Summer Movie Rundown

I can't recall the last time I posted movie reviews, but I decided that, since I've seen several great films in the past couple weeks, I'd review them (briefly!) in one fell swoop. So here goes! I'm not trying to overtly throw spoilers out there, but there might be a few in my rambling analyses, so if you're spoiler-phobic, consider yourself forewarned.

A couple weeks ago, I had the good fortune of talking someone into seeing The Hangover with me. I think it's been ages since I've laughed so long -- in spite of (or perhaps because of) Zach Galifianakis' hairy ass. The quotable lines from this film are limitless (Alan's wolfpack speech will linger with me for quite some time to come, I'm sure), and for as much as it walked the boundaries of being simply a crass 'guy stuff' comedy, it actually managed to surpass all my expectations and proved to be quite a good film. (Albeit, not without its fair share of crass guy stuff comedy. Really, did we have to see junk?! Really, Alan?!) I don't even recall the groom character's name -- probably because the supporting cast are really what makes this film -- the combination of Galifianakis, Cooper, and Helms is comedy gold. Add a dash of Mike Tyson, a smattering of Rob Riggle, and you've got all the necessary components for laughter. 2 hours of good, solid laughter.

Funny story about how we happened to see this next film, Easy Virtue. Our local indie theatre (which I adore) generally shows 2 films at the same time, playing each film once per night. We had seen that The Brothers Bloom would be playing, and made our plans to go at the time it had played at all week. When we showed up and were waiting in line for tickets to The Brothers Bloom, we saw a poster for Easy Virtue and mused, "That looks good! We should see it!" Imagine our surprise when, upon walking to the ticket counter, we discovered that showtimes had changed that day and it was, in fact, Easy Virtue we would be seeing!

Anyrate, we ended up pleasantly surprised with our film, which is set in the post-WWI English countryside. Though I'm admittedly not a Jessica Biel fan, she was fairly decent in the role of the 1920s American temptress -- the glimpses of fragility she gave us really made her character admirable, after a fashion. Far and away stealing the show was Colin Firth as the long-suffering father -- a man who would prefer to live in shadows and corners rather than attempt to live the lie his wife constructed. Kristin Scott Thomas as the frigid matriarch was every bit as cold, calculating, and demeaning as the role required -- on some level, I very nearly felt pity for her character, for the resignation and desperation to cling to something. I'd never heard of Ben Barnes, who played the pure unspoilt son and heir who recklessly marries said American temptress, and he played the part with heartbreaking naivete -- one can only hope someday he realises what Larita's leaving meant. If you have a chance to see this film, I highly recommend that you see it -- the comedy (as always, with Noel Coward) is light and shimmering, the cast is superb, and the direction is subtle, and before you realise it, you're fully immersed in the story.

Last, but certainly not least, was The Brothers Bloom. From the first trailer I saw, I had been anxiously awaiting this film arriving at our local arthouse theatre, and I found I was not disappointed. In my estimation, anything that involves Rachel Weisz is a must-see; anything that involves Adrien Brody is a must-see -- put the two of them together, and you have a win-win situation. This was absolutely the case. Rachel Weisz as the naive, childlike heiress couldn't have been more endearing -- it's impossible not to fall in love with her and her numerous (eccentric) talents. Adrien Brody as the reluctant hero is utterly human, and in being so, is very nearly perfect -- and very impossible not to love. Something about the depths of his yearning, something about his selfless resignation -- something about those eyes. The man is sheer magic. Perhaps the big surprise of the film was Kikuchi Rinko, as Bang Bang, explosions specialist and comedienne extraordinaire. Somehow, in spite of having no more than 10 actual spoken words throughout the entire film, she manages to worm her way into your heart with her bizarre eccentricities and her wry smiles. The only ambivalence I had was with Mark Ruffalo's portrayal as the scheming older brother, Stephen -- while I understand his desires and ambitions as a storyteller and even as an artist of sorts, I found myself... underwhelmed. He and Bang Bang made a great comedy team, but somehow I found myself feeling like there needed to be more to Stephen -- there needed to be some reason which was never quite fully explained or developed. I needed something more from him, somehow. Either way, the film was brilliant -- the settings were exotic, the characters were intriguing (the smaller characters, especially, were well-developed and really given personality), the direction never felt heavy-handed. All in all, definitely worth the wait.

