Go back to: First quarter, Second quarter or Third quarter.
In theater:
-The Skin I Live In: This was quite a strange film. I guess Almodovar's films are usually on the dark and odd side, but this was extremely weird. A few loopholes and a slight creep factor. I'd watch it again just to see other peoples' reactions.
Via Netflix:
-Marwencol : This was a super interesting and strange documentary about a man who suffered a traumatic brain injury and created a fictional 1/6 scale world to obsess over.
-Sylvia : This is a movie about Sylvia Plath. I was worried this movie would be extremely depressing, and it was a bit depressing, but mostly it made me appreciate my life and feel very sorry for people with serious depression.
-The High Cost of Living : I had a hard time believing Zach Braff as a drug dealer, but this movie was good. I didn't get bored and definitely a dark sort of rom-com.
-Tiny Furniture : This was a quirky comedy/coming of age sort of thing. I liked it very much except for the ending.
A variety of creations and ramblings from Michelle Suzanne
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Saturday, October 01, 2011
Movie Log 2011, Third Quarter
Go back to: First quarter or Second quarter.
I was slacking in the movie watching department this quarter! I'll have to catch up before the Oscars!
In theater:
-Bridesmaids: So funny and great. I just love Kristin Wiig!
-The Help: I loved this book and the movie was also pretty great. I was not sure how they were going to pull it off, but it was a good adaptation.
Via Netflix:
-Winter's Bone: Beautiful and haunting but a bit slow and anti climactic.
-Gonzo: Interesting but I felt like it started dragging during the last half hour or so.
-Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father: This documentary was very sad and almost unbelievable but also very touching. I really liked it even though it was pretty depressing.
-Gonzo: I forget the full title of this but it is a relatively recent documentary about Hunter S. Thompson. An interesting film about a man I knew very little about.
-Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired: This was a very interesting movie about Roman Polanski and all the drama surrounding him. I liked it very much.
-Bill Cunningham New York: I had heard a lot of great things about this documentary and finally it popped up on Netflix Instant. I loved this movie from start to finish. I wish Bill Cunningham was my grandpa.
I watched a few others, but nothing notable and I was bad about writing my instant impressions.
I was slacking in the movie watching department this quarter! I'll have to catch up before the Oscars!
In theater:
-Bridesmaids: So funny and great. I just love Kristin Wiig!
-The Help: I loved this book and the movie was also pretty great. I was not sure how they were going to pull it off, but it was a good adaptation.
Via Netflix:
-Winter's Bone: Beautiful and haunting but a bit slow and anti climactic.
-Gonzo: Interesting but I felt like it started dragging during the last half hour or so.
-Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father: This documentary was very sad and almost unbelievable but also very touching. I really liked it even though it was pretty depressing.
-Gonzo: I forget the full title of this but it is a relatively recent documentary about Hunter S. Thompson. An interesting film about a man I knew very little about.
-Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired: This was a very interesting movie about Roman Polanski and all the drama surrounding him. I liked it very much.
-Bill Cunningham New York: I had heard a lot of great things about this documentary and finally it popped up on Netflix Instant. I loved this movie from start to finish. I wish Bill Cunningham was my grandpa.
I watched a few others, but nothing notable and I was bad about writing my instant impressions.
Friday, July 01, 2011
Movie Log 2011, Second Quarter
Second quarter of movies I have seen this year, 2011. (Go back to first quarter...)
In the theater:
Black Swan: Wow, so intense! From the start, not a dull moment. Thought the black swan character could have been more developed, but nonetheless, loved it.
Jane Eyre: A good interpretation of a great novel. I don't see why they had to start in the middle and tell the story in flashbacks but felt the essence of the love story remained intact. Loved it.
The King's Speech: This movie was a lot more entertaining than I thought it was going to be, though still a tad slow. I liked it a lot, nevertheless, and even watched a show on PBS about the real story the following day.
