I saw this image and thought it was interesting seeing an asian woman partake in a Jewish ceremony. The article was in the New York Times.

Why is American Idol so boring this season? I didn't watch last season until the very end, so maybe that was my mistake this year. There's just no UMPH anymore. blah blah blah.

You know what show is NOT boring? HEROES! too bad it's gone until April 23. boo.

Failure To Launch (B-)

I worked from home yesterday and decided to watch this since I received it from Netflicks last week. Overall, it was a decent movie. The premise is that a 35 year old man, Tripp, (played by Matthew McConaughey) who still lives at home, meets a charming woman, Paula (played by Sarah Jessica Parker Matthew). He has commitment issues and every time he wants to break up with a girlfriend, he takes them home to meet the parents...cause he still lives at home and that would freak the women out. However, the twist in the movie is that the meeting between Paula and Tripp isn't a chance encounter. Paula is a relationship consultant hired by Tripp's parents to start a serious relationship with Tripp, so he would move out of the house. Of course Tripp finds out the truth and breaks up with Paula, but in the end, they both love each other and want to stay together.... so predicable!!!

Music Tidbits:

- Apparently the indie music world is a buzzed about the new Arcade Fire Neon Bible album. I love love love this band but I'm starting to see the crazy fandom that is building around them and it is too much for me to handle. I'm too old for this stuff.

- Tori Amos - American Doll Posse (songs leaked)


- This makes me sad ... Korn and The Cure ... why Robert why :(

(M) Stranger Than Fiction
Grade: C
I assume most of you know what this movie is about. I think the idea behind it is always a good idea, that whole live your life while you can thing, but the execution wasn't that great and everytime I see Maggie Gylenhaal I think of her in the movie 'Secretary' fully naked and getting spanked or nailed up against a tree.


(M) Au Hasard Balthazar
Grade: B
Oh I looooooooooooove Balthazar, he's such a cute donkey! Yeah, Balthazar is a donkey whose life parallels that of this woman and both are beaten by the people closest to them and suffer at their hands. This is a foreign film that has a religious aspect to it, I can't describe it but it's kinda sad.


(M) Who Killed The Electric Car?
Grade: B
I hate large corporations and this movie goes on to increase my hate for them as well as my disdain for George W. Bush, and two-faced Bill Clinton and out of his mind Ronald Reagan and government organizations all together. I think all presidents suck actually. But this movie isn't about presidents, it's about electric cars and they should still be available to anyone who wants them and for those who don't want one, don't buy one.

Movie count: 17

There are a lot of movies I have not seen that everyone has seen. Examples:
- Top Gun
- English Patient
- American History X
- A Christmas Story
- The Goonies

I guess it is not too bad considering I have a friend who has never seen The Wizard of Oz and another girl who has never seen It's A Wonderful Life.

What movies have you guys missed that everyone has seen???

(M) Half Nelson. (Ryan Fleck, 2006) Grade: B+

Thoughts: The movie should get a B but I really enjoyed Shareeka Epps performance as Drey, a junior high basketball player whose mother works a lot, brother is in jail and only friend seems to be her history teacher Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling). Unfortunately, Dan is a crack addict who claims he only uses to get by. I liked the relationship Drey and Dan form and how quiet the whole movie was.

(M) Il, Postino. (Michael Radford, 1994) Grade: B

Thoughts: I thought the movie would be more lighthearted romance in Italy but surprisingly it was quite political dealing with Communism and exile. Mario Ruoppolo (Massino Troisi) falls for Beatrice Russo (Maria Grazia Cucinotta). With the help of exiled Cuban poet Pablo Neruda (Philippe Noiret), Mario wins her love. What makes the film more profound is Massino Troisi died making this film. Apparently, he had a heart condition and was told he need to get treatment for it but insisted on making the film. He died 12 hours after the cameras stopped rolling.

(M) Quinceanera. (Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, 2006) Grade: B

Thoughts: I've actually been to a quinceanera so I saw first hand how important it is in Mexican culture. As Magdalena’s (Emily Rios) 15th birthday arrives, she learns she is pregnant and is kicked out of her house to live with her great granduncle Tio Tomas Alvarez (Chalo Gonzalez) and gay cousin Carols (Jesse Garcia). I really liked Chalo's character. He was such a simple man who loved his family regardless of the mistakes in their lives. Oh and the shots of Echo Park and Silverlake were cool. The only thing that puzzled me was how Magdalena got pregnant. In the film, she claims she never had intercourse and the most the guy did was ejaculate on her leg. So the sperm swam up and impregnated her. I find that almost impossible to believe but I guess you can get pregnant in the strangest ways.

Movie count: 15

(M) The Departed
Grade: B-
I found this movie enjoyable but I DO NOT think it deserved Best Picture... though that is an unfair statement as I only saw one of the other nominees. I am curious how the asian film version is and how it ends but I may just ask New Wave for that info. I wasn't expecting much from this movie as I had heard it was over-hyped and so I hoped that not expecting much would make me like it more but I don't think it helped. I give it a C among all of the director's previous work but a B overall because it was enjoyable and I planned on turning it off at midnight to finish later but I was too hooked to stop it so I stayed up until it ended.

