(M) Mommie Dearest (Frank Perry, 1981). Grade: B-
This movie, based on Christina Crawford's tell-all biography, depicts screen legend Joan Crawford (Faye Dunaway) as a crazy, hateful, neurotic mother to her two adopted children, Christina and Christopher. Although enjoyable to watch at some parts ("no more wire hangers!!!"), I really did get tired of Faye Dunaway yelling like a madwoman all the time.

New York Times reviews She Wants Revenge CD. "...so contrived that it's hard to take too seriously." HAHA!! YES!!!! Down with this dumb band. GO AWAY She Wants Revenge!!!

Also, MIT develops a $100 laptop.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR !!!

(B) All Families Are Psychotic (Douglas Coupland, 2002) Grade: B-

Compared to Life Before God and Microserfs, Families is Coupland’s most conventional novel in its literary structure. While his past books read in more segmented strands of thought, this novel is written as a comedic farce about the lives of families (almost all are psychotic to varying degrees, one character notes) with overarching themes of life’s purpose and human connection. For the most part, Families reads like a Hollywood B-film with none of those more serious messages really achieved. And now thinking about it, there might be a reason why Coupland doesn’t tend to write conventional novels. Not one of his best.

(M) Secret Things (2002, Jean-Claude Brisseau)
Grade: A

I gave this movie an A for the unexpected pleasure I got out of it. Not in recent history have I watched a movie that seemed to really be divided into 3 acts. (This is a French film).

Nathalie and Sandrine are both fired from their job. Nathalie, down on her luck, moves in with newfound friend Sandrine. Sandrine helps “uptight” Nathalie loosen her inhibitions. When Nathalie is ready, Sandrine unveils her plot to use a woman’s sexual power to advance in the corporate world.

Both women are hired at the same bank and things seem to be going well for Nathalie, but Sandrine is struggling with something she cannot reveal. As Nathalie makes her way to personal secretary of the man who may very well take over this company she learns of the owners son, Christophe, who is so powerful that woman have set themselves on fire because he chooses not to be with them.

Soon you find out Sandrine has been brought under the power/spell of Christophe and has broken all the rules she and Nathalie set-up in the beginning. Christophe moves in to subdue Nathalie and use her to guarantee that his father turns the family business over to him. When he succeeds, Sandrine moves in to seek her revenge.

Yes, as cheesy as it all sounds I really found it fascinating. There’s no way this movie would be American. At moments throughout the film there is some heavy views of psychology and philosophy, which really pumped up my rating of this movie. I don’t know, this movie has fascinated me more than any movie I’ve seen in awhile.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEW WAVE!!!

was browsing through netflix and stumbled upon this movie. i watched a few years ago and loved it. it's sad :(

Grave of the Fireflies

(M) The Phantom of the Opera (Schumacher 2004)
Grade: A-

I thought this was a wonderful interpretation of the musical. I never really liked the musical all that much, but the movie allowed for so much more and I was able to appreciate it on another level. Emmy Rossum(Christine) is gorgeous and charming, Gerard Bulter(Phantom) is HOT even with his mangled face. I'm telling you, that scene where he first takes her down to his lair is hot haha. I'd stay with him over Raul anyday! Mini Driver(Carlotta) was funny and stole a few scenes. The film was well made and I gave it a minus because I don't particularly like the plot. Music, as always was great. Unlike RENT, this is a musical that was much better on screen.

(M) The Perfect Crime
Grade: B
New Wave just reviewed this and that's why I watched it. This movie was quite entertaining. Over the top at times and slap-stickish. A pleasure to watch. Style you don't find in American movies. The actors were quirky and great. A little longer than it needed to be in my opinion, but still an enjoyable film.

(M) Ma Mere (2005, Christophe Honore)
Grade: D

This movie is based on a book by Georges Bataille who wrote after WWII and questioned societies sexual repression. The director of this film wanted to test Bataille's theories and see if they were still relevent today, 40 years after the "sexual revolution". What his personal opinion is, I don't know, maybe it's expressed in this movie somewhere.

When I finished watching this movie I was just thinking, what the hell? I don't get it. So I had to watch the bonus material interviews to get an understanding of this movie. Basically a son whom has been living with his grandparents comes home to his parents. Right away his father dies and his mother tells her son not to hate his father for the affair the father has been having because she's really to despise. The mother refers to herself as a slut and a whore who is unfaithful. The mother then takes her (what I'm assuming is innocent son) and sets him down a path that she guides to explore his life and experience sexuality in life. The son eventually meets a woman who then alters the mothers path and shows him what love can be. Eventually the mother loses her desire for sex and resigns herself to death because all she has ever gotten pleasure from in life is sexual fulfillment. The son in the end has a choice to make, whether to follow his mother's path and see his future in the unfulfilling life that sexual gratification as a main pursuit leads to, or to love the girl he's met and venture down a different path.

