i watched a buttload of movies this weekend. what's that you say? you want to know exactly what they were and what my impressions were of each and every one of them? ok!
we wanted to go see the hangover, but it was sold out. this is the third failed attempt to see this movie. maybe i should just go ahead and add it to my netflix queue...
so instead, we watched 2 netflixes. the first was a movie called spring breakdown, starring amy poehler, parker posey, rachel dratch, and kristincallavari. i had never heard of this movie until rachel dratch was on jimmy fallon the other night, and she told me i would really like it and i should watch it. it was pretty dumb, but made me laugh a sufficient number of times. i'd give it about: 6 or 7 biscuits.
after that, it was time for iron man. iron man 2 is coming out next year, and my roommies hadn't seen the first one, so i thought it was important. i've always loved iron man since the first time i saw it at the court street theater and did the iron man hover pose up the escalators with joel. so obvi, 11 biscuits!!!! also, have you noticed that iron man looks just like a blackberry pearl?
on saturday, it was really cloudy and rainy just like it is every day in nyc for the past month. and you know what that always puts me in the mood to watch, don't you? that's right. twilight!! jicydak, i think that movie is 11 biscuits!
on sunday, i woke up to the repurcussions of having 5 too many ginger fizzes at the bubble lounge, aka burble clurb, and was in quite a state. it was one of those lay-down-and-stay-down kind of days, and luckily i had revolutionary road on netflix too! this movie was a dooooozy, and while the themes were quite depressing, the acting was some of the best i've seen. 11 biscuits for sure!
then, i may or may not have watched twilight again. don't you guys wish new moon was out?
after a delicious movie-break dinner, we decided to peruse tho ol' hbo on demand, and came across a topical documentary calledthe queen and i, about the widow of the former iranian shah. she is still living in exile in paris, and the filmmaker is an iranian woman living in exile in sweden. she was a member of the communist party during the 1979 revolution in which the shah was overthrown. once former enemies....but now? n-e-ways, it was really good. 11 biscuits! check 'er out.
the curious case of benjamin button. jicydak, this movie is 2 hours and 46 minutes long. and as is the case with almost every movie of this length, its nearly impossible to sustain quality and tone throughout. i thoroughly enoyed the first 1.5 - 2 hours of this film. i loved the new orleans setting and the whimsical storytelling, and was definitely impressed with the cgi technology. however, around the 2 hour mark, everything started tanking. i found myself laughing when i should've been crying, especially when b-buttz turns back into a baby. so, for this reason it gets what i like to call a 'mixed review'.
first 2 hours : 11 biscuits!!!!! third hour : 0 biscuits. ;(
i also watched the nbc special, farrah's story, an autobiographical documentation of farrah fawcett's cancer battle. this isn't really an 11-biscuits-0-biscuits situation, but i did hear that 9 million people tuned in friday night, and farrah was awake to watch it and her weakened pulse returned to normal by the end of it. so that's something.
then i may or may not have watched most of the third season of the tudors in one sitting. that show is h2d, and i'm sure is completely based in historical fact. 11 biscuits!!!!!
i watched a lot of stuff this weekend, and i'd like to tell you how i felt about everything:
hunger:
intense, disturbing, unconventional, and beautiful...11 biscuits!!!!
synecdoche, new york:
looks good, doesn't it? well, if you like throwing hours of your life into the trashcan 2 at a time, then watch this movie!0 biscuits!!! ;(
planet earth : deep ocean: there was a PE marathon on discovery yesterday, and this one was always my favorite. i would do just about anything to have bioluminescence. 11 biscuits!!!
the assassination of jesse james by the cowardly robert ford:
this one's a couple of years old now, but i loved it when i saw it and watched it again on hbo this weekend. i recommend netflix-ing if you haven't seen it. casey affleck is real good, and there's also brad pitt. 11 biscuits!!!
