Category: movie musings

listen up!, mixed media, movie musings

10 movies I loved from 2006

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So, as promised, I have FINALLY gotten around to writing up my yearly favorite movies post… finally. Now, as with the CDs, my taste in movies tends to be all over the place and I am a sucker for a good comedy, blockbuster, or romantic comedy. These definitely shouldn’t be considered THE best movies of 2006, they are just the ones that I really loved, and was most excited about in 2006… and even through today (obviously, if I am writing about them again…). Also, as with the CD list, there is no real particular order; with the exception of the top movies… those were definitely my favorites out of the bunch. So, without too much more heeing and hawing, here’s the list:

Little Miss Sunshine

The whole family piles into the VW van to travel to California so awkward little Olive can compete in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant contest. Hilarity ensues. That’s pretty much what you need to know, oh yeah, and the fact that this movie is fucking hilarious. This is one of the best movies that came out in 2006 (in my opinion, it was probably THE best), so you have to see it, and you will enjoy it, because it is great. And funny. And really super great. Seriously. You will laugh at this movie, that is, unless you are completely soulless, and have no sense of humor. I know that is strong, but it is true, but if you are soulless, you probably don’t care anyway, because you are soulless.

V for Vendetta

Wow, wow, wow. This movie is so fantastic, it is hard to believe. Definitely the 1984 of 2006. It looks at what happens when a government takes control over its people under the guise of “protecting” them. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Fed up with the treatment he and others have received, V dresses as the famous Guy Fawkes, and promises to succeed where Guy had failed (in blowing up Parliament). This movie is not to be missed, especially because it is so scary that this is one possible outcome of the current political events that are currently occurring today. I for one hope not, but if it is, then I hope we have the courage to stand up and fight, just like V. Viva la revolution!

Superman Returns

I don’t care what anyone says; this is one of the best sequels I have seen, ever. I am a huge comic fan, and even more of a fan of well made comic movies. The action is top notch, the acting is great, and the story is awesome. They totally captured the vibe of the old Superman movies, while updating it at the same time. Brandon Routh is the perfect Superman. This is one of those movies that you can sit through the entire film, and maintain the sense of “wow” and captivation that a good movie should offer. I was greatly surprised, and definitely satisfied. I am very excited to see what comes with the next Superman movie; if it is anything like this one, it will be fantastic. I seriously loved this movie!

Dreamgirls

Shockingly, I really didn’t have really high hopes for Dreamgirls, other than the infamous performance of “And I Am Telling You…”. But, with that being said, each trailer made me a little more excited about the movie, and I was all hyped to go when I missed out on the chance Christmas day. I thought it would be okay to wait for rental, but everyone was gushing, and thankfully, a friend who had seen it agreed to go again. OH MY GOD. I was such an idiot for thinking anything other than, “this movie is going to be off the chain”; because it was. Jennifer Hudson is magical, and deserves every award they can throw at her. And, I left NOT hating Beyonce!! A twofer! Seriously, if you love musicals, this one is great!

X-men: X3 the Last Stand

Hands down, the best X-men movie of the franchise. Now, with that being said, I know that there are a ton of people that will completely disagree with me, but I don’t care. This was one of the first times I actually felt like they were the X-men, rather than Storm, Wolverine, Cyclops, etc. Also, making the Phoenix be the main storyline was the ultimate wet dream of anyone that is a fan of the X-men, so just having that in there (and doing it extremely well), was worth it for me. I certainly hope that this isn’t the last one, as the name suggests, because it is almost like they were just honing their craft. It definitely has a different feel than it did with Singer at the helm, but I didn’t feel enough of a difference (good or bad) to effect my thoughts on the movie. I know for one that I am keeping my fingers crossed for X4 and so on. There is so much more they could do with the X-men, and they were just getting started; and if any future ones are as good as this one, I am already on board.

Shortbus

While the movie was extremely controversial because of the use of actual sex acts, as opposed to simulated ones, this movie was extremely good. What you end up seeing is a bunch of people dealing with their sexual identities and needs in a way that may seem unconventional to many, which ends up causing them some problems when they try to fit the mold. What I took away from this, was a look at how sex and sexuality can define us and our relationships, and how different perspectives work for different people. It is also extremely funny, and well, there are lots of naked boys with big dicks in it. Come on now, you weren’t thinking that I was going to say, “you don’t notice the nudity that much”, did you? Silly kids… Just watch the movie already, it’s good, okay!

