"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love." 

That god damn trailer's more popular than Uncle's Day in a whorehouse!

I rented Art School Confidential the other night and it was pretty decent.  The opening half of the movie was a series of snarky jokes about art schoolers (of which I've known quite a few and roomed with for long periods of time), which was great, and then there was a sorry excuse for a plot that kicked in about halfway through, that made me and my movie-watching partner cringe.

-cg

Batman Returns

It's better than both of Joel Schumacher's Batman films. Oh yeah, I went there. No, I'm not gonna take it back. Just deal with it.
Seriously though, before Batman and Robin, this was probably the most maligned Bat-film, and it still takes a lot of criticism today. Personally, I think it's a really strong movie. Dark, yeah, but why expect anything less from a Batman picture? Unless you're trying to sell more toys.

Logic Hat Online- logichat.org

That god damn trailer's more popular than Uncle's Day in a whorehouse!

I've been on a film-noirish kick lately but last night's Netflix pick -- Where the Sidewalk Ends -- with Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney. I don't think the title has anything to do with the classic Shel Silverstein childrens book. 

I was expecting the Laura aura from the earlier pairing of Andrews-Tierney, but it was lame, lame, lame.  Bad cop who has a hair trigger temper when dealing with thugs accidentally, and in self-defense, kills a wife-beater, gangster, tough guy and attempts to frame another bad guy.  Of course, it all goes terribly wrong. Whaddaya gonna do with a bad script?

This type of film could no longer be made thanks to the advances in forensics.  Remember the good old days when a murderer could leave behind blood splatter, DNA, trace evidence from their clothing or hair or under the fingernails of their victims?  Ah, those were the days.  No longer.

Two stars and only because it's a little bit fun to observe the quaint old 50s notion: Crime Doesn't Pay!

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Fat Girl

I didn't think I liked it when I was watching it, but  I keep thinking about it.  

Rewatched Laura last night. Gene Tierney was so beautiful. Clifton Webb had me in stitches with almost every snarky line out of Waldo Lydecker's mouth! Great role.

My favorite part of the DVD though was the Gene Tierney biography extra. What a tragic life she had! I never knew what became of her but her life is just waiting to be made into a "Frances" style film. She dated JFK and Aga Khan. She married Oleg Cassini who was Jackie's designer. When pregnant with her first child, she caught German measles from a fan while signing autographs and her daughter was born severely mentally retarded. She started to go crazy, was institutionalized time and time again, had countless shock treatments which wreaked havoc on her mental and physical being. Eventually she became a department store clerk near the Menninger Clinic in Topeka,Kansas. Later she made a few attempts at returning to acting but each time, her mental disorders would kick in.

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Tonight I sort of watched The Science of Sleep.  It was my first date with someone I've been interested in for months, and who I finally worked up the courage to invite a couple of weeks ago.  By the piano-in-the-stairwell scene the camera movement had begun to make me nauseous and I struggled to retain my equilibrium for the rest of the film, resolutely staring at details on the wall of the cinema.  Afterward, instead of going for coffee or a beer or something, I had to say "well, I'm afraid I need to go home and lie down now."  Hopefully she'll be interested in a second first date.

Anyway, the film itself I only half-absorbed, but I'm pretty sure I like it a lot.

The last time I got sick at a movie was The Bourne Supremacy, but that was due to the high-intensity shakey-cam of the action sequences.  This film wasn't like that, but the hand-held thing seems to have got me nonetheless.  Strangely, I wasn't negatively affected at all by Blair Witch, and that was actually in the news for making people nauseous.

Instead of viewing this as a fiasco, I'm trying to convince myself that someday it will make an amusing first-date story.  I'm not amused at present, though.

I feel your pain, Jaime...I had a similar "first-date" ordeal when I saw Signs "yes, I paid to see it, both tickets"...nothing could have made me like this movie more, but the date itself and the weirdness of it, will forever be associated with that film. Last night I watched Mulholland Drive and 12 Monkeys

"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love." 

A good friend/bandmate/ex-roommate went to see Mulholland Drive back in 2001 as a first date movie, with myself and another friend serving as unofficial chaperones to the couple.  They're married now, and I was the best man at the wedding, but I couldn't convince them to play the movie theme at the ceremony.  My tastes, it would seem, are a little too morbid for the average bear...

I'm done being off-topic now.

