I just have to laugh every time the movie trailer for Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants comes on. You know that chick flick about four 17 year old girlfriends who all go away for the summer to different places but they make a pact to ship this one pair of really cool jeans to one another for good luck. The magic jeans just so happen to fit them all perfectly despite the fact that they are all different shapes and sizes; one of them is a size 2 and the other is a size 10. Then simply by wearing the jeans, major life affirming events ensue.

“They’re not just jeans, they make things happen,” quips Bridget..

I think I need some magic pants in my life. A pair of really kick ass jeans that every time I slip my ass into them something really awesome happens.

The closest I ever came was a pair of Levi’s 501 blues in 1994.

Posted by Lori in Movies at 10:30 PM permalink Comments (2)

Reader Larry H. asked “How do you define a chick flick? Must it have a happy ending?”

Here is Wikipedia’s definition:

Chick flick (also "chick's flick") is slang for a film designed to appeal to a female target audience. The term was first used in the 1980s decade during which such chick flicks as Beaches were released. Although many types of films may be directed toward the female gender, "chick flick" is typically used only in reference to films with heavily emotion or themes that are relationship-based.

To answer Larry’s question I would say any film that’s sole purpose is to really get the estrogen pumping could be considered a chick flick. And no it doesn’t necessarily always imply a happy ending. It should be noted that the chick flick is most effective when accompanied by PMS and a big tub of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream..

For me personally I have a set of rules for my chick flick consumption. And there are certain films I can watch over and over and never get tired of but then there are others that I have to wait and not watch for a couple years. Mainly because I’ve seen them so many times and know every scene and line. When Harry Met Sally would fall into this category.

Rule #1 – nothing that involves Hugh Grant or Tom Cruise.

Okay those are really the only rules. I am flexible with the rest.

I like the real meaty love stories that are layered over rich and colorful sub plots. Think, the Notebook.

I gravitate towards the intense epic war period relationship dramas too like the English Patient.

I am not necessarily all about the relationships plots between men and women either. I enjoy the chick flicks that explore all kinds of relationships; between best friends (Thelma and Louise) Siblings (The Color Purple) Parents and Children (What a Girl Wants). Even showbiz Biopics like What's Love Got to Do With It? and the Jazz Singer. which, if you've never seen before and are any sort of Neil Diamond fan, you really should. Here's why: Love on the Rocks, baby.....Love on the Rocks.

Maybe the best chick flicks of all are the ones that explore the relationships we have with ourselves and work towards resolving some sort of inner conflict, goal or passion:

Bridget Jones's Diary
Whale Rider
Bend It Like Beckham
The Secret of Roan Inish

I am also a big fan of films based on the works of great authors:

Sense and Sensibility
Romeo and Juliet
Much Ado About Nothing
Shakespeare in Love
Henry and June

And of course there are the classics which I usually reserve for a great rainy or snowy day. I tend to crave these in the winter time curled up under a fluffy blanket:

An Affair to Remember
The Way We Were
The Sound of Music
Wuthering Heights
Love Story

Here are just a few of my other uncategorized favorites:

Now and Then
Love Actually
Thorn Birds
Steal Magnolias
Practical Magic
Say Anything
Sleepless in Seattle
Out of Africa
Bridges of Madison County
Sophie’s Choice
Double Jeopardy
Legally Blonde
50 First Dates
Circle of Friends
Urban Cowboy
The Big Chill

What are some of your favorite chick flicks?

Posted by Lori in Movies at 10:46 PM permalink Comments (5)

So I finally saw the Sex and the City movie tonight….I know I know I’ve been a bit behind on the times lately. I won’t put my movie review rundown out here on the main page as a spoiler in case there others [gasp] who still haven’t seen it.
But for those of you who did, what did you think? We can comment in the comments….

Did you laugh? Did you cry? Did you think it was too predictable? Did you think it held true to the series? Favorite parts? Could have done withouts? Fashion Faux pas?

