So a new trailer for The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttonhas surfaced, and it is beautiful to say the least. David Fincher returns with his first movie since 2007's Zodiac (a horribly underrated movie in my opinion, thoughts on that to come). Fincher has proven to be one of my favorite directors, and two of my favorite Fincher films star Brad Pitt (Se7en and Fight Club), so the re-teaming of the two does nothing but stir up high hopes.
The thing I enjoy the most about David Fincher, is how none of his films feel the same, and he seems to have accomplished that again with this one. The dark, slow-paced tone and dark score really make this feel like more of a Tim Burton film. Fortunately though, Fincher has seemingly gone in and made it his own beautiful, dark tale. And with the help of Brad Pitt, looking as though he masters every age of Button, I can only hope that this film becomes a big contender once award season comes around.
The movie, which tells the tale of a man who is born in his eighties and begins to age backwards, is based on a 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Where to begin……well I guess I will go through and see how my questions were answered!
1. The Dwight-Angela-Andy love triangle. Angela is still being a hussy and running off and having sex with Dwight in the warehouse every time Andy annoys her. But sometimes she does feel bad for doing this to Andy so she won’t meet Dwight…wow, how nice of her! I cannot believe her!! And we find out that Andy has never been naked in front of her because he wants to have washboard abs for their honeymoon, so she is cheating on someone who she’s never had sex with! And Phyllis…..haha Phyllis decided to blackmail Angela so she could be the chairman of the Party Planning Committee! Man, I would’ve gotten much more out of that situation!
Jim and Pam. I am so thrilled!!! My eyes watered up when he proposed! It was so completely unexpected; I thought they did a terrific job writing that in there. The scene was so perfect too! In the rain, in front of a gas station….perfection!
Well we don’t know who took Ryan’s place at corporate….but he’s back!! I was in total shock when he came back as the receptionist! I don’t think David Wallace would allow him back in the company after what he did, but it is still a good story line. I can’t wait to see how it goes…
Michael, Jan, and Holly. Not much new here, Michael still obviously likes Holly but doesn’t know what to do when she starts dating someone else and he’s still torn over trying to be a dad to Jan’s baby. I wanted to see more of Jan though because we don’t really know how involved they are or what’s really going on there. But Holly and Michael are just meant to be and I want them to hurry up and get together!
Oh wow…..so Holly thinking Kevin is retarded! Great moment when Holly yells at Angela for calling him an idiot, and tells her that Kevin can’t help it that he’s mentally challenged! Oh man, I almost fell out of my seat! But then she just felt awkward and left and nothing else was ever said about it. I didn’t want that story line to go away!! But it was a very amusing moment!
Toby…..still in Costa Rica but in the hospital. Why did the camera crew go all the way to Costa Rica, that’s what I want to know? But it was nice to see him, even if it was for 2 seconds. This means he will definitely be back!
Overall I thought this episode was fantastic!! I really enjoyed how they recapped each week because I always hate coming back to the season after missing a good 8 weeks. The weight loss idea was creative and it gave way to many smaller story lines. Kelly not eating and passing out was terrific and Dwight taking Phyllis on a “sales call” and leaving her for dead made me laugh so hard! I think there is beginning to be a trend with Dwight taking people out in his car and leaving them, like he did to Ryan in “Initiation.” I love how he thinks that this is a good idea and will really teach these people something. Michael’s goatee really threw me off. It just appeared and I had NO idea why he suddenly had it and nobody ever said anything about it so I was really confused for awhile until Ryan said something about it. I was mad at myself for not seeing the foreshadowing that Ryan was going to be back. And I loved that right as Michael shaved his off Dwight was starting to grow one! There are always way too many moments to comment about in Office episodes, but I have just one other moment that I must mention. At the first weighing, Dwight tells them all to take another bite of an éclair and if they can’t swallow it to just keep it in their mouth. We’re all waiting for an obvious “That’s what she said” remark from Michael…..but it never comes!! Jim starts to smile after Dwight says it because he’s waiting for it, and then just looks at Michael and says, “Really? Nothing?” and Michael just smiles. You can tell he wants to say it, but doesn’t because Holly is next to him and he’s trying to impress her. How cute! Ok, so that’s it for now, but if you haven’t seen this episode yet, you must watch it because there are many more amazingly hilarious moments!