last week, i went to see (500) days of summer with g.animalz. i'm not really sure how i feel about this movie. i didn't enjoy it as much as everyone else i've talked to. it was perfectly pleasant with some really interesting moments, 3rd-rock-from-the-sun-guy was fantastic, but every now and then some horribly cheesy dialogue would come along and ruin the moment. what did you guys think?
also, a note to screenwriters: no more architect characters, unless you yourself have been one, please. we haven't used t-squares in over a decade. k thx.
anyway... movie = 8-ish biscuits, soundtrack = 11 biscuits!
next up, joel, g.animalz, and i watched a documentary i netflix'd called moving midway. this film depicts the story of an old-timey plantation in raleigh, north carolina. as the surrounding land becomes developed into strip malls and big box stores, the family decides that it is best to move the house to a more serene location.
this raises all kinds of issues about the history and memory of the plantation, including familial nostalgia and painful ties to slavery. the relocation of the house attracts the attention of folks all over the country who trace their ancestry back to the civil-war era structure.
we all loved it, and i just have to give it 11 biscuits!!!!
and lastly, john (aka thomas wilhelm aka telula bankhead) joined us in the 2Pz movie train to go see the highly anticipated district 9. what a horrible disappointment. this movie was one long string of barely veiled references to recent historical issues like apartheid, population relocation, racism, etc. the characters and plot were shockingly underdeveloped and inconsistent, the dialogue was simplistic, and in many cases things just didn't make a lick of sense.
that was our collective opinion, anyway. most critics seem to like it. but as for 2Pz....0 biscuits!!!!! ;(
and speaking of movies, some friends and i decided to make good on our professed love for 2Pz fave meryl streep by getting acquainted with some of her older work. so on sunday, we planned a meryl-thon (i tried to make 'daylight STREEPing time' stick, but it just didn't). on the bill:
the deer hunter
this movie was a bit of a chore (especially the first hour), with disproportionate amount of meryl on-screen time, but once it got going it was pretty great. robert de niro was a looker back then, and christopher walken is in it, too! i'm hosting a russian roulette tournament at my house soon. let me know if you want to come! anyway, 7 or 8 biscuits.
sophie's choice
this movie takes place in 1940s brooklyn. meryl is a polish immigrant with crazy secrets. that's all i'm going to tell you. it's one of those 'surprise ending' movies. what's important is that meryl is just amazing in it. kevin kline is really good too. and he's my initials twin. DEF watch this if you haven't already. 11 biscuits!!!!!
doubt
after roughly 6 hours of movies, we just couldn't do it. i've seen this movie, and i gave it 11 biscuits. a meryl classic. lilly, did you watch yet?
we're already planning meryl-thon 2, which will most likely include some lighter choices:
out of africa
silkwood
the devil wears prada
as i mentioned, last night g.animalz and i braved the mist to go see 2Pz favorite, gRiZzLy BeAr in concert!! i don't think i have to tell y'all that it was 11 biscuits. but i will. 11 biscuits!!!!!!!!!!!!
remember when we were talking about how there arent going to be cars in times square anymore? here's what that looks like. i wasn't sure how i felt about it, but it was pretty cool, and much easier to walk.
historic town hall. designed by mckim, mead, and white. and home to legendary acts such as louis armstrong, tony bennet, and jenny lewis!
here we go magic, from brooklyn, opened. they were really very pleasant.
ever been to an all ages show in nyc? me neither. it was real weird. kids and parents everywhere.
there they are! grizzly bear! they performed several tracks with the brooklyn youth chorus, who also appears on the album. they were really great.
the stage lighting was fantastic. hard to capture in photos, but some of the best i've seen. the hanging votives were just gorgeous. especially when they twinkled.
more with the brooklyn youth chorus.
and finally, i found a youtube of a standout track of the night, "ready, able". enjoy!
relax, relax! luckily it wasn't raining all gd weekend, so i only watched 2 movies. let's jump in.
