August 13, 2008

Big Screen: Wall-E

Cute. Sweet. And only a few moments that seemed so potentially tragic as to freak out my 3-year-old companion (thankfully her Mom sitting between us reassured her quickly).

Posted by Duff at 12:54 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

August 04, 2008

Big Screen: The Dark Knight

I liked it a lot, it definitely lived up to the hype for me, which these days is almost harder to do than to just make a decent movie.

• Loved Bale despite his (as always) weird gray all-the-same-length-across the-top front teeth. He continues to invest this character with an amazing sense of grim grief. It was just etched onto his face from scene 1.

• Loved Heath Ledger. Loved. Outstanding performance. Certainly worth the praise it is getting. No question. On the one hand, it makes it even sadder that he's dead now; just think what he could have done. On the other hand, to go out on the back to back performances of Brokeback and this? Wow. Talk about going out on a high note. Overall the performance just blew the fucking top off, but I have to say his mannerisms when he visits Dent in the hospital were just pitch fucking perfect. And when he walks out and is waiting for that last explosion? The move he makes with his arms there? Oh, Heath.

But I thought the last half hour dragged, too much time setting up the Two Face character. If he lived to be the villain of the next movie then it would make sense to me. But since he didn't, it made it feel long. I thought they could have edited some of that down. Yes, I understand that bringing him down was certainly one of the Joker's goals, but I thought the whole bit with the bombs on the ships just lagged. Didn't need it, we already KNOW the things that pointed out to us (or we should) and it just seemed like wasted time. While neither Iron Man nor Wanted made me get shifty in my seat, the last half hour of this had me really feeling the time. There was stuff they could've cut (and I think should've). Coulda been a little tighter.

That said, still tremendous. Super dark and delightfully so. Really a tour de force in the sequels department; takes the first movie and ratchets up quite a few notches. The additions of Ledger and Gyllenhaal really sent it over the top. Kudos. I've seen it twice already, I wouldn't be reluctant to see it again. But then that's nothing new for me and good movies; I am a repeat big-screen viewer and proud of it.

Posted by Duff at 05:10 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Recommending, Watchin'

July 17, 2008

Big Screen: Wanted.

Sooooo much fun. Completely exhilarating! Great trip to the movie theater. Very different from Iron Man, but just as completely what I am looking for in an action movie. My two favorite movies of the year so far. No fucking doubt about it.

I LOVED IT. Dad LOVED it. Nipper loved it. Michelle liked but didn't love it. The Chicago Reader hated it (prompting this response from Michelle: Damn! I liked it a little more than that dude. Who apparently doesn't understand the difference between REALITY and a FUCKING MOVIE.).

Where it suffers in comparison with Iron Man:

• The underlying mythology isn't as strong. With Iron Man, it's very clear why he decides to do what he does, what's driving him, it makes sense in a very cause-and-effect way. When he sits in front of the press and says "somehow we've become comfortable with zero accountability" it's like a jolt to your (any actual smart, responsible person's) heart, a direct attack on the fucked up situation of today. With Wanted, it's more smoke and mirrors. A very "In the Name of the Rose" or "DaVinci Code" type background. I mean, that's fine, except that no one ever questions "who's running the loom?" No one ever wonders who's in the background pushing the buttons? The assassins committed to this society BELIEVE the loom is doing it all on its own? (Although in other ways, this does work for me. That whole "secret society buzz" has a very comic book feel to it, so I think it works in the movie, I just think it doesn't work AS WELL as Iron Man's themes.)

• The situation isn't as personal, or it technically should be, but it's not presented that way. While RDJ's character in Iron Man is in many ways someone living a life who just doesn't care, when he does begin to care, it's very personal. His name on the weapons, his legacy, etc. In Wanted, McAvoy sort of falls into things with an extreme lack of knowing what's really going on. Things eventually become personal, but not at first, and they become personal via lies and misinformation that creates a kind of distance from any emotional effect. In other words: Iron Man becomes a MORAL QUEST. Wanted is about a gang of slaughterers. Fun, but kinda sick. Iron Man engages you on another dimension. As my Dad put it: It's probably not good to kill people you don't even know.

• The Hero's Glamour Factor. While RDJ's character may not be on the moral highground to begin with, he's not a frustrated loser working a shithole job and getting blindsided by his best friend either. He's a little easier to fall in love with in that "beginning of the movie, suck you in, make you want to watch him" way. Much as I love Bright Abbott dearly, oh, man, I hated seeing him be the swindler of McAvoy.

Where it SHINES in comparison to Iron Man!!:

• Hello, four words: Female Fucking Action Hero. Jolie* is just as much a focus as McAvoy, or any of the other assassins (even moreso). As Dad points out, "she is a MAJOR part of this movie, her part is outstanding and she's outstanding in it." Whereas in Iron Man while Gwyneth Paltrow is actually good (a rare enjoyment of her on my part), and has great chemistry with RDJ, her role is soooooo sidelines. And very retro, the female "secretary" role, even with sass is STILL the female secretary role. I mean, she goes to the final confrontation in 5-inch spiked heels to stand on the sidelines and shriek in distress. She's good when she's in it but she's so auxiliary.

• The Sets, particularly the Factory. While they make sense in the storyline, Iron Man's modern office buildings and desert caves don't really do as much for me as the sets in Wanted (although RDJ's house is pretty cool). The textile mill/factory is really majestic in a way, I LOVED all the car chases through the El structures and the stuff on the El itself (I love you, Chicago! You're so pretty!). And the train scenes at the end with his dad? And when Jolie drives her car onto it! VERY COOL!

Where both movies are GREAT:

• Effects, effects, exhilarating effects. Even my Dad who is not generally fan of CGI bullet fights (Peckinpah and Walter Hill did it better, OLD SCHOOL, and he will happily talk your ear off about it), even he loved the "fight" scenes in Wanted. How about the final showdown at the textile mill, where McAvoy is picking up other people's weapons as his way to reload? AWESOME!

• Wit, sarcasm, banter. Both movies have enough of this to be interesting BEYOND the effects and the drama and the Super Heroness of it all. Comic relief so you don't become bogged down by the horribleness of some of it.

• The "training" scenes. RDJ in his laboratory with his robot helpers and McAvoy gettin' schooled by Jolie. Like the scene where he's trying to grab the shuttle? And then when he finally does? All done with nice touches of humor.

I could go on (and on...) but believe it or not, I actually have something else to do right now. Shocking!

Need I even say it? Highly recommended. (BOTH)

*And if you enjoy Jolie in this, I recommend you check out Mr. & Mrs. Smith (which I LOVED a ridiculous amount!) as well as the two Tomb Raider movies, because she is great in these mixes of physicality/sass/sex/etc.

Posted by Duff at 02:30 PM | Say What? | filed under DadReaction, Flicks, Recommending, Watchin'

July 06, 2008

DVD: Rendition

Powerful. Emotionally moving. And extremely fucking depressing.

This IS what is going on ALL THE TIME in our world today and fuck who wants to live in a world like that.

p.s. Do Peter Sarsgaard and Jake Gyllenhaal have some clause in their contracts that they have to be in at least 90% of each other's movies?

Posted by Duff at 02:17 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

June 23, 2008

Big Screen: The Fall

Visually stunning.

Similar to Pan's Labyrinth, the audience watches the fairytale playout of a child's imagination. Lee Pace is quite good here, very John Cusack-feelin'. Gorgeous, rich, saturated landscapes in beautiful locations (with every new scene, I thought: "WOW, where was THIS filmed???"). A sweetly charming (and ongoing) visual Indian vs. Indian joke.

Enjoyable enough plot; truly beautifully filmed.

Posted by Duff at 05:13 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

June 09, 2008

Big Screen: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

As lame and predictable as you would expect. Total schmaltz. Some of it was fun because it pointed back to those old (much better) movies: say, for example, the bit with the snake. But some of it was so ludicrously off pitch, it stuck out like a sore thumb: say, for example, the bits with the gophers. And the monkeys.

I always expect lame dialogue from anything that George Lucas is in anyway connected to, but the animal bits were pure Disney channel. Trying to attract a younger audience? Then perhaps you should have rethought using your original star, who certainly looks his age, if not more.

It was fine for staying in out of the alternate periods of a) torrential rain and b) torrential heat that strafed the city yesterday. Enjoyable enough for that, I guess. But unless you find yourself in similar straits, I couldn't recommend it.

Posted by Duff at 04:45 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

June 02, 2008

Big Screen: Sex and the City

Bittersweet.

Disappointing.

• Given the events of the middle, I thought the unspoken "message" of the end was complete crap.
  
• Charlotte really got gypped in terms of storylines; hers had no tension whatsoever.
  
• It felt both superficial and rushed, and considering it went over two hours, it should have been neither.

That said, the other six girls in our group (no I do not know seven girls to go to the movies with in Chicago; I knew one of them) all seemed to like it. So take from that what you will.

