Fall From Grace (2007)

I can't even find the words to say how seriously this movie made me physically ill.  Its a very short, kind of basic documentary about the Westboro Baptist Church and its leader the amazingly ignorant Fred Phelps.  I felt dirty after I watched it, and felt the need to shower.  How people can spew so much hate, and still have followers, (though according to the film, most of the church members are immediate family...I hope thats true) is totally beyond me.  This is the "Church" whose website address is God Hates Fags.com (I didn't link it because they don't deserve the internet traffic.  They protest the funerals of military men and women, as well as any homosexual funeral they can find.  They hate like nothing I have ever seen.  I wish I hadn't watched it, it just made my blood boil more than it already was just thinking about them after watching Kevin Smith's brilliant "Red State".  I just....don't want to waste a minute of my time, giving negative thoughts toward those ignorant people.  But I had to write something because I watched it and needed it to count. If you can stomach that kind of thing....or want to get all riled up over something.  Give this a shot
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0977649/

Land Before Time (1988)

Ian was gone to camp this weekend, Bubba was camping, then working. This left me and Chloe alone for a whole two days to watch whatever we wanted in peace and quiet.  I found this on Netflix and was SO excited to share it with her.  When I worked at the video store in 1988-1989, this had just come out on video and was one of the "approved" videos we could have running in the store throughout the day.  I freaking LOVED this movie. I loved the voices, loved the story.  Loved it all. I couldn't wait to have kids to show them this adorable movie.  Chloe lasted about two minutes and she was back upstairs watching Charlie Brown on her iPod. I guess she didn't get it.  If you haven't seen it...its the story of a group of dinosaurs that go looking for their family after "the great earth shake"  Its sad, and scary (for a kid anway!) and adorable.  I feel like it sort of stood the test of time for me, but I guess wasn't "cool" enough for my kid #2, and its very possible its too late for my kid #1, but I will try to force it down his throat this week sometime just because I am curious. I wonder if some of my love for the movie, doesn't really come from my love and memories for my job at Mammoth Video in St. Clair Shores.  One of my all time favorite jobs.  Now the two are forever connected, so I guess I will never know if the movie is really any good or not.  Chloe apparently says "nope"

Kabluey (2007)

Its probably going to come as no surprise to anyone that might be reading this, that I loved this movie. Another small, quiet, indy dramedy (is that even a word?) This one really stole my heart in ways that I didn't really expect.  Its a simple story at its core, Lisa Kudrow plays an overwhelmed Mom whose husband is deployed in Iraq.  She needs help caring for her two out of control young boys and her husbands down on his luck brother Salman (played by writer/director Scott Prendergast) comes to assist her. He ends up taking a thankless job as a mascot for the company she works for and has to stand out on the side of a deserted road in a giant blue man costume, handing out flyers.  I can't tell you how much I loved this character.  First of all, I found every single scene when he was in costume...seriously amusing. I am sure I will show my immaturity by admitting to laughing a whole lot when he would get stuck, or just at the sight of his lonely little guy standing at the side of the road.  The performances in this movie were great, especially the kids. One boy in particular, Cameron (played by Cameron Wofford) did a fantastic job.  The music was great, which matters to me, and the script was smart and entertaining.  I can totally recommend this movie, as I don't think anyone could not at least like it, if not love it as much as I did.  There aren't a lot of bells and whistles, though there is a nice animated bit during the credits.  But its nice to see a small, quiet movie without a major "star" that can suck you in and make you care about what happens to everyone! Catch it quick though, its only on instant streaming for a few more days....but it would be worth a rental I think.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816545/

Running with Scissors (2006)

