Craigslist Joe

My friend invited me to go see her cousin's documentary called Craigslist Joe a couple weeks ago.  If you are looking for a good documentary to see, this is it.  I enjoyed every second of it.  This guy, Joe, attempts to survive solely on Craigslist and the kindness of strangers for exactly one month.  It's not only about the destination, but the journey as well.  Here is the trailer:

When I "Grow Up"

Confession - I've always said that when I "retire", I aspire to be an actor.  I want to be one of those crazy old lady actors in movies and commercials.  It wouldn't just be on-screen antics either.  Every single day, I aspire to go all out.  Think Zelda Kaplan (RIP) & Iris Apfel, Betty White & Cloris Leachman.

For some inspiration on the subject, check out Advanced Style.

Wanderlust

Thumbs up!

Although, thumbs down for the title.  Wanderlust by definition means to have a strong, innate desire to travel .  It's a trendy word and in this case, misused.  But I digress.

Anything with even a mini Wet Hot American Summer reunion will win me over.  I don't care if they sit around and for real debate politics, I'd watch them for hours and enjoy it.  But luckily, this was not the case in the movie.  There were sightings here and there of a former movie I love and therefore, it was wonderful.

The movie itself was a little over the top nonsensical silly at times but a good laugh nonetheless.  Don't expect awards or too many catch phrases out of this one.   However, I do think there were two standouts - Kathryn Hahn (the brother's wife in Step Brothers) & Kerry Kenney (Reno 911).  Both in the ensemble but to be the comic relief in a comedy...well that's just fantastic work.

Oh to be on the set of a shitshow such as this.  Paul Rudd's amazing outtakes will surely grace the DVD as they did in the ending credits.  As well as what I would imagine the entire cast just being ridiculous.  Must have been a real fun time!

Jeff, Who Lives At Home

Thumbs up!

Thanks to positive and friendly celebrity blogger Micah Jesse, he gifted me after a lucky retweet, with two tickets to see an advanced screening of Jeff, Who Lives At Home.  It was also followed by a Q + A with one of the directors, Mark Duplass and actor Ed Helms.

Funnily enough, Micah had picked two winners that day and my friend @cali_in_nyc was the other one!  We all by chance sat next to each other for the movie and snapped this pic right before it started.  Thank you Micah!

As for the movie, I enjoyed it!  Jason Segal seems to effortlessly play his role as a grown man-boy stoner (who still lives at home - his mothers basement to be exact) seeking signs for his life calling.  His brother on the other hand is the opposite and a lot of the movie focuses on the struggle between how each lives their lives according to their perspective. 

Without getting too philosophical, the whole thing reminded me of the Deepak Chopra book that changed my life, The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire - Harnessing the Infinite Power of Coincidences.  If you liked this book, you'd like this movie or vice versa.  If you haven't read it and like this movie, I highly recommend reading it.  

The gist of the book (via amazon.com) and what I believe is the gist of the movie is this: Not only are everyday coincidences meaningful, they actually provide us with glimpses of the field of infinite possibilities that lies at the heart of all things. By gaining access to this wellspring of creation, we can literally rewrite our destinies in any way we wish.

But even if you aren't into all the "hoopla", like my fiance for example (yes, the movie was reminiscent of several conversations he and I have had before), we still thought the movie was entertaining enough to not be pissed that you spent $13 to see it.  Which is of coarse, the only thing determining a good movie or not these days.  

Bridesmaids - Thumbs AND Toes Up!

One of my favorite movies, ever. Brilliant writing and execution that had me crying in laughter.  Kristen Wiig has this sick sense of humor that works so well.  No awkwardness or fakeness.  Its just so genuine and funny.  The scene on the plane was all to familiar.  The roommate is an identical match to someone I know.  I kept thinking, this is what guys must have felt like after The Hangover.  I can't wait to see it again!

http://www.bridesmaidsmovie.com/home.html

This Week In Movies

Bill Cunningham New York

A documentary portrait of the legendary, ascetic New York street photographer.

