The third film in the Madagascar franchise was special to me for one big reason. It was the first movie that my best friend's three year old daughter attended in theaters. Since this child was a mere babe I have expressed how the first theater movie is a milestone that I must be present for. I was honored to be part of the event. And it was an event!
We watched the movie at good old Oak Grove 8 in Milwaukie. A place where Laura and I saw many a movie as kids. The original Star Wars on the big screen for the first time, Wedding Singer, Toy Story. My strongest memory at Oak Grove 8 is a post school one but it still makes me smile. My sister and I saw Anchorman there and I think we almost laughed the walls down during the fight scene. Saw Julia's first movie in that same theater. They have great rates and concession prices -- cash only, though their website does not specify payment type.
I do not know if it was seeing the movie through a child's eyes or just the fun and nostalgia of the activity but the movie was surprisingly funny and enjoyable. I had watched the first Madagascar (2005) movie at home but did not feel strongly one way or the other about it. I have not seen the sequel, Escape 2 Africa (2008) but this year's Europe's Most Wanted was very fun. I laughed out loud frequently. I now understand why I kept seeing Ben Stiller and Chris Rock on the talk show circuit, with good reason.
Next up, Ted and Magic Mike. Slowly but surely catching up on my summer movies.
This is the first time that I have watched a same day as theaters IFC film onDemand. It was a fun experience. Not the best movie but I am glad I took a chance on the feature.
Catherine Keener's husband, Kyle McLachlan, asks his lawyer wife for a divorce in the opening scene of the film. Diane, Keener's character, takes her children, played by Elizabeth Olsen and Nat Wolffe, to her mother's. Her mother Diane is portrayed by the lifeforce that is Jane Fonda. Fonda's character is the hippie of all hippies. They say Dylan had a thing for her.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chace Crawford, Roxana Arquette, Maddie Corman and Katharine McFee round out a solid supporting cast.
I could not help but think, this is a weak stab at the next version of On Golden Pond. Now Jane Fonda is the grandparent. And in the first eight minutes, there is a that's what she said joke. Not a noteworthy movie but fun to play with the onDemand option and watch something that would usually require a visit to Fox Tower or a wait for DVD.
Laura proposed that we each come up with a list of our Top Ten Beatles songs and simultaneously publish on them our blogs. What an excellent idea. My friendship with Laura began during our track warm up laps. We talked constantly about the Beatles during those early times in our friendship. There was even a dark moment late in high school when Laura said she preferred the Rolling Stones. I feared for our friendship at that moment! Clearly there was no threat and Laura has since retracted that statement.
1) She Came in Through the Bathroom Window (Abbey Road) I think my sister Patty is the one person that knew before now how much I love this song. I absolutely love this song and it is part of the wonderful Abbey Road album that must be heard in order, in it's entirety to fully be appreciated.
2) When I'm Sixty-Four (Sgt Pepper's) I infamously cried the first time I heard this song on the radio after Linda had died.
3) Eleanor Rigby (Revolver) Beautifully haunting with amazing lyrics.
4) Yesterday (Help!) This was an early favorite of mine. I also love the Boyz II Men cover. I may have sang along to my Walkman so loudly that even in a closed office I could be heard throughout an entire office suite. Probably sounded better than when I sang it as part of an in-class required solo assignment when I got nervous and sang an octave higher than my alto range.
5) In My Life (Rubber Soul) This song can also bring me to tears.
6) Here, There and Everywhere (Revolver) Romantic and beautiful. How could Don Drapper turn off a record of Revolver?! See Mad Men season 5.
7) I Will (The White Album, disc 1) Again, a beautiful, romantic ballad.
8) Lovely Rita (Sgt Pepper's) I love the quirkiness of this song. So much so that I might dare to bestow the name unto a daughter if I had the chance.
9) She's Leaving Home (Sgt Pepper's) Great companion song to Eleanor Rigby with a sad beauty.
10) We Can Work It Out (Past Masters volume 2) We Can Work It Out was originally released as a double A-sided single with Day Tripper, recorded during Rubber Soul sessions. A great message much like the ones in the End and All You Need Is Love.