upon a g.animalz request, i netflixed this swedish vampire movie, let the right one in. it was one of the creepiest movies i've ever seen, and also one of the most beautifully shot. it's based on a swedish book of the same title, and set in a suburban area of stockholm. it's really gorgeous and super-scary and i give it 11 biscuits 4 sure!!!
we also went outside to see a movie called the hurt locker. it's about a team of 3 IED diffusers in iraq. normally, i would shy away from a movie like this, because the iraq war is soooo 2007, but this one came highly recommended, and it was excellent. it's pretty intense, and you're going to want to go to the bathroom before it starts, but very entertaining as well. AND it's directed by a lady! if you can believe that. 11 biscuits!!
2Pz fave, the knife recently composed a danish opera based on darwin's the origin of species. this song just hit the internet. give it time to get going. you'll like it once you hear those voices come in.
i give it 11 biscuits!
oh and here's the new usher jam. also 11 biscuits.
well, i saw that movie everyone's been talking about. black swan, starring natalie portman, mila kunis, vincent cassel, barbara hershey, and (surprise!) winona ryder. i am reluctant to properly review this movie, because most of america doesn't even have the option to see it yet (wide release december 22 aka my birthday). i just gave joel my initial morning-after reaction, so i'll share that with you.
me: well i saw black swan last night Joel: go onnnn me: im not going to spoil anything for you
it was incredible though Joel: yay! me: like.....i had my eyes covered for most of the first hour Joel: are you going to give it biscuits me: it was really hard to watch
and i needed 11 cigarettes when it was over Joel: i cant wait to see it me: which is the exact reaction i had to requiem Joel: natalie! me: except that i hated that movie
this one, i loved Joel: and im so excited about mila kunis being employed again me: but i dont know if i will ever want to watch it again
it was so intense
it might be the most intense movie i've ever seen
mila is the bomb Joel: oooOOOOOooo
what about the STRANgers me: its 10 times more intense than the strangers Joel: jeebus me: and you now how intense i think that movie is
the first hour i was like 'why do people like this?'
and then by the time it was over
i wanted to give it a standing ovation
maybe my review should just be this gchat Joel: that is quite a reaction me: ps
natalie has that oscar locked up
...anyway, 11 biscuits!!!
joel can do the part 2 review when he gets his eyes on this movie.
side note: i wanted to know where a certain scene was filmed, so i googled "black swan party scene", and ended up here. ctM!
it was raining again, but g.animalz and i went on out n-e-wayz to see other2Pzfave, PhOeNiX! just like i told you i would!
i'm not going to sugar coat this. it was 11 gd biscuits. i know what you're thinking. "you think everything is 11 biscuits." but i'm serious. it was really really good.
for starters, you haven't lived until you've heard an indie music sensation thank you for your support with repeated merci beaucoups. it was just adorable.
this was a really fun part where they sang this crazy ass song in a robot voice!
doesn't the drummer look like carlton from fresh prince? he was really awesome.
here's a youtube of their opening number, 'listzomania'.
the last song of the encore was their hit, '1901'. it was tons of fun. they acted like the song was over, but then the lead singer jumped down into the crowd and kep' on singing. we huddled around and jumped up and down and i got a beer to the face and g.animalz touched him!
you know gd well what we did! i just wanted to share a couple of pixies to show you what our BFF's robyn and kelis looked like. just great!
kelis went first and she looked just great in her mermaid minidress and gold glitter wig. she played pretty much her entire new album (which is great), and mixed in medleys of her past hits, as well as those of others like en vogue, madonna, kp and envyi (i know!). she was clearly playing to the gays with songs like 'sweet dreams', which concerns me a little, because i think she has a bit more depth than just a 'club diva'. but this album seems to be a step in a successful direction. keep pushing that envelope, girl. 11 biscuits!!
cOnFeTtI!!!