Tristan + Isolde

Passion, love, feeling, and of course, damn duty had to go and get in the way. The classic love story of Tristan, and Englishman, and Isolde, an Irish woman, torn between love, battle, duty, and tragedy. This is a fantastic love story that is not to be missed. If you are a fan of the story of Romeo and Juliet, you really have to check out this one, because you will definitely fall in love with this story. The movie is beautifully shot, and has lots of action for those that like that angle, while giving you lots of tender, wonderful love right there on the same screen. I absolutely fell in love with this movie, and was completely surprised with how much I liked it. This is a story of love, and as you will learn (or may already know), a life without love, truly is no life at all.

Imagine Me and You

Finally a cute and believable romantic comedy about two girls falling in love! Seriously, this is such a cute movie, and both girls are extremely, well, cute! It may not be the BEST film, but it is certainly light-hearted, and Rom-Com greatness. It is also nice to finally see gay movies come out that aren’t complete trash, and can actually portray a semblance of love. There is one thing that is kind of interesting; one of them is married, and chooses the girl over her man, but it is definitely sweet to see people follow their hearts, even if that means that it is too bad for the guy! Definitely to become a lesbian classic (at least for my friend Deb it will!)!

Underworld Evolution

This is a kick ass sequel to the first, and it can’t be denied that this movie kicks vampire and Lycan ass. If you liked the first, you will probably dig this one, but if not, steer clear; as I know a lot of you will see this on my list and think, “WTF?”. But, keep in mind, this is one of the types of movies I can really get into; mostly because they are just fun to watch, and deal with that vampire/occult/dark stuff that somehow seems to interest me like little else. It also doesn’t help that I LOVED the first one, and that the action and special effects are just great. Now, I can’t wait to see the third and final one! If this one is any indication of how it will be, then I am sure that it will be action packed and fun!

MI:III

Now, before you even go there, I know that Tom Cruise is in it, but, for me, that surprisingly doesn’t ruin this movie. It is very well made, with a great story, and it only gets stronger because it totally has JJ Abrams’ signature all over it; which is a really good thing. I love the story, the action, everything… it was exactly what I was looking for in a spy thriller. Probably one of the best things EVER, is that it has Felicity (Keri Russell) as a spy! Holy cow! That is where Abrams claims he came up with the idea for Alias (Felicity joins the CIA)! Totally full circle! What’s not to love there? Seriously though, this is definitely a great action film.

Honorable mentions (good movies, but not in the top of my list, you know?): The Devil Wears Prada (I haven’t seen it enough times, I think), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (Rom-Com + Action/Comic book movie = duane happy), Another Gay Movie (total spoofiness, but definitely funny) Inside Man (just not one I could watch over and over), American Dreamz (parts of it are laugh out loud hilarious) and Lucky Number Slevin (which is GREAT, but again not one I would watch over and over).

So there you have it! My movie list of 2006! Whew!! Now, tell me what you were digging in 2006!!! Here’s hoping there are a lot more movies that are lovable from 2007! Oh yeah, and as most always, these aren’t my pictures, and I don’t claim them to be, you know!

mixed media, movie musings, music musings

year’s end movie and music raves and rants…

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I usually do that year end music and movie set of posts, and this year will be no different; only thing is that I will probably have to spill over into 2007 a little… as December has been a hectic month.

But I am sure you forgive me, don’t you? Stay tuned, because there are some CDs and movies that I am just gushing over, and can’t wait to share with you. Now I see you shiver with antici….

pation.

Check back! Right now I am trying to enjoy what little “vacation” I actually got this year!

listen up!, mixed media, movie musings

and I am telling you…

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That you MUST go see Dreamgirls!!!! It was one of the best movies I have seen this year, hands down!! It is flawless from beginning to end. All of these girls are DIVAS and I was even impressed big time with Beyonce! Of course, the shining star of the whole film is Jennifer Hudson, who completely steals the show every time she is on the screen, and her showstopper, “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”, is chill inducing. I still can’t get over how fantastic this movie really is, seriously. I am definitely going to pick up the soundtrack too, because I loved every song I heard in the film.