Season 1 of The Office has a very different feel than the rest of the seasons. Michael is much more rude and obnoxious and a lot of people did not like the show at first. I have been a fan since the first episode, but I do remember feeling like Michael was a little over the top and it’s not until the second season that you start to see the softer side of him and see why people actually do care about him. But despite all of that, there are still some hilarious moments in the first season and throughout this week I am going to talk about some of the highlights of the season that kept me around wanting more.
The very beginning of the episode made me laugh when Michael is talking to a client on the phone trying to show Jim how to do business and he calls the person a “gentleman and a scholar,” when the person is in fact a woman. I think this was the moment that I knew I would be a fan of the show. I loved that all of the characters were pretty much introduced in the very first episode. Dwight’s first appearance is of him singing a Christmas song and Jim’s first interview on camera is of him saying how boring his job is. Pam is shown as being sweet and innocent and Jan seems so mature and collected. We even get to hear Todd Packer in the first episode and see what a dirty, horrible person he is. Ryan even comes in as a temp right away and we get to see the chemistry between Pam and Jim, then only to be disappointed with the fact that Pam is engaged to Roy.
Some favorite scenes in this episode:
Michael mispronounces “Incalculable.” It is the first of many amusing mispronunciations from him!
We find out that Michael actually bought his own “World’s Best Boss” mug Jim puts pencils in between his and Dwight’s desks and Dwight says it’s a safety violation because he could fall and pierce an organ. Jim crosses his fingers and says, “We’ll see.”
Jim knows that Pam’s favorite yogurt is Mixed Berries
Jim puts Dwight’s stapler in Jell-o!!!! Dwight is so pissed but Michael finds it hilarious and tells Dwight he must eat it out. And Jim is eating Jell-o while this is all happening!!
I can never fully get an opinion set for M. Night Shyamalan. At first, it was pretty easy. I loved the "Sixth Sense" but as he went on, it seemed like the quality of his movies kept declining as well. No matter how bad the movie though, I still found points in them that I really enjoyed, and I realized that those points were solely thanks to Shyamalan (I actually liked "The Village.) But then there are times like this summer's "The Happening" where I wonder how this guy keeps getting jobs.
But when M. Night talked to MTV earlier this week about the possibility of his movie "Unbreakable," my personal favorite Shyamalan movie, I thought it might be time to give him another chance.
"I believe in that movie, I love that movie, and I should just go start writing the second one...I’ve still been thinking about it a lot and wonder if it’s too late...UNBREAKABLE is the comic book thing I should do — I keep coming back to that."
- M. Night Shyamalan
I've been dying for a sequel to Unbreakable since it's initial 2000 release. However now that the idea is back being tossed around, I have to say I'm a little reserved about it. An Unbreakable sequel in 2002 or 2004 would have been amazing, but ten years later? I almost feel as though it's too late and that the excitement is no longer there. Let alone if he actually does follow the plans he had for an Unbreakable trilogy before critical and fan reaction to the original scared him away from that idea.
However reserved I may be about this idea, if this is the movie to get M. Night back to form, then bring it on. Shyamalan is a talented story-teller and film maker, he just needs to get out of his slump of seemingly recycling the same "big-twist" formula over and over again.
Now entering it’s fourth season, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” has tackled issues such as racism, homosexuality, abortion, molestation, and now cannibalism; pretty sensitive subject matter, especially for a comedy. Luckily though, the stars and creators of the show (Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, and Charlie Day) manage to keep the show not only inoffensive, but also insanely hilarious. They do this by following the one simple rule laid down by shows like “Seinfeld;” your characters can be as repulsive as humanly possible, as long as they never succeed. For those who haven’t tuned into the show until now and are worried that they will be behind story-wise, don’t worry. There exists nothing along the lines of story-arches, but instead simply revolves around five bar owners who consistently get into mischievous situations that usually spring from a social or taboo issue. And really, the story of each episode can be easily determined simply by looking at the title of the episode. Take for example the title of season 4’s premiere, “Mac and Dennis: Manhunters.” Any guesses on what the episode will be about? If you guessed “man hunting,” then congratulations, you’re exactly right. The episode starts with Charlie (Day) and Dee (Kaitlin Olson) salivating over meat that they stole from Frank (Danny Devito, the only “name” in the small cast.) Frank, upset about the stolen meat, convinces the two that they have eaten human flesh, making the two believe that they have become cannibals, and looking for ways to satisfy the crave. This leads them to a Chinese meat market, and to a morgue with a hotplate where they discuss whether or not it’s racist to eat “white meat” instead of “dark meat.” Meanwhile, Dennis and Mac, intrigued by Frank’s stories of hunting, are compelled to partake in hunting something a little more challenging. A human is the only way to go with this one so the two start looking for their prey. Now, in a show where the main characters literally ruin people’s lives, it’s no surprise that they constantly bring back those characters to make their lives even worse. After quitting the priesthood, living on the streets, becoming addicted to cocaine, and having his legs broken by the mob (all thanks to the gang,) Rickety Cricket returns as the prize in Dennis and Mac’s man hunt. After a somewhat gimmicky third season, a lot of us thought that maybe the show had lost the sparkle that it had originally had. Fortunately though, it looks like the show is hitting its stride again this season. In terms of the first episode, the man hunting wins over the cannibalism story line. The hunting employs an actual flow to the story instead of the more random cannibalism story points. Although jokes about eating human flesh almost always find a way to be funny. This is not one of the show’s best episodes, but still very funny and a good indicator that the show is back on track. Sunny is at it’s best when it allows the gang to create situations for themselves, instead of having them caught up in something. It involves the characters more and allows them to be who they are, funny.
