500 Days of Summer

Remember my post in which I mention the 20 minute rule? (See review of The Hurt Locker) Well 500 Days of Summer got axed at 22 minutes. Sexist bullshit. Don't call a woman a bitch. It's not funny. Ever. Especially when it is written on the screen in the first five minutes of the film. By itself. Alone.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil- Available on DVD

 What's the difference between leading an extraordinary life and an ordinary one? What are the shades of grey in between? How many of us even dare to dream of what we want? Who among us has the tenacity to never give up on a dream even if it never becomes real? 

Anvil! The Story of Anvil is a documentary about what failure to reach one's dreams of making it big in the music business looks like. Or is it?

When shown a story of success or failure, it is natural to look for clues as if there is a secret formula to follow, or not. No such luck in finding the answers to the "whys" of success or failure in Anvil! The Story of Anvil. It is a postmodern tale in that the thing that has finally given them the break they wanted was a movie that documents their years and years of never catching a break. I have no idea if they actually have any talent. This seems beyond the point. Two nice Jewish boys trying to make it in death metal- who knew? But now, they are not boys anymore. They are grown men holding on to a dream. 



Strangely, the movie is inspiring even while we watch them crash and burn on their latest "tour," and fight with one another- one yelling and the other passively taking the verbal abuse. They are best friends with a dream that binds them to one another. They are kind of pathetic but lovingly so.

Paul Haggis and Michael Chabon: the screenwriting dream team

Nothing more to say here except that these two men whose screen writing credits include, Casino Royale and Spiderman 2 write leading men the way I like to see them- tortured, sensitive, romantic, loyal yet able to kick some serious ass when the moment calls for it. Get together men and make me a movie!

Crazy Heart- No review yet because I live in Sacramento, CA- 'Nuf Said

Reviews in the hopper, available on Netflix: The Girlfriend Experience, CHE and Anvil: The Story of Anvil. 


Just HAD to give a shout out to Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart for winning the Golden Globe for his portrayal of a washed up alcoholic singer.  Already know I am going to love it- but as usual my patience is tried- first for living in Santa Fe, NM for 14 years where there were SERIOUS delays of major run motion pictures and now experiencing the same filmic delayed gratification by living in Sacramento, CA. One would think that would have been the FIRST thing at the top of the Govenator's agenda. Oh well. Stay tuned...

New show premiering tonight  on TV called  The Deep End.  It is set to record and I will begin watching 20 minutes after in order to avoid commercials. But I made myself promise that I would drop another show if I were to take on a new one! A deal with the devil if ever there was one! So I am trying to decide which to drop Castle or Chuck..... Yeah, I know, "Get a Life!"


Just started reading Jonathan Safran Foer's, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Thanks Jamie for convincing me to give this book a second chance!

The Golden Globe Awards

I obsess. I admit it. For about the next week I will be thinking over and over again about all the images that came across my screen last night at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony; the more laid back, liquor infused, down to earth counterpart to the Oscars which will air Sunday, March 7, 2010.




Did anyone else feel the hardly restrained animosity toward James Cameron? The man that people glob onto because they know it will mean fame and money (and more money) for themselves but they know they have to make a deal with the devil first? I trust my intuition, even through the airwaves, and I was so embarrassed for the man. Yes, a technical genius but not exactly a people person. And when he tried to get the already most overly self aggrandizing group of people in the world to clap for themselves? Oy vey. As I said: embarrassing.


Yet Cameron's wins were hardly all there was to this award ceremony. I think I need to watch it again and end with the montage of Scorsese clips and his speech and pretend that the program ended there. Meryl Streep's honest assessment of herself and her place in the world order was refreshing and humble. Halle Berry was visually STUNNING. Thank god Mo'nique won and Lee Daniels was recognized for his direction of Precious. 


I LOVE Ryan Murphy, genius creator of GLEE (and Nip/Tuck) and I loved what he said about the importance of Arts Education. I am so wrapped up in the soap operatic plot of Glee and it's ground breaking stereotype bashing representations of gay teens and Jews as athletes that I did not even think about the Art Ed piece. Like I said: Brilliant.

