movie: Flakes
starring: Christopher Lloyd, Aaron Stanford
genre: Drama
year: 2007
format: Netflix Canada
plot: A neighbourhood shop that only sells cereal is run out of business by a new chain doing the same thing moving in across the street.
In the tradition of Empire Records...that's all I could think through most of this film, was the comparison to the theme behind Empire Records. That and You've got Mail. It's one of those us against them stories, that you keep expecting to go somewhere, but it really just gets as soggy as the cornflakes they use.
You've got a "cereal genius" who can tell you every year that a product was made, their mascot, their jingles etc, but doesn't seem to want to put it to real use. And his uptight hipster wannabe girlfriend who tries to make him fit into her version of what life should be like. Kinda boring if you ask me.
The idea was there, I just don't think it was thought through enough.
Lloyd is the only really bright spot in this film. He plays the owner of the small shop to a tee, making the slackerness of his laid back character charming when it could have otherwise seemed desperate.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Year 3 Day 110
movie: Swearnet the Movie
starring: Mike Smith, Robb Wells
genre: Comedy, Drama,
year: 2014
format: Cinema
plot: After the Canadian Network turns down all their ideas, the four main actors who made the Trailer Park Boys household names, decide to branch out and create their own internet network. Mike (Bubbles) has borrowed money from a loan shark and has 48 hours to pay him back, meanwhile, Robb (Ricky) is trying to save his relationship, and J.P. (Julian) just wants to run a car race to honor his dead father. And during all this, Pat (Randy) is tricked into making a spectacle out of himself.
Oh my f***, I f***ing loved this! It was as if the characters were shuffled around, with Mike being more like Ricky, and Robb being more like Bubbles.
I f***ing loved that we got to hear Smith's real voice in this.
WARNING!!!
You will see Pat Roach's full naked c**k for a few long moments, and hey, that's fine, slightly funny. There is a ton of c**k talk in this movie. Also cool.
If you're a fan of the TPB, (which you don't need to be to find this interesting) then you will see a small parallel to the character of Conky that Bubbles carries around for a few episodes, and the idea of JP carrying around an action figure through the whole film (with his dad's ashes in it)
I noticed in the listing that the actor who plays Cory was listed as being in it, I didn't see him. Though I missed a few minutes due to a bathroom break. So, he might have been on screen. The end hints at another few seasons of TPB after the credits, so that's almost a bonus.
What else can I say without adding too many spoilers? Sebastian Bach is in it. Totally rocks (no pun intended) and it makes a nice connection to the series as he did a few episodes. Tom Green is in it, which makes sense given he's Canadian.(raise your hand if you remember the song "check the O.R, you like it so far...") There was an actress from soap opera Young and the Restless, who at first I had no idea why she was there, but turns out she's Canadian, so makes sense. And Carrot Top. Yeah, I have no idea why he was added?
If you're a fan of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, like I am, you'll dig this. If you're a fan of the style of putting yourself in your art like the Insane Clown Pose/Twiztid did for their websites, like I am you'll dig this. If you liked Strange Brew, like I did, you'll dig this.
This is something I would love love love to f***ing see a sequel to. And I was really expecting to get a f***ing keychain as I left the cinema...(Tom Green's big line was "I'm handing out keychains")
starring: Mike Smith, Robb Wells
genre: Comedy, Drama,
year: 2014
format: Cinema
plot: After the Canadian Network turns down all their ideas, the four main actors who made the Trailer Park Boys household names, decide to branch out and create their own internet network. Mike (Bubbles) has borrowed money from a loan shark and has 48 hours to pay him back, meanwhile, Robb (Ricky) is trying to save his relationship, and J.P. (Julian) just wants to run a car race to honor his dead father. And during all this, Pat (Randy) is tricked into making a spectacle out of himself.
Oh my f***, I f***ing loved this! It was as if the characters were shuffled around, with Mike being more like Ricky, and Robb being more like Bubbles.