“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” airs Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. on FX.
I believe some of the greatest scenes in The Office are the “That’s What She Said” moments. The show has somewhat become known for these moments and there are so many amazing ones! This was extremely hard for me to do, but I am going to share with you my top 10 favorites. It took me this past week to put this together because they are all so hilarious and I needed to make sure I explained them as well as I could!
#10: “Cocktails” Jan is speaking to the camera after her and Michael had a fight in their CEO’s house and she says, “Why is this so hard? That’s what she said.” She then continues with, “Oh my God…what am I saying?” as a look of horror overcomes her face as she realizes what just happened. It is a great moment as she comes face to face with the fact that Michael’s personality, which she seems to hate, is actually rubbing off on her.
#9: “Survivor Man” As Michael was out of the office on his journey into the wilderness, Jim was left in charge and decided to combine all of the birthday parties for the month into one huge party. None of the employees liked the idea at all and when Michael returns later, Jim tells him about his horrible decision. Michael says that he did the same thing when he first started and tells Jim that he’ll figure it out in 10 years. Jim says he doesn’t think he will still be there in 10 years and Michael says, “That’s what I said,” and then pauses before adding, “That’s what she said.” Jim looks confused and asks him, “That’s what who said?” Michael replies, “I never know. I just say things like that to lighten the tension when things get hard,” setting it up perfectly for Jim to say, “That’s what she said.” It is a great bonding moment between Michael and Jim and it’s a truly funny moment, but it also made me really sad to realize that Jim may be becoming more like Michael than he would ever care to admit. But I also loved the fact the Michael admitted that he never knew what he was talking about!
#8: “Traveling Salesman” When Michael finds out that Dwight was late to work one morning because he had been to Corporate, he automatically assumes that Dwight was trying to betray him again and he confronts Dwight and asks him for the truth. He says to Dwight, “I want you to think about your future at this company. I want you to think about it long and hard.” Dwight, trying to regain Michael’s trust and win him over by making him laugh, replies with, “That’s what she said.” But instead of laughing, Michael looks furious and completely offended and responds with, “Don’t you dare,” in a voice that is impossible to explain. It is a priceless moment!
#7: “Sexual Harassment” Michael is told by Jan that he can no longer say inappropriate things in the office. Michael is furious and goes out into the office to tell everyone that they can no longer joke around and no longer be friends. Jim asks him if no longer saying jokes includes “That’s what she said.” Michaels tells him that it does include that and so Jim, being the hilarious guy that he is, decides to egg Michael on in front of Jan just to get him in trouble. Jim says, “Wow. That is really hard. Do you really think you can go all day long? Well, you always left me satisfied and smiling…so….” Michael, completely unable to control himself, blurts out, “That’s what she said!!” followed by a hilarious laugh. And then as Jan pushes him back into his office, he blows a kiss out to his audience. It is a classic moment, and one of the first ones!
#6: “Conflict Resolution” This moment just makes me laugh every time I see it! Michael is trying to resolve everyone’s conflicts in the office and when he goes to do the Angela-Phyllis dispute, Angela says, “You already did me.” Michaels follows automatically with, “That’s what she said.” But what makes it so hilarious is that while Michael is saying it, the camera goes to Jim’s face because he is mouthing “That’s what she said,” just as Michael is saying it! I love that Jim knows Michael so well and just knows when it’s coming.