(M) Leo, Grade B (Mehdi Norowzian, 2002)
This movie stars Joseph Fiennes (the guy from Shakespeare In Love), Elisabeth Shue, Dennis Hopper and Mary Stuart Masterson. A recently released convict (Joseph Finnes) starts up a pen-pal friendship with Leo, the son of the depressed Mary (Elisabeth Shue). The movie follows Finnes' struggle as he starts a new life outside of prison. I thought the movie was well made because it was interesting to watch.

(M) Baise Moi (2000, Virginie Despentes)
Grade: D

Labeled as the "most controversial film of the decade" (i doubt it), this French film follows around two women, whom after being raped, murder a roommate and boyfriend and then drive across France on a whimsical road trip of sex, drugs, and murder. Mainly murder for money. The film is low budget. The two girls seem more concerned with discussing what to say to somebody before they kill them so they can have something cool to say and how to kill themselves (in a cool way) before the police catch them. Not horrible, but nothing special. What's the point of the film? Hell if I know.

(TV) 24. (Fox, Mondays @ 9pm, Season 5) Grade: A

Thoughts: I love this show. This season is kicking arse. YAY!!! I'm considering buying all the seasons now on dvd.

(M) The Perfect Crime (Crimen ferpecto). (Alex de la Iglesia, 2004)Grade: B

Thoughts: Rafael (Guillermo Toledo) is a sweet talker in life, working in the women's department for a big store, and with the ladies. The only thing missing is getting the floor manager position. After a mix-up with sales receipts the title is awarded to Don Antonio, Rafael's biggest rival. In a freak accident/argument with Rafeal, Don Antonio dies and Lourdes (Monica Cervera) is the only witness. Lourdes is an unattractive sales woman who Rafael never gave the time of day to - until now. He needs her to keep the secret but she has a price, a very demanding and painful one. The movie would turn from light and funny to quite dark and depressing. In the end you are not sure if you should hate Rafael or Lourdes more but you do know they are both after the same thing - the "perfect life".

(M) Hustle & Flow. (Craig Brewer, 2005)Grade: B-

Thoughts: I'm not the biggest Terrence Howard fan - his character in Crash bugged me - but I have to admit it's hard out there for a pimp. DJay (Terrence Howard) gets the idea he can make it big in the rap world after finding out Skinny Black (Ludacris), a big time rapper, is from his hood. With the help of Key/Clyde (Anthony Anderson), Shelby (DJ Qualls - the skinny guy from Road Trip) and his whores, DJay makes his cassette tape. The movie spends about 30 mins introducing DJay and his hoes, an hour on making the music and less than 25 mins on what happens after. I would have liked to see more about what happens after the song comes out but oh well. I'm not sure why this film is loved by critics but it was semi entertaining. Terrence Howard did a really good job that I almost forgot it was him which is always a good sign.

(M) Broken Flowers. (Jim Jarmusch, 2005)Grade: B+

Thoughts: I read Jim Jarmusch wrote this movie with Bill Murray specifically in mind, and it works, it completely works. After his girlfriend dumps him, Don Johntson (Bill Murray) learns he might have a 19-year-old son. With the push of his only dear friend/neighbor Winston (Jeffrey Wright), Don goes about trying to find out who the mother might be by traveling all over the nation. The ending of the film leaves you wondering but in a good way. One thing to note is the pacing of the film, the director really took his time telling the story which fit well.

(A) The Milk-Eyed Mender (Joanna Newsom, 2004) Grade: A
Just rediscovered this album in my collection, and it is superb. Newsom is an amazing folk songwriter and though her voice might take some getting use to, this album is a treasure.

(M) Munich (Steven Spielberg)
Grade: B

Though this movie is 3 hours long it moves constantly and I was never bored and it didn't feel like 3 hours at all. I had never known there was a hostage situation at the Olympics until 5 or 6 years ago when I stumbled across 'One Day In September' which was a great documentary about the events.

This movie seemed to touch on a multitude of issues of which people can debate their opinions about. However, part of my difficulty in reflecting on the film is my lack of complete knowledge surrounding Israel, the Palestinians, and Arab nations. Though the main character is an Israeli and maybe you are supposed to "root" for him, I couldn't help but question whether the secret actions he was doing for his government where any more noble than the actions the people he was targeting were doing for their own government.

I guess because I don't have a strong knowledgable opinion of the history between all the middle east turmoil, I can't find myself really rooting for any one side in the film. However, the ultimate political message that I took away from the film in the end is not one I agreed with.

(M) Lies (Jang Sun Woo - Korean film)
Grade: C+

(M) In The Realm Of The Senses (Nagisa Oshima - Japanese Film)
Grade: C-

Both these movies were VERY similar. Older married man starts an affair with a younger woman. Realm of the senses is "critically acclaimed" and has never been shown in Japan unedited. Lies I think is banned in Korea. Both movies revolve around sexual exploration that grows beyond standard sexual relations. Lies is a philosophical piece (or intended to be) and Realm of the senses is based on a true story. Lies seemed to have more of a plot than Realm of the senses so I enjoyed it more.

