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Tuna

"La Buena Estrella"

La Buena Estrella (1997), or The Lucky Star, is a chick flick. Butcher and middle-aged bachelor Antonio Resines, who lost his testicles in an accident, witnesses an attack on Maribel Verdú by her boyfriend, a petty thug named Daniel (Jordi Mollà). Daniel calls her one-eye, as she lost an eye in the orphanage the two grew up in. Resines takes her to the hospital, then to his home to recuperate. Daniel, by then, is in prison again. Resines and Verdú become lovers of sorts, and, when the baby is born, he names her after his mother, Star, and raises her as his own.

Damiel is released from the slammer, and shows up on their doorstep, and Verdú takes him in, despite Resines better judgement. At first, she says it is because she is all he has, and they have a common history, but Resines learns that she, in fact, loves both of them. He eventually deals with it, even after she leaves with Daniel because "he needs her." When Daniel is arrested again for a bank robbery, he takes Verdú back, even though she's again pregnant. I will leave some of the plot unsaid, in case this is your type of film.

Verdú shows buns in bed with Resines, then a breast under water in a bath scene. It won Goya's for best film, best actor, best director and best original score, and was nominated for 4 others, including Jordi Mollà for best actor and Maribel Verdú for best actress. IMDB readers have it at 7.2 of 10. There is no doubt that the three lead performances were excellent, which kept the film above the soap opera level for about 2/3 of the running time, but the ending sunk it for me completely. For those who want to read the ending, the review at the New York Times has the rest of the plot, and the reviewer feels much like I did watching it. It is technically competent, and features three good performances, but is not my kind of film. For those who like tear jerker estrogen-centric films, this is a good genre effort. C.

  • Thumbnails

  • Maribel Verdú (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

    "Lucía y el sexo"

    Lucía y el sexo (2001) Thanks to an unknown capper, I received frames taken from the rental version of this film, also known as Sex and Lucio. It is currently in theaters in the UK, and has been released to the rental market at a very high price in Spain. The DVD quality, which is a digital-to-digital transfer of a film shot on hi res digital looks, according to reports, better than the theatrical version converted to film. This is the second instance I have run into in Europe of a DVD being released first at high price to the rental market, and then, some months later, at a normal sell-through price for the rest of us. It is a disturbing trend in Europe.

    By all accounts, this is a very sexy film, and the images I made from the raw caps do nothing to convince me otherwise, with full frontal from both star Paz Vega and from Elena Anaya. There are rumors of a US release, and I will certainly watch for the sell-through version in Europe. The story concerns Vega, whose writer boyfriend dies. She goes to a small island he they spent time on to recover, and discovers more about him than she imagined, including the fact that Anaya had a child by him. Based on the images, I really look forward to seeing this film from director Julio Medem.

  • Thumbnails

  • Paz Vega (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
  • Elena Anaya (1, 2, 3)

    Corrections

    Gwyneth didn't summer in a resort seacoast town in Spain, but rather in the small, obscure village of Talavera de la reina. Nobody knows how the Paltrow family chose the town for vacations, but Gwyneth returns there whenever she is in Spain.

    The unknown blonde in Tuno negro is Carla Hidalgo. We will see more of her in a future project.

  • Carla Hidalgo (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

    I misidentified a skinny man as the fourth sister in Belle Epoque. The widowed sister is played by Miriam Diaz-Aroca, not Gabino Diego. Félix goes on to say that the film is based on Fernando Trueba's relationship with his own father-in-law.

  • Johnny Web (Uncle Scoopy)

    Movies:

    In honor of the clones, here's some Portmania

    Trailers with (some minimal) nudity:

    Updates:

    Other crap:

     

    Here are the latest movie reviews available at scoopy.com.

    • The yellow asterisks indicate that I wrote the review, and am deluded into thinking it includes humor.
    • If there is a white asterisk, it means that I inexplicably determined there might be something of interest.
    • A blue asterisk indicates the review is written by Tuna (or Lawdog or Junior or C2000 or Realist or ICMS or somebody else besides me)
    • If there is no asterisk, I wrote it, but am too ashamed to admit it.

    Brainscan
    Catching up with the most popular magazine for men that we carry in the shop, Arena. From the April edition, Brazilian fashion model Ana Hickmann. The article claims she in the Guinness Book of World Records as the fashion model with the longest legs. Good see-thru or topless action in all four and some seriously nice leg and bum stuff in #3. I would say from the quotes attributed to Ana that she could also make Guinness for being the singularly most self-absorbed and humorless fashion model on the planet. Given the competition that would be no mean feat.
    • Ana Hickmann (1, 2, 3, 4)


    Also in the April edition are several photos of Victoria Beckham, the best of which I am sending along. In HER article Victoria complains no station will play her music. And we thought taste was dead.


