Rambling Film

I saw a sign. Jeff (Jason Segal) is a 30 year old slacker who still lives in his mom's basement. After a strange phone call that he thinks may be a sign of his destiny, he sets off on a reluctant errand for his mother (Susan Surandon) and subsequently runs into his asshole older brother, Pat (Ed Helms) as he follows his wife, Linda (Judy Greer) around town to see if she is having an affair. About three quarters of the way through the film, I started to think to myself, "This really isn't about Jeff at all." Jeff himself mentions something about realizing that the meaning of life might not be about his destiny, but someone else's. Most of the story is Pat and Linda's crumbling marriage, and a subplot about their mother's office crush is sweet, but doesn't connect well with the story until the very end. That's when Jeff regains control of the film. The ending is when we realize that all of this wouldn't have happened without him. I have to say...

Only the living can kill the dead. The mostly negative reviews for this film kind of baffle me. I don't know what others expected when they bought a ticket to a film called Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, but I sure hope it wasn't a history lesson. The title says it all, Abe Lincoln, besides being one of the greatest presidents the United States has ever seen is also a vampire hunter. Vampires murdered his mother, so he seeks revenge, eventually the Vamps get on the bad side of the Civil War, so now Lincoln must defend not just his family, but his nation. First of all, a TON of credit has to go towards Benjamin Walker for his Lincoln. To say he was awesome is kind of an understatement. A film like this is meant to rest on the back of the visual effects, but Walker is the film's heart. He looks like Lincoln, and plays him exceptionally well. That's a large load for a newcomer, and he handles it well. So what if the film defies logic/physics/gravity in ever...

I borrowed this idea from Stevee and Lesya . Basically, it's like making an IMDb trivia list for yourself, only it's focused on movies. Here it goes.. 1) I loved Amerian Beauty as a young teen because it was about a family more fucked up then my own, as I grew older, I began to love it for so many more reasons. 2) The first film I remember seeing in theaters is Jurassic Park. 3) The only film I've ever walked out of was The Devil's Rejects. (though I should've walked out of many more.) 4) I've seen nearly every Shirley Temple film, minus her Baby Burlesque shorts. 5) I visit IMDb daily and get kind of annoyed when I meet people who have never heard of the site. 6) Joseph Gordon-Levitt became my favorite actor after seeing his performance in Mysterious Skin. 7) The Exorcist was the first movie to scare the crap out of me. 8) I cried so hard watching Old Yeller that my daycare had to call my dad to come pick me up early because I was inconsolab...

Soul saving. Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson) is a former blues musician in a small, southern town. He's going through some tough times, but doesn't have it as bad as Rae. (Christina Ricci) Rae is a trashy, sexually charged girl that's suffered a life time of abuse from her miserable parents. When she's left nearly beaten to death, Lazarus decides he is going to save her. He chains her to the radiator in his home, (seriously) and while this sounds absolutely creepy he ends up being just what she needs. A kind, nurturing, individual that will help not only hear, but her boyfriend, Ronnie (Justin Timberlake) who's suffering from a bit of PTS himself. First off, the marketing for this film was absolutely horrible. I initially didn't even want to watch it because it seemed like some trashy exploitation flick. I'm glad I gave it a shot, because it's one of the more interesting dramas I've seen in awhile. Jackson and Ricci give brave, raw performances, and ev...

With the Emmy nominations only about a month away, I decided to make a little wish list for my current favorite shows. I put wishlist in bold because this is exactly what it is, I don't expect all of these things to happen, but I can promise you I will bitch when they don't. I'm also only going to use the shows I watch religiously. Creating a full on prediction list would be pretty hard considering I don't watch every show out there. So I will post each show, and what Emmys I think they deserve. I'll be leaving out most technical Emmys besides Make Up since it applies to a few of the shows I watch. Breaking Bad Best Drama Series. Sure Mad Men has won the past four years in a row, but I think now is the time for Breaking bad to shine. Season 4 was a roller coaster ride to put it lightly. Best Actor in a Drama Series: The only reason Kyle Chandler won last year was because Bryan Cranston wasn't eligible. I'm ready to jump back on the Cranston bandwagon...

A man with a secret. A women with a dream. Albert Nobbs (Glenn Close) is a woman disguised as a man working in 19th century Ireland. It's easier to come by work as a man, but when she meets Mr. Page, another woman acting as a man she becomes intrigued on how she's managed to keep this secret, get married and have her own career. Albert dreams of owning his own tobacco shops, and hopes that young Helen (Mia Wasikowska) will marry him and help him run it. Albert Nobbs started off with promise, then turned into a gigantic downer for me. There were some truly beautiful moments in the film, such as Albert envisioning her shop, Albert and Hubert walking along the beach, but the crummy ending kind of ruined that for me. The minute Helen started to use Albert was where it went down hill for me. I don't like to see sweet characters being picked on, and it just lost a lot of promise to me. Close and McTeer both give wonderful performances, but Mia and co-star Aaron Johnson both see...