(M) Dubai (Quintos, 2005) Grade: C

Here's the synopsis: Summoning his younger brother Andrew (John Lloyd Cruz) to the city of Dubai, the financially stable Raffy (Aga Muhlach) -- a Filipino citizen who's spent several years overseas -- hopes his sibling can find work so that they can finally move to Canada. Unfortunately, Raffy doesn't expect Andrew to go falling in love with his ex-girlfriend, Faye (Claudine Barretto) -- a woman Raffy, in fact, still cares for very much.

I guess I shouldn't have expected much from a Filipino romance, but this movie got all kinds of hype and praise by fans. Then again, I really shouldn't trust Filipinos because they're all about the cheese and don't really care much about character development or plot hehe. This movie was pretty predictable, the ending was bleh and the relationship between the siblings was cheese. I will say this much, this movie made me cry but it could have been that I was in a very emotional place haha. It was pretty effective at being a tourism ad for Dubai. The place looks really nice and is supposedly really safe. Anyway, I was really hoping this would be a good movie because I LOVE Claudine Barretto and Aga Muhlach, but alas.

Two Claudine Barretto movies I recommend are: Anak and Milan. There's also Nasaan Ka Man which is more of a Sixth Sense/The Others type of movie.

According to the Jan. 20th issue of Entertainment Weekly these are the 25 movies to watch before the Oscars:

- Brokeback Mountain
- Good Night, and Good Luck
- Crash
- Capote
- Munich
- Walk the Line
- Cinderella Man
- Syriana
- A History of Violence
- The Constant Gardener
- Transamerica
- North Country
- Memoirs of a Geisha
- Pride & Prejudice
- Match Point
- Mrs. Henderson Presents
- King Kong
- Hustle & Flow
- The Squid and the Whale
- Junebug
- The Upside of Anger
- The 40 Year-Old Virgin
- Cache (Hidden)
- Shopgirl
- The Chronicles of Narina

So the question at hand is how many have you guys seen? I've seen 10 out of the 25.

The Island: Jerry Bru, oh no wait Michael Bay - Grade: C?/D?

So I was unable to be like Judge Sly Stallone and say "I am the law!" As the year of 2006 is now upon us, the first movie rented by my girlfriend was The Island directed by Michael Bay. Now I can not really be fair and give this a real grade as I fell asleep at the 45 minute mark of this film, and woke up at the 2 hour and 3 minute mark of this movie, but it did make me fall asleep. The beginning was interesting until I fell asleep when it got dumb, and woke up to the cheesiest ending ever. I believe it is supposed to make you think about cloning, but it was as mindless as the 6th day with Governor Schwarzenegger. Regardless, Scarlett Johanssen is hot in this movie, and Ewan McGregor needs to stay in role as Obi Wan Kenobi, because that's all I know him as now. Where am I going with this, oh yeah, don't watch it, unless you feel like falling asleep. Oh and stick to your guns, that's where I went wrong.

(TV) 24. (Fox, Mondays @ 9pm, Season 5) Grade: A

Thoughts: Man I have so missed this show. 24 started this year in Jan. so it could continue with no breaks for 21 weeks. I have to admit I was on the fence after Season 3 because I found it disappointing but Season 4 got me back on and this season is kicking butt. I know there are some Lost fans on this page and whatever else shows you guys love but seriously if you have not given 24 a try ... TRY IT!!

(B) The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde, 1891) Grade: A
Absolutely brilliant. Wilde’s only novel is a gem and demonstrates his great mind. The most obvious theme regards the importance society places on the superficial and beautiful. Wilde also touches upon the purpose of art, specifically the aestheticism movement, which is the belief that art is created for its beauty without any other moral or social purpose. This parallels Dorian’s character, as he was beautiful superficially but lacked any morality.

(B/M) Lady Windermere’s Fan/A Good Woman (Oscar Wilde, 1892/2004) Grade: A/B-
I suspect that Hollywood is incapable of producing a suitable film adaptation of Wilde’s plays. The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) was a very disappointing film and lost much of the original play’s wit. In A Good Woman, some of the plot points are modified, which is understandable since plays with only three sets don’t translate well on screen. This film, however, was a poor adaptation. Sigh. And Helen Hunt was poorly cast as Mrs. Erlynne.

Last night I heard about a minute of the new Gwen Stefani song, the one about driving fast cars and driving fast like Mario Andretti. Then she semi-raps for a few seconds. It was really really really really bad. I mean, like really bad. No, like really really bad. I don't know what's worse - her new song or Popozao (the new K-Fed song, who someone was nice enough to forward to me. !!!)

Anyway, this is a note to Gwen: Enough already!

Yeah, that's right. I'm hating on L.A.M.B. Gwen.

(M) Brokeback Mountain (2005, Ang Lee). Grade: A.
Nicely directed, heartbreaking love story. Great performance from Heath Ledger. Beautiful cinematography. Loved it. Because it was so well written and acted, after awhile, you forget that you're watching an unconventional love story. As New Wave said before, it's just a great love story between two people.

