Court Then Clubbing...

Lindsay Lohan is taking some stick for wearing this dress to court. The main beef with the outfit is that it would be equally at home on the dance floors of most nightclubs, and perhaps more appropriate. Lohan was in court facing a charge of felony grand theft. It is alleged that Lohan lifted a USD 2,500 piece of jewelery, a necklace, from a jewelery store in Venice Beach, California.

Lohan has pleaded not guilty and released on USD 40,000 bail.If convicted, Lohan faces, possibly, a few years in the big house.

I guess this is one of those stories that whets our collective appetites for celebrities coming off the rails and crashing and burning frequently in the public eye. For Lohan, it is sad that a career that started with such promise has fizzled out through self-destructive behaviour.

So, what about that dress...is there a little bit of Basic Instinct and Sharon Stone happening there. Hopefully Lohan did not recreate the most famous scene from that movie for the benefit of the judge.

Ho hum...

Darth Vader vs. Voldemort...

This is for all you Star Wars and Harry Potter fans out there.

The definitive guide to who is the "baddest" bad dude!

There is a lot of funny stuff out there on the internet.

I am with Darth Vader on this one, WTF! Voldemort is a pretender for sure :)

Downfall Parody Videos -- The Australian Election 2010...

YouTube has been making a concerted effort to remove all the Downfall parody videos at the request of the German copyright holder of the original film, Der Untergang. However, my guess is that they are going to keep popping up and then disappearing. This one on the 2010 Australian Election this past Saturday (21 August 2010) will probably disappear as well.

Some of the parodies have been offensive. However, not all of them. Arguments that using Hitler as a backdrop to anything means it has to bad sometimes misses the point of spoofing a really obscure film about a homicidal tyrant by filtering the day's news through subtitles laid into the clip. The Huffington Post has a good read on the Downfall parody phenomenon.

So, enjoy it while you can.

Montana Fishburne Debuts as a Porn Star...

To be honest, I did not even know that Laurence Fishburne had a daughter until just recently. I know now though, and I am guessing that there are plenty of others out there in the world now that also know that Laurence has a daughter named Montana (photos courtesy of here).

Now Montana admits that daddy is not all that happy about her career move. According to Montana, releasing a sex tape is a good career move.

After all, she reasons, it work for Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton, so it therefore is going to work for Montana Fishburne. I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation:

Hey daddy I have finally landed a film role in a porn movie. Not quite the Matrix Reloaded (I am sure there has to be a joke or two in there), but it may just be her big break into the Hollywood scene. Then again...

Well, I am not one to judge a book by its cover. However, I am also in no rush to go out and find a local distributor of the Vivid Entertainment debut of young Montana. I really do hope that it all works out for her.

Anyways, to tide you over before the release of the video some time this month, here are some screen captures.

Pong Harjatmo -- Actor and Graffiti Artist...

Most people would expect that their elected members of parliament would live by a creed that demands honesty resoluteness, and fairness. So, having it spray painted on the roof of the Indonesian parliament does not seem all that outrageous in the big scheme of democracy.

Then again, it is Indonesia and most would argue, at least anecdotally, that the people's house in Indonesia, the parliament, is not a bastion of honesty, resoluteness, or even fairness. It is a place, usually uninhabited during plenary sessions, that spends a lot of money, the people's money, and has next to nothing to show for it. For example, legislation. Members can you count the number of pieces of legislation you have passed this term to date? Oh yes, none, zero, zip, bugger all.

So, when Pong Harjatmo decided he was going to climb up onto the roof of the DPR and spray paint his demands on the green roof, it was sure to attract a little attention. It was good to see that the old fella was not disappointed. Pong was a bit of a legend of film back in the 1970s and 1980s, he is now a legend again but for slightly different reasons.

Pong was arrested for his artwork and questioned. He was, however, released without charge. He was given a slap on the wrist and told not to be out and about spray painting his protests on government buildings. Not to be deterred, Pong has said he will be making his protests wherever he feels is appropriate. If I may be so forward, the Police Headquarters could use some new paint!

American Violet...

I have not done a movie review for a while. There is good reason for this, I have not watched any movies! Doing a Masters is always a lot of work I am told. I am doing it in accelerated mode, so I am doing a 150% load. Anyways, enough with the excuses and back to the review.

