May 17 2011
These pictures are from: Backup/Old My Pictures/Godzilla
Next week’s folder is: Backup/Old My Pictures/Insects/
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Mar 09 2011
I will be leaving the state for a few days on a photo sojourn, so the next two days of journal entries have been written and will publish automatically at 8 am on Thursday and Friday. I will not be sending out email copies of those entries until at least Sunday night, but more likely Monday morning. If you are an email subscriber and can’t wait, I suggest you go to the website on those days shortly after 8 am.
I will be Tweeting (probably not a ton, but some) on my photo sojourn, so if you are bored with your life and want to see what I’m doing on this trip, you can follow my Twitter feed:
This trip would have been a prime opportunity to play with Foursquare, but I don’t think I have time to set up an account and figure that stuff out.
Regardless, I won’t be responding to many emails, texts or phone calls in the next 4 days.
Movie – The Adjustment Bureau
Director: George Nolfi (Directorial Debut)
Writer: Geoge Nolfi (The Bourne Ultimatum, Ocean’s Twelve, The Sentinel)
Staring: Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, The Departed, The Bourne Ultimatum) and Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada, The Young Victoria, Sunshine Cleaning)
Theater – Cinemark Movies 12 – Ames, Iowa
Companion – Nader
Food – Mongolian Buffet
Intellectual Honesty
I am a big fan of Matt Damon. I have been ever since Good Will Hunting. I also favor Emily Blunt. I’ve liked her ever since The Devil Wears Prada.
Baggage
I was intrigued by this movie, but the fact that Hollywood dumps most of its disappointing movies in the early part of the year was a concern. Also, it looked like it might have been a ripoff of Inception. Source Code also looks like a ripoff of Inception.
Synopsis from IMDB
Do we control our destiny, or do unseen forces manipulate us? Matt Damon stars in the thriller The Adjustment Bureau as a man who glimpses the future Fate has planned for him and realizes he wants something else. To get it, he must pursue the only woman he’s ever loved across, under and through the streets of modern-day New York. On the brink of winning a seat in the U.S. Senate, ambitious politician David Norris (Damon) meets beautiful contemporary ballet dancer Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt)-a woman like none he’s ever known. But just as he realizes he’s falling for her, mysterious men conspire to keep the two apart. David learns he is up against the agents of Fate itself-the men of The Adjustment Bureau-who will do everything in their considerable power to prevent David and Elise from being together. In the face of overwhelming odds, he must either let her go and accept a predetermined path…
Review
I loved the beginning of this movie. I legitimately like Matt Damon and Emily Blunt enough that I would have been quite content for a straight romance movie. The conflict of running a high profile campaign for the Senate and dating somebody like Blunt’s Elise would have been more than enough conflict to make an interesting movie.
David and Elise meet in a bathroom while David is practicing his concession speech after losing his bid for the U.S. Senate because a picture of him participating in a prank at a college reunion shows up on the front pages of the NYC newspapers. His brief interaction with Elise causes him to not give the speech that was written for him.
The speech he gives is the 2nd best scene in the movie and it is the speech that I badly wish that some politician (any politician) would give in the United States.
He starts out giving the speech with a story about a rule from his own neighborhood. It wasn’t whether or not you got knocked down, but it was what you did when you got back up that mattered.
After he delivers the line he stops. Then he tells a story about a magazine article about him revealed that the number one thing that drew other people to him was that he was “authentic”. However, he didn’t feel authentic.
He then tells the truth. That wasn’t a rule in his old neighborhood. It was a line that tested well to focus groups. He didn’t pick out his tie. A consulting firm that his campaign had paid decided that he should wear red and blue ties. Then he takes off his shoe and holds it up. His campaign paid a consulting firm 7300 dollars to decide what was the correct amount of scuffing to have on his shoes. Too little scuffing makes him look like a lawyer or an investment banker and that would limit his appeal to the working class. Too much scuff on his shoes would damage his appeal to lawyers and investment bankers.
I loved this scene because it is sadly true. I was almost as excited to vote for David Norris after his speech as I was for Barack Obama, and he isn’t even real!
It was one of the best movie political speeches I’ve ever seen. It ranks right up there with the speeches from The Candidate.
The speech reminded me of Ronald Reagan a little bit. Love or hate Ronald Reagan, if you want, but I respect Ronald Reagan. The real Ronald Reagan, not the one that the Republican party has tried to make him into. The Ronald Reagan that raised taxes 11 times, granted amnesty for illegal immigrants, and signed an arms reduction treaty with the Soviet Union.
I don’t know how true this story is, but I once heard this story about Ronald Reagan and it is a large part of the reason why I respect the real Ronald Reagan.
He was having a meeting on an issue and one of his advisers brought up polling data and how certain decisions would effect his approval ratings. He told his adviser to stop. He didn’t want to know how his decision would effect his popularity. He wanted to know what decision he could make that was best for the country.
But I digress…
It is a month after this speech when David runs into Elise on a bus that the Adjustment Bureau steps into their life and tries to stop their romance from blossoming. David is told that he is never to see Elise again and that if he tells anybody about the existence of the Adjustment Bureau they will erase his brain.
It is what the Adjustment Bureau is that is probably the weakest part of the movie. The script seems to want to be very bland about who these people are and they definitely aren’t affiliated with any religion. They exist and they work for The Chairman who writes “the plan”.
This raises a large amount of issues of predestination versus free will. I come down fairly strong on the side of free will. So much so that, if I didn’t believe in free will I would view life as a completely fruitless exercise in futility. However, the movie tries to play it both ways.