Sidenote: American Idol begins tonight! So let's talk about it incessantly.

Could it be the first rumors of Radiohead coming back this summer??? According to Pitchfork and Green Plastic Radiohead.Oh joy!!

Just wanted to inform everyone that there was an article in the Washington Post talking about how employers (and schools) are going to website's like MySpace to look up applicants to factor in what they see into deciding whether to hire somebody or not (or expel from school).

(G) The Editors. (Spaceland, Jan 16th) Grade: F-

Thoughts: What a load of crap. Pigern and I arrived at the venue around 9 pm and there was already a line wrapped around the building. I thought okay not too bad we might still be able to get in because we had a friend in the front. WRONG!!! We were informed that they were not letting anyone into the venue until AFTER the Editors performed. WTF. That was the only act I wanted to see that night. (sigh). All that waiting out in the cold, missing 24 and the Golden Globes for nothing. What a waste of an evening. I hate "hype/buzz" bands. Well I'll try round two up in SF when I'll attempt to see them at Popscene. Sorry Cup O Noodles ... no luck for me either.

(G) The Editors at Spaceland (FREE show!)
Grade: F-
Pigern or New Wave, please let me know if you got in and if so, how was it? I couldn't believe arriving at 8:40 meant I wouldn't get in until 11pm after The Editors went on. I drove out to LA for nothing and stood in the cold for nothing. Guess I should have showed up at 6pm and stood in line waiting.. but this band ain't worth that!

(M) Woodsman (2004, Nicole Kassell)
Grade: (as a rental) B, (for a first time director) A+

I'll assume most of you already know what this is about or have seen it. I thought it was done very very well and for a first time director, amazingly well. I like how they don't really preach to you on the right or wrong aspect but just present situations and let you think about your own moral views on the situations. With a topic like this, I think that open-ended approach works well, where-as I get sick of movies sometimes telling you to finish the story for yourself. I thought all the actors in this movie did a fine job as well.


(M) Broken Flowers (2005, Jim Jarmusch)
Grade: (as a rental) B+

I tried to watch two of this directors other movies (Dead Man and Coffee & Cigarettes) and I didn't finish either they were so dull. So when I heard praise for this movie I wasn't sure but the story sounded interesting and it had Bill Murray in it. I thought it was excellent. I really enjoyed the film, it made me laugh quite a bit.

To sum it up, on the day Bill Murray's girlfriend leaves him he gets a letter that he has a son from a relationship 20 years ago. Bill's neighbor encourages him to go visit the 5 women that were a part of his life at that time and see if he can figure which one is the mother and he goes on the journey. No woman that he visits is the same. In the letter Bill receives, he is told his son may be out looking for him as well.

Rob Crowe of Pinback started a side project. If you're interested, they're called Goblin Cock and you can find out more here: Goblin Cock

Random stuff:

- Match Point was nothing to write home about; I think it gave me a little bit of a headache actually. And although I appreciate Woody Allen's efforts and the 'moral of the story', the storyline was just too much like an unconvincing soap opera. The only good thing was hot Scarlet Johansson.

- Pep Squad (see Cup O Noodles' review) was so bad it was good. Doesn't really make any sense and is totally random, but entertaining nonetheless.

- What's up with the lead singer from Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah? His voice is sooo annoying. It's like he thinks he's too cool for school, and his singing is just so lazy. Like "I'm too cool it doesn't matter what my voice sounds like, I'll still sell records anyway." Uggh. It's really that awful. I don't care if they're a buzz band or not.

(M) A Snake Of June

Summary: A married couple seem to have no passion for life or each other. A stalker comes along and sends the husband and wife down different paths and in the end they find passion and love for each other.

This is a bizarre movie. It's shot rather interestingly. There's scenes where you are thinking, 'What in the hell?'. People make comparisons to David Lynch, though I don't think it's that crazy. The movie is rather short, maybe like an hour and 15 minutes. It's definitely a rental and nothing more but as a rental I rather enjoyed it.

(TV) "Flavor of Love" with Flavor Flav (VH1's CelebReality) grade: B
So I've seen the first two episodes of this horrible show, and I LOVE IT! It is everything I wished 'The Bachelor' was: GHETTO and SCANDALOUS (ok, so I never watched the Bachelor, so I don't know if it's scandalous, but i'm sure its not ghetto). I love how Flavor Flav gave all the girls nicknames 'cos he knew he wouldn't remember their real names (nicknames include: Oyster, Miss Latin, Hoopz, New York, and Pumkin). My favourite is "Goldie", Flav describes her as country, but she is just GHETTO. While all the women are arguing at the dinner table, Goldie (who is pictured above with Flav) busts out with "What did y'all think about the chicken? I thought the chicken was DELICIOUS!" classic.
Here's a Goldie clip worth watching: (u need internet explorer to watch) Link to Video

Hmm new wave has been threatening me everyday since she got back from her trip about blogging so i guess I will here. Sitting at the office right now, not much is going on. This is the start of my last year here in the office. My boss is termed out at the end of 2006, so at that point i'll have to figure out what I want to do with myself. Here are some reviews about what is going on right now.

