May 24- 30, 2009
296. The Sugarland Express. Steven Spielberg directs Goldie Hawn as a woman who breaks her husband out of jail to go get their child out of foster care once she got out of jail. Based on a true story in Texas. There was a really cool shoot-out. Apparently it wasn't supposed to be as amusing as I found it. Lol. 4/5 stars.
297. The Lives of Others. German film (that won best foreign film Oscar in 2007) about the Stasi spying on an artist in East Berlin before the fall of the wall. It was pretty interesting despite the leisurely pace. 3.5/5 stars.
298. Kramer vs. Kramer. Dustin Hoffman & my girl Meryl Streep won Oscars for this film where they play divorced parents fighting for custody of their son. I liked it a lot. Something felt a little off to me but I'm not sure what it was. 3.5 stars.
299. The Gathering. Laughably bad Christina Ricci "horror" movie. Wow... it's about the alleged curse on the people who stood around watching Jesus get crucified, forced to watch horrible things for eternity. Predictable most of the way around and when it wasn't being predictable it was being funny for the antics i.e. melodramatics. I like Christina for her Wednesday Adams days but her roles... wow... I have to give this movie 2 stars instead of one because at least it made me laugh-- particularly the last scene.
300. Love in the Afternoon. Audrey Hepburn film about a playboy (old man) bachelor who has his life saved by a young woman whose father is a private investigator and becomes smitten with him. Cute classic. 4 stars.
301. Get Smart. Hmmm... that was supposed to be a funny take on the classic tv show, right? Pass. Anne Hathaway and Steve Carrell weren't as funny as I hoped. I knew where it was going and didn't care 34 minutes in and I had 1hr20 left. Saaaaave meeeee. I forgive classics their ridiculous love stories because it was a requirement of the times. If Get Smart had been made back then it might have scored higher. Alas. 2/5.
302. How to Steal A Million. Audrey Hepburn stars in this classic as a woman who must steal her millionaire father's forgery of a famous statue from a museum to keep him from jail. Cute classic with awesome fashion. 4/5.
303. Nothing But the Truth. Great film inspired by the Valerie P.lame leak. I LOVE films based on history. This one was well done all around and made me SO indignant for the rights of journalists to maintain the integrity of their sources. Great twist which I was delighted to figure out well before it was revealed. Lol. 4.5 stars.
304. Shadow of the Thin Man. One of a serial of classic movies about the thin man-- a detective. The coon role of the black maid pissed me off. God forbid the maid not run around saying stupid things. You can't be a quiet, efficient servant if you can't be a smart one? Thanks classic Hollywood screenwriters. Pretty boring film with an unnecessarily long buildup to the climax. Probably wasn't annoying in its day, though so 3/5 stars.
305. I Could Never Be Your Woman. Michelle Pfeiffer plays the older woman trying to avoid dating Paul Rudd's character because of their age differences. I had seriously (insert SNL skit song) lowered expectations for this film and it actually made me laugh a lot. The show the pair was working on, "You Go Girl" was very annoying but Paul Rudd was definitely a scene-stealer throughout the film. 3.5/5 stars.
306. Last Resort. Film about a woman who leaves Russia for England to meet her fiancee who doesn't show up forcing her to claim political asylum. I didn't care what happened to her, then I really did, then I didn't again. All in 73 minutes. Hm. 2.5 stars.
307. Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq. Documentary about Iraq war veterans who almost died-- the alive day is the day they almost died. Really poignant. The music overdramatized this film in a cheap way. It doesn't need that. The topic is dramatic on a basic level. The interviewing was done by James G.andolfini and was at times overly intrusive. The home video was used amazingly to impress what they lost. 3.7/5 stars.
308. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Adam Sandler, Ving Rhames, Kevin James and Jessica Biel in a movie about 2 firefighters who pretend they're gay to get benefits. Wow gay joke overload. Still some laugh out loud moments but almost 2 hours? Stop the madness. I didn't hate it but I have no reason to ever watch it again. Cheap laughs. The preachy courtroom scene definitely dragged this movie down. 2.9/5 stars.
309. The Secret Life of Bees. Alicia Keys, Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson in the story of sisters caring for bees and selling their honey in the 1960s who take in a runaway white child. I originally wanted to see this movie because my book club read the book it's based on. The differences were mostly not bothersome. There were some horribly slipping southern accents which of course irritated me because I noticed them. The best actress was actually Dakota Fanning with additional great work from Sophie Okonedo, who played one of the sisters. Parts of the film were contrived, but some parts were very moving. 3.5 stars.
310. Last Holiday. Movie where Queen Latifah learns she only has a month left to live so she decides to blow her savings on a trip to the Czech Republic on her dream holiday. Really? CZ? Come on. Anyway. As predictable as you thought it would be. Let's just leave it at that. My mom has a lot of movies I shouldn't be watching and wouldn't if I had other options right now... (no internet).
311. Adaptation. This movie does way too much time-traveling for my taste in the first 19 minutes. At least 8 times. Really? It looks like one of those weird movies Rashan loves already in those same first 19 minutes. Nicolas Cage does a nice job but aww man. It started badly for me then picked up, never boring, but the ending killed it for me and it was on the way to being a 3.9. I liked this film about a screenwriter struggling to adapt a book to film but a seminar said don't have a deus ex machina. And yet it did. Bah. This guy (the director) always has like 3 or 4 different scripts within the script. Very odd. Down to 3.3/5 stars.
5.31.2009
5.28.2009
Thursday 13: Mindspacing
Man! It's been a loooooong time since I let you guys wander through my mindspace so here it is!
1) Why DVD sleep screens have butterflies on them?
2) I'm frightened by weddings with giant parties. You really like 42 people that much? I'm not buyin it.
3) I secretlynot so secretly for Rah and Stace want to go to Hampton JUST to get their Pink line since it's still the ONLY one not available online. KILLS ME!!
4) I want to go on Dear Food Network to meet Rachael Ray AND I really, really want to get published in her mag. ARGH!! What must I do?!?!
5) I want to win a contest. Stace wins stuff all the time.That ho. Once she won 2 trips to the Bahamas... two weeks in a row. And didn't like either one. Can't stand her.
6) I'm going to Charlotte primarily for the HU Alumni picnic but I really really don't want to leave Atlanta. Rah and I have only gotten on each other's nerves once in more than 2 weeks. The time we were together 9 days we got on each other's nerves at least 5 times.
7) I got my mom's birthday present a month early... and my line sister's, too. I'm so awesome it hurts. Ouch.
8) I have been cooking my FACE OFF this weekend
9) I hate when people say North Cackalacky. If it must be anything it's North Cack or North Cackalack. I'm from there. Stop it. It's always from some condescending yankee, too who thinks Charlotte is in SC. UGH!!! PET PEEVE!!!! There is nearly no other way to make me crazier than thinking that. AAAAAARRRGHHHHHH!! Ol backwards state.
10) Ha! That reminds me. I think it's funny when yankees get mad when southerners call them that. What? Funny joke? A yankee is a northerner who comes down. A durn yankee is one who comes and stays. Lololol. I have no problems with most yankees. I do give the face to the ones who come down and talk about how much wherever they're from is better. GO BACK!! My mom is even more stank about this than I am. Lol. This guy I had a crush on in college (in retrospect he was SUCH a crybaby) got all uppity and said to me (he was from Seattle), "You know one of your fellow southerners called me a yankee?" I said, "You are." He stared at me incredulously. Lololol. It's not the south, you're a yankee. Hilarity.
11) I don't like the term pulled pork but it's the only way people understand that's what we consider bbq. We don't call it pulled pork. We call it barbeque. Man I need some when I go home. I'm such a bbq snob.
12) I had forgotten how much I missed Food Network and Style since I've been gone. But why does the latter play Clean House 15 hours a day? Give it a rest!
13) I want to ride in a helicopter and go white water rafting as long as neither activity requires me camping.
1) Why DVD sleep screens have butterflies on them?
2) I'm frightened by weddings with giant parties. You really like 42 people that much? I'm not buyin it.
3) I secretly
4) I want to go on Dear Food Network to meet Rachael Ray AND I really, really want to get published in her mag. ARGH!! What must I do?!?!
5) I want to win a contest. Stace wins stuff all the time.
6) I'm going to Charlotte primarily for the HU Alumni picnic but I really really don't want to leave Atlanta. Rah and I have only gotten on each other's nerves once in more than 2 weeks. The time we were together 9 days we got on each other's nerves at least 5 times.
7) I got my mom's birthday present a month early... and my line sister's, too. I'm so awesome it hurts. Ouch.
8) I have been cooking my FACE OFF this weekend
9) I hate when people say North Cackalacky. If it must be anything it's North Cack or North Cackalack. I'm from there. Stop it. It's always from some condescending yankee, too who thinks Charlotte is in SC. UGH!!! PET PEEVE!!!! There is nearly no other way to make me crazier than thinking that. AAAAAARRRGHHHHHH!! Ol backwards state.
10) Ha! That reminds me. I think it's funny when yankees get mad when southerners call them that. What? Funny joke? A yankee is a northerner who comes down. A durn yankee is one who comes and stays. Lololol. I have no problems with most yankees. I do give the face to the ones who come down and talk about how much wherever they're from is better. GO BACK!! My mom is even more stank about this than I am. Lol. This guy I had a crush on in college (in retrospect he was SUCH a crybaby) got all uppity and said to me (he was from Seattle), "You know one of your fellow southerners called me a yankee?" I said, "You are." He stared at me incredulously. Lololol. It's not the south, you're a yankee. Hilarity.
