Oscar

I've had a few days to let the Oscars sink in, so here are some thoughts about the whole thing. Meg and I had a blast watching with our friends Jane and Chris, who made the trek from Minnesota, most fun we've had watching the show in years.

Apparently Neil Patrick Harris is some kind of go-to-guy for award show dance numbers, but quite frankly, stupid way to start the show. Let Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin do their intro standup and get on with it already. Martin and Baldwin were funny: solid funny, not talk-about-it-the-next day funny. Their best stuff was the Paranormal Activity riff and the snuggie shot. Not a lot going on with the presenters other than Ben Stiller's bit, which I thought was a nice piece of Andy Kaufman-inspired awkward humor. The highlight of the acceptance speeches for me was Jeff Bridges, what a classy guy, The Dude does indeed abide. The Kanye moment for the best short subject documentary was fun, talk about promoting your film. Kathryn Bigelow was a bit incoherent when she came back onstage for the best picture win, but I actually found it kind of refreshing that someone was flustered by the enormity of the moment without screaming to mask it. I thought it was brilliant to have past winners of the short film award explain how important the award was to their careers, made that award relevant for me. My favorite part of the show was the John Hughes tribute, nostalgic in the right way, loved seeing all the actors.

Not a lot of surprises with the awards, for me at least, not that I agreed with all the winners. My real beef is with best actress. The whole Sandra Bullock lovefest didn't work for me. There is no way she should have beaten Gabouray Sidibe. That girl knocked it out of the park. I was glad to see Precious win for adapted screenplay, even though I thought Up in the Air was a great adaptation. I don't have a problem with Hurt Locker winning best picture, but I think Precious was a more powerful film. I thought Inglorious Basterds should have won best original screenplay, but it was Hurt Locker's night, so that made sense. I think Hurt Locker is a great movie, and I love the DIY spirit of the thing, but I thought 3 or 4 other films were better, with Precious being my choice for best film of 2009.

Oh, and one last thing. What the hell was Clooney's problem? I read somewhere he was swigging off a flask, but it sure didn't look like he was having any fun. Maybe he should have done some Lemoncello shots with Devito in the parking lot.

Couples Retreat

I'll write about the Oscars later this week. Our friends, Jane and Chris, were in town this weekend, and we watched Couples Retreat Saturday night. Wow! That is one BAD movie. I saw that Transformers won the Razzie for worst picture, but for my money, this was worse. Transformers is a bad action movie because there's too much action, it's mind-numbing. Couples Retreat is a bad comedy because the laughs are few and far between. Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau are usually hilarious, but not this time. Very little laughter in our family room Saturday night. Some brief chuckling when the yoga guy was doing his thing, but other than that, crickets. You have to wonder, what the hell were Vaughn and Favreau thinking? It sure felt like they just wanted to make some quick money and get a sweet vacation at a posh resort, but Favreau wrote the script, so I have to believe there's more to it. Bad judgement is more like it. The guys who gave us Swingers get a lifetime pass, and they definitely have to use it for this one. Better luck next next time fellas.

The Birthday Girl

We celebrated Quinn's 7th birthday on Friday with a bowling party. For the last 3 years we did the jumping castle party at the house, but this year Quinn wanted to change things up. Good party, the kids bowled a couple games, ate some pizza and ice cream, ended with the presents. It's just a blast to watch Quinny goof around with her friends.

My little girl is 7! It's not right. I know it's trite, cliche, but seriously, where is the time going? Leading up to her birthday I was joking with Quinn that I wasn't going to let her turn 7, she had to stay 6 for the rest of her life. Her indignation was hilarious. I am so proud of Quinny, she's making such big strides. She has worked very hard on her reading this year, and she's right at the cusp of being an independent reader. She was a stud on the soccer field this year, and her Irish dancing has really come a long way.

