Category: Movies

Happy anniversary to me

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At this very moment four years ago I was probably doing some boxing day shopping with my father and brother, and was seven hours away from making an honest woman out of Nellie.

.:.

I’ve watched a ton of movies in the last few days, so here’s the synopsis: The Good Shepherd was actually pretty boring, and Angelina Jolie is really starting to scare me; Friends With Money was a chick flick, but the four lead actresses were so good it was almost worth it; Haven was one of the worst films I’ve ever seen and I have no idea how it got on my list in the first place; Shame was a rather shoddily-done documentary about an incredibly interesting topic so it balanced out; Spider-Man 3 was kind of entertaining but was the worst of the series by far, and 300 looks frigging amazing on Blu-Ray.

Whew.

[tags]anniversary, the good shepherd, friends with money, haven, shame, spider-man 3, 300, blu-ray[/tags]

My brain and eyes might just explode

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Yowzah, that was quite a morning. I guess not going home this year freed us up to purchase some bigger-ticket items for each other (which we normally wouldn’t want to try to get on a plane), so I am now the proud owner of a Blu-ray DVD player and Nellie now has a wine fridge. We certainly got lots of other cool stuff as well, but suffice it to say the DVD player’s been a little distracting; I’ve already hooked it up and watched Superbad.

I also got 300, the Spider-Man Trilogy and the seemingly-made-for-high-def BBC series Planet Earth on Blu-ray, as well as The Bourne Ultimatum in standard DVD format (it’s only on HD-DVD for now). Nellie got Freaks And Geeks: Season 1, Young Guns, Young Guns 2 and Never Been Kissed.

I got a few books too: My Boring-Ass Life by Kevin Smith, The Book Of Dave by Will Self and The Cult Of The Amateur by Andrew Keen. Nellie got A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore.

Right now Nellie’s making Christmas dinner (everything except the turkey, of course) while A Christmas Story plays in the background. I don’t know if she’ll be able to top last night’s kick-ass meal (lemon pepper shrimp, scallops, cheese, chocolate & a bottle of white wine I bought her last year) but I’m willing to let her try.

Happy Christmas, everyone.

[tags]christmas, blu-ray, wine fridge[/tags]

"Oh, that name is intolerable. It suggests midgets working in a factory."

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Apart from getting up very early to buy groceries (I wanted nothing to do with a grocery store on the 23rd of December) it’s been a lazy, relaxing Sunday. Gift wrapping and corporate finance will come later; we decided to spend the morning watching movies.

We actually watched Keane (imdb | rotten tomatoes) yesterday, not today. It was not an easy film to watch, I thought, but it was impressive for two reasons: the nauseating feeling you got seeing this man get hurled into and out of madness, and the performance of Damien Lewis. He was on the screen for practically every second, every scene, every shot, and to so skillfully show this man being buffeted by the forces that afflicted him must’ve taken incredible patience. Damien Lewis might just be the most underrated actor out there.

Keane represented the last of our Zip movies. When it’s returned, my account will officially be closed.

Shifting gears, we watched Who Killed The Electric Car? (imdb | rotten tomatoes), a documentary about…well, you can probably guess. Some documentaries are haphazard and jump all over the place, or seem designed only to outrage, but this one had a very clear narrative and a real quality of production that you don’t often see from the genre. Lots of background and facts, but presented clearly and concisely. The story of the GM EV1 electric car is interesting, but the story about the car’s quiet demise — which I’d not really paid attention to — is rife with intrigue and conflict. Highly recommended.

Oh wait…shifting gears…I just got that. Sorry. I hate puns. They’re lazy humour.

Finally, about an hour ago, we watched Mrs. Henderson Presents (imdb | rotten tomatoes) which was ok, but not great. Cute and clever, to be certain, and the two leads — Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins — were awfully good, but it veered too close to schmaltz (and dove nose-first into sentiment, for that matter) too often. I suspect it would’ve been labeled a good family film except that there’re naked ladies every which way you look.

[tags]keane, damien lewis, who killed the electric car, gm ev1, mrs. henderson presents, judi dench, bob hoskins, windmill theatre[/tags]

What, drag them down to neanderthal level?

