Fun-with-Reviewing

I've enjoyed writing reviews, mostly for books (some of which are on my book blog), and I can say that the old adage is true:

It is easier to write a pan than a rave.

Gads, it's hard to find creative ways to say something shines...is wonderful...is transcendent. [Insert cliche here]

But ah...nothing equals a good, bad review!

Just stumbled on a great one, for the animated oeuvre that is Gnomeo and Juliet. Here is a delightful snippet:

The worst sin comes at the top of the second act with the introduction of a madcap flamingo character. In the midst of a loud, desultory story the last thing we need is an extra dose of wacky, changing an annoying movie into something almost impossible to stomach.

Wow. Harsh.

Gotta love it!

Lori

Ah, the movies...

I follow a really great online comic strip, Multiplex -- about a group of people who work at a, you guessed it, Multiplex theatre. It's part geek tribute to great films, part on-going 20-something soap opera...usually amusing.

Today's strip just made me laugh aloud. Back story -- the characters always dress up as the characters of newly-opened, big films, like Watchmen.

(Click on the image to see it better.)

I love the look on the long-suffering supervisor's face. Take a look at the previous strip to understand just why he's so long-suffering this week.

And if you haven't seen Watchmen, go watch it. Yes, the book is better, as it always is, but the director was slavishly devoted to the look, the tone and the feel of the source material.

Ask me nice, I may lend you the graphic novel.

Lori

Enough already!!

The most anticipated geek movie of all time...and its release date has been set back again! Over at his blog, author Ernie Cline updates us on the new date: February 6, 2009. It was supposed to open this weekend.

Darn.

Can I wait? Guess I'll have to.

Lori

UK vs US: What's funny?

I could research definitions of comedy and funny to write an essay on the topic...and still no one would agree with me.

As individuals, we all know what we like. Personally, I have a taste for the more complex British comedies. where funny stuff happens while life continues on, in all its wonderful complexities.

The Full Monty (1997) (warning: couldn't find the trailer, so the clip below is the sports-movie-style fabulous SPOILER ending -- go rent the movie if you haven't seen it, don't ruin it for yourself!!)



Kinky Boots (2005)



Death at a Funeral (2007)



Now, according to my favourite movie news source (I let Gordon McAlpin sift through the movie geek news for me! And I follow his great webcomic Multiplex), Hollywood is doing a re-make of Death at a Funeral!! (Did you see the date on that film? A year old.)

Me (and all sane movie geeks): "What?! Was it not funny enough for you? Or could you not understand the foreign accent?"

"Oh, no. None of that. We just want to make it Chris Rock funny. All movies are better when we Americanize 'em."

Gads.

Lori

Another Reason Canada is Cooler than the USA

In Canada, we have no problems with this poster (and a 18A movie rating):


But in the States, it's an R rating, and the Immortal Mr. Smith had to settle for this poster:

The official site is right here...

(Pictures lifted off WorstPreviews.com, where you can also see trailers and clips.)

Kevin Smith, you're my hero. Don't stop making movies...well, unless you stop being funny.

Lori

Iconic Films

Ah, another movie post. Hope no one minds!

Over the long weekend, we had Metro's Mum and Dad visiting -- for the most part, a classic in-law visit: dinner out at the local delicious Greek restaurant, a day trip to see some wineries, huge turkey dinner...and Metro took his Dad out one night for a poker game, leaving Mum and me to our own devices.

We watched a movie -- her choice: Thelma and Louise (1991). She said she was tired of always pretending to have seen it, because it was so iconic.

Is that the definition of an iconic film? It works for me.

Last night, I saw another iconic film for the first time: The Warriors (1979) -- a film so ingrained in movie culture that I feel like I'd already seen it. (The 70s version of 300...)

Off the top of my head, I'd say the most iconic film of the current generation, if we use the definition above ("Oh, right! Yeah...that film!") is Mike Judge's Office Space (1999).

Here's some proof:



And if you've heard people talk about a "TPS report," wondered why red Swingline staplers are so freakin' popular now, or had someone ask you if you have a 'case of the Mondays', and you just don't get it, go out and watch this film:




So, what other iconic films are out there that we all need to see to fully function in today's society?

Browsing movies

I really enjoy movies. And I have a confession to make, to those of you who don't know me, I'm a re-watcher. Yes, I delight in throwing a movie into the machine that I've seen a multitude of times, because I know how it will make me feel -- and I want that!

Come on -- there are more of you out there. What movies do you re-watch, and why? The comments are open!

Last night, I encouraged good ol' Metro to go play poker at a friend's place (He would like to point out that he broke even.). I knew I was in an escapist movie mood, and figured it would be easier to watch what I wanted without him! (Oh, he's patient and all, but understandably not that great with the re-watching thing...)

