Another Set of Good Ones

Man I've not updated for a while again. 

How to Train Your Dragon

Hiccup:[voice-over] This is Berk. It's twelve days north of Hopeless and a few degrees south of Freezing to Death. It's located solidly on the Meridian of Misery. My village. In a word? Sturdy, and it's been here for seven generations, but every single building is new. We have fishing, hunting, and a charming view of the sunset. The only problems are the pests. You see, most places have mice or mosquitoes. We have...Dragons!

How to Train Your Dragon is delightful.  It has well developed, unique characters and really does a good job of being understated with its themes and doesn't try to shove them in your face.  I also really liked all the different kinds of dragons; I can imagine it was a very fun movie to animate.  A well deserved 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Hiccup: Astrid, if something goes wrong, just make sure they don't find Toothless.
Astrid: I will. Just, promise me it won't go wrong!

Frost/Nixon

David Frost: Are you really saying the President can do something illegal?
Richard Nixon: I'm saying that when the President does it, it's *not* illegal!

While I do have my doubts about Ron Howard sometimes (eg. "A Beautiful Mind" was a fine movie.  I enjoyed watching it but at times, that movie really felt like it was pushing the whole "triumph of love and the human spirit" angle too excessively), I like that Frost/Nixon was more understated.  An inebriated Nixon calling Frost was a bit over the top, but otherwise, it's a generally solid political movie.  It's not as memorable or brilliant as "All the President's Men," but it's smart and terse. 

 On an unrelated note, perhaps an actor's acting abilities should be judged by the range that they have.  I find it amazing that Michael Sheen can go from David Frost to Wesley Snipes of 30 Rock. 

In the Mood for Love


Chow Mo-wan: In the old days, if someone had a secret they didn't want to share... you know what they did?
Ah Ping: Have no idea.
Chow Mo-wan: They went up a mountain, found a tree, carved a hole in it, and whispered the secret into the hole. Then they covered it with mud. And leave the secret there forever.

I watched this movie (once and then again) twice a while ago and wish I'd written a review of it sooner.  "In the Mood for Love" is a great movie.  It's artistic, beautifully filmed, and deeply romantic-Maggie Cheung looks gorgeous throughout the movie in her many qi paos.   

The Hurt Locker

Sergeant JT Sanborn: I'm ready to die, James.
Staff Sergeant William James: Well, you're not gonna die out here, bro.
Sergeant JT Sanborn: Another two inches, shrapnel zings by; slices my throat- I bleed out like a pig in the sand. Nobody'll give a shit. I mean my parents- they care- but they don't count, man. Who else? I don't even have a son.
Staff Sergeant William James: Well, you're gonna have plenty of time for that, amigo.
Sergeant JT Sanborn: Naw, man. I'm done. I want a son. I want a little boy, Will. I mean, how do you do it, you know? Take the risk?
Staff Sergeant William James: I don't know. I guess I don't think about it.
Sergeant JT Sanborn: But you realize every time you suit up, every time we go out, it's life or death. You roll the dice, and you deal with it. You recognize that don't you?
Staff Sergeant William James: Yea... Yea, I do. But I don't know why.
[sighs]
Staff Sergeant William James: I don't know, JT. You know why I'm that way?
Sergeant JT Sanborn: No, I don't.

I can't say if it really did deserve an Oscar for best picture, but I think it's a well-made film (although some people would say it's cliched and like a lot of other war films out there). 

Michael Clayton


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I have to guiltily admit that it actually took a few tries to get all the way through Michael Clayton, which isn't really commentary on the quality movie but more commentary on our attention spans and on how busy and how overworked us grad students are.  The problem was that it takes a bit of time to get into the movie and it doesn't start to become compelling until ~30 minutes in.  While there are some elements of Michael Clayton that seem contrived, George Clooney as a jaded company man who has family issues (he's distant from his family and he's also short on money b/c of a failed business venture) and previous gambling problems, the movie, on a whole works very well as a taut, neatly plotted and well acted thriller.  And while most thrillers are loud and action packed, this one distinguishes itself by being generally quiet.  (*mild spoiler*  even early on, when Michael Clayton's car explodes, there's an explosion and just that- Clayton doesn't escape his car at the very last minute; he's already out of his car, looking at these horses on the side of the road.)  There are few over the top dramatic outbursts (granted Arthur Edens has a few outbursts but he is mentally unstable) but even the fantastic concluding scene, is quiet and restrained.  With solid performances from George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, it's a very good, solid movie- an intellectual thriller so to speak.    

