Safety Not Guarenteed

I loved this movie! Put it in your NetFlix queue now! Safety Not Guaranteed is an adorable these-folks-are-made-for-each-other-but-don't-know-it-yet movie filmed around Ocean Shores, Washington. You truly do not get to pick the folks you are attracted to. No matter how crazy it all seems. Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass have a natural chemistry a lot of on screen romances lack. This film is a prime example of why I prefer a low budget indie film over a mega budget Hollywood blockbuster - Qwerky story, off beat location, and some dang fine acting.

Things to Come, Julien Donkey-Boy, and Trash Humpers

I saw this movie via NetFlix streaming. Things to Come is a film written by H. G. Wells in 1936 and I highly recommend watching this tour de future.

Bravo to the folks who designed the sets. Well done! No paper plates on strings here. It's fascinating to the quality of work done on the special effects. The one above shows what eerily resembles a flat screen telly.

I also need to document the movie I saw at Alex and Natalie's last month - Julien Donkey-Boy. I saw this one several years ago, but I could set through it again. It was a movie made under the Dogme 95 movement - no special effects or over the top technology could be used to create the film. I like the look and feel of this movie. The use of hand held 16 mm cameras gives the film this grainy home-made texture. Hmm...it's mixed media cinema.  

After a lovely meal - Alex and Natalie are practising foodies who can Cook (I use upper case C because these 2 are amazing in the kitchen) - I wanted to skip the second film Trash Humpers. It turns out several of us were willing to skip this gem. Alex talked those of us who were heading to the door to at least stay and watch a few minutes. Oh dear....all I can say is, if you are ever offered the chance to see Trash Humpers, run quickly in the other direction. I'm not even going to post a link. 

Les Miserables

The night before the Oscars, I ran out to see Les Miserables. I'd read so much about how hard the non-singing stars had trained to sing. I must confess, I've never seen the musical; given the opportunity I would fly out the door to buy a ticket. I guess I had some goofy idea this would not translate to the big screen. It's a movie that has elements I like - tragedy, comic relief, and singing.

Honestly, wouldn't it be fun to have a National Sing Everything You Say Day?

I went to Joe and Brian's for Oscar night again this year. They have a huge screen and open their house up for a pitch-in - fancy dine night. Several folks walked out early leaving a handful to watch the entire show.

Yes, I know - the Oscars occurred months ago. I've got to properly track my movies.

Paul McDonough Photos From 70's

I saw these pics from Paul McDonough's exhibit "Sight Seeing". What a blast from the past! It seems funny now to see chicks in bathing suit tops and shirtless guys, but that was that was part of the summer uniform in the 70's. Remember, this was pre-jog bra, pre-technical wear. I wish I could see the exhibit in person; these are just to die for!

TSS Duke of Lancaster

The TSS Duke of Lancaster has seen better days. She was a steamer passenger ship that ran from 1956 to 1979. She is currently beached near Mostyn Docks in Wales. She's recently gotten a face lift. Graffiti artists from around the world have sought out the old dame to add a bit of spray paint. 

I'm a Cyborg, But That's Ok and Naptown Rock Radio Wars

Friday night @ home I watched I'm a Cyborg, But That's Ok by Park Chen-wook. Young-goon (yes, that's her name in the movie) works in a radio factory and one day decides to connect herself to a wall outlet. She is promptly sent to a mental institution that seems to be filled with folks who are eccentric and quirky rather than actually possessing psychological disorders. It's quite cute! Il-soon (Rain) sings a goofy song to Young-goon that includes a yodeling chorus. Never fear, there are come really violent scenes to break the cute-ness.  I just love the art work (again, presumably done by the clients) behind Il-soon above.

 The toes on Young-goon's right foot light up when she's fully charged.

The Irvington Theater had a free showing of the documentary  Naptown Rock Radio Wars Saturday afternoon. Once upon a time, people got their music from one of three places; a concert, an album, or a radio station. NRRW follows Indy's two big players battling for the air waves - WIFE-AM 1310 and WNAP-FM through the 60's and 70's. WNAP was the nation's first successful all FM  radio station. You don't have to live in Indy to enjoy this documentary. Very well done and very interesting subject matter for those of us who remember when DJ's ruled the world. Wacky contests and promo concerts were the norm. Some of the DJ's in the film were available for a book signing (yes, I  bought the book) at Irvington Vintage after the movie.

Oddly enough - I Am the Muffin Man was the first song WNAP played when it came on the air. Hmmm...I hear instruments in this video that no one seems to be playing.

Djang Unchained - Super Bowl NOT

I caught Django Unchained at the Glendale 12 on Sunday. No Super Bowl (yawn) for me. Kudos for using the opening score from the original Django; that's one killer song!



Back to Django Unchained....

Tarantino cleverly manages to create a new genre - Spaghetti Western meets Mandingo meets Blazing Saddles meets Blacksplotation. Is this a Oscar worthy movie? No, probably not. Is it a must see movie that will have you forming opinions (no fence riding here) and creating interesting dialogue with your friends? Yes!

I laughed out loud, I gasped out loud, I cringed and shook my head many times. This is technically a long movie, but it really didn't feel 1 minute too long. I was delighted to see two actors I really admire who appear in two of my favorite television series.   Eto Essandoh, who played the physician/pathologist on Copper, plays a slave who can't take the Mandigo fighting any longer. Walter Groggins, who played Boyd Crowder (oh so bad) on Justified, plays Billy Crash - a guy who can handle the torture handy work for Calvin Candie. Although Billy Crash only appears in a small part of the movie, Walter Groggins steals the scene from everyone else. He even comes up with the really evil swagger that just defies description. Can you slink along just a little bit more?

Similiar to the scene in LOTR that plays homage to Sean Bean's character Lt Col Richard Sharpe, where Boromir is holding a shard of the sword of Nassil and says, "Still sharp.", DU has it's own out-of-band-actor-homage with the original Django - Franco Nero. Django is sitting at the bar at the Cleopatra Club, and Franco Nero sits at the other end. There is a quite humorous dialogue about the pronunciation and spelling of Django between the two "Djangos".

I've never cared for Leonardo DiCaprio. Never. Until now. I cannot imagine anyone else who could've played such a spoiled, racist phrenology elitist. His insistence on following politesse protocols to the tee that soon erupt into a gun slinging fray is beauty. So polite.