Jen's deadliest sins

In the world according to me, burning your sister's book is apparently a sin far worse than say … shivving your father with a lightsaber. Okay, not really, but I have to admit, I came close to almost forgiving Kylo Ren by the end of The Rise of Skywalker. I'm not sure why, since I'm generally not a fan of Adam Driver (it's been hard to take him seriously as a villain since I saw him first in Girls). Maybe it was because Rey believed in him? Maybe it was just because Amy is so much worse. She would have never betrayed the Dark Side!

Episode IX was pretty decent, on the whole. There could have been a bit more judicious editing, but they took the story where it needed to go, plus lots of fun bonus crying for every scene with Carrie Fisher. Actually, to be brutally honest, I started crying as soon as the scroll started. I've been watching these movies my whole life, and it's weird finally getting to the end. I mean, sure, there will likely be more movies, because Disney never met a franchise it didn't like, but it won't be the same. And, unlike Little Women, I still like these stories, even as an adult.

Still not over it

I remember really liking Little Women when I was younger. I remember enjoying Christian Bale immensely as Laurie. But I had no desire to see the latest remake because I'm coming to the realization that Little Women is not really a great book. Or at least, I no longer like it. Amy is trash. Jo foolishly turns down Laurie (which I think I would be okay with if she became a spinster author or ended up in a nice Wellesley marriage, but she marries that horrible German professor guy. So gross). And did I mention Amy is the worst? The. Worst. She burns Jo's book. There's no redemption from that, people. I warn you now: If I ever write a book, and you destroy my only copy of it, I will not forgive you. I probably wouldn't forgive you even if it weren't my only copy. And I may cause you serious bodily harm.

Nonetheless, my friend Leigh convinced me to go see it. And sure, it was a lovely adaptation, regardless of whether or not they played with some shit that was not in the book. (Not. In. The. Book.) Sure, I cried my way through most of the second half, because I'm not a monster, and Beth dies, all tragic and beautiful and shit. Timothee Chalamet did a nice job as Laurie, but still … there's something inherently flawed about the story that I can't quite put my finger on. I think the real reason I liked it as a kid was because I was so eager to see depictions of female writers. That's definitely part of the reason behind my love for the Little House series. Also, Manly. Sigh.

Movies I always stop and watch (Robert Redford edition)

For whatever reason, whenever certain movies cross my screen, I must watch them. Is that Say Anything? I am now busy for the next two hours. Most of my other must-watch list would not be surprising to any reader of this blog (Some Kind of Wonderful, Reality Bites, Gone With the Wind, Working Girl -- the classics, people). But for some reason, I cannot not watch Three Days of the Condor. Is this the best Robert Redford movie ever? No. (Probably The Way We Were wins my vote for acting and Ordinary People for best Redford movie without an actual appearance by Bobby (and also wins as one of the saddest movies I absolutely fucking love). Sure, you bitches are going to be all, "But what about All the President's Men? Or The Sting? Or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? To which I will reply: Babs. And also, have you even seen This Property Is Condemned? And you didn't mention it? Shut it.) The point is this: I have no rational reason for loving Three Days of the Condor, and yet I do. It's eminently watchable. Is it Redford playing an out-of-his-league spy? Faye Dunaway being the weird photographer who is weirdly (not weirdly! Hello, he is Robert. Redford.) drawn to the Condor? I don't know. It just works, people. It just works.

A big little movie or a little big movie?

I finally went to see Ant-Man the other night, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. I didn't rush out to see it right away like I did with Avengers or Captain America, because I was put off by the very concept of an "ant-man." It seemed like a pretty stupid superhero to me, but I've loved Paul Rudd ever since Clueless, so clearly, I was torn. Luckily, the stepdaughter went to see it first, and she loved it, so we gave it a shot. (Any recommendations from the children are taken with a liberal grain of salt, as they almost always "love" everything. Seriously, they haven't learned to be discerning. Of course, J.R. would claim that I am no one to talk, since I unabashedly love several not-so-great movies, including but not limited to: The Secret of My Success, Con Air, and almost any teen movie John Hughes ever touched.* Bygones.)

The point is, I still really, really like Paul Rudd. He managed to pull off a combination of superhero and snark quite well, and the supporting cast was hilarious. I particularly liked Michael Pena as Luis, and I'm pretty sure I would watch the movie for his scenes alone. I'm also a huge fan of Anthony Mackie since we saw him at Emerald City Comic-Con earlier this year, so the appearance of Falcon was quite welcome. Also, I liked that they tied it into the Avengers universe without overshadowing Ant-Man. Okay, I still hate the name, but I'll come to grips with it eventually. Probably.

