Worth a look

Here are a couple of movies from 2010 that may be worth your time on DVD:

MONSTERS - directed by Gareth Edwards, this sci-fi movie was done on a shoestring budget, but delivers on both effects and emotion when needed. Easiest comparison to make would be a less-creature/fx heavy DISTRICT-9. And the twist ending is well worth the wait.


CAIRO TIME - Another indie that didn't get much play time in theaters, this is a romantic drama about a woman set to meet her diplomat husband in Cairo, but he's been delayed. Instead, she's taken around the city by a local friend of his, and there's a spark between them. Ill-fated lovers tale that has a quiet beauty about it.

Happy New Year!!

So I figured with the start of 2011 and all the resolution making going on, I'd start blogging again. But before I get to all my intended do's and dont's of the year, a brief recap:

2010:
Top 5 Highlights:
Hawaii in March for Nick and Lil's wedding.
Both of us turning 30!! (Mara's surprise visit and our Vegas celebration in July with friends.)
Brownie reunion in Denver in August.
South Korea trip in December for me!
Holidays back east with friends, family and snow!

Bummer moments:
DREAM ON getting halted b/c of budget issues.
Salary woes at the company.
Chris & I postponing our Oktoberfest trip.
Getting bronchitis in the fall.
April's discontent. ('nuff said)

Looking ahead to 2011:
1) Work harder - Get back into mega-reading mode/finish personal projects.
2) Get back down to my fighting weight - Get over knee impediments and gym it 4-5/week.
3) Feel less social schedule guilt - You can only do what you can do. Don't sacrifice work/gym time b/c feel badly not seeing people as often as I want.
4) Frugal! If we want to take our big trips, make with less. Don't impulsively buy random crap.
5) Be more aggressive with contacts - both in making more and pushing them on development projects.

Hope everyone has a happy, healthy new year!

Brownie Weekend 2010!!

I had such a great weekend away this month in Indian Hills, CO with some of my closest friends from college. It's amazing to me that I've known these people for 12 years now!! And even more amazing is that every time we're together, it's like no time has passed at all. Plus, we've really lucked out with spouses and significant others. Everyone gets along so well and adds even more to our reunions.

The house we rented was on 45 acres of beautiful land, and while still being isolated, it was close enough to a lot of great areas for hiking (including Red Rocks, which you'll see) and close enough to civilization that we were able to shop for groceries and whatnot very easily. The area itself is gorgeous and perfect for a getaway from the city. Air is clean, landscape gorgeous and obviously the company really made the weekend one to remember.

Downtown....

Check out this amazing trailer for Ben Affleck's second film as a director.... Click HERE.

Hello there Red....

So I decided to change things up a bit... and threw some red in the mix at the hair salon yesterday. Thoughts?

A mini-tirade to the male haters on SATC 2

So I have to get up on my soapbox for a few minutes here people, and I know it's been forever since I posted, so it might be annoying that I'm coming back to rant, but...well, too bad.

I'm really tired of hearing old jokes and people talking about airbrushing the women in the new SEX AND THE CITY movie. If one more man comments on how they're not going to be able to make any more of these movies, b/c hey- those women are oooooooold, I'm going to punch him in the face. Not really. But I might push him a little depending on how well I know him.

Here's the thing guys, women get older! Just like men do! And you know what, we don't care! We love them and their silliness and their girlieness and it doesn't change just because there's some more wrinkles on their faces. They're still allowed to be sexy and have sex b/c guess what - it's not meant to be intended as sexy FOR YOU... it's FOR US. WE get to be the ones excited by their (sex) lives and WE get to be the ones that love the way they look in their clothes. It's never been about MEN enjoying them... it's all about women enjoying stories about women. So go away and stop making comments and let us have our Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, Miranda and Mr. Big!!

Now, I do concede that age is a big factor in Hollywood. But time and time again (especially in the last few years) women are showing up in droves to see stars that are not in their 30s and are not playing the young, doe-eyed ingenues! (MAMMA MIA!, IT'S COMPLICATED, THE PROPOSAL even!) And yes, everyone wants to look their best, so they're will be good lighting and a little airbrushing, but in a world where 17 year-old models get airbrushed on ads, it's not fair to use that as a weapon in an argument about this discussion.

