View Date: 7/25/09
This independent romantic comedy stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel as the titled Summer. The movie jumps back and forth throughout their relationship from the first time they meet at work to their last encounter.
It is said right at the beginning at the movie that this story does not have a happy ending, and that is correct. However, it was a really nice change when it comes to this genre. That's not to say that the movie did not have a good ending, but there was a very nice twist at the end.
The jumping back and forth through the relationship gives a really good view of the course of a partnership that does not necessarily work out. It shows both the wonderful honeymoon phase, the exploratory phase, the demise, and the heartbreak. There was a musical segment that was laugh-out-loud funny, and there were parts that made me break down in tears.
I truly enjoyed this movie, no matter how gut-wrenching it was at times. I found myself laughing quite a bit, and understanding the course of the relationship quite clearly. I highly recommend this movie, but anyone that has recently gone through a break-up may want to think twice.
10 words or less: Everything an independent romantic comedy should be.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Word Wars
View Date: 7/25/09
This film is a documentary about professional Scrabble players. It focuses on approximately 4 players, while featuring others. The players come from all walks of life, some living in abject poverty while others keep day or night jobs. Yet all study for hours every day trying to memorize words in hope of winning the national championship. The movie counts down to this competition, featuring practice rounds and other tournaments along the way.
I think my favorite part was watching the folks play in Central Park, who are actually really competitive. All of the players shown compete in timed events such as chess matches. One player in Central Park refuses to play in tournaments, but has beaten nationally ranked players, yet they don't have the same egos. Some of the players are rather geeky, but others are very “normal” people who just really like to play Scrabble.
10 words or less: Interesting to watch people do what they do best.
This film is a documentary about professional Scrabble players. It focuses on approximately 4 players, while featuring others. The players come from all walks of life, some living in abject poverty while others keep day or night jobs. Yet all study for hours every day trying to memorize words in hope of winning the national championship. The movie counts down to this competition, featuring practice rounds and other tournaments along the way.
I think my favorite part was watching the folks play in Central Park, who are actually really competitive. All of the players shown compete in timed events such as chess matches. One player in Central Park refuses to play in tournaments, but has beaten nationally ranked players, yet they don't have the same egos. Some of the players are rather geeky, but others are very “normal” people who just really like to play Scrabble.
10 words or less: Interesting to watch people do what they do best.
The Darwin Awards
View Date: 7/24/09
This movie is based on the famous (or infamous) Darwin Awards, which are given to people who die doing really stupid things. The movie has a former police officer who has an incredibly blood phobia working for an insurance company. He is the ideal person for this job, because he can look at a scene and determine exactly how the deceased came to meet his end. He has studied the Darwin Awards for years, and has been trying to find a pattern in the deaths. Yet as the movie goes on, he could become one of the people he studied so diligently, as he has made many rules for himself in light of the cases he has studied.
It was an interesting take on the Darwin Awards, which I have read for many years. But this definitely wasn't what I was expecting. The acting was very stiff at times, and the story dissolved into farce at several points. By the end, the whole thing was pretty ridiculous. I won't be watching this one again, and I don't think that I'll be recommending this one either.
10 words or less: Devolved to ridiculous by the end.
This movie is based on the famous (or infamous) Darwin Awards, which are given to people who die doing really stupid things. The movie has a former police officer who has an incredibly blood phobia working for an insurance company. He is the ideal person for this job, because he can look at a scene and determine exactly how the deceased came to meet his end. He has studied the Darwin Awards for years, and has been trying to find a pattern in the deaths. Yet as the movie goes on, he could become one of the people he studied so diligently, as he has made many rules for himself in light of the cases he has studied.
It was an interesting take on the Darwin Awards, which I have read for many years. But this definitely wasn't what I was expecting. The acting was very stiff at times, and the story dissolved into farce at several points. By the end, the whole thing was pretty ridiculous. I won't be watching this one again, and I don't think that I'll be recommending this one either.
