ME Says

RIP Whitney

2012-02-12T20:06:00.000-08:00

It's not right and it's not OK. There are just no words. Whitnet and her sings have been a part of my life always. It is such a sad sad day. I don't think another celebrity death has ever hit me so hard.

Meryl Streep - Villian

2012-02-06T14:41:00.000-08:00

Meryl Streep is in a neck to neck race with Viloa Davis for best actress this year. I'm on Viola's side all the way. While both movies are not great, The Help was moving entertainment that I enjoyed. The Iron Lady was a terrible movie with Meryl being its only redeeming factor. I call it "Too Much Old Lady". Why chose to spend so much time with a totally fictionalized period of Thatcher's life when there is so much more to choose from? Meryl please better movie next time.

I'd like Streep to play a totally unsympathetic character. She went there slightly with Plenty, A Cry in THe Dark and She-Devil. Here is my fantasy : an aging former mob moll who is now a vicious contract killer out to kill her former boss. Get Martin McDonagh to write and direct, Morgan Freeman to play the mob boss and Joel Edgerton & Dominic Cooper to play his henchmen who are chasing her. Josepg Gordon Levitt to play her long lost son. She gets to curse and swear &kill mercilessly in long elaborate action scenes and burn. I even have a title "Killing Sophie".

Would see this?

My Final Oscar Predictions

2012-01-23T15:07:00.000-08:00

The Oscars are tomorrow! My fave day of the year. I've been very lax this season with the blog. You can find me on twitter though @ME_Says.

Here are my predictions:
BEST PICTURE
Only predicting 6, I'm thinking the big 5 plus Tree of Life because there are passionate lovers of that movie.

The Artist
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Tree Of Life

BEST DIRECTOR
Again passion brings in Malick, remember The Thin Red Line?
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne The Descendants
Terence Malick, Tree Of Life
Martin Scorsese Hugo
Woody Allen Midnight in Paris

BEST ACTRESS
I'm thinking Close gets in for her strong "it took me forever to make this happen " storyline and Rooney because that movie is a hit. Sorry Tilda.
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

BEST ACTOR
Leo is in!
Leonard Di Caprio, J Edgar
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
George Clooney, The Descendants
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Michael Fassbender, Shame

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
I'm thinking Woodley gets left behind. We will see.
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Meh. What happened here, only Plummer & Brooks deserve to be here.
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Nick Nolte, Warrior

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Wishful thinking on my part for A Separation one of my faves of the year.
Will Reiser, 50/50
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Ashgar Farhadi, A Separation

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Descendants
Steven Zaillian, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Tate Taylor, The Help
John Logan, Hugo
Stan Chervin, Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian, Moneyball

What I Saw at Tribeca

2011-05-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

My latest on Film Misery is up, notes on a few movies I saw at the Tribeca Film Festival.

The most indelible image though is that of Rifdha (pictured above), a brave smart precocious 10 year from the Maldives. She is one of 3 young contestants at a Koran reciting competition at the heart of Koran by Heart, a documentary from HBO. She was at the screening and I felt such warmth towards her. I wanted to protect her dreams and help her accomplish them. That movie was the most inspiring I've seen in awhile.

Read more here.

Summer Movies

2011-04-26T04:55:00.000-07:00

I don't much care for summer movies. They tend to be dominated by my least favourite genre, superhero and/or big action movies. I admit some superhero movies are OK, The first X-Men , The Dark Night. But most are just intolerable. And the last Michael Bay film I saw was Bad Boys.

So for this summer 2 movies excite me. Bridesmaids and One Day. I guess I dig chick flicks.

Bridesmaids just looks so funny. I laugh out loud through the trailer. Watch Kristin Wiig's reaction when she's told she's "the worst bridesmaid". Priceless. Or when she says "I'm ready to parrrrty". I bet you are doubling down laughing.There is another trailer that I couldn't find in which John Hamm appears, and any movie with the dapper Draper is one I can't wait to see.

As for One Day, my anticipation stems from the fact that I loved the book on which it is based. No wonder these rights were swept up so soon, the book begs for cinematic interpretation. Reading it I could imagine a movie easily as it was written very cinematically. And the writer David Nicholls wrote the adaptation. Plus Lone Sherfig, who had such a sterling debut with An Education, is directing.Finally the lovely Anne Hathaway is starring. So yes count me in.

What are you most loking forward to this summer?

How gay is Mildred Pierce?

2011-03-24T05:41:00.001-07:00

Let's count the ways how this mini series is gay:

- directed by queer filmmaker Todd Haynes.
- a "woman's" story.
- original movie starred Joan Crawford, queen of the big gestures and the overripe drama i.e. gay gay gay.
- Kate Winslet is admittedly not much of a gay icon but she is an actress who has been nominated several times and won an Oscar. So she's kinda gay.
- Melissa Leo has a supporting role. Again the Oscar angle.
- The trailer is all about the period detail, costumes and art direction. Very gay.
- Haynes made the very gay Far From Heaven which was based on the dramas of possibly one of the gayest directors, Douglas Sirk.
- Me and many of my friends are super excited about this. That is very gay.

The only not gay thing is that I feel like I should get HBO, 3 years after I unplugged.

And by the way saying something is gay is the highest compliment I can give.

RIP Liz

2011-03-23T07:09:00.001-07:00

Haven't seen Liz as Martha yet. Have to do that this week.

More More More

2011-03-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

I answer a few questions including which Cate Blanchett performance I like best over at Film Experience.

Plus you'll find more of my articles here, at Film Misery.

Live Tweeting the Oscars

2011-02-27T12:34:00.000-08:00

I will be at this party live tweeting the Oscars tonight. Follow me at twitter.com/ME_Says.

My Final Oscar Predictions

2011-02-22T10:50:00.001-08:00

Best Picture
“Black Swan”
“The Fighter”
“Inception”
“The Kids Are All Right”
“The King’s Speech”
“127 Hours”
“The Social Network”
“Toy Story 3″
“True Grit”
“Winter’s Bone”

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, “Black Swan”
David O. Russell, “The Fighter”
Tom Hooper, “The King’s Speech”
David Fincher, “The Social Network”
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, “True Grit”

Best Actor
Javier Bardem, “Biutiful”
Jeff Bridges, “True Grit”
Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”
Colin Firth, “The King’s Speech”
James Franco "127 Hours"

Best Actress
Annette Bening, “The Kids Are All Right”
Nicole Kidman, “Rabbit Hole”
Jennifer Lawrence, “Winter’s Bone”
Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”
Michelle Williams, “Blue Valentine”

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, “The Fighter”
John Hawkes, “Winter’s Bone”
Jeremy Renner, “The Town”
Mark Ruffalo, “The Kids Are All Right”
Geoffrey Rush, “The Kind’s Speech”

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, “The Fighter”
Helena Bonham Carter, “The King’s Speech”
Melissa Leo, “The Fighter”
Hailee Steinfeld, “True Grit”
Jacki Weaver, “Animal Kingdom”

Best Adapted Screenplay
“127 Hours”
“The Social Network”“
Toy Story 3″
“True Grit”
“Winter’s Bone”

Best Original Screenplay
“Another Year”
“The Fighter”
“Inception”
“The Kids Are All Right”
“The King’s Speech”

Best Art Direction
“Alice in Wonderland”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I”
“Inception”
“The King’s Speech”
“True Grit”

Best Cinematography
“Black Swan”
“Inception”
“The King’s Speech”
“The Social Network”
“True Grit”

Best Costume Design
“Alice in Wonderland”
“I Am Love”
“The King’s Speech”
“The Tempest”
“True Grit”

Best Film Editing
“Black Swan”
“The Fighter”
“The King’s SPeech”
“127 Hours”
“The Social Network”

Best Makeup
“Barney’s Version”
“The Way Back”
“The Wolfman”

Best Music (Original Score)
“How to Train Your Dragon”
“Inception”
“The King’s Speech”
“127 Hours”
“The Social Network”

Best Music (Original Song)
“Coming Home” from “Country Strong”
“If I Rise” from “127 Hours”
“I See the Light” from “Tangled”
“We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3″

Best Sound Editing
“Inception”
“Toy Story 3″
“TRON Legacy”
“True Grit”
“Unstoppable”

Best Sound Mixing
“Inception”
“The King’s Speech”
“Salt”
“The Social Network”
“True Grit”

Best Visual Effects
“Alice in Wonderland”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I”
“Herafter”
“Inception”
“Iron Man 2″

Best Animated Feature Film
“How to Train Your Dragon”
“The Illusionist”
“Toy Story 3″

Best Foreign Language Film
“Biutiful” (Mexico)
“Dogtooth” (Greece)
“In a Better World” (Denmark)
“Incendies” (Canada)
“Outside the Law” (Algeria)

Best Documentary Feature
“Exit Through the Gift Shop”
“Gasland”
“Inside Job”
“Restrepo”
“Waste Land”

Best Documentary Short
“Killing in the Name”
“Poster Girl”
“Strangers No More”
“Sun Comes Up”
“The Warriors of Qiugang”

Best Short Film (Animated)
“Day & Night”
“The Gruffalo”
“Let’s Pollute”
“The Lost Thing”
“Madagascar, a Journey Diary”

Best Short Film (Live Action
“The Confession”
“The Crush”
“God of Love”
“Na Wewe”
“Wish 143″

Final ME_Says Awards

2011-02-22T07:47:00.000-08:00

This long weekend I saw "Carlos" and I was tempted to add to my list of nominess particularly for Edgar Ramirez's performance. He is oustanding and clearly gives one of the year's best performances. But I'll stick to my previous nominations.

Best Film
For the win it was a battle between "The Kids Are All right" and "the Social Network" for me. Both are immensely enjoyable conemporary movies that comment on the way we live today. I've seen both several times already and they don't lose anything after multiple viewing. Here is my list in order.

The Social Network
The Kids Are All Right
Blue Valentine
Black Swan
Animal Kingdom
The Fighter
A Prophet
Rabbit Hole
Joan Rivers A Piece of Work
127 hours
Never Let Me Go

Bast Actor
Eckhart was just the most emotional performance of the lot. Gosling gave a fascinating heartfelt performance too.
Aaron Eckhart - Rabbit Hole
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
James Franco - 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling - Blue Valentine
Tahar Rahim - A Prophet

Best Actress
Almost all year I was with Bening as my fave of the year. But Williams' performance is stronger in my mind and I only saw her performance once.
Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Julianne Moore - The Kids Are All Right
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Emma Stone - Easy A
Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine

Best Supporting Actress
What a fantastic list. While Leo was great and so in sync with Bale, Adams was my fave in The Fighter. Ultimately I went with Weaver because it was the more surprising performance. Not because I didn't know much about the actress but because I was constantly surprised by her character.

Amy Adams - The Fighter
Loretta Devine - For Colored Girls
Mila Kunis - Black Swan
Melissa Leo- The Fighter
Naomi Watts - Mother and Child
Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom

Best Supporting Actor
Because Ruffallo made it look so easy. He wasn't acting, he was just being.

Christian Bale - The Fighter
Matt Damon - True Grit
Andrew Garfield - Never Let Me Go
Armie Hammer - The Social Network
Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right

Best Director
Fincher period. The Social Network was entertaining, thought provoking and it had great music, amazing performances, snappy editing and I was wowed and amazed even in my third viewing. And behind all this was one man.
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
Lisa Cholendenko - The Kids Are All Right
Derek Cianfrance - Blue Valentine
David Fincher - The Social Newtwork
David Michod - Animal Kingdom

Best Original Screenplay
Just love that movie and those characters.Beautifully written dialogue and honestly drawn characters.
Animal Kingdom - David Michod
Blue Valentine - Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis
The Fighter - Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
The Kids Are All Right - Lisa Cholendenko and Stuart Blumberg
A Prophet - Jacques Audiard

Best Adapted Screenplay
That dialogue, man. That fast fast dialogue.
127 Hours - Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle
Never Let Me Go - Alex Garland
The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin
Toy Story 3 - Michael Arndt
Winter's Bone - Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini

ME-Says Awards or If I Had An Oscar Ballot

2011-01-22T16:29:00.000-08:00

I thought this was a great year for movies and particularly performances. I would have liked to have 8 noms for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress (where I cheated and put in 6). It was hard to decide who to take out. Sorry Barbara Hershey, Nicole Kidman, Amanda Peet, Patricia Clarkson, and Keira Knightley. And I didn't have a spot for Jim Carrey in Best Actor.

