flotsam&jetsam

film 76: Coffee And Cigarettes+

Rza + Gza + Bill Murray, it never gets old.

8-21-10

film 77: The Switch*

“Hey wanna go see a potentially horrible movie despite a promising cast” night

8-31-10

LEFT MY JOB

film 78: Pirahna 3D*

Worst film viewing decision of 2010! But hats off to Ving Rhames and Eli Roth.

9-4-10

film 79: Black Dynamite

I half watched this just to send it back to Netflix. Black Dynamite I promise you a proper viewing.

9-10-10

PACKED UP LIFE / HIT THE ROAD

film 80: Love Happens

Oh hotel stopover in Little Rock, Arkansas - thank you for your guilty pleasure cable.

9-18-10

ARRIVED IN AUSTIN

film 81: The Imaginarium of Doctor Paranassus

meh. agree?

9-21-10

film 82: Let Me In*

Fantastic Fest screening at the Paramount complete with director + various cast and crew, costumed viking sing-a-long, oath of green ooze, and general “how weird” moments from sharing space with Jack’s sideways son (LOST reference) and Casey Jones (TMNT heart explosion). As for the film: believe it or not, I think I prefer it to Let the Right One In.

9-23-10

film 83: Pirate Radio

Can you really go wrong with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy and Nick Frost (among others) + a kick ass 60’s soundtrack?

9-28-10

* seen in theaters, + repeat viewing

Fear not fellow Gowalla-ers, looks like it’s not the Sharks vs the Jets on check-ins just yet!

So terrified. So enthralled. So excited.

Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan.

Steven Heller (via the Daily Heller) you hit the nail on the head with this comment on Eat Pray Love. THAT plot twist would make me line up at the theater to see this flick.

So here’s my summer recap, but I can’t be sure. It kills me that it’s so SLIM! But things have been pretty busy. Hooray though, my running gauge of 75 was correct!

June:

Film 57: The Road, heartbreakingly solemn

Film 58: A-Team*, a surprise love

Film 59: Legion, disappointment

Film 60: Bomb It, interesting docu ft various countries

Film 61: Eclipse*, a drinking tradition - the worst of the 3

Film 62: The Slammin’ Salmon, I will see every Broken Lizard flick

July:

Film 63: Everything is Illuminated, Straight to the favorites list

Film 64: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou+, An all-time fave

Film 65: The Wolfman, A revisit of the 40s horror classic, worth a watch

Film 66: Inception* , See link. WOW, Christopher Nolan, wow.

Film 67: The Last Station, meh.

August:

Film 68: The Kids Are Alright*, Enjoyable flick with solid performances. A queue-r

Film 69: The Vicious Kind, Adam Scott does scary and it’s good.

Film 70: Love Story, I finally got around to shedding those tears.

Film 71: Notorious, Unexpectedly good!

Film 72: Inception*+, I had to return for more mind explosions.

Film 73: Dance Party, USA, Remove from the queue, believe me.

Film 74: Le Divorce+, I sorta love, sorta hate this movie. Going in donation pile.

Film 75: The Virgin Suicides+, Dark, weird, haunting… but sort of cheery? I like it :)

* seen in theaters, + repeat viewing

I’m moving cross country 1 month from today, so I can’t promise that my up keep will get any better nor my frequency during this time….but expect reports from Alamo Drafthouse soon!!

Gah. It kills me how badly I need to catch up on my cinedocu project for the year….and that I’ll miss some in the count, I’m sure. sigh

Anyways, The Virgin Suicides (1999).

Director: Sophia Coppola,  Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, James Woods

I’d passed through this film years ago without much thought, but it’s been looming in the 2-4 range on my Netflix queue for about a year now. It finally popped through this week.

I think this film tips the scales on my thoughts on Sophia Coppola. It’s beautifully shot with amazing lighting that makes the whole film have the feel of a summer afternoon. But on such a dark, dark film. This film seems to be about opposing forces, the beauty of youth next to the harshness of suicide. Naivete vs corruption. Parents vs children. Even some of the elements used to tell the story seem strange and out of place. The introduction of interviews with adult Trip, and the slideshow of the neighborhood boys travelling the world with the young Lisbons….such strange devices, but interesting.  I must say, for a directorial and writing debut, I’m impressed - even if she’s a Coppola.

I really enjoyed the film this viewing, and many things I’d not noticed nor paid attention to caught my eye.

• One of the sisters is played AJ Cook (or Jennifer Jareau if you’re a Criminal Minds fan)
• One of the homecoming dates is Hayden Christensen, which caused an audible WHOA.
• And then some serious heavy hitters, James Woods, Kathleen Turner (oh that voice!) and DANNY DEVITO as the counselor!! This I probably realized before and just forgot.

 Tripp Fontaine : coolest name, worst haircut.

I also did not realize that novel, on which the film was based, was written by Jefferey Eugenides. I was riveted by his novel Middlesex and can now see very similar threads in both stories. I’m sure there’s a lot more to be said than what the film can convey, and the book may shed some light into the way Coppola chose to weave the story and structure the film. I’ll be picking a copy of this story up immediately!

