2 weeks later...

So, I've watched a few movies...

Itty Bitty Titty Committee (2007) - This movie was a bit of fun. A lesbian joins the ranks of a group of anarchist feminists. It's the story of a fish out of water, or someone searching for her identity who is soon overwhelmed and wants to be part of a certain group. The group dynamics were odd, not always happy people, not accepting of newcomers, which seems a little atypical for their goals. It seems unlikely that the main female character could go from one extreme to another, but I suppose they are trying to impose that joining this group gave her strength and helped her find her voice, but it was a bit of a stretch, character-wise. I don't really like the dynamic in movies of person A trying to get involved with person B who is already involved albeit somewhat unhappily with person C but can't seem to leave. It bothers me that person A thinks Person B has the fortitude to not cheat on them when it is clear they are cheating on person C. Le sigh. But I suppose that means its realistic, and that's just something I don't care for in humanity/society in general. But anyway, it was a fun movie, feministically speaking. Of course, some of their methods were radical, but it paid off in the end, although it wasn't quite explained/clear what happened. Anyway, I liked the movie. There is some soft-core lesbianism in there, however that sways you ;) For some people I would think the feminist realm is actual more of a put-off than lesbianism, but those people aren't quite in touch with reality anyway, right? :P

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead (2009) - If you like cheesy, campy horror films, this one is for you, especially if you follow the Hamlet storyline. Since I once played the fair Ophelia, and can't handle really scary movies, I thought this was a fun romp in the graveyard. Basically think Shakespeare and vampires and making fun of theatre people poking fun at themselves. Not a groundbreaking movie, but fun to watch.

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) - Oh, Woody Allen, your whiny Brooklonian voice is unmistakable... and by voice, I do mean both his vocalizations AND his 'voice' as a filmmaker... very angsty and nervous, letting emotions getting the best of him and his characters. If you hate Woody, there's no way you're watching this. If you are borderline, I would probably say this film is bearable. Maybe. The characters have flaws and they are very noticable, but that seems to be his style. I could actually kind of relate with some of the interplay between the sisters, the underlying issues that happen to be there, that make up the dynamics of the relationship. It's kind of a heavy film, so keep that in mind. There are some funny situations in there. The flashbacks are quite long but are related to the story, so it's permissable. The DVD I had was skipping near the end, but because I use subtitles, I was mostly on track with what was said.

St. Trinian's (2007) - While just looking this up on IMDB, I saw there is a sequel!!! Hooray!! This movie was a lot of campy kitsch and I had a blast! The characters were so wild and out there. AND Rupert Everett played a pair of siblings... a brother and sister! I love him and I love drag, so I was sold when I read the DVD cover at the library. Yes, finding this at the public library threw me for a loop! This movie was tons of fun and I even wasn't so put off by Russell Brand as I usually am! ;) This really was an ensemble cast, apparently based off of a cartoon series. I love the movies that are bizarre-o comedies and this one is a new cult fave of mine! :) Highly recommendable for anyone who likes the goofy, larger-than-reality films!

Ernest Goes to Camp (1987) - Yes, I braved the Target employee who told me I "have issues" and I bought a 3 pack of Ernest movies and enjoyed it. It's a great kids movie with the lovable Jim Varney at the healm, God rest his soul. It's escapism and you just have to sit back and enjoy the slapstick situations as the campers battle each other and the bad guys and learn to appreciate the friend they have in poor Ernest. There's an absolutely beautiful song perfomed by Varney near the end of the movie. Searching on youtube, I was awakened to a few other recordings he did, which opened my eyes to the beauty of his soul. Because I love you, here is Gee, I'm Glad It's Raining as performed by Jim Varney.