Best Film
127 hours
Animal Kingdom
Black Swan
Blue Valentine
The Fighter
Joan Rivers A Piece of Work
The Kids Are All right
Never Let Me Go
A Prophet
Rabbit Hole
The Social Network

Bast Actor
Aaron Eckhart - Rabbit Hole
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
James Franco - 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling - Blue Valentine
Tahar Rahim - A Prophet

Best Actress
Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Julianne Moore - The Kids Are All Right
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Emma Stone - Easy A
Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams - The Fighter
Loretta Devine - For Colored Girls
Mila Kunis - Black Swan
Melissa Leo- The Fighter
Naomi Watts - Mother and Child
Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale - The Fighter
Matt Damon - Trur Grit
Andrew Garfield - Never Let Me Go
Armie Hammer - The Social Network
Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
Lisa Cholendenko - The Kids Are All Right
Derek Cianfrance - Blue Valentine
David Fincher - The Social Newtwork
David Michod - Animal Kingdom

Best Original Screenplay
Animal Kingdom - David Michod
Blue Valentine - Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis
The Fighter - Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
The Kids Are All Right - Lisa Cholendenko and Stuart Blumberg
A Prophet - Jacques Audiard

Best Adapted Screenplay
127 Hours - Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle
Never Let Me Go - Alex Garland
The Social Network - AAron Sorkin
Toy Story 3 - Michael Arndt
Winter's Bone - Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini

Hello Clarice

2010-11-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

The new Modern Classics column is up over at Film Misery. In it I discuss The Silence of the Lambs, one of favourite movies. It contains what I think is the strongest most heroic female screen character in Clarice Starling.

I also think Jodie Foster was right in turning down the sequel. Clarice was not as strong nor as fascinating and behaved rather out of character.

I build the case for both arguments. Check it out and let me know if you agree.

A Love Letter to Kurt Hummel

2010-10-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

Is there a more important character on network TV today than Kurt Hummel? I think not. In this time where many gay teenagers are finding themselves alone and confused, Glee offers this positive inspirational character.

Kurt is young, gay, out, proud, defiant, and above all completely and utterly himself. He might not always do the right thing, or feel comfortable in all situations. But he goes on living. Goes on trying things. Goes on being true to himself.

I wish there was a character like this in popular culture when I was growing up. We all know that being a teenager, and particularly a gay teenager, can be very lonely. I sought refuge in the writings of James Baldwin at that age. But I hope young gay men and women today can see themselves in Kurt. He's out there. On the most popular show on TV. He's is definitely and definitively part of the cultural conversation. Hopefully he's forcing teachers and parents and young adults to confront the sexuality question that looms large at that age.

But back to Kurt himself. I just love him. Love his relationships. Whether the tender and loving one that he has with his dad. The awkward and sometimes stalkerish crush he had on Finn. His rivalry with Rachel, his love and "us against the world" friendship with Mercedes. I love that he examines his surroundings and makes informed opinions about religion, high school and of course Lady Gaga.I love that he always tries new things and is never afraid. Whether demanding the right to sing "Defying Gravity", trying out for the football team and of course the right to dance to "Single Ladies' in a unitard.

And don't you just love his dad. He always stands up to him. Always with love and protection. He has no judgement, no disappointment. And above all he is wise and guides him. I teared up up in the scenes that accompanied 'I Want to Hold Your Hand" when they showed the tea party little Kurt had for this dad. How great is that? To encourage and love your kid that way at that age, forgetting how you thought they'd turn up, what you wanted them to become. Not a lot of parents are up to that challenge.

Chris Colfer is a most talented young man. I was so happy that he was nominated for an Emmy this year for season one. He gives Kurt such charm and appeal. And what a singer. What other 20 year old can give such pizazz to "Le Jazz Hot'' and such heartache to his version of 'I want to Hold Your Hand". And what an arc have the writers given him. Coming out, confronting his dad about his sexuality, having a crush on his straight friend, facing the uncertainty of a very sick parent. And all those songs, not just what I mentioned but he also covered John Mellancamp and did 'Rose's Turn" from Gypsy and Judy Garland's part in "Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy".

My favourite Glee cover is "I Want to Hold Your Hand". You can't tell, right? I only mentioned it here 4 times. Beautiful and full of emotion. It is on constant loop on my iPod.

Kurt, just as Rachel told you last week. "You might be lonely but you are not alone". I love you and I'm so happy that I get to spend time with you every week. Keep the faith, my friend.

Sorry for the Silence

2010-10-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

The past couple of months have been very busy. At work, travelling out of New York City. But the main reason that I have not been able to update the blog is because I started contributing to Film Misery.

It's a great opportunity to be part of that site and to interact with its readers. You will find all my articles here. Please check them out and I'll be back here soon.

In fact the "Silence' in this title inspired me to write about a favorite movie of mine, The Silence of the Lambs. That will be my next article at Film Misey.

Best Actress is getting crowded

2010-09-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Black Swan premiered early today at the Venice Film Festival. Early reaction is very good. Almost unanimous praise. The more interesting question to me is whether Natalie Portman is now a front runner for Best Actress. The trippy trailer proved that this movie is a great showcase for her. Now the reviews are following, even the ones that had problems with the movie liked her performance. If she wins an award in Venice she could become unstoppable. After all Helen Mirren's march to Oscar 4 years ago started with a win in Venice.

Not so fast. This year's roster is already crowded. There's the new ingenue in Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone. The multiple nominated veterans from a bonafide art house hit in Julianne Moore and Annette Bening from The Kids Are Alright. Not mention movies being released later in the year for Oscar darlings like Anne Hathaway (Love and Other Drugs), Carey Mulligan (Never Let Me Go), indie stalwarts with confirmed festival buzz Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine) and Lesley Manville (Another Year).

I say Portman, a former nominee for Closer, is very close to locking up the nomination not the win. Not yet anyway. But a bit of advise for Bening, the front runner now in my opinion, go out and rock the vote, play the Jeff Bridges card from last year and you might just win. So far she's been laying low, which might be a good strategy but not for long.

Who do you think will win? Vote in the poll:

poll by twiigs.com

What Makes A Modern Classic?

2010-08-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

I have news. I will be contributing part time to one of my fave movie blogs - Film Misery. I am really excited about that.

I will contribute a feature called 'Modern Classics" that would look at recent classics. Check my intro of the feature and my 6 suggestions for my first columns and let me know what you think and would you'd like to read about first here.

Are you going to movies this weekend?

2010-08-21T08:40:00.001-07:00

I have been too occupied with good TV to bother with movies recently. Completely obsessed with Mad Men. We even dressed as the characters for a work event. Have been checking Dexter's season 4 on DVD. Not to mention the trashy Bachelor Pad, I mean who doesn't like to watch stupid people be stupid and mean to each other.

So I've negated movies for Hulu, instant Netflix and reality TV. I would like to change that. Tell me in the comments what I should see this weekend. Here are the choices :

1. Cyrus
2. The Other Guys
3. Salt
4. Agora
5. Get Low

Eat Pray Love is still not an option.

Black Swan? It's a trippy trip.

2010-08-19T05:13:00.000-07:00

I am a couple of days late to the party. The trailer for Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan" was released late afternoon on Tuesday. Within minutes the Internet was abuzz and going gaga over it. Twitter, facebook, blogs ..... everyone was talking about it. And I became as excited as everyone is.

Why? Because it's a fantastic trailer and now I can't wait for the movie. It was not on my radar mainly because I never cared for Natalie Portman. He filmography is thin on good movies with exception of The Professional (Leon).But this trailer sold me big time.

Its mood, its music, that gorgeous cinematography, sells the movie. You get the feeling you'll be in for a trippy ride. And in those few minutes you can see that the movie will be a good showcase for multiple actresses. From the blink and you miss her Winona Ryder who's looking good in what I assume must be a tiny part. To Mila Kunis who looks to be in completely new territory. And Barbra Hershey is enjoying herself in what appears to be a juicy "crazy" mother role.

But of course the best showcase this trailer provides is for Portman. And boy does she look good going unhinged. This could be great because as my favourite blogger Nathaniel says " Women Who Lie To Themselves™ is the greatest of film genres". I am beside myself with excitement and I hope the movie lives up to the hype now.

My Short Virtual Affair with Sal Romano

2010-08-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

Are you obsessed with Mad Men? I am. Season 4 is on and it's very good. I've also been revisiting Seasons 1 and 2 on DVD. This show is a gem. The best thing about it are these vividly drawn characters. Even the ones with limited screen time are very real and relatable.

Almost all characters have twitter accounts. I thought they must be managed by the show cause their tweets are very well written and completely in character. But I read online that they are not. Whoever is behind them did a fantastic job.

Being on twitter means of course that I can chat to them. I engaged Peggy Olson and Joan Holloway. But I was surprised when one of my favourite characters, Sal Romano, started responding back. It was innocuous enough at the beginning. Those who watch know that he is no longer on the show since he was fired by Don Draper last season. So I asked what he was doing these days.And before I knew it, back and forth we went and set up a fictitious date to meet on Christopher Street for a drink. It was the most fun I had on twitter. Sadly when I tried to secure a second date, he didn't bite. Gay men, always fickle even fictional online ones.

Check out our exchange in the picture or start your own by chatting to these characters. You can find them all here.

Anything to Avoid that Megawatt Smile!

2010-08-12T13:49:00.000-07:00

When Julia Roberts first appeared as a new ascending movie star, I liked her. Like the rest of the world did. I think I was OK with her through "Erin Brockovich", which is not only her greatest performance but also a fantastic showcase of her charisma. Since then though I've been just blah about her. The 'Ocean' movies did not help. And I have skipped her last two movies despite the somewhat positive buzz for "Duplicity".

I think I have "the underdog syndrome". Once stars become big, I avoid them. These days I can't stand watching any movie with Tom Hanks. And I loved Splash, way back in the day. Similarly I will be avoiding that huge smile this weekend. I am hoping I will not see coming at me from every channel on TV and every magazine cover on the racks. Hide!

ME_Says Must List

2010-07-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

Those who know me, know that I'm addicted to my iPhone. Almost always on it, checking facebook, checking-in using foursquare, updating my twitter feed through tweetdeck. But for these great apps that I use, there wasn't one I could write about in the blog. Until now. Entertainment Weekly just released a new app, based on their weekly column, Must List. All the pop culture that they are obsessed with weekly. Of course I got it immediately and added my own twist on their must list. Here is mine:

- The World Cup. It's been over for 2 weeks now, but it was so all consuming for a month that I think it still bears a mention. My pre tournament pick, Spain, won so I'm a very happy camper. Better is Kickette, a site that obsesses about sexy footballers. Thanks for keeping the world cup alive!

- The Kids Are All Right. Gets my vote for best movie of the year so far. I've said it all before.

- One Day by David Nicholls. What a great book. Compulsively readable.You just want to know what happens next for Dex and Em, who meet on their graduation day and we follow them for the next 20 years. The perfect summer book.

- Joan Rivers' A Piece of Work. Who knew the directors of the heavy drama documentaries "The Devil Came on Horseback" and 'The Trials of Darryl Hunt" had this funny movie in them? It follows Rivers for a year and it's a fascinating journey and a sobering look at the relentless drive and despair behind the glamour of show business. And it has my favourite line from a movie this year, uttered by Joan herself. "I live like Marie Antoinette.... if she were rich".