My honorable mention goes to Junk. I was first exposed to this song via volume 3 of the Anthology. It also plays over the goodnight kiss scene in Jerry Maguire.
My Razzy goes to Come Together (Abbey Road). One of the most covered Beatles tracks and a rare one that I do not love. I do not even have it in my iTunes library. Though I did find a cool video to compensate.
Sgt Pepper's was the clear winner in album representation. Could it be because growing up my mom not only had it on vinyl but also had a spare copy?
This past Saturday night at the movies, I was not seeing the number two box office finisher Prometheus. It found me at a very strong, large scale ensemble comedy. When done right, this genre can be my favorite. Kari commented after the showing at Bridgeport that it was better than she thought it would be. We discovered that we each had not expected much. Funny that a movie with expect not once but twice in its title had so much to do with expectations as a movie goer. It goes to show that the genre has not been doing so well lately when lowered expectations make for an improved viewing experience.
I think a big part of the success of the ensemble was that while the cast was large, it was not unmanageable large much like Valentine's Day or New Years Eve. Both movies I enjoy watching but by no means favorites or extraordinary. The well know actors, Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez, were charming and funny. The film is honest about pregnancy not being all hearts and flowers and glow. The movie is also very heartwarming. I would even go so far as to say that it was well written. Editing five plot lines together well plays a big role in the success of the stories being woven together believably.
If you like these types of movies, go see it! I had even thought about waiting for DVD...but do go with low expectations, makes all the difference. From what I hear, the theme of this week's movie goers regardless of genre seems to be managed expectations.
And on DVD... Happythankyoumoreplease
I have been eager to see this 2010 independent movie since I first saw the trailer and heard it had been to Sundance (it premiered there on my bday of that year). It is written, directed and stars Josh Radnor, Ted on How I Met Your Mother (which will henceforth be known on my blog as HIMYM). So well done. I watched this movie Sunday and now Wednesday it is still with me. Shout out to the Tigard Library for placing it in my line of vision and letting me renew it twice before finally watching and loving it. The film is about a 30-ish writer in New York, as two people enter his life, a new love interest and a young boy, as well as the lives of those closest to him. I really did not know what to expect as it had been sometime since I had been interested in the movie. In following with today's theme, go in with no expectations and see what you like. NPH, Jason Segel, Radnor -- HYMYM is overly abundant with talent and a cast that will have long careers. Even when they finally tell us who the dang mother is.
As the credits ended and the overhead lights came back on, a Regal employee asked Laura and I if we liked the movie. In a word, yes. He then added that Johnny Depp fans like it. To which I replied, "yeah, we fit that category."
This film is a classic Tim Burton vision, a Beetlejuice flourish here, a Corpse Bride-esque darkened eye and pale complexion there, and of course, Helena Bonham Carter (she is great with an American accent, as is Depp with an English one). The Burton-Depp collaboration is one any fan of theirs would enjoy. Johnny Depp is also a producer on the movie. It is the producers that have the power, the say and that win the Oscars.
The score by Danny Elfman was fantastic as are all of his Burton film scores. The songs selected for the soundtrack were equally terrific hits from the late 60s and early 70s; The Moody Blues' Knights in White Satin kicks things off over the opening credits. With the Carpenters, Donovan and Alice Cooper also making appearances. Steve Miller Band's The Joker also makes it into dialogue. To sum up as Barnabas did, "I really enjoy the music of this era. 'I'm a picker, I'm a grinner. I'm a lover and I am a sinner. I play my music in the sun.'" sizzle. The end credits feature a Killers cover of the Raspberries' Go All the Way.
I am not familiar with the 1966-1971 soap opera for which the film is based upon but I have heard boomers reflect on it fondly. The cast of characters are the same in name and there seem to be acknowledged nods to the original throughout the movie.
The movie has many laughs and is very fun. This is certainly a fantasy so be ready to suspend your disbelief. The extensive main cast that includes, Michelle Pheiffer, Eva Green, Jonny Lee Miller and Chloë Grace Moretz, is strong. Get your Depp on.
In honor of Scott and Shannon's wedding in Las Vegas, I give you some of my favorite Vegas pop culture moments on film, and one from tv. After all, there would be no blog without Scott suggesting it!
