Bug

Memorial Day weekend I went to see the new Ashley Judd movie Bug. What a crazy ass movie. It was good but, man it was even more trippy than I thought it was going to be. None of the story turned out the way I thought it would which was a good thing. It wasn't your standard formula for any genre of movie especially horror.

Ashley was fantastica as always. There were times when the material was a little flat but, she made the best of it. And she had one of the biggest most complicated monologues I have ever heard. And it wasn't just complicated because of how long it was it also had to be delivered in this rambling, fast, way as her character put the pieces together. Or put what she thought were the pieces together. It was really quite extrodanairy that she did such a great job with it.

The other actors were good but it was mostly just her and Michael Shannon locked in a hotel room. A couple other characters stopped by a few times but, that was it. They did their part and where all good. Michael held up his end of the bargin very well and thus the movie turned out very good.

Overall I really enjoyed the movie and it was worth full price. However, because it is so different and out there I don't think it is a movie for everyone. Most people would probably enjoy it on video.

Georgia Rule

Yes, I know it's been awhile but, I'm back again (now that I'm settled in my new place) and I've got lots of posts to do tonight. First up is my review of Georgia Rule.

Fronted by a powerhouse female cast there was no way I wasn't seeing this movie in theaters. And I am 100% glad I didn't get sidetracked and miss it. It was the best movie I've seen in the last few months and reminded me why I love to go to movies. The movies I've seen lately (and didn't get around to blogging about) had been disappointing for the most part. This movie was not disappointing and actually was better than I could have hoped for.

The movie was advertised as a comedy and it was rather funny but, it actually dealt with very serious subject matter and was very much a drama. Sadly director Gary Marshall didn't do the best job of blending the two genres together. Instead of having dramatic seens laced with a little bit of comedy it was more comedic scene, dramatic scene, couple of comedic scenes, dramatic scene, and so on. While it didn't destroy the movie it did keep it from being an even better film than it was.

As for the acting it was all very good. I was mainly seeing it because of Jane Fonda and Lindsay Lohan. If you're a regular reader of this blog you know that I am not a big fan of Felicity Huffman and honestly I was not looking forward to her being in this movie. When I originally heard about the movie I wished they had cast someone else. But, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked her in this movie. Maybe it was because it wasn't over hyped and praised like many of her other roles of late so I didn't spend the whole movie asking myself what performance everyone else was seeing that I wasn't. She gave a very compentent performance. Unfortunately I do think there are somethings that could have made the performance even stronger but, she just isn't capable of them. I've never found her to be particuarly expressive in the face and eyes which I think hurt this character a bit.

Jane Fonda was great. Kind of wished she'd have been in it a little more. I also kept hoping for some big huge blow out argument between her and either of the other female leads. I really liked her character. It wasn't a character that I would normally like, being so strict and seemingly unloving. However, there was something about the way she played it that instantly made you like her. Perhaps it was the bit of comedy that was laced into the dialogue and the directing that made the character a bit more likeable. A testament to her acting ability.

And yet again Lindsay showed just how good she is. I don't care what people think of her private life when the girl steps in front of a camera she's a total professional and delivers every time. I have yet to see her phone it in, even for a second. She proved again that she can hold her own against anyone in the business and trust me that is not easy. All to often I go to movies and can see the intimidation in an actor or actress when they are working opposite an award winning (or just nominated) veteran but, not this girl. She's one of the few that really believes she belongs on screen with anyone and she isn't going to let them steal a scene or a movie out from under her.

I liked seeing Cary Elwes in this movie. I always like seeing him get work as I've been a big fan since The Princess Bride. Although seeing him did emphasize the double standard when it comes to weight in Hollywood. He has put on quite a bit of weight in recent years. If a woman did that the press would have a field day with her and she'd never work again until she lost the weight. Yet there's Cary all fattened up getting to play the succesful lawyer with his pretty, thin wife. Sure the character was a big creep but, that's not the point.

