An official announcement

Well, ladies and gentlemen of the internet, I can officially tell you that the worst movie of the summer is SPIDERMAN 3. Thank God I only paid $1.50 for it, because I feel bad for anyone who paid full price. What. a. stinker. Peter Parker turned into either some weird emo kid or Garth Brook's alter-ego Chris Gaines somewhere in the middle there.

Luckily I went with a friend and MAN did we snark up the joint. They might as well have taped us and made the entire experience into a Mystery Science Theatre 300 episode.

Tomorrow will make up for it though! Harry and the Potters at the Ann Arbor District Library! YES!

Thursday Thirteen #25: On the Look Out (Movies)

13 Movies I'm Looking Foreward to from May-September
I don't trust some of the release dates I found for these movies, but I'm positive all are coming soon, and I'm psyched!

1. Across the Universe
(September 28)
I saw the trailer for this movie on sunday, and I'm pretty sure that this will be one of the best movies of 2007. If I could only see 1 of the movies on this entire list, it would be this one.


2. 28 Weeks Later
(Coming out May 11)
Yes, I like zombie movies. The trailer for this movie is pretty awesome too, so I'm excited to see how it turns out.

3. ShowBussiness: The Road to Broadway
(May 11)
From comingsoon.net: Over the course of one Broadway musical season, "ShowBusiness" follows the four high-profile productions that would eventually become Tony nominees for Best Musical: a big-noise musical named "Wicked," the Rosie O'Donnell/Boy George collaboration, "Taboo," the much-anticipated Tony Kushner musical, "Caroline, or Change," and an irreverent puppet show named "Avenue Q."

4. Live Free or Die Hard
(June 27)
I fell in love with the Die Hard franchise a few years ago, and it's still a favorite of mine. So, of course I can't wait for the newest installment!

5. Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix
(July 13)
Who ISN'T looking forward to the newest Harry Potter movie? Of course I'll be seeing this one!


6. Hairspray
(July 20)
I will admit that I'm pretty disappointed with some of the casting choices in the film...(Zach Ephron? Seriously? He didn't even actually sing in High School Musical...and really, did he act?)...but I'll probably still catch it just to see how it translated back to the screen.

7. Under Dog!
(August 3)
"Never Fear, Underdog is here!" I was in love with Underdog as a child, so I'm pumped for a big screen version. And I'm intrigued to see how the whole live-action thing works.

8. Stardust
(August 10)
The trailer for this movie makes it look like an awesome blockbuster. Too many stars to name are in this, and it looks visually incredible!


9. Fanboys
(August 17)
From comingsoon.net: "The movie follows four "Star Wars" fanboys from the Midwest who drive across the country to honor the wish of their dying friend: to see the yet-unreleased "Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace" in its most optimal setting, George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch."

10. The Wristcutters
(August 31)
From comingsoon.net: "From the moment Zia (Patrick Fugit) cuts his wrists and enters a bizarre afterlife reserved for suicides, this film becomes a strangely uplifting, darkly comic tale about a journey through the hereafter. This is a world where everyone still bears the scars earned from the manner in which they "offed" while the everyday reality is a twisted mirror image of our own mortal world."

11. The Nanny Diaries
(September 7)
The best selling book is moving to the big screen with Scarlett Johanssen as the star. I enjoy Scarlett's work, and the book was pretty good, so hopefully this film version works out as well as the Devil Wears Prada did.


12. The Savages
(September 7)
Wendy Savage (Laura Linney) is a self medicating struggling East Village playwright, AKA a temp who spends her days applying for grants and stealing office supplies, dating her very married neighbor. Jon Savage (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is an obsessive compulsive college professor writing obscure books on even more obscure subjects in Buffalo who still can’t commit to his girlfriend after four years even though her cooking brings him tears of joy. Then, out of the blue, comes the call that changes everything – the call that informs them that their father ... Lenny Savage (Philip Bosco), has lost his marbles. And there is no one to help him but his kids. Wendy and Jon are forced to live together under one roof for the first time since childhood, soon rediscovering the eccentricities that drove each other crazy. comingsoon.net

13. Evan Almighty
(June 22)
I would watch Steve Carrell read the manual to my dvd player, I love him so much, so I'll definitely be watching Evan Almighty

Thursday Thirteen #21: Movies

Thirteen Movies I Love!

