The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: Extended Trailer - 6 Minutes [HD]

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

I fell off the face of the digital plane when it came to this blog. My reason: I had no movies to inspire me to write about. There was a great blockbuster movie concerning a certain hot nordic alien god but I already wrote about that with my other blog since I felt it would receive more love.

Other that epic bucket of awesome, I was left with nothing. The movies this year was lackluster. On top of that, I had to suspend my netflix due to some extreme budgeting.

So I had nothing. This year has been a meh year for movies.

Until Christmas magic happened.

Every Christmas, my boyfriend and I will trek over to the Americana in Glendale to watch a movie. It's such a beautiful commercial space. There's a dancing fountain in the middle of it just like at the Grove.We were planning on watching "Frozen" but we each had some lukewarm feelings.This year we arrived a little due to some work issues so we were slightly dismayed. To our mutual delight, we found that we wanted to watch "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" but thought the other partner wasn't interested. Eh for communication.

Walter Mitty is a quiet man who day dreams of over the top, and wonderful scenarios. Lately he's been fantasizing about his office crush, Cheryl. Walter is a negative assests guy at Life magazine. I believe his job is to care and process for all the film negatives at Life magazine. On the midst of a company takeover, Walter finds that the most important negative for the final magazine has gone missing. Through a series of self revelations and circumstances, he goes off in search for the famous photographer of the negative.
;.l\I just found out that this movie is loosely based on a short story and there is already a 1947 movie with the same title. I am currently trying to see if I can get my hands on it so I can do some comparisons.

I was taken by surprise from the first scene. I just fell in love with the whole movie. It was so beautiful. funny, and just inspiring. I'm not talking about inspiring in a hippie or Hallmark card kind of way. This was inspiring in just taking that first leap.

My favorite scene of the whole movie, even more than the Stretch Armstrong doll skate boarding adventure, was the scene where Walter jumps into the helicopter. With imaginary Cheryl playing "Ground Control to Major Tom" on an acoustic guitar as he leaps and his elated expression yanked hard on my heart strings. The combination of sweet, hilarity, and breath taking scenario made this a great movie for me.

The marketing for this movie was crap. It makes it look like Walter Mitty is a lonely guy who imagines things. He's actually a very sociable person. He's just quiet and stagnant. Alot of people could probably relate to the stagnant part. I know I can.

There was a point a few years ago that I felt I was very stagnant. I barely made a ripple in financial security, my career was barely plodding, and I was single. I made one leap. I leapt into some great opportunities but also some great train wrecks. I still feel that I haven't accomplished much, almost as if I'm running against a clock somewhere. I also still keep focusing on the negative which is something I will have to stop doing at some part.

This is a great movie to watch no matter which section of life your in. You can watch it alone, with a loved one, friends, or family. Everyone should watch this movie. Ben Stiller did a great job starring and directing it.

I am really surprised I can say that since I always viewed Stiller as a goofy, awkward actor. Hell, even Kristin Wiig surprised. SNL actors. Wow.

With that, happy new years everyone! I hope next year will bring more great movies for me to share. I will end with this lovely quote from Neil Gaimen:

"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning,living,pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before and more importantly, you're doing Something. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or if it isn't perfect,whatever it is:art, or love, or work, or family or life. Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it. Make your mistakes, next year, and forever."

WHATCHA WEARIN' ? Main Trailer

Whatcha Wearin'? (2012) [Korean]

ah.

i've gotten lazy and allowed my books to rule my world. Oh well.

i am a glutton for sexy, witty, romance comedies. Although with the quality of the  American rom/com movies that are coming out, i've  been starving. so i had to look elsewhere to appease my gluttony. South Korea media  is my guilty pleasure. For dramas, I turn to dramafever.com. For movies, I check out the CGV theater in koreatown. Or I just go youtube crazy.