10 words or less: Devolved to ridiculous by the end.
SYTYCD
View Date: 7/30/09
This was the last elimination prior to the finale, where we got to learn who the four finalists were going to be. Jeanine and Brandon immediately made it into the final four, with Ade, Melissa, Kayla, and Evan needing to perform solos. Evan does perform the most entertaining solos.
Melissa was the final girl eliminated, which I was expecting. I honestly expected her to go home before this, but the breast cancer routine last week saved her. With her elimination, Kayla will be joining Jeanine in the finale.
As for the guys, this was a little more surprising with Evan joining Brandon in the finale. Evan actually seemed pretty shocked when it was announced that he was safe, but Brandon didn't really seem surprised. Honestly, I can see why Ade was sent home. He is a great dancer and a phenomenal physical specimen, but he seemed to always have at least one dance that wasn't as good as the other dances of the night. Also, he really couldn't compete when it came to the Latin ballroom dances. Additionally, Evan seemed to be really improving in the past few weeks. While he still isn't the best dancer, he was taking huge leaps and bounds forward.
However, my favorite part of the show was seeing the Emmy-nominated dances from last year. I absolutely LOVE the briefcase routine, and hope Tabitha and Napoleon win for it. While the other dances were good, in general they didn't compare to when they were performed in competition. The briefcase dance wasn't like that. I recently watched the original performance on YouTube, and noticed that there were several parts that weren't in sync, etc. This performance corrected all of those flaws and was at noticeably better than last year. The guys, particularly Marc, really grew up over the past year, and Chelsie improved by leaps and bounds by participating in Dancing With the Stars.
10 words or less: It should be a good finale.
This was the last elimination prior to the finale, where we got to learn who the four finalists were going to be. Jeanine and Brandon immediately made it into the final four, with Ade, Melissa, Kayla, and Evan needing to perform solos. Evan does perform the most entertaining solos.
Melissa was the final girl eliminated, which I was expecting. I honestly expected her to go home before this, but the breast cancer routine last week saved her. With her elimination, Kayla will be joining Jeanine in the finale.
As for the guys, this was a little more surprising with Evan joining Brandon in the finale. Evan actually seemed pretty shocked when it was announced that he was safe, but Brandon didn't really seem surprised. Honestly, I can see why Ade was sent home. He is a great dancer and a phenomenal physical specimen, but he seemed to always have at least one dance that wasn't as good as the other dances of the night. Also, he really couldn't compete when it came to the Latin ballroom dances. Additionally, Evan seemed to be really improving in the past few weeks. While he still isn't the best dancer, he was taking huge leaps and bounds forward.
However, my favorite part of the show was seeing the Emmy-nominated dances from last year. I absolutely LOVE the briefcase routine, and hope Tabitha and Napoleon win for it. While the other dances were good, in general they didn't compare to when they were performed in competition. The briefcase dance wasn't like that. I recently watched the original performance on YouTube, and noticed that there were several parts that weren't in sync, etc. This performance corrected all of those flaws and was at noticeably better than last year. The guys, particularly Marc, really grew up over the past year, and Chelsie improved by leaps and bounds by participating in Dancing With the Stars.
10 words or less: It should be a good finale.
Made of Honor
View Date: 7/23/09
This movie, starring Patrick Dempsey, is about a man and a woman that have been best friends since college. The girl goes off to Scotland for work, and brings back a fiance. In the mean time, he realizes that he is in love with her, and vows to win her away from her new beau. Unfortunately, no flaws can be found in her new guy, which makes his task much harder than originally thought.
This was a cute, harmless romantic comedy. Although it was rather formulaic, it still had some uncommon parts for this type of film. It was also quite nice seeing Kevin McKidd in a kilt. This movie did remind me of another Patrick Dempsey feature, Sweet Home Alabama, in that both guys involved in the love triangle are good guys. You can actually really cheer for both love interests, and feel bad for the guy who loses out.
