Tuesday, November 13, 2007
The Maroon 5 video
I've gotten some negative feedback about the Maroon 5 video I linked to the post on Oct. 26th. I actually didn't watch the whole thing, but apparently it's a little inappropriate. So for all you kids at home, please exercise your judgment before viewing.
Friday, November 2, 2007
My Favorite Things.2
This week has been kind of dull, and I think MFT is going to reflect that. Oh well:
1. "The Nightmare Before Christmas" Seeing as how Halloween was this week, I was again reminded of the absolute awesomeness that is this movie. Love love LOVE it. Although I saw the 3-D version last year and didn't think it was anything special.
2. "I Am America (And So Can You!)" by Stephen Colbert. Funny. Real funny.
3. "Better Homes and Gardens" I mostly love this magazine because I read it and want to be a better person. It is absolutely full of creative home ideas and great recipes. It asks questions like "If your house had a theme song, what would it be?" I think the theme song for my apartment would be Amy Grant's "Baby, Baby" because, well, it makes absolutely no sense and it's one of the greatest songs ever. Or maybe "Danger Zone." Kenny Loggins is the man!
4. "Kenny Loggins" See previous post.
5. "Stevie Nicks" Also the man.
1. "The Nightmare Before Christmas" Seeing as how Halloween was this week, I was again reminded of the absolute awesomeness that is this movie. Love love LOVE it. Although I saw the 3-D version last year and didn't think it was anything special.
2. "I Am America (And So Can You!)" by Stephen Colbert. Funny. Real funny.
3. "Better Homes and Gardens" I mostly love this magazine because I read it and want to be a better person. It is absolutely full of creative home ideas and great recipes. It asks questions like "If your house had a theme song, what would it be?" I think the theme song for my apartment would be Amy Grant's "Baby, Baby" because, well, it makes absolutely no sense and it's one of the greatest songs ever. Or maybe "Danger Zone." Kenny Loggins is the man!
4. "Kenny Loggins" See previous post.
5. "Stevie Nicks" Also the man.
Friday, October 26, 2007
My Favorite Things
I have decided to do a weekly post detailing a few of my favorite things. The things might be music, movies, food, products, anything. They could be new, old, or re-visited. They might be trendy, they might be cliche. You might like them, you might hate them. So for this week, may I present:
(in no particular order)
1. Wake-Up Call by Maroon 5. This one's been out for a while, but it's catchy and I love it. The music video is kinda dumb, though.
2. The Office Episode 409: Local Ad. Kool-Aid Man?!!! That's going to bring a smile to my face for a long time to come. This show will probably make it to this post every week. Love it. Kudos to NBC for making these episodes available online.
3. Payless Shoes. I was in a fight with Payless for many years. However, I'm not ashamed to admit that over the last few months I have found at least two pair of shoes from this store that are now among my favorite.
4. Bourgeoisie. One of my favorite words, always has been. It's so...Marxist-chic.
(in no particular order)
1. Wake-Up Call by Maroon 5. This one's been out for a while, but it's catchy and I love it. The music video is kinda dumb, though.
2. The Office Episode 409: Local Ad. Kool-Aid Man?!!! That's going to bring a smile to my face for a long time to come. This show will probably make it to this post every week. Love it. Kudos to NBC for making these episodes available online.
3. Payless Shoes. I was in a fight with Payless for many years. However, I'm not ashamed to admit that over the last few months I have found at least two pair of shoes from this store that are now among my favorite.
4. Bourgeoisie. One of my favorite words, always has been. It's so...Marxist-chic.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
3:10 to Yuma
I have a confession: the biggest reason I saw this movie is because it helps me in my quest to see everything Christian Bale. I have yet to be disappointed by any of his performances (and yes, I have seen "American Psycho." Baaaaad movie, good acting). That, combined with the fact that word-of-mouth was virtually unanimous in its praise of this film, reassured me that this was a must-see.
I am happy to say that, as in the case of Stardust (see below), I will once again side with the majority here and assert that 3:10 to Yuma has several qualities that qualify it for the high praise it has been receiving. Let's begin with a brief synopsis: Christian Bale's Dan Evans is a down-on-his-luck rancher in Post-Civil War era Arizona. Evans bears heavy burdens of debt, a disheartened wife and disenchanted teenage son, and a physical handicap that has defined his life for the past 3+ years. By circumstantial events, Evans volunteers his services to help transport the baddest man in the West, Russell Crowe's Ben Wade, to a train station where the outlaw will be shipped off to prison in Yuma. Evans' motivation is a two-hundred dollar payoff if he delivers Wade in one piece; Ben Wade's motivation is to avoid prison and reunite with his gang at all costs.