I f***ing loved that we got to hear Smith's real voice in this.
WARNING!!!
You will see Pat Roach's full naked c**k for a few long moments, and hey, that's fine, slightly funny. There is a ton of c**k talk in this movie. Also cool.
If you're a fan of the TPB, (which you don't need to be to find this interesting) then you will see a small parallel to the character of Conky that Bubbles carries around for a few episodes, and the idea of JP carrying around an action figure through the whole film (with his dad's ashes in it)
I noticed in the listing that the actor who plays Cory was listed as being in it, I didn't see him. Though I missed a few minutes due to a bathroom break. So, he might have been on screen. The end hints at another few seasons of TPB after the credits, so that's almost a bonus.
What else can I say without adding too many spoilers? Sebastian Bach is in it. Totally rocks (no pun intended) and it makes a nice connection to the series as he did a few episodes. Tom Green is in it, which makes sense given he's Canadian.(raise your hand if you remember the song "check the O.R, you like it so far...") There was an actress from soap opera Young and the Restless, who at first I had no idea why she was there, but turns out she's Canadian, so makes sense. And Carrot Top. Yeah, I have no idea why he was added?
If you're a fan of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, like I am, you'll dig this. If you're a fan of the style of putting yourself in your art like the Insane Clown Pose/Twiztid did for their websites, like I am you'll dig this. If you liked Strange Brew, like I did, you'll dig this.
This is something I would love love love to f***ing see a sequel to. And I was really expecting to get a f***ing keychain as I left the cinema...(Tom Green's big line was "I'm handing out keychains")
Thursday, August 28, 2014
year 3 day 109
movie: Prelude to a Kiss
starring: Meg Ryan, Alec Baldwin
genre: Romance
year: 1992
format: Netflix Canada
plot: On their wedding day, a young couple find an old man crashes their party. Before leaving, he kisses the bride and swaps souls. The husband then spends the next few weeks trying to deal with it all.
Based on the stage play.
So the big moral of the story is finding true love no matter what package it's wrapped in. About how when two souls are meant to be together nothing will stop them.
When I first saw this film back twenty-two years ago, I thought it was one of the deepest films around. Now, all these years later, it's a bit cheesy. Still a great love story, just doesn't flow the same as it seemed to when I was younger.
Body switch movies are a genre all their own, with major life lessons, usually about not taking things for granted. This one, dealt with not being afraid to be yourself, to just grab life by the balls and roll with it. And of course, that soulmates will always find their way to each other no matter what the situation.
I would have liked to have seen the whole supernatural element of it expanded. Simply having both characters wishing for something so badly for it to happen is great (the whole subject of law of attraction, I'll save for some other movie) but just for the sake of the film feeling like it wasn't as jump-cutty; would have liked just a bit more explanation.
I just have to wonder how two decades later, this movie would be handled if it were redone?
starring: Meg Ryan, Alec Baldwin
genre: Romance
year: 1992
format: Netflix Canada
plot: On their wedding day, a young couple find an old man crashes their party. Before leaving, he kisses the bride and swaps souls. The husband then spends the next few weeks trying to deal with it all.
Based on the stage play.
So the big moral of the story is finding true love no matter what package it's wrapped in. About how when two souls are meant to be together nothing will stop them.
When I first saw this film back twenty-two years ago, I thought it was one of the deepest films around. Now, all these years later, it's a bit cheesy. Still a great love story, just doesn't flow the same as it seemed to when I was younger.
Body switch movies are a genre all their own, with major life lessons, usually about not taking things for granted. This one, dealt with not being afraid to be yourself, to just grab life by the balls and roll with it. And of course, that soulmates will always find their way to each other no matter what the situation.
I would have liked to have seen the whole supernatural element of it expanded. Simply having both characters wishing for something so badly for it to happen is great (the whole subject of law of attraction, I'll save for some other movie) but just for the sake of the film feeling like it wasn't as jump-cutty; would have liked just a bit more explanation.