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

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Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs isn't really on the same level as a lot of the really great animated films like the Pixar movies, but it doesn't try to be.  It's funny and borderline ridiculous at times, but overall, it's generally a fun movie to watch.   

Children and scaredy cats be warned: contains ratbirds! (possibly one of the worst hybrid animal combinations ever right behind mouse-a-roaches) and scary implications regarding the American diet 

There Will be Blood

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The infamous milkshake scene lives up to its hype; it's ferocious and everything you expect it to be, but given the sparseness of the film...I think given the back of the DVD summaries, I was expecting more plot?  More events?  DVD summaries seem to place a huge emphasis on the rivalry between Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day Lewis) and Eli Sunday (Paul Dano).  And while that was indeed a critical piece of the movie, it certainly wasn't the main thread of it...it was more of Daniel Plainview's degeneration as a human being as he became more and more successful.  The movie's oftentimes too quiet, too empty when it's just Daniel Plainview.  I found Paul Dano's performance as Eli Sunday particularly affecting...you don't like the priest very much at all and there's something slithery, something that disturbs you, makes you uneasy about him that you just can't quite describe.  While the milkshake scene is one of the crowning points of the film, I really liked the baptism scene more (second part of the clip) which really tilt the Plainview-Sunday rivalry (b/c you know that Sunday, honestly, doesn't really have much of a chance in the end).

I recall listening to a podcast or something where the three main Washington Post movie critics were saying that the movies (the year that There Will be Blood was contending for Best Picture at the Oscars) nominated were all really strong and having finally seen them all I'd have to agree (maybe not Juno though...personally just wasn't a big fan of that). The movies for 2008 (fyi) were: No Country for Old Men, Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, and There Will be Blood. 


Fargo

Norm Gunderson: They announced it.
Marge Gunderson: They announced it?
Norm Gunderson: Yeah.
Marge Gunderson: So?
Norm Gunderson: Three-cent stamp.
Marge Gunderson: Your mallard?
Norm Gunderson: Yeah.
Marge Gunderson: Oh, that's terrific.
Norm Gunderson: It's just a three-cent stamp.
Marge Gunderson: It's terrific.
Norm Gunderson: Hautman's blue-winged teal got the 29-cent. People don't much use the three-cent.
Marge Gunderson: Oh, for Pete's sake. Of course they do. Whenever they raise the postage, people need the little stamps.

While a lot of people talk about how much they like the dark humor mixed with really gruesome, horrific images and of course, the "Minnesotian" accents, I'm surprised by how little people talk about the soundtrack b/c it's a really great soundtrack.  Generally, I liked the movie, especially how cold and remote the scenery is. 


Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes: You've never complained about my methods before.
Dr. John Watson: I'm not complaining. How am I complaining? When have do I ever complain about you practicing the violin at three in the morning, or your mess, your general lack of hygiene, or the fact that you steal my clothes?
Sherlock Holmes: We have a barter system.

Sherlock Holmes is a less actiony movie than I expected.  Well it is as actiony as it probably gets for Sherlock Holmes and perhaps too actiony if we're considering Sherlock Holmes from the books, but it's a fun movie.  I'm a big fan of character-driven action movies as opposed to the usual non-character driven action movies and I was expecting it to be more of the later. I think my favorite part of the movie has to be the Holmes/Watson relationship and even though I do like Robert Downey Jr.'s Holmes a lot (he's insanely brilliant but flawed and needy), I liked Jude Law's Watson a lot more b/c he's the stable, sane tolerant one in the relationship and I wish that they'd focused more on the Holmes/Watson relationship rather than other ones.  I was pleasantly surprised by how they handled Watson's engagement with Mary and how they resolved how she fits in with the duo.  I also really liked the soundtrack and thought it went well with the movie.  (although initially listening to the soundtrack, having not heard it while watching the movie, I found it quite odd.)

