Movie Night 10/14/11 -- High Fidelity

I had been trying to quote High Fidelity all week and was glad when Marla agreed that it should be our movie night selection for this week.

I was surprised this week that a majority of those under age 25, have not seen High Fidelity. I think this was particularly surprising because my 24 year old sister, watched it dozen of times to my knowledge, quotes it and read/owns Cash by Johnny Cash.

It holds up, it is still a great flick. It is based on a Nick Hornby novel (About a Boy with Hugh Grant is also based on a Hornby novel). One startling thing, there was a Charlie Sheen like quality to John Cusack's character Rob that was definitely not noticeable in the pre-Two and a Half Men years. I love Jack Black in his breakout role as Barry and the movie remains SO quotable. I really did try not to quote the whole movie while it played, I tried...

- Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?
- It would be nice to think that since I was 14, times have changed. Relationships have become more sophisticated. Females less cruel. Skins thicker. Instincts more developed. But there seems to be an element of that afternoon in everything that's happened to me since. All my romantic stories are a scrambled version of that first one.
- It was like trying to borrow a dollar, getting turned down, and asking for 50 grand instead.
- Rob, I'm telling you this for your own good, that's the worst f8ckin' sweater I've ever seen, that's a Cosby sweater. A Cosssssssby sweater. Did Laura let you leave the house like that?
- I can't fire them. I hired these guys for three days a week and they just started showing up every day. That was four years ago.
- OK, buddy, uh, I was just tryin' to cheer us up so go ahead. Put on some old sad bastard music, see if I care.
I don't wanna hear old sad bastard music, Barry, I just want something I can ignore.
Here's the thing. I made that tape special for today. My special Monday morning for you...special.
Well, it's f8ckin' Monday afternoon! You should get out of bed earlier!
- Oh, is she in a coma?
- Rob, top five musical crimes perpetuated by Stevie Wonder in the '80s and '90s. Go. Sub-question: is it in fact unfair to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter day sins, is it better to burn out or fade away?
- I guess it looks as if you're reorganizing your records. What is this though? Chronological?
No...
Not alphabetical...
Nope...
What?
Autobiographical.
No f8cking way.
- Only people of a certain disposition are frightened of being alone for the rest of their lives at the age of 26.
- Hey, I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but I'm certainly not the dumbest. I mean, I've read books like "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" and "Love in the Time of Cholera", and I think I've understood them. They're about girls, right? Just kidding. But I have to say my all-time favorite book is Johnny Cash's autobiography "Cash" by Johnny Cash.
- John Dillinger was killed behind that theater in a hale of FBI gunfire. And do you know who tipped them off? His f8cking girlfriend. All he wanted to do was go to the movies.
- I want more, I wanna see the others on the big top-five. I want to see Penny and Charlie and Sarah, all of them. You know? Just see 'em and talk to 'em. You know, like a Bruce Springsteen song.
- Why'd you have to tell her about the store?
Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know it was classified information. I mean, I know we don't have any customers, but I thought that was a bad thing, not like, a business strategy
- It's not what you are like but what you like.
- How does an average guy like me become the number one lover-man in his particular postal district? He's grumpy, he's broke, he hangs out with the musical moron twins...
- Do you have Soul?
That all depends.
- Marvin Gaye is dead. His father shot him.
- That is shocking. That is shocking.

And I could go on...

Movie Catch-Up

For the last several weeks I have been very busy and have had little free time. I have maximized that time and continued to see movies. I just have not continued to have the time to blog about them. I was sad to see that for the first time in months, views of my blog in September dipped below 300. If I don't write there is nothing to read so here's to remedying that. I also still struggle with not wanting to give away the details of movies. Writing about a month's worth of movie watching affords the luxury of being brief and still being able to write something of any significant length that is more than captions to photos.

I was fortunate enough to, in one week, be treated to two screenings with Emily in September. Tuesday September 13th was 50/50 -- excellent. Very funny handling of a serious subject matter that touches everyone's life at some point or another. There certainly were tears but Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen are phenomenal in it. Strong cast with Anjelica Huston and Anna Kendrick. Takes place in Seattle and is based on the real life experiences of the writer of the film and his friendship with Rogen.

Thursday the 15th was a sneak peak at Moneyball. It was supposed to be I Don't Know How She Does It but I went to get in line at the wrong Tigard theater. We ended up better for the mistake. Brad Pitt is delightful as general manager of the Oakland As. This is a movie I could not help but think my father would love. Maybe because I am his daughter, maybe because of all those times the family watched Field of Dreams and A League of Their Own, but I love a good baseball movie.

Movie night of that week was also significant. We watched the Time Traveler's Wife, a movie none of us (Marla, Laura or myself) had seen. We had fun posing for photos that tied in with the movie and the theme.

The Saturday after my two mid week movie bonanza, I enjoyed a tasty meal of Thai food with Laura in Sellwood and then a treat of Our Idiot Brother. Paul Rudd is a comic genius. He can almost do no wrong (Over Her Dead Body -- ironically the first screener I saw with Emily and the worst). The ensemble cast of Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Elizabeth Banks, Adam Scott, Rashida Jones, Kathryn Hahn and Hugh Dancy are excellent. Great, fun, offbeat flick.

The last Friday in September, movie night was an expanded edition with a Back to the Future viewing at the Zahm's. They projected the movie onto the white wall at the back of their tv room, it was very cool. All who attended got nostalgic about when they watched the movie as kids and it was cool to learn that we all thought that the mall was the mall closest to where we lived (Lisa, Clackamas Town Center, Eric and me, Washington Square).

This past Saturday I saw What's Your Number with Katy at Cedar Hills. Anna Faris is a delight in it and much like 50/50, the jokes in the trailer are expanded in the movie and are even better. I am always so pleased when this is the case. Nothing more disappointing in a new movie than when seeing the trailer is as good as it gets. When I first saw the trailer for What's Your Number I thought, I'll probably see that. If its good will all depend on the delivery. As the September 30th release date came close I became increasingly more enthused and the flick delivered. Chris Evans was a good guy and excellent eye candy. I enjoy him in roles like these (see also The Nanny Diaries).

Tuesday Emily had passes to see the Way. It was written and directed by Emilio Estevez and starred Martin Sheen (Estevez briefly acts in the film). It was pretty good. I had not heard of it before Emily got the passes but the trailer made me cry and I wanted to see it. Where did Charlie come from?! So the black sheep. It is a drama with a lot of humor about a father whose son has just died as he walks the "El camino de Santiago" from France to Spain.

Last night at movie night, the return to the Igoe's house from the summer hiatus to the West Side, we watched the Wedding Singer. I have seen the Wedding Singer probably a hundred times. It is so good. Made the comment that it would be fun to have an 80s wedding. Trademarked, my idea. Anyone I know that beats me to the punch, I said it here first, you copied me. Marla smiled tolerantly as Laura and I sang many of the key moments in the film. We also discussed how Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore were really at their best and in their prime in the Wedding Singer. As Laura said, it was when Drew was at a healthy weight and I added, and a regular shade, not the scary orange she sports in Cover Girl ads. Sandler's last few movies have been sub par and will certainly continue along the downward spiral with Jack and Jill. Wedding Singer also carried the theme from time travel, Glenn drives a delorean.

All in all, I have had a really good run at the movies lately! Bring on Oscar season baby~