"So... 100 Movies of Fall?" "I hate you."

We did it! We had our doubts along the way, for sure, and Brandon threatened to pull the plug more than once, but I am really glad we persevered. Sure, it's not really a great accomplishment, and we certainly could have done something much more productive with our time, but in the end we do feel like we at least followed through and finished something we started, and got to spend lots of quality time together. To be completely honest, I gained a bunch of weight, we're both in awful shape, our DVRs are about ready to explode, so a lot of other parts of our lives did suffer in the process. However, we are pleased we actually did it.

Usually I love pretty much every movie I watch while I am watching it. I am the worst movie critic on earth because I will feel however the film makers want me to feel and accept just about anything that is thrown at me. During this project I found myself watching movies differently and being more critical knowing I was going to have to write about them, and ultimately got a lot more out of them. I discovered that as a general rule I can't stand 70s movies and absolutely adore 50s movies. I fell madly in love with Lou Taylor Pucci and had an extreme epiphany about Casey Affleck. We realized that Amy Ryan can do pretty much anything and steal every scene she's in. Brandon realized that AFI's Top 100 movies list is VERY inconsistent, and that people who claim that they love The Godfather Trilogy are either retarded or have never sat through that mess. Oh, and don't get him started on The Deerhunter. Mostly he's just happy we actually made the effort to watch movies instead of spending all of our free time watching tv or playing video games. "TV rarely reaches art," he said. I guess I can agree to an extent, but TV will never be replaced as my entertainment medium of choice and I am dying to get back to it.

Overall, this was a really cool experiment, and although I think the fact that Brandon picked a World Cup summer to do it was horrific planning on his part, we both had a great time with it. Now if only we could put this much into a worthwhile project... ;o)

"Dog Found!"

Movie 100!! Casey suggested we make this an event, so we had her and Travis over and asked them to pick something for us to watch. We all agreed Uncertainty sounded like the perfect fit: it has the awesomeness of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is always enjoyable, it has a quirky plot, and the promise of good action. The idea of following a couple through two different stories as a result of the two possible choices they could make seems like it could be very entertaining. Unfortunately, it may have been a bit overly ambitious and was much stronger in idea than execution. We were all very frustrated by how stupid the couple is in the yellow portion of the film and how incredibly boring they are in the green portion. None of us really seemed to care about whether they would survive or what they would decide to do about the pregnancy - we only ever cared about what happened to the dog.

Since we didn't really go out with a bang for our final film, we decided to put on a sure fire winner, just as a bonus, and I finally got to see a movie I have been longing for forever: Balls of Fury!! Brandon gave into the stupid fun and my constant laughter, and ended up enjoying it almost as much as I did. Success!!

"Some things in this world are better left where they lie."

We're still not really sure what the message of 9 was, or what all that funky business with the life forces and whatnot was, but we liked it. This was mostly because of the freaky animation and the great voice casting. It was quite visually compelling, and I do believe I didn't pick up my PSP once because I didn't want to miss any of the onscreen action. We feel like it achieved far more stylistically than it did story wise, and Brandon thought it could make an interesting video game but that the story was not expanded enough from its original short status to make a full length movie. It's not completely satisfying, but it's still short enough that it's worth a watch.

"The grammar in this country's terrible."

I had a sneaking suspicion that Brandon just picked Chaos because after watching Visioneers he likes to say "chay-oss" but as soon as I saw Jason Statham's name I knew the true reason. That's really all it takes for him. Of course, my heart skipped a beat when I realized this was a Ryan Phillipe movie, too. He's one of my "oh so dreamy" actors that I don't get to see very often, but who always gives me the wiggles. Then you add Wesley Snipes to that mix? Now we've got a party. This was a pretty exciting movie with a good story, good action, good twists, good performances - just the kind we like. It was fairly solid all the way around, but I think it just went straight to DVD which is actually understandable because it isn't really groundbreaking or anything we haven't seen before. It is almost like someone took a bunch of elements of better movies, pieced them together, tied a Wesley Snipes bow on it and called it a day. It was fun enough but fairly forgettable.

"I hope she enjoys shitting out the teeth she swallowed!"

Mini's First Time is so messed up, but we both laughed our asses off. Alec Baldwin is great as always, and although Nikki Reed rubs a lot of people the wrong way, we have always liked her. The story is extremely darkly comedic, and Reed and Carrie-Ann Moss do a great job conveying the painfully awful mother/daughter relationship that is the catalyst for all of the crazy behavior Reed's Mini perpetrates throughout. Her theory of life really just consisting of firsts, and her desire to pile as many of them into her life as possible sounds pretty admirable at first, until you realize that her firsts (prostitution, sex with her stepfather, murder) aren't what normal people might go for. We thought it was well done and Reed carries the movie quite well for such a young, fairly inexperienced actress.

"The angels are not done with you yet."

Ah, some good old fashioned video game based action! Mark Wahlberg stars as Max Payne, a cop who is falling apart as a result of the murder of his wife and child, so once the investigation goes dry he relegates himself to the cold case desk in order to keep digging. Once new evidence comes to light, he goes on a revenge fueled rampage to find the murderer. It's a twisted, twisty, interesting, dark, visually intriguing and ultimately enjoyable action thriller. We saw the big bad guy coming a mile away and were kind of disappointed that it took Max so long to figure it out, but the journey getting there was quite watchable. I was surprised that the psycho villain was played by a guy I always think of as a tv actor, and was excited that he did such a good job with it. We're always down for Marky Mark, and the rest of the cast was bulging at the seams with other people we like - Mila Kunis, Beau Bridges, Ludacris, Chris O'Donnell, Donal Logue, Olga Kurylenko - so although this wasn't a great movie it is definitely worth the watch.

