Rachel Getting Married is a dose of Reality.

Watching the trailer of the Anne Hathaway's new film, I didn't expect it to take the direction it did. Rachel Getting Married is filled with a combination of humour, sadness, compassion and adulation.

The story is about a troubled young woman, Kim (played by Anne Hathaway) who travels home from a rehab centre to attend her sisters wedding. As the festivities of the weekend begin, the joy and laughter that should be laced into such a glorious occassion turns into anger and heartbreak. This, because of the family dynamics that creep through years of dysfunction and guilt, particularly from Kim, who accidentally killed their baby brother when she was a drug-strung teenager. I believe the intention of the filmmakers was to portray how weddings have a tendency to not go according to how they are planned, most of the times anyway. I appreciated the normalcy of the whole film, from the use of a hand-held camera (evident from the non-steady motion of the pictures), to the speeches at the wedding rehearsal (which many seemed to have been improvised).

I also appreciated the ability to lighten things up when the story got too heavy. For example, the dishwasher scene when the father and soon-to-be son-in-law were competing, although in the end it took things back to the serious matters that the family failed to really deal with head on. Another one of those light moments was the music which seemed to have a great influence in the film. What I was annoyed with though was the over-compensation of the music at the wedding reception, it lingered on until I just wanted for them to get back to the story. In defense of this music oversaturation, it could be because the director, Jonathan Demme, is a great fan of Neil Young (evidenced by a few songs featured including Sydney - the groom - singing a Neil Young song when his part of his vows came). Also, Tunde Adebimpe (who plays Sydney) is a part of a band called T.V. on the Radio.

Speaking of Tunde, I think he played his part very werll, although it was annoying how he didn't have much dialogue in the beginning when you expected him to say something. Anne did very well in her role too, veering away from her usual dolled-up roles in movies like Devil Wears Prada and Get Smart, to name just a couple. The rest of the cast did a sterling job too in bringing their different characters to complement the story. I noticed that Dorian Missick had a small part in Rachel Getting Married, leading me to believe that Demme enjoys working with him since he also appeared on another of his films, The Manchurian Candidate. Another highlight for me was seeing former American Idol contestant Tamyra Gray making a cameo and singing at the wedding rehearsal, she's such a talented singer. Speaking of singing, there was a bevy of different genres of music and related activities, bringing forth a spectacle of multiculturalism.

Rachel Getting Married is a great piece of work, real and authentic. You can actually relate to the story and what is presented on the screen, unlike some fantasy stories we have been sbjected to these days. Besides from lingering on, on certain scenes unneccessarily, the overall intention was achieved.

Rachel Getting Married will be released at Ster Kinekor cinemas nationwide on the 13th of March next year.

Jozi walk away with an MTV African Music gong for Best Live act

Abuja in Nigeria was the place to be this past weekend as the inaugural MTV African Music Awards with Zain went down. The assortment of winners and performers for the night also proved that the African spirit and unity were alive and well. This resulted in the ceremony enjoying a thunderous success.

It seems Les' cries were head (well, not precisely so) as Jozi walked away with the award for Best Live act. Many may remember when the one third of the energetic hip hop outfit made headlines criticising South Africans for not voting in awards that require the public votes. I'm extremely excited and feel they more than deserve the accollade as they are absolutely the best in their live performances. Other South Africans that put the country on the map were the rockers Seether who took the golden mic for Best Alternative ensemble. Also, it's said that the most poignant moment of the night was when MTV paid homage to two of Africa's most treasured legends, including Mama Africa Miriam Makeba, who passed away just a few weeks before the awards ceremony.

The biggest winner of the night at the first ever MTV African Music Awards with Zain was Nigerian music extraordinaire D'Banj. He scooped the statuettes for Best Male, Artist Of the Year and Viewer's Choice categories. Other winners included Kenya's Wahu as Best Female for the night; Alicia Keys crowned for Best R&B (award accepted by my wife in my head :-), Kelly Rowland on Alicia's behalf), as well another of the most coveted categories Best Group, which was awarded to Nigerian twin-duo P Square.