People always give me a befuddled look when I answer korean, thai, bollywood, and american movies to the question "what do you like to watch?". Then the next one is do you understand thai (yes I do, I'm half thai) or indian? (i don't think indian is a language but no), or korean (sigh. no). Then why would i watch it? at this point, i fling whatever personnel i have at them and rush off in a gibberish mess.

i grew up watching thai dramas/movies. international movies are shared throughout other countries covered in subtitles. you can enjoy other movies in other languages. subtitles do not block the whole screen. sure look down your noses at other countries. i doubt any country has quality equal to "Grown Ups 2". ::shudder::

anyhoo. rants over. torch that soapbox sucker.

i adore asian rom/com. the best ones take it to the limit of moral boundaries. They actually give us a beliable rom/com story in the most outlandish situation. the characters are charming with flaws. there are certainly stereotypes they fall into but it's more than the american standard of "uptight girl meets charming rogue" or "clumsy girl meets strong, silent type".


this was a movie that was raunchy enough to convince my boyfriend to accompany me to CGV.  It's pretty raunchy. The first few minutes of the movie is an intense sex scene that abruptly cuts off. Because it's a dream...

the two players in the movie:After receiving a hair clip instead of a ring in a box, Yoon-Jung, decides to boost up the five year relationship by calling him and giving him a steamy phone sex session.

And damn does she deliver! She completely missed her calling as a phone sex operator. Daaaaaaaaaamn.

As she ends the call with a smashing climax, she asks her boyfriend how it was. Only it's not her boyfriend. It's Hyun-Seung. A stranger she just phone-f*&ked because she mis-dialed by one measly digit.

Well of course she gets all embarassed and angry and hangs up. It's mutual loneliness and heartache that brings it back together.

As dirty and silly as it starts out with, it still has a sweet, resonating message. Even with all the chances to meet and techno tools, a connection can  just be made with a voice and an ear to listen.

The two chat about their lives, lack of love, frustrations, dreams, sexy secrets, and more. And they talk, and talk. You can predict at this point what's bound to happen.

Why do people think that the majority of asian women are meek and subservient? Hell no! Most asian women I know are high powered tornadoes of ambition and emotion. I can easily believe an asian women conducting phone sex. I can't believe an American actress doing the same without using tools of comedy or some schtick to cover up the embarrassment. This movie treated it's parts as it's supposed to be treated. The sexy part are sexy, the funny parts are genuine comedy, and the  twist shocks you with a smile.




It was such a great experience to watch and laugh at the theater as I snuggled with my boyfriend. It's not a deep provoking movie, just meant to be watch, laugh, blush, and just come away lightheartedness and hopeful. With so many corny or dark movies, it's always nice to sit back and enjoy the foibles between sexes.

LAAPFF: Best Friends Forever (2013)

Two things: last week of school AND LA Asian Film Festival.

I wasn't able to attend as many screenings as I would have liked. I did manage to see one screening that completely took me by surprise. Once again the festival has pulled through and has made me an obsessive fan of another film or group.

And to think I was going to miss this because it was a late showing. So glad I gulped down that soda.0

Don't let the title mislead you to thinking that this is some fruity, fluffy, girly movie. This was a movie about the end of the world between two friends.

We have Harriet and Reba on a road trip from Los Angeles to somewhere in Texas. Unbeknownst to them, nuclear bombs have been detonated in major cities, including Los Angeles. Instead, they're getting robbed by hipsters in the middle of a Texan highway.

Eventually they do find out. They do end up where they were heading but of course everything has changed between them. They question each others loyalties even as they defend one another. They discover their own weaknesses and strength. They're surrounded by racism and brutalitaty. It's funny, scary, sweet, dark, shocking, and awesome all rolled into one.


I was just discussing this with a friend that there are alot of apocalyptic films  being featured. It is oversaturation of the media but I am all right with that. I am more than all right, I am ecstatic. The apocalypse lays the foundation for infinite amount of stories to be told. It all has the same start: take it all away and what do you have left? I love playing the "what if" game(Although I do know that I will definitely be one of the first casualties). So it's pretty awesome to see this movie stand out from the others because there is a great message underneath it all. Plus it's a great movie about female friendship. And the conflict between them has NOTHING TO DO WITH A BOY! THANK YOU!

I got a chance to briefly meet the stars and they have re-inspired me to tackle that screenplay. They not only starred in, but also wrote, directed, and produced it.They gained most of their finances from Kickstarter,so its independently financed. It's also shot in Super 16 mm, which I have no idea what means but they seemed excited to inform us about that.  Phenomenal! They're talented and a sweet duo. I really look forward to any futire works from both of them.

