Movies: November Edition!

127 Hours (11/5)
The Plot: A mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive. Based on the true story of Aron Ralston.
The Players: James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn; directed by Danny Boyle.
The Prospective: It was an awe inspiring story when it happened, now it's brought to our eyes by the amazing Danny Boyle (28 Days Later) and the talent of James Franco (Milk, Spiderman).  Count me in.

Due Date (11/5)
The Plot: High-strung daddy-to-be Peter Highman is forced to hitch a ride with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay on a road trip in order to make it to his child's birth on time...sit back and watch the humorous chaos.
The Players: Robert Downey Jr, Zach Galifiniakis, Michelle Monaghan, Juliette Lewis, danny McBride; directed by Todd Phillips (The Hangover).
The Prospective: I <3 RDJ and Galifianakis, plus it's the director of The Hangover...this movie will just be cake for me.

Megamind (11/5)
The Plot: The supervillain Megamind finally conquers his nemesis, the hero Metro Man.  When he finds his life pointless without a hero to fight he creates a new hero to fight...but things don't turn out as planned.
The Players:Will Ferrell,Jonah Hill, Brad Pitt,Tina Fey, David Cross; directed by Tom McGrath.

The Prospective: Could be funny, could be a flop...let's watch.  I will say, based on the trailer, Brad Pitt does not have what I would peg as a "super hero" voice, which goes to show what happens when you trade in quality for a name.

Morning Glory (11/12)
The Plot: A hotshot television producer is set the challenge of reviving a struggling morning show program, despite the constant feuding of its high-profile anchors.
The Players: Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum,; directed by Roger Michell (Enduring Love)
The Prospective: Written by Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada), produced by Bad Robot (aka JJ Abrams), plus Ford in an uncharacteristic role and the lovely and talented McAdams, I'm a bit excited for this dramedy.

Unstoppable (11/12)
The Plot: A rail company frantically works to prevent an unmanned, half-mile-long freight train carrying combustible liquids and poisonous gas from wiping out a city.
The Players: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Ethan Suplee; directed by Tony Scott (Domino)
The Prospective: While this is also the director and main actor duo behind last year's flop The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, this looks like a decent, albeit basic, plot but with the potential for lots of good suspense and action. Also it will be good to see Chris Pine in something new and I do like Rosario.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (11/19)
This puppy gets special treatment! We all know who's in it, who's directing and what all goes down... and we all can't wait to see it! :D Squeeee!

Burlesque (11/24)
The Plot: A small-town girl ventures to Los Angeles and finds her place in a neo-burlesque club run by a former dancer.
The Players: Christina Aguilera, Cher, Stanley Tucci, Alan Cumming, Eric Dane, Kristen Bell, Cam Gigandet, Peter Gallagher; written and directed by Steven Antin
The Prospective: I dare you not to chuckle at that trailer! It's a story that's been done before, this just has different players - even a couple of good ones! Also, the theater-geek in me does like her some musicals from time to time. In the end, I'll Netflix it; my money is too precious for this.

Love and Other Drugs (11/24)
The Plot: Maggie is an alluring free spirit who won't let anyone - or anything - tie her down. But she meets her match in Jamie, whose relentless and nearly infallible charm serve him well with the ladies and in the cutthroat world of pharmaceutical sales. Maggie and Jamie's evolving relationship takes them both by surprise, as they find themselves under the influence of the ultimate drug: love. Based on Jamie Reidy's memoir Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman.
The Players: Anne Hathaway, Jake Gyllenhaal, Judy Greer (Archer, 27 Dresses), Hank Azaria, Oliver Platt; directed by Edward Zwick (Glory, Defiance).
The Prospective: Zwick is a great director and I love the premise of the story.  Plus, you all know I have a mad girl-crush on Hathaway.  Add Gyllenhaal, Greer, et al and I'm SOOO seeing this movie!

The King's Speech (11/26) [limited]

The Plot: Tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.

The Players: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter. Guy Pearce, Michael Gambon, ; directed by Tom Hooper.

The Prospective: British historic drama with great British actors; this ought to tickle my Anglophilic fancy.

Tangled (11/26)
The Plot: Disney's version of Rapunzel
The Players: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi (Chuck), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Donna Murphy (The Fountain), Jeffry Tambor (Arrested Development); directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard.
The Prospective: Interesting that the trailer is very centered on the dude and not the lady.  However, I dig the cute, vindictive chameleon side kick.

Other Notes

Thanks to my awesome friend Steve, I was able to see Soloman Kane; a fantasy/action film based on the Robert E. Howard character starring James Purefoy that, sadly, was not released in the US.  It freakin rocked! If you can find it out there in the webverse, I highly suggest viewing it.

The Next Three Days (11/19) - Starring Russell Crowe, Liam Neeson and Elizabeth Banks, and directed by Paul Haggis (Crash) this is a drama about a married couple and the drama that ensues when she is accused of murder. Three years into her sentence, Lara's husband John is struggling to keep their family together and, realizing his wife's deteriorating condition, he decides to break her out of prison. I should want to see this... but I don't.  What's happening to me? Maybe it's that the plot doesn't speak to me, maybe it's Elizabeth Banks (more on this issue later), I don't know, but I'm just not feeling it right now.

Movies: Wiggety WOctober Edition! o_O

Happy month of All Hallow's Eve friends! More movies are coming out and I'm here to give you the goods on the ones I think look promising...or at least worth a booze-and-mockery movie night :D  Read on, click the titles for trailer links and drop me a message letting me know if you'd dig catching one of 'em with me. :)

Freakonomics (10/1)
The Plot: The 2004 best selling non-fiction book about incentive-based thinking is brought to the screen by 6 innovative documentary filmmakers.
The Players: Directors Heidi Ewing (Jesus Camp), Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side), Seth Gordon (The King of Kong), Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight), and Rachel Grady (The Boys of Baraka)
The Prospective: First up, didn't read the book; I tend to avoid the popular titles because, well, if you met the morons I help find said books you'd wonder about their quality too.  However, I realize this is not always true (Malcolm Gladwell is actually pretty cool), but I digress. This doc looks pretty interesting and with that list of great directors, I'm definitely interested in taking in a viewing.

Let Me In (10/1)
The Plot: A bullied boy befriends a girl with a secret...and it's a bloody one. Remake of the 2008 Swedish film Let The Right One In, based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist.
The Players: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins, Elias Koteas; directed by Matt Reeves.
The Prospective: I'm interested to see Reeves's telling of this story in comparison to the original movie- based on the novel by Swedish author John Ajvide Linqvist, this was already made into a Swedish language film in 2008 (when the book was also published in English).  According to Wikipedia, Thomas Alfredson (the director) was unfamiliar with horror/vampire genres and therefore chose to "tone down many elements of the novel and focus primarily on the relationship between the two main characters." Having not yet read the novel, I'm intrigued. Also, I recently saw Kick Ass, which was decently entertaining and featured the talent of Chloe Moretz, who gave a good performance, especially in regard to the action/stunts required of her. However, I do have to say that I'm not a fan of the recent insurgence of remaking a perfectly fine foreign film just so they can shove in different actors and make and English-language version.  Seriously Hollywood, it's not enough that you can barely come up with anything original (let alone good) that wasn't a book first, but now you have to pilfer from movies that are not even a decade old?

The Social Network (10/1)
The Plot: Written by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing) and based on the book by popular non-fic writer Ben Mezrich, this tells ghe dramatised story of Harvard undergrad Mark Zuckerberg who recruited some classmates to develop the now mega social networking site Facebook.  As with any world changing endeavor, things get messy, leading to a harsh fallout with his friend and co-founder Eduardo Saverin.
The Players: Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland), Andrew Garfield (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus), Justin Timberlake, Rashida Jones; directed by David Fincher.
The Prospective: David Fincher telling the story behind how the Facebook phenomenon started and all the shit that hit then fan because of it? Hell yeah!

It's Kind of A Funny Story (10/8) [limited]
The Plot: Craig Gilner, a former painfully ambitious and now clinically depressed teen, finds a new start when he's checked into an adult psych ward, where he bonds with one patient and sparks with another. Based on the teen novel by Ned Vizzini.
The Players: Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts, Lauren Graham, Jim Gaffigan, Jeremy Davies; directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.
The Prospective: I've been interested in reading the book for a bit now and this movie makes it all the more appealing.  The inclusion of the young Miss Roberts aside, I love Galifianakis, Graham and Davies.  Likable, talented actors and a good looking plot is enough to get me to the theater. :)

Life As We Know It (10/8)
The Plot: Two singles become the caregivers of an orphaned girl when mutual best friends when they die in an accident.  Let the insanity and rom-comedy ensue!
The Players: Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Josh Lucas, Melissa McCarthy; directed by Greg Berlanti.
The Prospective: I saw the preview for this when I went to see Eat, Pray, Love (which, by the way, was friggin' loooong!) and despite my initial thought on reading the description, Duhamel and Heigl seem to have some good chemistry.  Yeah, the chick in me totally squeeed and wants to see this one. 

