What Emily's Been Watching, January '13

Here is January finally.  I am doing it separate from February or I'll never do it, and I want to do it, so I am.  Not sure anyone still cares, since I all but abandoned my blog for like half a year.  No matter-  I am forging on and hopefully there is still a smidgen of interest out there.

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD (2012) PG-13 drama/fantasy.  I had been waiting to see this movie for a long time and was expecting to be blown away- perhaps this was it's downfall.  I am not saying that I didn't like it, but I was definitely disappointed.  I could see what it wanted to do and what it almost did, but in the end it just didn't quite make it on all accounts.  Everything was just slightly a miss.  The only thing that didn't disappoint me was the little girl.  I thought she was great.  I am just going to call her the little girl too cause I'm a little too lazy to look up how to spell her first name.  Anyway, it's the story of a little girl and her father who live on the other side of the levy in New Orleans called "The Bathtub".  It is basically all houseboats and wet shanties, etc., because of the water line.  The father is sick and you can tell he is dying and the mom is just gone.  It showed a little niche of life that is someone else's reality and that is always something I am interested in, but there was a fantasy sort of element to it that DIDN'T work for me whatsoever.  It had one or two really impactful scenes to me though.  All in all, I wished I'd have liked it better.   Emily thinks you should see it if you have been wanting to- a lot of people really love it so maybe you will too.  I'm glad I saw it.


 

CLEANFLIX (2009) NR  documentary.  I heard about this on Filmspotting SVU and since it was a documentary set in Utah based on that weird boom of businesses around here "cleaning up movies", I had to check it out.  I remember watching that whole phenomenon unfold, starting with Titanic when movie shops started cutting out the Kate Winslet nude scene to make it family friendly and then they figured they might as well clean up other movies as well and BOOM!  You have yourself a successful Utah Valley business. It really made me think a lot about the whole concept of movies, right and wrong, movie ratings, art, etc.  It sucessfully did what I love in a movie:  made me evaluate a bunch of stuff in my head and cause me to think a lot after it's done.  PLUS the main guy in the movie was a guy I actually knew fairly well in high school and that was a surprise.  I don't think I paid much attention while it was happening (or if I did, I totally forgot).  Emily recommends this one.  It was pretty entertaining and interesting and thought provoking.  Those are three good things.



QUEEN OF VERSAILLES (2012) PG  documentary.  Another very entertaining documentary.  Man I love documentaries! This movie was great!  There is something so horrifying about seeing the lives of the utterly classless and tasteless rich.  It was a documentary someone decided to make, documenting this couple in Florida building the biggest house in America (single residence).  He is a time share mogul and she was an ex beauty queen.  Neither of them have an ounce of taste.  None.  I am talking he has a tacky gold THRONE he sits in, they have paintings on their wall they had commissioned of them dressed as gods and kings and queens, they have her old dogs that have died stuffed in the hallway, I am talking a freak show of horrid taste.  The house they were building was being modeled after the Palace of Versailles.  Yep.  The thing is, mid way through building and (mid way through the documentary), the real estate market collapsed and they lost all their money.  So the doc takes a turn and they allowed them to continue filming.  It's quite the story.  Emily totally recommends this little number.  Good stuff.  It's streaming on Netflix right now.  Do it.





YOUR SISTER'S SISTER (2011) R  comedy/drama.  This movie gets a giant MEH.  I didn't dislike it, I wasn't crazy about it, it is just meh.  I don't like it when independent movies have a really heavy independent movie vibe and this one screams it.  The story is of a guy that has a girl for a best friend and he goes to her family's cabin at her urging to get over his brother's death by being alone.  Little did she or he know that her sister was there.  It goes on from there.  It isn't awful, it isn't wonderful, it's meh.



RUBY SPARKS (2012) R  comedy/romance.  This one faired better then the above movie.  This one had Paul Dano whom I really like.  The trailer will explain the concept of the movie very nicely.  But here is what it really is:  The whole manic pixie dream girl thing imploded on itself in one movie.  Is that good or bad?  You decide I suppose, but I liked it alright.  Was the implosion ironic?  I am not sure, but I lean towards not.  Emily can recommend this movie.  It is good for a light, in the mood for a fairly well done romantic comedy kind of night.  Fun enough.





SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED (2012) R  comedy/romance.  This movie completes my independent, romantic comedy trilogy I didn't plan.  It ended up the winner.  I really, really liked this one. Maybe I was just in a good mood that night and in the perfect mood for it- but I really enjoyed this movie.  It was based on an ad placed in a magazine (as a joke by the editor) that read: "Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. P.O. Box 91 Ocean View, WA 99393. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before.  The movie is about a 3 person team of journalists that read this ad and decided to find the guy that placed it and do an undercover story on him.  It was really fun and I loved the ending.  Good times.  Recommend.  I had to get it from Redbox, but I've now noticed it streaming on Netflix.



OSLO, AUGUST 31ST (2011) NR   drama.  This movie got a lot of buzz for a while, so when I saw it streaming, I checked it out.  It was really good and depressing.  I am ashamed to say that I don't remember the details all that well.  I don't even remember if it was subtitled or not, but I am almost sure it was.  It is one day in the life of a guy that is living his first day in almost a year out of rehab.  Guess what day and guess where?  Anyway, it was a sad little reality and a bleak look at what it's like after rehab.  Emily recommends this movie even though it's details are sketchy- I remember it being good.  Cut me some slack, it's late, I'm sick and have taken Sudafed.



Yep- Subtitles

GIRL WALK // ALL DAY (2011) NR   hmmm...dancy dance?  THIS MOVIE.  This movie is perhaps my favorite movie I have seen in years.  I'm serious.  It is far and away the most rewatchable movie I've seen since in recent memory since I've rewatched it I don't know how many times.  It is the story of a girl that dances through New York City, there is a love triangle and there is also zero dialogue.  (That isn't true, three lines are subtitled in, but they are incidental to the plot.)  You may not think that such a movie could be so joyful or fun, but I assure you it is.  It brings me so much joy.  If you are having a bad day, you watch this for 15 minutes and you will turn that mood around.  Give this a shot!  Especially if you like to watch dancing and like joy and you have to like hip hop and a little hard core rap.  The rap isn't radio friendly if you know what I mean. Best of all, this movie is available free to anyone who has internet access.  Instead of linking the title to IMDB like usual, I linked it to the website where you can watch it. At least give it 15 minutes.  I bet you have a hard time turning it off.  (I even bought it on DVD, and I am willing to loan it out if you'd like.)


Wow- that was my first time watching the trailer- it made me smile.

BEAUTY IS EMBARRASSING (2012) NR  documentary. I watched this movie as part of PBS's Independent Lens thing.  It focuses on an artist named Wayne White.  He is interesting and unique and was the creative force behind most of Pee Wee's Playhouse.  That's about all to say really except his art is cool and that I enjoyed it, but wasn't blown away.



SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN (2012) PG-13  documentary.  THIS one totally blew me away.  This is a truly, awesome story.  It is about a singer/songwriter from the 60's named Rodriguez.  He signed with a record label and made an album and...it totally bombed.  A bootleg copy entered South Africa during Apartheid and long story short- Rodriguez is like South Africa's Elvis.  And he never knew.  I am going to remain sketchy and that's all you get of the story.  It's just too good to watch for yourself.   And it gets a huge congratulations from me for winning the best documentary Oscar.  Totally deserved.  Emily recommends this movie to everybody but especially to Matt who I ordered to see this and I am pretty sure he has not yet *stink eye*.  I watched it thinking it was a story he would really, really appreciate and coincidentally, it raised many of the same questions he was pondering about art over Christmas and I thought that was neat (as long as you include music in your definition of art).  I haven't seen the trailer yet for it, and if I feel it gives too much away, then that is why you don't see it listed.  In that case, just go watch it, you'll thank me I think.

February is coming soon...I SWEAR!

What Emily watched the last half of 2012

I may have taken a blog break, but I didn't stop watching.  I did stop writing them down though.  I wrote a few down and will try to remember as much as possible.  What I am not going to do is review them save for a one word sum up of each movie (which the exception of 2 mea culpas). It's been since June people!  I will also link to IMDB in case you're curious.

