grrgoyl: (Default)
::i ♥ huckabees:: )

Tery took away from the film only the message that our enemy is another side of us, so we should embrace rather than hate them. I took away an overriding urge to return it to the store before noon so I could get a dollar discount on my next rental. In a word, I for one do NOT ♥ huckabees (heh heh. Bet no other reviewer has used THAT line yet). 1/5

::Finding Neverland:: )

The DVD has tons of extras, none of which we watched because we both knew its purchase was inevitable. Johnny just gets better with age. Tery commented (100% accurately) that I would like nothing better than a Scottish!Johnny/Ewan sandwich. She also noted that both of them are married to gorgeous French women. On a more thoughtful and less lascivious note, she feels J.M. Barrie is the perfect prelude to Willy Wonka; the roles are actually very similar, as two men who love children but hate the loss of innocence. Wow, and I thought she was just counting the minutes before she could mindlessly channel-surf again. A resounding 4/5

At this point in the evening we ran out of things to watch, since she wasn't quite ready for more Johnny so soon (I can't explain it, don't ask me). I have been subtly pressuring her into Shaun of the Dead for weeks now, but I know how pointless it is to try to make someone enjoy something if they aren't watching it by choice. She kept insisting she didn't like zombie movies. I was equally insistent that it WASN'T a zombie movie. I even showed her the disc that states clearly "A Romantic Comedy. With Zombies." But I dropped it and we played a few rounds of "Whatcha wanna watch? I dunno, whatchoo wanna watch?" before we settled on some Season 5 South Park. I knew she couldn't tolerate an entire disc full of episodes like I do, but what I didn't expect was halfway through one ep ("The Entity," in which Mr. Garrison creates his exciting new "IT" mobile) when she turned to me suddenly, took a deep breath, and announced, "I'm ready to watch Shaun now."

Yes, our tastes are so disparate that she actually has to steel herself to watch one of the funniest movies ever made (no, she's not an alien, although some days the question is perfectly reasonable). And she claims to love British comedy! So it was especially satisfying when she laughed multiple times and claimed to have enjoyed it very much. She even enthusiastically offered suggestions for my new Shaun icon. I bit my tongue before saying "I told you so." Then the next night, over Easter dinner, it was on to:

::Secret Window:: )

What saddened me was how excited the Hollywood Video girl was about it, how many times she assured me what a good movie it was. Perhaps I should leave her a note suggesting instead you-know-what before she innocently misleads other movie renters. But Johnny was still dreamy. 2/5
grrgoyl: (bonecat)
I'll admit I watched Shaun of the Dead with some trepidation...it was so highly recommended by [livejournal.com profile] swankyfunk, and I am traditionally always disappointed by severely overhyped movies (for example, Star Wars Episodes I and II, or even Harry Potter Episodes I and II). As far as I'm concerned, movies that stick a trailer on every single film 6 months before their release screaming about what a big deal they are and how meaningless your existence will be unless you see them (preferably first on your block) are only setting themselves up to be shot down. And god help you if you post your trailer on some super-secret site that is only spread by the word of mouth of squealing fanboys/girls. Not that [livejournal.com profile] swankyfunk is some kind of one-woman marketing giant that can create hype on a scale like this, but, well, she does talk about it quite a lot.

And rightly so. I laughed, I cried (a little), I laughed some more, I got scared. Mixing humor and horror isn't as easy as it looks, I'm sure, but Shaun succeeds smashingly. I didn't see the raw sexual appeal of Simon Pegg at the beginning, but he got better as he became the impromptu leader of the group. I guess I'd better get used to Bill Nighy, who I'd never heard of before Underworld and now you can't swing a dead cat in a movie (particularly a popular British movie) without hitting him (his funniest part...Shaun: "Mother, there is nothing left in that car of the man you loved" *Phil (Nighy) crawls menacingly into the front seat, only to turn off the headbanging music on the stereo he had been complaining about just before becoming zombified*) Also wahey! a teeny tiny appearance by Matt Lucas (co-star of Little Britain) as the cousin at the end of the other line of survivors (I'd like to think I am the only American who recognized him). I didn't get the whole "dogs can't look up" joke, and Shaun's best friend Ed spent most of the movie teetering dangerously between funny and annoying as hell (kind of like Jack Black). I am not a big enough fan of the zombie genre to catch what I am sure were multiple homages and references, but I did recognize the "closing the medicine cabinet to reveal someone in the mirror standing behind the hero" from American Werewolf in London, because the commentary I just watched on that movie pointed out how much that has been used since they did it. I also never understand why people in zombie movies don't just get in a car and keep driving, instead of stopping somewhere and getting trapped. The same reason I suppose that coeds don't put their clothes back on and get in the car and leave the cabin in the woods at the first whiff of danger.

As much as I enjoyed Shaun, I might have loved it even more if I weren't mostly braindead (like a zombie, haha) from a 10-hour day of work. I did know instantly that I wanted to own it so I didn't bother with most of the (many, many) bonus features on this viewing. I am looking forward to the two (!) commentaries. And I now know enough to be hella jealous that Meisje got to meet the stars of the film. This is the feel-good zombie movie of the year! 4.5 out of 5

We also rented Garden State on my sister's suggestion (and everyone else's). I won't go into much detail about it as it is a quiet little movie, humorous in spots, kick-ass soundtrack, interesting characters. I had my misgivings about Mark once I recognized him as Peter Sarsgaard (who played a very bad, bad person in Boys Don't Cry) but nothing really terrible happens in this movie. I knew there would be a happy ending but didn't cry at first. Then a single tear escaped, catching me by surprise, and they kept coming all through the credits. Again, no bonus features because we knew instantly we wanted to own it. Zach Braff is also gorgeous. 4 out of 5

Speaking of tears, I am just beginning some of the extras on my RotK special edition, and it seems like every single chapter ends with the team in question posing for a group shot that is then slowly panned over. I would like just once to not be moved to tears by this (although it would help if this weren't the last movie). Damn you, Pete Jackson. When is The Hobbit coming out?

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