Rambling Film

Don't worry, not everyone in Minnesota sounds like this.   *My blog usually consists of new releases and independent films that I love, but when I think about it, I have quite a few guilty pleasures. Here's one of them*  The late 90's was when Kirsten Dunst's status as the new "it girl" really took off. 1999 was a good year for her. She had 3 small movies that she had made. Drop Dead Gorgeous, Dick, and The Virgin Suicides. While the latter was the most popular, I want to talk about Drop Dead Gorgeous, which remains one of the few chick flicks I can stand.   Amber (Kirsten Dunst) is a teenager growing up in a *fictional* small down in Minnesota. She's a talented tap dancer, which she practices while working at her job at the funeral home, putting make up on the deceased. She's auditioning for the American Teen Princess pageant, which is a pretty big deal in her small town. Her stiffest competition comes from Becky (Denise Richards) the ric...

Are you guys fighting? What is that even like?   We're back with our crew of the U.S.S Enterprise. Kirk (Chris Pine) just risked a mission to save the life of his best friend, Spock. (Zachary Quinto) Of course, Spock tells him it's illogical and gets him in trouble. This leads to Kirk losing the Enterprise and his crew. Then, a Star Fleet member called "John Harrison" (Benedict Cumberbatch) comes along wreaks havoc on everyone. Kirk is told to go after him. But there's more. There's always more. Kirk and company have never faced a force like John Harrison.   I've been reading a lot of mixed reviews on this, which surprised me because I absolutely loved it. I thought it was a hell of a ride. I never tire of hearing that awesome score and seeing a shot of the Enterprise going into warp speed. Director J.J Abrams even toned down the lens flare! One of my favorite things about this movie was the relationship between Kirk and Spock. Quinto and Pine a...

Yes, I'm writing this under the influence. I mean, Tyrion was pretty drunk, so why not me too, right? Game of Thrones Well, that escalated quickly. *This episode is the perfect example of the calm before the storm. Without spoiling anything, the last two episodes are going to make people flip shit. *Arya and the Hound have a little bonding time. Arya actually smiled at the thought of being reunited with her family. That was sweet...to bad her other "could be" family isn't doing too hot... *Poor Gendry thought he was going to get laid, and instead he got leached. (I'm torn between complaining about sex being unnecessary here or being content with naked Joe Dempsie) At least she didn't kill him. I actually really enjoyed the Davos/Stannis scenes this week. See, Davos' chapters were really hard for me to get into while reading the books. I honestly just kind of skimmed his until Blackwater happened. Davos has grown on me, needless to say, and Liam...

The rest of the Avengers must have been busy. Yes, I know, from a cinematic standpoint it wouldn't be feasible to have ALL of the Avengers/S.H.I.E.L.D agents in every Marvel movie. But I kept thinking, after Tony Stark's house gets blown to bits, where the hell is everybody else?  Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is suffering from anxiety attacks and possible PTSD from the New York situation. It's taking a toll on his and Pepper's (Gwyneth Paltrow) relationship. Then a terrorist named The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley in full 'MURICA! mode) starts blowing things up and threatening lives. The military can't catch him. They send in Rhodes, (Don Cheadle) who's War Machine suite got upgraded to the more friendly "Iron Patriot." but still no avail. Then there is man called Aldrick Killian (Guy Pearce) who Tony is really going to regret blowing off 13 years ago. The film went the Dark Knight Rises route and stripped Iron Man down until we just get ...

One nation under fire.   Since guns seem to be the hot topic in the U.S nowadays, it just made sense to re-visit this little film.   This movie doesn't feel like it's on one side of the debate vs the other, it's just here to show us the different sides of guns in our cultures. From the honest owners, to the consequences of the irresponsible ones.   American Gun intertwines between a few different stories, among them is a inner city high school principal (Forest Whitaker) who's trying to make sure no weapons are brought into his school. He's faced with a decision on what to do with a good student (Arlen Escarpeta) who brings a gun with him to school every day because of the dangerous neighborhood he lives in. There's Janet (Marcia Gay Harden) a mother who's eldest son committed a violent crime at his old high school. Her younger son (Chris Marquette) is now the same age as his brother when he committed the crime. They do their best to just move f...

While obsessing over Game of Thrones these past few weeks, the idea for this list occurred to me. I'm loving Tywin Lannister right now and that's terrible. Tywin is one of the worst people in the series and I shouldn't be excited to see him on screen. But Charles Dance plays him like such a fucking boss , I can't help myself. Tywin is a badass.  So here's 10 performances that made me love the bad guy. 1) Tywin Lannister (Game of Thrones) Why: Tywin Lannister is the one of the most powerful men in Westeros. Even before he was Hand to the King he had his plots. When things got real: When Tywin tells his youngest son, Tyrion how he really feels about him. How Tyrion doesn't have daddy issues is beyond me. Favorite line: "We can arrange to have you carried." Thanks to Charles Dance: He plays him with such authority. Tyrion has a line where he says "Seven kingdoms united in fear of Tywin Lannister." That sums up how intimidating ...

Mahhhhk!   Sorry, I couldn't resist that header. Helen Hunt's accent was so distracting.     Set in the late 80's, Poet Mark O'Brien (John Hawkes) was stricken with polio when he was young. Now he spends a minimum of 20 hours a day in an iron lung. One day, he decides he no longer wants to be a virgin. After seeking his priest's (William H. Macy) council, he hires Cheryl (Helen Hunt) a sex surrogate to guide him through sex and teach him about his body.   Hawkes and Hunt give great performances. It's no doubt they were Oscar worthy (Hunt got nominated, Hawkes did not, unfortunately) but when you look at the rest of the movie, I hate to say, but it's rather boring. The thinly veiled plot doesn't feel complete. It feels like just a synopsis, much like the one I gave you in the first paragraph. Nothing else really happens. There was potential here and there, but each bit was brief and without conclusion. This was based on a true story, and ...