Night Wolf - bad bad, not good bad (I already broke my rule)
Amelie - lovely
The Woman in Black - freaky
The Double Life of Veronique - good (and over my head)
The 400 Blows - amazing
The Innkeepers - worth seeing
Bernie - Loved
Gosford Park - alright
A Separation - outstanding
Sleepwalk With Me - FUNNY
Cloud Atlas - zzzzzzzzzz

I also started watching or caught up on:

Breaking Bad -outstanding
The Walking Dead - awesome
Dexter season 6 - kicked (my butt)
Supernatural - meh
How I Met Your Mother - funny

Added late:
Django Unchained - most excellent

My mea culpas:

Run Lola Run - It has been a while since I saw this because I moved this and the other movie to the top of my dvd queue the hour I got called out, which must have been sometime last June- so excuse my memory.
 It was really good.  The whole movie is basically rehashing the same period of the day for Lola except little things change every time and this makes for drastically different outcomes.  Think Groundhog Day meshed with The Butterfly Effect made by Germans (if you've never seen a German movie, you'll just have to see what I mean).  I really enjoyed it Ami- thanks for recommending it to me.  I fully recommend it to anyone.


The Triplettes of Bellevue - First of all this is a cartoon, which I wasn't expecting.  A really strange, French cartoon.  I spend most of this movie going "what the crap?"  I enjoyed myself for the most part, but really spent a lot of time wondering what the deal was.  What is the deal Aim?  Explain your relationship with this movie.  Oh- it's about a little boy that lives with his grandma and grows up to be a cyclist, gets kidnapped during the Tour de France.  The grandma and her dog go to find him and end up in Bellevue where they are befriended by 3 old ladies that sing and eat frog stew.  They somehow help her find her grandson in a movie theater.  I think I got that right.  I can recommend this movie to all who like weird French cartoons.  I didn't know that I did, but I think I do alright.  I remember being quite fascinated with the animation throughout.



Well- that's what I've got.  If you saw a movie with me that I forgot, kindly bring it to my attention and I'll add it. Also, if you'd like me to expound on any of these titles, I'd be happy to chat them up.

I've got January and February's movies written down and will try to get January's post out tomorrow.  I'm always sorry when I say that....

What Emily's Been Watching May/June

Ug.  I've totally been putting this off because I was crap about writing my movies down, which snowballs into all kinds of problems that have culminated into a double post and probably missing movies (although I skimmed through my entire Netflix history for May and June which proved very helpful as I came up with at least 3 titles I would have totally forgotten I think). 

Well, let's go then.

THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED (De battre mon coeur s'est arrêtè) (2005) [R] crime/thriller/drama. I am only guessing here, but I imagine the title of this movie sounds and is more eloquent in it's native tongue.  Clunky in English or not, this movie was really good.  It's about a guy that was kind of born into a crime family of sorts (father's side at least), his mother was a celebrated pianist and in his youth he was on the road to following her footsteps, but dropped it (oops- forgot why) and became little more then a thug for his father.  One day he runs into his mother's old teacher/mentor and basically gets an audition to play for him.  Problem is, he hasn't played in a long time.  So he basically goes through an existential crisis about his life, takes piano from an oriental lady that doesn't speak french, and the film goes on from there.  I really liked this movie- it had a great and interesting ending, and was just all together good and worth a watch.  Emily thinks this movie is worth a watch.

I DO (Prête-moi ta main) (2006) [NR] romantic comedy.  This one gets a meh to ok.  (It is a romantic comedy after all.)  I thought I would try another French one.  It was enjoyable enough I guess- way better then some I've seen-  I really liked Charlotte Gainsbourg in it.  This one is about a bachelor that has some meddling/busy sisters and mom that bug him about his bachelor status to the point that he hires a girl to pretend to be his fiance and then leave him at the alter, breaking his heart to the point that they no longer bug him about getting married.  Well, things don't quite go according to plan as you may suspect.  It broke the romcom mold by not having a slutty best friend.  Score a point.  Emily can recommend this one to all you rom com likers.
trailer's here

CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS (2010) [G] documentary.  I had been meaning to check this one out for a while and finally got around to it.  While it wasn't the most exciting movie one has ever seen, and I did have to start it over about three times cause I kept falling asleep, I ultimately enjoyed it.  It's the latest Werner Herzog and is a doc about the Chauvet Caves somewhere in France.  Basically these caves contain the oldest known human paintings ever discovered (by A LOT!).  These caves weren't discovered until the 90's and had been perfectly preserved this whole time (like 30,000 years).  It's not only cave paintings, it is hundreds and hundreds of cave paintings- and they all look like they could have been drawn yesterday.  After it's discovery, they let tourists in to see them, but discovered that the humidity the people were bringing with them was causing trouble, so they closed it to the public and now only let select scientists in.  So, giving Herzog rein to film these caves was quite the big deal and the best way we can all enjoy the amazing beauty of these caves.  The part that had the most impact on me, was the discovery of a child's footprints in the dust along side wolf prints.  They have no idea if they were walking together, if the child was being tracked by the wolf, or if they occurred within thousands of years of each other.  Kind of cool.  The last 20-30 minutes were basically just images of the paintings shown with some sort of pretty opera music (or something- it's been a while.  The music was so nice, this is where I kept falling asleep.)  Emily thinks this movie is totally worth watching, but many before me and perhaps after me have and will describe it as "boring".  So watch at your own risk.

JULES ET JIM (1962) [NR] drama/romance.  This was a movie recommendation from Chris and Jimmy and my sister Sue.  It's an old film by the old acclaimed french director,  François Truffaut.  This was my first of his and I have a few more in my queue.  Interesting movie.  It is essentially a movie about the friendship of two men, but also a love triangle with this woman named Cathy.  I just loved Jules and Jim- they were just cute.  Cathy was pretty much atrocious, but you could see the tie/fascination they had with her.  This movie caused some ripples in it's day on account of the living situation they find themselves in at one point.  Definitely progressive, especially for it's time.  It was a really, really enjoyable movie to watch and well made and well acted.  I really enjoyed it.  See it sometime.

GRIZZLY MAN (2005) [R] documentary.  Figured another Werner Herzog was in order.  I've wanted to see this one for a long time and it's been floating in my queue for almost as long.  One day while folding a mountain of laundry, I got around to it (can't watch french movies while I fold and Grey's Anatomy is on summer break).  This documentary is on a man named Timothy Treadwell  who was a nature/grizzly bear activist.  He lived among the bears for years and years trying to pass himself off as one of them.  After surviving for years that way, he and his girlfriend at the time were attacked and killed by a bear in Alaska. 
What he did and how he lived was very controversial to the parks service and other activists.  But let me tell you, he really believed that what he was doing was helpful to the grizzlies. But I find that all kind of irrelevant really.  I liked him right away and feel like I got him pretty quick.  I think he simply just loved those bears SO MUCH (and foxes) that he was happy living with them.  I think it was a story of a man that lived and died the way he wanted, so all is well at the end.  He knew the risks his lifestyle presented.  And man he cracked me up! I thought he was great and would have loved to have known him.  He basically filmed all the time and he would be alone for very long stretches with nothing  but bears, foxes and his camera for company (one time he goes on this rant about how women don't stay with him very long and how it would be so much easier if he were gay- because gay men have it so easy.)  I don't think a lot of people would agree with that- but he sure believed in the theory.  Anyway, Herzog put his footage together and made a documentary out of it.  Emily really enjoyed this movie and found it very entertaining.  Just a sad and fascinating story, a happy story too though-well done and well worth a go. 

 

CONAN O'BRIEN CAN'T STOP (2011) [R] documentary.  This is a documentary about that time in Conan's career when he was in between  The Tonight Show and TBS and he took an act on the road because he wasn't allowed on TV and well, because he can't stop.  Conan is just one of those people that needs an audience laughing at him to feel normal and happy.  I'd call this an enjoyable little watch on a lazy day.  Especially if you like Conan.  It gives you an inside look at his operation and his life and people he works with.  I don't know- that's about it. I like documentaries and I like Conan.  This was fun to watch.  Probably should be a Conan fan to really enjoy.  If you are- well, you'll like it. 

MOONRISE KINGDOM (2012) [PG-13] comedy/drama/romance.  I saw this movie with some sisters and my cousin Dan.  We had been very excited to see this one for a few months and finally got together and saw it at The Broadway.  We SO were not disappointed!  What a great movie.  We are all Wes Anderson fans, and this was very Wes Andersony and awesome.  I am going to call it my favorite of his so far.  (Oh that's hard to say, I do love Rushmore so much).  It's a very close call, maybe we'll call it a tie.  It's basically a love story between two misfit/troubled 13ish year olds.  They run away together on this island they live on and camp on the shores of a river.  The kids (especially Sam were just adorable).  It contained the regular Anderson players (Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman (in a cameo), etc.) but also had some fun additions such as Edward Norton (in a Scout's uniform complete with shorts and knee socks), and Bruce Willis had a great outside the box (for him) roll.  Totally charming little film, if you are a Wes Anderson fan, I recommend it highly.  If you dislike his style, probably stay away.

