FIRST... Blogger has taken a dive.. the formatting is horrible, there are triple spaces all of a sudden, and its a clusterpoop. Plus, pictures cannot be uploaded. Which sucks. So please bear with me as I do my thing...
Welcome to the 2014 Golden Globes! Every year, I like to "live blog" three events--The Golden Globes, the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards... time for jokes, time for recaps, predictions, and so on...
In tow are Campbell Isaiah, wreaking havoc throughout the homeland, be it pulling diapers out of a box and tossing them, or attempting to slap the tv over the Great Wall of Campbell fence we've put up around the room... and The Lovely Steph Leann, on the couch, ready to offer her wisdom, her wit, her incredible insight... like these gems, dished out during the red carpet show:
"Jennifer Lawerence's dress is not good. Its white, but its too dark."
"Paula Patton is not attractive."
"What is Julia Roberts wearing?! That's horrible!" (the interviewer compliments Julia on how great the dress is) "Its not great! It's hideous!"
That's right. All of this and more over the next few hours... if you want to keep up, I'll be putting new updates at the bottom, so you'll need to scroll.
655p... Amy Adams is here. Amy Adams, whom I'm in love with.
655p... I comment about how much taller Tracy Pollen is than her husband, Michael J. Fox. The Lovely Steph Leann says, "Its probably due to her heels and his condition."
Thanks for keeping it real. There goes the jokes.
7p... Its the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards! Campbell Isaiah just pooped, and Tina Fey and Amy Poehler take the stage for hosting duties! Doody. Ha!!
7p... Tina: Tina & Amy's Lee Daniels' The Butler's Golden Globe Awards!
702p... And here comes the zingers to the stars... the part that people love...
702p... Matt Damon is here, from "Behind the Candelabra", a movie so gay, RuPaul watched it and said, "That's a bit much..."
704p... Tina: The original title of American Hustle was "Explosion at the Wig Factory"... if you have seen that movie, you'll laugh heartily.
705p... Julia Louis-Dreyfus, sucking on a Blu e-cig...
706p... The house just blew up at Tina saying: Gravity... a movie that shows you that George Clooney would rather float into space than spend one more minute than a woman his own age... (camera pans for George, who is obviously not there)
707p... Movies that used prosthetic genitals: Wolf of Wall Street... Saving Mr. Banks... (Tom Hanks laughs uncomfortably with a "what the...?" look on his face)
709... Just a side note, Tina Fey looks better than she ever has at this exact moment. Ravishing.
FIRST AWARD OF THE NIGHT
710P... Sandy Bullock and Tom Hanks come up to give out the first award of the night... Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture... the Golden Globe goes to Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle!!
711p... Jen Lawrence is going to become our Meryl Streep of the next generation. I call it now
713p... Jen Lawrence gives a sweet, nerve filled speech... why is she so nervous? She knew this might happen. A 1 in 5 chance! And now..
713p... Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum for Best Supporting Actress for TV Movie/Series... which features a bunch of chicks in shows I've never seen...
714p... Jacqueline Bisset wins as the Globes go old school... for a movie I've never heard of.
716p... Bisset not only gets lost on stage, but takes several seconds to fight back tears to give her speech... The Lovely Steph Leann: She's gonna make me cry! (and she wipes her eyes)
717p... This is one of those speeches where the conductor says, "Hey... give her a few extra seconds before you play her off..." Especially when the audio goes out, while Bisset uses some choice words... standing ovation from the audience. Band moved beyond slow music, to commercial bumper music
722p... Glad Jennifer Lawrence didn't fall up the steps this year... that would seem somewhat staged
722p... Mark Ruffalo and Naomi Watts are out for Best TV Movie or Mini-Series. In Gay Hollywood, do you think Behind the Candelabra would NOT win?
724p... Its everything Hollywood loves. Two great actors portraying gay men daring to show gay sex on screen.
725p... Good thing is, this is the last award show that Behind will be nominated for... so now I never, ever have to see it. We can put it...behind us.
726p... Elisabeth Moss wins for Best Actress in a Movie or Mini Series in "Top of the Lake", whatever the heck that was... audio goes out as Liz Moss mouths "Oh s***"
728p... Can no one give a speech? Everybody is all nervous... I mean, If I was cast as "pool boy" in "Little Man 2", I would still practice my award speech, on the off chance, just in case...
728p... Matt Damon comes out to introduce "Captain Phillips", which I'm hearing is fantastic...
730p... Do we think the Somali actors will end up like the Mexican crewman at the end of "Bowfinger"?
734p... Its not a party unless the Hollywood Foreign Press President comes out and makes his speech...
736p... Jonah Hill and the hot chick from "The Wolf of Wall Street" come out to introduce their movie, but have a blank stare, because, as Jonah says, "No joke, the teleprompter says Aaron Eckhart and Paula Patton... this is not our stuff..."
737p... In other news, Hollywood producers are looking for a new teleprompter operator
738p... Here comes Aaron and Paula (The Lovely Steph Leann: Yep. Her dress is so terrible). Best Actor TV Drama award is up. "Breaking Bad" had a huge final episode that was much loved and watched... so how you could vote against Bryan Cranston
740p... So, I've worked a teleprompter, in loading, operation and scrolling... its not that hard.
741p... Best TV Series Drama...Breaking Bad.
747p... John C. Reilly is narrating a TurboTax commercial. If Morgan Freeman isn't available to narrate my funeral, consider JCR.
748p... Steve Coogan and Philomena Lee... spelling? She's the actual person that the Dame Judy Dench played in "Philomena". Another nominee for Best Picture, Drama.
749p... Usher! Kate Beckensale! Diddy! Best Score in a Motion Picture. "All Is Lost" wins the award, which might be its only trophy tonight...
751p... What you didn't hear: Diddy whispering to the winner "Hey, I'm sampling all your stuff, I refuse to write my own."
753p... Usher, Diddy and Kate for Best Song... can we just say we ALL want Let it Go to win?
754p... Bono is the only one who can beat Let It Go... and I'm still not even sure what movie this is from.
The Lovely Steph Leann: I saw The Edge. I knew they were up for something.
Hearing The Lovely Steph Leann just talking about The Edge makes me laugh.
755p... Mandela + Mandela's death + Bono = Hollywood has to vote for them.
WITHOUT PICTURES, ITS NOT THE SAME... BLOGGER YOU SUCK RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU. END RANT.
802p... Amber Heard, her 9 inch high hair, and two dudes... Best Supporting Actor MiniSeries/Movie/Series... And Jon Voight gets the award for his part in Ray Donovan.
804p... Ray Donovan makes about 4,988 shows mentioned tonight that I've never seen.
804p... Olivia Wilde comes out to present "Her", a nominee for Best Picture Comedy/Musical.
806p... Robert Downey Jr comes on stage.
806p... In unrelated news, The Lovely Steph Leann just started paying even more attention. Best Actress Comedy Musical... Winner?
I LOVE AMY ADAMS I LOVE AMY ADAMS I LOVE AMY ADAMS
Okay, I'm good.
807p... Amy Adams is my Hollywood Girlfriend. We're pretty serious. We double with The Lovely Steph Leann and Colin Firth sometimes.
814p... Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgewick! Kevin: We were wrangling for someone here we were connected to....
816p... Best Actress TV Drama goes to... Robin Wright, House of Cards!
818p... GASP from The Lovely Steph Leann. I look up. She says, "The tape on Robin's boob was showing!!" Then she gets up to peel Campbell Isaiah from scaling the vacuum cleaner and licking the brush. She's so multi-talented.
819p... Jim Carrey comes out now, probably not to present Kick A** 2. He was actually funnier here than his last four films combined. (his last 4 films: KA2... The Incredible Burt Wonderstone... Mr. Popper's Penguins... A Christmas Carol... I rest my case)
821p... Best Supporting Actor Motion Picture, presented by Christoph Waltz... and Gay Hollywood strikes again, giving it to Jared Leto, for his portrayal of a cross dressing transgender in Dallas Buyers Club.
823p... The Lovely Steph Leann: He was in My So Called Life. That's all I got.
826p... Applebees wants me to not only send pics of myself dancing to their food, but #BeeFamous. Um. No. You are not that cool, Applebees.
827p... Emma Thompson takes the stage... carrying her drink and her shoes... ha! Nominees for Best Screenplay... and the winner is... Spike Jonze for "Her"... and I'm happy about that... that's easily the most original story of the year.
830p... Spike Jonze, the new hubby on the couch in Moneyball, when Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is visiting his ex (Robin Wright)
831p... Laura Dern is out now to present the film her dad, Bruce, is in, "Nebraska"... its in black and white, and I've heard its unbelievably good, with Will Forte just as good as Bruce Dern.
833p... Julie Bowen and Seth Myers out to give out Best Actor TV Series Comedy/Musical... and winner? I just said "It would be awesome to see Andy Samberg get a Golden Globe..." AND HE DOES
834p... This is Golden Globes way of saying "Suck it Oscar. Give your award to some old guy... Andy Samberg gets our award..."
837p... Muppets Most Wanted just showed one of the best, most timely trailers I've ever seen.
840p... Zoe Saldana and Orlando Bloom. Best Foreign Film. Some movie I've never heard of, will never see and will forget about as soon as this show is over just won.
843p... Banter between Tina Fey, Amy and Julia Louis-Dreyfus is very funny...
845p... Jimmy Fallon and Melissa McCarthy out, being funny... Best Actor in TV Movie/Mini Series.
846p... Michael Douglas, for Behind the Candelabra. Gay always wins.
852p... Chris Pine and Hermione Granger... Let's give this to Frozen and be done with it. The winner is? Frozen. As it should be.
854p... Colin Farrell comes out, and could be drunk. Actually, I'm shocked that he's not. Here's "Inside Llewyn Davis"
855p... Best Actress TV Series Comedy... They show Lena Dunham. She is dressed. I'm shocked again. Winner? Amy Poehler for Parks & Rec... and she makes out with Bono before she hits the stage.
858p... My friend Mikey would have done the same thing
902p... Emma Stone, who has a huge range of "Not so much" to "Ohmahgah she's beautiful"... thankfully, its the latter tonight.
903p... Woody Allen gets the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Being A Famous Guy. I've never been a Woody Allen fan. Time to give Campbell Isaiah a bath.
912p... If you are too pompous to show up for an award because you think they are silly or you are too good for them, then you don't get an award. Woody Allen is a wanker.
915p... Liam Neeson is out... "I have a special set of skills that allows me to present Gravity..."
916p... Ben Affleck is out now for Best Director... a tough year, too... winner is.... Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity... probably a make-do for not winning it for Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban
917p... Tina Fey digs on Michael Bay, then invites Uma Thurman and Chris Evans out for Best TV Series Comedy... Brooklyn Nine Nine, the Andy Samberg led series. Never seen it, but I like this award!
924p... Commercial now for "Chicago PD", a new show on ABC.... a character just uttered the line "we do things my way..." At least they are original.
926p... Jennifer Lawrence for Best Actor in Comedy/Musical... and the winner is Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street... wow. WOW. Did not see that coming... and now it makes me wonder what his Oscar chances will look like from here on out...
929p... Reese Witherspoon comes out to present "12 Years a Slave". I'm afraid to make any jokes here.
BLOGGER YOU STILL SUCK JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT BLOGGER MORE LIKE... SLOGGER HAHA END RANT
935p... Chris Hemworth, AKA, Thor, and an old guy who drove cars in races come out, obviously to introduce "Rush", which is strange to me, because the Hollywood Foreign Press might be the only people who actually liked "Rush"
936p... Or have actually seen more than a few minutes of "Brooklyn Nine Nine"
937p... Drew Barrymore, my first "favorite bad girl" from the early 90s... she's here to hand out Beset Musical/Comedy... If American Hustle or Her took this, I wouldn't be sad... though I vote for the former, as it would have a better shot at winning the Oscar...
938p... American Hustle! Hustle! HUSTLE!
938p... Is this the first Best Picture for Comedy or Musical winner that is neither a Comedy or a Musical?
944p... Why can't Tina Fey and Amy Poehler just give out all the awards... and the screen just went black? Did someone do something bad when Leo DiCaprio came out?
945p... Best Actress Movie Drama... the winner is... Cate Blanchett for "Blue Jasmine"... its a Woody Allen film, but I've heard its one of his best in decades...
946p... When Tina Fey made that joke about a supermodel's vajayjay, did it break NBC? Did anyone else see that?
948p... Jessica Chastain comes out... perhaps the most beautiful looking of the night (besides Amy Adams, natch)... Best Actor Movie Drama
949p... Matthew McConaughy gets the award for Dallas Buyers Club! Dave Wooderson got a Golden Globe!!
956p... The star of "Transcendence"! Johnny Depp! (not the star of The Lone Ranger, huh?) Best Motion Picture Drama... and the winner is... not Johnny Depp, who looks like he Does.not.want.to.be.there...
