tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20690808515638307592024-03-04T21:45:18.552-08:00Movie Reviews by the FunemployedUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-64819505676580348582012-12-18T20:51:00.000-08:002012-12-18T20:51:00.204-08:00I literally haven't seen a movie since my last postBut I still thought of you guys when I saw this video. Pretty much sums up why I hated The Avengers, and the fact that no one else was bothered by these as much as I was is why it remained so popular (not correcting that run-on).<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gYVZjKgoKdg" width="560"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-77697346794351260612012-11-17T21:30:00.001-08:002012-11-17T21:34:22.354-08:00Cloud Atlas Starship<br />
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<i>The title of the post comes from the fact that the Wachowski siblings, formerly two brothers that were responsible for <u>The Matrix</u> trilogy, has since changed their moniker to the <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/wachowski-siblings-starship-374855" target="_blank">Wachowski Starship</a> following a sex change for one of the brothers. Yes, formerly Larry, Lana Wachowski is one-half of the production team. The movie is based off a book, and one that I plan to read since I've heard nothing but amazing things about it.</i></div>
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<i>Today, we have our second guest writer! A fellow blogger (<a href="http://panamajack2.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">click here to follow his past two+ years while in Peace Corps service in Panama</a>), as well as a contributor to <a href="http://www.policymic.com/" target="_blank">PolicyMic</a>, Jack is a good friend dating back to sophomore year at Boston University. Seeing as how my local movie theater just got power back yesterday from the storms here in NJ, I've been seriously lacking on movies and thus reviews. Jack was kind enough to willingly contribute his two cents on Cloud Atlas. He's successfully convinced me to give the movie a shot; hopefully it lends itself useful to you, as well. Enjoy!</i></div>
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Before seeing <i>Cloud Atlas</i>, the most common review I heard
from both peers and critics was, “ambitious.” One word, with a clear negative
connotation. As in, “too ambitious for its own good” or “swing and a miss.”
People mentioned multiple stories, multiple directors, stunning settings and
the same actors playing different characters, and claimed that they tried to do
too much with the movie. But the trailer made it look so damn intriguing...</div>
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When I'm on the fence about a movie, I have only two places that I will turn: Ila and Rotten Tomatoes. Every time I ignore an RT rating,
thinking that I'll get something out of the movie that they didn't expect, I
have been wrong. I never see a
movie that receives below an 80 on RT. <i>Cloud Atlas </i>got a 76. (I've never questioned Ila so I'm not even
sure what would happen if I did.)</div>
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Thing is, some of my favorite movies, like <i>Snatch </i>and <i>Sin City</i> have multiple stories that converge, along with distinct styles; you
would probably describe each of them as “ambitious.” Ila hadn't seen it yet, so
I was left to battle my temptation to submit to the vague, but tantalizing
trailer, or stick to my 80 rating rule and see something else. Figuring that
this would be the type of movie that you <i>have </i>to see in theaters, I went for it. And for the first
time ever, I disagreed with the RT rating.</div>
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<b>Bottom Line: </b>If you
are at all interested in seeing <i>Cloud Atlas</i>, then go see it now,
while it's still in theaters. I didn't see it in iMax but it would probably be
worth it. If you decide to skip it in theaters, then definitely skip it at
home, because it needs the gigantic visuals to compensate for the shoddily
connected stories and inconsistent acting.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3f4KPfYwTE8r6sHZYXW480JmrUTx7jmExvohcpxKtFIYIli1m_CL1ErGeJBpZOzKV7G6i6UibxHwFqrXprMIaFbWOCZUK2cBPtdtd-z-JGTO9HOa7dkTkTY9w2M2Z9gGok8fTHtu0IsbG/s1600/Cloud-Atlas.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3f4KPfYwTE8r6sHZYXW480JmrUTx7jmExvohcpxKtFIYIli1m_CL1ErGeJBpZOzKV7G6i6UibxHwFqrXprMIaFbWOCZUK2cBPtdtd-z-JGTO9HOa7dkTkTY9w2M2Z9gGok8fTHtu0IsbG/s320/Cloud-Atlas.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I usually try to choose a relevant picture, but since I still haven't seen it, here's the poster!</i></td></tr>
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<b>SPOILERS FROM HERE ON<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Here's what I really liked about <i>Cloud Atlas</i></b><b>: <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>The
future</b> – Every part of the dystopian
future was badass, visually incredible, and definitely the most exciting
and disturbing part of the movie. And the Korean lady killed it.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>The
editing</b> – Some seemed to find it too
frantic, but I liked the way the last hour of the movie was edited – lots
of cuts between settings that reinforced their karma connection.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>Jim
Broadbent</b> – I think he makes a strong
case for a Best Supporting Actor nomination in this movie. He is the only
actor that plays <i>all </i>of his roles well and his adventure in
the old folk's home is the clear highlight of the movie, carried by his
performance (though massive kudos to Hugo Weaving for his role as the
female nurse).</li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>The
creation of <i>The Cloud Atlas Sextet</i></b> – Ben Whishaw absolutely rocks his only
significant character in the movie across from a fantastically maniacal
and manipulative Jim Broadbent.</li>
</ol>
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<b>Here's what kind of sucked about <i>Cloud Atlas</i></b><b>:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>Everything
about the island future:</b> The setting
was strained, the acting was blah (even from Tom Hanks...and I don't say
that lightly), and all actors bungled the unusual future-speak. (Kudos
again to Hugo Weaving for being genuinely and convincingly creepy.)</li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>Inconsistent
acting: </b>Every actor in the movie,
besides Jim Broadbent, had at least one uninspired performance as one of
their characters (Whishaw is immune from this since he only really had one
character). The movie was well cast and I was particularly disappointed
with Halle Berry and Tom Hanks's inconsistencies. It was a difficult task,
no doubt, but they should have been able to handle it. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b>Shoddily
connected stories: </b>Maybe I'm not as
intelligent or astute as I think I am, but I thought the connections
between settings was pretty vague. Basically, good people become better
people and bads stay bad? That's all we get after three hours? The last two
futures were intimately connected and the entire movie had the <i>Cloud
Atlas Sextet</i> running through it, but otherwise I thought the
connections didn't quite cut it. One of the best examples of multiple
stories connecting is, as I said, <i>Snatch. </i>One of the worst is <i>Babel</i>, which felt like three completely unrelated stories that were
hastily and lazily connected after they had been written. <i>Cloud
Atlas</i> is between these two, a little
on the <i>Babel</i> side. </li>
</ol>
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Note that I did not mention the length, nor the 'ambition'
in things that I didn't like about the movie. It deserved slightly higher than
an 80 on Rotten Tomatoes, but I wouldn't put it any higher than 83. </div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-10871803402855627372012-11-12T17:50:00.003-08:002012-11-17T10:22:29.133-08:00Skyawful...kidding! it's Bonderful!The latest, record-setting Bond movie came out this weekend, and there's nothing more I can add to all the hype it's already received. <i>Skyfall, </i>the 50th anniversary timed release and third Daniel Craig led Bond movie has pulled in the best opening for any Bond movie. With an amazing 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, I will not be dissagreeing with anything you've seen or read about the movie thus far.<br />