Posted by Duff at 04:02 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

May 28, 2008

Big Screen: Redbelt

A David Mamet script PLUS Jujitsu? Come on now, people, you can't go wrong with that one. Really compelling interesting story. Really cool fights (woot).

A lot of good performances here (Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tim Allen (unexpected), Alicia Braga), including one from Emily Mortimer (whose character undergoes one of the biggest transitions), and a really great one from Max Martini (yum), whom you may recognize from The Unit.

I'll tell you what. He, Dean Winters and Tahmoh Penikett need to do some kind of brothers/mafia/cops movie together. Ah, that would be wonderful.

Posted by Duff at 08:26 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Recommending, Watchin'

Big Screen: Iron Man

A full Family Reaction even featuring the extremely rare MomReaction!! (No, we did not see it together.)

DadReaction: Eye popping effects, but with a lot of character. And not so effect heavy that you lose the humor as in some action movies. Downey is really great here. He's a stronger character as an actor and so much more entertaining than, say, Spiderman. Christian Bale brought a lot of grimness to Batman but Downey is very funny, lively and self deprecating. Really uses his wise ass attitude so well here, and it makes the idea of a superhero movie so much cooler. His and Paltrow's characters attraction feels very real, even though it's an under the table sort and they dance around it. Jeff Bridges was good too.

MomReaction: There's a really topical social edge to this movie about collateral damage and what you do to the world, what weapons do to the world. They don't hide behind the story: War is bad. Guns are bad.

GirlReaction: Fanfuckingtastic. Everything you could want in an action movie AND MORE. Lovedlovedloved it.

Posted by Duff at 08:22 AM | Say What? | filed under DadReaction, Flicks, Recommending, Watchin'

May 06, 2008

Big Screen: Made of Honor

Really horribly crap-ass bad. BAD.

Posted by Duff at 03:03 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Big Screen: Leatherheads

Beautifully filmed in lovely golden light. Completely charming. If you haven't already, you'll fall for George Clooney all over again. His Girl Friday-type snappy dialogue. Laurel & Hardy-esque physical comedy. Great soundtrack. Really lovely.

Ditto everything my dad said. Highly recommended.

Posted by Duff at 03:01 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Recommending, Watchin'

Big Screen: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

So one day someone said to themselves, "Hey! I think I'll take this little, charming, fun, engaging book (that in many ways is about female friendship)...and I'll throw in a little World War II (and transfer the American depression onto London) and turn it into a moody, dramatic, cat-fight-full film! It's just not good enough the way it is!" Seriously bad idea.

Some good acting but in a convoluted messed up plot created solely because... because the book was too lighthearted? Because movie producers are idiots?

Read the book, skip the movie.

Posted by Duff at 02:56 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

April 16, 2008

Plane: Elizabeth (The Golden Age)

I really did want to see this one in the theater. But it just could NOT hold my attention on the plane. Too slow moving? Or too much variation in loud & soft, had to keep changing the volume on the headphones? I don't know what the problem was but I kept tuning out.

After that travesty, on the way home I just watched Juno over and over. Sometimes with the sound, sometimes while I listened to other things. It just gets better and better. If you're on my christmas list, you can expect to get it in your package.

Posted by Duff at 07:33 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Plane: Mr. Magorium's Magic Emporium

This movie's missing ingredient = A plot.

But Natalie Portman wears super cute outfits in it! So there's that.

Posted by Duff at 07:32 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Plane: Lions for Lambs

I can see why this tanked at the box office. It's really a three-part movie. The part with Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep? Pretty much sucked. The part with Robert Redford and the snotty stupid boy in his office? Also pretty much sucked. The part with the two hotties who became soldiers? (This one and this one). Fucking rocked. But sadly they didn't get that much screen time; certainly not enough to save this movie from the suck pond. p.s. Peter Berg was hot but had even less screen time than they did.

Posted by Duff at 07:29 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

DVD: The Descent.

Well. I may never sleep through the night again. Completely mind-twistingly scary and freaky and gross and OH HOLY SHIT! NO NO NO! RUNNNNN!!! RUNNNNNNNNNNNNN!

Dad LOVED it. In his top five for last year. I am not quite as much a fan of the horror genre as he, although I do get just as scared (thanks for passing that one down the gene pool, pops). In fact, if you ever want to have a really good time laughing at other people, you should sit between the two of us at a horror film. And wear ear plugs.

Really well done. Strong performances from unknowns. Great great locations, well chosen. Totally creepy-ass filming. I'm getting shivers just thinking about it and it was over a week ago that I watched it. *SKEEVES*

Posted by Duff at 07:25 PM | Say What? | filed under DadReaction, Flicks, Watchin'

DVD: Becoming Jane

While I know all the Austen fans are up in a flurry over this one, I thought it was charming and well done and really solid performances from both Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy. My heart broke right along with hers.

My Dad really liked it too. In fact his constant refrain has been "Years from now, nobody's going to be rewatching Michael Clayton but this movie is still going to be fresh and enjoyable." I have to agree.

Posted by Duff at 07:23 PM | Say What? | filed under DadReaction, Flicks, Watchin'

DVD: Lucky You

Too bad 90% of the dialogue sounds like it comes straight out of "Gambling for Dummies".

Posted by Duff at 07:20 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

March 05, 2008

Big Screen: Be Kind, Rewind

Very funny, sweeter than it looks. Some nice friendship, small town, community stuff. Love the tie-in to the jazz stuff: the final movie they make is really great and such fun. The concept of "sweded" is awesome and really all I want to do now is run around with a videocamera making my own versions of everything. A Duff-sweded Matrix? Come on, that would be HILARIOUS. And it was nice to find that Mos Def really doesn't have to talk in that crazy ass high voice he used in 16 Blocks. Not half as annoying as I thought it'd be. Pleasing, even.

Posted by Duff at 11:07 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Big Screen: Vantage Point

Very entertaining while you're watching it...but discussing it afterward, you can come up with a lot of holes.

Seemed like the filmmakers had established a couple "rules" about the various "vantage points" at the beginning, but those start to fall apart midway through and then it's a free for all.

Some good performances, completely enjoyable...but not quite what it could have been.

Posted by Duff at 11:00 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Big Screen: Cloverfield

Totally fun, exhilarating monster movie! Kind-of reminded me of "Signs" / one of those "you think it's going to turn out to be psychological or Blair Witch-y but No! There are actual monsters! Yay!"

Now that I've seen it, I think the EW review was way off-base. The video backstory totally sucked me in and made me care about these characters. Very effective use of mostly little-known actors. Great New York destruction scenery. Thrilling, scary, (occasionally gross,) and awesome. I loved it. (My dad did too.)

Posted by Duff at 10:56 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Recommending, Watchin'

Big Screen: There Will Be Blood

Tour de force performance by Daniel Day Lewis.

Good, but difficult to watch, movie. One of those "oh it was a good movie but really? I don't ever want to see it again, I don't know if I could make it through" movies.

A demonstration of the myth behind the American dream.
The myth = work really hard and you'll become a millionaire and have everything you want.
The truth = work really hard, be ruthless, aggressive, villainous and hard and then maybe you'll become a millionaire and have everything you want.

Very effective soundtrack. So effective that at a couple points I wanted to stand up and scream JUST TURN THE MUSIC OFF! Really got under your skin, made me completely anxious, heart racing, even in scenes where it didn't need to be yet.

Powerful and vicious. Felt like checking for dirt under my fingernails as we left the theater.

Posted by Duff at 10:48 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

February 14, 2008

DVD: Big Trouble in Little China

I remembered this movie. But I did not really remember just how hilariously AWESOME it is.

What a riot.

Merci beaucoup, SuperEggplant.

Posted by Duff at 08:51 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

January 22, 2008

DVD: Die Hard Marathon

#1 / Die Hard / The original: Awesome. Just as fun now as it was then. An intelligent crook, surrounded by dufus henchman. An enterprising hero. Great one liners. Great byplay with the LA cop. Lots of fun.

#2 Die Harder: Eh. Pretty much sucks. The double double-cross at the end was lame. The many many references to "why does this keep happening to me/us?" wink wink were lame. The newscaster on the plane? Moron. But it does have one redeeming moment: when Bruce Willis kills the dude by stabbing him in the eye with a huge icicle!

#3 Die Hard: With a Vengeance: Enjoyable, although not great (it's no #1). Liked that they introduced a new character not connected to either the cops or the crime. Some discontinuity with him being back in NY considering in #2 he has moved to LA and become a cop there / #3 acts like #2 never happened (I guess we can't blame it for that...). Liked that they figure out it's subterfuge but a little "same old thing again" on the crime / McClane should have figured it out faster!

#4 Live Free or Die Hard: Years later, an update to the franchise! Entertaining! I liked that they updated it to a very modern-day crime, rather than just a rehash of the same type of terrorism (as really both #s 2 and 3 were -- unlike other movies I could name from 2007 that took an "old story" and just did the same old thing with it). Liked the byplay with the kid from the apple commercials. Sort of predictable substituting the presence of the daughter instead of the mother, but fine. But things that made it less enjoyable were: a) too many explosions for no reason (rewatch #1, where the explosions are more integral to the plot!); b) if the Gabriel dude is such an amazing hacker, why would he have all these underlings doing his hacking for him now? seems like he would want to be doing it himself, and the actor seemed too young for the role (since he was meant to be the contemporary of the head FBI dude); c) McClane seems a bit dumbed down from #1 certainly and perhaps #3 as well.