Netflix rainy weekend with:
Dave Chapelle's Block Party - Like a mini-buffet of comedy, documentary and musical performance. I'm not the biggest rap/hip-hop fan (true of a lot of Chapelle fans, oddly), but the songs were cut just long enough to get a taste, then move on (longer versions are available as a separate feature). The documentary bits (handing out the tickets, recruiting the marching band, the Broken Angel house) were interesting, there was enough of Dave goofing to satisfy, a good Sat. afternoon flick overall.

12 and Holding - Sweet, sad, funny, a really beautiful and well-made "coming of age" film, with some great child performances. It could have drifted into Lifetime territory, but it's edgy enough where I wouldn't recommend it to my Mom. I don't want to say too much about the plot, there are some great surprises by the end.

Art School Confidential - The serial killer plot feels weird in this, but I guess the whole movie couldn't be just a string of Art School gags. Plenty of laughs and "I know that guy/girl!" moments to make up for the ackward 3rd act.

Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

you can throw some Homicide eps in their to give your Jerky Camera Fest some television flavour

I watched Million Dollar Baby (this might be the fifth time, in case you think I haven't seen it yet)...one example where a film that deserved to win best picture actually won the damn thing> Can't say enough about this beautiful film (no chiding please!) Great performances all around. See it if you haven't...no spoilers of and by the way, it's not what you think if you believe it is only a boxing film, it is oh so much more!    

"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love." 

Last night I finally watched Revenge of the Sith. I didn't hate it. In fact, I thought it was quite well done. But that doesn't excuse him for making 1 and 2 such steaming piles of poo.

I thought Revenge was pretty darn good...I just wanted to see the showdown between Obi-Wan and Anakin done well and I was not disappointed. Good job showing his progression to the Dark Side.

Good Night, And Good Luck...this was my second viewing. Could  David Strathairn being any more incredible in that film than he was, fantastic performance and worthy of all the nominations it received. Incredible supporting cast all of whom moves the rather fast paced story along, Great work by Clooney and is collaborator Grant Heslov on the script and in particiular staying true to Murrow's monologues.  

"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love." 

Lately I've watched Chabrol's latest movie L'IVRESSE DU PUVOIR (Comedy of Power is the international title) and thought it was great as Chabrol's usual, a nicely intense power political and psychological drama performed spectacularly by Isabelle Huppert in the role of the real-existing woman judge (Charmant-Kilman is the surname in the movie, don't know the real one).

Then I watche SCOOP by Woody Allen and found it pretty hilarious. He's returned to his classic non-serious comedies which by the way it's not archetypical because actually it's a mystery-thriller involving a psycho killer who murders short brown-haired young ladies that remember him of his mother and he signs himself as the Tarot killer and the investigators are nontheless american Sondra (Johannson) a journalism student who is looking for a scoop that will send her career up to the highest levels and Splendini (Woody Allen) an elderly illusionist. They match up together to find if Peter Lyman (Jackman) is actually the one who's sought after as dead legendary journalist Strombel (Ian McShane) declared appearing to Sondra during one of Splendini's pathetic mainly-for-kids-only shows.... The rest is to be discovered by the audience and I suggest you to watch it because it's genuinely pure entertainment and fun with great lines by Allen, who was not appearing worthingly in one of his movies since 2002.

Saturday I'm going to watch FUR by Steven Shainberg, since I loved Secretary.

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

COMING SOON!

MASTERS "OF" HORROR!

The most frightening thing "you'll" see all year!

"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love." 

The Machinist. And thanks a lot to those who have recommended this film. Thanks for sending me to dreamland last night with images of a Concentration Camp emaciated Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason "A Whore (Again)" Leigh, dead kids, dreary score, ugly cold gray cinematography and just generally a BIG DOWNER of a film. FEH! I couldn't get this one back in its red envelope and into the mail box fast enough!

Really, I think I sensed there was trouble ahead right from the onset with that dirge of a score. I knew Christian Bale was the star but I kept waiting for his appearance in the film until I realized, that IS Christian Bale! Now if you're going to go to that extreme for a role, let's hope the film is up to Raging Bull or The Piano. Not The Machinist. What a way to reek havoc on your body.

The nicest thing I can say about it is that Leonardo Di Caprio wasn't in it. The worst thing I can say about it is I now have a new film edging out Leaving Las Vegas and Natural Born Killers for my All Time Least Favorite Films of All Time list.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, that was cold and ugly.

Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin