I saw (500) Days of Summer last night (why the parentheses? I'll never figure that one out). I was shocked at how solidly directed, cleverly written, and genuinely inventive it was. I was expecting one of those pretend-experimental quirk-fests that have dominated the indie box office recently, all style and about as substantive as Styrofoam. But this film, though it WAS painstakingly q u irk y, hip, and stylish, was also (IMO) GOOD, in a more classical sense. Not great, but totally passable. All-too-believable romance-and-then-not story, reasonable acting (especially from the supporting cast; that dude whose name I don't know with the natty long hair has his character down perfectly), an awesome dance number, some wonderful shots of an LA I didn't know existed, and a protagonist who reminds me a little of myself, only ten plus times cooler. It doesn't hurt that this movie looks GREAT. And I don't just mean the stars, who are almost unbearably attractive (I swear to god, Zoe Deschanel makes me fucking swoon every time I see her). That Marc Webb knows his way around a camera, you can tell.

The ending was a little disappointing. And there were some other issues. But I'm not in a mood to criticize anything right now.

I guess what I'm saying is, it's worth seeing, even if it does ultimately renege on the promise it makes at the beginning (much like Whatever Works) that "This is not a love story."

Sorry to hear about the relationship, Minnow.

Likewise, I am sorry that things didn't work out as you had hoped Jeff.

Keep your chin up and look presentable for the next, even better, woman of fate.

Sorry to hear that, too, SM.
Try to keep your spirits up.

I'm sorry too, Spas. That's tough.
I got dumped earlier this summer, too, so I got empathy.
Wish I was in Milwaukee. We could go see Thirst and commiserate.

We saw "Julie and Julia" over the weekend. Mostly loved it (Meryl Streep is a goddess right now) but the "devoted husband" aspect of both concurrent stories gets a little wearing.

But anyway, brilliantly written and very well-acted. Great comic timing, and of course the food looks delicious!

Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere.

Last week I watched the entirety of "Extras" (again).

Ricky Gervais is a brilliant writer and actor.

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Curious indeed. The title character is so boring that no one in the film reacts very much to his backwards aging.

I have a general rule of thumb regarding films and television programmes: if there's an explosion in the trailer, I don't watch the film/programme. It's not an absolute rule, but it has served me well.

Yesterday I saw the trailer for a new t.v. adaption of The Picture Of Dorian Grey, and there was an explosion. An explosion. In The Picture Of Dorian Grey!

Definitely a must-miss.









(Actually, it's been many years since I read it, so I can't say for certain whether there's an explosion in the story. I have a vague recollection that perhaps someone sets fire to a theatre. Even so...an explosion in the trailer? Tells me all I need to know.)

Just saw "Inglorious Basterds" today.

I quite liked this film .... could have done with a bit more emphasis on the Basterds themselves. Be prepared for a lot of subtitle reading unless you are fluent in French or German. I gave it two thumbs up (Mr. Suzi too so 4 thumbs up I guess)