Now I can sit back and eagerly await the releases of Public Enemies, Inglourious Basterds, and (finally) the US showing of Gake no ue no Ponyo! So perhaps there'll be another movie update later in the summer... perhaps.

A gathering of awesome

Happy Friday, darlings! I bring you a collection of awesome, for your entertainment and perusal. Enjoy!

First, let's lead off with something which is actually quite moving. For a long time, I've been a big fan of Pixar. They make brilliant, innovative, creative, gorgeous films, and they also seem really committed to being good people who never lose their sense of childhood wonder. I find that admirable. Their newest film, Up, is a simple, adorable, and very vintage feeling film (highly recommended by yours truly, if you've not seen it). But when I read this, well... it's impossible to read this story and not get teary-eyed. I can't really add to what the article says, so I'll leave it to you to read. I tip my hat to Pixar for making that little girl's last wish come true.

On a lighter (and much more exciting) childhood-inspired note, I'm sure you've heard by now that Spike Jonze is doing a live-action version of our beloved childhood read, Where the Wild Things Are. I'm anxiously awaiting it, myself; especially after finding out that Dave Eggers worked on the screenplay. And then I saw this piece of amazing news, and almost died on the spot. Dave Eggers is possibly my favourite young American author -- if you've not read his Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, you're missing out. Actually, you should read everything he's written -- his short stories are sublime, his efforts with McSweeney's are phenomenal, and I'm anxiously awaiting his first film, Away We Go, to come to our local theatre. But I digress; back to Where the Wild Things Are. To know that he's working on a novelization of the book makes me very nearly squeal in delight. (Although, to be honest, I don't know if I can deal with a furry cover -- really, Dave?? Really?!) Either way, I'm sure it will be absolutely amazing, and I'm anxiously anticipating...

And now for something entirely different... If you're aware of my musical tastes, you'll know that I'm an indie kid. As such, I've been a New Order fan for quite some time. You also might know (if you've looked at my charts on the sidebar to your right) that I'm a fan of Blur (who have recently reunited for a summer tour, which I desperately wish I could go see). So imagine my glee when I found this tidbit. New Order? Excellent. Alex James. Brilliant. New Order + Alex James? Holy crap, man; amazing stuff. Very much looking forward to hearing from them in the future.

And last but not least, watch this and instantly feel better about yourself. Then watch it again, because there's some horrific urge to watch and rewatch -- I can't explain it; I only know it's true. (Also, Nick, thanks for bringing this little slice of fabulous into my periphery!)

Finally, some quality programming!!

I'm not sure if you've seen, but Conan is off to a brilliant start with the new incarnation of the Tonight Show. First, there was this. Brilliant. Even Nintendo approves. Then, there was this:



Words cannot express the sheer funny, especially if you're at all with the LA River.

And then, like a cherry atop a proverbial sundae, we got this glorious news. Just when I thought that television was hopelessly screwed... the saviours appear! My faith in television has been... well, anyway, at least I'll have a couple great shows to watch now!

Random Roundup, Onion Style

Sometimes I wonder how the Onion manages to be so awesome. Then, they keep on surpassing my expectations, and I stand in awe of their genius.

This is why.

First, loving Pitchfork is a double-edged sword. Yes, they're brilliant music critics. Yes, they're pretentious assbags. Their reviews are inarguably excellent. Part of the reason we love them is because they're pretentious, self-congratulatory brats. This article is so on target that it's scary.

If you're familiar with Pitchfork at all, you know they're hardcore Radiohead fanboys. If you've been paying attention to my blog (just scroll down for the most recent Radiohead post), you'd know I'm a hardcore Radiohead fangirl. This tickled me.

Finally, this is bloody brilliant. Bloody. Brilliant.

Onion, I love you. That is all.

Moooooooooving

The only good thing about moving is when it's all over. Seriously.

On the upside, I can now safely say:

• I've thinned down my stuff quite well, but still have more stuff than I had thought.
• My apartment is now a million times cleaner than when I moved in.
• My mum is a cleaning hurricane! (Thanks a million, mum -- couldn't have done it without you!!)
• Stairs are the enemy. (Never again, second floor!)
• Waiting, waiting, waiting. (Good thing I'm patient.)

That is all. See you on the flipside, from the other end of the state! (Home again, home again!)