Weekday Movie Madness: Up in the Air

Okay, this post is less about the actual movie itself, and more about my experience of watching it. Let me preface this by stating that I love movies, and I love watching them in the theater. Let me also say that I was spoiled when I lived in Austin by the Alamo Drafthouse, where movie etiquette is still in effect. At the Drafthouse, children are not allowed, there is delicious food available and alcohol to drink, and if you talk, are on your cell-phone or are just plain being an ass, you will get a talking to, or even kicked out. So yeah, I'm spoiled. But as movie going gets more and more expensive I get even more frustrated when people act a damn fool at the theater.

And so begins my evening. Rickey and I decided we wanted to go see Up in the Air, and had a craving to just go in the middle of the week, as opposed to waiting till the weekend like normal. We thought it might be a better experience since it was likely that less people would be there and it might be a more chill crowd. The theater wasn't packed, but it also wasn't as empty as I had anticipated, so that was an instant bummer. As we're waiting for the movie to start, and people are still filing in, a mom with a kid who must've been only 5 or 6, strolls in and sits two rows behind us. Now, I didn't know too much about this movie going in, and though I was sure there wouldn't be large amounts of violence or nudity or craziness, I was also pretty sure it's not for children that young. I have two major problems with this: 1. Children should not be taken to movies that are inappropriate for them since they will be either be scarred for life or totally lost, and 2. It fucks things up for everybody else. I love kids. I'm all for taking kids to movies meant for them. I think it's fun and it helps them learn theater etiquette. But parents, please, don't drag them out to grown up movies. It's rude. It costs alot to see a movie nowadays and I really don't need my nice quiet dramedy ruined by your kid who is confused and bored. That's your fault, not theirs, so don't yell at the kid when you're the idiot. Go home, watch some Spongebob. This is not hard.

So anyways, the kid is kinda chattering as the movie begins, and then this older fellow sits at the end of our row. I didn't realize he'd be a problem until the first few laugh moments of the movie rolled out. Everytime something funny or interesting would happen, he'd let out a very pert and loud "Ha!" or "Heh, Heh!" like some type of ridiculous sitcom background actor. I'm sure he's a nice man, but it was a bit much.

In addition to the child and Crazypants McGee, about 7 minutes into the movie, 2 girls and a guy walk in and sit directly behind me and Rickey. As they're getting settled we hear them pull out all kinds of candy and food in loud wrappings. They proceed to eat like potheads through THE WHOLE DAMN MOVIE and their ridiculous wrapper noises ruined several scenes (at one point I looked behind me in utter disgust and caught the guy's eyes dead on and I must've shamed him for he immediately ceased his eating for a good while). The girls also chatted away with each other for quite some time, and when Anna Kendrick came on screen, one turned to the other and said "Like omigod, she was in Twilight." I don't know what the hell provoked them to go see this movie.

I was able to enjoy the movie, and then as As the climax began to build and the resolutions were rolling out, the theater was pretty lax andClooney finishes up his final monologue (and I can tell the movie is ending) the mom of the child decides its time to close up shop and starts packing all their shit away and making as much noise as possible, so the nice closing shot of silence was totally ruined. Thanks lady, you're a winner.

I really, really liked the movie and can't wait to watch it again in the peace and quiet of my own home. And I really recommend it for those of you who can watch it in a nice arthouse theater or something, where people aren't ridiculous. And the moral of the story is, until we can get our shit together enough to be able to watch a movie in public peacefully, I have no hope for our society.

2010 Movie Mamajama

Hey, it's 2010! That's weird, right? Anywho, I'm a pretty big fan of movies and tend to get jazzed about upcoming releases. I didn't think there was anything all that exciting coming out this year, but after a quick Google search, I was quickly proved incorrect. So here are the movies I am most excited for in the next 12 months.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

I'm a pretty big 'Scott Pilgrim' lover, and all the leaked images from this movie seem like Edgar Wright's staying really true to the series. But as much as I love Michael Cera, I'm very nervous that he's going to pull his whole neurotic weirdo schtick and blow the whole thing. But I'm trying not to focus on that. It'll be rad. I'm sure.

Alice in Wonderland

I'm an avid Tim Burton fan and have been since I was a little kid, but his movies over the past few years seem to have lost that special spark they once had. When I heard he was doing Wonderland, I was convinced it would suck. After the first trailer, I was still pretty apprehensive, but after the second trailer and the release of more artwork from the film, I'm pretty psyched. It may still suck, but it'll be fabulous and pretty in 3D.