I guess the big point here is that you dudes can say anything you want in private but wake up-- talking about aging women in front of women is a stupid thing to do. And once again, the movie's not about you guys, so I don't give a F if you think SJP is getting older. Guess what, so are you.


(p.s. I will only concede that Kim Catrall and SJP would look better if they put 5-10lbs on, but that's a different story altogether.)

Oscar Review & Wrap-Up

Last night was the biggest night in Hollywood- stars, moguls and wanna-bes crowd the red carpet and hope for gold. Before I launch into my review of the show and the awards, let it be known that I am biased because I thought last year's show (Produced by my boss Larry Mark and Bill Condon) was exceptional... and far superior to last night's.

First, let's discuss the show in general... Biggest note - too long!! The movie clips were too long during the acting categories; Even longer for the big two acting awards with speeches from past collaborators and another star to come out, say the names again and finally announce the winner! Poor planning- why did we need a sixth star for these two categories. [And as a side note, why only the main acting noms getting this treatment? Take about pushing aside the supporting actors! And in the opening of the show they only showcased the lead actors. I think that's in poor taste.]
The show also had a lengthy, though deserved, tribute to John Hughes. I wonder if we would have had enough of a moment had just Molly Ringwald and Matthew Broderick come out and introduced the montage. Did we need to see the bigger set of actors, especially those who have aged poorly (sorry!)?

Let's now talk about content of the show- it's a bit all over the place. A horror segment? Really? This feels like a copy-cat of last year's show format, where they showcased all the main genres of film (Comedy, Romance, Drama, Action, Animation), but instead just did horror. Hmmm, maybe it would have made more sense if a horror movie had been nominated? OR if they'd actually spoken about the runaway hit of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY instead of just a funny bit with Alec and Steve? I mean, I laughed, but people who haven't seen the movie didn't get it (a few were at our party) and again, it didn't tie into the Oscars AT ALL.
Also, the opening number of the show... well, let's start with the fact that Neil Patrick Harris did it. Isn't it weird to open a show with someone OTHER than your hosts? And while the Vegas showgirl number did recall some old Hollywood movies, especially with the choreography onstage, I'm guessing most people didn't get the reference. At least last year's two musical numbers in the show directly related to movies and mostly movies being celebrated. (The first was Hugh Jackman singing about the nominees, and the Baz Luhrman number was about the musicals being back...and they had done extremely well at the box office of late. PLUS it went with their theme of showcasing each genre.)

This year, everyone wanted younger.... well it's a bit bizarre considering last year they had Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgons, Robert Pattinson and Amanda Seyfried presenting and some performing. So bringing half of those people back was a novelty, how? Plus Miley Cyrus was so wrong when she said it was their first oscars... um no. Miley was THERE last year, presented the year before that and as I said, Amanda Seyfried presented last year with Pattinson. (Which again, I have to say was more clever than throwing the two Twilight-ers together as they did this year with Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner.)

Finally- in terms of the show being random, what was up with the set?! A backdrop of a bunch of lampshades? WTF? What's the reference? And then at some point, the backdrop seemed to be a big wall of cubby holes. Again, at least last year, the set was dressed for whichever awards were being given out (costumes, effects, lighting, etc)

Alright, I'm done bashing the show and this year's producers (Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic, who btw were flapping their gums the past few months about how much better this year's show was going to be over last year's. Ahem). Onto the awards!!

It's no secret to anyone that I was a huge fan of AVATAR. In my book, there's no bigger achievement in filmmaking for the year- and that's what Best Picture if meant to be - the biggest achievement. Not the movie that had the most original story necessarily - that's what Best Screeplay is for. Not the movie that had the absolute BEST acting- that's what those awards for. This is meant to be the best combination of it all- the best achievement in filmmaking... and I'm sorry, HURT LOCKER just wasn't it. NO WAY JOSE!
So yeah, that irked me.

Another one that I cannot help but be disappointed by was Sandra Bullock winning for THE BLIND SIDE over Meryl Streep as Julia Child in our movie JULIE & JULIA. First of all, Meryl was AMAZING and btw everyone, she hasn't won an Oscar in 28 years! JEEZ! She was so due, and while she's getting great parts, I think we'd better give her another one already before she's done. And while I like Sandra Bullock and from all accounts she's a great human being, I don't think she deserved the award. It was a good performance and I think it's great she came back this year with two strong movies with BLIND and PROPOSAL (and a huge misfire in ALL ABOUT STEVE), she's someone who has made a LOT of bad choices in her career, film-wise. It's hard to get over some of them.

