anyway, i was posting this shitty thing... when it returned error! it was deleted.
hmmmmm who could it be

fay grim
a sequel to hal hartley's acclaimed film, henry fool, fay grim takes the surviving characters from that film to a world of espionage and terrorism. fay (parker posey, looking frazzled and fabulous) is dropped into a quest to find her mysterious husband and she bumps into some weird people. this is more entertaining than henry fool perhaps because it's more of a genre flick than anything else. it was nice to see these neurotic oddballs taken from the domestic world to the spy arena.

South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut
top marks love it

I've seen other more recent films by hal but I hadn't heard of that one at all. After he stopped using Martin Donovan, I began to lose interest although some of his more recent films were quite good. The Girl from Monday is weird and shot on digital, and the other one, damn I forget it's name was very good. Something about a monster or the devil incarnate, very different for a Hal Hartley film but of course the whole film gets sidetracked by the reporter who was going over to do a story on the monster being the sole survivor of a plane crash and needing extensive medical treatments. But I haven't seen those two.

that one was with sarah polley, another fine indie actress.

If you are into Hal Hartley there are two of his early movies I would suggest. Both star the late Adrienne Shelly (makes me sad every time I think about that). She really was a terrific actress. The Unbelievable Truth and Trust are both fantastic films.

I should check out some of his new stuff and see if he has kept them in that same vein.

There Will Be Blood

I wasn't sure what to expect out of this movie, I wasn't even sure if I would like it, but I did. I really liked the score, which is not something I usually notice at all. It definitely should have won the Oscar for best original score but, if I remember correctly, it was excluded for some stupid reason. Daniel Day Lewis got a lot of praise for his role in the film (and his performance was good) but I think that Paul Dano was ridiculously overlooked in his role (technically roles, but whatever, the other wasn't very big). Was Paul Dano nominated for any awards for his role in this movie? Because he should have been.

phairbreak, if you mean me. That's how I got into Hal Hartley. i.e. with those two films. His new stuff is very different though phairbreak. The Girl from Monday is nearly incoherent, and sadly shot on digital, I really don't know why, but I'm scared he can't raise money anymore.

it was excluded because it wasn't original, which isn't really stupid. the score was done by johnny greenwood and a lot of it was done for another movie. they decided to use it and some original music that johnny did for the movie. an original score has to be original for that movie.

Vera Drake

i've been wanting to see this film for such a long time. actually i've been wanting to see a mike leigh film for a while. i saw career girls when i was a kid and i didn't appreciate it that much because i was thoughtless and young. this film is about a normal old woman who has a secret she keeps from her family. she helps young girls get out of their pregnancy. the film tackles this with such a degree of acute examination. from the devastation to her family her eventual incarceration brings upon, to the class distinction there is between her services rendered free to the more professional expensive one we see some rich girl go through. imelda staunton gives such a full, layered performance that never crosses into sentimentality. she felt real and touchable. i felt her sadness and kindness all through out.

^^I love that movie, fub!

^I've never seen that one, but heard it was wonderful.

Looking for Mr. Goodbar

i've read the book twice and it's kind of a favorite of mine. the adaptation features a fantastic performance by diane keaton, looking young and hot. this was the same year she was in annie hall? how fuckin brilliant is that? this is like the total antithesis of that sparkling comedy. this is a rough look at life for some women in the seventies, with all the freedom from the post feminist movement washing over and revealing some nastiness and terror. diane plunges into the disco era and is really mesmerizing. she looked perfect. i always forget some of the older actresses were young once. anyway, the movie pales in comparison to the book, of course. it's got a lot of club scenes when they could have spent more time examining her loneliness and desperation and need. but it's nevertheless a gritty little movie that showcases a great american actress. oh and the murder scene.... holy cow. that was scary and brilliant.

tom berenger, richard gere provide male candy... haha

This was a REALLY CONTROVERSIAL movie back in the day, Fub & they had a lot of trouble making it-it made a lot of people (and men) really nervous-that's why it's probably not as explicit as the book. I agree-Diane is just marvelous. It's funny that you refer to her as an "older" actress coz I still think of her in her "Sleeper" & "Annie Hall" era-it just means I'm getting older, too! LOL!
"Goodbar" got just DREADFUL reviews the first time around, Fub-it really was hated (and I think wrongfully so) by both critics & public alike. I think filmgoers of today will apprciate more, I agree.

hilary and jackie
one of my favorite movies. story of the rivalry and deep love between late cellist jacquelyn dupre and her sister hilary. opulent lookin movie but such a sad, tragic story. the cello is the most melancholic sounding instrument ever.

the house of mirth
love dana scully, i mean gillian anderson and love seeing her be transported from alien hunts to 1907 new york. tragic movie. stylish. pretty good adaptation of the edith wharton novel.

savage grace
kind of a misfire. julianne moore portrays a high society woman who has sex with her son and gets murdered by the kid. meh

the double life of veronique
lovely french movie starring the great irene jacobs..