"I am really going to miss that car."

Strangely, we don't have much to say about The Joneses. Ours is a big Duchovny lover household, so we were interested in this one as soon as we heard about it. The concept is clever - a fake family planted in an affluent neighborhood that is secretly paid to lure people into buying the products they use. The problem is that it is very one note and doesn't really go anywhere. In fact, it was way less fun that it could have been, and couple of the story lines ended tragically. I think we would have liked it more if it were a lighthearted look at consumerism rather than pretending to be fun and then falling apart and turning bleak. We will watch pretty much anything good old Dave does, but we wouldn't recommend this.

"If somebody doesn't tell me why my son is barking, somebody's grounded!"

In my defense, Brandon is the one who wanted to watch The Tracy Fragments. I had no idea what it was about, and he apparently had some idea, but I think we both agree it was not a good choice. We both appreciated the creative risks taken, and obviously the film maker was going for something new and different because we read afterward that he made all of the footage available online and invited people to cut their own versions of the movie. As a project it may have been a success to him, so yay? Ellen Page was the only draw for me, and she was good but that wasn't enough to keep us interested.

"They're replacin me with a damn laptop computer! Windows 98 or some foul thing!"

Tuesday night was all about Jen! First I reveled in my Zach love, then I got to see 50 Pills, which I initially rented because my darling Kristen Bell is advertised as starring in it. Not so much - she's the sweet girl who the actual star loves. However, imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered that said protagonist is played by the newest addition to my adoration list: Lou Taylor Pucci. The movie itself was kind of a snooze, and rolled our eyes just as often as we laughed, but he was great in it. I find him immensely watchable, so although this movie wasn't exactly groundbreaking or mind blowing, it was a nice silly piece of fluff about a kid who needs to raise the final $1000 to pay his college tuition and reluctantly agrees to sell 50 pills of Ecstasy over one weekend. It follows him on his adventure, which is pretty predictable, but I sure was happy to see my darling Monica Keena as a nutty sex worker/college student in dominatrix AND naughty school girl gear. Score!

"Dreams are dangerous - they cause instability and pain"

As an unapologetic Zach Galifianakis whore, I was very excited to watch Visioneers because I could watch him do pretty much anything and adore it. (I mean, I watched Tru Calling for him... come on.) Thankfully he wasn't the only thing we liked about this movie. It was quirky and odd, not completely fulfilling, but still very engaging. The basic premise is that people are exploding, there are theories as to why, but no one knows for sure. Our hero, played by Zach, lives in misery and fear of exploding. Everyone around him is unhappy but desperate to change that, not because they want to find actual happiness in their lives, just in order to avoid exploding. Anyone in pursuit of actual, pure joy, like his brother who creates some kind of day camp in the backyard where people can just have fun and be free, are met with suspicion and watched by the FBI. The cast is full of oddballs we like (James LeGros, Judy Greer, Missi Pyle, Mia Maestro) and the story is creative if not fully executed. If you're a true Zach fan, I would totally recommend this to you, but that means you love Zach as an actor and not just from The Hangover. He's not the zany whack job in this - he's very serious and sad in a zany situation, and he does a wonderful job with it. I have always thought he had a lot of range and so much to offer, so it was nice to see him in a movie that showcases his abilities to do something different.

"Our bodies are prisons for our souls."

So, um... The Fountain happened. Visually this movie is really beautiful, and Rachel Weiss is luminously gorgeous throughout in all of her roles, even when she's Hugh Jackman's dying wife. Neither of us is really sure what the message of this movie was, if there really even was one. There are never any gains, no closure, just weirdness upon weirdness. I kind of felt like I got a little thread of what might be happening, but it wasn't very satisfying, and we never cared enough about any of the characters to actually put any kind of an emotional or intellectual investment into it.

"We're only as loved as we think we are."

The Night Listener is not great but it's pretty damn creepy. I figured out the twist immediately and had the same reaction as Bobby Cannavale's character - um, duh. However, I don't think the twist was necessarily the point of the movie. The process Robin Williams's character goes through investigating the mystery of a young boy who was supposedly horrifically abused and now dying of AIDS is still very interesting and freaked me out a lot, owing mostly to Toni Collette's spooky performance. I have loved her since Muriel's Wedding, and although I know a lot of people can't stand her in The United States of Tara (Brandon included), I am a fan so I enjoyed it. Brandon didn't enjoy it quite as much, mostly because he felt like they pulled a bait and switch with him on the Kulkin involvement ("I love that kid!") but he still liked it.

"It is not our place to challenge God!"

Wow, Sunshine was pretty rough. I think it's the sign of a good movie when you feel all hot and exhausted just from seeing what the actors go through. Yes, the weather has been hot, but I seriously started getting sweaty and queasy watching it. This is not to say it isn't good. Although it's pretty intense and took a lot out of us, it is an entertaining sci-fi story with a great cast and the final climax is exciting, horrible, gross, but ultimately hopeful. We always enjoy Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, and Rose Byrne, and we're also really liking Cliff Curtis lately. Another small thing we enjoyed was the fact that one of the characters is named Pinbacker - inspired by the same character from another movie that inspired the name of one of our fave bands, Pinback.

"You don't have the power to upset me. You don't matter enough to upset me."

