"The Road" - In Movie Theaters October 16, 2009

"The Road" movie- based on the Pulitzer Prize-winner bestseller from acclaimed novelist Cormac McCarthy ("No Country For Old Men") is set to hit movie theaters this October. "The Road" is a dramatic thriller/sci-fi story about a father and his young son struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic America. All they have is each other.

The book was my favorite of last year. The bond and love between father and his young son and the sci-fi description of a cruel/devastated world in the future, had such brilliant writing, I ended up finishing the book in one sitting & even convinced my husband to read the book. I've been looking forward to the movie ever since. If done right it should be a beautiful movie that will move you to tears and haunt you for weeks afterward. Previously I read that it ran into budget/financing problems and they didn't even think it would be released - but now it looks like it will be.

In the movie "The Road" the father is played by Oscar nominee Viggo Mortensen, and son by newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee. Oscar winners Robert Duvall (who plays the Old Man) and Charlize Theron (who plays the wife appearing in flashbacks) make brief but "resonating appearances". The movie is done by The Weinstein Company (the same studio that did "No Country For Old Men").

Can't wait to see it on the big screen!

Nothing Compares 2 U - by The Coconutz

I caught this flick, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" on a recent flight back from Europe. It's a cute movie with a good soundtrack. At the end of the movie there's this version of Sinead O'Connor's - "Nothing Compares to you," by The Coconutz. Check it out - a haunting rendition entirely in Hawaiian.

Mothers and Daughters (the movie - Evening)

I just watched a touching little movie called, "Evening". It stars Vanessa Redgrave who plays the part of Ann, a 65 year old cancer patient on her deathbed as she thinks back upon her life, loves, dreams - and her youthful passions and later disappointments - as she goes in and out of morphine induced dreams of the past, to the present. "Ann is a woman whose ardent past allows her to face death while savoring the exhilaration that marked her full and passionate life." She has two adult daughters watching over her as her life draws to an end. The theme is "there are no mistakes in life."

The movie was adapted from the novel of the same name "Evening" by Susan Minot. I'm sure the movie only scratched the surface of the story and I can't wait to read the book.

As I listened to Natasha Richardson who plays the first born daughter, talking to her mother played by Vanessa Redgrave, I couldn't get over how much their voices sounded alike. I thought at first it was really good acting and voice coaching on her part. Then I read that she was playing daughter to her real life mother.

Another real life mother/daughter due that appear in the film

Mamie Gummer plays the younger version of her real-life mother Meryl Streep.

Other notable actors in the movie

1) Claire Danes

2) Toni Collette

3) Patrick Wilson

4) Glenn Close

Sex and the City movie

This was one of my favorite scenes. No spoilers here.

U. kept telling me not to see it because it was getting horrible reviews . Yet, I kept hearing from women how much they loved it. Just about every woman I've come into contact with in the last week has asked me if I've seen the movie yet and told me that they really enjoyed it - couldn't believe it had so much nudity and sex scenes - and one lady even told me she cried at the end. So with U. being in Germany and tonight being our usual date night - I made a game time decision to go see Sex and the City.

And I liked it. (It feels a little bit like the old classic LIFE cereal commercial - "Mikey he likes it. He really likes it.")

It was great seeing the girls again.

I went in with low expectations. They could have done so many things wrong and made the characters into caricatures of themselves. But the writers did a good job. It had its contrived moments of course, as well as bad fashion choices, but what made up for it were many touching and bonding moments that made it watchable and enjoyable. I even teared up and laughed at moments. It was like seeing old friends again and not realizing how much you missed them.

Will I rent it and force U. to watch it? Probably not. It's a major chick flick. But I have to admit it was fun too!

Iron Man (an enjoyable modern day comic hero with a believeable Robert Downey Jr. but what was Gweneth Paltrow doing in that movie?)

I think that's the longest title I've ever given a blog post.