So I watched my new DVD copy of The Little Princess (1995), based on the book by Frances Burnett Hodges, one of my childhood favourites. Even though I hadn't seen this one in years, I was not surprised to see that it was directed by Alfonso Cuaron, who directed the most delightfully moody of the Harry Potty films (Prisoner of Azkaban). Everything in the film The Little Princess is essentially in two colours -- a dark green representing all that is dark and unpleasant, and sunny yellows and golds to represent all that is magical and good. It works beautifully.

And despite having seen the film a few times, I still sobbed like a baby. I love films!

Then, not having had enough, and having a purring cat, a fireplace, a little bowl of barbecued peanuts, and a beer, I threw in my VHS copy of the movie The Fifth Element (1997). I absolutely adore this film, and have watched my VHS copy to fuzzy-wavy-lines-of-VHS-death. The next time I see a DVD copy, I'll to pick it up (I've been resisting...but I want the extra features!).

Browsing IMDB this morning, I came across the most delightful bit of cross-movie pollination! I discovered that the wacky mugger in the Fifth Element...



...is the delightful romantic lead Nino from Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (the actor Mathieu Kassovitz)



I love finding these connections!

Talk to me of movies!

Lori

Lazy "Artists"

So, I was wandering in an adult toy store this evening...

Get your minds back here! I was in a Future Shop, not the other kind of toy store!

Anyway, I was browsing the cheap DVDs, and I came across this fabulous 1985 movie:

We all remember this one? I'm sure it was on everyone's Top 10 lists!

But Dennis Quaid's picture on this poster/cover made me stop short...

"Hell, he looks just like Miles Vorkosigan!!"

So, out there somewhere is an artist that got paid the big bucks at Baen books in 1995 for "creating" this very cool cover art.

Buddy, people have longer memories than that!

Lori

Rule #78 in Life:

(Source)

One of my favourite silly movies is Airheads...a 1994 rock'n'roll comedy. (Brendan Fraser's appearance in this film is merely a coincidence!)

And here for your viewing pleasure is the immortal Lemmy in a video with clips from the movie:



Turn up the volume and rock out!

Lori

Definitions of Power

Years ago, I picked up a book entitled The 48 Laws of Power (by Robert Greene) [Here are the laws summarized.] I subsequently loaned the book out, and it hasn't been returned -- it's a very interesting book that either teaches one how to be a bastard power-monger, or to recognize one...depending on your point of view. A very entertaining book though...

But if you can't find the book to help you to achieve a persona of power, you can just get yourself one of these:

The Han Solo desk (found at DVICE) has its different messages as well, depending on your point of view...Scary Guy or Enormous Geek.

(and no, I don't want one for Christmas...)

Lori

I've always wanted to try this...

How many times has it come up in conversation?

"Have you ever listened to Dark Side of the Moon with The Wizard of Oz?"

Here's a site with all of the synchronicities detailed.

I've always wanted to know -- what would prompt someone to think "I'm going to match up a Pink Floyd album with that movie, see what happens"? What came first, the idea or the drugs??

Well, one day I'll find me a copy of The Wizard of Oz...see what happens.

Lori

"Homophobia Sux"

No kidding. A guy I know was involved in a very nifty little video production in Vancouver -- using Sonny Bono's "Laugh at Me":



It was posted to YouTube a year ago, but hasn't had much viewage -- Unfortunate, that. It's got 22 actors, who wander around 2 blocks on Davie Street,...and one long, glorious take.

I am a huge fan of a well-choreographed long take. (Cf. Notting Hill, The Player, Touch of Evil, etc.)

Lori

What more can I share?

Tagged again (here's my earlier post), with the 6 Weird Things about You "meme", this time by a woman who is weird in her own way. [I'm over a month late. Sorry.]

So, 'cause I love talking about myself [why else would I write a blog, now, eh?], here's some more about me:

I re-read books and re-watch movies, a lot. So much new to read, and I find that one of the best ways for me to relax is to watch/read something I've read/watched millions of times before. I'll open the book to the middle, skip the dvd to a scene halfway through...drop right into the story.

I prefer to take pictures of architecture and urban corners than people or flowers. It's so bad that I've got to get Creatrix to photoshop a picture of my husband and I together in Paris on our honeymoon!