It's bittersweet, this parenting gig. I'd love to keep my little 6 year old Q forever, but it's pure joy to see the beautiful person she is becoming. The kid just has a lust for life, she's full-on 24/7. That energy is infectious, she picks me up all the time. A lot of changes for my baby girl this year, but I know that spirit will never change. Part of me hates to see another year roll by, but at the same time, it's incredibly rewarding to see how far my little girl has come.

The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To

I enjoyed this book, the debut novel from DC Pierson. It's the story of Darren Bennett, a socially awkward teenager growing up in the greater Phoenix area. Darren spends most of his time working on Time Blaze, a sci-fi movie trilogy, with supplemental books to fill in the gaps. Made me think of James Cameron and the whole Avatar/Pandora thing he's got cooking. Darren's isolation is ultimately broken up when he meets Eric Lederer. I like how the two just sort of fall into being friends. Eric compliments Darren's drawings in math class one day, and the next thing you know, they're collaborating on Time Blaze, spending all their time together. There's a Gary and Wyatt/Weird Science quality that I liked about these two.

Eric is the boy who can't sleep, not a night in his life that he can remember. Darren keeps the secret until Eric steals his girl. Once the cat is out of the bag, there's a mysterious guy trying to bring them in, and they spend the last third of the book eluding capture. This is where Pierson weaves in some sci-fi of his own. The mystery guy appears because Eric can transfer things from the world of his imagination to the real world of metropolitan Phoenix, a byproduct of his sleep deprivation. During the climax, we see some other things form the world of Time Blaze, and I guess that type of sci-fi thing may work for some people. It's not really my cup of tea, so I didn't enjoy the last third of the book as much, but it wasn't enough to ruin it for me. This is a nice little tale of friendship, and I look forward to seeing more from Pierson.

Road trip and Inglorious Basterds

Busy few days for the Rileys. On Thursday morning we drove over to Albuquerque for a feis. We went to a sports bar Thursday night, Sneakers, to watch the Badgers put a beat down on Indiana. Friday we went to a science museum and the girls went nuts in the pool. Friday night the Albuquerque contingent of Tir Conail threw a little party for the out-of-towners. I spent a good chunk of the party watching the women's gold medal curling match. Quite a nice time actually. The feis itself was Saturday morning; the girls finished dancing by noon. We got our last results around 12:45, on the road by 1:00, home around 7:30, pretty good time I'd say. It was about 9:00 by the time we got everything unpacked and the girls in bed, so I was thinking a little Olympics, call it an early night. Meg surprised me by suggesting we watch Inglorious Basterds, which we'd finally gotten from Netflix. It had been in our queue for six weeks, very long wait my ass, so Meg called before we left, and whatdayaknow, it was in the mail before we left Tucson. A little proactive goes a long way sometimes. I have to say, we haven't been impressed with Netflix lately, they need to get their act together.

Meg falls asleep during movies quite a bit, much more than she will admit to, so starting a 2 and 1/2 hour movie after 9:00 is not the norm in the Riley house. With the Oscars a week away however, Meg will go to drastic measures to see as many of the movies as possible. There was no need to worry about Meg falling asleep during this one, way too good to be falling asleep. Inglorious Basterds is Taratino doing an old school war picture. I kept expecting to see digital versions of Lee Marvin or John Wayne show up. The acting is great, Tarantino has a real knack for casting. I thought Brad Pitt was great as Aldo Raine, leader of the Basterds, another good comedic performance from him. Chris Waltz is sweeping all the awards for his work as Hans Landa, the Jew Hunter, and deservedly so. From the very first scene you know he's nailed it. That first scene was reminiscent of Dennis Hopper and Chris Walken in True Romance for me. I know Tarantino didn't direct TR, but he wrote it, and both scenes are unusually long, with a sense of impending doom building through the strength of the acting. I also saw shadows of Reservoir Dogs in the basement scene. It's these kinds of scenes that make Tarantino great. Of course, putting them all together into a cohesive whole is no small task, and a lot of movies fail to do it. As usual, Tarantino uses multiple plot lines and nonlinear storytelling to tie it all together beautifully. He may never match Pulp Fiction in my eyes, but I think this is his best work since then.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