Spoilers Ahead:


As previously stated the movie dealt with some very serious subject matter and was much more of a drama than a comedy. Those two subject matters were incest and alcholism. It was much more about the incest though and I felt it did a very good job of showing how it can be very hard to tell whose telling the truth in these situations.

As much as I believed Rachel (Lindsay Lohan) when she said her stepfather molested her I also at times found myself wondering if it was true. Of course her character kept going back and forth on it but, that is often how people are at times when the truth comes out. They'd rather be seen as a liar than have people know the truth and the shame they carry even though it isn't their fault.

I really liked the impact they showed it to have on Rachel. It was different than how movies usually have characters turn out after being molested. Often they are portrayed as angry and/or introverted. Rachel on the other hand was very extroverted and an almost compulsive liar. Interesting twist was that she was very aware of her lies and admitted to doing it. She was also very sexual (as can happen to such victims) but, it was different with this character. There were times when I wondered if she was as sexual as she wanted people to believe she was or if she just portrayed herself as such to keep people away and protect herself. She definitely used her sexual presence to stay in control.

One scene I found very telling was the scene in the boat with Harlan. She was practically holding a sign up that said "screw me" with her actions but, when he touched her leg she clamped her legs shut and became the physical aggressor in the situation. Very telling of her need for control.

It was interesting to see the different reactions from Georgia (Jane Fonda) and Lilly (Felicity Huffman). Georgia looked at Rachel and basically said I'll know if you're lying or not. While Lilly came to comfront her daughter and find out why she was lying but, you just knew that deep down she knew it was true. That she was desperately hoping it was a lie. Her internal struggle was a very real portrayal of what someone in her situation would go through.



I really liked the movie and it was worth full price to me. If you go in looking for a nice drama it might be worth full price. Mostly it's probably a good discount theater or video movie. Matinee price is probably okay but, the subject matter may be a little to heavy for most people to do a matinee. It could kind of kill the rest of your day.

Rather Behind

I have not been doing such a great job of keeping up with this blog. Probably shouldn't have said I'd be doing a better job of keeping up with it just as I was getting ready to move across the country. Hopefully I will do be able to do a post the next time I go to the movie.

Where Did The Princess Go

I haven't done a post about anything I picked up at the video store. I'm bored at the moment and figured what the hell. This particular gem I actually saw like a year ago. (Side note I liked it so much I now own it.)

The movie I'm talking about is called Havoc and stars Anne Hathaway in a role that goes opposite everything she's ever done. It's an amazing performance that really did leave me asking, where did the princess go? That is a good thing to be asking though. Don't get me wrong I love The Princess Diaries and it's sequel, The Devil Wears Prada was fantastic, and Anne was good in Brokeback Mountain however I've been waiting for that one role that would really stand out. The one that would show there was more there than another pretty romantic comedy lead. The one that says she can lead a dramatic cast, and I certainly found it.

This is not an easy movie to stomach at times. It's one of those movies that makes me ask how people become so disconnected with the world around them. It's interesting how in The Princess Diaries Anne plays an outsider character looking to fit in and belong. In Havoc she plays a character who fits in, in everyway and is looking to be part of the outsider world to an extreme degree.

If you're a real fan and you're looking to see what Anne is really capable off check out Havoc. If you're on the fence about her talent then check it out too. Just remember this is not a fun family film. It's a heavy drama that features sex, drugs, and alcohol among other things.

Notes On A Scandal

My boyfriend and I went on a date last night and he let me pick the movie. Since Notes on a Scandal went wide and both Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett had just received Oscar nominations I had to pick it.

It was rather interesting. It's definitely not for everyone. I enjoyed the story. It's odd to not be completely repulsed by Cate's character I mean she was having and affair with a 15 year old boy. The loneliness of Judi's character is extremely heartbreaking. I still don't know how I feel about her character. Their performances were very good and deserving of nominations. If I were voting I'm not positive I would have nominated Judi but, I'm not opposed to her having gotten the nomination. Cate completely deserved her nomination. Academy voters do love a good tantrum by a woman so she has a good shot at the win.