Throughout the journey, the audience is treated to terrific performances by both Crowe and Bale, who, by the way, do a fantastic job of portraying Western stereotypes even though the actors are Aussie and Welsh, respectively. The real scene-stealer, however, is Mr. Ben Foster, who plays Charlie Prince, the doggedly-devoted sidekick and second-in-command over Ben Wade's posse- er, excuse me- gang (he hates posses). Allow me to include a bit of a review that I feel describes Charlie perfectly:
"...speaking of the bullet in the belly from two feet, the man on the trigger end of that action is super-arch bad guy deputy gang leader Charlie Prince, played in a flat-out show-stealing performance by Ben Foster ("Six Feet Under," "Alpha Dog"). Don’t be fooled by the name, Mr. Prince is no prince---he is as steely-eyed a cabin-fevered prairie killer as you will ever see. Foster actually manages to look like he is cross eyed, drooling and has an uncontrollable nervous twitch without drooling, crossing his eyes or twitching. He is just that good. Watching him you can’t believe anybody that messed up could speak in complete sentences."
(to see author Ron Wilkinson's full review, click here: http://movies.monstersandcritics.com/reviews/article_1353003.php/Movie_Review_310_to_Yuma)
Aside from mostly excellent performances (come on...Dallas Roberts' idiotic performance as Mr. Butterfield was so out of the league of the other leads- Ben Wade's legendary gun had more personality), the film also presents some interesting psychological details that seem a little incongruous at times but also provide some depth to an otherwise formulaic Western. I realized pretty early on that I would have to reconcile the fact that the take-no-prisoners, sharpest-shooter-in-the-West, ruthless-killer-if-ever-there-was-one Mr. Wade would just happen to take a liking to Dan Evans and they would become buddies, of a sort. After allowing myself to accept that fact, it became pretty easy to enjoy the rest of the movie and ignore some characterization inconsistencies.
This film deserves kudos for solid acting, plenty of rootin'-tootin' Western-style action, and some interesting psychological and emotional explorations courtesy of characters Evans and Wade. A distracting bit part by Luke Wilson and its accompanying sequence of events seemed a little out of place, and having to ignore some rather large characterization flaws will cost this film some points. But generally, an enjoyable film. Long live the West. B+
I am happy to say that, as in the case of Stardust (see below), I will once again side with the majority here and assert that 3:10 to Yuma has several qualities that qualify it for the high praise it has been receiving. Let's begin with a brief synopsis: Christian Bale's Dan Evans is a down-on-his-luck rancher in Post-Civil War era Arizona. Evans bears heavy burdens of debt, a disheartened wife and disenchanted teenage son, and a physical handicap that has defined his life for the past 3+ years. By circumstantial events, Evans volunteers his services to help transport the baddest man in the West, Russell Crowe's Ben Wade, to a train station where the outlaw will be shipped off to prison in Yuma. Evans' motivation is a two-hundred dollar payoff if he delivers Wade in one piece; Ben Wade's motivation is to avoid prison and reunite with his gang at all costs.
Throughout the journey, the audience is treated to terrific performances by both Crowe and Bale, who, by the way, do a fantastic job of portraying Western stereotypes even though the actors are Aussie and Welsh, respectively. The real scene-stealer, however, is Mr. Ben Foster, who plays Charlie Prince, the doggedly-devoted sidekick and second-in-command over Ben Wade's posse- er, excuse me- gang (he hates posses). Allow me to include a bit of a review that I feel describes Charlie perfectly:
"...speaking of the bullet in the belly from two feet, the man on the trigger end of that action is super-arch bad guy deputy gang leader Charlie Prince, played in a flat-out show-stealing performance by Ben Foster ("Six Feet Under," "Alpha Dog"). Don’t be fooled by the name, Mr. Prince is no prince---he is as steely-eyed a cabin-fevered prairie killer as you will ever see. Foster actually manages to look like he is cross eyed, drooling and has an uncontrollable nervous twitch without drooling, crossing his eyes or twitching. He is just that good. Watching him you can’t believe anybody that messed up could speak in complete sentences."