Secretariat (10/8)
The Plot: A Bio pic on Penny Chenery, whose racehorse, Secretariat, won the Triple Crown in 1973
The Players: Diane Lane, Scott Glenn, James Cromwell, John Malkovich, Dylon Walsh;directed by Randall Wallace (dir: We Were Soldiers, writer: Braveheart)
The Prospective: Disney does do well with it's inspirational sports movies.  And I do enjoy Lane and Malkovich.  This one it on the fence though, because I'm not sure how in the mood I am presently for a girl and her horse flick.

Conviction (10/15)
The Plot: A single mother spends nearly two decades putting herself through law school in order to overturn her brother's unjust murder conviction. Based on a true story.
The Players: Sam Rockwell, Hilary Swank, Minnie Driver, Melissa Leo; directed by Tony Goldwyn.
The Prospective: Wow.  This might, MIGHT, be the movie that actually gets me into a theater and willingly watching Hilary Swank.  Why?  Because the plot looks solid enough and Sam Rockwell is an underrated actor.

RED (10/15)
The Plot: Former black-ops agent Frank Moses reassembles his old, and I do mean old, team when his idyllic retiree life is threatened by a high-tech assassin. Based on the graphic novel written by Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, Crookend Little Vein)
The Players: Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Karl Urban, Richard Dreyfuss, Brian Cox, Julian McMahon; directed by Robert Schwentke (Flightplan, Time Traveler's Wife).
The Prospective: RED, as in Retired, Extremely Dangerous! HA! :D  This looks friggin hilarious!  Plus I love, LOVE the idea of Helen Mirren as a gun-wielding bad ass.

Hereafter (10/22)

The Plot: A supernatural thriller centered on three people -- a blue-collar American, a French journalist and a London school boy -- who are touched by death in different ways. Written by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon).

The Players: Matt Damon, Cecile de France, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jay Mohr, Derek Jacobi; directed by Clint Eastwood.  

The Prospective: Eastwoods "chic film", as he's called it, is interesting not only for the supernatural plot but also in that it seems out of his norm- the obvious Oscar prospect notwithstanding. This looks like a very different role for Damon as well.  Color me interiqued

Monsters (10/29) [limited]
The Plot: With half of Mexico serving as an alien quarantine zone, an American journalist heads across the border into dangerous territory to find his boss's daughter and bring her back home.

The Players: Scoot McNairy Whitney Abel;directed by Gareth Edwards
The Prospective: Already dubbed "this year's District 9", my interest is piqued not only by the corelation (loved that film!) but also by the giant cephalopod-esque monster.

Other Comments

Stone (10/8) - A convicted arsonist (Edward Norton) uses his wife (Milla Jovavich) to secure his release by getting her to seduce the aged parole officer (Robert De Niro) in charge of his case.This one's a  "maybe".  I mean the talent is obviously there, but plot and the trailer make me feel kinda meh.
I Spit On Your Grave (Unrated) (10/8) - A writer retreats to an isolated cabin in order to work on her latest novel. After she is brutalized and left for dead by a group of men, she sets out to exact her revenge by trapping her attackers one-by-one. Remake of the 1970's horror flick. A bunch of actors and a director all whom you've never heard of, but it's a revenge flick that's sure to be a blood bath, so I might give it a go.

Movies: September Edition!

Fall is here! *happy dance!!!* School is back in session and TV shows come back with some new ones along for the ride. Time for apple picking, warming stews, and pumpkins and their delicious flavors pop-up everywhere! Weather gets cooler, perfect for hoody-wearin' or snuggling up next to that special someone- if you have one that is... I don't, so maybe I'll snuggle up next to you :). 

More to the topic, there are a whole new variety of movies! As always, the three Ps are laid out and the links to trailers are connected to their respective titles.  Enjoy! And, as always, let me know if you want to hit one with me :)

Machete (9/3)

The Plot: After being betrayed by the organization who hired him, an ex-Federale launches a brutal rampage of revenge against his former boss. Based on the character from Rodriguez's previous Grindhouse; Planet Terror.