*Notable exception: I hate Pretty in Pink. Hate. Loathe. Despise. Despite the fact that Andrew McCarthy was my guy throughout adolescence, his character was a total dick in that movie and never should have got the girl. Plus, his name was Blane. Stupid.

Out of this world

Okay, so I totally lied. I didn't watch grown-up stuff. Well, I did expose J.R. to the joys of The Usual Suspects and Children of a Lesser God, but I'd already seen those movies. Left to my own devices (and the evil temptress that is Netflix), I've been watching Roswell. Yes, the late '90s drama about teen aliens. I admit, sometimes I roll my eyes so hard I give myself a headache, but for the most part, it's fun. Some of the fun, it's true, comes from watching actors as teenagers who I knew only from their later work. (Katherine Heigl, I'm looking at you. Colin Hanks! The Good Guys! Too soon. Sigh.)

My greatest joy, however, was discovering that the series was created from the brilliant mind of Jason Katims, who brought us the ridiculously good Friday Night Lights, then followed up with the quiet but brilliant Parenthood (I miss you already), and the so-far, so-hilarious About a Boy. Who knew this is where he got started? (Well, I imagine he knew. And people who watched Roswell when it was actually televised.) Sign me up for whatever this man does next.

Young at heart

When it comes to movie/TV watching, I freely admit to having the emotional maturity of a 12-year-old and an endless fascination with all things teen. I think I've watched more teen-based dramas as a woman in her 30s than I did when I was an actual teenager. Perhaps it's because I appreciate their simplicity (problems always revolve around wanting the impossible girl/guy, thwarting the mean girl, and/or parents who just don't understand, etc.).

That's why when I saw the previews for The DUFF, I knew I was going to see it. And I was probably going to like it. Which I totally did. I love Mae Whitman (her work on Parenthood was stellar), and Robbie Amell brings the right blend of wry humor and hotness. It was a cute movie, and there were several laugh-out-loud moments. Afterwards, however, I tried to place in within the pantheon of excellent teen movies, and I wasn't sure I could. I mean, will anything ever top the '80s classics from John Hughes? I highly doubt it. (Except for Pretty in Pink. I f-ing hate that movie. Blane is such a dick, and his name is Blane, and Andie still takes him back. I could go on for hours about how much I dislike that movie, but I won't. Just watch Some Kind of Wonderful instead. On repeat.) It's clearly not on the same level as Say Anything. But in the realm of teen movies that came out after I was actually a teenager, I liked it better than Mean Girls and just as much as Easy A.

For my next film, I will attempt to watch something with grown-ups in it. Maybe.

Post-post-Oscar watch

Despite all my best intentions to see Oscar-nominated movies before the actual Oscars occurred, life had other plans. (Were they wedding-related plans? Sure. Were they generally a pain in the ass? You betcha.) Bygones. The point is this: I finally saw American Hustle and Gravity, in an attempt to discern what all the fuss was about and to determine if Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence should only act in movies together in the future.

First up was American Hustle, because it was supposed to be comedy and Gravity was only still available for viewing in 3-D, and that shit gives me a headache. American Hustle was fantastic and strange and often awkward funny, but still great. Christian Bale, as usual, loses himself in the role, and although Bradley and Jennifer didn't really have any scenes together, by the fact that I didn't hate him in the movie, nor think of him as Bradley Cooper the entire time, I decree that they should, in fact, only act in movies together.

We caught Gravity last night, and I was forced to succumb to the non-existent joys of 3-D. The movie was gorgeous and often almost breathtaking, but I felt that the 3-D actually distracted from the cinematography (which was the strongest character in the movie). I did end up with a headache by the end, but my love for Sandra Bullock and George Clooney was reaffirmed.

Quite simply, yes

I think we all know that I am so there. As J.R. put it, they had me at Felicity + Jane Austen. Also, where can I get me one of those sweet I [heart] Mr. Darcy bags?

Now I see

Last week, I convinced J.R. to watch Blink, the mid-'90s thriller with Madeleine Stowe and Aidan Quinn. (Side note: Does Aidan always play a cop? Bygones.) I've always liked the movie (I used to own it on VHS), though I can't quite pinpoint why -- I like Quinn, but he was never a favorite of mine, and Stowe is alright, though she'll always have a place in my heart because of Last of the Mohicans and Bad Girls. (Bad Girls! Such a bad movie, so much fun.)

Parenthetical asides aside, the movie made me start thinking about other thrillers/scary movies that featured blind women -- it seems like some kind of Hollywood trope to terrorize chicks who can't see. Off the top of my head I can think of Jennifer 8 (also not a great movie, but my name's in the title, people) and the classic Audrey Hepburn vehicle, Wait Until Dark. Am I missing any others? Three seems like too small a number for Hollywood repetition.