Apparently these “case workers” intervened in human history from our “hunters and gatherers” stage on through the Roman Empire. Then, humans were allowed to make their own choices, but we screwed it up and that lead to the Dark Ages. This caused them to intervene again, but they stopped intervening in 1910. But had to start intervening again because we were going to blow ourselves up during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
However, humans can try to make their own decisions but if it messes with the Plan, then the Adjustment Bureau adjusts your decisions to get you back on the plan.
David doesn’t give up on his dream of Elise and years later “chance” throws them together for a third time. This leads to what I consider the best scene in the movie where David tells Elise the full story of why he got into politics. It is a story about how he was bottoming out after his mom and brother died a month apart when he was a teenager. The scene ends with what I personally consider some of the most magical words in the English language: “I’ve never told anybody that before.”
For the record, that is considerably different than “don’t tell anybody else this.”
The Adjustment Bureau tries again to break them up using tactics that do raise interesting moral questions.
“Would you stay with the person you loved if you knew it was going to be bad for you?”
I think that is a very easy question to answer, but the next question is much harder to answer:
“Would you stay with the person you loved if you knew it was going to be bad for them?”
Even though I think the movie ducked some questions and its history of the world interpretation is very spotty at best, I did enjoy this movie. In fact, when I initially left the theater I left thinking it was just kind of average. But the more I think about it, the more I like the movie. Yes I found the ending a little frustrating and the mechanics of the Adjustment Bureau a little lame, but everything else more than countered my qualms.
Rating
3.5/5.0 Caramels
Buy on DVD
Yes I will.
2011 Ranking
Currently number one. Although admittedly the competition hasn’t been too stiff.
Bonus Information
There was a preview for the movie The Conspirator that looks really interesting.
Up Next
Most likely Cedar Rapids. For real this time.
Mar 02 2011
EDITOR’S NOTE: SINCE THE ORIGINAL PUBLICATION OF THIS BLOG IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT MONICA AND JEFF WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DELICIOUS FRUIT PIZZA. MY APOLOGIES FOR GIVING THE CREDIT TO DERRICK.
Movie – Hall Pass
Director: Bobby and Peter Farrelly (Dumb & Dumber, Kingpin, There’s Something About Mary)
Writer: Pete Jones, Peter Farrelly, Kevin Barnett, Bobby Farrelly
Starring: Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers, The Royal Tenenbaums, Marley & Me), Jason Sudeikis (Going the Distance, What Happens in Vegas), Jenna Fischer (The Office, Blades of Glory, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story), Christina Applegate (Anchorman, Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, Married with Children)
Theater – Cinemark Movies 12 – Ames, Iowa
Companion – Nader
Food – Okoboji Grill
Intellectual Honesty
I like Jenna Fischer. I thought that the trailer looked funny.
Baggage
Owen Wilson is pretty much always terrible unless he is in a Wes Anderson movie. The Farrelly brothers movies have been pretty blah since There’s Something About Mary.
Synopsis from IMDB
A married man is granted the opportunity to have an affair by his wife. Joined in the fun by his best pal, things get a little out of control when both wives start engaging in extramarital activities as well.
Review
Let’s face it, there really isn’t much to say about this movie. If you take out the Kathy Griffin jokes at the end of the movie, almost all the funniest parts are in the trailer.
Save the money and the time and watch the trailer.
Rating
1.5/5.0 Caramels
Buy on DVD
Nope.
2011 Ranking
I’ve seen two 2011 movies. It is the 2nd best. The other one I saw (The Dilemna) was nothing special either.
Bonus Information
I saw previews for several movies. They all look terrible. Thor. Cowboys & Aliens. The Hangover Part II. I wonder if Hollywood is even trying this year.
I got an email from Russell referring to me as Movie Man and asking kindly if he could get my opinions on the Oscars or if he would have to wait for a journal entry.
Since most people don’t possess the bravery of Russell, I’ll just paraphrase the email I sent to him about my Oscar experience.
I can’t complain about most categories besides Best Picture and Best Director.
Some of the people I was rooting for didn’t win (Michelle Williams and James Franco), but I can’t really argue with giving the Oscar to Natalie Portman and Colin Firth.
I was sad to see Randy Newman get an Oscar, but this was a pretty weak year for Original Song.
I prefer How to Train Your Dragon over Toy Story 3, but I knew that was a lost cause.
The King’s Speech is kind of a glorified made for TV movie with two exceptional performances.
It is a good movie, but not the best movie of the year. That was clearly The Social Network, but what I think happened is that the older members of the Academy just didn’t get The Social Network and they swung the vote for the much safer The King’s Speech.
Because of the type of movie he makes, I hope this wasn’t David Fincher’s last chance at an Oscar. But if it was, he’ll be in good company. Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick and Orson Welles never won an Oscar (for director). However, one Alfred Hitchcock movie did win Best Picture. Rebecca if you really must know.
I was glad that The Kids are All Right didn’t win anything, but now I’m also having to re-watch it to figure out if I think the daughter in the movie is a lesbian or not. I was glad that Jeff Bridges didn’t win. Mumbling is not acting.
I would have been happy to see Amy Adams win, but I freely confess that Melissa Leo was better than her.
The Oscar Party I attended was successful and I had lots and lots of very tasty food. Derrick made some kind of shrimp and cream cheese dip kind of thing that was phenomenal. Plus he made fruit pizza, which is one of my all-time favorite foods. Plus Derrick also made a mean batch of little smokies. There was soup there as well, but I forgot to sample its undoubtable goodness.
I got to give Nader a ride in Jill’s Solstice and this seemed to be one of the biggest thrills of his life, so that was a bonus as well.
I don’t know that I really have an opinion on any of the speeches because truthfully I didn’t really pay much attention to any of them.
