There Was a Time…

Anyone know what that quote is from?? I’ll give you a minute; it’s one of my favorite movies.

(Waiting...waiting....patiently waiting.)

Do you know it yet? How about if I say, Kansas City Shuffle. Or Bruce Willis. Do you know it now? (If you don’t, you’re not going to get it.)

It’s from Lucky Number Slevin. Why do I bring that up? Because last night, as I was getting ready for bed, my brain solved a problem I had no idea it was working on.

You know that scene when Bruce Willis says, “There was a time…” to the guy in the train station and explains the entire concept of the Kansas City Shuffle? The guy he is telling the story to (and then kills right after) is "Dennis" from Catch and Release with Jennifer Garner (the friend who is in love with her but she isn't into).

I suddenly realized the connection (with no preamble or warning ) and was so excited I had to tell someone. And that someone is you.

Tweener List

I've had a few requests for examples of the Tweeners I've seen, so I thought I'd share with the everyone (in case anyone else was also interested).  Enjoy!

Lars and the Real Girl

Once

Away from Her

Juno

Death at a Funeral

Before Sunrise

Bella

Son of Rambow

Waitress

In Bruges

The Nines

What I Like to Call "Tweeners"

You know those movies that small-ish production companies put out that are advertised just enough that you hear about it once and would like to see it, but then you miss the window of opportunity and never end up watching it? The films that do not come with billion dollar budgets and a predictable ending? The ones that aren't exactly independent films per se (which pretty much guarantees you an unhappy ending), but they're somehow not conventional either? These are what I like to call Tweeners and I'm gaining a rapid appetite for them.

Thanks to my newfound freedom afforded me via Netflix (see earlier post), quite a few Tweeners have found their way into my DVD player of late. It seems to me that films like these combine the best of both worlds: they're not afraid to tackle a particularly interesting/different/challenging content, yet you don't see the ending coming from 30 minutes in (either as the cookie cutter perfection that Hollywood tends to feed us, but also not the inevitable downer ending that indie films tend to favor).

So far, I'm finding them to be emotionally very rich and surprisingly delightful. I'm left with the same feeling I get after a good novel: my brain is still processing the complexity of the plot/characters/emotional relationships and I'm craving a "book club" discussion.

Next time you get the chance - pick one up. I've had good luck with Lionsgate and Focus Features so far (and I think also Fox Searchlight Features).

Revolver

So Guy Richie makes some cool movies. I'm sure most people have at least heard of Snatch (largely thanks to Brad Pitt I'm sure), if they haven't seen it themselves. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (its fraternal older brother, if you will) is equally as entertaining with just as many plot twists and huge cast o' characters as its successor. Jason Statham has a role in both movies and anyone who watches enough movies with me knows I love Handsome Rob*. So when I put Guy Richie's most recent film Revolver on my queue, I was expecting another quick paced, complicated plot, caper-type thing.

That was my bad. While a plot synopsis may have you believing it will round out your 3 DVD "trilogy" of Guy Richie films, it's really quite different. I'm not saying this because I'm about to rip the film a new one - just putting it out there to the viewing public to expect something different, good different. Instead of tagging along for another raucous adventure where everything is going blisteringly in the wrong direction, only to end surprisingly well, this movie is more of a mind-bender.

It's not that the plot is particularly outstanding or the the dialogue is necessarily profound, but the movie as a whole was both more psychological and artistic than I was expecting. When all the pieces came together, I was surprised and pleased with the result. I sat there on my couch and watched the entirety of the credits roll by before my 56k modem brain began rolling again. It was just really interesting.

In any case, I can't get over it. I'm dying to debrief with somebody. IMDB rates the movie a 6.2 out of 10 stars. Wikipedia says it's a film for a "narrow audience". I don't know, but I guess that must include me because I really liked it. Your mission blog readers (should you choose to accept it) is to review the movie for yourself and share your comments here**. I'm up for a discussion, are you?

*Jason Statham's character name in the Italian Job...you're gonna have to make an effort to keep up. ;)

**If you haven't seen the movie, I make no guarantee there won't be spoilers in the comment section...assuming anyone takes up my mission.

The Best Thing About This Dress...

...is that you can shorten it and wear it again!

It's the mantra of enthusiastic brides everywhere. Too bad it's not true. I'm sorry brides of the world: It's. Just. Not. True.

Well not completely true anyway. We won't wear them for a legitimate reason ever again, but we will manufacture reasons to wear them and feel like we're getting a little more bang for our buck!

And that's exactly what we did on Tuesday night. Why? Well the answer is simple: it was the day 27 Dresses came out on DVD and it was the only proper way to truly honor the occasion.

In fact, we not only payed homage to our ill-fitting taffeta dresses via a ridiculous bridesmaid pose photo shoot (as you can see), but we also loaded up on margaritas and brownies (which really only exacerbated the bulging seams issue, but what did we care?) while trading bridesmaid stories.

We finished out the night with a door prize raffle. (That's right, when you come to my last minute impromptu parties - there are prizes.) One lucky bridesmaid walked away with her very own widescreen copy of our new favorite movie, 27 Dresses (Congrats Reanna!). After several minutes of Nazi like shushhing, I finally managed to reign in the giggling enthusiasm and we watched what will now be known as the "inaugural viewing".

111 minutes later we collectively sighed with satisfaction: yes, it was as good as we remembered it. All in all, it was a pretty good night. I mean hey, if the release of a new chick flick isn't a good reason to put on formal wear and drink in the middle of the week, then I don't know what is.

(P.S. I love James Marsden - he's so dreamy.)