I don't why it took me so long to read this book, I am a huge Dave Eggers fan. I really admire what he does with McSweeney's and his 826 writing program. Admiration aside, this is one of the best books I've ever read. I know the title is supposed to be hyperbole, but I have to say, it's right on the money, this book is heartbreaking all over the place and its genius is staggering, no lie. This is Eggers own story: the loss of his parents and the aftermath, raising his brother while still trying to finish growing up himself. Eggers doesn't portray himself as the tragic hero, sacrificing everything as he tries to raise his younger brother. In fact, Eggers lets us in on a dirty little secret: he is often more concerned with how things are affecting him. Maybe he's being selfish, but it looks to him like no one else seems to care how he's dealing, so his internal life becomes very self-centered. That internal life is brutally honest, and Eggers pulls off an amazing feat, giving readers true insight into the mind of someone grieving. It's not what you expect, but make no mistake, it lives up to the title.

Getting Ready for the Oscars

Meg and I made it to the cheap seats this past Saturday to see Precious. Simply put, this is American film at its very best. It is unrelenting in its honest portrayal of the black experience and the destructive force that is poverty in this country. Gabourey Sidibe is absolutely brilliant as Clarice "Precious" Jones; her performance is utterly heartbreaking. How she hasn't won every acting award is beyond me. I will have a real problem if she loses the Oscar to Bullock or Streep. She is every bit as good as Mo'Nique, who has dominated the award circuit, and deservedly so. It takes real courage to play a truly disgusting character with such conviction. For me her performance is reminiscent of Sean Penn in Dead Man Walking. I've worked with many kids living in poverty over the years, and breaking the cycle is a herculean effort in our society. Director Lee Daniels has given us a character in Precious Jones who just might be able to do it. Her life is tragic, but watching her struggle to break free is truly inspiring.

Saturday night we watched A Serious Man, the Coen's latest. For the record, I love the Coen brothers. Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski are two of my all-time faves. This one, not so much. Quite frankly, I have a hard time buying it as a best picture nominee. I know the Coens always have some crazy stuff going on in their films, like O Brother being an adaptation of The Odyssey, that kind of thing, and I'm sure there was something going on with this one, especially in light of the beginning sequence and the last scene, but it was too much work to figure it all out. I usually enjoy the Coen's dark sense of humor, but again, not so much in this one. I've read that this is their take on growing up Jewish in Minnnesota, and I'm sure that's true. I'm just not sure what the hell they're trying to say about growing up Jewish in Minnesota. Don't get me wrong, any Coen brothers' movie is required viewing, I just don't think this is one of their best.

Dad Time at the Movies

Scout and I went to see Percy Jackson last weekend. Quinn thought it might be a little scary, so we set up a play date for her at the house. Scout loved it so much she reread the book, and then read the next three. We need to get the last book, but I'm waiting for it in paperback. Scout's obsession is rubbing off on Meg and Quinn, so I'm sure we'll all see it together soon.

I started reading the series a couple years ago when a bunch of my 7th graders turned me on to it. I really enjoy the books, and I was very excited to see the movie, especially when I found out Chris Columbus was directing. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and I hope it succeeds so the other books make it to the screen as well. The special effects are top-notch, and the actors are likable enough, particularly the guy who played Grover, very funny. I"m not usually one to complain about changes from the book, but I do think the omission of Ares is suspect. Who knows, maybe we'll see him in a second film.

The thing I like most is Scout's reaction. She clearly bought into the whole movie magic thing with this one, and that elevates it for me. I remember that feeling as a kid with movies like Star Wars and Raiders. I don't know if I would like Percy as much if weren't for Scout, but her enthusiasm is contagious, so right now, I'm a big fan.

Nothing Phony About It

I love Catcher in the Rye as much as the next guy, so when I heard that Salinger had died, I got it off the shelf straightaway. I enjoyed it this time through more than ever. It's been years since I've read it, and a couple things struck me.