Other awards that surprised - Geoffrey Fletcher taking Best Adapted Screenplay away from Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner. Well done sir! I personally think there was a lot of questions about who wrote what for UP IN THE AIR and that may have affected voting.
Also, Mark Boal winning over Quentin Tarantino for Original Screenplay was considered an upset. Poor Quentin- I think the Academy has a thing against him.

Otherwise, things fell into place. THE WHITE RIBBON losing Best Foreign Film is a bit of an upset since it won the grand prize at Cannes. But I doubt most people were paying attention to that.

So there ya go! My Oscar feedback. Stay tuned for a fashion review tomorrow! It'll take me awhile to get the photos uploaded. But here's a sneak - I thought a lot of dresses were TERRIBLE!

P.S.
Here is another review of the show that I strongly agree with. They make a good point that instead of horror, how about a Sci-Fi tribute, considering this year had the most sci-fi nominees ever?
LA Times

Something Fun

I just used Paperless Post for the first time ever when I was sent this very elegant e-mail invitation to an event for next month. If you're looking for something nicer than an evite, but don't want to send regular invitations via the post, check this site out and see what they offer!

two small side notes

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!! Hope it's a happy, healthy and economically recovered 2010 for us all!

And second, I realize that I sound a bit like an airhead in some of my posts, but I hope most people remember I'm just rambling my thoughts here and that I am capable of constructing proper sentences. I promise I'm well educated.
I mean, like, duh! :)

Movie Update

So over the last week or so, I saw SHERLOCK HOLMES (really enjoyed!), YOUNG VICTORIA (um, beautiful and well-acted but hello- can we allow the threads of conflict to actually GO somewhere?!), BROKEN EMBRACES (i don't pretend to understand Almodovar's subtle messages at all, but it was pretty and well-acted), THE LAST STATION (loved it, surprisingly!), THE WHITE RIBBON (could Haneke please film an ending to one of his movies), and IT'S COMPLICATED (good, not great).

But what i'm really here to discuss is why on God's green Earth is INVICTUS getting so many people kissing its butt and putting it on all these top 10 lists? I mean, come on- Clint Eastwood is NOT a movie-making god. He's made some boring movies - hello, Gran Torino was one of the worst screenplays I've seen in awhile and most of it was poorly acted, in my opinion. CHANGELING was interesting but DEFINITELY flawed. And I'm sorry, but INVICTUS is a snore-fest of the highest order. If it gets nominated for an academy award in place of another movie that deserves the spot, I will be seriously peeved. UGH! I'm really over it. AND btw, I love Matt Damon as people are well aware, but he doesn't deserve a supporting actor nomination for this one at all. Not one bit. Sorry Matteo.

Holiday Movie Picks!

I've seen most of the holiday movies, save IT'S COMPLICATED, PRINCESS AND THE FROG and SHERLOCK HOLMES (and I've heard the first two are great and Sherlock is just an action movie). So here's my very brief - what to see and what to avoid - report.

MUST SEE:
AVATAR - I personally fell in love with this movie and I think it's quite an achievement in filmmaking. It looks AMAZING... and the 3D really makes the images richer and gives you more texture to the film. Whether or not you can empathize with the blue people is really going to be what makes this a movie you like or you love... I bought in. Wholeheartedly.

FANTASTIC MR. FOX - another great achievement in filmmaking, this time in stop-motion animation. It's clever, fun and something you can enjoy even if you aren't a Wes Anderson fan.

UP IN THE AIR - one of the year's best movies. Funny, poignant, and very touching. George Clooney manages to do a bit more onscreen than he normally does, but his performance doesn't quite lose the Clooney image. Anna Kendrick is a revelation, especially in one scene when she bursts into tears like any high-strung 22 year-old would. Loved that moment.

THE BLIND SIDE - I was very surprised this movie wasn't a total manipulative tear-jerker, but instead it's a really wonderful story and Sandra Bullock does pull off quite a character. I really bought into her performance and am glad she's getting recognized for it.

PRECIOUS - it's heartbreaking but it's a great film and a reminder for everyone who has had loving people in their life to give them big thanks, hugs and kisses this year at the holidays.

