Sex and the City 2

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...

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

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...

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

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

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

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?

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?

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

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.