Also, fun trail brought to light by IMDB: AJ Cook and Hayden Christensen were both in the show Higher Ground together, with Jewel Staite. Staite kept Serenity in the skies, Christensen grew up in a galaxy far away….now will Cook look past profiling and PR and have her own space adventure?

8.15.10

Today is RogueFest at Capital Ale House in Midlothian, and as a proud member of the Rogue Nation, I’m sitting here like it’s Christmas morning and I’m waiting for my parents to wake up. SO EXCITED.

Not only will there be the better part of Oregon-based Rogue brewery’s line up for tasting, there will also be oysters shipped in from the Pacific Northwest. Not to hate on our delicious devils from the Rappahannock, but what a pairing!

So here are the brews I’m quite excited about tasting:

John John Juniper - A Pale Ale brewed with juniper and aged in spruce gin barrels - be still my heart! As much as I love beer, I also LOVE gin. Will it pair with oysters as well as its spirit predecessor?

John John Dead Guy - Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale aged in Dead Guy whiskey barrels. The only thing better than a good beer, is a good beer than also tastes like whiskey!

(These barrels are from Rogue’s own distillery! and are an effort of their distiller, John and their brewmaster, John. Brilliant, I know).

Speaking of Dead Guy, I’m looking forward to comparing Dead Guy Ale (which is a Maibock style) with the Double Dead Guy (which ranks American Strong Ale)

Mom’s Beer- Declaring Starr Hill’s Lucy as my beer of the summer, I’m eager to try Rogue’s similar belgian to see how it compares. Perhaps a comparable substitute for westward journeys?

Orange Honey Ale- Made with Oregon wildflower honey, orange peel and coriander this sounds like a summery treat. How will it compare to Mom’s?

Morimoto Soba- Brewed with buckwheat - this malt lover is intrigued! (and secretly hoping some of the Black Obi [the Soba’s darker cousin] sneaks in!)

Chipotle- I’m not a fan of most chipotle items as I prefer my peppers without smoke, but I can’t pass up peppers + beer!

I’m also very excited about the sheer range of STOUTS! Normally you’ll find 1, possibly 2 for tasting, but Rogue is busting out with 3 in addition to their Double Mocha Porter and their Hazelnut Brown Ale (that I love). The selection you ask:

Shakespeare Stout- An oatmeal stout

Chocolate Stout- Brewed with Dutch bittersweet chocolate

XS Russian Imperial Stout - my love for Russian Imperial Stouts is troublesome (just ask me about how ‘Old Raspy on 3’ has become a commonplace phrase)

Yes, it’s quite a list. I did eliminate some of the brews I tend not to favor (hoppier pale ales or the ever ambiguous amber), but I may get to them. Plus I’m attending with a hop-lover so I’m sure to get the report.

(via oldfilmsflicker: fuckyeahgwtw: via blissfulreverie)

Frankly Scarlet…..I’d like to think that my life would have many of these same controls.

Look at that pug’s face! Having snuck my own pug’s picture into a commercial, I absolutely support whoever the prop master is on Lie to Me. BEST!

2010 started off strong with film, I was enthused, keeping my standard (aggressive?) pace, then…

CLUNK.

Sure there were distractions *cough* 6 seasons of Lost *cough* but overall I’ve found myself disappointed and disengaged with film as of late. (I mean even on the cusp of Oscar night I was disinterested see: 1 week till Oscars)

But tonight, sure enough, my pal Chris Nolan gave me a boost out of the funk.

Inception. I’m sure there are plenty of eloquent, raving, perhaps even profound reviews out there, but I’m going to give you a checklist of sorts. The things-Kristin-adores-in-film-that-happen-to-be-present-in-Christopher-Nolan’s-Inception checklist.

• Well done - non-gratuitous effects. Some may argue, but I didn’t think this one altered the physics of the shark.
• Heist or Con-centric plots. Especially when executed by a strong, ensemble cast.
• Beautiful men. Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, wow.
• Artfully tailored suits. (and spot on costume design) This at times mesmerized me more than the visual effects.
• Science fiction. To a greater extent when not indicative of a specific time, win! 
• Emotionally burdened yet breathtakingly beautiful French women. I’ll even argue a love triangle in this one, albeit flipped from general French standard. Thoughts?
• Cerebral thriller. Yep, a most visited Netflix recommendation category.
• Exceeding my expectations. I was meh on the trailer, but sold by Nolan/cast.
• Michael Caine.
  
• Tortured romance. Call me crazy, but I appreciate it more with a dose of heartache.
• Notable cinematography. More so when not a lone standing attribute to a film.
• Hoth. Okay so this doesn’t happen often, but didn’t it come to mind? Just a little?
• More than just a chase scene. Pay attention Michael Bay.
• Not yet. Books, TV, film…I adore when you’re almost pleading for them not to end.

Alright, enough.

Yes, I just saw it and am still on my theater-high, but I really did think this was a great story executed as an artful balance of time.

7/20/10