Keep a movie journal

8/27 – Dylan Dog: Dead Of Night (2011) – Another comic book movie. The premise seemed intriguing, so despite the bad reviews I gave it a shot. Brandon Routh is actually pretty good as a paranormal investigator who settles problems among the undead (vampires, werewolves, ghouls, zombies, etc.). But sadly, the movie was fairly boring and not well-directed. Too bad – it had potential to be a fun ride.

8/25 – The Beaver (2010) – My feelings about Mel Gibson are too complicated to get into here, but if you’re offended that I would support this movie by renting it, I’m sorry.

That said, onto the movie, which I’ve been eagerly awaiting since it was announced a couple years ago. It infuriated and frustrated me. While the performances are outstanding (Anton Yelchin and Mel Gibson in particular), the pacing and tone are wildly inconsistent, and the movie gives you whiplash as it turns from a touching, mildly dark comedy about depression into a gruesome, rambling, bizarre tale of psychosis. I don’t know what crack Jodie Foster was smoking, but this movie was a mess. I was really disappointed.

8/24 – Picture Me (2009) – A movie by a former model chronicling the inside of the fashion modeling world.

Feminism and women in the media are topics near and dear to my heart, so I’ve been wanting to see this. The filmmaker is obviously very intelligent, and started modelling at 18, so fortunately she wasn’t taken advantage of in the way so many younger, less savvy girls have been. She still had a hard time of it, though, and got out before she peaked career-wise, because she was just tired of it. Interestingly, in additional to the predictable outrage and sadness, I had another strong feeling I didn’t expect – jealousy. Some small part of me wondered why women who had won the genetic lottery were complaining. I’m ashamed of feeling that way, but it was a useful insight into how all of us are co-opted by the patriarchy, and at some level buy into the stories we’re told.

The film itself was good, but not great – clearly a first effort, but worth a watch.

8/20 – Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story (2004) – A low-budget sports underdog movie starring the hilarious Rob Corddry. Won the audience award at SXSW that year, and I can see why; it was cute and well-done, with lots of folks you’ll recognize as heavy comedy hitters today.

8/19 – A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash (2006) – I rented this to learn more about the Peak Oil theory, but it lacked any sense of narrative, consisting only of interview and public domain video clips. Not very helpful.

8/19 – Norma Rae (1979) – How have I never seen this movie? It was really fantastic; I can see why it made Sally Fields’ career. I had goosebumps at several moments during the film, and watched the whole thing twice before I returned it. Really powerful.

8/15 – Commando (1985) – Okay, I’ve seen this movie before but not in ages. It did not hold up that well, honestly. I love 80’s action blockbusters, especially with Schwarzenegger, but this was not that funny, and pretty gory in gratuitous ways. I mean, you’re talking to someone who actually owns Tango & Cash, so I’m not a snob, but this movie just didn’t do it for me.

8/15 – Shrink (2009) – An excellent, excellent indie film starring Kevin Spacey as a shrink-to-the-stars undergoing a nervous breakdown and a resulting incapacitating marijuana habit. Several strong subplots with excellent casting make it funny, touching, and thoughtful. Highly recommend.

8/14 – Jonah Hex (2010) – I know, I know. This was supposed to be really dreadful, but I had a free Redbox code, and my curiosity was piqued by the reviews last year. And although I can see why it was rated so poorly – it feels completely unfinished, and at 81 minutes, it probably was – it had potential. The infamous contrarian film critic Armond White lauded the film for its commentary on post-war morality, and I think he might actually have had something this time. Anyway, it wasn’t horrible – it was far better than Battle LA, that’s for sure.

8/11 – Must Love Dogs (2005) – A perfecly serviceable romantic comedy. Diane Lane and John Cusack are great actors, so they elevate a mundane plot to something cute and watchable.

7/25 – Inside Job (2010) – Everybody, EVERYBODY needs to watch this movie. Simultaneously infuriating and gratifying, it explains, documents, and analyzes the bullshit choices of Wall Street and Washington that led to the US economic meltdown. I plan to either rent it again or purchase it, to more fully understand how totally screwed I am as one of the non-elite.

7/25 – Green Hornet (2011) – This got bad reviews, but it was directed by Michel Gondry, so I rented it anyway. And I liked it! I thought it had a cute absurdity to it. Yes, it had problems – it’s not a great movie, and what the heck was the point of Cameron Diaz’s character? – but it was fun to watch, and I liked the visual styling. Gondry gives his fantasy worlds a lovely off-kilter unbalanced feel, and personally, I enjoy it.