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First of all, the plot is so cohesive that I need to specifically mention it. I've never been big on Star Wars or LOTR, not because I don't enjoy them, but because I don't do well juggling many different and changing plot lines. I get lost in why he's going to a planet or why she's fighting that species. That usually is the case with Bond movies. <i>Skyfall</i> has a very straightforward villain and linear conflict. Much like my problem with <i>Taken</i> vs <i>Taken 2</i>: Taken Harder, the former has 1 established and direct plot while the latter bounces around between different villains and conflicts. Although <i>Skyfall</i> has mulitple acts, it's all cohesive. </div>
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Bardem is a blond mastermind with one end in mind. I literally can't say more without giving away the tiniest bit of plot so I'll leave it at that. </div>
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Stylistically, I very much enjoyed viewing this movie. This sounds lame, but the lighting and colors I thought were amazing. Each fight scene felt like it was filmed in a different style and with different colors being accentuated. The angles you viewed the shots at kept the movie feeling fresh, even with a run time of 143 minutes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs846udib7G7HkqdUdmDCfFY0DKRuwFfHhDHIqAavh2AETgpoXiVcLTAovYJybVIh5PD1xeZimDUEGoWSTIEg1kzPSX95CKCkYPJxk7Ne44WIl3hYj-pBa9-t_yqiriycC1jVi3uRPt2aK/s1600/explosion.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs846udib7G7HkqdUdmDCfFY0DKRuwFfHhDHIqAavh2AETgpoXiVcLTAovYJybVIh5PD1xeZimDUEGoWSTIEg1kzPSX95CKCkYPJxk7Ne44WIl3hYj-pBa9-t_yqiriycC1jVi3uRPt2aK/s320/explosion.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-sLVR7_Osox2edaaX9C9X4YLE2AcspuB6xaf1L_6TkVul8jANKJP4BgXcC7iUnl7Pp_7WJyJVMReZyFOe_2QBj60ZTliO2H9Q8HlsAc9x9vUjS2Nc_WLmR6fKa6tHRmpKa2HXhEMBZxq/s1600/skyfall_shanghai.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-sLVR7_Osox2edaaX9C9X4YLE2AcspuB6xaf1L_6TkVul8jANKJP4BgXcC7iUnl7Pp_7WJyJVMReZyFOe_2QBj60ZTliO2H9Q8HlsAc9x9vUjS2Nc_WLmR6fKa6tHRmpKa2HXhEMBZxq/s320/skyfall_shanghai.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two of the pivotal fight scenes</td></tr>
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I saw it in IMAX, and without having seen it in regular, peasant-style screens I can't really compare. I would venture to guess that paying a few bucks more for the bigger screen is probably worth it. I know it was for <i>The Dark Knight Returns</i>.</div>
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Ok, here's my own little aside that I feel will hurt my street credit in the movie biz that I'm so much a part of... the movie felt very influenced by the Nolan Batman trilogy. There, I said it! It's very Bond-esq, don't get me wrong. But in light of the successes of Batman, I feel like there's some unconscious, maybe conscious, duplication. The villain was a madman that wanted to watch the world burn. The hero had to dig into his past to be able to beat the villain. The old vs new argument in age and abilities was brought up a lot between Bond, Q, M, and Silva (Bardem). Stuff like that. I don't think it was a copy or anything, it just was one of those things that I kept feeling like there were similarities between the two. It was like Batman meets Die Hard meets Bourne plus a lot of Daniel Craig shirtless (yes!).<br />
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Check out the opening credits while it's still up. The Adele song is even sweeter with the visual<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OGmxoKJ-ee0" width="560"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-7302680531444667272012-10-23T13:21:00.001-07:002012-10-23T13:21:45.522-07:00Monday Movie SuggestionYou know these suggestions are genuine because for this selection, I just made my boyfriend watch it while we were on vacation. It mostly stemmed from the awe that he had never seen <i>Clueless</i> and needing to rectify that immediately.<br />
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Clueless, currently on Netflix Instant, is a total time capsule of the 90's with so many quick referrences you probably won't even notice them all. For anyone that doesn't know the premise, Alicia Silverstone is a rich, LA high school student. Her ex step brother is Paul Rudd (!). The main plotline is her helping Brittany Murphy to fit in to the rich Beverly Hills scene and the melodramatic events that follow.<br />
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The story is actually based around Jane Austen's <i>Emma</i>. So now you can feel better about watching since it's based on such a classic novel.<br />
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I don't know why, but it's a really good movie. It's very over-the-top but in a completely fun way. It's just a silly movie and one that everyone should say they've seen at least once. Plus it's always on tv and the edited version is hardly different so you aren't missing out!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZg9kBIBInUZE2vuoiHJJucvKdmr52alGLEW1pvrnLatF0Bk7L_26JWQce0MdK9bSdRPApkBngseTuok-PTvK5Ms7k_-1Pppzi_TjSR1hRRFuKDXJIHH-e5GQg1Zi4ELzmFL_AeMmw6FiC/s1600/clueless6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZg9kBIBInUZE2vuoiHJJucvKdmr52alGLEW1pvrnLatF0Bk7L_26JWQce0MdK9bSdRPApkBngseTuok-PTvK5Ms7k_-1Pppzi_TjSR1hRRFuKDXJIHH-e5GQg1Zi4ELzmFL_AeMmw6FiC/s320/clueless6.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cast of Donald Faison (Turk from Scrubs), Jeremy Sisto (guy that almost played Jack in Titanic), Brittany Murphy pre-OD, and Breckin Meyer that you'll recognize from every movie and tv show ever</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-70025716444667843462012-10-16T07:27:00.000-07:002012-10-16T11:07:44.728-07:00"Monday's" Movie Suggestion<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7ZbuvkdfN1KPUEUqURws841gX0RXRmbu-YZPia2zHmXju9yidD-d1DgHh3flaUmXw2fc8BULN1-9UT_AxcdI2LwqKzbLhlPQbxywdCCky0gFO088MctSK_LqyMnsBMyAVaTnlvnhAoMR/s1600/The+Men+Who+Stare+at+Goats+movie+image+George+Clooney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7ZbuvkdfN1KPUEUqURws841gX0RXRmbu-YZPia2zHmXju9yidD-d1DgHh3flaUmXw2fc8BULN1-9UT_AxcdI2LwqKzbLhlPQbxywdCCky0gFO088MctSK_LqyMnsBMyAVaTnlvnhAoMR/s320/The+Men+Who+Stare+at+Goats+movie+image+George+Clooney.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I would watch a two hour movie of just this</td></tr>
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I'm going with something a little off the beaten track here, but I stand by it: The Men Who Stare at Goats. It has an absolutely stacked cast but didn't do very well at the box office. It's kind of out there but I adore it.<br />
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The cast: Clooney, Spacey, McGregor, Bridges, Swanson (slash Offerman if you know his real name).<br />
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The plot: Ewan McGregor is a reporter who is just out of a failed marriage and travels to the Middle East to cover the war. He meets George Clooney, who claims to have telekinetic powers, such as being able to explode a goat with his mind. These powers came from training under the tutelage of Jeff Bridges but is in danger due to the bad goat (PUN!) of the program, Kevin Spacey.<br />
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I think that sounds amazing. The humor is very Arrested Development-y because you aren't looking for any sort of Ba-dum-cha set-up/punchline. It's just the little nuances of Clooney's crazy eyes or random outbursts. It's the idea of a military general like Bridges turning into a complete hippy and sitting in a hot tub getting high. It's not knowing whether the story you watched actually happened or whether it was some story made up (the movie is based on a book and the author or the book is Ewan's character-he claims all this stuff is true...but do you believe him?).<br />