Posted by Lori in Movies at 11:45 PM permalink Comments (2)

What was completely different this year for me is that I hadn’t seen any of the nominated films going in. Usually I’ve seen them all come February but for some reason this year, I slacked. In a way it was good because I had no preconceived notions. No one picture or actor I was pulling for so I could sit back and relax.

So this is a day late because I slacked again but since the Oscar buzz is still running rampant, here is my run down.

Red Carpet
The first thing I saw when I tuned into the red carpet arrivals was a seemingly drunk or stoned Gary Busey messing with Ryan Seacrest during an interview with Jennifer Garner. Ryan was scared and tried ignoring Busey but he kept coming back eventually lunging at Jennifer Garner and then kissing her neck! Imagine?

Oh Buddy Holly! Why?

It was almost worth it though to see Seacrest squirm. He thought he was gonna get his ass kicked.

Biggest Shocker
George Clooney brings a date! This is a girl who was a Vegas bartender last year and I think she appeared on an episode of Fear Factor a few years back. In her 15 minutes of fame she ate bugs. Cut to, now she is arm candy at the Academy Awards of the sexiest man alive. Not bad. Not bad at all. What I like about his girl is she is a natural beauty. And by natural I mean she appears to have smaller sized non-enhanced breasts. Breasts that are not bulbous or spilling out of her gown, but au natural. Kind of rare in Hollywood these days. Yay for George.

Sexiest Man
Some of you may scoff at this but my vote for Sexiest Man goes to Colin Farrell. What can I say…I like my bad boys a little bit rough around the edges.
Sigh…………

Biggest Trends
Red Gowns – they were everywhere!
Babies – Belly bumps on Nicole, Jessica, Cate, and more..
Feathers – Penelope Cruz, Jessica Alba, and Hillary Swank all had oddly placed plumage adorning their chests. Not sure why…
Lack of hair extensions – I gotta say it was refreshing to see the majority of women on the red carpet this year embracing their natural locks.
Botox – the same cannot be said however of embracing ones natural skin texture…. The only forehead wrinkle and furrowed brow I spotted in the near 4 hour program was on the 90 year old gent who won the lifetime achievement award. It really does seem to be a miracle drug of our time, as Vanessa Williams stated in her pre-oscar Barbara Walters interview.

Random
Does anyone know why Hanna Montana was there? I mean Miley Cyrus, the girl is everywhere. Does she really need to be at the Academy Awards too? I felt she was a bit out of place but I will give her this -- when it came time for her to read the nominations for the category she presented, despite a lot of tongue twisters she nailed her cue cards where other more seasoned actresses struggled fumbling with lines, sorry Cameron.

Best Dressed
There was no one gown that struck me this year. I liked Rene Zellweger’s silver sparkly Carolina Herrera but since she ALWAYS wears Carolina I couldn’t get too crazy about it. I’m not a big fan of Katherine Heigl but I did like her tomato red one strap shoulder number. Likewise not a big Cameron fan but I thought her pink frock was frilly and feminine, not too overdone. Honorable mention to Amy Adams dark green gown. I loved the color on her but didn’t care for the cut of the dress itself.

Worst Dressed
Had to be Tilda whatever her name was ....who I’d never heard of before last night. This was not a dress. This was a hefty bag.

Jennifer Hudson’s Grecian gone wrong ensemble was a close runner up for me for worst dressed.

Host
Inside, it was Jon Stewart hosting. He did okay for the most part. Kept it on track, didn’t launch into any of his own political agenda rhetoric and didn’t"go there" with any truly distasteful jokes.
His best line of the night for me was when he announced that Dennis Hopper was in the audience and told him not to worry that he would keep reminding him “he was here” throughout the night. Hahahahaaha
I’m a Hopper fan so I got a chuckle out of that. Not bad all in all, but I still miss Billy Crystal’s opening musical montages. The Oscars just aren’t the Oscars without them for me!