Holmes isn't a very good movie for you to watch, though, if you are looking for a good mystery that you can solve alongside- I think the movie did a fine job of establishing a mystery and I'm so glad there wasn't anything supernatural involved, but the general clues are probably just shown briefly in a few scenes, mainly the laboratory scenes and all very chemistry based- that it would probably be quite difficult to try to solve the case alongside Holmes.  And I wasn't a big fan of the Holmes/Alder interactions...while I liked Alder's introduction, her plot line was rather cliched and I would have liked that time to have been dedicated to more entertaining purposes like more Holmes and Watson moments.  

Catch Up Post

So I'm a bit behind (3 months or so) on updating this thing...though I doubt many people read this at all. Re-watched a lot of great old movies and saw a few new ones too.

Avatar

"I'm a scientist, remember? I don't believe in the fairytales." - Grace

I think that everyone's pretty much said what's been needed to be said about this movie. Amazing visuals, decent soundtrack, and cliche storyline. It probably didn't deserve all the critical acclaim that it received like its predecessor Titanic (and maybe even less so than Titanic b/c despite all the corniness associated with Titanic, Titanic did have its moments, more so than Avatar), but I do give James Cameron props for his attempt at creating a world (complete with a new world and fascinating animals and I have to add, given my neural inklings, I did think it was very cool how the Navi could telepathically link with their animals) b/c that's never easy to do. It's a certainly decent attempt, and I do always appreciate movies that try creating a new world b/c I don't think enough movies try to do it.

This also makes me think back to Pirates of the Carribbean...although it's certainly not the most innovative movie ever, I do give it mad props for its ability to create a world from essentially scratch. I can't think of any other fandoms (large fandoms with a decent sized following) that's done the same thing off the top of my head that's done the same thing in which the starting source was a movie. (lord of the rings, harry potter, etc etc don't really count b/c they of course, started from the books).

A Christmas Carol

I think that this movie could have been great had it been able to decide whether or not it wanted to be dark and dramatic or comedic. And since it did both, it remains a toss up and not really that memorable save for how generally creepy it was...the two feral children coming out from underneath Present's robes and the ghost of Christmas Present, bones blowing away in the wind.

Casino Royale

Vesper Lynd: Am I going to have a problem with you, Mr. Bond?
James Bond: No, don't worry, you're not my type.
Vesper Lynd: Smart?
James Bond: Single.

I'm not too pleased with how they handled the ending b/c it was just mostly such an unsatisfactory ending nor am I too pleased with where they took Bond in the next movie (I'm glad it didn't go back to typical Bond which I find mostly unwatchable) but generally, I really liked the re-vamp, the story, Bond's wit, the banter, etc. There are actors whom I causally put on my "yes, I'm fans of them now, and even if they're terrible in X movie, I will always still remember how awesome they were in this one particular movie" and b/c of their performances in Casino Royale, Daniel Craig and Eva Greene have spots on this little list of mine.

Titanic

Jack: Listen, Rose. You're gonna get out of here, you're gonna go on and make lots of babies, and you're gonna watch them grow. You're gonna die an old... an old lady warm in her bed, but not here, not this night. Not like this, do you understand me?

Cue Celion Dion's massively overplayed song. Of course Titanic has its corny moments and cliche story and possibly worst subplot ever ("this ship is really really unsinkable"), but the later half of the movie when the ship starts sinking is still a fantastic action sequence (especially Rose struggling to rush through the flooding hallways, ax in hand) and filled with genuinely touching moments (the musicians, the old couple who decide to stay on the ship, the mother putting the kids to bed, etc).
The Rose/Jack storyline, while cliche (class clashes, rebellious, independent thinking rich girl) does have its moments and it's a very touching sentiment that he expresses as he's freezing to death in the ocean. It seems like a wasted avenue that who Rose became wasn't explored further, especially at the end, when you see all those framed pictures at her bedside, they're all pictures of her- where's her family?

The Hangover

Black Doug: I always wondered why they were called roofies, 'cause you're more likely to end up on the floor than the roof. They should call 'em floories.

