On lollipops and crisps

2011 Movie Rundown

2011-12-17T23:37:00.000-08:00

It's been too long friends but, fear not, I haven't been idle. I've done well seeing the best of the season's films. My best of the year can be gleaned from this. My post diving deeper just isn't coming together in a timely fashion, so my apologies.

This year’s total was 42, up three from last year. What did I miss? Where did I go wrong? Speak now...

Perfection

Bridesmaids

The Muppets

Excellent

50/50

The Artist

Crazy Stupid Love

Drive

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Hanna

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

Midnight in Paris

Shame

Super 8

Solid

Captain America: The First Avenger

A Dangerous Method

The Descendants

The Help
Hugo

The Ides of March

Like Crazy

Moneyball

Paul

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Thor

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

X Men: First Class

Perfectly Fine

The Adjustment Bureau

The Adventures of Tintin

Contagion

Friends With Benefits

Horrible Bosses

Our Idiot Brother

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

The Guard

No Strings Attached

One Day

Young Adult

Your Highness

Just Silly

Bad Teacher

Scream 4

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part I

Just Bad

The Hangover Part II

Water for Elephants

Modern Family: Phil on Wire

2011-09-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

Season 3, Episode 3: Someone is snoring at the Delgado-Pritchett house. While Gloria think it is Jay, the camera pulls back to reveal that the family has gotten a dog that snores loud enough to wake Gloria. Jay is clearly smitten with Stella, enough to allow her to sleep in the bed when he won't let Manny, who we see is sleeping on the floor. ("Answer the question, Jay")

The newest addition to the family likes to spend time chewing on Gloria's shoes and taking all of Jay's affection, including her place in the shower with him.

At Cam and Mitchell's, Cam decides he wants to go on a juice fast. Mitchell fears a hungry Cam will disrupt a dinner at his boss's house, especially since Cam goes through six stages when he is on a diet:

1. The Clean Sweep—Cam throws out all junk food in the house.
2. Attack Mitchell—Mitchell tries to avoid this by joining in the juice fast. It's them versus food.
3. Soap Actress—Cam becomes incredibly emotional, distraught that his sister just can't put herself out there more. Why ARE men so superficial?
4. A Rush of Epiphanies—Cam doesn't need food. Architecture is EVERYWHERE! And true, Spaniards DO make amazing athletes.
5. Dispair—Cam can't even bring himself to seek when Lily hides.
6. Rage—The kitchen cabinets never stood a chance.

Mitchell does admit he is proud that Cam has made it farther in a diet than he ever has before. Though he fears what stage comes next.

Over at the Dunphy's Phil and Luke are watching Man On Wire and marveling at how awesome people are. Cam stops by to drop off the junk food from their house. Luke quickly commandeers it and hides it in his room. Watching the film inspires Phil to fulfill his dream of walking on a tightrope. He and Luke set up a test run in the yard and Luke's enthusiasm, while appreciated by Phil, is really the result of way too much chocolate.

Alex is being placed in a higher math course, the same course Haley is taking, and has been at least once before. Distraught that the girls will be in the same class, Haley spells out some ground rules: No looking at Haley in class and no texting Haley in class. Claire lectures the girls that sometimes they need to just rise above the small stuff as a school cop comes buy to lecture her about stopping in a loading/unloading zone. Claire, sensing this was a time for a lesson, politely "rises above" an unpleasant situation. She naturally thinks of a great comeback line after driving away.

When the girls return from their first day in the same class, it was obviously a disaster. Haley thought 8 was a prime number and Alex reminded the teacher to give the class homework. Claire tries a "subtle" manipulation ("The two of you could have been super Dunphys") to get the girls to help each other out: Haley helps Alex with her social standing and Alex helps Haley with her schoolwork. However, the girls take this to mean Alex helps Haley cheat if she gets a seat at the cool table at lunch.

Phil continues his quest to be a tightrope walker in the yard but is having trouble, complete with awesome "swear" phrases such as "Chicken and a biscuit!" and "Bartles and Jaymes!"

Gloria, frustrated with Cam's call asking to describe all her meals for the day, stumbles across Stella caught in the act of chewing on her clothes. Gloria offers up one of Jay's shoes and tries to get Stella to chew on it to give him a taste of the dog's show-induced wrath. Stella is not interested so Gloria manages to show the dog how it's done by eating the shoe herself while promptly discovered by Jay and Manny. Note: This is as ridiculous as it sounds. It does allow for a patented "animal reaction shot" that TV shows think never fail. They are right.

The next day when Claire is picking up the girls from school she gets a call that they are in the principal's office for cheating. While on the phone, school cop comes over to give her another parking lecture (and a ticket). This time Claire does not rise above. She lashes out and rips up the ticket and throws it in the cop's face. The girls emerge from the principal's office to find mom lecturing them while handcuffed. None of the ladies can be considered Super Dunphys today.

Phil picks up Luke from school after Luke throws up. Luke confesses saying he doesn't need a doctor. he ate all the junk food Mitch brought over because of their "Jew Fast." Phil tells Luke it's OK, as long as he learned a lesson and ruminates that he too learned a lesson about his ability as a tightrope walker. Luke mentions perhaps the problem is that the rope was only six inches off the ground, where Phil knew he could fall. If the rope was higher, Phil would have to stay on it. "Genius!" Phil exclaims. And yes you can have a donut!

At Mitch's boss's party, which is a fundraiser for sea life, the juice fast is weighing on both the men. As Mitch's boss tells a story about a sea lion (Snorkles) who he befriended and then who died because of a plastic bag, Mitch and Cam lose it and run out into the water. Mitch admits he is starving was only doing the fast for Cam. Cam admits he was only doing the fast for Mitch. I love you the way you are, etc. Cue embrace (I think a kiss would have been appropriate here. It would have felt more natural than just a hug. I still think the show is avoiding the kissing thing too much, even after the beautiful kiss episode of last season. Have we seen Cam and Mitch kiss since?)

As the Dunphy ladies return home, the girls apologize for their behavior. The arrive in time to see Phil walking a tightrope seven feet in the air. "Don't even bother, he's in the zone. He can't hear you," Luke warns them. Phil putting his dream into action instead of just talking the talk wraps the episode up in a nice little saccharine-filled bow. It's sweet and only truly cringe-inducing when Claire utters the line: "Turns out I've had my Super Dunphy all along." (Shudder)

Kind of a meh episode for me, but what did you guys think? Did the end segment make your eye twitch with cute overload?

Great lines and observations:

Claire: "Right now our daughters are upstairs making a decision they think is their own but really was an idea that was skillfully implanted by me." Phil: "Inception, Claire. Dangerous game but I like it."

Phil: "Luke, grab your camera." Luke pops up from couch: "I was just sleeping." Pops handful of candy in his mouth.

Phil: "If I had a nickel for every time I puked in school do you know how much money I'd have? Luke: "35 cents?" Phil: "Exactly."

Mitch: "It's tough enough to deal with Cam when I'm at full strength, but I have been fasting just as long as he has and I do not have the energy to deal with a big, needy brisketcase . . . basketcase."

Mitch: I really think you need to eat something." Cam: "What? You are supposed to be my support! Away from me temptress. And I never thought I'd call you that in a negative way."

Gloria to Jay: "You used to put me first. You used to want me in that shower." Manny: "Should I be here for this?" Gloria: No Manny it's OK, I go. I want you to know this, where I come from men cherish woman. It goes wife, mistress, dog, dog always at the bottom.

Cam as Mitch is crying: "I think he just needs a little air." Mitch: "You know who else needed air, SNORKELS!"

Summer Movie Recap

2011-09-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

Summer is officially over. During the past four months (I'm counting from the beginning of May) I saw 17 movies, some more than once. Overall, I'd say about five of them could count as memorable. Most are middling. However, middling is still worth discussing so now a rundown...

Thor
Who would have thought five months ago that Thor wouldn't be a complete mess? It's got its flaws for sure and I couldn't tell you at this point what the central conflict was about beyond Thor is banished to Earth, is a fish out of water and makes Natalie Portman swoon, but its sense of humor and dazzling visuals elevate it beyond the usual superhero nonsense. It is still nonsense, of course, but when Thor finishes his drink and promptly throws it on the ground it sure was fun.

Bridesmaids
Five viewings later I still laughed out loud, teared up and yearned for my best friends.

Midnight in Paris
Escapism the Woody Allen way. Allen takes my decade-long desire to move to Paris and personifies it on screen.

The Hangover Part II
Why was this made? It was better the first time, and even then, not the best comedy I've ever seen.

X Men: First Class
A duet between greats. I hadn't seen Michael Fassbender in anything before this

Super 8
Nostalgia for a time in movies that i didn't get to experience first hand. All the kids' performances in this are great. The movie is pure popcorn fun the way it ought to be for summer movies. Yes, the creature at the end is somewhat disappointing but who cares when it was so much fun to watch the lead up to its reveal?

Bad Teacher
Biggest wasted potential. The trailer made me laugh every time I watched it. I don't think I laughed out loud once during the actual movie.

Horrible Bosses
It's officially time for Charlie Day to be in more movies. This was fun enough, if not especially memorable for anything except Jennifer Aniston doing her best to play against type. it worked for me, but now, a few months later, I can't seem to muster up any great enthusiasm for it. Worth a Netflix for sure.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Two hours of pure payoff is reason enough to understand why they split the last Harry Potter novel in half. Yes, anyone who hasn't been paying attention would be hopelessly lost watching this, but I judge them for trying to watch it without any other context. And true, I have some quibbles about things that were changed, etc, but in the end, it didn't really matter. Everyone in the cast is in top form—especially Alan Rickman and Ralph Fiennes. It was exciting from beginning to end. and oh what an ending. So. Much. Crying.

Captain America: The First Avenger
The best word I can use is classic. Captain America felt old-fashioned in the best sense of the word.

Friends With Benefits
Way better than the same movie from earlier this year, but still, the exact same movie from earlier this year. This time it takes place in New York, has leads with actual chemistry but still manages to indulge plenty of the cliches of the romantic comedies it claims to abhor.

Crazy, Stupid, Love
I loved everyone involved. The (mostly improvised) pillow talk between Stone and Gosling ranks up there with some of the best scenes in modern romantic comedies. Their chemistry crackles throughout the movie but the more important chemistry is the surprising one between Gosling and Steve Carrell. Funny, charming and lovely.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
While the trailer made my eyes roll once I started reading reviews, I was so confused. How could it possibly be good? The answer is Andy Serkis. His Ceasar is a fully formed character and he outpaces every "human" actor in the film. I actually felt myself get excited for a possible sequel. That's rare when something isn't named Harry Potter or Batman.

The Help
Don't overreact! Yes, the performance of Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer (and Jessica Chastain belongs in with them) are superb. Emma Stone is her usual husky-voiced, adorable self. But calm down people. It's just a regular, serviceable feel-good movie.

One Day
After reading too much about people harping on Anne Hathaway's accent and the TWIST ending, I still gave One Day a chance. The accent didn't bother me and the twist I could see coming but I still reluctantly enjoyed this in spite of my better judgment. It's no masterpiece but the chemistry between Hathaway and Jim Sturgess worked for me. I still swooned and cried like a girl. So mission accomplished, One Day.

Our Idiot Brother
It's the Paul Rudd is charming show! Watch Paul Rudd have long hair and a beard! Watch Paul Rudd's great chemistry with a dog named Willie Nelson! Watch Paul Rudd make silly mistakes and be almost instantly forgiven! It's perfectly fine.

Modern Family: When Good Kids Go Bad

2011-09-28T17:10:00.000-07:00

Season 3, Episode 2: Though this aired directly after "Dude Ranch," I'm just getting around to recapping it. Deal.

The episode opens with Claire shopping with the "mad fun" Phil. When he gets distracted by an attractive woman, Claire ends up falling into a display of canned peaches. Claire insists that Phil pushed the cart, which pushed her into the display, but Phil denies any wrongdoing. Later, when Phil is recounting the story to the kids and Claire insists that it was Phil who pushed her, the family gangs up on her to make fun of her need to always be right. This inspires one of the most realistic exchanges this family has had in awhile, with all the kids (and Phil) chiming in with placating asides about Claire being right all the time. Families do this and it's nice to see something that is grounded in reality, especially in an episode when Claire moves from pleasantly neurotic into shrill territory.

Meanwhile, Cam and Mitchell are planning to announce to the family that they are going to adopt a baby boy but are having trouble with Lily's proclamation that she hates the idea of a baby. She also mentions that she "wants the baby dead." In an effort to warm Lily to the idea of a baby, the men host a play date where Lily promptly pushes the baby out of Cam's arms with a cry of "My daddy!" Clearly concerned, Mitch thinks her attitude stems from her dependence on Cam—a result of Cam's coddling nature. Cam can't even take Lily to preschool, opting to take her shopping to buy matching hats. Cam also allows Lily to hang from his neck like a stuffed monkey with Velcro hands and holds her hand even when he's in the shower. OK, he realizes, maybe he does coddle her.

When Cam is struggling with his new no-coddling policy, Mitchell is enjoying the fact that (for once) a parenting issue isn't his fault—previous issues that were his fault include being distant, working too much and messy french braids. To ease Cam's suffering, Mitchell decides to take Lily to school where he learns from Ms. Elaine (amazing teacher name) that the real trouble is that Lily has trouble sharing, a trait Mitch confesses she probably got from him.

Over at the Delgado-Pritchett residence, Gloria is letting Manny's principal have it after he accuses Manny of stealing a locket. "What do you think all Colombians are criminals because the Colombian necktie is a symbol of violence all around the world?" Gloria yells through the phone. Later, Jay confronts Manny about the stolen necklace and eventually breaks him by making him sweat under the lights in the garage. Manny says he took the necklace as a token from one of his crushes, and Jay insists Manny confess to Gloria, after ensuring that Manny doesn't actually want to wear the locket. The next morning, Manny comes clean and Jay suggests that Gloria make Manny confess to the principal, though she worries that he'll be labeled as the "jewelry thief" along with his other titles such as "the boy with the pan flute," and "the boy with the puffy shirt."

At school, Manny is expressing his fears about confessing when Gloria decides to let him off the hook and breaks into the owner's locker to return the locket, only after making Manny promise to never do anything dishonest again. On the way to Cam and Mitchell's, Jay asks Manny how his confession to the principal went and Gloria tries to steer the conversation elsewhere before Manny can give himself away.

I don't even want to get into a relatively pointless C-storyline about the girls tricking Luke into moving into the attic in order to not share a room. It mostly serves the "Claire is always right" storyline. Though, man, I love Luke.

Prepared for the adoption announcement with an "It's Gonna Be A Boy" banner, sparklers and Footloose's "Let's Hear It For the Boy" at the ready, the family gathers at Cam and Mitchell's. While Luke is talking to Cam, Lily pushes him with another cry of, "My daddy!" "This isn't over," sneers Luke. Mitch admits that Ms. Elaine told him that Lily has a problem with sharing, which she might have gotten from him. Cam, angry that Mitchell let him suffer all day, says they are not making the adoption announcement because he's not feeling joyful, a sentiment Mitch says he shares (finally).

Jay confronts Gloria about Manny's confession and says he knows she she never took him to the principal. Gloria's poker face doesn't crack. "You'd be surprised what people can live with, Jay," she says like a stone cold fox.

Angry that no one in her family believes her about Phil pushing her in the market, Claire pulls out a security video she got from the grocery store to prove she is right. It's at this point where we start to hate Claire instead of laugh with her. She puts the video on. She was right! "Suck it!" she tells her family. When Gloria points out she shouldn't tell her children to suck it, Cam agrees and points out that you never no what kids will pick up. Mitch vehemently apologizes and says they both need to examine their actions if they are going to adopt another baby. With the cat out of the bag, Cam hurries to unfurl his banner, queue up his song and light his sparklers. Jay says no kid wants a sibling and Claire hated Mitch so much that she put him in the dryer.

"I didn't do it because I hated you. I did it because my friend Marcy said it wouldn't run with a kid inside and I knew it would. I was right." Claire admits she has a sickness. Jay tries to diffuse the situation by proposing a toast to Manny, celebrating the fact that he was someone who stood up and admitted he was wrong. Of course, Manny can't handle the guilt and confesses to Jay that Gloria broke into the locker and had them run away. Jay relishes the fact that he was right and it's clear where Claire got her sickness from.

Not as successful for me as "Dude Ranch" what with all the annoying Claire bits and the Dunphy kids non-storyline, but still had some solid laughs. The show needs to tone it down on the "Claire is uptight" stuff and make us like her again after two episodes where she has played overbearing and insufferable. Otherwise, I always love to see Manny cracking under guilt and Phil cracking everyone up.

Great lines and observations:

"Freestyle sandwich rap: Tucked in between two whole wheat slices, pastrami and Swiss are my only vices." Phil's market sandwich rap.

Cam: "My sister was born with a full set of teeth." Mitch: "That's not true." Cam: "You should have seen her crib. It looked like beavers lived there."

Gloria: "My cousin Rosamarina when she was 14 she stole something and after that everyone thinks of her as the girl who steals cars. Jay: "She stole a car?" Gloria: "Cars. But after she got that label, what else could she do?"

Claire: "I'm going to skip this meeting of the 'Pile on Claire Club." Phil:"I guess I pushed her into that pile too."

Luke: "Do you have any furniture? I'm moving into the attic." Mitch:"The attic?" Luke: "Yeah, at least it's big. Grandpa said you used to live in the closet."

"Great Governor!" Phil's reaction to the realization that Claire has needed to be right since she was a child.

Modern Family: Dude Ranch

2011-09-22T06:46:00.000-07:00

Season 3, Episode 1: They're back! After (somewhat annoyingly) dominating the Emmys on Sunday, the Delgado-Pritchetts (plus Dylan) are heading to a dude ranch. Last year Hawaii, this year a dude ranch? Downgrade, family.

At least Cameron and Mitchell can use the opportunity to butch up their pop-up, musical photo book in their quest to to adopt a (domestic) baby boy. Phil wants to use the dude ranch experience to prove his manhood as well. He's been practicing his cowboy skills—shootin', ropin' and pancake eatin'—for weeks to impress Jay. Jay has other things to worry about, like Cowboy Hank who, while adept at giving nicknames (Bossy for Claire, Hollywood for Manny), is less skilled when it comes to flirting with Gloria. Luckily, she can't hear most of it since she can't seem to pop her ears from the plane, and therefore, is speaking even louder than usual. For some reason the horses seem skittish around her, despite her self-proclaimed horse whisperer skills.

Later at the pool, Alex is trying to get some reading done ("Freakanomics," ha!) and Luke is showing Manny his German firecracker. A tween Italian stallion named Jimmy makes Alex's acquaintance by soaking her with a cannonball and insulting her by calling her gorgeous. As the adults go for a horse ride, Jay's horse veers left, just like his uncle who had a stroke; Mitchell is riding side saddle to protect against a potential cow bite; and Gloria, aka Cactus Flower, rides like a beautiful conquistador per pervy Hank.

Alex has another encounter with Jimmy who steals a kiss—her first kiss. Claire, unhappy that Dylan had to come along, vows to make more of an effort to welcome him after Phil points out he knows how it feels to fall for a girl who's dad thinks he's not good enough. She goes to Dylan's tent to apologize and inadvertently makes him think she's coming on to him. While Dylan admits that if things were different he'd gladly share Claire's bed and raise Haley, Alex and Luke, he loves Haley and declines Claire's non-advances.

At the campfire, Mitchell admits he thinks he and Cam might be rushing into adopting another baby. Before he can explain, he is interrupted by Dylan who is down on one knee proposing to Haley. He barely gets the words out before he is interrupted by Claire refusing to even entertain the idea of Haley settling for Dylan. Distraught, Dylan goes to his room where he warns that there might be a fan that sounds likes someone crying.

The next morning Mitchell expresses his fear of being a father to a boy because of his lack of machismo. Jay advises Claire to stop interfering with Dylan and Haley or she'll end up with a boob for a son-in-law, which Phil rightly takes personally. Haley shows up to declare Dylan missing and the whole group saddles up to find him before he gets spacey from not eating every few hours. Alex confronts Jimmy about stealing her first kiss, telling him it wasn't supposed to be from a Mario Brother and he takes it "back" by kissing her again. In no time, they are making out. Cowboy Hank splits up the group—Claire and Haley, Buffalo Phil and Jay and himself and Gloria—to look for Dylan.

Luke approaches Mitch to tell him how he, as a boy, thinks Mitch is a great uncle. Mitch, realizing Luke has been sent by Cameron, quickly breaks him. Luke tells Mitchell about the firework and Mitchel, horrified by boys obsession with destroying stuff, takes it away. When Luke stalks off saying Mitch isn't fun Mitch caves and says they'll set the firework off together. "You just made the best decision of your life," Luke tells Mitchell. They stick the firecracker in a birdhouse and run like mad before being disappointed when it seems not to work. Naturally, it blows up the birdhouse seconds later and both are in awe of the explosion. Mitchell realizes he can handle being a father to a son after all!

While Phil and Jay search for Dylan, Phil confronts Jay about his crack about son-in-laws. Jay considers asking Phil "man to man" if he thinks Cowboy Hank is hitting on Gloria apology enough and they ride off to confront the villain. Claire and Haley have it out over Dylan with Haley telling her mother she said no to the proposal and that Claire needs to allow her to act like an adult. She's not a baby anymore, Mom! Who hasn't said these words to their mother? They find Dylan and he says he's taken a job at the ranch and him and Haley are over. "We're from different worlds. She's in high school, he's a ranch hand," Dylan says.

When Gloria is screaming for Dylan, Cowboy Hank gets a little too handsy and Phil and Jay arrive just in time. Cowboy Hank says it was an all act so Jay could be the hero and rescue his wife. Phil lets Cowboy Hank know he will only be checking somewhat satisfied on his comment card, because, well, he was still great with the kids. As everyone says farewell to the ranch, Alex and Jimmy get some last minute making out in; Haley says goodbye to Dylan, as Phil weeps in the background; and Cam and Mitch have some butch photos for the photo book, which Cam promptly improves with glitter.

All in all a satisfying episode reacquainting us with why we love this family to begin with. I realized how much I'd missed Phil all summer. Though last season was uneven compared to the first, this episode shows promise that all wrongs have been corrected.

Great lines and observations:

New baby Lily looks remarkably like old Lily, only a little more lively. Her playing with Cam and swinging with Alex was very cute. Her teeth upset me, but I guess kids have bad teeth. I sure did—ahem—headgear.

Gloria "I want my ears to pop." Manny: "Try putting a little rouge on them. (pause) Nobody gets me."

Mitchell: "I want to teach my son all the things my dad taught Claire."

Dylan's horse song: "I rode a horse for the first time today. Wasn't a surprise when it went neigh."

Luke explaining how Manny will know when the firecracker has gone off: "First all the electronics will go out. Then comes the heat flash. Afterwards, the living will envy the dead."

Phil on his nickname from cowboy Hank: "Buffalo Phil. Worth the wait."

What Looks Good: 2011 Upfronts

2011-05-18T17:48:00.000-07:00

This has been sitting in drafts for awhile. Apologies.

For the uninitiated, what is an upfront?

From Wikipedia:
In the North American television industry, an upfront is a meeting hosted at the start of important advertising sales periods by television network executives, attended by the press and major advertisers. It is so named because of its main purpose, to allow marketers to buy commercial airtime "up front", or several months before the television season begins.

I've been following all the upfront coverage all week. Here are the shows that on first glance, make me most excited for next season (or mid-season in some cases).

ABC
Apartment 23
Note: I will always love Dawson Leery.

FOX
Alcatraz

Terra Nova

New Girl

CBS
2Broke Girls
Note: The laugh track in this turns me off. But my love of Kat Dennings is making me curious.

Person of Interest
Note: I will watch anything Benjamin Linus is in from this day forward.

Casting Couch: John Holloway & Viggo Mortensen

2011-05-16T16:35:00.001-07:00

I flipped by Hidalgo on TV this weekend and voiced something to my roommate that I've thought for some time, so I thought I'd share. After watching Josh Holloway (Lost's Sawyer) be hilarious on Community and then happening to flip the channel to Hidalgo starring everyone's favorite King of Gondor, Viggo Mortensen, I decided my inner casting genius needed to break free.

Cast these men in a project together! Preferably as brothers. Preferably as dueling brothers of some kind so we can watch them kick each other's ass and make snarky quips back and forth. Both are obviously incredibly attractive. Both can play badass and funny. I think they deserve a Fincher, the Coens, Tarantino or perhaps even Nolan. Someone make this happen!

Now to you. Leave your suggestions for a plot, a director and/or writer in the comments.

Summer Movie Picks

2011-05-04T16:24:00.000-07:00

Apparently summer movie season "officially" beings this weekend with the release of Thor. Some might say it began last weekend with the surprising success of Fast Five. I cannot in good faith accept that Paul Walker had anything to do with the start of the summer movie season. With that in mind, there are plenty of movies to get excited about this summer. Here are 10 (in order of release date) that are on my radar.

Bridesmaids (May 13)
Trailer
This is a bit of a cheat since I've already seen Bridesmaids twice (what up, sneak previews!). But I'll still see it again once it's actually released because every time I see a trailer, I see new lines I didn't see in either screening. This tells me that the filmmakers had enough funny material to warrant a lot of jokes that are getting cut, so I'm still in for surprises. I won't go into spoiler mode but what I can say is this movie is hilarious, touching and a refreshingly real look at women friendships—not seen through the ridiculous fantasy lens of Sex and the City and other rom-com drivel. Kristen Wiig is Annie, a down-on-her-luck (but she's still banging Jon Hamm, so not too shabby) singleton who agrees to be maid of honor for her childhood friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph). She joins the other bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Wendi McLendon-Covey, The Office's Ellie Kemper and scene-stealer Melissa McCarthy) and the inevitable hijinks ensue. It's definitely worth an RSVP for ladies (and, yes, gentlemen too).
Note: My friend Stephen rightly pointed out that the movie has even more cred because it was directed by Paul Feig, creator of the brilliant Freaks and Geeks and director of many amazing Arrested Development episodes.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May 20)
Trailer
I gave up on Pirates of the Caribbean after the second one. What a terrible movie. I didn't even know what happened in the third until I read a summary on Wikipedia a few months ago. Johnny Depp agrees with me. So the news that a fourth was even made didn't excite me—until I saw the trailer. It could be because I did skip three that I'm wistful for some Captain Jack Sparrow. It could be my unabashed love for Geoffrey Rush in everything the man does. It could be Ian McShane as Blackbeard or Penélope Cruz as his daughter who shares a past with Jack. But it's most likely because summer is the time for fun at the movies. And what's more fun than Johnny Depp in full Jack Sparrow mode? (crickets)

The Hangover Part II (May 26)
Trailer
The Wolf Pack is back. Despite not remembering that these boys were known as the Wolf Pack, back they are and this time in Bangkok. Gathered for Stu's (Ed Helms) nuptials, the gentlemen once again have too much fun and lose someone important in the process. Instead of a baby, there's a monkey. Instead of missing teeth, there's a Mike Tyson-inspired tattoo. Instead of Ken Jeong as crazy criminal Mr. Chow, there's oh wait . . . Ken Jeong as Mr. Chow. With all the key players and plots in place, anticipation runs high. Let's hope The Wolf Pack lives up to their name (and makes me remember it this time).

The Tree of Life (May 27)
Trailer
There is a shot of a dinosaur on the poster! There are shots of space in the trailer! I have no idea what this movie is about and I've already exceeded my limit of exclamation points in one paragraph! What I do know is Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain are the mother and father of a boy who grows up to be Sean Penn. Too. Much. Excitement. For. No. Concrete. Reason!

X Men: First Class (June 3)
Trailer
Impeccable casting is the key to this X Men. James McAvoy as a young Patrick Stewart is inspired. First Class tells the story of how Charles became Professor X and came to lead his band of merry mutants. We'll also see how Erik aka Magneto (Michael Fassbender) became Prof X's eventual adversary. We also meet Mystique (Oscar-nominee Jennifer Lawrence), Dr. Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne), Emma Frost (January Jones) and Beast (About A Boy's kid all grown up Nicholas Hoult). I think its safe to say that this group will prove that origin stories really are more fun.

Super 8 (June 10)
Trailer
J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg together on paper looks like the new spaghetti and meatballs. With Super 8 we have the whimsy, coming-of-age feeling of E.T. combined with the monster movie fun of Jaws (and to a lesser extent Abrams' Cloverfield). While filming a zombie movie one night in 1979, 14-year-old Charles and his friends witness a train crash that unleashes something en route from Area 51. Friday Night Lights' Kyle Chandler plays the town's deputy who leads the hunt for what's making animals and humans disappear. With '70s nostalgia in full swing paired with creepy alien invasion, Abrams and Spielberg appear to have made old school meets new school movie magic.

Bad Teacher (June 24)
Trailer
Cameron Diaz returns to her raunchy comedic roots as a teacher who drinks, smokes, curses and is determined to get into sweet substitute Justin Timberlake's pants. Now, on paper, this doesn't seem like a good idea. But the trailer is surprisingly effective. It could be the kids getting repeatedly hit with balls. Or it could be that surrounded by Jason Segal, Phyllis and a bespectacled JT Cameron Diaz looks palatable even, dare I say, funny—something she hasn't been in a very. long. time.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (July 15)
Trailer
This should be painfully obvious but I'll recap. Payoff. Payoff. Payoff. I was honestly surprised how good Part I was with so little to work with. Every scene needed to be there but there was relatively little action compared to what's in store for the second part. Not to mention emotion galore! The trio are at their best, a whole bunch of Snape, an amazing walk in the woods, a detour in King's Cross—so many reasons to be counting down (and dreading) the days until July 15th.

Cowboys & Aliens (July 29)
Trailer
Summer blockbusters don’t take risks. Hence all the superheroes, sequels and boy wizards ruling screens this summer. Here is one that features the explosions, aliens and movie stars of traditional summer fare with a decidedly original mash-up of genres that should keep things fresh. Daniel Craig plays an 1870s gunslinger with a mysterious bracelet and a bad case of amnesia. Harrison Ford is an old enemy Craig has forgotten. They team up with House’s Olivia Wilde to battle aliens who start attacking their sleepy Western town. I read reports of the trailer eliciting laughs when it was first shown to theaters, but this movie plays it straight, despite its Snakes-on-Plane-type title. The real question is can they avoid camp to stifle the laughs without removing all the fun? With Ford and Craig in front of the camera and Jon Favreau, Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard behind, I’d say we’re in good hands to find out.

Crazy, Stupid, Love (July 29)
Trailer
This is a late addition to my radar as I didn't know a thing about it until I saw the trailer. Steve Carrell's wife (Julienne Moore) cheats on him, thus thrusting him back into a dating world that has changed considerably since the last time he visited. Helping along the way is dreamy, possibly photoshopped, Ryan Gosling, who in the meantime is falling for adorable Emma Stone. Noteworthy mostly for being a trailer for a romantic comedy that didn't make me roll my eyes, I have faith in the cast (and director John Requa, who did I Love You Phillip Morris, which was vastly underrated) to make this a romantic comedy that actually achieves its two goals: romance and comedy with a dash of a actual charm.

Honorable Mentions
The Art of Getting By: Trailer
Green Lantern: Trailer
Larry Crowne: Trailer
Horrible Bosses: Trailer: Trailer
Captain America: The First Avenger: Trailer
Friends With Benefits: Trailer
30 Minutes Or Less: Trailer
Our Idiot Brother: Trailer

Quick Catch Up

2011-04-07T18:04:00.000-07:00

I've been MIA. Apologies. Here's a movie catch up for those who care.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (Netflix): Surprisingly moving and genuinely funny, this documentary chronicles a year in the life of Joan Rivers. I found it fascinating to hear about Rivers early days in Hollywood and just to hear how long she's been around. Also, interesting is to watch this woman, who is nearing 80, refuse to give up. She literally can. not. stop. Still willing to do anything for a laugh, it is a joy to watch Rivers and realize that she really was a trailblazer for so many women comedians. I also enjoyed the quasi-rivalry with Kathy Griffin, who definitely owes a few of her Emmys to Rivers' influence.

The Adjustment Bureau: I actually really enjoyed this. Perhaps it wasn't the mind bending experience promised by the trailer but it was fun and surprisingly touching, if a little schmaltzy. Love the fedoras gentlemen.

Paul: As a stereotypical "geek" guy trapped in 5'1 girl's body I loved Paul. All the little sci-fi references hit every mark for me. I won't spoil them but man, I love a good meta reference. From the duo who brought us Shaun of the Dead, one of the few zombie movies I can tolerate, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are great as best friends on a tour of America's greatest UFO sites. They meet Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) and embark on adventure running from the men in black (a fantastic Jason Bateman). For more, I wholeheartedly agree with my friend Stephen.

Bridesmaids (sneak preview): I'm not technically allowed to review this as it was still a work in progress. I will write more when it's actually released. What I will say now is even with the editing it still needs, as all Apatow produced movies do, I was highly satisfied with this "Knocked Up" for girls. Also, Jon Hamm!

Rango is meh

2011-03-07T17:26:00.001-08:00

Is Rango weird in a good way or a bad way? It's difficult to decide.

Rango is a little lizard who has a big imagination. We meet him in his terrarium with his only friends: a wind-up fish that channels Nemo and the torso of a Barbie doll. When his home falls out of the back of a truck and lands in the desert, Rango finds himself friendless and alone in a strange world. He stumbles into the town of Dirt. A town with serious water shortage issues. Rango's tall tales get him elected sheriff. He defeats the town hawk. He encounters town intrigue. He does it all with a truly odd sensibility that is definitely wasted on children.

There are dozens of winks and homages to lot of other films (oh hey Hunter S. Thompson), especially Westerns (I knew you'd show up Clint!). It's fun to look for them and smile to yourself when you figure them out. The cast is full of fun characters that reference others you know. The story itself is missing . . . something. I've thought about it and thought about it and the only thing I’ve come up with is the fact that I think the movie expects you to root for Rango on principle (or the fact that he sounds like Johnny Depp). I enjoyed watching his adventures but unlike Woody and buzz and the old man from Up, I didn't really care where it was going.

Why is that? It could be because Rango himself looks odd. He's not your cuddly character like so many animated films. Even the supervillian in Despicable Me is cute in his own way. Rango is animated beautifully. The level of detail put into him and his cast mates is nothing short of remarkable. It makes complete sense once you realize the movie is the first animated movie to come out of Industrial Light & Magic, the place where Yoda learned to fight. But by the end, I liked the way Rango looked. I couldn't take my eyes off of his, small and beady as they were.

So what was it? If anyone can help me out, I'd love to hear it. Perhaps a second viewing will help me. Overall, Rango is fun. I just can't muster much passion about it. Good review, eh?

Oscar Picks 2011

2011-02-20T11:07:00.000-08:00

This will be the first year in six years that I will not be able to watch the Oscars live. Only the second time I'll miss them since I can remember. This is especially upsetting because this year I actually saw all 10 nominees for Best Picture. I will be in New Orleans at a conference for work. I will attempt to keep myself in the dark until I can watch on Tuesday, so please, do not text, e-mail or call me to discuss it. I will publish my thoughts after I watch and digest.

For now, here are my picks. I decided to do more categories than usual to see how good I really am. As always, I accept gifts if I get 100%.

Best Picture
Black Swan
Inception
The Kids Are Alright
The King's Speech
The Fighter
The Social Network
True Grit
Toy Story 3
Winter's Bone
127 Hours

You can see (in a nutshell) what I thought of most of these on my "best of" list and my year recap. This is the first year in awhile where the winner is somewhat of mystery. 127 Hours is a phenomenal movie—every time I think about it I like to more and more. In a weaker year, I think it would have blown the competition out of the water. And Inception, well it is still my favorite movie of the year, but I get that the oldies in the Academy didn't quite understand it, though I judge them. It's really a two-horse race this year. The Social Network won most of the critics’ awards this season; The King's Speech most of the guild awards. The guilds have a lot of overlap with Academy voters so most seem to think that gives The King's Speech the edge. I'm not as sure. I feel like come voting time, people may think they've awarded The King's Speech enough. They will vote for The Social Network, a film that truly speaks for this year and this time. The film that was derided when it was announced and immediately praised on its release. Do I have that much faith in the Academy to reward the actual Best Picture? Eh, probably not.
Should Win: The Social NetworkWill Win: The King's Speech

Best DirectorDarren Aronofsky, Black SwanJoel and Ethan Coen, True GritDavid Fincher, The Social NetworkTom Hooper, The King's SpeechDavid O. Russell, The Fighter
Here is where I think The Social Network will be rewarded. The Coens just won, Tom Hooper managed to get amazing performances out of his actors, a job well done, but those actors could have done just as well under another director. I think the only one besides David Fincher who would really deserve it is Darren Aronofsky and I think Black Swan may be a little too weird for some Academy members. Plus, Fincher has been nominated before so some will consider this his "time." Fincher for the win.
Will Win: David Fincher
Should Win: David Fincher

Best Actor
Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Jeff Bridges, True Grit

Now this is a race that was over early. Colin Firth, my pick for should win last year will get his will win this year. I'm OK with that. I did love him and was very impressed with his performance in The King's Speech. But it didn't blow me away like Eisenberg, or even more so, Franco. Those were roles they disappeared into. I noticed it even more this weekend when on Friday I watched Zombieland and then Sunday rewatched The Social Network. Zombieland is what people mean when they say Eisenberg plays the same character over and over. I love that character and am completely fine with seeing him play it. He does something completely different in The Social Network. His normally emotive eyes are dead—so smug with the knowledge that even though friends and enemies may have sued him, he's already won. Then there is James Franco. He does something else. He carries the entire movie completely by himself. Not only does he make it entertaining, as much as such a terrible situation can be made entertaining, but also he elicited such a strong reaction from me. One I wasn't expecting and can say with confidence I had never experienced in a movie theater. He won't win but damn does he deserve to.

Will Win: Colin Firth
Should Win: (tie) James Franco or Jesse Eisenberg

Best Actress
Annette Bening, The Kids are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Now here I agree with the general consensus. No disrespect to the other ladies. Michelle, I adore you. I enjoyed your movie. You made me cry. Haven't seen Rabbit Hole, but Nicole, you've had your turn. Jennifer, your movie really upset me, and not in a good way. Annette, I know everyone says it is your time but you really can't hold a candle this year. I have long been a fan of Natalie Portman. She is one of my ultimate girl crushes. I went and saw Black Swan alone and I remember just sitting and being in awe and looking at those around me thinking, "are you guys seeing this too?" The moment she won the Oscar is the second she steps on stage as the black swan. It's like the first half of the movie didn't happen. She transforms in front of you and it is nothing short of incredible.

Will Win: Natalie Portman
Should Win: Natalie Portman

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter
John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

Christian Bale is the only thing that elevated The Fighter from your standard boxing movie to something else. It's still not one of my favorite movies this year and that's not a knock against it by any means. There are just movies I enjoyed way more. I just felt like, overall, I'd seen it before—except Christian Bale. How can Batman turn himself so completely into someone else? He does it and makes it look so effortless. Note: I do love Geoffrey Rush!

Will Win: Christian Bale
Should Win: Christian Bale

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

This is a category I find myself not that excited about. Not quite sure why because all these ladies deserve to be here. I think I just really wanted Mila Kunis in the mix. My vote would go to Hailee Steinfeld and it just might happen. She holds her own against all those boys. Melissa Leo has been the front-runner, with good reason. But she just kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth. In fact, I think this is where I'll pick the upset. There's always one and True Grit isn't going to win many of its nominated 10 Oscars. I say go Hailee!

Will Win: Hailee Steinfeld
Should Win: Hailee Steinfeld

Best Animated Film
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

This needs no explanation. Toy Story 3 deserves to be Best Picture period, so this award is a gimmie at this point.

Will Win: Toy Story 3
Should Win: Toy Story 3

Best Adapted Screenplay
127 HoursThe Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

This is a tough one. The Social Network will win but I'm struggling with should it? Creating drama out of a situation that mostly took place in front of a computer is a feat to be sure. The dialogue crackles so much it feels like you can't even take it all in at once. OK, it should. But I have to tip my hat to 127 Hours again and Toy Story 3. Both completely worthy.

Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: The Social Network

Original Screenplay
Another Year
The FighterInception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech

Now in my opinion Original Screenplay should go to the most original screenplay. If that was the case there would be no debate because Inception would win. But the dumb old Academy is going to give it to The King's Speech. It's a good movie but come on! It's a British drama. They've won before. It doesn't reek of originality. You screwed Christopher Nolan out of a director's nomination—AGAIN! This is where he should win. But he won't. Because the Academy is old and can't pay attention and understand movies more complicated than ones where a major part of the action requires a cup of tea. But here is where I hope I'm wrong.

Will Win: The King's Speech
Should Win: Inception

Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit

Will Win: Inception
Should Win: Inception

Best Cinematography
Black Swan
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network
True Grit

Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: Inception

Achievement in Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland
I Am Love
The King's Speech
The Tempest
True Grit

Will Win: Alice in Wonderland
Should Win: Alice in Wonderland

Makeup
Barney's Version
The Way Back
The Wolfman

Will Win: The Wolfman

Editing
Black Swan
The Fighter
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network

Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: Black Swan

Best Original Score
How to Train Your Dragon
Inception
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network

Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: (tie) The Social Network & Inception

Sound Editing
Inception
Toy Story 3
TRON: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable

Will Win: Inception

Sound Mixing
Inception
The King's Speech Salt
The Social NetworkTrue Grit

Will Win: Inception

Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2

Will Win: Inception
Should Win: Inception (next year Harry!)

Best of the Decade Challenge

2011-01-23T11:07:00.000-08:00

My friend Mike challenged me to give him my best movies of all time list. This seems an impossible task to me. So he said he'd settle for a best of the decade list. This was still difficult but I narrowed it down to my 30 favorite films of the past 10 years, 2000-2009. I put them alphabetically because it's just too time consuming to try and rank them. The list still feels incomplete at 30 but hopefully your Netflix queues will thank me. Or you can judge me—that's equally as fun.

