavens with a godly edge (referred to as Divine Sword), to successfully defend all of them that come from the decisive satanic. When the fighter seemed to be finished along with his activity he dumped the blade behind on world.





Most of the men was immediately drunken together with the desire to have its energy and exterminate over its ownership. Previously consequently that may Nariko’s band finished the violence and carried on your unsafe enterprise of securing the sword from such corruption.

Grand Theft Auto GTA IV - HQ game pics

The experience is backdroped in a redesigned rendition of Choice Community, a fictional downtown area based immensely on modern-day The big apple. It makes sense Niko Bellic, a war veteran from an unspecified region in Oriental The world, that gets to the united states of america in the hunt for the USA Wish, but rapidly becomes twisted in a seedy underworld of gangs, transgression, and trouble.






 Like other strategies within the shows, GTA Intravenous is comprised of of elements from driving games and third-person shooters, and characteristics “open-world” you re playing whom gives enthusiasts with additional control over his or her playing experience. GTA IV is the first console sport within the tv show to actually characteristic an online multiplayer option, consists of fifteen sport sorts.

Guild Wars : HQ game pics and photos

The playoffs show the story of your imaginary fantasy world of Tyria, each specializing in cross-sections to move events around the world almost at the same time period. A player creates an avatar to play the plot of a good promotion, taking on the role of a hero must protect the person from Tyria specific episode for the wicked.






  Enthusiasts can with other players and NPC's writings, ashenchmen and heroes, to perform procedures without problemsand missions found through the entire game world. Than PvP is consensual, team fashion, and only for these types of areasdesigned to overcome. The players have written permission to build in greater quantities and even the best equipmentspecifically for PvP, this is strange for MMORPGs

Gears of War : HQ game pics

The game offers your soldiers of Delta Squad, simply becausethe fight to save the residents of the planet Sera from an enemyunreal endless underground group known as the Locust. The device assumes the role of Marcus Fenix​​, a prisoner early andaggressive soldier.        








 The action is based on the use of hedging and strategic focus of the device further success through thescenarios, the second player can start playing politely through themain crusade to help. Overall The game also features a number of choices of online multiplayer game for up to eight fans.

Far Cry : Hq game pics and wallpapers

History of the game follows a former U.S. Military Unique portoperator Jack Carver, who is abandoned on an archipelago ofstrange. He is looking for a reporter lady who was escorting after she went omitted when their ship was destroyed by mercenaries.                                








 The game includes features topics related to the dangers ofgenetic engineering and also weaponizing the genocide of theisland nearby, you can find the shrunken creatures created by amad scientist named Krieger.

Fallout 3 : Hq game pics and wallpapers

Fallout 3 occurs in 2277, setting 36 years as the results of 2 and200 years after the nuclear war that devastated China using the game world in a war zone two exchangesThe action puts thedevice in the part associated with an inhabitant of Catacomb 102,a kennel existence created to protect the small number of peopleresults from nuclear power.                                                 










In the event that the player's fatherdisappears under mysterious events, the device is under pressureto get out of your vault and free way into your ruins of WashingtonDC to track down.

Diablo 3 : Hq game pics and wallpapers

The game takes place in Sanctuary, the darkish fantasy whole world of the Diablo shows. This world was saved some in the 20s time prior by way of handful of unknown heroes in Diablo Two.





Warriors that in fact stayed the ambush of the armies of a typical Burning Hells have gone angry from their ordeals and it's as much as a brand new mass of heroes to take care of the forces of nasty intimidating the joy of Sanctuary. Players can have the opportunity to discover typical configuration such as Tristram.

Crysis Game : hq wallpapers and photos

The action is based within a year to come through which a spacecraft old unknown was discovered beneath the surface of an island near the coast of the Philippines a typical East. The single-player device that contains the promotion of the role of Jake DunnUser Delta Energy Use, including in-game by his reference to the symbol, Wanderer.   









 Roadster comes with various futuristic weapons and toolsnotably a "Nano Muscle Suit", which was motivated by a true concept of the marina. In Crysisthe participant is fighting natural enemies and aliens to the northin a couple of different environmentsa tropical island tree planta flying saucer (which has a zero-gravity location) and a U.S. Navyaircraft carriers.




Command and Conquer : HQ Game Pics

Command & Conquer (often written as like C & C or CNC) is actually a grant of online gaming, most of the technical approachin addition to a live game in first person revolver led by the former. The Command & defeat ended up being primarily developed by Westwood Studios between 1995 and 2003, with the formation to be consumed within the digital arts with all the liquidation of Westwood Studios in 2003.The first installment of ashows typical was launched internationally on decent 31, 1995and it was only in Command & Conquer, with all commonly usedTiberian subtitle of Daybreak. Previously based on the firstMound Westwood Studios' video game strategy 2








 The series is pretty much sold to us, the viewers Anglo-European and Australian, although many of the playoffs have been translatedinto other languages ​​including German, French, conversational,this language, Korean and Chinese. The show is producedmainly for personal computers that operate the team that brought you the windows of Windows, but some texts have already been ported to numerous online gambling devices, as well as the Big Apple for Macintosh. The latter playoff series beginning withTiberium Wars have been created similar to the Xbox 360.


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