By Nathan HellerPosted Friday, March 18, 2011, at 6:32 PM ET


Manhattan, it is well-known, is an island nation governed by peacocks. Trolling up and down the city's concrete channels, gazing into restaurants, you see a spread of lavish fabrics boldly worn, garments exotically blended, women gorgeously done-up and men dressed studiously down, each eyeing the other for a moment before rushing headlong back into the throng. For those who can't spend hours wide-eyed on a street corner every day, there is Bill Cunningham. The New York Timesphotographer shoots and curates the paper's "On the Street" and "Evening Hours" photo columns—weekly roundups of sidewalk and nightlife shots beloved by fashion doyens and people-watchers alike—and after more than three decades on the job, his visual chronicles have gained an avid, almost cultish following. This week brings the limited release of the first feature-length tribute, Bill Cunningham New York (Zeitgeist Films), a documentary about the man and his city by director Richard Press. The movie takes us on a tour of Cunningham's eccentric life and stranger social circle, hewing closely, all the while, to its subject's style and ethic: Using the low-key approach that shapes Cunningham's column, Press works up a portrait that's as raw, gentle, funny, and—in the end—irresistible as the pictures themselves.


In this, he has ample help from his subject. The Bill Cunningham captured here is a puckish, eightysomething man with electric energy and a wish to devour all of New York through his camera lens. Aboard his bike, he weaves through lurching Midtown traffic with his left hand while occasionally snapping drive-by pictures with his right. (No helmet is involved.) On foot, he camps out on street corners to assess passing pedestrians, swaying toward passing dresses like someone keyed up for a game of Whac-A-Mole. Then, all at once and with a single swoop, he lunges, snaps, and melts back into urban anonymity. What's he hunting for? "Some marvelous, exotic bird of paradise," he coos, "meaning a very elegant and stunning woman or someone wearing somethingterrific." Back at the Times, Press' cameras find Cunningham surfing frantically on the back end of his deadlines, skipping meals, crossing out negatives, and trying to get his page just so. The curve of someone's hip should echo a draped garment one frame over. Bright colors on a dress should play counterpoint off a nearby coat. Cunningham started as a print journalist and retains a writer's sense of composition, a reporter's eye for news. His photo essays call outpatterns, mark trends, and flow with soft humor, giving space to flamboyant characters oroutlandish excesses. Where most fashion photographers strive for something like sartorial perfection, Cunningham delights in catching well-dressed people splashing messily through slush.


An irony shapes this pursuit, and Press' movie—one that's based in the gap between Cunningham's lush work and his weirdly ascetic life. Although he may be one of the few people alive capable of making Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour go all wobbly inside—"It's one snap, two snaps, or he ignores you, which is death," she exclaims—the photographer himself seems to own about five hangers of clothing (mostly blue), dines on the cheap (his favorite repast is a sausage-and-egg-sandwich special, $3), and is so detached from the glamorous events he covers that he'll refuse even water when he's on the job. The documentary's chief plot point is Cunningham's looming eviction from his tiny studio over Carnegie Hall, a space where he has dwelled for decades. It has no private bathroom or kitchen. When he started taking pictures after hours for the nascent Details in the early '80s, he refused to be paid. When that magazine got bought by Condé Nast, he wouldn't cash his check. "If you don't take money, they can't tell you what to do, kid!" he advises us at one point. "That's the key to the whole thing: Don't! Touch! Money!"


Photographing money is something else: Part of the pleasure of this documentary is being shown not just Cunningham's working process but the world of power brokers, fashion mavens, and well-dressed eccentrics transformed by his camera over the years. It is a colorful bunch. In one interview, Patrick McDonald, aka "the Dandy," explains why he always covers his face while changing hats; in another, Iris Apfel, better known as that lady with the glasses, lovingly strokes a stuffed animal seated on the couch beside her. We meet Editta Sherman, photographer to the stars and fellow Carnegie Hall evictee. (Editta is a self-taught ballerina, too, and in one lick of footage needlessly but irresistibly spliced into the film, we see her performing the dance of the swan from Carnival of the Animals, a thing she liked to do for guests whenever there was a full moon.) Cunningham was the only press photographer invited to Brooke Astor's 100^th birthday, and yet he also mingles his camera with kids clubbing downtown or garment workers picketing in Midtown. By his own account, he doesn't care about famous people, many of whom he doesn't recognize—he has no TV—just their clothes. He comes across as someone who has found his way into the stuffy center of the palace chasing butterflies.