I saw the movie "Iron Man" at The Vista tonight. Before I get into the movie, let me just say that I love that movie theatre. With it's Hollywood Egyptian motif (you know whoever they commissioned to make those 10 huge Egyptian heads is still talking about it - or his/her surviving family members are), a single/huge theatre (you never have to tell the ticket master what movie you want to see because there is only one) and lots of leg room (unheard of in today's theaters).

So how was the movie?
I expected the worst. When U. told me he wanted to see this movie I made him promise that he'd go and see a chick flick with me....one that he would NEVER under usual circumstances go and see in the movie theater (like the Lars and the Real Girl). The big draw for me was seeing a movie at The Vista, and seeing Robert Downey, Jr. (who I think is a brilliant actor). So I was blown away when the movie opened in Afghanistan. Talk about a true modern day comic book hero!

I was entertained throughout the entire movie. Robert Downey, Jr. plays a believable comic book hero and the technology they feature in the movie is awesome. Like when he's building this model of a high tech arm, and reaches into the floating hologram design to try it out. It was a fun, "popcorn movie" as U. likes to describe big blockbuster films. You know you're not going in to see an Oscar movie, and feel a bit guilty that you're not watching a movie with artistic merit, (we were considering the documentary about Abu Ghraib, but not on mother's day - just too disturbing and upsetting - although we still plan to see it). But it was an entertaining, action packed movie.

Jeff Bridges was good in it too. I couldn't figure out why Gweneth Paltrow was in this movie though. She plays a small part as the main character's personal assistant and love interest. She takes like 4th billing in the movie and that role does nothing to showcase her talent or further her acting career (as a serious actress that is). Whenever she would appear in the movie they seemed to focus on her body (tight skirts and backless dress), and she seemed to have difficulty walking in those stiletto heels.

But overall 2 thumbs up from both U. and I.

Growing up without turning into Annette Bening's character from American Beauty

It's funny how life works. For years you think in terms of "when I grow up" and then one day you suddenly realize you're all grown up when your husband remarks, "That's all good, but just make sure you don't turn into the Annette Bening character from American Beauty."

Who can forget that unforgettable slapping scene where Annette Bening's character Caryoln, the suburban wife, mother and real estate agent is trying to sell that crappy house, and behind closed vertical mini blinds her keeping-up-appearances crumbles and she loses it and starts slapping her face hysterically, telling herself she is weak?

For the first time in my life my compensation is enough to support my husband and family. Just me alone. Who would have thought? It wasn't too long ago that my husband supported me so I could take a year sabbatical to teach, and then stay home with our daughter. Now that U. has started his own company, I'm happy to be able to do the same for him to support his dreams and aspirations.

My rising star and ambition is great as long as I have balance in my life, but I don't ever want my husband smoking out in the garage having a mid life crisis (fantasizing about working as a fast food clerk) while all I'm concerned about is my next commission. It's important that we're both not so caught up in the rat race that we forget about what's really important to us.

So on our date night tonight, after dinner and drinks - we did something a bit out of the ordinary - something we haven't done since we were kids. We went to our local neighborhood carnival in Cypress Park for Cinco de Mayo and rode the Super Slide. Seeing my husband's big smile as he sat on his blanket, gliding down that long slide was priceless.

Yes, honey I'll always try to remember your comment about not turning into Annette Bening's character from American Beauty. That was a pearl of wisdom I'll try and live by.

Happy Groundhog Day 2008!

Photos from http://www.groundhog.org/

Punxsutawney Phil's prediction for 2008:
Six more weeks of winter!

Scenes from Punxsutawney, PA this morning
Everything you wanted to know about Groundhog Day

A behind the scenes look at Groundhog Day at the Groundhog Capitol of the world: Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

Increased popularity thanks to the movie

In years prior, a good year brought out 3,000 to 5,000 people. After the movie, crowds soared to 30,000. It's on my list of things to do and places to visit.

The Cult Classic Movie

Bill Murray in the role of weatherman Phil Connors who is sent to Punxsutawney, PA to cover the story about a weather forecasting "rat" and finds himself repeating the same day over and over again.