I just have to wonder how two decades later, this movie would be handled if it were redone?
Random Coffee Talk 28th Aug
Anyone remember back at the beginning of the year, I said I was going to start reading the Night Watch series of books by Sergei Lukyanenko and post about them? Well, guess what, I found my copy of Night Watch (first in the series) in the bottom of one of the moving boxes this morning. (yeah, still not unpacked) So, that means, I'm going to give this another go.
Now, if I could just find what box the movie version was in...
Speaking of having some adventures... okay so I wasn't but...Swearnet the Movie, comes out this week here in Canada. I'm looking forward to seeing how the Trailer Park Boys pulled this one off. From the preview, it looks like it's a bit SCTV-ish crossed with ICP style stuff. In other words, looks awesome.
There are crickets outside my window as I type this, setting the mood for a laugh. Crickets...yeah I got nothing else right now.
till later.
Now, if I could just find what box the movie version was in...
Speaking of having some adventures... okay so I wasn't but...Swearnet the Movie, comes out this week here in Canada. I'm looking forward to seeing how the Trailer Park Boys pulled this one off. From the preview, it looks like it's a bit SCTV-ish crossed with ICP style stuff. In other words, looks awesome.
There are crickets outside my window as I type this, setting the mood for a laugh. Crickets...yeah I got nothing else right now.
till later.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
year 3 day 108
movie: Wanderlust
starring; Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston
genre: Comedy
year: 2012
format: Netflix Canada
plot: A New York couple find themselves both jobless and have to sell their house. They decide to first move across the country to live with his brother, but change their minds when they find themselves stranded at a hippie commune
The trailer made it look like it was going to be a laugh a minute riot, but it was a dud.
It was just one big cliche, and there didn't seem to be any really likeable or for that matter really hateable characters. The jokes were not close to being intelligent or funny, and most of the characters were one dimensional.
All it had going for it were the penis jokes, and that's saying something.
starring; Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston
genre: Comedy
year: 2012
format: Netflix Canada
plot: A New York couple find themselves both jobless and have to sell their house. They decide to first move across the country to live with his brother, but change their minds when they find themselves stranded at a hippie commune
The trailer made it look like it was going to be a laugh a minute riot, but it was a dud.
It was just one big cliche, and there didn't seem to be any really likeable or for that matter really hateable characters. The jokes were not close to being intelligent or funny, and most of the characters were one dimensional.
All it had going for it were the penis jokes, and that's saying something.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Year 3 Day 107
movie: Walk of Shame
starring: Elizabeth Banks, James Marsden
genre: Comedy
year: 2014
format: Shaw Video On Demand
plot: After a reporter is told she did not get her promotion, she goes out to party with friends. She then gets a message from her producer telling her that she has a second chance, she just needs to get to work on time. Leaving the apartment of the guy she spent the night with, she finds her car missing, and has to get across town in order to get it back. Along the way, she finds herself in the middle of a gang shoot out, and chased by the police.
This was a funny movie. It's almost like a buddy movie in the sense her friends are having their own parallel adventures while trying to find her.
The whole time, I kept thinking of Adventures in Babysitting, which had a similar vibe to it.
I liked that it was suppose to happen all within a 24hour time frame, which was suppose to give it a "rushed" feeling, though you sort of loose that idea somewhere around the bus scene.
Willie Garson plays her producer in this, and when you see him in this one scene with the Banks character who is in this bright yellow dress her hair puffed out...I just could not help but think of all the scenes he had with Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City as Stanford.
The Marsden character, who is the "knight in shinning armor", I thought was funny enough, but almost too "dreamy" of a character. I would have liked to have seen at lest one flaw with that character.