While it was entertaining and funny in some parts, I didn't find it particularly memorable and I still don't really see what the *big* deal was. Perhaps b/c it was a quintessential guy movie.

Up in the Air

Ryan Bingham: I don't spend a nickel, if I can help it, unless it somehow profits my mileage account.
Natalie Keener: So, what are you saving up for? Hawaii? South of France?
Ryan Bingham: It's not like that. The miles are the goal.
Natalie Keener: That's it? You're saving just to save?
Ryan Bingham: Let's just say that I have a number in mind and I haven't hit it yet.
Natalie Keener: That's a little abstract. What's the target?
Ryan Bingham: I'd rather not...
Natalie Keener: Is it a secret target?
Ryan Bingham: It's ten million miles.
Natalie Keener: Okay. Isn't ten million just a number?
Ryan Bingham: Pi's just a number.
Natalie Keener: Well, we all need a hobby. No, I- I- I don't mean to belittle your collection. I get it. It sounds cool.

What I really appreciate about this movie is that it's not really a preachy, message movie...instead, it's very Indie-esque and feels small and personal. It's a fine movie but I don't think I personally am able to fully appreciate what it depicts yet...the loneliness that you feel as you get older and how painful it is to get laid off.

Coraline

It's still a really good movie/very creepy on a re-watch. There is just something off putting about the whole atmosphere- the neighborhood enshrouded in mist and fog, the quirky neighbors, the other world, the other mother at the end not wanting to be alone, but it's creepy in a good way. Coraline, also, although she's very prickly and hard to like in the beginning, you can't help but to like her by the end b/c she's grown up a bit.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
I think I need to rewatch this movie to fully appreciate it. I've been meaning to see this movie for ages- I've seen numerous pop culture renditions of that scene at the end where the Chief throws the water fountain out the window and escapes and numerous allusions to Nurse Ratched's sinister nature, but I have to say, that as usual, the movie (its tone, what happens) really turns out to be very different from what I'd imagine it would be like.

There is always something very alluring about placing a story in a closed area (a ward, a stay away camp, a hospital with terminal patients, etc)- something about cutting them off from the rest of the world. Nurse Ratched is not as overtly sinister/evil (if even that) as I would have expected- it's ambiguous as to what her actual intentions are and I do admire how she is able to very understatedly maintain order in the ward w/o ever really shouting just calmly saying the rules that are listed.

I think that my two favorite scenes in the movie have to be the world series scene and the scene where McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) ends up breaking the window at the nurse's station to get cigarettes for his fellow wardmate. It's...there's something very magical about those two scenes. It's mostly in the momentum of the characters. The energy that McMurphy exudes is infectious and inspiring in the World Series scene, and you watch those two scenes and recognize why this movie's become a classic.




Milk
While I'm not a big fan of the documentary style footage/camera work, Milk was a generally good movie with strong performances. I know that this isn't what main point of the story was supposed to be about but I've always wondered what it was that drove Milk and his first partner away from each other. They seemed happy at first about the idea of Milk running for public office but then there's a threat, a dinner scene in which his partner chases everyone out, and then suddenly they're at odds with each other over Milk's political aspirations.

Amadeus

Fabulous movie...there's rivalry, beautiful music, fantastic performances, but at the heart of it all, this great love and appreciation for classical music. Two clips:

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2.

The Thirteenth Tale

People disappear when they die. Their voice, their laughter, the warmth of their breath. Their flesh. Eventually their bones. All living memory of them ceases. This is both dreadful and natural. Yet for some there is an exception to this annihilation. For in the books they write they continue to exist. We can rediscover them. Their humor, their tone of voice, their moods. Through the written word they can anger you or make you happy. They can comfort you. They can perplex you. They can alter you. All this, even though they are dead. Like flies in amber, like corpses frozen in ice, that which according to the laws of nature should pass away is, by the miracle of ink on paper, preserved. It is a kind of magic.

First and foremost, one thing that Diane Setterfield, the author, does very well is to make The Thirteenth Tale essentially a tribute to writing, to reading, to book lovers, and to the famous romantic Gothic novels a la the Brontes. The protagonist is an avid bibliophile and that mood, that feeling, and what it means to write and why reading can be oh so very special is all handled very well. (Personally, that's what I liked the most about this book.)