next up was robyn. gosh. i don't know how to explain what that was like. her energy level as a performer is up there with the greats. i haven't seen somebody work a stage like that since maybe tina turner. she danced harder than anyone in that place. it was just delightful. musically, the band did a great job of switching up some of the old classics. one of my favorite parts was when she took a banana break during the build up of 'dont fucking tell me what to do.' just danced around wearin' a beret and eatin' a banana.
at the end of robyn's set, she and kelis both treated us to the late 90's hits, in the form of this pretty amazing medley. so obvi, we had a great time. i'm hoping some better youtubes emerge over the next couple of days. i'll keep you posted. anyway... 11 jumpy and sweaty biscuits!!
she said we were the best crowd yet, and the condition of my vocal chords can attest to that. oh, and sway was there.
Y.M.N.K.T. but Kylie, G. Animals, and 2pz friend Liz came to visit me in Boston this weekend. Here is what we ate!
For Breakfast:
Everything! Pancakes, Bacon, Scrambles, Bagels with CC, Grapefruit, OJ, Milk, and a Box Of Coffee! Made in my kitchen
For Lunch:
We went to one of the oldest Pubs in Boston it's called The Green Dragon. It was supposed to be a snack but the portions were pretty huge i give it 8 biscuits. We were being meanmugged by a couple of bean bags, and our waitress wasn't fantastic but the food was pretty good.
Kylie: Chicken Quesadilla, and a Sam Adams Boston Lager (when in Rome)
G. Animals: Veggie Quesadilla, Side of Veggies (natch) and a hot toddie.
Liz: Revolutionary Buffalo Chicken, and a Magners Cider
DJV: Nachos (natcho!) and a Magners. They went a little overboard on the onions. but otherwise pretty good.
LATE NIGHT!
After hours of dancing in the clerb, we went to Hi-Fi Pizza in Central Square. always 11 Biscuits
Liz: Pepz Kylie: Plain G. Animals: Mushrooms (natch) Other Dave: Pepz
i don't really have that much to say about it. it was pretty boring. except for the projects that involved taxicopters and orsquid.
you might recognize that one.
i got in troubs taking this one. apparently you're not allowed to take any pictures at all. oops!
as i discussed with john, one of the more interesting aspects of the exhibit was seeing how the curators had to jump through the hoops of displaying FLW's work in his own ramped spiral exhibit space. they had a tough time! how ironic!
i did learn one interesting tidbit. i had no idea, but one of my fave movies, gattaca, was shot in and around frank lloyd wright's marin county civic center!
n-e-wayz, i'd give the exhibit 11 biscuits for content, but only 4 or 5 biscuits for fun. it's open through aug 23, so make up your own mind.
if i told you that i saw two movies this weekend, tom ford's a single man, and high-school horror flick jennifer's body starring megan fox, you'd probably make some pretty quick assumptions about which one was better.
here are the surprising results:
a single man: 7 or 8 biscuits
this movie was adapted, directed and produced by joel's favorite fashion designer, tom ford, and it shows. the film was pretty spectacular visually. buttloads of modern 60's americana. (as one astute movie-goer was overheard saying outside the theater: "i just loooooved all the mod furniture!") unfortunately, the dialogue was often poorly written and awkardly delivered. overall, i was content to watch the pretty things on screen, but in the future, it'd be better if tom left screenplay-writing to the professionals.
jennifer's body:11 biscuits!!!!!!
it's just really good. diablo cody wrote it. somehow, megan fox was likable in it. i lol'd like a millz times and wanted to watch it again before it was even over. it's on ondemand right now, jicyw2w.
(i also watched the hangover for the second time. you're gonna wanna go ahead and watch that if somehow you've made it this far without doing so.)
bonus links:
a nytimes article about the selection of tom ford's official typeface, gotham (as seen in a single man's credits), for the cornerstone of the new world trade center.
yesterday, while resting my dogs after a long, successful tenth annual international cornhole cup, i watched this tom cruise movie, the edge of tomorrow, also starring emily bult blunt.
it was.....11 biscuits!!
i watched godzilla too. more like godsilly. 0 biscuits.