Iron Man 2

Though I'm a big reader of comics, I don't read many traditional superhero comics, I've never read any 'Iron Man,' and very little Marvel in general. So when I fucking loved Iron Man, it was a bit of a shock. Robert Downey Jr. was phenomenal and as long as he gives the same type of energy he did in the first one, the second Iron Man will be a win, hands down.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

I haven't read any of the books, but I've watched all the movies, and they keep getting better. The first ones were cute and nice, but slowly they've gotten darker, scarier and more fantastic. I've had friends tell me everything that happens in the books, so plot-wise, nothing is a surprise, but it's so much fun to watch these crazy magic events play out on the big screen.

MacGruber

Yes, there is a MacGruber movie coming out. And yes, I'm really excited about it. The sketches on SNL aren't necessarily my favorite, but the collection of actors set to be in movie is pretty awesome and I've heard some early buzz that the movie is totally fun.

Inception

I really don't know much about Inception, and I'm trying to keep it that way. I know it's Christopher Nolan, and it has Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, and there's some crazy stuff going on, but that's all I need to know. I'm going to avoid reviews and trailers until I can just go see it for myself. I fell like it will be a good thing.

I realize the list is packed with blockbusters and fantastical stuff, but that's okay. I'm sure I'll stumble across all kinds of awesome dramas and documentaries and good for my brain kinds of things, but these are what I'm really looking forward to.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Sleeper Casting

I recently read Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' Sleeper for the first time, and man did I love it. It's a beautifully dark noir crime story with fabulous characters that happen to have superhero-like abilities. I'm not big on traditional superhero stuff, so this was right up my alley. As I'm reading it, of course I'm thinking, 'Man, this would be a GREAT movie,' and low and behold, it's in preproduction with Tom Cruise as the lead, to which I say UGH...

So anywho, this is my take on what would be an awesome Sleeper cast.

Nathan Fillion as Holden Carver

I know that at this point it's hard to disassociate Nathan Fillion with the Whedon-verse, but dammit, let's try and maybe he can get some more awesome roles. I know Holden is supposed to be this big tough military trained operative, but he's also got a whole heck of a lot going on behind the scenes and the actor who plays him really needs to be able to master both of those aspects. I think if Fillion bulked up and got all lean looking (like he was in Saving Private Ryan) he'd have the perfect combination of toughness, sassiness, and genuineness.

Lake Bell as Miss Misery

The only thing I really know this chick from is What Happens in Vegas (which was less of a train wreck than I had anticipated) and she was pretty funny in it. I have a feeling that for Miss Misery, Hollywood's going to want a very bombshell-looking actress (like Megan Fox or Angelina Jolie), but I think Lake Bell has this great look that really works for the character. She's not super girly looking, and she has really strong features, and I always got the feeling that Misery's sexiness really came from her strength and persona, so steering towards a more unconventional look could make this character really pop on screen (you know the opposite of what Malin Ackerman did for Watchmen).













Kevin Durand as Genocide Jones

Okay, so I love me some Kevin Durand. He's always been in random stuff, but ever since his role on Lost I'm totally smitten. Genocide needs to be this big, tough, macho bad-ass, but he's totally lovable. I think as opposed to someone like Ray Stevenson (new Punisher) or Vinnie Jones, Durand has this sort of sweetness to his tough guy look, and that would make you really care for the character.














Ian Somerhalder as TAO

Yeah, it's another boy from Lost. So shoot me. But I've been a big fan of Ian since Rules of Attraction, and that character is why I think he would be fantastic as TAO. He needs to be charming, trustworthy, evil and completely manipulative all at the same time, as well as being insanely smart and bad ass. He needs to be young but have the wisdom and air of someone much older, and since Somerhalder is currently being all vampire-y, I'm sure he's had some practice at that.












Bruce Greenwood as John Lynch

So the only thing I knew this guy from was Star Trek (then on his IMDB page I learned he was also the president in National Treasure 2, which I kinda really liked) but there's something about him that totally seems like Lynch to me. He needs to have been able to gain Holden's trust while still be kinda scary and dark, which he's got this nice little face that I'm sure combined with the crazy ass scar would play great to both of those characteristics.















Paul Dano as XXX-Ray

I'm not entirely sure how old XXX-Ray is supposed to be, so this casting might be too young, but oh well. However I do know that Ray is a little dude with a special talent, and is totally nerve-wracked and anxious. Dano was a great dork in Girl Next Door and he did an amazing job in Little Miss Sunshine (I haven't seen There Will Be Blood yet. I know, I'm ashamed). But anywho, he seems to have the acting chops to go to all the dark places Ray needs to go. And he's sweet and innocent looking, which'll just make it all the more heartbreaking.












