MOVIE: A Single Man "George and Jim Meet"

[I can't remember whether or not I wrote up my visit to the Enzian to watch A Single Man a couple/few weeks ago (I could simply search my blog for it, but I'm about ready to head to work). Anyways, I loved the movie -- a definite must for a gay man's movie collection. No, there's nothing explicit, but just the style and mentality of the film... Anyways, the scene where George and Jim meet, I think, is one of the sweetest I've seen, and I am glad to have found the clip of it on YouTube (Thank you Weinstein Company). Enjoy. And Congratulations to Colin Firth on his much-deserved Oscar nomination!]

"George and Jim Meet"
from A Single Man

MOVIE: The Princess and the Frog

I just got back from watching The Princess and the Frog, and I really really liked it.

Back in September, I saw the first 30 minutes at the D23 Expo and remember thinking it had too many songs right away. But since then, I've seen Tiana's Showboat Jubilee at the Magic Kingdom three times (that's a great show!) and when I saw the actual movie now, the songs were fresher and more resonant. The animation was absolutely fantastic -- it screams tradition but also craft -- and I liked some of the choices they made concerning the story...

Anyways, I was imagining what the D23 Princess and the Frog event in California would've been like to attend. Anyways, The Princess and The Frog is another film that Disney and fans can be proud to include in their collection. Great job!

MOVIE: (500) Days of Summer

Having taken a Melbourne weekend and having just mowed the lawn, I treated myself to another matinee -- this time (500) Days of Summer (Imdb|RT).
...
The narrator informs the audience at the start that the film is not a love story, but is a story about love. This is a good and true assessment, and the depiction isn't always roses and happy blue birds. It'd be totally unfair to compare the movie to P.S. I Love You because no one dies, but there is some dwelling. Luckily the depression never becomes too much because of the creativity in story-telling (jumping back-and-forth between times with a helpful running counter).

The movie had a great style -- cinematography, screenplay, and especially music -- which is evidence of a lot thought and true heart. And the acting was also fantastic with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom and Zooey Deschanel as Summer. Everything about the film just drew me into the city, and it was nice to experience a variety of spaces.

I am really glad that I went to see this. I went with Teresa who also really enjoyed the film. I was surprised that she had even heard of this movie; apparently she heard good things from a co-worker. Hopefully the good word will continue to spread. I know I'll be emailing my brother about this one.

Trailer:

Stills:

MOVIE: The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker (Imdb|RT) has been getting a lot of Oscar buzz, a significant feat noting that this was an early-release. It nearly swept AwardsDaily’s First Half Awards, so I had to check it out.
...
I didn't know anything about the film going in, except that it had something to do with bombs and the Iraq war. And I'm not too keen about war films... I'm jumpy and don't like surprise deaths -- when I watch the television show 24, I go on Wikipedia first to see who, if anyone, dies in the episode I'm about to watch. So for the first half of The Hurt Locker, I had my hands over my ears and squinted my eyes, bracing myself for the gore I expect audience expect... but I found out that this wasn't one of those movies -- there really wasn't as much dying than I imagined, and I could be coerced into watching it again to take in a lot of the film's other elements. Though a lot of the suspense would be gone for me -- and there was a lot of suspense.

The movie didn't have a "storyline" per se but was a series of events that gives audiences glimpses of a bomb tech Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner from ABC's The Unusuals). There were a surprising number of big names in the film -- David Morse, Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pierce, Evangeline Lilly -- but each played a very small supporting role; I found this to be refreshing. I read on the movie's imdb trivia page that Colin Firth was first considered for the lead, but I think the role would be too similar to his role in Tigerland and his "star-power" would bring on a different and incorrect feel to the picture. Jeremy Renner gave a great performance and is a lock for the Best Actor shortlist come Oscar time. The director, Kathryn Bigelow is also getting big props and should also see her name there. The film is currently leading the pack. I was really glad to have gone to see the film. It was very well-done.