- The Bachelorette. Completely ridiculous. Absolutely unreal. But oh so dramatic and I'm hooked. I can't help but watch every week.

- The Daily Show. Smartest show on TV. Enough said.

- Somewhere trailer. Moody and surreal. It's like a dream that I'd like to be in. Certainly a better dream than the over hyped and so what Inception. And after "Marie Antoinette" and "Lost in Translation", I want to see what Sofia Coppola does next. I know it will look gorgeous. But beware great trailers sometimes lead to bad movies, last year "A Single Man" had the best trailer but we ended with a vile movie.

- Mad Men. Everyone knows it's the best show on TV now. The 3rd season was almost perfect. I might even get cable to watch it with the rest of the world instead of waiting for the DVDs on netflix.

The Kids Are All right is right on!

2010-07-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

Proceed with caution, this entry contains minor spoilers.

The Kids Are All Right is the kind of movie I like best. A contemporary American comedy that comments on the way we are living today. It tells the story of a couple (Julianne Moore and Annette Bening) whose teenage kids (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson) decide to contact their sperm donor biological father (Mark Ruffalo). What follows is a charming, funny, thoughtful and touching comedy. And it's a perfect gem of a movie. Full of real characters and relateable situations.

The script by Lisa Cholodenko (who also directed) and Stuart Blumberg is so spot on. There are elements of the story that I was apprehensive of (one of the gay mom's affair with the straight donor dad), but they felt right and were real. The writing is so good that all five main performances are almost perfect. Ruffalo is charming and sexy and makes you realize why people would be attracted to his basically overgrown kid. Wasikowska and Hutcherson are very believable and offbeat in different ways. And it's almost always hard to play a 'real" teenager, but they pull it off.

Moore plays the flighty underachiever with warmth and wit. She has a fantastic comedy moment reacting to a surprise kiss. Fantastically funny. And she gets a big scene where she explains her character, and she nails it. While I love Julianne, Bening was amazing in this. The way she butched it up in her walk and her voice. Plus she gets the best lines and the best scenes. And it's all subtext, just how she reacts. Watch a lifetime of marriage reflected on her face when Moore is talking about her "career". And in another scene towards the end, she punches the audience in the stomach with the authenticity of her feelings of betrayal. I loved how it got all quiet and it was all about Benning's acting and her face...wow. Not to mention her mini breakdown in the restaurant scene where she unravels and comes clean about being threatened. She may finally win that elusive Oscar.

Great great movie. The minute it ended, I wanted to see it again immediately. Best of 2010 so far.

Toy Story 3 is actually really good!!

2010-07-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

I don't like animated movies. Don't know who Dorie nor Nemo are. Thought the Lion King was terrible, but the Incredibles were pretty fly.Last year I succumbed to peer pressure and ecstatic reviews and saw Up. Boring and predictable except for those wonderful 4 minutes that told a story of a lifetime of love and marriage with poetry and efficiency. I don't remember seeing the first two Toy Story movies but I must've seen at least one because the characters were familiar this time around.

Anyhow Toy Story 3 was enjoyable. It had a simple but funny and engaging story. Time flew by, I only looked at my phone a couple of times. And it had this one fantastic scene towards the end that tugs at the heartstrings. I found myself clutching my friend's arm with tears in my eyes. It was so moving and in a moment said a whole lot about life and one's mortality. Can't remember the last time a movie made me feel like this. Which could be a curious comment on my cynical heart. But I think it's because this movie is just good.

Full disclosure : It was not my first choice. I really wanted to see Cyrus, but it was sold out. And it was so hot that I was craving the A/C of the theatre. I would've seen anything.

Chris Colfer is an Emmy Nominee!

2010-07-09T08:38:00.000-07:00

Are you a Gleek? I totally am. Love the show. It dominated with 19 nominations at this year's Emmys. But the one nomination that I absolutely love is Chris Colfer for playing Kurt. Very deserved. It is great to see on TV a young adult gay man portrayed with such subtlety and truth. His character arc was so moving dealing with coming out, his crush on a straight friend and his relationship with his dad. And Colfer was in turns heartbreaking, defiant, lost and triumphant in his characterization. Who else could bring such charm and laughs to a scene where he comes out to the whole world while singing Beyonce's "Single Ladies" in a football field in full gear!

Congrats Chris.

2010 Movies

2010-06-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

Is this the worst year for movies in a long time? Feels like it. It is very hard to find a movie to go these. And even upcoming movies are not exciting me, only a handful.

I did manage to see some movies in the last few months. Very few though and I only really really liked two:

A Prophet -a masterpiece. Believe the critics and the hype. Fascinating character study of what makes a criminal. Circumstance or upbringing or are they just born criminals? It could also be viewed as an allegory to corporate success and how one climbs the ranks or rather obliterates the competition. The ultimate killer instinct story.

Splice - the best horror movie I've seen in years. It was smart and edge of your seat thrilling. Plus it tried to explore a long-term romantic relationship. Not entirely successfully but I appreciate the effort. What made this movie different is the fascinating character at the center of it, called "Dren". Not fully human, but a DNA-mix. You watch as "she" grows up and goes through different stages : childhood, love and even sex.

Other movies I've seen :

Sex and the City 2 - This was very disappointing, particularly because I loved the series which was so smart and funny while addressing real relationship issues. This was just dumb and unnecessary. However most of the audience I was with loved it. What I didn't understand was why the reviews were so harsh? Why all the hate? It's not a good movie but not worse than 80% of what comes out every summer. Certainly not worse than The Proposal from last year which started Sandra Bullock fantastic year. Is it SJP? She is a polarising figure and seems to elicit very strong feelings, particularly from movie critics.

Please Give - I remember tearing up a couple of times watching this story about neurotic New Yorkers and their messy lives. However I don't remember why, and a few weeks later nothing has stayed with me from it. Apparently forgettable.

Summer Movies?

2010-05-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

For me this summer looks like a big snooze. There are hardly any movies that I'm anticipating. SATC2 is totally unnecessary although I guess I'll see it. Cruise and Diaz in an action rom-com, snooze. Another movie from the pretentinous M Night Shyamalan, please what is this 1999?

However I admit to looking forward to these 3 movies:

Splice : a sci-fi horror mystery about a newly created species/monster. Could be the worst movie ever made. Or could be so so great. With art house darling Sarah Polley involved I'm betting on the latter.

Inception : Chris Nolan and Leo DiCaprio. Not to mention Joseph Gordon Levitt, Ken Watanabe and Marion Cotilliard. {Plus the premise sounds trippy. I'm there.

The Kids Are Alright : Benning and Moore. Plus Ruffalo. Looks delightful. And it a major movie from a queer filmmaker. And deafening buzz from Sundance. I'm so there.

So slim pickings for me this summer season.

Happy Birthday Cate!

2010-05-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

The luminous Cate Blanchett is 41 today. She bedazzeled at the Cannes Film Festival in a tribute gown to Alexander Mcqueen.

I love her so much, as Fergie says, like a kid loves their blanket. But do I love her enough to sit through Robin Hood this weekend? Crowe has become unwatchable and Scott has not made a good movie since Black Hawk Dawn.

Oh Cate why can't you make better choices. I know working with Scott and before that Steven Spielberg sounded like good ideas. But as a result you were in the lamest Indiana Jones movie and the reviews for Robin Hood so far have not really been that good.

Still love you, though.

Just because it's a joyful picture

2010-03-09T14:03:00.000-08:00

Oscar Oscar - How was it?

2010-03-09T10:51:00.001-08:00

Well first things first, my predictions. I got 19 out of 24 correct. Not bad, I won the pool at the my party.The short films totally tripped me. I was happy to be wrong about Adapted Screenplay and for Geoffrey Fletcher to be the first African American to win a writing Oscar. Hopefully in a few years race and gender won't matter but first they have to start winning. Which they did this year.

The show itself was not that entertaining. Neil Patrick Harris, who was fantastic at the Tonys and Emmys, was only so-so here. Martin and Baldwin brought a retro vibe back to the Oscars, particularly after Jackman last year totally pushed it forward. They had a couple funny jokes (...that damn Helen Mirren, and the snuggles) but mostly predictable and not funny enough. And the show felt like it went forever.

The emotional highlight for me was Oprah's intro of Gabourey Sidibe, calling her "a new American Cinderella" while Gabby was moved to tears. If only that was followed by her actually winning. Alas the Sandy train could not be stopped, but she gave the best speech of the night. Funny, emotional, humble...hit all the right notes. And while Mon'Nique was criticized for not being humble enough, I liked that she paid a tribute to Hattie McDaniel, both in her speech and her outfit. While I see why she mentioned the politics of campaigning, in winning she should've risen above that. But so happy to see her win, if one person deserved an Oscar this year, it was Mo'Nique.

The Hurt Locker won 6. I think the last time my favourite film of the year won was back in 1996 with The English Patient. Happy for Bigelow, Boal and all the other winners. As Nathaniel Rogers from Film Experience called it "The Sexy Locker", everyone's so damn hot! The best film of the year won. Still I was surprised by how poorly "Avatar" did. I guess you can't win without acting and writing nominations.
Just a quick note about the fashion. It was not that interesting. Most people (except Charlize Theron and SJP) looked good. Loved the outrageousness of the mullet dress that Zoe Salanda wore. Hot! Carey Mulligan wore another mullet and I applaud them both for not being boring. Of the men Jake Gyllenhaal looked the best. But the Sexy Locker guys were up there too.

Another year, another Oscar. When the next one? February 2011, here we come. Maybe the kids will be alright, then.

3 Surprises I'd like to see tonight

2010-03-06T07:35:00.000-08:00

It feels kinda odd to be behind the favorite at the Oscars. The last time was Brokeback's year and we know what heartache that brought. But it was hard to come up with 3 surprises I'd like to see tonight. Here's hoping Hurt Locker prevails.

- Gabourey Sidibe winning over Bullock and Streep. You know she'll give a giggly warm and funny speech. It will be a breath of fresh air. Plus she gave the best performance of the year.

- Jeremy Renner over Bridges. Again because he was so good. And because it will a moment full of joy.

- And if not Gabby, please give it to Meryl. Nothing against Sandra but Meryl has been fantastic for 35 years. And yes she has 2, but it's not enough. She deserves a 3rd.

That's it folks enjoy the show.

ME_Says Awards

2010-03-06T07:18:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I announced my nominations for the best in 2009 movies. On the eve of the Oscars, it is time to announce the winners. No surprises if you've been following.

On another note, my picks are not that different from the Oscars. That's because there was consensus on the best this year, and the academy got it right.

Best Picture of the year:

1. The Hurt Locker.
2. (500) Days of Summer.
3. Precious.

4. Valentino: The Last Emperor.

5. An Education.
6. Up in the Air.
7. Inglorious Basterds.
8. District 9.
9. Avatar.
10. Every Little Step.

Best Director:
1. Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker.
2. Neil Bloomkamp - District 9.
3. James Cameron - Avatar.
4. Lee Daniels - Precious.
5.Quentin Tarantino - Inglorious Basterds.

Best Actor;
1. George Clooney - Up in the Air.

2. Sharlto Copley - District 9.

3. Matt Damon - The Informant

4. Joseph Gordon Levitt - (500) Days of Summer.

5. Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker.

Best Actress:
1. Zoey Deschanel - (500) Days of Summer.
2. Carey Mulligan - An Education.

3. Maya Rudolph - Away We Go.

4. Gabourey Sidibe - Precious.

5. Meryl Streep - Julie and Julia.

Best Supporting Actor:
1. Brian Gerety - The Hurt Locker.