I never get tired of watching it.

Los Feliz 3 - Mommy & Me Wednesday Matinee

(Pictured above: My kid all smiles after watching her first movie.)

Los Feliz 3
1822 Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90027,
http://www.losfeliz.com/online/losfel3.htm

The Los Feliz 3 movie theater offers "Mommy & Me Matinee" every Wednesday at 10:30 A.M.

Admission
$4.50 for adults. Children under 4 are free.

Top 3 Reasons to Go

1. You can see a movie without having to get a babysitter. (And if your kid is old enough - it's pretty awesome to share that "first time at the movies" experience with them.)

2. You don't have to wait until your kid is old enough to know what movies are playing, and begs and pleads for you to take them to see some annoying Disney movie. In other words, you pick the movie YOU want to see.

3. You won't annoy anyone if your kid makes noise, because everyone in the theater has a kid and understands how it is. In fact your kid can even walk around and play in the aisles if they want to.

Best movie to see
My daughter and I saw Juno. It was the ideal movie for a "mommy & me matinee" because there wasn't a lot of action, and the plot wasn't complicated - so when I looked away from the screen to attend to my kid, or when another kid in the movie theater was crying, I didn't miss anything.

The cheapest movie you ever saw could turn into the most expensive
Wednesdays between 12:00 and 3:00 there's street cleaning, so just just make sure you don't park on that side of the street, to avoid getting a $50 parking ticket.

Hurray for Hollywood - the 2008 Oscar nominations

In 2007-2008, U. and I vigilantly went to the movies, determined to see the all the best movies of the year. I thought we did pretty well, until I saw the nominations for the 80th Annual Academy Awards (announced on Tuesday). So the following list is more of a reminder to myself which movies I still have to see.

*Movies/Performances I've seen

Nominations for Best Picture

1. Atonement*
2. Juno
3. Michael Clayton*
4. No Country For Old Men*
5. There Will Be Blood*

Nominations for Best Actor

1. George Clooney (Michael Clayton)*
2. Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)*
3. Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd)
4. Tommy Lee Jones (In The Valley of Elah)
5. Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises)

Nominations for Best Actress

1. Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth: The Golden Age)
2. Julie Christie (Away From Her)*
3. Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose)*
4. Laura Linney (The Savages)*
5. Ellen Page (Juno)

Nominations for Best Supporting Actor

1. Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford)
2. Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men)*
3. Philip Seymour Hoffman (Charlie Wilson's War)*
4. Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild)
5. Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton)*

Nominations for Best Supporting Actress

1. Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There)
2. Ruby Dee (American Gangster)*
3. Saoirse Ronan (Atonement)*
4. Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)
5. Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)*

Nominations for Best Director

1. Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)*
2. Jason Reitman (Juno)
3. Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton)*
4. Ethan Coen & Joel Coen (No Country For Old Men)*
5. Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)

Nominations for Best Documentary

1. No End In Sight
2. Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience
3. Sicko
4. Taxi to the Dark Side
5. War/Dance

Nominations for Best Foreign Language Film

1. Beaufort
2. The Counterfeiters
3. Katyn
4. Mongol
5. 12

Nominations for Best Original Screenplay

1. Juno
2. Lars and the Real Girl
3. Michael Clayton*
4. Ratatouille
5. The Savages*

Nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Atonement*
2. Away From Her*
3. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly*
4. No Country for Old Men*
5. There Will Be Blood*

Click here to view all the nominations.

"Space...the final frontier" - Star Trek XI Teaser

The new Star Trek movie is being directed by J.J. Abrams (of LOST fame) and is due out Christmas of 2008. The teaser doesn't give away much other than the ship will be called "Enterprise." But I'm still intrigued.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

When was the last time you saw a movie that changed the way you look at life?