At the end of the credits, there are some comic art that seems to be a continuation of our heroines storues. The ladies informed me that there isn't a graphic novl (YET) but they will be selling art prints at San Diego Comic Con. There needs to be a graphic novel. Or something. I want to know more of what Harriet and Reba do!

If you get a chance to catch this movie, do so. Highly, highly recommend this movie.

Best Friends Forever Official Trailer #1 (2013) - Slamdance Movie HD

Frighteners - Trailer HD

The Frightners (1996)

Huzzah, I am live and well.

It seems that March sucks out the souls of everyone I know. Is it the doom following a lovey dovey month like February? Is it because we're three months into the year and we haven't done a thing of consequence? Whatever it is, it certainly sucked out the creative juices out of me. I watched some great movies but I was no near good of a mind frame to write about them. Until now. After I rejuvanated my geek juices at Wondercon, I feel the power whirling.

Let us begin.

So this movie was a favorite of my boyfriends. I'm not sure how it rolled about but his enthusiasm had me shooting the movie to the top of my Netflix queue. I have to agree with him, it is a really great movie. Yes, there are some eye rolling jokes, and the special effects are *cute* but for that time, this really was a great movie.

 Before I describe the movie, I just realized that a smattering of movies I loved from the nineties had a lot of jerk/dork/bad main characters. They usually carried a kind of "whatever" attitude to life and villains. But when shit when down, they would do a complete turn around and become the focused, problem solving character (or just driven to action) that everyone looks to. I love that. I'm not advocating a scrub here. It's the switcharound part, the part where you relay on someone to do something in a crisis or zombie apocalypse. Then when everything chills down, they're back to being a better version of themselves.Love it.

Frank Banner (played by Michael J Fox) is that character for me in "The Frightners". We are introduced to him as a paranormal scam artist. After a traumatic accident resulting in the death of his wife, Banner gains the ability to see ghosts. He (somehow) uses two ghosts to do the "spooking" of the place, then Banner comes in and then through a "six-month guarentee" is able to extinguish the ghosts. Then deaths start to occur when Banner is near. Suspension arises since Banner was at fault for his wifes' accident (he drove drunk.sigh) so he steadily loses credibility the more he's seen at the scene of the crime.Banner sees a grim reaper swooping in to take the souls of the victims. The victims have already been pre-annointed with numbers which Banner can see. The more he tries to warn people, the more he's the villain. So its up to him, the friendly ghosts, and his (questionable) romantic interest to save the people.

OK.

so.


Here's my summary of how I feel about the movie: I really enjoyed it despite it's many, many flaws.

[SPOILER ALERT]

The grim reaper killer is not the grim reaper. It's a cloaked ghost of a mass murderer from years ago. Channeling through his aging psychotic girlfriend, he's been killing off people to outnumber the kills from a previous killer.

Omigosh, I have so many issues with this. This is what keeps me from loving the movie wholeheartedly. I mean I can love "Super Mario Brothers movie" flaws and all so this really says alot. There are plenty of bad movies but they need to be believable in the context of the movie for me to enjoy them. If I end up asking myself "What?" or "Why" or "But?" then I'm pulled completely away from the movie.

Here are just five questions that had me throwing my mental hands in the air:

1. Why now? Why start killing people again?"
2. Why does he bother painting a number on the victims head when NO ONE BUT BANNER AND GHOSTS can see????!
3. How can he just KILL ghosts???! HE'S a bloody ghost!!!
4. What is the criteria for the victims? If it's random, then it would be random and quick. If there was a pattern, I didn't see it.
5. Your telling me the mother of the psychotic daughter allowed her to keep the ashes of the murderous boyfriend? Why? WHY?


When I pushed those questions very roughly aside, I can almost lose myself in the movie until I have to deal with the "romance" of the movie between Lucy and Frank. I just don't buy it.Lucy's boyfriend just died. Other than him being a dipshit and taking her movie, they did seem to have some sort of history. Which apparently goes out the window when she learns that Frank can see ghosts and solve mysteries. Either she's too lazy to solve life's mystery or she's a vapid, horrible woman. So, the romance score gets a negative fifty.

The only thing I loved about the movie was Frank. Thank you Michael J Fox for being a great actor and carrying this whole movie on your shoulders. Any other actor would have screwed this up. Instead, I enjoyed the funny scenes and was riveted by the action sequences.