Almost Famous
Amélie
The Aviator
Before Sunset
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Closer
The Dark Knight
The Departed

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Finding Nemo
Garden State
Good Night and Good Luck
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Inglourious Basterds
Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 (I'm counting as one movie)
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (I'm counting as one movie)
Lost in Translation
Match Point
Memento
Minority Report
Moulin Rouge!
Munich
The Royal Tenenbaums
Snatch
Slumdog Millionaire
There Will Be Blood
Wet Hot American Summer
Zodiac
500 Days of Summer

2010 Movie Rundown

2011-01-22T06:54:00.000-08:00

This is my last post about 2010, which comes almost a month into 2011, but I wanted to share my movie rundown for this year like the last two years. Same categories. Somehow I saw 39 movies this year, as opposed to 41 last year. I need to step up my game clearly. But I am confident that I will have seen all 10 nominees for Best Picture when they are announced next week, after I watch Winter's Bone. So here we go...

Perfection
Inception
The Social Network
Toy Story 3

Excellent
127 Hours
Black Swan
Blue Valentine
Easy A
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World
The King’s Speech

Solid
Cyrus
Cemetery Junction (Netflix)
Despicable Me
Hot Tub Time Machine
How to Train Your Dragon (Netflix)
I Love You Phillip Morris
The Fighter
The Kids are Alright
The Town
True Grit
Waking Sleeping Beauty

Decent
Get Him to the Greek
Shutter Island
The Runaways

Dumb but enjoyable
Due Date
Eat Pray Love
Going the Distance
The Other Guys
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps

Eh
Iron Man 2

Bad
Alice in Wonderland
Death at a Funeral
The Tourist

Shame on me
Burlesque
Frozen (Netflix)
Remember Me (Netflix)
Sex and the City 2
The Wolfman

Wanted to see but didn't be they good or bad
Catfish
Client 9
Hereafter
Howl
I’m Still Here
Love and Other Drugs
Megamind
Never Let Me Go
Nowhere Boy
Please Give
Rabbit Hole
Salt
Somewhere
The American
The Romantics
Rabbit Hole
The Tempest
Waiting for Superman
Winter’s Bone-Watching this weekend. Once I have I'll put it in its rightful place.

Best of 2010: Films

2011-01-09T12:31:00.000-08:00

I've struggled with ranking a few of these. I even toyed with the idea of not ranking this year but decided that was a cop out. If everyone else can, so can I. So I give you my ranked list, as much as the ranking part kills me this year. Same rules as last year:

1. The feeling I left the theater with.
2. The film's watchability—would I want to watch it again and again?

Top 10 movies of 2010

Inception
I think Inception got the top spot in this list because of No. 1 there—the feeling I left the theater with. I remember feeling like I had to scoop myself out of the seat and re-enter a world that was different from the one I'd started watching the movie in. Dramatic? Yes. But when was the last time you saw a movie that completely and utterly blew you away? Not just with special effects, that's easy, but with an idea executed so beautifully and that was actually saying something, all the while being incredibly entertaining. After watching this movie I just wanted to shout, "see this is what happens when Hollywood gives money to actual talent!" Debate all you want about if the top stops spinning at the end. The point is, it doesn't matter and Cobb doesn't care. He is where he wants to be. I guess I can relate to that part. In dreams we can be with the people we love. And when in them, it doesn't matter that they aren't real. Kind of like movies.

The Social Network
Here's another one that had my mind reeling after leaving the theater, but for very different reasons. Five powerhouse performances make love to whip smart writing. The actors just destroy the script. I've heard people say Jesse Eisneberg and Michael Cera suffer from the same one-note, one-character sickness. I can't disagree more with that assessment of Eisenberg's performance as Zuckerburg. You can't even compare that deadeye defiant stare he wears throughout this movie with the mawkish, sweet guy he plays in Adventureland. There are also larger issues at work with all the praise the film has garnered. This is a movie completely of our time. Not just society's time as a whole but of my own. Zuckerberg is my age. There are scenes in the movie that show how Facebook spread from college to college. I vividly remember when Facebook hit KU. How it felt to start using it and the obsession it started for so many. It's so rare to see a film that feels so of its moment when you hear Justin . . . er Sean Parker plead with Mark during that scene at the club, "This is OUR time," you know he's talking to our section of the audience. And he is right.

Black Swan
I feel like Black Swan kind of sneaked up on me. I had read very little about it, which is becoming increasingly rare for me. The trailer really did its job this time and, somehow, I ended up excited to go on opening night. After it was over, this was a film that was hard to shake. Natalie Portman absolutely transforms on screen. During the finale, when she finally embodies the Black Swan, you feel like you are watching a completely different person. Despite its moments of cringe-worthy violence, the film is achingly beautiful and not just because of the dances, the costumes or the actors because as bat-shit crazy as it can be, you can still identify with that feeling of wanting to be perfect at any cost.

Toy Story 3
I declare a blanket ban on any more entertainment writers/bloggers being surprised that animation can actually be an effective medium for adults. I have seen Toy Story 3 at least three times and I cried each time. There is something so moving about it, especially the end of the movie. Throughout the film our beloved toys are struggling with their place in the world. Should they accept their time is over and retreat? Should they hope for something more? Who hasn't felt that way? The real piece de resistance is after the toys have made their way back to Andy's, ready to accept their destiny in the attic, they are saved by the boy who they thought had forgotten them. If you can watch that scene when Andy passes his toys on to the next generation without welling up, you are dead inside. It just illustrates so well how growing up is about letting go, and how bittersweet that can be.

127 Hours
I love when movies produce unexpected reactions. I expected to be horrified by the much-discussed arm amputation scene. Would I close my eyes? Would I pass out? Would anyone around me get sick? But when I think back at the movie now, having seen it, it's not the gruesome maybe 15-20 minutes of that moment that I focus on. It's the feeling that washed over me when it was over. But first, let's rewind—the film is a fantastic exercise in the term one-man show. James Franco, as Aron Ralston (a real person who, while mountain climbing in Utah, became trapped when a boulder falls on his hand), holds the whole film on his very attractive shoulders. The drama unfolds as he slowly comes to the realization of what he must do to survive. We watch him wrestle with it, reject it and then come around to it and we as an audience struggle as well. We know what's going to happen but that doesn't make the decision any less fascinating to watch. When he finally musters the resolve, we do too and we watch, and urge the scene to move faster, for him to finally get free and when he does, an incredible feeling washed over me. A feeling that brought me instantly to tears like no other movie I saw this year, tears of pure joy, sadness and relief. Franco's acting has never been more beautiful than in that moment and you've never seen anything like it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Those that have read this book know there is a section in the middle that is a slog. It makes sense why it is in there but it was frustrating for many readers. Our trio is increasingly isolated from everything they know, including each other, and the chapters that detail this massive road trip serve to showcase just how insurmountable their task is. When they announced they were splitting the book into two, there was relief because it meant we knew we were in for an incredible Part 2 because they'd have a whole movie to spend time on the Battle of Hogwarts. But we knew getting through Part 1 was going to be tough. How do you make this part of the book into a compelling movie? Moving the slow parts by as fast as possible and focusing on our characters, that's how. Has the relationship between these three ever been such a showpiece of these movies? Not until this film and it is completely better for it. These kids can finally act and the film lets them. It's a dark, bleak movie but one that is impossible to take your eyes off of.

The King’s Speech
I was of the opinion that Colin Firth was robbed last year. Yes, I did not see Crazy Heart but come on! I love The Dude as much as the next guy but Colin Firth gave the performance of his career in A Single Man. Until now. The King's Speech, on the surface, seems like a traditionalist in a year of movies that threw abandon to what makes traditional Oscar bait. That doesn't make it any less fantastic. Firth just melts into this character. The relationship between Bertie and his speech therapist is as dynamic as any other couple on screen this year. They meet. They find their rapport. They fight. They make up. It's so refreshing to see a film about male friendship that doesn't rest on child-male humor to get the point across. By the end when title cards tell you about how their friendship progressed as King George's reign, you've just witnessed something truly inspiring and original.

Blue Valentine
This is the movie I was waiting for before making my top 10 for this year. I knew from the moment I read about the casting that this would be something special. I don't think I realized just how awful that something special would make me feel. The "something special" is these two actors (Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling) and their performances. The movie itself examines the destruction of a marriage, pieced together by glimpses of their meet-cute and when reality settled in. I think some pieces are missing in their story but at the end it doesn't matter. It's like a boxing match between them as they tear each other apart. What they create is just so beautiful, so heart breaking and so unabashedly real.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Speaking of original, this one may take the cake for the year. It shares something with The Social Network for me, and it isn’t the “similarity” of the two leading men. Note: I’ll put Michael Cera in this movie up against any moment of Michael Cera in his other movies as an example that though he’s always awkward that doesn’t mean he’s not talented. It’s that those films were made with my generation in mind. When you see the film, its not surprising that some critics felt it was too spastic, unfocused and erratic. I loved every minute of it. I think most people my age did. It just felt like it was made just for us. So when it didn’t do well, we could feel superior in that those stuffy critics and older movie watchers just didn’t “get it.” But fine, it’s not for everyone, and we’ll take it for our own.

Easy A
I struggled with picking the final addition here. I had The Fighter in this spot but I decided what I like about The Fighter wasn't strong enough to push Easy A off this list. The movie itself is pretty standard sports/boxing movie stuff with some drug abuse thrown in. I chose to go with Easy A because, while based on The Scarlet Letter, it is still one of the most original films that was released this year. As I said in a previous post, when I saw the trailer for this, it felt like a breath of fresh air, and the film followed through on that promise. Yes, Emma Stone is the reason this is not your average "teen" comedy. In lesser mortals' hands, say a Hayden Panettiere, the film wouldn't be nearly as fun, funny or even interesting. Although an incredible supporting cast of Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Thomas Hayden Church, Lisa Kudrow and Penn Badgley buoys her, Stone owns the movie and you can't take your eyes off her.

Wish I was doing this . . .

2011-01-07T21:20:00.000-08:00

Best of 2010: Trailers

2011-01-02T17:26:00.000-08:00

I love a good movie trailer. They are a significant source for where I find new music. and considering when I can't muster the energy to blog, an amazing trailer seems to suffice. Now what makes a great trailer? Music plays a large role. I also have personal feelings about the use of an announcer, which from my choices, you can guess is not positive. So for 2010 we had some great ones. Some of these have been posted/shared elsewhere. Do yourself a favor and watch them all again.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Clearly this was the most anticipated film for me this year. So any trailer would have made me even more excited for the film. Then they released this beauty, which covers both Part 1 and 2 and I was blown away. The scenes they chose to show were serious ones. The trailer is bookended by Harry/Voldemort encounters: One expected and one that, while not in the book, looks amazing. In the middle we have a hauntingly beautiful score and title cards that speak the truth and tug on heartstrings of those of us who have lived with this franchise for a decade. By the time that bolt of lightening hits the bottom of the P in Potter my jaw was dropped, my heart was bursting and the days to November 19 and July 15 couldn't go by fast enough.

The Social Network

Remember when you heard that they were making a movie about Facebook? I think the country did a collective eye roll. Then you heard that it was going to be written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher, which made me a little more intrigued but still dismissive. Then the world saw this trailer. The marriage of the creepiest version of "Creep" ever with images of people clearly creeping on people's Facebook pages could have been a great teaser on its own. Then the song continues to play over Jesse Eisenberg's incredible dead-eyed asshole performance. I love the end of the trailer when the quick succession of clips flick by and the music swells. This is a case of a trailer completely changing my perspective of a movie and guaranteeing that I would be there on opening day.

Blue Valentine

Another thing I love about trailers are how they can do so much with so little. This trailer uses the audio of one scene to frame the rest of the trailer. Obviously, if you have a scene of Ryan Gosling serenading Michelle Williams, it will clearly work in your favor to put it in the trailer and allow it to seduce the rest of us. Even though the serenade is adorable, the song itself is heartbreaking and sets us up that this is not a happy movie.

Inception

Now here is a movie that is a hard sell to begin with. How many of you even "got" what it was about from the trailer? The best part is that it doesn't matter. It still completely sucks you in. It shows you all the iconic scenes of the movie but in no way explains anything about them. Why is JGL floating through the air? Why is that city folding on itself? We know nothing?! The most memorable part of this trailer is the foghorn sounds that make it seem like a bad-ass clock is ticking down to something. Ticking down to blowing your MIND.

Black Swan

Speaking of what the hell is going on, how about when Miss. Portman pulls a black feather out of her back? I had heard little about this movie before seeing the trailer, which is rare for me. So I was really blown away by what I saw. It also doesn't give too much away, as I figured that the movie was going to be about her sleeping with her director. Wrong. I also remember being shocked, but happy, that Mila Kunis was in such a serious movie. Lots of crazy shit going on, but it all looks amazing. Sold.

True Grit

Three things make this trailer awesome. 1. Johnny Cash's version of "God's Gonna Cut You Down," which I can not for the life of me find to download (so if you have, give it to me please). 2. Matt Damon's line about Jeff Bridges eye (shows there's some classic Cohen humor in there). 3. Enough of an echo of No Country for Old Men mixed with enough new awesomeness by The Dude means a movie ticket will be purchased.

The Adjustment Bureau

We have a meet cute. We have title cards spouting off lines about free will and fate. We have great music. We have Roger Sterling in a fedora. Later we have Matt Damon in a fedora. It's all good. Very good. I love the shot of them walking into an empty Yankee stadium. Very chilling. I am sad this got postponed until the spring but this trailer suffices for now.

Easy A

This one probably has more to do with my girl crush on Emma Stone, but I watched this trailer at least five times before seeing the movie. You could just tell that it was going to be better than your average teen movie. Perhaps it was the Gaga. Perhaps it was because respectable adult actors kept showing up (Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Lisa Kudrow). It is probably mostly just due to the fact that it is a great movie and this trailer just showed it off. Plus anytime you can just Emma Stone talking to a camera and it doesn't make you hate her, you've got something good going on.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

The beauty of this lays in the fake out. The beginning makes it seem as though it's another Michael Cera romance where he's awkward and pines. That is true . . . to a point and then POW! It becomes something else entirely. Killer moves. Killer music. Killer casting. The trailer did it's job and made me certain this movie was going to be amazing.

Iron Man 2

And here is the one on the list where the trailer was better than the movie. RDJ's "Yes, dear response in the first clip plus the "You complete me" line remind you why he is the best part of these movies. I had so much hope after seeing this trailer. Mickey Rourke looking absolutely insane—from this it looked like he could have given a Heath Ledger/Joker caliber performance. Instead it turned out he was better in small doses, like in this trailer, than an entire movie where he is ridiculous instead of creepy. Then you have the fast successive clips, which I'm always a fan of, but in this case it just proves that this film was better in theory than in practice. But one mark of a good trailer is that in retrospect, it can still make you forget that the movie itself wasn't what you wanted it to be. The hope that it's going to be awesome survives in the trailer.

Happy

2010-12-29T12:07:00.000-08:00

December 25 – Photo – a present to yourself Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and [...]

I had a couple photos that would work for this but I chose this one because

1. I'm incredibly happy in it.
2. I'm eating ice cream
3. And yet look skinny

This photo was taken on my last night in Paris. I had spent the late afternoon reading by the Louvre but wanted to go back to the Eiffel Tower to watch the lights turn on. I was delighted to find the place packed with people, and it didn't even seem like it was all tourists. I watched a group of French young people, two of them parents to an adorable little girl who was playing with all their friends. Everyone around was having fun, drinking wine and just enjoying the warm summer night. To prove I was actually there, I asked a group of girls to take my picture. I'm sure they thought I was crazy when I made that face, but it is my signature move in photos.

But back to item one. I am very happy in the photo. I was proud of myself for going to Paris alone. Proud that I didn't let being lonely ruin my good time. Proud that I could sit there and remember that I took photos in that very spot with my parents a few years earlier with happiness instead of complete sadness. Proud that I made that trip to London happen period.

Also here is a video of the magic moment. (I can't figure out how to flip it)

Traveling man

2010-12-22T15:49:00.000-08:00

Note: Some of the prompts are incredibly lame, hence the delay. Hard to get excited to write about. So therefore I will only write the ones that interest me.

December 22 – Travel. How did you travel in 2010? How and/or where would you like to travel next year?

How did I travel? Well by subway, ferry, airplane, train, and Zipcar. What a weird question to ask. instead I'll catalog all the places I've been this year for posterity.

MenuDirections conference
March 20-23: Miami, Fla.
The annual national conference for my magazine brought me to Miami for the second time. Though I didn't get the chance to leave the hotel at all so I enjoyed none of the city's delights except during our annual Dine Around, where the entire conference enjoys a progressive dinner at three Miami restaurants. I was so busy I didn't even get to enjoy any pool time.

Visit to University of New Hampshire
March 31-April 1st: Durham, N.H.
I got a tour from my favorite foodservice director in a little electric buggy around campus. He even had a free basket of wine, cheese and snacks put in my hotel room. I was also there on the day they had a huge special event featuring Mary Ann Esposito, TV chef on PBS, who gave me a free cookbook and lots of delicious food. Driving back from this trip I had the fun experience of having to pull over for not one, not two, but three conference calls. It was then that I got the news that our company had been purchased. These calls caused my phone to die and in panic mode to find a place to charge it for the final conference call, I pulled over in Greenwich, Conn. into an office park, sneaked in and charged my phone. Thinking I had enough juice, I went outside but quickly the phone started dying again. Instead of risking discovery, I found an outlet on the outside of the building, behind some bushes. So there I sat, hidden behind bushes, plugging my phone in as I listened to my company's big news. People who worked there must have thought I was insane.

Visit to University of Massachusetts
April 22-23: Amherst, Mass.
This trip I was treated to the huge Taste of UMass event , which included a Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest where I saw a young man vomit. This trip also marked my rental car's collision with a Porsche, which thankfully has never amounted to any money. Though I still live in fear of receiving the bill for this mistake THAT WAS NOT MY FAULT.

Casey's wedding
May 12-17: Chicago, Ill.
I've written about this trip several times but it was so lovely I must recap. We had a great bachelorette party with karaoke and the Great Will of China, heard about the boys' bachelor party at Medieval Times/an arcade where Phill got knighted. The Kritikos', the Cardons, Cichelli and myself shared a lovely meal in Wicker Park where Ted critiqued Jared's order of duck, I tried a scallop for the first time and Corinne made us milkshakes afterward. We watched Casey and Phill graduate in a beautiful church, where we found out Casey had won a ton of awards that she told no one about. We gathered for a fun-filled rehearsal dinner where we had the longest conversation about zucchinis that anyone has ever had. The next day we watched Casey and Phill get married and showed everyone how to dance to "Don't Stop Me Now." Great trip.

Casey's reception
May 21-24: Kansas City
Another celebration of Casey and Phill's nuptials, this one joined in by many more friends that I knew...We shared a incredible night of karaoke, characterized by a brilliant rendition of "I Swear." The weekend was capped off with the Sigmon's and Kritikos' joining the Ramsey's (and for a time, Dan and Kim) for a viewing of the finale of "Lost" and beef Stroganoff.

Zach and Vanessa's wedding
May 28-31: Washington, D.C.
I begged to be invited to this and good man that he is, Gavin obliged and invited me as his date. A lovely dinner was followed by an epic night of boozing, complete with shots, hot hamburger tales, makeouts (by some) and a visit from a dear friend, and current D.C. resident, Jessica. The next day Alison, Kim and I took in the Air and Space museum, which we tore apart with our humor. The wedding itself was small and lovely. Very unique and touching, even though I didn't know the bride and groom as well as some. The night that followed was filled with Lady Gaga getting the party started and we didn't stop dancing for five hours. Fantastic.

Visit Corinne/FARE conference
June 25-30: Chicago, Ill.
A work trip gave me a chance to visit Corinne and Ted for Corinne's birthday. We had a great day on the beach, which afforded my first dip in a Great Lake. We went out for drinks to celebrate Corinne's birth with some of her fantastic friends. Then I retreated to Oakbrook for a conference where I had to moderate a panel, which was also a first for me. I was so nervous, especially when I looked in the crowd and saw my publisher and the CEO for our new company. I made it through but swore never to do it again.

NACUFS conference
July 7-10: San Jose, Calif.
Another work trip, this time to the West coast for the conference for college and university foodservice directors. The trip did afford me the opportunity to travel to Monterrey to see Miss Jennifer Ghrode and the lovely Katy. They showed me around their town, the aquarium and took me to a wonderful breakfast in Carmel.

Trip to visit Jeff
July 28-Aug. 8: London, UK and Paris, France.
This I've covered so I won't gush anymore. I spent too much money to go see Jeff and go to Paris for three days. Worth every penny.

