Movie: Inherit The Wind

OK, so as a scientist it's lame that I *just* got around to watching this flick. I must be the only person who never had to sit through it in high school. Needless to say, the idea of the religious lunatic fringe combatting evolution rings just as true today as it did back in 1925 during the original Scopes Monkey Trial. The version I watched was the 1960 one with Spencer Tracy and Gene Kelly, and apparently was also an allegory to McCarthyism as well (which makes sense on reflection).

The more I watch these classics, the more I realize that they just don't make movies like this anymore. Or anything they try to do today just pales in comparison. You would think that a movie about a court case, which mainly involves two lawyers going at it, would be boring as hell - but Spencer Tracy and Fredric March are absolutely amazing, as Drummond (defense) and Brady (prosecution), respectively. Their interactions and dialogue are a joy to watch - in the movie, they are actually friends, and Drummond was a supporter of Brady in his political ambitions. They find themselves on opposites of the law, and of human progress by extension, but still manage to be friendly through almost all of the proceedings.

The obvious theme of the movie - freedom of thought - was highlighted even more by the downright frightening portrayal of the religious fanatics in the community. The pastor damning his own daughter, that creepy "Old Time Religion" song, even the mobs burning Cates (the biology teacher) in effigy - I feel better knowing I'm on the right side of the issue, but I was still honestly scared by them.

By all means, this is a great flick and I can't recommend this strongly enough if you are in any way involved with science. Even apart from that - if you like good banter, the courtroom scenes are hilarious and the acting is great.

Check it out.

More info: Wikipedia entry

Movie: The Matrix Reloaded

No, I hadn't seen it before now. And yeah, it was cool. Excellent soundtrack, too.

More info: Wikipedia entry

Movie: All The President's Men

Mr. BP put this one on the Netflix list, and it's kind of silly that neither of us had seen it before now. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman star as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, respectively, the reporters at the Washington Post who broke the Watergate story. It is based on a book which I haven't yet read, written by said reporters. As somewhat of a politics and history junkie, this was fascinating to me. And for classics like these, I love to watch the "behind the scenes" footage of how they made the movie. And in this case, it had actual interviews with Woodward and Bernstein, all the actors, and a nice extended "making of" bit that showed how they recreated the WaPo offices down to the last detail - by stealing trash out of the trashbins! There is a nice discussion of what real investigative journalism is - at least, in 1974. Watching WaPo be presented as a vaunted institution, and seeing all the footwork involved in writing the story, it makes for an interesting comparison with today's electronic media. What I felt was that even though the institutions and mediums have changed, true reporting and true journalism will always require research and integrity. Today, it matters less where you work than WHY you work - and it's the same whether you're at the Washington Post or the Huffington Post. I think that in the digital age, it's easier to let your voice be heard - but more work to separate it and put it above the rest.

Anyway, now I'm rambling. Rent this if you haven't already.

More info: Wikipedia entry

Movie: Happy Endings

Movie: Happy Endings

No, not what you think. But it does have a masseuse in it. The intertwining stories of some really messed up people - like, people you wake up in the morning and say "THANK GOD I AM NOT THEM" about. The way the story is told is pretty neat, you really do feel like you are moving along the story arc jumping from person to person. And, I will say, Maggie Gyllenhaall is AWESOME. I do love her a lot. This didn't make a ton of money, and I'm not quite sure how it wound up on the Netflix list - I must have been really bored one night. But anyway, a fun flick if you want something slightly silly for a quiet night.

More info: Wikipedia entry

Movie: You Don't Mess With The Zohan

Oh, just go rent this. It was hilarious. I'm not a huge Adam Sandler fan, but this was silly enough to enjoy after a few drinks. In all honesty, rent this just for the DVD extras. The special with the director (Dennis Dugan) was absolutely hilarious, especially when they were filming in Mexico. One extra dealt with Middle Eastern actors, of Israeli, Egyptian, and Palestinian descent, and how they all pretty much got along on the set. One Egyptian actor in particular talked about how his feelings changed just by virtue of interacting with some other Israeli actors. It actually was pretty amazing, for an Adam Sandler film. Well, I thought it was amazing. Anyway, it was pretty funny in that Zoolander sort of way, where reality is just a little bit beyond what you expect reality to be. In other words, after a few drinks.