If you love musicals, and you want to see a fantastic one, do yourself a favor, then and RUN to the theaters… Dreamgirls will not disappoint you. I honestly wasn’t that excited about it, not as much as I thought I would be going in, but I was so overly impressed, that it totally made up for it. This is definitely a contender for awards… not because it speaks to critics, but because it is so damn good!!! A must see!!! And Jennifer Hudson, honey, you have got everything it takes… you have solidified yourself as a tried and true diva! Work it girl!

[note that the image isn’t mine… I found it on google images, ya’ll]

movie musings

for anyone else’s consideration (anyone’s other than mine)

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So, we went to see the new Christopher Guest movie, For Your Consideration, last night. I mentioned in the past about how excited I was to see this movie, and when Rich suggested it, I jumped at the chance. I had high hopes, because the previews made it look hilarious, and a part of me doubted that Christopher Guest could get so many awesome actors on board of ANOTHER stinker (yes, A Mighty Wind SUCKED). But, I was willing to give him another shot after A Mighty Wind, and especially after Waiting for Guffman (another horrible movie), because in the middle of that shitty sandwich, was the brilliance that was Best In Show. After seeing Best In Show, I ran to see his other films, and was SHOCKED when I saw how horrible they were. It just doesn’t make sense. Brilliance in the middle of pure shit. So, I thought, For Your Consideration will be another Best In Show… The pattern must be bad, good, bad, and well, then good again, right?

Wrong.

It was awful. There were a few moments that were pretty funny, but overall, the whole movie I sat there thinking, “it is going to get funny any second now”, and then the credits rolled before I knew it. Long story short, if this is on TV, and you have absolutely nothing to do, and are mildly curious about watching, I would consider it, but other than that, just skip it. It was awful.

On the other hand, if you loved those stinkers Waiting for Guffman and A Mighty Wind, you might like this one, lord knows you already like bad movies, what’s one more? I was seriously disappointed, and honestly pretty surprised that this was not only made, but is considered by everyone in it, and even by some of the critics to actually be funny. Maybe I am missing something, but I honestly think that this is the joke; they pretend it is funny to get you to watch it, and then laugh at you for sitting through an hour and a half of pure poop.

And that’s how I feel about that.

movie musings

back to back

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I just watched Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Apocalypse back to back. Yeah, it’s 4:30 in the morning, but it was worth it. Non-stop action bitches! Perhaps Resident Evil 3 (Extinction?) will come out soon, so I can do a three parter one night in the future. Oh yes!

Update: Naps are not always a good thing. The nap I took last night for a couple of hours, while it was definitely related to me being tired from being sick, made it impossible to go to bed last night, and resulted in me tossing and turning in bed until 6:30am. At least I got to see both movies back to back, though, right? Jeez… being sick sucks! Anyone want what I have? LOL

movie musings

V for Victorious

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Valiant. Vigilant. Vivacious. Vigorous. Vengeful. V for Vendetta is all of these things and more. I honestly had no expectations going in to this movie, and for one reason or another, I missed it at the theater; but nevertheless, I was excited to receive my rental from netflix last night, probably more than any movie I have received in a while. And even though I had no expectations going in, I was pleasantly surprised; it was fantastic. Many people raved about this movie, and rightfully so; I am joining their cause.

This movie is excellent because of the way that the vigilant V attempts (and succeeds) to unite people into standing up against an all powerful and over controlling “big brother”-like government. It is not to say that other movies, books, media, or other things don’t have the same message, but honestly, this movie just nails it with the futuristic, not-to-far-fetched scenario V finds himself living in, in future Britain. I won’t say much more about the film, other than how great it was, but I honestly have to say, it made me really stop and think; if we could stand up, mobilize, and fight for our rights and freedoms as V did (without the killing, of course), and we all exuded the courage of that one man, how would this world change? How much better would things be, if we all stood up? I have to say, thinking about that almost gives me chills, because I know that things could, and would, change for the better. (This is not to say that I believe for one second that the way to make things better is through vigilante work or destruction; it is through challenging thoughts, having and stating opinions, and uniting for good.) Now, if we can only find millions of Guy Fawkes masks and capes… we can get right on that! Remember, Remember, the 5th of November. Perhaps someday, we will have a day, event, something that will remind us how strong our voices can be, and we will join together and use them. Only then, can we all be free and equal. It takes a brave person to stand up for what they believe in; so how do we gain the courage to do that? How do we begin to fight?

