Rambling Film

*This is the 8th entry in my 10 series. Click the label to view my previous posts.* My last post in the 10 Series was about movies/TV that I watched after having them recommended to me, and I ended up loving them. Sadly, love can't always be the case. Sometimes, they are just not for me. 10 Times I Gave Into the Hype, And Was Let Down 1) Grave of the Fireflies I had actually never heard of this until I participated in a tournemant over at The LAMB  It was on IMDB's top 200, and everyone said it was devestatingly beautiful. Well, it's devestating all right. But I just could not get over the decisions Seita makes throughout. He seems like he's old enough to grasp the reality that is going on, yet he does. Yes, I know the movie was based on the author's real life experience that he regretted, I get that. I just couldn't enjoy this. 2) The Boondock Saints This one is a little different. I saw this on my own, and thought it was just okay. Years la...

"Then I realized how small Oslo really is."   Anders (Anders Danielsen Lie) is a recovering addict that is finally granted a leave from rehab to apply for a job in Oslo. While he's there, he meets up with old friends, some are happy to see him, others are not.   Some of the best scenes in Oslo, August 31st are ones where Anders is just observing other people. The film opens with two people talking about Oslo as we get a street view of the city. Another scene where we listen to a girl in a café read off things that she'd love to do. Even something as simple as Anders just lying on his back in the park means more. The film is more about Anders' struggle with depression rather than addiction. At least that's what I got out of it. Being in Oslo, he's forced to see what the consequences of his actions have caused. He's not married, has no children. When he looks at his friends, he sees what he could've have, and he's afraid he never will....

*This is the 7th entry in my 10 Series. Click the label to see previous posts.* One of the best things about the movie blogging community is that you get a lot of great recommendations. In fact, I've gotten so many that it's almost hard to keep track. So, for this particular post, I tried to mix films/TV saw before I got in to blogging and some that started after. 10 Times I Gave Into The Hype, And Was Left Satisfied 1) Breaking Bad I often say that this is the best TV decision I've ever made, because Breaking Bad is hands down the best show I've ever seen. I didn't have too many friends that watched it at the time. I just saw all the acclaim over the internet. But I have to say, it was worth waiting for Netflix to deliver the DVDs one by one. This show is fantastic. It has some of the best writing and acting I've ever seen and I swear some episodes give me anxiety issues. I just care about these characters so much. 2) True Blood This one I have ...

*This is the 6th entry in my 10 Series. Click the label to view my previous posts.* Ever have those "Aha!" moments when watching a film? When an actor's performance moves you so much or catches your eye that you immediately jump online and start looking for other movies they've been in? I have. 1) Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Mysterious Skin I knew who my now favorite actor was when I saw Mysterious Skin for the first time. But I had only known him from 10 Things I Hate About You and Third Rock from the Sun. When I saw how he owned this performance I immediately sought out other films. Brick, Manic, etc. This film is still one of his best. 2) Evan Rachel Wood - Thirteen When I saw Thirteen, I immediately knew that this is a film that every teenager should watch at some point or another. I was really drawn into Wood's performance and she's become one of my favorite actresses ever since. 3) Ellen Page - Hard Candy I came across Hard Candy in a mag...

  It's that time of year for the LAMMY nominations again. I'm considered in two categories; Best Running Feature, for my Indie Gems and Funniest Writer.   I may not be as funny as the rest, or as original, but I do love blogging, and it would be pretty cool to add "LAMMY nominee" to my blog. So vote for me if you wish! If not, seriously just vote in general. There's a lot of great blogs up for consideration.

*This is the 5th entry in my 10 series. Click the label to see my previous posts. Music moves us, so much so that sometimes after watching a film with a great soundtrack, The first thing I do afterwards is go buy their soundtrack. 10 Times Movies/TV Have Made Me Instantly Buy Their Soundtracks 1) Juno Hipsters: The Movie actually had a really hip sound track. I had never heard of The Moldy Peaches before I saw this, and I'm glad I found them because I really enjoy their music. There's a lot of songs on this soundtrack that I wouldn't really have in my collection otherwise, and for that I am thankful 2) Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist There's a lot of great indie bands on this. My favorite is We Are Scientists. Plus Mark Mothersbaugh did Nick and Norah's theme, and I love everything he does. 3) The Dark Knight Rises I loved this movie so much that I bought the soundtrack on iTunes while I was still standing in the theater lobby. 4) ...

The first step is acknowledging that you have a problem.   Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) likes to drink. I'm not talking a glass of wine at dinner drinking, I'm talking total blackout, waking up in your own piss kind of drinking. After a long night of drinking, Kate ends up vomiting in front of the 1st grade class she teaches. When one of the children asks if she's pregnant, she stupidly says that she is. The Principal (Megan McNullie) is excited for her and throws her a baby shower. Vice Principal Davies (Nick Offerman) however, saw Kate drinking in her car that morning and knows the truth. He introduces Kate to AA meetings, and to her sponsor, Jenny. (Octavia Spencer) Kate tries hard to get clean, but it doesn't have a positive effect on her husband, Charlie (Aaron Paul) who continues to drink   Mary Elizabeth Winstead gives on hell of a performance here. She was absolutely convincing as an addict. Someone could've easily went over the top with this, b...

This is the 4th entry in my 10 Series. Click the label to see my previous posts. *Spoiler alerts* We all have those moments when you totally laugh at something that wasn't meant to be laughed at. I tried to leave out parts from intentionally corny movies, but 1) The Horse in The Ring I'm sure the desired reaction for this scene was: "Oh no! That poor horse!" Mine was to laugh for about 10 minutes straight. This was hysterical. 2) Eric ripping that guy's heart out on True Blood Eric was "nice Eric" for most of season 4. When he finally gets his memory back, he reminds us why he's a badass. When somewhere dares to say "You have to get through me first." Eric rips the guy's heart out of his chest, then proceeds to drink from the valve like it's a mini capri sun. The reactions of Sookie, Jesus, and Lafayette were just the icing on this very hilarious cake. 3) "I have a brother!" scene from Kevin Costner...