More info: Wikipedia entry

Movie: Bright Young Things

I snuck this on the Netflix list ONLY because David Tennant was in it. And, yes, I had read the warnings about the moustache. And, yes, OMG it was hideous. Mercifully, he wasn't in there all that much. The movie itself, by Stephen Fry, is set in the early 30's before WWII. It focuses on the party and entertainment and gossip scene of the super-rich aristocracy, the "bright young things" constantly in search of the next thrill. Tennant's good friend Fenella Wollgar has possibly the best scene *ever*, waking up in 10 Downing and having NO IDEA where she is. I cried laughing. The movie is pretty gaudy for the most part until about three-fourths of the way in, when reality comes crashing down in the form of WWII. The serious perspective did seem a little forced at the end, and Nina did seem a pretty unsympathetic character for most of the movie. What Adam sees in her I don't know. But, the end was okay, and I have to admit Stephen Campbell Moore was nice to look at for 2 hours, more so than even David Tennant believe it or not. AND Mr. Tumnus, James McAvoy, also is here which is a bonus. I'd just seen The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe so this was a pleasant suprise :)

So, if you are in the mood for a witty British period piece with nice eye candy, check this out.

More info: Wikipedia entry

Movie: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

So it's literally been about 20 years since I read the whole Narnia series. I have been meaning to buy a box set and re-read them, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. This has been sitting in my apartment for a month now, wasting valuable queue space on our Netflix account, so I decided to finally watch it. I haven't watched the bonus material DVD yet, but I'll add on any comments about that after I do.

What a good movie! They did a nice job with this, and they could have messed it up pretty bad but they didn't. I think the parts were cast spot-on, and the filming (which seemed to take place in about 6 different countries) was gorgeous. I think, as I remember the book, it was pretty faithful to it so I was happy. And yeah, I cried when Aslan died, so there.

If you're a fan of the book, the movie doesn't disappoint.

More info: Wikipedia entry

Movie: The Wrestler

So we finally got our collective ass around to seeing this. I'm going to warn you now, though, in order to talk about why I liked it I have to divulge some spoilerz, so be warned.

This was up for the Oscar, Mickey Rourke's big comeback, etc. etc. etc. Done on a shoestring budget. In order to really appreciate this movie, I think, you had to be a wresting fan back in the 80's and early 90's, like my boyfriend was. This movie reminded him of all the Saturday morning cartoons, and the Wrestlemania specials, stuff I was familiar with but never really followed (I *was* a girl, after all). That's what he took away from it, down to the camera work. Most of the movie is a camera following Mickey Rourke around from behind, like they do in those wrestling specials, and overall it worked. You did feel a little like you were watching one of those, and it connected you to this character, the Ram, who most normal people would not like very much (well, I didn't at least).

But what I loved about it was that this movie does not have the happy ending. No girl, no family, not even his health really. He just does the only thing he knows how to do, and realizes that's where he belongs. It's kind of liberating in a way, but besides the obvious, also sad. Are there really such one-dimensional people out there?? The answer I think is Yes, which makes this all the more realistic and all the more sad.

This is also why Slumdog got the Oscar, I think - it has the sacrifice, the journey of discovery, etc. but it also has the Happy Ending, Boy Gets Girl, Bastards Die. Not so much in "The Wrestler".

Overall, a great flick, and bonus if you're a wrestling fan. Definitely worth watching.

More info: Wikipedia entery

Movie: Citizen Kane

Yeah it's about time I got my act together and saw this classic. Bill kept telling me, you will see how every other movie since then has ripped it off. And, I definitely could see that in terms of cinematic plot devices. Shot in black and white, "Citizen Kane" is the story of Charles Foster Kane, a character based on William Randolph Hearst. He becomes the victim of his own success, more or less, and eventually becomes a crazy recluse whose last word, "Rosebud", starts the whole story which is told in retrospect. Orson Welles is *amazing* in this - and damn what a good looking guy he was! Total genius too. The DVD had all kinds of old letters and papers and photos from the movie shoot, which were actually fascinating to check out. For once, DVD extras weren't stupid and worthless :-)

This is another classic worth whatever hype you heard about it. It has politics, affairs, beautiful women and crazy rich people. A tried-and-true approach, but this does it best.

More info: Wikipedia entry

Movie: Slumdog Millionaire

So, I saw the movie weeks ago, but in light of the SMACKDOWN it laid on at the Oscars, I should blurb about it. This movie made me CRY CRY CRY! Fabulous movie - I loved the soundtrack, and the story was amazing. It's a love story, a story about amazing coincidences, a story about how those coincidences let you save the love of your life. Now, to be fair I hadn't seen the rest of the films nominated, although I REALLY want to see "Milk" and I probably will fairly soon.

Now I usually don't write much about the plot to prevent spoiling it for anyone reading, my thoughts/reviews tend to be very visceral and emotional. And this movie was definitely worth it and deserved every award it got. This one *is* worth the hype. Go see.

More info: Wikipedia entry

Movie: Madagascar

I know, I know. I am woefully behind on my pop culture. Just got around to seeing this the other night. Very cute. I thought Julian was one of the greatest creations EVER, although I was sort of surprised at the lack of Sacha Baron Cohen in the bonus features. Wonder what that was about.

