What's this?

Sorry guys. I've been busy. I know you don't want excuses, you want results. Spring quarter just started up, so blog updates will probably be light. Tonight I went and saw a really good film though, so I thought I'd write about it.

If you have the chance to see Cold Weather in the theater, I would highly recommend it! It's playing here in Athens, but we generally get things on kind of a weird schedule, so I'm not sure if it's playing elsewhere. The film is directed by Aaron Katz, whose previous films (Dance Party USA and Quiet City) are considered a part of the mumblecore movement. If you have a brain, you realize how stupid that word is, and if you're familiar with our blog then you know about my conflicting feelings toward it. I don't want to say anything too bad about these movies, so I'll just say that some of them are not for me.

Mumblecore is such a loose, meaningless label, so I feel dumb using it, but I kind of have to. The reason that I love the Duplass Brothers' films so much is because they are able to take everything good about mumblecore, the emotional honesty and authentic performances, and inject them into a genre film. The Puffy Chair is a road movie. Baghead is a horror movie. Cold Weather is a detective movie, and a very good one.

Some people may be put off by the fact that the plot does not really start until about 40 minutes into the movie, at least that's what I gather from reviews I have read of the film. I had no problem with its structure. It's very beautifully shot (with a RED camera) and the characters are engaging (also attractive). The brother/sister relationship was fun. For me, this was a more exciting film than any of the Bourne movies. I would much rather see someone awkwardly trying to solve a mystery than watch Jason Bourne jump through a window and beat someone up with a rolled up magazine. The stakes were raised in this film! I didn't know what was going to happen!

As more and more mumblecore directors get exposure and access to slightly larger budgets, I hope that they all follow the path of Aaron Katz or the Duplass Bros, and continue to make movies that feel genuine but are also genuinely interesting. Winfrey recommends!

Yuck.

In case you guys needed a reminder.

Katherine Heigl's still terrible.

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh

This will be arriving on Monday via Netflix.

I do not have high hopes, but I will, of course, report back to you no matter how it goes. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is one of my favorite books. Duh. Everyone who reads it says that. I read it while on Winfrey Family Vacation 2008, right after I graduated from college. What a perfect time to read it! It's not so much that I WANT to watch this movie, but more that I feel compelled, the way I do for most film adaptations of books I love. The general bad vibes around this movie, combined with the lousy reviews and the fact that they apparently chose to combine two central characters, makes me apprehensive. But my love of Peter Sarsgaard is pretty intense, so who knows?

Eyes Without a Face

Our Only Reader Lauren told me about this great website, The Auteurs. You can watch Sisters by Brian De Palma for free! Also, Eyes Without a Face. I haven't watched it yet, but of course the classic Billy Idol jam Eyes Without a Face has been stuck in my head all week.

Which made me think of Lasagna Cat:

An Education

I love Ohio, but I do not love waiting for movies to come out here. Even though An Education came out in New York and LA weeks ago, it just came to Cleveland this weekend. Of course, I made H. take me. We were late (like usual) so we missed the first few minutes. After another ten minutes or so had passed, H. leaned over and whispered, "So...is he supposed to be older than her, or what?" And I realized that I'd neglected to tell him anything at all about the film we were seeing.
An Education, as you probably know, is about a high school girl (Carey Mulligan) being seduced by a mysterious older gentleman (Peter Sarsgaard). It was a really fantastic movie and I recommend it. The role of a charming creep is tailor-made for Peter Sarsgaard, who brings an air of creepiness to everything he does, anyway. And as a bonus, the film costars the teacher from Rushmore, the one neither Max Fischer nor Herman Blume could resist.
This is one of those movies where you know from watching the trailer whether you'll like it or not. That's not an original thought of mine, just something I heard some ladies saying in the bathroom right after the movie. They were right, though.

Zelig

I done did it: I got a Netflix account. Now I'm wondering why I didn't do this long ago. I've filled my "queue" (I hate that word) with some real gems, like Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (written, of course, by the great Roger Ebert). But my first choice was Zelig by Woody Allen.
It's not the most popular Woody Allen film, likely because it's really weird. It's a mockumentary about Leonard Zelig, a "human chameleon" who finds himself transforming into whoever is near him, be that person obese, handicapped, or an entirely different race. Woody Allen used bluescreen technology to place himself, as Zelig, into historical footage with old movie stars, sports stars, and, in one instance, Hitler. Mia Farrow plays a lady-doctor who takes on Zelig's case and, as is true of most Woody-Mia stories, ends up falling in love.
It's hard to come up with an opinion on this. On the one hand, it's clear that an enormous amount of time went into Zelig. In just the time it took to edit the film, Woody Allen made two OTHER movies (he is nothing if not productive). In addition to the technical aspects, there are multiple songs written about Zelig, as well as interviews with such literary greats as Susan Sontag and Saul Bellow. On the other hand, the movie doesn't really do a lot. I mean, there isn't much of a plot, really, but it's supposed to be a documentary. I laughed a lot, though, and Alex probably would too if he didn't hate Woody Allen so much. That's a shame, because the silly humor is pretty similar to David Wain's.
Here's a clip of some of the famous people interviews at the beginning of Zelig. I'm not sure who posted this video on youtube, but if you read the information on the page it seems like it was posted for a school assignment, possibly for an English as a Second Language film course. What a weird movie to watch for that purpose. And, really, the discussion question ("Do you like Woody Allen movies? Please explain") is a little weak.

