Pre-Chavez party night

Was anyone else out Monday night? It was bananas. Not only were there block-long lines outside of the J Street clubs, the Crest also had entire rows full of people. Sí, se puede, indeed.
We've been total slackers on the movie front, but "Sunshine Cleaners" was inspiring. Not only does it feature two strong female leads, but it also is the complete package type of movie: It makes you laugh, it makes you cry, it makes you think about how sad Albuquerque looks as the backdrop of a movie. My only complaint was that Amy Adams and Emily Blunt are far too beautiful to actually have any of the problems their characters have. But their performances were flawless, so I can't really say much. Also, Alan Arkin and Steve Zahn kill me. Also, Jason Spevak, the kid who plays Oscar, is hearwrenchingly cute.
Go see this one.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

I don't have a whole lot to say about this movie, which is probably a good thing. For a film based on chick lit, leaving the theatre just kind of "yeah, cool" is the best case scenario. The movie isn't really about shopping, though, but it did play a nice underlay. And the slap-stick ridiculousness wasn't too outrageous. It's doubtful that the movie would've been entertaining at all if it weren't for the cast. Isla Fischer = good. Love interest = exceptionally cute. And for crying out loud, can you go wrong when the parents are Joan Cusack and John Goodman?

So, a feel-good time, if you're willing to risk your life at the Downtown Plaza. (Did anyone else hear about the two girls who were robbed IN an auditorium?) I don't think I'd read the book though.

Benny Button

We spent Monday afternoon (holiday weekend!) at the Domes watching Benjamin Button. First, I'd like to say that the Domes are an f'n amusement park. Geeze. It took me like three years to figure out how to buy popcorn. And we were totally late and had to sit in the front row. The theatre was packed -why don't they add a couple more show times? Are that many people really going to see Friday the 13th or the Jonas Brothers concert. Don't answer that.

Anyway, I had pretty low expectations for the first half of the movie, mostly because everyone says it was a total snooze fest. I actually didn't feel too bored and enjoyed it all the way through. I think I really liked the look and the clothes and the movin' through the ages bit.

I'll admit though, I wasn't invested in the story or the characters at all. You want to see how they'll resolve the whole aging dilemma, but I kind of thought that Benjamin Button was a really boring person. And Cate Blanchett was annoying.

And when it came down to it, the most interesting part of the film was the old man-baby.

How Long Has It Been?

I haven't been to the movies in 3 weeks. THREE WEEKS. Unacceptable.

Also, should we see He's Just Not Into You or not? Is it anti-feminist to see this movie?

Slumdog Millionaire

Thoughts on Slumdog:
See Post Below....



[New Delhi, January 21. Image via Jezebel via AP.]

A case for the happy ending.

I've kind of been on a tirade about this for the past few days since seeing Slumdog Millionaire, so forgive me if you've heard this before.

I'm just going to put it out there and say I really liked the film a lot. It's one of the best movies I've seen in a long, long time. I mean, I didn't weep with pleasure when it ended, but maybe I just got all my crying taken care of last week.

But Slumdog's a solid piece of movie magic. It's entertaining, kind of has you on the edge of your seat -- without being too stressful -- and it all works out in the end.

Now, I'm the first to admit that I am a huge sucker for a happy ending. Sports movies are a huge weakness for me. Or any movie that ends in thunderous, applause really. But it's not very often that a movie like that comes to an "indie" theater (Yes, I realize Tower isn't all that indie, but still).

But back to Slumdog. There are those who say it doesn't deserve to be in the Best Picture category, nevertheless win. But I don't buy it.

I think naysayers might be mostly film snobs who have become so cynical and desensitized by the number of so-called "intelligent" movies that end in a flurry of confusion or circumstances so depressing that you want to leave the theater, crawl into bed and stay there for three days. Maybe this sort of thing has tainted the kind of movie that typically wins or is nominated for Best Picture awards. They're either totally depressing or have casts and/or budgets bloated by excess so much so that the movies aren't even remotely good, but have excellent PR (cough, Crash, cough).

Sure, Slumdog is by no means realistic -- I think it's more Dickens than documentary. But why can't we have it all? Compelling tale, stellar acting, appealing cinematography, two-hours-or-less running time and, of course, an ending that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. At least Slumdog comes pretty close.

Crying in the dark

Marley and Me made me bawl like a baby. Multiple times. I can't say that happens all that often, but waiting around outside the bathrooms afterward and seeing all the bloodshot, puffy eyes trickling out of the theater made me feel a little better about it.
I'd recommend it to anyone needing a little bit of an emotional purge, or if you enjoy comtemplating your mortality while chuckling at witty quips delivered by Owen Wilson. Who doesn't, really?