First of all, it's an absolute joke that I was not REQUIRED to read this book in either high school OR college. Not something I'm particularly proud of. I had to take it upon myself, after college. I'm sure Holden would get a kick out of that. They never let you read the good stuff in school.

Everybody loves this book, loves Holden. The people who love this book the most may be writers. I can see and hear Salinger in so many of the authors I've read over the years. Not that people are copying, it's just hard not to be inspired by Salinger's voice and style. This may sound like I'm stating the obvious, but it really hit me as I was reading. I dare say, the influence of this book is Shakespearean.

I guess I forgot, but I was struck by all the swearing, smoking, and sex talk. Made me wonder how a book like Catcher would be received in our current cultural climate. I can just see the culture warriors at Fox losing their minds. Of course, that could help too, but I just couldn't shake the feeling that ol' Holden would have more than his share of detractors. There may have been a lot of phonies in his time, but I'm afraid we may have him beat.

Goldie

Sad day for the Riley family. We said goodbye to our dog, Goldie, today. We adopted Goldie in 1998 from a former student of mine. The vet figured she was 3 years old at the time, so she made it 15 years, pretty impressive for a mutt who was severely abused for the first couple years of her life. My former student, Hutch Earl, adopted her from the pound and helped rehabilitate her. She was still skittish when we adopted her from Hutch, but over the years she lost that fear and flourished with our family. Everyone who ever met Goldie fell in love with her, she was the sweetest dog I've ever known.

What really gets me is the relationship Goldie had with the girls. They were a wreck when I told them after school that we had to put Goldie down. They don't know life without her, and that breaks my heart. In their excitement, the girls could be pretty rough with Goldie, but she never got angry, not even a growl. I feel a bit like the guy from Marley and Me. All of our family history includes Goldie, and tomorrow will be the first day of that history without her. Feels like something has come to an end. Rest in peace sweet girl.

Love Will Tear us Apart

I was at a local bookstore with some friends, just killing some time while they looked around. I had no intention of getting a book, but I couldn't resist the title. I picked it up to check if the title was a reference to the song, and checking the back cover, I gathered that it was. The summary sounded good, so I found myself reading the first few pages. By the time my friends were ready to go, I was hooked. The power of a catchy title.

Any time I read an author's first book, I'm always pulling for it. Rainone clearly has writing chops, but I just didn't feel this one. I had a hard time relating to the characters. A group of twenty-something friends have drifted apart, but now they're coming together for the wedding of perfect couple, Dan and Lea. These two aren't developed much, they're really just there to build the other characters around. The problem is, I found those other characters uninteresting. You have Cort, the hippie chic; Alex, coked out fashionista; Shaun, not-quite-out-of-the-closet gay guy; and Ben, the boorish jock. Author Sarah Rainone does her best to push these characters past stereotypes, but I don't think she succeeds. I hate to admit this, but there might be a generational gap here. Rainone wants us to sympathize with these characters as they transition into an uncertain adulthood, but quite frankly, they all seemed like whiners to me. Rainone does a good job of showing the struggles young people go through, I just didn't like how her characters handled them. Of course, if I thought these characters were intentionally unlikable, that would be one thing, but I don't think that was Rainone's intent at all. She wants us to like these people. I tried, I really did, I just couldn't get there.

Spooner

I haven't read Pete Dexter before, but I was very impressed with his latest book, Spooner. With a new author it can take a little while to get into their rhythm, but once I got there, I found myself really enjoying the flow of Dexter's writing. I especially enjoyed the extensive use of creative and humorous figurative language. I have a feeling the style of writing in this book is indicative of Dexter's work in general, so I look forward to reading more from him.

