Bally Chohan Reviews on Films, Sports and Cities

A family in films: Walnut Creek native follows great aunt’s footsteps
Ever since she was a little girl, Katy K. Burton had stars in her eyes.

She also had a star in the family — her great-aunt Marie Burton, whom Burton grew up admiring as she listened to stories about the Paramount Studios contract actress who made films during 1930s Golden Age of Hollywood.

“Since I was 5, I knew I wanted to be an actress,” said Burton, a Northgate High School and UC Berkeley grad.

Years of early discipline rehearsing and performing in high school musicals while playing various sports proved to prepare Burton, a Walnut Creek native, for her rigorous new role as actor, screenwriter and producer in Hollywood.

Now, the stars have aligned through Burton’s film production company, Infinity United Entertainment, as she stars in the upcoming indie drama “Don’t Pass Me By,” a story about regret, love and second chances. Burton portrays a Hollywood starlet whose reacquaintance with a childhood friend propels her to take control of her life. The film is slated to be released in the spring at various film festivals, Burton said.

Her acting career is a culmination of years of discipline, hard work and dedication to the craft of acting and filmmaking, she said.

“Being involved in sports encouraged me to embrace challenges, to get up and keep going,” said Burton, whose high school sports included track and field, swimming and water polo.

In college, she was a competitive swimmer and member of USA swimming
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six years. She also competed in more than 30 triathlons. After graduating from UC Berkeley, Burton studied acting and filmmaking at Charles University in Prague (Czech Republic) and then made her way to Hollywood, where she continued to study her craft with the renowned improv and sketch comedy group Upright Citizens Brigade and studied the Meisner Techique at The

Ruskin School of Acting.

In addition to the upcoming release of “Don’t Pass Me By,” Burton is working on a suspense thriller, “Wake,” in which she’ll star and produce.

As her film career blossoms, Burton said she credits time spent going to plays, movies, museums and taking in the entire arts scene with her parents and grandmother while growing up in the Bay Area.

And as always, great-aunt Marie Burton has always been a huge influence in her life. Marie Burton was born in Burton Valley, Moraga on the Burton Ranch. Katy K. Burton, born Katy Kvalvik, is a fifth-generation Contra Costan. Her grandfather, Grant Burton (Marie Burton’s brother), was a rancher in Walnut Creek, and Katy K. Burton’s mom grew up in Walnut Creek and Danville.

“The Burtons came to Contra Costa County in the Gold Rush years, and my grandmother on my mom’s side also had long-standing relatives from Contra Costa County as well,” Burton said. “At 17, Marie Burton left home to pursue an acting and dancing career in the entertainment business in Hollywood and was a successful Paramount Studios contract actress in the 1930s.”

Marie Burton starred in more than 40 films in the 1930s. She was also a trained dancer and singer. When she was not on set in a film, she was starring in Ziegfeld Follies and vaudeville shows in Los Angeles. Her best friend and roommate was Marion Davis, William Randolph Hearst’s girlfriend, Burton said.

“She would always tell stories of her and Marion going to the Hearst Castle for weekend parties,” Burton said of her great-aunt who died in San Francisco in 1976. “She left Hollywood in the 1940s and came back to the Bay Area to continue her dance career. She took dance classes into her 60s, always looking to learn more about the art form.”

Kevin Sanchez, a board member of the Diablo Regional Arts Association, was a mentor of Burton’s during high school and one of those who “remembers her when.”

“I have watched Katy grow up since she was a kid — most people are born to follow. Katy is a leader,” Sanchez said. “I have watched Katy succeed in everything she has done since she was a kid, so it is no surprise to me that she is such a success in Hollywood at such a young age.”

Earlier this year, Burton showcased her comedy chops for the new indie

film “Screwed,” and the short “The Takedown.” Burton also appeared in three national commercial campaigns this year, including spots for a major retailer, a restaurant chain and a flower vendor.

Marie Burton passed on the acting gene not only to Burton but to her older brother Rolf Burton.