2. Anthony Mackie - The Hurt Locker.

3. Peter Sarsgaard - An Education.

4. Stanley Tucci - Julie and Julia.

5. Christoph Waltz - Inglorious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress:
1. Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air

2. Melanie Laurent - Inglorious Basterds.
3. Mo'Nique - Precious.

4. Rosamund Pike - An Education.

5. Blanca Portillo - Broken Embraces.

Best Original Screenplay:
1.(500) Days of Summer. Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Webber
2.Inglorious Basters. Quentin Tarantino.
3.The Hurt Locker. Mark Boal.

Best Adapted Screenplay:
1.An Education - Nick Hornby.
2.Julie and Julia - Nora Ephron.
3.Precious - Geoffrey Fletcher.
4.Up in the Air - Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner.

5 Random Thoughts about Shutter Island

2010-03-04T13:53:00.001-08:00

A Scorcese movie is always reason for very high expectations. However in the last decade he only really delivered with "The Departed". Both "The Aviator" and "Gangs of New York" had fantastic elements but did not get even close to his masterpieces of yesteryear. And this one did not either.

1. It is a very well done movie. Of course you'd expect that from a master like Scorecese. Editing, music, cinematography - all great.

2. Lots of very accomplished actors who are really fun to watch. Patricia Clarkson, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Emily Mortimer, Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams. They were all good and compelling.

3. Leo is great. He and Scorcese must have a shorthand by now. He keeps getting better and better. This coming post his best performance in "Revolutionary Road" and in it he is again an older, wiser, haggard family man. So good.

4. I figured out the twist ending very early on. So I spent 2 hours bored waiting for it to end. The story is not that great. And the movie was so long. Note to all filmmakers two and half hours is a long time. Being long does not make a movie great.

5. Why was this movie made? It takes at least 2 years and millions of dollars to make a movie these days. Did Scorcese really have the passion for this story? It's just so blah.

6 out of 10. And I think I'm being generous.

Final Oscar Predictions

2010-03-04T04:44:00.001-08:00

It's 3 days away. This has been the longest Oscar season ever. But there's light at the end of the tunnel. Here are my final predictions. I'm making them based on precursors and what I read online for the big categories, as for the rest just guess work.

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock

Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz

Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique

Original Screenplay: The Hurt Locker

Adapted Screenplay: Up in the Air

Art Direction: Avatar

Cinematography: Avatar

Editing: The Hurt Locker

Sound Mixing: The Hurt Locker

Sound Editing: Avatar

Costumes: The Young Victoria

Makeup: Star Trek

Documentary Feature : The Cove

Foreign Language: El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Argentina)

Music (Original Score) : Up

Animated Feature: Up

Visual Effects: Avatar

Song: The Weary Kind

Live Action Short: The Door

Animated Short: A Matter of Loaf and Death

Documentary Short: China's Unnatural Disaster

So Hurt Locker will win 5 and Avatar 4. And there will be no surprises in the acting categories.

The Academy Got It Right!

2010-02-26T07:04:00.000-08:00

The Oscars are only 9 days away. It took a while for the nominations to sink in for me. Once I got over the crazy nomination for The Blind Side for best film, the terrible Best Supporting actor category and the snubs of Anthony Mackie, Peter Sarsgaard and (500) Days of Summer, I think the Academy should be proud. They did well this year. And here is why:

- All the love for "The Hurt Locker" is absolutely deserved. It is the best war movie, the best movie about the Iraq war and a contemporary thrilling ride that is fantastic to watch. Happy that Bigelow, Renner and Boal made it to the nominees list. Even it's score was a surprising nominee.

- Mo'Nique gave the best performance of the year. Period. So gut wrenching, emotional, and full of bravado. She completely dominated her movie. And Gabourey Sidibe as Precious was heart breaking yet so full of life. They were nominated. And so was the movie, Lee Daniels' direction and Geoffrey Fletcher's screenplay. Because such performances could only be great if they had a script to work with and a director with a wise eye to cast them and guide them through. So powerful were the performances they elevated the movie and made it one of the year's best.

- For a while there I thought Anna Kendrik's overrated performance was going to overshadow Vera Farmiga's far superior turn in "Up in the Air". But she was noticed and nominated. And finally the whole world can see her charms and hopefully make her the movie star she deserves to be.

- And Meryl. I can't say more. So full of joy as Julia Child. She does it again. Far better than anything I'd say check out how NYTimes explains the "Streepness" of it all.

- And their 10 best pictures nominees aren't too bad. Besides the movies I mentioned above they acknowledged District 9, An Education, Avatar and Inglorious Basterds. They liked, really liked the profane and hilarious script for "In the Loop", the sumptuous beautiful threads of "Bright Star" and the music of "Up".

Congrats AMPAS. This year you did not embarrass yourself.

Favorite Moment in 2009 Film

2010-02-20T18:47:00.000-08:00

Here is my favourite moment in 2009 movies. And the line " There's enough bang in there to blow us all to Jesus. If I'm gonna die, I want to die comfortable", is my quote of the year. Click here to see it.

Other great quotes:

"Hi, I'm Joann, my favorite color is fluorescent beige".
"It's love, it's not Santa Claus".

My Oscar Predictions

2010-01-31T14:44:00.000-08:00

OK, this is a very exciting Oscar race. A few of the big categories are still with no clear front runner, Avatar vs Hurt Locker, Bigelow vs Cameron and Bullock vs Streep. Mo'Nique and Christoph Waltz look like sure fire winners, but at least one spot is up for grabs in each of their categories. Here's who I think will be nominated Tuesday morning in the 8 big categories:

Best Picture
Invictus should make it although it baffles me why. I'm thinking The Messenger and A Serious Man will just miss out and District 9 and Star Trek make it as they did at the PGA. The other 7 are shoo-ins.

Avatar
An Education
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglorious Basterds
Invictus
Precious
Star Trek
Up
Up in the Air

Best Director:
Love this category. Love these movies. Love these 5. So different yet each one a game changer.

Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
James Cameron - Avatar
Lee Daniels - Precious
Jason Reitman - Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino - Inglorious Basterds

Best Actress:
Easiest category to guess. The SAG 5 will repeat. Only spoiler could be Emily Blunt instead of Mirren.

Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Helen Mirren - The Last Station
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Gabourey Sidibe - Precious
Meryl Streep - Julie and Julia

Best Actor:
Another easy one, the SAG 5 should repeat here too. Although Viggo Mortensen or Ben Foster might surprise. Remember Tommy Lee Jones nom out of left field 2 years ago with no precursors? Even Sharlto Copley could get in. Freeman looking vulnerable but will slide in.

Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
George Clooney - Up in the Air
Colin Firth - A Single Man
Morgan Freeman - Invictus
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker

Best Supporting Actress:
Does it matter who the other four are? Mo'Nique is deservedly going to win this. The ladies of Nine will be completely shut out and I'm betting that those who voted Inglorious for best ensemble at the SAG awards are going to reward Laurent with a nom in place of Julianne Moore.

Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
Melanie Laurent - Inglorious Basterds
Samantha Morton - The Messenger
Mo'Nique - Precious

Best Supporting Actor:
All those folks who have been discovering and falling in love with The Hurt Locker are going to vote for Mackie. Sorry Matt, you should've been nominated for The Informant! anyway.

Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
Anthony Mackie - The Hurt Locker
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz - Inglorious Basterds

Best Adapted Screenplay
Crazy Heart will prove more than just the Bridges show in this category. The other 4 will be best pic nominees.

An Education - Nick Hornby
Crazy Heart - Scott Cooper
Disctrict 9 - Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
Precious - Geoffrey Fletcher
Up in the Air - Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Best Original Screenplay
This is where those passionate lovers of (500) Days will reward it. The Hangover could surprise big time in this category but I'm betting no.

(500) Days of Summer - Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Webber
The Hurt Locker - Mark Boal
Inglorious Basterds - Quentin Tarantino
A Serious Man - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Up - Pete Docter and Bob Peterson

My Oscar ballot......

2010-01-27T11:40:00.000-08:00

.... or the ME_Says Awards. These are the movies and artists I responded to the most in 2009.

2009 was not a very good year for movies. There were a few movies that were entertaining but in general movies sucked this year. It was hard to come up with a top 10 list. So anyway here's my attempt at that. A la the Academy they are in order of preference.

Future Classics

I think 2 movies stood head and shoulders above the rest this year. These two will probably stand the test of time and remain beloved and admired for years to come.

1. The Hurt Locker. (review).
2. (500) Days of Summer. (review).

And the rest: you'll notice that I responded to a couple of documentaries this year. Both had a fascinating narrative. The rest are full of nuanced performances; in particular An Education, and Inglorious Basterds. I admit I was slow to get on the love wagon for Basterds, only a second viewing cemented it in my top 10. Avatar is here because it's unlike any other movie, a true experience. Precious is the one movie that stayed with me long after I saw it. The performances of Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'Nique are still vivid in my memory.

3. Precious. (review).
4. Valentino: The Last Emperor.

5. An Education.
6. Up in the Air. (review).
7. Inglorious Basterds.
8. District 9.
9. Avatar.
10. Every Little Step. (review).

The rest are in alphabetical order. I will announce the "winners" before the Oscars.

Best Director: Very close to the Oscar list. I think they mostly got it right. Bloomkamp is in instead of Reitman for me.

1. Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker.
2. Neil Bloomkamp - District 9.
3. James Cameron - Avatar.
4. Lee Daniels - Precious.
5.Quentin Tarantino - Inglorious Basterds.

Best Actor; I think Damon was nominated for the wrong performance. Go see The Infor

mant! today. It doesn't always work but he's pretty great in it.
1. George Clooney - Up in the Air.

2. Sharlto Copley - District 9.

3. Matt Damon - The Informant

4. Joseph Gordon Levitt - (500) Days of Summer.

5. Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker.

Best Actress: Who would've thought SNL alum Rudoloph had this in her? Fantastic. And Deschanel turned a cipher into a flesh and blood character.
1. Zoey Deschanel - (500) Days of Summer.
2. Carey Mulligan - An Education.

3. Maya Rudolph - Away We Go.

4. Gabourey Sidibe - Precious.

5. Meryl Streep - Julie and Julia.

Best Supporting Actor: The Hurt guys are so good, all of them. Sarsgaard made what could have easily become a creep into someone relatable. And Tucci so nominated for the wrong performance, Mr Charming to Ms Joy.
1. Brian Gerety - The Hurt Locker.

2. Anthony Mackie - The Hurt Locker.

3. Peter Sarsgaard - An Education.

4. Stanley Tucci - Julie and Julia.

5. Christoph Waltz - Inglorious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique is the performance of the year. So powerful, so emotional, so moving. Pike is fantastic at playing dumb and makes her character so indelible and memorable. Almodovar stalwart Portillo was the best thing about his latest. Farmiga and Laurent were the heart of their movies, what I responded to the most.
1. Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air

2. Melanie Laurent - Inglorious Basterds.
3. Mo'Nique - Precious.

4. Rosamund Pike - An Education.

5. Blanca Portillo - Broken Embraces.

Best Original Screenplay:Only 3 in this category. Told you it wasn't a good year.
1.(500) days of Summer. Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Webber
2.Inglorious Basters. Quentin Tarantino.
3.The Hurt Locker. Mark Boal.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Could barely come up with four here.
1.An Education - Nick Hornby.
2.Julie and Julia - Nora Ephron.
3.Precious - Geoffrey Fletcher.
4.Up in the Air - Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner.

Sandra Bullock : Oscar Winner?????

2010-01-23T19:12:00.001-08:00

WTF. I guess we'll all have to get used to that now. She may actually win the Oscar. Just won another precursor, the SAG. And worse I might have to see The Blind side now.

I have nothing else to say.

Brief Holiday Movie Review

2010-01-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

During the break I spent time with friends and explored the city a little. But I also saw a bunch of movies. This was a rather disappointing Christmas movie season. Almost nothing popped out. There were a couple of very good movies, but that's it.