This is one of those dramas that I always have trouble talking about. You really just have to see it.

Saw it for full price and it was worth it however, I think most people would be more satisfied having only paid matinee price for it.

The Hitcher

January is always such and interesting time for movies. It is a dumping ground for a lot of bad stuff especially horror. Which is pretty much what I thought this was. But, as a big Sophia Bush fan I wanted to see this movie and the previews actually looked quite good. (I have never seen the original.)

I must say the previews did not overdue it. The movie was really good. It was very well put together. Very few of those cheesy horror movie moments where you just want to smack the heroes. And there was only one gory moment which was a nice change from most horror films of late. It did scare me a couple times so that was good too.

The whole cast was great. I was extremely impressed with Sean Bean's ability to play the villian without overplaying it. He never once went into that place where you want to laugh at the bad guy for being hokey. And my number one reason for seeing this movie did not disappoint. Sophia Bush again was great. She was a strong kickass heroine. Best of all was that she wasn't strong and kick ass at first. She wasn't weak and annoying either. She was scared and just wanting to get out of the situation and she had a very defined point of no return when she was ready to do whatever she had to, to save her own life. That is not something you see a lot of lately either.

One of the problems with horror films of late as been the undifined heroine. They like to get away from one or two strong females and instead go with a whole bunch of them. Never really making one of them the strong lead rather just picking them off one by one until there's only one left who seems to have survived by luck rather than fight. I was really glad that was not the case with this movie.

I actually went to a matinee of this but, it would have been worth full price.

Freedom Writers

Yes to some this movie might look like a knock off of Dangerous Minds however, it really isn't. First it is a true story and second this story is actually quite different than the one that inspired Dangerous Minds. The lead characters are very different and came to the teaching profession in quite different ways. So if you do see this movie go in with an open mind.

Freedom Writers is a fantastic movie. It is very moving and inspirational. It also makes you want to scream at how awful our education system can be. Yes there are some bad examples of teachers in this movie. Yet, I know teachers aren't made that way they become that way thanks to a broken system. A lot of people go in with such high hopes of helping kids but, without the proper tools they can't and eventually they become jaded and either leave the profession or stay and just babysit rather than teach. This movie gives you hope that maybe there are more people out there that can find away to reach the kids.

I am always interested in anything Hilary Swank does and she again gives a top notch performance. (And you can not call yourself a true Hilary Swank fan if you don't know what movie she says, "Get out of my facial in.") The actors who make up her class are quite amazing as well.

The only real downside to this movie is that it has three places where it feels like it's the end of the movie. This kills the pacing and makes the movie drag a bit. Other than that it is a great movie and well worth the full price I paid to see it.

Black Christmas

On New Year's Day my good buddy Liz Taylor's House and I saw Black Christmas. It is a bit of a tradition for us that when we get together during the end of the year holiday season we see a horror film. We're just crazy like that.

I really wasn't expecting much from this movie since it was a remake and Liz Taylor's House said the original wasn't that great. However, we both agreed that this movie was actually quite good. We both jumped a couple times. It was put together well with the right amount of humor mixed in with the scares. Horror movies these days do have a tendancy to leave out the humor, this is always a mistake. That humor relaxes the audience and enhances the scares. And those who don't laugh at horror films are boring.

I was not that familiar with most of the cast but, they were all decent. However, I felt Oliver Hudson totally sucked. Talk about phoning it in. He never should have taken this role. Loved Lacey Chabert as always and as a huge fan of Mean Girls I absolutely loved her plastic moment. She also had probably the best one-liner of the whole movie.

Unfortunately it did have a not so great ending. They drug it out so they could do the whole leaving it open for a sequel thing. Not good at all with this one and unfortunately I just know we will probablly be getting a straight to dvd sequel in the next year. (Does anyone else remember when it was straight to video rather than straight to dvd?)

Paid full price for this movie and it was totally 100% worth the money. If you're lucky and it is still playing at a theater near you, you should check it out. If not be sure to pick it up on dvd.