    From the May edition of Arena, we have three non-nekkid but appealing scans of Eliza Dushku, a Jennifer Garner (star of Alias) scan with mild pokie action, and a series of scans of Jolene Blalock with every damn thing uncovered but the goodies. Geez, how I would love to get ahold of the outtakes from this photoshoot. Be advised that AD sent in the same set of scans for the April 10th edition of the Fun House. All I've done with mine is group the images together for a different presentation.


    The rest of things for today are newswire pics of stars in various places:

  • Britney Spears in the typical skin-tight green outfit. Borrrring.

    Celine Dion in a dress cut down to there but revealing nothing because, after all is said and done, there ain't nothing to reveal. Celine catches more crap than anyone alive. Even an NPR business report on CD pirating, with Celine Dion as the example piratee, ended with the reporter asking the question of why anyone would bother to pirate a Celine CD. Cheap shot. Well deserved, but cheap. Oh, and the geeze with her in this picture is her hubby.

  • Dixie Chicks with one apparently ready to launch a chicklet.

  • Emmanuelle Seigner and Sharon Stone, each with looow-cut dresses and each in the company of Roman Polanski at Cannes (Emmanuelle is his wife).

  • Fashion model, Iman, who is looking just fine these days with the fourth cut-to-the-bellybutton dress.

  • Jana Tafenou, Miss Estonia, looking really, really good at the Miss Universe pageant. Estonia is where Latvians go to celebrate victory in the European music awards.

  • Natascha Borger, Miss Germany, at the same contest.

    Jolene Blalock, out on the town, showing lots of leg and a right nice face. So okay, Jeri Ryan may have Jolene in a two-person race but among the 3 billion women on the planet, she comes in so close to the front of the pack that it just isn't worth worrying about.

    Jr adds...If nothing else guys, link #1 should be an inspirational image. If half-pint-chain-smokin' Edward "Hey guys, remember me? I was the kid in T2" Furlong can land a babe like Jolene, then there's hope for all of us.

    • Jolene Blalock (1, 2)

  • Monica Bellucci with acres of cleavage. (1, 2, 3)

    Shakira wearing something impossible to describe. Looks like she biked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, climbed to the top and tangled with a bobcat on the way up.

    Finally, there is Lady Class herself, Pamela Anderson in a cleavage-seethrough combination you just have to see to believe. Has there been any woman since Grace Kelly with so much refined, understated elegance as this woman?

    • Pam Anderson (1, 2, 3)

  • C2000
    "Me Without You" (2001)

    In early 1970s London, Holly (Michelle Williams) and Marina (Anna Friel) agree to be friends forever and call themselves Harina. Despite being polar opposites their friendship represents a vital outlet for both. Marina is the dominant influence in the friendship but is also vulnerable relying on Holly for stability. Marina represents a world of freedom to the studious Holly. Marina attempts to control Holly to overcome her own insecurities. Holly's crush and romantic assignations with her brother Nat (Oliver Milburn) is an irritant to Marina who fears a man could come between her and Holly. Their friendship is further tested by a joint interest in a university lecturer (Kyle Maclachlan). The movie traces their friendship through key stages of life beginning as children, through the teenage years, university and early twenties as they experience all life has to offer.

    Every review I've seen on the net has depicted Holly as being the insecure and dependent player in the relationship. I failed to see this at any stage. Holly feels trapped in the friendship but this is due to Marina doing her utmost to prevent Holly becoming individualistic and not because she is dependent or insecure. It is Marina who is insecure and she is the one who is unable to handle any change in Holly. It's Holly who recognized her intense friendship with Marina was stifling her, that she had to address the sporadic relationship with Nat and make tough choices to define herself as an individual. All the while Marina flounced around looking ridiculous and throwing tantrums. Michelle Williams nailed the accent and brought life to the issues facing Holly. Playing a shallow and vacuous character wasn't a stretch for Anna Friel but portraying the issues facing Marina was beyond her. The movie sets out to address the complicatedness of women's friendship and the Siamese twin like bond that often exists between friends but in reality is a slow and boring examination of how things change as time passes.

    Nudity.
    The nude scenes were plentiful but the actual exposure was minimal. Michelle Williams is briefly topless twice, once in the bath with Anna Friel and sitting up in bed putting on her top. She was covered in seaweed in a dream sequence - low budget homage to American Beauty. Anna Friel is topless twice - in the bath with Williams, when having sex and pops out of her top. Marianne Denicourt shows her breasts in the bath.