And then w/o considering the books Setterfield is trying to pay tribute to through emulation- the novel stands on its own, strongly. The story, the mystery is well crafted, and I didn't give Setterfield as much credit as I should have while I was reading (b/c for a lot of modern books that have been on the best seller lists, imho- they're decent, solid writing sometimes, but oftentimes they take the easy way out). Setterfield has certainly done her share of the work thinking and mapping out the story and I do admire her for that. Sure there are characters and plot points (eg. the protagonist's own family history and the whole Aurelius storyline) that really seemed more like plot devices than genuine character development but ultimately, it works and many of the characters do feel well-fleshed out. And you end up caring about some of them despite their faults that it is very sad when you reach the fire and understand why Miss Vida Winter's story had ended there.

The Mostly Miyazaki Kick

Tonari no Totoro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roiTC-LATgM

Probably my very favorite of Miyazki movies b/c I loved it as a kid and also b/c it's just a really great movie. It's magical (but more in a Shintu spirit/more spiritualistic form) and whimsical and ultimately quite melancholy. Rewatching it this time, I felt particularly affected- quite saddened in general about these two girls growing up w/o their mom and especially at Satsuki (SPOILER) breaking down completely to the grandmotherly neighbor after the telegram b/c she's just been so strong and so put together. And despite how ultimately short Totoro's appearances are in the film, he makes such a lasting, lasting impact.

Hot Fuzz

[Doris knocks down a female shop assistant with a yellow "Slippery floor" sign]
DS Andy Wainwright: Nice one, Doris.
PC Doris Thatcher: Nothing like a bit of girl on girl!

Through a good deal of the movie, I thought that the who-did-it question was so very obvious, as expected, b/c this is a parody movie and parody movies don't generally need a very good, logically thought out plot with non-obvious answers.

MILD SPOILER

Oh how very wrong I was. The majority of the movie is pretty funny, full of ironic British wit and general slapstick. Eg. b/c I can't have a post about Hot Fuzz w/o quoting the protagonist, Nicholas Angel- it just seems wrong.

[Nicholas Angel is having a crackdown on underage drinkers in the pub]
Nicholas Angel: Oy! When's your birthday?
Underage Drinker #1: 22nd of February.
Nicholas Angel: What year?
Underage Drinker #1: Every year!

But wow, the last 30 minutes or so of the movie, after Nicholas walks in on the townspeople were epic. Purely epic and from then on I understood why this movie got the amount of good buzz that it did. So yes, I highly recommend the last 30 minutes of the movie, especially if you're someone who likes movies that mislead you. Often.


Kiki's Delivery Service It's always tricky watching a dubbed version of a movie. I wish I'd been able to watch the subbed version b/c I can imagine that in a lot of ways, it'd be more subtle and less direct than the dub. The English dub of Kiki's isn't bad per say, but there were definitely moments when I'm sure that in the original, everything wasn't quite as spelled out. Eg. Kiki voicing at one point that she really felt like an outsider.

This wasn't ever really one of my favorite Miyazaki movies growing up (probably due to the fact that I had a subbed version in Mandarin and I can't/couldn't read it very well) but I do like it a lot. The scenery is beautiful- a quaint European city by the ocean. Kiki works in a bakery with lots of tasty looking bread...there are no monsters or demons, just a little witch delivering various items. One thing I love about Kiki's world is how nonchalant everyone is about magic and while it wasn't in the scope of the movie, I'd be curious to learn about the backstory of witches and their training- if they left the towns after their one year of training when they were 13, if they stayed, if they had more training away from home, etc.

It goes to show how great a director Miyazaki is when the movie effortlessly shifts tones. It's generally a very episodic, leisurely paced movie, but in the final sequence with the dirigible- there's such great tension. And then of course there's the ending...which is just very beautiful and gives the story such a great sense of completion and finality.

Massive Catch Up Post

500 Days of Summer

Paul: Robin is better than the girl of my dreams. She's real.