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this movie.  I had been wanting to watch it for awhile now, but every time I would almost rent it...something would stop me.  Last month someone from one of my book clubs chose "Running with Scissors" by Augusten Burroughs as our book club pick, and I found it so intriguing that I couldn't let the story go.  The book claims to be a memoir.  Now, I am not one to call anyone a liar, and I have no judgements as to whether situations in this book were true or not.  It didn't really matter to me one way or another, I couldn't put it down. So I was hopeful, after finishing the book last week, that the movie would be just as interesting, twisted and yet somehow entertaining.  It wasn't.  There were some moments.  I think that Ryan Murphy really knows what he is doing with music.  I feel like the musical montage type scenes were wonderful, they were visually interesting and the musical choices absolutely perfect.  However the rest of the movie was very disjointed, and left me feeling sad and empty.  The book is twisted, bizarre, and yet the characters come to life and become very human, even with all their eccentricities.  In the movie, there just wasn't enough time. I feel like Ryan Murphy tried to hard to make this movie about Augustens mother, Deirdre, played brilliantly by Annette Bening (who I don't always like).  Her character gets way more screen time, and there were several scenes in the movie that weren't even in the book.  Of course that is going to happen in a film translation of the movie, but in this case, I feel like there were too many instances that made the movie all about her.  There were several other scenes that were added, that didn't really work for me, most involving the relationship between Augusten and his older boyfriend Neil (played by the usually adorable Joseph Fiennes...not so much this time around) as well as some scenes with Neil and Dr. Finch (played by the wonderful Brian Cox) that I don't remember being in the book at all.  I can't say I hated the movie, but if you have never read the book, it might just end up seeming more bizarre than the book even was....which was bizarre enough I think. I think that the movie seemed to make Augusten's father out to be a not so bad guy, which i didn't sense from the book. However,  I do think that the relationship between Augusten(played by Joseph Cross) and Natalie (the beautiful Evan Rachel Wood) translated very well to film, and I enjoyed all of their scenes together.  I was not so fond of  Gwyneth Paltrow playing the older sister named Hope, I thought it was kind of a weak performance for a character that I really liked in the book. Who knows what really happened, though I tend to think a lot of this is probably true...I do know that Augusten survived to write some magical pieces of literature and I think a lot can be said for this family that helped him make it through, no matter how bizarre and messed up that world they lived in happened to be.I think the movie comes off a little more sad than I felt that the book did.  I little more depressing and much less colorful than I was hoping for. However, this movie is almost worth watching just for Bening's performance, one of her best, I think.   But be prepared for an odd ride.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0439289/

Breaking Upwards (2009)

I liked this.  Not just because it was a story set in New York (though that didn't hurt).  I just really enjoyed it. I chose it purposefully because it starred Zoe Lister Jones, who I fell in love with awhile back after watching "Arranged". I searched out some more movies I could watch on Netflix, and came across this one.  I thought the plot was interesting.  A couple going through what seems to be a flat period in their long term relationship decide to take charge of their own break up, by a systematic plan. A few days off, some specific rules.  I really liked both of the characters, the performances were both subtle and realistic.  I think that Zoe Lister Jones is absolutely beautiful and I will watch her in probably anything she does. I was interested to see that she wrote the lyrics to most of the songs used in the film.  I was really rooting for these two to work it out, and I won't give anything away, but I will say that I was not unsatsified, though I thought I might be.  I liked the music, I thought the script was just so-so, yet I thought the character development was really good.  Both Daryl and Zoe were very realistic, flawed 20somethings...I totally bought the story.  I will say its not for everyone. Its a bit slow at times, and definitely small budget. I think this could be one of those: either you love it or you hate it kind of movies.  I enjoyed it and was not sorry I watched it. I would be interested to see what others think of it.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1247644/

My Name is Jerry (2009)