    Rating: D-

    Hankster
    Scoop, J.Lo in concert Monday night on the Family Channel. No nudity of course but this is one sexy woman. I kind of like the downblouse in #4.
    • Jennifer Lopez (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)


    Some assorted nudity from "Women in Cages". An unknown dancer in the opening scene, and Pam Grier showing off a single breast

    Variety
    Julie Strain
    (1, 2, 3)

    Assorted full frontal 'caps of the tall B-movie star (some with gyno-views).

    Rachel Griffiths
    (1, 2)

    B&W scans of the Aussie actress in a see-thru dress. See-thru breasts and bush in #1, see-thru bum in #2.

    Lizzy Borden
    (1, 2)

    The porn actress/director baring her breasts in something called "Terror Toons".

    Pat Reeder www.comedy-wire.com
    Pat's comments in yellow...

    Well, we always suspected Britney had robo-hooters, and this confirms it...

    Britney's A "Femme Bot" In Goldmember
    Pop princess Britney Spears uses her breasts to fight off spoof spy Austin Powers in new Mike Myers comedy flick Goldmember. The sexy singer makes a cameo appearance as herself in the third installment of the movie series. And studio sources have revealed that in one funny scene, Britney attacks secret agent Austin - with her bulging bosom.

    Austin - played by Myers -wanders onto the set of one of Britney's music video's and discovers she is really a deadly "Femme Bot" robot. In the script, Britney even jokes about real-life rumors she has had a breast enlargement, quipping, "It's true, my breasts have been enhanced." Her nipples then open up to reveal machine guns, which she fires at Myers' character. A movie source told Britain's Daily Star tabloid, "Britney's breasts are the star of the show. The scene is hilarious. She reveals her rude side - and she isn't afraid to make fun of her own boobs."

    Britney isn't the only star to make cameo appearances in Goldmember - which hits cinema screens next month. Tom Cruise, Danny DeVito, Kevin Spacey, Ozzy Osbourne and Gwyneth Paltrow also purportedly make cameo appearances.



    And now, two lost scenes you can look forward to in the DVD releases...

    J.Lo Sex Scene Cut
    A steamy nude scene featuring sexy star Jennifer Lopez was axed from her new film Enough. The singer-turned-actress reveals all in the raunchy shower scene, but studio bosses cut the romp, with co-star Billy Campbell, changing the storyline so he rejects Lopez's sexual advances. J.LO plays Campbell's battered wife in the thriller - which hit cinemas in the US last week. And the 42-year-old actor says he was shocked producers stopped cinema- goers from seeing the sexy scene. Campbell says, "I was disappointed with the shower scene. I thought, 'Wow I'm gonna do a movie with J.Lo and be her husband.' Next minute I'm turning her down." Billy also admits he found it distracting, working up close and personal with the stunning actress. He adds, "The girl is just so beautiful. She has the most beautiful skin of anyone I've ever met. I couldn't stop staring at her."



    Wind Eases Sex Scene For Helena And Paul
    Helena Bonham Carter eased the tension during a sex scene with co-star Paul Bettany on the set of Heart Of Me - by farting. Bettany admits he was horrified, not by Helena's wind, but by the fact she proudly announced it to everyone on set. He says, "She farted on me, announced the fact to the cast and crew, and of course I was the one who ended up feeling embarrassed." But the farting episode hasn't put Bettany off working with the actress again: "She's barking mad, keen as mustard and funny as f**k."



    'Naked' Steffi aces Microsoft
    Ananova.com

    Steffi Graf has won a court battle with Microsoft Germany over fake nude photos of her that were posted on a website run by the company.

    The state appeals court in Cologne upheld a ruling by a lower court which ruled that Microsoft Germany was responsible for the content of the site, and must ensure that such pictures don't appear there.

    The company would have to pay a fine if similar photos emerge on the site in future, court spokesman Christian Grueneberg said.

    The photos - computer manipulations that put Graf's head on a nude body - appeared last year on the site operated by Microsoft Germany where users could post pictures and texts to share with others.

    The photos were taken down in June at Graf's request, but the company declined to sign a formal agreement that they wouldn't appear again so Graf sued.

    Microsoft Germany spokesman Bernhard Grander said in a statement that the company disagrees with the decision of the court, saying it "endangers the existence of live-chat and private (Internet) communities."

    Grander said Microsoft is "examining further legal steps."

    Former Wimbledon champion Steffi has now retired from the tennis circuit and is married to US star Andre Agassi. They have one child.