Trailer:

Stills: Copyright © Summit Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

MOVIE: UP!

[TEASER BANNER:]
"David Cook in 3D! David Cook in 3D! David Cook in 3D!
[(OLD INTRO:) I know that in my last post, I said that I was going to post pictures, but my computer's down to its last 10% so real estate is expensive and everything slows. I have a 1 TB hard drive on its way soon... so what I'll do is I'll write first, put-up pictures later (just like with a new house).]

Anyways, it's a few minutes past 2 AM, and I just got back from the midnight showing of UP! And it was pretty fantastic. The story, the characters, and the animation were magical. The movie left me feeling like at the end of a successful trip to the parks. The 3D was nice -- nothing over the top -- and complimented the other visual element and effects. Squirrel!

...

I recently re-watched Toy Story 2 after a many years, and since then, the Pixar movies really have advanced technologically, but they still share the strong sense of story and heart... taking the audience through both highs and lows.

Anyways, as I said, it's past 2 AM, so I better get to bed. But before I do, I guess I will post a pic... from my last park visit (report still-to-be-posted):


G'night!

MOVIE: Star Trek

I am not a trekkie. I did watch my fair share of Star Trek: Next Generation episodes, but I never really considered myself a fan.

But with an incredible score on RottenTomatoes (currently 96% [196-9]), I had to check out the new Star Trek movie. Going into it, I was skeptical of the many well-know actors taking over iconic roles, but I have to say that my concerns were quickly eased -- the movie established itself early on as performing strong on all points: story, acting, score, and visuals.


story: Star Trek didn't sugar-coat. From its opening scene, the story grabbed our attention and gave us reason to get involved. It set in motion the characters' motivations and gave us reasons to care. There was happiness and sorrow. There was back-stories and character development. And all this was well-paced. It makes me wonder what Lost would've been like if it was a movie franchise.

acting: The ensemble was strong and didn't disappoint. Zachary Quinto did very well as Spock, playing him straight and consistent. John Cho was cool and capable as Sulu. And Chris Pine was Hot as Captain Kirk. What more do you want? Oh, and staying for the credits (no, there's nothing at the end), I saw Wynona Ryder?

score: I don't know if it's "outstanding" but it was present. When I first saw American Beauty, I though the music was over-bearing, but after some time I've learned to appreciate it, when it's done well. In this movie, I think that the score did enhance the action and emotions. Well done.

visual: Incredible. Amazing. And it should take next year's Oscar. There's so much work in every scene, and towards the end of the movie, I caught myself taking the work a little for granted. When I was watching the credits (again, nothing to see at the end), the list of people who worked on the visual effects filled the entire screen -- and in three columns. I was amazed and impressed. Seriously, wow.

The film lived up to and exceeded my expectations, even as a non-trekkie. And like the Daniel Craig 007s, I will be following this franchise. Woo!

MOVIE: I Love You, Man

I just got back from watching I Love You, Man with Chuck, and we both agreed that the movie was good but still lacking. To me, the movie felt long, and I thought that the lack of real soundtrack didn't help. And although Paul Rudd can carry a film, I would've like to see more of some of the lesser characters, especially Andy Samberg as the self-assured gay younger brother. The movie has a concentration similar to Baby Mama (which I hated) but not as intense. The story was predictable but with some unique moments. Overall, I'd give the movie a thumbs up but with the hope that someone else gives it a thumbs down. *shrug*

photo credit: Scott Garfield

MOVIES: Monsters vs. Aliens

I just got back from watching Monsters vs. Aliens in RealD with Chuck, and I have to agree with a review I read on JimHillMedia.com titled ["Monsters Vs Aliens" - long on laughs & spectacle, short on emotionally-satisfying storytelling].

The movie was good -- very funny in many parts and the animation was fantastic, but the story lacked depth and didn't direct the audience's emotion well.