Not since "The Joy Luck Club" and "English Patient" have I been so moved by a film. The story itself is remarkable and full of heartbreak and hope. The film is mesmerizing with beautiful images woven throughout it. The image of the hair blowing in the wind with a U2 song blaring, had me sobbing. It's just one example of a small detail so full of sensory and symbolic imagery set off by an awesome, perfectly chosen soundtrack that touched me so deeply, without explanation.

Initial hesitation to see the movie
When I heard about this movie my first thought was, "Depressing." It sounded similar to "My Left Foot" which I loved, but I wasn't sure I was in the mood for a depressing movie. Then I heard an interview with the director, Julian Schnabel (also a painter) on the radio, about the movie. (Thank God for artists. They make the world more interesting.) That's when I decided I had to see the movie.

Although it's a sad story, it's also life affirming.

I'm currently reading the book that the film is based on.

The True Life StoryIn December 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby, the 43 year old editor of French Elle magazine, suffered a massive stroke that left him completely and permanently paralyzed.

(A photo of the real life Jean-Dominique Bauby.)

A victim of "locked in syndrome" his brain is still intact and he can think, hope, imagine, and dream, but his brain stem no longer communicates with his spinal chord which leaves him paralyzed from head to toe, imprisoned in his own body, unable to move or speak. He describes the feeling as a giant invisible diving bell holding his whole body prisoner. His only means of communication is done by blinking his left eye. His imagination allows him to transcend his ordeal and take flight like a butterfly. Jean-Dominique Bauby went on to write his memoir entitled, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" in which he painstakingly dictated it letter by letter as the alphabet was recited to him, signaling the correct letter with the blink of his left eye. The book took about 200,000 blinks to write and each word took approximately two minutes.He died just days after the French publication of his book.

Rave Reviews

"The sentences soar, unburdened by self-pity or despair, and the progression of short, lyrical chapters begin to resemble the beat of wings." - The New Yorker

"The most remarkable memoir of our time - perhaps of any time." - Cynthia Ozick

"Mesmerizing." - Newsweek

"Read this book and fall back in love with life..." - Edmund White

Trivia

• Johnny Depp was originally cast to play the lead role of Jean-Dominique Bauby in the film, but then was wrapped up in The Pirates of the Carribbean movie and was unavailable.

• The actress Emmanuelle Seigner, who plays the common law wife and mother of Jean-Dominique Bauby's children, also sings on the soundtrack. She's the lead singer of the band Ultra Orange & Emmanuelle (since 2006). She's also married to famous director Roman Polanski (since 1989), and they have two children together.

Soundtrack
I read that a soundtrack album just came out December 11th via Hollywood record that won't actually have a physical release (you can only get it digitally in stores). Here's a list of the songs used in the movie.

1. "Theme for 'The Diving Bell & the Butterfly'" by Paul Cantelon


2. "La Mer" - Performed by Charles Trenet (opening credits)


3. "Je Chante Sous La Pluie" (French adaptation of "Singin' in the Rain")


4. "Chains of Love" - Performed by the Dirtbombs


5. "Concerto for Piano in F Minor, BMV 1056 - Largo" (J.S. Bach)


6. "Napoli Milionaria" (Nina Rota)


7. "All the World is Green" - Performed by Tom Waits


8. "Pauvre Petite Fille Riche" (Vline Buggy/Hubert Giraud)


9. "Lolita Love Theme" (Robert J. Harris)


10. "Ultra Violet (Light My Way)" - Performed by U2 (Lourdes flashback/Day scenes)


11. "Don't Kiss Me Goodbye" - Performed by Ultra Orange with Emmanuelle (Lourdesflashback/Night scenes)


12. "Pale Blue Eyes" - Performed by the Velvet Underground


13. "Happy Birthday to You" (Patty & Mildred Hill)


14. "Quatre Cents Coup" - title track from the Francois Truffaut film


15. "Ramshackle Day Parade" - Performed by Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros (End credits song #1)


16. "Green Grass" - Performed by Tom Waits (End credits song #2)

No Country for Old Men

Tonight I saw the new Coen brother's movie, No Country for Old Men based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy.