11) I don't like the term pulled pork but it's the only way people understand that's what we consider bbq. We don't call it pulled pork. We call it barbeque. Man I need some when I go home. I'm such a bbq snob.
12) I had forgotten how much I missed Food Network and Style since I've been gone. But why does the latter play Clean House 15 hours a day? Give it a rest!
13) I want to ride in a helicopter and go white water rafting as long as neither activity requires me camping.
5.26.2009
Fashion Show
It can't wait any longer. Living without cable for the last 10 months (WOW) meant before I went to Palm Beach (wow... I'm really behind on that recap...) I didn't even know this Project Runway wannabe existed. Of course as a PR fiend I entered viewing very cautiously but with a mind as open as I could manage. Basically they have to create a fashion show and show their pieces to industry people every week, creating collections rather than single pieces so basically they always have to work together but always get to create their own design.
Judge Fern: That (outfit) would would get some phone number written on a piece of paper.
Fern, honey. You don't bother me too much because you, too are non-descript to me. You don't offer a whole lot of opinion, which is probably good because of Isaac. Someone needs to be the sometimes voice of reason and at least you have a reputable fashion voice. But really? A phone number on a piece of paper? No, ma'am. Me and my friends have been playing dudes in the club trying to use paper and pen for at least 5 years. Sir. Get a cell phone.
Most of the characters are just meh as if they know they're on the Bravo reject show (which they do) and are embarassed they couldn't have made it on PR [most of them couldn't but some are really good i.e. strange small Asian man, Reco the black queen, strange hat guy and Anna the boring (It's so weird that she is so non-descript but I love the things she comes up with.)]. These people who can't sew are so WEIRD. WEIRD!!! This is why this show is the Project Runway reject. I want to like it. I really do. But... more on that to come. First some whining.
Bravo is a much better home than Lifetime (LIFETIME!?!? NO! HATE!) for Project Runway. Much more fashion forward, edgy, modern,un-crybaby, there really are a plethora of nearly limitless reasons to describe why I'm so beyond unenthused about the move to Lifetime. WHY did Bravo do this!?!? Who was the exec who said this show is expendable?!?! What's next, Top Chef? BITE YOUR TONGUE, GIRL!! But Fashion Show? This is a bad, bad substitute. They should have worked longer on a replacement.
Let me talk for a minute about another issue with this show. The most vocal one: Kelly Rowland. Le sigh. Clearly you don't belong on this show. Your contributions are unnecessary. You're sweet and you're cute and I like your clothes but I don't ever hear anything groundbreaking or non-common sensical coming out of your mouth. Probably the worst? Her forced "catchphrase." After the loser is sent packing, she says to the almost loser, "You're still in, but you're hanging by a thread." Stop.
The best thing about this show and the reason I can't stop watching? If you know anything about me/have been reading my blog for more than 2 years, you already know the answer: ISAAC MIZRAHI!!!! I LOVE HIM!! He's the reason behind my most recent purchase. He once said, "If you find a dress you like and it fits, buy it. There's always a reason to have another dress." Oh Isaac. I LOVED his show. My fave ever! Perfect fashion stuff! From December 2006, I said, ""Wow! WOW! That's like fashion as religion! That's like... that's like... televangefashilism." --Isaac Mizrahi about Finola Hughes traveling 8 hours in a car to go to H&M. Lolololol. He CRACKS me up! I almost poked my eye out on the credenza because I was literally, LITERALLY convulsing with laughter!! Lololol!! There's no way you can't find it funny. He's so ridiculous!" My first Isaac love was in 2005 though. Still love him and he keeps me watching this show.
The worst thing? They had a show where they had to design a $40 outfit. They sell a version of the winning outfit online and this one they marked up to $194!!! Are you CRAZY!?!?! Foolishness. That pissed me off so much Isaac may or may not be enough for me to continue watching. Do I think anyone else should watch? If you're not an Isaac fan, don't bother. Just pray Lifetime doesn't ruin PR for us.
Judge Fern: That (outfit) would would get some phone number written on a piece of paper.
Fern, honey. You don't bother me too much because you, too are non-descript to me. You don't offer a whole lot of opinion, which is probably good because of Isaac. Someone needs to be the sometimes voice of reason and at least you have a reputable fashion voice. But really? A phone number on a piece of paper? No, ma'am. Me and my friends have been playing dudes in the club trying to use paper and pen for at least 5 years. Sir. Get a cell phone.
Most of the characters are just meh as if they know they're on the Bravo reject show (which they do) and are embarassed they couldn't have made it on PR [most of them couldn't but some are really good i.e. strange small Asian man, Reco the black queen, strange hat guy and Anna the boring (It's so weird that she is so non-descript but I love the things she comes up with.)]. These people who can't sew are so WEIRD. WEIRD!!! This is why this show is the Project Runway reject. I want to like it. I really do. But... more on that to come. First some whining.
Bravo is a much better home than Lifetime (LIFETIME!?!? NO! HATE!) for Project Runway. Much more fashion forward, edgy, modern,
Let me talk for a minute about another issue with this show. The most vocal one: Kelly Rowland. Le sigh. Clearly you don't belong on this show. Your contributions are unnecessary. You're sweet and you're cute and I like your clothes but I don't ever hear anything groundbreaking or non-common sensical coming out of your mouth. Probably the worst? Her forced "catchphrase." After the loser is sent packing, she says to the almost loser, "You're still in, but you're hanging by a thread." Stop.
The best thing about this show and the reason I can't stop watching? If you know anything about me/have been reading my blog for more than 2 years, you already know the answer: ISAAC MIZRAHI!!!! I LOVE HIM!! He's the reason behind my most recent purchase. He once said, "If you find a dress you like and it fits, buy it. There's always a reason to have another dress." Oh Isaac. I LOVED his show. My fave ever! Perfect fashion stuff! From December 2006, I said, ""Wow! WOW! That's like fashion as religion! That's like... that's like... televangefashilism." --Isaac Mizrahi about Finola Hughes traveling 8 hours in a car to go to H&M. Lolololol. He CRACKS me up! I almost poked my eye out on the credenza because I was literally, LITERALLY convulsing with laughter!! Lololol!! There's no way you can't find it funny. He's so ridiculous!" My first Isaac love was in 2005 though. Still love him and he keeps me watching this show.
The worst thing? They had a show where they had to design a $40 outfit. They sell a version of the winning outfit online and this one they marked up to $194!!! Are you CRAZY!?!?! Foolishness. That pissed me off so much Isaac may or may not be enough for me to continue watching. Do I think anyone else should watch? If you're not an Isaac fan, don't bother. Just pray Lifetime doesn't ruin PR for us.
5.25.2009
Telephone Day!
I don't even know how to say this concisely but a year ago today marked the first day Rashan and I started talking on the phone every single day and we haven't missed a day yet. We'd talked on the phone pretty regularly for at least a month before that and exchanged emails for months before that, but we have spoken on the phone or in person every single day for the last year! Yay! We're having a good time together in Atlanta and making lots of plans for the summer. Good times! How about a few pictures to celebrate!?
Also, today Liz runs her first marathon! I'm so excited for her!!
Also, today Liz runs her first marathon! I'm so excited for her!!
5.24.2009
Crazy Movie Lady 18
May 17- 23, 2009
I'm caught up on my movies! Yessss! Back on target and ahead by 2 after watching 5 movies in one day. This was a mixed week. I saw no 5 star movies but saw at least 3 movies I couldn't stand and don't even want to see outtakes of ever again. Yeah... like that. That's a disappointing music week to me.
277. Volver. Penelope Cruz movie about a dead woman reconciling with her children and fixing things she couldn't in life. Good movie. Engaging and funny. 4/5 stars.
278. City of Angels. I wasn't expecting this to be a sappy movie... hmmm... I didn't dislike it but I wasn't in the mood for it. I might like it better at another time in my life. I got kind of bored. 3/5 stars.
279. Blazing Saddles. This is supposed to be funny? Maybe it's because they lost me after the 15th nigger. No, that's not it, either. It just wasn't funny. 2/5 stars.
280. My Man Godfrey. 1936 version of the film about a rich man posing as a butler for a crazy family. Not as interesting as I wanted it to be. Nice start, a really pedantic scene toward the end and amusing-ish ending. It could have been better. 3/5 stars.
281. Sweeney Todd. Crazy film starring Johhny Depp as a man out for revenge after his wife and daughter are taken from him. I could have done without the musical numbers but a good film overall. A bit gory. The last scene was jaw-dropping. Tim Burton has a crazy mind. I always wonder how people think of these things. 4/5 stars.
282. King of California. Sundance film about a girl (Evan Rachael Wood-- I like her for some reason) whose mentally ill father (Michael Douglas) decides he knows where buried treasure lies and decides to find it. Cute movie, well written. 4/5 stars.
283. Gone Baby Gone. Overall, a good movie about a 4-year-old who goes missing from her drug-addicted mother. There was one preachy soliloquy I could've done without but I didn't expect the twists and turns which made me like this movie a lot. I'm always looking to be surprised. I want to see the unexpected and I did. 4/5 stars.