Beginners: I got to go to a free screening of this film and didn't expect too much from it. The movie was probably the best film I have seen in the theater in a very long time. It was very real and sad, about love and loss. Ewan MacGregor with an American accent is just a little bit weird though.
Midnight in Paris: Owen Wilson and Woody Allen found that time machine I have been searching for forever, and it's in Paris! This movie was so magical and I loved every minute of it, even though Owen Wilson usually kind of annoys me. When it ended I felt a little sad that it was over, the same way I feel about books that I love.
Water for Elephants: I read this book so long ago that I barely remember a lot of the details. I thought this movie was pretty good. I probably would have seen it even if I hadn't read the book, simply because I love circus stuff. But Reese W. and that kid from Twilight just were not very believable. The elephant was the star, obviously.
Netflix:
The 400 Blows: Watched this many years ago and was not disappointed with this revisit. Such a wonderful story of youth.
Dorian Gray: A newish interpretation of the Oscar Wilde story that came out in 2009 I think with Colin Firth playing Lord Henry. Recently read the book and figured why not watch the film? I kind of hated this movie and wished I did not watch it. They really kind of twisted the story, especially the ending and made it into a weird mystery, all while dragging the story on and on for no reason.
Pie in the Sky: A documentary about Brigid Berlin, an artist from the Andy Warhol factory days with OCD. A super interesting lady and I loved this movie.
The Joneses: When you are feeling Californication withdrawals, this dark comedy with David Duchovny and Demi Moore will fit the bill, even if the story is a bit ridiculous.
My Father, The Genius: This documentary focuses on a daughter following around her father, an architect, learning a lot about him and trying to understand him. I liked it quite a lot.
Dogtooth: This was the most disturbing movie I have seen in quite some time. Not unwatchable, very interesting and unpredictable. Netflix definitely had it categorized right under "dysfunctional family movies."
The Kite Runner: For some dumb reason I never read this book or saw this movie. I really enjoyed it and even cried a little bit. Now I wish I had read the book!
Hounddog: This movie sounded like a less depressing version of Precious. However, it was still pretty depressing even if it was filled with Dakota Fanning singing Elvis. Also, I hated the ending. (What gives with endings?!)
Beneath Our Skin: This was a very interesting documentary about Lyme Disease. An eye opening look at this overlooked disease and a peek into a handful of sufferers lives and doctors who treat the disease. I know this sounds boring, but it was seriously very interesting.
Upsidedown, The Creation Records Story: This documentary about Creation Records out of the UK was very entertaining even though it was quite hard to understand at least 1/3 of what everyone in it was saying. A great music documentary, especially if you are into shoegaze or britpop.
Pushing Daisies: Okay this isn't a movie, but I watched almost all of the 22 episodes in two weeks and that show was so great and cancelled too soon! (I am waiting to get the second season from the library to finish the last few episodes!)
I was hoping to get to see a bunch of movies at the Cannes Film Festival in May but that did not happen at all. Bummer.
Any recommendations???
In the theater:
Black Swan: Wow, so intense! From the start, not a dull moment. Thought the black swan character could have been more developed, but nonetheless, loved it.
Jane Eyre: A good interpretation of a great novel. I don't see why they had to start in the middle and tell the story in flashbacks but felt the essence of the love story remained intact. Loved it.
The King's Speech: This movie was a lot more entertaining than I thought it was going to be, though still a tad slow. I liked it a lot, nevertheless, and even watched a show on PBS about the real story the following day.
Beginners: I got to go to a free screening of this film and didn't expect too much from it. The movie was probably the best film I have seen in the theater in a very long time. It was very real and sad, about love and loss. Ewan MacGregor with an American accent is just a little bit weird though.
Midnight in Paris: Owen Wilson and Woody Allen found that time machine I have been searching for forever, and it's in Paris! This movie was so magical and I loved every minute of it, even though Owen Wilson usually kind of annoys me. When it ended I felt a little sad that it was over, the same way I feel about books that I love.