In a lot of ways, I wanted to like this movie, but couldn't quite bring myself to. It was really hard for me to connect with the characters b/c while they weren't your atypical indie romantic comedy leads, they just...something just seemed like it was missing. Essentially "500 Days of Summer" just focuses on the two main characters Tom and Summer and while Tom's friends and sister made appearances, they really weren't there long enough for me to see who they really were like as characters- as characters with more to do than just being involved in Tom's life. And it's so hard to have a movie with just two main characters- it really gets myopic at times. While I don't mind a fragmented narration (actually I love it when movies/shows mess with time) nor an omniscient narrator in a movie when it's done well, these two elements don't work quite so well with the movie either.

What I did like about the movie that I wish they'd hit on harder is the idea of whether or not love was a result of fate or a result of random chance/coincidences- kind of reminded me of one of the main themes of Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Other great moments in the movie: there is this great, profound sense of sadness seeing side by side, Tom's wishes of what would happen at Summer's party versus what actually happened- and then as he walks away and the background melts into animation- quite a beautiful moment. The other one, is when Paul, his friend who's had a girlfriend forever, talks about how he feels about his gf. I couldn't find the whole quote but essentially he talks about how his dream girl would have had larger breasts and liked sports more, but that "Robin is better than the girl of my dreams. She's real." That is...I think, is a very romantic, a very mature take on love that's very rarely seen in movies, and now I wish that the movie had perhaps, gone into that idea a bit more- perhaps let us see what Paul's relationship was like with Robin.



Ponyo on the Cliff

Lisa: So, what's your Mother like, then?
Ponyo: She's big, and beautiful! But, she can be very scary.
Sosuke: Just like my Mom.

Perhaps I'll come off sounding Scrooge-like by saying this but I felt a bit too old for this movie. It's not that I don't like movies about kids- I love love love Totoro for example b/c it's so magical and so precious and makes you feel nostalgic about the days when you could really let your imagination run wild but Ponyo was a bit more on the fantastical juvenile side and just sort of felt like a bit of a mashup of elements of his earlier films. Eg. the water reminded me of a less horrific version of the demon worms, the final task reminded me of the final task in Spirited Away, etc. A stand out moment in the film was perhaps when Sosuke and his mom were signaling to his dad away at sea. So essentially, while the movie made me crave ham+ramen, it doesn't really make me want to go back and re-watch it again.


I Love You, Man

Peter Klaven: I will see you there, or I will see you on another time!

Another entry into the genre of guy-oriented romantic comedies, which I prefer over female-oriented rom coms (naturally). I haven't watched too too many of these but I still think that the very first of these was the best: The 40-Year Old Virgin, which somehow despite all its crudeness still managed to be very cute and endearing. I Love You, Man is another solid entry into this category and I liked it more than I thought I would (gauging from expectations after watching the trailer). Essentially Peter has trouble making friends with other guys and sets out to find a best man for his upcoming wedding. Also has Adam Sandberg playing an amusingly flamboyantly straight gay guy.

Vicky Christina Barcelona

Juan Antonio: Maria Elena used to say that only unfulfilled love can be romantic.

Second time watching this movie- it's still a great movie. Barcelona is beautiful. Penelope Cruz is absolutely fantastic in this- as Maria Elena, she's crazy, funny, and ultimately full of this despair/sadness. What I love the most about this movie though, is how it really infuses this sense of summer within it.

Julie & Julia

The main reason to watch Julie & Julia is for Meryl Strep's performance as Julia Child. Even with an accent that will tend to come off as obnoxious, Strep's Julia Child is still lovable, adorable, and fearless. In general, Julia Child's storyline always tended to be the more interesting one, doing a good job in the background of showing the partnership that the Childs had, supporting each other as they had ups and downs in their careers/endeavors. In particular, I loved this one scene where at a Valentine's dinner, Paul Child tells everyone how much Julia means to him and she looks at him, thumping the paper heart attached to her blouse.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Ron Weasley: [about Ginny and Dean] What do you think he sees in her?
Harry Potter: She's smart... funny... attractive...
Ron Weasley: Attractive?
Harry Potter: Well you know... she has nice... skin.
Ron Weasley: So you think he is going out with her because she has nice skin?
Harry Potter: Well, I dunno, I'm just saying it could be a contributing factor.
Ron Weasley: Hermione's got nice skin. You know, as far as skin goes.
Harry Potter: I-I've never thought about it before. But now that you mention it, yeah. Very nice.
Ron Weasley: [long pause] ... I think I'll be going to bed now.