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From the Globe and Mail:

Bruckheimer, producer of Walt Disney Co’s wildly successful Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise among a long list of film and TV hits like CSI, said he plans to do for video games what he has done for other well-defined genres of content.

The Jerry Bruckheimer oeuvre: a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

[with apologies to the Bard]

[tags]jerry bruckheimer, pirates of the caribbean, csi[/tags]

What say, fuzzy britches?

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From CityTV:

Drive-thrus have become a way of life in car conscious Toronto, as busy GTA residents find they don’t have the time to even get out of their vehicles for a coffee or a hamburger. But what are they doing to the environment and how would you feel if local politicians made a move to either curb them or eliminate them altogether?

I’d question the environmental impact of eliminating the drive-thru. It seems to me it wouldn’t reduce the demand for coffee (could also be hamburgers, etc., but I’ll use coffee as my example here), so you’d have three net effects:

  1. People parking their car at the curb and idling while they run in for coffee. If it’s true that drive-thru wait times are less than counter wait times (and I assume it is) then the result is more pollution.
  2. People circling the block to find parking before running in; this circling means needless driving time, resulting in more pollution.
  3. The above two effects causing more traffic congestion in the vicinity of coffee shops, again resulting in more pollution.

If you believe that removing a drive-thru will reduce the overall demand for coffee, then maybe this model works (for the environment, but certainly not for the business). If you think demand would stay the same, then the model only works if you believe customers will stop driving to Tim Horton’s and will walk there instead, and I’d bet pretty hard against that.

Anyone disagree? Are my assumptions off?

And just out of curiosity, what marketing jackass invented the word thru?

.:.

From CNN:

Two inmates escaped from a county jail, hiding the holes they made in the walls by putting up photos of bikini-clad women, officials said.

Attention, all jail wardens: you might want to WATCH THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION!!

[tags]toronto drive-thrus, jailbreak, bikini posters, shawshank redemption[/tags]

"That was the moment when I fell in love with Paris"

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Two more movies down:

This Film Is Not Yet Rated (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was a very interesting look at the MPAA ratings board (you know, the ones who decide whether a film is G, PG, PG-13, R or NC-17). The documentary is all about the secrecy around the small group of people who decide the rating, and interviews many filmmakers whose films were rated NC-17. There are lots of interesting angles discussed — bias toward studio films, bias against gay sex, acceptance of extreme violence while sex is considered dirty if it shows too many thrusts, etc. — and the filmmaker even hires a PI firm to track down the identities of the raters. The best part comes, of course, when the filmmaker submits the film to the MPAA for a rating. Highly recommended.

Paris, Je T’Aime (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was a collection of sixteen short films about Parisien neighbourhoods. Apart from one or two, they were all quite good. Some were excellent: “Tuileries” by the Coen Brothers, “Père-Lachaise” by Wes Craven, “Faubourg Saint-Denis” by Tom Tykwer and especially “14th Arrondissement” by Alexander Payne. His lone character’s description of what happens in those transcendent travel moments are simply perfect:

“And then something happened. A feeling came over me. As if I recalled something, something that I had never known and for which I had been waiting, but I didn’t know what it was. Maybe it was something I had forgotten. Or something I had missed my whole life. I can only tell you that at the same time I felt joy and sadness. But not a great sadness. Because I felt alive.”

[tags]this film is not yet rated, mpaa, film ratings, paris je t’aime, coen brothers, wes craven, tom tykwer, alexander payne, paris[/tags]

'Tis the season to be forechecking

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There’s no Christmas present quite like a 4-1 win over the Leafs. Fa la la la la la la la la.

.:.

Been watchin’ some movies. Not much else to do when it’s a squall out there.

The Illusionist (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was hard to like at first, and didn’t exactly thrill me with the ending, but in between it was pretty good. There was a very particular style to the film that I had to adjust to — the visual effect of being shot through amber, the simulated screen wipes that made the film look decades-old, etc. — but once I did, and I got into the film, it wasn’t bad. Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti are just good in anything, and pretty much made up for the useless Jessica Biel. It’s worth a watch.