284. Baby Mama. Tina Fey's character hires Amy Poehler's character to be her surrogate with some guest appearances from Steve Martin. I wanted it to be funnier than it was and it was predictable which was sad for me. 3/5 stars.
285. Run Fat Boy Run. This script needed to be tightened. Great concept and really funny when it wasn't meandering so crazily. The script issues pushed it down to 3/5, though.
286. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Crazy Robert Downey, Jr. movie where he narrates the story of what happened to him last Christmas when he went to L.A. to screen test for his first film and got pulled into a murder investigation. RD, Jr. is HILARIOUS. So funny. 4/5 stars.
287. Redemption. I bought this movie a few years ago because Jamie Foxx was in it but had never watched it because the reviews were so bad... I see why. The style of the film would have worked better as a documentary. As a feature about C.rips co-founder T.ookie Williams it was actually boring which is bizarre considering he's a gang member who tried to turn his life around in prison and was eventually nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. It has everything it needs for a great story, including Lynn Whitfield as the lead actress, but falls short. 2/5.
288. The Other Boleyn Sister. Fascinating film about Henry VIII's most famous wife, Anne Boleyn and her sister, Mary with whom the king had an affair during the marriage which preceded his with Anne. I wouldn't have been as interested if it wasn't based in fact. This is why I love docs! We get the real story and hopefully from the horse's mouth! No such luck since this was in the 1500s but cool story. 4/5 stars.
289. Loot. HBO doc about two WWII veterans who use a used car salesman to help them find hidden treasure in Austria and the Philippines. The unfocused story line felt plotless which made this painful to watch.
290. King of Kong. As funny as it sounds, this is a documentary about the underdog in the video game King Kong. It's about an up and comer against the video game establishment aka the man. Full of game nerds I love to laugh at but also in a way admire for their dedication even if I do think they take it too far. I loved this movie. I would've given it 5 stars if it had been at least 10 minutes shorter. There was a GREAT scene of drumming combined with video game playing. One of the best scenes I've ever seen in a documentary. Excellent storytelling. At the end I actually cheered. Lol.
291. Singin'' in the Rain. Gene Kelly classic that has earned the moniker classic. It's not just old, it's a great musical film. Fab dancing!
292. 10 Questions for the D.alai L.ama. It is taking everything in me to be less negative about this personal documentary about an interview with the Dalai Lama. Too many vistas and people shots with nothing happening under the extremely boring, pointless, overly dramatized and at times repetitive narration. There goes my exasperation and harshness but an example. On B.uddha: "I have an image of him from eating in Thai restaurants." Seriously? Moving on. Way too heavy on history on personal information-- more than 30 minutes worth without so much as video of the current D.L. Get to the 10 questions before 38 minutes!! And let me hear the D.L.'s answers w/o your commentary and viewing the poor as happier than the rich. Stereotypical response to abject poverty the director witnessed in India. At least 30 minutes too long. Actually it would've been more interesting as a short. I think I was most pissed off by the title. If it had been called "Journey to the D.L." I would've felt less mislead. By the time the questions came, I barely cared. 1.5 stars.
293. The Big Lebowski. Rashan said, "I suspect John Goodman's character is my least favorite character in the history of movies. And I've seen movies about H.itler." LOL! This was a bad movie. It had absolutely no point. Horrible movie. 1/5 stars because you can't give 0.
294. Monster. Charlize Theron's Oscar-winning role as a prostitute turned serial killer. Interesting and jaw-dropping story which somehow didn't move as quickly as I wanted it to. She deserved her Oscar. 3 stars.
295. Wattstax. Documentary about the 1972 Watts Summer Festival with AWESOME music. LOVED IT! The music was great. The best sequence was a montage during the Shaft theme song performed by Isaac Hayes. I could've done without the Richard Pryor (un)comedy breaks. The commentary from Watts residents was great. 3.5 stars.
I'm caught up on my movies! Yessss! Back on target and ahead by 2 after watching 5 movies in one day. This was a mixed week. I saw no 5 star movies but saw at least 3 movies I couldn't stand and don't even want to see outtakes of ever again. Yeah... like that. That's a disappointing music week to me.
277. Volver. Penelope Cruz movie about a dead woman reconciling with her children and fixing things she couldn't in life. Good movie. Engaging and funny. 4/5 stars.
278. City of Angels. I wasn't expecting this to be a sappy movie... hmmm... I didn't dislike it but I wasn't in the mood for it. I might like it better at another time in my life. I got kind of bored. 3/5 stars.
279. Blazing Saddles. This is supposed to be funny? Maybe it's because they lost me after the 15th nigger. No, that's not it, either. It just wasn't funny. 2/5 stars.
280. My Man Godfrey. 1936 version of the film about a rich man posing as a butler for a crazy family. Not as interesting as I wanted it to be. Nice start, a really pedantic scene toward the end and amusing-ish ending. It could have been better. 3/5 stars.
281. Sweeney Todd. Crazy film starring Johhny Depp as a man out for revenge after his wife and daughter are taken from him. I could have done without the musical numbers but a good film overall. A bit gory. The last scene was jaw-dropping. Tim Burton has a crazy mind. I always wonder how people think of these things. 4/5 stars.
282. King of California. Sundance film about a girl (Evan Rachael Wood-- I like her for some reason) whose mentally ill father (Michael Douglas) decides he knows where buried treasure lies and decides to find it. Cute movie, well written. 4/5 stars.
283. Gone Baby Gone. Overall, a good movie about a 4-year-old who goes missing from her drug-addicted mother. There was one preachy soliloquy I could've done without but I didn't expect the twists and turns which made me like this movie a lot. I'm always looking to be surprised. I want to see the unexpected and I did. 4/5 stars.
284. Baby Mama. Tina Fey's character hires Amy Poehler's character to be her surrogate with some guest appearances from Steve Martin. I wanted it to be funnier than it was and it was predictable which was sad for me. 3/5 stars.
285. Run Fat Boy Run. This script needed to be tightened. Great concept and really funny when it wasn't meandering so crazily. The script issues pushed it down to 3/5, though.
286. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Crazy Robert Downey, Jr. movie where he narrates the story of what happened to him last Christmas when he went to L.A. to screen test for his first film and got pulled into a murder investigation. RD, Jr. is HILARIOUS. So funny. 4/5 stars.
287. Redemption. I bought this movie a few years ago because Jamie Foxx was in it but had never watched it because the reviews were so bad... I see why. The style of the film would have worked better as a documentary. As a feature about C.rips co-founder T.ookie Williams it was actually boring which is bizarre considering he's a gang member who tried to turn his life around in prison and was eventually nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. It has everything it needs for a great story, including Lynn Whitfield as the lead actress, but falls short. 2/5.
288. The Other Boleyn Sister. Fascinating film about Henry VIII's most famous wife, Anne Boleyn and her sister, Mary with whom the king had an affair during the marriage which preceded his with Anne. I wouldn't have been as interested if it wasn't based in fact. This is why I love docs! We get the real story and hopefully from the horse's mouth! No such luck since this was in the 1500s but cool story. 4/5 stars.
289. Loot. HBO doc about two WWII veterans who use a used car salesman to help them find hidden treasure in Austria and the Philippines. The unfocused story line felt plotless which made this painful to watch.
290. King of Kong. As funny as it sounds, this is a documentary about the underdog in the video game King Kong. It's about an up and comer against the video game establishment aka the man. Full of game nerds I love to laugh at but also in a way admire for their dedication even if I do think they take it too far. I loved this movie. I would've given it 5 stars if it had been at least 10 minutes shorter. There was a GREAT scene of drumming combined with video game playing. One of the best scenes I've ever seen in a documentary. Excellent storytelling. At the end I actually cheered. Lol.
291. Singin'' in the Rain. Gene Kelly classic that has earned the moniker classic. It's not just old, it's a great musical film. Fab dancing!
292. 10 Questions for the D.alai L.ama. It is taking everything in me to be less negative about this personal documentary about an interview with the Dalai Lama. Too many vistas and people shots with nothing happening under the extremely boring, pointless, overly dramatized and at times repetitive narration. There goes my exasperation and harshness but an example. On B.uddha: "I have an image of him from eating in Thai restaurants." Seriously? Moving on. Way too heavy on history on personal information-- more than 30 minutes worth without so much as video of the current D.L. Get to the 10 questions before 38 minutes!! And let me hear the D.L.'s answers w/o your commentary and viewing the poor as happier than the rich. Stereotypical response to abject poverty the director witnessed in India. At least 30 minutes too long. Actually it would've been more interesting as a short. I think I was most pissed off by the title. If it had been called "Journey to the D.L." I would've felt less mislead. By the time the questions came, I barely cared. 1.5 stars.
293. The Big Lebowski. Rashan said, "I suspect John Goodman's character is my least favorite character in the history of movies. And I've seen movies about H.itler." LOL! This was a bad movie. It had absolutely no point. Horrible movie. 1/5 stars because you can't give 0.
294. Monster. Charlize Theron's Oscar-winning role as a prostitute turned serial killer. Interesting and jaw-dropping story which somehow didn't move as quickly as I wanted it to. She deserved her Oscar. 3 stars.
295. Wattstax. Documentary about the 1972 Watts Summer Festival with AWESOME music. LOVED IT! The music was great. The best sequence was a montage during the Shaft theme song performed by Isaac Hayes. I could've done without the Richard Pryor (un)comedy breaks. The commentary from Watts residents was great. 3.5 stars.