Muppets from Space (1999) - Muppet movies are almost a surefire win in my book. There are some that I like more than others, and of my collection, this is one of them. I love love LOVE the opening scene which shows all the Muppets living in a co-op! I want to BE one of them, living there! Looks like a blast!!! I like the comedy in the films and the guest cameos are always fun. And yes, I'm super-excited for the upcoming Muppet movie!! You can basically count on the Muppets to give you some good clean jokes. In this movie, look for Jeffrey Tambor Rob Schneider Ray Liotta David Arquette Andie MacDowell Kathy Griffin Pat Hingle Hulk Hogan Katie Holmes Joshua Jackson

My Own Private Idaho (1991) - Risking getting my LGBTA Ally card revoked, I'm gonna come right out and say it... I hated it. It was painful to watch and I was restless. It wasn't consistent except for the suckiness of it. I realize, it's supposed to be some iconic film and was probably pretty groundbreaking 20 years ago, but the attempts at making it Shakespearian failed because that wasn't held up the whole way through. It was a little better when it was just two actors together, but when it was any more than that, it was dull and painful. There were some elements in that were interesting, but the whole package was eck. Save yourself. Don't bother. Or do it once to rip off the bandaid and say you've seen it. :(

Vibes (1988) - Best Hulu find in a long time!!!! Cyndi Lauper, Jeff Goldblum and the recently dearly departed Peter Falk in a movie?!?!! LOVED IT!!! All of the comments on the Hulu page were raving about the movie and someone compared it to the slapstick, romantic comedies of yesteryear, and I'd agree that comparison is spot-on. This movie was tons of fun and had some great dialogue! I was going to include some here, but I don't want to spoil the fun for you! You have to watch this movie. Hulu says it exires in 3 days!!! NOOOOO! Vibes on hulu   Vibes on Crackle 

So you can tell exactly which movie I think you should watch (immediately) on this list. Vibes and St. Trinian's are my highest recommendations for this batch. :)  Happy viewing! :)

 

 

Well, Hi There!

Let's get started, shall we?

Wolverine: The Last Phantom (TV 2004) - A documentary about a crazy beast! Wolverines are pretty interesting, which I can now say thanks to watching this doc on Netflix, when a friend and I couldn't agree on fiction movie. It's cool to sit back every once in a while and marvel at the cool creatures that roam this planet. Wolverines are quite the ferocious animal, and they have an interesting lope that is atypical of many animals in that the front feet move together and the back together, rather than opposites matching strides. They don't breed well in captivity and there aren't too many left, but the doc showed some people obsessed with wolverines. It made me wonder why we are drawn to the things to which we find ourselves attracted. I recommend watching this doc as it will teach you some pretty cool stuff. Plus, it helps you become familiar with the animal that super-hot Hugh Jackman gets to play ;) RAWR, indeed!

Sixteen Candles (1984) - You know this is a classic. And you've seen it a couple dozen times at least. I rented it to educate my 20 year old brother, but he didn't take me up on it, even when I tried to convince him that Long Duk Dong totally made the movie worth it, despite ooshy gooshy stuff that may dilute the movie ;) But, I still watched the movie with a girlfriend and it was still enjoyable. This movie is obviously iconic to the 80s kids, of which I am one. So naturally, I'm at a loss for what to say. Except that when I tried to convince my brother, he said "That's the one where they get trapped in the library, right?" Haha, well at least he's on the right track. This is one of the movies that basically defines a generation, something that becomes part of our collective memory bank. If you don't know what I mean when I say "Au-to-mo-beeeel?", you really have no soul and are not deserving of my time! ;) Juuuust kidding. This movie is lots of fun and I'm pretty sure my little brother would get a kick out of it, if he wasn't too cool for school ;)

Shortbus (2006) - Most important thing to note.... Watch this movie alone or only in the company of people you feel reaaaaaaallllly comfortable with. Sex. Sex, sex and more sex. Straight sex, gay sex, group sex and more. There, now you know. The movie is done by the same people who did Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) which I saw many moons ago and will need to revisit. It wasn't overly reliant on special effects sequences that sometimes distract from the overall movie and try too hard to be artsy. There was a little, but it basically flowed pretty well. Once you are done watching the movie, you may be a little more desensitized to sex scenes, or at least for a little bit. If you aren't a square, you will probably like this movie a little bit. It ain't your average fluffy stuff.

 Paul (2011) - Yes, I saw it AGAIN. It's a really funny flick and I was preparing to go to the Southwest and wanted to visit Roswell (didn't happen... I hear it's overrated and that makes me sad, but I WILL go there someday... maybe just with less expectations?) The film features many actors that I can appreciate, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg being on the top of my lists since Shaun of the Dead (2004). If you have any knowledge of Science Fiction at all, you will get a good many of the jokes in this movie. If you have a strong knowledge, my guess is you will find it hilarious. :) If you want an surprisingly good movie (the trailer didn't do it justice) then this is my pick.