957p... 12 Years a Slave wins the award for Best Picture. Not seen it, but I do want to. It strikes me as the kind of movie that I'll see once and never again. Like Passion of the Christ, or Blackhawk Down or Friday After Next. Just too powerful to get through twice.
10p... Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Scarlett Johanssen as Samantha in Her should just be hosts for everything.
10p... And, that's all she wrote... thanks to everyone who paid attention, who checked back, and who kept reading... onto the Oscars!
(ps.. I will totally fix this formatting later...)
(11,335 words so far... 8,665 words left for #20KWordsinJan)
Showing posts with label Matt Damon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matt Damon. Show all posts
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Friday, January 10, 2014
movies of 2013... not the best, not the worst
Okay... so this post is forever long. This is a prime example of not writing to be read, but writing to write, because there are 64 quick reviews below. Yes, I said SIXTY FOUR.
I don't expect really anyone to read all the way through, but more of a perusal, stopping on certain titles they wanted to read about... but I wanted a recap of the movies I have seen for the first time in 2013... we looked at my picks for the worst viewed movies of the year... coming in a few days, the Really-Good, Almost Great Movies of 2013, then my picks for the Ten Best Films I Saw in 2013... plus the Golden Globes on Sunday Night! Boy do you have a lot to read.
So, here's a lot of movies, and a quick word about them, written in alphabetical order for your convenience...
American Reunion (2012)... From my review: " The entire cast is back, and though its more of the
same, its fun watching the characters try and act like adults for once. Rated R for lots of bad things, like the first one."
The Artist (2011)... A "silent film", in black and white, its stylish and well done. That said, its a chore to watch, and shouldn't have won Best Picture... I would have given it to The Descendants, or even Midnight in Paris, both superior films (I've seen The Artist once, not likely to ever watch it again)
The Bourne Legacy (2012)... I like Jeremy Renner, and he really makes this movie what it is. Its hard to see a Bourne movie and not see Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, but Renner pulls it off (playing a contemporary, not Jason Bourne). The addition of Ed Norton only makes it better
The Call (2013)... This is that WWE Studios film that has Halle Berry as a 911 operator and Abigail Breslin as a kid who gets kidnapped... and let me tell ya... I was expecting a pile of crap, and I got a pile of... well, decent filmmaking. Its not as bad as you think, I promise. I actually kinda liked it. Probably gets my "Way Better Than I Expected" Award for 2013.
The Campaign (2012)... Its silly to say that The Campaign, with Zach Galifianakis and Will Ferrell, is silly.. but it is. Its just silly. There are better silly movies out there.
Chronicle (2012)... Three students find a glowing rock from space, gain superpowers. Its more about teenage angst with added powers more than anything... it starts strong, then kind of gets predictable.
Coma (1978) ... Kinda creepy 70s thriller about a hospital program with sinister intentions, and the nurse that stumbles upon the truth. A little dated, but worth a watch.
Death Race: Inferno (2012 )... Forgettable prequel to the revived Death Race franchise with Jason Statham. Still, kinda fun, if not ridiculous in its premise.
Elysium (2013)... Sweeping and grand, its a sci/fi tale with a believable, bulky Matt Damon and Sharlto Copley as an awesome bad guy... Jodie Foster co-stars, with some weird accent.
Everything Must Go (2010)... Will Ferrell in a semi-serious role about a guy who gets thrown out and ends up camping out on his own yard, befriend a black kid in the neighborhood to help him out. Its a very underrated, and I'm afraid, forgotten film by now...
Extreme Measures (1996) ... Hugh Grant is a doctor who finds out that Gene Hackman, another doctor, is doing bad stuff and I don't remember the rest of it. It's watchable, but not imperative.
Flight (2012)... from my review: "Its got language, its got tons of drug use, some boobies right off the bat, and a depressing downward spiral of a man who seems like a good man. A good man doing very bad things. Verdict? If you can handle it, its definitely worth a watch, just once. I'll probably never see it again."
Future World (1976)... Forgettable sequel to the far superior, and creepy, "Westworld" from 1973.
Gangster Squad (2013)... Good cast is wasted on what I thought was an overly ambitious movie. Tried to be more than it was. Eh.
Get the Gringo (2012)... Mel Gibson returns in this tale of corruption and so forth in a Mexican prison. It got good reviews overall, but I personally found it lacking.
GI Joe: Retaliation (2013)... Not as silly as the first one, plus The Rock, makes it better. Not great, but passable.
Gone (2012) ... I love Amanda Seyfried, though I don't know why... her body of great work is being overshadowed by her body of crap work. And this movie didn't help at all... and I'm really afraid to watch "Lovelace".
The Good Student (2006) ... I actually don't remember anything about this movie, or even who's in it, other than I think it was so-so
Grown Ups 2 (2013)... You really, really have to like the first one to enjoy this film. I mean, the cast is the same, save one (paging Schneider, Rob Schneider) who is not even alluded to in this one. Same
gags, same pointless storyline that goes nowhere. The first one is a guilty pleasure for me, and this one is much the same.
The Heat (2013)... Sandra Bullock AND Melissa McCarthy? Instant classic. In a Bridesmaids-type humor, this is a really funny flick, but full of language, 99% of it from Melissa herself.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)... Easily better than the first one, with an unbelievable dragon onscreen. Still, its a long, long movie, and seems like it stops right as its really revving up.
Hugo (2011) ... Animated film directed by Martin Scorsese. I wanted to like it. I was bored. Really bored.
Intolerable Cruelty (2003) ... George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones star in this Coen Brothers vehicle, probably one of their least acclaimed ones, though its kind of fun and clever.
Jack Reacher (2013)... Tom Cruise is in this phase where he is doing sci/fi action future film after sci/fi action future film... this one may not be set in the future, but its all about him being the mysterious hit man get-it-done cooler guy... and for what its worth, its pretty good.
Jeff Who Lives at Home (2011)... From my review: Expecting a comedy, I was quite surprised when I discovered it was more of a drama... a dramedy, if you will. And, I was also quite surprised how much I enjoyed this film... it all rests on the charm of Jason Segal, who pulls it off well. Plus, its got Judy Greer, and I love me some Judy Greer.
Kick A** 2 (2013)... I liked the first one, and I liked the feel of this one... the addition of Jim Carrey was great, despite his whining about it afterwards.
Killing Them Softly (2012)... Brad Pitt is... something. An assassin? A hit man? I saw this last week, and I don't remember much about it. It was that forgettable.
The Last Stand (2013)... With Ah-nold headlining a film for the first time in forever, he really seems too old to do this kind of movie... and he kinda is. And this doesn't work on any level. Its stupid, its ridiculous, and its poorly written... yet, I was entertained. Maybe its Johnny Knoxville, who knows, but I would say its worth a look. Keep your standards low, and you won't be disappointed.
Lincoln (2012)... From my review: "Its definitely a talkie.. a lot of talking. A lot of talking. A lot. So, don't go into it sleepy, as you will lose yourself amongst the chatter of slavery and freedom and government and war. Even Danny D-Lewis' immaculate performance as Lincoln becomes secondary to the story after a while."
The Lone Ranger (2013)... A little longer than necessary, its not a bad movie... but Johnny Depp is what hurts this film the most. Here's my review from July.
Machete Kills (2013)... Takes the awesome, craptistic premise of the original and makes it more awesome and far more craptastic.
Major League 2: Back to the Minors (1998) ... Oy. I mean... so bad. So, so bad.
Man of Steel (2013)... Sigh. I wanted this to be so good. I wanted this to be good. I really did. Amy Adams, whom I'm in love with, is Lois Lane, and I thought this film took Lois in a terrible direction. Amy did awesome, because she's Amy, but the character was terrible. Michael Shannon, normally a sure-thing in a movie, is wooden and reading from a cue card as Zod, the bad guy. Kevin Costner is a talking 2x4. Its overly long, and the ending climactic battle is great for the first, oh, 45 minutes of it... then you start realizing that two dudes, Zod and Supes, are pretty much destroying an entire city, more than the bad guys in Marvel's The Avengers in their final battle. I wanted to like it, I really did, and I promise, you, I tried.
Me, Myself & Irene (2000) ... My friends Amarylis By Mornin' and Hurricane Rhett live and die by this movie, telling me how hilarious it is, how much they laughed, how it was the funniest movie hahaha... and... my verdict? Eh. I laughed here and there. But overall, it's just a mildly amusing.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)... Cute, but too quirky for its own good
Mud (2013)... Though I thought Matthew McConaughey was great, I didn't find this good movie to be the great, stellar film that so many critics did. Seen it once, I'm done.
Olympus Has Fallen (2013)... The White House was in trouble with this one and the next film listed. Gerard Butler has to save President Aaron Eckhart, and this has much more of a serious tone. Enjoyable. But don't miss the next film, which is...
White House Down (2013)... This time, its Channing Tatum saving President Jamie Foxx, with a predictable twist on the identity of the bad guy. More fun, due to Tatum and Foxx's snappy chemistry, though the plot isn't as good as the aforementioned Olympus. (out of alphabetical order, but I thought it fit well here)
Pacific Rim (2013)... Big Robots battling Monsters! There's a plot here somewhere (maybe?) but who cares. You don't watch this for plot, you watch it for big robots beating up monsters.
Parental Guidance (2012)... Billy Crystal and Bette Midler keep the grandkids for the weekend. Hilarity ensues. Well, attempted hilarity... they do try.
The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)... Great performances by Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling, but was a little long and dragged a lot.
Presumed Innocent (1990)... Harrison Ford goes to Paris with his wife, and she ends up dead--naturally, he's the main suspect. This film is fast paced, its clever and its worth a real watch... despite its age, it holds up well.
Project X (2012)... From my review: Don't watch this movie. Its a "found footage film" about a party
that gets way out of control... and I got through the first 10 minutes of it and couldn't deal with it. So much language, so much drinking, just too much depravity at a too rapid pace.
Rock of Ages (2012)... The attention was on Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx, but the story is Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta, as rock star crossed lovers-to-be... the appeal is all the 80s music sung by the cast. Pretty good, better than I expected.
Savages (2012)... This is a tough flick, focusing on drug dealers who get caught up in the wrong sort of people... but I liked it. A little too much violence and sex, but still, I thought it was great storytelling, if not a little too gritty.
Scarface (1983) ... Heralded as one of the all time great films, I tried three times to watch it. I fell asleep all three times. Once, I was actually tired.
Skyfall (2012)... Solid James Bond movie. I have never been a huge fan of James Bond--I don't dislike them, in fact, I've liked the ones I've seen, I've just never made it a point to watch them--but Daniel Craig really shines in this one.
Snow White Movie 1: Mirror Mirror (2012)... The ONLY reason I liked this movie was Lily Collins. Full review here.
Snow White Movie 2: Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)... One of a few reasons I didn't like this movie was Kristen Stewart. Full review here.
Taken 2: Qui Gon Boogaloo (2012)... Don't see this film. See the first one. The first one is fantastic. This is the first one, just not as good.
Ted (2011)... Ted is a pot smoking, gettin' it on, drinking, cursing teddy bear, first belonging to, then rooming with Mark Wahlberg. In every way, its wrong... but hilarious... but I have no interest in seeing it again.
Thats My Boy (2012)... From my review: "This film is not good. It has its funny moments every now and again, and the addition of Vanilla Ice as a major character, playing a parody (though its probably close to real life) of himself, is a major plus. Maybe more films should have Vanilla Ice in them."
A Time to Kill (1996)... Somehow, I missed this film when it came out... me being a John Grisham novel adaptation fan, I was excited to sit and watch it start to finish. Its not perfect, but its well done.
Think Like a Man (2012)... Steve Harvey introduces and narrates this tale which, while not a great, or even good, film of any kind, its light and fun enough to pass as background noise, or even one of those "okay, nothing else is on, I can do this for a while" moments.
30 Minutes or Less (2011)... Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari co-star with Danny McBride in this comedy about a dude who gets a bomb strapped to him by two dimwitted criminals in order to rob a bank. Lame, not funny, and you'll be wishing the movie were over in less than 30 minutes.
Thor: The Dark World (2013)... Better than the first one, which wasn't bad, but is one of my least favorite Marvel flicks. But we all know Loki is the real reason these films work.
Triple Dog (2010)... So this was on Lifetime... about three chicks at a slumber party investigating the suicide of another chick and... well, it was on, okay?! Leave me a alone.
2 Guns (2013)... Mark Wahlberg AND Denzel? Gold. This won't win any awards, but its funny, its a solid action and its got some good story to it... a high re-watchability factor.
View from the Top (2003) ... Way back in the day, Gwyneth Paltrow starred alongside Christina Applegate and Mike Myers in a film about girls going to stewardess school. If that description doesn't grab you, nothing will... this film is a turkey. I laughed maybe once, twice, if that... then again, maybe not.
Wanderlust (2012)... From my review: I wanted to like this movie alot, with Paul Rudd and Jennifer
Aniston, as a couple who ends up in a strange commune in Georgia. Mildly funny, but it wasn't what
I wanted it to be. Eh.