Christina Hendricks as Veronica St. James

Yeah, she was in Firefly as well, I don't care, it proves that she's already got chemistry with Nathan Fillion, which is really necessary since her role isn't ginormous. But Veronica really needs to be the opposite of Miss Misery--beautiful, soft, law-abiding, but still very strong, just in a different way. And it was my impression that she was probably a little older and more mature than Misery as well. And not to spoil anything, but Hendricks and Bell would be a lovely combination of ladies for that final scene, right?












Eric Christian Olsen as Grifter

Okay, so I'm pretty sure he's too young to be Grifter, but scruff him up and I think it will be fine. For Grifter, I know the actor is going to need to be tough and cool, but I think that he needs to be kinda funny and light at heart in order to really feel for Grifter. And I must say, I love Olsen. He's so precious. Most everything I've seen him in is really funny and goofy, but his resume seems to show potential for serious acting. I like it.














Bryan Cranston as Peter Grimm

Okay, I had a really hard time with this one, which is really why I saved it for last cause I'm pretty damn proud of it. I went through like, 6 other people before he popped in my head, and I was like, yes! He was wonderful on Malcolm in the Middle and though I've only seen the first few episodes of Breaking Bad (please don't spoil anything!), I know he totally deserves those Emmys. I can totally see him scaring the shit out of everyone but still having a flair about him that makes him lovable in a Heath-Ledger-Joker kind of way. It would be glorious.

So yeah. That's my cast. The real life cast will probably be absolutely nothing like this.

My Favorite Movies of the 00's

I didn't even really think about 2009 being the end of a decade until all these 'best of' lists started floating around, and I'm still a little weirded out that the past 10 years are going to be viewed as one cohesive unit. It really doesn't feel like it should. Anywho, I was reading many of those best of movie lists and I got to thinking about all my favorite movies. I tried to make a nice little concise list, but that didn't happen. Also, I watch a lot of movies but not near as many as I'd like to, so this list is probably wildly incomplete/inaccurate. So anyways, here are my favorite 40 films from the past decade (and please note I said favorite, not best)....

28 Days Later (2002)

Across the Universe (2007)

Almost Famous (2000)

The Brothers Bloom (2008)

Things I Want That Do Not Exist Yet

So I love kid's music, not all of it, but the really good stuff (a lot of it is pretty grating on the ears). I've worked in three different toy stores as well as having been a camp counselor on several occasions so I've probably listened to way more children's music than most people my age. My favorite stuff though, comes from regular grown up musicians like Barenaked Ladies and They Might Be Giants, as well as musical off-the-wall cartoon stuff like Animaniacs. So here are a few people who I would love to have record a kid's album
Eddie Izzard

I've been a huge Eddie Izzard fan since I saw his comedy special Dressed to Kill on HBO back in high school. My friends and I quoted that show for years, and still do on occasion. He has a great stage presence and his humor is very smart, which is always refreshing. And after having seen his performance of 'Benefit of Mr. Kite' in Across the Universe, I realized he totally has the potential to do more musical stuff. I think an Izzard album for kids would be fun, energetic, educational and total wacky. It would be fabulous.
Ellen Degeneres

I'm really happy that Ellen has become as successful as she has, mainly because I really enjoy her comedy (she's hilarious without having to be dirty or provocative) and I love the fact that an openly gay lady has a wildly popular daytime talk show. So yeah, I think she's great. I'm not so sure about her singing abilities, but she performed 'Shoop' by Salt n'Peppa, and that was pretty great. Plus, kids know her from Finding Nemo, so they'd already be on board.
Richard Cheese

I didn't know anything about this guy until I saw Zach Synder's remake of Dawn of the Dead which contained that fabulous cover of 'Down with the Sickness.' I then had to go out and download every song I could find by Richard Cheese and I was totally hooked. He has the ability to take songs I either don't like or find boring and make them super fun. I have a feeling that if challenged to do the same thing to traditional children's music, the results would be phenomenal.
Weezer

I'm not a huge Weezer fan or anything, but I really like the singles they put out and they seem to be a fun type of group. One of the reasons I really like the albums from Barenaked Ladies and They Might Be Giants is they're not children's artists. It doesn't feel like they're pandering or playing simplified music; they do what they're best at, and just slightly change the sound and use fun, kid-friendly lyrics. I think Weezer would do the same thing, and it would be something that kids would love, and parents wouldn't want to rip their ears off. And really all kid's music should be that way.

So if any of you have any connections, drop some hints. Maybe we can get more fun, educational, zany tunes out there.

Why I Like Parks & Rec More Than The Office

Okay, so here's how it goes. First I watched the British The Office, which I absolutely loved; then I decided to give the American The Office a chance, and at first I hated it, but as it slowly started to take a different course than the BBC version, I started liking it, but I've been feeling less and less compelled by it over the past couple of seasons. Last season, I gave Parks and Recreation a chance, and at first I wasn't sure about it, but I'm glad I kept watching because I freaking love this show now.

