Where for art thou, Romeo?

Oh, the lovely nostalgia of it all! I was youngish when I saw Romeo + Juliet directed by Baz Luhrmann with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes as the famously starcrossed lovers. Not only was that a very clever movie — kids loved the modern twist to a piece of classic literature, and having Leo DiCaprio in it didn’t hurt either! — but it also had a rockin’ soundtrack. “Kissing You” is one of my favorites from the soundtrack. But so was “#1 Crush” by Garbage, “Love Fool” by The Cardigans, “Pretty Piece of Flesh” by One Inch Punch — oh heck, it was all good!

Here’s the Romeo + Juliet track list. Which was your favorite song?

1. “#1 Crush” – Garbage – 4:47
2. “Local God” – Everclear – 3:56
3. “Angel” – Gavin Friday – 4:19
4. “Pretty Piece of Flesh” – One Inch Punch – 4:53
5. “Kissing You (Love Theme from Romeo + Juliet)” – Des’ree – 4:58
6. “Whatever (I Had a Dream)” – Butthole Surfers – 4:09
7. “Lovefool” – The Cardigans – 3:19
8. “Young Hearts Run Free” – Kym Mazelle – 4:16
9. “Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good)” – Quindon Tarver – 1:43
10. “To You I Bestow” – Mundy – 3:59
11. “Talk Show Host” – Radiohead – 4:17
12. “Little Star” – Stina Nordenstam – 3:40
13. “You and Me Song” – The Wannadies – 2:55

10th Anniversary re-release bonus tracks

14. “Introduction to Romeo” – Craig Armstrong – 2:07
15. “Kissing You (Love Theme from Romeo + Juliet) Instrumental” – Craig Armstrong – 3:33
16. “Young Hearts Run Free (Ballroom Version)” – featuring Kym Mazelle, Harold Perrineau & Paul Sorvino – 3:27
17. “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen) ’07 Mix” – Baz Luhrmann featuring Quindon Tarver – 7:10

This post was inspired by my friend Enviromommy.

~P.S.~ What is your favorite Baz Luhrmann movie?

Inception

Right on the heels of the anticipated nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards, Twitter this week has been abuzz with the disappointment of Christopher Nolan not being nominated for a Best Director award for his blockbuster movie Inception; even though Inception was nominated for a Best Film Oscar. Knowing how things usually go down on Awards night, I guess this means Inception won’t win in the Best Film category. The lack of a nomination for Nolan, coined as being an Oscar snub, is disappointing to say the least.

Oscar winners are named based on the votes of the Academy. It’s these choices and decisions that determine who will go down as nominees and winners in Oscar history books. Often, the choices and the decisions of the Academy do not…[Read more...]

*DISCLAIMER!! There are a lot of great links here posted for your entertainment. The Scribe’s Desk is not responsible for any boggling of the brain that may occur! Click and enjoy at your own risk. Please click responsibly!*

Tom Hardy as Eames in Inception is sitting pretty in Hollywood too!

Now, we all know that Leonardo DiCaprio has a home run with Inception, and was there ever any question? (But will it beat Avatar…..) Anyhoo, Leo D. is easily recognizable, as is Ellen Page — I mean after Juno, no one could utter the name Diablo Cody without the name Ellen Page being uttered within the same breath — and so is Joseph Gordon-Levitt (remember him on 3rd Rock from the Sun? Loved that show!) and Ken Watanabe (awesome in Memoirs of a Geisha and The Last Samurai, just to name a few). But let me ask you this, do you recognize Tom Hardy?

Well, if you’re like me, you may have had a little brain tickle when you saw his face, and his oddly intriguing, and endearing, slightly crooked of tooth grin. (When Winona Ryder rocked the overlapping front tooth, the masses called it a snaggle tooth. The media can be so mean to women. I, for one, loved her snaggle tooth! Believe me, I’ve seen snaggle teeth, and they aren’t cute like that…anyway, I digress…) You may even have sighed. But do you remember him? For about 30 seconds, my brain flipped quickly through my rolla-dex of men I’ve seen on screen before, and voila! Search villain category….have you guessed it yet? Being the smart and savvy readers that you are, of course you have.

Here is a Villain Extraordinaire I actually thoroughly enjoy remembering. He’s left an indelible mark on my mind for some reason. Is it Freudian or Jungian or some such? I have no clue, but I’m sure there is a reason Tom Hardy as this particular villain left such an impression on me. Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed Tom Hardy as Shinzon in Star Trek: Nemesis.

Shinzon_Tom Hardy in Star Trek Nemesis_What a villain!

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I cut my own teeth on Star Trek….I’ve seen them all!

Here’s some other memorable Tom Hardy fare:

Blink and you’ll miss it, but here is Tom Hardy as snide Raumont in Marie Antoinette, directed by Sofia Coppola and a brilliant movie I might add! A must see!

Tom Hardy as Raumont in Marie Antoinette_The dandy on the right!

I told ya I seriously went to my rolla-dex on this one! It was hard to look away from Gerard Butler, Idris Elba and Thandie Newton in this movie, but I’ve got an eye! Here’s Tom Hardy as Handsome Bob playin’ it to the hilt in Guy Ritchie‘s RocknRolla.

Tom Hardy as Handsome Bob in RocknRolla sure is handsome!

And of course, I have to mention his role in Inception. What do you think of him as Eames?

Tom Hardy as Eames in Inception_Move over Joseph!

What is your favorite Tom Hardy role? Well, I think you may know mine. The next movie I’m excited to see him in is Warrior, and let’s not forget Mad Max, of course. What side of Tom Hardy will we see next I wonder? Whatever side it is, I’m sure we’ll be entertained. (Did you think I was going to say his good side? )

~P.S.~ My review of Inception….coming soon!

The Quick and the Dead_Wikipedia

My earliest Russell Crowe sighting was in The Quick & the Dead. This movie was back in the day when Sharon Stone was a HUGE star. Sharon Stone was fairly fresh off Basic Instinct (if you can call 3 years fresh in Hollywood) and she was still pretty popular. Anyway, she was the headliner in this flick that starred old goodies like Gene Hackman, and young faces like Leonardo DiCaprio (boy, did he look young and fresh faced. He looked like such a wee babe!).

Now keep your eyes peeled…wait for it….and there! My first Russell Crowe sighting ever!

Russell Crowe as Cort in The Quick and the Dead

Russell Crowe played Cort, a reverend who used to be one of Herod’s henchman who Herod (played by Gene Hackman) forces to enter into the quick draw competition. I saw this movie in the theater, and back in the day, I would have darn near forgot that Russell Crowe was even on screen if it hadn’t been for the fact that he had a story line! I was a teen and hence I only had eyes for Leo D. (BTW, I love any excuse to use the word hence!) Isn’t it funny? When you’re young it’s all about looks. When you’re old(er), it’s all about substance. What does that say about me? Yeah!

Anyhoo, just 5 years later, RC would go on to win an Oscar. Amazing how quickly things can change. Who would have thought he would have been an Oscar winner? I know I never did. But as I said before, things have certainly changed. Now that I am a woman of substance, I only have eyes for Russell Crowe (unless he’s acting with Leo D. Then I have to split screen time evenly because they are both so stellar in the talent department.) because: a) he has amazing mad talent, and b) Virtuosity was easy on the eyes. (I have substance, really!)  Many of RC’s movies are on my Favorite Movie List. Truth be told, he’s one of my favorite actors. I am so not hearing the buzz that he is not as strong a box office buzz as he used to be, and YES I loved Robin Hood!