sunny day today . gonna post these quickly and then go out and play.......
Barabadabada - amusing video to put a smile on your face
Ghetto Bodega - urban dining on a budget
Toons & Art - a mash up in art
iSerenity - soothing beautiful pics
Dumbass Test - well , are ya ?
Influences - stomach art
Human Skateboard - cool use of stop motion animation
Songs From the iPod Ads - in case you've been wondering who did that song
What's Special About This Number ? - find out what you favourite number represents
Gilbert & Sullivan - Baby Got Back - this gave me a chuckle
The Largest Picture on the Internet- more of a multi pieced mural , but it is indeed large
StringFever - Bolero - 1 cello (or maybe a viola) and 4 guys with bows
Sasquatch Festival- after seeing the line up for the festival , i am really trying to rearrange things so i can go down and check it out . hopefully i'll be able to
Links
to Free
University - learning is a good thing , especially from good schools
Courses
Online
Veggie Animals - very cool vegetable art
101 Amazing Earth Facts - terrestrial trivia
Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase - a very cool short animation of morphing art
Tattoo Slideshow - its amazing to see what celebrities people want tattooed on themselves
What's Opera , Doc ? - classic bugs bunny and elmer fudd
Meet the Beetles - the people's car done up proud
Camden House - your complete Sherlock Holmes resource
C for Cookie - a muppet postmodern world of the future
15 Answers to Creationist Rhetoric - cuz someone has to talk some sense into these people
Pandemic - you are the virus , you must kill the humans before they kill you
Earth From Space - cool pics from the Smithsonian Institute
Time to go Play !!
Enjoy !!
I finally finished my mad dashing to the theatres in order to see as many nominated films as i could . that doesnt mean i saw everything though . of the major categories , i only missed 3 or 4 films which is pretty good considering there were a lot of films to see this year . there wasnt the big block busters pics that got 14 nominations , instead there were a lot of films with fewer nominations . i think i saw more nominated films this year than any other year i can think of . luckily , this turned out to be a pretty good year for movies . for the most point i thouroughly enjoyed what i saw .
Now its time to cull the best of the bunch and hand out the hardware......
Best Visual Efects - this is a category i dont really dont know what to do with . i'm not a big fan of the current state of cgi and all 3 of these films are nothing but . i like to see some reality in amongst the green screening , so i have to give this Mooscar to Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man's Chest
Best Sound Mixing - there really isnt a loser in this category , but you have to pick one . for me i had to pick the one that was different . four of the nominees got their nods from battle scenes and one from music . war sounds arent anything new and all the war movies had great sound , but i had downloaded a couple of songs from dreamgirls and off the record they didnt sound as good as they did in the theatre and thats the key to mixing . to elevate the sounds and make them a vital component of the movie . therefore , this Mooscar goes to Dreamgirls
Best Sound Editing - unfortunately dreamgirls isnt nominated here , because of the reasons above , it should be . all these nominees are pretty much equal , but i gotta pick one . in the end one movie had more music to blend in and sometimes that isnt an easy task . This Mooscar goes to Blood Diamond
Best Documentary Feature - apologies to the makers of documenrtary shorts , but they just werent available to be seen . i could only see the feauture docs which ran the gamut from child molestation to iraq to the environment to religious brain washing . they were all informative and a little scary and this is a very hard category to pick a winner . to that end i will go with film craft and the one that got to me the most without wasting my time with un-needed scenes was Deliver Us From Evil
Best Animated Short - thanks god for the internet ! All of these shorts were available at one time or another over the last few months and were all really good and worth googling so you can see them too . there was nothing groundbreaking technologically , so its great to just judge them by story content and all of them were excellent . am i in the mood for funny ? (No Time for Nuts & Lifted) or touching ? (Little Matchgirl & Danish Poet) . i think i'll pick one that was both funny & touching , so this Mooscar goes to Maestro
Best Animated Feature - how the hell did Cars get nominated ???? it had a story line geared for buffoons , so it must be solely for technical work . Happy Feet was fun , but i'd seen it before . in this category you have to award imagination and skill and only one film had both . this Mooscar easily goes to Monster House
Best Art Direction - this was a year in movies that was as diverse as any i can remember and must have been difficult to narrow the nominees to this group of five . rather than quibble with films that were omitted , i'll stick with these because the one i liked best is here anyway. only one film on this list could blend the real and the fantastical so seemlessly . only one brought things to life onscreen so this Mooscar has to go to Pan's Labyrinth
