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Hi all, couldn't resist to comment on this. What a thrill to see Gerry in Switzerland and somewhere where I've been a couple of times. Risa

I hardly dare to venture in here, its been so long - months, years probably. But I just wanted to tell everyone who knows and remembers me that I haven't forgotten you. I'm still here, but life goes on and things change. Just wanted to give a quick sign of life. Happy Easter to everyone Risa

Its beautiful, love it Nikki - another great one. Risa

http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/m...ory/747754.html RocknRolla ® *** | Can't help but love Guy's kooky Cockney crooks BY RENE RODRIGUEZ rrodriguez@MiamiHerald.com After the turgid, creatively bankrupt mess of 2005's Revolver, I naturally assumed that writer-director Guy Ritchie (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,Snatch) had finally exhausted the tough-guy milieu that had launched -- and essentially sustained -- his filmmaking career. Well, I was wrong. Ritchie apparently still has plenty of Cockney-mobsters pictures left in him, and if they're anything like RocknRolla, I can't wait to see the next one. This exuberant exercise in pretzel-plotted crime capers is a ridiculously entertaining piece of nonsense, devoid of all the attempts at psychological complexity and philosophical navel-gazing that bogged down Revolver. Everything in RocknRolla exists for sheer fun, beginning with its story, a crazily complicated tale of double and triplecrosses among gangsters that involves an imperious, old-school mob boss (Tom Wilkinson), his drug-addict rock-star son (Toby Kebbell), a Russian magnate (Karel Roden), his crooked accountant (Thandie Newton), an assortment of low-ranking footsoldiers (including 300's Gerard Butler and The Wire's Idris Elba) and a pair of American record producers (Jeremy Piven and Chris ''Ludacris'' Bridges). Along with an ever-increasing assortment of satellite characters (including a thug enamored of Merchant-Ivory costume dramas and a pair of seemingly unkillable Russian hitmen) they continually cross paths, often in search of a priceless painting that is RocknRolla's central MacGuffin. Ritchie is careful never to allow the tangled plot to spill over into incomprehensibility, and a big part of the fun lies in seeing how the story is often sent veering into unexpected detours by the actions of the characters, whose blunders have the consequences of tumbling dominoes. Despite its genre roots, RocknRolla only contains one sustained piece of action, a long chase between Butler's gang and the Russian terminators, who run after each other on foot for so long they're eventually too winded to run any farther, so instead they just stumble along (this may be the cinema's first foot chase in which the participants merely walk). Although the characters are all cartoons, Ritchie still invests them with enough personality to make them stand out as real people, which is what makes RocknRolla much more involving than your typical Tarantino ripoff. When one of the tough guys blurts out he's gay and has secretly been in love with his partner for the past five years, the scene is as sweetly touching as it is unexpectedly funny. And Ritchie tricks out all the gunplay and underworld shenanigans with moments of inexplicable weirdness, such as a scene in which Butler and Newton get up to dance at a party and begin to jerk around like marionettes controlled by a spastic puppeteer. RocknRolla is a goof, but it's a terrific one -- and it proves Ritchie's career as a filmmaker may last longer than anyone had imagined. Cast: Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Mark Strong, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Karel Roden, Toby Kebbell, Jeremy Piven, Chris ''Ludacris'' Bridges. Writer-director: Guy Ritchie. Producers: Joel Silver, Susan Downey, Steve Clark-Hall. A Warner Bros. release. Running time: 114 minutes. Vulgar language, violence, gore, adult themes. Playing at area theaters.

