Got Milk?

You know, I knew basic facts of the gay-rights movement in general but I'll honestly admit I've never really looked into it. This movie was eye-opening to the struggles that these people have had to face and probably somewhere, some still do. I feel offended on behalf of the gay community after watching this movie that there were and apparently still are these individual like Anita Bryant. I mean honestly, and this is directed at you Miss California, what right is it of a beauty pageant contestant to make comments and actually actively speak out against a group of people. First of all, I believe these women need a harsh reality check. Apparently years of reinforcement has led them to believe they are in some way important people. Important to their friends and family maybe...but honestly beauty contests have no clout haha. Give me a break. That's what happens when idealistic people get a tiny taste of fame I suppose. Honestly, shame on her. The bottom line is that whatever prejudgements anybody in this country may have against the gay community is, in essense, useless and unimportant haha. There is no argument against homosexuals just like there's no argument against a family of Asians moving to Portland. (yeah, random example.) But its true. Back in the 1970's I'm sure people were still under the impression that they could avoid the fact that homosexuality exists and with force and strong-arming, they could rid their country of it. Well, back in the 1970's people were naive, not to say we don't have our share of that today.
This movie is the epitome of what people need to be aware of when it comes to this issue...that it shouldn't be an issue in the first place!
In this film, you see a man, Harvey Milk (played by Sean Penn), and his partner (played by James Franco), move into a new city (San Francisco) and do more than their share of work creating a safe-haven (or what should have been) for people who just wanted to live their lives like everybody else.
I ask you, what are valued qualities in individuals? Love, care, honesty, compassion, selflessness?
Harvey Milk posessed all of these and more. He was a great man. This is a great tribute to his memory.
A+. I love it.
Best song of the movie: Everyday People - Sly and the Family Stone

Suggestions welcome.
359 to go.

Emile Hirsch goes Into the Wild

NetFlix is so amazing. Really. I hope none of you have witnessed The Happening. It's a dreadful movie. Just stupid from the DVD menu screen to the end credits. BUT now I own it. Would you like to know why I own one of the top 5 worst movies of all time?

Because BLOCKBUSTER! Block Buster is a horrible place. Think of all the money they really make from their $5 dollar rentals. One DVD costs us about $20, and you can count on the fact that they get deals from whichever production company that puts out those DVDs. So maybe they pay $10-15...and that's paid for the first 2 to 3 times somebody rents that single DVD. Sounds like a sweet deal for you guys, way to gouge the customer.

So anyway, thank goodness we have NetFlix now or I probably never would have paid $5 to see this movie. I only heard from one or two people that they liked it and everybody else told me it was long and drug out and blahdiblahdiblahhh.
I don't want to call this movie wonderful...it's not really a wonderful story. I guess I'll just say the character's journey is more important than his destination.
This film, written and directed by Sean Penn and also based on a true story, is about a young, quite intelligent man who is unhappy with his life in modern "society". He's unhappy with his parents. He's unhappy with the education system and large institutions...unhappy with the way the world is I guess.
I'm not sure what is perfect fact about the true events the movie is based on and what is kind of stretched for Hollywood's benefit, but from the story it tells, if I could go back and give that kid some advice, you should have learned a thing or two from your experiences. He broke away from society to find that there were, in fact, people worth knowing out there. He changed each and every life just as they should have changed his but he didn't let them. In the end he forgave everybody. The whole time he spoke of honesty and living in the moment but he was the one not being truthful and he was the one that was living somewhere else in his mind.
Everything is executed beautifully in this film. The acting, the cinemetography, the screenplay...Kudos to you Sean Penn and Emile Hirsch, you guys are amazing.
Its a big long, but worth watching. You guys should see it. A- from me.
Also, if you are a fan, see Milk. It stars Sean Penn and Emile Hirsch with James Franco and Josh Brolin as well. Now THAT'S a great film.
Best song from the movie: Hard Sun - Eddie Vedder

Suggestions always welcome.
360 to go.

What would you do with 500 Days of Summer?