THE HURT LOCKER - It's still playing in some specialty theaters and this intense, on-the-edge-of-your-seat film about a bomb diffuser in Iraq is a must-see this year. It's not my favorite film of the year, but it's intense, it's emotionally engaging and it feels very honest about life for these guys.

AN EDUCATION - This is a very good film, though I was not as struck by it as many of my colleagues were. I think it's an interesting story and certainly well-acted, but it's third act was greatly lacking for me. Carey Mulligan's getting a lot of heat off of her performance, and it's true- she was stellar. So if you're an awards season junkie, you should definitely get to this one.

From what I've heard, also check out: THE YOUNG VICTORIA (which I plan to see this week), THE WHITE RIBBON, CRAZY HEART (if you are a Jeff Bridges fan) and THE MESSENGER (which by all accounts is fantastic!!)

WHAT TO AVOID:
INVICTUS - truly one of the most boring movies I've seen in a long time... even my sweetheart Matt Damon couldn't salvage this snooze-fest.

NINE - another snooze-fest. I couldn't believe they managed to make a big musical film THIS boring. I just didn't care about a single character or performance and turned it off about an hour and fifteen minutes in.

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS? - I hope I don't have to explain why this is terrible.

THE LOVELY BONES - Unfortunately, they missed the boat on this adaptation. I loved the book and therefore I think I was able to appreciate some moments of this film, but the story was a mess. Even chronologically certain things didn't make sense and though Sairose Ronan's (sp?) a great actress (with an amazing voice for voice-over work), it just misses the mark.

BROTHERS - Don't go see this watered down and sometimes forced remake of Suzanne Bier's amazing Danish film. (I think it's Danish...) Instead, get on Netflix and rent the original - it's far superior and one of my favorite movies.

MIXED EMOTIONS:
THE ROAD (playing in a few specialty theaters still and soon to be on DVD)- it's a film that is certainly committed to its dark vision and is a relatively faithful adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's portrait of a father trying to get save his son's life after the apocalypse, but it's also relentless and difficult to get through. I thought Viggo Mortensen is fabulous and there is something beautiful about the movie, but I also found myself fast-forwarding through a fair bit of it b/c I couldn't handle it.

Happy Holidays!

So I've totally neglected the blog, I know, but it's been a busy winter and I've been feeling kind of "eh" about what I've got to share.

But I hope everyone has a happy and healthy holiday with their families this year!! I'll be here in Cali for the first time ever for the whole break since Chris' new job means no vacation this year. So I am definitely jealous of all the snow the East Coast is getting right now and hoping that it gets cooler again for Xmas.

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, back to work he goes!

A friend reminded me that I haven't done a post dedicated to Chris' new job yet! First off, Yay Chris!! Congrats to my fabulous hubby for finding a great job in this crappy market within three months. woohoo!!

So as most of you remember, Chris was working in the Hilton Honors marketing department for Hilton corporate, which oversees all the brands. NOW, Chris will be doing something similar but at one specific Hilton property - the LAX Embassy Suites. His official title is E-Commerce Marketing Manager, so as you can guess by the title, his focus will be on all internet marketing and online partnerships for the hotel. So far he's enjoying the new job (this is week 2), though he has to wear a suit everyday. (Boo!) One of the great things about the job is that the hotel ownership group (Sunstone Hotels) has a number of hotels in SoCal, so this may turn into something of a regional position as well.

As much as I am sad to lose a house-husband and to go back to helping out with household chores, I'm thrilled Chris has found something that he's enjoying!

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

So I'm doing a separate post to review this movie b/c ever since I saw it on Saturday, I've been thinking a lot about it, about childhood, about movies and about entertainment value.

