1224 - Choke

I try to be positive. I do. But this was one of my favorite books, and I have to be honest in that it has to be one of the most embarrassingly bad films I've seen. I just feel bad for the whole cast involved in this. The film has no real look or style. I wasn't expecting 'Fight Club' but I was expecting something slightly above the level of a first year film student. These great actors give the worst performances of their lives, which has to be blamed on the director. It's just really really really terrible. Once the dust has settled and I'm in a position, I'd love to adapt this story properly.

1223 - 17 Again

I'm right in the middle of developing several high-concept projects and so I'm doing my best to keep up with the current films that are in the same vein. This film did amazingly well at the box office over the weekend and I'm not sure if it's because of Efron's star-power or the clever-concept. Either way. The film is pretty much what you'd expect, but there's some genuine laughs despite the overly quirky best-friend subplot. I think for what it is, it's an enjoyable flick.

1222 - I Love You, Man

I really really enjoyed this. First off I'm a huge fan of Paul Rudd, and I dig Jason Segal a lot as an actor and writer, can't wait to see what he does with the new Muppet film. This film is full of really fun and great, solid writing. Great characters all the way from the leads to the minor supporting roles. Jamie Pressly and Jon Favreau play a fantastic couple. I can't say enough good about this one and I look forward to seeing it again. Solid solid solid.

1221 - Mad Men: season two

I was annoyed because I swore that there was one more episode left in this season, but then I realized there wasn't. I was looking forward to seeing what happened next and now... damn it! I have to wait! Bah! I really like this show. It's pace is not unlike The Wire, but in a totally different way. Characters fall in and out of your my favor, and in a skillful way, the end of this season saw Pete Campbell coming into a better light where, Betty Draper is now a completely horrible person. She makes Don's infidelities okay because I hate her so much.
Love Peggy Olson. I think there's a lot more to her than the writers have shown so far, which is on full display when a certain someone reveals his feelings to her.
Really look forward to the new season and the fall-out from the merger. I think that this show is smart and has balls. Setting this season years after the first one ended shows that they're not scared to do whatever the hell they want to tell a good story. Looking forward to seeing where this one goes...

1220 - A King in New York

I'm glad to finally be watching these Chaplin films. And this one, despite having filmed it under circumstances outside of his usual way of working, I quite enjoyed it. Chaplin has a lot of targets in this film. From politics, to advertisement, to the private school system, it's almost too much, and the film doesn't really hit any of it's messages well enough. Dawn Addams (above) is lovely here, and for my money, under-used. Charplin's own son Michael practically steals the film as a young communist boy. Their scenes together are flawless, and probably the inspiration for those between Candy and Culkin in "Uncle Buck".
A really fun little film that could be better if tighter and more focused. Good regardless.

1219 - Men In Black

It's been a long time since I even thought about this film, and the announcement this morning that Song was planning on a third outing was a nice little surprise. I don't really recall the second film, except I was disappointed that they didn't continue the L character from Linda Fiorentino. Maybe in the next outing.
This is a fun film that does well by it's high concept, and leaves room for the franchise to have fun. This is Will Smith before he really started taking acting seriously, otherwise known as "Catch-Phrase-Smith". A fun and entertaining film. Interested to see what comes out of the third outing.