October Horror Fest!!!!!

I've been watching horror every weekend this month, I would watch one a day if I had the time...but I don't :(

Run by fruiting

For some reason I was thinking about Mrs. Doubtfire today, particularly this scene, one of my favs:

Bourgeois extravagance

I went to a dine-in theater tonight to see Oblivion.  It was my first time at a dine-in theater.  Once you get over feeling bourgeois about having food delivered to you in a theater, it's quite fun!  I loved that it was 21 and over, no noisy kids or stupid teens, and you get have alcohol while you watch the movie.  Everything was outrageously priced of course, but it's good for a once-in-awhile splurge.  The food was tasty too and so much of it!  I couldn't finish it all.  And the reclining seats were sooooo comfy, I didn't want to leave.  If they had given me a blanket I think I would have fallen asleep right then and there.  I'm definitely going to that theater again, not all the time (it's way too expensive for that) but for a special occasion, like maybe after my defense I'll treat myself to a simultaneous dinner and movie at the dine-in theater.

Now a quick comment about the movie.  Oblivion was good, but I wish they hadn't revealed in the trailers that Morgan Freeman was searching for and captured Tom Cruise or that they would get to that reveal earlier in the movie.  For something that they so freely revealed in the trailers, they spent a lot of time building up to it and kept it shrouded in mystery.  The movie did have a couple other twists though, one was really unexpected.

Go Joe!

I watched the new GI Joe movie today.  It was better than the first one.  Better story, better action and fight sequences.  I especially enjoyed the mountain fight sequence.  Very well choreographed and executed!  Oh, and people should learn, never mess with a ninja!... or the Rock.

Oz the Great and Powerful

I watched Oz the Great and Powerful today.  I really enjoyed the visuals and the world the director created.  I felt really bad for the Wicked Witch, too bad there'll be no happy ending for her.  I usually like James Franco's acting, but I thought he was just ok in this movie; same with the others.  The acting was a bit over the top, but then again I guess it kind of needed to be to match the fantastical aspect of the film.

Hooray for Curfew!!

I'm glad Curfew won for best live-action short.  Not happy about Paperman winning for best animated short.  I was hoping The Gruffalo's Child or Head over Heels would win but I kind of knew they wouldn't.  The Simpsons: Maggie Simpson in the Longest Daycare was good too, hilarious if you're a Simpsons fan :)  I went to my first Oscar party tonight, it was nice.  Maybe after I graduate I'll have time more things like that...you know, stuff normal people do.  If the Oscar nominated shorts are still playing in your town, go see them!

Silver Linings Playbook

I finally watched Silver Linings Playbook tonight, after months of wanting to see it.  Amazing!  Heavy.  But amazing!

On another note, it's such a wonderful feeling when you look at your week's to-do list and realize you made it through all but two items...and that was rather ambitious to have to those on there to begin with.  But hey, the week ain't over yet!

Jack Reacher

Entertaining movie, with action and a nice crime mystery element!

Hobbit

I watched the Hobbit today.  I'd forgotten how creepy golem was!  The special effects were good but the movie wasn't very exciting, probably because it was the first of three; the other two should be more exciting.  I did like all the songs in the movie!  Ugh, but I hate the bird poo on Radagast's head.  Overall, good start to the trilogy.

Poopie head (literally), Radagast the Brown

Robot & Frank and spa! Oh my!

I went to a Korean spa again today, this time I took a newb friend to the spa.  I was a bit apprehensive at first since my friend was a male and men usual are squeamish about being in their birthday suits in front of other men, much less bathing in spas and sitting in saunas with other naked men.  He enjoyed himself and felt really relaxed afterwards, so I was pleased to have shared this fine tradition with another :)

After the spa I watched the movie Robot & Frank (starring Frank Langella, James Marsdon, Liv Tyler, and Susan Sarandon) with some other friends.  Great movie!  So touching, sweet, and funny!  Definitely go and see it!  The movie is set in the near future and is about Frank, an elderly man who is no longer able to live alone.  Frank's son decides to get him a robot since Frank does not want to be placed in an assisted living facility.  At first Frank hates having the robot but later grows to see it as a friend.  I won't tell you anymore about the movie so as not to spoil the surprise.  Go and see it!  Now!  What are you waiting for?!