Water for Elephants: I read this book so long ago that I barely remember a lot of the details. I thought this movie was pretty good. I probably would have seen it even if I hadn't read the book, simply because I love circus stuff. But Reese W. and that kid from Twilight just were not very believable. The elephant was the star, obviously.
Netflix:
The 400 Blows: Watched this many years ago and was not disappointed with this revisit. Such a wonderful story of youth.
Dorian Gray: A newish interpretation of the Oscar Wilde story that came out in 2009 I think with Colin Firth playing Lord Henry. Recently read the book and figured why not watch the film? I kind of hated this movie and wished I did not watch it. They really kind of twisted the story, especially the ending and made it into a weird mystery, all while dragging the story on and on for no reason.
Pie in the Sky: A documentary about Brigid Berlin, an artist from the Andy Warhol factory days with OCD. A super interesting lady and I loved this movie.
The Joneses: When you are feeling Californication withdrawals, this dark comedy with David Duchovny and Demi Moore will fit the bill, even if the story is a bit ridiculous.
My Father, The Genius: This documentary focuses on a daughter following around her father, an architect, learning a lot about him and trying to understand him. I liked it quite a lot.
Dogtooth: This was the most disturbing movie I have seen in quite some time. Not unwatchable, very interesting and unpredictable. Netflix definitely had it categorized right under "dysfunctional family movies."
The Kite Runner: For some dumb reason I never read this book or saw this movie. I really enjoyed it and even cried a little bit. Now I wish I had read the book!
Hounddog: This movie sounded like a less depressing version of Precious. However, it was still pretty depressing even if it was filled with Dakota Fanning singing Elvis. Also, I hated the ending. (What gives with endings?!)
Beneath Our Skin: This was a very interesting documentary about Lyme Disease. An eye opening look at this overlooked disease and a peek into a handful of sufferers lives and doctors who treat the disease. I know this sounds boring, but it was seriously very interesting.
Upsidedown, The Creation Records Story: This documentary about Creation Records out of the UK was very entertaining even though it was quite hard to understand at least 1/3 of what everyone in it was saying. A great music documentary, especially if you are into shoegaze or britpop.
Pushing Daisies: Okay this isn't a movie, but I watched almost all of the 22 episodes in two weeks and that show was so great and cancelled too soon! (I am waiting to get the second season from the library to finish the last few episodes!)
I was hoping to get to see a bunch of movies at the Cannes Film Festival in May but that did not happen at all. Bummer.
Any recommendations???
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Movie log 2011, First Quarter
I set out to see as many movies as possible in the theater during 2011 as my new year's resolution. I am going to post a quarterly rundown, including my immediate reactions. I am also going to include notable movies that I watched at home via Netflix instant watch, which tend to be documentaries!
Here goes...
In theater:
-True Grit. Loved it! Have to see the original now.
-The Fighter. Marky Mark and Christian Bale were both good but overall the film was too violent for me. Made me very nervous/anxious. Also the ending was stupid.
-Somewhere. Was excited to see this and it thoroughly bored me. An uninteresting and unfunny version of Lost in Translation. Another stupid ending.
-Tron Legacy in 3d. Creepy computerized Jeff Bridges aside, the movie was pretty cool.
-Barney's Version. Meh. A sad story about a not very likeable guy. Pretty forgettable. Kind of feel like I wasted my free movie ticket on this one.
-Red Riding Hood. I feel like this had the potential to be awesome but it was pretty much just like Twilight but with a little more artsy look and no vampires.
Via Netflix:
-Finding Sean. This was a random documentary I found on Netflix and loved. It centers on a 6 year old boy who grew up in the Haight district of San Francisco in the '60s. Really great footage from that time period.
-Exit Through the Gift Shop. This documentary was so great. I did not really know much about Banksy or street art or this film before I watched it which probably made me like it all the more.