Best Costume Design - from china to france to motown to the catwalks of new york , this category had a little something for eveyone . the odd one out for me is The Queen , which is a good film , but i just cant give a mooscar for accurate dowdiness . these are all really good films and my decisions is based on the one that covered the widest range of style and did so perfectly . it had to represent an exploding and dynamic era of visual style , which was always changing and ground breaking . this Mooscar goes to Dreamgirls
Best Makeup Design - Click got nominated ??? apologies to the people who worked on apocalypto , they did a good job , but the fanstasy , the gore & the mud and everything else was just magnificent in my choice . leaps ahead of the others . this Mooscar most definitely goes to Pan's Labyrinth
Best Music (Score) - these are 5 really good films and a difficult choice , cuz all were so well scored . in the end however i went with the score that most elevated the mood and the pace of its movie , taking a very disturbing subject matter and heightening its suspense and providing just the right of sympathy for its characters . this Mooscar goes to Notes on a Scandal
Best Music (Song) - Cars ???? Randy Newman doesnt need to be nominated for every cartoon song he does , especially one in such a crap film . to be honest , i didnt even remember there was a song in Inconvenient Truth , so its gotta come down to dreamgirls . but what song ? eddie murphy was very good in this movie , but the girls were better . Jennifer Hudson does a good job with all her songs , but the movie required Beyonce to hold back her voice for most of the film , when she is finally let loose , the song was much more powerful for the film , so this Mooscar goes to Listen from Dreamgirls
Best Film Editing - this is another tough choice for me , but two jump to the forefront . both Babel and United 93 have challenges that making perfect edit choices more important than the other three who have more obvious choices . Babel has to interweave 3 separate stories together , while United 93 has to take a linear , real time story and keep it both exciting and interesting . in the end i have to go with the non linear story . this Mooscar goes to Babel
*my annual reminder that you can almost never go wrong with any of the films nominated for writing , adapted or original (with the exceoption of this years nomination for Little Children (banal & boring piece of crap) . the rest are excellent and highly recommended*
Best Adapted Screenplay - you just have to root for Borat , if only for the acceptance speech , but so much was improv . Little Children ??? shallowness pretending to be deep should never be encouraged . Departed and Children of Men were both very good , but for taking a very uncomfortable subject matter and treating it without emotional bias and making it compelling, i have to give this Mooscar to Notes on a Scandal
Best Original Screenplay - five really good choices here , which makes it hard to pick just one . i highly recommened you see all of these . my least favorite was Little Miss Sunshine , the most original was Pan's Labyrinth , The Queen was wayyyy better what i thought it would be , and i am glad that Clint Eastwood decided to show iwo jima from the japanese perspective . all of these films were great , but the way the three stories were blended until they became one , swayed my vote . this Mooscar goes to Babel
Best Foreign Film - apologies to After the Wedding , this is a category that has excellent films that will rival and/or beat anything coming out of hollywood and i was peeved that it wasnt playing in any theatre near me . the rest however are excellent . see them all if you can . from india to france to spain to east germany , this category takes you on the most diverse course of them all . there just isnt a bad film here and choosing one is very difficult . i had to give this one a lot of thought , but the more i thought about it one eventually stood out . but please , do yourself a favour and check all these films out . they are that good . for sheer complete , unbiased and very human look at the issue of life under a totalitarian regime , the exploration of human motivations and compassion , make me award this Mooscar to The Lives of Others
*and now the big categories that people will be talking about*
Best Supporting Actress - the categories just keep getting tougher to pick . in this category it comes down to 3 (sorry , but children and first timers never get my vote) . Babel gave us two nominees who delivered performances i will never forget , they are that good . unfortunately for them , they gave these performances at the same time this actress delivered one of her strongest performances ever (and thats saying something . shes the best actress working today giving consistantly amazing performances) . think about it . she takes her character who is a teacher that is having sex with a student and is able to get the audience to not completely despise her . thats not an easy task in this day and age of reactionary media . thats why i give this Mooscar to Cate Blanchett
Best Supporting Actor - for me this category comes down to 2 nominees . the little children guy could have been played by any actor , Alan Arkin & Mark Wahlberg delivered very strong performances and were vital to their movies . in the end i had to decide between the last two . Eddie Murphy showed more range than he ever has , but the stunning stoic perfromance in Blood Diamond was the most compelling of the bunch . this Mooscar goes to Djimon Hounsou