The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew (1983) - An SNL transfer, this movie is just goofy. Kind of akin to Wayne's World, I suppose, in its ridiculous-ness, but less well-known. Suspension of disbelief is highly needed for this movie, but if you like drinking beer and making fun of our neighbors up North, you'll like this movie, eh? Take off, ya hoser! Good times, indeed.

Auntie Mame (1958) - I mentioned this film in my other blog, Independent of Dependents, but focused on it for sake of what it said in relation to those who don't have children. I suppose it's a back-up plan/fantasy for children that they could hav a crazy aunt who will take them in and help live a wild-marvelous adventure. I kind of had a taste when living for one summer during college with my aunt and uncle. Fun times had by all. This movie is nice. Supposed to take place partially during the Great Depression. The story line encompasses a time span from when the child is maybe ten to his twenties, so you have to accept the length of it in correlation. Don't expect anything grand from this movie, except for some fun characters and societal statements about the wealthy and about the acceptance of unwed mothers. The theme of the movie seems to be about love and creation of a family system outside the ordinary realms, and that's a very nice thing. Also about living an extraordinary life of your own choosing. Also something I can live with ;)

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) - If you are looking for an unbiased review of this movie, you won't get it from me. I have a conflict of interests with it comes to foxy Johnny Depp and pirates. My dad said he thought the movie was boring and predictable, but he's the same one who thought the preview for The Green Lantern looked good. GAG! But me and my mom liked it. There weren't any allusions to rum this time, which was new, but probably for the better because I forgot my flask of rum at home. :( I'm not even joking. Anyway, it was quite funny when the Catholic Spaniards did what they did, and my mom said "Somebody's always gotta ruin it." I pointed out to her that they were Catholics, like her, and she kinda got quiet ;) So if you are a fan of the Pirate series, you probably don't need me to tell you to watch it, you probably already have. If you have yet to venture into the pirate-infested waters, you MAY get away without having seen the other three, but some of the repeat characters may confuse you. But still, up to you.

The Brothers Bloom (2008) - There's something entrancing about Adrien Brody's goofy nose and Mark Ruffalo is just yummy/scrumptious. (Yes, if you can't tell from this and above comments, I am a hetero female. Hear me rawr!) It was a fun movie to watch con men are always enticing. You know, the whole bad boy image. The characters were pretty good, or entertaining at least. The ending, well, I don't know. I guess it worked, but I don't know that I liked it.

The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) - What? Shirley Temple made it to adulthood? Holy Shit, she's still alive?!!?!?! Wow. Okay, so my mind was just blown. Officially. Anyway, the movie was fun, there were a bunch of things in there that are hard to not see as dirty these days. I doubt they were intended to be double entrendres back then, but one never knows. Maybe I just have a dirty mind, which I do. Product of my raising. Sorry. Shirley Temple wasn't fabulous in there. And there is a suspension of disbelief needed, as with most movies in general, I suppose. It had it's funny moments. And I'm confusing Rudy Vallee with someone else? Probably Ritchie Valens. I'm just assuming that Rudy was supposed to be a big hearthrob in the day. Hmm. Anyway, I'd heard of this movie many times before and thought I should make sure to watch it. I did and it was decent. :)

Super 8 (2011) - Yes. See it. I've heard it described as today's E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and I would call that accurate considering who made it. *cough cough* Spielberg *cough cough* E.T. with LOTS more explosions. And typical me, I was jumping in my seat every time a new one happened. The movie was engaging and I was entertained by the characters. It was totally channeling Goonies (1985) too, which I loved. Also no surprise with who was at the healm. But this was a bit more hard core than being up against the Fratellis! So yes, good flick. Good flick. Thanks to my movie buddy for picking it! :)

So there you have it folks! 10 flicks since last report. Not terrible, considering I was out of town for 6 days with no time for movies :( So, I hope you've found some good recommendations. Happy viewing!!! Peace out!