The Players: Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Cheech Merin, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba,Jeff Fahey; directed by Robert Rodriguez
The Prospective: Mexploitation-licious! Looks to promise action, sex and blood; what's not entertaining about that?

The Tillman Story (9/3)???

The Plot: Doc on Pat Tillman, Pro football player Pat Tillman left the NFL to enlist in the U.S. Army after 9/11. Upon his death two years later, the U.S. military opted to reward him with the Purple Heart and other posthumous honors; meanwhile, his family set out to reveal the truth behind the events that claimed his life.

The Players: Pat Tillman, Richard Tillman...

The Prospective: Sad story of our government and military lying to us...again.  Still, the guy died fighting for us and thus this deserves to be seen.

The Romantics (9/10)

The Plot: Seven close friends reunite for a picture-perfect seaside wedding, though an old rivalry between the bride and her maid of honor resurfaces, jeopardizing the nuptials.

The Players: Katie Holmes, Anna Paquin, Josh Duhamel, Malin Ackerman, Adam Brody, Elijah Wood, Candace Bergen, Dianna Agron; directed by Galt Niederhoffer (based on his novel).

The Prospective: Paquin, Wood, Bergen and Brody are enough to draw me in. The plot is almost coming-of-age for your quarter-life :)  Plus, listen to that quirky indie soundtrack :D

Never Let Me Go (9/15) [limited]

The Plot: Set in a dystopian Britain, boarding school friends Ruth, Kathy and Tommy, spend their childhood at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. As they grow into young adults, they find that they have to come to terms with the strength of the love they feel for each other, while preparing themselves for the haunting reality that awaits them. Based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro.

The Players: Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Kiera Knightly, Domhnall Gleeson, Charlotte Rampling, Sally Hawkins; directed by Mark Romanek

The Prospective: By now we all know I have a fascination with dystopia stories. In this case, however, it's less sci-fi/fantasy futuristic, but instead more dramatic.Combine that with some superb performers and I'm in!

Alpha and Omega (9/17)

The Plot: Two young wolves at opposite ends of their pack's social order are thrown together into a foreign land and need each other to return home, but love complicates everything.

The Players: Justin Long, Hayden Panettiere, Christina Ricci, Dennis Hopper, Christine Lakin, ;directed by Anthony Bell & Ben Gluck.

The Prospective: I like wolveses a lot! :D

Easy A (9/17)

The Plot: As she studies The Scarlet Letter, high schooler Olive Pengerghast notices her parallels to the novel and begins to work the school's rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing. take on Scarlett Letter.

The Players: Emma Stone (Zombieland), Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Thomas Haden Church, Malcom McDowell, Stanley Tucci; directed by Will Gluck.

The Prospective: It seems 10 Things I Hate About You x(Saved! + Juno)= This movie.  It's got a pretty decent cast, Stone was great in Zombieland and is a bit of a fox. And who can resist Stanley Tucci?  Plus, I LOL-ed at the banter; "There's a higher power that will judge you for your indecency." "Tom Cruise? D:"

 

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (9/17)

The Plot: Soren, a young barn owl, is kidnapped by owls of St. Aggie's, ostensibly an orphanage, where owlets are brainwashed into becoming soldiers. He and his new friends escape to the island of Ga'Hoole, to assist its noble, wise owls who fight the army being created by the wicked rulers of St. Aggie's. The film is based on the first three books in the popular children's book series.

The Players: Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe), Hugo Weaving, Ryan Kwanten (True Blood), David Wenham, Helen Mirren, Geoffrey Rush, Sam Neill; directed by Zach Snyder(300, Watchmen, next year's Sucker Punch)!

The Prospective: I like owls and I like the voice talent they've cast. And who am I kidding, this totally appeals to my inner kid, so this might be worth a watch.:)

The Town (9/17)

The Plot: Career thief Doug MacRay considers deepening his relationship with Claire, a bank teller who was

traumatized by a recent heist -- and who has no idea that Doug was behind the crime. Meanwhile, an investigator who is close to unmasking Doug's secret life, wrestles with his feelings for Claire.

The Players: Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall, BLake Lively; directed by Ben Affleck.

The Prospective: I wasn't huge into Good Will Hunting or anything, but with John Hamm (Mad Men) and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) I kinda want to see this one.

Buried (9/24)

The Plot: Paul is a U.S. contractor working in Iraq. After an attack, he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it's a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap.