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It's basically what would happen if Wes Anderson combined with the Coen Brothers. It's O Brother (probably a future Monday suggestion) meets The Royal Tenenbaums. And it's definitely a movie that falls into that "better-with-each-viewing" category since with each watch you pick up more and more subtly hilarious moments.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-88414896052140680142012-10-13T19:49:00.001-07:002012-10-13T20:48:24.414-07:00Arg'nt you going to go see Argo?Although I'm probably the only (non-lesbian) person to associate Argo with<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8WHgzVtVEQ" target="_blank"> Xena's horse</a> (hilarious video, you should click on that link), this <i>Argo</i> is actually the new Ben Affleck movie based off recently declassified real-life events. Mini history lesson: under President Jimmy Carter, Americans at the embassy in Tehran, Iran were held hostage for 444 days (I have a Master's, folks). The movie follows six Americans who were able to escape and hide at the Canadian embassy. Enter: Ben Affleck...'s beard to the rescue.<br />
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I've been very excited about this movie and the hype around it has only intensified as it got closer to the release date. I've been trying to convince my roommate #chrysanne to come, but it was only after NPR did a segment on how good it is that she agreed to go.<br />
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I forgot what it was like going to a movie on movie night, as I've been seeing most of my films in the middle of the day with the other one or two weirdos that see movies in the middle of the day. I also especially forgot what it was like to see a movie that old people enjoy seeing. Lots of nose blowing and loudly asking EH, WHAT'S HAPPENING? during relatively simple plot points.<br />
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Anyway, the movie is fucking AWESOME. I'll begin with the cast:<br />
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Ben Affleck took great pains to make the actors look as true to form as the people they're portraying. He also replicated exact moments from photographs taken at the time. As the credits role they show you the side-by-side comparison. Taking into consideration how great each single actor was AND how realistic they looked, the casting director and make-up/costume people did a commendable job. Alan Aarkin and John Goodman play the wise-ass Hollywood professionals that help Ben's character create a realistic cover story. Bryan Cranston plays Ben's superior, and with only one Heisenberg-esq freak out, does a great job of being a hard ass <i>and</i> good guy. Victor Garber, who played Ben's real-life wife's fictional TV dad on <i>Alias, </i>was the heroic Canadian ambassador with cool <a href="http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/tiff/article/1242944--tiff-2012-ken-taylor-sees-himself-in-victor-garber" target="_blank">hair</a>.<br />
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The rest of the cast is pretty much unknowns...except...wait a sec...is...is that CHRIS MESSINA?? AKA THE GUY I'VE MENTIONED IN THREE SEPARATE POSTS AS AN UP-AND-COMER. NAILED IT, ILA!!! HIGH FIVE!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEzhNdfPInmR0fgWKBQ2i0dA45T1jNm5xmWQv-MXZ7c48hzKjmiTRV07kUosCMt2iu9aH91OctE6473AohvTN884CnQejEmEzyj4yb-Y1Imt2FM8QoNQElTbxaRZcpQ3yYsJUohYxOflyv/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-10-13+at+10.28.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEzhNdfPInmR0fgWKBQ2i0dA45T1jNm5xmWQv-MXZ7c48hzKjmiTRV07kUosCMt2iu9aH91OctE6473AohvTN884CnQejEmEzyj4yb-Y1Imt2FM8QoNQElTbxaRZcpQ3yYsJUohYxOflyv/s320/Screen+shot+2012-10-13+at+10.28.06+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screen shot of my computer as I reference IMDB as I write. The only highlighted name from previously being clicked on? Chris Macho-Man Messina<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Ok, so as for the plot and rest of the movie...equally superb. As Steven Soderbergh did with <a href="http://ilaspage.blogspot.com/2012/06/magic-grundle.html" target="_blank">Magic Mike</a>, Ben Affleck took a story that could have been filled with the typicals (CIA fast-talk and crudely tensioned-filled spy flick) and made it into something unique, realistic, true-to-life, and genuinely suspenseful. During the climax people were actually unable to contain their inner dialogue and were mumbling "just go!" just as I was tapping my foot and rubbing my hands thinking the same thing. I purposefully didn't research the real-life events so I wouldn't know how things turned out and I highly recommend doing the same. At the conclusion the things I heard just from within earshot were people clapping, "amazing" and "that was so good" being bantered about.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I cannot recommend this movie enough. Plus George Clooney co-produced it with Ben Affleck. I don't know why, but that just automatically makes people consider seeing a movie more than when they didn't know Clooney was involved. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tJw_hwTu7ORzjLc3fekstvTzQBM_UUUZ6FMoC101_M0clCQvn3DyO-5A9Ol2wiQdamxj0PK9S9PNeyHeIQuNVEN29h92xmiSY7C993V77UQHpyDZ0K8luUIqyAIwO5T9R3NcLeNHPVyR/s1600/Argo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tJw_hwTu7ORzjLc3fekstvTzQBM_UUUZ6FMoC101_M0clCQvn3DyO-5A9Ol2wiQdamxj0PK9S9PNeyHeIQuNVEN29h92xmiSY7C993V77UQHpyDZ0K8luUIqyAIwO5T9R3NcLeNHPVyR/s320/Argo.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cranston convincing Affleck to try the goatee look</td></tr>
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NOTE: I DID NOT MAKE THE ABOVE LINKED YOUTUBE VIDEO. I know most of you think otherwise, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.<br />
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Note note: I just noticed FilmDrunk has a similar title for their blog on Argo, which proves I should do this professionally.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-62199647798672972952012-10-11T20:25:00.001-07:002012-10-18T13:26:12.750-07:00Taken 2: Taken as a video game<a href="http://ilaspage.blogspot.com/2012/06/taken-2-its-like-speed-2-but-with-bus.html" target="_blank">I mocked <i>Taken 2</i></a> when the trailer came out. I was confused by subsequent trailers as to who was actually being taken. And now after viewing <i>Taken 2</i>, I stand by everything I previous said.<br />
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So the problem with really good movies is that sequels have to be better. It makes what Nolan was able to do with the Batman trilogy that much more impressive and awe inspiring.<br />
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<i>Taken</i> was a really, really good movie. It had a fluid plot involving Liam Neeson taking logical and realistic steps to find his kidnapped daughter. His character had intense training that enabled him to do things an average joe couldn't. That makes an awesome action movie. It's like a toned-down Bourne.<br />
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<i>Taken 2</i> uses the same premise but without the fluidity and realism that made it's predecessor so entertaining. It plays out like a video game in the sense that it's very disjointed and it feels like there are levels with individual crime bosses that Liam must take down on his way to the main boss. Basically, one person is taken and then another person and then one of them is found and then another is taken but then a different boss takes another person and then they kill that boss while a different boss takes a person that was previously taken.<br />
