ok i'm doing it...
i'm updating my livejournal while at my real job something i never wanted to do. oh well i'm going to blame it on my sucky computer at home.
So here's all the movies that Curtis and I have watched so far through Netflix. I'll try really hard to make myself post on Sundays with a new list from each week. Then hopefully I'll have something else to write about from that week besides movies.
What we've watched so far starting at the beginning and working up to this past week: (there is one movie review that contains spoilers, i'll warn you again later).
Rose Red (2002) - In Stephen King's chilling tale, psychology professor Dr. Joyce Reardon ( Nancy Travis) commissions a team of psychics and a gifted 15-year-old (Kimberly J. Brown) to wake up a supposedly dormant haunted mansion known as Rose Red. Their efforts unleash myriad spirits and uncover horrifying secrets of the generations who have lived and died in the mansion.
It was pretty good for a made for tv scary movie. I rented this movie because we went to see The Messengers and it was stupid and not scary and I was in the mood for a scary movie and that just didn't cut it.
Breakin' (1984) - A struggling jazz dancer (Lucinda Dickey) teams up with two hot break-dancers ( Adolfo Quinones and Michael Chambers) in an attempt to win a big-time dance competition. The music score features the record-breaking hits "Breakin' ... There's No Stoppin' Us" and "Freakshow on the Dance Floor." Cut a rug, guys!
It was cute. There was tons of leg warmers and spandex. And the wonderfulness of IMDB pointed out to us that this is Jean Claude Van Damm's first on-screen appearance. Curtis and I had to go back to the scene in question and laugh hysterically at Jean trying to dance in a one-piece wrestler's suit.
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984) - The neighborhood is in danger once again when a cruel entrepreneur announces plans to raze an urban community center and replace it with a shopping mall. As local break dancers rally to raise the $200,000 needed to save it, Ozone ( Adolfo Quinones) and Kelly ( Lucinda Dickey) continue their relationship. Meanwhile, Turbo (Michael Chambers) uses his charm and heart-stopping moves to win over a lovely, Spanish-speaking girl.
Between South of the Border and the finale dance sequence in this movie I don't see how there is anything florescent left in the world. Even sillier than the first one. And the "Spanish-speaking girl"? Tell me why she had to talk at an octave akin to Mariah Carey's crazy high notes. It didn't even look like she was speaking, it looked like her voice was dubbed.
Everything is Illuminated (2005) - A young American Jewish man begins an exhausting quest -- aided by a naïve Ukranian translator -- to find the righteous gentile woman who saved his grandfather when his small Ukranian village (along with most of the populace) was obliterated during the Nazi invasion of Russia in 1941. Stars Elijah Wood, Eugene Hutz and Boris Leskin. Liev Schreiber directs. Based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer.
This movie immediately went on my list of movies to buy. So I enjoyed this movie very much (especially the furry Kangol and the "seeing eye bitch"). But at the end I was very disapointed and sad for a few minutes until I thought more about it and then it was okay and it made sense. The additional scenes were hilarious and I'm wondering why they weren't in the movie (maybe because the director didn't want the movie to be totally crazy). It was a good mix of humor and seriousness. I went out and read the book right after the movie (which is actually the first time I've ever been able to do that). Usually the movie is too fresh in my mind and the book is the same but there was a lot more going on in the book than in the movie (which is to be expected). The book was actually chapters of a story that Jonathan was writing about the history of Trachimbrod, letters Alex was writing to Jonathan about the story, and chapers of a story that Alex was writing about their search for Trachimbrod. So basically the movie was just Alex's part with a little bit from the letters mixed in. Reading the book made me like the movie a little bit less but not too much.
Snakes on a Plane (2006) - FBI agents Neville Flynn (Samuel L. Jackson) and Sean Jones (Nathan Phillips) are tasked with escorting a witness, ex-mobster John Saunders (Mark Houghton), to a high-profile trial and to keep him safe from those who would do him harm. As the film's title suggests, however, an onboard assassin determined to rid the G-men of their precious cargo unleashes a crate full of venomous snakes in this taut airborne thriller.
Ugh, I can't believe I gave this movie the benefit of the doubt. It was HORRIBLE. A lot of the synopses I've read say that it's a spoof but I think they are just trying to explain away the bad acting. And the big muthafuckin' line was delivered very anti-climactically, he wasn't even figthing with any snakes at the time! And I forgot about the "Snake-O-Vision"...what the CRAP was that about? I mean the first two snakes attacked a very large breast and a penis...come on!