Brandon had been resisting The Reader for a while because he was afraid it would be too depressing, but I pushed for it because we love Kate Winslet and just because her character is a former Nazi guard doesn't mean we can't enjoy this portrayal of her affair with a 15 year old boy! Oh, maybe it's just me who enjoyed that part... At any rate, this movie goes far past that scandalous premise and spends much more time exploring how their brief relationship affects the boy's entire life. The bulk of the movie concerns her being on trial for her participation in the atrocities at Auschwitz and her deeper shame over being illiterate. Brandon was intrigued by the plot points that focus on her depiction of the German mentality during the war - duty and blind obedience. She was a guard and it was her duty to follow orders or she would be punished. This old mentality is placed in juxtaposition to the German mentality of self-loathing and shame in post-war Germany. Where were these people when the Nazis rose to power? Almost all of the country sat by and said nothing until the Nazis were defeated.

As always, Kate is incredible and we were also quite impressed by the actory who plays the young Michael and Ralph Fiennes who plays him as an adult. This certainly isn't an upper but it's really well done and was able to keep our attention despite spanning many years.

"Ever kill anyone? Cuz I bet you could tease a man to death without half trying."

Ok, once we're done with this whole project, I want to start renting way more 50's movies. Once again I was completely captivated by a movie from that era. North by Northwest is wonderful. We had so much difficultly picking a favorite line because every single word is a gem. The story is tight and exciting, the actors are great, the dialog is snappy and at times hilarious. It's part spy thriller, part mistaken identity, part love story, with Cary Grant unwittingly embroiled in a government plot to bring down a nefarious enemy. I am not sure why I expected it to be so serious - we laughed constantly amidst all of the thrills. The plot twists are crazy but still believable and we couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. While the famous scene we have always heard about is when Cary Grant is getting attacked by the airplane in the cornfield, but what really impressed us was the whole chase scene on Mount Rushmore. I haven't done any research into it, so we have no idea how that was done, but it was awesome. I just kept thinking how if that movie were made today it would be all CG! and cheese, but this version was thrilling and so much fun to watch. We also loved the main title sequence, and really the styling throughout the whole movie. This one is highly recommended. The only drawback to watching movies like these is that I then spend the rest of the day speaking with the diction the actors use, which is fun for a while but then I think Brandon loses a bit of patience with me. (I wish he would just get into the spirit and start talking like Cary Grant! That would probably rival his Morrissey imitation!!)

"You know I hate when it's over..."

Casey had recommended The Education of Charlie Banks quite a while ago, so when I saw that we had it I knew we had to include it on the list. We are so glad we did because it is such a powerful little movie, and it was really impressive to see what Jason Ritter can do. He was great in Joan of Arcadia but his portrayal of Mick in this film was so well defined and fleshed out that I found myself tensing up every time he came onscreen because I had no idea what he would do. The story is engaging and the pacing is good, with wonderful performances throughout. We were also surprised that it was capably directed by Fred "I Did It All For The Nookie" Durst. Seeing his name in the credits scared us a bit, but he did a fine job. Brandon even admits he wanted to hate it after seeing that, but he said, "even a blind chicken finds a kernel of corn now and then." In the end his only complaint was not getting any full frontal from Eva Amurri. We're not used to seeing her clothed. ;o)

"If that's your son, I'll eat my yardstick."

I had wanted to see The Changeling in the theater but we just never got around to it, and now I wish we had made more of an effort because it was really good. As mentioned previously, we're Team Angelina all the way, and can't understand how anyone can possibly say she's not a good actress. She is so amazing to watch on her journey as a woman whose son is abducted and then has her already upended life almost destroyed by the corrupt and twisted LAPD. The crap she goes through is so harrowing that it seems impossible that any of it could be true, but it really happened. Her physical transformation is also stunning - from a drop dead gorgeous, independent, single mother to a beaten down mental patient. In fact, the whole movie is visually breath taking. Once again, Clint Eastwood impressed the hell out of us with his wonderful directing, and the lady who really seems to be a front runner for MVP of the 100 Movies of Summer has got to be Amy Ryan. She is astounding in every role she plays, and immerses herself so deeply in every single one that she is virtually unrecognizable. At this point I think she would be just as much a draw for us to want to see a movie as any other actor.

"I think I lost mah shoes, Clyde! I think a dog got 'em!"

Gun Thugs week concluded with Bonnie and Clyde. This movie was a bit schizo in tone but I think that was on purpose - it's all fun and games till everyone ends up full of lead. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty are so ridiculously gorgeous and fun to watch in the beginning as Bonnie and Clyde begin their infamous crime spree. What we didn't realize was that they were going to be so inept and wacky. They weren't criminal masterminds at all, just a couple of nuts messing up left and right and pulling people into their gang at every turn. The fun, screwball tone soon gives way to the desperation that sets in once they realize they haven't made much money on these botched robberies, they have nowhere to go, no real plan, and are running out of options. The glamorous, thrilling life Bonnie thought she was going to be leading quickly devolves into days on the run and nights camped out in seedy hotel rooms with a man too afraid to touch her and his weirdo brother, shrill sister-in-law, and a goofy mechanic they picked up along the way. I really had no idea that was how it would turn out, which I actually found far more satisfying that a silly romp would have been. On an interesting note, I spent the whole movie agreeing with Bonnie that they should get rid of Clyde's annoying, screeching harpy of a sister-in-law (the only part I enjoyed with her was when she was running down the street from the cops, waving a spatula), but apparently the real life woman upon whom that character was based wasn't actually like that and was really embarrassed by how they portrayed her. I kind of wish they hadn't gone that way because it added nothing to the story and she was my least favorite part of what was otherwise an extremely entertaining movie.