Let me begin by giving you my immediate thoughts in reaction to seeing the film, which were "boring, bloated and depressing... though it looks great." The movie is only an hour and a half (approx) but it feels MUCH longer. The time issue stems from the storyline, which never feels like it has momentum, especially while Max is on his adventure with the Wild Things. I kept thinking, "Is this the moment it turns?" Or, "Is this when we get an idea of what's coming?" While being surprised in a film is a good thing, and I'd never say I want to always know the direction a story is taking, you do want to get a feel of pacing and direction as you are watching a story develop. But here, because the film is an exercise in understanding a child's complex emotions and inner life, there is little to no plot. [SPOILER ALERT] What IS clear, is that things are going to go well in this new civilization that Max has become King of for awhile, and then things will go badly, and then hopefully they'll get better again... And that is sort of what happens, except for the last turn towards happiness. Max leaves the Wild Things virtually as miserable as when he found them. Is the lesson that we cannot fix anyone else, but just ourselves? Or that it's not our job to go into someone else's life and fix their problems? Or is this simply a more realistic vision of how deep-seeded emotional problems in groups and communities never really change. Because, in truth, the latter is what I took away at the end of his journey, and that is freaking depressing. At least when Max goes back to his mother, they share a heartfelt moment, during which we assume Max does understand that his mother loves him and that he doesn't need to be so angry all the time.... though you leave the theater knowing that the anger under the surface will surely bubble to the top again unless he goes to see a therapist to talk it out.

However, when I saw the movie, I was in awe at how

beautiful it looked - both the surroundings and the creatures. Plus, the child playing Max was incredible and his acting so naturalistic, that I understand why the head of Warner Bros production has been quoted as finding the a movie disturbingly realistic portrait of childhood angst. So overall, I didn't think it was a "bad" film, I just thought it was an expensive, adult movie that wasn't very enjoyable to watch.

So those were my initial thoughts... and as I kept thinking back on the movie and reading some more interviews and reviews, I came across one person's interpretation that the movie is divisive because it's very "personal" and "intimate", which I think is very accurate. The movie really deals with the unseen and often unreported disillusionment and frustration and rage that exists in adolescents. Hurt feelings and rage at the unfairness of life is such a part of growing up. And Max embodies all of those difficult emotions in his character, and in fact, he seems to be experiencing them simultaneously during the first act climax, when he runs away and heads off on his adventure. I've been there. I've felt those things. I've been scared and angry and confused and totally out of control. And I would wager that most adolescents have too... that's why the movie is interesting, but not entertaining. While I don't believe every movie should be all popcorn and mindless entertainment, I think part of a film's purpose is to entertain. And sometimes tear jerkers can be enjoyable b/c they are cathartic. And other movies deal with difficult material because you want to experience something out of your own reality and be touched by it. In the case of this movie specifically, I don't think it succeeds because it highlights all of this child's emotions without working through them to a satisfying ending. I guess we're supposed to be happy at the end when Max leaves and comes home to his mom, having dealt with his feelings with the Wild Things... but the truth is, he hasn't! At least, I didn't think he did. So in the end, I sat through this boring adventure to wind up with a hero that didn't make things better for his new friends, hasn't truly worked out his own issues, and simply gets a hug from his mom and some soup to make it better. Is that a more "realistic" ending? Sure. Is it satisfying? Nope.

So I'm sorry Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers - you're very smart and very talented, but sometimes that's not enough.

Recap

It's been a REALLY long time since I blogged, so I thought I'd do some fun recapping:

First Anniversary:

Chris and I took a long weekend and drove up to San Francisco, by way of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.

As many of you know, Chris was laid off at the end of July, so he had some time on his hands over the summer and earlier this fall. He went to Legoland with his niece and nephew, and he spent some time in

North Carolina with his brother's family out there. PLUS he did some great cooking for me- here are some of my favorites from the summer. (However, he's now working again! YAY!)

In other fun news, I got two tickets to see "Star Wars: In Concert!" for my 29th Birthday. It's something I saw advertised at Comic-con and was SUPER excited to go to. So, thanks for the tickets Mara! At the Nokia Theater, they also had some props and costumes from the movies, which I took a few photos of. Nerd alert!!

So what'd you do this weekend?

Me, oh not much. Saw THE INFORMANT (eh- not bad, not great. interesting story though), hung out with the Danisons & the nieces and nephews on Saturday, then at night went over to Lindsay and Fernando's house...AND RAN INTO A SCREEN DOOR. Yup, I ran full force into a screen door that I didn't realize was open. Let me tell you, not a pleasant experience. For one thing, it's pretty damn jarring and I seriously wounded myself in a few areas. The other obvious side effect is embarrassment, especially when the force of you running into it means you pulled the screen from the door at the top and the bottom. sigh....I'll set it up for you.

