1209 - My Name is Earl: season three

This is a show that frustrates me about as much as it makes me laugh. When it's working, it's cooking with gas, when it's not. Well. It's just kind of...there. The show goes on tangents that last several episodes, and some of them are really quite wonderful, but sometimes not so much. Don't get me wrong, it's refreshing to see a show try to many things. I loved when they ended the last season with Earl going to jail. I thought what they did with him in jail was fun, even if it did feel like they were stretching it out after awhile. Same with the coma. Alyssa Milano was a nice addition to the cast, albeit briefly. I suppose we're done with the Randy/Catalina romantic subplot. Alas. I look forward to seeing if they do anything deeper with Darnell's past.

"Youth in Revolt: The Journals of Nick Twisp"

Technically speaking I guess that this is really three books. It's an epic book on teen angst. It starts off simply and realistically and then becomes ridiculously far-fetched by the end. This is not to say I didn't enjoy it. It's a really fantastic page-turning read. How the hell they'll turn it into a film... I look forward to. The characters are all quite enjoyable, and I intend to read the rest of the series, but I do think I'll need to take a break from the life of Nick Twisp for a little while. Highly recommend it. Great fun read.

1208 - Annie Hall

I absolutely love this film. Anyone that knows me knows that this is my favorite. Emily wanted to watch an Oscar winner in preparation for tonight's ceremony and how could I say no when she suggested this? I could go on and on and never fully get how much I get out of this piece. It's complex, yet simple, deep, yet so relatable. This film changed the romantic comedy genre for forever. I will always go back to this film. It just puts a giant smile on my face every time.

1207 - Breakfast at Tiffany's

I don't think that I've ever seen this film before, perhaps when I was young. I have vague memories of it. There's some really lovely moments. Hepburn is delightful, especially in her scenes playing drunk. Lots of fun. I won't even get into the wonderfully inappropriate Mickey Rooney. A nice weekend afternoon film!

1206 - Happy-Go-Lucky

I remember having seen a trailer for this quite awhile back, and having quite enjoyed Vera Drake, I was looking forward to Leigh's newest film, especially when the trailer delighted me as much as it did. Now let's start off just by saying that Sally Hawkins is fantastic here. Really delightful, lovable. You wish that there was a little bit of her in everyone you know. But how on earth this film got a screenplay nomination is beyond me. Outside of having some nice little moments and scenes, there's no real story going on here at all. It's kind of bland. Poppy is a fantastic character but she's got nowhere to go and not much to do. That being said, it's a film worth watching on a rainy afternoon at home for sure, but don't race to the theatre. It's just okay. I was expecting to leave the theatre overwhelmed with delight. Not so much.

1205 - Man on the Moon

I haven't seen this film in a long time and when it was sitting cheap at a used DVD store I remembered liking it enough to grab it, and Emily hasn't seen it. I liked it. It still stands up. It doesn't grab you on any kind of gut level, but Kaufman was an interesting guy and his life is an interesting story for sure. Worth seeing if you've never seen it. Worth revisiting? Depends how much you liked it the first time.

1204 - He's Just Not That Into You

If you know me at all, you know that I like a good romantic comedy. So here we've got an ensemble one, with a multitude of ideas and characters, with a multitude of actors, all whom I like - and so - does it work? For a large part, yeah - it does. There's no actors here that I dislike, and a few (Justin Long among others) that I fucking love. It starts off very strong with an honest take on relationships, and gets a little watered down as it moves along. Some moments are over-played, and would have been nicer with a little more subtlety. In the end it's a nice little date movie with something for the guys and the girls. Worthy of a date movie selection.

1203 - Backbeat

I was going to watch something I hadn't seen before tonight, but I've been meaning to rewatch this film for years now. I always remembered this one fondly, and I'm happy to say that it stands up nicely given the fifteen or so years that have passed since it first came out. I like Dorff quite a bit, and I'm surprised that we don't see him in more stuff. Sheryl Lee is sweet and lovely, and all the actors playing early Beatles are quite good, undstated. It's an interesting look into a moment of the lives of people that would affect music more than they could ever know. I wonder what Paul thinks of this film, if anything. It's a nice little film if you haven't seen it, I recommend it. Perfect for a lazy weekend afternoon!

1202 - Mad Men: season one

This is a show that I came to late. The plus of that is I can watch the second season right away. And thank God for that because it ends on such a fantastic note. This is a show that is fantastically rich in character. Each of the people in the picture above could probably be the lead of their own series, but together, with all of their relationships floating around and coming and going, it's a real treat of a show. I don't want to ruin anything, but if you haven't see it yet, get to it. Really great television.

1201 - 2 Days in Paris

As a fan of Ms. Delpy's I've wanted to see this film since it first came out two years ago. So glad that I finally did. Both herself and Adam Goldberg are flawless, and feel like a real couple in ways that make your side hurt from laughing with painful understanding. There's never a big emotional moment in the film, and the ending undercuts it just a bit, but it's a very enjoyable little film and moves along with a great pace and energy - loaded with fantastic banter and character bits. Very very much worth checking out.

1200 - The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

This film has been sitting on my counter for two months waiting for me to watch it. Finally got around to it. It's a really interesting story, which is probably why it was re-made with Nicholson in the eighties. I want to watch that version now, because as interesting as the story is, Lana Turner and John Garfield have the chemistry of dirt. I just don't buy their relationship and it kind of takes the piss out of the whole thing, that and knowing the production code of the time that this film was made, you know exactly how it's going to turn out - although it has some lovely ironies and scenes leading up to it. Check it out if you'd like, but it's just okay because of the story.

1199 - Groundhog Day

I've been looking for an excuse to revisit this film. An alas, here comes the day in question. This is a fantastic, brilliant comedy. A perfect film, really. Bill Murray is at the absolute top of his game in his dry sardonic wit. He carries this film. The writing is strong enough that I think any of the main leading comedy men of that time could have done quite well with it, but I'm not sure it would have been the same with anyone but him. MacDowell is sweet and lovely. I was glad to see that this film was selected to be preserved - good to know that brilliant comedy is seen as important. I love love love this film. If you've never seen it, it's an absolute must.

1198 - Smart People

Again, a film I wanted to see based on the trailer and the cast involved. While I was never bored while watching it, I never quite found myself that emotionally attached to the story or any of the characters. With a cast as talented as this I couldn't help but feel like they were somehow wasted in the base emotions that these characters had to deal with. Not a bad film, but nothing special. If anything I was just indifferent to it. There's a really nice moment involving some repeated trips to the goodwill. That's all I got.