the host (2007)

i watched this movie in the most beautiful movie theatre i've ever been in. they played opera before the showing, the popcorn was amazing, and the stage/theatre was just amazing. la paloma theatre in encinitas, san diego. check it out.

i thought the movie was pretty good too. a bit slow but every time the pace slacked, the monster would arrive. that's the best part about the movie; they didn't skimp on showing the (very obviously) cgi monster. i thought the movie was hilarious as a satire but my film companions just thought it was so-so. i liked it; although i'm not sure i'd watch it again. but i'd return to the theatre!

popular (1999) vs undeclared (2001)

it kills me that judd apatow's most successful venture is "40 year old virgin." that was such a crappy movie; now judd's name has been sullied. his deserving of accolades masterpiece, freaks and geeks, came out in 1999 but was cancelled after one season because everything great must die young. his follow up, undeclared, is much sillier and generally not as well loved as freaks and geeks. still, it was a critically lauded show -- and also cancelled after one season.

popular came out the same year as freaks and geeks, and lasted two seasons. this last point is criminal because despite being a good show, popular is not a classic like freaks and geeks, yet it went on longer. popular probably lasted one season longer than freaks and geeks because it was on the wb, an up-and-coming network at the time who took a few more chances and had a bit more patience. not too much patience however, since popular ended up being cancelled after two seasons; in the middle of a cliff hanger no less, and with a third season originally promised to creator. too bad, so sad.

having just watched the first disk for both shows, i have to weigh in: which show is better? undeclared or popular?
continued on diorama...

the fountainhead (1949)

i didn't realize the fountainhead movie was adapted to the screen by ayn rand herself. she only did it on the condition that "not one word be changed." typical, right? the movie isn't half bad actually. gary cooper and patricia neal are about what you'd expect as the main characters, and due to the style of the movie, all the dialogue (essentially ripped straight from the book) sounds somewhat natural. i don't think this movie could be made today because they'd dress it up for no reason; it's too idea/dialogue heavy; and current acting methods would make the movie overly campy.

apparently, nobody liked it when it was released (in 1949, six years after the book was published), but to be honest, as a huge fan of the book, i wasn't disappointed in the movie. sure, cooper's dramatic monologue had the most uneven delivery i've ever heard but i can look past it.

i'm curious what a non-randian would think of the movie. would any of the philosophies get passed on? or would it just put people to sleep? this also makes me even more curious about the upcoming movie version of atlas shrugged -- starring angelina jolie (and maybe brad pitt) of all people. not who i envisioned as dagny taggart but that's the least of my worries about how rand's seminal work will translate to the screen.

curse of the golden flower

apparently i watched this with a whole theater full of my countrymen. seriously, 99% of the people walking out afterwards was chinese. we chinese sure got an eyeful -- of breast. the costume "design" consisted of a lot of busty chinese women (oxymoron, i know) in tight corsets. the day-glo set design was a bit over the top and the ending a bit non-sensical, but it's another melodramatic chinese movie in the same vein as hero, house of flying daggers, etc. lots less fighting though, which didn't really detract from anything however.

donnie brasco

did you know that this movie was slated to be made much earlier but due to the success of goodfellas in 1990 and how thematically similar the two movies were, had to be pushed back (released in 1997)? pacino and depp are on top of their game and this movie is an enjoyable dip into the mafia world.

is anne heche annoying or what? what has she done that has been good? she's like the older, more famous version of gretchen mol.

the prestige

one of the few movies i've been able to look forward to during this crappy fall movie season, the prestige turned out to be finely acted and, for the most part, well constructed. some say that "the illusionist" was better, but i enjoyed this particular magician movie much more than that one. i thought the way christopher nolan did the (to many critics, superfluous) time jumping from scene to scene was seamless. a bit of suspension of disbelief is required but then again, it's about magic: believe or don't believe, enjoy or don't enjoy.

the book version that sounds pretty intriguing. and reading up on the real life nikola tesla is very educational.

the departed

inviting inevitable comparisons to the original (infernal affairs), i initially decided that i liked the re-make much better. more exposition, more guns (not necessarily a good thing), more overt moments. however, upon further contemplation, i think the two movies are incomparable. the hong kong version is quieter and more about what you don't see. the departed is brawny, loud, and slams you in the face. both are worthy of viewing but some of scorsese's choices didn't jive with me -- too obvious perhaps. then again, i didn't exactly love infernal affairs at the time either, so maybe i just need to re-watch both films.

moving the setting to boston was great, as it's really the most logical american city to set up this type of tale.

sketches of frank gehry

i like to say that gehry is one of my favorite "architects." it's a self-aggrandizing statement. i know, maybe, five architects in total. still, i've always admired gehry's work and would love to see the guggenheim bilbao. i thought this movie would explain gehry's inspiration and methods. instead it made me like gehry less, as it seemed like he did more "found" architecture than anything with a particular vision. magical buildings, not so magical inspirations; the wizard had his curtain pulled.

murderball

i'd avoided this film for a long time because i figured you see one inspirational sports story you'd seen them all. and for the most part, i'm right. however, the characters here are pretty captivating and the stories and circumstances behind their current situation is very interesting. this is not a sports story, as the action scenes obscure the fact that quad rugby seems to be a game with very little defense. however, the film was able to make the players "cool." which is exactly what the participants wanted.