"Get him some fuckin clothes before I fuckin kill you"

Little did we know we would be watching back to back Ethan Hawke heist movies. However, the draw of What Doesn't Kill You for me was really Mark Ruffalo. He was incredible in this gut wrenching, biographical movie about two childhood friends from a South Boston who fall in with a bad crowd and end up in a downward spiral. Ruffalo's character is a family man who can't seem to keep it together - staying out every night, always drunk, cheating on his wife, eventually becoming a drug addict. It is difficult to watch him fall so deeply into this hole of despair and self loathing, but he pulls it off admirably. Even though I am not a huge fan, I thought Hawke was also really good. Unlike the previous movie of the night, we were totally pulling for these guys to get their lives together and find a better way. We were also very impressed to see that supporting actor Donnie Wahlberg was one of the co-writers. We love Mark, but I have always been a fan of Donnie and it was good to see him doing his thing in a good, quality movie. Nice way to start to a weekend full of great movies.

"You don't look happy. Mind if I call you Groucho?"

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is pretty damned intense. I had a vague memory of hearing it was good but couldn't remember what it was about. Ethan Hawke, Philip Seymore Hoffman and Albery Finney really shine as brothers and their father who do not get along on any level. On the surface it's a simple heist gone wrong movie, but it's really about the complexities that exist in families. The tenuous relationships between siblings, husbands/wives, parents/children are all explored, and to a raw, vicious degree. I enjoyed the format in which different pieces of each scenario were shown from different characters points of view. Brandon didn't find it as compelling and thought it could have been done a bit more elegantly, but we both liked the movie very much. We agreed that it was odd to watch a movie in which neither of the main protagonists have any redeemable qualities and never even attempt to make amends for their behavior. They just keep making things worse and we never rooted for them at all. In the end we were really only rooting for someone to give them their comeuppance.

"Every fear hides a wish."

Well, it turns out I'll Sleep When I'm Dead was a great transitional movie, because although Edmond doesn't have any brotherly revenge, it does contain non-consensual buggery! Imagine my delight. As soon as the dialog started I said, "This has to be based on a stage play. Do you hear these people?" Sure enough it's a David Mamet play. I am not sure why Brandon thought it would fit in gun thugs week, because the only weapons wielded were knives, and no one was actually a thug. It was more like a psycho whackjob movie. Watching William H. Macy beat a pimp with a knife that has brass knuckles for a handle was pretty crazy but we weren't really all that entertained. The movie just seemed to go on and on without much of a point except that this guy is finally fed up with his life and what he perceives as society's injustices against him and all other white men, and just snaps. You would think it would end with him having to pay for his crimes, but no - we are then treated to a meandering few scenes about how he becomes all philosophical in jail and seems more fulfilled with his cellmate than he ever was with his wife.

"The act was, to use a legal term, non-consensual buggery..."

Once again, a brother's questionable death is the main theme in I'll Sleep When I'm Dead. Clive Owen comes out of exile to figure out why his normally happy go lucky brother, who everyone seemed to love, would have killed himself. It was [spoiler] BUTT RAPE!! HE WAS BUTT RAPED! I really didn't see that coming... hehe... [/spoiler] I love Clive Owen as a general rule, and he was absolutely watchable here, but he just wasn't given much to do. His delivery of the dialog was probably the only thing I enjoyed, just because I could listen to him read a take out menu and would swoon. Also... he has a beard. I mean, come on. That was a pleasure for me even though the movie was pretty boring. Aside from the [spoiler] butt rape [/spoiler] the other thing that stood out for me was that it was odd that Clive Owen's love interest was Charlotte Rampling - a woman old enough to be his mother. Of course I highly approve, but I really thought she WAS his and Davey's mom until she started talking about how she had loved him and stuff. I didn't care for the ambiguous ending that left her sitting there with the hitman. Not that every story needs to be wrapped up with a pretty bow, but it would have been nice to have some indication as to where that was going. However - Brandon thinks she [spoiler] was totally dead, just with her eyes open. [/spoiler] I didn't get that at all, so I guess the movie was just confusing.

Unfortunately, Brandon realized halfway through that he had actually watched this before on cable a couple of years ago when he couldn't sleep at night. He didn't like it, but apparently never looked at the name, so he grabbed it when he read who was in it and it didn't ring a bell. What a waste!

"Get yourself a course in karate."

Now, Get Carter is the exception to the comment I just made about most 70s movies bugging me. This movie was GREAT. The story was fairly simple but had a lot of layers to it, and despite being a part of Gun Thugs week, I didn't even realize till about half way through that no one really shoots anyone (well, till the end). It was complex enough to keep us interested without being too heavy. Revenge is a common theme in these types of movies, and this had the common thread with On the Waterfront of the hero wanting to avenge his brother's murder. There are some weird twists to the plot, having to do with under aged porn and prostitution, but the main story was fairly straightforward - Carter's brother was killed by thugs and he wants to find out who and why. Along the way he meets all kinds of weirdos with their own bizarre situations. We were kind of surprised to see Michael Caine depicted as some kind of a sex symbol, banging every woman he meets, but the hotness of the phone sex scene with Britt Ekland is undeniable. Really, all of the sex scenes were pretty damn titillating. I also really loved the music, which is the complete polar opposite of the type of stuff that drove me up the wall sideways during cop/detective week.

"Isn't everybody a part of everybody else?"

Ok, I think On the Waterfront has now solidified my suspicion that I really do love movies from the 1950s. The 70s movies often annoy me, but all of the 50s movies I have seen have been wonderful. We both really liked this one and I was blown away by Marlon Brandon's performance. It's so weird to see him like this, knowing what he became in his later years. He's so handsome, charming, emotionally wounded, and desperate for a human connection. We pretty much spent the whole movie wishing Terry would just get the hell out of there and become the man he so deeply knew he could be if given a chance. By the time he uttered his famous "I coulda been a contender!" line, we got chills because we were so affected by him. The entire cast is stellar and of course I loved the Leonard Bernstein score, because from the moment the music began my ears perked up and I said, "Oooooh this sounds like it should be a musical!" It should go without saying that Brandon LOVED that aspect as well. ;o)

"They'll be stockholders in their own happiness!"