We're playing a rowdy game of Pictionary with boys v. girls and I decide during the boys turn I'm going to run out to the car to get some sweat pants. I grab the keys and go to head out of the front door, which has been left open since it's a warm night. But little do I see that there's actually a screen door that comes across the front entryway and since I'm kind of still paying attention to the game going on, I only turn to look in front of me just as I run into the screen. And you know what I think JUST before I hit it, "wow, it looks a little misty outside."

OMG to the MAX!!!

Check out the new NEW MOON trailer. holy crap it's awesome!! I think Chris Weitz will redeem the Twilight movie franchise after such a disappointing beginning...

CLICK HERE to see!!

OH- and if you wanted to see the "extended version", which I believe only has 4 extra snip-its/shots in it, you can see it here

Summer Movie Wrap Up

Here is the MUCH delayed (what else is new) Summer Movie Wrap-Up from yours truly...

Let's start with the winners:

STAR TREK

By far, this was probably my favorite summer movie...Yes, possibly because of my geek-ish upbringing and long love of the ST franchise, but also because J.J. Abrams gave this reboot a hip, glossy and fun flavor that even non-trekkie fans could embrace. Plus it introduced us to Chris Pine, who will surely be a star.

JULIE & JULIA

Just because I'm biased doesn't mean this wasn't a terrific, delightful and yummy treat for adults that are tired of movies for kids driving the summer box office. At $80 mil and counting, I know I am not alone in this. (Plus Meryl Streep just kills it.)

UP

Pixar continues to get it right with this bittersweet tale of an old man and a young boy on a tremendous adventure together in South America. While I thought they may have gone a bit far with the dogs in the end, I loved this movie and cried at its moving and poignant first act montage.

DISTRICT 9

A thoroughly original sci-fi movie with a great anti-apartheid message, this movie takes CGI aliens to a new level. The talented filmmaker and actors made you feel for both the abused creatures, as well as for Vickas, a desperate, weasel of a man, as they struggle for freedom. I had no idea the movie would be so emotional and I think that is precisely why it succeeded. Good lesson to screenwriters and moviemakers in all genres, don't shy away from the emotion! Give your movies a bit more depth!

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Quentin Tarantino is back in theaters with another violent, comedic look at a group of resistance fighters during WWII. The movie's riding a delicate line because of its subject matter, but Quentin bursts through it at the end with an unforgettable finale. Controversial for sure, but pure Tarantino from the first moment to the last. (And the acting was incredible! ...except for Eli Roth)

Movies that I definitely enjoyed:

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE

As with all the Harry Potter movies, they are good- but the book is way better. I enjoyed most of this adaptation, but since I had just recently read the 6th installment, I felt more irritated by the changes the filmmakers made. I just didn't understand why they needed to tweak the ending (SPOILER ALERT) and not have a bigger fight at Hogwarts. Also, why skip Dumbledore's funeral and make less of Ginny and Harry's romance. I wonder if they will address that in the first movie of the 2-part book 7 adaptation. We shall see.

THE PROPOSAL

A charming and surprisingly well made romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds as a work duo forced to fake an engagement to keep Bullock stateside. A ridiculous premise? Of course. But the physical comedy and great performances keep you locked in for the ride. Reynolds is charming, handsome and on point. Bullock resurrects herself in this film and reminds us why we all thought she was the next Julia Roberts so many years before. (sadly, ALL ABOUT STEVE will prob undo this.)

(500) DAYS OF SUMMER

Truth be told, I was a little disappointed by this movie, but only because the script was one of my favorites in the last five years. It's a great way to do a romantic comedy that feels young, fresh and surprise- it's not a happily ever story! And no, that's not a spoiler. They say it in the first five minutes of the movie. Support "indie" filmmaking and go see this!

Middle of the pack:

AWAY WE GO

Sam Mendes directs an incredible performance out of Maya Rudolph, mostly known for her SNL gags and not much else. But in this small, quiet movie about a couple trying to find a place to put down roots before their first child comes into the world. Though some of the characters they come across are a bit cliche and over-the-top, Maya's naturalistic performance is worth the viewing. Be sure to get on DVD.

THE UGLY TRUTH

Okay, okay - I know it's not a great movie and I know Katherine Heigl appears to be a biznatch of the highest order due to her constant gum-flapping in public...But this was a cute movie! It's totally predictable and maybe a bit insulting if you read into the female/male dynamics that are in it, but truth be told they had good chemistry onscreen and I enjoyed it!