Paper Heart

Charlyne Yi, you guys! Why was I ever on the fence?

Let's talk Paper Heart. Going into My Paper Heart Experience, I didn't know what to expect. I'd read entirely negative reviews. I read that it was too cute. I read that the documentary/faux-documentary style was too gimmicky and confusing. And I read that the font was bad. Apparently that's a normal thing to complain about when you review a movie. Sure.
I don't know why I believed all those jerks. This was one of the best movies I've seen all year (to be fair, I haven't seen a lot of movies). Charlyne Yi is extraordinarily likeable, and so is the rest of the cast, including the "director" Jake Johnson and everyone's favorite, Mikey Cera. And you know what? All the reviews I read, for some reason, had SUCH a hard time comprehending how part of this movie was real and part of it was scripted. It drove all those old dudes crazy! I can't figure out why. The interviews were obviously coming not from a mean-spirited place (like in Borat), but from a place of genuine interest. But I thought the saving grace of the movie was that it never veered into saccharine, optimistic territory. It didn't present falling in love as the end-all, be-all of a person's life, nor did it assume that all love stories have guaranteed happy endings. It was, overall, exactly what I said I was looking for: a realistic love story about a young woman! One that doesn't focus on clothing, money, or end with a wedding. Maybe we should all see more movies like this, with a funny, intelligent woman in the lead, instead of whatever God-awful romcom is out now. I mean, I like a good romantic comedy, but The Ugly Truth? Come on.
In short: Why you should see this movie:
1. Charlyne Yi writes fun music!
2. Funny interviews with kids!
3. Puppets!
4. There is a scene in the zoo!
5. The real love stories are actually hilarious and heartbreaking, occasionally at the same time!

I No Longer Have Problems With Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly is back on my good side! The website has an article about comedians in serious roles. I think the article is supposed to be about their first role being serious, and I haven't seen about 90% of these movies. I need to get on it, because one of my favorite things is comedians in serious roles! Here are some of my favorites:

-Steve Martin in Shopgirl. So creepy!
-Bill Murray in Lost in Translation. I totally would have made out with him!
-Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I loved this movie in high school but I haven't seen it since.
-Adam Sandler in Punch Drunk Love. All of my favorite things in one movie: lonely people, phone sex, people with anger issues, and a Jon Brion soundtrack.

And I leave you with a question. Who would you rather make out with...
Young Bill Murray...

or Old Bill Murray?

This is also known as The Impossible Choice. I could never choose, and I can't imagine a scenario in which I would have to (unless I end up in my Fantasy World, also known as Time Travel Celebrity Make Out Land).

The Bagheads (that's what it was called, right?)

Since I'm one of those Women Who Love Horror Films, I finally (at Alex's urging) watched Baghead last weekend. I know he already posted this trailer at least once, but here it is again. Watch it! Really!

Except don't watch it if you're going to a cabin in the middle of the woods in Kentucky that weekend. I really can't believe Alex allowed me to watch it on Friday night, knowing full well that we were leaving Saturday on our trip. I spent the whole weekend worrying about Bagheads. And Alex (of course) tried to scare me but I was on the lookout the whole weekend so it didn't work. I had to watch for Bagheads, you know?
Another reason to watch this movie is that it stars Jon Lovitz Baby a.k.a. one of the main actors. He's the one who looks like Jon Lovitz as a baby.

I Have Some Problems With Entertainment Weekly

Alex and I have long had a love/hate relationship with Entertainment Weekly. Mostly we feel this ambivalence about head film writer Owen Gleiberman, a.k.a. The Gleibs. He is merciless. He hates everything we love (comedy, horror) and usually only gives As to children's films (except for that time he hated Beverly Hills Chihuahua because it needed "more interesting chihuahuas."). But we still care what he thinks. In that way, he's a lot like an abusive boyfriend. We just keep coming back to him.
But Entertainment Weekly really cheesed me off the last couple of weeks. First, they had an article about how there were so many female directors. Seriously. That was the whole article. Women be directin'! But then, oh then, they dared to publish an article called "Horror Films...(the title is okay so far, in case you were wondering)...and the Women who Love Them!" The article was about, you guessed it, how women like horror films, and how this is so shocking, and what we never expected this it's all so confusing I thought they liked Sex and the City whaaaat? I can't type any verbatim quotes from the article because I already barfed all over it, but I can tell you about it. Here were the people they chose to interview for this really well researched article:
1. Diablo Cody, because she wrote a Megan Fox movie that, honestly, looks a little more action-y than horror-y to me.
2. Vera Farmiga, because she's in the Orphan (ugh) and I guess that qualifies her?
3. Sam Raimi. I love Sam Raimi as much as the next girl (I mean, way more than the next girl), but why did they interview him for this? Because he cast a female lead in his last film? I don't know.