The performances wing of the awards is said to have been sizzling hot too, with an electrifying collaboration between Kelly Rowland and D'Banj; an intense dance-off between P Square and Jozi; a soulful delivery by Paris-based Nigeria's Asa; as well as a thrilling showcase by FloRida and The Game. Apparently, other noteworthy highlights included sterling perfromances from HHP, 9ice, Cassette, Jua Cali, Naeto C, Ikechukwu and Fela Kuti's (who was honoured with MAMA Legend award) son Sean Kuti accompanied by his father's band Egypt 80.

It sounds like it was a memorable night and a great beginning for the MTV African Music Awards with Zain. We can only hope that it grows bigger and better. Alex Okosi did mention at a press conference in Jozi during the Road to MAMA's tour that the awards ceremony will be taken around the continent, so I'm waiting with excitement for Mzansi's turn in the next few years.

If you missed out on all the festivities, please tune into MTVbase in the next few days as I'm sure Sizwe and Fikile will bring you snippets behind the velvet rope of the MAMA's.

Madagascar animals take a journey to Africa

Jada Pinkett-Smith, Ben Stiller, and Chris Rock are just a few of the stars that have been on a heavy promotion trail for their new kid's animated movie Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, judjing by the pictures I've seen of the 3 of them taken from different countries throughout the world. This is the sequel to the record-setting 2005 animation Madagascar, which releases at cinemas in Mzansi next week.

I've always mentioned that I'm not a big animated movie fan, but I do indulge in the genre every now and then, especially if there is a big blockbuster like Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa bracing our cinemas. This morning was one of those moments when I watched the movie at a press screening. The movie was enjoyable and actually surprised me because of its nature to attract not just children's attention but also engage adults in the heart-warming story, as well as the clever thinking behind portrayal of the characters.

The New York Zoo friends, Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the Hippo are back together is this entertaining journey of mystery, laughter, sadness and jealousy. Played by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, and Jada Pinkett-Smith, respectively, they end up in the wilderness of Africa where they re-unite with their families and have their relationships introspectively tested. Their sense of humility and humanity, helps them conquer whatever hardships are thrown their way, whether it relates to love, friendship or family.

The late Bernie Mac was outstanding, doing the voice of Zuba, Alex's father. Sherri Shepherd (from the talk show The View) also did a sterling job as the mother, though it was very interesting that the parents were both voiced by black actors but the child by a white actor. Another surprising moment was musician Will.I.Am's performance, doing Moto Moto's voice and playing Gloria's love interest. He carried the role very well. On the downside, I noticed some sort of a goof, in terms of consistency. Alex supposedly had the same birth mark (an African map) on his paws as his father, but this mark was absent on some of the scenes.

Overall, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa was enjoyable. I enjoyed the elaborate humour and the way your emotions were evoked in different parts throughout the film. It's also a great story about family, friendships and basically maintaining good relationships in life. The whole family will enjoy this film. I'll definitely be taking my little sister to watch it again during the holidays.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa opens at cinemas nationwide on the 05th of December 2009.

Win 5 hampers with Mr. Bones 2!

If you didn't know, the sequel to Leon Schuster's box office hit, Mr. Bones, will be released at cinemas nationwide this coming Thursday, 27 November 2008. Will Mr. Bones 2 match or surpass its predecessor's huge success? Well, only time will tell. Please check out our review of the movie HERE.

Go out there and support our local productions. Whilst at it, we'll make your experience of Mr. Bones 2 even better. United International Pictures (UIP) and YEAHBO.DOT.NET are giving you an opportunity to win 1 of the 5 hampers. The movie memorabilia included in the hamper consists of the following:

5 Mr. Bones DVD's

5 Mr. Bones 2 T-shirts

5 Mama Jack DVD's

5 Mr. Bones 2 Movie Posters.

All you have to do to stand a chance of walking away with one of the hampers is answer the following simple questions:

1). Who is the director of Mr. Bones 2?

2). Which actress plays the character of the Queen Of Kuvukiland on Mr. Bones 2?

With your answers, please send to yeahbo@yeahbo.net, the following details :

Name and surname;

Contact number;

E-mail address;

Your age;

The city where you live; and

Tell us how you learnt about YEAHBO.DOT.NET or yeahbodotnet.blogspot.com.

Good luck!