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The film is only an hour and a half but feels much longer. The first taken/found sequence is entertaining enough but it feels like it's the end of the movie only thirty minutes in. Then the second sequence occurs and you're a little less into it. And then it just keeps happening until you're finally glad the movie's over.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizIcykyBQX86j79LSs_kMAnIlz6y0zEDsd3QCiOvIffdTOF9NkPrrdQ0U9YlNMorqscRmRkJn4cKC3bH-AVeuYkUP3p4EEYfGX15G4YcvA_JBzhAhC9oK7jsCXe68BucoPniC87zhDAe57/s1600/taken-2-trailer_450x254.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizIcykyBQX86j79LSs_kMAnIlz6y0zEDsd3QCiOvIffdTOF9NkPrrdQ0U9YlNMorqscRmRkJn4cKC3bH-AVeuYkUP3p4EEYfGX15G4YcvA_JBzhAhC9oK7jsCXe68BucoPniC87zhDAe57/s320/taken-2-trailer_450x254.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Funniest scene in the movie was watching Liam yell at his daughter to get her fucking shit together while driving a clutch through the streets of Istanbul</td></tr>
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Now, let me make it clear that Liam will always be entertaining. And this movie is still entertaining. The difference is that <i>Taken</i> is sweet and <i>Taken 2</i> is just another action flick. Plus Liam's 4 years older and even though he's in great shape for a sixty year old, it did seem like he wasn't quite all there for the fight scenes.<br />
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There were also many more questions throughout the movie that are kind of nit-picky but weren't present for the first movie. Here were some that went through my head:<br />
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<i>Where did he get that leather duster jacket after just being kidnapped the scene before?</i><br />
<i>How does she know how to drive a stick after being unable to pass her driver's test in a Toyota Camry?</i><br />
<i>If they're going to shoot at him, why do they continue to hold the wife hostage?</i><br />
<i>How are five men shooting machine guns without any single bullet hitting him?</i><br />
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<i>Taken 2</i> is a typical "wait-for-it-to-be-on-netflix-or-tv" movie. Is that an expression yet? I was going to say to wait for it to be a rental but where do you rent it from anymore? Whatever, the point is, is that it's not worth the money to see it in theaters and since the plot and action is so similar to the first movie you're really not missing out. However, if you feel like watching Liam fight humans instead of wolves, then definitely save <i>Taken 2</i> for a stay-in movie night.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-90702600710213785342012-10-11T19:57:00.002-07:002012-10-11T19:59:14.598-07:00Rian Johnson is the new Chris Nolan<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Special guest writer: Christopher Clemente</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I've been excited for </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Looper</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> since that bad-ass image of Bruce Willis first appeared wielding a machine gun and an angry face.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTkEXI3v-aAD1pT7Q4zauN9gG_LsivV2jj_gg9ZxWulkHmUWk5H0n9dMpYAtI3oQaGRCOe2e9CUNcjhiWLWcwzYl98smA4i3G7rbppDDgGT6dA8-5_Bb6qMkQYuigFSKTHMxNFxVUvqMt/s1600/images+(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTkEXI3v-aAD1pT7Q4zauN9gG_LsivV2jj_gg9ZxWulkHmUWk5H0n9dMpYAtI3oQaGRCOe2e9CUNcjhiWLWcwzYl98smA4i3G7rbppDDgGT6dA8-5_Bb6qMkQYuigFSKTHMxNFxVUvqMt/s1600/images+(1).jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;">My face is the opposite of happy</i></td></tr>
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Actually, I've been waiting for this movie since it was announced that Looper was to be Rian Johnson's next feature film. Johnson, who's previous films include <i>Brick</i> (which is available on Netflix Instant and also stars Joe Go Lev) and <i>The Brothers Bloom</i> (a Wes Anderson-esque quirky-but-not-Zooey-<wbr></wbr>Deschanel-quirky caper starring Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody) has finally arrived to the mainstream as a solid director who can tell an original story.</div>
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And Looper delivers. Plain and simple. The plot revolves around a not-too-distant future when time travel is possible and the mafia sends its victims back in time to be killed by hitmen known as Loopers. Young Joe (played by Joe Go Lev) plays one of these Looping assassins, and things start to get sticky when the mob sends back Old Joe (Bruce Willis)-- an older Young Joe--and Young Joe can't pull the trigger to kill an older version of himself.</div>
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Confused? Who cares--I don't--and neither does Johnson. The film sets up a lofty and confusing sci-fi premise and then boldly dives into exploring major themes that don't concern time travel paradoxes. The movie ends up captivating you because of its deviations from the time-travel and action genre expectations, and throws you in a character-driven direction that you could never have guessed from all the marketing (trailers and posters alike).</div>
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<img alt="Inline image 2" class="" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=ca533e4192&view=att&th=13a52db288fbac24&attid=0.1&disp=emb&realattid=ii_13a52da3efed3f49&zw&atsh=1" /></div>
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<i>Director Rian Johnson on the set of Looper</i></div>
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But then, this movie reminds me so much of <i>Inception</i>. I'm not even talking about the Joe Go Lev (3rd time I've said that) connection. I'm talking about the distilling of a complex sci-fi story grounded in practical action, and making it palatable--meaning it garnered acclaim from critics and audience members alike (I think palatable is what I mean? Trying to say it was a generally "likeable" film). </div>
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Johnson achieved a feat similar to Christopher Nolan, and that's why I think he will become the next Nolan. He will become a brand. It will become an expectation that he will deliver "original" content in the trite swamp that is the current Hollywood system of remakes and yada yada you've heard it all before.</div>
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Side stuff:<br />
-Johnson directed one of my favorite episodes of Breaking Bad--"Fly" in Season 3.</div>
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-It was rumored that Johnson rewrote the script to have some of it take place in China because that was the only way that a Chinese Investment company would back the film and give it money. It also was mistakenly reported as receiving more money in China on opening weekend than in the US, a mistake which was corrected when it found out that they didn't take into account the exchange rate for the Chinese Yuan (<i>really?</i>)</div>
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-If you wanna watch a time travel movie that deals exclusively with time traveling paradoxes, check out Shane Carruth's <i>Primer</i>. If you look closely in the end credits, Carruth is credited under "Special Thanks" in <i>Looper</i>.<br />
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Editors Note: The producer's name is Ram Bergman. Shotty that as my porn name if I were a man in the porn industry</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-38357593749929868382012-10-01T20:01:00.000-07:002012-10-01T20:01:08.169-07:00Sleepwalk with MeMike Birbiglia has been a comic I've followed since first seeing him on a Comedy Central stand-up special. He's been my own little bird that has since flown out of the nest and is now a household name. His comedy has evolved from the basic joke formula of observation plus alternative perspective equalling crowd laughter. Instead, he takes the audience on a full adventure of his life in a story-telling sequence of real-life events. He's had multiple off-broadway shows (which I've seen), many cross-country tours (which I've also seen), albums (which I've bought) and even a book, titled the same as the movie (which I own).<br />