For some reason Brandon was very against watching Be Kind, Rewind. He loves Mos Def and Jack Black, so it didn't make a bit of sense to me when he complained that it was going to be "dumb and lame." So, I feel like he went into it biased and determined to prove he wouldn't like it, because I spent a good portion of it falling out of my chair laughing while he sat there stone faced. How anyone could remain silent while watching these nutballs reimagine all kinds of movies after all the videos in the shop become magnetized is beyond me. Full disclosure: I have had a crush on Jack Black since Cable Guy, so it was a foregone conclusion that I would like this movie. However, I really feel like he didn't give it much of a chance. The whole cast was great, and I was really surprised to see Mia Farrow being all goofy. The tone was really sweet and of course I shed a few tears at the end when the whole community comes together. That was the ONLY thing that made Brandon laugh - me crying.

I am not sure what they could have done differently to win him over, but I thought it was a good little movie. He claims that he just couldn't get into it because he didn't understand how anyone in the movie lived - the video store made no money, Jack Black was never at his garage/junkyard so he never made any money. Everyone was poor but it seemed to be because they were dumb or lazy. He also said, "I think my thing is that I WANT to like Jack Black but I don't think I actually do. He Jack Blacks it up too much." I guess I could agree that I like him more when he reigns it in a bit, but I disagree that this movie would be the place for that. He grudgingly admits he liked the movie more than he expected to but that it was still way too unrealistic for him.

"You spend $50 on dinner, that's grounds for intercourse."

For having such a great cast, Smart People is a bit meandering and boring. I was interested when it first came out but then forgot all about it by the time Brandon suggested it yesterday. Dennis Quaid is so freaking obnoxious it is difficult to believe that Sarah Jessica Parker's school girl crush would be enough for her to be attracted to him as a supposedly intelligent adult. We love Ellen Page, and she is delightful as his uptight daughter who develops an odd relationship with her father's flaky adopted brother. She and Thomas Haden Church were probably our favorite part of the movie. It was quirky and interesting in parts but didn't really do much for us.

"It sure has been a fucking day, huh?"

Oh, Anna Faris. So adorable, so ridiculous. Smiley Face has to be the movie that inspired her performance in House Bunny. Certainly her character there is much less of an imbecile than Jane F., but the air headed, wide eye silliness that permeates Smiley Face is clearly the precursor. There's not much to this movie - a pothead hits her bong, gets the munchies, accidentally consumes her roommate's pot cupcakes, and spends the entire day on an insane, extremely high, adventure. The characters who cross her path are played by people awesome and varied as Adam Brody, Jane Lynch, John Krasinski, Brian Posehn, John Cho... and even Carrot Top. Once again it's one of those movies that seems to revel in the weirdness just for weirdnesses sake, but Faris is so watchable that it doesn't matter. You just wonder wtf she's going to do next the whole time. I wouldn't quite recommend it unless you're a huge fan of hers, but it was definitely fun.

"Oh, I'm responsible alright. Responsible for partying till my nuts catch fire!"

Once we wrapped up Spy/War week, we just needed some more quick palate cleansers. Brandon flipped through and the light of the heavens shown down upon The Rocker. I wanted to see this when it was in the theater but if I recall correctly it bombed pretty hard and disappeared before I had the chance. We can't figure out why it didn't do well, because it is exactly what it intends to be - big, stupid fun, with lots of silly cameos and some actually good music. Brandon was all smitten because it stars his newest movie girlfriend, Emma Stone. I personally am a big fan of Christina Applegate and Jason Sudeikis, and I would love to see another movie just about the guys in Vesuvius. But the shining star for me was the lovely Teddy Geiger, who gave me tingles a few years ago on a tv show that was only around for a handful of eps called Love Monkey. I had no idea the kid was in this movie, so I very much enjoyed watching him sing several songs throughout.

Ok, now to Rainn Wilson. What a whack job. This guy really can carry a movie, so it's strange to me that this movie didn't do well. He's hugely popular on The Office, and although he's playing a completely different character in this, he's still super over the top and insane. His physical humor is always fun, so he plays to that strength throughout. Of course it's not a great movie but it's a great piece of fluff and a fun way to waste a couple hours.

"Not one of you is allowed to die until you have killed 10 enemy soldiers."

Letters from Iwo Jima is probably the best movie we watched for Spy/War week (followed closely by The Hurt Locker), and I would venture to say one of the best we have see all summer. So powerful, so moving. This one is probably the purest of the "war" movies because it's the only one we watched that is literally follows the characters into the trenches and the heat of battle. It is also beautifully shot, even with all the dirt and blood. The subtitles forced us to pay close attention, but I think we would have done so anyway because it is completely riveting. We loved Kazunari Ninomiya who played young Saigo, a simple baker who left behind his pregnant wife when he was drafted into service. Sometimes it is difficult to connect emotionally to a character when you're watching the words at the bottom of the screen rather than listening to the words he's saying, but Ninomiya says so much with his eyes that you can't help but feel his pain and fear. He's not your average Japanese soldier, blindly following orders and mechanically fighting for the Empire. His motivation is his desperation to survive and return to his life. He stands up for himself, he's sassy and funny, and he just wants to live to see another day. Also great was the always wonderful Ken Watanabe as the General, and Tsuyoshi Ihara as a former Olympian turned soldier. His scenes with a dying American soldier started me crying and I didn't stop till the end. Clint Eastwood does it again - he just keeps hitting our list of faves for the summer! Brandon has already seen the companion film, Flags of Our Fathers, and I definitely want to see it myself now.