Everybody at the gathering seemed to agree that Kirk Douglas’ presentation was painful to sit through. I love you Spartacus, but that was almost as bad as watching Dick Clark on New Year’s.
I don’t have much of an opinion on the hosts. They weren’t so terrible that I noticed them, but they weren’t so funny that I’m dying to have them back. Jay seemed to like them. He said it was the best Oscars he had ever seen. I definitely wouldn’t go that far.
As far as fashion goes, I don’t really have opinions on fashion. So I will relay to you what the fashion expert Jill liked. She liked some of Anne Hathaway’s outfits. I can’t really remember which ones. She didn’t like the Black Swan looking one or the one blue one that looked like it was made of vinyl or the one that she was wearing at the end that made her look borderline naked. She did like Amy Adams’ bluish-sparkly dress. That is all I can recall of fashion conversations.
On an unrelated fashion note, Evie wore pajamas with guitars on them. They were clearly the fashion hit of the evening.
We also watched a little bit of Freakonomics afterward. I wanted Jen to watch it so I could show her the part on whether or not what you name your children has any effect on whether or not they are successful in life. It reminded me of her job.
More Bonus Information
I’ve been messing around with the website and I have added a few little dodads that you should checkout. For example all the pages except the home page have sidebars now. I’m still tinkering with the sidebars, but they currently include links to the last 5 Journal entries and the last 5 pictures I’ve uploaded to the Artistic Gallery. The header now changes as well. Although at this time, there are only two headers. There will be more in the future. I’ve also widened the website so that it looks better on widescreen monitors. I’ve also changed the menu system, but you probably won’t notice any changes in that respect. I’m sure I’m not done tinkering, but those are the recent changes.
Feb 27 2011
I thought it wouldn’t hurt to give some predictions on tonight’s Academy Awards. At least the categories that I think I can write semi-competently about.
Adapted Screenplay
The nominees are…
I have seen all 5 of these movies and read none of the source material.
I want to win: The Social Network. This is the most brilliant script of the year. Adapted or otherwise.
I think will win: The Social Network. I repeat, the most brilliant script of the year.
Original Screenplay
The nominees are…
I have seen all the nominees except for Another Year.
I want to win: The Fighter. Although Inception is my favorite of the nominees, The Fighter brings to life better characters. Although the script isn’t without its flaws.
I think will win: The King’s Speech. Even though it isn’t one of my favorite movies from this year, it is a solid script that centers around 2 very interesting characters.
Documentary Feature
The nominees are…
I have not seen Inside Job or Waste Land.
I want to win: Gasland. Flammable water. That is all I need to say.
I think will win: Restrepo. War documentaries seem to do well in this category and this is well-done.
Animated Feature
The nominees are…
I have seen all 3 nominees.
I want to win: How to Train Your Dragon. I think this movie is the funniest and best of the 3. I admit to being partial to dragon movies.
I think will win: Toy Story 3. They might as well just retire this category and give the award to Pixar every year. Toy Story 3 is nominated for Best Picture and the other 2 are not.
Supporting Actress
The nominees are…
I have seen 4 of 5 nominees. I have not seen Animal Kingdom.
I want to win: Melissa Leo. That is hard for me to say, since I think everybody knows my favorite actress is Amy Adams, but I have to confess that Melissa Leo is even better than her in this movie.
I think will win: Melissa Leo. Although there is potential to split The Fighter votes, I still think Leo will win. It still annoys me that Hailee Steinfeld is in the Supporting Actress category, when she clearly should be nominated for Best Actress.
Supporting Actor
The nominees are…
I have seen all 5 nominees.
I want to win: Christian Bale. Even though I want to hate Christian Bale he is tremendous in this role. There are some great performances by the other nominees, but I think this is the biggest no-brainer category of this year.
I think will win: Christian Bale. Any other year, Geoffrey Rush would have won this category. He chose a bad year to have his best performance since Shine.
Leading Actress
The nominees are…
I have seen 4 of the 5 nominees. I have not seen Rabbit Hole.
I want to win: Michelle Williams. I think she had the most interesting performance of the year, but the nomination was the award for her. I would also like to see Jennifer Lawrence win. She gave a pretty amazing performance for somebody who’s biggest accomplishment before this was being on The Bill Engvall Show.
I think will win: Natalie Portman. There is no denying that her performance is great.
Leading Actor
The nominees are…
I have seen 4 of the 5 nominees. I have not seen Biutiful.
I want to win: James Franco. Eisenberg is great. I have no clue why Jeff Bridges is even nominated. I didn’t know that mumbling was considered great acting. Franco’s was my favorite performance and he spent most of the movie trapped under a rock.
I think will win: Colin Firth. As much as I hate royalty, Firth is pretty amazing as the king with the stuttering problem. Oscars frequently go to actors portraying people with a disability. This is the only 1 of the 5 performances that involves a disability, unless Rooster Cogburn is suffering from a disability that doesn’t allow him to enunciate words properly.
Directing
The nominees are…
I have seen all 5 nominees.
I want to win: The Social Network. David Fincher is one of my favorite directors and I felt that he was in a little bit of a slump. He hit the ball out of the park with The Social Network.
I think will win: I just can’t imagine a world where The Social Network doesn’t win this award.
Best Picture
The nominees are…
I’ve seen all 10 nominees.
I want to win: The Social Network. It is the most complete well-rounded movie of the year. It is my favorite movie of the year and it is also the most entertaining.
I think will win: The Social Network. It is the most original movie of the year, so that works against it slightly. However, I think the Academy has done a pretty good job in the last few years getting this category right. I have full faith that they will get it right again.