Little Miss Sunshine (2006) - Convinced little Olive (Abigail Breslin) is beauty queen material, parents Richard (Greg Kinnear) and Sheryl (Toni Collette) and the rest of the family embark on a life-altering road trip to a pageant in this madcap comedy. Struggling motivational speaker Richard pushes Olive to win, while her silent brother (Paul Dano), depressed uncle (Steve Carell) and nursing-home reject grandpa (Alan Arkin, in an Oscar-winning role) add their own quirks to the mix.
Cute movie, that little girl is adorable. I love the part with all the sarcasm and the dirty-mouthed grandfather. The only part I didn't like was the part about the color-blindness...you would be able to tell!
The Pillow Book (1997) - A bizarre mix of carnality and calligraphy, The Pillow Book is a lush foray into the aphrodisiacal pleasures of the flesh and mind. A woman (Vivian Wu) melds her love of life and literature in an unusual fashion -- by seeking a lover who will write on her skin and allow her to do the same. Ewan McGregor costars.
I had to rent some bizarre and/or obscure and/or foreign movies to watch while Curtis was out of town. This movie was pretty weird and slow at times, but it was beautiful and was very artistically shot. There was always a lot going on visually (pictures within pictures, subtitles, text, lots and lots of text). The music reminded me of a Clockwork Orange. And as an added bonus there is lots of completely naked Ewan McGregor. I was watching a little bit of it again before I returned it and I realized I really like the girl's voice.
Bad Education (2004) Film director Enrique (Fele Martinez) is visited by his childhood Catholic school friend and lover, Ignacio (Gael Garcia Bernal). Ignacio gives Enrique a short story he's written that's a factual account of the molestation he sustained at the hands of their teacher, Father Manolo (Daniel Gimenez Cacho). But as Enrique adapts the story, he uncovers a dangerous web of deceit and revenge in this stark film from Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar.
This would be the foreign movie I rented. Pretty good movie. Lots of things going on, there's a writer and a director and there are stories and a movie and the past and the present and fact and fiction and people pretending to be other people all going on all throughout the movie until you finally find out what really happened in the end. The ending was a bit anti-climactic though.
Monster House (2006) - Monsters under the bed are bad enough, but what happens when an entire house is out to get you? In this Oscar-nominated animated adventure produced by Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg, three teens go up against a decrepit neighboring home and unlock its frightening secrets. The all-star voice cast includes Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jon Heder, Jason Lee, Catherine O'Hara, Kathleen Turner and Fred Willard.
Very cute. The actors who I had actually heard of were appropriately cast. After watching the behind the scenes stuff this movie got even cooler. It was one of the movies where they put the little sensors all over the actors to catch their motion and then they add a skeleton and skin and the scene digitally.
ATL (2006) Standing at a crossroads after high school graduation, a tight-knit quartet of friends is poised to head in different directions. But no matter how far they stray, their neighborhood roller rink -- Jellybeans -- will always hold the group together. Rappers Big Boi and Bone Crusher star in this coming-of-age drama based loosely on the real-life experiences of producer Dallas Austin and TLC's Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins.
This was one of Curtis' picks. I really don't have anything to say about it.
*SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THIS MOVIE*
Stay (2005) This racy thriller bends reality about five different ways when a psychologist's (Ewan McGregor) suicidal client starts making bizarre predictions that, to everyone's mounting consternation, begin to come true. Now, the shrink must race against the clock to save everything he loves before it disappears forever. Naomi Watts, Ryan Gosling, Bob Hoskins and Janeane Garofalo co-star in this suspenseful yarn directed by Marc Forster.
So I can't make my mind up about this movie. This was one of the movies that made me say "wtf?" outloud at the end. But then I watched some of the special features and then it made more sense. I like movies that leave you a little confused at the end and then you can go online and look around at all the theories. But at the end of this one I didn't even have a theory. And the whole time I was watching the movie it felt like I had seen it before. The imagery was beautiful especially the spiral staircases and the transitions were amazing. The special features point out all these little things that they did to show that you weren't in reality. I mean it's crazy all the things that the filmmakers paid attention to, like Ewan McGregor's pants being too short actually meant something. *SPOILERS* I get it now that the guy was having a near-death/out-of-body experience but it was so damn weird because it wasn't from the point of view of the person who was dying.