Best Actress - apologies to Penelope Cruz but i'm just not an Almadovar fan . just as before , the Little Children role could have been played by anyone . in the end its a tight race between judi Dench , Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren . Meryl's role was the most subtlely portrayed , Judi's was one of the most insidiously evil characters in years and Helen's was the most authentic . all three were just terrific , but in the end i had to go with the one that showed the greatest range . despite what i thought of her beforehand , her performance was just the best of the lot . i never in a million years thought these words would ever leave my lips , but...... this Mooscar goes to Judi Dench
Best Actor - apologies to Peter O'Toole and Will Smith , Venus was just never at a convenient theatre and i was warned away from Happyness . of the remaining three however , the choice was obvious . Ryan Gosling gave a very capable performance as a drug addicted teacher (its a shame the young girl who played his student wasnt nominated . she gave a heck of a performance ) , and Leonardo DiCaprio gave perhaps his best performance ever , However they all paled to a most complete and bang on protrayal of idi amin . this performance was complex , human and never wavered for a second . its a shame this movie didnt get more nominations because it sure deserves them .you shouldnt miss Last king Of Scotland . its great , so with out any dispute at all , this Mooscar goes to Forest Whitaker
Best Direction - is there a more important category ? i think not and this years nominees all made some excellent movies . there isnt one of these films that you shuld miss . from the compelling united 93 , (no , its no too soon to see it) , to Stephen Frears The Queen , to Scorsese's The Departed to Clint Eastwood's Letters From Iwo Jima . all four of these were worth the price of admission and then some . there was one director who moved me more than others on both emotional and cinamatic levels . this director was new to me and if he is capable of keep up this level of film making , the world is in for some more amazing work . in a year of stiff veteran directing competition , i just have to give this Mooscar to Alejandro González Iñárritu for Babel
Best Picture - up until i saw my choice , i was thinking of going off the board and giving the best film Mooscar to Lives of Others . dont get me wrong , all these films are really good , i just like to see the genuine thing rise to the top , regardless of where it was made . Kudos to all these films . they are all great and its always nice to see the independents do well , because they are very often superior to the big studio films . if you have seen other Mooscars posts (and my apologies to you if you have been reading rollick related that long) , you will know that i can not fathom how you could have a best picture that is different from the film by the best director . it just doesnt make any sense , so with all due respect to Little Miss Sunshine , The Departed , Letters From Iwo Jima and The Queen (all of which you should make an effort to see) , i vote for the film that has moved me and left me with images that i will never ever forget . a beautifully complex film that covers the globe and the issues with a compelling narrative . with out a shred of a doubt the Best Picture Mooscar goes to an amazing film , Babel
wow this post takes a long time to do , yet somehow i imagine that the telecast tomorrow will be longer . i'm sure many of my Mooscars choices will not hold up , so you prolly shouldnt use this as a betting sheet for the Oscar's . i do have to say that this years crop of movies was a good one and despite the dogs that were nominated , the rest more than made up for them .
i hope to have the rest of my quickie movie reviews up sometime this week , but until then , enjoy the Oscars !!
i've been running around and seeing a ton of movies so i can do the Mooscars before the 25th . as it stands i have 2 more to see , so i will put off my quick movie reviews until sometime after the oscars . i'll probably get the Mooscars done on saturday ....... or maybe sunday.....hopefully saturday . in the meantime enjoy some links .............
Oscar Torrents - if you have high speed modem and dont mind the mpaa coming after you , you can see all the nominees before sunday if you start now lol
Hunter S Thompson - the bbc interviews the late gonzo journalist in 1978
Nanaca Crash - wacky japanese flash game
Jazz Tube - a nice directory of jazz videos on youtube
Amy Sedarios Art Challenge - fun with jiggly eyes
Pissed Off Cats - cuz they really dont like bath time
Free Pics - images you can use for free (just credit the photgrapher if you use one)
The Big Snit - classic canadian animation . Stop Shaking Your Eyes !!
Lupo the Butcher - classic animation of another kind (nsfw)
Cool Aerial Photography - this guy doesnt need no steenking planes or helicoptors . he uses a kite !
Inside Iran - interesting bbc documentary
that takes you on a tour through a very complicated country . its nice to learn about a country rather than blow it up
The Prisoners of YouTube - people who will forever be associated with the viral videos they star in
Faking Your Death on the Internet - a beginner's guide
Spam Spam Spam Spam - the video game . Fethcez La Vache !!