That is it for my preview. Enjoy the Oscars!
Feb 16 2011
Movie – The Illusionist
Director: Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville)
Writers: Jacques Tati and Sylvain Chomet
Starring: Jean-Claude Donda and Eilidh Rankin
Theater – Fleur Cinema – Des Moines, Iowa
Companion – Nader
Food – China One International Buffet
Intellectual Honesty
I don’t know that I brought any positive inclinations into the theater with me. I’m not overly familiar with anybody involved in this movie. Although I was excited to see a traditionally animated movie again.
Baggage
I am painting this with a very broad brush here, but I don’t really enjoy foreign animated movies. I enjoy foreign live action films, but have never really liked a foreign animated film with the exception of Persepolis. In particular, I can’t stomach anime. Literally. I get sick watching anime. The Illusionist is a French film, like Persepolis, so it had that going for it.
Synopsis from IMDB
Details the story of a dying breed of stage entertainer whose thunder is being stolen by emerging rock stars. Forced to accept increasingly obscure assignments in fringe theaters, garden parties and bars, he meets a young fan who changes his life forever.
Review
I go to about 30 movies a year with Nader. Maybe more. He is awake for about 10% of them. This is the 2nd time we have been down to The Fleur to see a movie and the 2nd time that he has fallen asleep before the movie even started. This time, I kind of wished I could have joined him in grabbing some shuteye.
Although there are times that this movie is beautiful to look at (particularly), it is mostly just boring.
The Illusionist is followed around by a girl that thinks he is actually a magician. Even though she is extremely poor, she becomes very materialistic very fast. She thinks that The Illusionist is making the things she want appear magically, but in actuality he is buying the things and then making them appear through illusions. Then she keeps wanting more.
This is a French film and it is presented without subtitles. However, there is hardly any dialogue in the the entire film, so not being able to understand what little dialogue there is, doesn’t really hurt the movie. It isn’t necessary for understanding it.
The movie just feels very deliberately paced and what does happen might seem whimsical to some viewers, it just left me wanting more of a plot than an entertainer watching his job disappear before him trying desperately to cling to his last audience member.
The ending is also incredibly depressing. That isn’t a criticism. I can handle depressing endings, but considering how bored I was for the first 75 minutes of the movie, I didn’t need to be depressed for the last 5.
Although I could relate to The Illusionist’s plight of owning a rabbit that hates him.
Rating
2.5/5.0 Caramels
Buy on DVD
No chance.
2010 Ranking
Dead last of the animated films I’ve seen. I think Despicable Me probably deserves the Oscar nomination that this movie holds.
Bonus Information
On Tuesday Waiting for Superman came out on DVD. If you have even a passing interest in what is laughingly referred to as the education system in this country you should run to your nearest video store and pick up a copy of this movie. It is not nominated for Best Documentary and that is the greatest travesty of the Oscar nominations.
Waiting for Superman nails it on the head what is wrong with our educational system (hint: bad teachers and teacher’s unions) and it will tear your heart out watching our nation’s youth being reduced to gambling (yes, that is what a lottery is) for a chance at going to a decent school and therefore a decent life.
The stakes are really that high. Win a charter school lottery and get to attend a school that is a feeder system for colleges OR lose the lottery and attend a school that is a feeder for our much better funded prison system.
Although I would strongly urge you to watch it by any means necessary (short of theft, looking at you pirates) it is definitely worth buying. Why? In addition to being a great movie, the Blu-Ray (I don’t know about the DVD, I’ve kind of evolved) comes with a 25 dollar donation to the local public school of your choice. In a way, you are getting your money back.
For more information, go to the Waiting for Superman website: http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/
Feb 09 2011
Movie – Exit Through the Gift Shop
Director: Banksy
Starring: Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Thierry Guetta, Space Invader and Rhys Ifans
Theater – Bennett’s Union Street Theater – Boone, Iowa
Companion – Flying Solo
Food – I had dinner with Nader at Mongolian Buffet.
Intellectual Honesty & Baggage
Sometimes I feel that I’m the only person I know that LOVES documentaries. One of my all-time favorite movies is Born into Brothels and I can barely get anybody else to touch the DVD case, let alone actually watch it. Usually when I try to suggest watching a documentary to somebody else, they act like I asked them to sit through 90 minutes of riding the lightning.
For the most part I’ve given up on trying to get anybody else to watch a documentary with me. I say “for the most part” because I’m not a quitter. I just don’t get why most people hate documentaries. The world is just an extremely fascinating place, I don’t know why people don’t want to learn more about it.
I know most documentaries tend to make people angry or sad, (besides the sickest bastards in the world, who wants to watch the Japanese chop up a bunch of dolphins) but they are also so enlightening. If they are done properly.
True the most famous documentaries are usually thinly veiled propaganda, but even the works of Michael Moore are educational if you are intelligent enough to be able to sift the gold from the muck.
Synopsis from IMDB
The story of how an eccentric French shop keeper and amateur film maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner. The film contains footage of Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Invader and many of the world’s most infamous graffiti artists at work.
Review
I admittedly live in very small town Iowa. My exposure to street art is very limited, but even I am familiar with and appreciate the work of Banksy. I am familiar with Shepard Fairey because he created the single most iconic image of the last at least 20 years: The Obama Hope Poster. But I knew nothing of any of the other street artists in the movie.
However, the movie does a very good job of introducing the viewer to the world of street art, before it really starts to focus on its subject Thierry Guetta.
Guetta follows around many of the most preeminent street artists in the world filming them under the pretense that he is making a documentary, but it seems that he doesn’t really have any intention of making a movie. He just films everything that he does.
Eventually he ends up in Banksy’s fold. Eventually Banksy pushes him to make his movie, but when Banksy see the finished project he realizes it is a complete disaster. He sends Guetta home to work on his art and remakes the movie himself.
What Guetta does when he gets home is a little mindblowing, but not in a good way.
I’ll give you this much of a clue. A long time ago Jill loaned me the movie Factory Girl. Factory Girl follows the story of Edie Segwick, a socialite that falls into Andy Warhol’s flock. Edie’s father is a complete piece of garbage that sexually molested Edie when she was young and dumped her into a mental institution when she walked in on him having an affair with their neighbor.
However, during one scene in the movie he is having dinner with Edie and Warhol and says the most spot on thing to Warhol:
“You’re really more of a print-maker than an artist, aren’t you?”
That is what I would say to Guetta if I ever met him.
This is a very well crafted movie and follows some very fascinating people. The end of the movie is actually a brilliant statement on our culture’s ability to buy into hype over talent. Although I’m sure there are some that would call me an elitist for thinking that way.
If I could get somebody else to watch a documentary out there, I would highly recommend this flick. It is on Netflix and is available on DVD.
Rating
4.0/5.0 Caramels
Buy on DVD
Probably not. I have it on Netflix, so I can watch it any time I want.
2010 Ranking
Number 10. It knocks True Grit out of the Top Ten.
Bonus Information
Since both Ames and Des Moines have decided to not bring any new movies worth seeing to their collective theaters, I just had dinner with Nader on Tuesday night and went home and decided to start getting caught up on my Oscar nominated Documentaries.
Movie – Restrepo
Directors: Tim Hetherington & Sebastian Junger
Theater – Bennett’s Union Street Theater – Boone, Iowa
Companion – Flying Solo
Food – I had supper at my Mom’s with Alexis, Johnathan and Jason before I watched this movie. She made Salisbury Steak and mashed potatoes and gravy. It was awesome!
Intellectual Honesty
I am a fan of Sebastian Junger’s writings. I was very legitimately excited about seeing this movie as soon as I heard about it.
Baggage
I’m not a big military guy. I understand the reason for the military’s existence, but I don’t get all excited when talking about the military like many of the men I know do.
Synopsis from IMDB
Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington’s year dug in with the Second Platoon in one of Afghanistan’s most strategically crucial valleys reveals extraordinary insight into the surreal combination of back breaking labor, deadly firefights, and camaraderie as the soldiers painfully push back the Taliban.
Review
One of the reasons I was excited to see this movie is that it is supposed to be a very neutral portrayal of the war in Afghanistan. I had read an interview by the filmmakers about how both sides of the political spectrum had attacked this movie for being too pro-war or too anti-war.
If both sides were attacking the movie, I figured it must be fair and balanced. I mean legitimately fair and balanced, not like how FoxNews is fair and balanced, using the words like some kind of extremely ironic tagline that they themselves are privately surprised that they have the balls to use in public.
I come from more of the war is “old-men-talking-and-young-men-dying” frame of mind rather than the “war!-what-is-it-good-for?-absolutely-nothing-except-ending-slavery-and-stopping-Hitler” frame of mind.
Because of that, when I watched this movie, I saw more of the anti-war side of the story. Even though, this isn’t what the movie is trying to do. It just covers one platoon for one year and shows the facts. But in my mind, it is rather clear that the facts are that war sucks!
When I turned the movie off, I could only feel bad for these young men that they had to be put through this because of our glaring foreign relation mistakes since… probably since the end of WWII.
It is an interesting movie and it is graphic in its depiction of war, so there are definitely scenes that aren’t for the faint of heart. But I would highly recommend it because it is a view of the war you won’t see on any news network.
It doesn’t preach one side or the other. Which is very refreshing.
I would probably rate it higher, but there are moments where the movie drags on a little bit.
Rating
3.5/5.0 Caramels
Buy on DVD
No need, I can watch it on Netflix anytime I want. Although I might buy the corresponding book.
2010 Ranking
I would put it just outside of my Top Ten.
Bonus Information
Looks like Ames is bringing in only a steaming pile of poo for movies again this week: Just Go With It, Just Beiber: Never Say Never and Gnomeo and Juliet, I would have to be paid and paid well to endure any of those movies. Looks like I’ll be watching more documentaries next Tuesday as well.
Feb 08 2011
These pictures are from: backup/Old My Pictures/ Animals
In retrospect, I don’t know why I named this folder Animals. There aren’t that many animal pictures in it. I guess I must have considered it witty at the time.
For my 30th Birthday Party, I talked Andy and Jesse into dressing up like Sandmen from Logan’s Run and posing for pictures all over the awe-inspiring beauty of the Iowa State University campus. Jay was the photographer. I really need to watch Logan’s Run again sometime.
Next week’s look at the archives will be: backup/Old My Pictures/Backgrounds
Still another week before I have to come up with a good excuse for the Beaver Machete Massacre Project.
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Feb 02 2011
Director: Danny Boyle (Slum Dog Millionaire, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later…)
Writer: Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Slumdog Millionaire)
Starring: James Franco (Spider-Man, Milk, Howl), Kate Mara (Shooter, Iron Man 2, We Are Marshall), and Amber Tamblyn (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Ring, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt)
Theater – Cinemark Movies 12 – Ames, Iowa
Companion – Nader
Food – King Buffet
Intellectual Honesty
I am a big fan of Danny Boyle. I think he is one of the most innovative filmmakers currently working and his movies are always interesting. 28 Days Later… is about the only straight zombie movie I can stomach. Slumdog Millionaire is one of the best and most inspiring movies of the last 10 years. The scene in Trainspotting with the baby (if you’ve seen Trainspotting you know what I’m talking about) haunts me to this day.