I love that movie, too, Fub!!

MY RECASTING OF ONE OF MY FAVORITE CLASSICS FEATURING MY DREAM CAST FROM THE LIZ PHAIR FORUM PLAYERS!!!!

Martha...Katefan4
George...Coolchick275
Honey...Wooden & Alone
Nick...Phreak

lol
you imagine me as a weepy little woman
ahhaa

Don't we all?

^That's a part you were BORN to play, Fubster...I want to see you running around screaming "VIOLENCE...VIOLENCE..." and doing your "Interpretive Dance"...As well as telling Moi (in a fantastic performance as Martha), "He's No Floozy...YOU'RE A Floozy..."

I watched (should say endured) Reservation Road last night.

What a mess. How so many talented people got involved in this soap opera wanna be I will never know.

^I'm so out of the loop-what is "Reservation Road"? The name alone just sounds horrific...

I want to see that movie. Maybe I should rent it instead of buying it, huh?

^WHAT is it???
You need to get fitted for your male attire for our production of "Virginia Woolf"...You & I will be SO AWESOME as George & Martha...

kicking and screaming
noah baumbach's funny, gen x skewing, talk-a-thon debut starring prickly princess Parker Posey, hot as ice Olivia D'abo and a bunch of other regulars you might see in Whit Stillman movies and other independent movies at the time. Love it.

twin peaks fire walk with me
unintentionally hilarious, yes. but it's also a lovingly rendered portrait of the slain enigma of the television drama. sheryl lee hilariously overacts, but that's probably the soapy element of the whole thing kicking in. some stunning moments like laura and donna visiting one eyed jacks and some overly serious scenes.

untraceable
surprisingly taut little thriller about web troubles. great kickass premise that they do run to the ground but nevertheless delivers some chills and tension (like when the daughter sees the camera.. omg!). diane lane is hot and cool as the lead. the ending rocks the cocks.

I read the premise of untraceable, but skipped it thinking it would be silly.

Gone

a thriller-suspense mobie about an engish couple who traveled to australia . They met an american guy who convinced them to travel throught the australian dessert. The guy semeed to be nice at first but then he ended up being a complete psico. Yeah ,it's pretty cliched and somewhat predictable but pleasant enought. And Scott Mechlowicz , the main actor, is so hot.

the science of sleep
sweet little romance with a sad ending. serge gainsbourg's daughter is oddly enchanting. while gael garcia bernal is hot. it's so french and indie and all that shit. but seriously, it's cute and has caboodles of effects. surreal romantic comedy.

you fit the drama queen role, jeff.

^ IDK , i thought the director was making an attemp to do something revoulutionary or something the critics will like. But ultimately it goes nowhere. 'Big Fish' and 'El laberinto del fauno' (to name similar movies) are much better IMO

i dunno if he was actually making something revolutionary. it's a sweet, surreal twist on a romantic comedy.

zoo
interesting documentary about... zoophilia. oh my. it's actually beautifully shot and only momentarily sleazy. it's about this man who had sex with a horse and dies because his colon was injured. funny? yes. icky? hell yes. intriguing? definitely.

the other boleyn girl
probably the juiciest tale of monarchs this side of cate blanchett. the queen cheating, scheming, blah blah. it's sordid and not at all buttoned down like most period pieces. surprisingly, scarlett comes off better than natalie portman. but then again, her role is less evil and her accent, less annoying. that said, natalie is still pretty good. eric bana was wasted.

then she found me
when i first read the novel by elinor lipman, i immediately thought it was ripe for a cinematic adaptation. then she found me was smart and sweet, sad and sharp. there were a lot of hilarious characters, unexpected turns and interesting dialogue. there was the geeky, lanky librarian april epner falls for. there was that whole uncomfortable but true to form part about april being worried about her hot brother and her biological mother's chemistry. there was that crazy bernice fanatic that shows up to put a little wrench in the mother/daughter reunion, pretending that she is the daughter. none of this shows up in the cinematic adaptation. what we get is better midler wasted and given almost nothing to do, colin firth and helen hunt's wet romance, a lot of jewish chanting that's supposed to be stirring (it's not, in this context) and matthew broderick's totally random storyline. lipman's book may have been chick lit but it was thoughtful chick lit. this movie is a dowdy chick flick.

funny games
this pissed me off. such a dark flick. and i didn't think it was saying anything either other than it wants to piss the viewer off. i really wanted the naomi watts character to escape and get revenge but the character was stupid. ugh. moronic.