Gold Medal: #1
Silver: #4
Bronze: #3
Not even an honorable mention, but for the icicle: #2.

Posted by Duff at 04:45 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

January 17, 2008

Cable: Trust the Man

One of those movies with a bunch of recognizable actors that disappeared from theaters very fast so you know it must've been disappointing. I am normally a huge Billy Crudup fan but I hated the goatee action here. Frankly Maggie Gyllenhaal's character was the only one I didn't want to give a good shaking to. And the ending is bizarrely happy and "everything falling into place" after the extremely negative tones of the rest of it. Occasional laughs or relationship insights, but for the most part not very good. Not horrible, but not really enjoyable either.

Posted by Duff at 09:51 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

January 10, 2008

Wrapping It Up: Best Movies 2007

1. Grindhouse
2. Juno (and here and here as well)
3. A Mighty Heart (Knocked down a notch by Juno, but really great and I wish more people would have seen it.)
4. No Country for Old Men
5. American Gangster
6. Control
7. Blackout
8. In the Valley of Elah
9. The Bourne Ultimatum
10. Gone Baby Gone (In retrospect, and in comparison to others, this movie moved further up the list than I originally felt)

But there were lots of other movies I enjoyed as well, and you can read more about that here.

Posted by Duff at 10:20 AM | Say What? | filed under Best of..., Flicks, Lists, Recommending, Watchin'

DVD: We Are Marshall

Kinda sappy but sweet, and Matthew Fox is pretty great in this. Some nice byplay between him and M. McConaughey.

Not sure why it had such a mediocre box office performance/viewership; it's not the greatest flick but certainly a decent effort.

I guess these would be the reasons I liked it and perhaps the same reasons you wouldn't.
a) Sports, specifically football
b) Underdogs
c) Nostalgia
d) The classic hard knocks "rising from the ashes" story.
e) The classic "I want nothing to do with you" evolving into "Wow we're teammates and/or roommates and we can actually get along" story.
f) Matthew Fox.
g) Students vs. the administration.
h) David Strathairn.

Posted by Duff at 09:15 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Big Screen (IMAX): Beowulf

Not a great, movie, no. But enjoyable? Certainly. Melodramatic and predictable? Yes. Humorously macho? Indeed! (That's a positive!) A very muscle-y bravado Beowulf? Yum.

Decent performances from Anthony Hopkins and John Malkovich, neither of whom I had any idea were in this. And very seductive work by Angelina Jolie; I particularly like the ending where I (at least) was fairly certain we were meant to think her spell was about to work again...

I am finding myself very annoyed with people recently who will ONLY go to "good" "arthouse" flicks. Sanctimonious much? Sometimes I WANT to see an action film. Sometimes I WANT to see mainstream movies. Oh, I'm so pedestrian! You are so much MORE of a person than me! [Make. Me. Fucking. Puke.]

IMAX viewing is weird though. When they're standing super still and the camera is super close to their face, then they look real. When there's motion (of any kind) or they're not right up front, they look like 3D cardboard cutouts. Like in "Stepmom" when Julia Roberts helps the kids make big blown-up cardboard cutouts of pictures of them? Yeah, exactly like that. So you're always wondering if visually it was actually better in regular flat movie viewing. (And less queasy, surely.)

Have to laugh with Megan though, the whole "covering up the penis" shots were hilarious, there were soooo many of them, and honestly, just have him wear a loincloth and then we don't have to keep putting people's elbows, or helmets, or candles, in the way of "it".

Posted by Duff at 08:35 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

January 08, 2008

Lyrics of the Day

If you were a wink, I'd be a nod...

If you were the floor, I'd wanna be the rug...

And if you were an ocean, I'd learn to float...

-"All I Want Is You" Barry Louis Pollsar from the Juno Sdtrk.

Great movie, great tunes. It's a win-win.

If you haven't seen this yet, or are letting some crap-ass review taint your willingness to go, go read this review. And then go, for pete's sake. Pete would want you to.

When both me AND my dad are as equally gung-ho about a film (yes, sometimes we disagree), I don't think there's anything else you need to know. It's THAT good.

Posted by Duff at 06:33 PM | Say What? | filed under " " of the XXX., Flicks, Listenin', Lyrics, Tunes, Watchin'

January 04, 2008

Big Screen: Atonement

Beautiful.

Breathtaking.

As faithful to the book as possible, given that it's a film (is that not self explanatory?). Great performances. Nostalgically lovely to look at (1940s. Ah.). As (momentarily) romantic and sexy as can be...and then as heartbreaking and painful and... And it's really that good. Cee thinks so too. As she points out, the "incidental" music...is just great. The staccato typing? Wow. The back/forth juxtaposition to resolve disparate points of view? Done so well.

And by the way, the book? ALSO THAT GOOD.

Keira Knightly. James McAvoy. Joe Wright (director). Well fucking done.

Posted by Duff at 12:42 PM | Say What? | filed under Books, Flicks, Recommending, Watchin'

January 03, 2008

Big Screen: Sweeney Todd

Exhilarating. Johnny Depp shines once again. I loved it. A very enjoyable night at the movie theater.

If anyone ever films Dickens (again), they need to hire the guys that did the CGI London for this movie!!

Posted by Duff at 12:04 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Big Screen: Charlie Wilson's War

The previews for this movie didn't thrill me (as you may recall) and I'm happy to report I was proven wrong. Well acted, well directed, and quite thoughtful. Nice to see Tom Hanks having fun again. Although if I were Emily Blunt I'm not sure I would have taken that part: a real waste of her acting skills.

And holy crap does Philip Seymour Hoffman just blow this thing right out of the water: he's top notch here!

Posted by Duff at 11:16 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

December 20, 2007

DVD: Flags of Our Fathers

Some of the "storming the beach" filming was really amazing, although I think it would've been better on the big screen.

But the story was a bit scattered. And having that many well known actors popping up in bit parts can be kinda distracting, even though they were good performances.

Posted by Duff at 06:57 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

December 18, 2007

Big Screen: Juno

I loved it. Yes, as funny as the previews made it look, but really so much more than that. Heartbreaking and bittersweet and some really lovely, deeply sincere moments.

I tried to keep my expectations low considering several much-hyped indie flicks this year that I did not feel were all they were cracked up to be (Waitress and Knocked Up, I'm talking to you). This surpassed even my more optimistic hopes.

I'm impressed. Strong performances, lovely soundtrack. Thumbs fucking way up.

Posted by Duff at 08:57 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Recommending, Watchin'

December 17, 2007

Big Screen: I Am Legend

Lots of really scary stuff - two of the three of us were hiding behind our coats most of the movie. Will Smith is hot (and BUILT in this film. K asked: "Why doesn't he look that way ALL THE TIME?") and I really liked a lot of it.

Up until about the last 10 minutes where suddenly everything happened all in a rush, they threw in some bullshit Utopia and extra characters and I really thought that was a bunch of crap.

And if you cannot handle seeing certain animals getting hurt = DON'T GO TO IT. That means you, Mom.

Posted by Duff at 10:30 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Cable: Duma

Heartbreakingly sweet. Beautifully filmed.

Posted by Duff at 10:29 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

December 03, 2007

Big Screen: Dan in Real Life

Somewhat predictable, occasionally contrived. Not an award winner or must-see. But enjoyable. And very, very sweet. Nice to see Steve Carrell dialed down for the occasion.

Posted by Duff at 07:53 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Big Screen: Margot at the Wedding.

HATED it. Yes. Hated. Thought it was one of the worst movies I've seen this year. Badly, badly written. Hard to judge whether the directing and acting were good or not / when the basis of the movie is that bad, the other things don't even seem to matter.

The "funny" parts were awkward and misplaced; the scenes with the neighbors seemed to belong to some other movie, perhaps a Stephen King-type horror flick; there wasn't really a single character (except perhaps the teenage boy) who had normal human reactions to anything that happened. And frankly, I could not even find one person I cared about, was interested in, or didn't think was a moron. There were many times in this movie, during arguments between various characters, where one person would be yelling at the other "But you're so smart! You're so intelligent!" I didn't see a single iota of evidence of that.

Tracy yelled out "Give me a break!" at one point; and we could hear people muttering "wow, so bad, so bad" as we left the theater. Since Tracy and I have rarely agreed on movies in the past month, I was surprised to find we both hated it equally. Michelle, on the other hand, seemed to like it. It cracked me up to read her comment: I find myself still thinking about this movie days after I saw it, and that's something; because until the moment I read that, I had completely wiped this movie out of my mind. (And then I read her post and thought "OH FUCKING HELL I'll actually have to think about it long enough to write it up. Yuck!")

Hated it.

