An eye for an ear, right?

I went to see "Let Me In", for a review of this movie please refer to my earlier review of "Let the Right One In" since they are EXACTLY the same.
http://cquilty.blogspot.com/2009/02/let-right-one-in.html
The original is still far superior but they did a damn fine job of copy and pasting the entire film, though somehow in the process some of the atmosphere was still lost.
I was sad to see the cat scene go, and I didn't like the c.g'd Abbey climbing and jumping, she just looked like Gollum.


I've also been checking out the film series that runs every Wednesday night. I usually had to miss these movies due to class but I am a liberated girl now so I piled in with all of Chilliwack's senior citizens to catch the weekly movies. Last week was "The Kids Are All Right". I will watch anything with Julianne Moore so I was down to watch her as 1/2 of lesbian couple rearing two children who are curious about their sperm donor dad (played by the always dreamy, Mark Ruffalo). This movie was especially naughty with lots of cussing and lesbian encounters so I was pretty tickled to see the haughty Chilliwack society slowly exiting the film. Lesbians, BOO!
The movie was actually pretty funny and charming. The cast was astounding but I did have a few issues with the plot. Some of the consequences just didn't match with the acts themselves, things went from light to downright depressing pretty quick and I felt mostly confused. Julianne Moore's North Carolina accent seemed to be slipping in quite a bit making her even more adorable than usual. I never have seen such an impressive cluster of mouth breathers in one film either. Close your damn mouth people! (I'm looking at you Ruffalo!)

Legends are now and forever

Here is a movie one should procure immediately, legally or otherwise. People are always listing Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal as their favorite childhood movies but those films can go pound sand because Ridley Scott puts Jim Henson to shame. Legend has it all: goblins, unicorns, dwarfs, elves, fairies, tom cruise (pre-dental work) in a mowgli-esque loin dress, Tim curry, devils, love, death, magic.
Mia Sara is Princess Lili, you may remember her as Ferris Bueller's hot girlfriend Sloane. She looks quite a bit like Jennifer Connelly's Sarah from Labyrinth but that old stick in the mud Sarah never wears anything this scandalous.

That dress is practically showing her belly button! But you have to work it when you want to impress the gigantic Lord of Darkness played by Tim Curry (who is a way more unsettling Tranny than Bowie could ever be)
Don't be fooled by how unusually jovial he looks in that picture, he is not a friendly fella. He is pretty much pure bad and wants to take over everything good and pure and make it evil. (Hence Princess Lili in that skanky dress)
This movie is super pretty and ethereal while at the same time super scary and creepy. The super 80's soundtrack originally recorded by Tangerine Dream is also a real treat, prepare for lots of synth.

monologue! gunshots! car chase! monologue! revenge!

I've gone to see two films in the last forever, one I seriously enjoyed and the other bored me to tears.
Good news first...
I was simply tickled by the teen movie "Easy A". I love high school movies, they are basic, attractive and generally enjoyable.
I would attribute a large part of the success of this film to Emma Stone. She is attractive, charming and funny. She's not unrealistically attractive or witty which makes her more accessible. It would have been tragic to see a Megan Fox type in this role. She's essentially a modern day Molly Ringwald (gotta love the gingers). Speaking of old Molly, John Hughs references abound in this movie, which is probably why I liked it so much. The plot is not terribly controversial, it pretty much debunks the whole "any publicity is good publicity" notion and supports the whole "gossip is bad" concept. Not really life changing stuff but provides fodder for an entertaining hour and a half. One really should watch this film in appreciation of Amanda Bynes extensive film career as she has since announced her retirement (via Twitter) from the film industry at the ripe old age of 24.



The Town could have used some of Emma Stone's adorable gingery lispiness because Ben Affleck's broody Boston schtick is getting olllllld. This film has all the elements of a good heist flick, car chases, shoot outs, close calls, explosions, but it has so much of these bank heist cliches that no moment feels climactic and it comes across like a pizza with way too many toppings that just slides off and burns your chin leaving you with nothing more than a humiliating facial wound. Also Blake Lively shouldn't be so hasty trying to get out of her "Gossip Girl" commitments because no one has told her that real acting is more than pouting, runny makeup and cleavage. Jeremy Renner pretty much played the same character he played in "The Hurt Locker", maniacal. I really didn't care about Affleck's whole wounded little boy story and when he went into a soul bearing monologue i found myself painfully aware of the fact that he was ACTING.
This movie was definitely NOT worth the 10.25 I paid to see it at our local ANCIENT theater, the nibs were tops though...

Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien

After a long dark period of avoiding the summer blockbusters, I decided Christopher Nolan's "Inception" was intriguing enough to venture out to the local cinema. After a few false starts I settled into my crooked seat at the "vintage" theater that is located 1 kilometer from my home. I was skeptical of the psychological action flick but I figured at the very least I could satiate myself gazing at the ever so steamy Joseph Gordon Levitt (droooooools).
I guess my verdict on the flick would be that it was a very good action movie but only a half decent psycho drama. I found the dreamscapes within which 90 percent of the film takes place to be entirely too sturdy. Anyone who has ever dreamed before can vouch that dreams tend to have a frustratingly evasive and transient nature. I was expecting something a little more along the lines of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" with tumbling through doors and coming out windows. I did like the continual references to what film dorks like to call "Mise en Abyme" which refers to a dream within a dream but is physically the act of looking into a mirror reflected in another mirror, both the literal and metaphoric interpretations take place in the film. As the daughter of an architect I appreciated the elaboration on the psychological work that goes into design and the film kept invoking memories of the mindfuck Escher pictures my parents had all over the house.