Avatar - the winner of this season according to the whole world who went out in droves to see, talk about it, blog about it, argue about it and then see it again. To quote a friend it was "spectacular". Uninspired narrative though. Like everybody said the it was a weak story and screenplay, a mash-up of "Pocahontas" and "Dances with Wolves". But doesn't matter, it was the cinematic experience of the year. I bow to Cameron and the world he created.

It's Complicated. Lots of fun, exactly what I expected to see, no surprises but immensely enjoyable. What a joy watching Meryl is.

Sherlock Holmes. Why was this movie so long? It's a popcorn movie, so why does it take two and half hours? Robert Downey Jr was charming and his banter with Jude Law was coy and cute. However the plot was convoluted and made no sense. My head hurt from following all the twists and turns.

Crazy Heart. Predictable, predictable, predictable. "The Wrestler" as a country western song. But it also a lot better than I expected. Both Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal were fantastic. And the story and how it was told was moving and poignant in so many ways.

The Messenger. Very good, full of emotional scenes. While there were so many great scenes and an a very contemporary story that is truly moving, something was missing. It didn't completely grip me. Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster & particularly Samantha Morton though, are in fine form.

Fantastic Mr Fox. Meh, oh well. Why was this movie made? It had fun scenes but was not very interesting. Maybe I just don't like animation.

Nine. Another disappointment in a year full of them. It just didn't work. It had no plot and made no sense. Daniel Day Lewis was completely miscast. He was humourless, I kept wondering why all these women were in love with him. We needed someone charming, maybe Clooney or Hugh Jackman. Nicole Kidman's role oh so brief and Kate Hudson was terrible and as my friend said "extraneous". Even Judi Dench could not pull off her big number. And while Marion Cotillard and Penelope Cruz were very good, they couldn't save this stinker.

The Lovely Bones. Terrible. I was bored. Even Stanley Tucci, who is getting a lot of accolades, was way over the top. Skip this one.

Broken Embraces. Quintessential Almodovar. Lesser Almodovar. Very recognizable story, style and images. Could not be mistaken for any other auteur. I enjoyed it a lot. Penelope Cruz was very good but I loved Blanca Portillo, wow what a performance. If you love Almodovar, see it immediately.

Meh......

2009-12-23T12:31:00.000-08:00

By now you've probably seen the trailer for "Sex and the City 2". I'm a huge fan of the series. But this sequel is just unnecessary. What more can they tell? This story is over and done with. I have to say though, I'll be there opening week watching. Just because I've loved these characters for years. And that's why they are making this movie. To get 12 bucks from me and others like me!!!!

At least EW has a funny few lines about the trailer.

2009 Movies So far

2009-12-14T19:43:00.000-08:00

Is 2009 a good year for movies? Well it sure ain't 1999. But with 2 weeks to go there are several movies that I liked. Here goes:

The Hurt Locker. What an amazing jolting experience. Probably the best war movie ever.
(500 Days of Summer). Everyone who's ever had their heart broken will get and love this movie.
District 9. It was different and exciting.
An Education. A slight story but very well told and those performances. Everyone was right on from Mulligan's star turn to Thompson's bit part.
Julie and Julia. So very charming. Meryl as usual was astounding and had great chemistry with Tucci. And unlike most everybody I didn't mind the Amy Adams parts.
Precious. Powerful and haunting.
Up in the Air. Very topical. Clooney and Farmiga are the year's screen couple.

Still looking forward to Avatar, Nine, The Lovely Bones and It's Complicated. Have not yet caught Invictus, The Road, The Messenger or The Fantastic Mr Fox.

The movies that disappointed were Bright Star, Where the Wild Things are and A Single Man.

One last thought. While a lot of these movies were bleak, there was also a lot of charm and good times. Even the harrowing story of Precious had a hopeful streak throughout.

In Praise of the Front Runners

2009-12-14T18:36:00.001-08:00

A few critics organizations announced their year end awards the last couple of days. New York, LA, San Francisco, Boston and others. And some consensus has emerged in many of the main categories.

I was happy to see that Mo'Nique won Best Supporting Actress from almost all these organizations. She was powerful and captivating in that role and deserves all the accolades. Other work in that category pales besides this performance.

Sometimes a supporting performance dominates a film so much leading to awards galore for the actor. It happened with Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls" and Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men". It will happen this year for Mo'Nique. And it could happen to Christoph Waltz from "Inglorious Basterds". He had the most memorable character in a movie full f memorable characters. And he took full advantage of that and turned in a dazzling performance that stays with you long after the movie has ended.

I was also happy to see "The Hurt Locker" win so many Best Film and Best Director for Kathryn Bigelow citations. It is in my opinion the best movie of the year. And up there as one of the best war movies if not the best ever. It is why I love movies. Tells a story that resonates and tells it very well.

Here's to these front runners. Congratulations.

A beautiful dull single man

2009-12-12T17:02:00.000-08:00

I was really excited to see "A Single Man". The trailer was great, probably the best trailer of the year. So excited, because of the trailer, I blogged about this movie three times. Also I felt an obligation as a gay man. It was made by a contemporary gay icon, based on a book by a literary gay icon and full of beautiful men. I had to be there opening night. So I rallied the troops, gathered friends together and off to the Chelsea Clearview we went.

I settled in to be amazed. I was ready for it. 10 minutes in, still waiting. 20 minutes in, still waiting. 30 minutes in, one of my friends says" this is just terrible, isn't it?". I was not ready to give up yet. So I defended the movie and said "it looks gorgeous", which it did. It ended and I still was not ready to give up. The four of us went to dinner. 2 clearly hated it, one liked it very much but mainly because he thinks Colin Firth is "the ideal man". I was on the fence. This was supposed to be great. The new great gay movie. Off we discussed through dinner. I was defending at the beginning. But I could not go on, the points made against it were right. The best I could muster was "look we are still talking about it, 2 hours later". Yeah right.

Then I had to face the facts. This movie was just not good. It was boring, unlikeable, could not build empathy with its lead character. It was a magazine photo spread come to dull life. But everything and everyone look so beautiful. A little too beautiful. Every end table, every painting, every dress, every necktie....gorgeous but no life. Really Tom Ford, hustlers who lurk about outside liquor stores look like fashion models?

Clearly Ford was influenced by Wong Kar Wei and Alomodovar. Two of my favourite directors. You could see that in many frames of the movie. But this script he wrote and these characters, were just bad. And no abundance of beautiful images could save this movie.

Firth was OK. He had one great scene. His Oscar clip obviously. When he receives news on the phone that his lover dies and his face completely crumbles before our eyes. But I did not find myself empathizing with him or with his his loss. He just seemed smug and the relationship with the dead lover, told in flashback, was very Mills and Boone. All pseudo intellectual banter by the fireplace and no real passion.

And why is Julianne Moore getting all this awards buzz? She was hardly in the movie. Okay she does a credible English accent. But the character is despicable. Even misogynist. A has been party girl still pinning for her gay friend. Pinning so much he insults him and his relationship? Just didn't get her.

Sorry Tom Ford. I was ready and willing to love your movie and then shout it from the rooftops. But no you had to go and make this beautiful boring piece of crap, despite your talent. Maybe next time? To paraphrase another Isherwood character, Sally Bowles. "It's gotta happen, happen sometime". Try again.

"Desire" in Brooklyn

2009-12-07T04:35:00.001-08:00

A Streetcar Named Desire is a boring play, isn't it? I can see why actors love it. All those long speeches and fiery dramatic gestures. No wonder Blanche is to actresses what Hamlet is to actors, the holy grail of roles.

So why did I go see it? One reason and one reason only. Cate Blanchett. Only the best actress living today. No best actress ever. Hyperbole? No, just my own personal opinion.

So how was it? The play was pretty boring and long. But the acting was fantastic. Cate as Blanche took my breath away. She built up the character. At the beginning I was like: is this it? It was too subtle for Blanche. But as the play went on so did the performance building up into a crescendo of emotion. Amazing. Her scenes at the end with Stanley were so rieviting. I could not take my eyes off of Cate. Nor did I want to. I was afraid I'd miss anything.

And she had excellent support. Joe Edergton as Stanley was carnal and explosive while Robin McLeavy brought a much needed earthiness to Stella. It contrasted well with Blanche's flightiness. And Edergton and McLeavy were dynamite together; you got why they could not take their hands off of each other. The weak link was Tim Richards as Mitch, his accent didn't work and he was outmatched in his scenes with Blanchett.

Liv Ullman's direction was subtle. But she made this Blanche's story. Maybe because Blanchett so dominates.

On a personal note. We had the worst seats in the house and my companion actually left during intermission because of the uncomfortable "bar stools" that masqueraded as seats at the Harvey Theatre. But I was enthralled because of Blanchett. Not the play, just Blanchett. Please do another play in NYC soon. Something modern and funny next time.

5 Random Thoughts about "Up in the Air".

2009-12-07T04:34:00.000-08:00

"Up in the Air' is a major player in the year end Awards game. And deservedly so. A movie that is completely of this year and this time. But is also a complex character study of three fascinating fictional people. And it is full of smaller characters that make it just a little bit better.

1. Everyone is saying that George Clooney is the quintessential movie star here. Affable, charming, sexy and irresistible. They are right. But more than that he makes this despicable character very very likable. Even the scenes that would be awkward with another actor are easy on the audience with George.

2. Why isn't Vera Farmiga a major movie star yet? She should be and I think after this she will be. Here she is warm, witty and oh so very sexy. But more than that, she holds the screen, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She made every scene she was in more alive. She played off Clooney fantastically well, they should work together again. Very soon.

3. Anna Kendrick is deservedly getting accolades for her performance. She was no Vera to me, but held her own. She got to deliver a lot of very emotional scenes and was great. Wound a little too much though.

4. The scene between Vera and Anna where they play two sides of the same person: the young mid 20s who's full of dreams and the mature mid 30s who has seen it all and is ready to compromise. What a fantastically well written and acted scene. Worth the price of admission on its own.

5. The ending. Not a fan. Also the montages with real people, kinda hit and miss. I didn't like the underlying message I got: if you don't have a nuclear family you're basically fucked.

All in all a great movie. Definitely check it out.

The Great Unsettler

2009-11-28T06:13:00.000-08:00

"The Hurt Locker" is intense, thrilling, unsettling and probably the best movie of the year. Why did I wait so long to watch it? Not a fan of war movies in general but this is fantastic.

It is a real portrayal of a few men at war. Living at the edge between life and death and how they get through that. Jeremy Renner is a revelation as Sgt. James the leader of the bomb squad. James is full of bravado and dangerous according to his squad-mates. But he has to be to survive this situation : going in to defuse a dozen bombs every day. The movie takes you inside his mind, you get to see where he gets his courage but also how unhinged he can become. Frighteningly real portrait. Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty are equally good as the two other squad members. The former a cautious by the book man who is hoping to get through the last 38 days of his mission. The latter a scared young man who knows all too well that he can die at any second.

This movie is awesome. Actually merits using that ubiquitous and awful word. Kathryn Bigelow has made the best movie about the war in Iraq. Although its themes are not particular to that war but universal. It does not comment on the politics of this war but rather tells the story of the everyday minutiae of surviving any war.

I left the theatre exhilarated, moved and thoughtful. This is a very smart movie. See it now.

The Wrestler 2: It’s a Country Song!

2009-11-17T09:53:00.000-08:00

All I can say is seriously. Seriously? This is the Best Actor Oscar winning performance for 2009? At least that is what most of the Oscar pundits are saying. I can see why. Mickey Rourke was nominated last year and Robert Duvall won many years ago for basically the same story. Granted, what do I know and I have only seen the trailer. But this is just boring and predictable. It looks like it follows the plot of The Wrestler and countless other movies, to a tee. A n’er do well middle aged man on his journey to redemption. And it contains one of my pet peeve plots: a beautiful young woman falling in love with an older loser. Totally misogynist and a male writer/director's ultimate fantasy.