Posted by Duff at 07:46 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Big Screen: I'm Not There

A very original/unusual take on the biopic. The many past and possible lives of Bob Dylan, were he a few (five? can't remember exactly) different people. Some of it was very entertaining and well done, other bits I could have done without. Similar to, say, Being John Malkovich, you're either going to be able to go with it or you're not.

Thought Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger and Christian Bale were all excellent. Blanchett and Bales's sections were some of the most factually-based bits; there were moments in Blanchett's that were straight out of filmed Dylan interviews I've even seen. (Michelle Williams' bit part was really, really nicely done and Charlotte Gainsbourg was excellent as well.) But they could have left out the entire Richard Gere segment and I would have been fine with that (except for missing a great cover) - that imagined life just did nothing for me. More of a fairytale aspect going on there. And I didn't find the segment with the little boy that engaging either.

Enjoyed the music, enjoyed a lot of it. Didn't love it. But certainly worth seeing. Not going to see many things like it.

Posted by Duff at 07:40 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

November 23, 2007

Big Screen: No Country for Old Men

Super (awesomely!) violent and sometimes gross. It's from a McCarthy book so you should know that going in / shouldn't come as a shock.

Super freakily (psychologically) messed up villain (Javier Bardem. Spooky as shit. Crazy entrancing eyes).

Great performance from Tommy Lee Jones and solid from Josh Brolin (and I'm not even a fan of his!) and it's fun to see LOTS of random actors popping up in bit parts (the coach from "One Tree Hill", the nasty lady who ran the grocery store on "Jericho", Woody Harrelson (what a relief to see him in something good again after that other crapass movie which I think was way worse than I seem to have written there), Garrett Dillahunt who just played a Russian mobster on "Life")...

I have to say: what made this movie for me was pure Coen brothers; you can tell/feel where they inserted themselves into this script: the small-town, down-home country humor and the warm personal relationships and comfortable feeling between many of the characters (despite the nasty killings and brutal stuff). And believe you me, humor and warmth = those are NOT things you will find in a McCarthy book.

Really excellent filmmaking and I (given my extreme dislike of McCarthy's writing) wasn't even really sure I wanted to see this...

Posted by Duff at 08:50 AM | Say What? | filed under Books, Flicks, Watchin'

Big Screen: Gone Baby Gone

Really good. Maybe not Oscar winning levels of accomplishment, but certainly respectable, compelling filmmaking. Kudos to you, Ben Affleck, I'm pretty impressed. There was only one thing I would consider a directorial gaffe / and it was perhaps a difficult moment of filming? I don't know, but only one moment where I thought "That's not right." I'll give you one or two (or maybe four depending) of those and still consider it a good flick.

Casey Affleck = also very impressive here. As I felt with Leo in "The Departed", this is the movie where Casey really became sexy to me. In the past = attractive but in a kinda skeevy way. In this movie = H-O-T, hot. Really liked watching him play this role, lots of subtle moral struggles. He did a great job.

Also nice bits by Ed Harris and Amy Madigan.

Although here is the conversation as I imagine it: Ed (says to Ben): "Hey, Ben, yeah I'll be in your movie but only if you have a part for my wife too. And here's the deal, you have to make me look super, super hot and older man sexy, but you have to make her look as shitty, old and bedraggled as possible. Does that work for you? Yeah? OK then! We'll do it!" (Yes, her part requires that she be somewhat more bedraggled than his does...but still...it was a bit...noticeable.)

Posted by Duff at 08:25 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

November 12, 2007

Big Screen: American Gangster

I had high expectations for this movie and I was glad to not be disappointed. That said, the first 20 minutes or so (out of almost three hours) were not really what I was expecting. Story had some unusual twists.

Denzel and Russell were both really strong, although both looked crappier physically than I've seen them look in a while. There was one scene in which Denzel looked so bloated and slackjawed and I thought "oh are they going to make his character go all crazy and loose cannon now? To match how he's falling apart physically?" But he seemed to recover a bit from that. There are TONS of other "oh oh I know that guy, what's he been in?" actors in this. The police chief (?) from Monk. Josh Brolin (Man, I can't stand that guy. And fortunately, in this movie, he plays someone to hate so my natural feelings weren't fighting the storyline). "Stringer Bell" (yay!). This scrawny dude who was, I believe, the male lead in that movie everyone on earth loved (EXCEPT ME!!) "Me and You and Everyone We Know". A dude who recently was on an episode of K-Ville. A small role knocked out of the park by Cuba Gooding Jr. and an even smaller part played by Common.

It was long and sprawling and really followed two distinct storylines (led by their respective stars) that ran parallel but didn't truly overlap until about the last five minutes. It was violent and scrappy and sometimes offensive (in the spirit of its time). And I really (really) liked it.

Posted by Duff at 03:28 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

October 23, 2007

Big Screen: Michael Clayton

I really didn't fall for this movie as much as I thought I might after I read Jen's reaction.

I did think George Clooney and Tom Wilkinson were great. Sydney Pollack's character pissed me off just as much as he was supposed to. Tilda Swinton was good although I felt her "accent" slipped a few times (into frigid English bitch rather than frigid American).

But...I felt like it was an excellently acted/directed movie of something that's been done before. So I wasn't wowed. If you're going to do a movie on corporate malfeasance, I think there's a lot more to choose from these days than the same old/same old chemicals cause cancer role, and things that are more pressing/more topical (how about the government continuing to handout defense contracts to companies which were the ones already "supplying" the troops with inadequate supplies, non bullet proof "armored" cars, etc.).

Not only has the chemical angle been done before (going all the way back to Silkwood! and on through Erin Brockovich), along with the "those companies kill people who get in their way", but also the sense of a whistle-blower (The Insider, among others).

So while I thought the performances were excellent, I didn't think the movie really took a reach. I didn't think it went somewhere that blew my mind, or should be award winning. (My mom called it "very competent and enjoyable.")

But Jen loved it. So you might. And the friend that went with me came out of the theater saying "Wow, that was awesome!" (She felt this movie did some "new" spins on an old subject, say, the scenes of Tilda Swinton spreading out her clothes in the hotel rooms...)

Not so much, to me.

Posted by Duff at 09:27 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

October 19, 2007

Chicago Film Festival: Control

Dir: Anton Corbijn
Actrs: Mostly fairly unknowns (Sam Riley = awesome!!), with Samantha Morton as Deborah Curtis.

A biopic of Ian Curtis, lead singer of Joy Division, the remaining members of which became New Order after Curtis' suicide. Based on the biography written by his wife, Deborah. Reading up on details in various places, sounds pretty true to events, with some scenes/dialogue obviously imagined due to lack of other people in the room.

Corbijn is protesting in interviews being known only as a "rock photographer" although I'd say the skills of a rock photographer add greatly to the filming of this story. Regardless, it's beautifully filmed in black and white, does a good job of showing the extreme bleakness of the surrounds, where they grew up, Curtis' mental and emotional bleakness. Pondering whether either a) the side effects of his epilepsy medication made him not take the medication thus leading to more (and more?) epileptic fits on stage or whether b) he was indeed regularly taking it leading to more and more depression, paranoia, etc. The scene where the drugs are prescribed and the extreme lack of medical knowledge at the time around epilepsy was pretty scary. (Is it better now? One has to hope so.)

If not for Curtis' suicide, you feel like you could be watching a movie about the early Stones or the Beatles. The music business was such a different animal, even in the late 70s when JD was getting their start. You see the evolution not only of the band, but of their manager and record company.

Some of it is just maddening, particularly the events that appear to lead directly to his suicide. Basically couldn't handle being married and a father at his young age (they got married at 17 or 18, had a kid around 22, suicide at 23), was involved in at least one extramarital affair, (although I think the movie may have trimmed out other affairs for time), but prospect of wife divorcing him over him a) being unfaithful and b) stating to her that he doesn't love her anymore! makes him completely despondent. Yet, he's having an affair, so... Classic case of digging one's own hole, yet his mental state left him completely unable to handle it or face up to his own actions. Interesting to see events in his life tied to songs writtenly shortly thereafter ("She Lost Control" and "Love Will Tear Us Apart" particularly).

Great acting here. Actors playing the band play the music themselves. If you liked Ray for Jamie Foxx's incredibly Ray-like interpretation, or Walk the Line for a similarly incredible performance by Joaquin Phoenix, you should see this. Although Sam Riley's voice is much higher than Curtis', the band does a more than credible job of interpreting the songs and it all feels very, very real. Thought Riley did an incredible acting job, as well as Samantha Morton playing his wife and Alexandria Maria Lara playing his other love Annick (she's breathtakingly gorgeous).

In my own "rock history", given that he committed suicide in 1980 when I was whatever, fucking young as shit, I knew the music of New Order much better, became a huge fan thanks to my friend Pete freshman year of college who was the first person to play New Order for me, as well as The Replacements, and so many more bands that certainly owe some musical debts to Joy Division. Even today, bands like The National, would their lead have considered a rock career without having heard similarly low-voiced Ian Curtis, one has to wonder. Curtis was a big Bowie fan early on, there are lots of other bands up and coming alongside them (the Buzzcocks, hilarious bit in the film about the name; The Sex Pistols), and watching the movie just made me need to go home and sit down in front of the stereo...