You. Do. Not! Madeline (Embeth Davidtz) is an art dealer who travels to the south to meet her new husband's (Alessandro Nivola) family for the first time. There's parents, Eugene and Pam, ( Scott Wilson and Ceila Weston) introverted and angry brother Johnny, (Ben Mackenzie) and his extra sweet, pregnant girlfriend, Ashley. (Amy Adams) On the side, Madeline is also trying to deal with a strange artist, leaving room for plenty of things to fall out of place. You know how sometimes you can watch a film, and only one actor stands out among the rest? This was Amy Adams in her Oscar nominated performance in Junebug. I almost felt like nothing happens in the movie until she walks on screen. So why recommend a movie like that? Simple. Adams is so damn good. Her character is sweet, naive, and almost child like, towards the end of the film she delivers such an emotional scene I was nearly moved to tears. Adams deserved every bit of that nomination, and she's seen a few more since m...

The most famous woman in the world. Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) is a young film enthusiast  who gets a job working on Sir Laurence Olivier's (Kenneth Branagh) new film. The star of this film happens to be Marilyn Monroe, (Michelle Williams) currently the most popular star in the world. She clashes with Olivier with her professionalism, lack of acting skills, and contact company of pills. Colin, however is intrigued by her. My Week with Marilyn is based on his short time with her. I might as well point out that I was never a Marilyn Monroe fan. Sure, she was beautiful, but I never got into her films, nor did I have her pictures or quotes all over my belongings like many people my age do. I really only saw this movie for Michelle Williams. The film itself was very forgettable. Michelle lights up the screen, and Branagh is his usual, brilliant self. But the story was lacking, Redmayne, while not a bad lead wasn't a particularly interesting one either. Then there was that small ...

As many of you know, season 5 of True Blood premiered last night to (sort of) answer the million questions the season 4 finale left us with. I liked last night's episode and here I'm going to recap the burning questions that season 4 left us, with the answers we got from last night. Tara: Last we saw her she got half of her head blown off by Debbie, while Sookie and Lafayette mourn, Pam shows up looking for Eric and Lafayette comes up with the idea that she should turn Tara. Tara hates vampires, but Sookie and Lafayette are seeing this as giving her another shot at light. Pam doesn't know how well it will work since half of her brain is missing, but turn her she does. At the end of the episode, Tara rises up ferociously, and it looks like she won't be her former self. Last season I totally called Pam turning Tara, I don't know why, but I was right. My husband saw this as a cop out and thinks they should've just killed her. (Maybe he's just used to Game of...

It starts tonight!!

Do not call this the "gay cowboy movie." Seriously, it's one of my biggest pet peeves to date. This movie deserves so much more than that moniker. It's truly one of the greatest love stories of all time. Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) is a quite ranch hand who takes up a job herding sheep on Brokeback Mountain. It's there that he meets Jack Twist, (Jake Gyllenhaal) a charismatic rodeo cowboy from Texas. Jack attempts to break Ennis's tough exterior, and he eventually does. The two fall in love, but they live in a time where they cannot share this love in public. They part, they marry, Ennis to Alma, (Michelle Williams) and Jack to Lureen. (Anne Hathaway) They have children, they work hard, but they start to meet for fishing trips annually, still trying to hide their relationship. It's only when Alma catches them in a passionate moment that things become a bit more difficult. It's hard to explain what I love the most about this film. The direction, the...

Seriously, how excited are you? I could do a fucking back flip right now. 

Nature vs Nurture It's hard for a movie based on a beloved book to transition well on screen. I try to go into every film like this knowing it won't be as extensive as the book. That being said, WNTTAK is a very well made film, and while it kept all the crucial points of the story, it could've benefited from a few more explanations. This review will contain minor spoilers from the book/movie. Eva Khatchadorian (Tilda Swinton) didn't really want a baby, but her husband Franklin (John C. Reilly) did. Their first child is Kevin. (played by Rock Duer as a toddler, Jasper Newell as a child, and Ezra Miller, most effectively as a teenager) Kevin is not your average child. His hate for his mother is apparent. He screams endlessly as a baby, he refuses to talk as a toddler, he wears diapers until he's 6 years old. He swears at Eva, talks back, says horrible things and is very distant. As a child, he's portrayed as nothing but a brat. It's only when Kevin is a tee...