(to see author Ron Wilkinson's full review, click here: http://movies.monstersandcritics.com/reviews/article_1353003.php/Movie_Review_310_to_Yuma)
Aside from mostly excellent performances (come on...Dallas Roberts' idiotic performance as Mr. Butterfield was so out of the league of the other leads- Ben Wade's legendary gun had more personality), the film also presents some interesting psychological details that seem a little incongruous at times but also provide some depth to an otherwise formulaic Western. I realized pretty early on that I would have to reconcile the fact that the take-no-prisoners, sharpest-shooter-in-the-West, ruthless-killer-if-ever-there-was-one Mr. Wade would just happen to take a liking to Dan Evans and they would become buddies, of a sort. After allowing myself to accept that fact, it became pretty easy to enjoy the rest of the movie and ignore some characterization inconsistencies.
This film deserves kudos for solid acting, plenty of rootin'-tootin' Western-style action, and some interesting psychological and emotional explorations courtesy of characters Evans and Wade. A distracting bit part by Luke Wilson and its accompanying sequence of events seemed a little out of place, and having to ignore some rather large characterization flaws will cost this film some points. But generally, an enjoyable film. Long live the West. B+
Monday, September 24, 2007
Stardust
I know what you're thinking. Isn't this the one with all those famous people, and that looks like a cross between Steven Spielberg's Hook, the cult-favorite The Princess Bride (can you believe it's been twenty years since that one came out?) and a little bit of every other terrible fantasy movie ever made? I must admit, I was reluctant to see this film until it had been out for a few weeks and the only reviews I had heard about it were positive. I'm going to side with the majority here and say that Stardust provided me with the most fun I've had at the movies in a long, long time.
Although the plot is not hard to follow, there are several intersecting threads that make it virtually impossible for me to provide any sort of summary in the time I am willing to commit to this review. Allow me to simply say that this film had more swashbuckling adventure than any of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and better characters and plot-lines than any of the Spider-Man films, all of which did undeservedly better at the box office. One scene in particular featured one of the best duels I've ever seen (a living human fighting a corpse...need I say more?) Robert De Niro was delightful, Claire Danes succeeded in her "look beautiful" assignment, Michelle Pfeiffer proved a believable villain and Ricky Gervais' role was small but quirkily funny, as usual. Minus points only for some laughable dialogue ("Be the man I know you are!") and a few continuity issues (the filmmakers seemed to take it for granted that we are supposed to believe Tristan became a sword-wielding fighting machine in less than a week). Nonetheless, this adventuresome fantasy earns a well-deserved A-.
Although the plot is not hard to follow, there are several intersecting threads that make it virtually impossible for me to provide any sort of summary in the time I am willing to commit to this review. Allow me to simply say that this film had more swashbuckling adventure than any of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and better characters and plot-lines than any of the Spider-Man films, all of which did undeservedly better at the box office. One scene in particular featured one of the best duels I've ever seen (a living human fighting a corpse...need I say more?) Robert De Niro was delightful, Claire Danes succeeded in her "look beautiful" assignment, Michelle Pfeiffer proved a believable villain and Ricky Gervais' role was small but quirkily funny, as usual. Minus points only for some laughable dialogue ("Be the man I know you are!") and a few continuity issues (the filmmakers seemed to take it for granted that we are supposed to believe Tristan became a sword-wielding fighting machine in less than a week). Nonetheless, this adventuresome fantasy earns a well-deserved A-.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
The Fountain
Most of my blog posts will probably be movie reviews. I like to watch movies and it makes sense that I should write about them. My first will be about The Fountain. If you missed this 2006 film, I wouldn't be surprised; if you saw it and didn't like it, that wouldn't surprise me, either. I rather enjoyed it. It was slow-paced but I couldn't help but be intrigued by the juxtaposing storylines and gorgeous cinematography. The only two pertinent characters in the story were played by actors Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, both talented and easy to watch (except for Weisz' eyebrows...something really needs to be done about those). What most impressed me about the movie was its ability to embody so many different "genres" and still manage to make it all work. It was a science fiction, romantic love story, tragedy, period adventure, and Buddhist meditation piece all in one. If nothing else, the film was unique in its presentation of the universal themes of love and death, spirituality and faith. Understandably enough, some might find this film frustrating for its refusal to really spell anything out; a lot of the symbology is left for guesswork and imagination, and the Tommy and Izzy storyline seemed to decide to switch directions at the end. Never sappy but definitely sincere, The Fountain is not life-changing but it sure is a pretty, original, tender work of art. I give it a solid B.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
here comes the blog
There now. That wasn't so bad. I just set up my very own blog, and while it took an inexcusable amount of time for me to think of really minimal details (domain name, page name, etc.) I've finally done it. Don't expect anything great. I've done this more out of an obligation to a friend than of any desire I have to bear my soul to the unsuspecting public, or because I have anything really profound to say. Nevertheless...here I am.
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