Tag: Christina Aguilera

Blu Monday: March 1, 2011

Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray

Another big week for Blu-Ray, this time loaded with fresh new films. Danny Boyle’s Oscar-contender 127 HOURS debuts and is certain to have viewers cringing, but also feeling incredibly uplifted. Disney’s beloved animated classic BAMBI steps out from the woods and into your home viewing library; and Steven Soderbergh’s adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s OUT OF SIGHT is now visible. Cher and Christina put on the glitz and get risque in the hit musical BURLESQUE, and if you’re a big fan, go to Best Buy for their exclusive version including Burlesque corsets. Blue Underground is giving Harry Kumel’s stylish 70’s vampire flick DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS a Blu-Ray day pass, while the PIRATE OF THE CARIBBEAN unite to bring force in numbers to your home-viewing experience.

Blu-Ray for Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

  1. James Franco in Danny Boyle’s 127 HOURS (2010)
  2. Disney’s BAMBI (1942)
  3. Cher and Christina Aguilera in BURLESQUE (2010)
  4. Jim Carrey in THE CABLE GUY (1996)
  5. Richard Martini’s Hollywood spoof CANNES MAN (1996)
  6. DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS (1971)
  7. Dwayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton in FASTER (2010)
  8. GENIUS WITHIN: THE INNER LIFE OF GLENN GOULD (2009)
  9. Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway in LOVE & OTHER DRUGS (2010)
  10. A MARINE STORY (2011)
  11. Stephen Soderbergh’s OUT OF SIGHT (1998)
  12. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (2003)
  13. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST (2006)
  14. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END (2007)
  15. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN Trilogy: 7-Disc Set
  16. WAITING FOR DUBLIN (2007)

DVD for Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

  1. 420 HIGH DESERT WAY
  2. 8.5 HOURS (2011)
  3. ANNELIESE: THE EXORCIST TAPES (2010)
  4. Bai Ling in A BEAUTIFUL LIFE (2008)
  5. Vinnie Jones and Michael Madsen in THE BLEEDING (2009)
  6. Richard Martini’s Hollywood spoof CANNES MAN (1996)
  7. DR. BLACK, MR. HYDE: 35th Anniversary Edition (1976)
  8. Dwayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton in FASTER (2010)
  9. GENIUS WITHIN: THE INNER LIFE OF GLENN GOULD (2009)
  10. Claude Chabrol’s JUST BEFORE NIGHTFALL (1971)
  11. Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway in LOVE & OTHER DRUGS (2010)
  12. Claude Sautet’s MADO (1976)
  13. MY GIRLFRIEND’S BACK (2010)
  14. Melissa Joan Hart in SATIN (2011)
  15. Alex Kingston and Emily Blunt in WARRIOR QUEEN (2003)

Review: BURLESQUE

Ok, so this is not the Oscar flick of the year… But if you like fun, then you have come to the right place…

It’s your typical story of a small town girl who makes her way to Los Angeles in search of stardom. What isn’t typical about this story is her voice! Ali (Christina Aguilera) has what it takes, she is just looking for her shot. After a long day of searching she wanders into The Burlesque Lounge, and is mesmerized by the lights, and the girls. Now, she has to convince Tess (Cher), the clubs owner that she has what it takes to shine on the Lounge stage. Meanwhile, Tess is faced with the reality that she does not have the funding to keep her precious club open. The two must rely on each other to make their dreams come true.

Ok, so Aguilera is not the best actress out there. Let’s face it, she is far from it! However, people aren’t really coming to theaters to watch her act. The fun of this movie is the musical numbers. Aguilera shines in these scenes. Her showmanship is something that cannot really be argued. They did put some pretty horrible wigs on her though. Kristen Bell plays Nikki, the star of the show with a bad attitude. She lets her ego and drinking ruin her place at the top, and holds Ali responsible. I have always liked Bell, and it was nice to see her in a different role. Julianne Hough was a nice addition, due to her strong dancing. I don’t know how much I really want to see her in other films, but she was a great addition to this cast. Plus, her dancing is quite stunning.