Best Song
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, who won Best Original Song for "Falling Slowly" from their Indie film "Once” a Sundance hit made on handy cams for 100k. "Once" tells the story of two unnamed musicians who fall in love through song. The song was really touching and sweet.
Oh heck, see it for yourself.
And as an added bonus you get to see Colin Farrell introducing the pair:

Jon Stewart also won points with me when Irglova’s speech was cut off by the conductors so after commercial he brought her back on stage and made sure she got the moment she deserved.

Memorable Moments
The right side of the stage had some sort of slippery action on the floor, Colin Farrell, John Travolta, and a few others slid into the podium.

The movie moment montages were cool and the “In Memoriam” is always so sad and surreal. I wish they held Heath Ledger’s frame a little longer but I heard there was a special tribute to him that took place but was not recorded as part of the show.

Class Acts
Helen Mirren. What can you say about Helen Mirren? She is one classy dame. I love her in everything from Green fingers to Gosford Park. A true lady. Beautiful inside and out. You can just see it because it emanates from her in her speech and swagger. Her poise, grace, and humor.. Aside from all this she just seems like a really cool person. Like I would love to go to her house in England, walk around her gardens and just sit and talk with her while drinking tea and eating crumpets in the afternoon.

Daniel Day Lewis. LOVE him. I’ve been a fan since My Left Foot, Age of the Innocence, and In the Name of the Father. In all of his acceptance speeches he always comes across as so humble, so shy, so mild but intense at the same time, a little bit sad but always considerate with the soul of a poet. It was just last month when he dedicated his Golden Globe to Heath Ledger and used his speech to honor him.
Apart from him winning, in one of my favorite moments of the evening I thought it was so appropriate that Helen Mirren presented him the Best Actor award and as he came up onto the stage he “bowed” to the queen.

Perfect.

"It seems to me like this sprang like a sapling out of the mad, beautiful head of Paul Thomas Anderson," he said, thanking the film's writer/director. "My deepest thanks to the Academy for whacking me with the handsomest bludgeon in town."

See? Poet.

I like poets.

Speaking of writing, the Best Screenplay categories are the ones I always stay awake for! This is the one I always dream of winning one day. This year’s best adapted went to the Cohen brothers. Who can compete with them? They deserve it. But it was newcomer Diablo Cody who won the coup de grace taking home Best Original Screenplay for writing Juno. If you didn’t know Diablo is a former stripper and blogger . . Which kind of gives me hope. Not the stripper part. I hated her dress but I loved the last thing she said in her acceptance speech, “I want to thank my family for loving me exactly the way I am.”

All in all a pretty good show this year. On my list of DVD rentals in the near future:

Juno
There will be blood
Michael Clayton
Enchanted
Once

Posted by Lori in Movies at 10:46 PM permalink Comments (1)

I’ve been really bad this year about seeing films – I confess I’ve only seen two of the movies that are nominated for the Best Picture Academy award. It won’t make the viewing any less exciting for me though. I love Oscar. I dream of Oscar, always have. I love the gowns, the hair, the make up, the jewels, the speeches, the tributes, the lifetime achievement awards and the crème de la crème’ -- staying up late to see who the big winners are. Yes it’s true that some of the 4 hour show can be painful. That’s because the best part is the first hour and last hour. The supporting actors are announced within the first hour after Ellen’s intro but the biggies, the Best Screenwriter, Best Actors, Director, and Best Picture isn't until the last hour. Everything in between is costumes, cinematography, foreign films, documentaries, shorts, musicals. A pure unadulterated cinegasmic film fest. I love it all. Rooting for my favorites and getting pissed off when the wrong person wins.

Last night I saw "Little Miss Sunshine", a quaint, humorous tale of a little girl named Olive (Abigail Breslin) and her crazily eccentric family who embark on a road trip in a broken down VW Bus [the bus is almost a character in and of itself] from Albuquerque to California to take Olive to a beauty pageant. I won’t say much more for anyone who hasn’t seen it. But the film is cute with noteworthy performances and lots of laughs, if you can appreciate dark humor like me. Breslin was adorable and endearing but I don’t think her performance was worthy of taking the Oscar away from Jennifer Hudson or Cate Blanchette. My money is on Jennifer because Cate has already won and the academy loves the underdog and new comers for this category. For me, it was Steve Carell of "the Office" fame who stole the scenes and Paul Dano, who played Olive’s tormented Nietzsche-inspired brother, Dwayne who has taken a vow of silence which helps him deal with his quirky family. The film has also been nominated for Best Picture. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if it snuck up from behind as the long shot to steal the award, the same way it sneaks up and steals your heart.

