Movie: The Baxter
Like/Don't Like: Really like. (It's already been 2 days since I've seen it. This means that I've passed into the "All I remember is that I like it" Zone, from which there is not return. But you should take my word for it.)
You know those guys in movies who are left at the alter when the main guy bursts into the wedding and steals the main girl away? Those guys are Baxters and this movie is about one and how he ceases to be one.
So, even though it's been a few days since I've seen it (I'm really not kidding when I say I don't remember movies. It's been less than 48 hours and I can't remember any of the characters' names.) I can remember a few things:
1.) I reminded me of the Apartment. Mostly because Michelle Williams has a bit of the Shirley MacLaine in her (especially with her cute short hair) and Jack Lemon is the ultimate Baxter. But also because, like the Apartment, it's clever. I love a clever movie.
2.) I loved the music and the costumes. I know that there was a Rufus Wainwright song on there, which I always approve of. And the clothes were well thought out. I particularly liked What's His Names hats. Elliot! I remember his name is Elliot. Because the other guy, the one who swoops in and steals the girl, keeps calling him L-Train or Elbow Macaroni.
3.) There were surprise cast members that I love. Paul Rudd and Michael Ian Black (although he wasn't a surprise. He and the guy who played Elliot are in a comedy group together.) and Peter Dinklage, who delivered the line, "And I would like an apple juice," in a way that made me nearly fall off the couch from laughing.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Robin Hood
TV Show: Robin Hood on BBC America (the second season just ended so you're going to have to Netflix it)
Like/Don't Like: Who doesn't love merry men?
Did you like the A-Team? Don't answer that. Everyone liked the A-Team. And if you didn't I'm not sure I want to be your friend. So, we've established that you like the A-Team. That means that you'll like Robin Hood. Because it is totally Medieval A-Team.
There's a band of outlaws, back from war and on the run from bad guys who are suppose to be good, and in their spare time they help out the poor by staging daring and elaborate rescues and not once getting nicked by an arrow. There is an underlying plot that runs throughout the series but this is basically the premise of every episode. And that may sound kind of dull but it worked for the A-Team because the characters where funny and, well, there's just something nice and familiar about it. Like your favorite breakfast cereal, how you keep going back to it over and over again because you know it's always going to be good even though the flavor never changes. It's the same here. There are funny characters and a few witty lines and sometimes they mix up the formula and kill someone off but for the most part it's just fun to watch.
And, it has the added bonus of Richard Armitage*. He's a bad guy, which makes it all the more intriguing. You want to hate him but you just can't.
*I was just talking to some friends the other day who have not watched North and South yet. I'm not sure how this is even possible because I thought I was pretty clear that everyone needed to watch it. I'm not just talking about sometime in the distant future but RIGHT NOW. GO TO BLOCKBUSTER RIGHT NOW AND GET IT. Do not make me get all Queen of the Universe on you.
Like/Don't Like: Who doesn't love merry men?
Did you like the A-Team? Don't answer that. Everyone liked the A-Team. And if you didn't I'm not sure I want to be your friend. So, we've established that you like the A-Team. That means that you'll like Robin Hood. Because it is totally Medieval A-Team.
There's a band of outlaws, back from war and on the run from bad guys who are suppose to be good, and in their spare time they help out the poor by staging daring and elaborate rescues and not once getting nicked by an arrow. There is an underlying plot that runs throughout the series but this is basically the premise of every episode. And that may sound kind of dull but it worked for the A-Team because the characters where funny and, well, there's just something nice and familiar about it. Like your favorite breakfast cereal, how you keep going back to it over and over again because you know it's always going to be good even though the flavor never changes. It's the same here. There are funny characters and a few witty lines and sometimes they mix up the formula and kill someone off but for the most part it's just fun to watch.
And, it has the added bonus of Richard Armitage*. He's a bad guy, which makes it all the more intriguing. You want to hate him but you just can't.
*I was just talking to some friends the other day who have not watched North and South yet. I'm not sure how this is even possible because I thought I was pretty clear that everyone needed to watch it. I'm not just talking about sometime in the distant future but RIGHT NOW. GO TO BLOCKBUSTER RIGHT NOW AND GET IT. Do not make me get all Queen of the Universe on you.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Under the Same Moon
Movie: Under the Same Moon
Like/Don't Like: How do you say "Pass the tissue" in Spanish?
Golly, I cried a lot through this movie. This was expected because it's about a cute little boy in Mexico trying to get to his mother in LA. How was I not suppose to cry?
And I know that this was the intention. Everything was sweet and heart-warming and a little contrived, and the "immigrants have it hard" card was dealt too often (for the record, I actually do believe that immigrants have it hard for the work they do here. Don't you think we should make it just a little bit easier for the woman who cleans our toilets for minimum wage to stay here with her kids?) but it was tough to not like it. I'm a sucker for little boys. Plus, there's a man with a mustache, and you know how I'm feeling about mustaches these days.
Like/Don't Like: How do you say "Pass the tissue" in Spanish?
Golly, I cried a lot through this movie. This was expected because it's about a cute little boy in Mexico trying to get to his mother in LA. How was I not suppose to cry?
And I know that this was the intention. Everything was sweet and heart-warming and a little contrived, and the "immigrants have it hard" card was dealt too often (for the record, I actually do believe that immigrants have it hard for the work they do here. Don't you think we should make it just a little bit easier for the woman who cleans our toilets for minimum wage to stay here with her kids?) but it was tough to not like it. I'm a sucker for little boys. Plus, there's a man with a mustache, and you know how I'm feeling about mustaches these days.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Hooligan
Book: Hooligan - A Mormon Boyhood
Author: Douglas Thayer
Like/Don't Like: It made me wish a little that I had been a boy.