"You're so full of shit you're gonna float away."

Uuuuuuuuuuuugh Deer Hunter. 3 hours of our lives we will never get back. This is another great example of an "epic" movie from the 70s that was just long to be long. The whole beginning with the wedding could have been pared way down, because it just went on and on but didn't really contribute anything to character analysis or development of the relationships. A lot of the time wasted there could have been spent making us care about these people. We just didn't. It was really disconcerting to slog through that first hour and then WHAM, the guys are prisoners in Vietnam. Huh? How did they get caught? How long had they been there before that happened? No, please don't tell us any of that - just spend another hour showing people screaming at each other and playing Russian roulette. Then just as suddenly we're back at home, following Robert DeNiro's character as he tries to pick up the pieces and fill the holes (hehe) left by Christopher Walken's character who has gone AWOL. We understand that this movie may have been important in the cultural framework of the time period, but it was a mega snooze for us.

"Scott, if your life had a face, I would punch it."

First of all, I would just like to say that I am shocked that Scott Pilgrim vs. The World tanked. After that huge marketing push and all of the tremendous buzz surrounding it, and the fact that it absolutely lived up to expectations, I cannot believe it was not #1 with a bullet. So disappointing. Please go see it if you haven't because it's so worth it.

On to our review. Our only concern going in to it was that it wouldn't be able to sustain the premise that has been heavily advertised: this slacker kid needs to defeat this hot girl's seven evil exes if he wants to date her. So, obviously we anticipated that the movie was going to follow him through his journey to do just that. The creative manner in which the fights were presented quickly quelled those fears, and we were immediately sucked in. We loved the cartoony, video game styled violence of the fight scenes and really enjoyed all of the little bits thrown in like the power up and the points achieved after each victory. The only fight scene we didn't really care about was with the twins, mostly because it was kind of boring, was over too quickly, and we didn't get enough back story as to how their relationship came about. We were also kind of taken aback by the fact that Michael Cera played Scott as kind of a dick. Of course, the story lends itself to that, and we actually enjoyed seeing him not be the sweet little pathetic puppy dog for a change. His "growth" or whatever is a bit on the cliched side [spoiler] he finally defeats his biggest foe by realizing he should be fighting for HIMSELF! awwwww! [/spoiler], which is a teeny bit disappointing. Otherwise, it was a great little movie with a spectacular supporting cast (can we please put Kieran Culkin in EVERY movie??? WE LOVE HIM!!), lots of fun action, and awesome music.

"Goofy's the new handsome!"

From a hooker to a goofball! I was able to convince Brandon to give Bedtime Stories a try, because although it is a Disney movie it's an Adam Sandler Disney movie, so it was sure to be enjoyable on some level. It really was. Despite Brandon dozing off a couple times ("It's fun but I am tired and he keeps telling BEDTIME STORIES!"), this was a great choice to try to burn off a movie quickly. The cast was full of people we love (Guy Pearce, Russell Brand, Carrie Russell, Courtney Cox, Lucy Lawless, Nick Swardson, Aisha Tyler) and the story was very cute. Typically silly kids' movie but definitely worth a watch.

Side note that made me literally yell from excitement: it was directed by Adam Shankman of So You Think You Can Dance!! So fun.

"If they wanted you to be yourself, they wouldn't be paying you."

On Friday night we departed a bit from the war movies we were scheduled to watch because we wanted to crank through some stuff. Casey challenged me to try to get us to watch eight movies this weekend, so we hunkered down and tossed off a couple easy, short ones.

Normally I enjoy documentary style movies, but The Girlfriend Experience was pretty boring. The basic premise is about a high end escort who specializes in "the girlfriend experience" which is just what it sounds like: men pay her to pretend she's their girlfriend. Their dates are often quite mundane, and the connecting thread between all of them is that her clients are preoccupied with the current financial crisis and want to talk about their situations with her. Titillating stuff. Obviously we were drawn to the movie because of sensationalistic nature of putting an actual porn star in the lead role of a studio film, but I think we were hoping for a bit more bite. Not even necessarily graphic sex scenes or raunchy dialogue, just more meat to the story. I do applaud it for going against the grain and not really glamorizing prostitution the way Diary of a Call Girl type shows do. It was also really impressive that rather than making Chelsea some kind of hero or hooker with a heart of gold and huge IQ, she is a bit of a dullard and an idiot. Her obsession with "Personology" and inability to hold up her end of a normal conversation were not what I was expecting. This movie might have been more interesting in the hands of a better actress, even another porn star. We're in the midst of Sasha Grey guesting on Entourage right now, and she's slightly better playing herself, but overall she's very bland and stilted. That may just be her normal personality, which is fine; however, on film it's pretty much the equivalent of watching paint dry.

"You know, you can shoot people here. You don't have to throw wrenches."

The Hurt Locker was another movie we have been meaning to watch for a long time, so we were very excited to finally see it. What a nail biter! This movie was nerve-wracking and intense pretty much from start to finish. Even during the "fun" scenes with the guys just messing around after a big day, there is always tension just under the surface, ready to boil over. We really liked the gritty, realistic feel to the camera work. The angles and points of view are documentary style without being too over the top with it. The whole cast is great, including the tiny cameos by Ralph Fiennes and Guy Pearce. We really like Jeremy Renner a lot (pretty sure we're the only people on Earth who actually watched The Unusuals) and felt that his Oscar nomination was well deserved. Excellent movie.

"An affair has more rules than a marriage."