Today, in preparation for the awards, I watched the “The Departed”, I’m glad I got to see it before the show. Martin Scorsese, who has been making films for the last forty years has, if you can even believe it, never won an Oscar. The Academy Award has somehow always eluded him. He was nominated six times for such tour de forces as "Raging Bull," "The Last Temptation of Christ," "GoodFellas," "Gangs of New York" and "The Aviator," as well as several writing nominations but no win. And yet he continues to churn our these cinematic masterpieces one after another, like butter. I have a feeling this is his year. For a guy who makes such violent films, he’s such a humble gentle soft spoken soul. I might cry when he wins. I hope I do because I’m in need of a good cry.

The film opens “Some time ago” in Boston with Jack Nicholson in the foreground cloaked in mystery behind a black shadowy light. You don’t know it’s him except for his unmistakably recognizable voice but in this distinct Bostonian accent that makes him almost unrecognizable.

“I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me. Years ago we had the church. That was only a way of saying - we had each other. The Knights of Columbus were real head-breakers; true guineas. They took over their piece of the city. Twenty years after an Irishman couldn't get a fucking job, we had the presidency. May he rest in peace. If I got one thing against the black chappies, it's this - no one gives it to you. You have to take it.”

Segue into Rolling Stones, “It’s Just a Shout Away” and then we are introduced to the lead characters played by Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio as young cadets being inducted as State police detectives but end up on opposing sides of the law. From there it’s a bloody, gritty complex roller coller ride of rising in the ranks, betrayal, corruption and the Irish Mafia with Jack as the boss taking them under his criminal wing.

“You know what Freud said about the Irish, they’re the only people who were impervious to physco analysis.”

Fucking brilliant.

Here’s to you Marty.

Posted by Lori in Movies at 07:08 PM permalink

After one too many viewings of the Wedding Crashers on demand, I’ve come to a couple conclusions:

1) Vince Vaughn is still hot. I’ve been a fan ever since Swingers . Who cares if he still plays to the same old fast-talking one liner guy shticks. There's nothing wrong with letting a girl know you're money and you want to party.

2) Contrary to popular consensus, I don’t think the “football scene” in Wedding Crashers is the funniest. By far, I think it has to be the scene at the dinner table segued into tummy sticks.

3) Owen Wilson bears a strikingly freakish and uncanny resemblance to Ellen. They should definately do a movie together.

Posted by Lori in Movies at 12:37 AM permalink Comments (3) | TrackBack (0) |

"And lo, the beast looked upon the face of beauty. And it stayed its hand from killing. And from that day, it was as one dead."

----

I am sitting in a darkened theatre, my heart is gently pounding and I’m nervously scribbling down notes. I want to capture the moment, the feelings, the anticipation of waiting to meet the man I’ve been dreaming about for the last twenty years. The room is about to go completely dark and there are so many questions zooming through my head. What will the Aborigines look like? Will the story stay true to the first or second? The effects, what will he look like? How will Naomi Watts play Ann Darrow?

The film opens in Depression era New York. There is a hungry man holding a Pug in the opening scene. I’m already hooked and anxious to meet the big guy. But we have to wait, quite a while. Peter Jackson spends the first 70 minutes introducing us to the human characters, laying foundation for later scenes.

We meet Ann, a starving vaudeville actress who has just lost her job. She soon crosses paths with Jack Black who for me was the biggest surprise of the film. I admit I went in skeptical about how such a dry comedian could play the role of a larger than life obsessed filmmaker. But within 2 minutes after he takes to the screen I found myself wondering who else could have possibly played Carl Denham any better. He was devilishly funny but wickedly evil, making you love and hate him all at once.