“Growing up with Katy, we would create elaborate comical stories with simple props from our pantry to cure the boredom during family gatherings,” said her brother. “The creativity I saw in Katy then translates well to being truthful under imaginary circumstances which she portrays in her acting currently. Katy always found a way to overcome obstacles in life. Many people fantasize about creating or doing things. Katy makes her visions a reality.”

Burton, who currently lives in the Los Angeles area, said that tapping into her creative energy helped attract other like-minded artists such as her business partner and co-writer, Rachel Noll, who said she’s grateful to be associated with Burton.

“We tell people all the time how lucky we feel to have found each other. We have a unique balance of strengths and abilities, which is what makes our partnership so strong,” said Noll, who also stars in the film. “Where I have gaps in my knowledge or understanding, Katy excels, and vice versa. We named our production company Infinity United to reflect this idea — two energetic wholes coming together to create something even greater.”

Burton said that she inherited her great-aunt’s qualities of determination and can-do attitude as well as adventurous spirit of embracing life. Burton said her own world travels and challenges helped bring more depth to her acting and filmmaking as she hopes to share the reservoir of human emotion through film.

“When you realize the importance of what you’ve been given in life, you wake up,” Burton said. “Just like my great aunt, I’m constantly curious about life and am thankful for all my experiences and challenges in life that has helped me be the person I am today.”

Katy K. Burton

Bally chohan told  us :Almost a year after 7 KHOON MAAF where she played the central protagonist, Priyanka Chopra  would now be returning as Roma a.k.a. ‘junglee billi’ in DON 2. The film is touted to be far more advanced than DON and has been designed as a cool-n-slick thriller. With technology improving manifold over last half a decade and audience exposed to Hollywood cinema like never before, how does DON 2 really stand the test of times?

“I can go on and on but ultimately audience will get to see what DON 2 is all about in just a few days from now. The only thing I want to say here is that this is a really amazing film and if I may add, it is even better than DON. Whether it’s the script or shot execution, just all of it is very exciting and hugely entertaining. This is pretty much the kind of cinema that Farhan believes in and as audience, you too would get exactly what you expect from him,” says Priyanka.

Ever since the beginning of the year, DON 2 has been billed as one of the most awaited films of the year. Isn’t it scary to be riding on such high expectations?

CHECK OUT: Farhan Akhtar- SRK knows Don better than before

“Well of course it is scary but then it isn’t just for DON 2 though,” she immediately reacts, “I have the same feeling and stress for every film of mine. I always keep thinking whether people would like my film or not, whether I would impress them or not, etc. etc. etc. Still, I can definitely say though that if people liked DON, they would definitely love DON 2.

On a parting note, one wonders whether don ko pakadna abhi bhi namumkin hai ya junglee billi usse iss baar daboch legi? “Well, namumkin toh hai par phir bhi Don ko junglee billi se dar kar rehna hoga,” declares Priyanka before signing off. Bally chohan  is expert of  bollywood or hollywood  review

Bally chohan review :Almost every holiday has had one or more films made about it. Christmas leads the list. Lagging way behind is the event that occurs only a week later. Garry Marshall’s latest film “New Year’s Eve” fills that void with an engaging and entertaining look at the intertwined lives of several New Yorkers as the clock ticks down to midnight. Like Marshall’s 2010 “Valentine’s Day”, “New Year’s Eve” features an all star ensemble cast in a series of paralleling holiday related stories.

The central focus is the Times Square Alliance’s “Ball Drop” supervised by Claire Morgan (Hilary Swank) whose mission is to get the job done by midnight (no second chances). Included cliches are the “first kiss at midnight” between teenagers Hailey (Abigail Breslin) and Seth (Jake T. Austin); the resolutions list of Ahren secretary Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) that has to be completed by midnight with the assistance of deliveryman Paul (Zac Efron); Ahern Executive Sam (Josh Duhamel) who met “the one” last year before she disappeared leaving only a message to meet at the same place next year ; two couples, James (Til Schweiger) and Sarah (Sarah Paulson) vs. Griffin (Seth Meyers) and Tess (Jessica Biel) racing to have the first baby delivered into the new year for the prize to be awarded; the father Stan Harris (Robert de Niro) alone in the hospital whose thing it is to watch the ball drop every year. Then the technical glitch with the ball drop that threatens to keep a Happy New Year from happening… Get Kominsky (Hector Elizondo)!