Trip for Autumn/Gold's birthday
September 10-12: Atlantic City, N.J.
This was an epic impromptu trip. After a night of watching AFV monkey clips and several beers, we decided to book a hotel in A.C. for the weekend after our last Mets game of the season. Somehow we got the brilliant idea for 10 of us to take a limo from the Mets game to our hotel in A.C. It was inspired idea that completely lived up to the hype we had created in our heads. After the sheer amount of booze during the trip down, the rest of the weekend was rather mild in recovery. But still very fun and hilarious. I also won $80 on a slot machine so well done me.

Grandma's 90th birthday
September 22-27: Kansas City
Speaking of epic, to celebrate my Grandma's epic life, we had a huge party with all my cousins. Had the chance to spend some good times with them at the famous Double Nickel karaoke, where I destroyed Gangsta's Paradise.

Trip to University of Colorado, Colorado State University and Denver LTC
Sept. 27-29: Boulder, Colo., Fort Collins, Colo., Denver
I flew directly to Colorado after Grandma's birthday for visits to two colleges and a long-term care residence. I'd never been to Boulder and it was just as cool as you hear, though I would have liked more time to explore. The director at CSU did take me on a driving tour of Fort Collins and Rocky Mountain National Park, complete with a stop at the hotel featured in The Shining (the book, not the movie).

SFM Conference/Disney World
Oct. 4-10: Orlando, Fla.
Another work trip turned fun when Mom decided to join me and play while I was working. The conference was cool because we got to have a reception at the Disney Studios after hours and ride the rides as many times as we wanted. We also got a tour of behind-the-scenes areas of the parks and a dessert reception at EPCOT for the fireworks on the last night. After the conference ended, my sister joined us, and the three of us had four days at Disney/Universal. We went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, where I downed delicious Butterbeer in no time.

That brings us to trips home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, which as always are great. I've done pretty well with travel this year. In the coming year I hope to travel more, I have wishes of going to Chicago, N.C. and Salt Lake to see dear friends. Trips home for Kim and Dan's wedding. A dream of a trip to Ireland. Stay tuned.

Pass #2

2010-12-16T18:37:00.003-08:00

December 16 – Friendship. How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?

I am so incredibly lucky with the friends I have. They change my perspective on things almost daily. It's hard to pinpoint certain instances when they have have changed my perspective in sudden bursts but a few things this year come to mind. A lot of this is pretty personal so I'd prefer not to share this time. Apologies for the fake blog, but at least you know why I'm not answering.

Five Minutes to Remember

2010-12-16T18:37:00.001-08:00

December 15 – 5 Minutes Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.

Casey's wedding weekends. The bachelorette party karaoke, our sleepover and breakfast afterwards, our dinner in Wicker Park followed by a night of nothing at the Kritikos house, the time in between the rehearsal and wedding where we just go to hang out, play adult mad libs and laugh. Casey walking down the aisle toward Phill, their first dance—choreographed and all. Casey and Phill entering Abe and Jake's to their song, the Sigmon's duet, the boys singing I Swear.

My trip to London
Seeing Jeff in his element, our first walk through Hyde Park, our visit to Harrod's pet Kingdom, our day drinking in Green Park, 80s dance party with just the two of us, Jack the Ripper walk, performance at The Globe, day wandering Camden market, eating and drinking in many, many pubs every night, finding Little Homies, watching Jeff laugh at Modern Family, arriving in Paris, walking through Latin Quarter, eating dinner in the Maurais, walking the Promenade plantee, eating a baguette in Place de Voges, poulet roti overlooking Notre Dame

Time's up. But if it wasn't, I'd add our epic January of fun, dance party on New Year's Eve, trip to Florida with mom and sis.

Oh Brooklyn...

2010-12-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

December 14 – Appreciate What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?

Let's call appreciating friends and family square. I appreciate them both more and more each year, this one especially, for keeping me sane.

So what have I come to appreciate this year? There's lots but the one that comes to mind right now is how grateful I am for the home I've created in Brooklyn. I never thought I'd be one of those Brooklyn-obsessed that the media (Gawker) derides at every opportunity. But I love living here. I still love our apartment, despite our truly crazy neighbor. It's large and cozy and has hosted some great nights. Watching AFV monkey clips, learning to play blackjack, Fall into Mexico, Pie Party—it's been a busy year at 228 7th Ave.

I'm grateful that I am able to live in this neighborhood. Despite the stereotypes—babies, rich people, strollers, which are all true—walking to and from the train everyday is not a chore, it's a joy. I love that the man that runs the coffee shop downstairs knows us and lets us know he's sad when he hasn't seen us in awhile. He voluntarily helped carry a dresser that I bought up the stairs for me. Plus, he gives Alison a discount on her coffee.

There's a little girl who belongs to the woman who owns the laundromat. She is there every time I go in. She is so confident and eager to talk to everyone. It seems so weird to me that she spends nearly every night of her childhood hanging out with strangers, but she couldn't be happier about it. As soon as I sit down she skips over to chat. Yes, she digs through my purse and can be a menace when all I want to do is read and wait for my laundry. But the other night I was there and she wanted me to read her books to her. At first I was annoyed by the interruption, but looking back, I could appreciate that this little girl is learning from this neighborhood and its residents. She talks to almost everyone that comes into the laundromat. So who am I to be annoyed by what she's come to expect, and deserve, from her community. I read her the books about numbers, asking her to count them for me. It was nice.

Up until a few months ago, we had friends within walking distance. This led to nights of Wii bowling and baseball that were as much fun as any night in a bar. Plus, nights of dancing and drinking at bars where I can walk home after. It was fantastic. Now they've moved to Manhattan, but that period made me love our neighborhood even more.

I appreciate the park, the Brooklyn Flea—my favorite place ever—the rows of streets with beautiful brownstones that have windows I can peek into and admire bookshelves, the restaurants I haven't tried, the shops waiting to be explored. Because as much as I've learned about Brooklyn this past year, there are still many things to be discovered. And that's something to appreciate too.

Pass

2010-12-13T20:47:00.001-08:00

December 13 – Action When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step?

I prefer to keep these kind of things to the chest, hence the delay. I've decided to pass on this one. Apologies. Please accept this photo instead. This is me aspiring to space!

Mind and Body turn against each other

2010-12-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

December 12 – Body Integration This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?

Not quite sure what this means. But one instance came to mind, which is more about the after effects of this, but alas, here we go.

The first is when my mind and body were working as one so hard that my body paid a terrible price. I had a goal to try and swim at the gym. I enjoy being in a pool so I thought it would be a good way to motivate me to go to the gym. I've never really swam for exercise though. I'm still not convinced I know how to swim "properly." But I was ready to give it a go. I made what I thought was a manageable goal: 20 laps.

During the swim, it felt great. This was the point where mind and body integrated and I just moved without thinking. Completely free in the pool. That lasted until about lap 12. I made it about 15. I thought it was a solid effort but I was exhausted so threw in the towel. I slogged into the locker, proud for my first try.

Then the pain hit. So. Much. Pain. Like little knives every time I moved. I've never experienced pain so quickly after a workout. I shrugged it off as just me being out of shape and slowly walked home. I got in the shower and the pain was all consuming. I could barely raise my arms to shampoo my hair. I quickly retired to the couch where I stayed for the next 12 hours.

About two hours later, still in terrible pain, I began to feel ill. Was I hallucinating? Causing the pain to affect the rest of me? I was alternating between chills and being incredibly hot. I went to the bathroom, thinking I was going to be sick. When I realized nothing was coming, I waddled back to the couch to die—wracking my brain on what could have caused this. It couldn't just be a workout. Then I looked at my Coke and realized, uh, you have had no water today. You are dehydrated you idiot.

Case solved.

Eleven to eliminate

2010-12-11T08:08:00.000-08:00

December 11 – 11 Things. What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?

1. If my previous posts are any indication, I can stand to get rid of some laziness. Not all, clearly, but some. I need to be more proactive in many areas of my life. I hope to be able to do so in the coming year.

2. As mentioned in the previous post, I can do without Coca-Cola. My one vice. This guy came into our office and talked about how he quit drinking soda and lost a ton of weight. True, he also quit drinking a six-pack of beer a night but still. I need to seriously limit this addiction. After another unsuccessful attempt at quitting ended, I told my friend Carolyn that I had accepted that "Lindsey comes with a Coke. I haven't. I want to change. Any suggestions?

3. Related to #1, I can do without the guilt I feel for not going to the gym enough. I can eliminate this in two ways. Cancel my gym membership or just effing go to the gym. I want to choose the latter, I fear the former.

4. I would like to eliminate some of my debt this year. Work is going to help with some of that since my salary was recently restored to its pre-pay cut rate. But I need to create a budget and at least attempt to stick to it. I want to employ the savings master Corinne Kritikos in this matter.

5. My room is a mess. I need to clean it and eliminate some clutter.

6. My dentist tells me he needs to eliminate some of my gums. I got an infection awhile back and apparently I have excess gums. So maybe that will happen this year.

7. I also am suffering from a weird skin discoloration, which have affectionately come to be known as "my dots." I have had it for more than a year but finally went to the dermatologist about two months ago to seek treatment. She took one look at me and told me "I was a mess." Not what you want to hear. Apparently it is caused by the same thing that causes dandruff. So I have been trying to eliminate it for two months. They are still there, clear as day. So this battle will continue into 2011.

8. Having trouble coming up with more . . . I'll add my addiction to Five Guys to this as well. For those that don't know, I am regularly recognized at the Five Guys by my apartment. I've been asked for real estate advice by employees. They notice when I am not in pajamas and comment. They notice when I don't go in at least once a week. This is embarrassing on several levels. Not only because it's bad for me but also bad for my financials. I should cut back to once a month.

9. Most of these I'm finding have to do with me being lazy . . .

10. Uh . . .

11. Besides other trivial things, I think I should probably eliminate a lot of feelings of jealousy. Jealousy of other people's jobs, travels, etc. I'm not quite sure how to eliminate those besides eliminating my own laziness as previously discussed. I'll keep you posted.

Wise Up

2010-12-10T12:52:00.001-08:00

December 10 – Wisdom Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?

I can't really nail down what I'd consider the "wisest" decision I made this year. It ranges from seeking out some help to deal with dad-related stuff to forcing myself to limit my Five Guys consumption.Other "wise" decisions I made this year include, but are not limited to, the decision to go home for my Grandma's 90th birthday, the decision to put myself out there more, the decision to keep trying to quit drinking so much Coke, the decision to take a limo to Atlantic City, the decision to take mom and Lesley along to Florida and many more. All my decisions have played out in different ways—I had Five Guys tonight—but I am more concerned with the decisions I'm currently making or attempting to. Some I am not comfortable sharing in this "public" forum but the important thing is I'm making them. I am not trying to shirk them. I am trying to face them, while battling my incredibly lazy nature, which has been detailed in earlier posts. And i think the conscience effort to not shy away from decisions has my wisest decision of all.

Epic Janurary

2010-12-09T20:40:00.000-08:00

(I'm late, deal)

December 9 – Party Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.

January 2010 is a month that will live in infamy, for in that month there were three nights of fun that dwarfed most of the rest of the year. First was my birthday celebration. I had reserved space at an East Village bar called The Musical Box and Autumn doubted my estimated head count of 25. "No way will 25 people show up," she said. Final count was 28. Victory was mine, as were lots of drinks. Alison made whoopie pies. We ate at Paquitos, which turned into one of the funniest meals I have attended in recent memory. I met the elusive Boston Mike. I played the worst game of pool of my life. I chugged a final, ill-advised beer. i paid a terrible price the next morning. But man, a good start to my 26th year.

Then there was pie party. It was billed as a housewarming, though we'd lived in our apartment since August. This was the mildest of the three events but still a solid effort. At least five pies were made and devoured. It was also the night of the last Conan, so 20 of us crammed in our living room to watch. We played Catchphrase. We danced. But it was really just a precursor to the event that is was truly the best night of 2010 so far, Dean Wilkie's birthday (see photo).

Alison and I started the night at another friend's birthday, Jessi White, which was also a great time. Ice skating and a piano bar. Both fantastic. Then we made the trek back downtown to The Stanton Social where the birthday boy drank for free. The event began normally: A few drinks in the heated garden. but things got real when we heard the downstairs lounge was open. We quickly took over the dimly-lit room and as often does with this group, things got real with a dance party. Not sure if it was the drinks, or a particularly good playlist, but this dance party surpassed all when it migrated out into a transition room where people were waiting in line for the bathroom. Suddenly they were part of the dance party (see photo and note, I only know two of those pictured). When other bar patrons descended the stairs to use the restroom they were greeted by absolute chaos of our own making. I'm not proud of some of the pictures taken that night—very few look good in the midst of pure joy dancing—but I am proud we were able to rope cynical New Yorkers into what has to be the greatest impromptu dance party that bar has ever seen.

Beaky and Beautiful

2010-12-08T19:32:00.000-08:00

December 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful.

I have a nose that some have said resembles Sam the Eagle. I've also been called birdie, bird brain, ducky and other assorted fowl by certain people. Apparently it came from my Grandpa John. Thanks Gramps.

I've tried to make it cute with a rabbit-like wiggle. It may have worked a time or two. It's not my favorite feature but it definitely makes me different. And so i guess by this post's logic, makes me beautiful. Thank you Gramps indeed.

Community

2010-12-08T09:17:00.000-08:00

December 7 – Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

I missed a day. I'll blame KU Basketball. Especially in light of the fact that my discussion of community will center around KU basketball and to a lesser degree (for me) football.

In a city this large it's tough to make new friends. I will admit that the majority of my close friends are still people who I knew from high school and college. However, the new friends I have made (mostly) have one thing in common: KU. Now, yes, it can be frustrating to just keep meeting people who already know people you know. That's why I've made a concentrated effort to meet people completely outside my social circle (to varied results) but there is still something comforting about the community of KU people in this city.

Ironically, I really fell into this group of people through Nebraska folks, but I've met some very cool people through going to watch KU games at really terrible bars. Admittedly, some are considered actual friends and some are not people I converse with at any other time than at a KU game, but that's OK too.

Last night I was part of this community, but multiplied by a thousand. I went to Madison Square Garden for the KU-Memphis game. The famed arena was filled with KU fans and everyone felt fine to talk to each other as if they'd known them for years. We blatantly eavesdropped on the people behind us, and then inserted ourselves into the conversation. I gave a complete stranger a high five. And yes we did spy celebrity KU fan, Jason Sudekis in the crowd, gladly taking photos and shaking hands with his brethren. It was fantastic. There is this sense of community in those places that makes everyone feel they belong. And they do—all united by a common purpose and passion. Which, when you think about it, is really what a community is all about.

Adventures in cooking

2010-12-06T17:51:00.000-08:00

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

Traditionally I can cook about six dishes: chili, tacos (and it's cousin taco bake), chicken Parmesan, pasta (in various, non-complicated forms as in i can heat noodles and pour sauce on top), Dijon blackened chicken and beef stroganoff (but not as well as mom).

I've made some new progress. i made up a recipe of baked eggs in tomato sauce after having it in a restaurant. My newest success may not be the last thing I made (that would be cookies for a cookie exchange, and before you get excited the main ingredient in the cookies was box cake mix), but it was definitely the most impressive.

Pupusas.

For uninitiated, pupusas are a traditional Salvadorian street food made from corn masa and stuffed with goodies like cheese, beans, chicken, etc. I became addicted to them at the Brooklyn Flea market, otherwise known as the best part of living in Brooklyn. When we were hosting our Fall into Mexico in October, Alison had baked goods covered so I thought I should contribute. A quick Martha Stewart video and I was ready. Plus, due to a birthday bowling trip, i had to make them in record time.

I mixed the flour with water, even eyeballing it to get the right consistency, rolled them into balls, filled them with goodies and cooked them. You top them with tomato sauce and sour cream and traditionally pickled cabbage (which I declined to include). They were the hit of the party, along with Alison's incredible pumpkin whoopies, which probably took more skill than making all of my aforementioned six dishes plus the pupusas combined.

Next on my list of things to make: something in my crock pot besides beef stroganoff , any suggestions?

Jack and I struggle with letting go

2010-12-05T11:33:00.000-08:00

December 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?

I have trouble letting go of everything. Family. Friends. Boyfriend. I don't think I've made significant progress on any of those fronts this year. Although there is something I had to let go this year, that as trivial as it may seem to some, had quite an impact: the end of Lost. Why did I let it go? Because it made me.

Ironically, the finale of Lost is all about letting go, or better, moving on. Anyone who knows me knows that I get hooked on certain things and won't hear a bad word against them. Star Wars. The Godfather. Titanic. Harry Potter. When this happens I spend an inordinate amount of time reading, watching and listening to anything and everything I can about it. This was always true of Lost, but this May saw an especially embarrassing period of obsession. Articles, online videos, Times Talk, marathons—so much time was spent saying goodbye. But I believe it was all integral to the letting go process. It's my way of coping: excessive attention. I have been meaning to write my thoughts on the finale of Lost since it aired. I wanted to give it a second viewing before writing but I physically and emotionally could not bring myself to watch it again. And I couldn't do it until three months later. Even rewatching it after all that time took it out of me. I sat on the couch crying my eyes out, mourning the loss all over again.

What is it about Lost? Seven months later I still can't put my finger on it. I remember after my Dad passed away, thinking, man, he's never going to see the end of Lost. This upset me probably more than it should have. Plenty have called me crazy. plenty of questioned, even attacked, the show and its finale. My unabashed devotion remains though I've had to find new shows to fill its void. Modern Family, Glee and Boardwalk Empire are enjoyable and all but I know none will capture me the way Lost did.

And that's OK. As long as I accept what Lost creator, Damon Lindelof, tweeted the day after the show aired "Remember. Let go. Move on. I will miss it more than I can ever say."

Is it any wonder?

2010-12-04T07:16:00.001-08:00

December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?

Well my last entry was kind of a discussing of how I cultivated wonder this year. I returned to Europe to marvel at its splendors once again and see new sights. See aforementioned post for details. This still counts as blogging for the day.

Je me sens vivant!

2010-12-03T13:35:00.000-08:00

December 3 – Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

The sun was filling the little square with the kind of golden light usually reserved for romantic comedies. I should have been annoyed with all the people who surrounded me, but their chatter, incessant photo taking, foreign tongues and giggling children had no effect on me for I was one of them today, as much as I'd like to deny it. I snagged a seat and took in the scene around me. A scene that brought back many memories—a church service, a steak, a missing aunt—but I was still able to simply enjoy the exact moment I was in. I took a bite of a perfectly flaky pain au chocolat that none in New York can even compare to and heaved a sigh. I had made it back to Paris.

I had woken up at 3 a.m., caught two buses, a cramped plane, the stupid RER and a dank metro and when I finally arrived, unwashed and bleary eyed, I had never felt less tired. I quickly dropped off my luggage and headed out, turned a corner and there she was, bathing in the bluish-gray morning light.

Years of dreaming and scheming to get back there had finally paid off. I breathed in the smell of French bread, early fall and garbage—it is just a city after all—and you could have punched me and nothing could the smile from my face. I made the short walk along the Seine toward the Île Saint-Louis and I was practically skipping. I made my way down the narrow cobblestone streets where Paris began and stumbled into a brightly lit bakery, pastries gleaming in the still-early morning light. I made my request and my french flowed out as if I had never once forgotten how to say "Merci" and I quickly made my way to the square in front of Notre Dame. I hadn't planned it to be my first stop but it was like a magnet; pulling me to the true center of the city in order to welcome me back. It is where the above moment took place, me on a bench breathing in the beauty of the scene, enjoying my pastry and feeling satisfied, giddy, content and more alive than I'd felt in months.

Writing for a living...

2010-12-02T19:02:00.000-08:00

December 2 – Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?

There is so much that contributes to my inability to write for myself. The easy answer is exhaustion. I write and edit all day. Yes, this is what I always wanted to do. I did everything in my power to make sure that I was able to write for a living. But writing in my current job exhausts me instead of exalts me. Not that it is difficult—I write the same four stories over and over again—a foodservice operation got renovated, is going green, is raising prices or increasing menu/grab-and-go options. The idea is that since I write about these things all day, it should make me want to take the time to write about things I enjoy even more. Doesn't happen. I get home and the last thing in the world I want to do is write.

Instead I turn on my old friend TV—another large impediment to my writing. Man, I love TV. I'm not ashamed to admit it. Some say we are in a Golden Age of television and I agree in many regards and do my part to support it. I should take my love of TV and take it to this blog. I want to start writing recaps of my shows, like the ones I enjoy reading so much. So why haven't I? Pure laziness? Absolutely. But there’s something else . . .

There is the worry that no one will read it. Terrified that people will and not like it. My pal talked about her fear of writing in her post today and I can completely relate. I fear writing for myself because I care so much. I hate when I write something on my own time that doesn't make me proud, unlike the writing I currently do for a paycheck. I accept that my creative license at work is limited by my publication's voice. My boss constantly tells me to be less "cute/clever/funny/ alliterative" in my writing. It squashes all the pleasure out of writing at work that now I fear my creativity has been stamped out of me at home too. I read stuff I wrote awhile ago and can feel proud that I was able to get a little of myself in there. Now it's tougher to remember what "my" voice is.