in one of the extras, the jackass crew hang out with some of the murderball stars -- and showing them a hell of a time. as steve-o says (paraphrased), "i'm always one stunt away from being paralyzed myself."

clue

a true classic. while some may be turned off by its somewhat slapsticky humor (of a kind i usually hate), the movie goes through everything so quickly that there's hardly time to dwell on the "bad" scenes. to think that they made a successful movie out of a popular board game, how great is that? just a fun movie all around.

i guess, maybe, if you don't know or enjoy clue, the movie could be a bust since it seems a bit "pointless." but if you don't know or enjoy clue, we probably shouldn't be friends anyway.

malcolm x

the physical resemblance of denzel to malcolm is pretty remarkable isn't it? many people call this the movie that spike lee was born to make and it's hard to disagree. for most of the movie, spike stays right on task informing and entertaining the audience. the movie definitely makes you think, if nothing else; which is good right?

the documentary included along with the movie was very interesting as a post-movie snack. it showcases the real malcolm x and many of his speeches from the movie; which were apparently taken verbatim. both spike's movie and this documentary were based on "the autobiography of malcolm x."

rushmore

i knew there was a reason i liked wes anderson; and here's why. i'd never watched royal tenenbaums or bottle rocket but really enjoyed the life aquatic (despite other people hating it). rushmore was a treat and i couldn't stop laughing even as i was trying to fall asleep. the whole inane-ness and concept of the main character is just hilarious. i finally understand why jason schwartz has a career.

pirates of the caribbean 2

swashbuckling adventure or silly romp? driven by the antics of johnny depp, pirates is now a huge blockbuster trilogy. orlando and keira are simply window dressing, taking a backseat to johnny and the cgi folk. still, pirates 2 was hardly terrible. advance reviews tried to blow it out of the water but i found it to be generally amusing and entertaining.

then again, i re-watched the first one recently afterwards and was stunned by how much better that one was. maybe the third one can reach such heights again.

the break-up

summer chick flick or "how to be an asshole boyfriend but yet still be charmingly hilarious." i went in thinking the first option, i left believing the latter. vince vaughn is my hero. if anyone knows how to piss off a live in girlfriend turned ex-girlfriend, it's vince. i wonder if he ad-libs his own dialogue or has a team of disgruntled ex-boyfriends behind him. resembling a "swingers, now we're 30" movie with vaughn and favreau stealing the show, the break-up was charming, witty, and perfect for highlighting the absolute ridiculousness of two people (fighting) in a relationship.

the game also co-stars "grand theft auto: san andreas." i think cj (the main character in the game) got more screen time than 90%of the actors in the movie.

an inconvenient truth

more al gore biopic than state of the planet conference, this optimistic documentary provides a sound overview of the causes and consequences of global warming for the undecided mind. scholars, however, some will be disapppointed by watered down information and oversimplified solutions for a pg audience. sadly, gore seems more occupied with breaking the cardboard image of the man who was america's next president than staging an environmental coup. luckily, positive press reviews may still bring about the intended goal: awareness in the general public. don't want to pay $10 to watch a badly aging gore try to be funny? read the time magazine issue on global warming instead.
-reviewed by xtina-

old boy

many friends have told me to watch old boy. i'd always resisted because the description of the movie always turned me off. well now i've seen it and i have this to say: interesting and kind of crazy, but well done and superbly acted. still, not a movie i really loved. and it's not because i'm anti-violence or the themes of the movie, it just didn't seem to have the appropriate payoff.

walk the line

fiercely acted and incredibly well sung, walk the line should not have been nomiated for best picture. it's crazy disjointed and you really find out nothing about johnny cash. you just see him go from one stage of his life to another, with no explanations or backstories. i had to go read some wikipedia to have any idea of what was going on. joaquin and reese are wonderful but the movie is just a love story masquerading as a biopic.

black hawk down

a testosterone fueled bullet fest of a movie. you really have to read the book first to fully enjoy the experience i think. then you know who characters are, what's happening on-screen, what parts they left out, the entire backstory, the military training. i've read the book twice and seen the movie twice. entirely different experiences and very complementary. and what a cast: josh hartnett, ewan mcgregor, tom sizemore, william fichtner, eric bana, ron eldard, and the pre-rings orlando bloom. not a movie for everyone but certainly great for some.

brokeback mountain

even if you haven’t loved ang lee’s movies, you have to respect him for the quality and variety of films that he’s been able to make. his movies always have great direction, great acting, and are generally quality productions. brokeback mountain will probably drive him to multiple awards but i was expecting a bit more. you would think a film about semi-gay cowboys would a shoo-in for emotional impact, but i thought there wasn’t enough in the film to make you see exactly why these two men loved each other. despite that fact, the movie captures your attention all the way through.

the family stone

as far as i’m concerned, this was the best movie i’d seen in about a month. who knew? the family stone was in contention for well on its way to "great xmas movie" until some slight hiccups near the end. but no feel-good holiday movie can make it without an ending that ties up neatly -- so it’s hardly a sin. filled with witty dialogue and hilarious moments, the family stone turned out to be an unexpected gem.

oh, some unsuspecting members of the audience felt ambushed by the not quite uplifting ending, so criers and people with real human feelings and emotions beware.