DVD Reviews: The Lookout, Disturbia, The Hills: Ssn 2

At VJJ's behest, I am updating my blog. Since I'm lazy and can't think of a more interesting topic, I'm just going to do more DVD reviews.

The Lookout
This movie got rave reviews from Ebert & Roeper (or whoever happened to be subbing for Ebert). It's a heist film with a slight twist - the main character (Joseph Gordon-Levitt of Third Rock From the Sun fame) was in a serious car accident and suffered a severe head injury. His memory and thought process are completely jumbled. A group of bad guys take advantage of his situation and convince him to be the lookout while they rob the bank he works at.

The film is okay. No major complaints, but it's nothing spectacular. The acting is strong, the plot is interesting enough. It just didn't blow me away.

Disturbia
I knew I didn't want to watch this movie. I knew I wouldn't like it, but so many people recommended it and said it was surprisingly good, that I finally sat down and watched it. I was right - I didn't want to watch it. I regret watching it. Shia LeBouf is fine, and it's not that it's a bad film. I just don't like these suspense/thriller movies. And just to set the record straight, Rear Window is much better - there's really no comparison.

Also (SPOILER ALERT), would no one SMELL the hundreds of rotting corpses beneath this creepy dude's house?? I mean, he had this vast pit of formaldehyde or something under his home where dead bodies were just floating freely. Would you smell something abnormal? Seriously.

The Hills: Season 2
I have finally succumbed to the disease that plagues all of America: LC and the gang. Can I just say that now, after finally watching this season, I really can't understand why Heidi is still with Spencer. I did not know about his Audrina phase. He's such a pig!

Also, I loved it so much that I've added season 1 to my queue b/c I just have to witness the LC-Jason relationship for myself. And I'm dying to know what kind of friend Heidi was pre-Spencer. She noticeably changed in season 2, but was she an ever a really good friend? I'll let you know after I watch the first season.

DVD Review: Terms of Endearment

Wah!! This is one of the saddest, most tearjerking, heartstring-pulling movies I've ever seen. It starts of as a normal, if somewhat strange, film focusing mostly on a mother-daughter relationship that is dysfunctional to say the least. We witness both their lives as the daughter grows up and becomes an adult, gets married, has kids etc. At first, I was thinking, hey, this isn't a tearjerker. Oh, but did it ever catch me by surprise when one of their lives takes a turn for the worse. I don't want to give anything away for those last few people who haven't seen it yet. Just watch it and be prepared with two boxes of tissues. I was bawling. I woke up the next day with super puffy eyes.

Btw Shirley MacLaine totally reminds me of my mom. She looks like my mom (only white, instead of asian) and is uber dramatic like my mom. It kind of freaks me out.

That's Just Offensive

We went to a B'nai Mitvah this weekend (I'll do a full weekend update later) and at some point during the evening the "kids" played musical chairs. Eventually it was just down to two chairs and a boy and girl got to one of the chairs at the same time. The girl quickly ducked into the chair and won the seat. The male DJ then proceeded to say into the microphone, "dude, you just got beat by a chick" - his tone implying that this was an unacceptable and ridiculous outcome.

I just want to put it out there in case any of you men (and/or women) are confused about how offensive this phrase is. It only strengthens the stereotype that women are inferior to men. Is there a difference between saying that and saying, "Oh, you just got beat by a monkey" - really, what's the difference? Not only does it suggest that the girl was not a fair competitor (which she obviously was), it also embarrasses the boy, who now feels like he's lost to some imbecile. It's insulting to everyone and only promotes negativity and hatred so just stop using this ignorant phrase, okay? Thanks.

The Weekend Update

I didn't really do anything spectacular this weekend, but I'll share with you peeps anyway.

Friday
Allen and I thought about going shopping or watching a movie, but ended up being too lazy. I went to sleep at 11pm instead.

Saturday
Woke up determined to get some form of exercise that day. I really have put on a good 10-15 lbs since my freshman year in college. I MUST get rid of those excess pounds! Too bad I'm the laziest person on earth. I decided to try interval training again (remember last time? I threw up). This time, I was resolved to do it correctly - as described in detail by my latest Glamour mag: 20 second intervals of varying intensity. For example, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is walking at a slow pace and 10 is sprinting, start off at a 4, then move up to a 6, then up to an 8, then back down to a 5 etc. Interval training is supposed to torch the calories so I figure, in my lazy-minded way, that 10 minutes of interval training is the equivalent of 30 minutes of walking. I am going to try very hard to do 10 minutes of interval training five times a week. Yeah right. At least, three times a week.

I saw my doctor today for my annual physical and she agreed that 10 minutes of exercise is better than nothing so...it is medically sound and even advised! That is my justification for so little activity.

After exercising I was very tired and had to take a nap. Then i met Fara at the Barney's Warehouse Sale. We didn't have much luck; most of the clothing was still out of our price range, but I did pick up a new "fancy" tank top for $19.

We went out to dinner and had a drink at our usual haunt.

Sunday
Allen and I finally washed our cars! Mine was seriously so filthy. It hadn't been washed for at least a year and we took that car on multiple trips to Vegas and to the Sequoia National Park so it was covered in dirt and bug guts. Compared to what it looked like pre-wash, it's practically brand new! I have to get an air freshener or Febreeze or something though b/c the interior doesn't smell so great. Ick.

That's all folks. Boring weekend. Wish me good luck in my pursuit of fitness!

DVD Review: The Bridge

This documentary is not for the easily-disturbed. Filmmaker Eric Steel and his crew spend the entire year of 2004 filming San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge, capturing 24 people commit suicide by jumping off. It's morbid and dark to say the least. Surviving family and friends are interviewed to try to give more insight and one actual survivor (God knows how he survived the jump) is interviewed. As you can imagine, most of the jumpers had some mental illness, whether it was depression, schizophrenia or bi-polar disorder.