Pulse: Stomp Odyssey (2006) - Steve McNicholas and Luke Cresswell -- creators of the stage show "Stomp" -- take their percussive preoccupation to new heights in this big-screen (Imax format) production that showcases the universal language of rhythm and provides a toe-tapping global odyssey you won't soon forget. Numbers include the Jackie Robinson Steppers of New York, a Spanish dancer performing rooftop flamenco and hard hat-clad men strutting atop a mining platform.
This was pretty cool. It was a journey through the world of percussion instruments in all different cultures.
Hustle & Flow (2005) Terrence Dashon Howard turns in a true star performance in director Craig Brewer's indie drama. DJay (Howard) is a pimp with aspirations of grandeur -- he wants to make it as a rapper -- but he soon discovers that fame isn't all it's cracked up to be. Offering strong characters and notes of sweet romance amid the urban beats of its central plot, this 2005 Sundance Audience Award-winner was produced by John Singleton.
Pretty good movie. Catchy songs. The behind the scenes stuff was pretty cool as well.
Stranger than Fiction (2006) As a novelist (Emma Thompson) struggles with how to kill off her main character, IRS auditor Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) begins hearing her narration in his head and realizes he must prevent his own death. Crick's world turns upside down, and it's a life-or-death situation as he tries to persuade best-selling author Kay Eiffel to change the ending of her novel. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman and Queen Latifah lead the fine supporting cast.
So cute and very funny. Love the visual effects and Emma Thompson is awesome. I was pleasantly surprised by Will Ferrell whom I usualy hate but I didn't have to see his ass in this movie so that was good (but I did have to close my eyes for a second when he started making out with Maggie Gyllenhaal). This is on my movies to buy list now. It's all about the GUI.
Hairspray (1988) - Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake), an ample, energetic teen living in 1960s Baltimore, wants nothing more than to get on the hip local TV dance program, "The Corny Collins Show." Tracy's dream comes true, and her lively dance moves and bubbly personality are met with unexpected popularity. After witnessing firsthand the terrible state of race relations in Baltimore, however, Tracy becomes an outspoken advocate for the dance show's desegregation.
I finally got around to seeing this. It was pretty good. I feel like I would have liked it better if I hadn't seen the Broadway version first but it was still pretty cool. Edna Turnblad had a pretty horrible greasy mullet.
So here's all the movies that Curtis and I have watched so far through Netflix. I'll try really hard to make myself post on Sundays with a new list from each week. Then hopefully I'll have something else to write about from that week besides movies.
What we've watched so far starting at the beginning and working up to this past week: (there is one movie review that contains spoilers, i'll warn you again later).
Rose Red (2002) - In Stephen King's chilling tale, psychology professor Dr. Joyce Reardon ( Nancy Travis) commissions a team of psychics and a gifted 15-year-old (Kimberly J. Brown) to wake up a supposedly dormant haunted mansion known as Rose Red. Their efforts unleash myriad spirits and uncover horrifying secrets of the generations who have lived and died in the mansion.
It was pretty good for a made for tv scary movie. I rented this movie because we went to see The Messengers and it was stupid and not scary and I was in the mood for a scary movie and that just didn't cut it.
Breakin' (1984) - A struggling jazz dancer (Lucinda Dickey) teams up with two hot break-dancers ( Adolfo Quinones and Michael Chambers) in an attempt to win a big-time dance competition. The music score features the record-breaking hits "Breakin' ... There's No Stoppin' Us" and "Freakshow on the Dance Floor." Cut a rug, guys!
It was cute. There was tons of leg warmers and spandex. And the wonderfulness of IMDB pointed out to us that this is Jean Claude Van Damm's first on-screen appearance. Curtis and I had to go back to the scene in question and laugh hysterically at Jean trying to dance in a one-piece wrestler's suit.
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984) - The neighborhood is in danger once again when a cruel entrepreneur announces plans to raze an urban community center and replace it with a shopping mall. As local break dancers rally to raise the $200,000 needed to save it, Ozone ( Adolfo Quinones) and Kelly ( Lucinda Dickey) continue their relationship. Meanwhile, Turbo (Michael Chambers) uses his charm and heart-stopping moves to win over a lovely, Spanish-speaking girl.
Between South of the Border and the finale dance sequence in this movie I don't see how there is anything florescent left in the world. Even sillier than the first one. And the "Spanish-speaking girl"? Tell me why she had to talk at an octave akin to Mariah Carey's crazy high notes. It didn't even look like she was speaking, it looked like her voice was dubbed.