Well, Marc Webb and the writers of 500 Days of Summer thought this line was appropriate to kick off their film so...
"This is a story of boy meets girl. But you should know up front, this is not a love story."
Its true, its true.
So I'm a reallllly big Fox Searchlight fan (Juno, Slumdog Millionaire, Little Miss Sunshine, I Heart Huckabees, etc.) so naturally I was really looking forward to this new edition to a long list of great productions. For some reason I kept getting conflicting information about its release date, though, then all of a sudden it was out haha. Since then I have seen it three times and am itching to go again. In fact, I wish I could see it every single day. This movie has everything you could possibly want all wrapped up in a cute little collage of photos. Great plot. Great actors. Great chemistry among actors. Great music. Perfect balance between comedy and sincerity. I've been urging everybody I've talked to since to see it. I mean seriously, like get in line now. This is just one of those films that leaves feeling on top of the world haha. And really I can't decide if it's soundtrack beats Juno's or Garden State's. Its so great.
Its just hopeful I guess haha. Its one of the reasons I was finally inspired to start this blog.
I heard in an interview after this movie debuted that Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (leading roles) hope to become like one of those 1930's-40's couples who've never actually dated realistically but have extraordinary on-screen chemistry. It'll be like the cherry on the sundae for them too. Deschanel has fantastic, not to mention unique, vocal talents for the time and so we find at a karaoke bar in the film, so does her partner. Their careers are set haha. Two young, attractive and talented actors who can sing, dance, and really convince any audience member they're meant for eachother.
Though, I guess that would be defeating one of the messages of the film huh?
Marc Webb and the duo did a little side project during the filming of this movie apparently. Check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17KUOQOlt8E
Blogger didn't want to let me imbed it for some reason, sorry guys!

Anyway, A+ from me, all the way.
Best songs from the movie:
Us - Regina Spektor
There is a Light that Never Goes Out - The Smiths
Mushaboom - Feist
Vagabond - Wolfmother
Quelqu'un m'a dit - Carla Bruni
Sugar Town - Zooey Deschanel
Here Comes Your Man - Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Meaghan Smith cover)

Suggestions welcome.
361 to go.

District 9. It speaks for itself.

I really do absolutely love getting advanced screening passes to upcoming movies.
See, I bet there will be hundreds of people tonight just at any given local movie theater premiering District 9 lining up for hours just to see it as soon as possible.
So its super sweet when you get to see it days before them for free and only have to wait in line for a couple hours. Plus there's always those little "free stuff" tables full of promotional junk but who doesn't love free junk?
In any event, I can't honestly say I was expecting a whole lot from District 9.
I kind of just jumped to the quick conclusion that alien movie=lame semi-entertaining piece of crap. But I've been taught a valuable lesson I suppose...never judge a movie by its cover...or genre...or trailers? Haha who knew? Its ironic, too, because I feel like I've been expecting so much of the recent block busters and I've been leaving disappointed almost every time.
Anyway, I should have known someone like Peter Jackson wouldn't choose a ridiculous movie. What a wonderfully well thought-out story line, I'm impressed for sure. I don't even want to explain the plot at all here because explanations do the film no justice whatsoever.
I will say though, it is basically a story of a man who's entire life changes on an unimaginable scale after just a few short days of doing his job. Though, his job does involve evicting Prawns from one concentration camp to place them in another for "humanitarian reasons" so as you can imagine, they probably run into some issues with that.
I'm really not an action fan or an lame alien movie fan, but honestly I advise every single movie-goer to get in line as soon as possible. I've heard the movie is loosely based on South Africa's Apartheid. It definitely draws parallels and is probably the most likely case but I'm not 100% sure.
Anyway, I give this movie an A for sure.
Please everybody see this.
Best song of the movie: This movie is very engaging...I didn't pay a lick of attention to music at all.

Suggestions welcome.
362 to go.

Poor Fake-Charlyne Yi's little Paper Heart =[[[

I thought those robot emoticons were appropriate...
Remember when they were emoticons haha? Instead of smiliesss. God, we're gay.
Anywhooo...I finally saw Paper Heart.
I wish I had just seen (500) Days of Summer. It was a pretty bland and boring day. I sat around...actually set up this blog haha. Then finally got ready enough to leave the house. Went out for pizza...then just came home and went to the movie. Thoughhh guess who got the first parking spot at the movie even though we were running kinda late???? :)))
Not me.
Haha just kidding it was me :)
You'd be suprised how much of a pick-me-up good parking karma can be you know?
So, the previews to Paper Heart look pretty decent. I got in a little late but caught one for Humpday which was ironic because just the other day I saw that it was playing at Valley Art on Mill so I'll probably make a point to go...I've never been to that theater. There was also a preview for a movie called Play the Game...I think it could potentially be kind of an awkward flick...but probably really funny too sooo I'm there!
Anyway, Paper Heart. What can I say? It was totally cute. Totally semi-artsy feeling but totally querky young infatuation. Exactly what was to be expected lol.
I'm definitely a fan of the two leading actors though. (Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera) They're both very talented without a doubt and not just as actors either. They both contributed the majority of the soundtrack as well. They did so well I literally looked up later whether or not Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera are or were a couple at any point haha. But I guess that was just the general idea of a movie. It was a fake documentary about fake Charlyne Yi who doesn't believe in love...played by guess who? Charlyne Yi. Fake Charlyne falls in love with fake Michael Cera played by real Michael Cera. Its enough to spark a bit of curiosity.
Its basically a series of interviews and conversations between fake-Yi and the other fake-producer who's name is escaping me at the moment. The most creative thing about this film, though, was that during these interviews, all the interviewee's stories are told with them as a voiceover while puppeteer-Charlyne brings the story to life with cardboard cutouts and cellophane, not unlike 4th grade diaramas and Science of Sleep. Anyway, as cheesy as it was, I thought it was creative and awesome and I'm jealous I didn't think of an idea like that. I must channel my inner-child I guess?
I did enjoy this movie but I also really think it lacked depth.
But the ending was wicked-awesome.
Best song of the movie: Magic Purfume by Charlyne Yi and Matt Davis