Walk the Line (M): B+

I liked this movie, but it is a typical bio pic, and it left me wanting to know more. As the movie mainly focuses on Johnny Cash's love affair with June Carter, I wanted to know what else was going on with him, and what happend after they finally got married. Even an epilogue at the end would have helped out a little more with that, but hey they wanted to show a love story and they did a good job of doing that.

Losing your Dog (O): F-

We had to put our Dog to sleep last Wednesday. It was really sad, seeing her break down so rapidly. We took her to the hospital where she stayed for 3 days before coming home, but things got worse and we had to take her back. Although it was my sister's dog for the most part, I still miss her. Its not the same coming home and not having the dog greet you, or sitting on the couch and her not jumping up next to you.

The Ringer (M): B-

This movie was pretty much what I thought it would be, Johnny Knoxville being stupid and learning a lesson, which is pretty much what happens, sorry to spoil it for you. I did find it to be funny and because it was made with the cooperation of the Special Olympics I didn't feel bad about laughing.

Grandma's Boy (M): B

I maybe giving this movie a higher grade than i propably should, but when I watched it I had no expectations what so ever. I figured it would be stupid with little to no plot. Well it was stupid and there wasn't much of a plot, but it was more than i figured, and there were a couple of funny scenes and lines that make it watchable. I kept waiting to see Adam Sandler but he was no where to be found, which was kinda odd.

Solving my Rubix Cube (O): D

Yeah I'm an idiot and can't solve this stupid puzzle. I got one for Christmas this year and just like when i was like 10 when I got my first one, I get frustrated and want to throw it across the room. I haven't started changing the stickers yet, so thats a plus at least.

Well thats it for right now. Hopefully you enjoyed my thoughts. A couple quick notes. Broncos play tomorrow, I really really really hope they win or it will ruin my week, no i'm not joking it really will.

(TV) Project Runway Season One DVD Set (2005). Grade: A+
I love love love this show about aspiring fashion designers. I couldn't watch season one when it was actually airing because I didn't have Bravo at the time, so I started with season two and it is quickly becoming my new favorite show. I just can't stop watching it. Cup O Noodles and I have gone through the season one dvd set pretty quickly because it's that good. And some of the designers are hilarious.

It is offically a sad day for independent record stores - Aron's Records is closing its door. Now if I want stuff I have to go to smelly Amoeba records. Ugh.

(M) Match Point (2005, Woody Allen)
Grade: C

A two hour movie that should have been an hour and a half. A man (Chris) gives up his tennis profession to be a tennis instructor. Chris meets Tom with whom he has some common interests with, such as the opera. They attend an opera. Chris meets Tom's sister Chloe. Chris and Chloe eventually get married. Chris develops a thing for Tom's fiance, Nola.

Nola and Tom split. Chris pursues Nola. Nola wants Chris to leave Chloe. Chris has to decide whether to leave Chloe and the family of wealth he's joined or to say goodbye to Nola.

This movie doesn't contain the typical Woody Allen humor. In fact there really isn't any humor. It's just a drama that was made to present a moral philosophy which it did effectively. I don't agree with the philosophy presented but thought it was a decent movie. I'd either wait for video or see a matinee showing though.

(M)Pep Squad (1998, Steve Balderson)
Grade: B

Looking for some cheesy horror movie? Success was made in this beauty! There are some classic lines and AWFUL acting. I loved it! I don't know what to say. It takes place in a high school. Prom Queen nominations are going on. There's some pyscho bitch who beats up people because she wants to. There's suicide girl. There's the new unpopular girl who makes new rebellious friends. There's the high school party. There's the capturing and killing of a principal. I really don't know how to explain this but if you enjoy watching low budget movies, this is one that may be up your alley. Oh and it has NOTHING to do with a Pep Squad, so it's titled appropriately.

(M) Suspicious River (2000, Lynne Stopkewich)
Grade: C

Nothing special here. A slow moving film about a married woman who lives with a husband who has no desire for her. She works in a hotel and ends up sleeping with men (for money) who are traveling through town and come to her hotel, alone. Eventually she ends up with a guy who punches her and rapes her and of course she develops a relationship with the guy.

As the movie moves along, slowly, the guy she is with is just using her. Paralleling her story is the story of a little redheaded girl. The little redheaded girl is raised in a home where her mother is sleeping with her husbands brother. The brother ends up killing her mom. Later you find out the young girl is really the main actress as a child.

(M) Walk The Line. (James Mangold, 2005) Grade: B+

Thoughts: I remember reading Joaquin Phoenix was casted for the role of Johnny Cash and Reese Witherspoon was going to be June Carter and thinking ... really?? However both of them did a wonderful job and the fact they sang entirely themselves was more impressive. Personally I enjoyed this film more than Ray yet I'm not quite sure why considering they were both standard biopic movies. It could be that Johnny Cash never hid his demons but instead openly admitted he was flawed. In addition, I enjoyed the deep love Johnny had for June - after her death in May 2003 he pasted away only four months later.

