PRIEST -- 4

This film is on the verge of being fairly cool.  I can see the graphic novel underpinnings of this movie and I can also see how the book would be much better than the film.

I'm not to saying they didn't try.  It's plain to see the work put in to make everything as beautiful as possible.  I liked Paul Bettany (pictured here on the movie poster), I liked Carl Urban, I liked Maggie Q, I liked the lighting and the sets and the ridiculous motorcycles.  However, one still runs into the fact that A) it's a western and B) Cam Gigandet is in it.  Also, all the cheap one-liners that are so easily digested in graphic novels completely mess up the flow of a movie. I am willing to believe Paul Bettany is a man who has dedicated himself to vampire hunting, left his family, made vows to God and Church, wreaked such epic damage that he single-handedly stopped a war, and then was left to shovel coal in a basement while being shunned by the society he saved.  I totally buy that.  What I do not accept is that such a man will constantly be making arrogant and/or pompous statements in order to prove his awesomeness.  It just doesn't make sense.

Things which also don't make sense:  how exactly in 3,000 years of history has no one ever turned a human into a vampire?   And why, with all the possible fashion choices available in the future, did women decide to wear tiny dusty bonnets inside the house??  Ridiculous.  Those things are to block blistering sunshine not to rock your baby in.

Anyway, everyone important survives the end of the film and there is a big obvious set-up for a sequel.  Equally obvious is the total absence of demand for such a sequel.   Shame, really.  I'm all for automated confessionals and cruciform shuriken as long as the heroes who use them get to BE awesome instead of talking about it.

MONEYBALL -- 7

It occurs to me that most of the movies I see get a 6 or 7 rating.  Since this is statistically unlikely this means all the films I manage to view are of a consistent quality or I just like movies.  But, it probably only means I'm too lazy to really figure out a different score for them.

MONEYBALL, however, totally deserved a 7.  It was really interesting.  They managed to make a book about statistics into a movie about a guy who has never lived up to his potential and what happens when he stops following everyone else.

I really related to Pitt's character because I myself tend to freeze up under pressure.  I have blown more auditions and competitions than I like to remember, and even something as basic as a drivers test at the DMV had to be failed multiple times before I stopped caring enough to relax and just do the right thing.  In the end Billy Beane chose to do the right thing for his team by facing the truth the numbers offered, and did the best thing for him personally with his family.

Truth is truth, and right is right, and often truth and right don't look anything like what one expects them to.  MONEYBALL doesn't say that but just charges ahead and shows you what it looks like to be a success, even when one is a failure.

Bill Cunningham New York - 10

I watched this film twice because I found it so interesting.  BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK is a documentary exploring the life work of Mr Bill Cunningham, the man who unknowingly and essentially invented street style.  Since the 70's Mr Cunningham has photo-documented fashion shows, society charity events and fashion trends on the streets of NYC.  He lives with the asceticism of a monk, loves everyone, has an encyclopedic knowledge of fashion, and smiles all day long because he loves his work.







He is my new hero.

82 yrs old is enough years on this earth to know if your fashion is worth photographing

Also, Iris Apfel is in this movie.  IRIS APFEL!!!   I adore her.  When I saw the Rara Avis exhibit in Salem, MA my head almost exploded with sheer joy.   I took as many illegal photos of that exhibit as I could before the docent came over and threatened me.  The woman wears bangles covered in googly-eyes.  I LOVE her!

She buys her stuffed animals jewels so they don't bite her

Anyway, Bill.   He is fantastic and inspiring. He makes me want to find my joy and dedicate my life to it.   After seeing his tiny apartment stuffed with file cabinets full of photos taken over the past 40 years, I know Bill will be to fashion history what Gregor Mendel was to genetics.

For more about this film, just watch it on Netflix.  For the weekly update on NYC street fashion, go to this link to hear from the master himself.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/playlist/style/on-the-street/1247463985977/index.html

200th Entry! Happy New Year! oh, yeah and...

Things which appeal to adolescent men apparently also appeal to me!

KUNG FU PANDA: LEGENDS OF AWESOMENESS! (Sweet!)  --10!
MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC!  -- 9!


Howdy friends!  Today marks the 200th entry!  AAAAND, today is New Years Day! Cool, huh?  I spent the weekend watching a LOT of cartoons, some of which  featured the high-pitched voices of animated ponies so now everything needs exclamation points! Lot's of exclamation points!! Wheeeeeee!!!

But, Pinkie Pie imitations aside, I'm rather pleased to be blogging today on my NEW LAPTOP!!!   (See attached Kermit the Frog clip for emotional reaction. You can stop the clip after the first two seconds.)

 So it's sort of an important day.  Now, I may have been up until 5am last night playing on my new computer.  And then, after church, I immediately got right back on it, so I'm running on very little sleep. I am also pretty sure this is standard for New Years Day AND is guaranteed to make this a relatively terrible entry.

HOWEVER, one mustn't let a little things like fatigue and poor quality affect important decision making so....

KUNG FU PANDA:LEGENDS OF AWESOMENESS!!

This show is on Nickelodeon and I LOVE IT!   I know what you are thinking... "another lame rip-off cartoon of a good movie? Bleh."  but you would be wrong!  WRONG I tell you!!!   KFP:LOA maintains the excellent quality that the movies began, both visually and in storytelling.  ALSO, the fighting rocks.  And the theme song is AMAZING!!!   Oh, and there are jokes.

Though Tigress is not amused

The characters retain their integrity, the world that was created in the films is not just maintained but expanded, and they do it all without cheap pop culture references!

However, pratfalls are still totally on the table.

Anyway, I highly recommend the show anytime you are wanting to see beautiful imagery, great animated kung fu, and bandit crocodiles who get offended if you call them alligators.

And some hot mantis on mantis action! Yeow!  (j/k!)

MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC!  

Now, I only started watching this show because of an article in WIRED magazine.   Here it is:
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/06/bronies-my-little-ponys/

I was curious to see this show.  I would like to think that I am cool enough to have a 14 yr-old teenage geeky stoner boy as my inner child.  And, the men who are tuning in to watch this show in huge numbers perhaps have a 14 yr-old geeky stoner boy inner child who is pleased by the bright colors, good story lines, and surprisingly honest depictions of friendship.

 However, I know full well my inner child is a 6 year old girl who likes kiddy cats and fuzzy pink things.  So, actually this show is specifically made for me.  Apparently some men like it too!  Bonus!!

Anyway, the wired.com article is WAY better than anything I have to say.  However, I can offer you this little treasure of a link:

http://youtu.be/Vnelx6VLm9Y

That, my friends is the entire first season of MLP:FIM.  The ENTIRE season.   I haven't watched all 9 hours... yet.

Happy 2012!


ADDENDUM

Um, apparently the bronie who had all of season one in one ginormous YouTube file is no longer allowed to be on YouTube.   Sad.....