http://www.kentucky.com/695/story/574352.html RocknRolla': Guy Ritchie delivers, slowly By Roger Moore The Orlando Sentinel How odd is it that it takes Guy Ritchie an hour of screen time to remember how to be Guy Ritchie for his latest gangland-slangland romp, RocknRolla? Pretty bloody odd. The "British Tarantino" has whipped in all the usual Ritchie riches — London gangsters, ruthless foreigners, dishonor among thieves and one pricey plot device. But for the first hour, RocknRolla — which is about Russian mobsters-turned-developers making payoffs to a London mob boss, an accountant arranging robberies, a missing painting, a junkie rocker who has faked his death and the happy-go-goofy villains trapped in the middle of it all — is painfully slow of foot. Ritchie has tossed so much into the salad that every one of his signature monologues — the old-school mob boss (Tom Wilkinson) gives a dissertation on American crayfish, a beefy street hoodlum with a taste for British costume films discusses his appreciation for the painter Whistler — stops the movie cold. Ritchie dawdles that first hour in setting the table for his heroes, "The Wild Bunch" (Gerard Butler and Idris Elba), putting them in jeopardy, but not really. Russians are tricked, a bored accountant (Thandie Newton in bombshell mode) double-crosses, the missing painting turns up with the missing (and supposedly dead) rocker (Toby Kebbell), threats are made, slang is slung. But even if we're "in there like swim wear," the picture cannot get up to speed. Even the motor-mouthed Jeremy Piven, playing a music promoter (opposite Luda cris) seems to be asleep. Butler is charming and tough (his character, "One-two," is homo phobic and embarrassed by it); Wilkinson devours the scenery with relish; Newton vamps inscrutably. The charismatic narrator (Mark Strong), a mob lieutenant, can't keep the stories straight or pick up the tempo. It's as if Ritchie has shoved every cool character he couldn't fit into a movie during the Madonna years into one cluttered film. But then, finally, Ritchie (Snatch; Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) juggles all the balls into the air, and the picture takes flight. Competing mobs collide, a heist goes wrong, "Virginia killing sticks" are smoked, murderers murder and RocknRolla reminds us of how cool Ritchie was before Madonna doused his fire. Pity he makes us wait so long.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...8103001644.html Guy Ritchie's Newest Rerun Guy Ritchie is so in love with a single movie, he keeps making it again and again. Like "Snatch" (2000) and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" (1998) before it, the British director's "RocknRolla" is as hyperkinetic as it is hyperverbal; funny, violent and fixated on the kind of imaginary underworld in which a junkie rock star (Toby Kebbell) waxes poetic about the meaning of life as encapsulated in pack of cigarettes. It's all about the allure of glamour and beauty on the outside; death and decay on the inside. That pretty much sums up the movie, too. Populated with a large cast of colorful characters with names such as Tank, Cookie and Handsome Bob, "RocknRolla" is a serpentine affair involving crooked accountants, lawyers and politicians, in addition to the kind of, er, professionals whose job titles would be hard to sum up in a single word. "What do you think we are, gangsters?," sniffs London real-estate fixer Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson), when accused of the kind of thuggish behavior he's known for. "That's not my style." Style, after all, is what "RocknRolla" is all about. And it has it in spades, from the cockney "Pulp Fiction" dialogue to the music-video editing of the rambling narrative. Mostly, it centers on a deal between Lenny and Russian mobster/developer Uri (Karel Rodin). Uri owes Lenny 7 million euros to grease the wheels of commerce and zoning. In exchange, Lenny gets to borrow Uri's "lucky painting," a canvas we never see but which changes hands so many times I lost track. Four of the more prominent of those hands belong to One Two (Gerard Butler) and Mumbles (Idris Elba), a pair of raffish ne'er-do-wells who head up the parade of reprobates. ad_icon You'll recognize Thandie Newton, Jeremy Piven and Ludacris among them, but it's the actors you have never heard of who lend this stylish criminal enterprise what little substance it possesses. -- Michael O'Sullivan RocknRolla R, 114 minutes Contains obscenity, violence, drug use and sex. Area theaters.

http://www.star-telegram.com/movies/story/1006036.html Guy Ritchie tones down his usual guns and gangsters for 'RocknRolla' RocknRolla *** R (pervasive strong language, violence, drug use and brief sexuality); 114 min. Guy Ritchie tried to do something different, really he did. The director veered from his reliable three G’s — gangsters, gags and gunplay — for 2002’s Swept Away, starring his wife, Madonna. Now Ritchie has reverted to formula. Fortunately, in RocknRolla, he gets the ingredients in the right proportion. Small-time hoods One Two (300’s Gerard Butler) and Mumbles (Idris Elba of The Wire) are in debt to London crime boss Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson), who has outmaneuvered them in a complex real estate scam. Lenny plans to flip his newly acquired property to Russian mobster Uri (Karel Roden); as a sign of good faith, Uri gives Lenny his favorite painting to hold until the deal is completed. Before that can happen, the painting is stolen right from under Lenny’s nose. The chief suspect is Lenny’s adopted son Johnny Quid (Toby Kebbell), a rock ’n’ roll singer whose death has just been reported in the tabloids. Lenny isn’t buying that news — reports of Johnny’s death have been greatly exaggerated in the past — so he and his goon squad enlist Quid’s record producers (Jeremy Piven and Chris Bridges) to track him down. Meanwhile, Uri’s trusted accountant and girlfriend, Stella (Thandie Newton), is fleecing him with the assistance of One Two and Mumbles. It may sound a little complicated, but RocknRolla is actually easier to follow than Ritchie’s previous crime sprees. It plays a bit like an Elmore Leonard caper transplanted to London, except that Leonard’s characters tend to be just a little bit smarter than Ritchie’s. Only Newton projects any real intelligence as the femme fatale, although Gerard and Elba are a likeable enough pair and Wilkinson has a lot of fun as the blustery kingpin. For the first time, Ritchie shows some restraint with the heavy artillery — and it’s no coincidence that this is the director’s first movie that doesn’t wear out its welcome long before the credits roll. — Scott Von Doviak, Special to the Star-Telegram