(M) Born Into Brothels. (Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman, 2004) Grade: B+

Thoughts: A heartwarming and heartbreaking film about children growing up in Sonagchi, Calcutta the city's notorious red light district. The children were all charming and smart in their own ways. However, I did some reading online and apparently some people from India found the film to be a misrepresentation of India and its culture. They were quite angry at what they felt were "Westerns/Imperialist" views of their country. I'm not sure who is correct but I can see their point. I would still recommend watching this movie but to keep an open mind about other sides of the story.

(M) The Beat That My Heart Skipped. (Jacques Audiard, 2005) Grade: B-

Thoughts: I heard a lot of praise for this movie so I was kind of expecting a lot. Thomas Seyr (Romain Duris) is a corrupt slumlord working for his father who buys up property for cheap and sells them for three times the value. However upon a chance meeting with his dead mother's concert piano ex-manager, Thomas gets back into playing the piano - his real passion in life. Along the way he gets trained by a Chinese piano teacher and begins an affair with his coworker's wife. I enjoyed the film marginally but I thought something more would come out of it at the end.

(M) Romance (1999, Catherine Breillant)
Grade: B

I seem to be on a kick by this director. This is her third movie I've watched in a month and I enjoyed this one as well.

A woman is in a relationship with a guy who won't have sex with her. Out of this comes a philosophy of the relationship between man and woman, focusing on the sexual philosophy. It's very interesting. I really don't have much to say other than that. This is probably the directors most acclaimed film.

If you watch Anatomy of Hell or Fat Girl and enjoy them, you may want to give this a try. I think she's becoming one of my favorite directors. I'm going to rent her movie Sex is Comedy next.

Well after pissing off Darth by making him watch this trailer set to Age of Consent by New Order I decided to share it with you guys. Enjoy!!!

(A) The Life Pursuit (Belle & Sebastian, Feb. 7) Grade: B

Is it unfair to judge an artist more critically after an amazing debut (Tigermilk)? Perhaps. What if the artist’s work is consistently strong? Should a decent album be considered less stellar because the fan knows what the artist is capable of? Maybe. The Life Pursuit is by no means a bad record. In fact, I might have judged it harshly upon first listen due to my expectations. The album highlights are examples of twee pop at its finest (“Dress Up In You,” “Mornington Crescent”) but sometimes the lyrics aren’t B&S at their wittiest (“Sukie in the Graveyard”). As a faithful fan, I shouldn’t expect perfection, but I can’t help being a wee disappointed.

Has anyone seen this show? OMG.. .What the heck? These people have no self esteem!

(O) Myway.com
Grade: A+
This website is awesome. You can customize your page to have anything you want on it. Bookmarks, news, weather, directions, movie times, TV listings etc etc. Check it out. My dad told me about this like a year ago and I didn't pay it any mind. I just discovered how great it is! Now all I need to do to do my internet thing is log onto myway.com and I'm all set. Enjoy!

(M) Fat Girl (2001, Catherine Breillat)
Grade: What the hell!?

A family of four are on vacation (father, mother, 15 year old daughter Roxane and 13 year old daughter Anais). The youngest daughter (Anais) is overweight and the older (Roxane) is thin, beautiful, and desirable.

At the beginning the two french girls meet an italian college guy who desires Roxane. Roxane wants to lose her virginity to somebody she loves. Anais wants to lose her virginity to a stranger so he doesn't have any power over her.

Eventually Roxane is in bed with the italian guy and a jet stream of bullshit (to quote Curb Your Enthusiasm) comes flying out of his mouth. He talks her into first having anal sex, and then vaginal sex. Of course later it comes out that everything he said was bullshit and he just wanted to screw some 15 year old virgin.

Later, the mother and daughters drive home (the father has already gone home early) and they stop off a rest stop and everyone goes to sleep in the car. ALL the sudden a guy comes out of nowhere with a hand-sized hammer/axe thing and busts the front window open, hits the beautiful daughter (Roxane) in the head with the axe (killing her), then strangles the mother to death. (Of course, when he broke the window it didn't wake anyone but the fat sister, Anais). Anais gets out of the car and goes into the woods where the guy rapes her and leaves her alive. The cops end up there and after taking care of the dead mother and daughter they find Anais in the woods and she says he didn't rape her. This I guess refers back to the beginning where she said she wanted to have sex with somebody she didn't even know. So, I guess she actually was consenting to having sex with this guy who just killed her mother and sister. I assume she did this willingly so no man would hold any power over her because if the first person you have sex with is somebody you know and love, they have something on you that nobody else will have.

This movie was nuts, but I enjoyed it.

I'm writing a bunch of mini reviews because:
1. I got a death threat from New Wave.
2. I'm lazy.
3. I watched alot of movies over break.