The Players: Ryan Reynolds; directed by Rodrigo Cortes

The Prospective: Ryan Reynolds is hot, we all know that.  More so I'm interested to see how a film that takes place almost completely in a, what 7x4x2(?) foot box is kept interesting? 

Howl (9/24)

The Plot: A drama centered on the obscenity trial Beat poet Allen Ginsberg faced after the publication of his poem, Howl.

The Players: James Franco, John Hamm, Mary-Louise Parker, David Strathairn, Jeff Daniels; directed by Rob Epstein and Jerry Friedman.

The Prospective: The story behind one of the most well known poems in modern history.  The cinematography looks interesting. Also, I love me some James Franco :)

Other Comments

The Winning Season(9/3)- Sam Rockwell, that's really all I want here.

I'm Still Here (9/10)- Casey Affleck documents Joaquin Pheonix's turn from acclaimed actor to aspiring rapper. Am I the only one laughing at this probably train wreck?

Devil (9/17)- M. Night Shyamalan writes and produces but leaves the directing to John Erik Dowdle, the eye behind 2008's Quarantine (and interestingly enough, is a hometown boy). Still, I'm not much impressed with the premise, the give away title or Night's connection. I'll save this one for Netflix or a movie & booze night.
You Again (9/24)- Kristin Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Betty White, Odette Yustman star in this comedy about the respective feuds between the sister and mother of a groom and his bride and her aunt... I like Weaver and White, but I'm not sure I can sit through this.

Hunger Games The Movie

For those of you that work with me or have talked books with me at anytime recently, you know of my love of the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. Many of you even love them right along with me. If you haven't given it a look, you should. It's a fantastic sci-fi/fantasy, dystopian future set teen series! Hey now, don't grumble at the teen part, there are some excellent works out there mixed in with the likes of the Clique series and vampire hysteria latch-on novels! Stephen King even gave it props. 

Naturally, with the success of Twilight and other teen books gone to film, the rights for Hunger Games were bought by Lionsgate in spring last year and now rumors of directors are floating around.  Thanks to my friend Steve who posted this to a friend on Facebook- although not to me >:( - , there are some high (and low) contenders in talks. Check it out here!

Of those three, I'm rooting for Slade or Mendes, in that order.  

Slade is awesome! I loved Hard Candy- which was essentially two actors and a house, but full of great tension & drama! Plus, he's done 30 Days of Night and now Eclipse, which means he's got the chops for some good action & gore/horror but knows what to expect in dealing with a teen-genre story. Additionally, he's directed videos for the likes of System of A Down, Stone Temple Pilots and Muse. He has a knack for dark material, such as The Hunger Games. I have not seen Eclipse (haven't found the time and booze enough yet), but as for the others, he's done solid work. Plus, he's a Brit, and that will nearly always score a point with me.
 
Now on to Mr. Mendes (also a Brit). Almost all his previous films have started as books, so he has that experience going for him. What I have seen of his work has been pretty solid and beautiful material as well.  Away We Go was great! And while Revolutionary Road's story left me wanting to slit my wrists after leaving the theater, my understanding of the book from others tells me he captured it's feel perfectly and there's no denying is was a good film.  And we've all seen American Beauty. Unfortunately I have yet to see Road to Perdition or Jarhead, which would give me an idea of how he handles action/violence, but they're in my Netflix queue!

Ross has not done a whole lot directorially (2 done (Seabiscuit and Pleasantville), 1 in production and 1 just announced according to IMDb). He's more a producer and even that list doesn't seem to lend much experience to a project like this. Of what he's directed, none have the action and spectacle that, in my opinion, this series would require. Also, all his directed films have been period pieces, none present or future set (well Pleasantville was partially present, but that was back in 1998).

So this is my petition to the Universe/Powers-That-Be/what have you; Slade for Director (at least of those mentioned)!  Mendes is an very acceptable 2nd.  If Ross gets it, my expectations for a decent film translation drop exponentially.

Movies: July/August Edition!

JULY

Despicable Me (7/9)

The Plot:  The usually deplorable Gru is forced to rethink his plan to steal the moon when a trio of orphaned girls enter his life (animated).

The Players:  (voices) Steve Carell, Jason Segal, Ken Jeong, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews

The Prospective:  It had me at, "IT'S SO FUZZY!!!" :) 

Predators (7/9)

The Plot:  Another addition to the Predators series, this time around a group of elite warriors are hunted by the merciless alien race.

