In my spare time I like to stalk the trailer section at hulu.com or apple.com, and when that no longer provides diversion I stalk my favorite actors on IMDB to see what I can look forward to. These are some of the movies I’ve been looking forward to for months — and none of them even have trailers out yet.
Youth in Revolt – I read this book recently, and immediately loved it. If you haven’t read it, do it, like now. Nick Twisp is a 14 year kid who is tired of being a virgin and when he falls in love with Sheeni Saunders, there are no lengths to which he won’t go to get her to do the deed with him (think faking his best friend’s death…his friend’s parents had a funeral and everything). It was freakin’ hilarious. The big screen adaptation stars Michael Cera as Nick Twisp, Steve Buscemi and Jean Smart as his trailer trash parents, Zach Galifianakis as Estelle’s boyfriend Jerry, and Justin Long as Sheeni’s pothead older brother. I am so psyched for this movie! Comes out October 30th.
The Lovely Bones – I also read this book, and it was also fantastic. A complete tearjerker, to be sure, but very captivating. Basically, the protagonist Susie is murdered and the story is told from the point of view of her ghost as she watches her family and her murderer. I might have to dig it out of my packed boxes of books for a reread. The big screen adaptation stars Saoirse Ronan (that brat from Atonement), Mark Wahlberg, and Rachel Weisz. Oh! and Michael Imperioli, which I only mention because I’ve been watching The Sopranos on DVD for the last year, or so it feels (seriously, how long was that series??). Directed by Peter Jackson, I have high hopes for this one. Release date is sometime this year.
The Baster – Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston are best friends. When 40-year old Aniston decides she wants a baby she opts to use a turkey baster to get pregnant. Only thing, Jason Bateman switched the “sample” for one of his own. Dum dum dum. Spoiler alert – She’s going to be piiiiissssed! Release date is 2010.
The Invention of Lying – I pretty much worship the ground Ricky Gervais walks on, so throw in Jonah Hill, Jason Bateman, Jeffrey Tambor, Christopher Guest, Tina Fey, Martin Starr, Louis C.K., Nate Corddry, Stephen Merchant, and orange-head Karl Pilkington and I’m sold. You don’t even have to have a plot, maybe just have them stand around talking for two hours. Even better, there is an actual plot, in which there exists a world in which no one lies, until one person decides to start taking advantage of lying for personal gain. Release date is September of this year, so hopefully there will be a trailer out in late July or August. Maybe attached to Funny People?
Fantastic Mr. Fox – One of the lesser known stories of Roald Dahl (and if you don’t know who that is, then I just feel sorry for your childhood), Fantastic Mr. Fox is being adapted by Wes Anderson and stars George Clooney, Owen Wilson, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, and Angelica Huston, or your Typical Wes Anderson Cast. This one is actually stop- animated, as it deals with farmers who get tired of losing chickens to a fox. Normally I detest stop-motion animation, but I’m willing to give this one a chance. Release date is November 2009.
Alice in Wonderland – Finally, someone has decided to do justice to the trippy nightmare that Lewis Carroll concocted and that someone is Tim Burton. I don’t recognize the actress cast as Alice, but Johnny Depp will be the Mad Hatter, Anne Hathaway is the White Queen, and Helena Bonham Carter is The Red Queen. Michael Sheen will follow up his excellent work in Frost/Nixon as The White Rabbit (by the way, why the fuck is he cast in the Twilight sequel New Moon?) and Crispin Glover will play the Knave of Hearts. I’m creeped out already! Release date as of now is March 5, 2010.
Date Night – I have no idea what this movie is about, other than a date night, but it stars Steve Carrell and Tina Fey as a married couple. Release date is 2010.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I – I know, I know. Half Blood Prince isn’t out yet. Well, it should have been released last year. I’m still upset about that. I think this is going to be the darkest of the Harry Potter movies so far- I even saw someone suggest it might get an R rating. Which really, won’t happen, but I can still hope. There will be plenty of violence, I’m sure. November 2010.
Arrested Development – Rumored and talked about for years, I don’t know if this will ever happen. Supposedly everyone is on board. Has a script been written? Shooting been talked about? No idea. IMDB says it’ll come out in 2010, but I think that’s wishful thinking. 2011 at the earliest.
I’ve been stalking IMDB for the trailer for The Time Traveler’s Wife for months now:
I think I’ll try to reread it this summer before it comes out. (August 14)
You can tell by the sheer number of cat photos that I’m starting to run out of ideas. Good thing a change of scenery is coming! (By the way, that is the real DeLorean from Back to the Future. I’m 99% sure.)
If all goes according to plan, very shortly I shall have myself a shiny new MS degree. And that, dear friends, is where I shall part with graduate school. It’s been fun – well, not fun. But educational, at least. Consequently, I am also moving. I haven’t found employment yet, so the final destination has yet to be decided. But, for now at least, I will be heading home to Colorado to enjoy the summer, and if I’m lucky enough to find a job there, much more of the year.
Leaving Los Angeles might be harder than I initially thought it would be. While I am more than happy to leave the traffic and pay parking and smog behind, there is quite a bit I am going to miss. My neighborhood, the copious movie theaters showing all the little indie films, the beach, Trader Joe’s. And I only just discovered Yogurtland. Most of all, I’ll be sad to leave my new-found friends.
So, I probably need to change the name of this blog, huh? I don’t know what the mechanics are involved with changing the url, or if it’s worth the trouble, but I will look into it. Any suggestions?