I am not sure what made me pull this movie out of the pile of 50 or so that arrived home with my parents after their recent jaunt to Bali. But, I like Will Patton as an actor, and I saw his mug shot on the cover of the DVD and thought, why not? Besides, there was the added attraction of it being supposedly based on real events. And, it was about how the law can be used and abused by those with an agenda. I did a law degree because I wanted to help those less fortunate and those who always become the victims of those in power who seek to use and abuse the power that they have been given.

The film was American Violet.

The film shines the cold, hard spotlight on race relations in the US. It is particularly scathing in terms of the portrayal of power and how that power is used to racially profile and discriminate. It was also interesting to hear that in the US somewhere in the vicinity of 85% of all criminal cases end with a plea deal (personal note: go check this out). It is a scary statistic in that plea deals often force innocent people to plead to crimes they did not commit in order to avoid a much harsher penalty. Yes, I am sure there are figures out there that show that people who have committed serious crimes exploit the plea deal system to garner a lighter sentence than they deserve. But, it is my review!

For me, this was an excellent film. It was powerful and simple in its depiction of racism. It was equally powerful in terms of its message, little people can sometimes beat the odds and win. It is not a movie that everyone will enjoy, but you cannot please everyone all of the time.

The film is based on a raid of a poor black housing project in Arlington Springs (Texas) in 2000. The raid for drugs was based on the grand jury testimony of a single informant. The raid ensnares single mum, Dee (Nicole Beharie). Dee is accused of selling drugs in a school zone which sees her facing somewhere between 15 and 26 years in prison. Ultimately, the District Attorney offers her a plea deal; a ten-year suspended sentence. To get this deal she must plead guilty. A guilty plea has significant repercussions, not only is Dee a felon if she does, but she is also likely to lose any benefits that she receives. Dee chooses to fight.

However, she is not in this fight alone as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) appears and offers to take her case as a means of highlighting the racist nature of the raid. In essence, the case becomes a significant test case on racial profiling and the use of single informants in grand juries to secure arrest warrants, at least in Texas.

This is a movie with a feel good ending. Although, the end credits include a note that the District Attorney who is responsible for Dee' predicament manages to secure re-election to the position of DA. So, despite the feel good nature of the ending, the reality remains that obviously a vast majority of the voters in the relevant area seemingly agree with the vision of the DA.

I recommend the movie (not that this means anything in the grand scheme of things). It is an enlightening and entertaining 103 minutes.

The Menstrating Ghost of Puncak...

Hantu Puncak Datang Bulan is a horror film that includes a rather large number of 'pornographic' scenes. Pornography in this sense is the Indonesian definition of the term and means that the film includes some skin shots and some sex scenes. For most discerning adults the film might not even make it into the soft porn category, but to each their own. The whole premise of a horror movie with some soft porn seems to be tailor-made for controversy in a nation that is predominantly Muslim such as Indonesia.

To their credit the Muslim Ulema Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia / MUI) did not disappoint. They have been vocal in stating that the film is not in-line with Muslim values. However, they acknowledge that if people choose to make these films and they pass the censors, then it is up to the individual Muslims themselves to decide whether or not to watch it. Nevertheless, the MUI is lobbying hard for the Indonesian Film Censorship Board (Lembaga Sensor Film / LSF) to ban the movie.

However, the Islam Defenders Front (Front Pembela Islam / FPI) has no such reservations. They have threatened to use violence to prevent the screening of the film if movie theatres do not 'voluntarily' opt to not show the film.

The movie has already passed the LSF and can be screened in Indonesia. This suggests that it does not contravene any prevailing laws and regulations according to the peak body tasked with these decisions. The rumor mill and the controversy is sure to see what is reportedly a very poor B-grade horror flick become a bit of a hit.

There is one thing that you can be sure of, when the MUI, LSF, or the FPI get involved in a discussion about a movie then this is likely to become some of the best free marketing a movie studio could hope for. But, then again, it sometimes signals the death knell for other films such as 'Kidnapping Miyabi'. And, then sometimes, the controversy just disappears such as with the film 'Suster Keramas' starring Rin Sakuragi.

Here is a trailer for the film (courtesy of You Tube):

2012 Movie, Muslims, and Fatwas

When is a film just a film, and when does it become an unbridled insult of a religion, in this case Islam, that requires a fatwa (edict) to be issued warning Muslims not to watch it?

Well, this has seemingly been uncovered in Indonesia. It also highlights how little some Indonesian Muslim scholars follow the news and how narrowly they read in the case of the movie 2012.