10 words or less: Not bad, but not the best of its kind.
This movie, starring Patrick Dempsey, is about a man and a woman that have been best friends since college. The girl goes off to Scotland for work, and brings back a fiance. In the mean time, he realizes that he is in love with her, and vows to win her away from her new beau. Unfortunately, no flaws can be found in her new guy, which makes his task much harder than originally thought.
This was a cute, harmless romantic comedy. Although it was rather formulaic, it still had some uncommon parts for this type of film. It was also quite nice seeing Kevin McKidd in a kilt. This movie did remind me of another Patrick Dempsey feature, Sweet Home Alabama, in that both guys involved in the love triangle are good guys. You can actually really cheer for both love interests, and feel bad for the guy who loses out.
10 words or less: Not bad, but not the best of its kind.
Young People Fucking (YPF)
View Date: 7/21/09
This was another independent movie by ThinkFilm Productions. I found this while searching for the actor Callum Blue and found the concept fascinating. The movie follows five couples during a single sexual encounter. The couples include the best friends, the established couple, the first date, a couple looking for a third, and the exes. It then breaks down the scenario of sex into six segments, such as foreplay, intermission, intercourse, and aftermath.
The concept for this movie was amazing. I really enjoyed how it was put together, and especially enjoyed the aftermath segments, because it was essentially the summaries I like so much at the end of other movies. This movie just further confirmed my infatuation with ThinkFilm movies, as I have also recommended this one to others.
10 words or less: Incredibly interesting concept with a good cast.
This was another independent movie by ThinkFilm Productions. I found this while searching for the actor Callum Blue and found the concept fascinating. The movie follows five couples during a single sexual encounter. The couples include the best friends, the established couple, the first date, a couple looking for a third, and the exes. It then breaks down the scenario of sex into six segments, such as foreplay, intermission, intercourse, and aftermath.
The concept for this movie was amazing. I really enjoyed how it was put together, and especially enjoyed the aftermath segments, because it was essentially the summaries I like so much at the end of other movies. This movie just further confirmed my infatuation with ThinkFilm movies, as I have also recommended this one to others.
10 words or less: Incredibly interesting concept with a good cast.
The Ten
View Date: 7/21/09
This is an independent movie based on the ten commandments. It is filled with small vignettes for each commandment using some well-known actors with a narrator/emcee going through his own problems between segments. Eventually, the narrator also appears in a commandment piece. The characters become interwoven, and finally all get together for a huge song number at the end.
I liked this movie. I thought it was a very interesting concept, and really liked the actors involved. I originally chose this movie because of Paul Rudd, but it also starred Winona Ryder, Jessica Alba, Famke Janssen, and Gretchen Mol. The song and dance number had me rolling, and I got a few chuckles out of the vignettes as well. I've liked Paul Rudd for years, and his being the narrator was wonderful. While this wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, it was a fun movie that I've recommended to several people. It was also another ThinkFilm production, which have been interesting movies to say the least.
10 words or less: Great cast in an enjoyable indie flick.
This is an independent movie based on the ten commandments. It is filled with small vignettes for each commandment using some well-known actors with a narrator/emcee going through his own problems between segments. Eventually, the narrator also appears in a commandment piece. The characters become interwoven, and finally all get together for a huge song number at the end.
I liked this movie. I thought it was a very interesting concept, and really liked the actors involved. I originally chose this movie because of Paul Rudd, but it also starred Winona Ryder, Jessica Alba, Famke Janssen, and Gretchen Mol. The song and dance number had me rolling, and I got a few chuckles out of the vignettes as well. I've liked Paul Rudd for years, and his being the narrator was wonderful. While this wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, it was a fun movie that I've recommended to several people. It was also another ThinkFilm production, which have been interesting movies to say the least.
10 words or less: Great cast in an enjoyable indie flick.
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