Cute movie for a Sunday afternoon.
starring: Elizabeth Banks, James Marsden
genre: Comedy
year: 2014
format: Shaw Video On Demand
plot: After a reporter is told she did not get her promotion, she goes out to party with friends. She then gets a message from her producer telling her that she has a second chance, she just needs to get to work on time. Leaving the apartment of the guy she spent the night with, she finds her car missing, and has to get across town in order to get it back. Along the way, she finds herself in the middle of a gang shoot out, and chased by the police.
This was a funny movie. It's almost like a buddy movie in the sense her friends are having their own parallel adventures while trying to find her.
The whole time, I kept thinking of Adventures in Babysitting, which had a similar vibe to it.
I liked that it was suppose to happen all within a 24hour time frame, which was suppose to give it a "rushed" feeling, though you sort of loose that idea somewhere around the bus scene.
Willie Garson plays her producer in this, and when you see him in this one scene with the Banks character who is in this bright yellow dress her hair puffed out...I just could not help but think of all the scenes he had with Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City as Stanford.
The Marsden character, who is the "knight in shinning armor", I thought was funny enough, but almost too "dreamy" of a character. I would have liked to have seen at lest one flaw with that character.
Cute movie for a Sunday afternoon.
Friday, August 22, 2014
year 3 Day 106
movie: Thanks for Sharing
starring: Mark Ruffalo, Josh Gad
genre: Drama
year: 2012
format: Netflix Canada
plot; A group of sex addicts share their pitfalls and life experiences.
This ends up being less about the type of addiction, and more about general recovery and dealing with the things that trip people up when dealing with such difficult issues.
I want to say this movie is braver then it first appears.
This is done by couples, even though one isn't even an actual couple, they are just two of the members of the treatment center. I don't know if the script was written that way to make it feel more balanced?
Mark Ruffalo and Gwyneth Paltrow's storyline has them in a brand new relationship where it's a case of who's being true and who's in total denial? Each character grows to understand what they are really fearing and why they are hiding behind their own addictions. His being the sex addiction and her's being afraid of death.
The character played by Tim Robbins, is in the long term marriage, only after being there for everyone else, he's avoided his son; who's also addicted to drugs/alcohol. The dynamic is more about how father and son are tip toeing around the feeling of loss and lack of attention. Each acting out against the other, but never admitting when they are in the wrong.
The Josh Gad and Pink storyline, sees a character who is acting out because he feels ignored and cut down. Through the first half of the movie, he is portrayed as being a screw up, but by the end; he's the one who has come through for everyone else.
You can't go into this movie thinking it's just some raunched up flick, cause it's anything but. It takes a serious look at the personal relationships; the cause and affect of choices that we as humans make when feeling out of control.
starring: Mark Ruffalo, Josh Gad
genre: Drama
year: 2012
format: Netflix Canada
plot; A group of sex addicts share their pitfalls and life experiences.
This ends up being less about the type of addiction, and more about general recovery and dealing with the things that trip people up when dealing with such difficult issues.
I want to say this movie is braver then it first appears.
This is done by couples, even though one isn't even an actual couple, they are just two of the members of the treatment center. I don't know if the script was written that way to make it feel more balanced?
Mark Ruffalo and Gwyneth Paltrow's storyline has them in a brand new relationship where it's a case of who's being true and who's in total denial? Each character grows to understand what they are really fearing and why they are hiding behind their own addictions. His being the sex addiction and her's being afraid of death.
The character played by Tim Robbins, is in the long term marriage, only after being there for everyone else, he's avoided his son; who's also addicted to drugs/alcohol. The dynamic is more about how father and son are tip toeing around the feeling of loss and lack of attention. Each acting out against the other, but never admitting when they are in the wrong.
The Josh Gad and Pink storyline, sees a character who is acting out because he feels ignored and cut down. Through the first half of the movie, he is portrayed as being a screw up, but by the end; he's the one who has come through for everyone else.
You can't go into this movie thinking it's just some raunched up flick, cause it's anything but. It takes a serious look at the personal relationships; the cause and affect of choices that we as humans make when feeling out of control.
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