"The Frighteners" is a relic of the nineties that has been grossly overlooked by the public. If your into the macabre like "Beetlejuice" you would get a kick out of this movie.

Laura - Trailer (1944)

Laura (1944)

Instant killers to a blogger's game: moving. Waiting to have my internet installed was torture.....'


It took me awhile to figure out which movie to talk about. I've watched a smattering of good movies, a good mix of american and korean movies. Instead, I would rather talk about a movie that grabbed my attention for reasons I'm not too sure of.

Let me just say that I'm not really into film noir.  I learned from a long-ago class that it tends to paint the female character as a femme fatale in order for those returning from war to cope with the new status that women gave themselves. Before learning that, I thought the femme fatale  was a great new status that women had in films. They were beautiful, strong, and in tuned with their sexuality. Until I realized that the femme fatale was usually set up to fail or die. Which made me really unhappy. Also, I kept getting distracted at deciphering what those cocked mouth men were saying. Why was that way of speaking so popular? It just seemed so painful and irritating. Eh, not my fad.

Once again, can't remember why I had this on my netflix queue. I did enjoy watching this movie with my boyfriend. It was pretty comical trying to figure out what the heck they were saying. Once we did get into the movie, it was hard to get out. It was a great story to follow. The ending was really abrupt. Completely abrupt. As in gasp, credits roll. Huh?

"Laura" is a murder mystery. McPherson, a detective with a dark past is set to discover to who murdered Laura. Laura, a beautiful  socialite remembered by her ex-fiance- Shelby (played by a very young Vincent Price!), her friend and admirer-Waldo, and her loyal maid- Bessy. As McPherson ferrets out the leads leading to Laura's death, he finds himself becoming more entrenched in her beauty, falling in love with a ghost. A ghost that may not be a ghost at all.....


I have to admit,it's fun writing like this. Can you hear the trill of background music?

It was a great trying to guess who killed her. Each person in her history had a motive to kill her. Each had alibis.The more back story we get on each character, the more complicated her story becomes. Did she deserve to die? Was it an accident?  Was it an act of love?

Mcpherson definitely employs some interesting tactics to bring out the killer to light. At times it seemed drawn and pointless, other times it was brilliant. After ping-ponging over who the real killer is, the final revelation was a bit of a downer. It seemed so obvious yet not.The justifications the killer gave just made it so creepy...

The dialogue had some great moments. Most of them came from Waldo, a man who writes a column for a newspaper with an acid tongue. His wit and delivery were hilarious times and weird at others. He's the type of person that says scathing remarks about people yet everyone adores him. Seriously, this guy did not give a f**K! He first speaks to McPherson in the bathtub while typing away. Then he makes the detective hand him a towel.I can't help but wonder if he wrote all those articles in such a way because his testicles were shrinking by the moment? Weird thought but now your thinking of it too....

Gene Tierney. One of my favorite classic hollywood actresses. She was absolutely gorgeous. Stunning. She was gorgeous in "Leave Her to Heaven". She was a great femme fatale. I could easily see how anyone would fall for her charms. Even to death.


This is definitely a film that should be re watched to appreciate all of its facets. Now that I know who the killer was, I wonder if I could figure out the clues.



All in all, I can definitely understand why this movie is considered a cinematic gem. It definitely surprised the heck out of me.

POLA NEGRI - A woman of the world

A Woman of the World (1925)

Well I tried but woefully fell short on the word count for Nanowrimo. Then finals. Then moving...omigosh christmas is tomorrow...

SO...what better time to review a movie that I saw at the end of summer?! Eh?!Eh!!!

 Thanks to FilmRadar,  I was able to attend a silent movie screening of "A Woman of the World" at Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills. Much gratitude to a very even-tempered boyfriend, we were made the loooooooooooong trek into the mountains to catch the movie. The windy roads and isolated areas were a little freaky at first but after we parked and walked up, it was worth it! Paramount Ranch is a restored and protected landmark of a western set that was owned by Paramount. This is the same location that Dr.Quinn Medicine Woman was filmed. In the few minutes we had before the screening, I had alot of fun darting around the sets taking pictures.If I ever had to do a Firefly photoshoot...