A New Year

It's a new year and I'm starting fresh with a new layout as you can see. I hope you like it.

I slacked off a bit towards the end of the year. As you can tell there were no entries about the new television season. My goal is to be better all around and be more consistant with my posting.

The Queen

Saw The Queen last week. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this movie. It turned out to be very good though. The performances were all really good. Although there were a couple spots where it seemed like Helen Miren was playing a characture of the Queen. Luckily those were only brief moments and nothing that took away from the overall performance. And I do have to give her props for having the guts to play a living queen.

It really was a very interesting look at the aftermath of Princess Diana's death. I could see Helen getting a best actress nomination at the moment. There's a lot more to come this month though so that could change quickly.

It was well worth full price. If it's still playing at a theater near you I would recommend it. If not then definitely rent it when it hits video stores.

Bobby

Thanksgiving weekend I went to see Bobby. I saw it for the cast and the subject matter, and it did not disappoint on either level. Emilio Estevez did a great job with the script and the direting. It's an unbelievably timely movie. Even knowing history and what was going on back then you don't fully realize how much of the same crap is going on right now that was going on back then. The whole cast was top notch. You could tell they were all in it for the movie not themselves. Everyone had rather small parts but, no one gave off any sort of I'm the biggest assest this movie has vibe. Plus there were a couple of nice surprises in the cast. Namely Joshua Jackson.

The scene between Demi Moore and Sharon Stone was very good. That was one of those moments where ego could have ruined anything but, there was no ego in it at all. It was great seeeing a mix of actors who lived the Kennedy years (brief as they were) and the ones who only know it through their parents eyes and history books. Hopefully those younger actors will bring a younger audience in and that audience will see all the hope there once was for the future of this country. How politicians once stood up for what they believed rather than just what they thought would get them elected.

Even I who am pretty familiar with the Kennedy assassinations learned a few things about Robert's assassination from this film. However, this isn't so much a film about Robert and his assassiantion as it is the lives and hopes of those who supported him. Any looking for a movie about Robert and his life will be disappointed. It really is a movie about the affect he had on people. The affect world events were having on people. How people young and old at the time were looking to him to set the nation on the right path. It ends with his assassination. In fact there's only a couple minutes in the film in which and actor plays Robert. The rest of the time it is actual file footage of him.

The movie is both inspirational and devistating. Which only makes it an even more powerful film knowing how it will end. I don't know that it will get an Academy Award nomination for best film but I believe it deserves at least to be mentioned as a potential nominee. It absolutely 100% deserves a Screen Actors Guild nomination for best assemble. And while there really probably isn't anyone performance that stands out as worthy of an individual Oscar nominee I think Emilio should get some serious consideration for best screenplay and best director.

This movie is completely worth full price.

A Couple More

Couple more movies to catch up on.

Hollywoodland - Not a good movie. Couple decent performances by Ben Affleck and Diane Lane but, those are the only good things about the movie. There isn't enough story to make a movie out of. Sure it sounds like it would be a good movie but, once put together there just isn't a movie. I'm not even sure this is worth the money at the video store.

The Black Dahlia - Good movie. A lot of good performances and a very good story. Even though the real murder was never solved and this is based on a novel based on that murder it works really well. It had the potential to be really heavy almost too heavy but, a couple comedic scenes really lightened the whole thing up. And made the movie. A little too much back story involving one of the characters that dragged the pace down in a few places. Other than that it was good. If you didn't see it in theaters it's totally worth picking up on video.

Catch Up

I am way behind so I'm going to try and do a quick catch up. These are in no particular order.

The Quiet - Good story and a well constructed movie. Have to give tons of credit to Camilla Belle for going from being the only person in the room while delivering dialogue in When A Stranger Calls to be silent in rooms full of other people. Girl has shown a huge amount of talent and range in a matter of two films.

Running With Scissors - Didn't have high hopes for this movie. Mainly I was going to see it for the cast. And that cast did not disappoint. The movie was better than I was expecting it to be. I thought it was going to be pretty heavy on the drama but, it was actually very funny. Which was good it really wouldn't have worked as a major drama.

