i would do more than just eat, pray and love...

i know that some of you readers have been waiting for this review (Ahem Dr. Emily) but it's taken me quite awhile to write it. I think mainly because I don't have very strong opinions about Eat, Pray, Love. I haven't read the book (even though I'm a firm believer in reading all books relating to a movie before I it. I just couldn't bring myself to having people on the train see me with that book. I may cave in though). But from the trailers and the reviews of the book, it just didn't seem like my cup of tea. However, armed with three fabulous girlfriends, each with their own preconceptions of the film/book, I embarked on a cinematic journey that would hopefully succeed in transporting me to Italy, India and Bali. First off let me say that our seats sucked. I've never sat so close to a movie screen before and I was dizzy for three-quarters of the film. That being said, I actually didn't' have a horrible time. I came in with such low expectations that I was pleasantly surprised. Was it my favorite movie ever? No. Was it the worst I've ever paid to see? No, that distinction goes to You Don't Mess the Zohan. Yeah. I said it. Surprisingly enough, the movie greatest success is in the hands of its supporting cast. Billy Crudup and Javier Bardem made my heart both melt and smolder. Richard Jenkins was endearing with just enough country sass. Even James Franco was charming as a prototypical new-age hipster. The greatest problem in the film is the lack of continuity. The film definitely had the feel of three different films. Without having Julia Roberts' character being properly defined, she seemed like drifter, which the viewer couldn't really connect with. I had no sympathy for her. Maybe in the books Elizabeth Gilbert comes across as trapped but in the movie she just seemed like a grown up child who can't make up her mind about what she wants and thinks that the people in her life are the reason she doesn't have passion for anything anymore. Gross. It's funny cause the moments I remember most vividly in the film are the scenes that Julia Roberts doesn't really have a central role (ie Javier Bardem crying over son, Richard Jenkins crying over his family, Billy Crudup wanting to desperately save his marriage). Nonetheless it was fun to see places I've never visited before and I definitely had an appetite for Italian food (which consumed after our movie screening). I guess the saddest thing is that directly after exiting the movie theater I wondered, "was that really safe for a woman to be traveling around on a bike in Bali, and living in a house that appeared to have no doors?" Oh well, you could do a lot worse.



I really liked Ketut. And his missing teeth. He has swagger!

it was simply foreplay...

Have you ever gone into a movie theater thinking you knew what a movie was about and then upon viewing the actual film you realized you were misled? I felt that way with Chloe. I thought it was a simple movie about a woman paying a hooker to sleep with her husband to see if he's really cheating on her.  That's just the first twenty minutes. In reality the plot is far from simple. After that, the relationship between Chloe (the call-girl played by Amanda Seyfried) and her client Catherine (Julianne Moore) takes an unforeseen turn. Catherine becomes desperate in her attempt to feel connected to her husband (Liam Neeson) and begins a sexual tryst with Chloe that is definitely too hot to handle. The film is actually an erotic thriller about obsession and needing to feel a connection. The characters aren't clearly drawn and their motivations at times are murky. Liam Neeson's character isn't as present as one would hope (but we'll forgive because he was dealing with the death of his wife during shooting. Being the champion that he is, he returned to work two days after her death) and the film suffers because of it. Chloe becomes less interesting when her actions become maniacal. And the ending was a complete deus ex machina that left me confused and irritated. It's one of those movies that I didn't love but I didn't hate either. I just wanted it twerked. Maybe the original, Nathalie, is more promising.

Sometimes awful things have their own kind of beauty....

About a week ago I was having a conversation with one of my best friends (waddup Collin) about my love for The Departed and the Casino Royale. I explained to him that not only are the storylines great in these two movies but they are also visually stunning. His reply " Oh you like highly-stylized movies, huh?". Um Yes. That is what stylized means. Raw and gritty with a shaky camera are not usually choices filmmakers make for aesthetics but rather because of their lack of resources (there are of course exceptions like Rachel Getting Married, which had an invasive documentary type feel that I loved). Both Casino Royale and The Departed are action movies. However there is dramatic cinematic feast for the eyes, that comes from the fashion designer and first time director Tom Ford, called A Single Man. Though I wanted to see this film for months, it took the encouragement of a friend (Thanks Matt!) via his facebook to make me rent this movie. Let's just say I'm glad he did. It's one of those films that uses every possible metaphorical device to complete its arsenal of aesthetics. The story of a college professor in the 1960s, who, after the sudden death of his partner of sixteen years, has given up hope. The narrative is punctuated through the poignant use of music and color. The film is shot with gray,dull undertones but whenever happiness is on the horizon, the color shifts as if someone switched on the brightness dial on your television. It's as if when our protagonist George receives a breath of new life, we, the audience, do as well. Colin Firth is simply extraordinary in this role (which won him a BAFTA award and an Oscar nomination)  and has such subtlety in his grieving that it transcends both beautiful and grotesque and reaches the sublime. Julianne Moore plays George's best friend who has never fully accepted the fact that he's gay because she's still desperately in love with him and clinging to the life they could have had. Newcomer Nicholas Hoult does a wonderful job as one of George's students who believes that he has all the answers in life with none of the experience. He has the resilience of youth which I, and many of my peers, can identify with. The film left me with a rediscovered appreciation of art and what it means to take a story and bring it to life. I applaud Tom Ford and the cast and I think you will too.

we've waited so long for this...