^That movie just looked awful...how come you are watching all this stuff lately that just looks like crap...

well, it didn't look like crap and it's not crap. just kind of eh. it has a slick look actually. very sterile.
what should i watch? you stopped recommending stuff.

I actually want to see this movie. The premise seems interesting, plus I like Tim Roth. And yeah, I think the point of the movie is to make the viewer uncomfortable and/or pissed.

Lemme think-I'll let you know soon...

Marlon – have you seen The Savages yet? I am really looking forward to that one.

And actually on my way to lunch to go buy Lars and Juno!

Is Funny Games a remake of the french - I think it is film? If it is (and I suspect that's what I've heard) I can understand why people would be annoyed with it.

Yes, it's a shot by shot remake of the German film of the same name, directed by the same director.

yeah, it's a remake. maybe it jus tpissed me off because there's no hope in the film.

oh, i wanna see the savages so baaaaaaaadly.

Yeah it's a pretty mean film. I don't understand the point of remaking it. Hollywood is so bereft of ideas I guess. I think it works better as a foreign film than trying to turn it into something kind of mainstream or indie or whatever they were thinking. It's a long time since I've seen it, but it certainly did provoke a pretty extreme reaction from me. I respected it as a work of cinema but it was disturbing and upsetting. But that's part of what cinema is supposed to do.

yeah, the more i think about it, the more it makes me uncomfortable. the thing that i didn't like about it is that the movie seemed so violent but hasn't got a lot of blood, except for something that was a fantasy sequence. the shooting is never shown. has it happened? that i've seen so many violent movies that i get pissed off when i don't see a head getting blown off? also, i kind of thought the acting was a bit wooden (and alone...). except for naomi watts, there are no appealing actors onscreen. i don't feel bad for tim roth so i didn't sympathize with his character. the kid was annoying. michael pitt looks like a man child. ah well, it was well done and leisurely paced and creepily sterile. the deaths are so casual.



anyway, on to lighter fare.


career girls is one of director's mike leigh's slice of briton life movies. this one centers on the friendship of two women who shared a flat while in college and has reunited for a little bit and they rediscover old wounds but for the most part, have a lot of fun reminiscing and bumping into old acquaintances. the story is very bittersweet as the flashbacks roll on and the present reveal where the two women are now. so beautiful.

Five Easy Pieces

That's classic Nicholson, SC.

Just re-watched Lars.

So heartfelt.

the savages

loved it. it reminded me of you can count on me, another sweet/sad brother sister dramedy. this one deals with the savage siblings and their handling of their father whose health is diminishing. it's funny and sad. phillip seymour hoffman and laura linney have a real warm chemistry that i more than related to. their characters are just so lovable, not because they're all fuzzy and perfect. they're far from perfect. they're realistically fucked up and they win you over with their constant pill popping, hilarious competition (she's a playwright, he's a teacher of acting or something). it's also refreshing that the movie while dealing with some sad stuff, doesn't dwell on sentimentality. you know there was abuse but they don't talk about it that much. they just move on.

tonight we watched

Lars and the Real Girl ---- awkward, but good overall.
The Lookout---- Good story. I think Joseph Gordon Levitt is an amzing actor.
Awake---- entertaining but predictable. Would have been better with the original signed on cast of Jared Leto and Kate Bosworth.

Juno and Mean Girls
even though i've seen mean girls about 10 times...
lol

Hard-candy.

And what did you think? I liked it, but it kinda makes me feel that Ellen can only play whip-smart characters. Dunno. And the appearance of Sandra Oh at the end made me crap - not in a good way either.

^I honestly have tried to get over my inital reatcion to her, Phreak (manly because you like her so much & I was trying to give her a shot), BUT something about Ellen Page just makes me want to smack her...I just do not like that girl...fiom/interviews, whathaveyou...I honestly think I couldn't sit through "Juno," hon...
We watched a funny movie on DVD-"Keeping Mum" with Maggie Smith & Kristen Scott-Thomas-it was dark comedy-I enjoyed.