Seth Rogan's B.O.B. was a stand-out as very effectively hilarious and Reese Witherspoon's Ginormica provided the main story and heart, but IMHO, Rainn Wilson's Gallaxhar and Stephen Colbert's President Hathaway were painful and embarrassing.

Still, the movie was really good (but not as good as Kung Fu Panda), and I could totally see Universal Studios Orlando replacing the Jimmy Neutron ride with some sort of MvA iteration.

All Photos © 2009- Dreamworks S.K.G- All Rights Reserved

MUSIC: "So Close" by Jon McLaughlin

"So Close"
by Jon McLaughlin
from Enchanted

Lyrics:

You're in my arms
And all the world is calm
The music playing on for only two
So close together
And when I'm with you
So close to feeling alive

A life goes by
Romantic dreams must die
So I bid mine goodbye and never knew
So close was waiting, waiting here with you
And now forever I know
All that I want is to hold you
So close

So close to reaching that famous happy ending
Almost believing this one's not pretend
And now you're beside me and look how far we've come
So far, we are, so close

How could I face the faceless days
If I should lose you now?

We're so close to reaching that famous happy ending
Almost believing this one's not pretend
Let's go on dreaming for we know we are
So close
So close
And still so far


MOVIE: No Reservations

[I'm out of practice with the blogging, and I just need to write... so here we go]
Today after work, I quickly rushed to the library on Fee because I knew that they have a Great Great movie selection there (and this time, I discovered that they have an Abundance of Blu-Ray movies for rent) Anyways, I got there with 3 minutes to spare and grabbed No Reservations, a movie Jordan recommended when I was over last night to watch the Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag (something I realized I've seen before).

After the library, I swung by and picked up the running club's mail then headed up US1. Traffic was slow and tricky, and I stopped by the natural foods store along the way. I've passed it so many times and was curious. It's basically a smaller Wild Oats. Prices are a bit high as expected, but if I did shop there, it'd be for the cause. Then I tried stopping by the Suntree/Viera library, but it didn't dawn on me that their times were the same, and it was closed.

Yesterday, I went to Wal-Mart and picked up a couple sets of locks for the gym -- oh, I signed up a couple days ago, after I weighed myself at work and found out that I've gained 10 pounds since the new year (thanks Camille). Anyways, once I got home today, I immediately changed in to running clothes, grabbed the ipod and one of the locks, and took the short way out of the neighborhood, right to the gym.

It was my first time there to work out, and I was excited but feeling patient -- I do have a race tomorrow morning. So I tested out the lock in the locker room and put my jacket and iPod in, then went to the second floor for a jog. I did 10 laps then took a break to stretch with the ProStretch they had there. Then I did another 10-ish laps (I lose count easily). I probably should've stretched a little more after that, but I wanted to be conservative this first visit there.

I was happy to be around a lot of other healthy-looking people there. I mean, there was a mix of young and old, aerobics and strength, this and that... it was nice to see diversity. And of course, there were a few looker, but I'm going to resist the urge to digress.

I weighed myself on the digital scale in the locker room and came in at 161 pounds. We'll just keep that on record and in my back pocket. I jogged home with some This American Life in my ear, and a little more experience with this whole gym world thing.

Anyways, I came home, and started watching the movie while I made dinner (salad with grilled chicken, pizza rolls, and baked french fries -- separately). The movie was a bit cliche but I was enjoying it... it wasn't the best, but it wasn't bad. Then halfway through, I put the movie on pause and went to take a shower.

I hooked up the iPod to the portable speaker and listened to more This American Life
-- they were talking about Keynesian economics, and I've also heard this particular report before... still good refresher. I had nearly all of the million things in my bathroom sorted by the end of the report, then I headed back to the living room to finish the movie.