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His story telling ways seem to have begun when he started publishing "My Secret Public Journal." He use to email his subscribers (again, me) with a weekly entry of some silly things he's been dealing with while on tour or at home with hyperlinks to funny tangentially related videos and connecting it somehow to a past memory before circling it back around with a "and that's why..." send off. As that became popular in its own right, his stand up took a similar circular pace of starting off with a premise (<i>Sleepwalk With Me, My Girlfriend's Boyfriend</i>, etc.) and then comedically taking a round about way to get back to the main point.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHaW4zwwIhm3c6VNYQ3y-ss6nIG9o9TMm0N0PGEJmepCIb3x8-UfqnXfjoYjEFUk9XKkbr4dIUCTpmyrjnnb1skInQWGDVqZd2ubU5mY4tueujQ673Mf_3Q5h4sWqKH8JkNtqQ7gFPMP0/s1600/Comedian-Mike-Birbiglia-never-rests-HB25FGE9-x-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHaW4zwwIhm3c6VNYQ3y-ss6nIG9o9TMm0N0PGEJmepCIb3x8-UfqnXfjoYjEFUk9XKkbr4dIUCTpmyrjnnb1skInQWGDVqZd2ubU5mY4tueujQ673Mf_3Q5h4sWqKH8JkNtqQ7gFPMP0/s320/Comedian-Mike-Birbiglia-never-rests-HB25FGE9-x-large.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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When I went to see the movie I almost asked for one ticket to "Mike Birbiglia" since it's his baby. He stars in it as well as writes and directs. Working with NPR's Ira Glass (Birbigs is a frequent guest on Glass's This American Life series), the Sundance darling has done well in a grass-roots campaign to bring it to more and more theaters across the country over the past few weeks.<br />
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Mike stars as Matt Pandamigglio. It's a little unclear as to why they changed the name and I kind of understand why they did it but was equally thrown by having to hear such a similar name to the comedian. Aside from the name change, everything else is 100% true to life-- or as true to his life as his stand-up is. I had heard literally every single joke, premise, come-back, and twist dozens of times before from his shows, tours, books, and albums.<br />
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However, considering that I'm already that familiar with the material and still audibly laughed throughout the movie, it is enough to guarantee that fresh ears will be delighted. I cannot recommend jumping on the Birbiglia bandwagon fast enough and if that means starting with <i>Sleepwalk With Me</i>, then you are very lucky to be in for such a treat. Feel free to stop by my house to borrow any of the other mediums.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3kjraLfBfDQF_YjXZT8MBVU3EYWdehxsD9Jss56pK4YljRVrzvLolX8J0gj8YZ2jsLMf9fv_yP6BV0mLF57DnuwpWvZHEIilbxpdUc-bu1OI030GTnctRiAEoGtsxgywhMAXeBJHRJfI/s1600/Sleepwalk-With-Me__120824051925-275x217.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3kjraLfBfDQF_YjXZT8MBVU3EYWdehxsD9Jss56pK4YljRVrzvLolX8J0gj8YZ2jsLMf9fv_yP6BV0mLF57DnuwpWvZHEIilbxpdUc-bu1OI030GTnctRiAEoGtsxgywhMAXeBJHRJfI/s1600/Sleepwalk-With-Me__120824051925-275x217.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">www.sleepwalkmovie.com</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-21709255643714449582012-10-01T19:39:00.000-07:002012-10-01T20:02:28.370-07:00Monday movie suggestion-ArthurThis Monday movie suggestion is one that I often recommend when friends are looking through my own DVDs to watch on a relaxing night staying in. <i>Arthur</i>, starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minelli, recently remade with Russell Brand, is one of those old fashioned movies that don't fit into modern movie genres.<br />
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The premise is that a loveable, drunken, childish millionaire is forced to marry a woman he does not love in order to keep all his money. He meets a poor woman who lives with her father and they fall in love. Will the power of love trump the love of money? Tune in to find out!</div>
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This movie has some of the best one-liners ever delivered in a film. Dudley Moore is amazing in a role that defines his career. Liza is delightful as the street-smart love interest. The movie gracefully dances between whimsical and dramatic all the while staying true to itself. </div>
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Definitely worth a watch whether you're home alone or want an entertaining movie to share with a friend. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-56768874443344916892012-10-01T18:04:00.002-07:002012-10-02T09:01:41.642-07:00Hotel Transylvania AKA THE NUMBER ONE MOVIE WHAATTwo summer floppers had big comebacks this weekend and both films were released by Sony. Taking the number two position was <i>Looper</i>, starring Premium Rush headliner Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It was awesome and will be reviewed later by guest writer, Chris Clemente!<br />
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And your champion of the weekend, setting September box office records, MISTERRRR ADAMMM SANDLERRRRRRR. That's right hot off the heals of <i>That's My Boy, </i>which had everyone freaking out that not only was Adam doomed but that he was taking Andy with him, the Jew du...o scored a win with <i>Hotel Transylvania</i>.<br />
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And honestly, the movie deserved the success. I defended <i>That's My Boy</i>, not so much in that it was a good movie, but that people were making too big a deal out of the implications being tied to it. Over a career, people, especially comics, will have ups and downs. Back on top are Sandler and Samberg. And Sony has no plans on letting go of Sandler, either. Head of Distribution, Rory Bruen, has said of maintaining a relationship with Sandler,<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"I have said that many times, and it still holds in a big way." Boom.</span></span><br />
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I really did enjoy this film. It's a kids movie which also eliminates Sandler's most annoying jokes about jacking off to old ladies and whatnot. There were some great one-liners and the animation was really used as a supplement to the jokes. Not in the sense that it had terrific effects or anything new, but that it was well done and added to the jokes instead of overshadowing them.<br />
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It was enjoyable for all ages, although there were definitely some parts that were more geared toward kids. One too many sing alongs made me wiggle in my seat. But those parts only helped to distract me from the likeness Selena Gomez's character had to Becca from <i>Californication</i>.<br />
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See here:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazyrrEYlIRwYV5gJxsd3F8sdcqAeWlYPi6yd7j6sSgduStvlDbyKTGR21I0L1WBsUjkes0VFdrXK80rbiR6bO5kiXwqo8hzDK1bW-ScjtckVeqyRbjgNxoP4xSYu9JTLsZRYolzo0hY4m/s1600/maddy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazyrrEYlIRwYV5gJxsd3F8sdcqAeWlYPi6yd7j6sSgduStvlDbyKTGR21I0L1WBsUjkes0VFdrXK80rbiR6bO5kiXwqo8hzDK1bW-ScjtckVeqyRbjgNxoP4xSYu9JTLsZRYolzo0hY4m/s1600/maddy.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Becca/Maddy Martin-a real person<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzpHlPEUKfj4krXgk2jduq9Kqwlvx29KEDmIiDCJfwP3CSM_MfOuEZSH6Sbn3ZP35DYgi09rEh0JccNgvpEW9ouG9rQ9pWBfR7wniaLZryGeLQF4RcXEhIDfkKql7GGfUfzS3U-mlBJTNF/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzpHlPEUKfj4krXgk2jduq9Kqwlvx29KEDmIiDCJfwP3CSM_MfOuEZSH6Sbn3ZP35DYgi09rEh0JccNgvpEW9ouG9rQ9pWBfR7wniaLZryGeLQF4RcXEhIDfkKql7GGfUfzS3U-mlBJTNF/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fictional vampire voiced by Selena Gomez<br />
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I mean am I crazy or are they...<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/khXgPOLefGc" width="560"></iframe><br />
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The answer is yes, yes they are.<br />
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Anyway, if you enjoy animated kids movies, I don't think you'll be disappointed by the vocal stylings of Sandler, Sanberg, Gomez, Buscemi, James, Spade, Green, and the rest. It's entertaining and a fun twist to an old tale with some good lessons cleverly mixed in. Check it out to get yourself in the Halloween mood!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-41313940215454953302012-09-26T20:13:00.003-07:002012-09-26T20:13:36.729-07:00Slightly delayed Monday suggestion...I didn't want to admit this publicly, but I totally knew I'd forget to post a Monday post. I only realized it after I posted the previous post where I not so #humblebragged about Chris Messina.<br />