Anyhoo, the atmosphere was great for a silent movie.An old projector was used and everybody sat outside under the brilliant stars. Comfortable in out chairs and a fresh bag of popcorn, we settled in.

Before the movie, we were treated to a cartoon short of bees. Something about bees being in love. I was too busy munching on popcorn. It was so delicious...



"A Woman of the World" involves a heartbroken European Countess who decides to nurse her feelings at the small American home of her cousin. Her "flashy" attitude and ways spurns the attention and wrath of the District Attorney who makes it his personal mission to run her out of town.The more he interacts with the Countess, the more it becomes apparent that there are some passionate feelings hiding under his crusading facade.

I've only seen a couple of silent movies so I am  pretty ignorant of this era. So I was pleased as punch to find that I really loved this movie. There was some excellent comedy bits especially between the male cousin and the Countess. Typical miscommunication antics.

Even thought this was a product of the twenties, the themes are still strong today. No matter what decade, people will view visitors differently: with welcome, scorn, or happiness. It's how the movie handled sexuality that amused me. The Countess came from an environment of sexual freedom and power. The town is unsettled by her charismas but it's not until her TATTOO that it all comes to surface. Yes. Her smoking, makeup, dress caused raised eyebrows but oh holy smokes, the tattoo just confirmed it. She was a "woman of the world"! I guess the slimmest connection could be that she's a prostitute but I don't see any negative connotation of being a "woman of the world". I must be misunderstanding some cinematic slang. All I saw was just rampant jealousy. The Countess just oozed bad ass charm.


How bad ass was she? Angered by the actions of the DA, she grabs a WHIP and runs to hall where she WHIPS him in front of the board. A WHIP. Holy hell. I hated that they kissed right after that and the movie ended. I would have rather she threw the whip at his face then drove off in a shiny carriage or something. A good solid middle finger would have worked. Eh. I guess all the 1920s movies had to end on a good note.

I was fascinated by the actress who played the Countess. She was played by the famed femme fatale, Pola Negri (what a cool name...). With some digging, I found that Negri was freakin' famous.Mega famous. She was gorgeous and a great actress. She was loved in Europe and coveted in US. Long story short: she ran in high societal circles. Her last appearance was in the "The Moon-Spinners" (which I just added and shall watch soon).

Unfortunately this movie isn't available on DVD. I would suggest keeping an eye out for it at restorative theaters such as the Egyptian theater or Silent Movie theater or Silent Movie festivals. 

NanoWrimo 2012

I have relunctantly put this blog on hiatus due to school and more importantly: NANOWRIMO!!! If you would like to become my writing buddy, my writing name is : dragonprincess. toodle-loo!

Evil Dead 2 : Dead by Dawn Original Theatrical Trailer

Evil Dead II (1987)

Yikes! Life has once more taken thrall of me and sucked into its mediocre hustle! Busy Busy Busy.. That is the life of a person.

Well it's October!!! Whooo!!!!! Scary season time!! Costumes!! Excuses to buy costume accessories! I love Halloween and I am one of the biggest weenies in the world. I am terrified of anything scary. Yet being the hypocrite that I am, I am fascinated by the genre. I squeal, shriek, my heart pumping out of my eyeballs but I still go back for more. Weird? Oh yeah

Lets start off October with one of the most referenced movie in Geekdom. A movie that I long believed to be gory beyond humanity. A movie that has spawned a HUGE cult following. And it stars one of the best ham actors of all: Bruce Campbell.


You must know that I am referring to "Evil Dead 2" (I'm assuming you read in the title. As for "Army of Darkness"? I will watch that soon enough. Relax).

I've known about "Evil Dead 2" for a very long while now. A memory pops up: walking through a VHS rental store that my mother's friend managed, I always challenged myself to walk through the horror section. As my mom chatted up in the fast talking gossip cloud, I would wander away from the saccharine covers of children's movies to the dark aisle filled with terrifying covers. I would muster enough courage to pick up maybe 1 or 2 VHS covers before jerking my fingers back, I always felt this overwhelming sense of doom emanating from the boxes. As if by touching them, I was slowly corrupting myself (Eh, it wasn't that far from the truth). I remember almost touching the "Hellraiser" box before freaking out and accidentally knocking over other covers. One of the covers I picked up was "Evil Dead 2". I remember staring at the cover. A smirking skull with eyes peering at me. I remember wondering why it looked so funny yet scary. Then my mother yanked the cover away from my hands and placed it back on the shelf. In an instant, another "Land Before Time" movie was in my hand.