The movie was predictable but did finish well. I do have to comment that this movie made me think more about what I look for in movies. For one thing, Aaron Eckhart was a reason I looked forward to seeing this movie, but here he plays the guy who's a little eccentric, verylife-knowledgeable, and never wrong. He's knows exactly what to say and what to do, and he's... not what I'm looking for... in a movie. I want to see flaws overcome, reasoning challenged, and potential growth in character -- and this guy was just a tool as far as I'm concerned.

The only other thing about this movie that I want to nit-pick about is its soundtrack. The film score's composer is Philip Glass. He also wrote the music for The Hours... and it was quite obvious, which made it a little weird for me because they're both very different types of movies -- one's a depressing period piece and the other's a chick flick. The other genres of music in this movie also eclectic and odd -- they relied Heavily on cliche operatic selections and also had some reggae?

It wasn't a bad film. I would actually say that it was a really good one for Catherine Zeta-Jones, but there were many little things about the movie that could've been improved upon.

Anyways...

I should be going to bed early. I still need to pack for Orlando. The plan for the weekend is: Saturday -- Tiger Dash 10K, shower and pack, Oviedo Toastmasters, visit with the pugs, then over to DHS to hopefully catch an AIE grand finale show; Sunday -- a quick spin around the world (MK,DHS,DAK/DAKL,EP) then home (so much to do).

Alright, time for bed.

MUSIC: "Aaj Ki Raat" by Sonu Nigam

"Aaj Ki Raat"
by Sonu Nigam
from the Slumdog Millionaire OST
Lyrics:

shaam hai jaam hai aur hai nasha
tan bhi hai mann bhi hai pighla huaan
chhayi hai ranginiya phir bhi hai betaabiyan
kyun dhadakta hai dil
kyun yeh kehta hai dil
deewanon ko ab tak nahi hai yeh pata
aaj ki raat khona hai kya paana hai kya
khona hai kya
aaj ki raat khona hai kya paana hai kya
khona hai kya

do ghadi mein yahaan jaane kya ho gaya
jo hamesha tha mera dil mera ho gaya
kaun kiske dil mein hai faisala hoga
faisala hai yahi jeet hogi meri
deewaanon ab tak nahi hai yeh pata
aaj ki raat khona hai kya paana hai kya
khona hai kya
aaj ki raat khona hai kya paana hai kya
khona hai kya

aaon main tumse kahu baat chupke se
rang badlegi pal mein raat chupke se
tumko le jaaunga phir saath chhupke se
jaaoge tum kahaan dekho main yahaan
deewaanon ab tak nahi hai yeh pata
aaj ki raat khona hai kya paana hai kya
khona hai kya
aaj ki raat khona hai kya paana hai kya
khona hai kya


FOOD: HFMC Potluck and MOVIE: The Reader

FOOD: HFMC Potluck
Today is Camille's last day at work, and they were having a potluck lunch -- coincidence? Anyways, the theme was food from around the world, and Camille had agreed on making bringing fried rice.

(Baloo doesn't want to go!)Me -- being the Fabulous brother and Extra-ordinary chef that I am -- decided to cook for the first time in 30 days (seriously, remember the pull-apart bread from New Year's Eve?) and make the fried rice for Camille since she had to work, and I had the morning off.

Baloo guarding the rice cooling.So I made the fried rice -- a little more moist than I'd like it to be -- but it was still a fine addition to spread, which included some tasty scalloped potatoes, hearty meatballs, and my favorite sunshine cake (woot!).

Nice Spread.The potluck was also a cool chance to go behind-the-scenes and see the doctors and pharmacists "off stage", and Dr. Chrieki's a pretty fun guy. I think I'll stick with HFMC for a while.

After we ate, (which we did quickly), Camille and I headed over to the Ben & Jerry's to get some 99-cent smoothies on special. Camille had a Strawberry Kiwi sans bananas, and I had the Banango or Manana (wait... that second one doesn't sound right).

Me and My Manana BanangoAnyways, they were a small-but-just-right size and were good for being juice-based. And as we made our way back, there were a lot of squirrels out -- one even came up and touched Camille's shoe!