The hidden subject of Bill Cunningham New York is the space between the fashion industry and fashion as it's worn and loved by real people. Cunningham spans the gap between the two, and so, deftly, does Press. Shot with noninvasive consumer cameras and no crew over months, then winnowed, the director's approach is a direct echo of Cunningham's—and his product shares the subject's upbeat, nonconfrontational style. The film's climax, when the neurotically private, self-effacing Cunningham is asked about his past experiences with sex and religion, is filmed on a diagonal, from a distance of a few feet. It's the least dramatic treatment that this crucial interview could possibly have and, as a consequence, the frankest, rawest moment of the documentary. Press seems to know what Cunningham knows, which is that the camera isn't so much a pen (or a sword) as an open ear, an instrument for picking up the moments of quiet greatness real people sometimes create for themselves. Or, as the photographer himself put it, tearing up as he received one of France's top honors in the arts, "It's as true today as it ever was: He who seeks beauty will find it."


Source: http://www.slate.com/id/2288743/

Get Him To The Greek

I didn't go to this movie with any expectations because it would have just been setting myself up for disappointment. I'm glad I didn't although I have to say, I was not all that upset. I judge my movie experience as "bad" if I leave regretting wasting my money on the money or "good" if I leave the theater thinking I am OK with the time and money I just spent on this experience.

Obviously this is not the type of movie that is going to solve the world's problems, answer deeply burning inner questions or even highly surpass any mental capacity I have in my head. I just wanted to laugh, and laugh I did!

Editing was a bit confusing, the storyline not completely cohesive. Most likely a lot was left on the cutting room floor, like half the scenes used in the promos. I am glad it was like that though because after the long and repetitive commercials I continuously saw, I felt like I probably saw the entire movie, which I was relieved to see I did not. I have an idea that this will be a major extras DVD.

Thumbs Up.

Upcoming Movies

Two movies I can't wait to see.

1. Holy Rollers. Jews, drugs, money, Justin Bartha.

2. Somewhere. Sophia Coppola's new flick that is one of the most anticipated films of 2010.

Valentino's Pugs

I plan on watching the Valentino movie, The Last Emperor eventually but in the meantime, I'm on a kick about his pugs. He has five, Milton, Molly, Margot, Maude and Monty. Observe.

Inspiration: Alice In Wonderland

This remake is set to hit theaters March 5, 2010. Some really cool products have emerged from it already.

Shoes from Nicholas Kirkwood.

Makeup from Urban Decay.

Tom Binns Jewelry

And surely to come, clothing as well. Disney already has a line.

The Hurt Locker

Thumbs up! Adding to the checklist for nominees of best picture in the awards shows, we picked this movie and actually enjoyed it. I say it like that because of the circumstance surrounding the movie, I couldn't help but be a skeptic. The director, Kathryn Bigelow, is director James Cameron's ex wife (although only married from 89-91).

I always get a bit touchy with movies like this because I had a couple friends over there. All of them hated being there and wanted to come home. But then there are the few that live for it. Even go back. That was the main character in the movie here. With everything he had at home, a woman who loved him, a son, endless choices and freedom...he wasn't happy. That is something someone really has to learn how to deal with. If that means dedicating life to the army, or learning to cope with it at home. It's interesting to see the choice SFC William James made. One thing I do have to say is, we were only watching a movie that lasted 131 minutes and I was tiring of the lifestyle of bomb squads. These people were/are living it day in and day out for months at a time. I can't imagine!

IMDB page http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0887912/

Book Of Eli

Thumbs Up.


The highlight of the night came before we even got into the theater. Cleveland Cavaliers forward Jawad Williams was getting popcorn and David spotted him and got giddy like a school girl. Have to admit it was pretty cute. He has a sixth sense for athletes the way I do for celebrities. Dude was facing a wall with a hoodie on his head but I guess at 6' 9" you gotta assume it's someone. Wonder if he liked the movie?

I thought BOE had a couple slow points but it was worth it. The ending needed to happen or I would have been enraged. Trying to explain without giving away too much is difficult.