2012 is the last year of the Mayan calendar. There have been doomsday predictions floating around for many centuries, Nostradamus has a few of them himself. However, ask a couple of Mayan scholars and experts, and you will soon come to the conclusion that the fact 2012 seems to be a cut-off date is not as evil as it seems with respect to the world ending.

In any event, it is a movie. Movies are designed to entertain, this movie has awesome special effects, and lacks somewhat on a real good plot (supposedly - I have not watched it myself, yet).

However, the very idea of a doomsday movie got the Malang (East Java) and Solo (Central Java) Chapters of the Indonesian Ulama Council (Majelis Ulema Indonesia / MUI) to thinking about how blasphemous the movie is because all good Muslims know that only Allah knows when the world will end. They forgot to add that part that all good rational Muslims also understand that this is a movie, it is not real. And, it is not likely to be the trigger for them to suddenly change their beliefs or to question Islam.

Nevertheless, these Ulamas or scholars thought that the best approach was to issue a fatwa banning Muslims in their constituencies from going to watch the film. To date this has been nothing more than a few talking heads looking for 15 minutes of fame and a few bylines in the papers (and of course the ridicule of most bloggers Muslim and non-Muslim alike). In any event, a fatwa seems unlikely.

It is worth noting that one of the key features of the movie is the scene that does not appear. The film does not show Mecca the destruction of Mecca or any other religious symbols of Islam. The director omitted the destruction of these things in order to avoid a fatwa being issued against the film.

It certainly is one of those shake your head moments where you find yourself giggling to yourself wondering if these gentlemen are for real. It would be better use of their time to be focusing on issues that have real meaning to people throughout Indonesia. For example, how about a fatwa on the prohibition of men marrying children? Or a fatwa on perils of corruption? There are so many more important things happening in Indonesia and the world compared to a Hollywood film exploring what doomsday might look like.

I have plans that go past 2012. Do you?

Patrick Swayze -- Rest In Peace...

He might be remembered as much for the movies that did not do well as for the two films that made him a household name, Dirty Dancing and Ghost. However, I actually remember him in the North and South televisions mini-series. This is probably because I read the books by John Jakes.

Patrick Wayne Swayze lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on Monday. He was 57.

May he rest in peace.

Shah Rukh Khan -- US Immigration Hassles -- The Daily Show...

Here is Jon Stewart's take on the Shah Rukh Khan incident. I wrote about this previously here. In that post I alluded to the fact that it might have been a beat up, but Jon Stewart is a much more famous funny man than I ever will be, so here he is with The Daily Show interpretation.

Enjoy!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Shah Rukh Khan Detained at Newark
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

Manohara Odelia Pinot -- Part XVII -- The Prince to Make A Film

The Manohara saga just keeps getting more saga-y with each passing day. I know that I am having fun following the to and fro between the young Indonesia starlet in-the-making and victim of domestic abuse, Manohara, and her estranged husband, the Prince of Kelantan State, Tengku Fakhry. I am guessing that Unspun is also enjoying it. Unspun has been covering the whole story a little longer than I have.

However, Unspun does have the excellent idea of a soap opera shootout with the best soapy being crowned the crowd favourite, where Unspun and yours truly act as the judges. I am up for that. As 'Big' John McCarthy would say in the UFC, "let's get it on!"

As most of my loyal readers are aware, Manohara has kicked over her entry into the soap opera realm with her self-titled, Manohara. I have not watched it as it is not available in my neck of the woods. Although there are a few of us who are thinking about lobbying our local multicultural broadcaster to pick it up. However, some of the people I have alked to that watched it said it was only average viewing as Indonesian soap operas go. And, that Manohara did not have all that many lines. So, it is probably a good thing she is not getting paid by the word or the number of lines she speaks.

Not to be outdone by his estranged wife, Tengku Fakhry, has decided to tell his side of the story through a movie. It is being billed as his version of the Fakhry and Manohara love story. Yet, in recognition of the fact that the marriage was not all wedded bliss and peace, harmony, and love, the working title of the Prince's film is "The Stormy Love Story of the Prince" or in Malaysian "Kisah Prahara Cinta Pangeran".

The film is to be directed by Malaysian director, Kardi Syaid. Interestingly, the stormy relationship in the film is going to suggest that the love affair went off the rails because of a third party. It would have been better if the third party had been some adulterous stud who swept the young bride off her feet even though she was married to a prince. Unfortunately, the third party seems to be an interfering mother-in-law, who allegedly has enough legal problems of her own that she does not need to be getting involved in those of her daughter.