Easily a “Date Movie” companion to “Valentines Day”, “New Year’s Eve” can wait until the DVD release to be seen, especially since it is a natural for a 2 movie 2-disc set. If you do decide to see it in the theathre make sure you get there before midnight on the 31st because after that this movie will be so last year.

Did you know the title character of the television show “House” is based on Sherlock Holmes?Played by Hugh Laurie, Dr. Gregory House is a brilliant solver of mysteries who has an antisocial personality, a drug problem and a number of annoying personal traits. It’s no accident, we’re supposed to be seeing how the greatest mind in literature would operate in today’s society.

Holmes himself is portrayed basically the same way by Robert Downey Jr., both in 2009’s “Sherlock Holmes” and now in “A Game of Shadows.” The portrayals are so similar that my mother saw the trailer for the original and asked if the actor was the one from “House” despite not knowing the deliberate connection. The actors don’t look very much alike, they just take the same approach to the character.

I bring up the “House” comparison because the show has rendered the films moot. Why make a big to-do about going to a see a movie when you get to see the same character in 24 new adventures a year from the comfort of your living room (not to mention for free)?

About the only thing the films do to distance themselves from the show is set the stories in Victorian London. The most notable unique elements are fancy dress, cobblestone streets, and no cell phones. This is supposed to give the film an “authentic” look reminiscent of the books, but all the camera tricks and special effects take away from the classical feel.

For this film, Holmes takes on his literary arch nemesis, Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris). We are constantly told of what a sharp intellectual Moriarty is and how he’s a perfect mental match for Holmes, but frankly I’m not convinced.

Having the resources to carry out an evil scheme (in this case egging on World War I so he can profit from the sale of weapons) doesn’t make him smart, it just makes him rich and powerful.

And he makes the ever-stupid villain mistake of bragging about his plans to Holmes so our hero can stop him just in time. I think the message we’re supposed to take away from these scenes is that Moriarty is the original Bond villain.

Holmes is joined by his ever-faithful sidekick Watson (Jude Law). Holmes loves to annoy Watson, and Watson tolerates it because he sees it as some kind of sign of affection. Holmes puts poor Watson in danger just so he can earn his gratitude when he saves him. Watson is getting married, but the film still likes to be childish and tease that the two are more than just friends. Other characters include Noomi Rapace as a gypsy girl whose brother may be mixed up with Moriarty and Stephen Fry (an comedy partner of Hugh Laurie) as Holmes’ brother.  As with the original “Sherlock Holmes,” “A Game of Shadows” has little to make it interesting or memorable. I’ll admit that the film does have one cute trick where Holmes imagines how an entire fight sequence will play out before it happens, usually in defiance of Holmes’s strategy.Otherwise, it’s an action movie we’ve seen a thousand times before. I have no doubt that the character of Sherlock Holmes can still be enjoyed, provided you can find an older film or better yet, some of the books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But this surly version of Holmes, while fitting in very well on television in “House,” has no place at the theater.

Two Stars out of FiveSherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action and some drug material. Its running time is 129 minutes.  Review by bally chohan he is movie review expert

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

Release Date: 12/16/2011

Rating: Not Yet Rated

Runtime: Not Yet Available

Genre: Spy film, Action

Director: Brad Bird

Cast: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames

Paramount Pictures’ Mission: Impossible franchise is a rare phenomenon. Few film series based on properties as old as it is have retained such relevance in the modern movie market, and few take as long a break in between installments, making each new entry a highly anticipated event. Such is the case with Ghost Protocol, the fourth in fifteen years starring Tom Cruise as super-agent Ethan Hunt. Adding to the hoopla surrounding the holiday release is the fact that it marks the live-action directorial debut of Brad Bird, the Pixar wunderkind responsible for Oscar-winning hits The Incredible and Ratatouille. Unfortunately, I feel that the animation auteur had too much to prove in his first physical outing and tried a bit too hard to thrill, resulting in a film that plays more like John Woo’s over-the-top M:I:II than Brian de Palma’s suspenseful original.