It took many, many, many years to be convinced to watch this movie. It took a stubborn horror buff boyfriend and a food coma induced by his delicious cooking to plunk me down into the futon and pop in the DVD.

WHAT THE HELL WAS I AFRAID OF?!?!? THIS WAS THE FUNNIEST HORROR MOVIE I HAVE EVER HAD THE COURAGE TO WATCH!!!

Ok lemme back up and explain the movie. "Evil Dead 2" is a sort-of-but-not-really re-make of "Evil Dead". Which I haven't seen nor am I interested in watching it. As far as I'm concerned, this is a stand alone movie.
We are following the horrific adventures of Ash, played by Bruc Campbell. Who is hot beyond compare!!! Chiseled jaw and everything!! Ash and girlfriend are about to have a romantic outing in a lone cabin when they accidentally invoke demon that possesses everything and some zombies.

That is all I'm gonna say on the plot. This movie is something that has to be experienced. It uses very clever camera angles, techniques, gimmicks, and gadgetry to create this amazing horror atmosphere. I am really impressed with how complicated and crazy these puppets were. Growing up in a time where 3D manipulation is touted as evolutionary, it was with bittersweet feelings that I wish more movies like this existed. Everything about the production spoke of passion and appreciation for genre. You have to be a huge fanatic to spend that much time and energy to obsess over a detail like a how head being flung over a log should look. Sam Raimi is just an absolute genius.Bravo!!

Bruce Campbell. What can I say that hasn't been said? Watch this movie and you'll see why he's so loved in the geek community. He's such a great facial actor and an unbelievable stuntman. There is this amazing scene where he is fighting his possessed hand. He is thrashing himself all over the kitchen smashing his body in such a way that you truly believe he is possessed. And to top it off, he manages to flip himself over. No mat, no wires, no nothing. He just grabs himself and flips him over. And the flight through the car? Wowza!

There are definitely some good scary moments. I jumped so many damn times. I was genuinely terrfied of the evil mists. I can tell it's fake but the atmosphere was so well done that  my heart was pumping everytime Ash tried to run or fight the evil. For an evil that wasn't throughly established other than being summoned from the book of the dead and possessing people, it was freakin' scary!!! And the zombies??! Or vampire zombies? Or whatever they were?!?! Scary!!!! It's amazing how many people die in this movie....

The movie ends kinda odd involving some time travel that was foretold earlier in the movie. This ultimately leads to "Army of Darkness" which I will get around to watching.

How much more can I gush about this movie without making you vomit? All I can end with is : Watch this movie if you haven't already!! And it's October so if your available to catch it at a midnight showing, do so! I will definitely be keeping my eyes out for a showing!!

 
Ok folks, The countdown for LONG BEACH COMIC CON has begun! This is a great comic convention to go to! It's manageable, the area is awesome, and it has great atmosphere! Plus a very special artist that is important to me is exhibiting that everyone should check out!

Dorian Gray (2009)

Word that best describes this summer : UGH.
 I have been the gauntlet of pain, surgery, heat, and anxiety. And I don't seen an end in sight. So I will take the words of my favorite inspirational speaker: Andrew W.K.: You Gotta Keep Up...You Gotta Keep Going.

But damn, it's hard to focus on anything when you live in the freakin' valley.It's HOT.

So I guess it would make sense for me to watch a movie with a really HOT actor. Ahh...ah....see what I did there...

I almost passed this movie up. I couldn't remember why I added this movie. At all. Thank goodness I was in my marathon of sewing. Actually this movie wasn't good for my sewing. I didn't get that far in it.

What comes to your mind when you see "Dorian Gray"? Is it:
1. The classic story written by Oscar Wilde
2.  That guy in League of Extraordinary Men
3. Something about a picture...

Guess what? That's as much as I know  of it too! I will embarrassingly admit that I completely gave up on the novel after about 10 pages. I gave up after the twentieth time that Dorian Gray was beautiful. Sheesh. This movie adaptation was much more entertaining to swallow. I truly apologize Mr. Wilde. I am not as sophisticated as I would like to  be in classic literature.