Anyway, very cute fun flick, made me homesick for NYC. Go watch if you need a laugh. I tried to laugh, but my 15-pound cat was asleep on my chest for pretty much the whole movie and I risked waking her up if I laughed too hard.

More info: Wikipedia entry

Movie: Stranger Than Paradise

So in researching this flick, I'd forgotten that Jim Jarmusch also did "Broken Flowers", an excellent movie with an excellent soundtrack. And the excellent Bill Murray. But anyway - this is an odd flick but had me hooked from the start with the fact that two of the main characters are Hungarian. And the bit where they visit the Hungarian aunt in Cleveland (Cleveland! Of all places!) was great - reminded me of my grandmother. It was something of a novelty back when it came out. Anyway, I liked it, if you like weird, half-foreign-language "absurdist comedies" check this out for sure.

More info: Wikipedia entry

Movie: Kicking and Screaming

Yeah Noah Baumbach. This was my boyfriend's favorite movie in college and I can see why - a bunch of humanities/English majors coping with life after graduation. But in reality, this could be any college seniors at pretty much any college in America where people don't want to grow up. I saw more than just a little of myself in Max, hanging out at the dorms (but not chasing freshman tail). I spent pretty much the first two years of grad school essentially living my fifth and sixth years of undergrad back at my old dorm. I'm not going to extrapolate further on the negative effects this may have had on my subsequent graduate career.

Anyway, the movie is cute, has some great lines in it. The character of Chet, the n^th year undergraduate who works as a bartender and has a kid with a professor, hit a little close to home for me, especially the line where he says "this is my life". Kind of scary.

If you've seen anything else by Baumbach - in particular, The Squid and The Whale - I highly recommend this too.

More info: Wikipedia entry

Movie: Idiocracy

No. Just, no.

I'm not even providing a link to more info. Just say no to this one.

The only funny joke they put in the movie happened AFTER THE MOVIE ENDED. That's about all you need to know.

Movie: Coffee & Cigarettes

This was a cute flick, a bunch of vignettes revolving around -- you guessed it -- coffee and cigarettes. Jim Jarmusch assembles an all-star, albeit unlikey, cast of characters to tell short stories. The bits with Iggy Pop meeting Tom Waits (that's DOCTOR Tom Waits to him) was brilliant, as was the bit with Bill Murray. But then again, I love Bill Murray and most of what he's done recently (Broken Flowers and Lost In Translation were both excellent).

Oh and is there no end to Cate Blanchett's hotness??? I loved her in "I'm Not There", and here she does double duty has herself and her "cousin".

Anyway, this was great. Check it out.

More info: Wikipedia entry

Movie: The Diving Bell and The Butterfly

Ok, seriously? One of the saddest movies I've ever seen. Excellently done, except, apparently for the factual accuracy. But, leaving that aside, it is a really well-done, moving movie. You don't really think that some rich playboy from France, who left the woman who fathered his children but never married, could be a sympathetic character. But, anyone with locked-in syndrome by definition becomes a sympathetic character. Jean-Do is left unable to move except for his left eye, but his mind is left completely (painfully) intact. He manages to write his book (of the same name) by blinking one letter at a time to an aide. It's a pretty phenomenal feat.

The most inspiring thing to me was that this movie showed what locked-in syndrome was like first-hand and I looked around on the web for other stories about this terrible condition. And, being a nerd, I wanted to know what was being done to help people with this. Lo and behold the story of Erik Ramsey popped up in my Googling. Left locked-in after a car accident when he was 16, Erik is now 24 and has had electrodes implanted in his brain and is learning to make sounds by thinking about speaking. A big team of scientists are working to capture the electrical signals in his brain and convert them to audible sounds. Fascinating science, and for a noble cause to boot - something I will keep an eye on for sure. As "evil" as science has been made out to be (in certain quarters of this country), it is science that will one day allow this man to speak.

More info: Wikipedia entry

Movie: I'm Not There

So we have this awesome thing called NetFlix which just delivers movies to our HOUSE! No fighting in public at Blockbuster anymore! Bill got this so he could watch entire seasons of "The Wire" in one weekend and not go completely bankrupt. We've seen loads of movies, and I thought, hey, might be interesting to drop a line on the blog here when I do watch something good. More as a personal movie journal for me than recommendations for you.

The best thing about this movie? Cate Blanchett as Dylan, or "Jude Quinn" I should say. I honestly did not know who the actor (?) was when that character was first introduced. I found her strangely attractive. Dissect that comment as you see fit. It was a pretty interesting take on Dylan, basically making him a six-sided die that rolled and rolled. The soundtrack was pretty excellent, especially some of the more bluegrass versions of classic Dylan tunes. Dunno if I'd watch it again on purpose, but would definitely pick it over lots of other crap out there.

More info: Wikipedia entry