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp...&TextPage=1 Fast times 'RocknRolla' director Ritchie speaks about latest By JOHN ANDERSON, Newsday First published in print: Thursday, October 30, 2008 TORONTO — Probably better-known as Madonna's estranged husband than as a director of high-style, high-attitude, comic-book-type thrillers ("Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels"), Guy Ritchie took the Toronto Film Festival by storm: "RocknRolla," his latest Brit gangster saga starring Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton and Tom Wilkinson, seemed to be everything the crowd wanted, and more. He spoke about the movie during the festival. Q: Could you have gotten a better reception than you did last night? A: The crowd in London was great, but when we came here, it was a different class. I felt they wanted to enjoy it from the start, a very warm environment. Just felt right, didn't it? Can't play any better than that. Q: Can you credit some of the reaction to the Gerard Butler cult? I even saw middle-aged women going positively bonkers. A: Possibly. I didn't really know there was a whole Gerry Butler cult. Why is that? Because he's like a guy's guy? Or a woman's guy? I don't know. I am aware that he had a rather impressive set of abs in "300." Q: Did you have him in mind, or anyone of your cast when you were prepping the film? A: Yes and no. Some of the people I had talked about. It's an organic process: You see the TV series, the movies, you make a subconscious mental note of actors you find inspiring, and gradually they come to the forefront of your mind at the appropriate time. I guess that's how the casting process really works. Q: Tom Wilkinson, as the mob chief, seems to be channeling Bob Hoskins, but he also seems to be having fun. A: He was tremendously professional, he turned up, did his thing, pushed off, I'm not sure he really knew what he was getting into. He was pushed on time, and it was hard for us to get the timing right. But he was the guy I really wanted. Q: It seems obvious, but how important is place to you? A: Tremendously. I reckon I'll do as good a job as I can making a place interesting even if it isn't, but London is. It's sort of been the capital of the world to a degree for 600 years, and that's not really changing. Every now and then it turns its crown over to another city for a while, but generally takes it back. Q: It's cyclical? A: It's interesting how cyclical it is. I can't think of any other city that's held the crown as long as London has in terms of global power. I know New York has stolen the title for awhile by default of being in America. They say New York is the center of the Western world and London is the center of the rest of the world. Q: Is technique always going to be what people talk about when they talk about you? A: Probably. It's really about entertainment. "RocknRolla" is almost a caricature, it's almost an animated world. It's really about how I see life editorialized into an entertaining selection of choice cuts. If I go to the cinema, it's exactly the sort of thing I want to see. Q: What's your philosophy of film violence? A: It would be hard for me to completely intellectualize the choices that I make. It's just the way I'm sort of creatively bent. I mean, I'm making a reflection of a tough world, but it's not to be taken too seriously, right? I like the idea that sometimes you play it straight and then you don't. It's fertile ground for exploring as a director. Q: One character gets beaten with a golf club. It might have been onscreen. You portrayed it by suggestion. A: I could have done it onscreen, but as you probably now know, I'm neither interested in watching sex or violence necessarily on screen. Q: The snapshot sex scene between Gerard Butler and Thandie Newton must be the briefest on film. How'd it happen? A: It was a happy accident: Gerry turned up with an infected throat and everybody was moaning and groaning and I saw it as a blessing in disguise — "Let's shoot it in 15 minutes! Gerry you're over there, Thandie, you're over there" and they never had to be together at the same time. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, I think it's weird watching two people cohabitate at the best of times anyway. Q: What's next? A: "Sherlock Holmes" starts in a month. I look forward to that. They've given me some real money for a change. Big traditional movie, Robert Downey Jr.'s in it. It'll be fun. Perfect sort of thing for me: English and big.

http://www.movieweb.com/review/RE6U767bU2mO97 "Good Movie For A Not So Good Movie Season. " I wasn't particularly swayed too much by this trailer but considering the summer period was almost over and we film lovers now have to survive the cheap horror winter season, Rocknrolla seemed like a nice surprise. So i saw it last night. And, to the tell the truth, i absolutely loved it! Obviously apart from guy ritchies excellent direction it had some absolutely fantastic dialouge with some pin sharp conversations and trademark British humour. The story revolves around several characters, each do something that affects another character within the story. Characters are The Wild Bunch with Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton the accountant, Tom Wilkinson the gangster. I could say more but there are a lot. The film to start i found was rather complicated but as time went on i got used to all the characters and they're relationships etc etc. It's filled with some great top notch sequences but my favourite and the crowds favourite was "The Invincible Russians" Overall this is a great film and breaks the dead lock of cheesy cheap films we get around this time of year. go see it now! Overall: B

Cat Swannie that banner is beautiful A couple of yummy older Gerry cleavages..... Good morning, afternoon, evening Risa

Hello everyone - I'm feeling a bit like a stranger coming here - its such a long time since I was in the Support Center (hangs head). But I thought I'd give it a try The decoration is as always lovely and exquisite Big hug to you Cat I'm sorry for the loss. Nancy - huggles. I brought some pics from my vacation on the Maltese Islands, where the sea is so blue, that you can get drunk just by looking into it. Maltese fishing boats Valletta Azure Window Temple ruins from around 3000 BC Blue Lagoon Our cruise ship for one day It was very warm and sunny for the whole two weeks - just the right thing before winter starts. We usually travelled around the islands with public buses - old but realiable. I enjoyed it very much and might return again some time. Risa

So true - I really felt sorry for Alex Frei - maybe with him, we could have made it - but alas - I go and have a cookie myself Thanks for all the beautiful poems.

Good morning or afternoon everyone - just popping in to say hello. EvaMari - I would give anything to get my hands on this really beautiful vintage Gerry wine What team are you favouring at the football (soccer) Euro 08? As Switzerland is already out I'm going for the Netherlands. Risa