I had no idea Mila Kunis was in this movie. I really didn't research it before going to see it, or hear too much about it. In this post-apocaliptic world, the survivors are all a mixture of 1800'sy Wild Wild West with a touch of hipster, especially Mila's character. Some of the humans wear these goggles that the original test pilots wore (like the kind you see on crazy time traveler wannabe scientists), and others like Mila and Denzel, wear designer sunglasses. It was a weird mix. Also, playing mother to Mila Kunis' character, Solara, is Jennifer Beals. I barely recognized her. She's come a long way since a childhood fave of mine, Faerie Tale Theatre's Cinderella. (That's right, the entire episode is in that link. You're welcome.)

Playing the antagonist was Gary Oldman. He reminded me of a crazy southern preacher man, which I am not sure was intended or not, but I would be surprised if it wasn't. He's the power hungry sheriff type in this little town, leading by deception and knowledge. Typical. I thought he was about to change the entire cusp of the film, by preaching religion, but he did not. The Hughes brothers just stuck with the "Denzel will just be bad ass in this movie, let's not go overboard with messages".

Something that needs to be touched on is the product placement in this film. It could not be more obvious. The movie was shot in what seems like a grey-ish scale. When Eli is walking through the barron world, there is wreckage and everything is dark and dirty yet the brightest blue Busch truck is within this wreckage. They may as well have put an arrow on the screen pointing at it. Obviously as well was the KFC wetnaps. Used as a form of currency now, a clever little idea, but product placement nonetheless. Also noted, only because David is obsessed with them, was the Beats by Dr. Dre headphones ($149.99 at a Best Buy near you!) that go with the Apple iPod Eli managed to salvage and keep charged for 30plus years.

Bottom Line: Go See It.

Golden Globes 2010

OK talking about the awards are one thing and talking about the fashion is another. Asymmetrical dresses and beards were the trends this year.

Worst Dressed:
Chole Sevigny in Valentino

Best Dressed:
Toni Colette in Elie Saab


Award winners: http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/

Avatar

Thumbs Up.

I saw it in 3D in New York. $22.

Amazingly cool to experience this movie in 3D. It was technically really cool. It was also a laugh watching my friends in the glasses. Missy's was stretched out and they gave her these round foam things to put around the glasses to tighten them. She had to beg them for those. The movie theater was very stingy about the glasses.

Story wise, I'm torn.
1. I thought it was a rip off of Fern Gully. One of my favorite movies when I was younger. Storyline: Fairies in an enchanted forest have to save it from the "monster" which turns out to be humans ripping down the rainforest.

2. I thought the role of the female avatar was a little over the top. She whined and waled a bit too much, like to the point that I laughed.

3. I am not going to start writing essays about this movie. I think it is what it is. If you want to get into all the other conversations, like the enviromental aspects, the anti American or anti soldier theory, or the post movie depression (which I find so bizarre) or sickness, or the technical effects, or the awards it won...google it.

Up In The Air

Thumbs Up.

We thought this movie was solid. If George Clooney was not in the film, I don't think it would have gotten nearly as much credit. I predicted some outcomes but I am just talented like that I guess. The younger woman, Anna Kendrick, bothered me in her nighttime interviews but she wasnt as annoying in the movie.

I liked how they made this traveling man love his job and the whole aspect that he travels. Generally people hate to travel for work but this man literally lived for it. It was interesting to see the opposite, and see someone embrace this hated necessity.

I saw the move before the Golden Globes, and I figured it would win some sort of award. Jason Reitman, the director (who also did Thank You For Smoking, which I found to be a similar style and therefore in my opinion makes him pretty consistent) won for best screenplay. Mazel.

To be honest, I probably won't remember the name of the movie in six months from now, but wasn't pissed I saw the movie. That's generally my scale of judgment.

Jewish Christmas

I am THAT Jew. I went out with my friends to a movie and Chinese food. We saw Nine. Thumbs down. I didn't know what the movie was going to be about because the previews really don't explain anything except that its an all star cast with singing. After seeing the movie, its still pretty unclear but regardless of the negative reviews, we still went.