Now We Can See – The Thermals – The Thermals are an indie rock band out of Portland, OR. I picked this album for May because I really liked the title track, “Now We Can See”. I’d never heard of them before, but this is their fourth studio album. It’s a bit macabre – written from the perspective of a dead person. The first track “When I Died” goes, “Yeah when I died/my head did swell/I said to myself/nature should take its sweet time/ I was already losing my spine.” A lot of the songwriting delves into letting go, giving in and feeling pretty good about it. There’s some interesting commentary on the state of the earth, or rather, the state of the earth and human manipulation of nature. The pronoun “we” is used quite frequently, and you get the distinct impression that Hutch Harris isn’t just including the band. Rating: 4
So – Peter Gabriel – So I’ve been trying to listen to the albums on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, and deciding just go to be too bothersome so I let a random number pick this one. I’m not a huge fan of Peter Gabriel. This album was not my favorite. “Sledgehammer” has always been a song that has freaked me out. Something so overtly sexual coming from that man just gives me the willies. Also the music video was stop motion, and I hate stop motion. The rest of the songs were meh, with the exception of “In Your Eyes”, which I do really like, but only because of its association with Say Anything. Rating: 2
For June, I’ll be listening to 21st Century Breakdown by Green Day and Bookends by Simon and Garfunkel.
About a month ago I was able to go to a screening of Away We Go at the Pickford Center, part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Afterwards they had a Q & A with Sam Mendes, the director, and John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph. Krasinski plays 30-something Burt to Rudolph’s Verona. They’ve been together since college, but haven’t gotten married – mainly because Verona refuses Burt’s proposals. After finding out they’re expecting, Burt’s parents happily announce they’re moving to Europe before the baby will be born. Suddenly untethered, they decide to test out possible future homes for their child: Verona’s sister lives in Tucson, Burt might have a job in Madison, and they have college friends in Montreal. The refreshing thing about this movie, as compared with Sam Mendes’ prior work, is that Burt and Verona are completely in love. It’s the two of them and then there’s everyone else. At one point, unsure of how their lives and their relationship are going to change with the addition of a child, Verona asks Burt, “There’s no one in love like us, right?” Krasinski said it was probably his favorite line of the movie. They work surprisingly well together, though when I initially heard who was cast in the female lead I was doubtful. As someone who’s mainly known for comedy on Saturday Night Live, Maya Rudolph did an outstanding job in a somewhat dramatic role.
The screenplay was written by one of my favorite writers, Dave Eggers, along with his wife, Vendela Vida. Sam Mendes mentioned that one of the things that really drew him to the script was that it expressed such optimism and was a really original screenplay. Overall I really enjoyed it – really funny, touching, thoughtful. I felt there were a few moments that were a little overwrought, but it didn’t wreck the movie. The supporting cast is just amazing – Catherine O’Hara, Allison Janney, Jim Gaffigan (listening to him go on and on about Phoenix nearly made me cry I was laughing so hard), Maggie Gyllenhaal. Especially keep an eye out for Chris Messina and Melanie Lynskey, the college friends in Montreal. Krasinski said that in his opinion, besides Maya, Messina gave the best performance in the film. I won’t give away any plot details, but Mendes mentioned that right after they shot the scene at the bar, Messina flew home and became a father the next day. If you see it, I guess you’ll understand what I mean. Paul Schneider wowed as well. I loved him in Lars and the Real Girl and I’m excited to see what body part he broke falling into the pit on Parks and Recreation when it starts in the fall.
In the end it seems pretty obvious that they were meant to end up where they did, but the original had them saying screw it and moving to Costa Rica. The rewrite is much better.
If you see this movie, please let me know what you think! A friend of mine was able to be an extra for the scenes in Tucson. Keep your eye out for the hot female bartender!
My apologies for the radio silence of late. I took the comprehensive exam for my Master’s degree on Friday! Things should be less busy now. Should be.
Forfeit/Fortune – Crooked Fingers So I choose this album to listen to because I heard the song “Luisa’s Bones” on Chuck (which by the way- looks to be renewed) and really liked it. Crooked Fingers are a Denver-based band (it’s a collision of awesome!) led by Eric Bachmann. The album kicks off with “What Never Comes”, a mid-tempo, big-sounding, saxophone-solo of a song. “Luisa’s Bones” is a story song, about Luisa’s ghosts and those exacting revenge for her murder. Great vocals on the track and used to perfection in Chuck v. the Dream Job (culminating in this). The whole album has got a kind of south-of-the-border gypsy feel to it that makes me think of people dancing around a fire at night. Like in Chocolat. But minus Johnny Depp. The album’s got several catchy songs, including “Cannibals” and “Your Control” on which Neko Case duets. The best part is reading all the reviews for this album on independent music sites, mostly complaining about how it sounds “too produced” and “not created” while simultaneously bitching about it being self-released. Bitch, bitch bitch. Anyway, I loved it. Rating: 4.8
Stand! – Sly and the Family Stone I love me some good funk, and Sly and his fam delivered quite nicely. We actually talked about this band in a history class in college (it was the first band to have black and white people). Watching your uptight white female professor stand awkwardly in front of a lecture hall while “Don’t Call Me Nigger, Whitey” plays on the room’s stereo system will brighten anyone’s day. Stand! has the single “Everyday People” which became a number one hit and lives on today in car commercials. “I Want to Take You Higher” and “You Can Make it if You Try” are a couple other classic inspirational we-can-all-be-friends songs. Rating: 3.8
Rating system:
5- I love it! Bury me with this album.
4- I like it! Will be joining my Top 25 Most Played on iTunes.
3- It was good. I will only be listening to this because music critics tell me I should, or I will be listening to this repeatedly even though music critics tell me I shouldn’t.
2- Meh. Can you resell digital music?
1- Craptastic. On par with most actor-turned-musician releases.
For May (now more than half over) I’ve been listening to Now We Can See by The Thermals and So by Peter Gabriel (courtesy of a random number generator).