The Hurt Locker- No funny subtitle for this grave and intense piece of film making

       Overall: A. Direction: A. Acting: A.
    In an attempt to see all the movies that are possibly up for best picture either on the Golden Globes or the Oscars, I watched the Hurt Locker last night. It was released on DVD January 12, 2010. My husband and I give every movie we see 20 minutes to bring us into the story and capture our imagination- this is one of the advantages of being an armchair critic- I don't have to watch what I deem unworthy of my attention! If it doesn't grab within 20 minutes, we are on to the next one. Every once in a while, especially if it is a director I follow, I allow more lattitude regarding the 20 minute rule,  like when we watched Public Enemies last week directed by the immensely talented Michael Mann. But there it was- 2 hours and some minutes later it ended and Graydon and I looked at each other and said "that is 2 hours wasted that we will never get back!" The movie was HORRIBLE. I allowed my blind commitment to auteurism to steal two hours of my life away. Well, I will often tell myself that it is important to see mediocrity in action to help better identify greatness.


OK, back to the 20 minute rule. We begin watching The Hurt Locker. I am pulled in right away with the hand held cameras, the grainy, documentary style colors and filters and of course, the subject matter at hand: a man dressed in a bomb suit investigating a possible detonation because the remote investigator broke down. The tension was building and I am thinking, "OK, he will survive- that is Guy Pearce for pete's sake! No way will they have a major actor die right away!" And then, kablooey! Huge explosion, blood in the helmet, slow motion camera. Pearce's character is dead and the first scene is over: 12 minutes. Holy Shit. One of the most intense, well composed opening scenes of a war/action film ever.
Katherine Bigelow got something so right here. A perfect combination of men at their most vulnerable and at their toughest. The tale tells many things: young men's struggles during wartime, the illogical and frightening nature of terrorism and the nihilism that takes over war zones. I know nothing of the plausibility of the stories but whether it is realistic seems beyond the point; Bigelow tells the tale with pure cinematic acuity and with her talent she gets right to the heart of the matter: the war in Iraq is illogical, unjustified and does a lot more damage than good. Pure narrative cinema is 98% visual and 2% dialogue. In other words, when a story is told "right" - show don't tell, then the impact is just as strong without the dialogue. Bigelow is a master at visual storytelling, in the tradition o.f Sergei Eisenstein and Kurosawa. Right on Sister!

Nip/Tuck: Think biting your nails is bad: Oy vey you have no idea!

I will not say much about the latest episode of my beloved Nip/Tuck for fear of spoilers but thank god I did not have to wait long until it was on again. If you missed it or have no idea about this remarkably staged, impeccably stylized and very well acted night time soap opera, then I highly recommend you start at the beginning, six seasons ago. I envy those who will begin this journey anew because the experience is gruesomely (the details of the operating scenes), sexually and deviantly sublime. And if there are some out there that I still haven't convinced, it is the brainchild of Ryan Murphy the creator of the current pop cultural phenomenon, GLEE!
BTW you can catch the latest installment of Nip/Tuck on www.hulu.com

FOOD INC. "You Are What You Eat And For Most of Us, that's NOT a good thing...

Overall: A. Direction: A. Featured Individuals in the film: A: Special Shout out to all the hard working and dedicated farmers, activists and journalists both in this film and beyond for doing your best and doing what's right for all of human and animal kind and our planet. You have inspired me to do better in my own small way.

Food Inc. has made many critics' year end Best of 2009 list so I was curious. Rented it on Netflix. It gives a brief history of the food industry while at the same time goes into detail about where we stand now as producers and consumers in light of the monopolization of food production in this country. Even if you are a well informed and relatively healthy consumer, I still highly recommend you watch this movie. While I agree with my husband that we did not really learn anything new (if you have read Fast Food Nation, Omnivore's Dilemma or watched Super Size Me I think you will agree), it is essential to be reminded of what is going on out there in the big bad corporate world o' food. I make an effort NOT to be sanctimonious when it comes to talking about the evils of corporations and monopolies and capitalism especially because I am not an activist against these particular entities BUT when it comes to MONSANTO, I have no problem saying outright that this company is seriously EVIL, NASTY and most of all SCARY. They are a more powerful version of those heading the Salem witch trials and their tactics parallel HUAC especially with regard to blacklisting and forcing friends/business partners to rat each other out. This is some scary stuff and it is real and happening right now. 