New Order site lists showings around the country. Go! Highly recommended. Might want to bring kleenex.

Posted by Duff at 09:20 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Recommending, Watchin'

October 14, 2007

Big Screen: We Own the Night

Yay, Joaquin.

I thought most of the individual performances were really good and there's some pretty intense cop-on-drug-dealer action. But I wasn't totally thrilled. Felt like the movie was really divided into three parts: part 1) before Joaquin gets involved, part 2) the long middle involved and sometimes in hiding and part 3) the final confrontation. Felt like the middle part 2) was too long and there wasn't enough in the first part 1). Things started to happen too fast / I needed a few more set up scenes to get involved with more characters than just Joaquin. And then part 3) again gets short changed (due to too much middle) and things just sort of...end. And the very last scene felt a bit like an add-on. Like they needed to add a little moment / put in sort of throwaway nod to the girl. It could have ended when Joaquin walked over to the car after handing the gun over to his "uncle" (or I thought that older police dude was their uncle anyway).

Seeing previews for American Gangster and thinking "hmm, so this fall they're both making Westerns again (3:10 to Yuma, Assassination of Jesse James) and they're also making '70s NY cop/bad guys flicks (We Own the Night, American Gangster)..."

There's a pretty gratuitous Joaquin/Eva Mendes sex scene at the very beginning of this movie. At least, so far, I can't think of a way in which it advances the plot. But I'm not saying I minded. It may be gratuitous...but it is H-O-T hot. Very sexy. Smooches to you, Joaquin.

Posted by Duff at 07:43 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Chicago Film Festival: Jump!

Dir: Helen Hood Scheer.

A documentary about the sport of Jumprope, a rising phenomenon in what appeared to be mostly inner cities. Despite not being an official sport for any schools, universities, etc., it's highly organized with regionals, nationals and world championships. Film follows primarily kids from four (or five? i'm starting to forget) groups as they practice their routines, appear at the meets, etc. I was really into the Razzmatazz kids.

If the highlight of the Olympics for you is gymnastics, I think you'd probably enjoy this. These kids are pretty amazing athletes and their jumprope routines incorporate all kinds of tumbling/gymnastic skills as well as just plain muscle and endurance. There are speed competitions of several kinds, and jumprope routines done in singles, doubles, triples and quads. (When they get to worlds, seems like there are routines done there with many more kids at once.)

Unlike the competitive backstabbing world of gymnastics (no I'm not joking about that), and probably partially because this is a more intramural/extracurricular activity, these kids are very friendly with their opponents. Practicing together before meets, sharing new "tricks", teaching younger kids... The sharing and "hey try this!" bit at the worlds is really cool, and very interesting to see the different styles evolving in different parts of the world: all the Asian kids seem to incorporate breakdancing into their jumprope routines!

And just like Olympic gymnasts, these are young kids, pouring their hearts into this sport, practicing for hours on end, devoting themselves physically AND mentally. Their collective goal is to get the sport into the Olympics. They need 5 continents (they have the 5), 74 or 75 countries (they only have about 35 right now) and all under the same rules (that part was unclear). Seems less structured rule & scoring wise than gymnastics, which is something that probably comes with regulation / the more structured a sport it becomes, the more spontaneity it will lose.

Made me cry several times. Really engaging.

Posted by Duff at 07:30 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Chicago Film Festival: Surveillance

Dir: Paul Oremland
Actrs: Mostly unknowns with a great performance by Simon Callow (who you might know as the overweight gay guy who dies in Four Weddings and a Funeral)

A young teacher with a secret gay nightlife. A rich (sometimes gay) playboy with a connection to the royal family is kidnapped and murdered. London's incredible network of surveillance cameras are the only leads.

The entire film is done on CCTV and surveillance cameras, cameraphones, handhelds, etc. While this had a very direct tie-in to the plot and the point of the movie (thus a plus), it also lends itself to a very amateur look (a minus). Similar to when you're watching a well-produced, well-photographed TV show and then a super cheap commercial comes on and the filming is just flat / no depth / feels two-dimensional. While part of the point of this is the "it could happen to anyone" and "you never know what's being caught on film" and "we're being watched/ photographed/ surveilled at all times"...on the other hand, you're in a theater watching it on the big screen, and it just doesn't have the visual zing of a more traditionally produced, high quality camera & film movie.

Raises some very intriguing questions. Good performances. (The lead is a little hottie.) A very 20/20 investigative feel. Really enjoyed the Q&A with the director afterward. Some of his conversations with MI-5 and MI-6 were quite...astonishing. And followed by "I never knew whether to believe anything they were telling me. Those guys get so caught up in their own mystique." My only quibble would be: is there a way to do this, but have it look better, yet still have the "feel" of the surveillance cameras?

Posted by Duff at 07:20 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

October 10, 2007

Chicago Film Festival: Silent Light

Very hard to describe. Definitely an "art house" or "film festival" flick. Starts with a sunrise. That seemed to take approximately 20 minutes. Twenty minutes!! With nothing but the sun slowly lightening up the sky. No sounds but the wind and the birds and...maybe you can hear trees growing?

A lot of the movie is that silent. And that slow. And that ponderous. Not in a bad way. But definitely in a disconcerting way. I found my mind racing, racing, racing. Any scene with even a hint that disaster could happen had me imagining the wildest things...things that would never actually happen in this movie.

Technically the "action" of the movie is about a Mennonite farmer, with a wife and six kids, who has fallen in love with another woman. And struggles with how to go on from that moment. Although he stays with his wife, she ultimately dies (of a broken heart?)...but then there's this one moment of magical realism at the end... Which was lovely, but a bit odd considering the very very NOT fantastical rest of the movie.

It was the opposite of, say, a three hour movie that feels like it only took 45 minutes. It was only a little over two hours, but oh sweet monkey sundae, I felt like I was in the theater for 25 years. Sitting in such utter silence, broken only by, say, the sound of someone's feet walking through grass. Or walking on snow. Or occasionally having a very slow, very drawn out, very few sentences conversation.

Some of it was really beautiful. And the tension in it was very powerful, despite being such non-tense kind of tension. (Maybe you had to see it to even make any sense out of that sentence.)

But it was not an easy movie, on the mind. It totally wore me out. Consider yourself warned.

Posted by Duff at 10:27 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

October 08, 2007

Chicago Film Festival: Blackout

Dir: Jerry LaMothe
Actrs: Mostly unknowns (to me) but a few familiar faces such as Jeffrey Wright, Zoe Saldana, and Saul Rubinek.

This movie was EXCELLENT. Completely compelling. I turned in my ballot with a 5 and I hope it gets a major distributor. Excellent even though the print we watched had a HUGE time code along the bottom of the screen (blocking about the bottom fourth of the screen) and no credits at the end.

Focuses on the New York City blackout of August 2003*, details the events in one Brooklyn neighborhood, particularly focused on the tenants of one apartment building and the workers at one hair salon. (Based on true events from the blackout, but believe the specific particulars are fictional.)

Really really great. Great acting, great pacing, great suspense, great passion and concern... Loved it. Both thumbs way up.

*hello, I was there! that was my last night in New York and I wound up sleeping on a couch in Manhattan unable to even get to my apartment in Queens!, and walking up and down many sets of stairs in complete darkness, and going for a very scary walk on the dark streets trying to find Amy...

Posted by Duff at 10:20 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Recommending, Watchin'

Chicago Film Festival: The Walker

Dir: Paul Schrader.
Actrs: Woody Harrelson (main lead), Kristen Scott Thomas, Lauren Bacall, Lily Tomlin, Willlem Dafoe, Ned Beatty.

This was a bit of a mess. We were down with it for the first half and then things started to unravel. Had a very 80s/90s feel to it, hard to believe it was filmed recently. Full of Washington DC "high society" (oh sweet monkey sundae, are those people pretentious or what) and supposed intrigue. The attempt to make Harrelson's character BOTH a gay dandyish society fop AND a gay in a serious relationship with a trendy political artist didn't really work for us. The two sides of his personality never melded and the contrast of the scenes was choppy.

Some good acting, not terrible, but would be very surprised if this film ever really sees the light of day.

Posted by Duff at 10:13 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Big Screen: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Very, very moody and melancholy and slow and drawn out. Really really beautiful photography (cinematography?), particularly during the narration. Lots of Midwestern winter shots, snow covered wheat fields, sun dappled groups of trees. Empty rooms with wooden floors and empty rocking chairs and streaks of sun shooting across them.

Oh and yeah the acting? Brad Pitt is progressively manic (eventually becoming an actually intelligible version of someone similar to the character from Snatch) and Casey Affleck really grows on you, after seeming sort of idiot-savant like at the beginning. Mary Louise Parker was excellent in a (very!) small role, as was Zoey Deschanel. Wished Frank (Sam Shepherd) had made another appearance at the end.