Despite these minor references to major concepts, the film read like a cliff notes version of a Psych 101 textbook. Essentially it doesn't take a genius to figure out that guilt and remorse are at the bottom of everything. You also get a brief lesson in Philosophy 101 too, What's "real" anyway?! Deep stuff...
Moving right along
There was some really awesome action scenes. Everyone loves a good detailed slow-mo explosion and this film had those in spades. There was some anti-gravity battles and even a scene that was painfully "Call Of Duty". Oh, and TONS of shoot outs. I couldn't easily detect any C.G and I have eyes like a HAWK so that's saying something.
I didn't feel like this was DiCaprio's best work, he was just good. Joseph Gordon Levitt was smoldering, stylish and enjoyable as usual. It was nice to see Ellen Page not play a snide teenager but man I wish she would grow some hips, she is NOT convincing as a University student. Marion Cotillard is insanely stunning and it tickled me that throughout the film they play "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" by Edith Piaff, who she won an Oscar for portraying in "La Vie En Rose". I don't think it was an accident that the translation of the song is "No, I Regret Nothing".
I believe I will finish this post with a few of my favorite dream films.

It's a totally different head

As the sun begins to peak out at me I scurry indoors to avoid mowing the lawn or playing with my dog to put in a shameless plug for my beloved store CDPlus. Recently the genius company that I work for decided to put a bunch of old television shows on two for thirty dollars. Shows such as "News Radio", "T.J Hooker", "Different Strokes" and "Silver Spoons" but the crowning glory of this sale is definitely "Square Pegs". Before Sarah Jessica Parker made "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" or adopted her "SATC" Carrie Bradshaw persona she was Patty Greene, a bright eyed freshman at Weemawee Highschool. Patty and her best friend Lauren are hopelessly dorky and determined to be a part of the popular crowd. Other major players in the show are blank eyed "valley girl" Jennifer DeNuccio and her beauty but boneheaded boyfriend Vinnie Pasetta and their token black (to the max) friend LaDonna Fredericks. Patty and Lauren become fast friends with aspiring comic Marshall Blechtman and his quirky "new wave" cohort Johnny Ulasewicz a.k.a Johnny Slash. The show was obviously created before political correctness was a big deal as LaDonna embodies almost every cliched stereotype of black women in popular culture; the school's mascot is also an "Indian" and they throw around native stereotypes like its going out of style (I'm pretty sure I heard the word Squaw more than once). Despite these P.C setbacks the show is freaking hilarious. As Johnny tries to dream up names for his "New Wave" band that's been virtually created overnight and Patty and Lauren try and weasel their way into the good books of the popular crowd (though they continually fall flat on their asses). There are also lots of guest appearances from bands such as The Waitresses ("I Know What Boys Like") and Devo and today I was completely titillated when Bill Murray walked in as a substitute teacher! Anyways, if you want proof that Sarah Jessica Parker wasn't always a dried up old hag and you want to watch some television in the vein of "Freaks and Geeks", "Degrassi" and "My So Called Life" then you should go buy this show so I can have someone to discuss with.

I'll give you blogifide lovin!

My life has been filled with sadness and misery since my beloved computer went to sleep and never woke up again. I attempted to update from my iphone but to no avail. When my computer decided to go toe up I had just watched "Kickass" and was super stoked to review my latest theater adventure. In that month long technologically challenged period I actually saw almost nothing noteworthy but I thought I would try and round up a couple of my thoughts on what sweet little pop culture exposures I did have.
mmmmmmmk brain, do your worst!

Kickass
Firstly, the comic was WAYYYY better. But fortunately the film managed to capture at least an iota of the awesome making it one of the better movies I have watched in a while. My only complaints were:
-Aaron Johnson is wayyyyyy to dreamy to play Dave Lizewski.
Johnson looks like this:

While Lizewski is supposed to look like this:

uhhh yeah, i think you get my point. But Johnson did manage to capture the "essence" of the character despite his glaring hotness while masking his British accent masterfully.
-They gave many of the characters redemption that should have been left as the loserly sell outs they were revealed to be in the comic. Oh Hollywood, you do it every time.
-The jet pack. Seriously, it was overkill.

Other than those few details, I was completely enthralled with the movie. It's nice to see a superhero movie/comic where the hero takes as many beatings as he hands out, if not more.

Sex and the City 2
Dear god, don't watch this movie. Ever. I spent the last half of the TWO AND A HALF HOURS writhing in my seat with my sweater pulled over my head. I really liked the show so for me watching this movie was like having all the shitty superficial aspects of the show barfed in my face (especially the eyes, oh the burning) for a ridiculously long period of time. The clothes were terrible and that was supposed to be the saving grace, I foolishly thought that at least there would be some fashionable eye candy but no, these ladies were dressed like a bunch of gaudy old hoes from Miami. Also they pretty much heckled Muslim religion and customs throughout the whole film without actually taking any sort of political stance. Their only qualm with the whole burqa was how stupid a woman looks eating fries. I would rather be bound, gagged, put in a sack and dropped to the bottom of an icy cold river filled with super sharks and piranhas than lay eyes on this abomination ever again.
DO NOT WANT!!!!!!!!!!

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