BORN TO BE WILD (2011) [G] documentary.  I gave this movie to Scout as a birthday present some weeks back.  We hadn't seen it yet, but baby orangutangs and baby elephants- no brainer.  It's just as cute as it promised.  This is a pretty short film (40 minutes or so) and was made as an IMAX picture mostly for museums and stuff.  It is about people that adopt orphaned orangutangs and elephants and raise them to go back out into the wild when they are ready.  Morgan Freeman narrates it.  I think this is one practically anyone would like.  Also a good reminder about respecting our world and the animals around it.

May Wall of Shame

THE DARK KNIGHT (2008) [PG-13] action/drama.  This is a wall of shame movie that truly encompasses what it means to be on my wall of shame.  The whole word has seen it, it was a phenomenon at it's time, and when you mention when it's brought up that you "missed that one" you get looks of incredulity and are told you are crazy.  I figured that since another one was coming out soon, this would be a good time to watch it finally.  Even though I can't say I'm planning on seeing the new one either.  Here is the scoop:  it was a fine movie, yes Heath Ledger was an incredible Joker, I am a Christian Bale fan, when it comes to superheros- Batman would have to be my favorite, BUT I simply care very very little for superhero movies and all that jazz.  I can't get excited about them.  The whole comic book world totally escapes me.  It's just not my thing.  This seems to have gotten worse and worse over the years.  The rise of the fanboy and the whole nerd culture uprising especially the million superhero movies that come out yearly, just all compiles to making me less and less interested.  That's just how it's working out for me.  Don't quite know why.  Oh well.  Um, you've probably already seen this movie.  It was worth seeing I suppose although I honestly could have done without seeing it and been perfectly happy.  Does that make it not worth seeing?  Perhaps for me, but most people seem to really like it.  I'm going to say this:  Heath Ledger's performance was definitely worth seeing.  Also- Christian Bale made a fine Batman.  Oh and I am a total Christopher Nolan fan.  Maybe I liked this movie alright. 


 June Wall of Shame 

THE EXORCIST (1973) [R] horror.  A local theater (in Salt Lake) is showing some classic movies on the big screen every Wednesday this summer and when Sue caught wind that The Exorcist was playing- we decided to go.  I had never seen it and figured it was about time and how can you pass up seeing it in the theater?  I was really nervous to see it.  I knew the basic story of course and had seen scenes etc almost my whole life from it.  I was so worked up about it I had a nightmare the night before I saw it about it.  It turns out that it didn't scare me as much as I thought it would.  It was all just too familiar and much of it was just too over the top to really scare me.  Sue and I agreed that if you saw this in the theater when it first came out, being a subject that hadn't been done in movies before and the images weren't familiar to you yet- it would most likely scare the ever loving crap out of you.  In this day and age, it's still shocking and scary, but not the same and not so much.  I will admit to being a little nervous when Rob left me alone with the girls overnight a few nights later to go fishing, but I made it though just fine.  I can recommend this movie if you like horror movies and haven't seen it.  It's a good story and well acted and well done.  The story of the priest was very good I thought.  It surprised me at the end.

So far I'm writing down my July movies like a good girl.

What Emily's Been Watching, April Edition

Not a lot of watched movies this month.  I blame it on two things:  1. Much of my movie watching time this month was taken up by watching Radiohead concert footage and interviews (couldn't help it).........oh yeah- and blogging!  2. The trouble with watching French movies is that I can't multitask while watching, so I had to really set aside everything else, and that is hard to do when Plants vs. Zombies comes out with an ipad upgrade that has been keeping me plenty busy during prime movie watching time, so I would have to opt to usually not watch a movie and watch Letterman or something instead.  I still managed a few though:

L'AUBERGE ESPAGNOLE- I couldn't find the translated name of this movie! (2002) [R] comedy/drama/romance.  So this one was the prequel to Russian Dolls (which I watched last month and didn't know it was a sequel).  When I discovered this movie existed, I started reading things about it and everyone said that this was better then the sequel, but I kind of disagree.  I ended up liking the other one better, this one seemed to make the other one better to me.  I didn't dislike this one, but I think when it is all said and done, I enjoy the other one better.   Maybe I'm just weird and may give them both a go again some other time and watch them in order.  Maybe.  Although this one played "No Surprises" by Radiohead more then once.  That will raise it a notch or two.  Watch it if you want.  Or not.

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS (2012) [R] thriller/horror.  This movie has been all the buzz since SXSW  (and before actually).  It is one of those "hush up about the ending" kind of movies (a la Catfish), so I knew that I needed to get myself to a theater quick before I heard something I shouldn't.  So when we made plans to have dinner and see a movie with my visiting cousin from California, this is the one we agreed upon.  Well, I gotta say (without spoiling anything)- what a crazy, weird, fun movie.  I had a blast watching it and really liked it.  But about half way through realized it was really NOT the best choice of movie to drag my 40 something (50?) year old cousin.  In his words, "I could have done without watching that".  Whoops.  But, we really knew little about it since no one was talking, so how could we know?  Anyway, my sisters and I loved it and I think my brother Ben liked it too.  It is a great movie for that person who likes horror movies, and all I will say about it is that it kind of deconstructs horror movies in a very fun, unique, and enjoyable way.  There were parts about it I REALLY liked and the third act was about as much fun as I've had watching a movie in a LONG time.  Advice for when you see it:  go in with a sense of humor, don't pigeon hole it or the actors upon first meeting and let things fall where they may and go with it.  Oh yeah, and did I say to have a sense or humor? Because that is key.  Emily recommends this movie for the scary movie watching crowd- in fact, for that crowd, I'd say this is a must (although, it really isn't scary)- but trust me on this.  But you have to follow my rules, or I can see not liking it.

Embedding of trailers was disabled for the two I tried, but perhaps that's for the best.  It doesn't spoil much if you want to seek it out- there are still PLENTY of surprises to be had.  But if  you'd like to see it totally fresh- skip the trailer.

OSS 117: CARIO, NEST OF SPIES (2006) [NR] spoof/comedy.  This was a movie that's been on my sights for a few months.  It is what Jean Dujardin (lead actor in The Artist) is famous for in France.  In fact it has the team of Dujardin/Bejo/Hazanavicius, so I was curious to check it out.  Conclusion:  after 35 years, I am still decidedly uncertain when it comes to spoofs.  I can enjoy a Mel Brooks film with the best of them- but they aren't all my thing.  I saw and laughed and quoted Hot Shots about a million times back in the day (still quote it from time to time), enjoyed Naked Gun 2 1/2 (have still never seen the first one) many times.  Other then that they tend to annoy me more then anything or they just don't make me laugh.  This movie was classic spoof and at first all you could hear were the crickets, but as the film went on, I found myself enjoying it more and more until by the end I decided I liked it well enough.  Don't know how much of a glowing review that was, but it is accurate.  Apparently, OSS 117 is France's answer to James Bond and stories about this detective have been made a lot, Hazanavicius decided to make a new OSS 117 film with a twist- make it into a comedy, and it worked.  This was a very popular movie and they made another one, but I've heard it isn't as good and since I wasn't totally wild about this one, I think I'll skip it.  Fun seeing Jean Dujardin doing comedy.  Emily can recommend this movie, especially for the spoof and spy movie loving crowd.  It's fun.  Great musical number towards the end I enjoyed immensely, but my favorite scenes hands down were the ones featuring the chickens- cracked me up! 

DINNER GAME (1998) [PG-13] comedy.  This is a classic French film that is one of those movies that America remade with it's own flavor and let me tell you (I think I already have)- that flavor for me was unpalatable.  I disliked Dinner For Schmucks a lot (but not as much as Rob- no one hated that movie more then Rob).  This one I thoroughly enjoyed.  It was funny without crossing that line into annoying.  "The idiot" was perfect I thought.  Funny, annoying, and believable.  It was really a great movie with some great scenes in it (I especially laughed at the main character's friend that comes over towards the last half.  He played a great role.  I liked how this one played out- in this version, they never actually make it to the dinner.  I thought that worked better.  Emily recommends this movie to anyone that liked or disliked Dinner for Schmucks.  Curious to see how both types felt about this movie.

Disabled trailer................grrrrr.  Find it here if you'd like.