5.18.2009
You Can Hate Me Now
Sorry it's been a while. My wireless connection has been HATING all week and blogger wasn't recognizing my most recent picture import so I was protesting! Anyway earlier this week I went shopping with my line sister (hey if you know of a job in the magazine field, she has a master's in magazine journalism, so hit me up!) and she got all geeked about going to Anthropologie. I was less than enthused. The first and only time I went in that store I saw the most beautiful dress at the front of the store. Price tag: $238. Or something outrageous like that. I was like wait, what? No. I turned right around and walked out of the store. This was at least 2 years ago. Well this day they happened to be having a sale. I'm thinking, "Ooh sale. Probably 10% off type sale." Umm...
How about I got an Anna Sui dress for $50. Yes THAT Anna Sui! Girl STOP! It will look great with another recent purchase: these ocean blue shoes. That deserves a photo shoot!!!
Ow! Oh and the dress was originally $198. I LOVE SALES!!!
How about I got an Anna Sui dress for $50. Yes THAT Anna Sui! Girl STOP! It will look great with another recent purchase: these ocean blue shoes. That deserves a photo shoot!!!
Ow! Oh and the dress was originally $198. I LOVE SALES!!!
5.17.2009
Crazy Movie Lady 17
May 10- 16, 2009
Summer vacation has put me just 2 movies off track where at the beginning the week I was 8 movies off, the week before that, 11. So by the end of the day I expect to be back on track, by the end of the week, at least 3 ahead. The more films I can squeeze into this summer, the more I learn about films and the more I can focus on making my own film in the fall.
257. The Times of Harvey Milk. Great documentary about the gay San Francisco supervisor killed by a former fellow supervisor alongside the then-mayor of the city. I liked the feature film, Milk, and I really liked that the documentary went beyond the feature, showing the trial of Dan White and the aftermath of the manslaughter guilty verdict. Like with all good films, I felt the need to see what happened next, which is how I found out after serving 5 years, White was released, then killed himself a year later. I'm curious to hear the other side: how his wife and 3 children, one of whom was an infant at the time of his death, have coped. I'm always curious about that.
258. Waitress. Keri Russell plays a waitress who makes great pies and unexpectedly gets pregnant by the husband she hates. Cute movie. I liked it and that at least part of the predictable ending didn't come. If it was completely unpredictable, I would've liked it even more.
259. A Letter to Three Wives. A movie about three women trying to figure out which of their husbands their friend ran away with when she sends them a letter. Good start, boring, meandering middle, utterly unfulfilling end. Do not want.
260. Friends With Money. Title is self-explanatory and yet I still felt like this movie had no idea what it wanted to be. Le sigh. What on earth is this about? It was really boring. Scratch that. Really, really boring. I know that was harsh and I wanted to like it but I didn't. For one of the first times in my life I agreed with Roger E.bert and I feel really weird about it. He said, "It seems to be more of an idea than a story." I was thinking the SAME THING 32 minutes into this, "What is this movie about?"
261. The Royal Tenenbaums. Odd movie about a self-described family of geniuses. They're really just a bunch of over-achievers. It's supposed to be witty but is mostly just weird.
262. Grey Gardens. The feature film version of the famous Maysles brothers' documentary. Great supplement to the documentary. I finally got biopics and films made from books after watching this. They're not supposed to be necessarily true to the original. If you can appreciate them for what they are, treat them as stand alones, then they are a success and in that manner, and for it's resemblance to the doc, this film is a success. I liked it.
263. The Holiday. Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet switch homes and continents. Jack Black as a love interest? I'm sorry. No. I feel very meh about this movie. It was just there but it was absolutely too long. 2hr+ for a romantic comedy? Foolishness.
264. Run Granny Run. Documentary about a 94-year-old woman running for senate in New Hampshire. I was bored after 32 minutes and I still had about 45 minutes left. Ay. Too heavy on news reports for me. That was 5 years ago... she's still alive! Okay that makes her amazing but the film kind of fell flat.
265. Trouble the Water. This year's academy award nominated documentary starring a woman who started filming the day before the hurricane hit (Katrina, of course), and kept filming during the days she was stranded on her roof with her husband and 28 of their neighbors. Then it follows her in the weeks afterward as she tries to rebuild her life. Great footage but it became less interesting the longer it lasted unfortunately. I wanted more of her footage during the storm.
266. I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. Wow... somehow I'd managed to have seen all the good parts but none of the parts that advanced the plot in any way. Lol. Very odd but this movie was amusing to me.
267. Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty. Documentary about the black actress who starred in "Carmen Jones" and "Porgy and Bess" but died of (some say an intentional) prescription drug overdose at the age of 40. This film was narrated in an odd style with the guy who played the dad on "H.alf and Half" sometimes standing or sitting which made it resemble an infomercial. It appeared this film would break no new ground after about 15 minutes and since I read a book about her as a kid, I felt like it didn't. I look at docs as ways to learn things no one else knows. The people closest to her weren't even in this film, though some of them were obviously dead and others treated her horribly, it would've been nice to have interviews with people who knew her more intimately.
268. You Don't Mess With the Zohan. Can you believe I liked this silly movie where Adam Sandler plays a former "counter-t.errorist who wants to become a hairdresser? It made me laugh. Lol. It shouldn't have been almost 2 hours, though. Repeat after me: that is too long for a comedy.
269. Burn After Reading. Lol. Very strange dark comedy about how small events can suddenly snowball out of control. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton. Lots of people you've heard of acting up and acting out. Amusing. Rashan didn't want to see it but I think he would like it.
270. Bridesmaids. Sela Ward movie from the 80s WAY too Lifetime movie-like. I hate Lifetime. That should tell you I was less than enthused about this movie. I only picked it because it was short. I guess that's what I get.
271. Throw Momma From the Train. Danny Devito and Billy Crystal movie which riffs on a Hitchcock film. Amusing. There were a couple of false endings but overall I liked it.
272. How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (And Enjoy It). Documentary about legendary black director Melvin Van Peebles, father of Mario, with the title taken from an article he wrote by the same name which was never published but captured his willingness to make people uncomfortable. Van Peebles was alternately inspiring, entertaining, bemusing and even a little annoying. Some really out of place music in some of the down moments which was distracting because it did not fit with the overall tone at all.
273. Marley and Me. This movie was so cute. There were some very strange parts like the neighbor and some other parts (to eliminate spoilers I'll just leave it at that) completely unrelated to the dog. I cried a little bit, because it made me think of Ebony, my dog of 14 years. I was surprised to have liked this movie as much as I did, but at almost 2 hours, they needed to cut at least 15 minutes. Aren't you shocked to hear me say that?
274. John Tucker Must Die. Not as bad as I thought it would be but Ashanti was. Burn. You know I don't like her. This film is absolutely what "Not Another Teen Movie" was making fun of... and really, rightfully so. I did laugh out loud on some parts but I don't need to see it ever again.
275. Lost in Translation. Hmm... I was pretty lost in this movie. It wandered like a dyslexic 3-year-old lost in a foreign country for me. I didn't dislike it. I just didn't understand the point of it.
276. Snatch. Jam good movie about myriad groups of thugs fighting over a stolen 84-carat diamond. I didn't know anything about this movie to know whether or not I would like it but I did.
Summer vacation has put me just 2 movies off track where at the beginning the week I was 8 movies off, the week before that, 11. So by the end of the day I expect to be back on track, by the end of the week, at least 3 ahead. The more films I can squeeze into this summer, the more I learn about films and the more I can focus on making my own film in the fall.
257. The Times of Harvey Milk. Great documentary about the gay San Francisco supervisor killed by a former fellow supervisor alongside the then-mayor of the city. I liked the feature film, Milk, and I really liked that the documentary went beyond the feature, showing the trial of Dan White and the aftermath of the manslaughter guilty verdict. Like with all good films, I felt the need to see what happened next, which is how I found out after serving 5 years, White was released, then killed himself a year later. I'm curious to hear the other side: how his wife and 3 children, one of whom was an infant at the time of his death, have coped. I'm always curious about that.
258. Waitress. Keri Russell plays a waitress who makes great pies and unexpectedly gets pregnant by the husband she hates. Cute movie. I liked it and that at least part of the predictable ending didn't come. If it was completely unpredictable, I would've liked it even more.
259. A Letter to Three Wives. A movie about three women trying to figure out which of their husbands their friend ran away with when she sends them a letter. Good start, boring, meandering middle, utterly unfulfilling end. Do not want.
260. Friends With Money. Title is self-explanatory and yet I still felt like this movie had no idea what it wanted to be. Le sigh. What on earth is this about? It was really boring. Scratch that. Really, really boring. I know that was harsh and I wanted to like it but I didn't. For one of the first times in my life I agreed with Roger E.bert and I feel really weird about it. He said, "It seems to be more of an idea than a story." I was thinking the SAME THING 32 minutes into this, "What is this movie about?"
261. The Royal Tenenbaums. Odd movie about a self-described family of geniuses. They're really just a bunch of over-achievers. It's supposed to be witty but is mostly just weird.
262. Grey Gardens. The feature film version of the famous Maysles brothers' documentary. Great supplement to the documentary. I finally got biopics and films made from books after watching this. They're not supposed to be necessarily true to the original. If you can appreciate them for what they are, treat them as stand alones, then they are a success and in that manner, and for it's resemblance to the doc, this film is a success. I liked it.
