HSS International

So I've decided to corrupt anyone who cares to read this by suggesting (and perhaps forcing...) people to go & see the movies that I recommend! Here are my top 6 movies that are on at the moment. I can personally vouch for their fabulousness, so go & see them or I'll have a cry!

1: Dreamgirls - The multiple Tony-winning Broadway musical finally comes to the big screen after 20 years of wrangling. This movie is entirely fantabulous (no, that isn't a real English word yet but it accurately describes this movie's magical nature!). The film is based more on the story of Diana Ross & the Supremes than the producers would want people to know, charting the rise of fictional girl group The Dreams in 1960s Detroit. The film stars Beyonce Knowles of Destiny's Child fame, Jamie Foxx, and Eddie Murphy in a ground-breaking non-comedy role that scored him a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. However, brilliant as Beyonce undoubtedly is during her huge solo number Listen, the most snaps go to former American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson as the group's spurned Effie White, who shows she really does have the chops to be a star with her rendition of And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going. She may not be Jennifer Holiday (who played the part in the original stage production), but Hudson is great in her own right.

2: The Queen - I saw The Queen this week and was blown away. Helen Mirren truly is my goddess now, she's one of the only actors that can truly inhabit a role and become that person in a completely believable fashion. She brings dignity and subtle vulnerability to Queen Elizabeth II, in fantastic contrast to her equally amazing though more boisterous portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in the 2006 mini-series. The film, directed by Stephen Freers, traces the dynamic of the Queen's relationship with newly elected British Prime Minister Tony Blair in the week following Princess Diana's death in 1997. With brilliant performances all-around and an icy foreshadowing of Blair's own future, The Queen deserves to win each and every Oscar it has been nominated for.

3: Babel - Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt's new film from the director of the brilliant 21 Grams, Babel is an intriguing multi-story piece that intricately weaves together tales from the Middle East, Mexico and Japan in an explosive fashion that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Blanchett is luminous as always, despite being shot and bleeding for the majority of the film, and Pitt is pleasantly surprising in what is easily one of the best performances of his career.

4: Casino Royale - Although it came out ages ago, I recommend that anyone who hasn't seen it do so NOW! One of the best James Bond films ever, Casino Royale is gripping and engaging, depicting a younger and more insecure Bond who has just been granted '00' status. Judi Dench is given more screen time than previous films as 'M', imbueing each second with acting gold. The new Bond, Daniel Craig, is definitely ruggedly hansom and sometimes downright sexy. A worthy Bond if ever there was one.

5: Marie Antoinette - Sophia Coppola's latest film takes the story of the teenage years of the last Queen of France and sets it to a kick-ass post-punk soundtrack! The costumes are absolutely amazing, and Dunst is surprisingly likeable in a way I haven't responded to since Bring It On.

Future films to watch out for:

Cate Blanchett & Judi Dench's new film Notes on A Scandal, out 15 February, about a new school teacher who has an affair with a student and the experienced, lonely teacher who finds out and blackmails her.

Kate Winslet's new film Little Children, out 8 February, about an adulterous housewife who lives in a town which is now host to a pedophile.

Songstress Alicia Keys' film debut in Smokin' Aces, out 8 February, in which she plays an assassin.

Hugh Grant & Drew Barrymore's upcoming romantic comedy Music & Lyrics, out 14 February, about a washed-up popstar who is commissioned to write a song for a new Britney Spears-esque pop starlet and enlists the help of the woman who tends to his plants.

TV Shows to watch:

24 - The New Beginning - perhaps the best season of 24 yet! Peter MacNicholl of Ally MacBeal fame joins the cast as an overly-patriotic Presidential aide. (Wednesdays, Channel 7, 8.30pm)

Desperate Housewives - Season 3  - The best thing since the first season, with rape, bodies, hostage situations, amnesia and blackmail a-plenty! (Mondays, Channel 7, 8.30pm)

Ugly Betty - A fantastic new show that is as hilarious as it is sweet. Watch out for an upcoming cameo from Executive Producer Salma Hayek. (Will be on Channel 7)

Brothers & Sisters - Great new US show about a modern family with a cast to die for (Rachel Griffiths, Sally Field, Calista Flockhart). Sometimes overly patriotic, but overall excellent. (Will be on Channel 7)

Beauty & the Geek - Hilarious reality show where a bunch of smart and generally unattractive geeks are paired with 'beauties' to learn from each other. Executive Produced by none other than Punk'd's Ashton Kutcher. (Thursdays, Channel 7, 10.30pm)

Drawn Together  - Great little US cartoon that spoofs all other cartoons and reality shows. Not for those who are easily offended. (Mondays, SBS, 9.00pm)

Heroes - Promising new US series about a bunch of people in New York who discover they have super powers. Think X-men but darker. (Wednesdays, Channel 7, 8.30pm).

Fare thee well! I'm off to China in just over 2 weeks, so I shall bid thee adieu! :D

Alan xoxo 

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