Been a Long-A Time....

It really has been a while, so let's get down to business....

"Wristcutters: A Love Story" (2006) I have a dark sense of humor, so this movie was interesting. It's based on the idea for an afterlife for those who commit suicide. Worth a watch. Okay, I guess I can try to lure into it a little more. It has Shannyn Sossamon in it who starred opposite Heath Ledger in A Knight's Tale. Fun snippet is that the frontman of Gogol Bordello is in the movie and so is his music. Pretty fun actually.

"Definitely, Maybe" (2008)  Can you believe it was a guy who made me watch this movie? I had been avoiding it, but conceded if only to ogle Ryan Reynolds for a little bit. It's kinda predictable and tries to make a guessing game out of love, which is exactly what we do anyway, isn't it? 'Who should I end up with?' Not much for me to say on this movie as it was two months ago that I watched it. Gee, I should really update this blog more often. But then you wouldn't have so many movies to choose from.

"Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" (2010) Not a huge fan of video games or Jake Gyllenhaal but I will concede to enjoying this movie. There is something about movies set in the desert with beefy, sweaty men that I find appealing (also a fun of The Mummy series and The Scorpion King for this very reason. rawr!) I did enjoy this flick, not because it was amazing in any regards, but it was fun escapism. And b/c of the sweaty beefy guy, even if he wasn't a preference of mine. It was odd to see Ben Kingsley in that movie. Although know that I look at his profile, his roles are kind of all over the place. Gemma Arterton is easy on the eyes too, and I always like a movie where the female isn't completely helpless.  :)

 "Scrooged" (1988) I will always love this movie. It's one of the ones we taped off of tv.... I mean. Uh, scratch that. I love it because it's a very entertaining twist on the Scrooge idea. It's different and cheeky (kinda like me, I guess) so it's fun to watch. And we all know I love Bill Murray. :0)

"Ghostbusters II" (1989) Speaking of Bill Murray..... don't blame me. My host during that time span had these movies, which I enjoy, or anime, which I don't even try to understand. What's not to love about The Ghostbusters? I'd call them.

"Get Smart" (2008) I do so love a movie in which the female is clearly smarter than the male. Oh, and the Rock was in it. HOT. (see Prince of Persia note about Scorpion King and my obsession with beefy, sweaty guys. Hmm, is it a healthy or unhealthy obsession?) I really would like to see the original movie/tv show so that I can appreciate the humor. I'm sure the original release was a little more appropriate/timely b/c of the then-contemporary James Bond movies.





"Bolt" (2008) I'm pretty sure I enjoyed the movie while watching it and that it was funny, but I can't remember anything right now. Good flick for kids with some fun jokes. I think that's probably safe to say...

"Japón" (2002) I have NO idea why this movie is called 'Japan', when it has absolutely nothing to do with Japan. It's a Spanish movie, filmed in Argentina by a Mexican. After watching the movie and then watching parts of the director talking about it, it just seemed to be pretentious, or at least the director did. He seemed to really get off on the movie. I couldn't say the same. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't terribly wondeful either. You could tell it was cheaply made. Apparently, the director filmed it out of pocket. For me to criticize him and conclude that he is a self-important person with enough cash to pay people to go along with his projects, probably isn't fair as it looks like he's earned some awards with this and other work. But I wasn't completely blown away. Not saying every movie has to be extravagently made, but this was very slow and left me waiting and waiting. What I noticed from this and another movie "Los Muertos" (2004), another Argentinian-made movie, is that there is animal killing. In Japón, a bird, in Los Muertos, a rabbit. I guess PETA can't really regulate other countries, eh? I think that is something interesting though. I mean if you are showing people in rural areas in Argentina, yes they will kill animals for food and not think anything of it. It is what it is.

"Hocus Pocus" (1993) "Witches? There be no witches here, sir." "Just three old spinster ladies spending a quiet evening at home." "Sucking the lives out of little children!" It's been a long-standing joke that the Sanderson sisters are my sisters and myself. I happen to be the big dumb one that cans sniff out children. Ironic, b/c of my choice towards no child-bearing. lol I have to watch this movie every Halloween anymore, so whenever I can find friends or family to enjoy it with me, I'm quite happy. It just helps to ring in my favorite season. I would like to have a re-do actually of Halloween, since I was a little ill. :(

"50 Ways of Saying Fabulous" (2005) I was jonesing for some subtitles for a bit of this New Zealand feature. But other than that, I really enjoyed the storyline and the characterization. What I most appreciated in the film is that the parents and other adult figures didn't completely seem negative towards the young boy's homosexuality. The aunt let him dress up in girl's clothing, even. I liked the suggestion at adults that can protect children by supporting them. I liked this story a lot. It was a gay-friendly movie that wasn't based arond the club-life and I thought it was a sentimental look at the 70s and self-discovery.

"Let the Right One In" (2008) Låt den rätte komma in (original title) The Swedish predecessor to 2010's "Let Me In" which I still have yet to see. I thought this foreign original was a fantastic additon to the vampire genre because it is distinctly different to what has been produced before. It is a more realistic portrayal to what vampiricism (is that a word) would entail in the modern world. And yes I just talked about a vampire movie being realistic. It wasn't overly romanticized or glorified as we've seen in other films. And it had to be pointed out to me the subtlty of gender in the film.

"Girls Will Be Girls " (2003) This movie is probably the definition of camp. Men dressed as women, playing women. And lots of sexual jokes. I did enjoy this movie. I think the intention was to put you on edge with some of the racy-ness, but I enjoyed it. If you are one who enjoys gender-bender movies, you will enjoy this one.