263. The Holiday. Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet switch homes and continents. Jack Black as a love interest? I'm sorry. No. I feel very meh about this movie. It was just there but it was absolutely too long. 2hr+ for a romantic comedy? Foolishness.
264. Run Granny Run. Documentary about a 94-year-old woman running for senate in New Hampshire. I was bored after 32 minutes and I still had about 45 minutes left. Ay. Too heavy on news reports for me. That was 5 years ago... she's still alive! Okay that makes her amazing but the film kind of fell flat.
265. Trouble the Water. This year's academy award nominated documentary starring a woman who started filming the day before the hurricane hit (Katrina, of course), and kept filming during the days she was stranded on her roof with her husband and 28 of their neighbors. Then it follows her in the weeks afterward as she tries to rebuild her life. Great footage but it became less interesting the longer it lasted unfortunately. I wanted more of her footage during the storm.
266. I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. Wow... somehow I'd managed to have seen all the good parts but none of the parts that advanced the plot in any way. Lol. Very odd but this movie was amusing to me.
267. Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty. Documentary about the black actress who starred in "Carmen Jones" and "Porgy and Bess" but died of (some say an intentional) prescription drug overdose at the age of 40. This film was narrated in an odd style with the guy who played the dad on "H.alf and Half" sometimes standing or sitting which made it resemble an infomercial. It appeared this film would break no new ground after about 15 minutes and since I read a book about her as a kid, I felt like it didn't. I look at docs as ways to learn things no one else knows. The people closest to her weren't even in this film, though some of them were obviously dead and others treated her horribly, it would've been nice to have interviews with people who knew her more intimately.
268. You Don't Mess With the Zohan. Can you believe I liked this silly movie where Adam Sandler plays a former "counter-t.errorist who wants to become a hairdresser? It made me laugh. Lol. It shouldn't have been almost 2 hours, though. Repeat after me: that is too long for a comedy.
269. Burn After Reading. Lol. Very strange dark comedy about how small events can suddenly snowball out of control. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton. Lots of people you've heard of acting up and acting out. Amusing. Rashan didn't want to see it but I think he would like it.
270. Bridesmaids. Sela Ward movie from the 80s WAY too Lifetime movie-like. I hate Lifetime. That should tell you I was less than enthused about this movie. I only picked it because it was short. I guess that's what I get.
271. Throw Momma From the Train. Danny Devito and Billy Crystal movie which riffs on a Hitchcock film. Amusing. There were a couple of false endings but overall I liked it.
272. How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (And Enjoy It). Documentary about legendary black director Melvin Van Peebles, father of Mario, with the title taken from an article he wrote by the same name which was never published but captured his willingness to make people uncomfortable. Van Peebles was alternately inspiring, entertaining, bemusing and even a little annoying. Some really out of place music in some of the down moments which was distracting because it did not fit with the overall tone at all.
273. Marley and Me. This movie was so cute. There were some very strange parts like the neighbor and some other parts (to eliminate spoilers I'll just leave it at that) completely unrelated to the dog. I cried a little bit, because it made me think of Ebony, my dog of 14 years. I was surprised to have liked this movie as much as I did, but at almost 2 hours, they needed to cut at least 15 minutes. Aren't you shocked to hear me say that?
274. John Tucker Must Die. Not as bad as I thought it would be but Ashanti was. Burn. You know I don't like her. This film is absolutely what "Not Another Teen Movie" was making fun of... and really, rightfully so. I did laugh out loud on some parts but I don't need to see it ever again.
275. Lost in Translation. Hmm... I was pretty lost in this movie. It wandered like a dyslexic 3-year-old lost in a foreign country for me. I didn't dislike it. I just didn't understand the point of it.
276. Snatch. Jam good movie about myriad groups of thugs fighting over a stolen 84-carat diamond. I didn't know anything about this movie to know whether or not I would like it but I did.
5.14.2009
Bullseye
Target is the bain of my existence.
Not for the usual reasons: you know, I spend too much money every time I walk into this place and I can't stay out of the clothing section... although I've managed to here lately because their prices are sometimes outrageous. I'm not paying $100 for ANY clothing item from that store. Even $50 is a stretch. And that better be a coat. Quit trippin, Target.
No, my issue is layout.
WHAT IN THE SAM HILL!?!?
Target. WHY does every.single.store have a completely different layout????????? DRIVES ME CRAZY!! Living in and visiting AT LEAST 7 different stores in the last 3 years, I feel disoriented every time! As soon as I get used to a Target, I go to one on the other side of town, move, or go visit someone. Wal-mart isn't like this! Get it together, Target! Help a sista out!
Not for the usual reasons: you know, I spend too much money every time I walk into this place and I can't stay out of the clothing section... although I've managed to here lately because their prices are sometimes outrageous. I'm not paying $100 for ANY clothing item from that store. Even $50 is a stretch. And that better be a coat. Quit trippin, Target.
No, my issue is layout.
WHAT IN THE SAM HILL!?!?
Target. WHY does every.single.store have a completely different layout????????? DRIVES ME CRAZY!! Living in and visiting AT LEAST 7 different stores in the last 3 years, I feel disoriented every time! As soon as I get used to a Target, I go to one on the other side of town, move, or go visit someone. Wal-mart isn't like this! Get it together, Target! Help a sista out!
5.13.2009
Irony
My Muslim classmate has swine flu. *snicker*
Okay maybe it's just the regular flu but she said, "What if I had swine flu?"
I said, "That would be AWESOME!!!"
Copious laughter from both of us.
"Since you already have the flu, I really, really hope it's swine flu."
Here is where she laughs so hard she chokes and coughs.
I was so serious, though! That would avenge all us pork eaters who thought when we first heard about this blasted illness people would start telling us to stop eating bacon and ham and RIBS, (NOT THE RIBS!!!!) and vegetarians would continue their "you really shouldn't eat meat because it makes me TOO superior to you" complexes but no mas!
Lololol. Hilarious. If she gets swine flu we'll be best buds. What a great trade!
Okay maybe it's just the regular flu but she said, "What if I had swine flu?"
I said, "That would be AWESOME!!!"
Copious laughter from both of us.
"Since you already have the flu, I really, really hope it's swine flu."
Here is where she laughs so hard she chokes and coughs.
I was so serious, though! That would avenge all us pork eaters who thought when we first heard about this blasted illness people would start telling us to stop eating bacon and ham and RIBS, (NOT THE RIBS!!!!) and vegetarians would continue their "you really shouldn't eat meat because it makes me TOO superior to you" complexes but no mas!
Lololol. Hilarious. If she gets swine flu we'll be best buds. What a great trade!
5.10.2009
Crazy Movie Lady 16
May 3- 9, 2009
Going to Palm Beach to celebrate Stace's birthday knocked me off pace even more. I watched 0 movies in 3 days. Ouch. Luckily I have all summer to catch up.
243. Charade. Audrey Hepburn and Carey Grant in a film about widow being chased by crooks for his money. This film brings up a question I've been wondering about since I've been watching a lot of classics. Why, pray tell, is it that everyone in these films falls in love after a week? It's ridiculous and drives me crazy. I know you HAD to have a love story in those days but COME ON!! Can it at least be plausible? Foolywang.
244. Requiem for a Dream. Wow... movie about drug addicts. It was GREAT! I know no one expected me to like this and there were definitely some scenes I could do without, but I thought it was a good movie.
245. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Early(ish) Scorcese movie. Didn't really do it for me. I didn't dislike it but I wasn't terribly captivated by it either.
246. Good Night, and Good Luck. Film about journalist Edward R. Murrow's attack on Sen. Joseph McCarthy's witch hunt trials. Loved the music from Dianne Reeves. I don't know why I haven't been that into these movies but perhaps in the case of this one, I saw how heavily it borrowed from history because we watched a good portion of the actual footage in my doc history class, which was also in this film. I find I like historical and historical fiction films more when I'm not familiar with the ending or details. I like to learn new/obscure details and I guess I feel like I didn't with this film. I also didn't like the clarity of the black and white look in this film. It didn't look like true black and white. Odd thing to dislike, huh? Felt false.
247. Pocketful of Miracles. Frank Capra's last film as a director. He could have cut at LEAST 20 minutes from this 2h16m film. Seriously, Capra? The first hour was superfluous. Cut. it. out. Still a pretty good movie about a beggar woman who wants to impress her daughter who's engaged to a Spanish count and doesn't know her mother is broke.
248. Once Upon A Time in the West. Longest movie of my life. Western film clocking in at 2h44m. That's right. 2 HOURS and 44 MINUTES. It was good, though. Well-paced. Almost felt shorter than some of the 1h44m films I've seen.
249. Lars and the Real Girl. I wasn't expecting a movie about a man who falls in love with a life-sized s.ex doll to be cute but it was. The first 18 minutes I was straight faced and not amused and not for the reasons you think, but because he was delusional. Then I started dying laughing every few minutes. Then some of the film became a bit redundant but still cute.
250. The Postman Always Rings Twice. This is the original version of the film noir classic. It was okay. I was mildly intrigued but didn't completely care what happened to the characters.