Everything is Illuminated (2005) - A young American Jewish man begins an exhausting quest -- aided by a naïve Ukranian translator -- to find the righteous gentile woman who saved his grandfather when his small Ukranian village (along with most of the populace) was obliterated during the Nazi invasion of Russia in 1941. Stars Elijah Wood, Eugene Hutz and Boris Leskin. Liev Schreiber directs. Based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer.
This movie immediately went on my list of movies to buy. So I enjoyed this movie very much (especially the furry Kangol and the "seeing eye bitch"). But at the end I was very disapointed and sad for a few minutes until I thought more about it and then it was okay and it made sense. The additional scenes were hilarious and I'm wondering why they weren't in the movie (maybe because the director didn't want the movie to be totally crazy). It was a good mix of humor and seriousness. I went out and read the book right after the movie (which is actually the first time I've ever been able to do that). Usually the movie is too fresh in my mind and the book is the same but there was a lot more going on in the book than in the movie (which is to be expected). The book was actually chapters of a story that Jonathan was writing about the history of Trachimbrod, letters Alex was writing to Jonathan about the story, and chapers of a story that Alex was writing about their search for Trachimbrod. So basically the movie was just Alex's part with a little bit from the letters mixed in. Reading the book made me like the movie a little bit less but not too much.
Snakes on a Plane (2006) - FBI agents Neville Flynn (Samuel L. Jackson) and Sean Jones (Nathan Phillips) are tasked with escorting a witness, ex-mobster John Saunders (Mark Houghton), to a high-profile trial and to keep him safe from those who would do him harm. As the film's title suggests, however, an onboard assassin determined to rid the G-men of their precious cargo unleashes a crate full of venomous snakes in this taut airborne thriller.
Ugh, I can't believe I gave this movie the benefit of the doubt. It was HORRIBLE. A lot of the synopses I've read say that it's a spoof but I think they are just trying to explain away the bad acting. And the big muthafuckin' line was delivered very anti-climactically, he wasn't even figthing with any snakes at the time! And I forgot about the "Snake-O-Vision"...what the CRAP was that about? I mean the first two snakes attacked a very large breast and a penis...come on!
Little Miss Sunshine (2006) - Convinced little Olive (Abigail Breslin) is beauty queen material, parents Richard (Greg Kinnear) and Sheryl (Toni Collette) and the rest of the family embark on a life-altering road trip to a pageant in this madcap comedy. Struggling motivational speaker Richard pushes Olive to win, while her silent brother (Paul Dano), depressed uncle (Steve Carell) and nursing-home reject grandpa (Alan Arkin, in an Oscar-winning role) add their own quirks to the mix.
Cute movie, that little girl is adorable. I love the part with all the sarcasm and the dirty-mouthed grandfather. The only part I didn't like was the part about the color-blindness...you would be able to tell!
The Pillow Book (1997) - A bizarre mix of carnality and calligraphy, The Pillow Book is a lush foray into the aphrodisiacal pleasures of the flesh and mind. A woman (Vivian Wu) melds her love of life and literature in an unusual fashion -- by seeking a lover who will write on her skin and allow her to do the same. Ewan McGregor costars.
I had to rent some bizarre and/or obscure and/or foreign movies to watch while Curtis was out of town. This movie was pretty weird and slow at times, but it was beautiful and was very artistically shot. There was always a lot going on visually (pictures within pictures, subtitles, text, lots and lots of text). The music reminded me of a Clockwork Orange. And as an added bonus there is lots of completely naked Ewan McGregor. I was watching a little bit of it again before I returned it and I realized I really like the girl's voice.
Bad Education (2004) Film director Enrique (Fele Martinez) is visited by his childhood Catholic school friend and lover, Ignacio (Gael Garcia Bernal). Ignacio gives Enrique a short story he's written that's a factual account of the molestation he sustained at the hands of their teacher, Father Manolo (Daniel Gimenez Cacho). But as Enrique adapts the story, he uncovers a dangerous web of deceit and revenge in this stark film from Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar.
This would be the foreign movie I rented. Pretty good movie. Lots of things going on, there's a writer and a director and there are stories and a movie and the past and the present and fact and fiction and people pretending to be other people all going on all throughout the movie until you finally find out what really happened in the end. The ending was a bit anti-climactic though.