-Alice Neel. I found this on Netflix after watching Exit Through the Gift Shop and was so glad I chose to watch it. Never had heard of this fantastic painter but now am a big fan! The film was made by her grandson which made it all the more personal.
-The Cats of Mirikitani. Another art documentary found from Netflix, this was a very touching and interesting story of a Japanese artist living in New York I had never heard of. His story was very interesting, and it has a happy ending.
-District 9. Finally watched this. My feelings are mixed. It was disarming, stressful, extremely engaging, interesting, sad and maybe too real. Liked it a lot but wouldn't want to watch it again, too draining.
Here goes...
In theater:
-True Grit. Loved it! Have to see the original now.
-The Fighter. Marky Mark and Christian Bale were both good but overall the film was too violent for me. Made me very nervous/anxious. Also the ending was stupid.
-Somewhere. Was excited to see this and it thoroughly bored me. An uninteresting and unfunny version of Lost in Translation. Another stupid ending.
-Tron Legacy in 3d. Creepy computerized Jeff Bridges aside, the movie was pretty cool.
-Barney's Version. Meh. A sad story about a not very likeable guy. Pretty forgettable. Kind of feel like I wasted my free movie ticket on this one.
-Red Riding Hood. I feel like this had the potential to be awesome but it was pretty much just like Twilight but with a little more artsy look and no vampires.
Via Netflix:
-Finding Sean. This was a random documentary I found on Netflix and loved. It centers on a 6 year old boy who grew up in the Haight district of San Francisco in the '60s. Really great footage from that time period.
-Exit Through the Gift Shop. This documentary was so great. I did not really know much about Banksy or street art or this film before I watched it which probably made me like it all the more.
-Alice Neel. I found this on Netflix after watching Exit Through the Gift Shop and was so glad I chose to watch it. Never had heard of this fantastic painter but now am a big fan! The film was made by her grandson which made it all the more personal.
-The Cats of Mirikitani. Another art documentary found from Netflix, this was a very touching and interesting story of a Japanese artist living in New York I had never heard of. His story was very interesting, and it has a happy ending.
-District 9. Finally watched this. My feelings are mixed. It was disarming, stressful, extremely engaging, interesting, sad and maybe too real. Liked it a lot but wouldn't want to watch it again, too draining.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
photo update!
January 5th, 2010. Extremely delicious Popeye pizza at Blind Onion!
January 6th, 2010. Gigantic stack of papers to be assembled into packets at work.
This week has been pretty exciting as you can see. Matthew and I also went to see The Fantastic Mr. Fox which was just all around, well, FANTASTIC just about sums it up. What other F words could I use... Furry, Fun, Fancy? Ok I quit. Just go see the movie!
January 6th, 2010. Gigantic stack of papers to be assembled into packets at work.
This week has been pretty exciting as you can see. Matthew and I also went to see The Fantastic Mr. Fox which was just all around, well, FANTASTIC just about sums it up. What other F words could I use... Furry, Fun, Fancy? Ok I quit. Just go see the movie!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Jeez Louise.
I can't believe it has been a month since I wrote in here. Jeeeez. What a slacker. Well what can I blog about, if anyone is even reading this.
My sister is engaged, so I am going to visit her this weekend. I am really looking forward to it because I will get to spend the whole weekend with her rather than trying to fit visiting with her into whatever else I have planned when I visit Sacramento. I will be on her turf (Santa Rosa) and catering to her whims. I hope I survive.
My house is in disarray, as two people are moving out, me and the other lovely lady are switching rooms, and two new people are moving in. Also the new roommates have a cat! Really anxious for all of this moving stuff to be over so I can settle into having my own room for the first time in almost a year. Crazy.