The thing is though, at first, Parks & Rec seemed so much like The Office that I was sure it would also fall into the path of suck, but it didn't, and I think I know why.

Stuff to consider about The Office:

-Originally the most compelling thing about the show was the super touching relationship between Jim and Pam and getting to be a part of all of those little moments. That was all well and good and really emotional, but now they've got their happy ending. Yes, the reveal of the pregnancy was really nice, and the wedding episode ended up being awesome, but it's not the same type of heart breaking, gut wrenching forbidden love that once existed between these two characters. I'm really happy that they're together, but story wise, I'm a little bored with them now.

-Michael Scott is one of the hardest characters to watch on TV. That has always been the case, but the thing is, eventually he needs to change. I know that this show is supposed to be like real life, and sometimes people who are like him never change and suck their whole life, but as a viewer there's a point where I just don't give a shit anymore. He does these things that are not only awful to watch him do, but they're starting to have a negative effect on the people around him. He's not funny, he's not likable, he's sad and pathetic, and there's only so much of that I can take.

-It used to be that Dwight was a big weirdo and Jim and Pam would mess with him, and that was really funny. But slowly it seems like everyone in the office is becoming a big weirdo, and sometimes they are funny and sometimes not so much. And why did Jim and Pam invite all of them to the wedding? They should know by now how ridiculous these people are, and I know Michael's feelings would be hurt, but IT'S YOUR DAMN WEDDING. Don't invite the painfully weird awkward guy.

So yeah. The reason these things all piss me off so much is because I saw the BBC version first, and they did their shit right.

-First off, it only lasted 2 seasons of 6 episodes each and then there was a big Christmas special at the end. So as for the relationship between Tim and Dawn (Jim and Pam), it was intense. Imagine all those tough moments to watch back in the early days of the American Office and multiply them by ten. And without ruining anything, the love story ended epically. It was amazing. I didn't need to watch them slowly build a life together, cause you could imagine all of that with the little bit of closure that you got.

-David Brent (Michael Scott) was amazingly painful. And you know what, that's okay, because I received a very limited dose of him compared to what I've gotten from Steve Carrell. And in the end, he got to have a little bit of a character arc, so he went out on a good note, as opposed to me hating him.

-And you know how the American Office is shot like a documentary? Well in the British version the show actually aired and their lives were affected accordingly. Imagine if everyone on the American version saw what was happening on those tapes. Things would be much better. Or at least more interesting. (Michael would probably be fired, I mean seriously.)

The British Office was so well done, it makes me have higher expectations for the American one. So it's kind of starting to break my heart a little bit. But I love Parks and Rec, and here's why:

-Leslie Knope is awesome. Yes, she gets herself into some pretty awkward situations, but underneath it all, she's just trying to make people happy and do the right thing. Michael Scott's awkwardness stems from his super self-centeredness. Leslie is sweet and unintentionally funny (which makes her even funnier, as opposed to Michael) and though she's often completely unaware, she still tries to make the best of a situation and sticks to her guns (which I really like the fact that she has thoughts and beliefs, as opposed to just internet-inspired quips). She's often blindly trying to make her town a better place and instead of always putting people off, her naivety actually helps inspire others.

-Everyone else on that show is fucking hilarious. If The Office has turned into 'Jim surrounded by a bunch of Michaels', Parks and Rec is 'Kind-Hearted Michael surrounded by a bunch of Jims'. Even characters who are obnoxious in theory come off totally lovable. Take Tom: he's always hitting on ladies, he wears douchebag-pink shirts and he's always looking for the easy way out. But there's just something about him that's so harmless, it makes him plain funny.

-There's nothing epic that will have the potential to become annoying (i.e. Jim and Pam's love story). We've had Anne and Andy's relationship sort of fizzle, which was sad, and now she's dating Mark, which is neat but I'm not super invested yet, so if it goes south, whatevs. And this thing between Leslie and David is SUPER cute and it makes me really happy, but again, there's no crazy buildup around it so if it doesn't work out, that's okay, and if it does and they are just together and then get married and whatever, that's great, it'll just go with the flow of the show.

Maybe ultimately the difference is, The Office (both versions) is a show about the weirdness of working in an isolated environment, and how things that are very small can become very big because of that, so there's only so much it can do before it's repetitive. But since Parks and Recreation has been set up in a whole town, it doesn't have to rely on the super tense and emotional characters, plots and moments like The Office does.

But I plan to keep watching them both, but I'm much more looking forward to what Parks and Rec has in store.