Drinking Buddies

Just a few days ago, I came across the trailer for a new movie called 'Drinking Buddies'. The trailer had everything I loved, and so, last night, instead of waiting for it, I actually put forth the $10 and downloaded through iTunes.

Here, before we go any further, is the trailer:



Alright, so... the movie. I liked it. a lot. It follows in the same vain as a lot of Magnolia Produced pictures, in that it has a very REAL vibe. You know these people, or maybe you ARE one of these people. This is why I like Magnolia films. They are Real, they are Awkward, they can make you bored or uncomfortable at times, because SHIT, You've done that and its not ended well, or you thought about that, or you watched your friend go through that, etc. This one is no different.

The chemistry between the two main characters of Kate and Luke is very real. Very playful. The situation they are living in is also one you see around you a good deal (or maybe I do? I guess not everyone lives this sorta life...). Overall, I just enjoyed the film, and the problems it was going though, and then, in one of the final scenes, it hit home.

The two main characters get into a fight, that I swear, I have almost had word for word. Were the circumstances different? Absolutely. Was the fight overall about something different? YES. But where some of the exact words and phrasing that were being said.... Let's just say, did I feel like I was being directly quoted? YES. how did it make me feel? wretched. Here's why: Have you ever had to take a communications class in college, and when giving your speech, you are filmed? The purpose being that later you will go back and watch that film of yourself and have a whole new outlook on how you present yourself. It's pretty shocking. (at least it was for me... My voice is high! I have a lisp! I fidget constantly! I gesture with my hands ALL THE TIME, etc). you notice things that ultimately, when inside your own head, you just overlook about yourself.

Without giving spoilers I will set the scene up a bit: Luke (the main male character played by Jake Johnson) is helping his BFF Kate (Played by Olivia Wilde) move from one apartment to another. A few bad circumstances come upon them (which up until this moment everything had been fun! Lighthearted!) and you get to see how each in turn reacts. I immediately had problems with how Kate was reacting. Now, did she react wrong? no. She didn't. I think overall though, it hit me so wrong because I saw shades of myself. And then, the conversation (fight) that ensues near the end of this long scene...solidified my feelings of disliking her behavior, coupled with the fact that I HAVE DONE THE EXACT THING. That is something that is hard to swallow. Even as I write this, I want to defend her behavior, and mine in turn. And of course there are parts of me that know the underlying reasons for the behavior ARE justified. But, if i am to be honest with myself, the actions that are taken to justify that behavior are ridiculous. And so, I am writing this.

have you even watched a movie and seen something you did (even if so small) that made you rethink your own behavior?

Shares: It just felt right...

Slackers in one of my favorite movies, and sometimes this song just makes me happy.

Revisiting: Paper Heart, A Review.

I originally posted the poster and trailer for Paper Heart, starring Michael Cera and Charlyne Yi back in August as a movie I was excited/looking forward to seeing. Well kids, I finally got it on netflix about a 2 weeks ago and I am happy to say it was all I hoped it would be!

I don't know what I liked best about it...I loved the incorporation of the vinigettes of Charlyne Yi with her homemade puppets and action sequences. Just so simple, yet orginal. I loved Charlyne Yi for herself...she was awkward, and great, and in no way your typical leading lady. I have always, and will always, love Michael Cera, no matter how awkward he is or isn't in real life.

Was this movie totally fabricated? maybe. Did Michael and Charlyne really date (for 3 years as rumor has it) in real life, then break up just last year around the time the movie came out? *shrugs*. Those are all fun things to think about, and add to it, but no matter what, if youwatch the movie, and simply take it for what it tries to give you, it is highly enjoyable.

I say this knowing that there are a lot of people...and I can assume A LOT, that probably dislike this movie, find it boring, or find it just plain bad. Once again, nothing I can do about that, but keep watching it myself, and loving it each time.