The Players:  Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Topher Grace

The Prospective: The Predator series is one of that I have yet to view, but with Messrs Brody and Fishburne in tow and the likelihood of seeing Topher Grace bite it, I'm in for the ride.

Inception (7/16)

The Plot: All I can tell from the trailer is it's another Nolan mind trip dealing with manipulating other peoples' dreams. 

The Players:  Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard, Lukas Haas

The Prospective: This. Looks. AWESOME.  Now that I've seen it, I can say for sure that it absolutely freakin is!  5 STARS! I would gladly pay $10 to see it again!

Get Low (7/30)

The Plot: In 1930s Tennessee, backwoods hermit Felix Bush (Duvall) enlists the aid of Frank Quinn (Murray) in his decision to throw a party for his own funeral --while he's still alive.

The Players:  Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, Lukas Black

The Prospective: It's an interesting idea and there's no question on the talent involved.

Dinner For Schmucks (7/30)

The Plot: A rising executive (Rudd) gets in over his head when he must find a guest for his boss's monthly event, a "dinner for idiots" which offers major advantages to the exec who shows with the biggest moron. 

The Players:  Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, Ron Livingston, Jermaine Clement, Bruce Greenwood

The Prospective:  I find it very hard to resist Paul Rudd, Ron Linvingston, Steve Carrell and Zach Galifianakis individually, put them together and I'm a goner. 

The Extra Man (7/30 [limited])
The Plot: A man who escorts wealthy widows in New York's Upper East Side takes a young aspiring playwright under his wing.
The Players: Kevin Kline, Paul Dano, John C. Reilly, Kaitie Holmes
The Prospective: Kevin Kline is amazing.

AUGUST 
Eat Pray Love (8/13) 
The Plot: Based on the biography by Elizabeth Gilbert about her trips to Italy, India and Bali to rediscover herself after a painful divorce.
The Players: Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, James Franco, Billy Crudup, Richard Jenkins
The Prospective:  Might as well check it out. I always kinda meant to read the book.  I do like me some James Franco. I also really love the song in the trailer :) (Lame as that is for a reason to see a movie.)

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (8/13)
The Plot: Scott, an average dude in a band, falls for the new girl in town, Ramona Flowers, but in order to win her heart, he must defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends.  Based on the manga series.
The Players: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Jason Schwartzman, Anna Kendrick
The Prospective: I may not be a fan of Cera, but this looks so fantastic!  Video game meets comic books meets awesome.  Plus, I can't explain it, but Jason Schwartzman is bizarrely appealing.

The Expendables (8/13)
The Plot: A team of mercenaries head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator... cuz that's new.
The Players: Sylvester Stallone (who also directs and co-wrote the screenplay), Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, Steve Austen, Eric Roberts, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger,
The Prospective: I'm sorry, I'm laughing too hard at the cheesefest this is bound to be!

Tales From Earthsea (8/13)
The Plot: Based on the fantasy novels by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Players: The voice talents of Willem Dafoe, Mariska Hargitay and Timothy Dalton.
The Prospective: Goro Miyazaki brings the Le Guin novels to stunning anime.

Vampires Suck (8/18)
The Plot: A spoof on Twilight and other such recent teen dribble.
The Players: Ken Jeong and Diedrich Bader were the only two I recognized.
The Prospective: I don't typically enjoy recent spoofs, but this one I will make an acception for >:)

The Switch (8/20)
The Plot: An unmarried 40-year-old woman (Aniston) turns to a turkey baster in order to become pregnant.  Her best friend (Bateman) gets drunk at the impregnation party and accidentally spills her donated seed down the drain and replaces it with his own...and then blacks out.  Seven years later she returns with her little boy who seems to share many personality traits with her dear old friend.
The Players: Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Jeff Goldblum, Juliette Lewis, Patrick Wilson
The Prospective: I love me some Jason Bateman, and hopefully enough that I might be able to ignore Aniston's involvement. Plus, Jeff Goldblum! :D

Going The Distance (8/27)
The Plot: A rom-com about the trials of long distance relationships.
The Players: Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Christina Applegate, Ron Livingston, Jim Gaffigan.
The Prospective: Looks pretty damn funny, but could be another sucky rom-com.  I do enjoy Barrymore and Long respectively.