The story (as explained by the movie):
    A young, impressionable man named Dorian Gray (played by the delectable Ben Barnes) arrives in England to take over his deceased fathers estate. He is befriended by an artist and a corrupted aristocrat. As the beauty of Gray becomes established thanks to the art of his friend., Gray finds a dark way to retain his youth. The consequences of a satanic bargain bleeds through Gray and everyone around him.

I had no idea that the story was a compelling, horror story. This may be in large part to the movie but daaaaaaamn. I was hooked. On top of that, COLIN FIRTH is in it!!! I was so happy to see him play the corrupted friend. Firth is sexy when he's being manipulated.

Ben Barnes really sealed the movie for me. Dorian Gray was able to do all his immoral deeds because of his immortal beauty. It wasn't hard for me to believe that Gray could do all this because Barnes just did it so damn well. I believed his innocent eyes, his grin at his new power, and his SEXINESS.

Oh there is ALOT of sex in this movie. Immoral, threesomes, multi-partners, same sex partners, and dancing. Omigosh my jaw dropped. I could not tear my eyes away. It's hard to sew a straight stitch when your seeing some hardcore action.....hoorah for the stitch ripper.






Oh...um...Ben Barnes is PRINCE CASPIAN. From Narnia.....Yeah...the religious subtext series. The one with the lion and the streetlight. It didn't even hit me because he was so....dimmed in Narnia. All that sexy hiding underneath chain mail. How dare you Aslan. How dare you.

Not only was this movie great eye candy but it was just damn compelling to watch. Easily has become one of my favorite adaptions of a classic novel. That I haven't read....

Every year, it gets a little bit harder. Every year I lose a strength and I gain a weakness. I just have to keep finding what makes me step away and just relax. Thank goodness for books and movies.

Enjoy everyone!

Monkey Business (1952)

Sorry for the long delay. I've just had surgery and I finally feel well enough to just sit down and write. 

One of my pet peeves right now is seeing classic movies being packaged with huge pictures of Marilyn Monroe and she really doesn't carry that much weight in the movie. Sigh. This was the victim of such packaging. The main force and comedy power is Cary Grant and Ginger Rodgers.

Yeah, Cary Grant was pretty funny in this one. He did some great comedy stunts and was pretty likable. I will credit all that to the amazing Ginger Rodgers. Not only can she keep up the dancing guru Fred Astaire but she has amazing charisma and comedic timing.

"Monkey Business" is a simple,comedy movie. Grant plays an absent-minded scientist intent on finding the solution for youth. Rodgers plays his loving wife  who puts up with him. Monroe just plays a secretary...

Anyhoo, a monkey mixes some chemicals together that actually becomes the tonic for youth. First Grant drinks it and becomes this crazy youthful guy and then it wears out.Rodgers then drinks it for good measure and then they both drink. The movie follows their silly regression into youth and what they learn from it.

It's such a romantic movie. The antics that this married couple endured should have broke them apart once they come into their senses. But they still find reason and come to love each other even more. That's a huge comparison between "Youth and Old Age" that the movie makes. Youth does stupid things, adults are more reasonable. That's too simplistic and definitely begs alot of arguments but sometimes it's true. Sometimes.





This movie is littered with wonderful lines and scenes.The regression begins slowly and then wham! They're crazy teenagers! Grant is driving like a maniac and dressing stupidly. Rodgers is jealous and overly emotional.Combined,they chase each like little kids all over the board room.


This movie was just so much fun to watch. A simple, comedy between two great stars.


I would write more, but i'm starting to feel some more pain coming on. Toodles!

The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's (1960)

It was pure hell to try to watch this. Something about a sheik wanting the girls.

The only part I watched was the opening sequence. The girls burned down the school.Why? WHY?! This is their stronghold. This is they're base. Their headquarters. Why would they burn it down?!?!?

I was pissed.

Then I fell asleep.

I was that bored.

Blue Murder at St. Trinian (1957)

Onward to the next installment of the St. Trinians hellions!


To be honest, it's been awhile since I watched this one so my memory may be a little spotty.