The most disconcerting scenes are obviously the ones where you actually see people climb over the railing and jump. Each time it happened, even though I knew it was coming, was shocking and disturbing. Some people are saved by the bridge patrol and one woman is saved by a tourist. Another aspect that is sad and strange is how many people/tourists walk by someone on the rails and ignore them.

While the documentary is very sad, it's also interesting to see how surviving family members and friends feel. Some are angry and confused, some are relieved. It's heartbreaking to hear a parent share that they knew their son was going to commit suicide, that it was only a matter of time, and that although he knew his parents loved him, he was hurting so much all the time, that they knew he'd be better off dead. Accepting your child's desire to kill himself must be extremely difficult - does it make you a good or bad parent? Do you give up trying to convince your child to live because you're exhausted or because you truly want him to be happy, and being happy means being dead?

FYI - more people commit suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate bridge than any other place on earth.

Pops

I know I've basically been blogging about movies recently so I thought I'd share this conversation with you all. My dad totally amuses me. He's in Asia now and I was wondering when he was coming back (for somewhat selfish reasons). Of course, I also wanted to check up on him.

DAD: Hello? (sounds sleepy)
ME: Hi Dad! Are you still sleeping??
DAD: Oh hi! Yeah...(sounds sheepish). What made you think to call Daddy? Is it because it's 8/8 and it's father's day?? (sounds so pleased)
ME: ...yup! Happy father's day!

I couldn't tell him the truth, that I had no idea when father's day is in Taiwan. He just sounded so happy.

Review: Becoming Jane

I met up with the BWFs for a girls night out: dinner and Becoming Jane. I don't think any of us had great expectations for this film because the reviews were mixed and, well, let's be honest here, it was Anne Hathaway. Not that she's not good in Devil Wears Prada but this is a period piece and serious and well...I'd heard about Havoc from BDiddy and S-Class.

I think we all liked it! I did. I'd say the first third of the film is a bit slow, but it starts to pick up after a bit. And the ending is well worth it. It definitely gives you more insight into her novels. If you're an Austen fan, you should watch this (but you can probably wait until it comes out on DVD).

Btw, I don't really know why I'm writing this review as most of the people who even occasionally read this blog were with me last night.

Review: Bourne Ultimatum

This movie kicked ass! I LOVED it. It's practically non-stop action and GOOD action at that. None of that crappy Michael Bay thumb-up-your-butt action, where he's just hoping multiple (pointless) explosions trick you into liking the movie. The Bourne series has a believable plot line and good character development. And you just have to love Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) - he'll use anything around him as a weapon. He'll kick your ass with a towel or a magazine. How can you not enjoy that? Go watch it! It's a guaranteed good time.

Bonus - there's no stupid girl to slow him down in either Supremacy or Ultimatum. Love that!

Take Action!

Ben Cohen, founder of Ben & Jerry's, explains how you can make a difference and why you should. Watch it! It's fun and easy to understand.

DVD Reviews

Boys of Baraka
This is a good documentary that follows the lives of a group of boys sent to a boarding in school in Kenya. They're all from the same school district in Baltimore, Maryland, where 76% of black youth do not graduate high school. It's wonderful to watch many of the boys grow and take their education seriously. It's equally heartbreaking to see some of the boys give up. Their lives are filled with broken promises and most of them come from broken families.

There was one scene that really touched me. Before leaving for Kenya, one of the boys, Richard, goes to visit his father in jail. He says to his father that he's going to Kenya to make something out of himself, so that he never winds up in a place like jail, where he can't even see his own children. You can tell that Richard had been wanting to say that to his father for a long time. You sympathize with both of them. I'm sure the father is a victim of circumstance as well (although he did shoot Richard's mother in the leg).

The Way We Were
Okay, I thought I was going to hate this movie. I'm not a fan of Babs and that "Memories" song makes me want to hurl. When the movie first starts and the song is playing and there are all these close-ups of Babs, I though, "Eff me, why am i doing this to myself?" But i hung in there and i ended up really liking the movie! I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen this classic yet so I won't tell you my favorite parts. I'll just say that i DID cry, but not as much as I thought I would. And now I finally get the Sex and the City reference to Hubble (Season 2 finale. Episode is called "Ex and the City"). Watch it if you haven't already!

PS - Robert Redford was a hottie! Too bad he didn't know about the benefits of SPF back in those days - he has leather-face now.

All About Eve
Another classic, this time starring Bette Davis. This is a great film. It's about an aging movie star who lets a fan into her life only to figure out that the fan isn't as innocent and demure as she pretends to be. Backstabbing, misrepresentation and the downside of ambition.

Bleh...

Ugh. I'm so unmotivated today. You know how you have those days where you just can't seem to muster up the energy to do anything. Today is one of those days. It doesn't help that I'm dying to get home so I can watch yesterday's SYTYCD. And, by the way, when I say, "Don't tell me anything!" I MEAN, "DON'T. TELL. ME. ANYTHING."

I do have to leave work a tad early to get to the tailor in time to pick up some jeans I had hemmed. I'm kind of excited. I hope they look a little better now. They're kind of boy-ish in that it's a straight, loose leg. Although I just read in my Glamour that petite gals such as myself shouldn't wear baggy/loose clothing b/c it's unflattering. They even used celebrity pics as proof! Supposedly, my frame is like Reese Witherspoon's (plus 20 lbs. but hey, who's counting) and even SHE looks not-so-great when she tries on that loose clothing. Oh well. They can be my fat-pants.