Bring On the Lucie

Summer People got me sick; I have a cold. No one told me there would be side-effects to the "Play Spin the Bottle with the Band" sweepstakes. Worth it, though. Especially since Summer People and Hotchacha were both a hell of a lot of fun to watch. And I was also treated to a John Owen cameo. Nice to see John, Brandon, and the band again.

But because I'm home sick, this will give me the opportunity to watch Cold Weather, which I think I'll do in a little bit. Then maybe a post on it tonight or tomorrow night, but don't hold me to that.

Eagerly awaiting both the Melancholia and Take Shelter events. Yeah, I have to say next Thursday would work a lot better for us, but Jeff and I will see what we can do for Monday. Until then, it will be tough to avoid the majority of Ben's post on the former.

SPOILERS BELOW(but none in the opening statements of each paragraph)

John, I also saw Jane Eyre recently but didn't hate it as much as you did. I did like it, but there's definitely something missing. I'm not sure if you read the novel - probably not. I haven't read it and so that probably helped toward giving me a mostly favorable impression. Jeff told me about a scene in the book that wasn't in the film; he said that Rochester's wife sneaks into Jane's room one night and begins to tear at her wedding dress. Cool and spooky - had that scene been added, I feel like it would've really helped the story. At times it plays like a haunted house film, but never fully commits. Maybe that would've involved changing the story too much. I don't really dig on gothic romanticism or Victorian Lit., but I actually liked the story. It was familiar, sure, but I gotta say that I liked it. Probably I'm not opinionated enough, yet...because if I take certain issue with a film, it shouldn't be considered good. I don't know. A shout-out to Michael Fassbender as Rochester. He had a nice intensity, and at times seemed a little mad. I like everything I've seen him in so far.

I also watched Meek's Cutoff. The reason why I haven't posted on it was because I haven't gotten around to that or around to reading your guys' thoughts. Another favorable review, though. I think at this point, I definitely put it above Jane Eyre. Of course I can't talk about it without addressing the ending: I loved it and I wished I had seen it with everyone so that I could've heard the groans in the theater. Probably would've made me really love it. I don't know - expect it in my top ten rankings, or maybe I will just write something longer here soon.

Still watching the Hitchcock films I hadn't seen before. I watched Rope and it's become an instant favorite of mine. Like Dial 'M' for Murder, it's very much a play and I'm a big dialogue guy, so there's a lot of love here. John Dall's performance as Brandon was a fascinating one. The film also produces a lovely debate that never lost my attention.

Wings of Desire - very well done. Time to get my City of Angels on and start playing Goo Goo Dolls again. But back to being serious, Wim Wenders - fantastic job. And Peter Faulk playing himself - hell yeah. A great movie.

Watched some Bogie - To Have and To Have Not and The Caine Mutiny. With the former, I now fully understand why Brandon is such a big Hawks fan; very effective storytelling and flawless direction. With the latter, it was great to see Bogart playing something of a villain. Although, the ending does allow you to garner some sympathy for him. Jeff and I talked about that last scene, and we differed a bit. I think I'm in favor of it because I also felt bad for Capt. Queeg when he was too afraid to take charge during the storm. You do need a competent leader in that situation, but clearly the guy isn't a real villain, he just has a lot of fear and insecurity. Also, Robert Francis was way too stiff for this movie; sure he may have looked the part as Ensign Keith, but I loathed the performance.

Watched the Welsh/English film Submarine. I guess we would categorize this as mumblecore, so it's probably not every one's cup of tea. A year ago when it was released in the UK, I had heard good things and people were saying it was one of the best comedies. For that reason, my anticipation was at about a 7 out of 10 and I put it on my queue. I did this without seeing any clips or trailers. I did, however, catch the trailer the day before I watched it. The trailer definitely filled me with some regret; essentially it looked like a UK version of a Wes Anderson/Noah Baumbach film. Unlike John and Brandon, who each hate one of the two, I love both of those guys....but I didn't want to see a simple rip-off. I also feared it would be too cute and obvious. After having watched it, I feel indifferent; it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...but there are definitely moments where it tries too hard to be cute/funny. It does have some pleasant moments, though, and sometimes it reminded me of simpler days of young love and childhood. It isn't without its charms, but mostly thumbs neither up nor down.

Oh, and John, Attack the Block is coming to Netflix on October 25th. Maybe that doesn't help you. I have it on the top of my queue and have heard nothing but good reviews...which makes me think I won't like it. But it sounds damn interesting.

Television...

Breaking Bad(ass) - SPOILERS

One hell of a finale. Thank you, Vince Gilligan. Gus' death was done very well; loved every second of it...especially the decision to have him walk out initially unscathed, and then jut that fantastic pan (I could watch it over and over). Agree with everything John and Jeff said; love John's comments on Hector's bell. It just makes the scene so iconic. And is the show setting us up for one last show-down: Jesse vs. Walt? Wow, really nice find on that photo comparison, John.

More AMC - I'm not sure if I'll watch season 2 of The Walking Dead. I mean, I probably will eventually, but there are better shows out there that are higher up on my priority list. Hell On Wheels looks intriguing...but I'm still not completely sold. Thus far AMC hasn't steered me wrong (note: didn't catch The Killing).

I need to watch episode two of Boardwalk Empire (the premier was great).  Same with Dexter. Mostly I really liked that premier....SPOILERS...except for the storyline of Quinn proposing to Deb. Makes me want to punch myself. Bring back Doakes! Bring back Doakes!

I've only seen the first season of Bored to Death. I wasn't crazy about it, but I do want to see season 2 now that it's on Netflix.

ABC Family's The Lying Game

Only kidding. I caught my Dad watching this show a few weeks ago. Okay, "caught" is the wrong word; that would suggest that he was doing it in clandestine. This was not the case. For shame, Dad. For shame.