I’m not overly familiar with Simon Beaufoy, but after seeing his credits, I’m going to have to keep an eye on him.
I like James Franco, but he never seems to get a big enough role in his movies.
I’ve been a big fan of Amber Tamblyn ever since Joan of Arcadia. That is one of my all-time favorite shows that nobody else has ever seen, from when I used to watch television. Although bringing her up in the context of this movie is fairly pointless. Nobody but Franco is in this movie for more than a couple minutes.
Baggage
I think the only negative I brought into this movie was that I knew how it ended already. Thanks Willy! Thanks for nothing that is…
I guess considering there was a blizzard going on outside, I had some worries that I would make it out of the parking lot after the movie. If I was able to get out of the parking lot, would I be able to get home. If I was able to get home, would I be able to get home in time for my scheduled phone conversation with Jill.
Synopsis from IMDB
127 Hours is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston’s remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah. Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65 foot wall and hike over eight miles before he is finally rescued. Throughout his journey, Ralston recalls friends, lovers, family, and the two hikers he met before his accident. Will they be the last two people he ever had the chance to meet?
Review
Two things.
Number one, this is a really, really good movie.
Number two, I’m not sure if I could ever watch it again.
Although I was impressed with Colin Firth’s portrayal of an inbred loser with a stammering problem in The King’s Speech and I’m pretty sure he will win the Oscar, I will now be rooting for Franco and his portrayal of a rock climber/adventurer (Aron Ralston) who gets trapped when a boulder falls on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah.
Franco essentially is this movie. After he parts company with two other hikers (Mara and Tamblyn) the rest of the movie is essentially him. For most of the movie he is essentially trapped by a rock and can’t even move. Despite this fact, the movie is never remotely boring. The movie bounces between Ralston’s attempts to free himself from the rock and his thoughts about his life and the mistakes he made that led him to this position and fantasies about partying with the two hikers that were the last people to see him, possibly alive.
Ralston carries a video camera with him and some of the best scenes in the film are when he is filming his goodbye to his parents and his sisters.
Although I’m sure most people know how this movie ends, I don’t want to give it away to the few people that don’t know. The reason why I’m not sure I could ever watch this movie again is because of the brutality in the scene where he does get himself free.
I don’t consider myself to be a squeamish person, but I could barely force myself to watch the movie screen during this scene.
On a less grotesque point of the movie, the canyons of Utah are filmed absolutely beautifully. It is an absolutely beautiful movie to look at.
It is a great movie with a great performance, so my only real complaint would be that sometimes the style of the movie overwhelms the story and I fear that at some point in the future will make this film feel dated.
Rating
4.0/5.0 Caramels
Buy on DVD
Honestly, I don’t know. I write now that I don’t know if I could ever watch this film again, but when this movie comes out on DVD, I’ll probably be buying it in the 2-Disc Special Edition, if there is a 2-Disc Special Edition.
2010 Ranking
I rank it as #3.
Here is my current Top Ten of 2010 (Subject to change on a whim)
1. The Social Network
2. Inception
3. 127 Hours
4. The Fighter
5. Hereafter
6. How to Train Your Dragon
7. Black Swan
8. Winter’s Bone
9. The King’s Speech
10. True Grit
Bonus Information
When we ate at King Buffet, we were the only people in the restaurant. The theater was mostly empty. If you eliminated the Oklahoma State Woman’s Basketball Team, the theater was practically vacant.
After get outside into the weather, I decided it was prudent to just stay in Ames, so I crashed at Jen and Derrick’s. Thanks to them for having an extremely comfortable guest bed!
I saw the trailer to Cedar Rapids. It looks pretty funny.
Up Next
Looks like Ames in only bringing in garbage next week, so a trip down to Jordan Creek to see Biutiful might be in order.
Jan 26 2011
Movie – Blue Valentine
Director: Derek Cianfrance (Brother Tied)
Writers: Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne, and Joey Curtis
Starring: Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain, Shutter Island, Halloween H20) and Ryan Gosling (Lars and the Real Girl, Half Nelson, Remember the Titans)
Theater – AMC Southdale 16 – Edina, Minnesota
Companion – Jill
Food – Ruby Tuesday
Intellectual Honesty
I don’t think I have anything to disclose. I like Ryan Gosling, after I forgave him for The Notebook, but I’m not a huge fan. I like Michelle Williams, but I’m not a huge fan.
Baggage
I don’t think I brought any with me. This is essentially the director’s first movie. There aren’t any actors in the movie that I dislike.
Synopsis from IMDB
The film centers on a contemporary married couple, charting their evolution over a span of years by cross-cutting between time periods.
Review
For starters, I’m disappointed that the IMDB could only spit out that pathetic synopsis. I am terrible at writing plot summaries, but I’ll give it a shot:
The movie follows the beginning of the relationship of Dean (Gosling) and Cindy (Williams) and the end of their relationship in a nonlinear timeline. Beginning when Dean spots Cindy at a nursing home while working a moving job and ultimately finishing when they get away for a romantic weekend at a room themed motel.
I have admittedly struggled with processing this movie. I’d like to think that is pretty rare for me. I think I struggled with this movie because it took me so long to figure out who was the “bad guy” in the movie and that statement isn’t even accurate. Like in real life, when a relationship goes sour, it isn’t one person’s fault, but it is usually more one person’s fault than the other. It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that Dean was more to blame than Cindy. That is because at the beginning of the relationship, Cindy might have been using Dean more than loving Dean.