I felt Adrian Brody was oddly cast as Ann's love interest. Their romance was lackluster never really going anywhere. You wanted her to be with the ape and forget about him. To the point when he shows up to rescue her while she is sleeping cozily in Kong’s hand, in what I felt was one of the most touching and poignant moments of the film, you actually resent him for being there to break up their love nest. At least, I did...

There was an awesome dinosaur sequence that seemed to last a good 30 minutes and leads into the above mentioned pivotal scene of the movie. The effects were amazing, the script was clever, witty, and heart wrenching. Kong looked exactly the way he did in my head. His body was more gorilla-like than his predecessors, but his face was more expressively human than any other cinematic monster to date. It was as if Peter Jackson jumped inside of my head while I was sleeping and took a snapshot of the Kong of my dreams.

But the heart of the 3 hour film and the scenes I longed for were those between Ann and Kong. It’s essentially a love story about Ann Darrow, a woman who’s been alone and struggling for practically her whole life. She is tough but soft at the same time. She is cursed believing that anything she loves she will lose. When she meets Kong and he takes her from the altar, Ann thinks she is a goner like all the native women. But there is something different about her. Kong flails her around debating on whether to eat her or kill her. But she stands up to him, entertains him.

It’s not Ann's physical beauty that he’s taken with but her heart that he somehow comes to feel and know his own heart through hers. He’s this absurdly powerful beast, King of an unknown prehistoric land where he lays waste to V-Rex's and is feared above all others. But he’s terribly lonely, having gone without companionship for years and then he meets Ann who is desperately lonely too, only in a different way. And somehow the two beings form a connection amid a beautiful scene on Skull Island when the sun is setting. It is beyond what I imagined it would be. My mind, heart, and senses were reeling along with the film...

Of course this is right about when I start thinking that I know how it’s going to end and I’m already dreading it. Peter Jackson makes you fall in Love and then just when he gets you there he breaks your heart into tiny pieces. I spent the last 20 minutes of the movie with tears streaming down my face. And before you go thinking it was just me being the Kong freak that I am -- In the row behind me sat 4 teenage boys and I swear I heard them sniffling too. Then they tried to cover up their emotions with laughter and some insensitive remarks, as boys tend to do....Of course it didn’t help matters for me that Kong had a giant Pug nose and the most soulful expressive eyes ever seen on film.

You know the rest. Kong is ripped from his mysterious homeland, taken from the indigenous people who thought he was their a God. Drugged, chained, made a mockery of. Bi Planes. An incredibly touching scene in Central Park that I won't ruin for you...and then of course the Empire State building. When it was over I was wrecked, ruined. I knew I didn’t have the heart to see that big guy destroyed. It made me leave the theatre feeling emotionally drawn. It made me want to be a filmmaker, and it made me wish I had a big hairy ape of my own.

**** 4 Stars ****

Posted by Lori in Movies at 09:57 PM permalink Comments (4)

This weekend I set out to do some Christmas shopping. Familiar songs played on the radio, Sleigh ride, Frosty, All I want for Christmas. I started out like gangbusters in my green scarf and Fair Isle mittens. But I only made it to one store. The lines, crowds, and general commercialism zapped the enthusiasm and pre-holiday spirit right out of me. And I was done. The practical part of me said to press on, do it now don’t wait until the last minute like every other year. But the rebellious part was in denial. What is this? It’s not even Thanksgiving yet and Christmas decorations have been in the mall since before Halloween. I didn’t feel like buying into it, I’ve decided to do my holiday shopping online this year.

Instead I took myself to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Where, much to my delight in a standing room only matinee, I was comfortably seated between two Hot single Dads. There was one to my left and one to my right. During previews I got to see the big screen King Kong trailer. It's going to be awesome - only 23 more days.

I won’t say too much about the fourth installment of the Harry Potter films in case you haven’t seen it yet -- but to say I liked it. Not as much as the first, more than the second and third. It was darker and less cute. I laughed a lot, but am not sure if it was the movie making me giddy or the fact that I was a Lori sandwich for 2.5 hours. Good times.

