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Ooga Booga a new version of Chucky in African Style
By Jenny Alvarez
Photos:Courtesy
Coming in a new video streaming service at www.GrindhouseFlix.com, host to the weirdest, craziest, and most unbelievable grindhouse films from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s – and brand new world premieres.
The first film to make its world premiere on the service is OogaBooga, a tongue-in-cheek grindhouse exploitation flick in the vein of Django Unchained, starring two-timeGolden Globe winning actress Karen Black (House of 1000 Corpses), Golden Globe winning actor Stacy Keach (American History X), Siri, the curvaceous pornstar, and Internet sensation Maddox. Ooga Booga is directed by the prolific Charles Band, founder of Full Moon Features, and follows the murder of an innocent African-American medical student whose soul is transferred into the body of an obscure toy, eventually extracting his revenge by killing racists in the city. Definitely has some of the most humorous voices, full of vibrant colors, cartoony style, and humorous visuals but very creepy with some grotesque and bloody scenes. Certainly the general idea of its story, makes you feel like there’s so much to discover still.
Shawn “Jay Z” Carter Teams Up with Baz Luhrman on “The Great Gatsby”
By GalaTView Staff
Grammy Award-winning musical artist Shawn “JAY Z” Carter has collaborated with writer/producer/director Baz Luhrmann on “The Great Gatsby”—in the capacity of Executive Producer—to bring the modern “Jazz Age” energy of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s original text to the big screen, procuring, performing, producing and arranging for a soundtrack featuring some of the world’s top musical artists.
JAY Z’s contributions, woven amongst a score by long-time Luhrmann collaborator, composer Craig Armstrong, drive Gatsby’s champagne-infused dance floors, rumble in New York’s illegal speakeasies, and foreshadow the tragedy behind Gatsby’s “extraordinary gift for hope.” To articulate the film’s “1920s-Meets-Now” sound, JAY Z also comes to “The Great Gatsby” soundtrack as a performer and contributor of original music.
Luhrmann and JAY Z were introduced by Leonardo DiCaprio (Jay Gatsby), and this led to a two-year collaborative effort. During this time, JAY Z worked with Luhrmann and his team to capture, translate and contrast the feelings of Fitzgerald’s decadent era with that of our own, using hip-hop and jazz, music contemporary and period, to bring two distinct American moments to simultaneous life. They sculpted the film’s musical landscape alongside Armstrong, who worked with the director on “Moulin Rouge!” and “Romeo + Juliet.” The film’s music supervisor is Anton Monsted.
Luhrmann calls the collaboration with JAY Z “a credible and natural fit. Fitzgerald was a pioneer, famed and controversial for using the then-new and explosive sound called jazz in his novels and short stories—not just as decoration, but to actively tell story using the immediacy of pop culture. He coined the phrase ‘the Jazz Age.’ So, the question for me in approaching Gatsby was how to elicit from our audience the same level of excitement and pop-cultural immediacy toward the world that Fitzgerald did for his audience? And in our age, the energy of jazz is caught in the energy of hip-hop. Not only is JAY Z a great artist, full stop, but I had heard that he was a great collaborator. Leonardo and I were lucky enough to be present in a recording session over two years ago as JAY Z was recording ‘No Church in the Wild,’ and the collaboration grew from there.”
JAY Z said, “As soon as I spoke with Baz and Leonardo, I knew this was the right project. The Great Gatsby is that classic American story of one’s introduction to extravagance, decadence and illusion. It’s ripe for experimentation and ready to be interpreted with a modern twist. The imagination Baz brought to ‘Moulin Rouge’ made it a masterpiece, and ‘Romeo + Juliet’s’ score wasn’t just in the background; the music became a character. This film’s vision and direction has all the makings of an epic experience.”