I really kind of liked this quiet little movie. I have to admit. Sometimes its hard for me to get into movies where none of the actors are familiar to me.  Maybe that makes me a wimply movie fan, but I can't help it. Usually its the actor that is the draw to me. Every once in awhile its the storyline, but its almost always the other way around. Something about this plot grabbed me enough that I watched it and only recognized one person in the entire film.  This was a nice movie. That sounds boring, I know...but its hard to think of another adjective to describe it.  Its about a door to door book salesman named Jerry, who is kind of stuck/lost in his life. He is trying to reconnect with his daughter after his ex-wife dies, and going through a rut in his job.  He accidentally hooks up with a bunch of young kids and sort of becomes part of their little group, and his life begins to change.  I tend to be attracted to characters that seem to be lost and then sort of find themselves.  Experience something that reminds them that life is still out there...you can still dream big.  It makes me feel a little more hopeful and brings me a little joy.  I definitely enjoyed this.  Even without big name stars, I totally feel comfortable recommending it.  It is available on Netflix for instant streaming also...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0889146/

The Great New Wonderful (2005)

I can tell I am in a rut.  Its not that I don't feel like watching movies, its more that the movies I have been watching are difficult to review I guess.  This was a decent movie. I thought it was done really well. It was a subtle reminder of how things changed (or didn't change) in NYC in a post 9-11 word.  The movie takes place in September 2002. It is told in five little stories that just barely intersect at a few points in the film. I usually like movies that tell small short stories and somehow merge, though this one did less merging than I prefer.  The performances were all incredible.  My favorite performance (though not my favorite story of the bunch) was by Jim Gaffigan, I recently decided that he is clearly more than just your average stand up comic/actor.  He is kind of special. In "Sandie's Story" he plays the only character that the film actually implies was directly affected by the tragedy. He is being treated by a Dr.(Tony Shaloub) who comes to his workplace to talk about his feelings regarding the tragedy and whatever happened to him and the rest of his co-workers on the "7th Floor" the Dr. uses unconventional means to bring out his feelings and the whole storyline was very interesting to me.
My favorite storyline was "Judy's Story". Judy, played by the always entertaining Olympia Dukakis, is an elderly woman who is clearly just going through the motions of her life. Every day is the same routine, and she serves her husband his dinner on a TV tray in front of the TV and goes back to making her little fantasy travel collages.  I really felt this story, and I got really sucked into it.  She runs into a man from her youth that sort of breathes some life into her and though the changes were subtle... it was a very honest story.
The other three stories were "Emme's Story", "Avi and Satish's Story" and "David and Allison's" story.  Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Emme, who comes off sort of cold and bitchy, as a Cake creator for the rich and famous.  Also an interesting storyline and a fun few minutes worth of my favorite nerd Jim Parsons!
Avi and Satish was the story I could relate to the least.  Maybe on a second viewing I will get a little more out of that one.
David and Allison's story was just depressing and sad, while being pretty creepy and scary at the same time.  They have a son who has some serious issues, and most of their story is about them dealing with that as well as how that affects their relationship to each other.  A bonus in this story is Stephen Colbert as a school principal.
Overall I recommend this movie. It is slow at times, but its like a really interesting piece of art.  Sometimes I "got it" and sometimes it was just nice to look at and wonder what it really means.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0402230/

A Chorus Line (1985)

This was one of my all time favorite movies when I was a kid. As I have mentioned before, as far back as I can remember, I have loved original broadway cast recordings. When I bought the OBCR  of A Chorus Line I had no clue what it was about, what the story was....it didn't really matter to me. I just knew I loved the music, and when I heard At The Ballet, I was transported somewhere else.  When the movie first came out, I am pretty sure I didn't see it until it came on VHS.  I remember that after I saw it, I didn't like Michael Douglas anymore. Something about him in that movie just turned me off and it took me years to recover from it. I couldn't even look at him, wouldn't even attempt to watch a movie where he was the star until The American President.  But none of this is important right now.  So I watched this movie for the first time in quite a number of years, and for me, it has lost some of its shimmer.  Part of it I think, is the 80's sometimes look dingy to me now on film.  The other part of it is the time I have spent in NYC lately, and I think I expect more out of movies based on shows.  I have nothing to compare this to, as I have never seen the show live, though I will remedy that the next time the tour comes around.  However, my recent viewing of "Every Little Step" tainted me a little bit, and this movie paled in comparison.  I forced Bubba to watch with me, and he only got up twice to walk away from it because the music bored him a little.  The next day though he told me it "wasn't so bad" and I told him that I didn't like it as much as I used to.  I guess we never see eye to eye at the same time.  Its not that I thought the movie was awful, I just think that it could have been better.  I still loved the music and dancing, but if you are going to choose A Chorus Line movie....pick the documentary about it instead, watch Every Little Step.  Of course, if you are a fan of the movie and feeling nostalgic, it still does the trick for that!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088915/