Curious
Well, that was fun. Camille went back to work, and I headed on for a 1:20pm showing of The Reader at CinemaWorld.

-----
MOVIE: The Reader

The Reader is a movie about a 16-year old German boy who has an affair with a woman, only to discover years later that the same woman is now on trial for crimes related to the Holocaust.

Honestly, going into the theatre, I was skeptical because of the low buzz for the film and because it looked like Oscar bait -- I didn't know much about it, except that there was a lot of nudity (and there was).

Having watched it, I do have to say the movie did Oscar bait, but that it's still worthy of its nominations. I managed to shed tears even with an old couple talking beside me nearly the entire time -- and seriously, I was the youngest person in the theatre by at least 30 years. I'm digressing.

I could totally see Kate Winslet winning Best Actress here, though I am still pulling for Meryl Streep in Doubt. The other possible win for The Reader comes from Cinematography, where Roger Deakins has his eighth nomination and no wins so far, but I'm still expecting Slumdog Millionaire to take it.

Anyways, I was glad to have seen the film and time will tell how my opinions for film lasts past the awards season.

MOVIE: Meet Bill (and MUSIC: "What Else Is There?" by Royksopp

Meet Bill

A Comedy About Someone You Know.

... not really, but if it gets someone to rent this movie, sure why not?

I originally got the movie for Aaron Eckhart but quickly discovered that in it, he's a self-loathing stress eater with some extra... shape. The movie was constructed well enough... but it took until the last 10 minutes to get to something resembling a meaning. I mean, yeah, it's a coming-of-age-ish movie (for Aaron Eckhart's character, Bill), but I was hoping that at least one other character would follow an arc to new discovery, but I found that to be a lost hope -- yeah, his character's wife does kinda, but I'm still not going to count it.

Jessica Alba was nice to watch, but her character was hollow. And the uber-self-assured horndog punk druggie boy-mentee-mentor character learns no lesson of his own, and that just bugs me that he "gets away with it". I liked how the gay couple in the movie was represented well -- both supportive and disciplinary -- but didn't like how they kinda just disappeared.

Anyways, I'd give Meet Bill a 3.5/10.

-----
P.S.: the film's soundtrack was distractingly cheesy until halfway through when they played this song -- then most all was forgiven.

"What Else Is There?"
by Royksopp
Lyrics:

It was me on that road
But you couldn't see me
Too many lights on, but nowhere near here

It was me on that road
Still you couldn't see me
And then flashlights and explosions

Roads are getting nearer
We cover distance but not together
I am the storm and I am the wonder
And the flashlights, nightmares
And sudden explosions

I don't know what more to ask for
I was given just one wish

It's about you and the sun
A morning run
The story of my maker
What I have and what I ache for

I've got a golden ear
I cut and I spear
And what else is there
Roads are getting nearer
We cover distance still not together

If I am the storm if I am the wonder
Will I have flashlights, nightmares
And sudden explosions

There's no room where I can go and
You've got secrets too

I don't know what more to ask for
I was given just one wish

MOVIE: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I didn't like the movie much at all. I think that it will definitely get a nomination for its score, but I wouldn't be surprised if it misses out on everything else.

Chuck joined me for the 3:15pm showing of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which was pretty full, and my bad theatre karma continued -- a group of middle-aged ladies were having loud, irrelevant conversations during the movie (seriously?). Chuck just had me sit on the other side of him, which helped me but then he was exposed to the loud chatter. Anyways, that aside...

The movie didn't have much of a point -- yeah, we're watching a guy "grow young" -- but is there anything to this Benjamin Button? Not really. It tries to make Benjamin into some sort of a Forrest-Gump/let's-go-on-adventures kind of character, but these stories all end up serving no purpose... except for reiterating the idea of dealing with death and being different.