How can I remedy this? Well the TV one is easy—I will write during commercials. You thought I'd say I'd turn it off...never! The laziness I'm working on by participating in this blogging-once-a-day business. I’m hoping it makes writing into a habit, like checking my Google Reader. As for the fear, I'm not quite sure I want it to go away. It makes me try . . . try to be better . . . try to be consistent . . . and try harder to write in a way that makes me proud.

One word

2010-12-01T18:17:00.000-08:00

A post a day to reflect on the year by answering daily prompts from here. I failed miserably at this last year. But I want to write every day so badly! My laziness always seems to get the better of me. So I'll give it a go again. I won't do as well as her but in the immortal words of The Joker, here...we...go!

December 1
One Word.
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

Way to start this off with an impossible task. Encapsulate your entire year in one measly word. Especially this year. It's been a tough one. But choosing the word "tough" would make me seem like a negative Nancy.

So what do you do when things get tough? You rebound. But that makes it seem like I've been taking a lot of meaningless steps toward something. So what's a happier version of rebound?

...(checks thesaurus)...

heal
rejuvenate
boomerang
no...

RALLY
1. to muster for a common purpose
2. to recall to order
3. recover, rebound
4. to come together again

I like it. It fits in many ways.

I watched friends get married and engaged. I rallied (see last provided definition) for those events and loved every second of them.

I traveled to London and Paris on my own. It wasn't a smart financial move. But it felt absolutely necessary to my recovery. To my ability to rally for all the rest.

And elephant in the room of this year—I lost my dad.
One year ago last month. I haven't recovered. I haven't forgotten. But I rallied. And I made it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

2010-11-22T16:36:00.000-08:00

Expectations are a tricky thing. I could barely contain myself all in anticipation for HP7 last week. Alison and I watched all the previous movies (and added our own hilarious commentary). I read the last few chapters of book five and six. I read the entire book seven. I spent hours watching HP-related online videos (do yourself a favor and watch these.) To say my excitement was at fever pitch would be an understatement, but expectations? I had been disappointed by Potter movies many times before. Anger at what was cut out. Frustration at what was added. And I was fully prepared for it to happen again.

This time it didn't happen. The cuts made sense. The additions didn't bother me; some even became my favorite scenes. First a quick recap:

Harry, Ron and Hermione have left the relative safety of Hogwarts in search of Horcruxes (objects in which Voldemort as encased pieces of his soul) in the hope that when destroyed Voldemort can finally meet his end. The film has been billed as a "road movie" and it is fair to describe it as such. The trio is in hiding and on the move for the majority of the film. Slowly collecting and figuring out to destroy Horcruxes and learning about the Deathly Hallows. Tensions run high within the group with Ron especially frustrated that Harry doesn't have more of a plan. Along the way we see snippets of the full out war the wizarding world is engaged in plus Voldemort's movements toward destroying our hero.

Yes, there is not enough of Snape and Co., but they'll be back in due time. The film does a great job showing the trio's complete isolation from the rest of their world. It's tough out there for the chosen one. There are moments of lightness (a stolen kiss, a piano lesson, a dance in the tent) but mostly the film is dark literally (the color palate is all grays and blues) and emotionally (their task seems insurmountable).

Anger at fallen father-figure Dumbledore bubbles out of our trio at every turn. These scenes are where it becomes apparent that these three kids have grown into actual actors. Now I've seen Daniel Radcliffe on Broadway (and yes, naked) so I knew he had grown into his acting chops. During our marathon, I was reminded that Emma Watson has long been the weakest link, an increasingly pretty face and not much more, and Rupert Grint was really only given a chance to say a few silly lines. I was impressed with both of them this time around. There are looks on Watson's face during the controversial Harry-Hermione dance that have more nuance and emotion that all her scenes in the first two movies combined. Ron and Harry's fight in the tent gives Grint his chance to do more than look confused.

The movie has its flaws, as all Potter films do. There have been complaints it moves too slow, shouldn't have been split up in two films, those may be valid, but nothing could ruin it for me. It's the most emotive, the best acted and most cinematically engaging of all the HP films. It served its purpose—it left me trying to reign in those tricky expectations for Part 2.

Chatting . . . with Alison Peterson

2010-11-12T12:09:00.000-08:00

Slow summer, yes. But this needs to be shared:

Background: Our DVR has been messing up and just recording blackness.

Lindsey: The DVR messed up everything last night. I rebooted it and hopefully that will help.
Alison: Ok, I can take a look too. Crazy DVR.
Lindsey: It's probably mad we've been watching dvd and now it's rebelling.
Alison: It's only natural to feel threatened.
Lindsey: Plus, DVD slept with DVR and never called again. Betrayal.
Alison: hahaha. technological romance.

Lindsey: haha. dvd is sick of being on top. i foresee a torrid romance. one interrupted by router and/or speakers.
Alison: hahaha. DVR complains that DVD isn't innovative enough.
Lindsey: plus dvd is always sticking its tray out.
Alison: sometimes prematurely.
Lindsey: bahahahaha
Alison: dvr is sick of dvd's insecurities. dvd is threatened by blu-ray.
Lindsey: dvd remembers when vcr left him. he's insecure. there was a time they worked as a team. then it all fell apart.
Alison: It's a wound that will take awhile to heal. dvr has seen laptop hanging around. begging to be "plugged in." everyone's insecure.
Lindsey: hahahaha. laptop and tv have a new thing going. dvd is jealous of that too. it's new though, so they are still feeling each other out.
Alison: hahaha. lots of new emotions. new techniques. love is a battlefield.
Lindsey: haha. which cd player plays sadly in the background.
Alison: hahahaha. while itunes plays the sharper remix version.

...
Alison: the laptop has lit a newspaper on fire. a riot has broken out.
Lindsey: bahahahaha. books jump out the window.
Alison: hahaha. there's a skeleton of a radio.
Lindsey: haha. with a bottle of poison leaning against it.

Wow

2010-06-28T18:41:00.000-07:00

Sex and the City 2

2010-06-07T17:19:00.001-07:00

It's never a good sign when the announcement of a sequel inspires a groan rather than a squeal. I accepted the first movie for what it was—an excuse to revisit old friends and finally marry that reluctant bride Carrie off. It had its moments. See review here.

But I was done. As much as I enjoyed the show, the big screen wasn't doing it any favors. So it was with a heavy heart that I processed the fact that another one was on its way. Now that it has arrived, I'd beg and plead for the cast and crew to stop killing a show that was cherished by so many.

The film starts with a wedding between Stanford and Anthony. The only gay recurring characters so they naturally could only find happiness with each other—the characters' series-long hatred of each other somehow forgotten. I can't bear to go into detail about the scenes at the wedding but to note that they descend into ridiculous camp (Oh hey, Liza) way too quickly. The wedding serves to push the plot that every couple is different and can make up its own rules. This leads to the revelation that Big has become a bit of a homebody as the years have progressed and this upsets Carrie. The solution (according to Big) is to separate from his wife for two days a week. Now, we've watched Carrie and Big for 12 years. I just don't buy that this is an actual problem in their relationship. They have both put each other through the ringer and now their be-all end-all problem is that Big bought a TV for their anniversary and not a ridiculous piece of jewelry? Be happy he didn't buy you a bejeweled duck purse again.

Meanwhile Miranda is suffering under a chauvinist boss, Charlotte is realizing her quest for kids comes with a heavy price (a ruined vintage Valentino to be specific) and Samantha has actually regressed as a character into a full on caricature of her season one self. In the guise of shaking things up, Samantha sets up an all-expenses paid trip to Abu Dhabi. What an idea? Let's put these girls in the Middle East. Hilarity! Hijinks!

What really happens is a complete disrespect of a culture much older than ours. Somehow as long as the shoulders are covered (or one shoulder in Carrie's case), the breasts must be able to heave freely. I had read that the filmmakers’ goal with the film was a complete fantasy. Extravagant clothes, cars and fun. What's missing is any sense of caring for the characters or feeling anything but appalled at how this franchise has devolved into such a materialistic charade. Sure, clothes, shoes and shopping were a part of the TV show. But, in my opinion, a very small part of what made the show great. It was the relationship between these four women playing off their individual relationships with their respective others that kept my interest during six seasons. The first movie at least showed actual emotion—Carrie breaking down in the bathroom after being jilted at the alter. I felt nothing of the sort this time around. Even when my personal favorite of the many men (Aiden) shows up to ogle. The closest it came to showing anything real is after Charlotte, ignoring her kids while on the phone, is the victim of red paint on her vintage skirt. She shuts herself into the pantry for one moment of escape and tears. I have no kids, but I can imagine many mothers might have these breakdowns at some point. Though it's unclear if she's more upset about her skirt being ruined than the hardships of being a mother.

A long made defense of the movies (and the show to some extent) is that they are just silly fun. That's fine. I had a "good" time watching it. I had a great night out with an old friend with the hope of watching some other old friends. It's only later when I think about where this franchise has taken us that the disappointment washes over me . As a fan of the show, I'll again pray that these movies are done. Let the show rest in peace and on DVD where better writing and emotion can stay safe. You won't find it in this film. You'll just witness the sad fact that whatever joy that was once found in watching these women has been squeezed out by a desire to sell products—be it an HP computer or marriage itself.

Too amazing not to share...

2010-05-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Adrienne.

Part I

I Swear from adrienne a on Vimeo.

Part II

I Swear, Part II from adrienne a on Vimeo.

Good times fellas

2010-03-07T21:05:00.000-08:00

And that's 100% ladies and gents. A thank you. My address is available on request for that "something pretty."

Thank you and good night!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

2010-03-02T18:12:00.000-08:00

It's that time again . . . Oscar time! Here are my predictions for the major categories. You know the drill, if I get 100%, you all must send me something pretty.

Best Picture
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up in the Air Up

Will Win: The Hurt Locker
Should Win: Inglourious Basterds

Ok, considering they upped the nominees from five to 10, I did pretty well. I've seen them all except An Education and A Serious Man. I may make it to An Education this weekend but regardless I have a well formed opinion of most of these and I don't think my ignorance of those two will affect my decision. The Blind Side is a joke. I seriously laughed out loud when I saw it on here. I only saw it because my mom wanted to and although it's fine for its type of movie (meaning sappy and ridiculous) there is no way it deserves to be on this list. I'd rather Star Trek, Fantastic Mr. Fox, hell even The Hangover taken its place. Avatar is a phenomenal movie. In all areas besides story and dialogue, it blows the rest of these movies out of the water. However, I happen to think plot and dialogue are important in determining Best Picture, so I will be very upset if James Cameron is given the opportunity to once again make a fool out of himself, no matter how much I love what he's created. Up will win Best Animated Film so it won't get the the votes here. District 9 is the populist choice that deserves to be here but won't win. Precious' performances are the star, not the film as a whole. Up in the Air is wonderful, almost too effortless to win the big prize, so that leaves my should win, Inglourious Basterds and my will win The Hurt Locker. Inglourious Basterds is the only one on the list where my jaw was dropped at the end and I was in complete awe of what I'd just seen. It's the complete package of story, visuals and performances—truly the best picture. The Hurt Locker did something else. It has all that, plus it takes the war film and makes it not about war. Plus, it's a war film—a completely masculine genre that happened to be directed by a woman. It breaks ground in many ways and that is why it will win.

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Will Win: Kathryn Bigelow
Should Win: Kathryn Bigelow

This is tough because in terms of direction, the sheer scope of Avatar and what it took to get made deserves recognition. That can't be denied. But I think James Cameron got that recognition in the tremendous box office of his film. He has his Oscar. Like I said above, Kathryn Bigelow made a war film not about war. It's about the men who are addicted to war. It's gritty, intimate and beautiful in its own way. All the performances are pitch perfect and, again, the fact that this man film was made by a woman can't be ignored. As for the rest of them, this is really a two-way race and they will all have other chances.

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Will Win: Jeff Bridges
Should Win: Colin Firth

Full disclosure: I haven't seen Crazy Heart. I'm sure Jeff Bridges is great in it and he probably deserves the win he's about to get. However, I'm rooting for a personal favorite and someone who's "time" it would have been if Bridges not slipped in at the last minute, Colin Firth. A Single Man is a gorgeous film, and he is phenomenal in it as a early-1960s professor who is unable to display grief after he learns his lover (Matthew Goode) has died. It's quiet but powerful, which I often find more intriguing then chewing the scenery acting (see Christoph Waltz nomination). The same can be said of Clooney in Up in the Air, but his performance, like the movie itself, could be seen as too effortless. While it takes a lot of work to make it look so easy, I don't think this is the role that will bring him his second Oscar. There could be a surprise upset with Jeremy Renner coming to spoil Bridges' party, but I assume he'll suffer from the "he'll have other changes" brigade of Academy voters.

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie and Julia

Will Win: Sandra Bullock
Should Win: Meryl Streep

Full Disclosure, part II: I haven't seen The Last Station, though I don't think I'm alone in that. It barely got any press or push, though what I have read, it sounds wonderful. And I don't doubt that Helen Mirren is fantastic, but she already has her Oscar and for the more deserving role from what I can tell. Should the Academy just reward Bullock for trying something different? Something that doesn't make most of them cringe at just the preview like most of her movies of late. I don't think so. But all indications seem to be saying that she will, it's her "time" as they say. Thus Oscar will get a winner that is, by box office numbers, a fan favorite. Enjoy the ratings, too bad the best actress won't really be rewarded. That should go to Miss. Streep, who everyone knows would give a killer acceptance speech and who really deserves it for being able to channel a beloved figure like Julia Child and not make her cartoonish as she well could have been. As for Mulligan and Sidibe, the nomination is your prize.

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Will Win: Christoph Waltz
Should Win: Christoph Waltz

Hands down this belongs to Waltz for the very thing I criticized a few paragraphs above. But if you can't chew scenery in a Tarantino film, where can you? And he does it wonderfully. Equal parts charming and terrifying, his Nazi soldier is one of Tarantino's best baddies and he'll be rewarded justly for it. None of the other gentlemen measure up, I'm afraid, though Woody, it's nice to see you as always.

Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhall, Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Mo'nique, Precious

Will Win: Mo'nique
Should Win: Mo'nique

This race has been over for months and all the ladies honored know it. But it is over for a reason because Mo'nique's performance as an abusive mother is just sickeningly good. If the scene in the social worker's office where she gives her "justification" for how she treats Precious doesn't make you cry, you are officially dead inside. Had it not been for her, I'd have cheered on Anna Kendrick for giving a performance that resonates strongly with those in my generation. The up-starters who think we know it all. Plus, you make Twilight bearable, so thank you for that.

So that's the major categories. The last one I mentioned already above: Best Animated Film. It will go to Up, though I'd rejoice if Fantastic Mr. Fox won, which includes my favorite Clooney and Streep roles of the year. So tune in this Sunday to see how I do, and leave comments where you think I've gone wrong.

Hilarity

2010-01-20T17:38:00.000-08:00

This video has provided no small amount of amusement to me and some friends. I thought it best to share so everyone can enjoy. The accent really makes it from just funny to HI-larious. I just read that this a few years old, but I guess I'm late to the party.

2009 Movie Rundown

2010-01-07T17:40:00.000-08:00

And here is the annual rundown of what I saw this year in theaters. My moviegoing increased from 33 films last year to 41. I'm not sure if I should be proud of that or not . . . but for now I'll say I am. Well done me. It's been a tough year, these movies helped me get through it, even the bad ones. My top 10 is forthcoming, but this is clearly a preview. For now these are in alphabetical order.

Perfection
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Star Trek
(500) Days of Summer

Excellent
Adventureland
Avatar
District 9
The Hangover
Michael Jackson's This is It
A Single Man
The September Issue
Two Lovers
Up
Up in the Air
Where the Wild Things Are

Solid
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
The Invention of Lying
It's Complicated
Julie & Julia
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
Whip It
Zombieland

Decent
Coraline
Coco Before Chanel
Duplicity
Earth
Funny People
I Love You, Man
The Informant!
Public Enemies
Whatever Works

Dumb but Enjoyable
Angels and Demons-only because of Ewan McGregor is this not in bad.
The Blind Side
He's Just Not that Into You
The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Eh
The Lovely Bones

Bad
Bride Wars
Couples Retreat
Extract
The Proposal
The Taking of Pelham 123
Watchmen

Wanted to see but didn't be they good or bad
Amelia
Away We Go
Food, Inc.
Gentlemen Broncos
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Inglorious Basterds
In the Loop
Moon
New York, I Love You
Nine
Paper Heart
Paranormal Activity
The Road
Sherlock Holmes
Sunshine Cleaning
Taken
Taking Woodstock
The Time Traveler's Wife
Year One
2012

Best of 2009

2010-01-07T17:36:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I sucked big time on the one post at a time business. Sorry about that. But I still wanted to share my personal bests of 2009, in movies at least. Along with the rundown of every movie I saw and where it falls on the spectrum. So let's start with my top 10. This year, I decided to judge on two things:
1. The feeling I left the theater with.
2. The film's watchability—would I want to watch it again and again?

So here we go...

Top 10 movies of 2009

(500) Days of Summer
I'm a sucker—this has been well documented. I have accepted it but this doesn't make this movie any less adorable, fun and still heartbreaking. Perhaps it was when I watched it, but i think we all can relate to the feeling Joesph Gordan-Levitt feels in this movie—only remembering the good and overlooking the bad. Sure, movies have been told out of order before but even though we know how it ends for Summer and Tom, that doesn't make it any less fun to watch. From the inclusion of the infamous penis game (which friends of mine—you know who you are—have played many times) to the heartbreaking split screen showing Tom's expectations versus reality set to Regina Spektor, no other movie made me so eager to laugh and cry over and over again.

Fantastic Mr. Fox
It's rare for a movie to literally make me smile the entire time and keep that smile as I walk out the theater and even as i make my way home. Fantastic doesn't begin to describe this one. I loved everything about it—the jerky animated puppets, the father issues, the cussing. You know I love a movie when the only thing I can say about is EEEEE!

Adventureland
It's hard to nail down exactly why I like this movie so much. It's a well-known fact i can't stand Kirsten Stewart or her mouth, but I was able to overlook it for this sweet, funny coming-of-age in the 80s tale. I liked that it was cool 80s, not cheesy 80s like The Wedding Singer. I think most people my age have had that job (summer) or otherwise where the people you work with become your best friends for a period of time. Jesse Eisenberg is an unlikely leading man, like Michael Cera before him, but by the end of the movie, he'd won me over. As had Ryan Reynolds. Any movie that can do that deserves recognition.

Up in the Air
Sometimes its refreshing to see a movie for adults where adults act like adults and talk like them. Now George Clooney is always a good idea, clearly. But an even better idea is casting hims as the old news. Sparring with a young whippersnapper brings out the best in him. Not to mention sparring with a romantic equal his own age. The last time he did that, he defined sexy banter in Out of Sight. This time it's just as fun if more reserved. I love the ending image. Full of sadness but still possibility.

Star Trek
I was always a Star Wars versus star Star Trek kind of girl. Mostly, because I had never really seen Star Trek. My parents used to watch The Next Generation, but i barely remember much beyond Patrick Stewart's captain's log. So I went into this with a complete ignorance of prior Star Trek knowledge. I was blown away. I'm clearly okay with the time travel stuff (ahem, Lost) so I bought and enjoyed every minute of this. Enough that I went and tried to rent on the old Star Trek's and was disappointed to find they aren't on Netflix. Boo.

Avatar
This inspired another sort of emotion while watching and leaving the theater. To be honest, I had my doubts. When I saw the preview, like many others, I was skeptical. I knew I'd still see it, after all I have a weird faith in James Cameron and my friend Clint had worked on it down in New Zealand. But then the advance word of mouth captured my attention. So I rushed to get a last minute ticket to a 3D IMAX show on opening weekend. I was floored. I'm not stupid. The story is predictable and the dialogue clunky. So is Titanic. So is Star Wars. However, like Titanic and Star Wars, I was completely taken to a new place and isn't that what movies are all about? Honestly, it made me sad thinking that I couldn't go see it with my dad. I literally can't remember leaving a theater and being so giddy that i felt the need to call everyone i knew and talk about it. Is it Shakespeare? No. Is it incredibly entertaining and visually stunning? Absolutely.

Up
An animated movie that can make you cry in the first fifteen minutes is something special. I loved the bird, loved the talking dog and loved the grumpy old man.Though I think the first half is much stronger than the second half, I still wept like a baby at the end and marveled at the 3D.

District 9
It's been a good year for smart sci-fi (see Star Trek above) and this film, which for those that don't know, shows a world where aliens have arrived and quickly been segregated from the human population. The film is shot in rough documentary style and can be shocking in its splatter effects, but is affecting nonetheless. Though I had to turn away often to escape the sickening images, the film was still incredibly entertaining. Plus I'm all for films having a message and knowing that this serves an allegory for apartheid, but not having it explicitly shoved down your throat was refreshing.

