ay-ayyy-yay! the recent news that peter jackson ( LOTR trilogy, Heavenly Creatures) had optioned the rights to naomi novik's Temeraire series just perked me up right up to the stratosphere!

a few months back, i made this deal with myself that -- in order to save a few bucks, and free up some space in my attic -- i'd lay off buying books (with very few exceptions), at least for this year. to my own surprise, i was able to observed this "moratorium" (i bought only a couple of small ones [on sale] since this january).

and now this!

i guess it's no longer a case of whether or not i can save a few $$$. the question is, will i be able to stop myself from buying these books? and after knowing that PJ is already thinking about the possiblity of turning these mind-boggling volumes into movies?!

are you nuts? of course, i'll be up early this saturday and scamper to the nearest mall to grab my own copy of His Majesty's Dragon, Throne of Jade and Black Powder War. i just hope this won't turn into a Wheel of Time-type money-waster.** at any rate, i've already read some excerpts, and i just know i'm gonna love these books. just as much as i had drooled over susanna clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

**p.s. [uh-oh, here comes the rant]**
i don't think a series/multi-volume saga needs to be exhaustively long in order to be compelling or interesting -- which is one reason why i was turned off by robert jordan's Wheel of Time series. by the time i was on book 7 (which i valiantly struggled to finish), i was already feeling fatigued and overwhelmed by his overwrought prose and this growing suspicion that i was being suckered (more books = more $$ for him and his publisher)...

hmm... i guess ben affleck is finally getting the favorable notice he needs in order to get back into the game. winning the critics' collective nod to bag the best actor award in the recently concluded Venice Film Festival, the resurgent actor, who is married to Alias star jennifer garner, is poised for further press exposure due to the good buzz generated by Hollywoodland.

based on a slew of early reviews (mixed, but generally good), the film may even find its way into the oscars (gasp!), barring the arrival of better material -- although it's too early to tell of course. this low-key biopic follows the mysterious death (murder/suicide?) of george reeves, who used to play Superman on TV back in the 1950s. Hollywoodland also stars adrien brody, diane lane, bob hoskins and robin tunney.

yep, i guess ben does deserve this, after seeing his stock nosedive due to a series of critical clunkers that he's been associated with in the past 3 years. let's hope he'll be more mindful of his career moves this time.

well yo-hoo-ho, bring out the rum me 'hearties...

64 days after its release (july 7), Pirates... 2: Dead Man's Chest breaks into the exclusive $1-billion club (membership by invitation only folks; there are only a couple of films in this corner: Titanic and Return of the King [yayy!]).

to date, it's global haul has already reached $1,002,597,000 (est.) according to boxofficemojo.com.
ay-ayy-ay! bring on the third film please (At World's End)...  what? it comes out in may 2007? let's see, how long 'til may... aw heck, i can't count with my fingers dancing over the keyboards. [blogarama]

i really should have posted this note a few weeks ago, but for the life of me i was just too darn busy i clean forgot about it until a friend reminded me of it yesterday...

okay, rather than ape the critics (i'm hopeless at it anyway) and write a long discourse about this cinematic gem (this film is definitely a must-see; i expect i'll be seeing more of it as soon as the DVD version is out), i'm just going to concentrate on a few things -- mainly the cast.

Meryl Streep (Miranda Priestley)
what else can you say about this superlative talent that hasn't been said before? suffice it to say that whenever she portrays a character onscreen, it's easy to forget that you're only seeing an actress plying her trade (and not the real thing).

as the Great Arbiter of Good Taste and All Things Fashionable, Miranda rules her kingdom with an iron fist (encased in a diamond-encrusted velvet glove, of course). she issues her decrees in a bored, disdainful upper-crust whine.  when she snaps her fingers, her minions jump in all directions (preferably out of sight).

Anne Hathaway (Andrea Sachs)
Anne H. is tailor-made for this role -- she is the right age and has the looks to ensure her celluloid presence. the way i see it, it's a good thing she looks this good; otherwise, she'd have gotten swamped by the sheer brilliance of movie's powerhouse cast.

Emily Blunt (Emily)
another perfect fit. she nails down the little details that make Emily's neurotic personality as incandescent as the rest of the major characters. very effective and downright believable (reminds me of somebody, in fact)

Stanley Tucci (Nigel)
As Runway's charismatic creative director, Tucci is just as formidable. Although physically different from his counterpart in the book (supposed to be a very tall British guy), Tucci nevertheless makes a deliciously perfect foil to Meryl Streep's Miranda.

As for the production set, the clothes, the accessories, everything -- they're a visual feast!

Two huge star-studded movies, helmed by two top-notch directors (Christopher Nolan and Martin Scorcese), are poised to strike this fall: The Prestige and The Departed. 

The Prestige boasting a heavyweight cast composed of Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine, David Bowie, Piper Perabo, and Andy "Gollum" Serkis -- is a tale of two rival magicians (Bale as Alfred Border and Jackman as Ruper Angier) who plied their trade in London around the turn of the century. Their fierce competition turns increasingly dangerous, prompting Angier's mentor (Michael Caine) to suspect that Border has real magical powers. 

 What makes this film interesting is that both Jackman and Bale have recently played comic book heroes: as Wolverine and Batman, respectively. The Prestige, based on a 1995 book bearing the same title, alludes to the residue that remains after a magician has successfully performed his trick. 

The same dual dilemma is also evident in The Departed, which topbills Jack Nicholson as mob boss Frank Costello. A remake of the popular 2002 Hong Kong thriller "Internal Affairs", the movie also  features Leonardio DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, etc.

DiCaprio stars as an uncover cop (Billy Costigan) who infiltrates the criminal syndicate headed by Costello, in a parallel move with Matt Damon (Colin Sullivan), a criminal figure who joins the police force as a "mole" for the mob. Both undergo intense stress and fine-tuned tightrope walking as they gather information for their respective sides without divulging their real identities.

Incidentally, this movie also marks the third time that Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorcese have worked together.

whoop-de-doo!! I can't wait...

p.s. for other notes on movies, please check out 9/11 movies over at triond. thanks