The plot essentially kicks off when a bomb blasts a hole the size of a football field in the Kremlin (Russia’s most important government facility) while Hunt and his team of IMF agents (Paula Patton and Simon Pegg) attempt to extract a nuclear detonation device from the fortress before a mysterious figure known only as Cobalt can get to it first. The problem: Cobalt has gotten to it first, and frames Hunt and company for the bombing, causing the U.S. President to enact “Ghost Protocol,” which disbands the IMF and disavows its soldiers. Knowing that the theft of the device, and a batch of codes that enable it to be used prior to this event, means that Cobalt surely intends to start World War III, the agents go rogue to retrieve the components and bring the terrorist to justice.

Like the fore mentioned bomb blast, Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec’s script is devastating, leaving scattered pieces of information all over the place and making it hard for the story to truly find its footing. Expository plot points are dropped in way after they’re needed or wanted, messing with the pace of the movie on more than one occasion. Perhaps their biggest crime is crafting a lame villain with little presence in the picture. After the intensity that Phillip Seymour Hoffman brought to his antagonist in M:I:III, Michael Nyqvist’s quiet and composed Hendricks just isn’t convincing enough as a true threat. On the other hand, Bird’s direction is anything but composed.

While his use of IMAX cameras is quite breathtaking when filming the much-publicized Burj Khalifa climb and other notable set pieces, as stated before his approach to the material seemed to be “let’s make every action sequence as ludicrous as we can.” I realize that MIGP is a holiday blockbuster designed to get audiences blood pumping, but I’ve always found that action films work best when they operate (mostly) within the confines of reality. That’s clearly not the case here, where Hunt drives perfectly through a blinding sandstorm without causing much collateral damage and nosedives a Volkswagen off of a 30-foot drop and lives to save the day.

Still, it’s all in the name of fun, and he does manage to create an entertaining dynamic between his IMF agents. Patton is totally passable as Jane Carter, an agent seeking revenge for the murder of her cohort and apparent beau Hanaway (Josh Holloway), while Pegg, returning as Benji the tech-geek from the preceding film, has been promoted to field agent and is without question the movie’s saving grace.

Movie review By Bally Chohan: Mission Impossible fails in Cruise control

All that’s missing is the emaciated model wearing a couture trash bag, a half-naked man draped over a vintage motorbike, and a python, because everything else about Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol feels like a Eurotrash fashion spread.

Standing super-coiffed, but not too precious, at the centre of this glossy frame is aging action hero and one-time boy wonder Tom Cruise — a man with a mission of his very own.

Circling the scrap heap of outdated stars seeking one last shot at greatness, Cruise needed to reignite the afterburners of his career after the stalled performance of Knight and Day. He also needed to put the couch-jumping episode behind him once and for all.

This fourth Mission: Impossible movie goes some distance in helping Cruise get his action mojo back, but for all the crafty gadgets and gorgeous locales, there’s something off in this Vancouver-shot spectacle — and it’s more than the fake Seattle street signs.

It’s the undeniable feeling that Tom Cruise has lorded over every single shot to make sure he looks good. Whether it’s the right eye light to accentuate his azure blue irises or the casual toss of his perfectly treated hair, Cruise’s appearance is so manicured, it’s distracting.

At one point, it’s even laughable, as we watch Cruise and co-star Jeremy Renner check into the Burj Khalifa hotel in Dubai wearing tailored silk suits and sunglasses. We’re used to seeing super-spies in fine apparel with deluxe accessories, but Cruise kicks it up a notch, ensuring all the surrounding décor, including his co-stars, sets off his look.

The good news is that Cruise does look rather handsome, in that big-toothed, self-conscious, control-freak way of his.