The September Issue
It's no secret I adore magazines. Thought I'm not a regular reader of Vogue, I do enjoy reading about the innerworkings of the place. Since i know how magazines operate, getting a peek into the top ones are always a treat. This documentary follows Editor-Chief, and Devil Wears Prada inspiration Anna Wintour and her team as they put together the largest issue of Vogue ever. But the real story is watching Grace Coddington, Vogue's creative director, do battle with the Wintour and seeing how much she loves and lives her job, even though she gets little recognition for how much she does. Sure, a fashion magazine seems a frivolous subject for a genre that usually tackles much more serious subjects, but I still found this one incredibly fascinating and entertaining, and just reinforced my love of my profession, even if where I work feels very far from Vogue.

A Single Man
This snuck in right at the end of my viewing cutoff. Directed by fashion designer Tom Ford, I can say with confidence this was one of the most stylish films i saw this year. Colin Firth, always in style stars as man who is devastated when his longtime lover (the always attractive Matthew Goode) suddenly dies. It's set in the early 1960s, therefore he is unable to show his grief in public. This film's power is really in silences and Colin Firth has never been less Darcy-ish. Still impeccably charming, but you can really see his grief in every scene and he's never been more affecting.

Dec 2: Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?

2009-12-13T08:29:00.000-08:00

Going to restaurants is one of my absolute favorite things to do. It's one of the reasons I adore living in New York because there are endless possibilities, even though I often just end up going to the same ones over and over.

Trying to pick the best restaurant experience I had is tough. There have been so many great ones. I went to the 21 Club with my roommate during Restaurant Week for some old school New York. We ate steak and drank fun drinks, even though we were sure the restaurant could tell we were second class citizens in terms of the dining scene. But experience wise, one that stands out happened pretty recently. And it was more about the company then the food, though that was excellent too.

Good old Kim and Dan were in town so we decided to go to brunch. As usual, no one had any idea where to go, so I decided to have us try something new so we went to the Cornelia Street Cafe. After a bit of a wait in New York City sunshine, we were seated in Siberia, way in the back of the restaurant, which i attributed to our large party size. It was cozy—white walls, wooden tables and the pleasant noise of humming restaurant chatter. Then the fun started in a game this group calls winning the order. You can read an exhaustive list of rules here. However, this particular time was the last game of the trip so it was time to get serious. The hilarity that can be contributed to this game is ridiculous. Everyone takes a long time to decide and tries to keep their order a secret, lest they be disqualified. My order was, the always classic, huevos rancheros. I had once ridiculed this dish because of its funny name, but that was before I had tried it. This particular version centered on a large flour tortilla, topped with fluffy over medium eggs, black beans, cheddar cheese, creme fraiche and salsa. Thought it is considered a heavy breakfast, it didn't feel that way because of the fresh salsa. It's my new favorite brunch order. And this time it won. Some would disagree, Kim tried hard with her eggs Benedict, but I knew I was victorious when everyone conceded that if I finished every bite, I had the win. Some may disagree that this happened, but it DID. My only win, if that doesn't make for the best restaurant experience for the year, I don't know what does.

Dec 1: What was your best trip in 2009?

2009-12-13T07:48:00.000-08:00

I'm already way behind on this, but I still want to write about each topic. So here it goes.

What was your best trip in 2009?

I was lucky enough to do a fair amount of traveling this year. There were the weddings of two of my girls to attend, one in Kansas City, one in Salt Lake, both of which were wonderful trips. There was a quick trip to Chicago. There were work trips to San Antonio and San Francisco. But hands down my best trip of 2009 was the week cruise I took with my family in February. The cruise as meant as a celebration of my father being done with chemo and cancer-free. Now we know that was unfortunately a short-lived diagnosis but that doesn't mean the trip was any less fun in hindsight.

My entire life, the Ramseys have taken family vacations. Every summer, most spring breaks, sometimes at Christmas. Yes, most of these were to Disney World, but by the time I was 20, I had been to every part of the country with my family. Often we'd drive because my dad loved to be in control of the car and that way he could make us listen to Rush Limbaugh, Gary Puckett and any other offensive music/talk he could find in hopes of "broadening our minds." Since we've grown up, these trips have become less frequent but still happen occasionally. This time, we took a cruise that left from Miami and went to a private island in Hati, Jamaica, Mexico and was supposed to stop in Grand Caymen, but couldn't because of bad weather. My mom had made a promise that this was the trip we would go all out. Anything we wanted to do, we could. So we went para sailing and zip lining. We climbed a waterfall. We ate and drank whatever we wanted.

One of the best things I remember though were the times when we weren't doing things that were too cruise-y. When we couldn't stop in Grand Caymen, we were bummed but it gave us the opportunity to just be with each other. We played Phase 10 for about three hours, my Dad beating us almost every time. It's so rare that we were all together for so long anymore. When I'm home, my sister is always jetting off to be with friends so this was the first time in a long time it had just bee the four of us. Had I known it was going to be one of the last, I would have savored it more. Obviously reflecting on the trip brings it more significance now then it did then since I recently lost my dad. I know for a fact that I'll never have a trip like it again. But looking at the photos from that trip now are good for me. It's good to see him healthy and happy. John and his girls, having the time of their lives.

2009

2009-12-04T11:32:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling down on 2009. It's been a rough year. So inspired by Jacky, I decided I want to try and participate in the Best of 2009 blog challenge. Mostly to try and remember some good things about this year and perhaps even reflect on the bad things. I've never done anything like this before with this blog, but perhaps it will inspire me to start posting more, which is an area where I'm lacking in inspiration as of late. I'm just a few days to this party, but I still want to write the prompts I missed so those will come soon.

For now, just the announcement of things to come because I have four interviews to transcribe and one more to do today.

Because why not?

2009-10-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

The Greatest Update Ever: Part 2

2009-09-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Adventureland
I love this movie. I hadn't seen a movie multiple times in the theater in awhile. It's harder to justify it in New York. But I did it for this one. Romantic and genuinely funny are hard to come by. Adventureland does both very well. I wasn't even that annoyed by Kristen Stewart's mouth. Well . . . most of the time.

Star Trek
I've always maintained my position of Star Wars over Star Trek. This was an uneducated preference really. I remember watching Star Trek with my parents but never really understanding or liking it that much. But then J.J. Abrams had to go and direct it, thereby forcing my interest to be piqued. Going completely ignorant of the original Star Trek was kind of cool. Although instantly I wanted to watch all that came before it.

The Taking of Pelham 123
This is what happens when you just want to go to a movie theater, no matter what's playing. You find yourself watching a completely unbelievable , laughable performance by John Travolta. It's pretty sad when you realize the highlight of a film is when you recognize the MTA headquarters as being by your office. Lame.

Whatever Works
Larry David and Woody Allen together? Match made in heaven. Or so you would think. What was the problem? I'm not quite sure. Maybe it was because I've watched too much Curb. I could actually see Larry David thinking about his lines as he said them. Evan Rachel Wood was incredibly annoying. Plus the script just didn't feel fresh. I want these guys to try again, next time with a little more feeling
.
Public Enemies
Disappointment. Johnny, you've never looked better. Too bad it wasn't in a better movie. And I had such high hopes.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
I reached my height of crazy this summer when I went to the midnight IMAX showing of Harry Potter and then went again the same day. Was it worth it? Clearly. However, I do have criticisms. Why in the world did they change how Ginny and Harry get together? I can't see any possible reason. But overall, you still got me Harry. Although I did not cry and that was upsetting in and of itself.

(500) Days of Summer
It happened again. I fell hard for a movie and wanted to see nothing else for weeks. Amazingly I only saw it twice, but not for lack of trying. I loved everything about this movie. Acting, soundtrack, pacing, editing, everything. I hadn't been hit this hard since Garden State. And anyone who knows me, that means something.

Funny People
Another disappointment. Seth Rogan, you look great skinny. Keep it up. Jason Schwartzman, I had higher hopes for you but always glad to see you. Jonah Hill, you're always solid, be in the movie more. As for Adam Sandler, I appreciate the effort to branch out, but the sheer amount of penis jokes ruined any new depth of emotion you tried to reach.

Julie & Julia
Yum. Well, the Meryl Streep part is great. Amy Adams just tries to make to make do with the unfortunate haircut they gave her. Plus they filmed in my new hood!

District 9
One of the few movies I saw this summer that lived up to its hype. Compelling, grotesque, exciting and awesome. Well done Danny Boyle.

The September Issue
Oh magazines. I still adore you. Even as you die a slow and painful death. But this film, which follows the creation of the September 2007 issue of Vogue (the biggest issue the magazine ever put out). The filmmakers got unprecedented access to Anna Wintour and she's better for it. It shows her being tough on her colleagues—creative director Grace Coddington bares the brunt but luckily she's one of the few who can take it and dish some herself—as well as showing why she's one of the most respected editors of all time.

Films I couldn't muster the energy to recap, therefore grades:
Duplicity: B-
I Love You, Man: B
The Proposal:D
Angels and Demons:D
Up: A+
The Hangover: B

The Greatest Update Ever: Part 1

2009-08-25T17:41:00.000-07:00

So remember when this blog was supposed to be an outlet for me to write about movies? I write about non-commercial foodservice all day, so I created this blog so I'd have a place to write about movies and other things that inspire me, but movies primarily. However, life intervened. The last movie I wrote about in length was American Teen, more than a year ago.

I am ashamed.

Apart from my post about the Oscars and the extensive list of my feelings on the movies of the year, I haven't written in present tense about a movie I've seen in more than a year?! This stops now. So to catch you all up, and in the interest of brevity, I will detail the movies I've seen since the post about favorite movies of the year with my feelings on each. I want to share with you all what I've seen but I know, as all writers should, conciseness is key.

Bride Wars
Sometimes you need a mindless chick flick. Sometimes you need one with one of your oldest friends. Yes, this was terrible. Probably everything that is wrong with movies made for women. But Anne Hathaway is a girl crush of mine. And she wore a really cute dress/cardigan pairing, so it was almost worth it.

He's Just Not That Into You
Again, another bad choice made for reasons of mindless entertainment. But hey, the early part of the year is movie dumping ground. So when the urge strikes, you go see drivel like this. However, it wasn't as terrible as Bride Wars, so that's a plus. I still will watch Jennifer Aniston in almost anything and this is one of her lesser crimes. Although I do dislike Justin Long and don't buy him as a cool guy at all. Overall, I agree with one Adrienne Aggen's assessment of, "not terrible."

Gomorra
For those not familiar, Gomorra is a film about organized crime in and around Naples. Praised highly in the pages of the NY Times, I am struggling to remember anything about it besides a ::yawn:: AND IT'S ABOUT GANGSTERS. Come on Italy, you can do better than this.

Two Lovers
Better known as the movie Joaquin Phoenix was supposed to be promoting when he went crazy on David Letterman, Two Lovers is actually a sweet little movie. Set in Brighton Beach, land of Russian immigrants, the film follows Leonard as he juggles two romances. One with a parent-approved good girl and one with a manic-depressive hottie (Gwyneth Paltrow). Needless to say, Leonard doesn't do the male gender any favors in his actions, but the film is still really interesting to watch, both in regards to performances but also as an example of a type of a movie that isn't made much anymore: a smart and simple New York romance.

Watchmen
Full disclosure: I knew very little about Watchmen before I went to see it. I had read a few things about it (Patrick Wilson sex scene! Billy Crudup blue and naked!) and seen the trailer (Smashing Pumpkins song!) but otherwise I'd only heard raving fanboys (Chris Raine) talking about how great the comic is. I pride myself on being a girl who likes this sort of thing (Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, etc), so I was hoping for the best. To say I wasn't impressed would be a lie. It's visually a beautiful movie. But I just didn't care about any of the characters or particularly like any of them. And it's hard to watch a three hour movie where you don't have anyone to root for. Even if they are played by Patrick Wilson and Matthew Goode (Chasing Liberty!).

Coming soon...Duplicity, Adventureland and more.

Patience is a Virtue

2009-08-18T18:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've been MIA for more than a month. But I have good reasons.

1. One, Corinne Fetter became Corinne Kritikos and attention had to be paid.

2. I moved from Morningside Heights/Harlem to beautiful Park Slope, Brooklyn after a hellish apartment search and the latest movers in the history of the world.

3. Two other Uglies are in the throws of wedding planning and attention must be paid.

But, I'm working on a new blogging vigor. I want to return this blog to its true purpose so I have some drafts in the works. Until then, thanks for checking in and stay tuned.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

2009-08-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

OK, OK! My fans are clamouring for an update (although I think you just want a new post for new opportunities to make fun of me). I was planning on doing one tonight, but then I got carried away with bridesmaid duties. So I'm in process of writing the update to beat all updates.

You'll need a few days to prepare for what's about to happen.

Celebrity Sighting #5

2009-06-29T19:11:00.000-07:00

Celebrity Sighted: Michael Imperioli

Location: Tribeca/Chinatown border

Info: Dave and I were returning from an excellent Chinatown feast when he hit me repeatedly on the arm as we were crossing the street. Thinking it was just his normal behavior, I was slow to catch on that he was calling the sighting to my attention. There he was, Christopher Moltisanti from The Sopranos! A show I have recently completed watching and absolutely LOVED.

Notes: He had long hair (for Christopher) and we saw him meet a young lass on the corner, gave her a kiss on the cheek and disappear into the night.

Unwigged and Unplugged: Beacon Theater

2009-05-27T07:07:00.000-07:00

An amazing thing happened yesterday. I was completely spontaneous and it all worked out perfectly. Having read that the lead players of Spinal Tap were going to be performing sans costumes and electric instruments, I thought I might like to go but funds for such things are low on my list as of late. However, when the show presented itself again, day of show, for some reason I flew into action. I went to Craigslist, found cheap seats, e-mailed and secured tickets in one hour's time. It couldn't have been easier. So to my joy, that is how I found myself sitting in the incredibly beautiful Beacon Theater for a night of comedy/rock. The trio did songs, all acoustic, from This is Spinal Tap, A Mighty Wind and some choice cuts from Waiting for Guffman.

Highlights:
•An earlier promise of famous faces was doubly paid off when the trio was clearly gearing up to play the classic, "Gimme Some Money"—choice lyrics: "Don't get me wrong. Try getting me right. Your face is OK. But your purse is too tight." Instead of launching into the song themselves, they brought out a guest vocalist in the person of ELVIS COSTELLO. Elvis sang the entire song with gusto as the trio backed him up. The entire theater was shocked and elated.

•As a breather between songs, the trio read verbatim the original censorship notes made when NBC decided to air the film in its entirety for the first time. Sample notes: "The lyrics 'my baby fits me like a flesh tuxedo, I'd like to sink her with my pink torpedo' are unacceptable." "The entire song 'Sex Farm' is unacceptable."

•I feared Stonehenge wouldn't be as wonderful without the mini-Stonehenge and dancing midgets. However, I was proven wrong when on the screen behind the trio, an even smaller mini-Stonehenge was lowered down on a string while two disembodied hands (which I later found out belonged to Jamie Lee Curtis) made two Troll dolls dance around. It was the Spinal Tap equivalent of the dancing manatee. Brilliant!

•I wasn't expecting any songs from Waiting for Guffman since the other two gentlemen weren't involved in that movie, however, I was pleasantly surprised when Christopher Guest and a guest female vocalist sang a touching rendition of "A Penny for Your Thoughts," complete with toe touch at the end.

•I also wasn't expecting to hear my favorite song from A Mighty Wind, "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow, since it's Eugene Levy's shining moment in the film. However, apparently Michael McKean and his wife wrote the song and so fittingly performed it, complete with kiss at the end.

•The performance of "Big Bottom" was done with just bass and snapping fingers, which is probably how I'd prefer to hear the song from now on.

•They took some time between songs to share two of their favorite fan-made music videos to Spinal Tap songs. Here is my favorite:

•The evening ended on a high note with "Old Joe's Place," reminding me how much I enjoy A Might Wind and must rewatch it as soon as possible.

•Overall, I was really impressed with how talented the men were as musicians. Christopher Guest can play guitar as well as anyone I've seen. And although they are all in they're 60s, they played for two hours including two encores. That's more than I've seen much younger musicians do.

Lowlight:
The definition of douche that was sitting a row ahead of us. Not only were they clearly wasted and talking over the music so loud that the girl next to us loudly (and rightly) called them douches, when the trio was introducing the song "Corn Wine," the douche felt it appropriate to yell out "Cornhole!" Not amused. Thankfully, they stumbled out (or were kicked out) shortly after this incident.

Sigh

2009-04-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry for all the trailer stuff. I've been crazy at work, traveling, sick, hurt back and now eczema. Perhaps too much information. But some of the only pleasure I get these days is from trailers like this. Enjoy.

P.S. I heart Arcade Fire.

Oh hey Harry

2009-03-07T08:32:00.000-08:00

yes please

2009-03-04T20:51:00.000-08:00

Celebrity Sighting #5

2009-03-03T11:36:00.000-08:00

Celebrity Sighted: Jason Sudeikis

Location: The Village Pourhouse, East Village

Info: I was at the Pourhouse, one of two official KU alumni bars, to watch the slaughtering of Mizzou when my good friend Chris Raine pointed out Mr. Smiling Joe Biden watching the game in the other room. As a known KU alum, it was not surprising to see him there, but exciting nonetheless. Raine said that Will Forte from SNL was with him, but I did not spy him.

Notes: He was sporting a fine beard and was wearing (proudly) a navy Kansas sweatshirt.

Quick Oscar Predictions

2009-02-22T12:22:00.000-08:00

Just so I'll be able to gloat, in case I do well, here are my Oscar picks for tonight. Let's see how I do. If I get 100%, you all have to buy me something pretty.

Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
Notes: The only one I haven't seen is The Reader, and it shouldn't have been nominated in this category anyway. Should have been The Dark Knight or WALL-E.
Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor
Richard Jenkins-The Visitor
Frank Langella-Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn-Milk
Brad Pitt-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke-The Wrestler
Notes: Ok, I haven't seen The Wrestler. However, Mickey Rourke scares me and I can't see how much of a stretch his part is...In any other year, I'd say Frank Langella should be taking the golden guy, but unfortunately that damn Sean Penn showed up to steal his glory. Also, I recently watched The Visitor and it is GREAT!
Will Win: Mickey or Sean? My heart says Sean but my head says Mickey.

Best Actress
Anne Hathaway-Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie-Changeling
Melissa Leo-Frozen River
Meryl Strep-Doubt
Kate Winslet-The Reader
Notes: I'm outraged Kate was nominated for The Reader and not Revolutionary Road which is generally considered the better of her two parts. However, I heart her, so she's welcome any time. I also heart Anne Hathaway and LOVED Rachel Getting Married so I'd be happy if she won. Only other note, Changleing is a terrible movie. Angelina Jolie's entire performance is her crying and repeating the line (That is not my son!). She doesn't belong here.
Will Win: Kate Winslet

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin-Milk
Robert Downey Jr.-Tropic Thunder
Phillip Seymour Hoffman-Doubt
Heath Ledger-The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon-Revolutionary Road
Notes: Even if he hadn't died, Heath Ledger's performance is insurmountable by the rest of these guys. They know it and you will too as soon as you see his Oscar clip next to any of theirs.
Will Win: Heath Ledger

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams-Doubt
Penelope Cruz-Vicky Christina Barcelona
Viola Davis-Doubt
Taraji Henson- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei-The Wrestler
Notes: This is a tough one to call. The two Doubt ladies will probably split voters, although of the two, I prefer Viola Davis' performance. I liked Henson in Button but I think Cruz directed by Woody will be too hard for the Academy to resist.
Will Win: Penelope Cruz

Best Director
Danny Boyle-Slumdog Millionaire
Steven Daldry-The Reader
David Fincher-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard-Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant-Milk
Notes: I'd be happy if either Gus Van Sant or Danny Boyle won. I've been fans of both for years, ditto David FIncher, although I think he'll do better films than Button. Howard already has his Oscar, so it should have been Christopher Nolan.
Will Win: Danny Boyle-Slumdog Millionaire

Cruising

2009-02-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

More to come on the cruise but for now...

There is a God, part 2

2009-01-29T11:13:00.000-08:00

Here is proof.

Best of 2008: Theater/Shows

2009-01-16T20:37:00.000-08:00

Broadway/Off-Broadway
Equus
Originally billed just as Harry Potter naked, live on stage, I actually really enjoyed the actual play. Daniel Radcliffe has definitely (ahem) matured as an actor and it was really exciting to see him in something so completely removed from Harry. Richard Griffiths was incredible and I liked the story way more than I thought I would. Money WELL spent.

The Seagull
Starring Peter Sarsgaard and Kristin Scott Thomas, this was another great chance to see amazing actors live on stage. An ensemble piece that deals with love, family, etc, it also starred MacKenzie Crook, better known as Gareth from the British Office or the pirate with the wooden eye in Pirates of the Caribbean. He was the one that most impressed me.

Shakespeare in the Park: Hamlet
My feelings on this have already been chronicled here.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
As have my feelings on this one.