Look I like Jeff Bridges. I’ve liked him for years and enjoyed his performances in many films. From “Against All Odds” to “The Fabulous Baker Boys” to “The Big Lewboski”, he has always been compelling to watch. I saw “Starman” 3 times and cried my heart out every time (granted I was a little kid then, but still). I just don’t think this mediocre looking movie should be what wins Best actor this year. Particularly following “Capote”, “There Will Be Blood” and “Milk”; all superlative filmmaking achievements.

Well it’s only the trailer; maybe the movie would be better. Doubt it, though. And I’ll have to see this drivel if I want to make an informed decision on who’s going to win.

Getting excited about "Nine"

2009-11-15T15:40:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year Nine was my most eagerly awaited movie. I love and follow the Oscars religiously and the stars of this movie have 20 nominations and 7 Oscars among them. They are actors I loved and admired and rooted for : Daniel Day Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren, Penelope Cruz, and Marion Cotillard. There is also Fergie and the queen of bad rom-coms and movie star spawn Kate Hudson. No to mention I love musicals. Particularly modern ones. I've enjoyed the movie versions of "Dreamgirls", "Hairspray", "Chicago" and even the uneven "Rent". However my enthusiasm cooled off. Maybe because the movie was postponed to December making the wait even longer. Maybe I just could not see Day Lewis as a song and dance man. Maybe "A Single Man" and "The Lovely Bones" trailers just looked better. Maybe I don't think it will surpass "Precious" and "An Education", 2 movies that had superlative performances that could quench my thirst for "Oscar" bait.

Then this rehearsal footage was released. Check it out below. I am getting excited again.

Remembering a fleeting moment

2009-11-12T15:32:00.000-08:00

It is very funny sometimes what moments in our lives we remember and hold dearly. Is it true that happiness is remembered rather than lived?

Every time I hear the song "Chasing Cars" I remember a moment of true bliss. Early in the morning on a Sunday waking up next to the one I love. And this is what he said:

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world?

The song was a favourite of ours. But at that moment it became of serenity and happiness. Did I realize at that moment that I was happy? I don't think so. Now I know I was. Does the fact that the relationship ended add to my nostalgia. Absolutely.

Another moment was years ago with my sister. We were by the river, under a bridge In London, laughing. We were both at a crossroads in our lives. But the moment was all about the promise we both had for the future. Looking back I see that I was truly happy. I just wish I knew it then.

Happiness, a funny thing, eh?

Looking Back : Best of 2000

2009-11-09T15:11:00.000-08:00

Both the Times of London and Daily Telegraph have come up with lists about the best films of 00’s. Several blogs started compiling lists too and I thought I’d join in the fray. This entry started as a comment on awardsdaily.com.

My take is a little different. I am writing about the movies that both touched me the most at the time and stayed with me throughout the years.

You Can Count on Me is the movie I return to time and again from 2000. A finely calibrated drama between brother and sister, it touches and breaks my heart every time I see it.

At the time Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was the most amazing thing I've seen on the silver screen. I whopped with joy at the fantastical sword fighting scenes, but the story and the performances got me too. It was the movie that made me realize Ang Lee was one of the best directors working in contemporary cinema.

Billy Elliot was the best movie for 2000 for me at the time. What a beautifully told story about the things that matter to all of us: family, identity and wanting to take charge of our lives. I must have it at least 5 times in the theatre. I was so moved by how it handled the sexual identity of Billy's friend Michael. So subtle and moving. As I was coming out to my family that year it resonated the most with me.

And then there is In the Mood for Love. I lived in North Carolina at the time and I don’t think it played in theatres there. But I read so much about it that I bought the DVD when it came out. Wow. Lovely, heartbreaking and such a moody unique piece of cinema. In its non-linear and unconventional way, it must be one of the best loves stories on film.

I will update year by year.

Looking back at 2000, what are some of your favorite movies? As a reminder here is a partial list, noted the 5 best picture Oscar nominees:

Almost Famous

Amores Perros
Before Night Falls

Billy Elliott

Best in Show

Chocolat (Oscar Nominee)
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (Oscar Nominee)
Croupier

Dancer in the Dark

Erin Brockovich (Oscar Nominee)

Gladiator (Oscar Winner)

High Fidelity

Memento
Quills

Requiem for a Dream

Sunshine

Traffic (Oscar Nominee)

Wonder Boys

You Can Count on Me

The most gorgeous trailer of the year

2009-11-08T06:37:00.000-08:00

I've written about Tom Ford's "A Single Man" before. A new version of the trailer was released this weekend. Still gorgeous, still really interesting. Based on this I just can't wait to see the movie even though it doesn't really tell me what it's about. It reflects a mood and world I want to be in.

I've always thought Colin Firth is kind of boring. Hopefully Tom Ford has drawn out of him something new. Julianne Moore is always interesting to watch. There are a also a few up and comers in the cast : Ginnifer Goodwin from "Big Love", Matthew Goode and the little kid from "About A Boy" all grown up, Nicholas Hoult. Hoult was just recognized by no less than the grey lady herself as a breakout star for this Holiday season.

This is now at the top of my must see list.

A Few Thoughts on "Precious"

2009-11-07T16:50:00.000-08:00

Caution : Contains minor spoilers.

"Precious" is totally worth the hype. It is also sobering yet hopeful, a heavy drama that kicks you straight in the guts but still you leave feeling better for it.

It is not a very easy movie to watch. There is a lot of dark drama going on : abuse, incest, poverty. However there are also laughs, love and poignant moments. Most importantly there is hope throughout this story, you are pulling for Precious to make it through. Yes the changes to her life are not that significant by the end but you believe she's stronger and that there will be joy in her life.

And those performances. Mo'Nique is simply astonishing. She is so powerful and strong in building this character that she looms over the whole movie. I felt her presence even in the scenes where she was absent. Gabourey Sidibe is equally good although her performance has a definitive arc similar to Precious'. It goes from subdued to still subtle but strong as Precious goes from meek to willful. And who would've thought the star of Glitter had this in her. Mariah Carey is very effective in her few scenes. Paula Patton does the best with what I thought was a difficult part. I guess with all the grimness the teacher had to angelically perfect.

A lot has been said about the fantasy sequence and the sometimes jarring editing. However I found that both enhanced the story and moved it forward. Who doesn't escape to a fantasy where things are better when they are feeling down? And Precious needs to go there a lot more than most of us to escape her reality.

I also love that this movie and story stayed true to its heroine's circumstances. There was no knight in shinning armor and more importantly no white savior. We did not have a "white" guide through the movie as the case is almost always with movies with African and Black themes.

This is a very powerful piece of film making. I saw it a week ago and it is still very vivid in my mind.

And a movie that has this line "My favorite color is fluorescent beige" can't be all bad.

The most awful movie of the year?

2009-11-07T09:21:00.000-08:00

I know that I should not give that label to a film I have not seen yet. But I think "The Blind Side" deserves it. Check out the trailer. It looks terrible. Saccharine, sappy, slow and you get the whole story from the trailer. No need to watch the movie. And do we really need another movie where an underprivileged black person gets a white savior? So 4 decades ago. I know it is kind of a true story but just because Sandra Bullock wants to win an Oscar we should not be subjected to this.

Precious based on the novel Push by Sapphire

2009-11-06T08:25:00.000-08:00

What a title. And what a movie. The buzz is deafening. It has been going on for months, since the movie wowed audiences and won prizes at the Sundance Film Festival back in January. I am very excited to see it tonight but also overwhelmed by the media coverage. If you are like me i.e. read a half dozen movie blogs, in addition to EW, NYTimes and New York Magazine. Then you’ve been constantly reading about this movie. Here are some of the stories I read :
- shoo-in for best picture at the Oscars, this year’s Slumdog Millionaire
- Mo’Nique will win an Oscar
- Mo'Nique is being difficult and has lost the Oscar (the one she has not been nominated for yet).
- Lee Daniels (the director) is a genius.
- Lee Daniels is arrogant and is alienating everyone
- The movie is racist.
- The movie is uplifting.
- The movie is worse than Norbit!!!!! (Thank you for this gem Armond White).
- Critics love the movie.
- Critics hate the movie and what does this mean for its Oscar chances?
- Mariah Carey might get an Oscar nomination (and I have a chance to win the Nobel).
- Mariah Carey “uglified” herself for this movie.
- Mariah Carey’s rep denies that her moustache in the movie is “real”.

All of this does not matter if Precious is as good as it looks like in the trailer. So I rallied the troops and Union Square here we come. Tonight at 730 all will be revealed.

My Favorite Movie of the Year : (500) Days of Summer

2009-11-05T08:25:00.000-08:00

I’ve been meaning to write about this for a couple of months now. I'm happy to finally get around to it. I’ve seen it twice so far and can’t wait for the DVD release. And believe it or not it was better the second time around.

(500) Days of Summer is a fantastic movie. Without doubt the best romantic comedy to come along in a long time. What makes it so good is that it is devoid of clichés in a genre known for clichés. Sure boy meets girl cute, boy falls in love with girl. But that is it. All that comes after that is fresh, new and most importantly feels a lot like what happens in real life. Things don’t go from cute to happily ever after. Sometimes they do not. What the movie says is that love is an accident; it may or may not happen.

Smart and sharply written dialogue. Very distinct in shaping out these characters. The first time I saw it I was totally on Tom’s (Joseph Gordon Levitt) side. The second time I understood Summer (Zooey Deschanel) better. I went from what’s wrong with her, can’t she see he’s the best thing that will ever happen to her to, you know what sometimes the heart wants what it wants. Exactly what happens in real life.

And these performances. Watching Gordon-Levitt come alive in this movie is witnessing a star being born. I know he’s been around for a while, but this is a new side of him. He emerges a funny and charming leading man. Deschanel has the more difficult role. The movie is told from Tom’s point of view. But she holds her own, you understand why Tom would fall for her and more importantly get why she does not fall for him. (These are not spoilers, you know how their story unfolds within the first few minutes).

Watch out for day 489. Devastating. If your heart has ever been broken, you’ll feel the pain. Right in your gut. Everyone who has ever asked themselves “why not me, you idiot?”, will know exactly what I’m talking about.

Did I bring you down? Don’t be sad. Here is the most joyful scene in the movie. Click away, your smile will back in no time.

Modern Family - An Appreciation

2009-10-17T10:51:00.001-07:00

Modern Family must be the funniest new show on TV. Laugh out loud funny. Yet it is so relate able while being very smart.

Just watch the latest episode. You'll laugh but also you'll recognize these characters as true and honest. The dynamics in the relationships, mother to daughter, sister to brother, husband to wife, across generations are so true and honest.

Look at the one short scene in this episode between Julie Bowen and Jesse Tyler Ferguson as the adult siblings. For less than 2 minutes they chat about their parents. And in that short period you learn the complete history of this family. It is funny, brilliant and tells so much in such an economical fashion. Wow.

And what a cast. From the stars to the secondary characters to the guests, this is an ensemble that works like a charm. Lovely!

Watch it now and have a super super time.

5 Random Thoughts about "Bright Star".

2009-09-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

So I saw Jane Campion's Bright Star this weekend. I was really looking forward to it, however I was totally disappointed despite the rave reviews I read.

1. Abbie Cornish is fantastic in it. Carried the movie on her shoulders, she is immensely watchable. She is particularly excellent in a devastatingly emotional scene at the end of the movie.

2. This movie looks gorgeous. It is like it was made by a painter. Every scene is a beautiful canvass. The lighting, the setting, the vistas...all beautiful. Check out the scene where Cornish sits on a bed by an open window while the wind blows a curtain towards her. I have not seen a more lyrically beautiful scene this year.

3. Ben Whishaw underwhelms. I think he looks the part, all small and handsomely sickly. But he did not deliver. I did not believe for a moment that he was passionate about anything, not Cornish, not poetry.