Cher, is in a league all her own. I have always loved Cher! I found myself mesmerized when she sang, and her snarly attitude is highly entertaining. Like I said, this movie is more about musical numbers than it is on story, but Tess is a very like-able character. Maybe I just appreciate a well delivered smart ass. That is quite possible. Either way, I LOVE ME SOME CHER! Also, this isn’t her first rodeo. Cher has starred in a plethora of movies and television shows, so she is no stranger to the big screen. Heck, Cher is no stranger to anything big… just look at her stage show and costumes. (I will see her live one day, dammit!)

There are some great supporting roles in this film as well. Stanley Tucci plays Tess’s best gay friend. It seems appropriate that Cher is accompanied by a gay best friend. even if it is for her character. Peter Gallagher, Alan Cumming, and Eric Dane also make appearances in this film. I must say, Cumming is quite hilarious in his role. He has quite the… interesting… musical number.

I found the soundtrack really enjoyable too! I have been playing it in my car for days. They keep the music fun and highly entertaining. Fuse this with beautiful lighting, talented dancers, and incredible costumes for the stage show and you have a winner. If a place existed like this in St. Louis, it would sell out every night.The only negative part is the Marilyn Manson-Beautiful People sample. Manson and Aguilera DO NOT belong together. It’s like cotton candy and sushi… Both are delicious in their own way, but together they are just gross.

This is the part of my review where I make enemies. I have witnessed a lot of burlesque dancers that are very pissed off at this film. They say that it is not real burlesque and that it is an embarrassment to their art. Now, I have seen a lot of burlesque… some good, some HORRIBLE. One thing that most burlesque (notice I say most, not all) performers are missing is a talent to go along with the removal of their clothes. This is not just specific to my town. The thing I appreciate in this film is that they don’t rely on being naked to make their performance. It is an art, and nudity of some sort generally goes with it, but the nudity isn’t their talent. They are dancing, and singing. The strip tease is just a part of it. (And spoiler, you will not see any nudity in this film). I am just saying, the talent part of burlesque has gotten lost in many of today’s performances due to over-saturation. It’s kind of like DJ’s. Everyone thinks that they are a DJ but only a fraction of them are actually talented in their musical selection/performances. The rest just go through the motions. Exact same thing with burlesque.

So, to sum it up… If you are looking for some fun, then this is the film for you. If you want to be moved to tears, go rent THE NOTEBOOK!

OVERALL RATING: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Win Passes To See BURLESQUE

I have one word for you… CHER!

BURLESQUE is a fancy new, music filled flick starring Cher and Christina Aguilera and we are giving away passes to an advanced screening. The BURLESQUE screening will be on November 22nd at the Ronnie’s 20 Cine at 7pm.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW.

3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: Why do you love Cher of Christina Aguilera? Be creative (But keep it clean)!

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED.

Synopsis:

Ali (Christina Aguilera) is a small-town girl with a big voice who escapes hardship and an uncertain future to follow her dreams to LA. After stumbling upon The Burlesque Lounge, a majestic but ailing theater that is home to an inspired musical revue, Ali lands a job as a cocktail waitress from Tess ( Cher ), the club proprietor and headliner. Burlesques outrageous costumes and bold choreography enrapture the young ingénue, who vows to perform there one day.

Soon enough, Ali builds a friendship with a featured dancer (Julianne Hough), finds an enemy in a troubled, jealous performer (Kristen Bell), and garners the affection of Jack (Cam Gigandet), a bartender and fellow musician. With the help of a sharp-witted stage manager (Stanley Tucci) and gender-bending host (Alan Cumming), Ali makes her way from the bar to the stage. Her spectacular voice restores The Burlesque Lounge to its former glory, though not before a charismatic entrepreneur (Eric Dane) arrives with an enticing proposal¦

BURLESQUE will be in theaters on November 24th.

Cher Sings In This Clip From BURLESQUE

In this scene from the upcoming movie BURLESQUE, “Welcome To Burlesque,” Ali (Christina Aguilera) watches as Tess (Cher) performs.

Cher looks damn good. I’ll definitely see it for her and Stanley Tucci.