Centurion (8/27)
The Plot: Neil Marshall (The Descent, Dog Soldiers) directs this period film.  After the Roman Ninth Legion is attacked by the Picts -Celtic tribesmen who serve as some of the Roman Empire's toughest opposition- a band of soldiers who survived the brutal massacre try to make their way back across enemy lines.
The Players: Dominic West, Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds), Olga Kurylenko, Dave Legeno (HP and the Half-Blood Prince), 
The Prospective: First of all, I'm a fan of Marshall.  He's become something of a master of genre filmmaking and is notorious for being about to squeeze riches out of lo budgets. Second, it's Dominic West and the Brit from Inglourious Basterds! HOT!

Other Comments:

Twilight Saga: Eclipse (7/2)- Let the horrid, masochistic hilarity continue!

Ramona And Beezus (7/23)-  Nostalgia calls me to this one based on the Beverly Cleary books of my youth.
Salt (7/23) -Really Liev Schreiber? This?  Really brotha, c'mon, you're better than this.
Step Up 3D (8/6) - Why?! I'm blaming Kent for this one.

The Panty Puzzle

Today I decided it was time to do some laundry. Woot. After sorting through the pile on my bedroom floor (yes, floor, there's not a lot of room for one of those handy bin organizer thingys OK) I realized I had enough to do an entire load of just underwear and put them on the "Delicate" cycle. YAY! Usually, I just have to suck it up and put my bloomers in a garment bag and toss them in with other clothing items on a regular cycle, so yes, I was excited that I would got to treat my delicates more, well, delicately.

After they were done washing, I pulled out the ol' drying rack and started laying my lady garments out. This is when I began to notice just how many bum huggers I have. Of that laundry load alone I had 34 pairs of undies! And while it is looking more sparse than usual, my delicates drawer is by no means empty. After all was laid out, my curiosity took over and I had to go count the rest...


74 total!!! I own 74 bikini, hipster, thong, and boyshort styles of knickers! Plus 10 bras and 3 sports-bras*!

So now I wonder if this is average? I mean, how many happy pants does the typical lady own? This isn't exactly standard conversation material, you know, they're "unmentionables"**. 74 seems like a lot, yes, but then what would a standard number be? I mean, they all fit nicely in one dresser drawer, so it's not an obscene number of beaver covers... right?

What if I have a pretty panty purchasing problem?! I almost always peruse the Intimates section of any clothing store I go to, looking for something fun or sexy...

Well, on the bright side, I could go two months without wearing the same nether garments twice :)


*I count sports bras separately because they are not real bras; they don't lift and separate, they don't make me feel pretty and they sure as hell aren't pretty themselves not matter what color you make 'em in. Besides, as I've often said, I do not possess the running/jumping/climbing trees variety of breasts, so in my mind "sports" and "bra" just don't mesh.

**Yes, I do love the palpable irony of referring to them as "unmentionables" whilst writing an entire blog entry about them. HA!

Movies: The May Edition! (and with a bit of April thrown in too)

The movies that have caught my attention and interest for the coming month. Also, I'm trying a new writing layout here, so let me know what you think.

APRIL

Clash Of The Titans (4/2)

The Plot: We all know the story here right? Well, just to cover my bases; this remake of a 1981 cult fantasy flick tells the story of Perseus, a demi god raised raised as a man, who sets off on an epic mission to get stop Hades from overthrowing Zeus and unleashing hell on earth. Fun.

The Players: Sam Worthington (Terminator: Salvation, Avatar) is our young hero; Liam Neeson as Zeus; Ralph Fiennes as Hades, Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace) portrays Io, + Jason Flemyng (Snatch, The Red Violin), Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale), Hans Matheson (Sherlock Holmes), and Nicholas Hoult (Skins).

The Prospective: I've already seen this one. It was OK, hot guys fighting mythical beasts and what not, but nothing to write home about. I mean, the actors did alright, but didn't even seem to drop their natural accents; some of the effects and dialogue were a bit weak and there was a throw-back to the original so obvious I even got it (I have not seen the 1981 flick). Ralph Fiennes portrayal of Hades likened to Voldemort in a couple ways -more than just the obvious they're-both-bad-guys that is. I think the best part of this movie for me, besides the hotties, was looking at all the actors and trying to figure where I've seen them before (like the irony of Polly walker portraying a Greek after starring in the series Rome). Oh, quick back to the hotties, Sam is fabulous and I've always loved Liam, but Gemma is definitely a chic to watch, talent and grrrowl factor with that sultry but wise sounding voice.