Toon Crisis II - a really cool shoot em up game with a killer soundtrack
Got Lunch ? - finding food in america made even easier
An Inconvenient Superman - movie mash up fun
How to Stay Healthy - how to monitor yourself for better health
Around the World in 7 Days - finish all seven levels and you get a code to play an entire , new logic game
The Best Free Adventure Games of 2006 - you cant beat free
Money-Gami - how to leave a cool tip
Free TV !! - scroll down a little and find 13 links to free television online
Rejected Vista Desktop Pics - but they are still awfully beautiful
Mexico City in Pics - really cool aerial photography
Rachmaninov Had Big Hands - the asian victor borge ? . funny video
20 Animated Short to See Before You Die - an excellent link to some animation classics , including one already listed in this posting . check em all out !
Seeya @ The Mooscars....Enjoy !!
seems like we're in the midst of another wet few weeks in pacific northwest . gives me a chance to catch up on a lot of things though , like these.........
No Time For Nuts - another oscar nominated animated short available online
The Dark Side of the Moon - remember the famous footage of neil armstrong takling the first steps on the moon ? see donald rumsfeld and alexander haig explain why the video was shot in a film studio on earth by stanley kubrick
Escheresque - cool op art
Photoshopped Animals - coooooool imaginative pics
Belated Happy Valentines Day Everybody ! - for as long as you both shall live
Margo Guryan - 16 Words - fun with political lies
Animal Pics - by todd gusatfson . oh jeez
Best House 3 - cool origami from japan
Save Boston - amazing how quickly a fake terrorism scare can become a video game lol
The Death of Stalinism in Bohemia - very eastern block art film about the fall of communism
Odd Yet Coooool - coooooool pics
Food Animals - more fun with photoshop . anyone for spider cookies ?
Purple & Brown - i'd never heard of these guys before , but something about them gave me a giggle or two
Strange Statuary - from around the world
No Gravity - cool pics by denis darzacq
Danse Kaleidoscope - more cool pics by richard finkelstein
Flour Power - yet even more pics by lois greenfield
Falling Sky Diver - video of a guy whose parachutes doesnt open . luckily he lives
Happy Valentine's Day Crazy Diaper Astronaut Girl - fun with nasa and boy bands
Glen & Gary & Glen & Ross - movie re-edit for language content
How the Boston Terror Scare was Planned - it blinks........genius
Air Photography - cool pics by george gerster
Air Monkey flash time killer game
Cooool Pics - yet more excellent photshopped pics
OOOOPS - pics that make the subject go D'OH!!
Imperial History of the Middle East - 5000 year history of the region in 90 seconds
Kill or Be Killed By ...... Zombies - zombie flash fun
Where to See Australian Toilet Water Swirl the Other Way - via the aussie department of public toilets map
Monster Soduku - can you ever please anyone ?
Prawnny Hill - what's this thing called , love ?
The Jelly Song - wilbbly wobbly weirdness
WildCard - fun flash doodle app
Which Superhero Are You ? - take the quiz and find out . (my spidey senses will tingle until you do)
1984 by George Orwell - a book that more ppl should read or reread in today's world
and in case you thought that i had forgotten ...
Kung Hay Fat Choi !! - i hope these wont boar you *groan*
Happy Chinese New year's Folks !!
Enjoy
i've been running around trying to see as many as the oscar nominees as i can . for the time being , i've seen most of the ones still in theatres , with just a few more that are out on dvd in the next few weeks . here's what i though about the following .......