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Anyway, this week's suggestion is <i>Rushmore</i>. The second film from writer/director Wes Anderson, Rushmore is often overshadowed by Anderson's follow-up movie, <i>The Royal Tenenbaums</i> (definitely worth a re-watch if it's been a while. Or if you've just seen it. Actually go watch it right after <i>Rushmore</i>).<br />
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Co-written by Owen Wilson (as was <i>Bottle Rockets</i>, his first film, and the aforementioned 'baums), this film has the beginnings of the all-star cast that will become a staple of Anderson films.<br />
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<i>Rushmore</i> is a perfect film for people that consider themselves Andersonphilias because it simultaneously gives you a new and familiar feeling. You can see that stylisticly it will become the movies you've come to love, but it's still the early stages. Even the actors appear far younger than what you're used to. Schwartzman, the bitter lover in <i>Darjeeling Limited</i> is playing a love smitten school boy. And it's his scenes with Bill Murphy that really make it a joy to watch.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-25378010724867958442012-09-26T19:45:00.000-07:002012-10-02T09:02:56.890-07:00What an eye, what an eyeSo the guy that I keep liking in all my indie flick picks from the summer is on the <i>Mindy Project</i>. Did I call this bro or what? Stick with me and you'll be ahead of the curve. I'm talking to you, my one follower...<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1839492/" target="_blank">Chris Messina.</a> The brother in <i>Ruby Sparks</i> and the adorable love interest in <i>Celeste and Jesse Forever</i>. I think he's capitalizing on the Max Greenfield, funny, muscular jewish looking guy vibe that's happening right now. Next projection: episode crossover with Fox lead-in <i>New Girl</i> where he shows up as Max's brother.<br />
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You're welcome, Fox.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-23128300880214250792012-09-17T06:24:00.000-07:002012-09-17T06:24:14.735-07:00Monday's underrated movieWith the end of the summer comes the end of summer movies. Hence a slowdown in what there is to see.<br />
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To keep things fresh, I've decided to do a weekly entry focused on a movie I've already seen that I hope you'll try out on one of these cold, lonely, fall nights. </div>
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I've already mentioned <i>Hot Rod</i> in a past post so this entry will be dedicated to <i>Welcome to Collinwood</i>.</div>
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Written by a writer for Community (and now the showrunner following Dan Harmon's exit), Collinwood is an ensemble movie about low level criminals trying to pull off a heist. The cast includes, Sam Rockwell, William H Macy, Patricia Clarkson (you may not recognize her by name but she's definitely been in things that she'll look familiar-Tammy One from Parks and Rec most recently and notably), Luis Guzman, young Jennifer Esposito and Gabrielle Union, and last but not least, George Motherfucking Clooney.</div>
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How awesome is Sam Rockwell, by the way? He's a scrawny, pasty, weird little dude but god damn am I attracted to him in every movie he's in. George is a gimme, so I just wanted to mention something about Sam. </div>
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Anyway, give this Netflix Instant movie a chance when you have some free time.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-18350301724346912222012-09-05T13:18:00.001-07:002012-09-05T21:28:06.477-07:00Andy and Rashida 4evr LYLAS HAGSI had been reading up on this movie since the spring and they didn't decide on a release date till very late in the summer, probably around mid July. Once the date was set it obviously was just for limited release so then I had to wait another couple weeks before it came to a theater near me.<br />
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On top of all this anticipation, tremendous accolades were pouring out for Rashida Jones, star and writer. Add in the fact that I, and everyone else, would get a chance to see Andy Samberg in a semi-serious role, hot off the heels of his SNL retirement and <i>That's My Boy, </i>a movie which led many entertainment buffs to question whether Andy would be doomed to mediocre fart joke movies the rest of his career, and this movie was a perfect storm of indie awesomness.<br />
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The plot of the movie is basically a visual version of Billy Joel's Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. Basically Brenda and Eddie/Celeste and Jesse grow up as best friends throughout school and decided the marriage would be at the end of July. They started to fight when Jesse didn't want to grow up and be the man Celeste wanted as a husband and father. They got a legal separation and parted the closest of friends, still kissing goodbye and saying they love each other. Stuff makes their weird relationship get even more complicated, and without ruining it, the rest of the movie happens and then it ends.</div>
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Overall it was very good and endearing. If it hadn't been for Rashida and Andy starring, I don't think I would have liked it as much as I did, but luckily they are the stars so hazzah! Another likeable character was a love interest for Celeste played by Chris Messina...the brother I liked so much from <i>Ruby Sparks</i>! Yay for indie movie incest! </div>
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My main critique stems from the loads of symbolism that is dropped on you. Not only are there symbols for all the emotions Celeste experiences (happy, sad, confused, hungry) but they hit you over the head by then <i>explaining</i> what the symbol you just saw means. Like, dudes, I get it. I'm at a goddamn art house cinema and I can follow some romantic comedy's storyline without sparknotes.</div>
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I definitely recommend it, if only to verify and validate Samberg as a real actor man now. I've seen many movies try to be the next <i>500 Days of Summer</i> and although <i>C&J </i>isn't quite there, they certainly come close and put their own spin on it.<br />
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CUE THE PIANO MAN!</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/au74rR9lIYQ" width="420"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-27925548179441033752012-08-20T10:56:00.002-07:002012-08-20T10:56:57.880-07:00A movie suggestionHot Rod is a great movie and here is a rather long-winded, yet entertaining article from the A.V. Club on it. Check out the movie when you get a chance, I highly recommend it.<br />
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http://www.avclub.com/articles/lonely-islands-hot-rod-is-strangely-funny-and-ofte,83883/Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-10050553068921927572012-08-13T21:53:00.001-07:002012-08-13T21:53:53.500-07:00The CampaignJust effing go see it. You want to see you, so just go. You won't regret it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-73332549714738328062012-08-12T20:24:00.004-07:002012-08-12T20:24:52.896-07:00AV Club discussion on expectationsSo obviously this article interests me for two reasons. One being that the question posed focused on That's My Boy. Secondly, it deals with the idea of how expectations effect your feelings of a movie, but specifically negative intentions letting you enjoy it more.<br />