As producer and star of this latest Mission: Impossible effort, he clearly recognized the need to stay relevant with the kids, as well as appeal to the established fans. So the character of Ethan Hunt is loyal and courageous, but he’s also got a slightly dry sense of humour.

He’s aloof and cool, and he can climb plate-glass walls with little more than a dishwashing glove (and a safety harness). The only thing Ethan Hunt lacks is sex appeal.

For all of Cruise’s primping, he remains mysteriously asexual for the duration, no matter how many times he and Paula Patton share the frame.

It’s all part of Cruise’s bizarre screen presence, which lands somewhere between teen-boy crush and small-town preacher, which, untrustworthy as the type may seem, appears to be the key to reaching mainstream America.

Cruise’s lack of definitive sexuality is explained on screen as mourning, so we can take him off the priapic hook, but it’s just one of the curious effects of a Tom Cruise showcase: We get lost in the Tom Cruise-ness of it all.

This movie never transcends its star, because it’s handcuffed to his whole image. As a result, the predictable plot about a stolen nuclear warhead and the start of a U.S.-Russia showdown feels a little half-hearted.

Everything in the frame plays to Cruise, and that means the surrounding talent gets short shrift.

Tom Wilkinson appears for about 30 seconds of brilliance, and Academy-Award nominee Jeremy Renner takes on the potentially recurring role of a field agent turned analyst.

These two stars have so much heft on screen, they make Cruise’s limits more obvious, because they deliver their dialogue without the faux gravitas that plagues Cruise’s more emotional work.They also appear comfortable with the idea of not looking groomed.

Cruise just can’t do it. He’s entirely contrived, but because he seems to believe in his own mythology, it works a weird magic and we fall under his mechanical spell.

Besides, there’s a lot to sink your eyeballs into in this Imax-first release. The visuals are spectacular, even when Vancouver plays India, and the supporting performances bring eye candy (Patton), as well as comic relief (Simon Pegg).

On the whole, it’s a pretty decent package — as long as you can handle Cruise gift-wrapped in a blue silk bow. Movie review by Bally chohan

Iron Man fame Jon Favreau is back with his latest venture Cowboys and Aliens. The Hollywood director has nicely blended the two genres like Western and Alien/Sci-Fi genres in the movie. It has two treats in one for this summer and Daniel Craig is the showman. Cowboys and Aliens is an action-packed movie and the chemistry among Wilde, Craig and Ford is the major attraction of the film. The solid 3-D effects, smooth-flowing script written by nine writers and fantastic stunts are its other highlights. Its underderlying theme is that although the inhabitants of Earth may have our inter-species differences, we will come together when presented with a common threat. In 1873, a spaceship arrives in Arizona  for an unknown purpose. Stranger outlaw (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the desert with no memory and saunters onto Main Street. He meets cranky cattle barron Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) and his bully son (Paul Dano). The stranger discovers that he is a wanted thief named Lonergan when thar lights arrive in the sky. Then he rounds up a team of Doc (Sam Rockwell), Meachum the preacher (Clancy Brown), Native American Nat (Adam Beach) and beautiful Ella (Olivia Wilde) to stave off the invading force in an old-time Wild West standoff.As expected, Daniel Craig has shown great presence on screen. Harrison Ford and Craig suit up for the cowboys and their chemistry really works well. Olivia Wilde looks good in their company. Paul Dano, Sam Rockwell, Clancy Brown, Adam Beach and others have done a good job in their respective roles.In technical front, the 3-D effects are solid throughout the film. The dilemma of killing fast-moving aliens with light weaponry is put front and center. The movie has a fair amount of strong one-liner jokes. Harry Gregson-Williams’ music, Matthew Libatique’s cinematography and Dan Lebental’s editing are also praise worthy. Overall, Cowboys and Aliens is a must watch movie for this summer.

Producer: Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, Roberto Orci

Director: Jon Favreau

Cast: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Paul Dano, Sam Rockwell, Clancy Brown, Adam Beach

Music: Harry Gregson-Williams

Cinematography: Matthew Libatique

Review by bally chohan