Flags Of Our Fathers (imdb | rotten tomatoes) and…meh. I don’t know; I like war movies, and it was well done, but it was the same well-done war movie I’ve liked about six times in the past six years. I always compare them to Band Of Brothers, and they never stack up. Worth seeing, but there certainly won’t be anything shocking in it for you.

[tags]canadiens, leafs, illusionist movie, flags of our fathers[/tags]

"That's right, preacher, get me drunk so I don't stick my foot up your ass."

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I just watched Black Snake Moan (imdb | rotten tomatoes). Here’s my over-analytical review:

Good: Samuel L. Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson’s mutton chops, Christina Ricci, Christina Ricci’s persistent nakedness, Christina Ricci’s acting & the way the premise worked out better than I would have suspected.

Bad: Justin Timberlake. What the bow-legged hell was he doing in this film?

Awesome: the music. I’d heard the soundtrack before, but the film gives it all context. Hearing Sam Jackson play “Stack-O-Lee” and seeing him play it in a sweaty blues joint are two different things.

Something else I’m noticing since we got TMN: movies are just better in hi-def. You’d think I could have made that leap since I’ve been watching hi-def TV for over a year now, but I guess my brain was still saying “movies: bad; old tv: bad; new tv: bitchin’.” Now I might have to speed up my plan for a hi-def DVD player. There might not be any waiting for the format war to end; I might just have to pick a side.

[tags]black snake moan, samuel jackson, christina ricci, blues, hi-def dvd[/tags]

"It's just like the 60's. Only with less hope."

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Been home sick the last couple of days. Nothing too bad — just a low level nausea and complete lack of energy — but there’s no particular reason why I need to be in the office today, so I’ve stayed home. My boss is leaving on vacation tomorrow and the last thing I want is to infect her before she leaves.

The worst part about being moderately ill like this is that I can’t focus. Yesterday I tried to do some work, but it took me about 3 hours to do what would normally take me 30 minutes. I just couldn’t concentrate and focus on the screen. I’m blogging right now ’cause I know that by noon my brain will be mush again.

.:.

I would’ve paid a great deal of money to see Led Zeppelin last night, but I hope they don’t tour. It kills me to say that — I consider them one of the greatest bands of all time, and regret that they effectively broke up when I was still in diapers — but I hope they don’t go after the carrot that must surely be dangling in front of them.

.:.

Couple of movies we watched on the weekend (when I could still focus on the TV):

Shortbus (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was as weird and explicit as I’d heard…and that was about it.OK, it was mildly funny in places too, but I think the shock of the film is what would have made it remarkable if I wasn’t already hyper-aware of the film’s racier content following last year’s film festival.

American Gun (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was one of those films with a compelling subject and stellar cast that just never got anywhere. With Forest Whitaker, Donald Sutherland and Marcia Gay Harden starring in a film about America’s obsession with guns, you’d expect more meat on the bone, however the director decided to play it. I have no problem with subtlety, but I do have a problem with melodrama. It was OK, but I couldn’t really recommend it.

[tags]led zeppelin reunion, shortbus, american gun[/tags]

"Does the Archbishop of Canterbury know you talk like this? "

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Ever since we signed up for TMN we’ve been recording movies left and right. Unfortunately, because we’re recording in high def, the PVR fills up awfully quick. We’ve had to kill off a few to record the ones we really want to see. This weekend we knocked off a couple:

  • The Last Kiss (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was ok, even if I couldn’t identify with (or stand, in some cases) most of the characters. I’m sure part of the low RT score comes from the fact that Garden State set the Zach Braff bar so high, and I know it affected my expectations as well, but even setting that aside there was very little redeeming about this film. I can only listen to so much whining from a posse of scared little 29-year-old boys.
  • The History Boys (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was a hard one to figure out. At times I felt like the film wason the verge of greatness, about to grab me with some high-minded debate about purity-vs-competition of education, or with a touching exploration of student-teacher bonding, but it too often drifted and teetered into melodrama or tawdriness. There were parts of it I liked very much, but overall I can’t say it’ll stick with me.

Nellie also watched Date Movie (imdb | rotten tomatoes) which, based on the ten minutes or so for which I could stand to be in the same room, was one of the worst movies ever made.

[tags]the last kiss, zach braff, the history boys, date movie[/tags]