Smiley Face (2007)

For real this time :)  I finally finished watching this movie and have decided that it wasn't as bad as I originally thought.  Sure, sometimes the girl just got on my last nerve, but then....stoners sometimes do that!  I just really kind of like Anna Faris, and I thought she really played this well. I don't know that I would recommend this to everyone.  But I think there are a few of you out there that can look past the sometimes annoying stoner behavior and get to the heart of the movie, which was kind of sweet and mildly entertaining.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780608/

Paul (2011)

Its pretty rare that I get to go on a date with my husband. Going out on a Friday is even more rare...so it should be even more surprising that we went to a movie that I knew absolutely nothing about.  I knew that Simon Pegg was in it, that was enough for me to choose it.  But we literally picked it because it was the time that worked out the best for us to see a movie while we had a babysitter.  I sat down knowing not a single thing about the movie and I don't know if I have ever done that in my life.  I firmly believe this could be one of my better decisions this year.  I freaking LOVED "Paul".  This is one of those movies that I will see again and again and never get tired of all of the references to all the Sci-Fi movies, books, and TV Shows.  I really enjoyed this from the very moment it started until it ended.  Before it was even over, I was already planning my next trip back, in my head.  Of course, I am sure this week will be filled with Science Fiction movies that I haven't seen in years, just because I can't think about anything else.  This was a smart, funny, adorable movie that I absolutely recommend to anyone that has seen or loved a Science Fiction movie. I don't know if I would call it a spoof, especially since I don't like spoof movies.  Lets call it a homage...It was so full of Sci-Fi beauty that it felt like Nerd Heaven.  Awesome.  Basic plot is two friends from England, travel to America to go to Comic Con and take a little road trip across the west to hit all the rumored UFO hot spots.  This movie reminded me a little bit of: if ET met Superbad....I thought it was sweet, funny and creative.  Just a great movie, completely entertaining.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1092026/

slacked...but...Smiley Face (2007)

I admit it. I have lost my commitment to this project a little bit.  I am starting fresh tomorrow and my goal is to make up for it by doubling up when I can this week to catch up.  I really want to make this a 365 movie year!  This week was a little crazy for me with my Dad having surgery on Tuesday and being in the hospital until today, so I only "attempted" to watch one movie over the past week and I didn't even finish it so I shouldn't even give any kind of review.  The movie was Smiley Face starring Anna Faris.  I actually really enjoy Anna Faris, so I looked forward to watching this movie especially since one of the co-stars was John Krasinski who I crush on a little bit.  So far....I did not have the patience for this movie.  Its most definitely a stoner movie.  The main character, Jane, already stoned, gets even more stoned when she accidentally eats her roommates pot filled cupcakes during a bout of the munchies.  This sets her off in a series of mishaps, one worse than the next throughout the movie.  I did find it mildly amusing so I will finish it and then perhaps revisit this post and give a complete review, but for now I would say...I wasn't loving it.  I think I owe myself like 6 extra movies this week. Wish me luck!!!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780608/

The Fighter (2010)

Yep. I know...I already watched and reviewed this one during the movie marathon earlier this year.  I just had to watch it as soon as it was available on DVD, because I really and truly feel this was one of the best movies of last year, no doubt about it.  After a second viewing it only confirmed that opinion. I liked it so much I will probably end up owning it before the year is up so I can watch it a few more times, and see what kind of bonus features the DVD might have.  I thought Christian Bale was so incredible, and it was such a powerful performance that I just don't think I can get enough of it!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0964517/