The Watch (2012) ... An ensemble cast of Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill and more star in comedy/sci-fi movie that had loads of potential, but seems wasted with bad jokes, a thin plot and the whole thing just falls apart as it goes along.
Wimbledon (2004) ... Paul Bettany and Kirsten Dunst, when she was relevant and awesome, find themselves in court. In LOVE COURT. In a love TENNIS COURT... Hey, these are the jokes. Weak and forgettable. The jokes and the movie.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)... Drugs. 506 F-words. Boobs. That's the entire movie. Like most Scorsese films, I can say that I've seen it, I was entertained, it was a good enough movie... but I'll likely never watch it again. As my friend Tommy Mac would say, "I watched American Hustle. I was subjected to The Wolf of Wall Street."
The Wolverine (2013)... Honestly? I liked the first Wolverine--I know that makes me in the vast minority... that being said, I thought this was one really well done... Hugh Jackman obviously loves playing Logan, as he keeps doing it... like RDJ's portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man, Logan is Jackman's character now...
So.... there ya go. Did you make it this far? Its okay if you didn't, I won't be upset... what do you think? Disagree with anything I said?
Keep checking back... more of the best of 2013 is coming soon, including the best movies of the year, books read in 2013, and my favorite posts of 2013...
(8,884 words so far in #500words per day challenge, 11,116 words to go for #20KinJanuary)
I don't expect really anyone to read all the way through, but more of a perusal, stopping on certain titles they wanted to read about... but I wanted a recap of the movies I have seen for the first time in 2013... we looked at my picks for the worst viewed movies of the year... coming in a few days, the Really-Good, Almost Great Movies of 2013, then my picks for the Ten Best Films I Saw in 2013... plus the Golden Globes on Sunday Night! Boy do you have a lot to read.
So, here's a lot of movies, and a quick word about them, written in alphabetical order for your convenience...
American Reunion (2012)... From my review: " The entire cast is back, and though its more of the
same, its fun watching the characters try and act like adults for once. Rated R for lots of bad things, like the first one."
The Artist (2011)... A "silent film", in black and white, its stylish and well done. That said, its a chore to watch, and shouldn't have won Best Picture... I would have given it to The Descendants, or even Midnight in Paris, both superior films (I've seen The Artist once, not likely to ever watch it again)
The Bourne Legacy (2012)... I like Jeremy Renner, and he really makes this movie what it is. Its hard to see a Bourne movie and not see Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, but Renner pulls it off (playing a contemporary, not Jason Bourne). The addition of Ed Norton only makes it better
The Call (2013)... This is that WWE Studios film that has Halle Berry as a 911 operator and Abigail Breslin as a kid who gets kidnapped... and let me tell ya... I was expecting a pile of crap, and I got a pile of... well, decent filmmaking. Its not as bad as you think, I promise. I actually kinda liked it. Probably gets my "Way Better Than I Expected" Award for 2013.
The Campaign (2012)... Its silly to say that The Campaign, with Zach Galifianakis and Will Ferrell, is silly.. but it is. Its just silly. There are better silly movies out there.
Chronicle (2012)... Three students find a glowing rock from space, gain superpowers. Its more about teenage angst with added powers more than anything... it starts strong, then kind of gets predictable.
Coma (1978) ... Kinda creepy 70s thriller about a hospital program with sinister intentions, and the nurse that stumbles upon the truth. A little dated, but worth a watch.
Death Race: Inferno (2012 )... Forgettable prequel to the revived Death Race franchise with Jason Statham. Still, kinda fun, if not ridiculous in its premise.
Elysium (2013)... Sweeping and grand, its a sci/fi tale with a believable, bulky Matt Damon and Sharlto Copley as an awesome bad guy... Jodie Foster co-stars, with some weird accent.
Everything Must Go (2010)... Will Ferrell in a semi-serious role about a guy who gets thrown out and ends up camping out on his own yard, befriend a black kid in the neighborhood to help him out. Its a very underrated, and I'm afraid, forgotten film by now...
Extreme Measures (1996) ... Hugh Grant is a doctor who finds out that Gene Hackman, another doctor, is doing bad stuff and I don't remember the rest of it. It's watchable, but not imperative.
Flight (2012)... from my review: "Its got language, its got tons of drug use, some boobies right off the bat, and a depressing downward spiral of a man who seems like a good man. A good man doing very bad things. Verdict? If you can handle it, its definitely worth a watch, just once. I'll probably never see it again."
Future World (1976)... Forgettable sequel to the far superior, and creepy, "Westworld" from 1973.
Gangster Squad (2013)... Good cast is wasted on what I thought was an overly ambitious movie. Tried to be more than it was. Eh.
Get the Gringo (2012)... Mel Gibson returns in this tale of corruption and so forth in a Mexican prison. It got good reviews overall, but I personally found it lacking.
GI Joe: Retaliation (2013)... Not as silly as the first one, plus The Rock, makes it better. Not great, but passable.
Gone (2012) ... I love Amanda Seyfried, though I don't know why... her body of great work is being overshadowed by her body of crap work. And this movie didn't help at all... and I'm really afraid to watch "Lovelace".
The Good Student (2006) ... I actually don't remember anything about this movie, or even who's in it, other than I think it was so-so
Grown Ups 2 (2013)... You really, really have to like the first one to enjoy this film. I mean, the cast is the same, save one (paging Schneider, Rob Schneider) who is not even alluded to in this one. Same
gags, same pointless storyline that goes nowhere. The first one is a guilty pleasure for me, and this one is much the same.
The Heat (2013)... Sandra Bullock AND Melissa McCarthy? Instant classic. In a Bridesmaids-type humor, this is a really funny flick, but full of language, 99% of it from Melissa herself.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)... Easily better than the first one, with an unbelievable dragon onscreen. Still, its a long, long movie, and seems like it stops right as its really revving up.
Hugo (2011) ... Animated film directed by Martin Scorsese. I wanted to like it. I was bored. Really bored.
Intolerable Cruelty (2003) ... George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones star in this Coen Brothers vehicle, probably one of their least acclaimed ones, though its kind of fun and clever.
Jack Reacher (2013)... Tom Cruise is in this phase where he is doing sci/fi action future film after sci/fi action future film... this one may not be set in the future, but its all about him being the mysterious hit man get-it-done cooler guy... and for what its worth, its pretty good.
Jeff Who Lives at Home (2011)... From my review: Expecting a comedy, I was quite surprised when I discovered it was more of a drama... a dramedy, if you will. And, I was also quite surprised how much I enjoyed this film... it all rests on the charm of Jason Segal, who pulls it off well. Plus, its got Judy Greer, and I love me some Judy Greer.
Kick A** 2 (2013)... I liked the first one, and I liked the feel of this one... the addition of Jim Carrey was great, despite his whining about it afterwards.
Killing Them Softly (2012)... Brad Pitt is... something. An assassin? A hit man? I saw this last week, and I don't remember much about it. It was that forgettable.
The Last Stand (2013)... With Ah-nold headlining a film for the first time in forever, he really seems too old to do this kind of movie... and he kinda is. And this doesn't work on any level. Its stupid, its ridiculous, and its poorly written... yet, I was entertained. Maybe its Johnny Knoxville, who knows, but I would say its worth a look. Keep your standards low, and you won't be disappointed.
Lincoln (2012)... From my review: "Its definitely a talkie.. a lot of talking. A lot of talking. A lot. So, don't go into it sleepy, as you will lose yourself amongst the chatter of slavery and freedom and government and war. Even Danny D-Lewis' immaculate performance as Lincoln becomes secondary to the story after a while."
The Lone Ranger (2013)... A little longer than necessary, its not a bad movie... but Johnny Depp is what hurts this film the most. Here's my review from July.
Machete Kills (2013)... Takes the awesome, craptistic premise of the original and makes it more awesome and far more craptastic.
Major League 2: Back to the Minors (1998) ... Oy. I mean... so bad. So, so bad.
Man of Steel (2013)... Sigh. I wanted this to be so good. I wanted this to be good. I really did. Amy Adams, whom I'm in love with, is Lois Lane, and I thought this film took Lois in a terrible direction. Amy did awesome, because she's Amy, but the character was terrible. Michael Shannon, normally a sure-thing in a movie, is wooden and reading from a cue card as Zod, the bad guy. Kevin Costner is a talking 2x4. Its overly long, and the ending climactic battle is great for the first, oh, 45 minutes of it... then you start realizing that two dudes, Zod and Supes, are pretty much destroying an entire city, more than the bad guys in Marvel's The Avengers in their final battle. I wanted to like it, I really did, and I promise, you, I tried.
Me, Myself & Irene (2000) ... My friends Amarylis By Mornin' and Hurricane Rhett live and die by this movie, telling me how hilarious it is, how much they laughed, how it was the funniest movie hahaha... and... my verdict? Eh. I laughed here and there. But overall, it's just a mildly amusing.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)... Cute, but too quirky for its own good
Mud (2013)... Though I thought Matthew McConaughey was great, I didn't find this good movie to be the great, stellar film that so many critics did. Seen it once, I'm done.
Olympus Has Fallen (2013)... The White House was in trouble with this one and the next film listed. Gerard Butler has to save President Aaron Eckhart, and this has much more of a serious tone. Enjoyable. But don't miss the next film, which is...
White House Down (2013)... This time, its Channing Tatum saving President Jamie Foxx, with a predictable twist on the identity of the bad guy. More fun, due to Tatum and Foxx's snappy chemistry, though the plot isn't as good as the aforementioned Olympus. (out of alphabetical order, but I thought it fit well here)
Pacific Rim (2013)... Big Robots battling Monsters! There's a plot here somewhere (maybe?) but who cares. You don't watch this for plot, you watch it for big robots beating up monsters.
Parental Guidance (2012)... Billy Crystal and Bette Midler keep the grandkids for the weekend. Hilarity ensues. Well, attempted hilarity... they do try.
The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)... Great performances by Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling, but was a little long and dragged a lot.
Presumed Innocent (1990)... Harrison Ford goes to Paris with his wife, and she ends up dead--naturally, he's the main suspect. This film is fast paced, its clever and its worth a real watch... despite its age, it holds up well.
Project X (2012)... From my review: Don't watch this movie. Its a "found footage film" about a party
that gets way out of control... and I got through the first 10 minutes of it and couldn't deal with it. So much language, so much drinking, just too much depravity at a too rapid pace.
Rock of Ages (2012)... The attention was on Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx, but the story is Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta, as rock star crossed lovers-to-be... the appeal is all the 80s music sung by the cast. Pretty good, better than I expected.
Savages (2012)... This is a tough flick, focusing on drug dealers who get caught up in the wrong sort of people... but I liked it. A little too much violence and sex, but still, I thought it was great storytelling, if not a little too gritty.
Scarface (1983) ... Heralded as one of the all time great films, I tried three times to watch it. I fell asleep all three times. Once, I was actually tired.
Skyfall (2012)... Solid James Bond movie. I have never been a huge fan of James Bond--I don't dislike them, in fact, I've liked the ones I've seen, I've just never made it a point to watch them--but Daniel Craig really shines in this one.
Snow White Movie 1: Mirror Mirror (2012)... The ONLY reason I liked this movie was Lily Collins. Full review here.
Snow White Movie 2: Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)... One of a few reasons I didn't like this movie was Kristen Stewart. Full review here.
Taken 2: Qui Gon Boogaloo (2012)... Don't see this film. See the first one. The first one is fantastic. This is the first one, just not as good.
Ted (2011)... Ted is a pot smoking, gettin' it on, drinking, cursing teddy bear, first belonging to, then rooming with Mark Wahlberg. In every way, its wrong... but hilarious... but I have no interest in seeing it again.
Thats My Boy (2012)... From my review: "This film is not good. It has its funny moments every now and again, and the addition of Vanilla Ice as a major character, playing a parody (though its probably close to real life) of himself, is a major plus. Maybe more films should have Vanilla Ice in them."
A Time to Kill (1996)... Somehow, I missed this film when it came out... me being a John Grisham novel adaptation fan, I was excited to sit and watch it start to finish. Its not perfect, but its well done.
Think Like a Man (2012)... Steve Harvey introduces and narrates this tale which, while not a great, or even good, film of any kind, its light and fun enough to pass as background noise, or even one of those "okay, nothing else is on, I can do this for a while" moments.
30 Minutes or Less (2011)... Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari co-star with Danny McBride in this comedy about a dude who gets a bomb strapped to him by two dimwitted criminals in order to rob a bank. Lame, not funny, and you'll be wishing the movie were over in less than 30 minutes.
Thor: The Dark World (2013)... Better than the first one, which wasn't bad, but is one of my least favorite Marvel flicks. But we all know Loki is the real reason these films work.
Triple Dog (2010)... So this was on Lifetime... about three chicks at a slumber party investigating the suicide of another chick and... well, it was on, okay?! Leave me a alone.