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Here's the topic posed:<br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">I recently went against the collective criticism/evisceration of Adam Sandler’s recent film <i><a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/thats-my-boy,81274/" style="color: #7f173b; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">That’s My Boy</a></i>, and saw it with a date who was a longtime Sandler fan. The critics were absolutely right about what to expect with this film: poor writing, insensitive gags, and the usual Sandler travesty. What I didn’t expect were the genuine laugh-out-loud moments. Mind you, none of it was Sandler, but rather the quick, smaller bits provided by Happy Madison’s usual crew. If I had to guess, I was pleasantly surprised because I’d already accepted that I’d hate the film, and my experience could only go up from there. I’ve heard of people being let down due to hype and anticipation, but rarely do I hear of people feeling the opposite. To this day, I’m not sure whether I was laughing at or<i> </i>with <i>That’s My Boy</i>. I’m no longer with that girl, but she did make the point of money being well-spent, because I laughed during what was meant as a comedy. So have you ever had a pop-culture experience elevated mainly due to the immense negativity attached to it? —Hanajun</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Click here to read the rest: </span><span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">http://www.avclub.com/articles/improved-by-low-expectations,83612/</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-9969111077204893232012-08-10T15:07:00.000-07:002012-08-10T15:10:15.350-07:00What critics think of good thingsAs I'm thoroughly enjoying myself as I write this blog I'm considering more heavily the possibility of getting into the field of blogging or film studies or something-I'm actually not thinking about it that much. But it's things like this video that remind me why critics generally suck and how I don't want to be trained to think like them in any facet. Anyway, David Wain just posted this on his blog and I think it's perfection.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="375" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/47321796" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/47321796">The State: More Miserable Crap</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/davidwain">David Wain</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-80982606185280196712012-08-10T14:47:00.001-07:002012-08-10T14:59:24.721-07:00The Amazing Mission Bourne Legacy Man ImpossibleThere have been many reboots and sequels this summer including a duplicate Spiderman, the third Nolan Batman,<i> Ice Age</i>, <i>Men in Black</i> and so on. The reboot of the Bourne series, <i>The Bourne Legacy </i>sees<i> </i>Jeremy Renner takes the lead and Rachel Weisz as his scared, female sidekick.<br />
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Amazingly, the commercials tell you literally every plot point of the movie. Backlash over the CIA's failure to kill Jason Bourne lead Edward Norton to "burn to the ground" the other, similar programs (hence the scene with all the agents getting bloody noses). Rachel was the doctor who escapes a shooting spree aimed at eliminating everyone who knows or was involved about the program*, codenamed Alscot or something stupid like that.<br />
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I felt the beginning was a bit contrived in just getting as many CIA looking dudes in a room to have them all fast talk about codewords that mean nothing to the audience. Ed Norton's sweet though, so I didn't mind it as much. Once Jeremy and Rachel team up the movie is much more entertaining. The action scenes were pretty good and the pace and plot were fast.<br />
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My one problem was the government sends in an agent in ANOTHER program (LARX) with the description of having more training with less of the emotional crazy that Tredstone had, or something, I forget. They never effing fought! Why would you build up the fact that Aaron is basically an X-Men (man?) and that the other guy is more trained and then not actually have them fight? UGH. Of course, Rachel has some involvement that's supposed to make you go "Yeah! You go gurl!" but immediately falls off the motorcycle and Aaron has to help her. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZcPymyjUL0" target="_blank">Jimminy Jillikers!</a> As a woman, I would have been perfectly content to watch Aaron jujitsu his ass instead.<br />
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But whatever, all in all it's worth checking out and if they continue the franchise I'll be more than happy to watch Renner. I'm glad his career's doing so well and he's certainly making a name for himself in the action category with his stints in <i>Mission Impossible 4</i> and <i>The Avengers</i>. Hopefully he mixes in some serious roles which made me think he was a creepster like with <i>The Town</i>. If they're ever able to get back the former director, Paul Greengrass, Matt Damon has said he'd also come back. Jeremy and Matt together would be a fucking awesome sequel that probably no one would complain about.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"What are you doing over there? Can I help? I'm a doctor so I can help if you want. Jimminy Jillikers!"</td></tr>
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*Now obviously, the shooting at the <i>Dark Knight Rises</i> premier was tragic. It's amazing how studios respond to events like that, though. The studio behind Ryan Gosling's upcoming gangster movie, <i>Gangster Squad</i>, decided a scene in which a theater is shot up would be in poor taste and are thusly reshooting some parts and pushing back the release date. Similarly, Ben Stiller's latest, <i>The Watch,</i> was originally titled Neighborhood Watch but was renamed in the wake of Trayvon Martin. Whether these are necessary changes or are being done as a veiled attempt at honoring the victims and survivors is a point of conversation. Do these types of gestures really do anything or are they simply trying to cover their asses from the people looking to sue for emotional duress (who do exist and are suing WB for the Aurora masacre)? Anyway, there's a shooting spree at the medical facility in <i>Bourne</i> and the masterminds behind it were the United States government. I haven't heard any people causing an uproar about this scene which seems even more controversial than <i>Gangster Squad</i>'s due to the fact that the government was behind it and used the "lone gunman" as a cover. As cheesy as this is, it reminded me of The Joker's speech in <i>The Dark Knight</i> when he tells Harvey Dent that no one gets upset when things "go according to plan" such as a roadside bomb killing soldiers in the Middle East, or more relavent, a lone gunman who seemed normal suddenly snaps and kills innocent people. Are we at the point where movies that place the CIA in the role of genocidal puppetmasters considered part of the plan? As an aside from my aside, I always thought it was good of Nolan not to alter the scene of The Joker in a body bag in TDK. Many thought he would get rid of it due to the actor's death prior to the release, but he said nay. Getting rid of a scene like that wouldn't have honored his memory or done anything to change what happened to Heath. The real honor is presevering the movie he worked so hard on.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-39039823754796217542012-08-08T21:25:00.001-07:002012-08-08T21:26:14.790-07:00The real origins film<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I just read this article on UPROXX and had to post it. A reader of the blog found the 1930 film called <i>The Bat Whispers</i> (based off a play called "The Bat") on Youtube and edited it with music from Nolan's Batman series. Bob Kane used the film as a major source for inspiration for the comic. Definitely worth a watch and you can click <a href="http://www.uproxx.com/webculture/2012/08/the-1930-film-noir-inspiration-for-batman-might-just-blow-your-mind/#more-132106" target="_blank">here</a> to read the whole article.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-11365216031003852132012-08-08T08:04:00.000-07:002012-08-08T08:04:21.120-07:00A Blogger's post on second viewingsHere's an article on unreality discussing five movies that he enjoyed more on the second viewing. http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2012/08/07/five-movies-i-didnt-love-until-the-second-viewing/Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-36960675183162887142012-08-06T08:48:00.002-07:002012-08-07T22:22:22.603-07:00Ruby SparksA good judge of how much I liked a movie is whether I turn on the radio for the drive home. Do I get in and immediately turn it on or do I drive home in silence and think about what I just saw? For <i>Ruby, </i>I drove home with no sound other than my own voice using the voice memo device on my phone so I could remember anecdotes for this entry.<br />