Notes on a Scandal = this is a very good movie . cate blanchett , who is always amazing , plays a teacher who has an affair with a student and judi dench is a fellow teacher who reacts to the news with unusal attentions . this movie looks at these issues from a variety of different angles and shows how complicated these things are . it doesnt pander to them in a nancy grace kinda idiocy , but it doesnt treat the subject with kid gloves either . this movie look at the very human aspects of scandal and does so very well . oscars for both from what i've seen so far
Dreamgirls - this is another good movie . loosely based on motown records , i think this movie really deals with the rise of the black rock and soul genres in general . in it you see glimpses as to how careers began or ended under the barry gordy-esque tutelage . along the way you are treated with some excellent acting performances by jamie foxx , beyonce , jennifer hudson and eddie murphy . the songs are for the most part pretty good . occasionally they stooped down to american idol standards , but they redeemed themselves by end of the movie . hudson gets all movie to show her stuff , but when beyonce's character is allowed to let her voice loose , its quite impressive . a very good flick
The Last King of Scotland - i havent seen a lot of the best actor nominees yet , but if forrest whitaker doesnt win , then i have an amazing performance yet to see . his portrayal od idi amin is seemless , complex and brilliant . the movie follows a young scottish doctor who becomes amin's confidant thru his rise and until his fall . the movie looks at the complex psyche of a ruthless yet charming man's tragic reign of uganda . the movie is shot in a very gritty but beautiful style and this only helps show the fragile state of amin , the doctor and of uganda . an excellent movie . dunno why it didnt get more nominations , it deserves it
Blood Diamond - another day another good movie about africa . this movie explores the illegal trade of conflcit diamonds in sierra leone and the very corrupted people , governements , army , mercenaries and dealers that make suck horrors possible . when it gets to the point where the voice of the people's liberation are heroin addicted children with machine guns , you know how bad things have become . there is some very good acting in this movie by leonardo dicaprio (despite losing his 'rhodesian" accent too many times for my liking) and jennifer connelly , but the stoic compassion and range shown my djimon hounsou is pretty impressive. this movie is beautifully shot and i think the cinematographer saw some of the same nature documentaries i have , but they have chosen to show both the absolute natural beauty of africa as well as its ugliness . a good movie
Little Children - this movie is one of the worst movie i have seen in 10 years , perhaps of all time . . it is an exploration of the mundane lives of boring , stupid people and their cliche desperations . there is no one really likeable in this movie and the adding of a registered sex offender in their midst (who is just as cliche as everyone else) does little to make the movie interesting . they are going for high realism here . the support cast is a little on the exaggerated side and it just makes the realism that much more clumsy . how this movie got 2 acting nominations is beyond me , any actors could have played the the roles here , there was no range required just cliche . all the scenes are excrucuiatingly long and not in a good jim jarmusch way . they forget that jarmusch has interesting subjects . no one wants to watch bored people live out there pathetic lives , especially for 2 1/2 hours . i just about walked out and wish i had . the ending is just too stupid for words . in fact this movie is so bad i'd rather not say anythng more about it . its a sunny day . i'd rather go for a walk and forget about this piece of trash . just avoid this movie like the plague . its a shallow attempt at art and it sucks .
more in a couple of weeks when more nominees come out on dvd
i've been busy making the rounds of movie theatres and am seeing some really cool flics . i hope to do a review entry maybe tomorrow , but in the meantime here are some links ........
Faster Apps - got some software thats slowing down your puter's performance ? maybe something on this page can help you out
Wordy - i may have posted this cool game last week , but if i didnt , its like tetris but with words
Fast Food Nutrition - some chains are more honest than others . see how unhealthy they are
Patty Smith - You Light Up My Life - patty smith ??? yep that patty smith lol
Geeks ! - the people who built the puter industry
When Harry Met Sally Recut - the thriller version
Baby Cake - well doesnt that just frost you !
AWWWWWWWW - cute animal buddy pics
Avoid The Bears ! - or little kids will laugh at you lol
The Moon - month-long time lapse video
Super Bowl in 3 Minutes - more time lapse video
Catch 33 - test your reflexes with this flash game
Chillis Galore - excellent info on chili peppers , except about how you spell chili
Digital Text - how the internet is changing the content of words
The Dr. Seuss Parody Page - fun with theodor geisel
How Many Times Could This Link Come in Handy - there is such a thing as a silly question sometimes lol
Interactive Sky Map - punch in your coordinates and look up . cooooool
Optimize Your XP - simple tips to safely make your pc run faster
Camelot - Star Trek vs Monty Python . i may have posted this before but its funny enough for another look
Base Jumping - geronimoooooooooooooooooo
Earth's Orbitting Junk - we just dont pollute the planet , we pollute around it too !
Balance - a very simple but challenging flash game
Pet Sounds - as well as noises by all kinds of other animals
Superbowl Air Traffic - if you didnt think the game was already too corporate lol
The New Canadian Food Guide - with less lobbyist interference than our american cousins' guide
Hybrid Food - fun with photoshopped epicureanism
Taste Spotting - a new food site that lets your eyes help decide what you click on *drool*
Anthony Bourdain on the Food Network - a very funny critique by a guy who is not only a great chef but a great writer too . check out his novellas , they're pretty good . everything he points out about the food channel is bang on . give us cooks to aspire too , not rachel ray !