2 Guns (2013)... Mark Wahlberg AND Denzel? Gold. This won't win any awards, but its funny, its a solid action and its got some good story to it... a high re-watchability factor.
View from the Top (2003) ... Way back in the day, Gwyneth Paltrow starred alongside Christina Applegate and Mike Myers in a film about girls going to stewardess school. If that description doesn't grab you, nothing will... this film is a turkey. I laughed maybe once, twice, if that... then again, maybe not.
Wanderlust (2012)... From my review: I wanted to like this movie alot, with Paul Rudd and Jennifer
Aniston, as a couple who ends up in a strange commune in Georgia. Mildly funny, but it wasn't what
I wanted it to be. Eh.
The Watch (2012) ... An ensemble cast of Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill and more star in comedy/sci-fi movie that had loads of potential, but seems wasted with bad jokes, a thin plot and the whole thing just falls apart as it goes along.
Wimbledon (2004) ... Paul Bettany and Kirsten Dunst, when she was relevant and awesome, find themselves in court. In LOVE COURT. In a love TENNIS COURT... Hey, these are the jokes. Weak and forgettable. The jokes and the movie.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)... Drugs. 506 F-words. Boobs. That's the entire movie. Like most Scorsese films, I can say that I've seen it, I was entertained, it was a good enough movie... but I'll likely never watch it again. As my friend Tommy Mac would say, "I watched American Hustle. I was subjected to The Wolf of Wall Street."
The Wolverine (2013)... Honestly? I liked the first Wolverine--I know that makes me in the vast minority... that being said, I thought this was one really well done... Hugh Jackman obviously loves playing Logan, as he keeps doing it... like RDJ's portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man, Logan is Jackman's character now...
So.... there ya go. Did you make it this far? Its okay if you didn't, I won't be upset... what do you think? Disagree with anything I said?
Keep checking back... more of the best of 2013 is coming soon, including the best movies of the year, books read in 2013, and my favorite posts of 2013...
(8,884 words so far in #500words per day challenge, 11,116 words to go for #20KinJanuary)
Monday, March 21, 2011
Free Will via The Adjustment Bureau
With the 31,173 verses in the complete Word of God, there are a handful of verses that most people reference... and Jeremiah 29:11 is one of those. The NIV states, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Personally, I'm a The Message fan, and it says, "I have it all planned out--plans to take care of you, not to abandon you, plans to give you the future hope for."
As its documented on this here very blogsite, I'm a Christ-Follower, and I fully believe in The Word of God as infallible, unbreakable and perfect, as inspired by God.
Having said that, we saw a movie yesterday that gives an interesting perspective on those plans that God has for you.
The movie is called "The Adjustment Bureau", and it opens on a Congressman named David Norris (Matt Damon), and a troubled bid to be a New York Senator. Things get really crazy when there is a chance encounter with a lovely young lady (Emily Blunt) in a men's restroom... and after the election, he wasn't supposed to meet her again--but he did. And thus lies the problem.
There is a group called The Adjustment Bureau who watch over everyone and everything, and makes sure all goes according to plan... be it His plan or his plan, they call the big boss "The Chairman". As the movie progresses, you will find they never are very specific about who or what The Chairman is, and probably that's on purpose so The Chairman can stand for whatever the audience may believe is in charge.
We discover the mystery girl's name is Elise, and she and David fall in love quickly... but at every turn, their romance wasn't supposed to happen, and The Adjustment Bureau does all that it can to stop them and split them up.
Overall, the movie is quite good, and at its heart, takes a deep subject--God's purpose and "free will"--and turns it into somewhat of a sci-fi/action/romance flick. Matt Damon has managed to transformed himself into an incredible versatile actor over the last decade, and in "The Adjustment Bureau", he's completely believable as David Norris, while Emily Blunt is someone I've really taken a liking to over the last few years, first noticed in "The Devil Wears Prada" and shining in 2009's "Sunshine Cleaning", alongside with Amy Adams (whom I'm in love with).
The movie has a stellar supporting cast as well, which includes John Slattery from "Mad Men" (I kept expecting him to light up a cigarette) as Richardson, one of the Bureau, character actor Anthony Mackie (he played Tupac in Hurricane Rhett's favorite film, the Biggie bio "Notorious") as Harry, the main "caseworker" with David and Elise's case, and Michael Kelly as Congressman Norris' campaign manager.
The action is great, the special effects aren't heavy but they really don't need to be, and the story itself is quite a premise... its that God... or The Chairman, as they call Him, has a certain plan in place, but if the caseworkers (or "angels" as someone calls them in the movie) aren't doing their jobs, things can go awry.
This begs this question... We know that God is in control, we know that He knows our past and our future, but does He change His plans for us based on our reactions to what we are in the midst of, or does He ultimately have a desire for us to follow one path, but has another laid out before us because He understands that is the path we will take?
And that brings up the subject of Free Will itself.... or rather, Free Will vs. Predestination. Okay, okay, let me give you full disclosure here. I want to be honest with you and tell you... I don't really give a rip. I mean, maybe I should. I gave my heart and soul to Christ in January of 1995, and whether I chose Him freely or He had pre-determined that to be, doesn't matter to me, I am completely confident in my decision and stand by it. So does He.
In the movie, David Norris confronts one of the higher-ups in The Bureau, and is told that they control everything, and what The Chairman wants to happen will happen because of their Chairman-directed guidance. When Norris asks, "What about free will?", Thompson (Terence Stamp in a brilliantly played bad guy who is only bad because he's doing his job) essentially tells him, and I'm paraphrasing here, but says, "We were in control through the cro-magnon age and brought you into civilization, then let you have it. You gave us the dark ages. We took control again and brought you the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment, and then gave it back to you in the early 1900s, and in fifty years, you gave us two world wars, the depression and the holocaust. We felt like we needed to step back in." I'm sure that monologue itself is full of Biblical inaccuracies, but it was well written.
I was actually surprised about how much I liked this movie, and how well it handled the subject... there was a lot of room for error, and a lot of room to be offensive and polarizing to people of various faiths (mostly Christians), but it handled it well, only briefly dipping into the answers to those Free Will questions, but instead making the questions themselves the focus of the movie.
Now, I will say this... I didn't like the very ending. The movie was solid, the build-up was solid (if not a little predictable at points) and the climax was riveting... but the denouement was a let down. Its a play on words to say "deus ex machina" but that's kinda what it was. Actually, that's exactly what it was. I also felt like they left a few unnecessary loose ends... at the end, I turned to The Lovely Steph Leann and said, "Poor Adrian. What happened to that guy?"
Overall, most of the secular world will find it a pretty good film, perhaps a bit forgettable in the long run. For those with belief in God, and His plan, I think you'll find it more interesting, if not thought provoking and worthy of discussion. However, if that's not what you want, I don't think it will be deep enough to force that upon you. Worth a matinee.
The language is minimal, though there is an F-Bomb in there, and the violence is also minimal. There is a gettin' it on scene between the two main characters, though nothing is shown save for passionate faces.
As its documented on this here very blogsite, I'm a Christ-Follower, and I fully believe in The Word of God as infallible, unbreakable and perfect, as inspired by God.
Having said that, we saw a movie yesterday that gives an interesting perspective on those plans that God has for you.
The movie is called "The Adjustment Bureau", and it opens on a Congressman named David Norris (Matt Damon), and a troubled bid to be a New York Senator. Things get really crazy when there is a chance encounter with a lovely young lady (Emily Blunt) in a men's restroom... and after the election, he wasn't supposed to meet her again--but he did. And thus lies the problem.
There is a group called The Adjustment Bureau who watch over everyone and everything, and makes sure all goes according to plan... be it His plan or his plan, they call the big boss "The Chairman". As the movie progresses, you will find they never are very specific about who or what The Chairman is, and probably that's on purpose so The Chairman can stand for whatever the audience may believe is in charge.
We discover the mystery girl's name is Elise, and she and David fall in love quickly... but at every turn, their romance wasn't supposed to happen, and The Adjustment Bureau does all that it can to stop them and split them up.
 |
| Matt Damon and Emily Blunt... will she reach The Goddess or Amy Adams (whom I'm in love with) status? Probably not. But she is growing on me. |
The movie has a stellar supporting cast as well, which includes John Slattery from "Mad Men" (I kept expecting him to light up a cigarette) as Richardson, one of the Bureau, character actor Anthony Mackie (he played Tupac in Hurricane Rhett's favorite film, the Biggie bio "Notorious") as Harry, the main "caseworker" with David and Elise's case, and Michael Kelly as Congressman Norris' campaign manager.
The action is great, the special effects aren't heavy but they really don't need to be, and the story itself is quite a premise... its that God... or The Chairman, as they call Him, has a certain plan in place, but if the caseworkers (or "angels" as someone calls them in the movie) aren't doing their jobs, things can go awry.
This begs this question... We know that God is in control, we know that He knows our past and our future, but does He change His plans for us based on our reactions to what we are in the midst of, or does He ultimately have a desire for us to follow one path, but has another laid out before us because He understands that is the path we will take?
And that brings up the subject of Free Will itself.... or rather, Free Will vs. Predestination. Okay, okay, let me give you full disclosure here. I want to be honest with you and tell you... I don't really give a rip. I mean, maybe I should. I gave my heart and soul to Christ in January of 1995, and whether I chose Him freely or He had pre-determined that to be, doesn't matter to me, I am completely confident in my decision and stand by it. So does He.
In the movie, David Norris confronts one of the higher-ups in The Bureau, and is told that they control everything, and what The Chairman wants to happen will happen because of their Chairman-directed guidance. When Norris asks, "What about free will?", Thompson (Terence Stamp in a brilliantly played bad guy who is only bad because he's doing his job) essentially tells him, and I'm paraphrasing here, but says, "We were in control through the cro-magnon age and brought you into civilization, then let you have it. You gave us the dark ages. We took control again and brought you the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment, and then gave it back to you in the early 1900s, and in fifty years, you gave us two world wars, the depression and the holocaust. We felt like we needed to step back in." I'm sure that monologue itself is full of Biblical inaccuracies, but it was well written.
I was actually surprised about how much I liked this movie, and how well it handled the subject... there was a lot of room for error, and a lot of room to be offensive and polarizing to people of various faiths (mostly Christians), but it handled it well, only briefly dipping into the answers to those Free Will questions, but instead making the questions themselves the focus of the movie.
 |
| Anthony Mackie (far left) walking next to John Slattery, from the Sterling Cooper branch of The Adjustment Bureau. |
Overall, most of the secular world will find it a pretty good film, perhaps a bit forgettable in the long run. For those with belief in God, and His plan, I think you'll find it more interesting, if not thought provoking and worthy of discussion. However, if that's not what you want, I don't think it will be deep enough to force that upon you. Worth a matinee.
The language is minimal, though there is an F-Bomb in there, and the violence is also minimal. There is a gettin' it on scene between the two main characters, though nothing is shown save for passionate faces.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
The 100 Coolest Things of 2008... 100 - 91
Note... if you are reading this on Facebook, the videos below won't show up. Go to Clouds in My Coffee to read the original post, and see the videos.
Well, its time. After careful consideration, moving the list around, weighing "what's cooler, this or that?" time after time, I've finished the list.
First, here's how the list is compiled... first and foremost, its my own list. This is what is "cool" to d$. Some things, books, movies, shows, whatever, just came out this year, some have been around for a while, but this was the year that I chose to read/watch/view/whatever... some people I've known for a while... but this seemed to be the year that they made the leap from "eh" to "cool!!".
Before we begin the list, however, I have to mention a forgotten item from 2007's list... this should have been on the list last year, and was missed somehow. So, a 2008 Cool Honorable Mention goes to...
"The Bourne Ultimatum", rated PG-13, starring Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Albert Finney, Joan Allen and David Strathairn. Man, I loved this movie... its the third movie in the Bourne films, after Identity and Supremacy, its full of action, its full of gunplay, its full of fun, and though its a Herky Jerky Film (you know, those kind of movies where it seems like the camera is moving so fast, you have no clue whats going on) its worth the viewing.
Yes, they are planning to do a fourth Bourne film--but there's a hitch. While Universal owns the rights to Robert Ludlum's library, the author who created and wrote the first Bourne novels, they don't own the rights to "Jason Bourne". The series was picked up and written by other authors, so there is a deal to be worked out.
Now that that's out of the way... the 100 Coolest Things of 2008:
100. "Too Late to Say Goodbye" by Ann Rule. I'm a sucker for crime drama stories, as you'll see later on in our countdown. Here's the synopsis, via Amazon:
Bart Corbin appeared to share an idyllic life with his pretty wife, Jennifer: a home in an upscale Atlanta suburb, two adorable young sons. But there were secrets below the surface -- including an affair of Bart's that drove Jenn to look for love on the Internet -- that would prove deadly on the December morning Jenn was found with a single gunshot wound to her head. Police suspected suicide, but her disbelieving family knew Jenn had been excited to move on from Bart with someone she had met online. As disturbing clues emerged, a relentless county investigator dredged up a shattering revelation: fourteen years earlier, Bart Corbin's former girlfriend, lovely dental student Dolly Hearn, also died -- a gunshot wound to her head that was ruled a suicide. It was a chilling link in the chain that would ensnare the remorseless killer behind both tragic deaths: Bart Corbin.
