Knocked Up

Pete: I wish I liked anything as much as my kids like bubbles.
Ben Stone: That's sad.
Pete: Totally sad. Their smiling faces just point out your inability to enjoy anything.

Ok, so I could have picked a funnier quote but I like emo moments and I liked this moment a lot...
Generally, I liked it. Thought it was funny and found its depictions of relationships interesting, if not realistic. I don't know if I ever bought that Ben and Alison would actually work although it's far more realistic that it might after Ben grows up a little. It was interesting to an extent seeing how women and men viewed the same situation so differently but, ultimately, that's what I had trouble with in this movie. It seems that consistently, the guys get the better, funnier lines/situations and while I do agree that girls do take things more seriously than necessary, it doesn't mean that girls don't have as much fun/that all girls take everything more seriously than necessary.

Some Like it Hot

Osgood: I called Mama. She was so happy she cried! She wants you to have her wedding gown. It's white lace.

Daphne: Yeah, Osgood. I can't get married in your mother's dress. Ha ha. That-she and I, we are not built the same way.

Osgood: We can have it altered.

Daphne: Oh no you don't! Osgood, I'm gonna level with you. We can't get married at all.

Osgood: Why not?

Daphne: Well, in the first place, I'm not a natural blonde.

Osgood: Doesn't matter.

Daphne: I smoke! I smoke all the time!

Osgood: I don't care.

Daphne: Well, I have a terrible past. For three years now, I've been living with a saxophone player.

Osgood: I forgive you.

Daphne: [Tragically] I can never have children!

Osgood: We can adopt some.

Daphne/Jerry: But you don't understand, Osgood! [Whips off his wig, exasperated, and changes to a manly voice.] Uhhh, I'm a man!

Osgood: [Looks at him then turns back, unperturbed]: Well, nobody's perfect!

I know it's a very famous quote, but it's such a great exchange that I can't help but to quote it. Some Like It Hot is a classic and rightly so. It's very funny without being lewd (it's sort of sad that it's hard for comedies today to be funny w/o the innuendo, not that I'm opposed to it, but I mean, this goes to show that comedies can work w/o the dirty jokes too.) Tremendous fun and very enjoyable. Really good banter.

Porco Rosso

A clip from the movie that's just too beautiful not to share. One of my creative writing teachers once told us that in a story, it's important to make the audience feel as if their characters have been existing, living lives beyond what's contained in the story- kind of like a refrigerator light. It's on (during the story) but you want the audience to feel like it's on all the time, even when the door's closed. I think Porco Rosso is a very good example of this. The characters have been around for so long, there're so many stories, but we only get a quick glimpse.

District 9

First new movie I've seen in theaters for a while. It's a good movie, a fine movie, though I don't think it deserves to be at #29 on the imdb top 250 movies list.

x-post from my lj

Today, I got to see District 9, which I recommend. It's got a pretty memorable trailer. Loved the documentary-esque approach they took to make the movie. The main character's named Wikus (what an awesome name!) and played very well by an actor who later from imdb, I found out he's never been in any other movies (which makes it all the more awesome). It's low budget (but still very well done) and as a bio dork, I very much liked the fact that (mild spoiler- only the aliens could use their own weapons since their weapons recognize their DNA- go aliens! Very smart aliens!). Of course, if there are aliens out there (and I think there should be b/c the universe is just too huge and vast of a place for life not to exist anywhere but here), I doubt their genetic make up would be DNA based or if it is, perhaps some different nucleotides. At least. Okay, but major tangent aside, found the beginning bit where they loop all the interviews on the aliens in documentary style and where Wikus goes around trying to evict the aliens particularly intriguing- especially from a sociological POV. But I suppose it's always easier dealing with issues as complicated as xenophobia and racism and apartheid when it's much further removed from reality. (Aliens in this case. House elves, werewolves, giants, and practically anything else that's a non-wizard/witch in Harry Potter.)

Aladdin

Merchant: Ooh, look at this. I have never seen one of these intact before. This is the famous Dead Sea Tupperware. Listen. Pbbtt! Ah, still fresh.

Aladdin is still a very fun, very enjoyable movie even after all these years. What I like the most about it is that so many of the characters are so darn likable: Aladdin, Genie, Jasmine (and a nod at feminism b/c she's smart, strong, and knows use her femininity to her advantage, Sultan (and his random toys), Raja, carpet, etc. (can't say I'm much of a fan of Iago or Abu though...they tended to get annoying.)