The Prestige - Wow good movie. I had a good chunk of stuff figured out but, not all of it. I didn't like the very end of the movie but it was still a good movie. Great performances all around. Anyone who missed this in theaters really missed a fantastic experience. Do not miss it on video.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning - I always need a horror film for Halloween and it was not going to be Saw 3. This wouldn't have been on my list of films to see if it weren't for Jordana Brewster and she did not disappoint. It's always a nice bonus when the actor or actress you go to see something for gets the best damn line of the whole movie. Truly the best moment of the whole film. The film over all was actually better than I anticipated and far more gory than I was expecting.

All The Kings Men - Good cast that was top notch. Except for James Gandolfini he over did it. The movie was okay. Night quite was I was hoping for but it was still worth viewing. It just seemed like it could be more powerful.

Okay I think that gets me caught up. At least for the most part. If I remember any other movies I'll be sure to post them.

Quinceanera

This movie wasn't exactly what I was expecting it to be but, that isn't a bad thing. It was still quite good and funnier than I expected it to be.

The story was very good and different. I really like the message it sent about how even within families you can make seperate non-traditional families.

I wasn't familiar with anyone in the cast. They all did a great job though.

I paid full price and it was worth it for me. Most people would probably want to pay matinee price. It's going to be hard for most people to find in theaters though. I do recommend checking it out on video.

The Illusionist

This movie was really good. Very well put together and the acting was pretty good. I'm really glad Jessica Biel fought to get this role. While not a huge role it is a pivotal one and it shows she is more than just a pretty face. Again I found myself wondering why people insist on giving Paul Giamatti so much work and top roles. He's not that good of an actor. Edward Norton was as good as he always is.

I don't really think it's as good as the critics seem to think it is but it is still a good movie. I paid full price and wasn't disappointed. I think most people would be okay paying that much.

And The Emmy Goes To...

So the Emmy's were pretty lame this year. I wasn't really impressed with the nominees so there were a lot of categories I didn't care much about. I actually ended up being really disappointed when Jaime Pressley didn't win. And the best part of the night was when Mariska Hargitay won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama. I really did think that award was going to Kyra Sedgewick. Although if you went just on the episodes they submitted Mariska was the person who deserved to win.

Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

It's been several weeks since I went to see this one so this won't be the most indepth review.

This movie was a lot better than I thought it would be. I saw the first one more because I liked the cast than for the movie itself and I'm always worried about sequels anyway. However, they did a fantastic job with this one. I certainly was not expecting to be as funny as it was. I laughed really hard at a lot of the movie, both the dialogue and the action.

All the actors were great. I really like that Kiera Knightly got a lot more screentime and that they didn't go insane and make her all girly-girl all of a sudden. Orlando was good again as well. And I swear Johnny Depp was even better than he was in the first one. I don't know how he manages to walk that line between good comedy and hamming it up so well. If this character was in anyone elses hands it would be awful. It would be way over the top and annoying.

The only downside to the movie was that it was a little to long. There were some action sequences that they could have cut a bit to tighten it up. Other than that it was a great movie and well worth seeing.

Paid full price and would pay that much to see it again.

Pulse

This was actually a pretty good movie, that I have to see again on account of the fact that like half the theater felt the need to talk during the movie. And don't even get me started on the guy who felt the need to whistle after every scary part. I hate when horror films get PG-13 ratings it only invites stupid people who don't really like them to go. And it keeps real fans away which hurts box office. In case any body in charge of movies out there hasn't noticed this in recent months, PG-13 ratings hurt horror movie box office. You should not be aiming for anything less than an R.

Okay as I said the movie itself was good. There were several scary parts and Kristen Bell was so on her game. One thing that I know really helped this movie was the fact that one of the people responsible for the script was Wes Craven. It's to bad he didn't direct it as well. That would have taken it from a good horror film to a great one.

Considering that I couldn't focus on the movie as much as I would have liked I'm going to skip the spoiler section.