Unless you were an English major at BYU and spent your days growing pale and consumptive in the basement of the JKHB, you probably have never heard or Douglas Thayer. I'm glad I can introduce you. He's one of a handful of Mormon writers who can write about the religion and the culture without coming off as either preachy or bitter. It helps that he has a real talent for essays and storytelling. I took a class on Mormon Literature (where we did not have to read the Work and Glory) and fell in love with his dry wit and straightforward prose.
I always cringe when people start getting nostalgic for the good old days. But he's hardly sighing here. He's just recalling his childhood in Provo during the 30s and 40s - when he and his friends would roam the valley looking for adventures but usually ended up just skinny dipping in the river or shooting birds off of telephone wires or trying to scrounge up enough money to buy a popsicle to share. They would wish for the train to derail or a mental patient to escape from the hospital up the hill, just so they could see some action. It is a sweet and funny memoir that will make you want to ride your bike and sneak into the movies.
Author: Douglas Thayer
Like/Don't Like: It made me wish a little that I had been a boy.
Unless you were an English major at BYU and spent your days growing pale and consumptive in the basement of the JKHB, you probably have never heard or Douglas Thayer. I'm glad I can introduce you. He's one of a handful of Mormon writers who can write about the religion and the culture without coming off as either preachy or bitter. It helps that he has a real talent for essays and storytelling. I took a class on Mormon Literature (where we did not have to read the Work and Glory) and fell in love with his dry wit and straightforward prose.
I always cringe when people start getting nostalgic for the good old days. But he's hardly sighing here. He's just recalling his childhood in Provo during the 30s and 40s - when he and his friends would roam the valley looking for adventures but usually ended up just skinny dipping in the river or shooting birds off of telephone wires or trying to scrounge up enough money to buy a popsicle to share. They would wish for the train to derail or a mental patient to escape from the hospital up the hill, just so they could see some action. It is a sweet and funny memoir that will make you want to ride your bike and sneak into the movies.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
The Forsythe Saga
Movie: The Forsythe Saga
Like/Don't Like: I wanted to stick my head in the oven through most of it but I actually liked it in the end
Wow, this is a long one. I'm just telling you this because you might want to break it up into a few viewings. It's like 7 hours long. And there are very few likable characters. And it's the likable ones that all the bad things happen to. And yet it a very fascinating character study. The main character, Soames Forsythe, is incredibly complex and had the ability to make you feel sorry for him and then hate him and then back to feeling sorry and then scratching your head at his actions and then laughing at him. You don't ever like him but you certainly go through almost every other emotion because of him. It kept me going through all the sad stuff.
Like/Don't Like: I wanted to stick my head in the oven through most of it but I actually liked it in the end
Wow, this is a long one. I'm just telling you this because you might want to break it up into a few viewings. It's like 7 hours long. And there are very few likable characters. And it's the likable ones that all the bad things happen to. And yet it a very fascinating character study. The main character, Soames Forsythe, is incredibly complex and had the ability to make you feel sorry for him and then hate him and then back to feeling sorry and then scratching your head at his actions and then laughing at him. You don't ever like him but you certainly go through almost every other emotion because of him. It kept me going through all the sad stuff.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Stop in the Name of Pants
Book: Stop in the Name of Pants
Author: Louise Rennison
Like/Don't Like: Luuuuurve
Oh how I love these books. They make me laugh like a loon on loon pills. This is the latest in the Georgia books and it measured up, as always. They're the type of books that you can't read in public because you won't be able to stop yourself from laughing out loud and snorting. It's happened to me. And Katie. They are entirely laugh-out-loud-able. And quotable. I find myself thinking or saying things that Georgia would say because they're just so fitting. For instance, the phrase "Blimey O'Reilly's Trousers" is always in my head when something goes wrong.
If you're familiar with the books you have a few things to look forward to: an updated glossary, the snogging scale in German, and a new bison viking hornpipe disco dance with exact instructions on how to do it that had me laughing and snorting and nearly wetting myself. Plus, loads of Dave the Laugh. Admit it, he's your fave.
Author: Louise Rennison
Like/Don't Like: Luuuuurve
Oh how I love these books. They make me laugh like a loon on loon pills. This is the latest in the Georgia books and it measured up, as always. They're the type of books that you can't read in public because you won't be able to stop yourself from laughing out loud and snorting. It's happened to me. And Katie. They are entirely laugh-out-loud-able. And quotable. I find myself thinking or saying things that Georgia would say because they're just so fitting. For instance, the phrase "Blimey O'Reilly's Trousers" is always in my head when something goes wrong.
If you're familiar with the books you have a few things to look forward to: an updated glossary, the snogging scale in German, and a new bison viking hornpipe disco dance with exact instructions on how to do it that had me laughing and snorting and nearly wetting myself. Plus, loads of Dave the Laugh. Admit it, he's your fave.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Be Kind Rewind
Movie: Be Kind Rewind
Like/Don't Like: I liked it enough to stay awake for most of it
I have found that it's rare when a movie makes me laugh out loud. I mean, really laugh. (Don't you think that's strange? I do. Because I really like to laugh, and I'm easily amused. Maybe I'm dead inside.) This movie did. But during the parts when I wasn't laughing out loud it was kind of slow and I actually took a little siesta in the middle of it.
Like/Don't Like: I liked it enough to stay awake for most of it
I have found that it's rare when a movie makes me laugh out loud. I mean, really laugh. (Don't you think that's strange? I do. Because I really like to laugh, and I'm easily amused. Maybe I'm dead inside.) This movie did. But during the parts when I wasn't laughing out loud it was kind of slow and I actually took a little siesta in the middle of it.
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