106 posts tagged “popular culture”

Just this morning, I was hanging around Awards Daily -- the web site dedicated to the Oscar roundup for the year -- and I took a poll as to what will be nominated for the National Board of Review. When I clicked in the drop-down box to vote, I realized there aren't many great movies from 2009.

Some of the National Board contenders included Box Office disasters like Amelia, future Box Office disasters like Avatar, disappointments like Funny People, and "coming to the Lifetime network" Brothers.

Now, I can't predict what Brothers or Avatar will do at the Box Office (although, clearly I just tried to), but usually at this stage in the game we kinda have an idea of what's going to be nominated for the Golden Globes as well as the Oscars. This year, with the ten Oscar Best Picture contenders, it's anybody's bag.

So far, my favorite movies of the year include 500 Days of Summer, Precious, Where the Wild Things Are, and The Hurt Locker.  However, I have yet to have seen some of the big contenders on the list (An Education, A Serious Man, A Single Man), so my list will probably change.

This is what I will be dreaming about when I'm napping from all the tryptophan tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving!  

Oh, sweet cin! sent me a link to this She & Him music video from director Marc Webb of 500 Days of Summer, which also stars 500 leads Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

I realize this video has been out for months, but how did this slip through the pop culture cracks with me! I'd never seen it before.

However, this video is a nice teaser and reminder that 500 Days of Summer comes out on DVD December 22. I know what's going on my Christmas list. I also know what's going on "Top Ten Movies of 2009" list.  

Two movies were released last weekend that depicted female hardships. One was The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which some believe is the downfall of the female American teenager. The other was Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire -- pretty much the most intense female situation I've ever watched on film.

Precious tells the story of Clareece "Precious" Jones, an obese illiterate teenager who's pregnant with her second child to her own father in Harlem 1987. Phew. The synopsis is a mouthful. And when you tell people about this movie, I find it entertaining to watch their facial expressions.

This movie was wonderfully performed and crafted beautifully by director Lee Daniels, but it's hard to tell people, "It was great!" It wasn't a "great" movie. It's like telling someone you really enjoyed watching Schindler's List. It just feels wrong.

And while the film ends with hope (without giving too much about the movie away), there's one particular problem that occurs in the movie that leaves the moviegoer wondering about how much hope there really is. Terribly depressing. When my friend got up to leave the theatre, he said he felt heavy and weighed down.   

I caught an episode of "The Daily Show" before it goes on hiatus for the Thanksgiving holiday and forgot how funny Jon Stewart and company are.

In my favorite segment "Gaywatch," a young boy faced bullies at school after refusing to stand for the pledge of allegiance until there truly is justice for all (specifically, equal rights for gays and lesbians). Stewart shot back at the bullies with the help of "Senior Asskicker" Mick Foley (he also schooled CNN's ass in this segment).

I recently have been writing some catalog copy for a new eco-friendly t-shirt company -- Jetpack Agenda. The t-shirts are pretty awesome. One of my favorite shirts is "That What She Thread" -- an homage to sewing (as well as my friend's Etsy page that features cute aprons) and NBC's "The Office" (Michael's "That What She Said").

That's What She Thread

Starting on Sunday these shirts will be for sale on the site, but here's a sneak preview. The t-shirts are screenprinted in Pittsburgh with water-based and phalate-free inks and dyes. The shirts are also 100% cotton, made in the USA, and from the popular styles of American Apparel.  

I had high hopes for January Jones on "Saturday Night Live" last week, probably because I'm a huge "Mad Men" fan. However, the SNL episode turned out to be one of the worst I've seen in a long time. Although Jones was noticeably nervous (who wouldn't be!), the script and skits did nothing to accommodate her skills.

In the past, "Saturday Night Live" has been able to take the weakest players (for example, Wayne Gretsky) and make them hilarious (Wayne on "Wayne's World")! Nowadays, it appears that the cast is just trying to make anything funny -- including themselves.

This Grace Kelly skit was just awful. I think they missed an opportunity by not parodying the Larry King/Carrie Prejean story instead.