Shopping for clothes is an activity I loathe. I have no respect for the fashion industry. I started watching The Devil Wears Prada with a sense of superiority, "Oh, a movie about the fashion industry...", started identifying with the main character (the woman who gets the job), then this scene showed up:

Miranda Priestly: [Miranda and some assistants are deciding between two similar belts for an outfit. Andy sniggers because she thinks they look exactly the same] Something funny?
Andy Sachs: No, no, nothing. Y'know, it's just that both those belts look exactly the same to me. Y'know, I'm still learning about all this stuff.
Miranda Priestly: This... 'stuff'? Oh... ok. I see, you think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select out, oh I don't know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue, it's not turquoise, it's not lapis, it's actually cerulean. You're also blindly unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar De La Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves St Laurent, wasn't it, who showed cerulean military jackets? And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of 8 different designers. Then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic casual corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and so it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room. From a pile of stuff.

Hmm.

I sometimes feel like I'm pretending to be an adult.

Okay, enough now. Feel free to tag yourselves.

Two days until the weekend, and then my new, all-grown-up-now job.

Lori

Choices

Rented a brilliant movie this week, and I've already watched it 3 times: Stranger than Fiction. It's another of those rare but wonderful films that are hard to categorize, so they use words like "comedy" -- because that's what one expects from someone like Will Farrell.

Rent this movie, watch it. Then come back here and we can discuss the choices one makes in life...

Like the choice I'm making to leave my rather up'n'down work life of networking my way into interesting projects for the possibly mundane 9-to-5 of a government job.

No more Farmers' Market (I'm giving my notice this week). No more Festivals. But, I'll be in a position to help organizations like the Festival get grants to create jobs, so that "working for an Arts Festival" will no longer have to mean "little or no money".

Now I have to shop for some clothes, because I've pretty much been wearing nothing but jeans for two years!

Lori

5 Truly Absurd Movies (but in a good way)

Okay...I know I've not written for a few days. I've been busy. But, here we are, with another entry in another //engtech contest!

This list inspired by a post by azahar, that got me thinking about movies in translation, which got me searching IMDB...which lead me to:

The First
Os Canibais (1988) Ah! This Portuguese film is, as one IMDB reviewer puts it so succinctly, one of the best unseen films around. I saw it alone, at the Vancouver Film Festival, and spent an hour on the phone outside the theatre afterwards, talking to friends to bring me back down to earth. A sinister, romantic Gothic tale of love and cannibalism, all sung in aria.

The Second
Tapeheads (1988) Hmm. What is it about 1988? This John Cusack & Tim Robbins piece is a movie I can watch again and again. It's silly. Over-the-top. Hysterical. Watch for the magically-appearing beers and the ex-Monkee-son-of-Liquid-Paper producer showing up for a cameo. Plus, don't forget to catch them in the movie High Fidelity, which is, in some ways, a reprise of their working-together wackiness.

The Third
Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) Why don't I own this film? I blogged about the star, Bruce Campbell in my 5th blog entry, oh-so-long ago. Premise? An aging Elvis in an old-folks' home, which is haunted by a mummy. Go and rent this one today!

The Fourth
Harold & Kuma Go to White Castle (2004) Sitting here now, I don't really remember much about this movie, but I do remember laughing a hell of a lot. Maybe it was the premise? Maybe the actors? I should watch it again. I mean, how can you go wrong with a quest film?

The Fifth
The Fifth Element (1997) I'm cheating here a bit, putting one of my favourite movies here, not reaching for something more esoteric. (But then, I know my faithful readers will understand...) It's just such a lovely, absurd mess of a SF film. It's got everything...a delightfully dirty but groovy vision of the future, an epic storyline, wonderful comedic moments, a lot of actors you want to watch (Okay, I admit, I'm a fan of Bruce Willis comedies. Like Hudson Hawk. Don't worry, I'm in a support group.), and a fabulous score. You can tell that Luc Besson wrote this film when he was a kid...

Five Inventions I'd Really Like to See

I thought I'd enter endtech's contest from this blog (as well as from the Book Nook).

So, for my list, the wonderful things that we see on TV or in movies that I would really like to be real:

Number 1, The Barbie Suitcase -- you know the one. I was watching My Fair Lady (again!) the other day, and off goes Eliza in a huff, with one itty-bitty little suitcase. A couple of scenes later, the housekeeper, Mrs. Pierce, tells the Professor that Eliza's taken all of her clothes!



Number 2, The Portable Hole
The Warner Brothers/Looney Tunes portable hole, a must have for, well, everyone. Hide a multitude of sins, don't worry about losing your house keys...

Number 3, The Transporter
Need I say more? But it wouldn't be "beam me up", I would be getting beamed over to Paris for an afternoon at the Louvre!

Number 4, Rosie, the Jetson's maid
Again. Does anything need to be said here?

Number 5, Viable Space Travel
Wouldn't it be cool to have the options? Tired of backpacking around Europe?!? Why not head out to the outflung Earth colonies, or visit an alien world?

What would you add to the list?

Lori