It is Friday :) Thank goodness. So here is a funny story for today. A few weeks back Blockbuster was doing a President's Day promotion where if you bring in the red tear away from a Netflix mailing you get a free rental. Well being the cheap arse I am I had been saving up my tear aways for the past few weeks because they did this same promotion back in December and I figured they would do it again.

I go to the store and ask the guy working the counter how many I can rent with the tear away:

Guy: I don't know.
Me: Is there a limit?
Guy: I don't know.

So being as awesome as I am I check out EIGHT dvds. Hee hee. Hey the guy said there was no limit.

The next day I go to the same Blockbuster to check out some more dvds :)and I go to the counter with 5 dvds in hand. This time the situation was much different.

Guy: You can only check out 2 dvds with this promotion.
Me: Oh really. The guy yesterday told me it did not matter.
Guy: No ... ONLY two.
Me: Oh okay no problem. (I select the two I want).
Guy: Did you return any of the dvds you rented because you can only have 9 out at at time.
Me: Yup I returned 4 today.
Guy: You should really switch over the Total Access because the program is great.
Me: No thanks

Things I learned - 1. I love ripping off Blockbuster 2. I love disgruntle workers 3. I love being a freak who rents 8 dvds.

Oh and a side note I think I might be addicted to Netflix according to this. My answer to all of these is YES!!

Do you check your Netflix Queue more than four times per week?

Have you cancelled plans with Grandma just to make sure you finish watching a disc so you can send it back?

Do you watch the DVD the same day it arrives so you can send it back the next day?

Do you cry and curse the Netflix gods if you don't get a DVD in the mail on the scheduled date?

(A) "Beatiful Liar" by Beyoncé & Shakira
from the forthcoming re-release of Beyoncé's B'Day, this duet is sure to be a hit. I like the song, the video could have been much better, but it is the pinnacle of what a HOT video strives to be (with 2 sexy ladies shaking their ass in sync). As I told New Wave...if Maxim magazine made it a video, this would be it.

Ok am I a complete dork for being excited about this? lol. I saw the preview last night on Fox or some random channel and I reverted to my 9 year old self. Anyway catch the trailer here.

(Leonardo was my favorite...can you tell?)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CANDY AND CUP :)

I really do love all Chinese movies; even the ones by Chinese Americans.

(M) The Motel. (Michael Kang, 2005) Grade: C+

Thoughts: A nice coming to age movie if I was twelve but sadly I’m not. Ernest (Jeffrey Chyau) is a thirteen-year-old kid who helps his mom run a sleazy motel with his younger sister and grandpa. Sung Kang plays Sam a messed up married guy who Ernest turns to for guidance only to realize he needs to figure out for himself who he wants to be.

(M) Red Doors. (Georgia Lee, 2005) Grade: B-

Thoughts: The Wongs try to deal with life, love, and family. The father is retired and going crazy, the mom is happy, the oldest daughter is uptight and getting married, the middle daughter is a doctor and in closet lesbian and the youngest daughter is getting into trouble at school. Overall, an alright film that tries to be something more.

Movie count: 12

(M) Fiddler On The Roof
Grade: A
This is a great film. I simply love love love Judaism. This is a three hour musical about the Jewish community struggling with a changing world. The progress of the world in summarized through a single family. A man has 5 daughters and three of them get married in the film. While the older generation struggles with tradition, the younger generation brings change into the small Jewish community. The first daughter wants to marry somebody she loves rather than having a marriage arranged. The second daughter chooses to marry a man whether her father approves or not. The third daughter chooses to marry a non-Jewish man. All of this occurs in Russia and while all the family drama is going there is a background story that deals with the hatred that the Jewish people suffer.

From around 165 CE to 1945 (or 1947) CE the Jews were always held in small poor towns, exiled from their homeland, and treated as less than human, mainly by Christian nations who viewed them as God killers, blaming them for the murder of Jesus. The ways and life of the old traditional Jewish people is one of the most beautiful cultures of customs I have seen.

(M) Wu Ji (The Promise). (Kaige Chen, 2005) Grade: D+

Thoughts: Another overdone Chinese movie made for a “certain” audience. Visually it was too over the top and storyline wise there was none. Cecilia Cheung plays Princess Qingcheng who can never love until she meets a general (Hiroyuki Sanada) and slave Kunlun (Dong-Kun Jang). I think the movie could have been okay but they really messed it up. This is disappointing considering Kaige Chen directed Farewell My Concubine, which is one of my all time favorite movies. Oh and I saw the US version of the film which cut out 26 mins and I was glad.

(M) Fong Juk (Exiled). (Johnny To, 2006) Grade: A-

Thoughts: How can I not like this movie? Director is Johnny To + original cast from The Mission film + set in Macau + lots of violence = Excellent. The story was just alright but it is hard to dislike this film because of the cult-ish follwing it has. It was nice to see Francis Ng, Anthony Wong, Roy Cheung and Suet Lam all together. I guess I’m just a fan girl who loves her Chinese movies.

(TV) Pao Zhi Nu Peng You (My Dream Girl). (Yip Wai Man, 2003) Grade: C

Thoughts: A silly Chinese version of Pygmalion. Why am I such a sucker for that storyline?

Movie count: 10