And there's a twist right smack dab in the middle of it that will catch you completely off guard. What's more, as I was finishing the novel, I actually caught the Dateline NBC episode featuring this very case, on DNC-TV.
99. Paul Carby. I like to call him Paulie Walnuts here on the blog. He and his wife, Sammi, are expecting a little girl in a matter of days, and seriously, that little girl is going to have an awesome dad. I knew I liked Paulie when The Lovely Steph Leann and I went over for dinner, along with Britlicious and Croyle, and KT and J Rob, and as we were looking at Paulie's movie collection, he informed all of us that "DieHard" is his favorite movie of all time, and perhaps the greatest movie ever made. He had my heart right then. In a straight way, of course.
98. "Sydney White". PG-13, starring the growing-on-me-like-kudzu Amanda Bynes. There's nothing new in this movie, there's not remarkable about this movie, there's nothing about this movie that screams "Oscar!" or "Golden Globe!" What there is in this movie, though, is fun. Just fun. Sydney White is a chick off to college, and ends up making friends with these 7 outcast guys. There's a witch--or just a mean chick named Rachel Witchburn--and a prince--or just a guy named Tyler Prince--and other fairy tale references find their way into this silly little film that I found quite entertaining, and would watch again... and that's a good thing.
Amanda Bynes? She's one of The Lovely Steph Leann's favorite actresses, and really, she's... pretty.
97. Michael Phelps. Eight gold medals in the same Olympics will earn you a spot on this list any year. Nikki Brown, take note.
96. "Freedom is Worth the Price". Found this video online. Its worth another look.
95. "You're Married??" One of the funniest commercials of the year comes from an insurance company. The Lovely Steph Leann loves this one.
94. Leann Corby. Here I was, doling out the magic at The Happiest Place in the Mall, and I look up to see Leann Corby. Well, it's Leann Laurence now, but still... she was my first Troy State Date, in September of 1993, we had been friends all along, and it was great to see her from out of nowhere.
I wrote on December 9th about that experience, and you can read it at the bottom of this post. With pictures!
93. "Unholy Messenger: The Life & Crimes of the BTK Serial Killer" by Stephen Singular. I remember flipping on the news sometime a few years ago, and seeing a live press conference on not only Fox News, but DNC/Obama-TV, but also the Clinton News Network and everywhere else... the Wichita, KS, police were discussing catching the "BTK Killer" after a decades long manhunt... who was this guy? He was a vicious serial killer who had stopped murdering 20 years ago, but had recently resurfaced...
So, this year, I ended up picking up this book and reading it through. It was kinda creepy, actually... Singular tells the ghastly tale of Dennis Rader, the serial killer who terrorized Wichita and taunted police for decades, in a mostly dispassionate style that fits Rader's modus operandi perfectly. A meticulous planner who stalked before striking, Rader, whose bland, midwestern Christian Everyman persona makes him all the more chilling, blamed an evil spirit he called Rex for his repeated spells of bloodlust.
His particular kicks came from killing people in front of their families and photographing victims' corpses in S&M poses, in one case in the basement of the church in which he served as president of the congregation, an office he took to heart, just as he did his jobs as a city "compliance officer" and a home-security technician, both of which gave him cover for his "projects." Based primarily on Rader's confession and court papers, Singular's account includes Rader's mainline Protestant pastor's views that the BTK slayings manifest Rader's intermittent possession by a demonic force. Such theological aspects distinguish this macabre, riveting, scary case from those of other serial killers. (not my description, by the way, but it suited the purpose).
92. "Hellboy II: The Golden Army". Rated PG-13, starring Ron Perlman and Selma Blair. I throughly enjoyed the first movie, so when Mikey called me up and asked if I'd go see the 2nd one with him, I was all about it. And rightly so...
There's a Golden Army out there, and bad guys want to control it to dominate. Don't they always want to dominate? Enter Hellboy, his girlfriend Liz and buddy Abe Sapien, all with the special powers and attitude from the first one. Not only does the flick have great special effects, a funny and great storyline, and some pretty good acting, but the gem of the film is the director, Guillermo del Toro, the same guy who did "Pan's Labyrinth". He's got some kind of vision when he makes a film.
91. "Valleydale Dot Oh Are Gee". Our church, Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) has a redesigned website. So, to promote this site, a couple of our guys, and a vacuuming member, decided to do a little video. And oh my gosh, is it funny. The singer is... well, I don't know his name, but Big Poppa in the back there is Chandler Wallace, our tech guy expert, and on the drum(sticks) is Kris Dekker, music minister.
My favorite part? The head bob that Chandler does right in the middle... and the yee-haw doesn't hurt either. Priceless.
Coming up... Sharpies, haircuts and J Rob... and the first of our three "Pruitt Awards of Coolness"
Well, its time. After careful consideration, moving the list around, weighing "what's cooler, this or that?" time after time, I've finished the list.
First, here's how the list is compiled... first and foremost, its my own list. This is what is "cool" to d$. Some things, books, movies, shows, whatever, just came out this year, some have been around for a while, but this was the year that I chose to read/watch/view/whatever... some people I've known for a while... but this seemed to be the year that they made the leap from "eh" to "cool!!".
Before we begin the list, however, I have to mention a forgotten item from 2007's list... this should have been on the list last year, and was missed somehow. So, a 2008 Cool Honorable Mention goes to...
"The Bourne Ultimatum", rated PG-13, starring Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Albert Finney, Joan Allen and David Strathairn. Man, I loved this movie... its the third movie in the Bourne films, after Identity and Supremacy, its full of action, its full of gunplay, its full of fun, and though its a Herky Jerky Film (you know, those kind of movies where it seems like the camera is moving so fast, you have no clue whats going on) its worth the viewing.
Yes, they are planning to do a fourth Bourne film--but there's a hitch. While Universal owns the rights to Robert Ludlum's library, the author who created and wrote the first Bourne novels, they don't own the rights to "Jason Bourne". The series was picked up and written by other authors, so there is a deal to be worked out.
Now that that's out of the way... the 100 Coolest Things of 2008:
100. "Too Late to Say Goodbye" by Ann Rule. I'm a sucker for crime drama stories, as you'll see later on in our countdown. Here's the synopsis, via Amazon:
Bart Corbin appeared to share an idyllic life with his pretty wife, Jennifer: a home in an upscale Atlanta suburb, two adorable young sons. But there were secrets below the surface -- including an affair of Bart's that drove Jenn to look for love on the Internet -- that would prove deadly on the December morning Jenn was found with a single gunshot wound to her head. Police suspected suicide, but her disbelieving family knew Jenn had been excited to move on from Bart with someone she had met online. As disturbing clues emerged, a relentless county investigator dredged up a shattering revelation: fourteen years earlier, Bart Corbin's former girlfriend, lovely dental student Dolly Hearn, also died -- a gunshot wound to her head that was ruled a suicide. It was a chilling link in the chain that would ensnare the remorseless killer behind both tragic deaths: Bart Corbin.
And there's a twist right smack dab in the middle of it that will catch you completely off guard. What's more, as I was finishing the novel, I actually caught the Dateline NBC episode featuring this very case, on DNC-TV.
99. Paul Carby. I like to call him Paulie Walnuts here on the blog. He and his wife, Sammi, are expecting a little girl in a matter of days, and seriously, that little girl is going to have an awesome dad. I knew I liked Paulie when The Lovely Steph Leann and I went over for dinner, along with Britlicious and Croyle, and KT and J Rob, and as we were looking at Paulie's movie collection, he informed all of us that "DieHard" is his favorite movie of all time, and perhaps the greatest movie ever made. He had my heart right then. In a straight way, of course.
98. "Sydney White". PG-13, starring the growing-on-me-like-kudzu Amanda Bynes. There's nothing new in this movie, there's not remarkable about this movie, there's nothing about this movie that screams "Oscar!" or "Golden Globe!" What there is in this movie, though, is fun. Just fun. Sydney White is a chick off to college, and ends up making friends with these 7 outcast guys. There's a witch--or just a mean chick named Rachel Witchburn--and a prince--or just a guy named Tyler Prince--and other fairy tale references find their way into this silly little film that I found quite entertaining, and would watch again... and that's a good thing.
Amanda Bynes? She's one of The Lovely Steph Leann's favorite actresses, and really, she's... pretty.
97. Michael Phelps. Eight gold medals in the same Olympics will earn you a spot on this list any year. Nikki Brown, take note.
96. "Freedom is Worth the Price". Found this video online. Its worth another look.
95. "You're Married??" One of the funniest commercials of the year comes from an insurance company. The Lovely Steph Leann loves this one.
94. Leann Corby. Here I was, doling out the magic at The Happiest Place in the Mall, and I look up to see Leann Corby. Well, it's Leann Laurence now, but still... she was my first Troy State Date, in September of 1993, we had been friends all along, and it was great to see her from out of nowhere.
I wrote on December 9th about that experience, and you can read it at the bottom of this post. With pictures!
93. "Unholy Messenger: The Life & Crimes of the BTK Serial Killer" by Stephen Singular. I remember flipping on the news sometime a few years ago, and seeing a live press conference on not only Fox News, but DNC/Obama-TV, but also the Clinton News Network and everywhere else... the Wichita, KS, police were discussing catching the "BTK Killer" after a decades long manhunt... who was this guy? He was a vicious serial killer who had stopped murdering 20 years ago, but had recently resurfaced...
So, this year, I ended up picking up this book and reading it through. It was kinda creepy, actually... Singular tells the ghastly tale of Dennis Rader, the serial killer who terrorized Wichita and taunted police for decades, in a mostly dispassionate style that fits Rader's modus operandi perfectly. A meticulous planner who stalked before striking, Rader, whose bland, midwestern Christian Everyman persona makes him all the more chilling, blamed an evil spirit he called Rex for his repeated spells of bloodlust.
His particular kicks came from killing people in front of their families and photographing victims' corpses in S&M poses, in one case in the basement of the church in which he served as president of the congregation, an office he took to heart, just as he did his jobs as a city "compliance officer" and a home-security technician, both of which gave him cover for his "projects." Based primarily on Rader's confession and court papers, Singular's account includes Rader's mainline Protestant pastor's views that the BTK slayings manifest Rader's intermittent possession by a demonic force. Such theological aspects distinguish this macabre, riveting, scary case from those of other serial killers. (not my description, by the way, but it suited the purpose).
92. "Hellboy II: The Golden Army". Rated PG-13, starring Ron Perlman and Selma Blair. I throughly enjoyed the first movie, so when Mikey called me up and asked if I'd go see the 2nd one with him, I was all about it. And rightly so...
There's a Golden Army out there, and bad guys want to control it to dominate. Don't they always want to dominate? Enter Hellboy, his girlfriend Liz and buddy Abe Sapien, all with the special powers and attitude from the first one. Not only does the flick have great special effects, a funny and great storyline, and some pretty good acting, but the gem of the film is the director, Guillermo del Toro, the same guy who did "Pan's Labyrinth". He's got some kind of vision when he makes a film.
91. "Valleydale Dot Oh Are Gee". Our church, Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) has a redesigned website. So, to promote this site, a couple of our guys, and a vacuuming member, decided to do a little video. And oh my gosh, is it funny. The singer is... well, I don't know his name, but Big Poppa in the back there is Chandler Wallace, our tech guy expert, and on the drum(sticks) is Kris Dekker, music minister.
My favorite part? The head bob that Chandler does right in the middle... and the yee-haw doesn't hurt either. Priceless.
Coming up... Sharpies, haircuts and J Rob... and the first of our three "Pruitt Awards of Coolness"
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Hannah Pruitt, Matt Damon, The Lost Boys and Other Random Things
It's midnight, I'm done with Day 5 on my 30 Days of Him Journey... you can enjoy this shameless self promotion and read about it over on Welcome to Delaware, where I know you've traveled far... so I thought I'd give you whats rolling around in my head tonight...
Song playing right now: "Secret Garden" from Bruce Springsteen, the Jerry Maguire Mix
First stop... Hannah Pruitt. Final destination, sleep. Stops along the way, Matt Damon, vampires, Lindsay Lohan, Twilight, Fracks and Leann Corby.
I thought I'd mention to you that tonight's songs are coming from a playlist entitled "Hannah Pruitt". I have funny musical tastes... sometimes I want to hear Jodeci, a few minutes later I want some Jars of Clay, then I'm in the mood for LL Cool J, and right after that, classic Clint Black.