Comedy
Asssscat (Thanks Dan)
I saw two performance of this Upright Citizens Brigade show, originally created by SNL's Amy Poehler. The first one was far funnier than the second one, mostly because Rob Riggle formerly of The Daily Show was in attendance and he could make me laugh just standing there. However, it did introduce me to my favorite new addition to SNL before he made it there: Bobby Moynihan

Stella
Although a big fan of Wet Hot American Summer I hadn't seen much Stella before this show. Until my good friend Dan had me watch some over Thanksgiving break, which I was thankful for. It was all solid, especially when Paul Rudd showed up to "stand in" for David Wain while he went to the bathroom. Hey, Paul . . . Shawnee Mission West!

Late Night With Conan O'Brien
This was a fun one, mostly because we thought it would be kind of lame since the guest was Martin Short, but he turned out to be very funny. One thing to complain was the people in charge of the line. We were directed to the wrong one and ended up way in the back. This upset me, not so much the rest of my party. Conan, however, was his usual charming and funny self. Don't go to L.A., they'll ruin you!

Other
Times Talks: Sarah Jessica Parker
See here.

Times Talks: Ellen Page, Amy Ryan and Jason Reitman
Ditto.

Best of 2008: Music

2009-01-14T16:43:00.000-08:00

I have never been the person to "discover" new bands. I always catch on way too late for that, mostly after I've heard a song in a movie trailer, T.V. show, commercial or movie. Otherwise, my good friends Alison or Adrienne Aggen usually make me fun mix CDs that brighten my musical horizons. So here are the bands/albums/songs that I listened to and enjoyed the most in 2008.

Listened Obsessively
Bon Iver, For Emma Forever Ago
Choice track: "Skinny Love, "Flume" and "The Wolves"

Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
Choice track: "Your Protector" and "Blue Ridge Mountains"

Okkervil River, The Stand Ins
Choice track: "Calling and Not Calling My Ex" and "Lost Coastlines"

The Virgins, The Virgins
Choice track:"Fernando Pando" and "Teen Lovers"

Superb
The Ting Tings, We Started Nothing
Choice track: "We Walk" and "Great DJ"

Radiohead, In Rainbows
Choice track: All except "House of Cards," which is just ok.
Update: Upon further reflection, and a very persuasive video produced by Adrienne and Jared starring Jared, Adrienne's voice and one ugly doll with a Thom Yourke "lazy eye," I've come to have a new appreciation for the song. Well done, team.

Kings of Leon, Only By the Night
Choice track: "Sex On Fire" and "Revelry"

Deserves to be listened to more
Bloc Party, Intimacy
Choice track: "Signs" (acoustic)

Coldplay, Viva la Vida
Choice track:"Lost?" and "42"

You can do better
Ben Folds, Way to Normal
Choice tracks: "Cologne," "You Don't Know Me" and "Bitch Went Nuts" (only because it gets stuck in my head for days and the first line is hilarious "The bitch went nuts, she stabbed my basketball." What the?

Concerts

Amazing
Radiohead, All Points West Festival
Bon Iver, Town Hall
Okkervil River, Webster Hall
The Swell Season, Radio City Music Hall
Tilly and the Wall, The Knitting Factory (Thanks Dan!)

(Above) Okkervil River's Will Scheff. My god that is good hair.

Solid
Built to Spill, Terminal 5
Fleet Foxes, Webster Hall
Kings of Leon, All Points West Festival
Old Springs Pike, Rockwood Music Hall
Spoon, Terminal 5
The Ting Tings, McCarren Park Pool (Even though we only saw the last half of it. Poor crowd management.)
The Virgins, All Points West Festival

Eh
The Mountain Goats, Webster Hall (This is probably not their fault. I think was so tired that I was sleeping standing up, however, the fact that they couldn't wake me up probably says something about them.)

Best Opening Band
Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears, opened for Okkervil River

Singles
Making its way to 25 Most Played (may not be new, but I discovered it during the past year)
"Almost Lover," A Fine Frenzy
"Apologize," Timbaland featuring One Republic-featured during a hot scene on Gossip Girl
"Ca Plane Pour Moi," Plastic Bertrand
"Circus," Britney Spears
"Disturbia," Rihanna
"Hard to Live in the City," Albert Hammond Jr.
"Paper Planes," MI.A.
"Sour Cherry," The Kills
"The Way I Are,"Timbaland
"Three Wishes," The Pierces
"With Me," Sun 41-ditto
"Womanizer," Britney Spears

And many of the above choice tracks.

Golden Globes

2009-01-12T12:13:00.001-08:00

Best part of the night.

This and Kate Winslet talking more about her love of Leonardo DiCaprio than her husband. For which, I do not blame her.

Best of 2008: Movies

2009-01-10T12:47:00.000-08:00

I'm late to the list-making party but, inspired by Dan, I wanted to share my feelings on the year's entertainment offerings, if only to invite spirited debate. I decided to do it in installments. Movies, Music and Theater. First up, my favorite, movies!

By my count, I saw 33 movies in the theater this year. Pas mal, but there was still plenty I wanted to see that I didn't. (movies are in alphabetical order)

Perfection
Milk (Tears and lots of them)
Rachel Getting Married (I heart Anne Hathaway!)
Slumdog Millionaire (Possibly my favorite movie of the year)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Whoa! Brad Pitt . . . I remember you.)
The Dark Knight (The only movie that when it was over, I instantly wanted to watch it again . . . and again . . . and again)
Wall-E (Waaaalllleeeee! tee hee!)

Excellent
Burn After Reading (this has been moved up due to a second viewing)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (on second viewing, this moved up to excellent)
Frost/Nixon
Iron Man
Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist
Revolutionary Road (Kate! Leo! Fighting!)

Solid
American Teen
Doubt
In Search of a Midnight Kiss (A sweet little movie, see it)
Role Models
Pineapple Express (James Franco, even with that hair, anytime...)
Tropic Thunder (on second viewing, this moved down to solid, except RDJ deserves perfection)
Young @ Heart (Tee hee, old people!)

Decent
Baby Mama
Body of Lies
Kung Fu Panda

Dumb but Enjoyable
Definitely, Maybe (I liked this too much and it doesn't deserve it
Hancock (Funniest first half, followed by a train wreck of a second)
Mamma Mia
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (What the random?)
Pride and Glory (Oh hey Edward Norton)
Sex and the City (See here)
The Incredible Hulk (Again, Edward Norton thank you)
Twlight (My favorite part of this, is when Alison and I were both doubting Robert Pattinson's attractiveness, and then he showed up in a suit . . . sold.)
W

Eh
Changeling (Ok, Angelina, you can cry, what else can you do?)

Bad
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Ugh, Shia LeBeouf, get the hell out of Hollywood)

Wanted to See, But Didn't, Be They Good Or Bad (hello, Netflix)
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
A Christmas Tale
Australia
Be Kind Rewind
Choke
Funny Games
Ghost Town
Gran Torino
Hamlet 2
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
I've Loved You So Long
Man On Wire
Marley and Me
Quantum of Solace
Religulous
Smart People
Synecdoche, New York
The Class
The Duchess
The Reader
The Visitor
The Wackness
The Wrestler
Vicky Christina Barcelona

Any I should skip? Disagree with picks above? Let's hear it.

2009-01-06T12:51:00.000-08:00

Who said New York City smells bad?

Guest Blogger: Adrienne on Synecdoche, New York

2008-12-14T20:44:00.000-08:00

I still haven't seen this, I'm ashamed to admit. However, there has been a duel about if the film is "good" or not. Here Adrienne Aggen weighs in.

This movie exhausted me. Ruined me. Had me in fits. Tearing at my arm hair.

I imagine other people feel like this too, but I am going to make a wild guess that they don't take the time to figure out what it all means to them. Because they're so unquestionably mind-blown afterwards that they just want to go home and soak in some long, hot, VH1. No pretense about it, Synecdoche, New York is work. Hard work. I don't know how comfortable I'd feel filing it away under "entertainment." It kind of feels more like doing a research project.

But this theme of the hard-working movie works, because the premise deals with one of the most emotionally taxing professions – artist. In this case, writer. The film is quick to remind us that being a creative person is rewarding but hardly the glamorous kick in the park it looks like. You can't turn your brain off. Ever. You're never done. It's not like you finish up at the office and then start the project the next day. No, you're constantly making mental notes and revisions and it's enough to drive a woman Sylvia Plath.

Even when the project is done, it's still not done. "A [poem] is never finished, only abandoned." Cliché, but true. You then have to have a maddening post-mortem, where you regret half of your creative choices and play the "if-only" game until you collapse in a pool of your own, wasted brain matter. I really can't think of anyone who works more than the artist, but enough about me, let's talk about the movie!

Well, actually that is kind of a quick sum-up of the premise. This concept of the ever-constant-Work, this blurred line between one's work and one's life is hammered upon with great skill, played by the always genuine Philip Seymour Hoffman as the messy but ambitious playwright Caden Cotard. You see, Caden's personal life is in shambles. His body is falling prey to diseases of every kind including bowel troubles, blood issues, sycosis (the homonym all too prescient and suggestive).

These scenes afflict us with some scatological icks, but they're much more tolerable than the Apatow brand of potty humor, and are appropriate for a movie about decay. After all, as Caden soon learns, we are human. We are temporary. We are our own carbon-based sets, prone to disease and discomfort and likely to collapse at any moment. And Caden is literally his own, fragile, walking theater piece.

His relationships are also fraying at the seams. His wife (Catherine Keener) is finding artistic success and trading her husband's affections for those of Berlin artsters, taking their young daughter Olive with her to saddening consequences.

This leaves Caden lonely, though admired by a bright young assistant (the always captivating Samantha Morton) and by the theater community at large, the latter all but saving his suddenly bleak life by tossing him a prestigious McCarthur grant. With this financial backing, Caden can now do something more important, more personal than the stage plays he's been translating in recent years. And he turns inward, taking inspiration from his life and his life alone.

What follows really proves to Caden and to the audience the certain inescapability of autobiography. We cannot help throwing ourselves into our work, and he cuts all the corners and takes this very literally. We then watch the following hour and a half and explore "Caden", keen as mustard to turn his life into his masterpiece, not realizing his life is already his masterpiece. And it takes him the whole 2 hours and 20 minutes before this concept finally jells in that disturbed, creative brain of his.

Instead, he undergoes the expensive and time consuming learning process and rents a huge Brooklyn warehouse and fills it with the junk and neuroses of his life. He creates exact replicas of his apartment and nearby haunts, casts his real life wife, ingénue Claire (Michelle Williams - who just keeps getting better as she grows into herself) as the wife of the Playwright. Further on he casts actors to play the Actors to play Actors for this play with in a play within a play. It could get confusing in this respect, and it does. But it's still always well-communicated, it's just like you need to pause the film, figure it out for a few minutes, and then press play again.

It's a funny movie, too. Caden's inability to totally control his actors and his assistants make for unexpectedly hilarious turns, as they help in rewriting the play of his life. He is the director of his play, but like a God, his players still have the will to be their own agents. This process is very organic for life, but not for the controlled environment of a stage, and this stresses out the already stressed Caden. But the humor is well-placed and smart, and it makes sense at the end that the story of all of our little lives are both tragedies and comedies. This is just my take, but I actually think Kaufman is pretty charitable to the often sad state of the human life. He loves Caden and hates Caden at the same time, and maybe this is just more than a bit self-reflective.

At about the halfway mark, play and life become completely interchangeable, and you can just see Kaufman snickering in the wings, adding another layer to this meta-madness. I think for the writer-director, like his protagonist Caden, this was his way of self-analyzation. He needed to create to understand himself. But it's unclear whether he finds it ultimately worthwhile. Is he praising art, or shaming it for it's obsolescence? In the end is Art insignificant or is it all that matters? I think he is torn, and this is partially why it's so complex.

Art. Just the word exhausts me, too. You know, the longest (ongoing) argument I've ever been in attempts to assign a "correct" definition to this concept and to classify, demystify, spiritualize, contextualize, and hyperanalyze it. And the leitmotif of this argument being: Does Art need an audience to be Art? What if—like those old Chinese poets who scribbled down poems and sent them down the river on origami boats, never to be seen by any other eyes—the art I create is just for myself - a commune between me and my God - is this not art? Or is it just artistic masturbation? Do I need an audience? Is the art I want to create founded in the Calvinist school of thought or is it not? Do I create to glorify God, self, or both? Or to understand self? Or all of these things? These are things that I guess run through other people's mind besides mine, to name a few Kauffman and the fictional? Caden.

In the end, it presents all the needed ingredients to give it Oscar nods, especially and unsurprisingly Best Orioginal Screenplay. It also benefits from an indie dreamboat cast (lookout for a knockout performance by Dianne Weist). I can't fathom the negative, "vanity-project" reviews it's getting. Don't all stories eventually reflect our own artistic credo? I see this then, less as a vanity project, and more as something very close to Truth. Microscopically, macroscopically (whatever it takes) trying to discover who we are through what we make and our role as Grand Creators – the closest we'll get as mortals to becoming Gods, even though even our "controlled" environments still belong to something greater. Thematically, it spoke to me (clearly). Haunted me in a way (hence the feeling like I HAD to write something about it, "*en muss sein.)" It's stimulates in a way that most movies don't – artistically, intellectually, spiritually.

And I dare you not have at least an hour of conversation about it afterward.

* Geez. Kundera, what a jerk I am.

Dr. Phil Gets Me

2008-12-04T13:16:00.000-08:00

My mom sent me this Dr. Phil test. I was bored so I took it. It turned out to be pretty accurate, I'm ashamed to admit. I got a 37. Oprah got a 38. Even though I hate Oprah, I still feel ok about that.

31 TO 40 POINTS
Others see you as sensible, cautious, careful and practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who's extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake
your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over it if that trust is ever broken.

If you're curious, I'll send it to you. Doesn't take along.

I need to get back to work...

Guest Blogger: Alison on Uggs

2008-12-03T21:48:00.000-08:00

Alison is (very) proud of her new purchase of Uggs. While I'm freezing in ballet flats, they seem like a good idea, but the rest of the time I berate her endlessly. She claims she is bringing the Uggs back for the non-mini skirt wearing population. She wanted a forum to state her case.

Ugg boots have become as standard a symbol of That Girl as the denim mini-skirt She is inevitably wearing. We've all seen Her, we've all been annoyed by Her. I am not That Girl. But I just bought Her shoes. I, my friends, am taking back Uggs. On behalf of all practical-minded girls with cold feet, I'm taking a stand. Why must I, whose worn Chucks and beloved flats are no match for sub-zero temperatures, suffer? No more, I say.

I first had the Ugg experience when I borrowed a pair of my sister's to wear to the KU/Nebraska football game. It was freezing. My face was raw, my hands were numb, but my feet... my feet were gloriously warm. And comfortable. I felt like rugged royalty, and yet, I couldn't silence my self-loathing. My head told me Uggs were an excellent idea: I get cold easily, I'm outside a lot, I've been looking for cold-weather shoes. My heart told me no: Uggs are gross. In the end, alas, you just can't mess with logic.

Buying Ugg boots is a lot like getting a tattoo: there's no coming back from it. At the store, my mom, knowing my internal struggle, asked me how I felt about my looming purchase. Happy? Sad? I said, in so many words, that I felt as if the part of my soul that housed my principles had been dealt a mighty, if not fatal, blow. She laughed. I scowled. And then I bought some boots.

I don't regret it. Uggs are O.K. They've served me well. Yes, the same Uggs so ubiquitous among the bleach-blond, S.U.V.-driving set. And I'm not only a convert; I'm here to convert you. You may be judging me, but I'm judging you for your inappropriate choice of footwear. So let's take back Uggs. Let's be cold no more. The shoe does not make the person, I'll have you know. It just makes her warmer.

I Heart NYC

2008-11-17T19:52:00.000-08:00

I know it's been awhile and I have some drafts in the works but this was too amazing not to share.

So Autumn and I were leaving the movies (Role Models, pretty funny. Worth seeing) and we were walking on Broadway uptown toward the train. It was a normal Sunday afternoon, about 4:30, still light outside. So we're walking down the street and walking in the opposite direction is a man in his late thirties or forties with a bushy red beard. Sounds standard enough, right?

Until my eyes traveled upward and saw that the man was walking (at a perfectly normal pace) while a cat perched calmly on his head. Not a kitten, a full grown cat. It looked a lot like this, the cat was even the same color, in fact, this may be the same guy, just a few years ago:

I love this city!

City of Angels

2008-10-17T13:14:00.001-07:00

This is way late, but I don't want to forget it so I'm sharing my favorite stories from our trip out West. For those that don't know, Autumn, Betsy and I ventured to the city of angels to visit Autumn's dearly departed roommate Sam, who left New York to pursue her dreams of working in the film industry. She now works at Entertainment Tonight.

I had been to L.A. twice before. Once with my family when I was probably in middle school or a freshman in high school. Needless to say, when I first came here, I was not a fan. The traffic combined with the fact that my family was staying downtown and didn't venture that far (except to Beverley Hills, of course). The second time I went to L.A. it was for the exclusive reason of going to The Price is Right. And while waiting on a street at four in the morning is a fine way to see any city, I was ready to give L.A. its final chance.

Highlights:
Sam lives in what is known as "The Valley," where Cher and Tai go to the party and dance to Rollin' with the Homies. Although in Clueless, it is considered a rough part of town to live in, I found the area where Sam lives to be charming. Lots of restaurants and little boutiques abound, and an easy commute over the hills, where you get to drive by Mulholland Drive, to the rest of Hollywood. We also spotted the liquor store where Cher was held up on our first night.

Betsy's cousin Mirtha is an actress in L.A. and she seems to know everyone. We happily abused her connections to get into Paramount Studios back lot. She is friends with a producer there and he let us drive around a little golf cart and check out the stages. It was a Jewish holiday, so the studio was pretty dead. Autumn and Betsy infiltrated the set of the CW's Privileged. It was awesome.

Mirtha was also able to get us in to Les Deux, which is a club the ladies of MTV's The Hills go to all the time. But she didn't just get us in, we went to the front of the line VIP-style. It was pretty cool. Until the club was so crowded that I wanted to kill someone, then I was happy to leave.

Sam's friend Ren, who also used to live in New York, booked us a surfing lesson for early the morning after our Les Deux adventure. While I had gone home at a reasonable hour, you can't keep Autumn and Betsy down when there is fun and drinks to be had. Although, they'd had little sleep, we all still made it to Santa Monica in time for our lesson. Our surf instructor, was of course, smoking hot. So first things first, we had to get our wet wet suits on. While this was an easy task for me (he gave me on that was too big) the others weren't so lucky, especially considering their respective hangovers. So I helped yank the suits on and we went down to the beach for our lesson. After a few practices jumping up on the board, which was a comedy of errors on many levels we made it out in the water. While it was incredibly cold, after awhile it felt amazing. He told us to just dive right in and Autumn took that to heart. She dunked her head under and when she came back up, days of makeup came running down her face, confirming our instructor's hunch that some of us had been out late the night before. We each took our turns, some more successful then others. One of my favorite moments was when Sam was straddling her board, like all cool surfers do. She had her long hair cascading down her shoulders and looked right out of a surfing movie. Ren, noticing how great she looked, said "Sam you look like such a surfer girl." She enthusiastically replied, "I know!" and she flipped her hair over her shoulder. As she made the sharp movement her board (and her) flipped completely upside down. It was priceless. I managed to stand up on my board for the briefest of seconds, otherwise the ocean kicked my ass. It was so much fun but also very hard work. We all were very sore for about a week afterwards, or at least I was.

All in all, I no longer will use the word hate when referring to L.A. I actually felt like I learned the city, especially since I did a lot of the driving. Other highlights: We saw Benji and Joel Madden at brunch in Beverly Hills, sitting a table over from us. Overall, a fun-filled trip.

Vote for Leo!

2008-10-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

Oh man, Jonah Hill is amazing. I'm pretty sure I tried on the glasses he's wearing. Go me!

Yeah, yeah. What do celebrities know? They shouldn't get involved in politics. Whatev. I'm all about voting, Re-elect John Ramsey! Because if you don't vote, you're not allowed to complain. So for the sake of complaining, vote! But first you've got to register. But these guys clearly can say it better.

Oh Leo, 10 years later and you've still got me.

Seagulls love pizza

2008-09-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

I work by the water, which I usually forget about until the wind coming off it is cold enough to kill a man.

However, it is not uncommon to see seagulls lazily floating by on the breeze. I was walking to get lunch one day and I saw a seagull diving toward the street. I slowed to observe his keen plan and saw him make a clean landing right at the curb.

He was obscured from my view for the briefest of moments and then he emerged victorious—complete with a full size slice of pizza, and like any true New Yorker, the slice was folded in half. His prey captured, he flew off into the murky mist of lower Manhattan. Chuckling softly and inspired, I made my way to get some pizza of my own. I love this city! (and pizza)

American Teen

2008-08-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

Billed as a modern day, real life The Breakfast Club, I went into American Teen with apprehension. But first a shocking confession: I've never seen The Breakfast Club. My mother's hatred for Molly Ringwald, especially in Pretty in Pink, which I have seen, prevented me from seeing most John Hughes movies in my youth. As I got older, I started to make up for lost time, but I have still yet to watch The Breakfast Club, or Sixteen Candles for that matter. I know, I know, I'm a film major. I'm on it.