Review
The movie is worth seeing despite the awful title, (which no one can seem to remember). Take a classic shoot em up, chase em down, wild west outlaw movie with a cold blooded villain; modernize it and throw in lots and lots of violence, add one psychopathic killer, pepper with good actors and some Coen brother's humor - and you've got the recipe for this movie.

Within the first 1o minutes of this movie you see a man being strangled to death, and afterwards you're shown the scuff marks his boots left on the white linoleum floor as he struggled. It's shocking. The violence-o-dometer is off the charts. You see people getting killed in new and unique ways never before seen in a film. At the end of the movie I had a fever, literally from being so disturbed. I don't know what was more disturbing though...the violence in the movie...or the guy sitting next to me at the Arc Light who laughed while watching a man choke on his own blood.

But in summary, it's a movie that leaves questions in the end, and you're left thinking about those questions long after the film has ended. Plot
"Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande."

The cast includes Tommy Lee Jones (the Sheriff, Ed Tom Bell)
As always, he has the Texas drawl / speak down pat. He's believable as a 3rd generation lawman. He had some great lines. I'd like to see him nominated for an Oscar for this part.
Javier Bardem (if the Grim Reaper were human, Anton Chigurh)
He gave a bone chilling portrayal of a villain / killer. I also hope he's nominated for an Oscar for this role. Josh Brolin (the main character, Llewelyn Moss)
Who knew the teenager from The Goonies would grow up to play such a bad*ss? Woody Harrelson (the gentleman bounty-hunter, Carson Wells)
He's a hired man and cowboy with a sense of humor. I only wish there was more of him in this movie. There's even a cameo by Stephen Root (the actor who played "Milton" the guy with the stapler, in the movie Office Space), who plays the Boss in this film. It was fun to see him as a completely different character.

Control

Above is the official trailer for Control - the film about the life and death of Ian Curtis, who was the lead singer of the pioneering English post-punk band Joy Division.

Ian Curtis committed suicide at the age of 23, on the eve of the band's first American tour in 1980. The remaining members later reformed as New Order.

Review
The film is shot entirely in black and white to resemble black and white period photographs, and does a good job of capturing the look of 70's Manchester, England. The star Sam Riley who portrays Ian Curtis does an excellent job of depicting Curtis' youth and vulnerability.

Samantha Morton, who plays Ian Curtis' wife Deborah Curtis, however feels horribly miscast. Usually brilliant in any role she plays, and one of my favorite actresses, she just seems too old for the part (playing opposite to Sam Riley) and their love connection was not believable.

Alexandra Maria Lara, the German actress who plays Annik Honoré, (Ian Curtis' mistress), the Belgian journalist who met Ian Curtis while Joy Division was on their European tour, was perfectly cast. She looked the part and every time you saw the couple on the big screen, you felt their chemistry. (Sparks must have flown off the set as well because both actors are now linked romantically and are said to be a couple.)

The movie is based on the book by Deborah Curtis: "Touching From A Distance" and it's still all speculation (from his wife's perspective) on why Ian Curtis killed himself. My biggest complaint about the movie is that it doesn't offer any additional insight into the singer, the myth. But if you're a Joy Division fan, the movie is pure eye candy to watch, and it's great to see recreations of gigs they played and hearing their music again.

Jimmy Carter for President anyone?

This is a documentary I don't want to miss.

"Jimmy Carter Man from Plains" is an intimate portrait of a Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States of America (1977-1981), Nobel Peace Prize winner (2002), and great American statesman who continues to work to promote human rights and act as an international peace broker. The documentary film is scheduled to be released to movie theaters on October 26, 2007.

The film was directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Jonathan Demme, whose documentary credits include "The Silence of the Lambs" (which he won an Academy Award for directing), "Philadelphia", "Neil Young: Heart of Gold" and the Talking Heads concert movie "Stop Making Sense."