If I were you has an extraordinary amount of patience
By Jenny Alvarez
Photo: Courtesy
What happens when your new best friend is your husband’s mistress? Madelyn Reid (Academy Award-winner Marcia Gay Harden) accidentally learns of her husband’s infidelity when she saves his sexy young mistress Lucy (Leonor Watling, TALK TO HER) from a bungled suicide attempt. When her unsuspecting young rival suggests the two new friends take each other’s advice – on everything – Madelyn sees an opportunity to seize the upper hand. But the plan backfires when Lucy, an aspiring actress, insists Madelyn keep her end of the bargain and orders her to star as King Lear in a community production, with Lucy playing The Fool. Things really get out of control when Lucy starts giving Madelyn instructions on dealing with an amorous coworker and a handsome stranger (Aidan Quinn, Prime Suspect, Weeds). IF I WERE YOU is a very entertaining look at the unexpected places that life can take us.
IF I WERE YOU features Joseph Kell, Michael Therriault, Gary Piquer, Bethany Jillard, Elizabeth Whitmere, Claire Brosseau and Valerie Mahaffey. The film was produced by David Gordian and Alan Latham for Paragraph Pictures and Tall Tree Pictures written and directed by Joan Carr-Wiggin (A PREVIOUS ENGAGEMENT). It really well structured in comedy full of versatility and cleverness with profound emotional connection. As a viewer might get a tease soon, just a little something to hold us over especially in death which is examined in a cutting memorial service scene that any survivor with a brain will understand magnetism is essential to the movie’s upward lift. Both characters know about their respective situations. Which, of course, makes things awkward when Madelyn befriends Lucy and the two bond over their relationship crises making it dramatic and comic at the same time. IF I WERE YOU will open in Los Angeles and New York on March 15 followed by a national roll-out.
Bobby Brown ex Whitney Houston’s husband in troubles
By GalaTView staff
The law isn’t being forgiving with him at all because he has been sentenced to 55 days in jail after pleading no contest in court yesterday for a drunken driving case. Brown was on probation for another DUI case at the time. He also was placed on four years of informal probation and will be required to complete an 18-month alcohol treatment program until March 20th.
More tragedies in the music world, Diane Lampert died
By GalaTView Staff
Photo: Courtesy
Diane Lampert Dies at Age 88 of heart failure Friday at a Manhattan hospital. She was 88. Lampert helped provide music for movies starring Bob Hope, Cary Grant, Buster Keaton and others.
Pregnant Duchess of Cambridge looks fashionable
By GalaTView Staff
Photo:Courtesy
Kate Middleton kept her baby bump covered when she arrived for her formal appearance at Hope House treatment centre where she looked beautiful with her pregnancy.
Beyoncé makes a sharp in a documentary
By GalaTView staff
Photo: Courtesy
An autobiography of sorts executive-produced and codirected by Beyoncé, Life Is but a Dream promises to cut through the veil, the manufactured illusions, and give us a taste of Beyoncé the individual, Beyoncé the artist, Beyoncé the wife and mother.
Model Reeva Steenkamp, girlfriend of Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius had a wish
By GalaTView Staff
Photo: Courtesy
The model and law graduate broke of Steenkamp’s shooting death at the upscale house of the star athlete. She had a wish appeared on screen in a reality show but the years of her birth and death were there instead of. Pistorius was arrested and charged with her murder and remains in custody in a police station. His family has strongly denied prosecutors’ claims that he murdered her.
Lady Gaga postponed four concerts
By GalaTView Staff
Photo: Courtesy
Lady Gaga has canceled the rest of her tour dates due to a hip injury. A Wednesday news release from Live Nation Global Touring says Lady Gaga has a tear in her right hip that will require surgery to repair, followed by a recovery period.
Bullock, will next be seen soon
By GalaTView Staff
Photo: Courtesy
Sandra Bullock will become the world’s first lady super-villain with her voice in Scarlet Overkill, the resident super-villain of “Minions,” the upcoming spin-off of 2010’s “Despicable Me.”