Reading Dexter's acknowledgements, it's clear this book is liberally based on his own life. When I finished I felt like this book was written as a sort of tribute to someone who'd recently died, someone the author loved deeply, but imperfectly. Throughout the story, Spooner tries to figure out his stepfather, Calmer Ottoson, and in the end, isn't quite able to do it. Spooner's moment of realization ends the story, and it is very powerful. Ultimately, this is a story of men, sons and fathers, and the struggle to connect. Spooner struck me as a bit of a Forrest Gump at times, but his odyssey to understand the most important man in his life is truly universal. This may be the best book about men that I've ever read. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Dinner and a Movie-XD Style

Come movie award season, Meg and I try our best to see all the nominated films. To do this, we have to get creative with our time. The girls typically spend the night with Meg's parents about once a month, and in Dec/Jan/Feb, we use that time to get in as many of the films as possible. We used to do two movies in a night: a 5:00 show, dinner, and then a late show. This year we came up with a new strategy. For Meg's birthday, we had dinner first, went to the 7:00 showing of Up in the Air, finishing the night at home, mindlessly watching cable. We slept in until 8:00 and then went to a 9:00 am showing of It's Complicated. We both found this new strategy rather brilliant-clearly we were made for each other.

The girls spent Saturday night with their grandparents, so Meg and I put our new plan into action for the second time. We saw Avatar Saturday night and Crazy Heart this morning. The big movie/small movie combo wasn't intentional, but in some strange way, they complimented each other perfectly.

I wouldn't say I'm a big James Cameron fan, but I do think Aliens is an all-time classic. While I thoroughly enjoyed Avatar, I'm not sold on the 3D. The colors in this movie are so vibrant, but those glasses mute them too much for me. I know 3D is all the rage these days, but it's a gimmick I can do without. The plot is pretty basic, arguably uninspired, but the special effects and action sequences are so brilliant, they easily make this a must-see. Meg isn't a big action fan, and she did fall asleep once, but even she had to admit the visuals are stunning. This is definitely worthy of a best picture nod, even if there were only going to be the standard 5 films. The audacity of the thing just can't be denied.

Crazy Heart is a small, character-driven film, powered by a spot-on performance from Jeff Bridges. Many will say this is the best work of his career, and while his portrayal of Bad Blake is indeed stellar, nothing will ever top the Dude in my eyes. It feels like a foregone conclusion that Bridges will win an Oscar for this role, and that recognition is certainly long overdue. I'm not a big country fan, but the music is great, kudos to T-Bone Burnett. This is ultimately a movie about redemption. It's never easy and there's no age limit; watching Bad figure this out is compelling stuff. Just goes to show, sometimes you need tons of money to make your vision happen, and sometimes you just need a good story and a great actor.

My Two Cents on Favre

I'm not going to lie, when the Packers pushed Favre out the door, I was beside myself. I thought it was the wrong move then, and a big part of me still does. Clearly, Aaron Rodgers is a great player, and who knows, he could wind up winning more Super Bowls than Favre, but looking at these past 2 seasons, I think the Packers would have been a better team with Favre at the helm. I know there are plenty of people who vehemently disagree, but i just can't shake that feeling.

Despite these feelings, I am a Packers fan-period. I was rooting against the Vikings like I would any other year, Favre or not. The Vikings have always had great players: Moss, Carter, Randle, McDaniel, the list goes on and on. I respected their game, but I cheered against every one of them as hard as I could. Same rules apply to Favre. I have nothing but the utmost respect for Brett Favre as a football player, but if he's not playing for my team, he's just another guy I cheer against.

One of the problems I have with the whole Favre thing is the emotional attachment to a guy, who quite frankly, his fans know nothing about. Oh, I'm sure many people think they know the real Favre because the way he plays the game must tell us something about what kind of person he is. I disagree. I respect Favre the football player. Sure, from what I know of Favre, he seems like a good guy, but I thought Steve McNair was a good guy, I thought Tiger was a good guy. I'm not saying Favre is like those two, but you have to concede the point-being a great football player doesn't necessarily mean you're a great person off the field. So now that Brett is on a different team, whether I agree with the decision or not, I turn my attention to other great players on my team-the Packers. Charles Woodson is a first ballot hall of famer himself, Donald Driver and Al Harris are as tough as Favre any day of the week. How about what Chad Clifton went through after the Sapp hit? Just because Favre is gone, that doesn't mean we should lose sight of the great players that still struggle every day just as hard as ole Brett.