Both of us had been looking forward to The Good German - Brandon because of his Clooney fixation, and me because I thought it looked very interesting stylistically. I had read that they really went for period authenticity throughout, even down to the film making elements. In that aspect it was quite a success. It was visually stunning and all of those parts, including the sets and costumes, were gorgeous. However, the story was a bit bland and convoluted for me. I found myself to be bored a lot of the time, to the point where my mind would wander and I had to reign it back in. Brandon was surprised that it was more of a mystery than a war movie, so although it was set against the backdrop of wartime it really didn't fit into our theme all that well. This was a welcome surprise for him, though, because he loves that kind of movie. The one thing that didn't ring true for him was seeing Clooney get beat up so easily over and over. He's a pretty strapping guy, so it was difficult to suspend disbelief enough to see that without being distracted by it. He said, "Tobey MacGuire is a shrimp. Clooney should have mopped the floor with that punk." We both thought all of the actors were wonderful, though, and as always Clooney and Cate Blanchett were very enjoyable. For me, Clooney is always very Clooney no matter what time period the movie is, but Blanchett is such a chameleon. A couple of times I forgot it was her. She could easily have been a huge star back in the 40s as well.

"Please don't die in my hotel room. I've got to sleep in here tonight."

I feel so much better about the fact that we found Fay Grim to be really confusing now that I know it's a sequel to a movie we have never seen and do not even have (Henry Fool). Great research there, Bigs! Regardless, we both liked this whacked out spy movie that slides back and forth between moments of slapstick silliness and moments of intense drama. The main story is pretty basic - everyone wants to find the memoirs of Fay Grim's missing husband, Henry Fool, who apparently has access to secrets that he should not and that compromise the security of several governments. The rest of it is not so simple and spirals out of control pretty quickly, with double agents, mistaken identities, and plenty of mayhem. I absolutely adore Liam Aiken (hey, he's 20 now! back off!) who plays Fay's precocious, trouble prone son, so that was a nice bonus for me. Although we both really like Parker Posey, this type of movie forces us to acknowledge that she's got a lot of charisma but she really is an awful actress. Overall, there are tons of characters that we felt like we should have known more about but didn't, and lots of little elements to the story that we couldn't quite grasp. So, I think we should watch Henry Fool so that we can fill in those gaps.

"You can always depend on the ol' spy fucker."

I would like to officially retract my initial apprehension at Spy/War week. So far I am loving it! I was kind of dreading Three Days of the Condor, because I thought it was another one of Brandon's 70s manly movies, but it turned out to be a fun, twisty spy tale. As with many movies from that era, a lot of it seemed quite dated, which is a bit distracting in some parts, especially the laughable "sex" scene. We could not stop giggling at the artsy direction with the random elbow or knee, then Faye Dunaway just moving her head back and forth. I said at the end of all this we should do a list of awards for the movies we watch, and this one would be a front runner for most ridiculous sex scene. (Revolutionary Road would be in second place.) We enjoyed the storyline, and the chemistry between Robert Redford and Dunaway was great. There were a lot of suspenseful moments, as well as a lot of humor, which is a great combination. However, I found myself feeling like a real asshole because I spent most of the movie thinking about what a great remake it would be, as perhaps a Ryan Reynolds/Scarlett Johanson vehicle. I HATE the fact that every single good movie or tv show is being remade, so yea - asshole.

"It's exhausting to hate when you want revenge, knowing you'll never get it. "

For some reason I thought A Few Days in September was going to be a 9/11 movie, but it wasn't that at all. Yes, there is a bit of business that has to do with 9/11 tangentially. The real meat of the story, however, is the relationship and interplay between several people whose lives become entangled due to their connection with one very mysterious man (I won't mention who plays this man, because Brandon and I were both surprised to see him when he finally showed up). Once again we have a road trip movie of sorts, with strangers who are brought together for a journey and who have very different motivations. We were surprised by the sexual tension that permeates every scene between Orlando, David, and Irene right from the beginning (I may or may not have been chanting "omg just do it already" pretty much nonstop for a while there). David struck me as so odd in his mannerisms and exuberance, barely questioning his gun-toting companions, quoting poetry, cooking gourmet meals, taking everything around him in stride with a crooked smile. The way he looks at both of the women like he wants to devour them is very titillating, and adds an unexpected dimension to the story. Even Orlando, initially sullen and bitter, is charmed and melted by David's ways. We also both enjoy John Turturro as a mentally unstable assassin. I wouldn't exactly call this a spy movie, but there were both spy and war elements to it so I think it fit nicely into the theme.

"Vladimir Putin? He put it in her bum."

We started Spy/War week with a bit of a detour that was not on the schedule but actually still fits in the theme. The minute I heard about Operation: Endgame I wanted to see it immediately. Yes, I am Zach Galifianakis's bitch, but I also really like pretty much every single person in this movie. I couldn't understand why in the world something like this would go straight to DVD. Well, now I get it. The entire movie is basically a parade of oddly mismatched people fighting to the death, using random objects (paper cutter, table leg, shredder, water bottle, etc.) as weapons. Although we thought it was crazy and fun, for a movie that depends so heavily on the fight scenes, they were kind of a let down. I appreciate clever and well choreographed violence, but these scenes weren't really very well done or impressive at all. Mostly they were just gross and awkward. The movie was fun but just a piece of fluff without much substance. The "twist" at the end elicited more of a "hm" than a gasp. Special note to Emilie de Ravin: no Southern accents. Please.

"I'm a lapsed Buddhist, but I still love everybody. Except that fuckhead, Arlen."