I recently read The Time Traveler's Wife, and then saw the movie a couple days ago. I have very mixed feelings about it all. The book I liked. I really loved it at first, time traveling, mixed up story line, likeable characters. But then I got a little bored with it once reality kicked in. The trailer for the movie has the most horrible song ever in it, making the movie look extremely over the top cheesy, which is what I was afraid they would turn it into. Focusing more on the Romance than the Time Travel. I guess that's what sells. My biggest problem with the movie was just that, but I went into it expecting that. They rushed through all the parts and aspects of the book that I liked and focused mostly on the "reality" which was what kind of bored me in the book. But overall, I think the movie did a good job of bringing to life a portion of the book, but it just wasn't completely encompassing of the full story. If that makes sense. However, I know that a movie that completely translated from the book would be impossible to make since the book spans such a huge amount of time. I could probably go on and really pick the movie apart, but I won't. I liked it. Didn't love it. The book is way better and way more interesting.
Went to see Julie and Julia with V. Very inspirational and once this heat goes away, expect Mostly Soup to be updated like crazy! Haven't been much into cooking at all in the heat.
Went to the Oregon coast recently with my favorite of favorites, and did not want to come back. One day I will live at the beach. One day.
Ok, that's enough outta me.
P.S. If you haven't already, check out Topical Thursday. Really fun blog with lots of great artists contributing! Sort of honored to even be part of it!
<3M
My sister is engaged, so I am going to visit her this weekend. I am really looking forward to it because I will get to spend the whole weekend with her rather than trying to fit visiting with her into whatever else I have planned when I visit Sacramento. I will be on her turf (Santa Rosa) and catering to her whims. I hope I survive.
My house is in disarray, as two people are moving out, me and the other lovely lady are switching rooms, and two new people are moving in. Also the new roommates have a cat! Really anxious for all of this moving stuff to be over so I can settle into having my own room for the first time in almost a year. Crazy.
I recently read The Time Traveler's Wife, and then saw the movie a couple days ago. I have very mixed feelings about it all. The book I liked. I really loved it at first, time traveling, mixed up story line, likeable characters. But then I got a little bored with it once reality kicked in. The trailer for the movie has the most horrible song ever in it, making the movie look extremely over the top cheesy, which is what I was afraid they would turn it into. Focusing more on the Romance than the Time Travel. I guess that's what sells. My biggest problem with the movie was just that, but I went into it expecting that. They rushed through all the parts and aspects of the book that I liked and focused mostly on the "reality" which was what kind of bored me in the book. But overall, I think the movie did a good job of bringing to life a portion of the book, but it just wasn't completely encompassing of the full story. If that makes sense. However, I know that a movie that completely translated from the book would be impossible to make since the book spans such a huge amount of time. I could probably go on and really pick the movie apart, but I won't. I liked it. Didn't love it. The book is way better and way more interesting.
Went to see Julie and Julia with V. Very inspirational and once this heat goes away, expect Mostly Soup to be updated like crazy! Haven't been much into cooking at all in the heat.
Went to the Oregon coast recently with my favorite of favorites, and did not want to come back. One day I will live at the beach. One day.
Ok, that's enough outta me.
P.S. If you haven't already, check out Topical Thursday. Really fun blog with lots of great artists contributing! Sort of honored to even be part of it!
<3M
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Book VS Movie, Revolutionary Road
I was super anxious to see Revolutionary Road, the movie, but decided to read the book first. I sped through it and loved every page. I found it hard to put down and it even made me cry. I saw the movie yesterday. I think it was a pretty good translation from book to film, but having read the book I just felt like I knew way more about the characters than was presented in the movie. Their thoughts and feelings and what they wanted to say but didn't. I think the common belief is that interior monologue in movies cheapens it somehow, but I think it can add a lot sometimes. I mean how were we to know that Shep loved April until he told her so, when in the book that fact is made clear quite early on. I could nit pick this to death, but I won't. Overall I really liked the movie. The dialogue was pretty much straight out of the book and that is what I was hoping would remain unchanged. Also, who doesn't love Kate Winslet? And her really cute outfits! Definitely go see the movie but you should probably also read the book first.
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