Arranged (2007)

Sometimes I just get lucky. I wasn't even in the mood to watch a movie, so I closed my eyes, pushed the little arrow button on my Roku remote, and stopped without looking...I landed on this little gem of a flick.  I don't even know why I originally added it to my list, but it was exactly what I was looking for, without even knowing it.  I love movies like this, that make you really care about the characters and the decisions they make.  This was a nice, fresh little movie.  The story is kind of wholesome, a young Muslim girl and an Orthodox Jewish girl become friends while working at a small public school in Brooklyn. Of course, throughout the movie we find out that of course, they are more alike than they are different, as they share with each other the complexities of each of their religious/cultural beliefs about arranged marriages.  I found the whole thing to be not only interesting, but gave me a little bit of insight into a practice (would we call it a practice?) that I assumed wasn't really an issue anymore. I was both surprised and interested to see how each family approached the experience and how each girl both worked through their emotions and feelings about their upcoming "matches".  I really liked this movie.  Both girls were excellent, I especially became fond of Zoe Lister-Jones who played Rochel, the Orthodox Jewish girl.  I feel like I may have seen her before, but I think she absolutely beautiful and did an amazing job at really making me feel the struggle that she was going through about finding a husband.  I really recommend this movie, I think it is sweet, charming, romantic comedy. And even though the movie was most definitely about the cultural and religious experiences of these two girls, its underlying themes of friendship, family, romance and hope for the future are universal. I can't think of anything bad to say about it.  Watch it...you won't be sorry.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848542/

Red State (2011)

Wow. Holy. Freaking. Crap. There, you see what I did there? I did that without the vulgarity I felt like spewing, and that most of you know that I really wanted to say...but just in case that would offend someone, I decided to censor a bit.  I don't know why, just felt like it I guess. Okay, so Bubba and I, got a rare night out together, and forked out a chunky sum ($49 per ticket) and went to Ann Arbor to see a pre-release screening of "Red State" along with a bonus Q&A session with the director...my favorite...Kevin Smith.  I didn't go into this expecting to love it. I love Kevin Smith, I am sure everyone knows this about me by now, something about him...not even sure what it is, but I really love him.  I love all his movies, the raunchier sometimes the better.  I love them though, in part, because they are funny. I think they are funny in ways that other movies aren't.  They are funny in ways that make you cringe because you laughed, sometimes because something is so dirty you can't even believe you heard it, let alone laughed at it. But this post can't be about my undying love for Kevin Smith.  It needs to be about "Red State" which was NOT the usual Kevin Smith type flick.  For starters, its being called a "horror" movie. I don't know that I would agree with that assessment.  It did have the aspects of a horror movie, the entire first 15 minutes or so definitely felt like a horror  movie...without giving too many plot points away (though you can read almost all of them somewhere on the internet) 3 boys find an ad on a Craiglist type of site, for a woman who would have sex with them at once.  They take off to a secluded trailer in the woods to meet this woman, played with perfect creepiness by this year's Best Supporting Actress Oscar Winner, Melissa Leo.  She then drugs them and they are taken away to some compound/church where they are then to be tortured by a Phelps-like family of Christian Extremists.  The great Michael Parks plays Pastor Abin Cooper with sinister perfection. Oh I loved him in this movie.  The movie from here turns into something more Tarantino in feel....lots of quick paced bloody action scenes, some hand held camera stuff. It was really pretty awesome.  Like nothing Kevin Smith has ever done before for sure. Later he commented that he was trying something more Tarantino by way of the Coen Brothers and I feel like he nailed that pretty good.  All the while of course, you still get some bits of his great dialogue and humor.  One of my favorite things was that I got to see one of my favorite people Betty Aberlin (Lady Aberlin from Mister Rogers Neighborhood) again. I was so excited to see her as one of the church congregation that I almost clapped with glee!  John Goodman was my favorite part of the movie, playing an ATF agent that was after the family for their illegal arms issues!  This was disturbing, while still being entertaining.  I can't wait to see it again and see how many more interesting things I can find about this movie.  I hope he brings it through another time on a tour like this, before its release in October. I loved the fact that he spent a few hours afterwards answering questions. Why? Because I freaking love this man.  I can't wait to hear what he has to say!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0873886/