Wall of Shame

CHINATOWN (1974) [R] drama/mystery/crime. I watched this because it's one of those movies that gets brought up a lot in movie discussion circles.  It also scores a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.  I liked this movie.  It was fun seeing a young Jack Nicholson playing a classic-style private eye.  It was also some good old film noir- which is always fun to look at and watch.  The story involved a pretty intricate crime story involving the man that controls LA's water system.  One of those that gets hairier the deeper Nicholson digs.  It remains interesting, Fay Dunaway plays a great character and it ends appropriately disturbing.  Emily thinks this was worth a watch if you have missed it.

What Emily's Been Watching, March Edition

Yay!  It is still April and I am actually getting to this!  This post has had to take a backseat until I finished the epic concert/road trip posts and I finished last night (phew)  I was very excited to have that chapter closed.  (Not that I didn't enjoy writing those posts, cause I did-  I just was ready to move on.)  So March movies.............hmmm, one thing I should say is that kind of on a lark, I have decided to get into French movies for a while.  Why not?  I say.  It started with running into a movie based on a book I really liked, then my neighbors suggesting a movie (that happened to be French), and perhaps a little influence from The Artist.  Anyway, it has just kind of snowballed and I've decided to explore what France has to offer in the form of movies (or "le film" say the French).  Having a good time so far and I must say, I am starting to pick up a little French (especially swear words- those are the easiest to pick out).

TAKE SHELTER (2011) [R] drama.  Matt and I watched this one night while he was out here.  It's been on my radar for ages, and was happy to finally be able to see it.  Interesting movie.  Remember how last year or the year before there was this trend with documentaries where film makers were giving them twist endings and they were a little mysterious?  Well, this year the trend was definitely the "ambiguous ending", where we are forced to think a lot when the movie is over and discuss it, and try to come up with how we think the film is really ending.  I think this might mark the last one I've heard about in this series.  I really like to be able to do that- it's fun and nice to be able to discuss your take and compare it to what the person next to you might think (by the way- I still don't know anyone that has seen Certified Copy and so I haven't been able to discuss that one.  Get on it people!) and come up with theories, etc.  I do like this- a lot.  But do you know what I would like even better?  A little note, or a youtube video perhaps, (I'm not picky- whatever you want guys) of the film maker telling us what really happened.  We could watch it a few weeks after seeing the movie, at our leisure, when we are sick of discussing and theorizing about it.  Because I like to discuss, but in the end, I stop discussing, because you can only discuss a movie for so long and then you are left with wondering what actually happened and there is a bit of unrest.  Keep these movies coming, but please think about my idea.  Thanks. 

This particular movie is about a guy that starts having nightmares that are very real to him.  He also has visions while he is awake, foreshadowing an epic storm coming.  He wrestles with whether or not he is schizophrenic or if it could be actual visions.  He keeps it from his wife and deaf daughter.  It was really good and led to a great discussion with Matt afterwards.  He had ideas and takes I never thought of and vice-versa.  Like I implied- the end is ambiguous and I don't want to say much more about the movie.  It is worth your time to see this one- good stuff (unless you're my dad- he disliked it and must not have been in a thinking mood that night, so didn't get much enjoyment out of it).  Emily recommends this movie highly, but put on your thinking caps.  And, I heard a great theory on it and will share it with you if you'd like after you see it.

THE HUNGER GAMES (2012) [PG13] drama.  Read the books- liked them.  Saw this- liked it.  Cat, Sue, Matt, B and I went to the midnight showing after Kelly and Mike's reception while we were all out in St. George.  It was fun to see it together but man, we were all so very tired (good thing my mom scheduled a breakfast together at the Cracker Barrel at 8 that next morning).  I had to fight to keep awake through the last third of the movie.  Good thing it was exciting and fast paced.  We really liked the casting choices- Woody Harrelson was particularly inspired.  That's about it.  Emily recommends it, but the world has already seen it.  Books are good too, but you already read them.

Screw it.   All the embedding of trailers seems to have been disabled.  I'm not going to mess with it.  You've probably seen it anyways eh?

RETREAT (2011) [R] thriller.  Matt and I liked the previews before Take Shelter so much, we used them to pick out our next movie night (that combined with what was available on Redbox).  This one was the winner, but it ended up not winning, I'm afraid.  I am also afraid I have forgotten most of it by now.  It wasn't bad, but we both agreed that it's biggest sin was that it was pointless.  Everything about it was pointless.  I remember that it is about a couple that are totally sequestered on an island for an extended vacation and they are visited by a stranger that says that there has been an outbreak of a disease that has desecrated the population really quickly and they have no way of proving him right or wrong and they have to decide that to do.  The acting and writing were all fine as I can recall, and the ending was satisfyingly twisty, it just had too many elements that were pointless.  Emily does not really recommend this movie.  If it's on tv sometime and you are in a movie watching mood- by all means, you won't be totally wasting your time.  It's ok.

TELL ON ONE (Ne le dis á personne) [UR] mystery/thriller.  I came across this movie as a Netflix instant suggestion and I noticed it was based on a book by one of my very favorite mystery/crime authors, Harlan Cobin.  I dug into it a little and saw how well received it was.  I had read the book and liked it, so gave it a go.  It was good.  It was fun to see a Foreign movie based on an American book and see the little ways they make it their own and French it up.  It worked.  The basic story is about this guy, whose wife is murdered and 7 years later he gets an email from her, of a video of her walking around and a note for him to "tell no one".  Then the story unfolds from there. Oh, and it stars a French Dustin Hoffman. Emily recommends this movie to anyone.  It's a good time, but didn't knock my socks off or anything.  Worth a watch though.

Female backside shown briefly in this trailer and a man is naked but you don't see anything if that bothers you- you've been advised- the French, what can you do?  Nudity is pretty casual as far as I've seen.  It's nothing that bother's me personally, but perhaps I'm a bit relaxed about the subject.  Nudity- meh.

THE TRIP (2010) [NR] comedy.  This is another movie that's been on my radar a long time and in my queue even (for a long time), but was nudged to watch it finally after having Sue recommend it to me.  I knew it was a comedy and I knew the guys in the film spend the whole movie talking and arguing and trying to best each other's Micheal Caine impersonations.  Sounds great and yeah, it was.  It really amused me.  I know it is more then just a movie, I think it is either based on some sort of reality tv show in the UK or something.  Perhaps I should have done some research before I wrote this, but it's one in the morning and I'm not going to.  I didn't need the back story to enjoy it, it was just entertaining on it's own.  Two guys are thrown together to a trip to eat at fancy restaurants and they are a little awkward about it, but end up being changed a little by the experience.  That's about it.  Emily recommends this if you like yourself a good British comedy now and then. Probably enough swearing to get an R rating.
 

HEARTBREAKER (L'arnacoeur) (2010) [NR] romantic comedy.  This is the one that my neighbors suggested I watch.  Oh my gosh I LOVED it.  This movie was so fun.  It's about a brother, sister and her husband who run a business where they break up relationships (hired by interested parties, not the couple).  They have rules about it, like it always has to be in the girl's best interest.  They do this, by using the brother as a kind of symbol that wakes them up and tells them that there is someone better out there (but not him of course).  This is a romcom, so of course there is going to be "that big job" that has "the girl" that gets to him and messes everything up.  In this case, it is Vanessa Paradis (who happens to be Johnny Depp's real life wife) and she is so adorable.  This movie is kind of your average romcom in many ways, but much better then average.  Emily recommends this movie very much!  Totally check it out-  it is pretty clean, she has a slutty best friend (I told you it was kind of classic romcom stuff- who knew the rules of the romcom are international?) who says one kind of nasty sentence in the back of a car and there is some French swearing now and then (and one quick lingerie malfunction (slutty friend again)), but it's not too bad.  You will enjoy it I think and I defy anyone not to have a huge grin on their face during the Dirty Dancing scene.  You know it's coming during most of the movie, but it still will make you smile.  It's on Netflix streaming and I've watched it twice so far.  