4. There were a few other good performances. Both Kerry Fox and Paul Schneider were good. And Edie Martin who played the young sister Toots, was a charming presence.

5. But that screenplay. This movie was long, dull and boring. Yes beautiful to look at with a couple of emotional moments, but it took forever and a day. I was never more bored at the movies this year. Dull, dull, dull.

Tom Ford made a movie!

2009-09-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

Uber-celebrity designer and former Gucci honcho Tom Ford, presented his directorial debut at the Venice film festival a few days ago. It is called "A Single Man" and stars Colin Firth as a gay college professor in L.A. contemplating suicide after the death of his partner. Julianne Moore stars as his friend who still carries a torch for him.

You can see from the trailer that the movie looks exquisitely beautiful and that Ford is in love with the male form. That's so surprise, however the buzz from Venice is that it's a good movie too. It's a major contender for the grand prize, the Golden Lion and reviews have been good to excellent. I love what the Times of London, said "....It looks like a Wallpaper magazine photo shoot styled by Douglas Sirk". High praise indeed. It also apparently gives Firth the best role of his career and Moore her best role in years.

Could Ford be the next big gay auteur? Watch out Gus Van Sant.

The Song of the Fall

2009-09-08T06:54:00.000-07:00

So I was hoping that Whitney will rule the fall and have the biggest comeback. Unfortunately her album is not diva enough, it's just mediocre. There are a couple of OK mid-tempo songs (Alicia Keyes' penned Million Dollar Bill & For the Lovers). But the rest, save for a cover of Donny Hathaway's Your Song, are not memorable.

So who is going to rule the fall? I'm betting on Leona Lewis. Her new song Happy is bombastic and totally diva and has all the right moves. I've heard it more than 10 times in the last few days. On facebook and twitter it is being mentioned like crazy.

Even Perez Hilton endorsed it. And while I hate to follow a trend started by him, I have to say I think he is right this time.

This song delivers. Expect to hear it everywhere, well into 2010.

Let the Hype Begin!

2009-08-23T13:13:00.000-07:00

There is a new Susan Boyle in the house. Let's hear it for Danyl. The new IT boy. Why? Because of fantastic, brilliant audition on the X-Factor in England.

The audition is all over youtube, on twitter and the buzz is building. Come Monday TV will definitely pick up on him. In a couple of days time, he'll be what everyone is talking about.

What we know so far: he's 27, a music and drama teacher from Reading and bi-sexual. He has lots of talent, is very charismatic and likes to jump around the stage a lot while he sings.

I've watched the audition more than 5 times now. Go Danyl, the new God of the pop culture universe.

Madonna is 51!

2009-08-17T04:34:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? In a tribute to this game changer here are my top 5 Madonna songs:

5. Ray of Light - because it was a new direction and probably her most accomplished song musically.
4. True Blue - just love it. Don't know why.
3. Like A Virgin - my introduction to her music. And because it was daring to brazenly sing about sex in the early 80's.
2. Like A Prayer - because I always find myself humming it.
1. Vogue - because of that iconic video.

Here's a good article from a blog I follow.

Very Cool

2009-08-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

The first image from Jim Cameron's Avatar has been released. This has just shot up my most anticipated fall movies list!

Sexy Diane

2009-07-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

I saw Diane von Furstenberg give a talk last week in a corporate setting. It was fascinating. She was witty, funny and immensely watchable.

What I found surprising was that her speech was full of sex. Usually businesswomen, particularly in a corporate setting, totally ignore sex. They are all sexless beings. They have to be to combat sexism and protect the merit of their accomplishments. Not Diane.

She told us about her boss, who "had a crush" on her and helped her. About how she tried to "seduce" bankers to back her business. And throughout she mentioned how beautiful she looked, whenever she showed a picture of her. And there were lots of pictures of her, looking glamorous. She did not shy away from describing how the dresses she makes are supposed to accentuate a woman's body; make her sexy.

It was a refreshing point of view. Totally in tune with her industry and personality. It just was new in that setting for me; a sometimes corporate drone.

NYC's Hanging Gardens

2009-07-25T07:56:00.001-07:00

Is it the hanging gardens of the west side? No, it's just the High Line. But it's still amazing. And gorgeous. And different.

Yes it's not really a park, though it has benches (some even move a little bit) and some greenery. But it's a beautiful space that gives you a new view of the city. Panoramic vistas of streets that you are used to walking in and seeing, just not from this angle. Go at night to appreciate the lights on the buildings around it. Go when the sun is shinning to get a new look at the west side and its architecture.

Another reason to love living in Chelsea. Go today!

Katie Holmes' Comeback?

2009-07-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

The trailer for the Sundance sensation "An Education" is out. It stars British newcomer Carey Mulligan, left, who is getting serious Oscar buzz. However all I could think of while watching this clip is how much she looks like Katie Holmes. It's uncanny! Mulligan has been compared to Audrey Hepburn, but I say Katie all the way.

As for the movie I have to say this clip is disappointing. I don't get what the fuss is all about. But I'll keep the faith until I hear otherwise since the buzz is deafening.

Joy Joy Joy

2009-07-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

We now know what Cate is doing next. Yay. She will star as Lady Edwina Mountbatten in Joe Wright's next project "Indian Summer."It is based on a true story and could be a great showcase for my beloved Cate. It's another period piece and while she has been in many of those, they fit her. So it should be interesting.

RIP MJ

2009-07-05T16:39:00.000-07:00

Here my favourite video of Michael's. And it's about Naomi's legs. Aren't they to die for? Gorgeous.

Trailer Bonanza

2009-06-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

A few trailers came out this week. I thought I'd give them all short reviews:

Shutter Island : the new Scorsese/DiCaprio collaboration. Looks moody, creepy and totally fun. Love that Scorsese is back to making genre movies. DiCaprio should be good as a put-upon grown-up a la Departed & Rev Road. Mark Ruffalo doesn't appear much in the trailer but I hope this a good showcase for this under-rated actor. Ben Kingsley is heavily featured in this: hope it is not another hammy performance for this way over-rated actor.

The Time Traveller's Wife : this could be very poignant and romantic or pure schmaltz. Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana look delicious but for some reason I'm not buying that they are in love. I miss the Mean Girl Rachel! I think it will be totally schmaltzy and a big miss.

Creation : Or THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT MOVIE ABOUT IMPORTANT THINGS. Just looks totally awful. Don't think I need to say more.

500 Days of Summer : I've posted about this movie before. Can't wait. It looks so charming. I just want hug it, if i can. I still think this will be loved by many people. This new international trailer gives more context to the story and characters. Who would've thought that the kid from 3 Rocks from the Sun would grow up to be a romantic lead. Mark your calendars July 17th, we have a cute date.

Catching up with Summer Movies

2009-06-12T08:23:00.000-07:00

For a movie blogger I've been very bad this summer. Hardly saw any of the summer movies. But finally catching up. Saw Hangover last week. Review coming soon. This weekend I'll get to Star Trek (finally!) and Away We Go. More and more it looks like Terminator:Salvation & Wolverine will have to wait for DVD. And I will never see Pelham 1,2, 3 or the Eddie Murphy kiddie flick, whatever it's called.

Looks like a very blah summer season.

What are you going to see this weekend?

NPH closes the Tony fabulously!

2009-06-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

Did you catch the Tonys last night? If you haven't you didn't miss much. Billy Elliot won almost everything, including best actor in a musical for its 3 young stars who were charming and awkward in their acceptance speech; they are 14 & 15 after all. God of Carnage was best play while its star Marcia Gay Harden won best actress in a play and gave a gracious speech correcting the show's director who mixed up her competition; the stars of Mary Stuart.

The musical numbers mostly underwhelmed plus there were major mic problems. The opening number was huge and included participation from almost every musical currently on Broadway. Besides Bret Michaels maybe breaking his nose, the highlight was the number from Hair. It was riotous, loud and glee inducing. The cast came back later in the show and brought the house down. Everybody on that show has hair, including the producer!

But the best thing about the show was Neil Patrick Harris' closing number. I kinda was wondering why they chose him to host when he wasn't really used that much during the show. Besides a few jokes here and there, the best thing about him was his shiny suit. Then he closed the show with a parody of the show set to the tune of Tonight from West Side Story. Everything was up for a joke, from Elton and Liza to the Golden Globes. Watch it and laugh.

Review : Star Trek

2009-06-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

We have our first ever guest reviewer : Jean Tsai of Mindful Eats.

Since Murtada hasn't seen Star Trek yet, he has given me the honor of reviewing it.

Star Trek is fun! It is usually torture for me to be inside when the weather is nice, and it was a PERFECT spring evening when I saw the movie. But it was so fun, I let go of my anger - I was so involved with the movie I was sad when it ended. Star Trek isn't a classic - but it's great, nonstop action with likable acting and an engaging storyline. You definitely want to see it on the big screen for the full special effects. I liked the original TV series, but it doesn't really matter if you did or not. Zoe Suldana does a knock out job as Uhura, and all the other actors are solid and adorable. Having Leonard Nimoy back is enjoyable too, even if it's not his best performance. Some people might complain that it's derivative of Star Wars, but I think it's just allegorical. There are definitely nods to the Jedi classics, but I see them as homages rather than rip-offs. The plot has a certain cleverness to it. SPOILER ALERT AHEAD: The time travel element is rather tiresome, so don't get in a twist about it and just overlook the trite annoyingness so you can enjoy. The one good thing about the time travel is that cleverly invalidates all the TV series (including the originals) and the movies before it as an alternate reality. So now we can look forward to the sequels! Live long and prosper everyone.

New Julie and Julia poster

2009-06-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

It's cool. Not as inventive as the first poster but highlights the stars i.e the main attraction.

Thanks Bill for sending.

Warms My Heart

2009-06-06T11:28:00.001-07:00

Apparently Maya Rudolph is the best thing about "Away We go". She's getting rave reviews. I've always liked her and thought she was the most natural and inventive actor of the SNLers.

Hope this is the start of a brilliant cinematic career.

June Movies

2009-06-01T16:53:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to The Hangover and Away We Go this month. Besides the buzz and the reviews, I'll tell you why.

The Hangover just looks like dumb fun, every summer has one of those: There's Something About Mary, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Wedding Crashers. I never saw Old School, because i don't like Will Ferrell's juvenile humour but I'm willing to give director Todd Phillips another chance. The trailer of course looks very funny. And happy to see Bradley Cooper get a lead role.

Sam Mendes is the number one reason I'm looking forward to Away We Go. True American Beauty has not stood the test of time. But Jarhead was underrated and The Road to Perdition a moody unique piece of cinema. And Revolutionary Road is a fantastic truthful film that contains the best acting of both Winslet's and DiCaprio's careers. All this plus Maya Rudolph in her first major film role and a script by Dave Eggers makes this a must-see.

Whaaaaaat?

2009-05-31T14:28:00.000-07:00

Nadal out of the French Open? No way. Who is Robin Soderling?

Precious

2009-05-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

Did you catch the trailer for Precious? It's been getting a lot of buzz since Sundance and was a smash at Cannes. The net is buzzing with its Oscar chances. First it was all about Monique for best supporting actress, now more buzz for best film, director and leading actress. Even Mariah Carey's supporting role is getting good notices. If the star of Glitter can be redeemed this must be a masterpiece.

Judging from the trailer, it looks gritty, uncomfortable and provocative. Which translates into good cinema for me. The actors uniformly look good, the buzz seems earned. The movie is not shying away from taboo subjects: incest, abuse, the state of social services. Not exactly happy sunny subjects but they could have the makings of a good story that is new and fresh. I'll be there opening weekend.

Short Review : Up

2009-05-30T09:55:00.000-07:00

So I have never been a fan of animated movies in general and Pixar in particular. Never saw Finding Nemo or Ratatouille, thought Toy Story was meh and took the Wall-E dvd out after 10 minutes. The only one I really enjoyed was The Incredibles.

