Cult Favorite: Office Space

How is it possible that there are still people out there who don’t know about the humor that is the masterpiece Office Space? It doesn’t SEEM possible but apparently it IS as I just had the chance to initiate someone into the gloriousness of this movie. There are so many funny moments in it, it’s not really describable.

If you haven’t seen it in a while, maybe it’s time for a rewatch. And if you’ve never seen it…it’s available on DVD and it’s worth the money, slackers. GO.

Repeat Viewing: Miracle

So Glory Road reminded me how much I tend to love sports movies since I love a) sports and b) movies. It’s a win-win and Miracle is one of my all-time faves, and oh look they have it on iTunes. Perfect.

Looooove Kurt Russell in this. LOOOOOOVE Hockey. Love hockey fights. Love sassy boy (playing a boy) from Boston. Loooove some of the other “little” boy actors who have oddly (most of them anyway) appeared in almost nothing else of note. But they’re so good in this, why people haven’t been knocking on their doors offering them roles in sitcoms and romantic comedies, I have no idea. The only really recognizable one is Eddie Cahill who most of us know as “Tag” from Friends.

Honestly can’t think of anything I don’t like about this movie.

Repeat Viewing: Sweet Home Alabama

After Glory Road, my trip down Josh Lucas lane continued with a movie I have seen, oh, maybe three trillion four hundred fifty seven times (no I’m not kidding). So enjoyable. The small town vs. big town? The seven years without going home? So my life, dudes. Sadly without the whole “awesome dude who loves me in each place” bit of the story. Sadly.
Again, as with one of my other recent embarrassing admissions, rather than quoting from important “classics”, movies like this are the ones I quote all the time. You know, things like “You’ve done it, you should recognize the gesture.” or “Oh I missed you allright. But at this range, my aim is bound to improve.”

DVD: Glory Road

So after the fiasco that was Poseidon, apparently I was in the mood for some Josh Lucas as I suddenly found myself watching Glory Road. And bonus: “Bones” plays his wife!

Good movie, but super heavy on the issues, so somewhat hard to watch. But then again, with the underlying racism that is still going on in this country, maybe should be made to watch something like this every once in a while; a good reminder. I love sports movies, and I LOVE basketball (and I’m all about the civil rights, no?) so I am really this movie’s dream audience. Loved the performances of lots of the ballplayers, some of whom seemed familiar but even when I look at their IMDB resumes, nothing rings a bell.

Big Screen: Last King of Scotland

Very intense. Yes, Forest Whittaker is pretty amazingly awesome in this movie, BUT I did not consider him the main role and I really think he should have been nominated in Best Supporting. Sure, it’s a bit meatier than your average supporting part, agreed.

But in my opinion, the Scottish doctor dude played by James McAvoy is the lead role in this movie. He is the one who undergoes transformation, whose part brings about revelations to the audience, and whose emotions are the most apparent and meaningful. His reactions and realizations are what causes the plot to move in this movie. Whittaker’s character, while sometimes deceptive, is really the same through and through. If you know what I’m sayin.

One really really REALLY brutal scene, which at one point I couldn’t just partially close my eyes or peer through my fingers (my normal squeamish mode) but had my hand completely clamped over them. Horrible. Really not sure that needed to be shown on screen in quite that way. Wait, now I remember, there were TWO scenes I was really skeeved by. TWO. The first one being slightly less brutal because not an “active” scene, but more of a brutal tableaux. The second one being really horrific to watch.

Is it sad that my only real knowledge of historical moments like those of African dictators is through the movies? (This. “Hotel Rwanda”. I also love “The Interpreter” which I think almost everyone else hated.) This made me want to ponder all sorts of issues about colonialization, and poverty, and technology, and what kinds of brutal wars happen where and why, and the “rule of law” and how sometimes you think it doesn’t work but sometimes you think “wow it must work better than I think because look what happens when they don’t have that”. I think my random pondering really sort of annoyed my friend, who has actually spent time in Africa, and clearly knows much more about its history and civilization than I ever will. But then, that isn’t a place I really WANT to go so unlikely I ever will. Ah well.

Thought some of the smaller roles in this movie were really well played as well. Gillian Anderson = very poignant. Kerry Washington = intense and sensual.

The last “party” scene was very primal and intense; made you realize how often people TRY to do that but FAIL.

Definitely worth seeing.

p.s. scottish doctor dude = he was the faun in Narnia! and also a role in Wimbledon which I’ve only watched a zillion times so that must have been why he felt familiar to me.

Big Screen: Zodiac

Not just a murder mystery, but also a movie about how one person’s obsession (the comic turned detective) can take over their entire life. Some pretty scary moments. Some great and unexpected performances here: who knew Anthony Edwards was in this? He didn’t appear in any of the previews I saw. Mark Ruffalo = great. Robert Downey = great. Jake Gyllenhaal = pretty good. Chloe Sevigny = unexpectedly strong. Dermot Mulroney = wearing a fake stomach, no? Spans a long period of time (20 years?). Really enthralling. Great discussion topic afterward.

p.s. more unexpected appearances: the dude the wife was having an affair with on “Brothers” = a desk sergeant cop earlier on, a detective at the end. the “mouth” dude from One Tree Hill = the “young” version of the one surviving witness.

Cable: Into the Blue.

Honestly this movie was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Even suspenseful at times, at least to a scaredy cat like me. I’ve definitely seen worse!! Plus it’s total eye candy: Paul Walker = hot. Jessica Alba = hot. All swimsuits and open seas. What’s not to like?

Ah, for the salad days of living in flipflops, board shorts and tees. Someone find me a sugar daddy, pronto! I’m living the wrong life!

Big Screen: The Lives of Others

The German flick that won the foreign language Oscar.

Really, really good. About secrets and trust, and oppression and cohersion. About a sad lonely man who finds himself making unexpected decisions. About figuring out the game. When is one a pawn, and when is one the chess player?

Sad. And bleak, that deep grey institutional graffiti-ed bleakness that you may recall from old books or films you haven’t seen in a long time about that particular point in German/world history…

As my dad says frequently, “I miss the Cold War.”

Guilty Pleasure

So I caught the middle third of this movie on cable the other day and realized I hadn’t watched it in ages, so pulled out the DVD (yes, I own a DVD of it. so sue me.). Man, there are some really laughable things in this movie, but it is still totally fun to watch. And contains one of my favorite all-time movie quotes, although it will be memorable to no one but me I am sure and I can’t even explain why I love this line so much: “Why, you’re all charm and grace, boy.” I say this to people under my breath ALL THE TIME (and sometimes not so under my breath). I love the gruff old men conversations in this movie. Oh yeah, it’s The Presidio (only $10 on amazon! how can you pass this up?). See, I told you! Laughable. But totally a rewatch-at-any-moment (for a good time call) candidate.