The movie played out like an extension of the first movie except for a few major changes.For some, undisclosed reason the headmistress is jailed.In order to maintain some resemblence of order, the education department is sent to "guard" the girls. Unsuited for war, the education dept is left ragged and wounded as they defend themselves from the office. The second change is that Flash Harry has a more guardian role in this one.He was introduced as a shadowy but lovable side character in the first. Now  it seems that he has begun to swell into his role as the girls only line to the outside. For in the beginning of the movie, he is chattin' it up with an Italian Prince by advertising the older girls for marriage. Flash was pimpin' out the girls in pin-up style photo book. For some reason, I was thinking of Grace Kelly. I have no idea why.


Strangely enough, the girls are ecstatic with Flashs return and are eager to hear news of the Princes reaction. This was pretty boggling. I would think the girls would chafe at having some guy pick a wife from mere photos. Or that they would even want to be a  wife. These were established to be naughty, crazy, as females armed with wit and guile to suit their own selfish needs. I guess they just wanted to establish some royal money or take over a country. Or maybe they're just hopeless romantics...


Meanwhile, a seemingly pointless introduction of a jewel thief  grabs the attention of the police chief and the sad but annoying undercover policeman on the train. As the chase gains way, it is connected that the thief is the father of the one the St Trinian girls. As the father hides out in the girls dorm, the police quickly figure out the obvious connection and surround the place.

Well since they're under "house arrest" (how is it that they bodily harm large groups of people but they can't fight their way through weak cops?). Now they are truly stuck. How can they ever get to Italy?

Ahh, the introduction of a plot point in the guise of an essay contest with an Italian trip as the main prize. So....get this....they are unable to leave the school but they are ABLE to break into the Ministry of Education to rig their essay as the winning essay.

Right.

Although I can dismiss that bottomless plothole by mentioning one of the wackiest sequence I've seen so far. In an attempt to get the results, the girls drill a hole from the floor above. They stick an umbrella through the hole and open it to catch the debris. They switch the essays. They're almost caught but the police are called elsewhere. They cover the hole with a carpet and scamper off. The Ministry of Education discover the horrific "winner" of the contest. As they wonder who could've done it, they step...right...into..the...whole...

No wonder these girls can get away with anything. Everyone is an imbecile.

Are you with me so far? Ok..onward with the crazy.

Way to get to Rome? Check! Way to get out of the school? However will they manage? Ahhh....blackmail the father into dressing up as the New headmistress and lead them to Italy. Once again, another wacky scene:
  The new headmistress has driven off. She walks away from the car bewildered and wary at the large number of St. Trinian girls that have come out to greet her. And they're singing. They're parting ways for her and singing oh so sweetly. As the headmistress walks up the stairs, a secret panel slides open from the wall and yanks her in. In a few moments, the father emerges as the new headmistress and the girls continue to sing on. That was just pure diabolical fun to watch that segment.

So pretty much, they end up in Italy. Something about the dad trying to run. One of the girls being married off. Jewels being the ball. Honestly, the rest of the movie became forgettable to me.

The movie felt more like an extended episode than a movie . I enjoyed seeing more of Flash Harry but his grand important role among the girls is starting to feel more disturbing. Almost like a pimp looking over his harem.

I hate the inclusion of the undercover woman cop now. Am I supposed to feel happy that she spurns away the love of reasonable men for the one man who would rather do battle than marry her? I am becoming seriously irritated with the way her character is handing this. There is a pretty diverse plot where she, Flash Harry, and some other guy have been stranded in the ocean. The policeman is shown that not only does she have romantic appeal but handiness in dealing with situations. She was so strong. Then she sees that worthless shit and she goes stupid.Is this supposed to be a nod towards how women can be? A contrast between her and the girls? A possible difference in what happens when one takes control of the situation? Pis posh.

There was also alot more focus on the older girls. Who are sexier, cunning, and intelligent. I could see inspirations of this in the modern version.

Except for the scenes I mentioned, this version fell pretty short of meeting the atmosphere and fun of the first movie. Why did they take out the headmistress Alistar?  I don't get it. It's not great. It's ok. I was able to watch it all the way through. If I stopped screaming "WHAT? WHY?" at the screen then I was able to enjoy it somewhat.


Oh....and why the hell was it titled "Blue Murder at St. Trinian"!?!??!There was no murder!!