Midnight in Paris

I went to see Woody Allen's new movie Midnight in Paris this past weekend. I really LOVED it. It is probably my all-time favorite Woody Allen movie, and easily one of my favorite movies. I seriously can't wait to see it again (which may actually be a while because I'm not one to go see a movie multiple times in theaters).

I may be a bit sacrilegious here, but I'm going to be honest. I actually think that the newer Woody Allen films are much, much better than his earlier work. To be fair, I've only seen some of his films and not all of them. So I should probably just shut my trap, while I'm still ahead...

Thinking about it, I think I should probably rephrase my last paragraph to say I prefer Woody Allen films that incorporate the supernatural. Seriously, my favorite Woody Allen films (in order) are Midnight in Paris, Scoop, and The Purple Rose of Cairo. What do all of these movies have in common? The supernatural.

Getting back to Midnight in Paris, I should just say you should go see it. Seriously, I mean it. Especially if you know any major figures from the 1920s. If you don't thats ok, you might learn something interesting. If you do, the caricatures are hilarious.

I really never know how much to say about the movies I am writing about. I mean, I want to say what I think about them and justify my opinions, but I don't want to go into too much detail and give the movie away. This is the first "new" movie I am writing about, so I feel I should be extra cautious of this line.

I think I'll probably leave you with this. Owen Wilson does a superb job playing the "Woody Allen character," the setting is gorgeous (to be fair I am a total francophile), and the plot and dialogue were both brilliant. Seriously, find a theater near you that is playing it and go see Midnight in Paris. You won't regret it!

New Favorite Movie

There is something you should probably know about me. I do not have a favorite movie. If you ask me what my favorite movie is, I will stammer until you give upon getting an answer to the question.

I do have a list of favorite movies. When I see a movie I really love, I exclaim (usually in my head), "New movie added to the list!" Of course, about a day or two later I completely forget that there is a movie on this list. See, this list is in my mind and nothing really sticks in my mind. So therefore, I have no answer for people who feel the need to ask me what my favorite movie is.

Anyways, I saw a movie last night that immediately made it onto my (nonexistent) list of favorite movies.

This movie is a little flick called Illusion by Michael A. Goorjian (who is really hot by the way). Its basically the story of a dying film director who watches important scenes from his son's life. I don't really want to say anything more about it because I don't want to ruin it. Its truly superb, and beautiful. I won't go so far as to say masterful, but it should certainly be more well known.

Please. I beg you to go and watch this movie. I don't care how you get your hands on it, just watch it.

If anything, just watch it to see Kirk Douglas.

Blood, Gore and More

I know a guy who absolutely worships Quentin Tarantino. Like, seriously. He tried to make his thesis film as a rough adaptation of Reservoir Dogs (fortunately he ended up doing something else).

At the time, I hadn't really seen a whole lot of Tarantino films, so I just kind of went along with it. Well, if you didn't know, at the beginning of the month Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs were added to Netflix's Instant stock. So I figured I would watch them.

They are supposed to be some sort of classics of deconstruction, right?

Honestly, I got nothing of the sort from them. Both films simply seemed like they were the work of an immature boy who likes guns and doesn't really know what to do with them. They are chock full of violence, people being shot throughout the vast majority of the films.

I am clearly not a guy. I am a girl. An extremely pacifist girl to be exact. I did not get the appeal of either of these films. I will watch Kill Bill once my Netflix queue gets around to it, but I know I probably will not enjoy it.

Benny & Joon

Why have I never seen this movie before? Seriously, why?

It has everything I love in a movie all wrapped up into one:
-a quirky love story
-a young Johnny Depp
-a cheesy happy ending
-a young Johnny Depp
-lots of references to old movies
-oh yeah, did I say a young Johnny Depp already?

Its a wonderfully cute little movie that is so sickly sweet you can't help but walk away with a sugar high. I mean seriously, Johnny Depp portrays the most adorable illiterate young man in the history of the world.

There is only one question I have about this movie, that has really been bugging me since I watched it the other day. Was Sam (Johnny Depp's character) actually illiterate?

I mean, the first time you see him, it appears that he is reading a book on Buster Keaton. Then they say he is illiterate, and it is shown several times throughout the film. As Sam imitates Buster Keaton throughout the film, I feel this just might be another imitation. Does anyone know if Buster Keaton was literate or not?

This will probably bother me for a while, but it really does not detract from the movie. If anything it adds an additional layer of intrigue. If you like romantic movies, then I highly recommend this film to you.