1. Charles Chaplin's City Lights
My #1 favorite movie of all time! It's funny, poignant, and brilliant.

2. Labyrinth
The music! The Puppets! David Bowie! All the glitz and glamrock even makes up for the 16 year-old Jennifer Connely's bad acting.

3. Harold & Maude
Another movie with a wonderful soundtrack, Cat Stevens at his best! A wonderful story of love and growth. it doesn't get any better than the Hearse-Porche!

4. Being There
My other #1 Fave! Peter Sellers is best known for playing the bumbling Inspector Cluseau in the Pink Panther films, but I like him best as Chance (Chauncy) the Gardner.

5. The Godfather
Francis Ford Coppolla made a masterpiece with this one, and I'm still amazed at the actors performances of this brilliant screenplay.

6. Groundhog Day
I watch it every year on Ground Hog's day, and I still laugh at Bill Murray!

7. Annie Hall
I could fill this list with Woody Allen films, but I'll settle for just one. A perfect combination of a great screenplay, wonderful actors, and Allen's direction.

8. The Producers (1968)
I fell in love with Mel Brooks after seeing The Producers. Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel are over the top characters, and the brilliant writing on Brooks' part is brilliant!

9. Star Wars
I can watch all three films in the Original Trilogy over and over, and it's as exciting as the first time I watched it!

10. When Harry Met Sally
Can men and women remain only friends? Apparently not.

11. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
It's snarky, it's dark, and it's hilarious. Robert Downey Jr masters this film, and the on-screen chemistry between RDJ and Val Kilmer rocks.

12. This is Spinal Tap
Every musician has to see Spinal Tap. Every theatre person has to see Waiting for Guffman. And dog lovers should see Best in Show. Christopher Guest is a genius.

13. Chaplin
This is my favorite bio-pic, and it's probably one of the best ever, since it beautifully tell's the story of Charlie Chaplin's life. Robert Downey Jr was robbed of the best actor Academy Award!

GROUNDHOG DAY!

America has some pretty rediculous holidays, and last year I decided that Groundhog Day is by far, the greatest pointless american holiday.

I mean, it's a holiday about a rodent crawling out, and humans deciding whether it saw it's shadow or not!

So, I started the tradition that every Groundhog Day I would gather together my closest friends, order in some Cheeeeesy breads, and watch the Magnum Opus of this fair holiday, the aptly titled: Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray. Last year I also made a wonderful Groundhog Day T-Shirt, which I wear 2 days in a row to be witty. This year the celebration is going to be even bigger than last year's.

So, join with me on this joyous day, and pray for an early spring!

Thursday Thirteen #13: Movies

Thirteen Movies that Changed the Way I Looked at Films

1. City Lights
This is by far my favorite chaplin film. The entire blending of comedy and selfless love as the tramp does everything he can to help the blind girl pay for the operation, is brilliant. And then, an ending that just breaks your heart the way only Chaplin can. This movie truly defined craftsmanship as a film through plot, shots, and editing...and it was made 30+ years before most of the films on this list!

2. Star Wars (OT)
I saw the entire Star Wars Original Trilogy when they were re-released into theatres in the 90s completely remasterd. I immediately fell in love with (through my studies I've come to call) this brilliant Space-Western. George Lucas leads you along on the edge of your seat as you follow the farm boy, the princess, and the cowboy all over the galaxy. I still get excited watching the original trilogy! (Those other 3 movies Lucas just made?...well, lets just say I choose to ignore 80% of what happened there)

3. Shampoo
I really enjoy Warren Beatty as an actor, and my freshman year at Michigan I watched Shampoo for my film history class. I think that this film is the first one to truly break my heart more than City Lights did. The entire movie is set up as a wonderful romantic comedy, and by the end you really want things to turn out right for Beatty's character, but the plot has better ideas. After viewing Shampoo I was a little angry, I'd felt robbed of a great romantic comedy, but really it was all still there. The ending isn't what defines a great RomCom, it's the soul of the movie, the content, the jokes, and the believablity of the characters. I think RomComs are failing as a Genre now because they've lost a lot of their soul and believability.