I’m missing a few, I think, but here’s what I can remember:

8/10 – All Good Things (2010) – A tremendously powerful film by the director of Capturing The Friedmans. A fictionalized account of a true-life cold case murder in NY in the early 1980s. Ryan Gosling – who can do no wrong – and Kirsten Dunst star. The suspense was ratcheted up so high I almost couldn’t take it in parts. Really excellent story, pacing, acting, everything. Such a sad story, too.

8/8 – Real Life (1979) – An Albert Brooks mockumentary that presciently described reality TV as we know it today. Not quite what I was expecting, but smart and funny.

8/7 – Collapse (2009) – A documentary/interview about Peak Oil and the coming societal/economic collapse. Interesting; I need to think/read more about Peak Oil theory.

8/3 – Disturbia (2007) – Oh, how dumb. I knew it wasn’t supposed to be good, but I thought it might be pulpy fun. No, just stupid. And it makes me sad that David Morse only ever plays psychos anymore – he used to be a good actor.

7/31 – Land of the Lost (2009) – Silly fun. This got panned, but it made me giggle in parts, absolutely. There’s something about Will Ferrell’s willingness to totally humiliate himself that cracks me up.

7/28 – The Prince and Me (2004) – Terrible. I shouldn’t even admit to watching this, but I wanted a pleasant little romantic comedy. Bad call.

7/24 – Centurion (2010) – I liked Neil Marshall’s The Descent (one of the few horror films I’ve found smart and interesting), so I thought I’d give this a go. Not much to recommend it, though – overly gory, and generally just sort of boring. Lots of good people, but not a good film. Marshall does direct women well, though, so I’ll keep trying out his work.

7/24 – Unknown (2011) – This was an impulse rent at Redbox. It was a perfectly decent, forgettable thriller. January Jones cannot act her way out of a paper bag, but Liam Neeson is always reliable, and I enjoyed Diane Krueger’s performance as well. I called the ending pretty early – it’s a fairly derivative plot – but it’s hard to do anything new these days.

7/24 – Tangled (2010) – Standard Disney, the last of the “princess” movies. Cute! As always, the sidekicks were the best characters.

7/23 – Something New (2006) – A romantic drama about race and relationships. I enjoyed the story, and the cast was excellent. I’m not sure how it got on my radar, but I’m glad it made it onto my queue.

7/23 – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005) – I really love pretty much everyone who was cast in this movie, so even though I had been warned that it wasn’t very good, I wanted to see it eventually. And now, I have. :/

7/23 – Cedar Rapids (2011) – Hilarity with heart. The Hangover movies wish they could be this sweet and funny while still being ridiculous. Ed Helms is a lovable small-town insurance salesman who goes to “the big city” (Cedar Rapids, Iowa!) for a conference, and shenanigans ensue. Hookers, crack, naked swimming, bribery, Omar from The Wire… well, you have to see it to understand. ;)

7/22 – Pillow Talk (1959) – Rock Hudson and Doris Day’s first pairing. Their on-screen chemistry is legendary, and I can see why. Although I try to watch a period movie without a contemporary feminist lens, I still have to think that even in 1959, Brad Allen’s actions would have been REALLY CREEPY. Ugh. Okay, that said, the production design, the designer clothes, the jewelry, the whole look – so gorgeous! Tony Randall was hilarious in a supporting role as well. I plan to watch the other two RH/DD films soon.

7/22 – Burlesque (2010) – I’ve been putting this off until my husband was out of town, so he wouldn’t be horrified by my bad taste. ;) (The other movie on my embarrassment list is Cop-Out. Yes, I know.) And… I didn’t love it. It made me sad to see that Cher (whom I love) can no longer move any part of her face. Burlesque wasn’t terrible, just sort of boring and forgettable. Although Stanley Tucci was fantastic, of course. Oh well! A buck at Redbox is nothing to cry over.

7/21/11 – Just watched The Adjustment Bureau (2011), which was fantastic, right up until the ending… which was just awful. Badly paced, badly written, and badly resolved. Ugh – I had such high hopes. Matt Damon was fine, and Emily Blunt and the supporting cast were excellent (love Terence Stamp in anything). The look/production design was great, too. But the movie just sort of… stopped. :(

I’ve been watching Torchwood S1 on DVD, so no new movies recently, but I wanted to share quotes from one of my favorite movies, which is playing right now… ;)

“Well, ya see, I’m not saying that I’ve been everywhere and I’ve done everything, but I do know it’s a pretty amazing planet we live on here, and a man would have to be some kind of fool to think we’re alone in this universe.”

“Just remember what ol’ Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big ol’ storm right square in the eye and he says, ‘Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it.’”

“I’m a reasonable guy. But I’ve just experienced some very unreasonable things!”