Les poupées russes (Russian Dolls) (2005) [NR] comedy/drama.  This was suggested to me by Netflix and people seemed to like it, so I watched it.  I spent most of the movie thinking I was watching some sort of French Micheal C. Hall (aka French Dexter) then it dawned on me that it is the same dude that was in Heartbreaker.  He looked so different* (*see: nerdy) in this.  I suppose that is why this was recommended to me (his name is Romain Duris by the way).  This movie was kind of meh- but on the better side of meh for sure.  I liked it alright, but it was no Heartbreaker.  The whole time I felt like I was missing something and then found out after the fact that it was a sequel to another movie (I watched in April- more on that next month).  It actually did a good job being it's own movie, but still, I felt confused from time to time, and like I said- felt as if I was missing something.  Turned out that I was!  It was a pretty good mix of comedy and drama and romance.  I'm not sure I want to get into the plot really, it's got a pretty big cast of twenty something singles, with one being the main focus (French Dexter), trying to bridge the gap from college to the professional world, or "single and loving it" to "settling down".  You know..........that sort of stuff.  Emily sort of half heartedly recommends this one.  You will be entertained somewhat, but your socks will most likely stay firmly on.

Alright, you'll have to go here to watch this clip I picked out for this movie.  It is Xavier (in his mind) walking down "the street of Ideal Proportions" in St. Petersburg behind this girl.  If memory serves (this clip is not subtitled) he is working out some things in his mind about perfection in women and why that distracts men from the real deal (his girlfriend).  He just all of a sudden starts into this dance like thing or strange walk and arm movements and it was just weird enough to raise the movie a notch or two in my eyes for whatever reason.  I really liked it.
I thought this was better then the trailer.

SPIRITED AWAY (2001) [PG] family/adventure.  So I saw this movie because of a few things:  1. I listened to a top 5 list of best animated movies and neither guy could stop bringing up Miyazaki.  2. Just days later Matt and I were having a little discussion about a NY Times article about Jonny Greenwood and the author described the contents of Jonny's backpack and one of those items was an Anime book (sp?).  Matt and I were a little taken aback by this news, and made a few innocent comments and this was facebook overhead by my friend Ami, and she basically told me that I might like some Anime and that I should see this movie.  Then my friend Jacob jumped on as well and backed her up.  So, when you combine 1 and 2, you kind of think perhaps you should see this movie.  oh and 3.  Ami recommended it.  Ami pretty much has reached "top movie recommend status" and so she can pretty much tell me to watch anything and I'll try it.  She's earned it with enough home runs through the years.  You're a diamond level member Aim, congrats.  
So, I watched it and it WAS really good.  At first glance visually, it doesn't seem like anything special, in fact looks like something I may have watched in my youth, but you shift your eyes to the background and there is some stunning visuals to be seen.  They were amazing.  The story is about a little girl that finds herself in a strange, magical world that is ruled by a witch and her parents are turned into pigs.  She has to figure out how to reverse this and get them all out of there.  It's super weird and trippy at times, and ends up having a nice message about loyalty and bravery and kindness.  Good for the kids to watch if they can handle some major weirdness.  Weird and intense at times, but I wouldn't call it ever really scarey.  Right away I could tell that I would have much preferred watching it in it's original language with subtitles instead of dubbed.  (Very few things bug me more then dubbed movies- everything always just seems so wrong, but especially the voices.)  But dubbed is what Netflix sent me, so I had no choice.  Oh well, I still enjoyed it.  Don't know if I have some sort of anime bug now or something- yes, I can answer that- I don't.  BUT I am sure I will be a little more open to watching something like this again if I'm told it's awesome.  It really wasn't as bad (see: nerdy) as I may have imagined at one time.  Emily can totally recommend this movie.  It may surprise you if you aren't into this world.  Much more interesting then your average Disney princess flick (and much more up Scout's alley).  I didn't have her watch it, but I would if I ever came across it again.  I think she'd get a kick out of it.


I don't know- might be a little scary for Scout still.

Emily's Wall of Shame

CITIZEN KANE (1941) [PG] Drama/mystery.  When I think of my wall of shame, this movie is right at the top of the list.  This is one of the most brought up movies in history and a must for all cinephiles.  Well, I finally watched it and I don't want to sound like an idiot, but I have to be honest.  I really didn't see what the big deal was. *dutifully shamed*  It was a good movie, well done, etc etc.  but seriously- what did I miss?  Perhaps that it is supposed to be a great big mystery about who Rosebud is, but by now, aren't we all spoiled on that?  I wouldn't think that would really make a huge difference.  Maybe I should study it a little and learn more about what makes it "great".   But I am glad I went in without all that pretension, so I could just see it as a lame person and not already impressed by it's wonder glories.  Does it sound like I hated it?  Cause I didn't- it just didn't live up to "the greatest movie ever" as it is touted in many circles.  It was fun seeing Orson Wells so young!  He was a handsome young man and an amazing actor.   Emily recommends this movie so you can educate me.  Or if you've seen it tell me your take and what makes it great to you.  I am really interested.

other stuff

Buffy:  only watched one episode.  The season is heating up a little I guess.

I finished The Wonder Years and am now going through How I Met Your Mother.  It is really amusing me.  Some jokes make me giggle long after they are done.  I am not a sitcom person by any stretch of the imagination, but this one is clever enough to like. 

What Emily's Been Watching, February Edition

A little late yes, but not too egregious.   I have been a bit distracted lately and then I've been sick.  You might think that laying around and writing a blog on your laptop when you're sick is a no brainer- but in actuality, doing such things seems like too much energy (physically and mentally).

 I'm enough on the upswing now to catch up a little.  Plus, I've had this post started for a week, it just needed to be finished.

HOT FUZZ (2007) [R]  action/comedy.  I've seen and enjoyed some other collaborations done by the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost/Edgar Wright team, but knew I have been missing out with not seeing this one, so I finally checked it out.  It was everything it promised to be:  funny and clever.  Filmspotting recently did a poll on who is the better team:  this group or the Judd Apatow group.  The Edgar Wright team won with the readers, but the hosts chose the Apatow crowd and I was scandalized.  I just like these guys waaay better, despite my love of Freaks and Geeks.  I think the Apatow group's downfall for me can be narrowed down by three things:    my disinterest in raunchy comedies, my annoyance of people/movies that are too obsessed with pot and Seth Rogan's laugh. 

Anyway, Hot Fuzz is about a London cop (Pegg) who gets transferred to a small town in the country because he was showing all the other cops up.  The town he moves to is what you might call "lax" on law enforcement.  He is paired up with the chief's son (Frost) who plays a dopey yet well meaning guy who loves cop movies.  Pegg starts thinking that something is going on that is more then meets the eye with some accidents in the town and the two work together to figure out what is really going on.  It was super funny and had some really hilarious moments.  I think the one that made me laugh the hardest was early in the film, an eager Frost is asking a bored Pegg a series of "have you ever" questions that were obviously inspired by the many cop movies he has watched such as "have you ever shot two guns at the same time while jumping through the air?".  There is a payoff at the end, when you see the two doing just that.  I loved it.  Emily recommends this movie if you liked Shaun of the Dead.  If you haven't seen that one either- well you should.  Some language, plenty of the funny, gratuitous kind of gore. 

Haha! This trailer features the question I mentioned (and the payoff).

SHERLOCK SEASON 2 (2012) [NR] mystery/crime drama.  Sherlock has officially reserved a spot in Emily's top 5 favorite TV shows of all time.  That is how much I love this series.  There have been two seasons so far, three episodes each (granted, each episode is movie length- about an hour and a half) and seriously- it just doesn't get much better then this folks.  The acting, the writing, the filming, the production, it is all top notch.  The team of Cumberbatch and Freeman are far and away the best paired Holms and Watson ever- their chemistry is amazing.  I absolutely adore those two so much.  The guy they have playing Moriarty is equally awesome.  He totally kicks my butt.  I also love love love Mycroft (who also happens to be the creator of the series).  The middle episode of the first series is easily the weakest of the lot, but it is made up for by the next two episodes, the first episode of the second series wins my number one best episode.  Freaking fantastic, and I need to cut myself off right now, or I'll gush all day.  I explained this series already some months back when I reviewed season 1, so if you want to know a little more about it, you can read my first review here.  Um, I think you all know my stand here.  

The first season is on PBS.com or it's app, it's also on Netflix instant and I also own it on DVD and will loan it to you.  The second season is not quite out yet in the states, but can be located on those dodgy websites that play stuff you can't actually find easily.  "Easily" see: legally.  Yeah, I pirated it, but I don't feel bad about it.  I had to be very tenacious and it was not without many frustrations, but was it worth it??  YES!  It was awesome.  It was sooo good.  If you don't want to become a pirate, you do have the option of waiting until May, when it will premier on Masterpiece Theater, here in the states.  ps. I don't feel bad, because it will be offered on a public tv station shortly and I will most definitely be purchasing the DVD of this season too, when it's available. Arrrrrrrrrrrr.

DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 1 AND 2 (2011-2012) [NR] drama.  This is a BBC original series that has become something of a head scratcher to me.  Basically, it is a drama, set in the early 1900's in England.  Which is a time period where old English traditions and lifestyles (ie how Jane Austin characters acted and lived) was changing and becoming more modern.   The story is about one aristocratic household-  (the main family has a title), the story equally follows the servants of the house too.  The whole thing can be summed up as a period piece soap opera.  It has many faults, but despite this, I liked it a lot and was very interested in the story and the characters and was well addicted to it.  Some flaws are very very hard to overlook and forgive, but as a whole, the good stuff wins out, but only as a the ultimate guilty pleasure.  It is riveting and well acted, if not always well written.  Being well acted can go a long way, and make lame writing choices bearable.  (When you have bad acting combined with bad writing you get CSI: Miami.)  This show is a good example of how some top notch acting can save a show that could be totally and utterly laughable.  As it is, it is just laughable a few times.  The set of Downton Abbey and the costumes are also really great.  Some of the dresses are amazing. 

The head scratching part for me is the major buzz from all walks of life this show was getting for a while.  I am talking, this show was watched and buzzed about by the "fan boy" set, mentioned by Conan O'Brien and David Letterman, it was everywhere in pop culture.  I just heard about this show everywhere I turned, so I decided I needed to check it out.  About after the first season, I started wondering what the deal was.  I liked it, but saw nothing about it that explained why all these people I never would peg as someone that would watch such a show were suddenly loving and obsessing over it.  I am explaining it by the fact that I am already on board with these BBC period piece shows.  I see most of them and love them.  So, this seems like really nothing special, but perhaps if you weren't a BBC nerd like me, this WOULD be something special.  I don't know, I can't explain it to my satisfaction.  Despite how this review might read- I really do recommend this show.  It is flawed, but ultimately, a good time, and ultimately worth your time especially if you have the time and inclination to just sit down, veg out, and enjoy a guilty pleasure now and then.  Because for these moments (and these moments are a nice sometimes) this show is perfect (almost).

I am finally cluing in on a theme I've noticed since that Jane Eyre promo I came across once:  British TV promos are not to my taste, a bit dramatic for me.  That is all.


CERTIFIED COPY (2010-France, 2011-USA) [NR]  drama. Another well buzzed about piece of entertainment.  But this time by the art house movie crowd.  This made most critics that I listen to's top or near the top movies of the year.  So, I had to check it out.  Glad I did.  Great movie!  This stars Juliette Binoche, as the lead, she is on this date with a man we know to be a famous author of a book that muses about if copies of art are just as good as originals.  This turns out to be a somewhat meta subject as the story unfolds, but I don't want to go into it really, cause it is fun to watch the ambiguity etc change before your eyes.  Confusing?  Yes, but sorry, I am going to have to keep it that way for your own good.

 If I think about it, the movie is basically two intelligent people talking the whole time, so for that reason, perhaps it isn't for everyone, but I think most people would find it interesting.  Also, for a foreign film, there is a surprising amount of English.  There is also Italian and French spoken, but the bulk is in English.  (She is French, living in Italy, and he is an Englishman that doesn't speak either other language, therefore they converse in English).  Emily highly recommends this movie.  I also recommend it as a good movie to have an interesting discussion about like we did with Another Earth (but this time perhaps it could be less what we liked and hated (more like) about the movie and just a good discussion about a good movie that lends itself to a lot of discussion.  Ok?  Discuss.

BEING ELMO (2011) [PG] documentary.  I have been waiting to see this documentary since it premiered at Sundance last year.  It didn't disappoint.  Inspiring documentary about the man behind Elmo.  Not so much to say about it, but it is really good, pretty short, and worth watching (especially since it is on netflix instant.  Good behind the scenes puppetry which has always interested me and good stuff about the man that started it all, Jim Hensen.  Emily recommends this one for anyone that might be interested.  And if say, a little one that loves muppets happens to be sitting next to you while you watch it, well- they might just enjoy it too and keep leaning towards the screen, trying to give Elmo kisses.




MEETING PEOPLE IS EASY (1998) [15] documentary.  I figured in honor of the goings on this week, (although it was a while ago that I did watch it), it was time to get this little gem out of the dvd collection, dust it off, and give it a watch.  It's been a few years.  After watching a few minutes of it, I wondered if this really is the best choice of movies to watch- a documentary about Radiohead's OK Computer tour where they found themselves after releasing that album, suddenly a super band that just came out with one of the most acclaimed albums of all time, which rocketed their careers and they didn't quite know how to handle it.  They were so bored and disenchanted with Creep and that is still all everyone wanted to hear while in concert.  Thom especially was ill equipped to handle super fame and hated it.  Thom's whole life, he was an outcast and introvert.  He spent the first 7 years of his life with an eye patch, which doesn't lend itself to popularity.  He got his first guitar at 6 or 7, and started writing his first songs.  He spent his school years in the music rooms, because he could sit at the piano alone without anyone around.  All these struggles turned him into the man and genius he is, but he wasn't ready for all the fame that happened to him, especially when OK Computer came out.  So, needless to say, the film is pretty bleak and a little depressing watching him obviously hate the spot light and touring so bad.  BUT, the good news is that he took a few years off, got into rhythms as opposed to melody and came out with Kid A and Amnesiac.  He has also worked most of his issues out and is a much happier tourer these days.  He can call the shots now, and he's earned it. Thom himself has also said that that movie also really focused on the bad and didn't get into all the good times too, so it is probably a bit skewed.  It is still a fine movie and I enjoy watching it now and then.   The hardest scene to watch is when they are in NY, and they are at the doors in a night club and you see them hanging back a little and their manager or someone says, "do you know Radiohead?"  And I can't remember what transpires, but it's quick and they are obviously denied entrance.  So they are walking down the street and someone that heard it happen follows them and heckles them.  He says something about Creep, while they just keep walking, ignoring him.  It is seriously painful to watch.  I can't imagine that ever happened again, but wow, it was crazy.  My favorite moment happens in the first 10 minutes or so.  You see the band obviously in a green room somewhere, preparing to go onstage for a concert.  Then you see them start up this staircase to go on stage and Jonny is behind Thom and he silently and gently places his hand on Thom's shoulder, and without a word or a glance, Thom reaches around and touches Jonny's wrist in response.  I know I'm a Radiohead nerd, but it is such a beautiful moment between the two.  The gestures spoke volumes.  There is also some footage of the making of the video "No Surprises" (the one where Thom's head slowly gets immersed in water while he's singing.) - if you haven't seen that video, go check it out.  A quote I love from the movie, is taken from an interview with Thom, who says, "The freakiest thing about all of this, like you know- any of this at all, is the idea that you would be one of those bands to somebody".  I happen to know that he is "one of those bands" to a lot of somebodies.  Emily recommends this movie to any Radiohead fan.  I mean, you've got to see it- sheesh.

Since the trailer for this movie apparently is footage of a camera going around a train track while Fitter Happier plays, I figured I might as well display this video of clips someone made of some of the depressing moments in the movie.  Enjoy.
 For the record (and how I happen to feel): 

 "If people get it, they wouldn't think it's depressing. When people always say that f*ing annoying thing about how my work's so depressing, well it's not because.. it's just words, and I put the words to music which I think it's an uplifting thing, otherwise there would be no point in doing this at all."

-Thom Yorke

Amen Thom, amen.



Emily's Wall of Shame

THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951) [NR] adventure/drama/ romance.  My wall of shame this month, happened on the last day of the month, and needed to be on Netflix instant for obvious reasons (and those reasons would be my lack of planning).  I spent a huge chunk of this film amazed at how goofy and cheesy Bogart played this role.  I've seen movie stills and wax reinterpretations of this movie my whole life and never once did I get "goofy and cheesy" from those stills of Bogart.  I've also seen many of his pics and never saw this side.  But, this is the one that scored him an Oscar, so there you go.  Katherine Hepburn was quite a bit stuffier then usual, as is fitting for her character of a christian missionary stuck on a boat in the middle of Africa with a scandalous man.  The story really hooked me as it went on.  I really enjoyed this movie a lot more then I planned on.  Especially after my shock upon meeting "Mr. Allnut".  It was really good and I'm glad I watched it and may even catch it again someday.  Emily recommends this movie if you like them black and white Katherine Hepburn or Humphrey Bogart movies.  Not a typical role for either of them, but it works and tells a good tale.