251. North by Northwest. Hitchcock thriller. LOVED the last scenes and the suspense throughout the film though the false ending 30 minutes early annoyed me a bit. Overall, great film and definitely one of his best!
252. Silence of the Lambs. WOW. I don't have to describe this film but my adrenaline was pumping for the last 20 minutes. CRAZY!! Loved it!
253. Happy Feet. Really? An environmental musical starring animated penguins? I'm gonna have to pass. I didn't understand the length and I'm too old to be beat over the head with an environmental message. And for this movie. So that was my fault. And how stereotypical were the Hispanic characters. How about very. Not a fan and I was told you could like it if you weren't a kid.
254. Blind Spot: Murder by Women. Documentary in which the title is self-explanatory. Wow! The stories were AMAZING. The structure was boring, though. All of the interviews were of the women in jail against a stark background, which I really didn't have an issue with. But with a few re-enactments sprinkled in and very little archival material, one or two pictures of each murderer, watching the film became unnecessary. It was much more interesting just to listen to it. I spent much of this movie thinking about how I would have done it differently.
255. Last Chance Harvey. Dustin Hoffman plays a jingle writer who's on the verge of losing his job as he heads to London for his semi-estranged daughter's wedding. He meets Emma Thompson and gets all googly-eyed. Very leisurely pace but it worked. I liked this movie a lot. Very well-written.
256. A Very Long Engagement. Another leisurely-paced film but in a good way. Nice French movie w/my girl Audrey Tatou about a woman who doesn't believe her fiance' was killed in the war and makes it her mission to investigate and find out for sure.
Going to Palm Beach to celebrate Stace's birthday knocked me off pace even more. I watched 0 movies in 3 days. Ouch. Luckily I have all summer to catch up.
243. Charade. Audrey Hepburn and Carey Grant in a film about widow being chased by crooks for his money. This film brings up a question I've been wondering about since I've been watching a lot of classics. Why, pray tell, is it that everyone in these films falls in love after a week? It's ridiculous and drives me crazy. I know you HAD to have a love story in those days but COME ON!! Can it at least be plausible? Foolywang.
244. Requiem for a Dream. Wow... movie about drug addicts. It was GREAT! I know no one expected me to like this and there were definitely some scenes I could do without, but I thought it was a good movie.
245. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Early(ish) Scorcese movie. Didn't really do it for me. I didn't dislike it but I wasn't terribly captivated by it either.
246. Good Night, and Good Luck. Film about journalist Edward R. Murrow's attack on Sen. Joseph McCarthy's witch hunt trials. Loved the music from Dianne Reeves. I don't know why I haven't been that into these movies but perhaps in the case of this one, I saw how heavily it borrowed from history because we watched a good portion of the actual footage in my doc history class, which was also in this film. I find I like historical and historical fiction films more when I'm not familiar with the ending or details. I like to learn new/obscure details and I guess I feel like I didn't with this film. I also didn't like the clarity of the black and white look in this film. It didn't look like true black and white. Odd thing to dislike, huh? Felt false.
247. Pocketful of Miracles. Frank Capra's last film as a director. He could have cut at LEAST 20 minutes from this 2h16m film. Seriously, Capra? The first hour was superfluous. Cut. it. out. Still a pretty good movie about a beggar woman who wants to impress her daughter who's engaged to a Spanish count and doesn't know her mother is broke.
248. Once Upon A Time in the West. Longest movie of my life. Western film clocking in at 2h44m. That's right. 2 HOURS and 44 MINUTES. It was good, though. Well-paced. Almost felt shorter than some of the 1h44m films I've seen.
249. Lars and the Real Girl. I wasn't expecting a movie about a man who falls in love with a life-sized s.ex doll to be cute but it was. The first 18 minutes I was straight faced and not amused and not for the reasons you think, but because he was delusional. Then I started dying laughing every few minutes. Then some of the film became a bit redundant but still cute.
250. The Postman Always Rings Twice. This is the original version of the film noir classic. It was okay. I was mildly intrigued but didn't completely care what happened to the characters.
251. North by Northwest. Hitchcock thriller. LOVED the last scenes and the suspense throughout the film though the false ending 30 minutes early annoyed me a bit. Overall, great film and definitely one of his best!
252. Silence of the Lambs. WOW. I don't have to describe this film but my adrenaline was pumping for the last 20 minutes. CRAZY!! Loved it!
253. Happy Feet. Really? An environmental musical starring animated penguins? I'm gonna have to pass. I didn't understand the length and I'm too old to be beat over the head with an environmental message. And for this movie. So that was my fault. And how stereotypical were the Hispanic characters. How about very. Not a fan and I was told you could like it if you weren't a kid.
254. Blind Spot: Murder by Women. Documentary in which the title is self-explanatory. Wow! The stories were AMAZING. The structure was boring, though. All of the interviews were of the women in jail against a stark background, which I really didn't have an issue with. But with a few re-enactments sprinkled in and very little archival material, one or two pictures of each murderer, watching the film became unnecessary. It was much more interesting just to listen to it. I spent much of this movie thinking about how I would have done it differently.
255. Last Chance Harvey. Dustin Hoffman plays a jingle writer who's on the verge of losing his job as he heads to London for his semi-estranged daughter's wedding. He meets Emma Thompson and gets all googly-eyed. Very leisurely pace but it worked. I liked this movie a lot. Very well-written.
256. A Very Long Engagement. Another leisurely-paced film but in a good way. Nice French movie w/my girl Audrey Tatou about a woman who doesn't believe her fiance' was killed in the war and makes it her mission to investigate and find out for sure.
5.07.2009
Guess Who's In South Florida??
MEEEEEE!! I surprised her!!! We are going to WRECK this place for Stace's birthday!! Woooooooooooooo!!! Party at the beach!!!
5.06.2009
One Year Later
Dani posed an interesting question on her blog, "Where were you last year (physically, mentally, emotionally)? Are you in the same place, a worse place, or a better place this year?"
That made me think of something I'd been working on for a Thursday 13 but might as well do now about how my life is different since July. This time last year I didn't know I would be going to UF getting my master's in documentary filmmaking. Here are some of the things that are different.
1) I haven't seen snow in more than a year!! THANK YOU JESUS!! I hope to keep that streak going for at least another 18 months. I will allow for snow IF it's somewhere where I don't have to live.
2) Physically I was in better shape last year because I had been working out 3xs a week for 18 months. Now I'm trying to get back in that mode. I have my mom and sister getting on a workout plan.
3) Spiritually I need to readjust as well.
4) Geographically, I LOVED this winter versus Pittsburgh's! Duh! See no. 1.
5) And I have Rashan who has been great in helping me adjust to living in a foreign city and foreign state, traveling here every two weeks.
6) 3.71 gpa thankyouverymuch!
Overall I am in a much better place. So AWESOME! Thanks God for giving me the will to follow my dream!
That made me think of something I'd been working on for a Thursday 13 but might as well do now about how my life is different since July. This time last year I didn't know I would be going to UF getting my master's in documentary filmmaking. Here are some of the things that are different.
1) I haven't seen snow in more than a year!! THANK YOU JESUS!! I hope to keep that streak going for at least another 18 months. I will allow for snow IF it's somewhere where I don't have to live.
2) Physically I was in better shape last year because I had been working out 3xs a week for 18 months. Now I'm trying to get back in that mode. I have my mom and sister getting on a workout plan.
3) Spiritually I need to readjust as well.
4) Geographically, I LOVED this winter versus Pittsburgh's! Duh! See no. 1.
5) And I have Rashan who has been great in helping me adjust to living in a foreign city and foreign state, traveling here every two weeks.
6) 3.71 gpa thankyouverymuch!
Overall I am in a much better place. So AWESOME! Thanks God for giving me the will to follow my dream!
5.04.2009
Nature's No Confidence Vote
Friday night after the 2nd years, soon to be graduates, in my program screened their thesis films, we all (or most) gathered to have one (to ten-- not me! I had considerably less than 10, but I'm quite sure some of them who were graduating were in that 10 range) more beer together and talk about our futurely defunct department (yes you can still sign the petition). We were outside from about 9:30 until 2:30. I was, anyway. Some were there considerably less time. That is probably the longest amount of time I've spent outdoors in literally years and I now understand why.
I came inside and sneezed or blew my nose for the good part of an hour to an hour and a half. OUTRAGEOUS!!! I don't like being the snotty girl at the party!! I sneezed 2-3 times while I was out there but, seriously? I have to come home to this? Becoming a mouth breather because my nose is too incapacitated? Not tasting food because I can't smell it? (Hands in the air if you thought this was my biggest issue...) NOT COOL, NATURE!! And then it hit me. THIS is the reason I don't like being outdoors. I haven't done it in so long that I couldn't remember the origin of the no nature rule I have. I thought it just applied to hiking because the thought of animals attacking is kind of a problem with me and when I was younger I didn't like to sweat. It turns out I don't like to go back to those days when I never sneezed without needing a tissue. It's not fun to have a tissue box attached to the hip because you WILL need it. To wake up like I did with rings of crust around my eyes from them trying to expel these foreign irritants. (Sounds like you won with me not coming this weekend, huh, Rah? LOL!! I'm a sexy beast!)
Side note: I had a dream about a lot of ladybugs Friday night (see what happens when you make me be in nature?) which is supposed to mean good luck and happiness in work but I was shooing them off this guy I didn't really know but was someone I thought I should know and he was creeped out. I thought they were cute until I kept shooing and shooing and shooing and more just kept appearing! Then I was like, "What is the deal???" He said, this happens to me a lot. It's because of my dandruff." Dude... you might want to fix that...