4. Annie Hall
I could have filled this entire list with Woody Allen's work. As a writer/director, he's had a huge effect on me, and it's hard to pick just one movie to include on this list. I think Annie Hall truly encapsulates everything I love about Woody's work. It contains two deliciously flawed individuals trying to love eachother eventhough the drive eachother crazy. In the end, I always root for them to be together...because who else could they end up with? So many scenes shine in the film, and it all works so perfectly.

5. The Godfather
I & II are brilliant, III is....well, it's Godfather III. The Godfather is a cinematic masterpiece, and it still amazes me. I read a draft of the screenplay this past summer, and even on paper, the movie is riveting. I get chills from some of the dialogue, and I'm entertained by how many people don't know the fun fact that the horse head was actually real! No other crime drama will ever live up to this film, but I also think the genre of family-relationship dramas has been forever changed too. No other "black-sheep coming into his own" story has ever compared to that of Michael's.

6.Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
My favorite "Buddy Film" ever! Robert Downey Jr and Val Kilmer are brilliant as a con-man and a gay-PI trying to solve a crime, and almost failing. A great script gives both of these actors great material to work with, and the plot puts them through the ringer. If you haven't seen it yet--GO GET IT. It was my favorite film of 2005.

7. Harold & Maude
Where to begin with Harold & Maude? This film made me think twice about every other teen relatioship movie I'd seen. Harold is one of the most brilliant characters ever in film, with his suicide "attempts" every 5 minutes, and his hearse-porche hybrid, it's non-stop brilliance. His relationship with Maude is heart warming and disturbing, but makes sense in some way. As an audience member, you end up rooting for Harold a lot, and so his happiness around Maude is welcomed, and Maude's death is great cinema.

8. The Company
Robert Altman was a truly brilliant man, and this film is awesome. Neve Campbell wrote and developed the film herself, and her performance is great, both acting and dancing. The cinematography and choreography work together to make a gorgeous product. What I really love is how conflict is not forced upon the audience. The simple conflicts of the dance world, the relationship world, and the job world are beautiful, while the threat of injury (temporary or permanent) is always hanging over the dancers' head.

9. When Harry Met Sally
The friends-turned-lovers comedy has never been the same since When Harry Met Sally was released, the same has been true for how I approach this genre ever since I saw "WHMS". There are too many moments to meantion, but I will say that it has forever changed how I say "Pecan Pie."

10. The Producers
Let's just say I was more than a little obsessed with The Producers in high school. I loved this movie way before the musical was even rumored to be in pre-production. I stumbled upon the film during a Mel Brooks movie marathon one day. I've always been a fan of "Get Smart" so my dad reccomended the Producers, and I've been addicted ever since. Gene Wilder completely redefined the perfect character actor for me after watching this film.

11. Chaplin
This is the perfect Biopic by far. Robert Downey Jr. was definitely robbed of the Oscar in 1992, because his performance was superb. I was also impressed by how accurate most of the film was. Sure, there were some liberties taken with Chaplin's childhood, but it was quite impressive. Well done!

12. Singin' In the Rain
I was trying to think of another movie musical that truly changed the way I approached the genre, and it always came back to this one. The film even makes the best out of the lame tradition of a ballet sequence in classic musicals. With two great leads and a fabulous supporting cast I'm sure this movie could have survived even the worst of scripts...but luckily the book and the music are also wonderful.

13. Snakes on a Plane
Yeah, that's right, Snakes on a Plane had a profound effect on me. I've studied silent cinema for a long time, and a little known fact is that silent movie halls were far from silent, there was music, but the audience also participated. The audience would boo, cheer, clap, and yell whenever the plot called for it, and these Nickelodeons were a community event, a place where people came together and enjoyed themselves. No other movie have I seen in the theatre that recreated the Community Event experience than Snakes on a Plane. I had so much fun, and it truly made me reevaluate how I experience movie-going.

Thursday 13: Movies

Thirteen Things about The Cosmic Kid

Thirteen Movies I'm Embarrassed to Admit I've Never Seen

1. The Shawshank Redemption

2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

3. Memento

4. Apocalypse Now

5. M

6. A Clockwork Orange

7. Resevoir Dogs

8. Saving Private Ryan

9. Terminator 2

10. Kill Bill 1 & 2

11. Fargo

12. Life of Brian

13. Trainspotting

I'll admit, I had to scrounge quite a bit to come up with some!

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