Yowazzup: A Directory of Happening Things

Police has found a missing Virginia Tech student’s purse, but said they have ‘very little facts’ about where Morgan Harrington went after getting separated from her friends at a concert Saturday in Charlottesville.

Popularity: 1%

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day is an action thriller about the MacManus brothers who are living a quiet life in Ireland with their father, but when they learn their beloved priest has been killed by mob forces, the duo return to Boston to bring justice to those responsible. Starring Julie Benz, Clifton Collins Jr., Sean Patrick Flanery, Peter Fonda, The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day opens on October 30, 2009 on a limited release.

Popularity: 1%

Takers is an action crime movie about a group of bank robbers finding their $20 million plan interrupted by a hard-boiled detective. Starring Hayden Christensen, Paul Walker, Zoe Saldana, Idris Elba, Matt Dillon, Chris Brown, Takers opens on February 19, 2010.

Popularity: 1%

Public Enemies is a 2009’s Michael Mann movie based on the true story of FBI agent Melvin Purvis’s attempt to stop criminals John Dillinger and his associates.

SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard in "Public Enemies"

In 1933 as John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) is brought to a penitentiary by his partner John “Red” Hamilton (Jason Clarke) but they are actually there to help their gang members to break out of prison before heading to Chicago to rob banks.

Meanwhile, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) and several other FBI agents manage to gun down another criminal, Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum) and J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) recruited Purvis to lead the hunt for Dillinger.

At a party, Alvin Karpis offers Dillinger a role in a kidnapping plot but he declines politely stating that the public doesn’t like kidnappings. There, Dillinger meets Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard), whom he takes to dinner. But when Dillinger begins talking to associates of Frank Nitti, Al Capone’s right hand man, Billie leaves and takes a taxi. Later, Dillinger manages to locate her and beats up a drunker who is verbally abusing her. Impressed, Billie leaves with Dillinger to a motel.

After getting a tip up, Melvin Purvis and his men ambush the motel where he believes Dillinger is staying but they only find an ordinary husband and wife. As Purvis is suspicious of the “husband”, he leaves one of his men to stay behind and watch the door. But, the agent is distracted by someone approaching the door and is killed by the “husband” who turns out to be Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham).

While Purvis has mistaken Baby Face Nelson to be Dillinger, Dillinger and his men manage to conduct another robbery and Purvis admits it’s his mistake and demands from Hoover to bring in professionals to help him to catch Dillinger.

When Dillinger and his girl are enjoying their vacation together, the police manages to locate and arrest Dillinger. In the court, Dillinger’s lawyer is able to convince the judge to keep him in the county jail instead of transferring him to the state prison. With the help of a few inmates, Dillinger manages to escape using a fake gun but is unable to meet Billie due to tight surveillance by the FBI.

Later on, Billie manages to escape and meets Dillinger as they spend a night together. The next morning, Billie is recaptured by the FBI and is severely beaten by an interrogator. Purvis and his men come later on and stop the interrogator from his abusive ways.

With the help of Anna Sage, a prostitute who is also Dillinger’s acquaintance by threatening to deport her back to Romania, Purvis manages to track down Dillinger. But, it is another agent, Charles Winstead who shoots Dillinger. Purvis quits the FBI a year later and committed suicide in 1960 while Billie lived the rest of her life in Wisconsin after her release in 1936.

Public Enemies has slight reassemblance like the movie “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” where actor Johnny Depp’s character, John Dillinger is the Al Capone version of Brad Pitt’s Jesse James. Asides from Johnny Depp’s incredible performance as Dillinger, Public Enemies is brilliantly filmed in high definition and it has a great cinematography and is beautifully set up.

My ratings: 8 out of 10.

Popularity: 1%

Angels & Demons is the sequel to The Da Vinci Code film where Tom Hanks reprises the lead role of Professor Robert Langdon.

SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Tom Hanks and Ayelet Zurer in "Angels & Demons"

Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is once again being called upon to solve the kidnapping of four Cardinals from the Vatican City and a possible bomb threat.