Anyway, I'm now realizing from the nature fail that I knew a long time ago that nature = kiss of death for me and avoid it at all costs. At least it gives me a much better excuse for not going camping that doesn't sound like I'm a big girly baby. So nature, it's official, from me, you have the no confidence vote. One time for Dave Chappelle, "Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate." Don't we all feel better now? I would... but I still have a nose full.
I came inside and sneezed or blew my nose for the good part of an hour to an hour and a half. OUTRAGEOUS!!! I don't like being the snotty girl at the party!! I sneezed 2-3 times while I was out there but, seriously? I have to come home to this? Becoming a mouth breather because my nose is too incapacitated? Not tasting food because I can't smell it? (Hands in the air if you thought this was my biggest issue...) NOT COOL, NATURE!! And then it hit me. THIS is the reason I don't like being outdoors. I haven't done it in so long that I couldn't remember the origin of the no nature rule I have. I thought it just applied to hiking because the thought of animals attacking is kind of a problem with me and when I was younger I didn't like to sweat. It turns out I don't like to go back to those days when I never sneezed without needing a tissue. It's not fun to have a tissue box attached to the hip because you WILL need it. To wake up like I did with rings of crust around my eyes from them trying to expel these foreign irritants. (Sounds like you won with me not coming this weekend, huh, Rah? LOL!! I'm a sexy beast!)
Side note: I had a dream about a lot of ladybugs Friday night (see what happens when you make me be in nature?) which is supposed to mean good luck and happiness in work but I was shooing them off this guy I didn't really know but was someone I thought I should know and he was creeped out. I thought they were cute until I kept shooing and shooing and shooing and more just kept appearing! Then I was like, "What is the deal???" He said, this happens to me a lot. It's because of my dandruff." Dude... you might want to fix that...
Anyway, I'm now realizing from the nature fail that I knew a long time ago that nature = kiss of death for me and avoid it at all costs. At least it gives me a much better excuse for not going camping that doesn't sound like I'm a big girly baby. So nature, it's official, from me, you have the no confidence vote. One time for Dave Chappelle, "Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate." Don't we all feel better now? I would... but I still have a nose full.
5.03.2009
Crazy Movie Lady 15
April 26- May 2, 2009
Thank GOD for student screenings this week!! I'm now MUCH closer to where I'm supposed to be. Instead of being 11 movies behind, I'm only about 8 behind. Baby steps. I should easily make that up this week as I have NO obligations. Ah life. So grand as a person between semesters for a SUMMER! Loves it.
225. Gates of Heaven. Early documentary by Errol Morris about pet cemeteries. Included exactly the weird pet owners you thought it would with some activities from the weird cemetery workers. Very amusing at times and at others completely perplexing. Something of a meandering plot. After 25 minutes I wondered, how long can I listen to chatter about pet cemeteries? Obviously the entire 83 minutes, but I didn't want to.
226. Blackmail. Hitchcock film about a woman trying to keep her part in a murder a secret. I liked it mostly because of the ending. 4 out of 5 stars.
227. Say Anything. Awwwww!! SUCH a cute 80s teen movie! I loved it! I know I technically shouldn't have but I gave it 5 stars. Lol. It was too cute! Right up there with how I feel about "The Breakfast Club" and "Sixteen Candles" and "Pretty in Pink." How did I miss this film?? Does this not come on network tv like the rest??
228. The Queen. My ignorance of this film can be wholly blamed on my general disdain for reading synopses. I knew it was Helen Mirren's Oscar-winning role and that she amazingly resembled the queen, but I didn't know this particular role surrounded the death of Princess Diana and I felt blindsided by emotions! A nice film but something was missing for me. Still 4 out of 5 stars. I guess because it was set in my lifetime about people I've had peripheral knowledge of, I spent a lot of time wondering how true these things were to their personalities and what actually happened.
229. Deep Water. Wow. Great documentary about the race to be the first to sail the world alone and the men who kept logs of their journeys. Loved it.
230. Juno and the Paycock. So very un-Hitchcock and so very boring. Very little suspense and by the time they got to any I didn't care.
231. The Stranger. Orson Welles film about the search for an escaped Nazi war criminal. I liked it! The ending made it a really good movie. Very unexpected! I love unexpected endings!
232. You Can't Take It With You. Jimmy Stewart movie directed by Frank Capra. Overly long. You don't need a 2hr and 5 minute comedy. It lost my undivided attention after a while. I really couldn't stand the shucking and jiving parts for the black actors. A black servant (of course!!) walked into a jail cell and said, "Home again." Unacceptable. Automatic drop in the rating. I read on IMDB that the female lead turned down the lead in It's A Wonderful Life b/c she didn't want to work w/Stewart again. Wow... good move. *sarcasm* And she also has quotes about not wanting to do interviews, etc. Famous people who don't want to be famous or only want to act exasperate me. I'm not saying you should love the paparazzi or in any way insinuating the paparazzi has any sorts of rights, but don't give me that I don't want to be famous stuff. Then go act on Broadway or off Broadway and you'll be paparazzi-free and only known by a select few if all you want to do is act. You know it (fame) comes with the territory. Suck it up.
233. How About You. Indie comedy about 4 evil old people who try to overtake an old folks home. It was amusing but did some overly predictable and eventually irritating things with music loops. 3/5 stars.
234. Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired. Documentary about the acclaimed director's life mishaps. Though he's still alive, the directors obviously were unable to get him to participate, understandably, as he doesn't want any more publicity on this case, and instead had to rely on a wealth of archival footage. The filmmakers also had to rely heavily on text which was somewhat of a hindrance to me liking this movie more. I wish it had been screened before people who weren't intimate with the details of any of his life and could have told them where there was confusion. I would have been one of those people and left this film with a lot of questions. It was interesting to a point but you also knew he wasn't going to be a participant in this film and so in some ways would be disappointed with whatever the outcome would be without him to weigh in.
235. Happy-Go-Lucky. British film about a happy go lucky woman and the not so happy people she encounters. A bit of a downer and her personality was too much. She won a Globe for it, though. One of the first few scenes was misleading about her relationships and the ending was disturbing. This film meandered a bit too much for my taste.
236. Life After Tomorrow. Documentary about the girls who played roles in Annie on Broadway or on the national tour. Pretty depressing how many of them feel like they peaked at 10 because it was the greatest experience of their lives and their parents finally loved them and when it was all over so was the best part of them. Makes you understand even more why so many stars who have been in the business for so long are so jacked up. But the biggest issue with this film is that it was one continuous, 72-minute string of complaining and/or wistfulness. A million interviews. People watching films are looking for someone to connect with and when there are 20 Annies and 20 orphans, your head starts spinning. I imagine the filmmaker, herself an Annie kid was trying to show how many of these kids have the same experience of surviving after the show but it just became too much after a very short period of time.
237. A Walk to Beautiful. Documentary about Ethiopian women with obstetric fistulas-- after days of labor, they become incontinent. Difficult to watch at times but an important story to tell. I wish there had been more explanation early on. In a 51-minute doc, it was at least 16 minutes before I felt like I had some kind of clue what was wrong with these women. That's a problem.
238. Chasing Health. Student doc from my program about the growing medical tourism industry for elective and necessary surgeries. It's amazing to see people's films improve from the first rough draft to the last one.
239. The Man Behind the Curtain. Student doc from my program about an artificial intelligence researcher who killed himself. Very interesting.
240. Lessons Learned. Student documentary from my program about a charter middle school in trouble.
241. Better Bones and Gardens. Super cute student documentary about a man who builds really nice homes out of things that would have been sent to the landfill and a man who creates food gardens in his neighbors' gardens.
242. Postcards from the Edge. Hmmm. I wanted to like this Shirley Maclaine and Meryl Streep movie about a movie star and her movie star mom more than I did. Meryl's my girl and Shirley's funny but it just didn't really happen for me.
243. Afro-Punk. Documentary about black punk people. I kind of liked the movie and the feel in some ways but was confused by the people who felt like outsiders in punk and felt like outsiders in the black community. So you left one unaccepting community for another? AWESOME. I was really appalled by the young woman who had all these awful ideas about black people like, "I'm not a typical black girl, I don't wear slutty clothes because I respect myself" and "My mom told me not to marry a black man because he probably wouldn't be able to pay the rent and wouldn't have a decent job." WHAT IN THE BLUE BLAZES?!!? And had the nerve to say she didn't hate herself. Honey there is some self-hatred if the only ideas you have of black people are negative ones. You need to expand your horizons. She blew me away. I needed her to get her life together. I was most interested in the people who drew parallels between afrocentricity and punk. I was interested in what many of the people were saying, but again, a continuous string of interviews, with very few breaks, even for music, is a tiring thing to watch. At some point you want something else to happen. And in this film it never did.
242. Saving Grace. UK film written, directed by & starring Craig Ferguson (yes, that one) about a widow who starts growing pot to pay off her dead husband's outstanding debt. Mildly amusing.
Thank GOD for student screenings this week!! I'm now MUCH closer to where I'm supposed to be. Instead of being 11 movies behind, I'm only about 8 behind. Baby steps. I should easily make that up this week as I have NO obligations. Ah life. So grand as a person between semesters for a SUMMER! Loves it.