I think part of this is because I was stuck on thinking that the following line uttered by Dean to a co-worker was supposed to be the essence of the movie:
I feel like men are more romantic than women. When we get married we marry, like, one girl, ’cause we’re resistant the whole way until we meet one girl and we think I’d be an idiot if I didn’t marry this girl she’s so great. But it seems like girls get to a place where they just kinda pick the best option… ‘Oh he’s got a good job.’ I mean they spend their whole life looking for Prince Charming and then they marry the guy who’s got a good job and is gonna stick around.
It isn’t the essence of the movie though. It is the essence of the beginning of their relationship.
Cindy doesn’t respond to Dean’s advances at first. Then when her boyfriend gets her pregnant by messing up their birth control “system”, she leaves him and finally Dean wears her down with his persistence and his cute little song.
When he finds out she is pregnant he goes with her to have the abortion. When she backs out of the abortion he marries her and raises the child as his own.
The film shows the beginning of the relationship where Dean is extremely caring and loving. The film shows the end of the relationship where Dean has descended into alcoholism and he has become increasingly controlling. My main complaint with the movie is that we never really get to see the middle. What turned Dean from the charismatic likable guy at the beginning of the movie to the shell of a man he is at the end?
I guess the truth could be that he never really changes. Perhaps it is only our perception and Cindy’s perception of him that changes. This is a movie that is definitely worthy of a 2nd look and it needs more thinking about.
The performances by Williams and Gosling are both brilliant. Williams is very deserving of her Oscar nomination for her portrayal of a woman unsure about what to do about her relationship. I hope she wins the award, even though I’m sure Natalie Portman is a lock for Black Swan. I would have liked to have seen Gosling nominated instead of Jeff Bridges for True Grit, but I’m guessing that he might have missed out on the nomination because there are similarities to this character and his Oscar nominated performance in Half Nelson.
Rating
3.5/5.0 Caramels
Buy on DVD
I’m slightly leaning towards buying it.
2010 Ranking
After viewing it, I’m ranking it number 10. Although like Black Swan, its stock could raise the more I dwell on this movie.
Bonus Information
If you have a smartphone, I highly recommend the Flixster app if you like movies at all. Earlier in the week Jill and I had discussed seeing How Do You Know, but she couldn’t find it playing anywhere in the Twin Cities. With this app, I was able to find that it was indeed playing at 1 movie theater in Apple Valley. Jill worried that this was too far from Oakdale, but with this app we were able to look at every movie that was playing with in a 50 mile radius and we found Blue Valentine. A movie she wanted to see, but didn’t even realize it was out yet.
On the slightly negative side, I wasn’t able to find an app that was very effective in finding a restaurant in the area. So we ended up at Ruby Tuesday. That kind of violates my rules against eating at corporate restaurants, but I’ve never eaten at a Ruby Tuesday before, so it worked out. Although, my burger was tasty, Jill had an unfortunate experience with a salad.
Worry not good people, for it has already been decided that next time we will be eating at Fat Lorenzo’s. I also found a decent restaurant finding app, for other circumstances, but that is a secret since Jill has falsely accused me of being obsessed with my phone.
Movie – The King’s Speech
Director: Tom Hooper (The Damn United, John Adams)
Writer: David Seidler (Tucker: The Man and His Dream, Quest for Camelot)
Starring: Colin Firth (The English Patient, Love Actually, Pride and Prejudice), Geoffrey Rush (Shine, Shakespeare in Love, Les Miserables), and Helena Bonham Carter (Fight Club, Sweeney Todd, Hamlet)
Theater – Fleur Cinema – Des Moines, Iowa
Companion – Nader
Food – Ted’s Coney Island
Intellectual Honesty
I do love Helena Bonham Carter. I don’t know many actresses that play her range of completely psychotic chick to future Queen of England (not that underneath everything the Queen of England probably isn’t a completely psychotic chick) so effortlessly. I always consider it a good sign when there is only 1 writer listed in the credits. The less writers the better. Even if their most recent screen credit was something called Kung Fu Killer.
Baggage
I don’t like royalty in real life. I don’t like royalty in the cinema. If you have to have royalty, my favorite kind is with their head on a pike be carried by an angry mob. I don’t respect countries that have royalty. I particularly don’t respect countries that have royalty that only have ceremonial duties.
I was pretty sure that Colin Firth’s performance was overhyped.
Synopsis from IMDB
Tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George (‘Bertie’) reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stammer and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.
Review
First things first. The accolades for Colin Firth’s performance as a man struggling to deal with a speech impediment are well deserved. I have no doubt that he will walk away with the Oscar and deserve it.
Nearly as great is Rush’s performance as the eccentric speech therapist that help the future King of England work through his stammering and his childhood traumas. He won’t get the Oscar because Christian Bale will deservedly walk away with that trophy, but Rush certainly deserves his nomination.
Helena Bonham Carter as Bertie’s wife, but I don’t know if there is anything particularly spectacular in her performance.
As far as movie royals go, these royals are tolerable. Yes, the movie would have been improved if at the end a mob of angry peasant would have broken in and cut off Bertie’s head and paraded it around the streets of London, but it wouldn’t have been historically accurate and I’m not sure it would have helped them fight the Nazis.
Perhaps that is where I struggle most with this movie. Bertie and Lionel are fascinating characters, but I don’t really think that if Bertie would have struggled through his big speech, the Nazis would have defeated England. At the end of the day he is still a figurehead.
Another thing that troubled me with the movie was the demonization of Wallis Simpson. I understand that she wasn’t the greatest human being in the world. She was definitely a Nazi sympathizer and a racist. There is even some evidence that she might have leaked information to the Nazis as well.