I have to say, movies with gratuitous violence and kinky sex are always likely to do good business in Indonesia. I am not sure how the over-bearing mother angle will work though. The film is sure to be interesting as the director has already suggested that the reporting of the "facts" in the case have all been one-sided and it is time that people learned the real truth.

I do not know about the rest of you, but I am kind of looking forward to a knock 'em down, drag 'em out bar fight through the small and silver screen mediums. The film is likely to have some authenticity to it as the prince has granted permission for the actual Kelantan State Palace to be used as the location for the shooting of some of the scenes.

I guess that the real issues will have to wait to see the light of day in the inside of a court room. It seems that the most pressing matters for these two former love birds is a grudge match on the screens of out living rooms and movie theatres. Sounds like fun!

Let the battle begin.

Gratuitous Postings -- Hayden Panettiere -- Heroes

I must confess that this post, photo, and the associated tags are a means of testing whether or not a gratuitous posting of a young woman in a sexy sheer lace dress can cause a spike in my visitor statistics. I will let you know how that goes.

Sad but true :D

Hayden Panettiere is known for her role in "Heroes". However, she has crossed over into the big screen format as well. This picture is from a promotional trip she took to the Late Show with David Letterman for "I Love You Beth Cooper". She is not nude, but the dress does not leave a whole lot to the imagination.

The other thing that Panettiere is known for is her ink, particularly a misspelled tattoo. There is a photo of that here.

Manohara Odelia Pinot -- Part III

The more I read about the Manohara (photo courtesy of The Jakarta Globe) case the more interesting it becomes in that slowing down as one goes past a car crash kind of a way. The story has all the ingredients for a TV movie, perhaps even a series or soap opera. It seems that these things are all possible with Manohara receiving numerous offers from local production houses in Indonesia. There has even been a suggestion that she will play herself in any movie of her story.

If the allegations of rape, torture, and other abuse is true, I really cannot fathom why you would want to play yourself and relive the horror. But, then again it is not me so I don't really know what motivates either Manohara or her mother, who seems to enjoy being in the spotlight. Although, reports suggest that Manohara is keen to continue her education in a business related field. Good luck to her on that front.

I strongly believe that an education is important. Let's face it, if your entertainment career does not pan out then at least you have other skills on which to fall back on to make ends meet.

No matter what happens, it would appear that Manohara is going to convert her new found fame as a result of her alleged trauma into an entertainment career, according to her mother they are still sifting through the offers and will ultimately choose one of them. Good luck to them both on that front as well.

Manohara's father is an American and her step-father is a Frenchman. Not too drama filled on that front. However, there is drama outside of Manohara's alleged abuse. The drama revolves around her mother, Daisy Fajarina, who it is alleged is subject to an Interpol warrant for her arrest relating to the abuse of a maid while she was living in France. It is being suggested that the reason Manohara and her mother fled France was not only the divorce of Daisy and her French husband, but the pending arrest.

If this is true, and there is a red notice with Interpol for her arrest then it does not make any sense for Daisy to be leaving the country. Also of interest is that the Malaysian authorities apparently know about this red notice. So, I would have figured they would have arrested her had she turned up on their shores.

Daisy would seem to be pretty safe in Indonesia as there is no extradition treaty between Indonesia and France. Nevertheless, the French want her for trial and I have no doubt would have broached the subject with their Indonesian counterparts both in Jakarta and Paris.

Somewhat ironic that Daisy is so vocal about her daughter being allegedly abused but not having too many problems about abusing others (allegedly).

The plot thickens.

David Carradine -- RIP

Sad news out of Bangkok, David Carradine (photo courtesy of Tony Metaxas) has died in an apparent suicide. He was 72.

He was in Bangkok shooting his latest film. Most of us will remember him as the wandering Shaolin Master in Kung Fu or as the title character in Kill Bill.

May he rest in peace.

Postscript...

It is being reported that this may not have been a suicide but rather an accident. There are suggestions that this was an auto-eroticism attempt gone wrong. Michael Hutchence was another high profile auto-eroticism victim.

Postscript II...

I have recently read that Carradine's management has raised the possibility that this was a murder. There is gossip floating around that, besides the rope around his neck that was also looped around his genitals, his hands were tied behind his back.