I paid full price to see this one and it was worth it despite the annoying people. I would be willing to pay full price to see it again.

Emmy Time

With the Emmy's just around the corner I figured I better get my reaction to the nominations posted. Let me just say though how stupid the time frame for this years Emmy's is. NBC knew long before they got Sunday Night Football that they had the Emmy's this year. The NFL could have lived with one less Sunday Night game.

Over all the nominations weren't horrible but they weren't great either. The new system seemed to work a bit but not a lot. And as much as I love Veronica Mars and Gilmore Girls these shows are never going to be recognized until the producers and other executives start throwing fits like they did to get reality programming their own categories. The reason they don't get nominated is quite simple they are dramedies and until there is a third set of categories for dramedies these shows are going to find it nearly impossible to be nominated. Do I think the shows and the people in and behind them deserve nominations? Yes I do. However, I'm very realistic about this and instead of throwing fits about it I just accept what it is. Now Best Dramedy and so forth categories no nominations for them.

If you don't believe me on this subject you need look no furth than the comedy nominations this year. Where they were dominated by Desperate Housewives (also technically a dramedy) last year this year they are all about true comedies. In other words, sitcoms. With the exception of Alfre Woodard (who did not deserve a nomination) all the comedy nominations were for half hour comedies.

As far as the comedy categories go I really wasn't that thrilled with them over all. There were a few high points. Very pleased that Arrested Development scored a couple nominations. My favorite nomination for comedies has to be Stockard Channing for Out of Practice. I'm still pissed off at CBS for cancelling. My next favorite comedy nomination is Jamie Pressly for My Name Is Earl. I have been a big fan of hers since Jack & Jill. Ever since then I've kept my eye on her work and really touted how talented she is. I know people probably thought I was completely cracked at times but, now I have been proven correct.

In the drama categories. The number one thing that had to happen this year for the to be any hope for the new nominating procedures was for Kyra Sedgwick to get nominated for The Closer. And she did. Unfortunately people must not have watched the screeners for the rest of the cast or the show over all becuase I'm not sure how a couple other cast memebers got over looked. And I am a little miffed that the show didn't get nominated for best drama. I was very surprised to see Mariska Hargitay get nominated again. I really didn't think she could pull it off this season. Yes they had that episode early in the year that was designed to get her another nomination, if not the win, but those tend to backfire. And since they copped out on the ending of that episode I really thought it would hurt her. I'm glad she managed to sneak in there though. Unfortunately, odds are she'll be going home empty handed again.

I was also very pleased that Christopher Meloni finally got nominated. When I found out which episode they submitted for him I was like, yup that'll do it. Have to give the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit peopl a lot of credit. Some how they managed to go two for two in the episode designed for a nomination department.

A little upset by the fact that James Spader wasn't nominated again. Although the nomination for Candice Bergen was very nice to see. She totally deserved it.

And on one final note. The Ellen Burstyn nomination is complete and total crap. If that doesn't show the show them that there are still some serious issues and that people are voting based on name rather than work nothing will. How the hell do you get nominated for 15 seconds of screen time? Come on people snap out of it. Clearly people weren't watching their screeners to put her in the top 10. But, the real question is how did the so called blue ribbon panel decide that 15 seconds was worthy of a nomination?

Scoop

I really don't like Woody Allen and the two movies of his I had seen previously were rather boring. I was very worried about this one but figured Scarlett and Hugh would make it worth it and I was right. I was actually quite surprised at how well written and funny it was. A lot of that had to do with Scarlett's perfect delivery. It's official that girl can do anything.


Major Plot Point Ahead:


The over all story was very fun except for the part where Scarlett and Woody didn't end up figuring out who the real killer was. And while the little twist at the end where Hugh's character did kill one of the women led to a rather funny, yet obvious final moment between him and Scarlett I would have prefered he not be a killer.



I saw this at a matinee and it was well worth that price. I wouldn't have felt ripped off if I had paid full price but, because Woody annoys me so it was a better value for me at matinee.