"The Visitor" (2007) I thought this was a beautiful movie that highlighed music and our interconnectedness on this planet. It also gave a window into the deportations that occur to good people. I urge anyone who has a hang-up about 'illegals' to watch this movie and open their hearts. It's one planet, we just created the borders. And Richard Jenkins is a doppelganger for a theatre teacher I had in college....and, after I looked at his page, in another movie I will be discussing in this post.

 "Father of the Bride" (1991) Got to watch this on the big screen with producer Howard Rosenman. This movie makes me think of my own father, only because I remember him watching this and other Steve Martin movies. (As well as Chevy Chase and maybe a couple other actors). It's a sentimental movie that really holds up over time. It's almost 20 years old and a remake of a Spencer Tracy movie. It's always fun to see different generations of comedians try on roles, especially when they execute it so well. I can't help but see how young the actress is. Maybe I'm just new-fashioned, but I think people should wait a bit longer than their 20s to tie the knot. But that's neither here nor there! ;)

"El Norte" (1983) Oh boy... I know I mentioned in my words about 'The Visitor' that people with strong views on immigration should watch that, but this movie is incredibly powerful. You never know what immigrants are up against when you close your mind and just shout that they shouldn't be here. You never know what situations they are trying to avoid by leaving their country and what situations they live through to try to find a better life. Not saying all immigrants are holy, sin-less people, but there needs to be more understanding towards their dignity and humanity. The movie is nearly 30 years old, but very relevant and moving.

"The Taste of Tea" (2004) Cha no aji (original title) This bizarre movie quickly won over the hearts of me and my family members, due in part to The Mountain Song. It also happens to be a movie of interconnectedness, however random. Soooo many stories happen in this film and it's bizarre to watch them unravel. It is one of my family's favorites now, and we often find ourselves asking each other: "Why are you a triangle?" 

"Agnes and His Brothers" (2004) Agnes und seine Brüder (original title) Quite a bit darker than I expected. In fact, I expected something 'fabulous!' but those Germans never give you what you want ;) It's the stories of three brothers and their messed-up lives. It definitely has very little happiness to it and left me with a weird feeling after watching it. I don't regret watching it, I just regret watching it alone and so close to bedtime. I had to completely disconnect myself and try to forget I'd seen it. It's striking, to say the least.

"Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" (2010) Yes, I enjoyed it, and yes, I made an avatar of myself, even though I watched the movie only after it was out on DVD. I'm a little slow/preoccupied with lots of other stuff (as if you couldn't tell by how long it takes me to update). I enjoyed the format of the story as unique and entertaining. I do so like Jason Schwartzman as well. Fun times to be had with this movie. I like the colorfulness of the characters and even though I'm not a gamer, I was pleased with that aspect and could appreciate it. It was a playful romp, for sure :)

"And the Band Played On" (TV 1993) Woo-wee, if you want a heavy movie that teaches you important stuff, that would be this one. It chronicles multiple characters at the discovery and classification of AIDS. It shows what the scientific community had to go to erase the stigma of it as a 'gay disease' and invoke sympathy from the hetero community. Powerful and truthful movie.

"Nothing But Trouble" (1991) After watching this movie, you will view Demi Moore differently. Fun flick but bizarre. I could have sworn my father and I had seen this movie on tv once, but a few years ago when I bought the DVD and watched it with him, he couldn't remember it. John Candy (RIP) and Dan Akroyd must have had tons of fun with their costumes :) And Chevy Chase is not silver-haired in this movie which is surprising to look at after watching him on TV recently. :(

"The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela" (2008) After spending a lot of time watching the glitterific world of RuPaul on his tv shows, it really is something to see the reality of being transgendered in other countries. It's described as such on the trivia page: "The film is inspired by actual people and events - was originally supposed to be a documentary but was changed to a semi-fiction feature." So I'm currently confused to know if it was really about Raquela's life or just a made up story. The style is a little off-putting as the acting isn't stellar when it comes to re-enacted segments, but there's something okay in the style of the piece. I liked the introspection and humanity it brought to a segment of the world population that is often ignored.

"Burlesque" (2010) Someone described it as a bunch of music videos and I can definitely see that. Prior to seeing it, I assumed it would be like Moulin Rouge and Chicago. I'm happy that most of the songs were done as part of the burlesque act, except for a song from each Cher and Christina Aguilera. Both of those songs, although done for dramatic purpose in the storyline, took me out of the movie and it's theme. I didn't really care for that. I couldn't see any other actresses but Cher and Xtina playing those parts, and I think they did pretty well. It seems like those parts were written for just them. The storyline was pretty predictable. I for one am glad it wasn't a 'true musical' but all the songs took place on stage. I may have grown up in the theatre, but I can only take musicals under special circumstances. Ya hear? Watching this movie DID make me wanna go out and shake it on the dance floor. Probably a good thing I didn't. Would have scandalized the place! ;)

"Keeping It Real: The Adventures of Greg Walloch" (2001) I've never understood why we have to always call things 'adventures' when there is nothing spectacular going on. Case in point: The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. There is nothing adventurous about a family so wholesome as that. Anyway, for this particular movie, the alternate title 'Fuck the Disabled' is more catchy, don't you agree? Gives a glimpse into the life of a comedian who is gay and disabled (cerbral pasly). This flick has a LOT of cameos. I didn't even recognize Stephen Baldwin until I just checked out the imdb page. I thought this movie was interesting. Seems like some of Greg's stand-up routine is/was less comedy and more relation of his thoughts on life. That was okay/interesting too, don't get me wrong. I thought it was very interesting to hear him speak on how he views his life and his art.

Okay, so that took 3THREE HOURS to type all this up. I get an award of $5 for doing this (money put to my travel fund) and you hopefully now have a few movies you want to watch! (23 in 2 months? not toooo shabby for a busy gal!)