Definitely check out this movie. I honestly believe it very well could be the 1984 for 2006.

movie musings

alright, here it goes:

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I know that you are probably waiting with baited breath, wanting to know what I think of Brokeback Mountain NOT winning best picture, and here it is: honestly, I am not surprised. This honestly was a typical move of the Academy, and it shows that they are predictable year after year. Films that the public usually believes should win often do not, and especially when films have sensitive or controversial subject matter, they run the risk of being shunned. So fucking what it didn’t win, it won like 100 Golden Globes (including best picture); and let us not forget that it also pretty much sweeped every award show for like the last 5 months, so, this one isn’t really that big of a deal in my eyes. Sure, it would be nice to have a story that truly portrays love between two men as the “best picture” of the year (according to the elite Academy, remember); but I honestly believe that the potential for bad press (from the “fundies” as Amber called them) and potential backlashes steered them clear of actually giving it to Brokeback, and so they settled on a nomination. I do applaud Phillip Seymour Hoffman for his win (which was long overdue) which is a victory for the gays; and don’t forget that Brokeback still won 3 Oscars, two of which were actually very important (adapted screenplay and director), and the effect will hopefully signal more wonderful films like this in the future.

Yeah, we were robbed, you can definitely look at it that way, but don’t forget that it is an honor to just be nominated, right? And hey, who isn’t going to want to at least put “Oscar nominated…” on their resume/dvd box? I honestly just cannot get over the fact that they gave it to Crash… yuck, almost any of the other ones, but not Crash. Again, it goes to show you that the Academy is on another world when it comes to this stuff, so whatever, right?

movie musings

Brokeback Wins!

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I just wanted to put out a quick congrats… Brokeback won 4 Golden Globes: Best Original Song, Best Screenplay, Best Director, and most importantly, Best Picture. Who would of thought that a movie about love between two men could “top” the Golden Globes? Here’s hoping that it “dominates” the Oscars!!! Go Brokeback, go Brokeback!!!

Update: I was thinking about it, and I totally think that I should also congratulate Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who is an amazing actor, for his portrayal as Capote. It is a triumph for the gay community. Likewise, I want to congratulate the delectably wonderful Felicity Huffman, for her portrayal as a male to female transsexual; that not only takes guts, but grace and class. Thanks for doing the gays and transgenders right! (they won best actor and actress for a drama)

movie musings

the final list: My Top 12 Movies of 2005

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I know, I know, it is a little late, but better late than never, right? I wanted to take a little “list break”, to prevent inundating people who check out the blog with lists. But, here is the final list for 2005. The movie list. Now, I know that there were tons of great movies out this year; many of which I saw (and are probably listed here), those which I haven’t seen, and some of which I still want to see. But, if I didn’t see it, it isn’t on this list. So, if you are thinking, “Man, movie A is much better than one of his choices”, then you have the wrong idea here. These are MY favorite movies of 2005; out of what I have seen in 2005. I hope that you enjoy. Here are my top 12 movies of 2005:

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movie musings

Brokeback Mountain: the (long-awaited) review

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I saw Brokeback Mountain today, and when I sat down to write the review, I really felt. No seriously, reflecting on this film really does make you feel. The story is touching, the love is palpable, and the acting is moving. Many people in the theater were crying, and I honestly can’t say I didn’t shed at least a tear. With that being said, my review may be a little different than previous reviews I have done; mainly because I felt more from this movie that I have felt from almost any movie I have ever seen. I totally felt immersed in this film, and being who I am, and given what it was about, it is hard not to personalize much of the emotion and what happens. I do want to warn those that haven’t seen it, because I do talk about aspects of the story in my review. With that being said, I don’t give away anything like the ending (even though I really wanted to talk about how that made me feel), and I don’t go into specific detail about the story; but I know there are those out there that would rather be warned about the potential of spoilers, rather than just happen upon them. All in all, Brokeback Mountain is a breathtakingly beautiful and moving film. It is definitely a must see. Now, my review… (I know it is probably the 100239847239847298374928347th review, but if you don’t like it, don’t read it! It was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time, so I feel compelled to give my two cents, so there.)

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