Enjoy !!
amazing how fast the links stack up ......
Circus Museum - the art of the three ringed universe
Rock & Roll DeathStyle - the database of musicians deaths broken down by type
Every Mythbusters Myth - confirmed , plausible or busted . its all there
Neil Young Busking in Scotland - black & white nostalgia
Pork Rinds - you didnt really think they came from real pigs did you ?
Sand Sculpture Archives - a large collection of pics from around the world
Kevin Spacey Doing Impressions - from inside the actor's studio on bravo
Insect Macros - fun with bugs and photography
Saturn - cool pics of the ringed planet
Free Online Photography Course - this could be interesting and its free !
Oddcast - kinda weird text to voice app that has eyes that follow the cursor around
Smart or Stoopid - i scored a 29
Patrick Stewart on Extras - gotta like ppl who can make fun of themsleves
Reno Balloon Race 2006 - cool time lapse video
Creative Photos - pics of interesting new uses for everyday objects
Ricky Gervais Meets Larry David - very inetersting interviews about comedy . always entertaining when two comics talk to each other
Ricky Gervais Meets Christopher Guest
Ricky Gervais Meets Gary Shandling
Samurai Vs Samuari - cool animation about the futility of war
Swedish Chef - Banana Split - bork bork bork
Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring ring Banana Phone - homage to the original
Airline Traffic - a cool collection of time lapse videos of air space congestion
Wordy - a fun online game thats kinda like tetris but it uses words instead of falling pieces
Pirates - the google addon for those tired of a white blackground yarghhhhhhhhhhhh
Soda , Pop or Soda Pop ? - an interactive map of a geographical liguistic phenomenom
Ladder Safety - now these are ppl who really arent too careful at work lol
The Disatnce Between - a handy little app for finding out the distance between north american cities
More - check out some cool new tunes
Best
2006
Music
Videos
Holy Rolling - literally ! cool video
Coffee Flowers - macro pics of coffee mmmmmmmmmm
Ice Sculpting - cool ice carving skillz
777 Flight Deck Tour - ever wonder what goes in in the cockpit of a jet ?
Rav4 Jousting - natural selection at its finest lol
Enjoy !!
well its sure been a long time since i did any movie reviews . i dunno why , but i didnt go see many mvies this fall and now i am in a mad rush to do some movie catch up before the Oscar's . luckily a bunch are out on dvd or will be before feb 25th . dunno why they moved the oscars so early this year , but i think with a little persistence i'll see the bulk of the nominees before i do the mooscars
Elizabeth I - this movie is only recommended for the most serious of anglophiles and monarchy buffs , who want to look at the emotional life of the famed monarch . sure there is some nifty decapitation here and there , but this movie dwells in the emotional life of the queen and it will be sure to please some and peeve others . the acting is strong , but remember that the movie is at least 4 or 5 hours long . too long in my opinion
The Illusionist - this was a nifty little film with some really cool camera effects . its well acted and it involves magic and misdirection set in 1800's vienna . its well acted and hard to review without giving away the ending . all i'll say is its worth seeing and even though the ending was fairly easy to guess , it was worth the trip
The Devil Wears Prada - this movie surprised me . when you hear a movie is about the fashion world , i kinda cringe , but meryl streep turns in an excellent performance as the boss from hell . as evil as she is , the movie is made funny by the innocent sweetness of anne hathaway as streep's assitant . streep is just brilliant and easily deserves her oscar nomaination . the only quibble for me was the flawed semi-sappy ending (they're both gonna be in 2 different cities ) , but that is only a minor flaw in what otherwise is a very fun movie . cool soundtrack too
Little Miss Sunshine - i love small independent movies . i love road movies . i have seen more than my fair share of both . perhaps that it why my enthusiasm for this one is a little dampened . the movie is very well acted by a strong ensemble cast , it beautifully shot and directed . it has some funny moments and it has its poignancy . i just felt that i had seen it all before . almost as if it borrowed from other greater road films and that left me with a mixed reaction to it . i will say this though , for most people i would recommend it . if you are new to the indie road genre , i am sure you will be pleased . (the little girl getting an oscar nomination is a joke though . kids shouldnt ever be nominated . luckily alan arkin's performance was also nominated and well earned)
Curb Your Enthusiasm - Season 5 - this is perhaps one of the funniest shows in tv history . larry david has created a character who has none of the social politeness in most people and just tells it like it is , its motto is ,'no deed goes unpunished' and much of the humour is found in looking at the silly little rules that people invent to be nice to each other . if you like that kinda thing , you'll be on the floor laughing . dvd is the best way to see the show . you can watch it all on one sitting and turn a lousy cold into a entertaining day . (especially since it wont air in canada until the summer lol) . very funny