However, in this movie her greatest crime seems to be that she is American and even worse, a commoner. The movie has no sympathy for Guy Pearce’s King Edward VIII and his decision to give up the throne for the woman he loves. On more than one occasion the film suggest that the more correct course of action would have been just to use the woman he loved as a mistress rather than have her as a wife.
When he abdicates his throne to be with her, it is seen as an act of cowardice rather than love.
Particularly annoying is when Carter’s Elizabeth is upset that she is received by a commoner rather than the King. It would have been the perfect time for a mob of angry peasants screaming “Off with their heads!” to have broken into the room.
My personal problems with the conflicts in the movie aside, this movie is really well done and it is one of the best movies of the year. It is particularly great in the scenes with just Bertie and Lionel.
My only other real complaint is Timothy Spall’s portrayal of Winston Churchill. He comes off more like the Batman villain Penguin than Winston Churchill. It is very distracting.
Rating
4.0/5.0 Caramels
Buy on DVD
Not likely, unless there is an alternate ending with… well you know what I want to see!
2010 Ranking
#5.
Bonus Information
It was exciting to introduce Nader to the greatness of Ted’s Coney Island. On the way home, we listened to true royalty: Elvis Presley.
Up Next
Looks like 127 Hours is next in the hopper.
Jan 25 2011
Just a few quick thoughts on the Oscar Nominations…
Heading into this morning, here is my list of the Top Ten Movies of 2010 (based on what I’ve seen):
1. The Social Network
2. Inception
3. The Fighter
4. Hereafter
5. How to Train Your Dragon
6. Winter’s Bone
7. Black Swan
8. True Grit
9. Toy Story 3
10. Blue Valentine
I have not seen the following movies, but I think they have the potential of cracking the Top Ten:
Tamara Drewe
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
Never Let Me Go
Get Low
Somewhere
Biutiful
Waiting for Superman
Resterepo
Inside Job
Here are the nominees for the most well-known categories… (the movie in italics I have seen) Movies available on DVD are noted.
Best Motion Picture
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception (DVD)
The Kids Are All Right (DVD)
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network (DVD)
Toy Story 3 (DVD)
True Grit
Winter’s Bone (DVD)
Thoughts…
I would have rather seen How to Train Your Dragon nominated. When I noted that Black Swan was the most overrated movie of 2010, it was because I had forgotten about The Kids Are All Right.
Director
Daren Aronofsky – Black Swan
The Fighter – David O. Russell
The King’s Speech – Tom Hooper
The Social Network – David Fincher (DVD)
True Grit – Joel and Ethan Coen
Thoughts…
David Fincher is one of my favorite directors, so I hope he wins. I’m a little bit disappointed Christopher Nolan isn’t nominated.
Best Actor
Javier Bardem – Biutiful
Jeff Bridges – True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network (DVD)
Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
James Franco – 127 Hours
Thoughts…
I’ve only seen two of these performances, but Colin Firth is supposed to be a lock to win this category. I would be shocked if Jeff Bridges won for the same role that gave John Wayne his Oscar.
Supporting Actor
Christian Bale – The Fighter
John Hawkes – Winter’s Bone (DVD)
Jeremy Renner – The Town (DVD)
Mark Ruffalo – The Kids Are All Right (DVD)
Geoffrey Rush – The King’s Speech
Thoughts…
This is a lock for Christian Bale. He is incredible in The Fighter.
Best Actress
Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right (DVD)
Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone (DVD)
Natalie Portman – Black Swan
Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine
Thoughts…
I would really like to see Michelle Williams win, but more on that in tomorrow’s review of Blue Valentine. I think Jennifer Lawrence is also very deserving, but I’m pretty sure Natalie Portman will win. I’ll be happy if anybody but Annette Bening wins for the terribly overrated The Kids Are All Right.
Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams – The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech
Melissa Leo – The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit
Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom (DVD)
Thoughts…
I think everybody knows that Amy Adams in my 2nd favorite actress in the world, but even I think that Melissa Leo is more deserving of this Oscar. Hailee Steinfeld is also very deserving, but you will have to explain to me how somebody that is in virtually every scene in a movie is in a “supporting role”.
Best Animated Film
How to Train Your Dragon (DVD)
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3 (DVD)
Thoughts…
I have to imagine that this is a lock for Toy Story 3 considering it is also nominated for Best Picture and the other two are not. I still think How to Train Your Dragon is the superior movie though.
Original Song
Coming Home – Country Strong
I See the Light – Tangled
If I Rise – 127 Hours
We Belong Together – Toy Story 3 (DVD)
Thoughts…
Although Coming Home is the climax of Country Strong, I don’t think it is the best song in the movie. I will root against We Belong Together because I hate Randy Newman.
Adapted Screenplay
127 Hours
The Social Network (DVD)
Toy Story 3 (DVD)
True Grit
Winter’s Bone (DVD)
Thoughts…
I don’t know how Toy Story 3 could be an adapted screenplay. Is Toy Story 3 a great piece of literature I don’t know about? This category should go to The Social Network. Aaron Sorkin’s script is the best part of the year’s best movie.
Original Screenplay
Another Year
The Fighter
Inception (DVD)
The Kids Are All Right (DVD)
The King’s Speech
Thoughts…
Not sure who should win this category. I’ll have a better idea after I see The King’s Speech. Even though I love The Fighter and Inception, the screenplays are not without their flaws.
I’m sure I’ll have more thoughts when the Academy Awards come around in 33 days. At least I got a lot of pre-work in this year, so I don’t have too many movies to hunt down. When we get to Oscar Day, I’ll have thoughts on Documentaries and Cinematography and maybe even Costume Design.