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

First the good stuff: I loved the animation, and the voices.  Now for the rest: I didn't get this movie.  Ian enjoys it, I picked it up for him cheap because our Blockbuster is going out of business and so I finally bothered to try to watch it.  I found it interesting enough because of the incredibly different animation.  I thought the story was just okay, and kind of slow.  Worth watching?  Probably....I think most people will like this. I think I must be super picky when it comes to animated movies, because there have been so many well reviewed movies that I just didn't "get" and this is one of them.  Part of the problem could be I had a headache and was super tired, so maybe I just wasn't in the mood to watch it, but I don't know that I would watch it again.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432283/

Babies (2010)

Cute. Not much more I can say about this movie. It was super cute.  If you don't like babies, or don't find how other cultures raise their babies...probably not for you.  This movie records the year in the life of 4 different babies in very different cultures. I found it very interesting, and of course...super adorable.  There isn't any dialogue, and most of the time you don't even see the heads and faces of the adults in the worlds of these 4 adorable freaking babies.  I never felt bored watching it though,but I can see how one might get bored or lose interest.  Chloe sat and watched a lot of this and seemed to find it riveting! Of course it made me want to run out and get myself another baby right away!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1020938/

Crazy Little Thing (2002)

IMDB has this listed as The Perfect You, but Netflix has Crazy Little Thing. I have no clue which one is the real title, but I am very late in posting this review, and as usual...I will be changing the date to keep consistent with my schedule!  I am almost embarrassed to say I actually really enjoyed this.  Its definitely low budget, and pretty predictable with a plotline similar to most "chick flicks" but this definitely isn't really one of them. It reminded me a little bit of When Harry Met Sally, with more explicit sex!  Jenny McCarthy, who I enjoy for some reason. I find her easy to relate to, adorable and I think she has incredible comedic timing. I think that she is very underappreciated and I think that she really should work more. Chris Eigeman is one of my favorite boys. I can never see him enough, and though he almost always plays the same type of character...he does it so well!  I laughed out loud more than once in this movie, and found it far funnier than I expected it to.  From the picture on Netflix I figured this would be more like a lifetime channel romantic comedy but I found it to be more of an independent film romantic comedy.  I would definitely watch this again, and would recommend it with the warning that there are definite sexual situations in this movie and lots of sex talk.  But I thought it was worth watching.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0258877/

Man from Earth (2007)

LOVED this. That being said, its probably not for everyone. This is a great piece of Science Fiction.  The screenplay for this movie was written by Sci-Fi writer Jerome Bixby (who wrote the story that one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes was based on)  I really enjoyed this, though I do wish I had watched it earlier and not after such a long day, becuase it was super thought provoking and interesting, but being tired, I don't think I gave it the focus it deserved. I will be watching this again, no doubt about it.  The entire movie takes place in one setting, the empty house of a man claiming to be a Cro-Magnon who has survived all these years.  His friends are gathered here to say goodbye when he springs this story on them.  The rest of the movie is really the group discussing the possibilities of this claim.  I loved that it was mostly dialogue based. The acting was okay.  I was a little freaked out by the presence of Tony Todd who will always be "Candyman" to me (from the horror film of the same name), but I got used to him.  I really enjoyed the ideas presented here. It was very intriguing and I believe I would enjoy reading this a little more than watching, because sometimes I think I need to see it in writing.  Great stuff.  Its not for the closed minded, not for people who can't take low budget movies without big name actors and CGI effects.  But I think that its really worth watching for anyone that can appreciate a good Sci-Fi story. One review I read called it a Sci-Fi version of 12 Angry Men...I think thats a perfect way to describe it.  Definitely worth watching.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0756683/