"Every time I see this film, President Carter makes me believe that - as frightening and appalling as so many things are in the world today - that there is nevertheless a very real possibility for peace and better lives for future generations if we strive to somehow get along and if we aspire to defining the upside of being human." - Jonathan Demme

Thank you Mr. President.

View Trailer

Blade Runner - 25th Anniversary (Final Cut)

“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe….all those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain.”

Yes, yet another version of the movie, called the "Final Cut" of the 1982 classic cult movie Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott is now playing in theatres to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the film.

There's also a box set for sale which features a digitally remastered version of the film (that they've been working on since the year 2000), plus a 3 hour documentary, interviews with cast and crew, 45 minutes of "never before seen" deleted scenes, and 5 other versions of the film.

I'm a big fan of the film (and Philip K. Dick stories) so I'm excited to be able to see it and the backdrop of futuristic Los Angeles in the year 2019 on the big screen for the first time. It's playing at the Landmark theatre starting this Friday.

The LANDMARK
10850 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064

Tickets & Showtimes

In the Shadow of the Moon

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Summary: "In the Shadow of the Moon" is a documentary film by Ron Howard about the race to the moon, Apollo 11 - the first successful manned lunar landing mission, and the subsequent lunar expeditions. The surviving crew members from NASA's Apollo missions tell their story in their own words.

Review: An uplifting, inspiration film about a time in US history when we were seen as true pioneers. The first lunar landing gave the country (and entire world) a sense of pride and accomplishment. I loved the behind the scenes stories told by the astronauts themselves. (Alan Bean from Apollo 12 is really funny.) I found the first hand accounts to be insightful, heartfelt, and eye opening. The only criticism I have of the film is that it does not have a face to face interview with Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. The film does try it's best to feature him in archive footage, and the other astronauts talk about him, but the man's absence in the film is still noticeable (and perplexing!).

Courage vs. Bravery
While watching the documentary I was reminded of a word game I sometimes listen to on the radio - one question was, "What's the difference between "courage" and "bravery". People with courage can do brave things but they're still afraid. Those who are brave have no fear. These astronauts were truly brave and real heroes with "the right stuff."

Plaque on the Moon

Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted a plaque on the lunar surface on 20 July 1969. It reads: "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon, July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind."

Buzz Aldrin
"We feel this stands as a symbol of the insatiable curiosity of all mankind to explore the unknown." Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.

Did you know Buzz Aldrin was the 1st astronaut to have a Ph.D. and his nickname was "Dr. Rendezvous"? He was also the 1st one to pee on the moon. What did you think he was doing when he stopped at the bottom on the ladder?

Afterthought
So when are we going to Mars?

Wanderlust ("Out of Africa")

The video clip above is the flight over Africa scene from "Out of Africa".

My friend Trailhead (who's back after a blog sabbatical) writes:
"I awoke the other morning with this scene from Out of Africa on my mind. I searched for it on youtube, and voila. I grabbed the book on the way out the door to re-read on the plane."

From one sister to another with a bad case of Wanderlust and itching to travel travel travel - I can relate. When I haven't flown the coop in awhile, I find myself unable to concentrate and my mind wanders, fantasizing about remote areas of the world.

This goes way back - In the 1st grade, my teacher told my parents I was a bright student but I had a problem with daydreaming. I would stare out the classroom window and be completely caught up in a daydream, instead of paying attention to the teacher. (Her remedy was to seat me at a desk away from the windows.)

When I was older, I used to order all sorts of travel brochures which at that time were mailed to the house. My dad probably thought I was running off to Timbuktu and asked, "Are you going somewhere?"

And more often than not, my daydreaming involves scenes from movies with beautiful scenery with "brings tears to my eyes - moving" soundtracks. I'm not ashamed to admit, Hollywood has influenced my own personal imagery.

With that said - I've got a tentative trip to the Canary Islands planned for this year. I can't wait to explore! And then there's traveling through familiar, beloved European countries - my version of Disneyland. In the meantime I've got a handful of other trips within the US scheduled including one state I've never been to.

