I'm attempting to go through a list of movies I have seen and write reviews in 140 characters or less. It's harder than you think. After a few reviews I realized I over use some words. I kept trying to make each review unique, while still trying to describe the message of the film and what I thought about it.
I consider myself a novice (maybe intermediate) movie buff, so there are many elements within one movie that I may like or dislike. For instance, I wasn't crazy about Dan In Real Life, but I am in love with Sondre Lerche (who drives the soundtrack and cameos as the wedding singer at the end of the film). So by trying to condense each review into 140 characters while trying to be thoughtful is a challenge for me.
Without further ado, here is part one of what I hope is an on-going series. (Listed alphabetically.)
10 Things I Hate About You: Based on Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, this version was diluted for teenagers but is still charming, mostly accredited to Ledger.
28 Days Later: Anger is a contagious and fatal disease. A great take on the genre by introducing spastic zombies. Great soundtrack & acting.
30 Days of Night: Vampires take over a small Alaskan town & townsfolk fight back with stiff acting. The movie falls short of Neils vision & Templesmith's art.
40 Year Old Virgin: Apatow's honest and goofy comedy doesn't disappoint. Balancing raunchy jokes, nerdy references, and genuine sweetness. A winner all the way.
50 First Dates: Sandler's silly rom/com about making Barrymore fall in love with him daily is swoon-worthy-- especially for the Cure centered soundtrack.
300: Visually mesmerizing, yet easy to forget. This adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel doesn't do Sparta justice in the long run.
Across the Universe: This beautifully visual film attempts to capture the spirit of the 60s; using Beatles songs as a vehicle for plot, which is a bit deflated.
Adaptation: Kaufman never fails to be both captivating & awkward. Apparently Nick Cage can act. Jonze weaves fictional & factual realities seamlessly.
Amelie: Colorful, imaginative, & quirky, Jeunet delivers the love story of two day-dreamers, propelled by the subtle performance of Audrey Tautou.
American Beauty: Growing up is a lot like growing old: confusing. Spacey is deliciously smarmy, though the film itself is often pretentious & heavy-handed.
American History X: The past is black & white & the present color like a grim version of the Wizard of Oz; showing hatred is fruitless & the past indelible.
American Psycho: Before Tyler Durden there was Patrick Bateman. Depicting the excess of Wall Street & the 80s, this satire is both funny and suspenseful.
Anchorman: Fantastically cast, this comedy provides the best quotes and random gags. The plot may ebb, but the audience is laughing too hard to notice.
Audition: Dating is so difficult, especially when the women you meet are crazy. This Japanese horror starts off slow then takes a quick turn to chaos.
That's it for part one. See you for part two!
Mr. Hodgman possesses a certain type of dry humor that is hard to pin point these days. He isn't trying to make you uncomfortable (like Larry David), he doesn't deliver jokes tongue-in cheek (Ricky Gervais), isn't pretending to be naive (Steve Carell)... he's just slightly nerdy in a completely classic sense. He's also referred to as a "humorist" rather than "comedian." Very classy. He isn't doing stand-up, he's observing and remarking on society, like Oscar Wilde or Mark Twain.
He is smarter than you. Argue that if you like, but it may only further drive my point.
John Hodgman is also the only contributor to The Daily Show who is referred to as a "Resident Expert" rather than a "Senior [________] Correspondent." This was most likely derived from the first of Hodgman's two books, The Areas of My Expertise and More Information Than You Require.
So why should one love and/or admire Mr. Hodgman? If being bright and witty is not enough, may I remind you he is oh so pretty? Who refuses to swoon at that slyly cocked brow, his baby face, his sharp dress shirt, those sensible acrylic frames, the adorable ferret in his hands? Surely no woman (or man) can resist his charm. I certainly can't.
Thankfully he wasn't some douchey lead singer from a mediocre BritPop band. Instead he turned out to be a skillfully eloquent and razor-sharp witted comedian from across the pond who was just starting to make a splash in the States. I was so completely engaged and enamored by this charming man that I quickly excused his girly 'do. In fact, I kind of like it now.
I was inspired by Russell Brand to start a series dedicated to men I love and admire for various reasons. Brand, to me, is all at once intimidatingly genius and accessible, edgy and sweet, a casanova and a complete fool. I feel like I could take him to have dinner with my Gran and to a strip club in the same evening.
If you love the man as much as I do, you'll want to know his Twitter name is @rustyrockets and his memoir, My Booky Wook, is a New York Times best-seller. He stars in Get Him To The Greek, opposite Jason Segal once again, and another great Apatow/Stoller movie slatted for release in 2010.
Here's to Russell Brand, an amazing and brillant man.
I'm drinking liquor for the first time in months, possibly a year. For so long I've stuck to beer or wine, but tonight I bought a bottle of fucking Titos vodka, which could also be referred to as top shelf moonshine. I wasn't craving a mixer, I'm not throwing a party; I am so frustrated and fed up with my current situation that the only viable solution was a hard drink.
My job has driven me to drink, and I don't have an especially difficult job. I just get no job satisfaction, on any remote level. Today I just walked out 4 hours early because I just don't care anymore.
I tried to cheer myself up at home by watching Spaced with the commentary on. I watched all 14 episodes, plus the hour long documentary. I was cheered up for the time being, but when I turned off the TV and trudged up stairs, my spirits were dampened once again.
I'm becoming less and less like myself everyday. I'm going to end up hating myself if I stay there much longer.