Basically this guy Guido, played by Daniel Day-Lewis (who I think is so talented) is this famous Italian director trying to make another hit, his ninth to be exact (aha!). He is plagued with writers block and somehow, certain women start singing for no apparent reason. No idea why Fergie was there looking like a pudgy tambourine playing cracked out slutty gypsy, or why Kate Hudson was running around as a singing writer either. Or why Nicole Kidman was crying and singing at the end. It was a rough one to sit through. I do have to give props to Marion Cotillard, who played the wife. She is so beautiful and nailed the Hepburnesque character.

People were falling asleep, getting up more often then any other movie I've been to, eating loudly. It was bad. Not to mention the technical difficulties during the previews or that someone not working at the theater had to shut the doors. It made things much worse that we were sitting in back of this lady wearing the most offensive smelling perfume. It was like rotting old musky...ew im gagging thinking about it again.

Inglorious Bastards

IMDB page

Two thumbs up.

This movie was great, I only wish someone warned me on how long it would be so I could have peed before it started.

I really wasnt too interested in seeing it myself but after hearing all the great things, my interest kinda peaked yet still had no real idea what to expect. I also watched Eli Roth's (pictured with Quentin) interview on Chelsea Lately, which got me curious as well.

It was sold out too so it is still doing excellent. We were sitting next to these two little getto kids and when it was over one goes "That shit was so satisfying yo!" Well put I guess.

It had the signature Tarantino gore and guts with the laughs on the side and as heavy as the actual content of the film was, it was still enjoyabl to sit through with just the right breaks from serious to comical. Apparently people are annoyed with the subtitles but I went to French class for 9 years and after all the movies we watched, I am not phased by it. I think those movies also helped me gain a knack in spotting foreign actors styles. I personally could tell who was french trained, etc. but thought this made things more authentic and natural. The cast was so diverse and excellent. It must have been a great set to be on.

Everyone I went with loved it as well so I recommend going to see it. Has anyone ever seen the original?

Anna Wintour on Letterman

Can't wait to see the September Issue!

500 Days Of Summer

Thumbs Up.

The soundtrack kicked butt, Joseph Gordon Levitt was adorable, and I love Zooey Deschanel, especially because she made me hate her in the movie. The timeline kinda confused me, but I get the whole point. Could have also dealt without the cheesy ending, but I could see why it had to be done.

My favorite quote, besides the opening statement (Author's Note: The following is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Especially you Jenny Beckman. Bitch.) was when the friend was describing his dream girl to the camera. "My dream girl has bigger boobs then my fiance. She has a much better body, she likes sports, etc. But then again, my finace is way better then any dream girl, cuz shes real."

Sessed with The Hangover

Friends pre ordered the tickets on opening night for this gem. We got there an hour early and waited with the crowd. After hundreds of these types of openings, you would think the employees would figure out a good system but they have not. It wasn't crazy chaotic but it was not a pleasant experience. The women actually shouted GO as if it was a race to the theater. Everyone scattered and laughed. It was an experience. Especially with 2 pretzel bites and nacho cheeses (my fave cheese), a small soda and a soda about 5 pounds juggling in my arms.

As for the movie, with a multitude of lines like "Don't let the beard fool you, he's just a child." AND plots about being roofied, I don't know why I ever doubted that I would love this movie. It was hilarious and I love it and if anyone would like to see it, I will go with you.

It was well done. Not the typical guys get drunk and we go on an excursion with them as if we are an innocent, sober bystander, but actually a realistic approach of us blacking out with them and figuring out what the hell happened last night. Very clever and full of surprises. Little naked Chinese surprises. The end was especially memorable when they find the camera and we all experience the photos together. Like we were all buddies in the theater sharing this moment of hystericalness.

Personal thoughts about the actors: Bradley Cooper gets better looking in each movie he makes and Zach Galifianakis killed it. HE KILLED IT.


Complete side note...
I was looking for images and this logo popped up that looked very familiar to me. its from a bands album cover. They are called The Funkoars and their album is called the Hangover. Now check out this pic from Missbehave Magazine. Stunningling similiar. Not sure if they ever mentioned the connection or not but I just wanted to show everyone how smart I am.