And Trailhead just because you reminded me, now I have to get the movie AND read the book. What a beautiful story (and Robert Redford)!

The Plimsouls - A Million Miles Away (Valley Girl - 1983)

This is a video clip of the club scene from the 1983 movie "Valley Girl" featuring the pop band The Plimsouls playing two of their songs, "Oldest Story in the World" and "A Million Miles Away".

Check out the young Nicolas Cage as he and his Valley Girl crush "Julie" discuss the underground Hollywood scene vs. the cookie cutter Valley.

Does anyone remember the side story involving Suzi and her stepmom vying for the attention of Skip the grocery delivery boy? And Julie's pot smoking, hippy parents? Classic.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch in Korea

I've always loved Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the music video-esque movie about a transsexual punk/glam rock girl from East Berlin who tours the US with her rock band as she tells her life story and follows the ex-boyfriend/bandmate who stole her songs. Great songs & makeup & costumes, endearing German accent, East Berlin setting, boy who loves boy who meets girl...you get the gist.

But I think I love it even more now that I saw this post on Margaret Cho's blog with a photo of her good friend John Cameron Mitchell, who went to Korea and performed for thousands of Hedwig fans wearing a traditional Korean braided wig and Hambok (traditional Korean dress)! What a sweet gesture to connect with the audience!
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Which reminds me - back on July 15th I went to KCRW's World Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. I went to see Groove Armada, but the headliner was Café Tacuba. I'd never heard a single song of theirs, but I knew they were an eclectic band from Mexico obviously endorsed by Nic Harcourt, the host of KCRW - so they couldn't be all that bad right?

I stuck around even after the crazy knitted half mask/half skull caps came out that looked like a cross between a Mexican wrestler mask and a rooster (with the crest on top). Hey I didn't get it but seeing the father of 3 wearing it made me smile and I went with it, hoping that I'd experience something new and interesting that night that I'd never been exposed to before.

Then the lead singer took the mike and started speaking to the audience. He said a lot before and after each song but it was all in Spanish. Someone behind us shouted, "We need subtitles!" After a few songs and realizing that the guy was not going to even attempt a single English phrase - there was a mass exodus of people.

Really a shame since there were so many people in the audience being exposed to the band for the first time, and if he had at least said something like "Hello Los Angeles!" (come on how hard can that be?) many people would have felt like it was a nice gesture to connect with those who didn't speak Spanish. But he continued to only connect with the Spanish speakers and alienated all others.
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I'll never go and see Cafe Tacuba again, but seeing a photo of Hedwig in Korea wearing a traditional Korean getup makes me wish that I was there in the audience watching the musical live. It's a small gesture but it goes a long way.

The Movie - "Knocked Up"

"Knocked Up" is quite possibly the best date movie for couples. The movie is sweet, witty, and laugh out loud funny.

Written and directed by Judd Apatow ("The 40 Year Old Virgin", "Anchorman"), the movie stars Katherine Heigl (from Grey's Anatomy) and Seth Rogen. It also has a lot of actors from the cult television series, "Freaks and Geeks".Harold Ramis has a cameo where he plays the dad of Seth Rogen's character. The scene where father and son have a heart to heart is pure genius comedy writing.

Here's the trailer on YouTube.

It's a true "he said/she said" movie.

He Said

My husband found the running joke with the "bet" to be hilarious.

Ben Stone: "Your face looks like Robin Williams' knuckles."

She Said

I found the scene where the older sister mixes up the pregnancy tests and erroneously thinks she's pregnant - again! - and freaks out for a minute - to be so honest and real that it tickled my funny bone.

We Said

We both found the pink-eye scene to be so funny that you're not allowed to drink and watch that scene at the same time without risking it shooting out your nose.

Urban Legend?

Which reminds me...I still have to research if pink eye can really be transmitted like that. (Don't want to spoil the punch line if you haven't seen it yet.)