At the end you realize the story isn't necessarily about what it seemed. Thought the narration would be annoying, but came to love it (gives it a very storybook feel, kind of like the narration in Pushing Daisies, although in a very different genre of storybook).

And as I said, the photography was beeeeaaauuuuuuuuutiful.

Posted by Duff at 10:09 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

October 04, 2007

Still Thinking about The Kingdom

If you're an obsessive, maniacal, ridiculous FNL fan like me, then hey, bonus, off-season sightings of Kyle Chandler and Minka Kelly who both have small roles. (And for Jericho fans, "Emily" is in it as well.) Also the background music is very FNL-feelin'. I don't know if it's actually also Explosions in the Sky and, sweet monkey sundae, I'm certainly not going to be bothered to look that up. But it FEELS like the same kind of dreamy, expansive, Texas-horizon, music.

I liked it more than it may have seemed in my previous comment.

Posted by Duff at 08:09 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

October 02, 2007

Big Screen: The Kingdom

I liked this movie, but I thought Peter Berg left the ending a little too ambiguous. I THINK I know what you're supposed to think, but in leaving it ambiguous I think he left room for people with a radically different viewpoint than mine to say "yup, this [other thing] is what you're supposed to think." If the message is what I thought it was, it shouldn't have been left ambiguous. I don't want people to be able to prevaricate about that!

And I didn't think it made that much sense to have Jason Bateman's character so obsessed with what the whispering was. It was like using him as the plot to find out something the audience supposedly would want to know...except I didn't think anyone in the audience was actually wondering that. It was a plot mechanism to reveal a similar attitude on both sides, but I think it could have been accomplished differently.

Jamie Foxx's macho attitude is definitely one of his strengths as an actor so he really excels in parts that let him bring it on. Jason Bateman is great, although totally annoying in some scenes. I really dug the #2 Saudi policeman (the one who gets beaten early on).

I liked a lot of it, despite my aforementioned criticisms. But as the boy working the concession stand told me on my way in "It's a good movie, but it's scary. It can really make you paranoid about some stuff."

Posted by Duff at 08:37 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Big Screen: Eastern Promises

Not for the faint of heart. The infamous naked bathroom fight scene was more notable (to me) for its extreme bloodiness (I swear that one cut goes all the way down his spine) than a few random sightings of Viggo's peeny. There's a throatcutting scene earlier that's more like a "trying really hard to chisel off someone's head with a not very sharp knife" scene.

Viggo is so solidly into character here, it's hard to reconcile in your mind that this is the same boy who played Aragorn. Not a bad flick, a number of interesting items, but I didn't find myself very engaged with it. More like a spectator from a distance than I usually feel in the theater. And a lot of people in this movie make really bad decisions. You wanted to take them into the hallway and try and shake some sense into them.

Posted by Duff at 08:33 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

September 28, 2007

Cable: X-Men III

Oh it's the kids are now "adults" part of the series. Never a very interesting plot move. But hey, I'm completely down with Rogue's decision. I mean, if you're a romantic, how could you not be?

Posted by Duff at 12:22 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Cable: Aeon Flux.

OK I didn't think it was good, but I'm not sure why this was quite as panned as it was. I mean, yeah, the woman with the hands for feet was just grotesque... but I really didn't think the rest of it was THAT bad. Charlize Theron was convincing and the dude that played her man-from-the-past was kinda hot in a Dominic West-hot way.

I've certainly seen worse movies than this. And if you got rid of a couple of really annoying things, I think it could have been decent.

Posted by Duff at 12:20 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

September 24, 2007

Netflix: Eulogy

This movie is HILARIOUS. Side-splittingly funny family farce. Along the lines of The Royal Tennenbaums, but less dark (despite it being funeral-focused). Ray Romano and Hank Azaria are funny, as expected, and Debra Winger is really funny, playing against type. Loved it.

Lots of completely inappropriate, non-PC humor, which is really the best kind, right? Everyone knows that the only gay relationships that work are between people of the same height. Or Azaria having told his daughter (Zoey Deschanel, so sweet) that her mom died when she was young "from being a social worker who cared too much." (Turns out she was actually a porno actress.) Too funny.

Posted by Duff at 06:52 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Recommending, Watchin'

September 17, 2007

Big Screen: In the Valley of Elah

Intense and sad, and yet a very quiet movie. Things happening beneath the surface for many of these characters. A couple things about the mystery that I felt weren't explained quite right / didn't sit quite right. But makes its point quite well: the war isn't just happening "over there." The soldiers bring it home with them.

And if you were paying attention at the beginning, the message at the end is very clear: We are a country in distress. No doubt about it.

Really great performances by Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon. And a couple of the "unknowns" playing the soldiers really did well in their parts. Very impressive filmmaking.

Posted by Duff at 09:21 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Recommending, Watchin'

September 11, 2007

Big Screen: 3:10 to Yuma

Really a funny movie. Very entertaining but very silly, and a lot of holes that can be poked in the plot afterward. Weirdly my parents went to see it the same night (600 miles away) and said the same thing: entertaining and satisfying but very silly. Dad says it made him remember how some Elmore Leonard stories just go overboard into crazy silliness.

Russell Crowe is quite saucy and fun, and Christian Bale is so earnest and moral that you kinda want to slap him upside the head, or upside his weird, stereotypically English, filed to the exact same length across the top row, gray teeth. Yes I have a thing about teeth and his drive me nuts.

And for you Serenity/Firefly fans, Wash has a pretty big part and he's great in it! Yay! [And the dude who played Sam Phillips in "Walk the Line" is in this as well. He has a somewhat creepy resemblance to John Ritter in this role....]

Posted by Duff at 11:16 AM | Say What? | filed under DadReaction, Flicks, Watchin'

September 04, 2007

Big Screen: Transformers

I really enjoyed about the first hour of this. Then I started to get bored, and the robots started to get preachy (thank you, humans, for working with us), and I started to want it to be over.

Despite me losing interest before the end, one can't really argue the fact that Josh Duhamel is one tall drink of water, even if I had to break up with him a long time ago as you may remember. And Shia LaBeouf plays self deprecating quite well, I can imagine him having a long future in Hollywood.

Posted by Duff at 09:51 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Big Screen: The Bourne Ultimatum

Fan-fucking-tastic. The car/and other transport chases were awesome, the fights were breathtaking. Loved it.

Posted by Duff at 09:50 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Recommending, Watchin'

August 31, 2007

Big Screen: Ratatouille

Super cute. Sweet. Utterly charming. Definitely in the top 10 so far this year (and I don't even like animated flicks for the most part!!).

Posted by Duff at 10:11 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

August 29, 2007

DVD: Premonition

Other than the last five minutes, which I thought were total cheeseball (and UCK not necessary!!), I thought this was a totally satisfying (and mentally quite torturously terrifying) movie. Sandra Bullock was completely convincing and I don't know why no one went to this movie. Although, as I said, it should have ended five minutes earlier.

Such a nice treat to see Julian McMahon (yum!) in something other than Nip/Tuck which has just gotten way too icky and weird for me. He's delish. Thumbs up from me, yo.

Posted by Duff at 08:43 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

August 27, 2007

Big Screen: Stardust

An entrancing, lovely, little fairytale. I feel the same way about the movie that Jennie of Jennie's B(ook)log felt about the book: It is just charming and winsome, and really very funny.

Thought Michelle Pfeiffer and Claire Danes both gave good performances.

Posted by Duff at 07:35 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Netflix: Attack of the Gryphon

Although this movie was cheesy to a truly ridiculous degree, I think I could have been fine with the cheese had the special effects not been so very, very bad. It's hard to believe it was made in 2007, although I realize the Sci Fi Channel does not have a big-movie-house budget.

Amber Benson = good in a badly written role. Jonathan LaPaglia = not as good. The only person in the movie whose accent (natural, in this case, I believe) just seemed too modern to fit in with the rest.

Posted by Duff at 07:32 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

August 09, 2007

Big Screen: Sunshine

Very much in the tradition of the Alien movies...except for there not being an alien. Or not really. More about how you don't NEED for there to be an alien for everything to fall apart; that long journeys and close quarters and just being human can be enough to make things go bad. That's mostly what the movie is about. Although there was a bit at the end that I really had to wonder why it was even there. Didn't seem like it helped the storyline / may even have hurt it.

Cillian Murphy always freaks me out, no less here; he's got a weird Albino-esque-ness to him for a darkhaired dude, doesn't he? The main girl from 28 Weeks Later is here also, as well as "Flame on!" from the Fantastic 4, Michelle Yeoh, and a couple other sort-of recognizable but I can't really place them dudes.

Good acting, pretty enjoyable stuff. Except for the bit I mentioned before. (You can email me -- "Say What" below -- if you've seen it and ya wanna chat.)

Posted by Duff at 05:32 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

August 06, 2007

Cable: Blown Away.

I forgot all about this one!!! It must be years since I'd last seen it...

Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones are two Irish dudes who spent their early days doing bombings for the IRA. It's many years later and while Jeff Bridges has moved on to defusing bombs instead of building them and having a new happy family and posing as an American, Tommy Lee Jones has done a) none of those things and is b) seeking vengeance. Papa Lloyd Bridges is also in this and fun as a sort of wacky tough-old Irishman, and Forest Whittaker, back in the day, before all his (justly earned) fame, is great as a cocky young'un on the bomb squad. There are lots of cheesball things about this movie, and I honestly start totally laughing when Tommy Lee Jones starts scampering around karaoke-ing to U2 while planting bombs everywhere, but I still really like this movie. All kinds of tension. Very entertaining!

Posted by Duff at 06:24 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Multiple Viewings: Training Day

As I'm sure any of you other multiple view movie watchers can appreciate, after watching one OK but not great Antoine Fuqua movie, you must IMMEDIATELY watch a great Antoine Fuqua movie.

Denzel Washington gets his swagger on in such a truly GREAT and unbelievable way in this movie and not only that but he's BAAAAD. I mean normally he's all getting his swagger on in a hot AND good guy hero type way. To see him go the evil route...it's just breathtaking and breathtakingly good.

Ethan Hawke is really just a sidekick here, but he does a good job of being almost painfully morally upright.

I don't think I'll ever stop watching this movie. Soooooo good.

Posted by Duff at 06:21 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

DVD: Shooter

Not bad at all. What is wrong with people? I knew the critics had to have been at least partially wrong considering that despite it going to DVD supersuper fast, the DVD keeps selling out at Best Buy!

Good reasons to watch:
a) Antoine Fuqua (Training Day!) is a good director, so you figure it's got to be at least a SOLIDLY directed movie. It is.
b) Marky Mark. Hello. And shirtless. Doh!
c) A dog. And the reason to NOT let something go? SPOILER IN THE NEXT LINE! HIDE YOUR EYES! (But it is only a tiny sort of "doh! of course!" spoiler...) "I don't think you understand. They killed my dog." I am a child of my mother, that is vengeance reasoning I can totally get behind.
d) Great performance by Michael Pena, in a very Mark Ruffalo type way.

Reasons why it's not THAT good?
a) predictable.
b) predictable.
c) predictable and kinda cheesy.

Not a GREAT movie. But worth watching in my book.

Posted by Duff at 06:18 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

DVD: Breach

The acting (by almost everyone) in this movie is so stiff it makes Matt Damon's performance in The Good Shepherd look overly emotional.

The most boring espionage movie I've ever seen. And think about it: you've actually got to WORK to make a spy movie boring. Because hello: spies? NOT BORING.

Baaad.

Posted by Duff at 06:15 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

July 13, 2007

DVD: Hollywoodland.

If you liked Zodiac, you'll probably like this as well. Unsolved crime from years ago, completely obsessed in-this-case private eye (in-that-case reporter) who winds up endangering the rest of his life with his need to figure out what happened.

Slow moving, with a constant intercut between the PI (Adrien Brody, usually creepy but very effective here!!) in the present and Reeves and Mannix (Affleck and Lane, both giving great performances!) in the past. Moody with strong subcurrents of regret on growing old, lost opportunities, mishandled relationships. Very noir-ish. (I wish they would have shot this in black & white!)

I particularly enjoyed Bob Hoskins and hello flashback Kathleen Robertson (Steve's girlfriend "Claire" in the later seasons of 90210!!!).

Posted by Duff at 06:19 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

July 08, 2007

Big Screen: Evening

The presence of so many great actresses kept me interested in this one, despite the reviews, but in the end, Roger Ebert's assessment of (I'm paraphrasing) "a movie to cry in, that doesn't make you cry" was correct. Seemed to be many different motivations going on, leaving things convoluted and not necessarily making sense.

Some good performances (some = eh) but too many moving parts / too many subplots that crisscrossed or were dropped. A lot of regret and contemplation of the past, and while one character seems insistent on that meaning everything, another character tells her it means nothing.

Had potential, but definitely fell short.

Posted by Duff at 12:15 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

July 05, 2007

Netflix: Harvard Man

This is one of those movies with so many absurd plot twists and coincidences that you just have to decide to GO WITH IT if you don't want to be driven crazy.

Harvard b-baller (Adrien Grenier) is sleeping with Girl A (the daughter [Sarah Michelle Gellar] of a mafioso) and Girl B (his philosophy professor [Joey Lauren Adams]). When he needs $$$ from Girl A and fixes a b-bball game to get it, the FBI (Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Stolz!) comes after him. Fortunately Girl B is currently engaged in a menage à trois with those same FBI agents and is able to help him out. There's also an LSD subplot and lots of (actually interesting) philosophy lectures and musings.

It's a quite a (wackjob) trip but I found it very entertaining. Plus it starts w/ a fairly hot sex scene. So there you go.

Posted by Duff at 09:40 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Big Screen: La Vie en Rose

Wow, Edith Piaf's childhood was really awful. Not sure, at least from the way the movie played it, whether she ever really got over it. Thought the movie was very well done, some really impressive performances. Wondered about the point of the timeline jumps. Is the end meant to be more profound since we keep returning to it over and over? In some movies (Memento, Run Lola Run, etc) the nonlinear progression of time has a reason. Here, it didn't seem to add anything to the story.

Well worth seeing. A long movie that didn't FEEL long at all - unlike other recent viewings, two and a half hours passed by without notice.

Posted by Duff at 07:12 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Big Screen: Ocean's 13 (or #3)

All three of these movies suffer from an overabundance of slickness. The boys are all nice enough to look at, but otherwise it's a lot of posturing. Felt this entry in the series actually lacked some girlie action (i.e., actual "relationships" as the Ellen Barkin character is just a mark and not anyone Linus actually cares about) that might've made it more human. Entertaining enough for a nice air conditioned break from the heat, but nothing special.

Posted by Duff at 07:10 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Big Screen: Pirates 3

Better than Pirates 2, not quite as good as Pirates 1, but certainly enjoyable. The "many Johnnies" scenes were entertaining, but I could have done without them: they didn't really lend anything to the plot (and certainly added to the overall length of an already long flick).

The ending was actually quite poetic and lovely. A half hour (or more) shorter and I would be wholeheartedly in favor.

Posted by Duff at 07:08 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

July 03, 2007

Big Screen: 28 Weeks Later

Totally terrifying. Just as good as the first one.

I do get more scared in horror movies than the average person, however, so take it with a grain of salt.

But the best part? "Stringer Bell"* on the big screen. He is mighty, mighty fine to look at.

*the character he played on The Wire.

Posted by Duff at 09:34 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Big Screen: A Mighty Heart

Just completely beautiful and entrancing. Jolie is wonderful (and understated) as Marianne Pearl, and Marianne's humanist message comes through loud and clear. Great performances by many unknown actors as the various Pakistani policemen and other journalists. Totally heartbreaking and gut-wrenching, particularly since you know the outcome going in / you're just waiting for the worst.

2nd best movie I've seen this year. Highly recommended. But bring kleenex!!

Posted by Duff at 09:31 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Recommending, Watchin'

June 27, 2007

DVD: Chance

Written and directed by, and starring, Amber Benson. Also starring James Marsters!! Has some very typical "first movie/low budget/indie amateur" effects: characters speak directly to the camera, the lighting is bizarre, timeline is the furthest from linear it could be, character development is touched on very lightly, etc. But there are a few charming moments, a couple sweet scenes. And the actors not only interact nicely, but the main two do a particularly good job of NOT being reminiscent at all of who you are expecting them to be together. Here's a random (lengthy) online review if you'd like.

Yes, I must be on a "Tara" kick as I've been reading her writing as well: Totally sucked in by Ghosts of Albion!!

Posted by Duff at 01:27 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Netflix: Center Stage

How could I have forgotten that I had seen this movie? Lots of lovely ballet, cheesy teenybop romances and soap operas. Anorexia! Injuries! Broken Hearts! And the battle against modern dance! All the highlights of any good ballet movie. Although there is a Russian among the dancers, the brash cocky American is really the one modeled on Baryshnikov. If only he were as good looking!! Particularly enjoyed the performance of Sascha Radetsky, who I've actually seen perform with the ABT. But, especially watching it now as opposed to when it came out, very hard to believe this didn't come out until 1999/2000. Feels very '80s/Flashdance/Footloose. Of course these ballet vs. dance movies never get old do they - Julie Stiles did one even more recently than this. :)

I remember my youthful days as a ballerina well. I would probably tear my Achilles or break an ankle were I to try any of those moves today!!

Posted by Duff at 01:22 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

June 25, 2007

Big Screen: Once

Painfully earnest and sincere. Very sweet. Some pretty songs. But I found myself wincing sometimes and didn't quite fall for it, although my co-viewer completely DID. She felt it was just to the acceptable side of being too saccharine. I thought it was right on the line. It didn't go so far over that I couldn't watch it, but it was teetering right there on the edge.