So I put together a playlist of about 60 songs that I could, at any time, want to hear. As the playlist evolves, I'll take some off (like tonight, I removed Celine Dion's "To Love You More" and "If You Asked Me To" and The Atlanta Rhythm Section's "So Into You", and added Dino's "I Like It" and "Sail On" by Lionel Richie & the Commodores). See, random.
Song currently playing: "Close of Autumn" by Caedmon's Call
Anyway, it gets the name "Hannah Pruitt" because, while I was making this playlist the other day, I was actually talking to Hannah Pruitt via gMail chat. And I have also determined that Hannah might just be the coolest person I know. Seriously. She's a really cool chick. I've actively tried to find things that would make her uncool, and I haven't come up with anything yet. I'm working on it. For now, "Hannah Pruitt" plays via iTunes.
So, Sean Penn and Lindsay Lohan showed up to the same party. They nuzzled. Right now you are trying to decide whether you actually care enough to click on this link to read about it. I mean, right after you are done throwing up in your mouth.
"The Bourne Ultimatum" is on Starz right now. Well, it is, but I just turned the tv off... anyway, I was commenting to The Lovely Steph Leann that Matt Damon is actually a pretty good actor. I mean, he's big and bad and very believable as a dude that can rip your head off and hock a snot rocket down your neck in the very, very good Bourne trilogy (though it might become a four-logy, as I've heard they are making another one...) but when you watch him in the Ocean's films, he's a dork.
Song currently playing: "Touch Me (all night long)" by Cathy Dennis--this is sometimes odd, as it tends to, even on shuffle, follow Caedmon's Call or a Christy Nockel worship song. Hmm.
Personally, I didn't care for "Good Will Hunting", but Damon has done some good stuff... "Rounders" works because of him and Edward Norton's ability to pull off a pretty lame script... well, them and John Malkovich's portrayal of Teddy KGB, on my short list of favorite movie characters of all time. You can also check out Matt in Kevin Smith's "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back", where he's hilarious, as well as "Dogma", my 98th favorite film of all time.
McQ has finally written a book. Its called "Strength in the Struggle", and its a composition of her essays, poems, devotions and photography from the past several years.
Song currently playing: "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak. Ironic. Ha!
She's self publishing, which is why a paper back costs close to $40 bucks... the hardcover is even more, but how often do you know someone who has their name on the spine of a book on your bookshelf.
Personally, I've had an idea rolling around my head for about 11 years. One of the characters--bear with me, I've already decided this--is named Daily Johnson.
Song currently playing: "Good Run of Bad Luck" by Clint Black
Daily was supposed to be named Daisy, but her mom's "S" looks like an "L", and that's what the nurse put on the birth certificate. She's short, short hair and glasses. She looks like what my friend Devan Craddock looked like in school. There are other characters in my little story, but Daily is the one that sticks out.
Song currently playing: "We Danced Anyway" by Deana Carter
(helping The Lovely Steph Leann with the weather in Pensacola, where she's headed for a few days)
Song currently playing: "Tortured, Tangled Hearts" by The Dixie Chicks
This next little blurb goes straight out to Katy Sexton--though I'm sure there are many out there who love "The Lost Boys" (and, unfortunately, many out there who said, "Huh?" when I mentioned "The Lost Boys"), she is who I think of when I think of Lost Boy Fans.
Cracked.com gave 8 things that today's modern vampires could learn from The Lost Boys. And its hilarious.
Song currently playing, after realizing my iTunes wasn't on shuffle: "How Do You Mend a Broken Heart" by Al Green
My favorite is "Vampires Can Really Do a Number on Your Plumbing", which says, "Vampires, on the other hand, will emit a bloodcurdling scream, their flesh will melt, blood will shoot out of all of your sinks and pipes, and your toilet will violently explode for no good reason whatsoever.
With that being said, you may want to avoid this method of vampire slaying altogether unless it can be executed in a kiddie pool in the backyard, or somewhere else that isn’t hooked up to your house’s pipes. After all, in these tough economic times, who wants to have to hire a plumber to scrape melted vampire out of their pipes?"
By the way, did you know they did a sequel to this movie? It actually shouldn't count, because only one of the Two Coreys was involved. I'm not sure if Feldman was in the right by being in it, or Haim was more right by NOT being in it. Then again, what else does Corey Haim have to do right now?
And you know they had to call Kiefer Sutherland. You know they did.
"Yes, Mr. Sutherland, um... we wanted to know if... well, if you'd be interested in... being... well, being David the Vampire again?"
"I'm sorry, being who?"
"You know, David, the lead vampire in... The Lost Boys. We are doing a sequel and we thought if you could help, I mean, you could lend some credibility to our project... even Haim won't do it and..."
"Dude. Do you know who I am?"
"Yes sir, you're Kiefer Sutherland and..."
"I'm 'effin Jack Bauer. Don't ever call me again. Or I. Will. Kill. You."
--click--
Song currently playing while I formatted this post, and added links:
"You and I Both" by Jason Mraz
"I'll Be Okay" by Amanda Marshall
"I Guess The Lord Must Be in New York City" by Harry Nilsson
"Circle" by Sarah McLachlan
"Speechless" by Steven Curtis Chapman
So, here's DNC-TV's list of The Lamest Blogs on the Internet. No doubt, The Anonymous Poster would have put mine on this list, but she keeps coming back, doesn't she? As for the list, some actually look amusing enough to check out for a minute.. except anything using the words "Hilton", "Kim", "Paris" or "Kardashian", and that freaky looking Pepsi-KFC blog. Weird.
From the More Random Than d$ Department...
So, a week or so ago, I posted the music list for December, my Christmas favorites, along with the hideously awesome video to "Last Christmas" by Wham!.
Well, there's a website out there commited to this song so much, they do nothing but post covers to the song... 360 of them... and counting. No, I'm being totally serious.
Song currently playing: "Love Shoulda Brought You Home Last Night" by Toni Braxton
Something tells me The Lovely Steph Leann would LOVE ELL OH VEE EE her a Frack. Just sayin'.
Song currently playing: "Bye Bye" by Jo Dee Messina
"Twilight" was terrible. Seriously. I went into it, having not read the book, trying to be as open minded as someone who had never read the Harry Potter novels, yet was walking in to see "Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone" (you can't say "Goblet of Fire" or "Order of the Phoenix" because if that's your first Harry Potter movie, you won't have a clue whats going on. Its like jumping in to 4th episode of Season 3 of Lost. Heck, even someone watching every episode of that show won't know whats going on... where was I?)
And it was terrible. I was so bored. It was weird seeing Mike Dexter from "Can't Hardly Wait" try to be this older father figure.
Song currently playing: "Running on Empty" by Jackson Browne
Anyway, I almost fell asleep... when Edward Patterson appeared onscreen, the girls behind me actually when "Ooowww! Hottie!!" Seriously, there was about 10 good minutes of this film, minutes that made me think, "Okay, this might be good", and then it just flailed and flopped and sucked. Terrible.
Now, before you get all "Oh, you didn't like it because its a chick movie!" on me, just remember... "Notting Hill", "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and "Steel Magnolias" all rank highly on The Dave100. Love those films. Because they are actually good.
Finally, wanted to shout out to Leann Lawerence--my very first Troy State University date. Leann Corby (then) was this chick I met...
Song currently playing: "Sail On" by Lionel Richie & the Commodores
...at our Troy State orientation in July of 1993. I thought she was beautiful. I asked her out, she said yes (there's much more to the story, but really, when you're married to The Lovely Steph Leann, its all just inconsequential) and we went to dinner and a movie, "The Man Without a Face" starring Mel Gibson.
We didn't go out again, as I turned my attention to Wisconsin Ginny, then to Kat Gates and so on, but Leann and I remained friends through college. She was that kind of friend I would run into, or we'd have lunch here and there, and we'd catch up, and then another month or two would go by before we could speak again and so on...
Leann and Dave... 15 years later...
Well, I graduated, she did too, she went one way, I went another. Lo and behold, The Lovely Steph Leann and I are at the wedding of one of my high school friends, Stephanie Phillips, and Leann Corby is there! Her fiancee (could have been husband by then), David, knew Stephanie and her groom, Perry, and it was like, "Wow..."
Song currently playing: "Slide" by The Goo Goo Dolls
If you told me at the beginning of the day to name 10 people that I never thought I'd see in The Happiest Place in the Mall, I'm not even sure Leann would have come to mind. And she came in, husband and children in tow.
And it was just awesome to see them both. Leann still looked great, we swapped quick stories and catch-up tales and they were on their way. But it was great to see her! So Leann, hope to see you soon.
Songs playing while I wrap up:
"Callin' Baton Rouge" by Garth Brooks
"Sweet Surrender" by Sarah McLachlan
"Sunday Afternoon" by Joel Blount
and appropriately... "Kiss and Say Goodbye" by The Manhattans
I'm going to bed now, to my own Leann. My The Lovely Steph Leann, that is.
Song playing right now: "Secret Garden" from Bruce Springsteen, the Jerry Maguire Mix
First stop... Hannah Pruitt. Final destination, sleep. Stops along the way, Matt Damon, vampires, Lindsay Lohan, Twilight, Fracks and Leann Corby.
$$$$$$$$$$
I thought I'd mention to you that tonight's songs are coming from a playlist entitled "Hannah Pruitt". I have funny musical tastes... sometimes I want to hear Jodeci, a few minutes later I want some Jars of Clay, then I'm in the mood for LL Cool J, and right after that, classic Clint Black.
So I put together a playlist of about 60 songs that I could, at any time, want to hear. As the playlist evolves, I'll take some off (like tonight, I removed Celine Dion's "To Love You More" and "If You Asked Me To" and The Atlanta Rhythm Section's "So Into You", and added Dino's "I Like It" and "Sail On" by Lionel Richie & the Commodores). See, random.
Song currently playing: "Close of Autumn" by Caedmon's Call
Anyway, it gets the name "Hannah Pruitt" because, while I was making this playlist the other day, I was actually talking to Hannah Pruitt via gMail chat. And I have also determined that Hannah might just be the coolest person I know. Seriously. She's a really cool chick. I've actively tried to find things that would make her uncool, and I haven't come up with anything yet. I'm working on it. For now, "Hannah Pruitt" plays via iTunes.
$$$$$$$$$$
So, Sean Penn and Lindsay Lohan showed up to the same party. They nuzzled. Right now you are trying to decide whether you actually care enough to click on this link to read about it. I mean, right after you are done throwing up in your mouth.
$$$$$$$$$$
"The Bourne Ultimatum" is on Starz right now. Well, it is, but I just turned the tv off... anyway, I was commenting to The Lovely Steph Leann that Matt Damon is actually a pretty good actor. I mean, he's big and bad and very believable as a dude that can rip your head off and hock a snot rocket down your neck in the very, very good Bourne trilogy (though it might become a four-logy, as I've heard they are making another one...) but when you watch him in the Ocean's films, he's a dork.
Song currently playing: "Touch Me (all night long)" by Cathy Dennis--this is sometimes odd, as it tends to, even on shuffle, follow Caedmon's Call or a Christy Nockel worship song. Hmm.
Personally, I didn't care for "Good Will Hunting", but Damon has done some good stuff... "Rounders" works because of him and Edward Norton's ability to pull off a pretty lame script... well, them and John Malkovich's portrayal of Teddy KGB, on my short list of favorite movie characters of all time. You can also check out Matt in Kevin Smith's "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back", where he's hilarious, as well as "Dogma", my 98th favorite film of all time.
$$$$$$$$$$
McQ has finally written a book. Its called "Strength in the Struggle", and its a composition of her essays, poems, devotions and photography from the past several years.
Song currently playing: "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak. Ironic. Ha!
She's self publishing, which is why a paper back costs close to $40 bucks... the hardcover is even more, but how often do you know someone who has their name on the spine of a book on your bookshelf.
Personally, I've had an idea rolling around my head for about 11 years. One of the characters--bear with me, I've already decided this--is named Daily Johnson.
Song currently playing: "Good Run of Bad Luck" by Clint Black
Daily was supposed to be named Daisy, but her mom's "S" looks like an "L", and that's what the nurse put on the birth certificate. She's short, short hair and glasses. She looks like what my friend Devan Craddock looked like in school. There are other characters in my little story, but Daily is the one that sticks out.
$$$$$$$$$$
Song currently playing: "We Danced Anyway" by Deana Carter
(helping The Lovely Steph Leann with the weather in Pensacola, where she's headed for a few days)
Song currently playing: "Tortured, Tangled Hearts" by The Dixie Chicks
$$$$$$$$$$
This next little blurb goes straight out to Katy Sexton--though I'm sure there are many out there who love "The Lost Boys" (and, unfortunately, many out there who said, "Huh?" when I mentioned "The Lost Boys"), she is who I think of when I think of Lost Boy Fans.
Cracked.com gave 8 things that today's modern vampires could learn from The Lost Boys. And its hilarious.