Celeste and Jesse Forever

Today I watched the movie Celeste and Jesse Forever, which is Rashida Jones' screenwriting debut.  Although I enjoyed the move overall and recommend it, there were definitely parts of it I thought didn't make sense or were unnecessary.  The movie is about Celeste and Jesse, two best friends who ended up dating and eventually getting married (explained in a photo montage at the beginning of the film).  The movie starts with the two of them having separated 6 months before the start of the movie and in the process of getting a divorce.  Although Celeste and Jesse are separated, they see each other everyday and remain best friends.  In fact, Jesse lives in the studio behind the main house where Celeste lives.  Their friends tell them this relationship is weird but Celeste and Jesse just don't see it that way and reassure each other that what they have is normal and healthy.  It's never explicitly explained why the two of them decided to separate but one can assume that they grew apart; Celeste is a driven trend analyst with her own company and Jesse is an unemployed artist who does not seem to be in any rush to find his next job.  It is clear that Jesse still holds out hope that they will get back together and that Celeste does not want to be with Jesse the way he currently is, undependable, unemployed, and immature.

The part of the movie I have issues with is Jesse's sudden 180 in his feelings about Celeste just because he knocked up a one-night stand 3 months ago and just found that she's pregnant.  I also take issue with the fact that he loves Veronica (the one-night stand) after knowing her for only one or two months while claiming to have such strong feelings for Celeste and their relationship not long prior.  At one point in the movie Jesse even comes over to Celeste's house because he misses her.  When she tells him that he should go, after they share a quick kiss, he asks to stay and spend the night and spoon.  The next night Celeste tracks Jesse down in a bar and tells him she still has feeling for him and asks if there's a chance he still has feelings for her.  Jesse completely wigs out at this and says he doesn't have feelings and that he never wants to see her again.  Then why did you spend the night last night??  Although it made for funny scenes, I thought the movie was being too harsh to Celeste; after Jesse leaves, her world starts to fall apart while his improves 10 fold.  Celeste was initially portrayed as a strong, smart, and put together character.  Sure, she had her issues and insecurities, but overall she seemed capable and driven.  After Jesse leaves, her character falls apart, she becomes slovenly in dress and in business.  Perhaps my biggest issue with the film is that I initially thought it would be a movie about Celeste and Jesse, instead Celeste was the main character.  We saw the separation, the final break-up, and the rebound all from Celeste's point of view.  At the end of the movie I felt I understood Celeste, her issues and complications, but I did not feel that I understood Jesse.  As the movie progress Celeste became more and more a person to me, where as Jesse de-evolved from a person to a plot device.

Despite my issues with Jesse's character and parts of Celeste's character development, I still really enjoyed the movie and found it touching, humorous, and entertaining.  Rashida Jones is a very talented and funny actress and a screenwriter with great potential.  I look forward to watching more movies she has written!

Hope Springs

Today I watched Hope Springs, the new movie with Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, and Steve Carrell. It really was a great movie. Meryl Streep was amazing, as always. Tommy Lee Jones was great too and it was refreshing to see Steve Carrell in a serious role. The movie is about a couple (Streep and Jones) who go to a couples therapist (Carrell) because the wife has been miserable for years and wants to fix the marriage. The couple is forced to talk about their sex life and intimacy issues in front of the therapist (hilarious) and do intimacy exercises (even more hilarious). I think anyone can relate to the theme, who hasn't been unsatisfied with their relationship, whether with a spouse or a boy/girlfriend. The movie is surprisingly complex in its approach to marriage where two people simply grew apart and provides some good starting points for repairing any relationship and getting out of a rut. I highly recommend it if you want a sweet and funny movie with no violence, foul language, or nudity. Just note, the movie is definitely NOT for children as the characters talk about their sex lives in detail and make attempts at reviving it.