I guess I will just keep following the news and keep adding postscripts.

Postscript III

Here is a link to Thairath, a Thai daily (or here, or here). They have published a photo of the scene, Carradine included, which the police say looks like one of the forensic photos. The Carradine family has demanded that all publication of the image be prohibited. They have also asked for an independent autopsy, and for the FBI to become involved with respect to investigating this as a possible murder.

Postscript IV

It seems that some members of the Carradine family believe that the actor was murdered, or assassinated, by a secret Kung Fu sect that he was about to expose. I am all for a good conspiracy and this has the hallmarks of a good one. Interestingly, there are those that believe that one of the greatest proponents of martial artist to ever grace the silver screen, Bruce Lee, was also murdered / assassinated by a not so secret society known as the triads.

Despite the claims, the Thai police are still sticking to the theory that this was a sex game gone wrong. This would seem to fit into the scenario being put forward that Carradine had a history of "deviant" sexual behaviour.

Christmas Movies and Cable TV in Indonesia

It's Christmas, well technically it is Boxing Day, so I am not going to focus on the negative. Instead I am going to focus on the positive.

I have gotta say that the Hallmark Channel had a great line-up of Christmas movies. Their program culminated with "A Grandpa For Christmas". Too bad that Will, the Wife, and I had the day out shopping.

Getting off the topic of my own post, it is great to live in a country where last minute Christmas shopping actually means you can go out on Christmas Day and shop!

Nailin' Paylin

This presidential election cycle has provided a few firsts. However, I am guessing the first porn video paying homage to the first Republican Vice Presidential candidate is also a first.

Larry Flynt of Hustler magazine fame has supposedly already shot the movie "Nailin' Paylin" and a release date is imminent. The movie is a hardcore porn spoof of the vice presidential candidate. A porn star by the name of Lisa Ann will be playing the lead.

I wonder if we are going to see a hardcore porn spoof of Joe Biden? Perhaps it could be titled, "Bonking Biden" or the "The Joe Biden Story: Blow by Blow".

Maybe the best part about this skin flick is that there is a script. My understanding is that skin flicks are not usually dialogue driven pieces of art. The script is available here.

If you are interested in seeing all of the promo shots for this film then you can find them here.

More Shark Stories

I am not a huge fan of sharks but have never found it necessary to prove my courage by going and searching one out for a close encounter of the toothy kind! However, it seems that once you hit on one story then more on the same theme pop up all over the place.

The last couple of shark stories have focused on Australia. However, this little ripper comes from the US of A. To be specific the story comes out of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, which ironically enough also happens to be where they shot the classic film, Jaws.

Edgartown was the location of an unconfirmed sighting of a great white shark. Obviously, these sharks like to do the rounds of the world's oceans because this is the same type of shark that was reported to have made its way into a lake and estuary system in Australia.

The sighting forced the closures of a couple of beaches in the area and a spotting plane was launched to try an locate the shark. But the shark had obviously chosen to go hunting elsewhere as it was not spotted in the area again.

Shark attacks are apparently rare in that part of New England however I am pretty sure that I would not want to be a statistic that started a new trend towards more frequency.

I still love to swim in the ocean. I guess the law of averages catches up to all of us sooner or later!

Mongol -- Film Review

This seems like it is a film that I would enjoy watching based on this review. It is a foreign language film and was nominated for an Oscar this past year in the Best Foreign Language film category. I do not know why, but I have been watching foreign language films since I was a kid. Generally, I watch films in languages that I do not speak but that seems to be no hindrance to my enjoyment of the spectacle of film.

It might also be the reason that I have an affinity for languages and pick them up so easily. I am very lucky that way. I once enrolled to learn Vietnamese at the Bankstown Community College and after a couple of classes the teacher wanted to move me to the intermediate class because he did not believe me that I had not studied the language before. Unfortunately, I have forgotten most of the language for the purposes of being able to use it in an immediate setting. However, I do find that after only a couple of hours listening to it, it starts to come back...

Back to the film.

The film is a work of fiction but apparently draws on a number of sources including the epic poem, The Secret History Of The Moguls, which was written about Genghis Khan shortly after his death in 1227. The film was shot on the steppes of China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan. This along with the fact that the cast resembles in physical appearance the people of whom the story is about should give it a great deal of authenticity.

I do not know if the film will get into theatres in Jakarta, but with a bit of luck I might be able to pick it up of DVD.

Here's looking forward to a good flick!