A review from a user on IMDB:

"As jaded moviegoers obsess over the staginess of Charlyne Yi's encounters with Michael Cera- and no doubt about it, the scenes between the two twenty-something actors are probably closer to Mike Leigh territory(read: Yi and Cera probably created their filmic selves in a workshop) than it is to a proper documentary(or even reality television)- they'll overlook the fact that the budding lovers have chemistry, an elusive component missing from most contemporary romantic comedies. Yi's moonstruck dorkiness is a perfect match for Cera's suave dorkiness. On their first date, Yi's modifications to her BLT(she holds the B) offhandedly recalls Sally Albright's own culinary idiosyncrasies in Nora Ephron's "When Harry Met Sally"(where the high maintenance woman played by Meg Ryan customizes all her means with something "on the side"). Like the 1989 film, we see old couples telling the story of how they met. Donning anti-Lisa Loeb glasses and some downright frumpy outfits, Yi is anything but high maintenance, aggressively so when the filmmaker can't sway his subject towards the hygienic advantages of a daily shower. Far from being a polished interviewer, Yi somehow manages to record some charming stories that proves love's existence. The conceit behind "Paper Heart" is if the performance artist can find some of her very own. Is Cera the one? The former star of the defunct NBC sitcom "Arrested Development" matches Yi's quirkiness(his riff on Mexican Beach Salad gets laughs) and raises it, with an action that renders the reality/fantasy binary moot. Yi, playing a naive version of herself, projects vulnerability effortlessly, and this naivety is put through the wringer, as Cera abruptly leaves the table and walks out of the eatery. The moviegoer feels what Yi feels; complete utter shock, and discomfort, because moviegoers think they know Cera, who transmits kindness and decency in all of his roles that stems from his self-deprecating charisma. The departure feels real; Michael Cera feels real, because he finally plays another note, a dissonant note that counters his stylized persona of serial affability. Maybe, just maybe, Cera had revealed something about himself that he never intended the public to see: he's a Hollywood phony just like all the rest. Meanwhile, back at the table, Yi, a girl who passes herself off as one of the guys, thinks she gets the joke, and waits for Cera to return; she waits for the punchline, and waits and waits and waits. The moviegoers hold his breath for her, even though he's quite certain that the whole premise was planned. Yi somehow cuts through the artifice of the mockumentary, and makes the scene work on the level of romantic comedy. Her naif and waif shtick is convincing. The moviegoer loves her. Time and time again, Yi's natural charm tests the compartmentalizing of the movie's fiction and non-fiction elements, because her sunny projection of arrested development is unwavering in both arenas. Yi doesn't have a journalistic voice, a serious voice that insinuates a formalism upon the interview format when she's probing Americans about love. She turns journalism into a naive craft. The same "character" who spontaneously(we think) accepts a ride from some reminsicing biker she interviews at a geezer hangout, looks and sounds identical to the young woman who waits with bated breath for her date to alleviate her from abandonment anxiety. Only Cera, perhaps, could get away with playing such a mean trick, as he effortlessly ingratiates himself into Yi's good graces(and ours) by explaining his extended disappearance without being the least bit facetious. He smiles, but it's a sheepish smile; his get out of jail free card.

If Woody Allen wanted to remake "Annie Hall", these two actors would be perfect for the job. "Paper Heart" gets away with a lot. Homemade dioramas are pretty damn twee, but man, those low-rent creations sure are a welcome antidote to the industry's relentless use of CGI effects. Even the twee song works, because the person who sings "You Smell Like Christmas To Me" will capture your paper heart, if you let her."

...And while speaking of Michael Cera, I wanted to go ahead and add this in, because it is GRAND:

And yet, Another Reason I Will Always be on the Michael Cera Bandwagon

Shares: I Need to Watch More Classics.

I decided to mark down movie I think everyone should see. This are my all time favorite movies. What conclusion did I reach after making this list? I either a) am not impressed by, or need to watch more, classics. 21 of the movies were made since 2000, and only 1 being made before 1990. yeah...

I had a nice little explanation for why I loved each movie, plus a favorite moment or quote...but then I figured, how but you just watch them and form your own opinions.

A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004)

American Beauty (1999)

Benny and Joon (1993)
Chasing Amy (1997)

Cidade de Deus [City Of God] (2002) 
Closer (2004)

Crash (2004)
Dangerous lives of Altar Boys (2002)

Death Becomes Her (1992)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Fargo (1996)
Garden State (2004)

Gattaca (1997)
Good Will Hunting (1997)

Half Nelson (2006)
 Hard Candy (2005)

Igby Goes Down (2002)
Into the Wild (2007)

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Diarios de Motocicleta (Motorcycle Diaries) (2004)
My Girl (1991)

My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)
Newsies (1992)

Once (2006)
Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Slackers (2002)
The Fountain (2006)

The Last King of Scotland (2006)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

The Way We Were (1973)
 Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Waiting for Guffman (1996)
Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape  (1993)

Ramblings: A Review, If You Will.