Synopsis:

Ali (Christina Aguilera) is a small-town girl with a big voice who escapes hardship and an uncertain future to follow her dreams to LA. After stumbling upon The Burlesque Lounge, a majestic but ailing theater that is home to an inspired musical revue, Ali lands a job as a cocktail waitress from Tess (Cher), the club’s proprietor and headliner. Burlesque’s outrageous costumes and bold choreography enrapture the young ingénue, who vows to perform there one day.

Soon enough, Ali builds a friendship with a featured dancer (Julianne Hough), finds an enemy in a troubled, jealous performer (Kristen Bell), and garners the affection of Jack (Cam Gigandet), a bartender and fellow musician. With the help of a sharp-witted stage manager (Stanley Tucci) and gender-bending host (Alan Cumming), Ali makes her way from the bar to the stage. Her spectacular voice restores The Burlesque Lounge to its former glory, though not before a charismatic entrepreneur (Eric Dane) arrives with an enticing proposal…

From Sony Pictures and Screen Gems, BURLESQUE will be in theaters on November 24, 2010. You can find BURLESQUE on Facebook, on Twitter or visit the official site here.

Source: Yahoo! Movies

New BURLESQUE Photo From Facebook

From the BURLESQUE Facebook page:

“We did it! Thank you fans – we now have 10,000 likes… here is the new EXCLUSIVE image of BURLESQUE only for you!”

Love It! This will be fun to watch over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend – somewhere between the dinner, shopping, and football games.

Directed by Steve Antin , BURLESQUE centers on Ali, an ambitious small-town girl with a big-town voice (Aguilera) who finds love, family and success in a neo-burlesque club. Ali meets Marcus (Eric Dane), a charming, successful businessman who offers to buy Tess (Cher) out of the burlesque club and vies for Ali’s heart.

From Sony Pictures and Screen Gems, BURLESQUE will be in theaters on November 24, 2010. You can find BURLESQUE on Facebook, on Twitter or visit the official site here.

New BURLESQUE Belts Out Clip and Trailers!

Welcome to the magical world that is BURLESQUE! Here’s a new clip of Christina Aguilera belting out “Something’s Gotta Hold on Me.” Everyone get up and start dancin’!

Wow! Girl has some pipes…

“What happened to all the great dancers in LA?….They’re all dancing with the stars.” BAhahahaha!! Are Tucci and Cher just acting gods or what? Oscar nods…yes? no? maybe? Cher? Tucci? or even Aguilera? or just good Thanksgiving musical fun?

Enough with the Oscar talk. It’s only August for petesake. Just for grins, I threw in the international trailer.

Directed by Steve Antin and from a script by Antin, Susannah Grant (THE SOLOIST), and Keith Merryman, BURLESQUE centers on Ali, an ambitious small-town girl with a big-town voice (Aguilera) who finds love, family and success in a neo-burlesque club. Ali meets Marcus, a charming, successful businessman who offers to buy Tess (Cher) out of the burlesque club and vies for Ali’s heart.

Sony Pictures and Screen Gems, BURLESQUE will be in theaters on November 24, 2010. You can find BURLESQUE on Facebook or visit the official site here.

A Sneak-Peek At Cher & Aguilera In BURLESQUE

Susan Wloszczyna of USA Today has the first photos from Sony/Screen Gems upcoming BURLESQUE due in theaters November 24, 2010. The musical stars Cher, in her first major role in over a decade, Christina Aguilera, Eric Dane,Cam Gigandet, Julianne Hough, Peter Gallagher, Alan Cumming with Kristen Bell and Stanley Tucci. The thought of seeing Cher back on the big screen after all these years makes me giddy. And together with Stanley Tucci makes me downright delirious!

Directed by Steve Antin and from a script by Antin, Susannah Grant (THE SOLOIST), and Keith Merryman, BURLESQUE centers on Ali, an ambitious small-town girl with a big-town voice (Aguilera) who finds love, family and success in a neo-burlesque club. Ali meets Marcus, a charming, successful businessman who offers to buy Tess (Cher) out of the burlesque club and vies for Ali’s heart.

Read Susan Wloszczyna’s interview with BURLESQUE’s director Steven Antin here. You can find BURLESQUE on Facebook or visit the official site here.

All photos by Stephen Vaughan, Screen Gems