Anticipation

Not everyone likes the Before Sunrise and Before Sunset movies, but I loved them. Perhaps because I'm a writer or because I like the sound of my own voice too much, but my twisted version of a truly romantic evening is talking all night long. They've made a third movie in the series, Before Midnight, which comes out late in May. Needless to say, I will be watching Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke talk their way through their relationship in yet another movie, and I am ridiculously excited.

Challenges revisited

I've been challenging myself with book projects for awhile now -- finish reading War and Peace, read all of Jane Austen, finish off my to-read shelf, read more non-fiction -- but why do I always focus on books? Because it makes me seem smarter? Sure, that's one reason, but perhaps it's just habit. Or avoiding the stigma of saying, "I think I should watch more movies." (I can't really say I should watch more TV because I think we all know I watch plenty. And occasionally re-watch Dawson's Creek with my almost step-daughter because she must learn the joys of Pacey Witter as soon as possible. Bygones.) The point is this: I don't watch enough movies. Although my Netflix queue has always been long, I usually had a fairly decent turnover, and I went to the actual movies pretty regularly. Now I go to the movie theater once every couple of months, and Netflix rentals languish at my house for months, almost years. (I apologize if anyone was waiting for Young Adult since last March. I finally returned it! No, I didn't watch it, but it's available on Instant now.)

So my challenge is this: I want to watch more movies, and pare down the 504-DVD-long queue on Netflix. (I'm not too worried about the 87-movie long Instant queue, because there's a lot of crossover.)

Very superstitious

J.R. and I went to see the Silver Linings Playbook today, and while I expected it to be good, it was pretty fucking fantastic. J.R. doesn't like Bradley Cooper and I'm not a huge fan either (residual why-is-Will-such-a-douche feelings, I'm pretty sure), but we went anyway because I'd heard great things about Jennifer Lawrence's performance. And they were right. DeNiro was also very good, as the super-superstitious dad running book on the side (I may have some particular empathy with his game-day rituals). On the whole, a really good movie -- funny and smart and only occasionally sad.

Sweet Jane

Last night, I watched the latest production of Jane Eyre, and I was blown away. It was a beautiful movie -- from the writing to the acting to the way it was filmed. I was totally engrossed in this world, and even though I knew the story (no self-respecting English major hasn’t read the Brontes), I was still eager to see what would happen next because of how well they played up the gothic-mystery element. Mia Wasikowska did a fantastic job as Jane, as did Michael Fassbender as Rochester. When it ended, I almost wanted to start it all over and watch it again. (I haven’t done that since watching Priest twice late one night in college. And no, not the horror-flick Priest, the one that was about grappling with religious issues and homosexuality with a surprisingly hot Linus Roache.)

Bygones. I feel like I should re-read Jane Eyre now, but I fear I won’t love it as much as I loved this movie. I've always been more of an Austen girl than a Bronte-lover. Plus, I vaguely remember having to slog through a lot of orphan-girl-being-treated-badly before we got to the good stuff, and the movie did a beautiful job including that backstory with short flashbacks. Also, for some weird reason, the only copy I own is so old the binding is nothing but tape -- perhaps I should take this opportunity to upgrade my library?

Driven away

J.R. and I went to see Drive last weekend, and it wasn't quite what I expected, since I expected it to be good. It's gotten fairly glowing reviews, arthouse action film, yada, yada, yada. Um, action? Not so much. And if it's "artistic" to crush a skull by stomping on it repeatedly, then, yeah, I guess this film is artistic. And I'm not one to shy away from cinematic gore; I haven't really met a Tarantino film I didn't like (though I still need to see Inglorious Basterds). This gore just didn't have any redeeming qualities for me.

In the beginning, I inwardly laughed at the cheesy '80s titles and the over-the-top synth music. I figured it was one of those slow build movies, and it would grow on me. Slow, yes; grow on me, not so much. I stayed through the whole thing, but by the end, all I wanted was a shower. Ryan Gosling has been a favorite of mine since I got over how fantastically creepy he was in Murder by Numbers, but even his chiseled beauty couldn't save this flick for me.