Song currently playing, after realizing my iTunes wasn't on shuffle: "How Do You Mend a Broken Heart" by Al Green
My favorite is "Vampires Can Really Do a Number on Your Plumbing", which says, "Vampires, on the other hand, will emit a bloodcurdling scream, their flesh will melt, blood will shoot out of all of your sinks and pipes, and your toilet will violently explode for no good reason whatsoever.
With that being said, you may want to avoid this method of vampire slaying altogether unless it can be executed in a kiddie pool in the backyard, or somewhere else that isn’t hooked up to your house’s pipes. After all, in these tough economic times, who wants to have to hire a plumber to scrape melted vampire out of their pipes?"
By the way, did you know they did a sequel to this movie? It actually shouldn't count, because only one of the Two Coreys was involved. I'm not sure if Feldman was in the right by being in it, or Haim was more right by NOT being in it. Then again, what else does Corey Haim have to do right now?
And you know they had to call Kiefer Sutherland. You know they did.
"Yes, Mr. Sutherland, um... we wanted to know if... well, if you'd be interested in... being... well, being David the Vampire again?"
"I'm sorry, being who?"
"You know, David, the lead vampire in... The Lost Boys. We are doing a sequel and we thought if you could help, I mean, you could lend some credibility to our project... even Haim won't do it and..."
"Dude. Do you know who I am?"
"Yes sir, you're Kiefer Sutherland and..."
"I'm 'effin Jack Bauer. Don't ever call me again. Or I. Will. Kill. You."
--click--
$$$$$$$$$$
Song currently playing while I formatted this post, and added links:
"You and I Both" by Jason Mraz
"I'll Be Okay" by Amanda Marshall
"I Guess The Lord Must Be in New York City" by Harry Nilsson
"Circle" by Sarah McLachlan
"Speechless" by Steven Curtis Chapman
$$$$$$$$$$
So, here's DNC-TV's list of The Lamest Blogs on the Internet. No doubt, The Anonymous Poster would have put mine on this list, but she keeps coming back, doesn't she? As for the list, some actually look amusing enough to check out for a minute.. except anything using the words "Hilton", "Kim", "Paris" or "Kardashian", and that freaky looking Pepsi-KFC blog. Weird.
$$$$$$$$$$$
From the More Random Than d$ Department...
So, a week or so ago, I posted the music list for December, my Christmas favorites, along with the hideously awesome video to "Last Christmas" by Wham!.
Well, there's a website out there commited to this song so much, they do nothing but post covers to the song... 360 of them... and counting. No, I'm being totally serious.
$$$$$$$$$$
Song currently playing: "Love Shoulda Brought You Home Last Night" by Toni Braxton
Something tells me The Lovely Steph Leann would LOVE ELL OH VEE EE her a Frack. Just sayin'.
$$$$$$$$$$
Song currently playing: "Bye Bye" by Jo Dee Messina
"Twilight" was terrible. Seriously. I went into it, having not read the book, trying to be as open minded as someone who had never read the Harry Potter novels, yet was walking in to see "Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone" (you can't say "Goblet of Fire" or "Order of the Phoenix" because if that's your first Harry Potter movie, you won't have a clue whats going on. Its like jumping in to 4th episode of Season 3 of Lost. Heck, even someone watching every episode of that show won't know whats going on... where was I?)
And it was terrible. I was so bored. It was weird seeing Mike Dexter from "Can't Hardly Wait" try to be this older father figure.
Song currently playing: "Running on Empty" by Jackson Browne
Anyway, I almost fell asleep... when Edward Patterson appeared onscreen, the girls behind me actually when "Ooowww! Hottie!!" Seriously, there was about 10 good minutes of this film, minutes that made me think, "Okay, this might be good", and then it just flailed and flopped and sucked. Terrible.
$$$$$$$$$$
Now, before you get all "Oh, you didn't like it because its a chick movie!" on me, just remember... "Notting Hill", "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and "Steel Magnolias" all rank highly on The Dave100. Love those films. Because they are actually good.
$$$$$$$$$$
Finally, wanted to shout out to Leann Lawerence--my very first Troy State University date. Leann Corby (then) was this chick I met...
Song currently playing: "Sail On" by Lionel Richie & the Commodores
...at our Troy State orientation in July of 1993. I thought she was beautiful. I asked her out, she said yes (there's much more to the story, but really, when you're married to The Lovely Steph Leann, its all just inconsequential) and we went to dinner and a movie, "The Man Without a Face" starring Mel Gibson.
We didn't go out again, as I turned my attention to Wisconsin Ginny, then to Kat Gates and so on, but Leann and I remained friends through college. She was that kind of friend I would run into, or we'd have lunch here and there, and we'd catch up, and then another month or two would go by before we could speak again and so on...
Leann and Dave... 15 years later...
Well, I graduated, she did too, she went one way, I went another. Lo and behold, The Lovely Steph Leann and I are at the wedding of one of my high school friends, Stephanie Phillips, and Leann Corby is there! Her fiancee (could have been husband by then), David, knew Stephanie and her groom, Perry, and it was like, "Wow..."
Song currently playing: "Slide" by The Goo Goo Dolls
If you told me at the beginning of the day to name 10 people that I never thought I'd see in The Happiest Place in the Mall, I'm not even sure Leann would have come to mind. And she came in, husband and children in tow.
And it was just awesome to see them both. Leann still looked great, we swapped quick stories and catch-up tales and they were on their way. But it was great to see her! So Leann, hope to see you soon.
$$$$$$$$$$
Songs playing while I wrap up:
"Callin' Baton Rouge" by Garth Brooks
"Sweet Surrender" by Sarah McLachlan
"Sunday Afternoon" by Joel Blount
and appropriately... "Kiss and Say Goodbye" by The Manhattans
I'm going to bed now, to my own Leann. My The Lovely Steph Leann, that is.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
5 Movies, 5 Days
It's been a movie kinda weekend for me... you know, where somehow the planets align, the stars twinkle just right, the time falls where it may, and you get the chance to watch several movies you've been wanting to see, all in a few days...
Friday Night -- "Ocean's Thirteen"
Loved "Ocean's Eleven". Thought it was clever, at the time it was original, and its funny. And its one of the few movies that I can totally recommend the commentary on the DVD (Pretty boy or not, Brad Pitt is a really funny guy)
"Ocean's Twelve" was different. I walked out disappointed. Didn't watch it again until it came on HBO a year later, then I gave it another shot... and liked it. Then I saw it again a few days later... and really liked it. It grew on me quickly, and though I don't consider it on par with the first, I can watch it and not be disappointed now.
So, "Oceans Thirteen" is out, and I wasn't sure what to expect. Reviews were really good, so I hoped it would live up... and it did. The gang is back, out to avenge the injuries suffered by Reuben at the hands of Willy Banks (a smarmy good Al Pacino). I won't go into detail about the plans, but know that Linus (a great Matt Damon) gets a main part this time, Turk & Virgil lead a workers strike in Mexico, Basher channels his inner Apollo Creed mixed with Evel Kneviel, someone cries over Oprah, you feel great sympathy for That Guy Hall of Famer David Paymer, and both Bruiser and Toulour make appearances, as does Terry Benedict. What happened to Tess? You find that out too. And only because I had a huge crush on her in 1989, I'm taking Ellen Barkin over a combined Catherine Zeta-Jones and Julia Roberts (For, like, two months, "Sea of Love" was my favorite movie of all time in 1989).
Like Twelve, Thirteen is like one big inside joke, but unlike Twelve, Thirteen lets you in on the joke so you can laugh too. And like Eleven, you may not laugh all the way through Thirteen, but you'll find your self amused the whole time.
Saturday -- "Knocked Up"
If you didn't liked "The 40 Year Old Virgin", then you won't like this. Directed by the same guy, Judd Apatow, it has a lot of the same people, including Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, and Seth Rogan is promoted to leading man. Steve Carell even makes a cameo.
Hotness Katherine Heigl is an up and coming E! news reporter who, while hanging out with her sister, gets a little too drunk. She has a foolish one night stand with Ben, a guy that it would take a very drunk hot chick to be with, and kicks him out the next day. Eight weeks later, she discovers she's going to have a baby. Ben's baby.
So the movie progresses as Alison and Ben try to make a relationship work, at first just for the baby, and then after finding out they really do like each other, for each other. This movie is rude, crude, lots of F-bombs, a couple of boobage scenes (though only one is real, the others are the guys watching boobage on tv, which is part of Ben's job. You'll find out why when you see it) and is actually lots of fun. Several things I liked about this movie...
Sidebar: Speaking of Paul Rudd, if you ever have the chance to rent or watch Neil LaBute's "Bash: Latter-Day Plays", do so. It premiered on Showtime in 2001, shot as it was being performed onstage. Three separate pieces, one each with Calista Flockhart (who knew she could do more than Ally McBeal?) and Ron Eldard, both engaging in violence in different ways. The jewel, however, is the middle one with Calista and Paul Rudd portraying a couple attending a wedding. The night drags on, with the girls hanging at the hotel, and the boys going out for a night on the town... and end up precipitating a vicious hate crime. Paul's story telling, and the evil in his character, is chilling. If ever I was to direct theater outside of church, I'd do this in a heartbeat. You can pick up a copy of the script online.
Monday -- "The 40 Year Old Virgin"
I might have been one of nine people in the world who had not seen this movie, and I laughed all the way through it. If you don't like American Pie humor, this is not for you. I say American Pie, but the humor is not as directed at teenagers, as it is directed at the side of us that laughs at things we know we shouldn't laugh at.
Steve Carell, in his star making turn, plays Andy. Andy works at SmartTech, collects valuable toys and though 40, has never had sex. When his buddies Dave (Paul Rudd), Cal (Seth Rogan) and Jay (Romany Malco) discover this, they make it their mission to... well, make him not a virgin. One attempt includes a funny turn by Leslie Mann, but it, like others, fail miserably. Enter Trish (Catherine Keener, who we'll get to in a minute), who works across the street at the eBay store
Though very crude, with lots of F-bombs and lots of crude terms for various things, this is, at its heart, a sweet movie. And oh, its funny... I laughed for ten minutes when Dave used the phrase "Man-o-lantern". First, the fact he's a virgin is met with very little ridicule, which is great considering this world wants you to have as much sex as possible. Secondly, though morons they may be, his friends turn out to be pretty loyal in the end. And third, Catherine Keener.
I really liked this film, even better than "Knocked Up"... Seth Rogan was funnier here, and Katherine Heigl is no Catherine Keener, who delivers a Sydney Ellen Wade performance.
What can I say? I really like Cat's part in this movie. She sparkled.
Sidebar: "Sydney Ellen Wade Performance". Its time we had a term for this. Every so often, when watching a movie, there is a leading lady who just shines. I mean, maybe not just acting wise, like Charlize Theron in Monster, but perhaps a performance that just... glows. As in, she lights up every scene she's in. Charlize, who was devastatingly good in "Monster" does not, at any time, glow.
This might be subjective, but the epitome of this was Annette Bening in "The American President". Her character, Sydney Ellen Wade, made me love this movie. Annette never looked as good before, or since, that movie. She just... glowed. Lit up the screen with every step, every word. No, its not subjective... I'm right.
Now, I was tempted to call this rare phenomenon an "Audrey Hepburn Performance", but that was too broad a term--Audrey was in a class all by herself, so I use Sydney Ellen Wade to describe such a performance. Other Sydney Ellen Wade performances? Meg Ryan in "You've Got Mail" and Brittany Snow in "John Tucker Must Die" (I didn't say the movie had to be good... but she owns that flick). Oh yeah, and now Catherine Keener in "the 40 Year Old Virgin".
Tuesday -- "Breach"
If you don't know the story, in early 2001, Robert Hanssen, a top dog in the upper crust of the FBI, was arrested and charged with treason. He had been selling US government and military secrets to the Soviets and Russians for the better part of 16 years. On the outside, he looked like a great family man and patriot, but the truth was he was a total jerkweed in every way. Wikipedia has his story here.
"Breach" is the film version of that story, starring Chris Cooper as Hanssen, and Ryan Phillippe as Eric O'Neill, a young FBI agent wannabe assigned to be Hanssen's aide, and to be undercover for the FBI to swipe Hanssen's palm pilot, copy documents and so on.
Based on a true story, and with the real O'Neill serving as film advisor, this is pretty close to how it went down, if I understand it correctly. This is not a film to watch when you are sleepy, but it is a great movie. It builds slowly, with the first 45 minutes showing you what a great guy Hanssen is, almost wanting you to play the part of all the people that knew him before the truth was known. After that, however, you begin to see how... well, evil Hanssen is. His actions and spying ended up putting dozens of US undercover agents in danger, including three who were executed in Russia as a direct result.
This picture of the real Robert Hanssen always creeped me out. Either he looks like too nice of a guy to do these things, or he looks like a child molester.