I have to say that I am a bit miffed b/c I wrote a long and detailed review about what I thought of the latest HP and thought I'd posted it but hadn't yet, so long story short it's all gone. Grr...Oh well.

In short, I liked HP6 a lot. It might just be my favorite Harry Potter movie to date (although it's a bit of a tie between Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.) Azkaban was, in a lot of way, more subtle and I loved Alfonso Cuaron's take on Hogwarts, b/c his Hogwarts is not only beautiful but you get the sense that it's very magically alive with all the moving staircases and magical portraits.

What Half Blood Prince excels at is characterization and the portrayal of relationships between the characters. In a lot of ways, I think I actually like the movie versions of the characters over the ones in the books b/c they feel more real, more human. In particular, Hermione's a lot less prissy and up tight and Harry is much more focused. And while I'm not much of a fan of the Ginny/Harry romance in the books, I root for them in the movie and their kiss scene is actually a very tender, intimate moment whereas in the books, it's just sort of over the top. Also, while in the books, when Hermione sends the charmed birds on Ron, it's a very mediocore moment, not very memorable save for the fact that it's probably the angriest we've ever seen Hermione- In the movie, though, it's a really moving moment, and I absolutely love how through that you get to explore the Hermione, Harry friendship.

Other things I liked about the movie:
-It's ultimately a very good adaptation. The movie stands on its own feet, and while there were things I wish it included (which I will get into later), for the most part, I don't feel as if I'm at too much of a loss for not having certain things included.
-They included Luna! Luna was probably the best part of movie 5; I remember really liking the weird chemistry she had with Harry. While there's none of that chemistry in this movie, I'm really glad (and pleasantly surprised) that they give her a minor role in this one.
-The raising of the wands in remembrance of Dumbledore is very well done and a good adaptation of the funeral scene, which may have seemed a bit cheesy and too much in movie form (although it's certainly not in the book)
-They fit in Draco's story very well, instead of very abruptly as it is in the books (which is, I think, is a problem in the books mainly b/c they're all from Harry's perspective and towards the end of the series when things got darker, it would have been more effective had we been able to see others' perspectives as well.) And Tom Felton does a great job with Draco; I actually felt sympathetic towards him whereas in the books, he just comes off as annoying and pitiful. Felton's certainly come a long way from the slightly buck toothed wanna be (adorable) stuck up bully in movie 1.
-The locket retrieval scene is pretty flawless. The cave is very well done, epic looking even at times and reminiscent of LOTR. I imagined the Inferi to be different (more chilling) and Dumbledore to have suffered more, but all in all, fantastic stuff
-As is Harry on Felix Felicitus

Things I wish they'd included/things that could have been better
-One of my favorite parts of book 6 is at the beginning where Fudge and Scrimgeour are talking to the Muggle Prime Minister and telling him about all the damage that Lord Voldemort has been causing. At one point, the prime minister interjects with something along the lines of, "but you guys have magic- I can't understand why you're having all these problems." To which Scrimgeour replies with "well, so do they" which gah just raises the stakes a lot.
-No Merope/the Gaunts, some of the creepiest parts of book 6
-No Scrimgeour. Not that I particularly like him but I would have liked to see Harry been called Dumbledore's man through and through
-Why isn't Ron there in the last scene?? It should end with the trio, not with just Hermione and Harry.
-While there are some lovely parts to the score in this movie, I do miss the days when John Williams was scoring the HP movies.

Post Grad

I hope this doesn't ruin my credibility as a wanna be movie connoisseur but despite its abysmal 8% (or something like that) rating on rottentomatoes.com, I didn't think it was such a terrible movie. Perhaps b/c I am a post grad myself and to some extent we can all relate to the situation that the main character, Ryden, felt when she's at a party and all her friends have things lined up after graduation except her. It sucks to feel like you're being left behind. It was rather enjoyable to watch as chick flicks go, not too many cringe worthy moments although plenty of awkward ones.

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.)