Topped out

Earlier this week, Eric Stoltz gave me a book with poetry in it. No, not a book of poetry – a book that had a poem inscribed in it. Sure, this was all in a dream, but it was still quite nice of him. As you may know, I am a big Stoltz fan, due primarily to his exemplary work in Some Kind of Wonderful, a movie I love, love, love with a soundtrack that inspires similar feelings of adoration. (If you must know, I have the soundtrack on vinyl, cassette tape, CD and mp3. It’s a sickness.) Bygones. The point is this: While I also own the VHS and DVD copies of the movie, I did not know until yesterday that there was a special collector’s edition available. I know. My ignorance is shocking. And while I quickly threw that bad boy in my virtual shopping cart, I still somehow feel like I’ve betrayed my SKOW-fandom. To that end, I was all, “I should make a top 5 Eric Stoltz movie list!” as I have been wont to do with other actors in the past. When I tried to compile said list, however, I came up a little short. It went something like this:

1. Some Kind of Wonderful
2. Mask

Fuck. I know I’ve seen more Stoltz movies than that. I looked over his filmography, and there were definitely other movies in there that I had seen – okay, yes, The Waterdance was fabulous (and before Helen Hunt got really annoying). And I know I saw Bodies, Rest & Motion although I don’t remember much about it, and it’s the same thing for Kicking and Screaming. After reviewing the complete works of Mr. Stoltz, I’ve come to realize there are many movies of his I haven’t seen. And most of the movies I have seen aren’t really starring roles for him. That said, I’ve gone back to the list:

1. Some Kind of Wonderful
2. Mask
3. The Waterdance
4. The House of Mirth
5. Say Anything/Singles (I have to include his cameos as the Lakeside Rooster/Mime, because, despite their brevity, they are awesome.)

(Note: It required much strength and fortitude to not put Some Kind of Wonderful on there twice.)

Just super

J.R. and I went to see Super 8 a few weeks ago, and I loved it. It was sweet and well-written and full of a kind of hazy '70s nostalgia that I dug. Just enough Goonies-never-say-die to make me smile but not enough to be a rip-off. I always love Kyle Chandler (or Coach, as he's been to me ever since Friday Night Lights), and he was great, though really, this was the kids movie. (On an unrelated nostalgic, Kyle Chandler note, why isn't Homefront available on DVD or Hulu or something? I loved that show.)

Catch-up

Inspired by Duff, I will catch y'all up on the movies I've watched in the past few weeks.

OnDemand: Adam and Salt. Adam was sweet and slow and nice. I thought the ending was a bit weak (so hard to balance between wrapping it up and leaving it open, and too often the movies (and books and TV) want to wrap it up, explain what happens next, give you a finished story, when some stories don't need that. Would any studio allow Gone With the Wind to simply end with Scarlett looking ahead to "tomorrow"?) Bygones. Salt had no such problems, because it was predictable and action-y and Angelina-Jolie-y. Both movies were worth the no money I spent on them, for different reasons.

Regular movie theater: Bridesmaids. Unlike Duff, I enjoyed this movie, though there were moments of cringe-worthy non-humor that I could have done without. It was not perfect, but I did laugh and some of the interactions between Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig reminded me of some of Jen and I's finer moments in sheer doofery. Also (SPOILER), Wilson Phillips' appearance reminded me of the best days of 8th grade. Worth the two hours just for that.

Awesome, kick-ass expensive fancy movie theater: Hangover Part II. I'm not sure if it was the reclining plush seats, the waitress bringing me fresh Cokes, or the company, but I had a great time at this movie. Sure, I knew what was going to happen (most of the time), and sure, there was a lot of sexist, gross humor. And yet. The laughter.

Adjustments

J.R. and I went to see the Adjustment Bureau last week in an attempt to be grown-ups who leave their house from time to time to go places other than the grocery store and McDonalds. It was very exciting. And I actually enjoyed the movie quite a bit. Matt Damon has a very solid leading-man presence, and the movie itself actually has a kind of old-fashioned feel to it – the story builds without explosions and the romance is there without any overt nudity or sex scenes (because, let’s face it, while I love me some Matt Damon the idea of him doing some sweaty love scene is kind of creepy). Bygones. The movie wasn’t perfect; given free reign, I would have ended the film several minutes before the director chose to, but I am a fan of the less-is-more school of thought. Also, I hate epilogues.

A few of my favorite things

I love making J.R. watch romantic comedies and then cackling to myself when he obviously enjoys them. For instance, tonight I made him watch Notting Hill, which, to be perfectly frank, has some flaws (beginning and ending mostly with Julia Roberts), but nonetheless, is a movie I enjoy (even years after I've gotten over my massive crush on Hugh Grant). The whole thing is almost as much fun as making him watch the Gilmore Girls, which he maintains he doesn't like, but I'm not buying it. Who doesn't love snappy banter?

Grown-ups night out

J.R. and I went to see True Grit tonight (the children descend over the weekend, and it's really not on their "must-see" list). It was really, really good. Funny, gritty, and filled with some great performances. Jeff Bridges was fabulous as ever, and Matt Damon was pretty hysterical. The actress who played the girl, Hailee Steinfeld, was also really good (though I think it's hilarious how they kept calling her ugly in the movie). I'm intrigued to see the original now, but I probably should wait awhile so that I'm not constantly comparing the cast. (Who am I kidding? That will totally happen anyway.)