It's weird to watch Favre play for the Vikings. I thought long and hard about skipping the two Viking/Packer games this year, but in the end, this whole melodrama has reaffirmed my love of the GBPs. In a strange way, I have Favre to thank for that.

The Hurt Locker

Looks like this is headed for a best picture nom, and deservedly so. If you are responsible for bringing Point Break into the world, obviously you are a great filmmaker, but Kathryn Bigelow will certainly be nominated for best director, earning some long overdue respect. Jeremy Renner should be nominated as well; he's excellent as Will James, the adrenaline junkie explosives expert. He reminds me of a young Russell Crowe: rugged masculinity, expressive face, get this guy Ridley Scott's phone number. Great ensemble cast in this movie. I had no idea I'd be seeing Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, and David Morse in bit roles, but their performances were great, and really added to the intensity of this film. I think that's a really good word to describe this movie: INTENSE. There are multiple scenes of James and his team dismantling bombs, and they will have you on the edge of your seat. On its surface, this movie is a kickass action flick, but there's a lot more to it. Bigelow makes her intentions known right off the bat with the opening quote, but it's the execution of the many intricate scenes of the soldiers doing their job that ultimately makes her point. Will James is a metaphor, his personal addiction is our collective addiction to war as a nation. When James can't give it up, Bigelow is questioning whether our society can give it up. Bigelow has crafted a brilliant action movie that challenges the way we think about war without preaching.

What the Dog Saw

I just finished reading Malcolm Gladwell's latest book. The girls gave it to me for Christmas, with a little guidance from Meg of course. This one is a collection of Gladwell"s favorite magazine pieces from his years at The New Yorker. I enjoyed every one immensely. Gladwell has a truly unique and amazing knack for making the complex easily understood and entertaining. He takes these seemingly mundane topics and makes them freakishly captivating. I think Gladwell should host some kind of contest, where his readers vote on the most boring topic imaginable, and then Gladwell has to find a way to make it work. My money would be on Gladwell. I have to say, at this point in my reading career, there might not be a writer I enjoy reading more, fiction or non. Gladwell challenges a lot of conventional thinking, not always to debunk, but just to make us realize that there is often more than one way of looking at things. This guy makes you think. If you haven't checked him out yet, you most certainly need to, your life will be better for it.

Golden Globes

Every year Meg and I watch the Golden Globes, hoping a celebrity or two gets drunk and does something ridiculous. We're usually disappointed, and last night was no different. Julia Roberts sounded a little hopped up before the show, but "who's Natalie" isn't much to get excited about. Tina Fey cracked a nice joke about Mariah Carey, but that was about it really. Ricky Gervais was funny, but there wasn't enough of him. I loved the tribute to Scorsese. I don't know if Leo wrote his part, but I really liked what he said. I agree, Scorsese is a Picasso, a Shakespeare, his impact on film is that large. After Hours and The Color of Money, two of my all-time favorites.

The awards themselves were quite interesting. I was surprised that The Hangover won for best comedy/musical, but even more surprised that Avatar won in the drama category. I was pretty sure Up in the Air would win that one. Jason Reitman looked a bit stunned himself. It was a bit too quiet when Cameron was making his speech; I have a feeling he's not the most well-liked guy in the room. The Hollywood Foreign Press probably voted for him because you can't deny what a global phenomenon Avatar is right now, and that group would appreciate the global impact more than others. It will be interesting to see if Cameron's American peers reward him at the Oscars. My money is back on Up in the Air.

The best part of the show for Meg and I was Jeff Bridges winning best actor. The Dude is finally getting some love, and I hope it continues at the Oscars. The guy's had a brilliant career, very underappreciated. Clooney is Hollywood royalty, so I wouldn't be surprised if he took the statue home, but I will be pulling wholeheartedly for Bridges. The Dude abides.