Of course I saw Inception on opening day but I thought I would wait about a week before posting it on my blog to allow you snails to get to your theaters. By now you've either seen it or heard all the major hype. In terms of the hype, I think Inception seriously deserves it. Critics are harsh in saying that this film was incredibly overhyped, but what they are failing to realize is that it delivers in every way that it intended. The cinematic community has been ravaged by films that appear to be promising and then are epic failures (ahem The Last Airbender). Christopher Nolan has delivered a film that is the definition of what a summer blockbuster should be. It's intriguing, mind-bending, thought-provoking and has enough action to make you jump out of your seat (which I did because of the intense volume at the Union Square theater). I'm not one for hype. I don't think you should see a movie because it's been hyped all over the place (I'm talking about Avatar, James Cameron) but this is one of those films that makes your $13 proud. From the double meaning names (the architect's name is Ariadne) to making you question every dream you've ever had, this film has you thinking about it for days to come. The eye-candy composed of Marion Cottillard, Leonardo Dicaprio, Tom Hardy (yes please!), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (seconds, please!) and Michael Caine (yeah I said it) are strengthened due to their formidable acting within the film.  The emotional core is beautifully presented and Nolan does a great job at giving us just enough detail that we can follow what's going on but doesn't bombard us with how the contraption works and the physics behind everything. Whether you believe in one of the thrity Inception theories out there is irrelevant. Just go see it. I'm not going to spoil all the fun for you here.




And just for fun..my nemesis Dora the Explorer has seen inception too.

i just need to vent....

I am so upset. You really can't understand my ire. I feel like I've been bamboozled and slapped in the face. I watched The Last Airbender during a midnight screening for which I paid $20 for a ticket and stood in line for a half hour. All of that effort just saw M. Night Shyamalan could mind fuck me. I love the cartoon series Avatar. It has that perfect balance of child sensibility with important life lessons. It's not preaching and it's not trying to be something it isn't. Something so perfect was completely ruined by one of the most prominent American directors. First of all let's talk about how the film wasn't even in 3D. The action sequences weren't in 3D. Nothing! Nothing at all! Why would you advertise a film as such if you weren't going to deliver. Next up the racial divide. Why would all the Fire Nation (the bad guys of the saga) be of Middle Eastern/Indian descent? Where did that creative license stem from? I get it you didn't want to use all Asian actors but this would be the perfect opportunity to make all the nations very diverse and show how Utopian the Avatar world was prior to the Invasion. No you decided to make it even more racially awkward, especially with the three heroes all being white. Way to go! The third problem (and possible the most annoying) was that M. Night changed the pronunciation of the character names. Aang became Ahng, Iro became Iroh, and Sokka became Soca. I don't care if those are the proper pronunciations, the basis of this film is that these are characters we've come to love. Don't fuck around and change everything about them. Do you not understand how a franchise works? Also the notion of how bending works is skewed. In the cartoon, the fire nation didn't need fire to be present in order to bend. That's what separated them from the other benders. If you want to get really technical, in order to create fire all you need is air, something to burn and an ignitor. Suck on that! I want a refund of my money and my time. I went in with high hopes only to have them shattered. I pray they don't make another one because I can't stomach that kind of abuse. I usually don't dismiss movies completely but in this instance, I totally think I'm saving all of you from a heartbreaking waste of money. Even the NY Times agrees

...what happens now?

Last night, I had the pleasure of seeing Tiny Furniture, a film about the post-graduation abyss that we all suffer through. I had met the writer/actor/director Lena Dunham earlier this year at a women in filmaking conference and after hearing that her film won the best narrative feature award at SXSW, I knew I had to watch it during it's New York Premiere. I'm glad that I did. It's a charming tale about a post-grad, Aura, who returns home to NYC to live with her uuber-successful artist mother and her talented younger sister. She has a useless degree in film theory and is struggling to figure out what her next step is. While in the process of "handling it", she is reunited with her past and wondering whether college really made her into a different person. Her love life sucks after being dumped by her feminist boyfriend who decided that living on a farm is more exciting than moving in with his girlfriend. Her other love prospects include a deadbeat youtube artist who "is really famous on the internet" and a sous-chef who is in desperate need for a xanax. The film is witty and has a charming sense of humour that is ensures that you aren't laughing with the characters; you're laughing at them. Awkward situations reign supreme including a sex scene that takes place in a metal tube. My favorite character was Aura's childhood best friend Charlotte (played by Jemima Kirke) who is very posh with a faux-british accent and is longing for the innate connection that Aura shares with her family. The film is very intimate and features both pants-less scenes and stars her real-life mother and sister playing her family. I enjoyed and I recently discovered that IFC will be distributing the film. Congrats.

Saying nothing sometimes says the most

In Stephane Brize's eloquent tale, Mademoiselle Chambon, he tackles the unexplainable attraction between two people of different worlds. The protagonist of our cinematic journey, Jean, is married and has a son whom he loves dearly. He leads a very simple life as a mason and is a doting husband, father and son. He visits his father weekly to sit with him and wash the old man's feet. He does not come from a luxurious, academic background which is made clear by the opening scene, where Jean and his wife struggle to help their son deduce what the direct object of a simple sentence is. Yet there is no obvious indication that Jean is unhappy or that he has cause to be; Until he meets Mademoiselle Chambon, his son's grammar teacher. She seems to awaken a longing in him that he was previously unaware of. However, Mademoisellle Chambon does not provoke this relationship. It is as if they are being pulled together by an invisible magnet. Their attraction is beyond their control. But does that make it right? The film casts no judgement. Instead it simply poses the question of whether it is right to deny the heart's desires? Brizet has accomplished creating an intense feeling of intimacy without much dialogue. The film has very little talking and the communication is primarily accomplished through the use of music, specifically Mademoiselle Chambon's intoxicating violin playing. The main characters express themselves through longing looks and unfinished sentences that suggest they don't understand their actions either. The actors were incredibly poignant in their potrayals and rather than making it a tale about an adulterous husband, they've accepted their longings and are searching for a way to deal with them. Their truth lies in their silence.


*the title of the post is a quote by Emily Dickinson.