There was romance and one death. Near the beginning there was a very cool Quidditch World Cup tourney in a galactic stadium that looked to be the size of 50 football fields. There were dragons, phantoms, death eaters, a Yule Ball, and Triwizard Tournament. So much better than shopping.

Favorite line from the movie by Albus Dumbledore:

"Dark and difficult times lie ahead, soon we all must choose between what is right and what is easy”

Posted by Lori in Movies at 07:38 AM permalink Comments (2)

I just finished watching the last ½ hour of My Dog Skip and I’m a total wreck. It’s the story about a shy boy, an only child who is bullied by the other boys and stinks at sports. Willie grows up in 1940s Yazoo, Mississippi. With the help of his beloved dog Skip, Willie builds a friendship with the prettiest girl in school Rivers Applewhite, his father lets him join Little League, and he makes friends with the bullies. Skip is quite the character too; everyone in town knows him and loves him. Every morning he runs down to the local butcher shop for a slice of bologna.

Why do I do it to myself? This movie sleighs me every time but it’s got so much heart that I can’t look away. Plus, the lead dog actor is played by “Moose” whose other film credits include Eddie in Frazier. Moose is one of Pugsley’s favorite 4-legged actors.

Now, I’m fumbling room to room grabbing for tissues and holding onto Pugsley as tight as I can. I knew it would kill me when Willie is playing baseball and Skip runs out onto the field to try to help. Willie yells at him to go home and then in a rage he hits Skip. Skip runs away and gets trapped in a cemetery tomb by the evil moonshine bootleggers. Willie and Dink rescue Skip just in time, then the small town rallies around at the vet’s office waiting for word if Skip will live or die. Willies Mother asks, "Do you want me to go in with you?" His father, played stoically by Kevin Bacon says, "No, this is something he’s got to do on his own". The vet scene is where I start to lose it. There Skip is, lying stretched out on the hospital gurney, half covered with a blanket. Willie comes in and starts balling, telling Skip all the reasons why he can’t die. I’m blubbering now. After some time and Willie keeping vigil at his bedside, Skip gently lifts his head up off the table and starts licking Willie's face. Then my tears of sadness become tears of joy. But not for long…..

Willie grows up and goes off to college. In his last scene as a boy with Skip, an adult Willie is now narrating with voice overlay, “Why in childhood and youth do we wish time to pass so quickly - we want to grow up so fast - yet as adults we wish just the opposite?” Willie gets on the train leaving Skip behind.

Willie as an old man is now narrating. “Skip was 11 and feeble with arthritis” (I start thinking about Pugsley, he is 11 and is becoming arthritic). Skip lives out his remaining days in Willie’s room, hanging out on his bed that he can’t climb up onto anymore, Willies father has to lift him up. With very sad close ups of a forlorn, pining Skip, narrator Willie tells of how he received a transatlantic telegram from his mother saying Skip died. She wrapped him in his old baseball jacket and buried him under the Elm tree in the front yard. “But that wasn’t true”, Older Willie says, “For Skip was really buried in my heart. Forever.” OMG. Where’s the Kleenex.

Posted by Lori in Movies at 12:04 PM permalink Comments (3)

My well-documented Obsession with Monkeys and especially with King Kong, has taken an even more fanatical turn since I found out that Peter Jackson of LOTR fame, is currently producing the New King Kong to be released December 2005. Oh, HOW will I be able to wait that long? Well, Mr. Jackson's Official "Kong is King" site should help to quell my excitement and anticipation. The site is complete with daily video production diaries (Quicktime is needed), interviews with the stars Adrian Brody, Jack Black, and Naomi Watts (LOVE HER), and PJ himself! I will also be adding a "Countdown to Kong" ticker to <------ my left sidebar. I cannot think of any other filmmaker I would rather have remake King Kong. I can hardly contain myself for this one :)

Posted by Lori in Movies at 12:44 PM permalink Comments (1)