225. Gates of Heaven. Early documentary by Errol Morris about pet cemeteries. Included exactly the weird pet owners you thought it would with some activities from the weird cemetery workers. Very amusing at times and at others completely perplexing. Something of a meandering plot. After 25 minutes I wondered, how long can I listen to chatter about pet cemeteries? Obviously the entire 83 minutes, but I didn't want to.
226. Blackmail. Hitchcock film about a woman trying to keep her part in a murder a secret. I liked it mostly because of the ending. 4 out of 5 stars.
227. Say Anything. Awwwww!! SUCH a cute 80s teen movie! I loved it! I know I technically shouldn't have but I gave it 5 stars. Lol. It was too cute! Right up there with how I feel about "The Breakfast Club" and "Sixteen Candles" and "Pretty in Pink." How did I miss this film?? Does this not come on network tv like the rest??
228. The Queen. My ignorance of this film can be wholly blamed on my general disdain for reading synopses. I knew it was Helen Mirren's Oscar-winning role and that she amazingly resembled the queen, but I didn't know this particular role surrounded the death of Princess Diana and I felt blindsided by emotions! A nice film but something was missing for me. Still 4 out of 5 stars. I guess because it was set in my lifetime about people I've had peripheral knowledge of, I spent a lot of time wondering how true these things were to their personalities and what actually happened.
229. Deep Water. Wow. Great documentary about the race to be the first to sail the world alone and the men who kept logs of their journeys. Loved it.
230. Juno and the Paycock. So very un-Hitchcock and so very boring. Very little suspense and by the time they got to any I didn't care.
231. The Stranger. Orson Welles film about the search for an escaped Nazi war criminal. I liked it! The ending made it a really good movie. Very unexpected! I love unexpected endings!
232. You Can't Take It With You. Jimmy Stewart movie directed by Frank Capra. Overly long. You don't need a 2hr and 5 minute comedy. It lost my undivided attention after a while. I really couldn't stand the shucking and jiving parts for the black actors. A black servant (of course!!) walked into a jail cell and said, "Home again." Unacceptable. Automatic drop in the rating. I read on IMDB that the female lead turned down the lead in It's A Wonderful Life b/c she didn't want to work w/Stewart again. Wow... good move. *sarcasm* And she also has quotes about not wanting to do interviews, etc. Famous people who don't want to be famous or only want to act exasperate me. I'm not saying you should love the paparazzi or in any way insinuating the paparazzi has any sorts of rights, but don't give me that I don't want to be famous stuff. Then go act on Broadway or off Broadway and you'll be paparazzi-free and only known by a select few if all you want to do is act. You know it (fame) comes with the territory. Suck it up.
233. How About You. Indie comedy about 4 evil old people who try to overtake an old folks home. It was amusing but did some overly predictable and eventually irritating things with music loops. 3/5 stars.
234. Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired. Documentary about the acclaimed director's life mishaps. Though he's still alive, the directors obviously were unable to get him to participate, understandably, as he doesn't want any more publicity on this case, and instead had to rely on a wealth of archival footage. The filmmakers also had to rely heavily on text which was somewhat of a hindrance to me liking this movie more. I wish it had been screened before people who weren't intimate with the details of any of his life and could have told them where there was confusion. I would have been one of those people and left this film with a lot of questions. It was interesting to a point but you also knew he wasn't going to be a participant in this film and so in some ways would be disappointed with whatever the outcome would be without him to weigh in.
235. Happy-Go-Lucky. British film about a happy go lucky woman and the not so happy people she encounters. A bit of a downer and her personality was too much. She won a Globe for it, though. One of the first few scenes was misleading about her relationships and the ending was disturbing. This film meandered a bit too much for my taste.
236. Life After Tomorrow. Documentary about the girls who played roles in Annie on Broadway or on the national tour. Pretty depressing how many of them feel like they peaked at 10 because it was the greatest experience of their lives and their parents finally loved them and when it was all over so was the best part of them. Makes you understand even more why so many stars who have been in the business for so long are so jacked up. But the biggest issue with this film is that it was one continuous, 72-minute string of complaining and/or wistfulness. A million interviews. People watching films are looking for someone to connect with and when there are 20 Annies and 20 orphans, your head starts spinning. I imagine the filmmaker, herself an Annie kid was trying to show how many of these kids have the same experience of surviving after the show but it just became too much after a very short period of time.
237. A Walk to Beautiful. Documentary about Ethiopian women with obstetric fistulas-- after days of labor, they become incontinent. Difficult to watch at times but an important story to tell. I wish there had been more explanation early on. In a 51-minute doc, it was at least 16 minutes before I felt like I had some kind of clue what was wrong with these women. That's a problem.
238. Chasing Health. Student doc from my program about the growing medical tourism industry for elective and necessary surgeries. It's amazing to see people's films improve from the first rough draft to the last one.
239. The Man Behind the Curtain. Student doc from my program about an artificial intelligence researcher who killed himself. Very interesting.
240. Lessons Learned. Student documentary from my program about a charter middle school in trouble.
241. Better Bones and Gardens. Super cute student documentary about a man who builds really nice homes out of things that would have been sent to the landfill and a man who creates food gardens in his neighbors' gardens.
242. Postcards from the Edge. Hmmm. I wanted to like this Shirley Maclaine and Meryl Streep movie about a movie star and her movie star mom more than I did. Meryl's my girl and Shirley's funny but it just didn't really happen for me.
243. Afro-Punk. Documentary about black punk people. I kind of liked the movie and the feel in some ways but was confused by the people who felt like outsiders in punk and felt like outsiders in the black community. So you left one unaccepting community for another? AWESOME. I was really appalled by the young woman who had all these awful ideas about black people like, "I'm not a typical black girl, I don't wear slutty clothes because I respect myself" and "My mom told me not to marry a black man because he probably wouldn't be able to pay the rent and wouldn't have a decent job." WHAT IN THE BLUE BLAZES?!!? And had the nerve to say she didn't hate herself. Honey there is some self-hatred if the only ideas you have of black people are negative ones. You need to expand your horizons. She blew me away. I needed her to get her life together. I was most interested in the people who drew parallels between afrocentricity and punk. I was interested in what many of the people were saying, but again, a continuous string of interviews, with very few breaks, even for music, is a tiring thing to watch. At some point you want something else to happen. And in this film it never did.
242. Saving Grace. UK film written, directed by & starring Craig Ferguson (yes, that one) about a widow who starts growing pot to pay off her dead husband's outstanding debt. Mildly amusing.
5.01.2009
Yum, Yum Eat 'Em Up!
Before we get into the topic of this blog, I saw a stork on campus the other day. Remember the last time? Very random but I had my camera so I took a pic.
Back to the matter at hand. I love food. I've been cooking my face off lately. I just ate my last chicken burger for breakfast (topped with salsa and with a side of eggs) without taking a picture. Sorry, kids. I used ground chicken, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, garlic and onion. Topped with mustard and cheddar cheese? DEEELISH!!
Here's another side note. I was looking for the post about the last time I saw a stork and found a post from last year when I was bored out of my mind from working and I said to PCD in the comments, "You're a pretty well-documented hater." HILARITY! Oh blog la familia. I wish you would postmore ever.
Last night my classmates and I got together for a year-end dinner. I made green beans, potato salad, meatloaf and chicken provencal. Yes! Got the chicken recipe from my Tyler Florence book and was quite please with how it came out. I wanted to use chicken stock for the beans but there was a vegetarian in the midst so I just used water with onion, s&p, and a chopped clove of garlic. No butter since I also didn't know if she ate butter. It's so PESKY being thoughtful!!
One of my favorite breakfasts is huevos rancheros. Eggs (over medium, please), black beans, salsa, how can you go wrong??? That's right, you can't. I made this a while ago but forgot to share.
I had a tortilla and some rice and ground turkey with the beans, too. I like to mix it up, kids.
I think I'll make spaghetti and meatballs in the near future. Like in the next few days. What's the best thing you've cooked lately?
Back to the matter at hand. I love food. I've been cooking my face off lately. I just ate my last chicken burger for breakfast (topped with salsa and with a side of eggs) without taking a picture. Sorry, kids. I used ground chicken, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, garlic and onion. Topped with mustard and cheddar cheese? DEEELISH!!
Here's another side note. I was looking for the post about the last time I saw a stork and found a post from last year when I was bored out of my mind from working and I said to PCD in the comments, "You're a pretty well-documented hater." HILARITY! Oh blog la familia. I wish you would post
Last night my classmates and I got together for a year-end dinner. I made green beans, potato salad, meatloaf and chicken provencal. Yes! Got the chicken recipe from my Tyler Florence book and was quite please with how it came out. I wanted to use chicken stock for the beans but there was a vegetarian in the midst so I just used water with onion, s&p, and a chopped clove of garlic. No butter since I also didn't know if she ate butter. It's so PESKY being thoughtful!!
One of my favorite breakfasts is huevos rancheros. Eggs (over medium, please), black beans, salsa, how can you go wrong??? That's right, you can't. I made this a while ago but forgot to share.
I had a tortilla and some rice and ground turkey with the beans, too. I like to mix it up, kids.
I think I'll make spaghetti and meatballs in the near future. Like in the next few days. What's the best thing you've cooked lately?
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