Okay, so I am going to revisit a little post I wrote a bit back, found (here). Now, I guess you can't really say I 'wrote' a post, b/c all I did was slap two movie posters up, and exclaim that I was excited in the heading, eh...

Anyway, for sake of story, and blog entry, I am revisiting that 'written' entry to review the two movies I have now seen. Why? Because it is a classic Katie movie to over-hype and get WAY too excited about movies, only to have them terribly let her down. terribly.

So first, Where the Wild Things Are. I will start by saying, I liked it. Really. I think a lot of people didn't, I know some of the people I personally went with were pissed off at the movie,and the characters, but I did actually like it. Now with that said, I liked it for all different reasons than I thought I would, and I seperated it from my childhood love. I thought it was pretty....Spike Jonze did not dissapoint there. I did not like a good bit of the fast moving camera work, i think it was dizzying, and distracting, but the lands and the images were brillant.

I did not like the use of Karen O for soundtrack. I think it was unfair to so brilliantly meld together Arcade Fire and the movie in the trailers, and then stick us with Karen O for the movie. It left me wanting more...definately lacking.

The biggest complaint you hear is that the movie was sad. Yes, it was. But that doesnt mean it wasnt good! It was sad. But  thought the characters were well played, and developed. and yes, I wanted to yell at them like a parent at times to 'stop it!' i think that means it was all so well done, impressive even. I liked it. I was sad with them, frustrated with them, happy with them. Isn't that what a movie is supposed to be?

Now for Away We Go. I was a bit disppointed with this movie. and at the same time, I wasn't. I don't know what I expected of it...John Krasanski was super loveable, and possed wonderful traits, that I found extremely likeable and realistic. (I even called my friend Daniel to tell him that the character reminded me of all the best traits that Danny possess. true story.) Mya Rudolph did great too, very believeable, you could see the lvoe, etc. The side characters were all pretty extremeist...which may have been the flaw. They made the couple seem too normal, and hey they were and weren't. But those other people...yeah they might have seemed kinda douche like, but you have to remember they are normal too. I dunno. I didn't like how polarized it was.

...okay, just thought I should revisit that. done and done. (ps. still havent seen this. still excited.)

Ramblings: This is heavy.

I think someone should go as Marty McFly for Halloween.

Shares: She made 'The Good Girl'. Sometimes I need to revisit that fact.

Cheryl: Sit right down here, ma'am. We're going to make you pretty. Now how do you like your hair?

Big Haired Woman: What? Are you going to do my hair?

Cheryl: No, I just need to know if that's your usual way of wearing it, all big and high. If it is, I'll just put more makeup on your chin to offset it. You're going to want to take a whole bottle of this home with you. It's got quite a lot of ingredients in it, so you're getting a good deal. It's got ginkgo extract in it. Do you know what that is?

Big Haired Woman: No.

Cheryl: It's extract of the ginkgo, and it makes your skin real slick so that any liquid will roll right off you, be it water, or lemon juice, or urine. I'll put it in a bag for you.

Cheryl: The first rule of fashion is you have to look weird. What I'm doing has come straight here from France.

Old Woman: Oh?

Cheryl: It's called Cirque du Face, meaning "Circus of the Face", and it's all the rage with the Frenchies, ma'am.

                                                Old Woman: Well, you're the professional.

Manic Pixie Dream Girls

...Or how I am about a year behind the times in this revelation.

Even NPR is in on this whole discussion.

And what about this discussion catches my eye? There are multiple things. Most of the articles you read are about how females hate this MPDG. But, as much as i raed their words and understand their point, I know deep down their hate stems from another place they cannot accept: They want to be her. At least, that is what I assume. Honestly, for as many times as I have heard the guys fell in love with Natalie Portman in Garden State, I just as much watched that movie and fell in love with her. Zach Braff held nothing for me...in Natalie I saw everything I wanted to fall in love with, and at that time, everything I wanted to be. Does this still apply? No. But I don't feel the need to knock it now that I have matured.

...I dunno. This one (discussion) hits, in such a weird way, close to home. *shrugs*

Shares: Yet another I want to see...

Shares: No Impact Man

“What if we called it ‘the year I lost 20 pounds without ever going to the gym once? Or the year we didn’t watch tv and we became much better parents as a result? Or the year we ate locally and seasonally and it ended up reversing my wife’s pre-diabetic condition?”

No Impact Man looks interesting. Then again, I love documentaries. There is also a article in The Times from 2007 about his and his familes journey.

Shares: Excited!