ANGELS & DEMONS

It's better than DaVinci Code, let's put it that way. Not a great movie, but it's not bad either. If you are a fan of the book, it's worth a DVD rental.

MY SISTER'S KEEPER & TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE

Both of these adaptations were okay- not great. I loved both books and was definitely more disappointed by TTW, but felt that they weren't complete failures either. Both managed to get you to experience the emotional weight of the stories, even if they didn't quite get the stories quite right. If you want a tear-jerker, rent SISTER'S KEEPER. If you loved TTW and are just curious, it's worth a rent. If not, don't bother with these. You aren't missing that much.

As Chris would say, "Worst-Movie Ever":

TRANSFORMERS 2

I can't believe this movie made $400 million at the box office. It makes me sick and very very sad. DON'T see this movie if you don't have to.

TERMINATOR SALVATION

Ugh, there was no point whatsoever to this movie and it irritated me throughout. Again, another movie to skip. T-3 was WAY better than this, and most people didn't like that so you can imagine what this is.

G.I. JOE

"Kill all the Joes!" This is one of the worst scripts I've ever seen come to life and rather than killing the Joes, I want to kill the filmmakers and the studio execs that greenlit this piece of crap.

GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST

I love bad romantic comedies and I couldn't even stomach this one. It's TERRIBLE!! Seriously, nothing redeeming about it at all. (and that's coming from someone that could watch Jennifer Garner do almost anything.)

FUNNY PEOPLE

While I was watching this movie, I didn't hate it...but the more I reflected on the characters and the story, I saw what a mess it really was. I think the movie doesn't have a clear focus, especially after the hour and a half mark, and our main guy (Sandler) is totally unlikeable throughout. While Seth Rogan is pretty good, and his friends (Jason Schwartzman and Jonah Hill) make the comedy bearable, I'm not sure it's even worth your time as a rental unless you're just curious.

So that's it. I hope you find this somewhat helpful as you prepare your netflix lists for this fall. I may have forgotten a few, but I will come back and add some as I think of them. :)

Mandate picks up 'Dream On'

Check it out! The first time my name's been in the trades!!

Mandate picks up 'Dream On'

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29 for the first time

So as a friend of mine said to me about this year's birthday, I'm 29 for the first time. Sigh. Is it weird that I think this birthday is almost harder to swallow than 30 will be? I just feel a bit blah about turning 29...and thinking about my 20s. It's true that I'm still young and I have so much ahead of me, yadda yadda yadda, but I can't help feeling like 29 is a year of reflection and re-evaluation. Sort of taking stock of where I am in life and what plans do I have to make sure that I'm doing what I want and getting the most out of my upcoming 30s.

With work, I feel torn. I certainly am at a good place all things considered in terms of the state of the business right now and by how I believe my co-workers feel I'm doing. I can't help feeling a bit stuck right now and like I wish I was doing more...but I also know that most summers I feel this way and I'm almost at the 2 year mark for my job. My mother once noted that at a year and a half at any given job, I start to do this. What's next? Am I in a rut? Am I working hard enough? So maybe I just need to push through and get past that two year mark and I will see a difference. (the only job I was at so far more than two years was Imagine, and I was interviewing like crazy at that point to get the heck out!) Also, it will help when things pick up and the movie I set up gets closer to getting made. [Btw- stay tuned, the press release should be coming in the next couple of weeks - and the studio quoted in it that they are putting the movie on the fast-track for 2010 production. woohoo!]

In my personal life, things couldn't really be much better. Chris and I are doing great and we're excited to see our first anniversary rapidly approaching. [sidenote, can you believe it's been a year?! I can't!] We're hoping to find him employment again this fall and then start really saving towards a house or a condo to buy in LA in the next two years. We figure realistically that's what it will take us, and the housing market in not likely to have rebounded much by then....we hope at least for our sake! We're very much getting anxious to have our own place where we can entertain and have a yard and a real guest bedroom! Our cats will like a home much more too, since they won't have so many weird noises in the apartment building to startle them all the time. Seriously, the term scaredy-cat really does apply.

That's it for now. Not much of an update other than to say, "Hi! I'm alive and still blogging." I'll try to start updating a couple times a week now that summer's over.