Hollywood G.'s Latest Reviews: "W." & "Body of Lies"

Hello, I saw W. tonight and it was a funny movie. It is kind of long and slow at times, but it was worth the price of admission. I think josh brolin did a great job as the president, and thandie newton looked just like the real condoleezza rice. Jeffrey Wright did a fantastic job as Colin Powell, as did Richard Dreyfuss with his role as Dick Cheney. The movie could have been better, but it was worthy of a C rating (on a letter grade scale). Also, Hollywood G. is going to talk about "Body of Lies." This was a good flick with Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe trading a lot of verbal punches. The story takes place in various cities in Asia, Europe, and North America. With these sequential stops from city to city, it kept Hollywood G. engaged in this intense thriller. The book, Body of Lies, is better than the movie. Nonetheless, the movie is worth seeing. Ridley Scott directs and Russell Crowe stars in another of his thought provoking movies. As for Leonardo DiCaprio, he also does a great job as Agent Roger Farris. Leo is very intense and he did many of his own scenes. It was 14 years ago that Russell & Leonardo were in the same movie, The Quick and The Dead. In "Body of Lies", they reunite for a better movie about real world issues (terrorism, the CIA, and how the world is coping with terrorism in a post 9/11 world).

Crazy time in Chicago!

Well, I am back from a crazy 72 hour weekend in chicago. Let's just say that "Chicago is one crazy town that leaves you feeling amazing about life." G. Ripley was there for a wedding, to see some friends and family in the city and in the suburbs, plus to see some spectacular sights and attractions too. First, the architecture in this city is beautiful just like the Trump International Tower picture above. Second, the weather was gorgeous (almost 75 degrees F for a high) which is a major plus. Finally, I was in the 96th floor of the John Hancock building on my last night there. From that high up in the sky, you can see Lake Michigan and some other panoramic views. The city may be depressed about the White Sox and Cubs losing early, but the rest of city has elements which make any human being feel high off life. If you have never been to the Windy City, then you don't know what you are missing!

Hitting Thirty Deuce!

Well, today is the day which Hollywood G. (aka G. Ripley aka Rahulio Ganpuleone) came into this planet, Earth. As he looks back at the events which have occurred, there is only the luck of god that has saved him in so many ways. Hollywood G. has had the joy of meeting people from washington dc (a la Alan Greenspan), hollywood (rupert grint, david hasselhoff, etc.), bollywood (another covert story), and other walks of life. For now, there is a whole lot of living left to do. So, Just keep living (J.K.Living) which is a phrase from Matthew McConaughey. I have to quote this hollywood actor who has made great movies for the past decade or so. Check out Tropic Thunder, because Matt M. made the movie funny, but the credit also goes to Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Cruise, and a few other actors/actresses too.

Five In A Row for The Federer Express!

24 Hours Ago, Roger Federer made history again on the tennis court by winning his 5th consecutive U.S.Open in the Men's final over Andy Murray. Roger broke Andy's serve seven times in a match that lasted less than 2 hours. Roger Federer has won 13 grand slam titles, and is in sole possession of 2nd place on the all time list only behind Pete Sampras 14 grand slam titles. Can Roger tie the great Pistol Pete in the 2009 Australian Open? It could happen in Melbourne. As for his game, Roger won in 3 sets. Roger That! This following picture is of Roger Federer with the US Open trophy while he is on top of the Empire State Building. He is in the viewing deck. What a picturesque view of Manhattan!

From the USTA Center in Flushing Meadows: US Open results (pre-men's final) 2008

Well, the men's final of the US Open is on Monday, September 8, 2008. The men are playing on Monday due to the tropical storm Hanna bombarding NYC on saturday, september 6, which postponed the 2nd men's semifinal match. In the first semifinal match, Roger Federer defeated Novak Djokovic in 4 sets to secure his spot in monday's final. In the second semifinal match, Rafa Nadal was down 2 sets to none to Andy Murray until rain suspended the match until today. In today's conclusion, Rafael Nadal was stunned by Andy Murray. Rafael Nadal won the third set, but Andy Murray won the 4th set to win the match. Down 3 to 1 in the fourth set, Murray battled to win the next 5 of 6 games to win the 4th set by the score of 6-4. G. Ripley is definitely pleased to see Murray vs. Federer in monday's final. Ripley is hoping for a great match. Federer will be vying for his 5th straight US Open title, while Andy Murray will be vying for his 1st title in a grand slam final ever. As for the women, Serena Williams won her 3rd US Open title by defeating Jelena Jankovic in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5. It was a great match played by both ladies. In the end, Serena won the final 4 games of the 2nd set to close out the match. It was vintage Serena! She is now the new no. 1 player in the women's rankings. G. Ripley is hoping that she ends out the year No. 1 as that's his prediction. Hope it comes true!

The dramatic onslaught of the Beijing Olympic games 2008!

Four days ago, the 2008 Olympic games started in Beijing. It will continue for twelve more days, and NBC reported that ratings for the Opening Ceremonies were the most watched non-U.S. Olympic Games in history. That is incredible! US Swimmer Michael Phelps has already won four gold medals, and he is vying for eight golds at these Olympic games. So far, two nations are duking it out for the top spot in the medal tracker. These two nations are Team USA and the host country, China. Actually, I can't wait until the Track and Field part of the competition starts. I will have to wait until August 15. Then, Tyson Gay will battle the duo from Jamaica, Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, for the title of world's fastest man! Plus, the US basketball team hopes to win gold in the men's & women's competition. The Olympics are always fun to watch and hope your favorite athlete performs at the highest level! Go Kobe and Team USA!

"The Dark Knight" continues to shatter the box office!

In a matter of 3 weeks, "The Dark Knight" has amassed $450 million at the US Box Office. It is utterly mindblowing. Heath Ledger should get nominated for an academy award in February 2009 for Best Supporting Actor. Hopefully, he will win posthumously. As for Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart, the film's other stars, they put on some great performances too. Aaron Eckhart has mentioned that he should be back for the next Batman movie. Holy cow, another batman movie! Yes, it is quite possible that chris nolan, christian bale, and the rest of the cast (minus Heath Ledger) could be back in a couple of years. We'll have to wait and see! Of course, Hollywood G. will be there to give another fun review on the Warner Bros. picture. Au revoir til next time!