And although some believe Taylor Swift was the best host of the season, I found her quite weak as well, especially in "The View" skit that is normally kinda funny (at least Fred Armisen's Joy Behar always makes me chuckle). She was playing Kate Gosselin for Christ's sake. Anyone else would have had a blast being an octo-witch!

I would like to submit a proposal consisting of five key decisions that will vastly change "Saturday Night Live" for the better. This is a matter of life and death, here. This is turning out to be the unfunniest SNL season ever.

1. A new head writer. I love Seth Meyers and always used to look to "Weekend Update" as the one beacon of funny on the show, but even that skit isn't entertaining anymore. The reviews and ratings indicate it's time for new blood.

2. Keep the funny people. Getting rid of Michaela Watkins was a huge mistake. Watching her grin and bare it as Hoda with Kristen Wiig's Kathie Lee during the "Today Show" sketch was entertaining. Jenny Slate just looked scared as the new Hoda. I also always loved Casey Wilson (also fired).  

3. Don't let Kristen Wiig be in every skit. I've said it once, and I'll say it again: she's not that funny.

4. Get some new African American comedic talent. I always liked Finesse Mitchell. Without him, Kenan Thompson had to learn to play every black character on the show.

5. Find funnier hosts. I think anyone could have predicted Megan Fox would be limited.  Sometimes, I feel like they choose people only because their names are in the headlines.  

Christmas comes early tomorrow for me when It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia releases a Christmas special on DVD.

Since I've become disillusioned by the holidays in recent years (having worked in Customer Service), I'm really eager to see if Sunny can manage to represent the holidays as they should be depicted: with selfish rage. Screw Frosty! This is something I can actually get on board with. 

I saw the film Serious Moonlight last night at the Three Rivers Film Festival in Pittsburgh. Although I am a Meg Ryan fan (she's just so gosh-darn loveable), I didn't have high expectations going into the movie based on the trailers that pigeon-holed it as a screwball romantic comedy.

I was pleasantly surprised to love this movie. Meg Ryan is serious(ly) funny! The movie's format is a bit like a play, with one scene and a character-driven storyline. The late Adrienne Shelly wrote this film, and while I didn't see Waitress, I suspect Moonlight is just as quirky and original as Shelly's directorial breakout hit.

I think Serious Moonlight has something to say about relationships as they grow and get older. Although Ryan's character chains her husband to the toilet at one point, there is actually substance beneath the comedy. Plus, a twist ending I kinda saw coming.  

While I can foresee the backlash (anything Meg Ryan does lately is deemed crap), I stand by my endorsement of this film. It was just a lot of fun.   

I heard the Magic Kids on my XM radio yesterday and was thoroughly impressed. They have a sound like the Beach Boys meets the Pipettes meets the Brady Bunch. This song certainly makes me happy (like all of the other bands mentioned above normally do)!

I can't get much info on them from their Myspace page (they're apparently from Tennessee). Hopefully, we'll only hear more from this group.

The trailer for the action-comedy Date Night is online.

When I read the IMDB synopsis ("In New York City, a case of mistaken identity turns a bored married couple's attempt at a glamorous and romantic evening into something more thrilling and dangerous"), I thought this movie sounded cute. It actually reminded me of Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery, where Woody Allen and Diane Keaton play a middle-aged married couple who discover a murderer in their apartment complex (with hilarious results!).

However, by the looks of the Date Night preview, it looks a little more Get Smart, a little less New York neurotic. I find this troubling since I like the two leads so much. I just don't know if I want to see them in a pseudo, geeked-down Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

I first sense trouble in this preview when Mark Wahlberg appears, using gadgets and computers like something out of a sci-fi movie. I sense trouble again when James Franco and Mila Kunis show up. Because Carell and Fey are so quirky, we want to see them in something quirky. I just don't think this looks like something that will make them comedically shine.

I'll be sticking to the marital hijinks of Carol and Larry Lipton, thank you very much.