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<i>Ruby Sparks</i> is <i>Stranger Than Fiction</i> meets <i>Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind</i> (yes I said that in the memo last night). The premise is that a writer, Paul Dano, writes a story about a girl who comes to life. He grapples with the problems posed by his ability to make her do whatever he writes on paper and the repercussions that come from writing too vaguely or too specifically. Much like that episode of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QA5N5btUmc" target="_blank">Treehouse of Horror </a>or Ashton Kutcher's <i>Butterfly Effect</i> (which I never saw but heard was quite good).<br />
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I didn't think much from seeing the previews. Then I started reading not only about how great it is but also about the background of the making of it. You see, the writer of the movie plays the girlfriend that the writer in the film dreamed of and she was writing it to star her real life boyfriend to play the writer that creates her. Wait, I can do better: The actress that plays the imaginary girlfriend is the actual girlfriend of the guy that plays the writer in the movie and she wrote the movie about a guy creating a girl. Once more: Paul Dano, the writer in the movie, is dating Zoe Kazan, the actress that plays the girlfriend in the film. Kazan wrote the screenplay along with Dano, knowing that he would play the writer and she the girlfriend. That's cool. What caught my eye more was the fact that the people that did <i>Little Miss Sunshine</i> haven't done anything since and decided to do this film immediately.<br />
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The movie was fantastic. Every character was endearing and well played. Dano and Kazan brought their off-screen love to the film. Annette Bening and Antonia Banderas have a <i>Meet the Parents-</i>ish scene playing Dano's quirky mom and stepdad. I knew I'd like this movie when at the start, Dano's brother, played by Chris Messina, is reading the early draft of Dano's story (the one that will eventually manifest a woman) and warns him that a girl with lots of quirks is actually not appealing to an audience because women like that don't really exist. That's been my exact problem with all these indie films this summer. The girls are these free spirited women that make their uptight male counterparts feel alive but by the end of the movie they just seem like they're mentally disabled (<a href="http://ilaspage.blogspot.com/2012/06/seeking-anyone-other-than-kiera.html" target="_blank">KIERA KNIGHTLEY AHH</a>)<br />
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Well, having exhausted all the points from my memo I'll leave with just the high recommendation to check out, <i>Ruby Sparks.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXP4jiS0T9uz8z6G2K9YO5TwLyrs-G2HAjoGmqITXUssIqUDtaZME-EjXYV-qE7mmdFXLm1u6EZR4iNOKvrNnelhjr6DRw3nDcDZBLch_EZmQowtPqywCs5fHu2ez8Z-QRZw97Oq64G0Ev/s1600/ruby-sparks-001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXP4jiS0T9uz8z6G2K9YO5TwLyrs-G2HAjoGmqITXUssIqUDtaZME-EjXYV-qE7mmdFXLm1u6EZR4iNOKvrNnelhjr6DRw3nDcDZBLch_EZmQowtPqywCs5fHu2ez8Z-QRZw97Oq64G0Ev/s320/ruby-sparks-001.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second movie in a row with spotlight swimming. At least this was nudity free</td></tr>
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<i><br /></i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-89049489024307904512012-08-01T14:04:00.001-07:002012-08-01T14:04:11.674-07:00The WatchI feel like a dink because I keep enjoying the mainstream movies more than the indie ones. To be fair, the indie ones have sucked. Either way, I really enjoyed <i>The Watch</i>, starring Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and a few cameos that really made the movie sweet.<br />
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First off, Vince Vaughn was in his fucking element with this one. Clearly was just given the direction to be "Bob: the loud, lovable neighborly man" and he went with it. Jonah Hill I feel is trying to find his place now that he's not a) fat and b) a kid. He was amazing in his early roles like <i>Accepted </i>and <i>Superbad</i> but he seems as if he actually lost his confidence along with his weight. Hopefully he figures his niche out; I'm sure he will.<br />
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Will Forte plays an annoying police sergeant and The Lonely Island make a quick but sweet appearance. Akiva directed it so it's not surprising. Also as a sidenote, I really enjoy Akiva directed movies (Hot Rod, anyone?). And Seth Rogan helped write it so you know there's just a shit-ton of comedy groups colliding (Lonely Island + Judd Apatow group + Anchorman/Dodgeball group =awesome).<br />
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It's also not too Ben Stiller-y for those that don't find him funny or are weary after his last few ventures.<br />
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Definitely worth checking out before the summer's over!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEfwrvHKKIiDRA-KHBxOnP6RW-jZ_6l9zYbrFdl7brVZHyVvY2YhHtywxTgWrTzs-4iUfN6yGPY1ESmXSg5FBsbIKeFOz2wwP2Teei33OQMx0OVXmoqQV8yrREIvkOIB7n_w5un0lL5IL/s1600/600px-The_Watch_(2012)_-_Theatrical_Trailer_2_for_The_Watch.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEfwrvHKKIiDRA-KHBxOnP6RW-jZ_6l9zYbrFdl7brVZHyVvY2YhHtywxTgWrTzs-4iUfN6yGPY1ESmXSg5FBsbIKeFOz2wwP2Teei33OQMx0OVXmoqQV8yrREIvkOIB7n_w5un0lL5IL/s320/600px-The_Watch_(2012)_-_Theatrical_Trailer_2_for_The_Watch.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vaughn's Oh face<br /></td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2069080851563830759.post-53614899054749720622012-08-01T13:53:00.000-07:002012-08-07T22:22:33.856-07:00Take This BushOk, the actual title is <i>Take This Waltz</i> but there were so many full frontal scenes that I took some blogtistic liberties. If you want a total, I'll say it's more than once you see Michelle Williams totes nekkid and that's basically all you need to know about how many times. Throw in a gym shower scene with Sarah Silverman and lots of old woman and I pretty much cancelled out any good mental images from <i>Magic Mike</i>.<br />
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The movie was a major disappointment. My problem with all these indie, arthouse films is that to make the leading lady seem interesting they end up going too far and just make her really awkward and weird. Here, Michelle Williams plays wife to Seth Rogan but falls for her neighbor. For two hours the lovahs dance (OH I GET THE TITLE NOW) the fine line between physical and emotional adultery.<br />
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Good for Seth Rogan, though, because he does a great job. Any scene without him was absolutely contrived and lagged. TWO old women, not together, walked out during a scene with the two lovahs describing how they would bang each other. Good think they didn't stick around for any of the actual love scenes.<br />
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I knew the movie would be heavy going in but that's not what bothered me. IT WAS SO SLOW! Seriously, all I looked forward to was Seth's goofy laugh.<br />
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Definitely pass on this one unless you feel like watching some spotlight swimming and Michelle Williams go to the bathroom a bunch of times.<br />
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