Langdon believes it’s the work of the Illuminati, based on his expert interpretation on the events. Dr. Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer) is also being called upon to help the investigation as the anti-matter stolen from the LHC project is from her lab. Vetra makes known that the bomb can wipe out an entire Vatican City and even part of Rome. The secret Illuminati has warned to kill each of the Cardinals every hour from 8pm. And when the clock struck at midnight, the bomb will go off.

While Langdon and Vetra, together with the Vatican City police travel around Rome to find clues in churches, Father Simeon and other followers stay put inside Vatican City. Unlike Da Vinci Code, in Angels & Demons, Langdon seems to be the one who’s asking questions and the only person who’s able to answer them as well.

Overall, the movie lacks actual dialogs like it’s in a hurry to get to the conclusion. Angels & Demons also lacks the inquisitive and thrill of a mystery and crime-solving film. The actors are not convincing enough with the exception of Ewan McGregor whom plays a priest, Camerlengo Patrick McKenna, of whom his father was the previous Pope. Camerlengo is young but intuitive and wise and looks innocent until the very end of the movie where the truth unfolds. Like The Mummy and National Treasure franchises, it gets boring and loses its appeal when the sequels are made.

My ratings: 6 out of 10.

Popularity: 1%

Public Enemies is the remake of the 1941 classic. FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Bale) sets his sights on American gangster John Dillinger (Depp) and others in an attempt to curb a rampant Chicago crime spree during the 1930s. Public Enemies stars Christian Bale, Johnny Depp and will be released on July 1, 2009.

Popularity: 1%

Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British film that is set and filmed in India and is nominated for 10 Oscars. Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of a young man from the slums of Mumbai who appears on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and exceeds everyone’s expectations.

SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Dev Patel in "Slumdog Millionaire"

Jamal Malik is interrogated by the police for cheating as he has made it through to the final question in the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? because he is just an 18-year-old "Chaiwalah" (tea boy) who is neither knowledgeable or lucky.

As Jamal tells the inspector of how he answered each of the question, there are constantly flashbacks of his childhood in the slums of Mumbai, Dharavi. Jamal and his brother, Salim (Madhur Mittal) were orphans after their mother has died during the Hindu-Muslim riots, they befriended an orphan girl Latika (Freida Pinto). While living in the trash, Maman the gangster offers them two bottles of Coke, but little did they know he collects street children to train them as beggars with Salim being groomed to become part of Maman’s operation.

When Salim realizes how Maman blinded the children who know how to sing and that his brother is a talented singer, he pours acid into one of Maman’s men and the three children try to escape, but only Jamal and Salim manage to escape with Latika purposely left behind by Salim.

The brothers earn a living by selling goods, pretending to be tour guides at Taj Mahal, stealing and pickpocketing. Jamal insists to go back to Mumbai in order to locate Latika. When they find her, she is working as a dancer in a brothel. The brothers attempts to rescue Latika but Maman and his men intrude causing Salim to draw a gun and kill Maman.

As Salim joins a rival gang, Javed, Jamal works in a call centre as an assistant. Jamal enters the popular game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? as he knows Latika will be watching. In the final question, Jamal uses his phone-a-friend lifeline to call Salim, but Latika answers his phone since Salim has earlier given his phone to Latika. Latika does not know the answer but Jamal manages to guess the answer (Aramis) correctly while Salim’s deed is discovered by Javed’s men and is shot to death by Javed’s men after Salim has shot Javed.

Overall, the movie is magnificent and it creates a whole new perspective in the movie arena. Slumdog Millionaire is definitely breathless and simply breathtaking. I think that it can win an Oscar for the Best Picture. It is written.

My ratings: 9 out of 10.

Popularity: 1%

State of Play is based on BBC mini-series of the same title starring Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck. The movie will be released on April 17, 2009.

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Angels & Demons is a movie based on the bestselling mystery novel by American author Dan Brown. It is also the sequel to Da Vinci Code. The movie stars Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor. Angels & Demons will be released on May 15, 2009.

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Taken is a film about a former spy, Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) who has his daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace) taken away from him and forced into slave trade. He will need to rely on his old skills to save his estranged daughter. Taken will be released in the USA on January 30, 2009.

Popularity: 1%