Monster House (2006) - Monsters under the bed are bad enough, but what happens when an entire house is out to get you? In this Oscar-nominated animated adventure produced by Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg, three teens go up against a decrepit neighboring home and unlock its frightening secrets. The all-star voice cast includes Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jon Heder, Jason Lee, Catherine O'Hara, Kathleen Turner and Fred Willard.
Very cute. The actors who I had actually heard of were appropriately cast. After watching the behind the scenes stuff this movie got even cooler. It was one of the movies where they put the little sensors all over the actors to catch their motion and then they add a skeleton and skin and the scene digitally.
ATL (2006) Standing at a crossroads after high school graduation, a tight-knit quartet of friends is poised to head in different directions. But no matter how far they stray, their neighborhood roller rink -- Jellybeans -- will always hold the group together. Rappers Big Boi and Bone Crusher star in this coming-of-age drama based loosely on the real-life experiences of producer Dallas Austin and TLC's Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins.
This was one of Curtis' picks. I really don't have anything to say about it.
*SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THIS MOVIE*
Stay (2005) This racy thriller bends reality about five different ways when a psychologist's (Ewan McGregor) suicidal client starts making bizarre predictions that, to everyone's mounting consternation, begin to come true. Now, the shrink must race against the clock to save everything he loves before it disappears forever. Naomi Watts, Ryan Gosling, Bob Hoskins and Janeane Garofalo co-star in this suspenseful yarn directed by Marc Forster.
So I can't make my mind up about this movie. This was one of the movies that made me say "wtf?" outloud at the end. But then I watched some of the special features and then it made more sense. I like movies that leave you a little confused at the end and then you can go online and look around at all the theories. But at the end of this one I didn't even have a theory. And the whole time I was watching the movie it felt like I had seen it before. The imagery was beautiful especially the spiral staircases and the transitions were amazing. The special features point out all these little things that they did to show that you weren't in reality. I mean it's crazy all the things that the filmmakers paid attention to, like Ewan McGregor's pants being too short actually meant something. *SPOILERS* I get it now that the guy was having a near-death/out-of-body experience but it was so damn weird because it wasn't from the point of view of the person who was dying.
Pulse: Stomp Odyssey (2006) - Steve McNicholas and Luke Cresswell -- creators of the stage show "Stomp" -- take their percussive preoccupation to new heights in this big-screen (Imax format) production that showcases the universal language of rhythm and provides a toe-tapping global odyssey you won't soon forget. Numbers include the Jackie Robinson Steppers of New York, a Spanish dancer performing rooftop flamenco and hard hat-clad men strutting atop a mining platform.
This was pretty cool. It was a journey through the world of percussion instruments in all different cultures.
Hustle & Flow (2005) Terrence Dashon Howard turns in a true star performance in director Craig Brewer's indie drama. DJay (Howard) is a pimp with aspirations of grandeur -- he wants to make it as a rapper -- but he soon discovers that fame isn't all it's cracked up to be. Offering strong characters and notes of sweet romance amid the urban beats of its central plot, this 2005 Sundance Audience Award-winner was produced by John Singleton.
Pretty good movie. Catchy songs. The behind the scenes stuff was pretty cool as well.
Stranger than Fiction (2006) As a novelist (Emma Thompson) struggles with how to kill off her main character, IRS auditor Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) begins hearing her narration in his head and realizes he must prevent his own death. Crick's world turns upside down, and it's a life-or-death situation as he tries to persuade best-selling author Kay Eiffel to change the ending of her novel. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman and Queen Latifah lead the fine supporting cast.
So cute and very funny. Love the visual effects and Emma Thompson is awesome. I was pleasantly surprised by Will Ferrell whom I usualy hate but I didn't have to see his ass in this movie so that was good (but I did have to close my eyes for a second when he started making out with Maggie Gyllenhaal). This is on my movies to buy list now. It's all about the GUI.
Hairspray (1988) - Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake), an ample, energetic teen living in 1960s Baltimore, wants nothing more than to get on the hip local TV dance program, "The Corny Collins Show." Tracy's dream comes true, and her lively dance moves and bubbly personality are met with unexpected popularity. After witnessing firsthand the terrible state of race relations in Baltimore, however, Tracy becomes an outspoken advocate for the dance show's desegregation.
I finally got around to seeing this. It was pretty good. I feel like I would have liked it better if I hadn't seen the Broadway version first but it was still pretty cool. Edna Turnblad had a pretty horrible greasy mullet.