Yes, the movie does have its bleak moments and I found myself shaking my head many times in disbelief at the way animals are treated and abused through mass production tactics but what the director and producers of the film do best and most effectively is to show the parallels between how big business treats its crops and animals and how it treats its workers and contractors. The full on egregious way that employees and farmers are treated now in this business as opposed to the the 1950's/60's and 1970's, is by far the most shocking and enlightening thing about the film.

But don't worry, the film is not all doom and gloom. There are chinks in the armor of corporate avarice, especially in the saintly image of Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms in Virginia. His courage, determination and confidence radiated on the screen when he spoke about his perspective regarding what success looks like, what humane killing looks like and how "small" farmers do indeed have a place in this country. He created a sense of hope that each person based on her/his buying and growing choices can and will make a difference. Tonight's menu for my family: Locally raised and grassfed beef, locally grown vegetables and a loaf of gluten free bread from a local bread store. Yes it takes extra time but after seeing this movie I hope you will be inspired to take the time too!

To read more about Joel Salatin and his values and philosophy go to: www.polyfacefarms.com
See you at the Farmer's Market!

Its Not that Complicated-Eat the croissants-don't be the croissants!

Overall: B. Direction: B . Streep: A. Baldwin: A

The chemistry between Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin in Nancy Meyer's movie, It's Complicated is hotter, sweeter and stickier than a proof box full of chocolate croissants! The message here? If you are over 50, have some fun, but not too much, get high, but only every 27 years, (but go ahead and drink fine wine- a LOT of it) and EAT the croissants don't BE the croissants! Play it safe- don't open up Pandora's box that holds the key to your sexuality because then all hell done broke loose!

Nothing new of note to say here about Streep's flawless performance but Baldwin- he is a revelation and Meyers knows it. I have never seen so much camera stroking of a male actor's face- except perhaps in gay male porn (mom- don't ask!) Alec Baldwin's facial expressions and subtle, serious and comedic timing, carried the emotional notes of the movie.

Up In The Air- Oxygen masks required

Up In the Air: Overall: B- . Direction: A. Female Leads: A. Male Lead: C.

I watched the movie unfold with giddy anticipation- it had been a long time since I had seen a film for adults by adults- the last one was An Education. I am nervous. This movie is making all sorts of "best of 2009" lists. What is wrong with me? I am usually pretty forgiving especially considering that at this point, I will see everything that Jason Reitman directs. I know Clooney received a GG nomination already. I wanted to like it, I really did. Anthony Lane (The New Yorker review) convinced me that I would. An adult movie- a female that could keep up with George Clooney in the gorgeous form of Vera Farmiga. A timely piece about the down sizing of American companies. The quirky and likeable Anna Kendrick. But here was my problem- I did not for one minute believe that the gorgeous form that is George Clooney, was a single, lonely man living in Omaha, NE, flying over America, firing people and losing his soul along the way. HE IS WAY TOO, how do you say it, GEORGE CLOONEY. Not enough of the "every man" in him by a long shot. It is clear why he attached himself to the project- I would have said yes to any opportunity to work with Reitman too - but I could not get passed his overall worldliness and yumminess. Leave a comment and tell me who you think would have been a better male lead...

Now, the women on the other hand- wow! Of course I have heard of "chewing up the scenery" before, but the expression took on a whole new meaning with Farmiga and Kendrick thrown into the mix. Every time they were on the screen, it was as though the movie woke up, lit a match, and set the screen on fire.

Jason Reitman knows how to direct women. Strong and fiery without being domineering (Farmiga). Naive and droll without being a pushover (Anna Kendrick). Smart, quirky and confident without being marginalized (Emily Page in Juno) and stiff, preppy and uptight without being a bitch (Jennifer Garner in Juno).

Yes, I know that the female characters have much to do with the writing but there is something refreshingly both old(think Kate Hepurn in any of her roles) and new in the way that Jason Reitman directs his female characters. More on this later.

Now speaking of female characters, I am going to see It's Complicated today. Lisa Schwartzbaum already wrote a great review of the movie in Entertainment Weekly. Nancy Myers is also a director who I follow and will see everything she directs but I am already intuiting some problems with this one.... Tune in for my impressions...