One thing the film does is portray Hanssen as a brilliant mind who spied not for the money, but for the game, because he felt unappreciated and underused by his own country. Gary Cole (whom I feel bad for, because no matter what he does, he'll always be Lumbergh), President Palmer and an always fantastic Laura Linney (one of my top ten favorite actors... though I can't decide if she's pretty in a Jennifer Herndon sort of way, or just pretty...) are supporting roles, while Chris Cooper is awesome, and Ryan Phillippe makes me believe in his character, something I'm not sure he's ever done. Well, except for maybe in "Antitrust".
Sidebar: If you get the dvd, make sure to watch the "Dateline" segment in the special features. It originally aired in 2001, right after Hanssen had been arrested, and Chris Hanson is the host. He's got huge hair, and the segment is grainy (what, NBC didn't preserve its film six years ago?), but you still expect Robert Hanssen to be sitting at the counter eating cookies, with Chris Hansen appearing, asking him to sit down. "Um... I didn't know they were Russians, sir"... "I know you knew they were Russians--I've got the documents right here. What are you doing??"
Tuesday -- "Ghost Rider"
By the time "Breach" was over, my mind was wiped out. Tense, taut political thriller, I needed something light and campy. Enter "Ghost Rider".
Based on the Marvel comic, "Ghost Rider" tells the story of Johnny Blaze, who sells his soul to the devil to save his father. Well, the devil's son is loose and trying to take over, and so the devil will let Johnny Blaze out his contract if he'll take on the son and... does it matter?
The skull guy was Nic Cage's original costar in Face/Off, but he dropped out and was replace by Travolta weeks before shooting. Somewhere, at least one of three Lattas is laughing.
Lots of cartoony violence, a skull on fire riding a chopper on fire, Nic Cage at his "I've got my Oscar, I don't care anymore" best (see: "Capt. Crap's Mandolin", "Lord of War", "The Wicker/Weather/Family Man"), and... Sam Elliott. You cannot go wrong with any movie that has Sam Elliott in it, especially if he's narrating. When they make the movie of my life, I want Sam doing the intro.
It's hard for me to root for an ingenue that I don't find attractive (which is why I avoid Angelina Jolie movies... well, that and most of them suck), so it was hard to root for Nic Cage and Eva Mendes to get together... beyond that, however, I found "Ghost Rider" to be fun, breezy, not too serious and likable. And that's important.
And hey... I'm off Wednesday and Thursday... who knows what I'll get watched by then...
Friday Night -- "Ocean's Thirteen"
Loved "Ocean's Eleven". Thought it was clever, at the time it was original, and its funny. And its one of the few movies that I can totally recommend the commentary on the DVD (Pretty boy or not, Brad Pitt is a really funny guy)
"Ocean's Twelve" was different. I walked out disappointed. Didn't watch it again until it came on HBO a year later, then I gave it another shot... and liked it. Then I saw it again a few days later... and really liked it. It grew on me quickly, and though I don't consider it on par with the first, I can watch it and not be disappointed now.
So, "Oceans Thirteen" is out, and I wasn't sure what to expect. Reviews were really good, so I hoped it would live up... and it did. The gang is back, out to avenge the injuries suffered by Reuben at the hands of Willy Banks (a smarmy good Al Pacino). I won't go into detail about the plans, but know that Linus (a great Matt Damon) gets a main part this time, Turk & Virgil lead a workers strike in Mexico, Basher channels his inner Apollo Creed mixed with Evel Kneviel, someone cries over Oprah, you feel great sympathy for That Guy Hall of Famer David Paymer, and both Bruiser and Toulour make appearances, as does Terry Benedict. What happened to Tess? You find that out too. And only because I had a huge crush on her in 1989, I'm taking Ellen Barkin over a combined Catherine Zeta-Jones and Julia Roberts (For, like, two months, "Sea of Love" was my favorite movie of all time in 1989).
Like Twelve, Thirteen is like one big inside joke, but unlike Twelve, Thirteen lets you in on the joke so you can laugh too. And like Eleven, you may not laugh all the way through Thirteen, but you'll find your self amused the whole time.
Saturday -- "Knocked Up"
If you didn't liked "The 40 Year Old Virgin", then you won't like this. Directed by the same guy, Judd Apatow, it has a lot of the same people, including Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, and Seth Rogan is promoted to leading man. Steve Carell even makes a cameo.
Hotness Katherine Heigl is an up and coming E! news reporter who, while hanging out with her sister, gets a little too drunk. She has a foolish one night stand with Ben, a guy that it would take a very drunk hot chick to be with, and kicks him out the next day. Eight weeks later, she discovers she's going to have a baby. Ben's baby.
So the movie progresses as Alison and Ben try to make a relationship work, at first just for the baby, and then after finding out they really do like each other, for each other. This movie is rude, crude, lots of F-bombs, a couple of boobage scenes (though only one is real, the others are the guys watching boobage on tv, which is part of Ben's job. You'll find out why when you see it) and is actually lots of fun. Several things I liked about this movie...
- Paul Rudd. This guy is really funny. He's been in "Clueless" (which Steph Leann loves), "Wet Hot American Summer" (a highly underrated comedy), "Anchorman" and much more, and each time, he's fantastic.
- Katherine Heigl. I'm so glad she's more than Izzie from "Grey's Anatomy", and "Nicole" from "My Father the Hero"
- Abortion was never really considered. It is mentioned as an option, but without explaining how she came to the decision, Alison decides to keep the baby, as if its the only thing she could do. I respect that.
- Ben's buddies. Several no-names, including Jonah Hill, who was in "40 Year Old Virgin" and "Accepted", make up Ben's entourage, and its classic. If the Deuce Guys weren't Christ-followers, and were into weed and bongs, this might be them. I'd be Ben, of course, with the hot chick.
- Ryan Seacrest. Hearing the "American Idol" host curse is just about the funniest thing in the movie.
- Leslie Mann. Also in "Virgin", where has she been? Why am I just now discovering her?
- It's good that Steve the Pirate is still working
- Maggie Seaver! We missed you!
- The pop culture references. From Meg Ryan's boobage to Matthew Fox ("You know whats interesting about Matthew Fox? Nothing!") to a hilarious Steely Dan dis to various other movies and celebrities that are randomly dropped in, it sounds like the Deuce guys sitting around. Without the weed and bongs.
Sidebar: Speaking of Paul Rudd, if you ever have the chance to rent or watch Neil LaBute's "Bash: Latter-Day Plays", do so. It premiered on Showtime in 2001, shot as it was being performed onstage. Three separate pieces, one each with Calista Flockhart (who knew she could do more than Ally McBeal?) and Ron Eldard, both engaging in violence in different ways. The jewel, however, is the middle one with Calista and Paul Rudd portraying a couple attending a wedding. The night drags on, with the girls hanging at the hotel, and the boys going out for a night on the town... and end up precipitating a vicious hate crime. Paul's story telling, and the evil in his character, is chilling. If ever I was to direct theater outside of church, I'd do this in a heartbeat. You can pick up a copy of the script online.
Monday -- "The 40 Year Old Virgin"
I might have been one of nine people in the world who had not seen this movie, and I laughed all the way through it. If you don't like American Pie humor, this is not for you. I say American Pie, but the humor is not as directed at teenagers, as it is directed at the side of us that laughs at things we know we shouldn't laugh at.
Steve Carell, in his star making turn, plays Andy. Andy works at SmartTech, collects valuable toys and though 40, has never had sex. When his buddies Dave (Paul Rudd), Cal (Seth Rogan) and Jay (Romany Malco) discover this, they make it their mission to... well, make him not a virgin. One attempt includes a funny turn by Leslie Mann, but it, like others, fail miserably. Enter Trish (Catherine Keener, who we'll get to in a minute), who works across the street at the eBay store
Though very crude, with lots of F-bombs and lots of crude terms for various things, this is, at its heart, a sweet movie. And oh, its funny... I laughed for ten minutes when Dave used the phrase "Man-o-lantern". First, the fact he's a virgin is met with very little ridicule, which is great considering this world wants you to have as much sex as possible. Secondly, though morons they may be, his friends turn out to be pretty loyal in the end. And third, Catherine Keener.
I really liked this film, even better than "Knocked Up"... Seth Rogan was funnier here, and Katherine Heigl is no Catherine Keener, who delivers a Sydney Ellen Wade performance.
What can I say? I really like Cat's part in this movie. She sparkled.
Sidebar: "Sydney Ellen Wade Performance". Its time we had a term for this. Every so often, when watching a movie, there is a leading lady who just shines. I mean, maybe not just acting wise, like Charlize Theron in Monster, but perhaps a performance that just... glows. As in, she lights up every scene she's in. Charlize, who was devastatingly good in "Monster" does not, at any time, glow.
This might be subjective, but the epitome of this was Annette Bening in "The American President". Her character, Sydney Ellen Wade, made me love this movie. Annette never looked as good before, or since, that movie. She just... glowed. Lit up the screen with every step, every word. No, its not subjective... I'm right.
Now, I was tempted to call this rare phenomenon an "Audrey Hepburn Performance", but that was too broad a term--Audrey was in a class all by herself, so I use Sydney Ellen Wade to describe such a performance. Other Sydney Ellen Wade performances? Meg Ryan in "You've Got Mail" and Brittany Snow in "John Tucker Must Die" (I didn't say the movie had to be good... but she owns that flick). Oh yeah, and now Catherine Keener in "the 40 Year Old Virgin".
Tuesday -- "Breach"
If you don't know the story, in early 2001, Robert Hanssen, a top dog in the upper crust of the FBI, was arrested and charged with treason. He had been selling US government and military secrets to the Soviets and Russians for the better part of 16 years. On the outside, he looked like a great family man and patriot, but the truth was he was a total jerkweed in every way. Wikipedia has his story here.
"Breach" is the film version of that story, starring Chris Cooper as Hanssen, and Ryan Phillippe as Eric O'Neill, a young FBI agent wannabe assigned to be Hanssen's aide, and to be undercover for the FBI to swipe Hanssen's palm pilot, copy documents and so on.
Based on a true story, and with the real O'Neill serving as film advisor, this is pretty close to how it went down, if I understand it correctly. This is not a film to watch when you are sleepy, but it is a great movie. It builds slowly, with the first 45 minutes showing you what a great guy Hanssen is, almost wanting you to play the part of all the people that knew him before the truth was known. After that, however, you begin to see how... well, evil Hanssen is. His actions and spying ended up putting dozens of US undercover agents in danger, including three who were executed in Russia as a direct result.
This picture of the real Robert Hanssen always creeped me out. Either he looks like too nice of a guy to do these things, or he looks like a child molester.
One thing the film does is portray Hanssen as a brilliant mind who spied not for the money, but for the game, because he felt unappreciated and underused by his own country. Gary Cole (whom I feel bad for, because no matter what he does, he'll always be Lumbergh), President Palmer and an always fantastic Laura Linney (one of my top ten favorite actors... though I can't decide if she's pretty in a Jennifer Herndon sort of way, or just pretty...) are supporting roles, while Chris Cooper is awesome, and Ryan Phillippe makes me believe in his character, something I'm not sure he's ever done. Well, except for maybe in "Antitrust".
Sidebar: If you get the dvd, make sure to watch the "Dateline" segment in the special features. It originally aired in 2001, right after Hanssen had been arrested, and Chris Hanson is the host. He's got huge hair, and the segment is grainy (what, NBC didn't preserve its film six years ago?), but you still expect Robert Hanssen to be sitting at the counter eating cookies, with Chris Hansen appearing, asking him to sit down. "Um... I didn't know they were Russians, sir"... "I know you knew they were Russians--I've got the documents right here. What are you doing??"
Tuesday -- "Ghost Rider"
By the time "Breach" was over, my mind was wiped out. Tense, taut political thriller, I needed something light and campy. Enter "Ghost Rider".
Based on the Marvel comic, "Ghost Rider" tells the story of Johnny Blaze, who sells his soul to the devil to save his father. Well, the devil's son is loose and trying to take over, and so the devil will let Johnny Blaze out his contract if he'll take on the son and... does it matter?
The skull guy was Nic Cage's original costar in Face/Off, but he dropped out and was replace by Travolta weeks before shooting. Somewhere, at least one of three Lattas is laughing.
Lots of cartoony violence, a skull on fire riding a chopper on fire, Nic Cage at his "I've got my Oscar, I don't care anymore" best (see: "Capt. Crap's Mandolin", "Lord of War", "The Wicker/Weather/Family Man"), and... Sam Elliott. You cannot go wrong with any movie that has Sam Elliott in it, especially if he's narrating. When they make the movie of my life, I want Sam doing the intro.
It's hard for me to root for an ingenue that I don't find attractive (which is why I avoid Angelina Jolie movies... well, that and most of them suck), so it was hard to root for Nic Cage and Eva Mendes to get together... beyond that, however, I found "Ghost Rider" to be fun, breezy, not too serious and likable. And that's important.
And hey... I'm off Wednesday and Thursday... who knows what I'll get watched by then...
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