ANYWAY, I know the gist of The Breakfast Club so that's all that mattered in watching American Teen. It's weird to think about how long I've been out of high school, because I feel like I can remember every day of it, when in reality, I remember relatively little. American Teen made it all come rushing back to me.

The film is a documentary of a few students in one high school's senior class. They, I'm sure, were chosen because they seemed to embody a certain iconic high school persona, yet as the film goes on those stereotypes are broken down to unveil the real humans underneath. We have the jock, the popular bitchy girl, the artsy alternative girl, the heartthrob, the geek and various other hangers-on. As the film progresses we see what motivates them (usually pushy parents), what hurts them (breaking up via text message) and what makes them happy (finally finding a date for the prom).

My favorite storyline, predictably, was that of Hannah, the artsy alternative girl who dreamed of moving to California after graduation. As the film goes on Hannah is dumped, not once, but twice. One of those break-ups pushes her into a fit of depression, which she struggles to get out of, but she still manages to come out of her senior year prepared to handle the next step.

The movie made me think about myself at that age and how far I've come. Like I said, it's weird to remember when my life revolved around yearbook, newspaper, my car and pining for a guy that never would like me. I'm weird in the sense that I still have my core group of friends from high school, some I see every day, others that are just a phone call away. And while the movie didn't make me miss high school exactly, it did make me think about it in a way that made me realize how charmed my high school days were. I had no pushy parents, no mean girls making fun of me (to my knowledge) and no heartbreaks like Hannah did. True, I didn't have a date to prom, I never got THAT guy and I did write "September 11th" as "September 1st" in our yearbook, along with other errors that haunt me to this day, but I also had incredibly caring and funny friends that are still there for me whenever I need them.

Whoa! Got sappy there for a second. The movie is good. You should see it.

Edit: Also, it had to be said that I was way too attracted to "The Heartthrob" in the movie. Then I remembered, he's 17. And then I realized, I don't care. So that's uber-villians and 17-year old boys (Harry Potter included), if anyone's keeping count.

There is a God

2008-07-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

McCarren Park Pool

2008-07-28T21:38:00.000-07:00

We ventured out to the capital of hipsterdom to see a free show at the famed McCarren Park Pool. Alison, Cichelli and I left, in what we thought was plenty of time. When we got to Williamsburg, we found our way to McCarren Park. We started our trek to find the end of the line. Probably about a half hour later we found it. It stretched for at least 10 blocks. Two and half hours later, and one quasi-severe thunderstorm later, we still were not even close to the front of the line.

Nick and his friend Hyeku had met us and waited with us for a little while longer. At this point, the band we really wanted to see (The Ting Tings) were already well into their set. Cold, wet and frustrated, we decided to just go to the front of the line and just listen. We made our way up there and then Hyeku got feisty. She worked some magic, told a little white lie, and poof! We got inside for the end of The Ting Tings, of which I enjoyed immensely.

The venue was really cool. I was never clear if the "pool" in McCarren Park Pool was an actual pool and it turned it was. "Was" being the operative word. The concert was literally in the basin of a HUGE pool. It was big enough to hold a solid concert pit of people, along with a dodgeball game and a slip and slide. We grabbed a seat on backside, upon the fence that encircled the pool, so we had a great vantage point form which to judge the concertgoers. And we did.

We are funny.

Later on I found out that this is the last summer for concerts at the pool. They are closing it and turning it back into an actual pool, so I'm really glad we made the journey when we did. Even if the rain, the crowd and ineptitude all threatened to ruin it for us.

The Dark Knight

2008-07-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

I'd waited through opening weekend to see it. I was foolish and waited too long to get my tickets and all the IMAX shows for opening weekend were sold out. So I had to grit my teeth and wait until Monday. Luckily, I had Alison to wait with. So we waited...I saw Mamma Mia instead. Not a worthy substitute, FYI.

IMAX...I've only seen two other movies on it. Batman Begins and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Harry was worth it because at the end it went 3-D, which was awesome, in my opinion. The first Batman, eh, but this one was definitely worth the $16 (yes, that price is right, this is New York). From the first scenes, those floating "beauty" shots of Gotham, I was off-kilter and I think that was the point.

From that point on, I don't know if my mouth closed. I haven't seen many movies that literally make my jaw drop. This one did, over and over. In case you are late to The Dark Knight party, the film picks up where the last left off. Gotham has begun to be terrorized by Batman's most infamous villain, the Joker. I'll get my praise for Heath Ledger out of the way now. I remember seeing the first teaser for The Dark Knight, last year, when Ledger was still alive. I remember the hairs on the back of my neck standing up, seeing a shot of him against a wall looking up in the most classic case of rapist face I've ever seen. So I'm going to go ahead and say that my critique of his performance was not colored by his untimely death. Say what you will, but it is a masterpiece. I sat there in awe the entire time, especially in a scene where he has been captured and is being questioned in his cell. He owns the movie from the very beginning, when you can only see the back of his head. He is remarkably creepy, twisted, funny and yet, still attractive.

(Side note: this isn't the first time Alison and I have found such an evil character attractive. We're both hold a hankering for Ralph Finennes as Voldemort (re: suit in the train station, film 5). After seeing this film and realizing we were both attracted to the Joker, green hair, well-cut purple vest and all, we feared what level of evil would next attract us. I said, at the rate we were going, it would probably be the inevitable biopic of Hitler.)

I could go on and on about how much I loved Ledger as the Joker, but you can go elsewhere for more poetic praise. As for the plot, the Joker is using the mob as a backer to wreak chaos on Gotham. Meanwhile, Gotham's newest hope is new D.A. Harvey Dent, who Batman hopes can clean up Gotham enough to allow him to hang up his batsuit so he may pursue his one true love, Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaall), who happens to be dating Dent, naturally. I don't want to give a lengthy plot summary, honestly, just go see it and pay close attention. In the words of Michael Caine as Michael Caine, er, Alfred, "some men just want to watch the world burn." That's the Joker and that's what he does for the entirety of the movie. There are some cool twists, nifty chases, ahem, flipping over a semi and unexpected deaths.

In short, although, I absolutely loved this movie. It was one of the best examples of art and commerce working seamlessly. I loved it so much, I went and saw it again the following Friday. I haven't done that since a movie that shall remained unnamed (Leo!). I left the theater thinking about it and I was still thinking about and marveling at it the next day and now anytime someone mentions it. I have some negative critiques (Batman's voice) but they were so few, they're not even worth getting further into. Since Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince has been moved to next summer, the race is on to replace The Dark Knight as my favorite movie of the year.

Disagree? Discuss.

The Dark Knight

2008-07-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

So. Fucking. Good.

More to come.

Celebrity Sighting #4

2008-07-11T18:59:00.001-07:00

Celebrity Sighted: Jason Alexander

Location: Washington D.C., Marriott Hotel

Info: I am in D.C. for a work conference. I leave early tomorrow and am missing the big gala tomorrow evening. According to the schedule, Alexander is going to be performing but I assumed I'd miss him. However, as I returned from dinner tonight, I was walking through the automatic door and was blocked by a group of men. Then I saw him, watching me try to maneuver through his group. He looked right at me.

Notes: He was short (of course), wearing a baseball cap, jeans and a plaid shirt that I'm pretty sure my Dad has.

Hancock

2008-07-06T10:59:00.001-07:00

What attracts you to see a movie? What about a trailer or ad campaign will get your hard earned money out of your pocket?

Apparently for me (and Alison), it is relatively simple. In the case of Hancock, we were watching trailers and as a laugh we decided to watch Hancock. From the first few glimpses, it seemed mediocre and then . . .

MOVE! Bitch, get out the way, bitch get out the way... (ah Ludacris)

That song set to images of Will Smith flying into a highway sign? SOLD!

So when opening weekend came around, it was with trepidation that we followed through on our excitement to see the film by attending opening night, in the hope the song made an appearance in the actual movie. But we were not disappointed.

First action sequence, there it was. Said song accompanied by said image. Then to completely convince we had made the right decision, during the fight scene the bad guy breaks Hancock's bottle of rum or whisky or whatever (He's an alcoholic superhero, hi jinks ensue) and Hancock looks directly into the camera (i.e. the bad guy's face), holds the bottle up and simply shakes his head. It's that kind of simple comedy that we fall for every time. So things we're looking up. Will Smith was in top form, Jason Bateman showed up to remind us to watch Arrested Development reruns, inexplicably Charlize Theron was there, but we didn't mind.

Our love for the movie started to decline after a particular high note. Hancock, having just saved Jason Bateman from an oncoming train, derailing it and making a huge mess in the process, encounters an angry mob of people who are ungrateful for his heroics. One woman in particular engages in the following exchange:
Lady: "You smell like alcohol."
Hancock: "That's cause I been drinking, bitch!"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Then it was all downhill from there. (SPOILER) Something about Charlize being Hancock's long lost superhero wife or some such nonsense. Lame. But had the film continued it's first hour of brilliance, we might have a had a favorite new superhero on our hands.

Guest Blogger: Adrienne on Kung Fu Panda

2008-06-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

I too went to the screening of Kung Fu Panda that Adrienne attended. However, due to a day at the beach, which resulted in a pesky sunburn, and a full stomach, as a result of Nick's amazing mac and cheese, I drifted off to sleep a few times during the movie. In my defense it was a 10:30 showing, but that actually makes me look even lamer. To that end, Adrienne has graced us with a guest review of one of her new favorite films.

Kung Fu Panda
Don't just run to see Kung Fu Panda, explode to it. Haha. Funny is the panda who uses arms to defeat evil. He eats the food to get the power. Jack Black laughs like he is enjoying the time. The crane wears a funny hat. Noodles abound in this comedy critics are calling " a comedy for the ages of men" so don't worry about your epoch because there is something for you and me. I laughed and laughed without an inside joke or popcorn to throw. Slow- mo is the most fun way for faces to look in danger's way. Intellect is good to need so you'll see all the funny jokes. The place is pretty too, and so is the old turtle. firecrackers allowed.

By Adrienne Aggen

(edited for punctuation)

Wall-E

2008-06-29T12:24:00.000-07:00

Wow.

Pixar's new film is unlike anything I've ever seen. I'd read that it was really good but I was still skeptical. All the rave reviews don't lie, it is definitely one of the best movie I've seen this year.

It was almost operatic in its execution. I definitely noticed homages to Star Wars in the score, not to mention to R2-D2—sound designer Ben Burt who is the voice of Wall-E was also the voice of R2-D2. There was also the obligatory 2001: A Space Odyssey references, which now that I've seen the former, should make more sense but really, who the hell understands that movie?

I'm curious how kids see this as it is clearly a movie about adult issues. Obsession with consumerism and gratuitous consumption chief among them. I'm sure kids are charmed by the cute beeps and bops, probably as much if not more than I was, if that's possible, but it's only with age that I've been able to start to appreciate animation as an actual medium for storytelling and not just a gimmick to lure kids and their money-spending parents with them.

Wall-E, and definitely Persepolis have really opened my mind to the fact that animation isn't just for fun. Animation serves a purpose in the story, the way the art direction or camera angles do in a live action movie. This is why I'm getting more on board with recognizing animated films in the Best Picture category and not restricting them to just Best Animated. Wall-E is an almost perfect concoction of commerce and art. What was the last movie that won any major awards that can make that claim? Recognized films these days tend to err on the side of art, hence the public's lack of interest in watching any Oscar telecast. I'm not the first one to remark on this, clearly, but I think Wall-E may be just good enough to warrant a real renewed respect in animation as a legitimate art form as well as a medium for telling truly compelling stories.

Karaoke Cruise

2008-06-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

For Carolyn's bug 24th birthday, she decided to whisk us away on a cruise around Manhattan isle. But not just any cruise, no, this cruise came with conditions. Karaoke!

So it was with much excitement that I arrived at South Street Seaport for my inaugural cruise around the harbor. I've been on the Staten Island Ferry and also the Liberty Island Ferry, but I'd never been on an aimless cruise and I was thrilled at the prospect of getting the water because often in Manhattan, you forget you are indeed on an island, surrounded by water.

The cruise was made extra cool by the happenstance of the appearance of four waterfalls that are currently falling in the East River as part of a huge public art project. So not only was I seeing my city, glowing in the night, I was passing under the Brooklyn bridge to the sight of this:

Amazing! It was so cool to see this up close where you could actually hear the power of the water falling. Or I could have if there hadn't been some serious karaoke action going on back on the boat. Highlights from the night's selections include "Zombie" by The Cranberries, "It's Raining Men" by I believe Geri Halliwell, chosen ironically by Carolyn's roommate Jessie and "I Want to Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston, chosen I'm pretty sure unironically by members of our small party but did, in fact, get everyone except Barry to dance.

Anyway, as the night progressed, some of us escaped to the roof of the boat, where we were treated to a fabulous view of lower Manhattan as well as Midtown West and the Statue of Liberty. Seeing the city from afar at night made me fall in love all over again. It's nice to step back and remember why I had longed to live here for so long and it still surreal to realize that I do indeed live in this amazing place. Considering my state of mind, especially that evening, it's comforting to know that I made the right decision in coming here. It's where I belong, and I love (almost) every second of being here. It's weird that something that something so mundane as a boat ride can make you fall in love once again.

Celebrity Sighting #3

2008-06-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

Celebrity Sighted: Connor Paolo, aka Eric van der Woodson from Gossip Girl

Location: AMC/Lowes Lincoln Square, 68th and Broadway

Info: I was hankering for an early movie so I went to get my ticket early. As I got to the theater, I saw him and two other girls in front of me. I didn't recognize him at first, and was just annoyed that they were in my way. He stopped and kissed one of the girls on the cheek as a goodbye and that was when I recognized him. At first I wasn't sure it was him but after I got my ticket, I saw him standing in line and his identity in my head was confirmed.

Notes: He's probably about my height.

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

2008-06-19T21:28:00.001-07:00

To start, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof is not a comedy. Alison and I thought this was a well-known fact. Yes, there are elements of comedy in Tennessee Williams' iconic play but mostly it's about unhappiness in love and unhappiness in old age.

Someone should have told the audience that surrounded us for this production of the play.

(see below)

But first things first, the cast was worth the big bucks we ended up paying. Terrence Howard as Brick, James Earl Jones as Big Daddy (Darth Vader!), Phylicia Rashad (mom from The Cosby Show!) and Anika Noni Rose (one of the Dreamgirls, the one that sleeps with Eddie Murphy), make up the principals of the novelty of an all-black cast for this Southern plantation drama. So I dutifully spent my hard-earned money for the chance to see such a cast in my favorite Williams play.

Despite the disappointing audience, I still enjoyed the production. Maggie was especially good. James Earl Jones played Big Daddy as a bit of a creepy old pervert, but it was funny and he was in The Sandlot so I was satisfied.

(Angry Alison Peterson chimes in)

I like to think I have a pretty good sense of humor. In fact, if we're being honest, I'll laugh at almost anything.

Arrested Development? Always.

A sketch on the modern-day S.N.L.? Usually.

A deteriorating marriage? Alcoholism? A man struggling with homosexual feelings? A diagnosis of a terminal condition? Lies upon lies, upon lies? Never.

And this, unbelievably, is where I differ from the rest of the Broadway audience for Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Call me crazy, but I've always thought that this play's traditional reputation as a drama was warranted. And yet, for most of my fellow theatergoers, it had "uproariously funny" written all over it. Am I exaggerating? Probably. But the laughter was frequent and baffling. Through shouting matches, through serial confessions, through three acts. While I was hoping people might catch on to the seriousness of the subject material, it never happened. Brick, everyone's favorite tortured soul, finds the world's mendacity unbearable tot he point that it drives him to drink incessantly. It drove the people of the Broadhurst Theater, however to hysterics. For the record: When Brick clumsily tries to hurt Maggie, so enraged that he stumbles past the pain of his broken ankle, that is not an elaborate pratfall. No, that is hatred. It is serious; it is passionate. It does not require a laugh track.

The performances were fine, despite the fact--as Lindsey pointed out--some of the lines were (inexplicably) played for laughs. Don't insult my intelligence, Broadway. When I spend money to see some Southern-fried drama, I want friction, tension and anger. Much like the anger that consumed me for nearly three hours, making this one of my least enjoyable theater experiences.

Miracle of Modern Technology

2008-06-18T12:15:00.001-07:00

I am now the proud owner of this marvel of technology. To lift my fog of recent depression, I went on a buying binge and purchased $120 worth of make-up and gadgets from Sephora. My proudest moment came with this little beauty. You may not be able to tell from this photo, but it is a pair of eyebrow tweezers . . . with a light in the middle! You just click a button and a spotlight is ready to aim and destroy every little minute hair that is trying to hide in your skin. Plus it comes in its own little carrying case.

Simply put, the best $22 I've spent this year.

Shakespeare in the Park: Hamlet

2008-06-18T12:14:00.001-07:00

What an undertaking it is to get tickets to Shakespeare in the Park. Last year, I enlisted my visitor Kim to try and get us tickets, but we underestimated the Bard's New York fan base and were denied entry. So this year, Alison was taking no chances and I decided it was now or never.

So Alison and I woke at 8:00 on a Sunday morning, tired but determined. Our slightly late partner in crime was Autumn and we hunkered down for four hours of waiting in line just to get the damn tickets. It wasn't so bad until it started pouring down rain. Did Alison and bring an umbrella? Ha! That would have been smart. Luckily Autumn had come prepared with an umbrella, not to mention a towel for us to sit on, and not just any towel, a MTV Room Raiders towel. So we all huddled under the one tiny umbrella, wet and shaking. We finally made it through the rain and got tickets so it was worth it.

We returned to the Delacorte and found a beautiful evening for Shakespeare. The production's marquee names included Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under, Can't Hardly Wait) as Ophelia, Sam Waterson (Law and Order) as Polonius and Margret Colin (Gossip Girl, Independence Day!) as the Queen. The production used strange 19th century, mostly military dress and the set was constructed to look like a great hull on a ship, which doubled as a kind of prison. Denmark = Prison, in case you've forgotten your Hamlet. I thought the actor ( Michael Stuhlbarg) that played Hamlet was really good. Committed to his mania, which is how I prefer my Hamlets, he spit out each line with contempt. However, semi-raping the queen was, I felt, unnecessary.

Ambrose is his equal as Ophelia loses her mind (and her hair!). Waterson is a perfect putting old fool, going so far as to convince Alison that he flubbed a line, but according to the New York Times, that was just a calculated lapse meant to showcase Polonius' ridiculousness. The Times went on to call it the "one breathtakingly poignant moment" in the entire production. Hmm, I thought he just flubbed his line, but what do I know?

As my first Shakespeare in the Park experience ended, I realized a play like Hamlet doesn't really serve the surroundings of Central Park. Give me A Midsummer Night's Dream or a Romeo and Juliet (which they did last year) to play off the park's beauty. Hell even Twelfth Night would have been better in an outdoor setting. Hamlet just feels too stuffy for the setting, but overall Shakespeare in the Park deserves its reputation as an iconic New York experience.

The Incredible Hulk

2008-06-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

Oh man. Any casting of Edward Norton is enough to sell me. See, I am easy in some respects. So what very little interest I had in ANOTHER Hulk movie was increased twofold when I saw Mr. Norton in the trailer.

So Alison and I swallowed our pride and attended a screening on opening weekend. Much to our surprise, it was better than expected. Norton only look mildly bored, Liv Tyler does her pouty best and William Hurt has never been more commanding in front of a green screen pretending to look at big green monster.

A few things did bother me. Mostly the inconsistency of the Hulk's scale. He seems much larger in some scenes than others. Can't all the money they spend on special effects afford someone to check consistency? Apparently not. Also, there is a scene that takes place on the famous 125th St in Harlem, right outside the Apollo Theater. Now this location, is right down the street from my apartment. Plus, we were in a theater of flesh and blood New Yorkers, most of which definitely know this location. And yet, as the scene unfolds, it becomes painfully obvious that they didn't actually film in that location. There was way too much neon for that particular portion of the city. Upsetting. Again, don't movies like this have enough money to pump in a little change into the local economy by actually filming in Harlem. Then perhaps I could have snuck over and checked Edward out.

Overall, the movie was fun. Not approaching the brilliance of Iron Man, except SPOILER! when he makes an appearance toward the end. But honestly, I'd watch Edward Norton in anything. I think my love for Death to Smoochy proved that long ago.

Quotable #2

2008-06-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

Location: gChat

Players: Me, Autumn

Scene: Autumn and I were on gChat discussing our plans to try and go see Shakespeare in the Park's production of Hamlet.

Autumn: Weird but last time I went to Shakespeare in the Park I saw Heath Ledger there!

Me: Oh, that's right. Maybe we'll see his ghost there.

Autumn: Maybe he'll play the ghost in the play.

-Scene-

Note: Yes, we're aware that this is equal parts offensive and equal parts hilarious.