I would have liked to see Karen O win in the song category. Here's hoping she performs at the Oscars. Good for Sandra Bullock. She's not my favorite, but I respect her success. Meryl Streep continues to impress. I loved both of her nominated roles, but I was even more impressed by her spot-on acceptance speech. She is such a class act.

First Book of the Year

I finished Jonathan Lethem's new book, Chronic City, last night. I haven't read Lethem before, and I can't say I'll be going on a run of his other books any time soon. Don"t get me wrong, I did enjoy the book, but if I'm being honest, the writing is a bit too pretentious to recommend to the average reader. Chronic City is essentially the story of a band of eccentric New Yorkers trapped in a slumping Manhattan. The characters have great names: Chase Insteadman, Perkus Tooth, Oona Laszlo, but I didn't find any of them particularly likeable or nearly as quirky as Lethem probably does. I think Perkus is supposed to be heroic, and I wasn't buying that at all. There are some extended metaphors going on, but I felt inadequate trying to make sense of them. I will admit, I'm not the most refined reader, so the fault may be mine. I can appreciate having to do a little work to figure things out, but it felt like Lethem may actually enjoy having us not figure it out. Of course, that's not necessarily a bad thing. My guess is that Lethem is one of those New York City countercultural snobs writing for that very same audience-not that there's anything wrong with that. Lethem's writing is strong and fluid, so he's able to provide a window into a world I am quite removed from. When an author can keep you interested in a narrative of characters that aren't your cup of tea, I think that speaks volumes about the author's skill. That's the thing, Lethem is clearly a talented writer, with a distinct style. I guess the problem boils down to what makes a good story, and that's where Lethem and I may not see eye to eye all the time.

Not What I Expected

Let me start by saying that Michael Mann is one of my favorite filmmakers. Manhunter and Collateral are two of my favorites, movies you don't turn off when you come across them on late night cable. That said, I didn't love Public Enemies. I know people love Depp, but I didn't buy him as Dillenger. Cat was hardcore and that's not the vibe JD projects for me. The romance angle seemed forced, and Melvin Purvis was left undeveloped I felt. Mann dropped his suicide in the ending update, and I couldn't help feeling that character wasn't in the movie I just watched. Lots of attention to the details of various shootouts, but I would have rather seen more attention paid to his conflict with the mob and their fledgling gambling operation. Now don't get me wrong, a 2nd rate Michael Mann film is better than most, but imagine my surprise when I had to admit to myself the following evening that I had more positive things to say about The Proposal.

It could be the effect of seriously low expectations going in, but I can't deny that I enjoyed this one. Other than Speed, I can't recall liking a Sandra Bullock movie. I do have to give it to her though, she puts asses in seats, and more than ever in her 40s-good for her. I do like Ryan Reynolds, and I think his best work is yet to come. The two of them together were quite enjoyable, but I do think there should have been at least one Demi/Ashton joke to address the age difference. I did find myself chuckling a number of times at how perfect everything looked, that kind of design/fashion porn Hollywood loves to peddle. But you know what, every once in a while it's nice to escape reality, and this movie got me out of my head, willing to just role with it and have a good time. I didn't love this movie by any stretch, and as much as it pains me to say this, if it's a choice between The Proposal and Public Enemies on a Saturday night with the Mrs., I'd say go with Bullock on this one.

First Movie of the New Year

Watched District 9 on New Years, but haven't had a chance to sit down and comment until tonight. This is one of those classic didn't hate it, didn't love it deals. A lot of positive feedback from family and friends might have elevated my expectations for this one. I did enjoy the whole riff on aparteid, and the creativity on a budget is truly impressive. I think I'm more impressed by the idea of this movie, the idea that this thing came out of nowhere and surprised people. The director, Blomkamp, is clearly one to watch, so I would recommend checking this out, if for no other reason than you always want to get in on the ground floor with a new voice.