I really loved The Go-Getter and Brandon enjoyed it as well but wasn't quite as enthusiastic. I fell deeply in love with Mercer (Lou Taylor Pucci), and I thought the whole notion of falling in love over the phone while on a road trip to be quite romantic. Although I abhor talking on the phone, I have developed close friendships with people via text and im, which is a similar concept. It's very easy get to know someone well when you're talking without actually being in the same room together, because you can reveal things about yourself without worrying about the immediate consequences or reactions. I also really like that we never get much of Kate's story at all, except her small exposition about why she let Mercer steal her car. Other than that, we don't get any back story that would explain why this gorgeous, bright, witty, fun girl would end up in this situation, but I like that. I would rather be in the dark about it, just as Mercer is.

Road trip movies in general are pretty hit or miss, and I think this one was far more successful than the other we watched this summer, Kill Your Darlings. Where that one was rambling and weird for the sake of being weird, all of the experiences and characters in this one added to the story and the character development. Mercer was a lost soul, metaphorically wandering through his life, and the act of literally wandering brought him more focus and clarity than anything else had up to that point. I would highly recommend this movie.

"Maybe I'll just sit here and bleed at you."

We loved Brick. Plain and simple. Brandon got a little crazy for it, and I think it affected him in the same way Gone Baby Gone affected me, because he just kept exclaiming how good it was the whole time we were watching it. He also had either forgotten or just didn't realize it is really a modern, high school film noir, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the detective trying to solve the mystery of his ex girlfriend's disappearance. Every character is quirky and shady, and has something to hide. The language and the strange clues leading him deeper down the rabbit hole are all so engaging that you really have to pay attention to keep everything straight, but it's well worth it.

"No one forgets the truth, Frank. They just get better at lying."

Being a huge Kate Winslet fan I really wanted to see Revolutionary Road as soon as it came out, but Brandon resisted because he thought it would be too depressing. He was right. It's never enjoyable to watch the disintegration of a relationship, no matter how well acted it is. I am glad we finally watched it, though. Winslet and Leo have such great chemistry, even if it's negative chemistry. Their fights feel real and carry so much weight, which is probably owed to their deep real life friendship. It is uncomfortable to watch, and sad, and moving, and difficult, but ultimately sometimes it's cathartic to experience movies like that.

"Ever notice how you come across somebody every once in a while that you shouldn't have fucked with?"

Gran Torino was as great as expected. We can't believe it didn't win a bunch of Oscars. Clint Eastwood was awesomely crotchety and staunchly protective of his way of life, as well as the lives of the neighbors he grudgingly befriends. We especially enjoyed his relationship with the young woman next door, who gives as good as she gets in their repartee. She never backs down from him and forces him to come out of his shell and enjoy life a bit, before everything starts to crumble. I cried like a baby and I do believe Brandon shed a tear or two.

"I seriously fucked your wife, Larry. I seriously fucked her."

Well. Hm. This one was just bizarre. As a rule we are big fans of the Cohen brothers, so of course we wanted to see A Serious Man. I am still not entirely sure how we felt about it. Mostly we spent the entire movie cringing at how horribly everyone treats Larry. Just when you think maybe he will get out from under the avalanche of shit that is his life, another wave comes tumbling down. He is probably the blandest and least drama causing character in the entire movie, and yet everything bad that could possibly happen to him does. We spent a good bulk of the movie despising Larry's wife, who is in the process of leaving him but seems determined to make his life miserable. There were lots of familiar faces sprinkled throughout, and a lot of humor based in the ridiculousness of the situations Larry faces (his neighbors, his Korean student, his kids, etc.) so it wasn't purely a drama, more like a pitch black comedy. I guess we liked it but I don't know that we would recommend it unless you're already a Cohen brothers fan and get their style.

"Ok, call me names, but don't hit me!"

Another Colin Farrell movie! I adore him unapologetically, so of course I wanted to see Ask the Dust. This was a weird, long movie that felt weird and long. As like many period pieces, there were a lot of funky moments and character choices that we would look at each other and say, "Huh??" about, but overall it was entertaining. We both like Selma Hayek a lot, and she and Farrell were interesting together as combative lovers who don't really seem to have much in common but can't stay away from each other. He does a lot with his quirky little wannabe writer character, which isn't surprising because he is so compelling in pretty much everything he does. We also loved Idina Menzell as a freaky stalker who pops into his life for a little while. This is definitely a character piece, because not much actually happens story wise, but all of the characters were quite fleshed out and intriguing. It attempts to explore race relations in the 30's but doesn't really do much with that topic except point out that they were rough back then.

This movie also made us wonder... would coughing up blood be a thread throughout drama week?? (Spoiler alert: YES!)

"We had fun, nobody died."

Damn, I am so behind! Things have been kind of crazy at work and I haven't been able to get Brandon's full feedback on a lot of the movies because he's been home. So, I will just do a bunch of quickies! ;o)

Drama!! This entire week was full of movies I had been wanting to see for a while. We started out with Crazy Heart, for which we had high expectations because of all the Oscar hoopla about it. If the sheer volume of tears I shed while watching it is any indication of its dramatic value, it was a great pick. Jeff Bridges really earned that Oscar. His portrayal of a beat down, washed up singer/songwriter who's spiraling towards rock bottom at an alarming rate is rough to watch but incredibly compelling. He presents a a man by which we were equally repelled and for which we felt sympathy, a man we couldn't help but root for the entire time. Bad isn't bad - just broken. Although it may have wrapped up in a bit of a cliche happy ending, it still very satisfying and didn't feel like a Hallmark movie or anything.

I personally loved Colin Farrell as the young star mentored by Bridges's character. It warms my heart to see him having a bit of a resurgence, and I think this was the perfect role for him to get back into audience's good graces. I don't think a lot of people saw In Bruges, in which he was excellent, but I believe a lot of people will see him in this and remember that he's not just a tabloid baiting scumbag. He is actually a really good actor.