The Losers (4/23)

The Plot: Based on the re-imagined comic series put out by Vertigo in 2004 (the original was released by DC in 1970). The story centers on the members of an elite U.S. Special Forces unit sent into the Bolivian jungle on a search and destroy mission. The team -Clay, Jensen, Roque, Pooch and Cougar- find themselves the target of a lethal betrayal instigated from inside by a powerful enemy known only as "Max". Presumed dead, the group makes plans to even the score when they're joined by the mysterious Aisha, a beautiful operative with her own agenda. Working together, they must remain deep undercover while tracking the heavily-guarded "Max", a ruthless man bent on embroiling the world in a new high-tech global war.

The Players: Jeffery Dean Morgan (Watchmen) as Clay, Zoe Saldana (Star Trek, Avatar) as Aisha, Chris Evans (Fantastic Four)as Jensen, + Idris Elba , Columbus Short , Oscar Jaenada.

The Prospective: Look at that frickin' trailer and tell me it doesn't look bad ass! Plus, Zoe Saldana is very likely my newest chic-crush, grrrowl!


MAY

Iron Man 2 (5/7)

The Plot: Jon Favreau returns to the directors chair to helm to sequel to his 2008 comic-to-the-screen awesome-fest, Iron Man. Having shown the world his dual identity as Iron Man, Tony Stark comes under the fire of the press, the public and the government to share his technology with the U.S. military. But there is an even greater foe lurking: Ivan Vanko creates an equally powerful alternate persona known as Whiplash to exact his revenge on the Stark family.

The Players: Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow return; Don Cheadle takes over the role of Jim 'Rhodey' Rhodes, + Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson, and Sam Rockwell.

The Prospective: Say it with me now: FUCK YEAH!!! I ♥ RDJ! I don't want to jinx it, but this one may, MAY, be one of the rare exceptions to the rule that the sequel sucks ass.

Babies (5/7)

The Plot: A documentary capturing a year in the lives of four babies from around the world; from Mongolia, Namibia, San Francisco to Tokyo.

The Players: Babies portraying themselves, namely Bayar, Hattie, Mari, and Ponijao

The Prospective: Despite myself I totally want to see this! Sure, this looks like it could be an interesting look at the similarities and differences in child development across cultural lines. At least that's how I'll validate it. Honestly though, when I saw the first teaser for this, there was a part of me that just squeed, "OMG! They look so adorable!" Friggin' biological clock.

Robin Hood (5/14)

The Plot: Ridley Scott directs this adaptation of the mythos of the legendary English archer of justice.

The Players: Russell Crowe as our title dude (he's hit up just about every era now hasn't he?), Cate Blanchett as Marion, William Hurt, Matthew Macfadyen (Pride & Prejudice, Death At A Funeral - the original!), plus Max von Sydow, Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes), Danny Huston (John Adams), Kevin Durand (LOST), and Scott Grimes (Band of Brothers, Mystery, Alaska).

The Prospective: Ridley Scott is undeniably awesome. Top that with some Russel Crowe and Cate Blanchett and I'm all over it like ice cream on pie.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (5/28)

The Plot: Based on a video game, the story follows adventurous Prince Dastan who teams up with a mysterious princess to stop an angry ruler from unleashing the Sands of Time, which could destroy the world.

The Players: Jake Gyllenhaal is our prince, Gemma Arterton (Clash Of The Titans) is the princess with the sultry voice, Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina.

The Prospective: Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) directs this game brought to the screen, with Jerry Bruckheimer teaming again with Disney to produce. So it will be like Pirates of the Caribbean, but in the dessert...and with some magic...and a hotter heroine.

Micmacs (5/28)

The Plot: A man and his eccentric friends come up with an intricate and original plan to destroy two big weapons manufacturers.

The Players: Dany Boon (Joyeux Noel) and a slew of other French actors neither you nor I know.

The Prospective: Written and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the writer and director of Amelie, it looks hilarious and quirky.


Other Comments

The Human Centipede - That. Is so fucking jacked up. A whole new meaning to the phrase "ass to mouth".
Letters to Juliet - Vanessa Redgrave is great, but this kinda makes me want to vomit.
Shrek Forever After - They're still milkin' that green cow?
Sex in the City 2 - Didn't watch the show. Didn't see the first one. Why should I see this one? Honestly, I'll take arguments if you got 'em.