Harmony and Me (2009)

I must have missed something here, because I didn't like this AT ALL!  I usually find redeeming qualities in most movies I watch.  This one had a decent star rating on Netflix.  It looked like a quiet nice little movie.  Either I am just not cool enough to "get" movies like this....or this movie sucked.  Not sure which one is true.  The movie is basically about this guy named Harmony that spends most of the movie whining and moping his way around because his girlfriend broke up with him.  His friends are odd, his family even more bizarre. The music was just okay. I felt like I was really missing something.  There is no way that many people enjoyed this movie!  I read a lot of great reviews, people thought it was so funny and true.  I get the true part.  I think a lot of it was definitely honest. But eh...didn't like it.  I laughed out loud at one part, at the funeral of his boss ( just in case anyone watches) only part I found funny enough to mention. I would not watch this again. It is short though, so for anyone mildly curious, I would love to read some comments about this!!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1196165/

Due Date (2010)

I went into this one with low expectations. I remember seeing the preview this summer and thinking it looked pretty funny, but I lost the desire to see it after reading several bad reviews.  Usually I don't really pay much attention to reviews, because I often like things that critic's don't enjoy.  This time however, my focus was elsewhere (probably still in NYC with American Idiot) so I never bothered to see the movie.  So all of that being said...I actually enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.  I really, really, really like Zach Galifianakis (I hope I spelled that right) and I still very much enjoy Robert Downey Jr most of the time as well.  The plot was definitely NOT something fresh and new. In fact, it reminded me so much of Planes, Trains and Automobiles ( a far superior movie in every single way in my not professional opinion) that at times it annoyed me because it felt like a rip-off. Robert Downey Jr, plays a man trying to get home for the birth of his first child, Zach Galifianakis plays a stranger that he has the luck of crossing paths with and having to get across the country together trying to get to LA in time. I have seen it before for sure. However... all that being said. I enjoyed this.  I laughed a few times, I was horrified and grossed out a few times.  The best I can say about it is, it entertained me, and that's all I was looking for last night.  Was it worth a paid rental? Eh, maybe not. However, we had a credit to use for CinemaNow so it didn't cost us anything. I think Bubba liked it more than I did, but I was not sorry I watched it.  If you like either of these guys...check it out. If you like the idea of the plot but want a better movie..check out John Hughes' "Planes Trains and Automobiles" starring Steve Martin and the late great John Candy.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1231583/

I Think We're Alone Now (2008)

Wow. Let me just start by saying that out loud. Wow again. This movie really disturbed me on a whole lot of levels.  I remember reading someone's Facebook status that they were watching this movie, so I thought I would check it out since it was readily available for instant streaming.  Holy crap it was sort of creepy but fascinating at the same time.  The movie chronicles the lives of two different fans that are obsessed, with 1980's pop star/mall singer Tiffany.  The first one we meet is Jeff Turner, a man with Aspergers, who seems to be in his 40s.  At some point there was even a restraining order against him as he was accused of stalking the singer.  The second fan is Kelly, a hermaphrodite who feels that she is meant to be with Tiffany after having a vision of her during a near death experience.  The whole thing was bizarre and pretty creepy, yet I couldn't look away.  As far as a documentary goes, it was just okay, nothing spectacular. Obviously they didn't get the rights to any of Tiffany's music, which did make the concert scene seem a little off.  Also want to point out that Tiffany looked fantastic, that girl aged very well!  But overall this movie was just pretty disturbing and a little sad.  Was it worth watching.  Absolutely! Will it creep you out?  Probably.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1152828/

The Good Life (2007)