Ocean's Eleven
George Clooney and Brad Pitt leading a crew that was originally made up of the Rat Pack? Fantastic. Blows the original away. Say what you will, I love the third one too.
Fools Rush In
I have not watched this one in awhile but when I was younger it was one of my favorite romantic comedies. I saw it at a theater that no longer exists.
Honeymoon in Vegas
Another fun one from youth. Much more fun than Nicholas Cage's Academy Award winning role in Leaving Las Vegas. And all the flying Elvises you can imagine.
Casino
I just watched this tonight in honor of the Vegas edition. Classic gangster Scorsese. Excellent use of classic rock and Vegas standards for the soundtrack. I was a bit daunted by the nearly three hour run time but over the break for Mother's Day dinner, my sister Erin told me how fantastic it was and when I resumed watching the last hour and ten, it was much improved. I think that is where the plot picked up for me. The end is perfection.
On the mini bus to the wedding, the question of how Vegas became what it is was asked by Miss Foltz. I stand by my answer, the Mob.
Thanks for letting me borrow the DVD Cup.
The Hangover
A contemporary classic often referenced. Saw a normal looking dude in Vegas carrying his baby a la Zach Galifianakis and actually said "oh sh8t" when I saw it. Really? I hope it was being done ironically. Also love the tag line, "Some guys just can't handle Vegas."
Friends
One of my favorite arcs of the show, just for Ross and Rachel's drunken wedding. At the champagne brunch at Paris the morning after the wedding I could not help but think of Joey "here's where I win all my money back."
Honorable mention to Bridesmaids. The ladies never quite made it there but they had a memorable flight trying. Can not say how happy and honored I was to make it to Vegas to see an amazing couple get hitched.
I have not blogged in awhile. Life has been busy to say the least. That's part of it. I think the main reason for my delay is that the last three movies I saw in theaters were not that wonderful. Seeing the films with Dana and Kari, and watching Rum Diary with Laura was great though.
The Hunger Games The widely anticipated adaptation of the first book in the Hunger Games trilogy was very well done. It was a great movie and was also a memorable movie going experience. I saw the film with Dana. Midway through the movie, right at a very serious and poignant scene in the story, a man walked out and yelled, this movie is messed-up, why are you here? Well, sir, maybe you should inform yourself before you go to the theater. Just because something is popular and not what you thought it would be, refrain from attempting to ruin others' time at the multiplex. Despite this interruption, I did enjoy the movie and I have only positive things to say about it. The experience of reading the book was just so powerful that even the best interpretation by a movie pales in comparison.
The Lucky One
Another book adaptation. This marks a first for me -- I read my first Nicholas Sparks novel before seeing the movie. There is a certain amount of cheese that comes with a film based on a Sparks book. There was just too much in this one. It was more A Walk to Remember and very much less than the Notebook. The acting is poor and too much of the story had been changed from the book. Taylor Schilling is a very bad actress, beautiful and very well cast in the role of Beth, but not a good actress. Blythe Danner was a highlight, as was Zac Efron's bod.
The Five Year Engagement
I was very eager see to this flick. I am a big fan of both Jason Segel and Emily Blunt. There were many hilarious moments and the extensive supporting cast including Parks and Rec's Chris Pratt and Mad Men's Alison Brie was excellent. One plot complication just ruined things for me. If you see it and you know me, you will know what I am talking about. If you enjoyed it despite some events, I am genuinely happy that you did because I could not get past it.
And on DVD... Rum Diary Laura and I were planning to watch the new Muppets movie but after three Red Boxes I was done searching. I know you can reserve online and there is an app for that but it all worked out. Fresh on my mind from our top five movies as friends, I saw a picture for Rum Diary as I headed back to my car, nearly defeated. The movie is based on a Hunter S Thompson's novel and is a must see for any Johnny Depp fan. The wacky exploits of an American journalist in Puerto Rico during the 1950s unfolds hilariously. There was line after line of laugh-out-loud dialogue. A very fun flick for those who would like the Hangover crossed with the Mexican, taking place in the 50s. I am also very excited to see Dark Shadows this week with Laura. I am optimistic that the film will end my slump.