So Diablo Cody did her usual thing (talked about herself whenever she was asked a question), Vera Farmiga gave some psychobabble bullshit answer ("Women are just more visceral and they like the excitement of being scared") and Sam Raimi was like, "Sorry, I'm too busy for this, I have to go direct another good movie."
Here were Entertainment Weekly's two reasons why women go see horror films:
1. There are often female leads, and women like to see other women beat the odds and be the last one standing. And...
2. Because they like to cuddle! With their boyfriends!

No, Entertainment Weekly. Just no. Here's an idea. Stop treating women like they're some sort of alien species. Why are you so surprised that women like horror films? What SHOULD we like? Matthew McCounaghey (whatever) movies only come out so often, okay? Maybe, and I'm sure this is shocking, women like horror films for the same reasons men do. Maybe it's just because they're fun, and because people in general enjoy getting a little rush of adrenaline when they are actually in a completely safe environment. You can try to reason it away with Psych 101 level bullshit all you want, but I like watching scary movies because I LIKE THEM. And as far as the whole cuddling thing goes, H. won't watch scary movies with me so I watch them with Alex (and sometimes Chase). Not a lot of cuddling goes on.
I will continue hating Entertainment Weekly until tomorrow when we get a new issue. I love Entertainment Weekly!

Friend or Foe?: Bradley Cooper

H. and I saw The Hangover this weekend. Obviously. And, despite H.'s assertion that it was "good, not great," I am recommending it. Winfrey stamp of approval! Don't believe all those bullshitty things people say about this being a frat boy movie or whatever. Zach Galifianakis is in this movie, so see it. Maybe you and your date will be the only ones in the theatre that laugh at everything he says, but it's okay. But I really want to point out a couple of questions this movie brought up. The first is probably unanswerable: How does Heather Graham stay so young? And the second is this: How do I feel about Bradley Cooper?

He's essentially made a career out of affable douchiness, which is something that I usually hate because I have a hard time separating real-life people from the characters they play. But he does seem charming, doesn't he? And he's been in some great movies. But he's also been in a few too many romantic comedies. Bradley Cooper, you confuse me. I'll probably have to do some more research, but I'll let you know about my findings.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that The Hangover has a few Zach Galifianakis in-jokes (the name Marcus, just to mention one) which should be quite pleasant to discover if you're a fan of his standup!

Oh Zeh Memowies

Papa Winfrey always used to tell me about this scene when I was little.  He always said it was in Easy Rider though.  An honest mistake.  Anyway, I think he likes it because he used to do stuff like this when he was young and full of piss and vinegar.

Birds

I've had a casual interest in TCM lately, because mostly TV is boring. I'm not being one of those TV snobs here, Im just saying that most of the channels on my television show either infomercials or sports. So TCM it is. Anyway, I was looking up the schedule, and tomorrow night has a theme. And that theme is birds.

8:00pm [Drama] Birdman Of Alcatraz (1962)
True story of Robert Stroud, the prison lifer who became an expert on birds.
Cast: Burt Lancaster, Karl Malden, Thelma Ritter, Betty Field Dir: John Frankenheimer

10:45pm [Horror/Science-Fiction] Birds, The (1963)
In a California coastal area, flocks of birds unaccountably make deadly attacks on humans.
Cast: Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette Dir: Alfred Hitchcock

1:00am [Musical] Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
A rock star's personal appearance turns a small town into a disaster area.
Cast: Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margret, Maureen Stapleton Dir: George Sidney

3:00am [Horror/Science-Fiction] Thunderbirds Are Go (1968)
Puppet heroes race around the world to rescue a stolen experimental plane.
Cast: Sylvia Anderson, Ray Barrett, Alexander Davion, Peter Dyneley Dir: David Lane


YOU'RE WELCOME.

Highly Recommended.

Here at The Talented Winfrey Family, we like telling our readers about things they may not know about (Paula's Farty for example).  Today, I recommend to you Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.  Ther trailer is below.

Anyway, this movie is fuckin' nuts.  First of all, look at that cast.  Second of all, it is a legitimately good movie.  Yeah, it's crazy, but it's not just a wacky 70s movie.  I can honestly say that I've never seen a movie like this one.  

PS

I hope y'all got your free piece of Kentucky Grilled Chicken today.