The film felt like once big, badly-planned mash-up of other movies: The English Patient (the reading by a caretaker of a journal that was in the possession of a bed-ridden character) meets The Aviator (a little-purposed biopic) meets Magnolia (the yellow-toned reel flashbacks and epic lengths) meets King Kong (the part when they're on the boat) meets Amelie (the explanatory "coincidence" sequence) meets Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil (the "off-sounding" accents) meets Titanic (the story of a woman's past lover before she dies/throws-a-pendant-into-the-ocean). It felt neither fresh nor relevant.

The casting and depiction of their aging were also distracting. I could go on a rant here, but I'll just say that there was something not-quite-right about Brad Pitt's narrating in a N'awlins' accent and with his character's CGI.

Another thing about the movie is that the female "lead" was not likable. Chuck said that he enjoyed the movie, but he agreed with me on this point. I immediately didn't like the "dying" her because I couldn't understand half the stuff coming out of her mouth, then when they showed the other iterations of her character, I realized that I didn't like them either.

Anyways, I might've liked it more if I didn't have the high expectations from all of its early accolades -- it's really feeling more Martin Scorsese than David Fincher, and that's too bad.

Dah. Wanted to like this movie, and I ended up really not.

doesn't look like the other old people
don't be fooled, she's so pretentious

MOVIE: Doubt

It's the day after Christmas. I had originally thought that I would be spending it in Orlando but had decided last night to head back to Melbourne.

Turns out that I was woken up by a familiar sound -- that of a Jack Russell barking; it was 6:45am. I couldn't get back to bed, so I just spent the next hour playing Scrabble Sprint game on the Merriam-Webster website (got a high of 528). It was looking to be another one of those days.

Anyways, the plan for the day was to catch up on some movies, and the first one was Doubt, John Patrick Shanley's adaptation of his Tony-Award and Pulitzer-Prize winning play of the same name.

Plot Summary from imdb.com:

"Set in 1964, Doubt centers on a nun who confronts a priest after suspecting him abusing a black student. He denies the charges, and much of the play's quick-fire dialogue tackles themes of religion, morality and authority"

The only remnants of it being a play would be how localized all the action seemed to be and perhaps the movie's unfortunate last line of dialogue (unintentionally cheesy). Asides, the filmmakers did a really good job with the adaptation.

I could definitely see how it's getting acting accolades. All four main players -- Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis -- gave strong strong performances, and I am hoping that each of them gets an Oscar nomination. The source material was chock-full of strong scenes, so I'm expecting it to also pick up another nod for adapted screenplay. As for picture and director, I believe that it'll depend on how some Christmas-Day-release films are received.

Anyways, I enjoyed the movie -- though (or maybe because) it creeps me out that I know someone with the same visual, voice, and conviction as Meryl Streep's character. It definitely will give people something to talk about and some items to self-reflect on.



Clip from the film (caution: may be spoiler-ish):

MOVIE: Hoodwinked

Alright, so Hoodwinked isn't a new movie, but one that I just got around to seeing (borrowed from the library). Honestly, it wasn't as bad as the animation would've suggested. It wasn't as fine-tuned as Shrek. It was a procedural -- trying to figure out who stole all the recipes from the forest -- but somewhat gimmicky -- the story given from four points-of-view


-- and with an odd mix of voice talents -- from the uber-talented Patrick Walburton to amateurs like Anne Hathaway... and "Xzibit" (really?).

Still, the story was decent even if far-fetched (coincidentals) and I was surprised by the music -- songs, actual songs -- even if not by the "big reveal" -- it was hard to play dumb. But still, I do have to say that it was a decent animated effort -- I did actually sit down to watch it without trying to multi-task. They're coming out with a sequel, so I would perhaps suggest the watching of the first before the somewhat obvious is spoiled.

I <3 Twitchy! And he's a shutterbug!


A Twitchy scene

A fan vid of all of Twitchy's scenes, set to the music of Ciara's "Get Up":

Twitchy!