Oh yeah- did I mention the great rapids effects?  Awesome.

The other stuff:

Buffy:  I only watched 3 episodes or so last month, but one of them almost made up for everything.  LOVED it.  The show has made me dislike many of the characters as it goes on as they morph and change.  But one character is just getting better and better and more interesting.  Wish he was in every episode...

The Wonder Years:  So watching this show as an adult, I have come to a conclusion:  Kevin is a little jerk!  He is a jerk to his friends most of all, but really most people he interacts with. 

Still love it and am enjoying my watching of this series I haven't seen since it was airing, this was just an observation that must not have made much of an impression on me back in the day.

That's it for now- XX

What Emily's Been Watching- January Edition

I warned you last month that I was watching a lot of movies in January, and what do you know- I was right.  I was inspired by all the end of the year top ten lists.  Next month I going to try to hit up a few more Oscar nom movies.  I even found time to start Emily's Wall of Shame.  (What better time to finally start that then January?)  If you are new to this, or have forgotten, my wall of shame is watching a movie that is super well known/famous that I have just not happened to see or missed it, etc.  You know those movies:  ones that are on AFI's 100 best, or come up in Trivial Pursuit a lot. Yeah- those. Oh, and as always, the titles link to their page on IMDB if you want more info on the movie.  Ok, here we go...........

THE WILD AND WONDERFUL WHITES OF WEST VIRGINIA  (2009) [R]  documentary.  This was a documentary recommended by my sister Sue.  It was a strange mix of interesting, disturbing, entertaining, shocking and depressing.  I like anything that pulls you into a different world, to see a slice of life that is normal to someone else and utterly alien to you.  This movie does that.  Apparently, The White family is pretty famous/infamous in the mountain culture of West Virginia.  It started with a grandpa that tap danced and now there is a huge family tree comprised of drug infested, self entitled, dishonest, foul mouthed, ignorant people.  There is definitely not a lot of heart warming pay off here, or lessons learned, but it is fascinating to get a glimpse into the lives of this family and what constitutes as normal to them.  .Also some really funny moments.  And don't forget: Sue Bob is the sexy one.  Emily only recommends this documentary to people that like the slice of life story telling and have a fascination with the Appalachian Mountain culture like I do (you also must not mind drug use and language).


Here is a funny scene that I found more entertaining then the trailer.


ATTACK THE BLOCK (2011) [R]  comedy/sci-fi.  This movie was so much fun for me.  I just loved it.  It was made in the UK and centers around some sort of ghetto in London.  I texted it as a recommendation to my brother and described it as "Super 8 meets Boyz in the Hood- in London" and that does about cover it.  Basically, these little alien things start falling from the sky while these kids are holding up a lady.  They take action and then find themselves having to defend their block by themselves cause the cops aren't their friends of course.  It's really funny, has some intense scary alien scenes, and isn't afraid to kill the main characters.  I loved the London, inner city, ghetto vibe it had- the accents and idioms were quite entertaining.  It was just well made and well written and the kids were quite likeable for meeting them while ganging up on and holding up a unarmed woman at night while walking home.  Cool aliens, especially for a low budget picture.  Emily totally recommends this movie for the alien adventure lovers out there (I wouldn't call myself one of those, but I do enjoy a well done alien movie once in a while).  It brings something new to the table.  It was my first English alien picture (I think).





ANOTHER EARTH (2011) [PG-13]  drama/sci-fi. Another Earth.  What a polorizing film this has been this  past year!  It won an award at Sundance, then got picked up.   It has appeared on critics top 10 best lists and others worst of the year.  I've heard critic partners discuss it together on total opposite ends of the spectrum.  Where do I fall?  It totally worked for me.  Here is what gets some people:  It is drummed up as a very very interesting idea- a sister planet suddenly appears by earth with apparently the exact same structural make up as earth, it later reveals that EVERYTHING is the same, including cities and people having the exact same experiences as you.  Essentially, there is another you doing the exact same thing on another planet.  So, with that premise, people expect to dive into all that entails and they want to visit that world during the movie and find out all the answers.  This movie doesn't do that though and that disappoints some.  It also doesn't depict all the havoc that planet would have on our earth such as gravity problems and the tides- that stuff isn't touched on.  Instead, this is a character drama that kind of revolves around the question of what if you met the other you?  What if you could change the past and right the mistakes you have made? 

It was written by two friends (a man and a woman) and first time movie makers.  Then, he directed it and she starred in it.  They filmed it with very little money, saving money by staying at one of their parent's houses and eating their food, etc.  I listened to two interviews by this team (one was a Q & A after a screening) and I just was even more impressed.  I loved hearing the process of how they made this and the stories behind it.  Fact:  they did try to add some of the elements of what would happen to the earth if we had another one so close but they told us that we are very glad they cut it all out, it looked terrible with the budget they had.  I totally respect that and am glad they left it out.  I don't think they needed it.  The story wrapped me totally up right away and I felt so heavily for the main character, Rhoda.  I knew the main stuff going in about the other earth stuff I explained, I also knew that a car accident was involved.  That is all I knew going in and didn't happen to see the trailer.  There is stuff I didn't see coming at all (which I think is rare- most know).  It was a great way to watch the film I thought.  I was just so wrapped up in the emotions of the main characters- it was quite the ride.  One thing didn't work very well for me, but it was a minor side plot, so it didn't ruin anything.  I recommended this one to Matt too and this one he and his wife really hated (he enjoyed Attack the Block very much).  Guess it is polarizing.  Emily has decided to not recommend this movie.  I will leave it to you to decide if you want to see it or not.  By the way, I couldn't get this movie out of my mind for most of the next day and I have spent quite a bit of time coming up with different versions of the ending (it was left sort of ambiguous- about that:  the directer/writer said in his interview that they know very specifically what actually happened, but want to keep it under wraps to allow the audience to do what I have been doing and interpret it their own way.  Stinkers.  I have had a great time coming up with my own, but I am dying to know the real ending.  If you've seen the film and am interested in hearing the interviews I spoke of (and I really recommend them) you can find them here and here.  Pretty clean PG 13- no language, but there is a pretty intense car accident scene.

HUGO 3D (2011) [PG]  family/drama/adventure.  I suddenly had an urge to see this one while it was still in theater in 3D (I'd heard things about it), so I reached out to my Utah family to see who would be interested (I was going to just go down the street after the kids went to bed and watch it by myself if no one was interested- I'm cool with that).  My cousin Dan was able to go, so the two of us went and we really enjoyed it!  The 3D really was amazing.  I am not a big 3D person, in fact the only other I saw was when one of the Harry Potter movies had a few scenes in 3D (6th?-  yep).  I just find it pretty unnecessary.  That is also how I felt during the 3D previews they showed before Hugo.  BUT Hugo was impressive.  It really was worth seeing that way.  The movie was really enjoyable too.  I liked the story and liked learning a little about the history of film, mostly about Georges Méliès. Most of it takes place in a Paris train station and features lots of clock work (which is really cool to watch in 3D).   The auto-matron totally blew my mind.  I couldn't get over the work involved in programing one of those things.  CRAZY.  It may seem like a kid's movie to you, but it isn't.  I don't mean that it isn't appropriate, it just would be totally boring to a child if you want my opinion.  I think it is more a magical movie for adults.  That sounds lame, but it really was excellent. It had a great story to it and fosters a love of cinema- especially old cinema- which is cool I think.  Emily recommends this movie very much for anyone (except those under about 11 I'd say- unless they were unusually mature).  I figure it is probably too late to see it in 3D but if not- it is totally worth the effort and extra money to check it out that way- and that may be the only time I ever say that.  3D is stupid.


 

CLOVERFIELD (2008) [PG-13]  horror/sci-fi.  Cloverfield came out a few years ago and is still brought up all the time when anyone discusses a monster movie.  It is one of those "found footage movies" I am a big fan of, but somehow, even with all that, I never saw this film.  It hung out on my Netflix queue for a very long time and I finally decided it was time.  Wow-- it was fantastic.  I really liked it.  It is essentially an American godzilla movie.  The very beginning of the movie (very first thing, so I'm not spoiling anything) says that this tape was found in some number area (I forget) which used to be known as "Central Park".  It is pretty cool that the whole story is just shown with the point of view of the guy with the camera, so you don't know any more then they do.  The footage begins at a party for some guy that is leaving for a job in Japan and the lights go out, there is some mayhem, and then they evacuate and the guy still has the camera.  They are in downtown Manhattan and there are explosions and shouting from far away and suddenly the Statue of Liberty's head comes flying down the street.  That's all I'm going to say about that.  Emily was a big fan, lots of fun.  Check it out if you haven't yet (I'm probably the last person on earth that hadn't seen it though).  It's not to be missed if you like the found footage movies, and in that genre- it's a classic.




MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (2011) [PG-13]  romcom/fantasy.  I had been waiting to see this one for a long time, and snatched it up at Redbox the week it was available.  What a fun little flick.  You get to combine the Woody Allen film style with history and classic painters and authors AND Paris.  You get to vicariously meet people like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Picasso.  You get to walk the streets of Paris with Owen Wilson and hear love of the city gush out of his and everyone's lips almost continually.  I love it and I think I would really love Paris if I ever went there.  But mostly it was fun to see the 1920's Paris set interact and hang out together.  Also- I love Woody Allen.  I am not even as harsh about his stuff from the last 10 years as everyone else is.  I've enjoyed them all at least a little and on some level.  This one is a no brainer- check it out.  Good times.  Might be a pretty good introduction to Woody Allen.  It's kind of "Woody Allen light", definitely has the feel and dialogue of his movies, but isn't too heavy handed.


MOON (2009) [R]  drama/sci-fi.  This is a movie I have heard about for a long time, I think my sister Sue has mentioned it once or twice and I have finally gotten around to watching it.  Here is what you can know about this movie:  Sam Rockwell lives in a space station and has for 3 years.  He lives alone with a robot companion voiced by Kevin Spacy.  The robot is really interesting, it's face is just a classic yellow smiley face that changes it's expression when appropriate.  It has a very HAL like vibe to it.  One day, Sam (I forgot his character's name) goes out to investigate something (on the moon which if you couldn't tell by the title, is where he is stationed) and finds a crash victim and it looks exactly like himself, so he takes it back to his space station.  This movie was really good and interesting, and if anyone can be pretty much the only person in every scene- it's Sam Rockwell.  He is a really great actor, whom I always enjoy.  Kevin Spacy (even though it is only his voice) is also AWESOME.  He gave a very memorable performance.  Good surprises peppered throughout and a good twist ending.  Emily recommends this one too if you can possibly handle another sci-fi movie.  It's R for some language.




TABLOID (2011)  [R]  documentary.  I have been interested in seeing this movie since I heard of it's existence early last year.  It's the story of this lady that back in the 70's fell in love with this guy in Provo, said they were planning to get married, but "the Mormons got him" and he went on a mission instead.  So, she did what any sane person would do (seriously- in her eyes she did), and follows him to England, kidnaps him, and ties him up in this little cottage and has sex with him.  He escapes and she becomes a tabloid super star in England.  This film was made by the legendary documentarian Errol Morris. This was my first of his and I just loved the style.  He pretty much just filmed her telling the story.  He is well known for doing reenactments of crime scenes and stuff and according to him, was sick of people talking about it, so this time he showed clips of old 50's movies in their place.  I loved that effect, it added a whimsy I just loved.  He also would randomly speak, with a short question or shout of incredulity once in a while that was just funny.  It was fairly jarring and something that if you think about, you never see during a documentary and it always tickled me when he'd do it.

About the story:  She obviously has some sort of vast mental problems.  She is kind of freaky, but very very entertaining to listen to and watch.   It is more like she lives in her own little universe that has it's own truth and actual facts don't matter-what's in her head is what is true.  A fascinating thing to watch and listen to.  Weird.  She is VERY angry at the Mormon church and blames it for everything that is wrong with her life- even though all it did to her as far as I can tell is be the religion the man she became obsessed with belonged to.  She paints missionaries as these brainwashed men that are held against their will by power hungry leaders.  Too bad the movie's mission was not to go into discrediting that lovely and crazily skewed view she has, but I dare say that her obvious craziness discredits it to the smart viewer.  It gets a little too close to sacred things I wish it wouldn't (cause it's sacred) once, but otherwise it doesn't get into much doctrine.  I will tell you one thing though, and this isn't just this movie-- if I hear the term "magic underwear" used one more time- my brain is going to explode into a million pieces.  I can't express how much I hate that.  A great review of this movie (done by a  film reviewer that happens to be LDS can be read here)  I thought he reviewed it really well and think it's worth reading. Anyway, VERY interesting movie, and an interesting story.  Too bad the man in question would have nothing to do with being interviewed.  It would have thrown an interesting twist into the mix.  But the spectacle that is Joyce McKinney is the spot light- she really is a trip.  The last 15 minutes or so she tells about her dog she had cloned in Korea (cause she is nuts) and man I laughed so many times, it was SO FUNNY.  Emily recommends this movie- it's a very interesting story told in a very unique and interesting way.  Watch out for a fair amount of nude photographs during this one part and she gets fairly explicit on describing their "consensual sex" that even out of her mouth does not sound consensual.  Us Mormons were not conveyed in the best light, but I have heard us depicted far worse for sure, and that is not the center of the story.

THE ARTIST (2011)  [PG] romcom/drama.  I can describe this movie with two words:  utterly charming.  I, along with the rest of the world, just loved this movie.  I also love the idea that a movie that is  silent, French, and black and white can be so mainstream.  That is pretty cool.  It is also fun to see a movie like this, one you don't see everyday- that reminds you that you don't need a lot of dialogue to tell a great story.  Saw this with my Utah movie peeps crowd and we were all charmed.  I loved the lead characters- Jean Dujardin pulled off a mustache in the spirit of Clark Gable (a rare gift indeed), he also, even in depths of despair- was able to break out in a smile that would light up his face and the whole room (also very Rhett like).  Bèrènice Bejo could not have been cuter.  She was funny and channeled some sort of Carol Bernette vibe at times, or she could just be simply stunning. Would I see this movie again the next chance I got?:  with pleasure.  Go, run out and see this film.  See it in the theater, so you can sit back and relax without distractions.  You'll love it.



THE THIN BLUE LINE  (1988)  [NR]  documentary.  So with Tabloid I discovered Errol Morris.  Which made me naturally seek out his most famous documentary.  This movie came from a 3 year investigation he did on an old case in Texas involving a routine police stop, where the officer was shot and killed when he approached the vehicle.  Morris upon investigating the story, came to believe that an innocent man was on death row.  So, he made a documentary about it.  What made this so famous, is that Morris got a confession from the actual killer on tape, which lead to the innocent man getting exonerated days before he was scheduled to be put to death!  Isn't that crazy?  What may be more crazy is the man that was set free, after getting out of prison- ended up suing Morris for sole rights to his story.  I would have thought a thank you might be in order.........  But anyway, this movie plays a lot like a true crime investigation like 48 hours (but better of course).  But how many times during 48 hours have you wanted there to be a satisfying end and answer to who really committed the crime?  Not often does that happen, they just raise speculation and uncertainty.  This documentary actually solves the crime during it's filming.  Awesome.  Emily recommends this movie to anyone that likes true crime shows- it's a fun and satisfying time for that set.  Also, David Chen of the /filmcast interviewed Errol Morris last month for over an hour.  It was really interesting and he talks extensively about Tabloid and The Thin Blue Line.  You can find it here if you're interested.

It doesn't look like a trailer exists for this film, but I found this- which is a bunch of people talking about the film and showing it some love.

Emily's wall of shame

APOCALYPSE NOW  (1979) [R] drama/war.  Wow.  I don't quite know what to say except wow.  This movie was so nuts.   I will tell you one thing: this movie deserved all the hype and mentions that it has gotten over the years.  Watching this was truly an unforgettable experience.  I've seen my share of Vietnam movies in my time, and they have all been amazing and horrible in their own ways.  This one took war horror to a new and interesting realm though.  Amazing film.  Creepy and disturbing, but amazing.  Martin Sheen is a secret op agent of sorts in the military, and is sent on a mission down the river into Cambodia to terminate with "extreme prejudice" a rouge and insane general (Marlon Brando) that has made himself into a god for a group of followers and soldiers.  One question:  what was up with the napalm in the morning, surfing general?  Did it have a reason beyond showing callousness of war?  The surfing just seemed weird.  Just wondering.  This one isn't for the faint of heart.  It's war and it's crazy.  If you can handle it- this is totally one to see.  I mean- it's Coppola.  The man can do intense and he is a brilliant director.




Buffy watch:  I have seen little Buffy this month, but have seen the first handful of episodes of the 4th season and I hope it gets better.

Still watching Fraiser in my down time.  Almost done.  Next up: The Wonder Years.

That is all for my honorable mention lists.