I really like Zooey Deschanel, so if I find a movie she is in, I will almost always watch it.  This was pretty much a downer. I am not complaining, sometimes I really enjoy a dreary independent film.  This wasn't awful, but I am not sure I would recommend it either.  She looks as beautiful as always and you even get to hear her interesting and beautiful singing voice, but I am not sure that is enough to make me watch this again or tell someone to watch it.  Its a very lonely movie, and basically all the characters in the movie are freaking lonely. Its sad really.  Its about a kid who very clearly doesn't fit in, wants to get out of his town/situation etc, but feels obligated for various reasons to stay there.  In small ways it reminded me of Wendy and Lucy as far as the feeling of hopelessness and despair, although overall I liked this much better, and it did give me a more hopeful feeling in the end.  But it was definitely a sad little movie.  The performances are really good though, and sometimes thats enough. Mark Webber, who plays Jason is really special.  I have seen him a few times, most recently in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and I really think he is the real deal.   Also you get a few minutes of the adorable Patrick Fugit, and I really love him.  I know, I know...this review is all over the place. I probably should have though it over before posting, but I was so happy to have finally caught up with my blog I wanted to get it over with!  Its on instant Netflix, so if you like small, sad movies, check this one out. It may not disappoint you.  How is that for a recommendation??
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790676/

The F Word (2005)

I always watch movies with Josh Hamilton whenever I can. I really like him, and I just don't see him enough.  This was actually better than I expected. Its not a documentary, but it is presented almost like one.  Josh Hamilton plays a disgruntled radio host, from a station that the FCC is shutting down because of obscenity.  He decides to take to the streets on his last day on air, and talk to people that are out protesting the Republican National Convention.  The cool thing about this movie is that throughout the movie is actual footage from protests from that day. He speaks to both real people as well as actors and though the movie is definitely left leaning (and I am sure many conservative people will say its just the usual liberal crap) I thought that he did try to be fair, and did work to speak with some people from both sides. Even if overall the feel was anti-Bush I still found it to be an honest portrayal of how people felt during that time.  I loved the real footage and found it really interesting.  I especially loved that it was set in NY, and he goes all over the place throughout the day.  My one complaint is this bizarre surreal dream sequence that occurs in Central Park. I am not really sure what the point was supposed to be there, but it didn't really fit in with the rest of the movie.   I thought it was a good movie, it asked some good questions, and encouraged you to get involved with whatever you feel strongly about. Make your voice heard.  This was worth watching. Oh...and there is swearing in this movie, just a warning.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0447953/

83rd Annual Academy Awards (2011)

This is like a double cheat.  Not only isn't this a movie (though it is ALL about movies) I didn't even watch it when it was on. I had to watch the DVR'd version of it on Tuesday!  In the past 25 years, this is the first time that I did not host or attend an Oscar party. First time in even longer that I didn't watch them live. I have been watching the Oscars telecast ever since I was very young.  Okay, here is my brief review.  Glad I didn't stay home to watch it this year, glad I saw American Idiot instead. Its not that I was unhappy with any of the winners. In fact, it went exactly as I had hoped it would. I wanted Christian Bale to win Supporting Actor (even though I liked others...) I really REALLY wanted Colin Firth to win for The Kings Speech, and he finally did.  I was happy with Natalie Portman for Best Actress though I didn't love Black Swan all that much.  I even wanted Melissa Leo to win for The Fighter (though I don't know if anybody annoyed me as much as she did during her acceptance speech...that was not adorable, that was just annoying) The Kings Speech was my pick for Best Picture...so I was happy there.  Even the writing/art categories went the way I had hoped. Is that why I was bored? Was it that I watched it alone?  I am not even sure.  Here is what I do know: James Franco and Anne Hathaway were not great hosts. I like both of them for different reasons but I didn't find them at all appealing as hosts. It almost felt like they were hosting SNL or the MTV Movie Awards instead of the Oscars. I also think the writing was pretty bad. Some of the presenter choices...not great.  By far, this was my least favorite Oscar show for as long as I can remember.  I will say Anne's dresses were stunning, but I am not sure have anything else positive to say about it at all.  Anyone see a different show than I did??