A couple of netflixers (here's what happens when the gf gets into your queue- luckily she has pretty good taste)

Unbearable Lightness of Being.  Daniel Day Lewis, Juliette Binoche, and Lena Olin.  I haven't read the book, but the film was both sexy and sad.  Set against backdrop of the Russian take-over of Czecheslovokia, it follows the lives of a philandering doctor, his somewhat naieve wife, and a sexpot of an artist.  In part very political, in part more the journey of the couple to find peace and happiness.  Lots of boobs.  The bonus feature documentary was actually really cool- talking about the making the film before the berlin wall came down, and how they mixed archival footage of the invasion with newly filmed scenes, and how they recreated Prague without being able to film there. 

Northanger Abbey- an adaptation of a Jane Austin novel.  A girl from a poor family escapes into sexy and mysterious novels.  When she begins to spend time in higher social circles, those helping her navigate her way through society may not have her best interest at heart.  Her overactive imagination may get her into trouble when she does finally find her match.  We thought this was ok but not great- somehow a "lesser" jane austin movie, and we weren't sure whether it was the source material or the production that was the problem.

Pineapple Express. -I wanted to see James Franco do comedy. But I'm sorry it was. Fucking. Retarded. Seth Rogen has one speed, which is talking to himself instead of acting anything he's trying to convey, and the script was... based on Rogen talking to himself. Would I have laughed at it if I was stoned? Doubtful.

Man on Wire.  Pretty good movie even with the lame recreations.  Philippe Petit is one self-absorbed individual though.  Geez!  The interview featurette is not really an interview but a monologue with Philippe Petit talking blah blah blah about Philippe Petit, the artiste. Blah blah blah.

Watching the progression of still frames with him  walking 110 floors above Manhattan between the newly constructed World Trade Center buildings was vertigo inducing.  Too bad there were no small vid-cams then.  I remember the news coverage of the actual event but didn't pay much attention.

All in all, it was worth the price of admission. I'd give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.  I only wished the narcissistic Petit had had something to say about the ultimate fate of the WTC, the buildings which had been his obsession from  their early groundbreaking beginnings.  But it seems, for Philippe, that once he danced between the towers, the two skyscrapers had already served their primary function. 

Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

I missed Slumdog at the film festival.  I had a free pass, too. Oh,well.

I just wrote a rave review for Yonkers Joe. I can't remember the last time I got that emotionally involved in a movie.  Tom Guiry was great as the retarded son. Loved him in Scotland, PA, too.

Lars and the Real Girl  

I'm so glad I finally watched this.  What a great performance by Ryan Gosling as a painfully shy, disturbed 27-year-old who orders himself a life-sized doll from a porn site, and proceeds to introduce it to his brother and sister-in-law, and eventually his entire small town, as his girlfriend, Bianca. Wonderful script, strong supporting performances from Emily Mortimer and Patricia Clarkson.  It's a joy to watch how this small town supports Lars through his process.  This premise could easily go over the top, but it never does.  A quirky heart-warmer.

Snowcake  

Another in the quirky heart-warmer vein.  This time the small town is in Canada.  Alan Rickman stars as a man who needs to speak to the mother of a young hitchhiker who died in a car accident while Rickman was driving (through no fault of his).  Sigourney Weaver plays the mother, who turns out to be a high-functioning autistic woman.  A fascinating character, well-played.  Rickman, who has his own demons, gets pulled into the life of the town.  I enjoyed it.

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

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

Unbelievable!  No one has seen a last little more in-depth movie since Booth on Tuesday?

We watched our Netflix "L4yer Cake" last night.  But first I had to find it.  Too much frenetic activity around here of late and, well, the little red envelope disappeared somewhere.  Turned the house upside down thinking perhaps the DVD was tucked in with old mail or old newspapers.  Then, I think to myself, perhaps it was thrown into the trash.  Out to the blue recycle bin with a flashlight and there it was -- the red envelope sitting at the bottom of the heap of junk mail and bottles.

So I had forgotten why I even ordered this film.  Didn't even remember what the genre was and I was a little disappointed in my selection because Layer (ignore the silly 4) Cake sounded like a wedding movie and I couldn't imagine why I'd have included that on my queue.  I once watched that horrible wedding movie with Julia Roberts and the gay actor who played the straight guy getting married.  That was my last wedding movie before forsaking the nuptial film category altogether.  FEH. 

But this was a pleasant surprise.  Daniel Pre-James Bond Craig and lots of yummy Brit character actors.  Nice gangster film with an entertaining couple of extras too.  A solid 4 on the 1-to-5 scale.

Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

I'm pretty sure this has been mentioned here before but

 The Visitor

I really liked it- fantastic acting and well paced.  A depressed middle-aged economics professor is reawakened when he befriends an immigrant couple who were squatting in his seldom-used NYC appartment.  I thought the immigration angle was well handled- the couple are illegally in the country, and to me it humanized this existance without getting preachy either way about US immigration policy. 

I just reviewed Bruce LaBruce's Otto or Up With Dead People- pretty amazing low-budget dark comedy.

I saw Hamlet 2, also, which was neither bad nor good, but Steve Coogan is hilarious. 

I'm beginning to think you exist just to point out my ever failing memory, Booth!  Geez.  Okay, so I blocked it out.  

Now, aren't you just a little embarrassed to confess that you remember that?  Probably seen the DVD a dozen times, right?

Love Dermot Mulroney btw most especially in Living in Oblivion.  Now go ahead.  Tell me that was actually Dylan McDermott.

Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

My Sundance movie would have a Navajo transgender hitchhiker defying cultural conventions to confront his suicidal drug-addicted macho brother living in subsidized housing in a crack house in Detroit.  Hijinks ensue.

Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

 Steve Coogan is also great in  *Tristram Shandy* --not the last movie I've seen, but worth mentioning.  

Let's see, the last movie I've seen was Scorsese's *Last Temptation of Christ*.  Willem Dafoe puts in quite a performance.  Harvey Keitel as Judas, Barbara Hersey as Magdalene.  And a score by Peter Gabriel.

Love Guru

 Holy CRAP! There are so many digs at Maharishi Mahesh I don't know where to start! If there was a "any similarities to persons living or dead..." disclaimer somewhere, I didn't see it- and it would be a lie. 

Deepak Chopra is in it, making him complicit in the MMY bashing.  

QUOTE: QUOTE: Probably seen the DVD a dozen times, right? Now why did you go and say something like that? QUOTE: Now, aren't you just a little embarrassed to confess that you remember that?  I think it's because of the awful cringe-worthy singalong scene. I've only seen the movie once.

I meant it will a smile, Booth.

I actually DO count on your superb memory.  

Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin