Movie #38 "Caffeine" --- well, I guess after 38 movies there is bound to be one I don't finish, and here's the first one. I lasted through one hour of it, but it then passed the stupid line. Yep, it had a whole bunch of quirky people in a restaurant, and the staff was in turmoil with the chef getting the heave hoe and the supervisor having a restaurant critic show up so she can get a better job, and another waitress bringing in her "crazy" grandmother ------but all in one day? and the grandmother beats up one of the customers and no one offers him a free meal or anything? In this day and age? stupid line. Evidently, the film thinks it can get its own customers by serving up Katherine Heigl in a small role. No sell here. I'm eating somewhere else!
Average rating: 2.691, I give it 1 star.
Caffeine
(2007) NR
The staff and clientele of a hip London coffeehouse find their lives, jobs and relationships blending together in this quirky ensemble comedy. Trouble starts brewing after manager Rachel (Marsha Thomason) fires and dumps her chef boyfriend, forcing the waitstaff (played in part by Breckin Meyer and Mena Suvari) to fill in. What ensues is a hectic and hilarious day in the life of the Black Cat Café in this debut feature by director John Cosgrove.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Movie #37 "The Other Boleyn Girl" was much better than I thought it was going to be, due to the acting --- all three siblings, Natalie Portman (who never disappoints me), Scarett Johansen (a rather controlled, steady portrait of Mary) and Jim Sturgess (who brought so much fragility to the role of the brother). I didn't know all the ins and outs of the Boleyn family -- just the ending, so it's interesting to see the story play out to the end. And the very ending rather surprised me and things fell nicely into place. The only reason I really gave it a 3 is that there were a lot of questions I had that the film didn't answer (probably the book did), but the film made me want to look up more about the history of the times portrayed here. And that's good for any film. The Other Boleyn Girl(2008)
Director Justin Chadwick's opulent historical drama stars Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn and Scarlett Johansson as her sister, Mary -- both beautiful, ambitious and vying for the heart of powerful but intemperate King Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Though both women are the monarch's mistresses, only one can become his queen consort -- but at what cost? The supporting cast includes Kristin Scott Thomas and Jim Sturgess.
Movie #36........................."Whip It"
Movie #36 "Whip It" I had to see for a number of reasons ----1) had an ohs alum Kevin Summers in the credits for helping with sound (hooray!) 2) Ellen Page is in it 3) Marcia Gay Harden is in it, too, and has key scenes with Ellen Page 3) Drew Barrymore, a female, directed it. And I wasn't disappointed. I was a bit worried when she got into that subculture of girls in a roller derby --- with the drinking, drugs, sex..............I thought it might just go into Superbadland, an amoral, ridiculous film that passed my "stupid line" --- but it wasn't. It's smart. Like "Juno" it just hints at the "bad stuff" but still uses it to show that the characters can and do learn something along the way. I wouldn't mind recommending this film to anyone, esp. moms and daughters, because that's the relationship here on display. I liked it a lot, and I think h.s. kids should see it to show them that everyone needs to find his/her niche, and not to make fun if people latch on to stuff like roller skating. I personally never thought much about roller derby; in fact, I guess I'd stereotyped those girls, but I changed my mind when I saw this --- as they whiz by there's a freeing up that is hard to describe. "Empowerment" and physical contact/aggressiveness are two areas we females seem to take a back seat to men in, and it was cool to see those subjects tackled in this first time Barrymore directed film. Brava to her!
Whip It!(2009) Escaping her smothering mother's (Marcia Gay Harden) beauty pageant plans for her, small-town Texas teen Bliss (Ellen Page) joins an all-girl roller derby team in Austin and begins living a thrilling double life as Babe Ruthless -- a life that might catch up with her. Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut and plays fellow teammate Smashley Simpson in this smart coming-of-age tale. Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis, Eve and Jimmy Fallon co-star.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Movie #35........................."Penelope"
Movie #35 "Penelope" --- I was glued to the screen from the opening minutes, never looking at the time like I normally do when watching films; I found this a delightful, whimsical flick with two charming leads and a very capable, funny Catherine O'Hara as the mother. I found it ironic that after awhile the pigsnout that Christina Ricci dons (and admirably, I met add, so kudos to the makeup crew) starts to look just fine on her --------- an excellent lesson for young and old about how one must love himself before he is ready to love others. I really rented the film to watch James McAvoy again, and I found him to be as charming as ever ("Atonement" and "Last King of Scotland") and ironic that he spoke with an American accent while the other suitors had British accents. Rottentomatoes only gave it 50 and said it was "typical" --- I found it to be contrary because as many films as I have seen, I never watched and stuck with one about a pig snout ----- and it was handled like "Pushing Daisies" --- with bright colored sets and believable story and (need I say it again?) charming, romantic leads. I liked this one a lot.
Penelope(2006) Forlorn heiress Penelope Wilhern (Christina Ricci) is cursed, and the only way out is to fall in love with someone of suitable stock. But how can she find her soul mate when she's sequestered inside her family's estate with only her parents (Catherine O'Hara and Richard E. Grant) to keep her company? Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon co-produced this untraditional fairy tale about a girl who bucks convention to create her own happy ending.
Movie #34........................."The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill"
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill(2005) This poignant documentary chronicles the true story of a modern-day St. Francis of Assisi, a homeless San Francisco street musician by the name of Mark Bittner who adopts a flock of wild parrots as he searches for meaning in his life. With a surprise ending that left festival audiences cheering, director Judy Irving's film celebrates urban wildness -- human and avian -- and links parrot antics to human behavior.
- Movie #34 "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" --- life is too short to watch a documentary that I just didn't like..............and this is the first time in a long time that I disagree with rottentomatoes.com (who gave this a 95%) . I watched 40 minutes and went away from it, looked up some critiques, and then tried to watch it again. Nope, not for me. I fail to see the interest in this ------ I don't see the poignancy, so I'm moving on. I definitely don't see the comparison of the guy who makes friends with these parrots and St. Francis of Assisi. With St. Francis, it seemed more than just liking these birds. Oops. I just noticed it is supposed to have a surprise ending. Well, if anyone is reading this and has seen the film, and completely changed his/her mind DUE to the ending , let me know because I just didn't see what all the hubub was for this film. oh well, I guess there are people out there that would say the same thing about "Citizen Kane" or "Casablanca" ---- in fact, I remember talking to someone recently that said, "Casablanca" ? that's not a classic! what's the big deal about that film? And there was so much to say, I was left open mouthed. Oh well, kind of like that, I guess.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Movie #33........................."9"
9Nine(2009) In a postapocalyptic world, a small community of rag-doll robots hides in fear from dangerous machines out to exterminate them. But when a brave newcomer named 9 (voiced by Elijah Wood) joins the group, he inspires them to stand up and fight for their survival. Shane Acker directs this visually stunning animated film co-produced by Tim Burton, which also features the voices of John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly andMartin Landau.
- I gave it 3 stars.
Movie #33 "9" -- I still don't get why there have to be three movies called 9 this year (District 9, 9, and Nine, the musical is coming out soon), but anyway, this one can be distinguished from the others due to its creepy atmosphere. That's where it succeeds --- story, not so much --- too many battles, not enough character work for me, but I can see with its supreme creativity that it would have a big audience that would enjoy it -----just not my kind of film. I'll wait to say which "9" movie I liked the best, but so far "District 9" is out in front.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Movie #32........................."The Garden"
The Garden(2008) Filmmaker Scott Hamilton Kennedy's politically charged, Oscar-nominated documentary follows a group of low-income families struggling to protect a 14-acre urban farm in the middle of South Central Los Angeles from bureaucratic real estate developers. A lightning rod for controversy in 2004, this cause célèbre drew the attention of numerous notable activists and politicians, including Dennis Kucinich, Joan Baez and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigoisa.
Movie #32 "The Garden" (see above for the plot) certainly deserved the academy award nomination for documentary. Boy, if you want to get angry at the screen, try this film ------- it'll make your blood boil ----- actually, it is emotionally charged throughout. You get sucked into the story from the first guy you meet to the last shot of the same guy . I had no idea about the garden, but it makes me want to visit the area now just after seeing the film about it and knowing the story. I haven't felt this way about a documentary since "The Life and Times of Harvey Milk" -- if you don't normally like documentaries, see this one --- it just may change your mind
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