Cars - Has Disney killed Pixar Animation ? judging by this piece of crap , i'd guess that they have . what a stupid , banal bash to the cranium this is . what a waste of excellent animators . the story is as lame and predictable as you can get . its formula narrative guaranteed not to offend anyone and thats its problem . this movie could only appeal to 5 year old into nascar . anyone older and having any kind of education at all will be bored to tears . there is no humour , no excitement and no adventure . things pixar used to be . this movie is well animated , but panders to ignorant boobs and suffers for it
Monster House - now this is what a animated feature is supposed to be . this movie has a little something for everyone . it has imagination , cleverness and wit . unlike cars , this movie decides that it is not going to be insipid . this movie pushes the animators imagination and has something for both kids and adults . it'll prolly leave some younger kids with some nightmares , but if life was just pleasant dreams , what fun would that be . excellent flick . check it out
Word Play - being a new york time crossword junkie , when i heards there was a movie about will shortz (the nytimes crossword editor) with jon stewart in it , i was a lttle jazzed to see it . it wasnt what i though it was going to be though . it turns out the movie is about speed crossword competitions . now i am pretty fast at doing the puzzle , but the very idea of doing them for speed and not for the pure enjoyment of its mental challenge is just not my thing . there are some good interviews with nytimes puzzle fans like stewart & bill clinton , some good footage with shortz and a cool process of setting a puzzle with one of the best in the biz , so its worth it to see if you are a crossword fan , i would just rather have seen more about the making of puzzles , than the ups and downs of competitive speed puzzlers .
Black Dahlia - lemme just say that i'm not a really big fan of brian depalma and this movie does nothing to really change that . the only reason i saw it was cuz of its oscar nomainations for cinematography and decoration and for that i will give the movie its props . its was beautiful to look at . it was just poorly acted , poorly directed and had no story that held your attention . the performances were very inconsistent almost as if the movie didnt know what it wanted to be . the story was jumble and did we really need andther version of this story ? i didnt and would advise ppl to skip this one
Water - ah foreign films , so much better than whats coming out of hollywood, but wait , its canadian ! i think its cool our entry into the oscar's for best foreign language film is about india and an interesting tale it is . this movie took me to a place and time that i had never seen before and its story was genuinely fresh and original . who new that in traditional india , widows , even children from arranged marriages , are sent to ashram's to live our their lives , forbidden to remarry . this story is interesting and the movie is beautifully shot . it is an excellent movie told over the backdrop oh ghandi's ascendency to prominence and is well worth looking for
Pan's Labyrinth - as good as water was , this will be my choice for best foreign film . this movie is an original and not to be considered a children's movie . there is some very harsh content , but the movie is still a children's fanatasy adventure , just one set against the backdrop of the spanish civil war . the special effects in this movie are just stunning from the creation of fantastical fairies , fauns and monsters to the very real world horror of war . this movie is intense and artisitic . it is visually stunning , scary , sweet , horrifying and fantastic . it takes a giant risk and achieves everything it intends to . so far it is the best movie that i have seen this year . don't miss it
The Queen - this movie was much better and more interesting than i would ever have expected it would be . its about the royal reaction to the death of diana and the battle between stale , age old protocol and how a hysterical british republic reacted to it . what i liked about the movie was that it didnt play sides . it explained the motivations for all the reactions as well as they could . whether or not you were for or against diana , the queen , prince charles or the blair governement , there was no real bias one way or another . the only person who comes out smelling like a rose is blair , but as the queen says in the movie that will one day change overnight and it has . this movie is by no means an accurate portrayal of the actual events , but it does put into play all the elements that made up the 'crisis'. helen mirren is just excellent as the queen . with that defining hairstyle and that queenly walk , she nails the part and will prolly win the oscar from what i've seen so far . this is a good movie
ok folks , expect a few more reviews before the 25th and the annual Mooscars , on or shortly before the oscars