(M) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion , the Witch, and the Wardrobe. (Andrew Adamson, 2005). Grade: A-

Ditto what New Wave said. Lucy was adorable. Good adaptation of the book. Would like to have seen something gruesome, like heads being chopped off, but it's ok I guess. I don't remember, but in the book they never said what happened to their parents. I always thought they died.

(M) The Family Stone. (Bezucha, 2005) Grade: C

I love love love Sarah Jessica Parker and Rachel McAdams and so I think I expected too much from this movie. There wasn't as much comedy as I had expected so the drama part of it threw me off and kind of depressed me. The character development is weak, as is the story and the ending was just weird with all the swapping of partners.

(M) Rumor Has It. (Reiner, 2005) Grade: C+

I didn't expect as much from this movie, which is probably why I enjoyed it better than Stone. The story was pretty predictable, love Mark Ruffalo, and Mena Suvari was cute and annoying all at the same time. Bottom line, it was entertaining to watch.

(M) The Debut. (Cajayon, 2000) Grade: C-

Filipino stereotypes: fobs, racer boys, flips who want to be black, flips who want to be white. It's a movie about Filipinos, for Filipinos, made by Filipinos. You can only really get the inside jokes if you are Filipino so I couldn't really see any other people enjoying this movie. I'm a Filipino and I just laughed most of the time either because I thought "Oh yeah my mom does that" or because whatever scene I was watching was so horribly bad. Plus, throughout the whole movie I just kept chanting "Rufio! Rufio! Rufio!" in my head and sometimes out loud.

(M) Syriana
Grade B+

On Tuesday, I decided to work from home, which meant that I had time for a movie. I picked this movie because the posters looked interesting. It stars George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Amanda Peet. Syriana had a slow start, but the multiple story lines eventually tied together at the end. I enjoyed the movie because it showed current political situations (Middle East unrest, struggle for oil/territory, and terrorists). It's definitely a movie that makes you think.

Belle and Sebastian at the Wiltern, March 18 and 19. Yahooooooooooo!!!!

(M) My Date with Drew (2005, Gunn, Herzlinger, Winn). Grade: A
This is a documentary about a guy named Brian who sets out to get a date with Drew Barrymore, whom he has been a fan of since he was 10. He has 30 days, a borrowed video camera and $1100 to make his dream happen. I won't say what happens in the end, but because Brian is dorky, funny, and sweet, you can't help but root for the guy. When I first heard about this documentary, I was a little skeptical, but I must say I genuinely enjoyed it. Also, the special features vignette about how Brian and his friends got the movie distributed was pretty interesting.

(M) Cries and Whispers (1972 Ingmar Bergman)
Grade: C

This story revolves around 4 women, one is dying, her two sisters whom are by her side in her last days, and the maid. The movie shows everyones current relationship with each other as well as a significant memory from their past. The movie is depressing and downbeat from start to finish.

One sister reflects on her mothers lonliness and boredom with life and relates. Another recalls an affair that she had. The third sister recalls a moment when she and her husband are obviously not doing well and she results to self-mutilation.

After the sisters death one of the sisters reaches out to the other to be closer to her rather than just an acquaintance but the sister responds with telling her that she hates her. Later the tables turn.

It's a fun filled adventure for the WHOLE family!

Why is it always so hard to come back from vacation? Especially one as good as I had ... well except towards the end because I got sick. (Darn my weak stomach). I'll write about my trip later and instead review some movies I watched.

On the plane ride there:
(M) Four Brothers. (John Singleton, 2005) Grade: C+

Thoughts: I wasn't expecting much from this film and I didn't get a whole lot from it so it worked out. Four brothers - Bobby Mercer (Mark Wahlberg), Angel Mercer (Tyrese Gibson), Jeremiah Mercer (Andre Benjamin) and Jack Mercer (Garrett Hedlund) - come back into town to avenge the death of their foster mother. In the process one of the brothers die and a corrupt cop and gang are unveiled. I think Mark Wahlberg gave the strongest performance and I found his character the most intriguing. Andre Benjamin from Outkast wasn't bad as well.

(M) Chin Bui But Dzui (Drink, Drank, Drunk). (Tung-Shing Yee, 2005) Grade: C

Thoughts: Pretty typical and silly Chinese film about a girl and a boy. I wanted to like this film because Miriam Yeung was in it but nope just couldn't get over how dumb the whole thing got to be. Oh well.