T: "I'm going to buy the soundtrack RIGHT NOW! I loved it!!! Didn't you?"
Me: "Um.... it was PAINFULLY sincere. Really, really earnest."
T: "So you didn't LOVE IT!! I LOVED IT!!"
Me: "No, I didn't love it. I thought it was sweet."
T: "You didn't love it????? I LOVED IT!!"

Posted by Duff at 10:10 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

June 19, 2007

Big Screen: Helvetica

Really charming and engaging. First half sways you one way: "Helvetica is so awesome! Greatest font ever!" Second half sways you in the opposite direction: "Helvetica is an evil tool of capitalism! Evil!"

Interviewees are both enigmatic and completely entertaining. Totally enjoyable flick!

Posted by Duff at 10:17 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Netflix: Mr. Fix-It

Really really bad movie. But I knew it would be -- only rented it for the Angel eye candy. I love the color of his hair here. That's what I was going for the last time but there's way too much blonde in mine currently.

Posted by Duff at 10:15 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

June 13, 2007

Netflix: Rumble Fish

Wow, I think it's been 20 years since I've seen this movie. Sometimes you just need a little Matt Dillon in your day.

It's beautifully filmed in B&W with lots of cool shots of clouds and reflections and the coloring-in effect of the fish is really before its time, isn't it. Although technically an 80s flick, it feels like a 50s/70s combination given the sock-hop feel of the stylin' combined with the general 70s vibe, particularly Laurence Fishburne's look. The fight scenes are very coolly choreographed. Diane Lane was just as gorgeous then, was she not? Same year, same director, same author, and some of the same co-stars (Lane, Tom Waits) as "The Outsiders" but totally different feel. As with many movies from back in the day, lots and lots of people you don't realize are in this just popping out of the woodwork.

Other Matt Dillon recommendations: "Mr. Wonderful" (so cheesy but one of my favorite movies EVER!), "Singles" (!!), "Drugstore Cowboy," "In & Out." (And he is quite powerful in "Crash" but I'm hesitant to recommend it as people are always yelling at me about how wrong I am and much they hate that movie.)

Not recommended: "You, Me and Dupree," which I randomly caught on cable last night while pin-basteing (and then BREAKING my quilt frame, but that's a-whole-nother story). One of those "wow, I can't believe these actors are in this horrific movie" experiences.

Posted by Duff at 11:44 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Recommending, Watchin'

Angel 5:14 "Smile Time" & 5:15 "A Hole in the World"

Angel turns into a Muppet!

Angel and Spike (and then everyone else, and not just on the show): Cavemen vs. Astronauts, who would win?

Wesley: "You've been arguing about this for 40 minutes? .... Do the astronauts have tools?"

Hi-fucking-larious.

Posted by Duff at 10:19 AM | Say What? | filed under TVTVTV, Watchin'

Big Screen: Knocked Up.

Hilariously, raucously, side-splittingly funny = Yes.

Offensive, gross and sometimes downright icky, and I'm not referring to the scatological humor but rather the male/female relationships and general ideas about women you cannot help but get from this(ese) movie(s) = Also Yes.

I've sort of lost my patience for these bullshit male fantasy movies where the boy and his friends are nearly the lowest level of human possible (other than being cute, I guess he could be all that this boy is AND be ugly, that would be lower), yet the prettiest girl in the room falls for him. Oh, of course! And the very few (very FEW) things he eventually does to make himself even somewhat acceptable after the initial breaking off, the girl isn't even aware of when she decides "Yes".

There's a lot more I could say about this, but really: why bother. (You can email me if you really want to know.) That really isn't a world I'm interested in living in.

I feel pretty much the same way about this movie as I felt about "Waitress": Great performance by the lead actress. But pretty disappointed by the flick overall.

Posted by Duff at 09:46 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

June 05, 2007

Big Screen: Hot Fuzz

Soooo worth it.

The most intelligent spoof movie I've seen. Completely enjoyable.

Posted by Duff at 12:26 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

June 02, 2007

Big Screen: Paris, Je T'Aime.

According to the poster, 18 vignettes (the picture grid at the beginning & end was 4x4 so suggested 16. felt more like 30). All set in different Paris neighborhoods, some concerned with Paris, some not. Some realistic and true, some purely fantastical and nutso. Some I liked, some I hated, but all short enough that just hold out for a few minutes and you're on to a new one. A couple random shots at the end linking some of the stories to each other, but not all. Lots of famous faces popping up, some in unexpected ways. Overall = enjoyable. But quite wacky.

And tell me the Elijah Wood segment did not totally steal all its coloration ideas from Sin City (which he was also in). I cannot tell him or Tobey Maguire apart and they both kinda creep me out.

Posted by Duff at 08:29 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

Big Screen: Waitress

Disappointing. Some great performances, Keri Russell in particular. But I thought the plot, the characters, their motivations, and the general "story" were all convoluted. I'm all for adultery in the movies, but in this movie it was the only fun and/or meaningful thing in any of these characters' lives but for only one or two characters did we actually know or get any clue about the motivation behind it.

Very disappointed. Did not live up to the hype.

Posted by Duff at 07:46 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

May 22, 2007

Big Screen: Away from Her

You've got to know going in, if the movie is about Alzheimer's, you might as well bring a box of kleenex with you. Julie Christie was great, and still so beautiful and luminescent at 65. First time writing & directing by Sarah Polley = pretty impressive.

That said, it was one of those movies that while totally going with the story and enjoying it while watching, afterward I just kept thinking about certain of the plot manipulations and how unnecessary they were. i.e., I could see a reason for them being there, but felt my reaction to the chain of events and the situation would have been just as powerful/effective WITHOUT those external plot manipulations. And if they stick out as manipulations, then do they really work? Worth seeing, will definitely look forward to Polley's next project. But think there were several things that could just be dropped out of the plot without any discernable loss to the viewer's experience.

Posted by Duff at 09:29 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

May 03, 2007

Big Screen: GRINDHOUSE

Best three hours I've spent in the movie theater....in a LONG time.

Exhilarating. Gruesome. Violent. Intense. Funny. Sassy. Sexy.

AWESOME.

p.s.
a) Rose McGowan has a smokin' hot body. This is why I don't wear stripper clothes: because the ass sticking out the bottom doesn't look like hers.
b) "You know what happens to bitches who carry knives? THEY GET SHOT!"

Posted by Duff at 08:55 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

April 30, 2007

DVD: Elizabethtown.

Truly bizarre. Hyperbole in EVERY scene just wears ya out. Disjointed, unconnected, illogical. There were so many things that were bizarrely wrong with this movie. A few random cute moments...that made absolutely no sense within the context of the movie. And a million more nonsensical and noncute ones. Cameron Crowe = unusually off his game.

Posted by Duff at 11:21 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

DVD: The Italian Job

Actually pretty entertaining in a goofy lighthearted way. It's just a few kisses and gropes away from being a good movie. I mean, come on, people, is that too much to ask in a movie with two hot leads?

p.s. and for my fellow Buffy fans, hello Oz is in this! And he's got some really funny lines!

Posted by Duff at 11:17 AM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

April 22, 2007

DVD: Babel.

Still in disbelief that this was nominated for best picture. Didn't really think much of it at all. Didn't think it was about "miscommunication" and whatnot as the title might imply. Thought one storyline was so very very tenuously connected to the others that it belonged in a different movie. Far more questions than answers. And sooooo many things that could have made it better, could have made it worth watching, could have made me care at all about any of these characters. But no.

An Altman-esque "Short Cuts" or Paul Haggis' "Crash"-type disjointed narrative. My co-viewer thought it better than Crash; although she found it frustrating, it raised interesting issues in her mind. I felt the opposite. It seemed to raise no coherent issues whatsoever. At least in Crash, the issues were recognizable whether you felt they were well done or not.

Anyone want to take this DVD off my hands? I'll happily send it to you, I'm certainly never going to rewatch it.

Posted by Duff at 09:13 PM | Say What? | filed under Flicks, Watchin'

April 17, 2007

I have no time for you.

I have a whole stack of books and concerts to write up. But I'm too busy watching TV: Buffy and Friday Night Lights. I've also watched EVERY episode of the US version of The Office over the past four days. No, I'm not joking. I'm overdosing, perhaps, but not joking. How a show can be so fucking hilarious and yet so sweet and sometimes (desperately) sad is really an accomplishment. More, please.

Supposedly Grey's is a new one this week. Do I care? Not at this moment. I'm just halfway through Lost from two weeks ago, and obviously would still have last week's to watch too. Another show I am not caring very much about. The last six episodes of Standoff were supposed to start showing April 6, but apparently they decided to show reruns of House instead. It might be returning June 8 if this site is right. We'll see.

Posted by Duff at 01:11 PM | Say What? | filed under TVTVTV, Watchin'

April 16, 2007

Buffy Season 2: Eps 17-22

Ep 17: "Passion." Really really loved this episode. Loved Angel's voiceover. "Without passion, we'd be truly dead." Loved the way he was floating around in the background, stalking Buffy in various scenes. On the other hand, of course, some real