So a friend kinda dragged me to see Up last night. I was game on account of the good reviews and because I wanted to find out if I was missing something in skipping this genre. This movie opened Cannes, for goodness sake.

And again it was just meh. I have to admit the beginning was fantastic. How they set up the story and the characters is really cool. And there was this no-words few minutes that told the story of a marriage that was well made and had an economy of detail while being rich in emotion. After that though it was business as usual. Yes we have not seen someone travel by putting their house on balloons but the other elements of the story were familiar. Two characters, one a curmudgeon, the other sincere and annoying, are forced to join forces and in the process become friends and learn some life lessons. There is a villain and a few charming supporting characters. Been there, done that a thousand times.

Haaz Sleiman alert!

2009-05-30T09:36:00.000-07:00

Haaz Sleiman is one of the main characters in the new Showtime series Nurse Jackie. And if that was not enough to make me watch, he apparently plays a gay guy who is Muslim and of Middle Eastern origins.

Hmm I am defiantly watching. Could there be someone on TV who has a lot of my own experiences? Never thought I'd see the day. Granted I'm only half Arab but it's close enough!

As for the show itself. It's OK. Edie Falco is as intense as ever and has a few good moments. The premise, a no-nonsense nurse in a big hospital, has some promise. And there are a few familiar and acclaimed actors, Eve Best, Dominic Fumusa, Anna Deavere Smith and Peter Facinelli in the cast.

But back to Haaz, on whom I had a crush since The Visitor. He only has a couple of scenes in the pilot. Including a sweet tender one with Falco on which he reminisces about cutting off his cheating boyfriend's torso. Watch the pilot here.

No Posts in a while

2009-05-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

So much to post about. Trailers for Precious, The Road and Nine. Very exciting all. The news from Cannes. Can you believe what Lars Von Trier is saying.

Sorry I've been incommunicado. Updating soon.

Cate's 40 today.

2009-05-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to my favourite actress, Cate Blanchett. She turns 40 today.

I have liked her since Elizabeth. I wait expectantly for each new movie she's in. She never disappoints. Always exciting to watch on screen.

Elizabeth has to be my favourite role of hers. You watch a vital, full of energy and spark, star being born right in front of you on screen. I love her line reading "Do your worst Mr. Hughes" from The Aviator. And Her Meredith Logue in The Talented Mr. Ripley, never has casual snobbery been as fascinating . And how about Notes on a Scandal and I'm Not There. Even in less than stellar movies Like Charlotte Gray, Bandits and Heaven she shines.

Who else has the range to play Elizabeth the first and Bob Dylan in the same year? Here's to you, Cate the Great.

Funny Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T08:56:00.000-07:00

Justin Timberlake was on SNL last night. As usual he was charismatic, engaging and fun to watch. The best thing though was the sequel to "dick in a Box", I think called "Motherlover". Collaborating again with Andy Samberg with cameos from Susan Sarandon & Patricia Clarkson, this was HILARIOUS!

Check it out here.

Why hasn't this charisma and comic timing translated into a movie career? Discuss.

Big Summer Movies

2009-05-09T13:12:00.001-07:00

Not at all interested in "Woverine" or "Star Trek". Zzzzzzzzzz ...boring.

Terminator:Salvation is another story. The trailers look badass! And it's the kind of dark moody action movie that matches my sensibilities. Christian Bale is always interesting, although maybe not so much anymore.

And Sam Worthington starts his breakout year with this movie. He's also in Avatar this year and I'd like to be there just in case he's the new Action Hero!

Delightful!

2009-04-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

Anytime there's a Meryl Streep movie out, is a time for joy. A few weeks ago the poster came out. It looks very different than anything I've seen recently. And it's catchy, eye pleasing and simple.

And more joy with the trailer. Just delightful. Not only Meryl, but the charming Amy Adams too. I've had a crush on her since Enchanted. And Stanley Tucci and Chris Messina. It just goes on. Hope the movie's as good.

In an Apatow world

2009-04-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

Full disclosure : I don't like Judd Apatow movies. I find them smug and unrealistic and the humour juvenile . I particularly did not like Knocked Up. I think an attractive, upwardly mobile woman like the Katherine Heigl character would simply get an abortion if she found herself in that situation. But probably would not because she would use protection or not sleep with the Seth Rogan character.

Anyway the reason for this rant is this very funny video. Apatow's world is an alternate reality, indeed!

500 Days of Summer

2009-04-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

So I'm really looking forward to this movie. It looks great. Something about a love story where the guy is the romantic pinning after a woman who's skeptical is a nice change from recent movies that have portrayed women as desperate and needy. Yes He's s Just Not That Into You, I mean you.

Plus the two leads, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, are so likable. This is my bet to be this summer's sleeper, the movie that comes out of nowhere and ends up being talked about by everyone.

Check the trailer here.

Leaving NYC?

2009-04-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

I never enjoy travelling outside of NYC. I've become one of those Manhattan snobs who never want to leave the island.

But I have to say I'm quite enjoying my trip to Seattle. I'm just sitting in a Tully's downtown scribbling on my laptop. It's nice to feel the energy of a different city for a little bit. Variety is good and makes one appreciate what they have.

Every Little Step

2009-04-19T19:24:00.001-07:00

Wow is all I can say. Every Little Step is fantastic. It is a documentary of the audition process of the 2006 Broadway revival of A Chorus Line, interwoven with old and new interviews with the original cast and creators telling the story of how the show came about. And boy is there a better show to showcase the audition process than A Chorus Line!

While the historical context is interesting the part that makes the film great is the stories of the dancers and actors auditioning. Just like the actual show. From Broadway veterans to novices we get to know these people and what drives them. The movie captures the process, its joy and its agony, particularly for those who came so close but were ultimately not chosen. It's a hard life. We are always auditioning, not just for a job, for friends, for lovers, for life itself.

Is Kristin Scott Thomas the new Maggie Smith?

2009-04-19T19:23:00.002-07:00

Easy Virtue looks really boring. The kind of stiff upper lip English comedy of manners that we've seen and been bored by a million times.

All that I could think of watching the trailer is when did Kristin Scott Thomas become Maggie Smith. How did this actress with a vital and sexy presence in such movies as Four Weddings, The English Patient and recently in French films like I've Loved You So Long and Tell No One, end up playing the shrewish marm. You know the character who's a staple of these kind of movies. Always sticking to rules and decorum, mining comedy out of being laughed at by the other characters. It is the role that Smith has perfected for years.

I guess KST is in that age group now. So it's her time to play second fiddle to Jessica Biel!!!! Say it isn't so.

Funny or not?

2009-04-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

I can't decide whether 30 Rock is really funny or just very clever. I certainly watch every week (on Hulu since I'm addicted to Grey's Anatomy and don't have TIVO). However I never laugh out loud. I get the jokes, they are smart - Indigo Girls lyrics as a metaphor for the good life - the actors are uniformly good and appealing, the pace is snappy and gets my attention. But again I never laugh out loud.

Heaven, I'm in Heaven.........

2009-04-16T13:21:00.001-07:00

And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak,
And I seem to find the happiness I seek,
When we're out together dancing, cheek to cheek.

Love the New Yorker! But what does this say about me when this news makes me feel the giddiest I have in a long time.

Is the fuss deserved?

2009-04-13T17:59:00.000-07:00

As my friend JP says "this is so 4 days ago". But I wanted to chime in with my take on the latest youtube sensation Susan Boyle.

11 million hits since the weekend. Wow. But is this fame deserved? Yes she has a lovely voice and sang beautifully. But did our love for underdogs propel Susan to these massive heights of fame. It's a good story and that's why she became a sensation.

All I can say is, she's no Whitney.

Chect it out here if you haven't already.

What if..........

2009-04-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

Steve Carrell, Tina Fey, James Franco, Mark Wahlberg, Taraji P Henson, Common, Kristin Wiig and Leighton Meester were in the same movie? Would you go see it. Well get ready if you said yes. Date Night is coming your way. i just wish the director, Shawn levy, had more of an exciting resume. He directed Night at the Museum, Just Married and Cheaper by the Dozen!

Plus anything to post a pic of James Franco!!!

My State of Mind

2009-04-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

On American Idol tonight, Adam Lambert sang Mad World by Tears for Fears. I don't remember ever hearing it before. But immediately it became a favorite. Completely captures my state of mind this week.

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
And their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World

Monday Blues Antidoe - Box Office Edition

2009-04-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

In celebration of Fast & Furious huge box office (who knew America still loved car chases and a guy named Diesel this much?). I give you Paul Walker.

Kippenberger, Shmipinberger??

2009-04-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

So I went to see the highly touted Martin Kippenberger exhibit at MOMA. Blah. I zipped through it in less than a half hour. Nothing special about it at all. The big centerpiece installation had one interesting detail : a wooden table cover. Go to be utterly bored.

On the other hand there is a very small exhibit of silent era movie posters. You get to see posters of movies that starred Greta Garbo, Emil Jennings and Lillian Gish. Much more interesting.

What are you reading?

2009-04-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

I'm reading Netherland by Joseph O'Neil. Just started, interesting so far.

Love that the protagonist resides at the Chelsea hotel, which is on 23rd street. Same street I live on, in fact it's just a block away from me. For someone born halfway round the world who always dreamed about New York City. Only saw it in movies and other pop culture. This is something.

My friend Livia lent it to me. We just started a book club. I gave her On Beaty. Fantastic, fantastic. Wish I was as talented as Zadie Smith.

Hello Iowa!

2009-04-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

Gays can now get married in Iowa. That's fantastic news and definitely a move forward. Who would've thought, Iowa before New york!! (Reuters).

My Netflix Queue

2009-03-28T15:54:00.000-07:00

At Home

Happy Together: Two gay men in Argentina. Directed by Wong Kar-wai. Winner at Cannes. Sounds so cool, right. Well I've had it for almost 2 weeks now, and I only saw the first 3 minutes. Go figure.

Tell No One : I got this because of the reviews. And it was worth it. Although glad I waited for the DVD. Taut and tense thriller about a man suspected of his wife's murder, who might not be dead after all. And not as "French" as it could've been. Excellent performances all around.

Just returned

Jarhead : Surprisingly better than I expected. Of course all the chiseled shirtless men didn't hurt. But the movie itself looked fantastic, with eerie beautiful hued desert images. Fantastic performance by Peter Sarsgaard, why isn't he a bigger star?

Still in Queue

Milk: My choice for best film of 2008. want to see it again and see if there is any interesting commentary.

The Secret Life of Bees: Curious since it has a couple of thesps I like, J-Hud and Latifah. But it's been on "long wait" on my queue since its release. What's up Netflix.

Doubt: Deserves a second look on DVD. And I hear the commentary from director John Patrick Shanley is not to be missed.

Another Good "Grey"

2009-03-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

What's behind the recent resurgence of "Grey's Anatomy"? For the third straight week, we got a fantastic episode.

Is there a more engaging realistic and fascinating love story on TV other than Cristina and Hunt? I'd have to go back to Cristina and Burke. From the shocking opening scene to the moving scene by the shaft where Cristina showed us again how tough and strong she can be to the sex and final tender moment, it was a full fledged love affair in less than an hour. Wow!

The story of the dying old lady had the best line "they are my people and people keep you going". I admit I teared up a little. Everyone needs people who love them around.

I was even not that annoyed with Mer/Der. Despite the cheesy elevator proposal I was happy for them. And Mer showed us how she matured by refusing to "make it all better" for Der before Izzie's operation.

As for Izzie and Karev, that story was good too. I loved that it was more about creating life than death. Mer forced them to think about keeping eggs and fertilizing them before it's too late. And then everyone rallied around her despite being scared and away at the beginning. Totally true to life.

I wish Grey's would lay off the schmaltzy music. Or as my friend Gary says "here's the music to tell me exactly how I should feel".