In Hong Kong:
(M) Yu Guo Oi (Perhaps Love). (Peter Chan, 2005) Grade: A-

Thoughts: A Chinese musical that has been selected as the official Hong Kong submission for best foreign language film Oscar - how could I not like this movie? A bittersweet, although heavier on the bitter, triangle love story set against a movie backdrop. Jacky Cheung is Nie Wen, a director trying to prove to himself he can still make amazing films while attempting to hold onto his relationship with Sun Na (Zhou Xun), his ambitious leading lady and lover. In Nie Wan's newest film Sun Na plays a girl who has lost her memory and enters the circus where she falls in love with the ringmaster played by Jacky Cheung. One day a stranger arrives at the circus played by Jian-Dong (Takeshi Kaneshiro) who turns out to be the girl's long lost lover. Beknownst to Nie Wen, in reality Jian-Dong and Sun Na really were lovers 10 years ago and by Jian-Dong playing the role of the stranger sparks some old feelings between Jian-Dong and Sun Na. Ji Jin-Hee is thrown in there as the narrator of the whole tale. Oh and in between all of this is singing and dancing. I found the movie more on the depressing and sad side, which was a contrast to all the joyful singing and dancing going on. I think Takeshi and Zhou did a great job but Jacky was so intense and his singing so rich and full I found his role the most powerful.

On the plane ride back:
(M) Just Like Heaven. (Mark Waters, 2005) Grade: C

Thoughts: They used a Cure song as the title of the movie and yet I could not love it. (sigh). The storyline was pretty absurd and the characters all a bit unbelievable but darn that Reese Witherspoon is so charming and cute and let's not forget about the always wonderful Mark Ruffalo. I'm still not sure why he picks such bad roles but I guess he really needs that paycheck. Well on the plus sign the movie started and ended with Just Like Heaven so hey not bad.

Oh and I also watched part of this Korean movie called April Snow but fell asleep and didn't see the rest of it or A History of Violence because I got too ill to finish. Oh well.

(B) Smoke and Mirrors (Neil Gaiman, 2001) Grade: B
A collection of short stories prefaced by an introduction explaining how Gaiman thought of his ideas. Excellent to think about where stories come from and how they are formulated.

(M) Wedding Crashers (2005) Grade: D
I thought this film was suppose to be a comedy. Dull, predictable and typical Hollywood.

(M) The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) Grade: B+
OK, this film actually made me laugh. Steve Carell and Catherine Keener were great.

(M) Just Like Heaven (2005) Grade: C-
Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo made this film a bit more bearable. Otherwise, it just makes you cringe.

(Twelve hour flights let me catch up on mainstream cinema)

(M) Head On (2004, Fatih Akin)
Grade: B
I enjoyed this redemption movie. Two people with their own self destructive lifestyles meet and ultimately lead to living better lives.



(M) Wild Strawberries (1957, Ingmar Bergman)
Grade: C
This critically acclaimed classic film is about a man who is being awarded an academic honor. On his way to receive the award he is confronted by those he knows and some new people he meets. He is confronted about his kindness toward strangers and harshness towards those closest to him. It seems that as he reflects on his life he sees that his pursuit of academics has ruined his pursuit of love and in the end led to an ultimately meaningless and lonely life.



(M) Intimacy (2001, Patrice Cherwau)
Grade: B
A man and a woman meet once a week for no strings attached sex. Though how they met is never really explained (it just starts with them meeting for a quick roll in the hay). After awhile their interst and curiosity about the other person drives them to trying to unravel the mystery of the other person. The lives outside their moments of sex are revealed and drama unfolds.



(M) Oldboy (2003, Chan-wook Park)
Grade: C
I’d have given this a higher grade if it was easier to follow. Maybe it was not only the awful English dubbing but I felt explaining certain things lacked. I guess I can watch the engligh remake with Nicholas Cage (Barf!) or the Indian remake. Though ultimately I may have been confused about minor things, the big picture was clear. Interesting movie.

Sony BMG may owe you money if you've bought their cd's since they put spyware on their discs to infect your computer. Read comment for info (article).

Oh Science... you're so silly...

Scientist bring back the Spanish Flu (good going).

NY Times - THE SPANISH FLU LIVES! Scientists have resurrected the Spanish flu virus that killed an estimated 25 million people in 1918. The reborn virus, pieced together from fragments found in tissue samples of the flu's victims, was injected into a group of laboratory mice. It proved incredibly lethal, producing 39,000 times more copies of itself than regular flu and killing all the mice in six days. This viral Frankenstein, perhaps the most deadly pathogen in human history, now lives on in quarantine. Many experts were alarmed when scientists published the flu's genetic blueprint; it would not be hard, they said, for a terrorist group or a madman to hire scientists to make the virus, quietly unleash it and kill more people than several nuclear weapons could.

Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google help promote censorship in China:

NY Times - FORBIDDEN IDEAS With more than 100 million users, the Internet is booming in China. The American Web giants Microsoft, Yahoo and Google have all grabbed a piece of the lucrative Chinese market - but only after agreeing to help the government censor speech on the Web. In providing portals or search engines, all three companies are abiding by the government's censorship of certain ideas and keywords, like "Tiananmen massacre," "Taiwanese independence," "corruption" and "democracy." Most foreign news sites are blocked. This year, Yahoo even supplied information that helped the government track and convict a political dissident who sent an e-mail message with forbidden thoughts from a Yahoo account; he was sentenced to 10 years in jail. "Business is business," said Jack Ma, Yahoo's chief in China. "It's not politics."