Suggestions are welcome.
363 to go.

But what does Julia Child have to do with me?

Ha...just kidding...nothing.
I frequently get advanced screening passes to upcoming movies from work...I had passes to see the new fake indie documentary about love as lived by fake Charlyne Yi with fake Michael Cera. The film looked perfectly darling with all its predictable little querks so I was quite looking forward to seeing it in advance and everything...free movie ya know?
But I had to work.
So I was planning on seeing it when it came out a few days later at my local little indie theater up the street.
But I missed it.
Something that could pose a problem with this task of mine -- I really have a horrible sense of time. No kidding. I'm late to everything. I get everywhere at least 5 to 10 minutes later than I should.
So in any event, I've seen quite a few movies currently in theaters...a lot of them multiple times. There are some I'm not the least bit interested in...ughh G.I. Joe guys? Really? So I was left with the oh-so-delightful looking Julie & Julia.
This film perfectly matched my expectations. It was basically just the preview stretched into two hours or however long it was. It was mildly clever, mildly enjoyable, and barely scraped the surface of a deep, intellectual film. Its nobody's fault that it wasn't like the film of the year..though for whatever reason that's how critics and moviegoers are treating it lol. Trust me, the movie itself is just mediocre.
The problem is the fact that this girl, Julie Powell, writing a blog about her completing 542 or something of Julia Child's recipes in a year and pretty much made a career out of it is such a fantastically awesome story...but like one to hear about as a featured story on Yahoo or as an exerpt in some magazine somewhere...I don't know how well it works out as an actual movie for me.
Though I will say the concept itself is pretty original. They set up a comparison between two very distant lives, separated not only by land and sea, but time as well. Their lives somehow still seem to coincide in a way that's more than Julie just reading a biography of a television cook.
Also, the acting in this film is phenominal. I think that it could be the sole reason people love this movie. I mean, watching Meryl Streep on screen feels like we're just watching Julia Child herself. She's absolutely magnificent. And Amy Adams never ceases to amaze me with her talent.
In reality though, I just don't really care a lot about Julia Child...I know some do but I just can't say I've been a true fan of hers. I wouldn't say I'm a "fan" of any television cooks? So this film just doesn't strike a chord with me. Kind of bland.
I was inspired after watching it, however, because in some ways I'm similar to the character...or person...that is Julie Powell. I decided that setting a deadline for myself just as she did is a perfect way to push myself to finally complete one single task from beginning to end. I've had at least 50 different totally-awesome things I've wanted to accomplish in like the last week...Ideas seem to come and go faster than I can stick to them ha.
As you might have guessed from earlier, I see a lotttt of movies...like really...
I own a good number of them...I rent a lot from Block Buster...and now I just signed up for the $16.99 or whatever plan through NetFlix. I took a cinema class at school last semester and am retaking it because it was so cool. Its kind of an addiction I think. Plus, I am basically the single lamest person my age out there I think. Its probably one of my top 5 favorite things to do to watch movies and pick them apart and analyze every little thing from dialogue in the story to camera angles and filters. I'm crazy. BUT it all did set up a pretty realistic goal for me...
Kudos to Julie Powell, I am now going to watch a movie a day for one year and blog about that day (and that movie) right here in hopes that its at least semi-interesting and you guys like reading it :)
And even if you don't, well I still hope to finish it and that will be accomplishment enough for me.
By the way...
Best song in the movie: Psycho Killer - Talking Heads

And please, any suggestions of movies for me to see just comment.
364 to go.