#5: “Money” In this scene, Michael was supposed to have prepared a presentation over PowerPoint to give to Ryan and the employees in the office. He never prepared anything because he was up late the night before working his second job. He is extremely tired and starts the presentation by showing them how to open PowerPoint. He tells them the best way to start is to hit Stat and “up comes the toolbar. That’s what she said.” And then he continues to go on and describe the process. He just throws it into the conversation without a second thought. He wasn’t even doing it to try to make people laugh! It has just become a part of him and that’s what makes this scene so great.
#4: “Product Recall” There was a crisis in the office: an obscene watermark went out on their paper. Michael is freaking out and trying to fix everything. He tells Jim that he wants Andy to go with him to a high school whose prom invitations went out on that paper. Andy says something completely annoying and Jim says that he’s definitely just going to go by himself. Michael replies, “No, I need two men on this. That’s what she said. No time! But she did. No time!” The way he screams this as he in such a hurry is absolutely priceless!!
#3: “Did I Stutter” Michael frantically runs into the office asking for advice because there is wet cement outside and he wants to do something great. Kelly somewhat offers the idea of putting his handprints in it like the celebrities do, but Jim says that it would be even better if he put his face in it. Michael loves it! So they rush outside and Dwight has put a shower cap on Michael’s head and is lathering him with Vaseline as Jim says some words for this momentous occasion. As Michael puts his head in the cement, Dwight advises, “Force it in as deep as you can!” Michael, whose head is completely submerged in wet cement, can’t help but yell back, “That’s what she said!” This shows how dedicated he is to this phrase and how he will say it no matter what the occasion!
#2: “Dinner Party” Jan and Michael are in the middle of a screaming match and their conversation goes something like this: Michael: “I would love to bun you candles!” Jan: “You burn it, you buy it!” Michael: “Oh good, I’ll be your first customer!”Jan: “You’re hardly my first!” Michael: “That’s what she said!!!!” He completely screams that last statement and it is hilarious! Even in the middle of a horrible fight with his girlfriend, he can’t help but scream out “That’s what she said.”
#1: “The Deposition” Jan is suing Dunder Mifflin for firing her because of her boob job, excuse me, boob enhancement, and Michael is being deposed. The lawyer asks him how long he’s known Jan and if he was “directly under her the entire time.” Michael involuntarily answers with, “That’s what she said,” and this confuses the rest of the council. Jan tries to tell them it was a joke and asks them to move on, but they feel the need to resolve this and figure out what was said. This only makes matters worse because Michael does not understand that what he said was inappropriate and that no one understood what he was talking about so he keeps repeating himself. They ask the court stenographer to read back the conversation and Michael listens and then just adds, “Well the delivery’s all wrong. You’re butchering it.” Even in a time like this, he is worried about his joke not coming across the way he meant for it to. Oh Michael, this is why we love you so much!!
So, last year’s season finale of The Office left us with many unanswered questions and many things to look forward to....
1. Most importantly…what will happen with the Dwight-Angela-Andy love triangle?? I can’t believe that Angela was such a little “hussy” and told Andy she would marry him and then that same night, have sex with Dwight in the office!!! That was a total shocker and I can’t wait to see what happens!! Will people in the office find out?? Will Phyllis tell everyone?? 2. Are Jim and Pam going to be engaged?? I really wanted to see him propose!! But I don’t think he would wait that long; it has been a few months. 3. Who will take Ryan’s place at corporate?? My first thought was that maybe Jim would get it and be able to be in New York while Pam is there for art school, but I’ve heard rumors that the season may start with her in New York and Jim still in Scranton. But I thought it’d be pretty great if Jim got to take Ryan’s place since Ryan was such a complete ass to him!! 4. Michael and Holly and Jan………….I thought Holly was kind of strange at first, but then realized that she was perfect for Michael! I was so happy to see Michael so giddy and lovesick over her. Then Jan has to come into the picture and ruin everything!! I can’t believe she’s pregnant! I thought it would be Hunter’s…but the fact that she went to a sperm bank is so much worse!! Why is Michael going to try to be a dad to this baby?? She never even asked him to be! But I love Jan’s character so it was kind of nice to see her back. 5. How long will Holly think Kevin is retarded?? Hahaha Best story line of the entire episode!!! Maybe they will hook up……. =D 6. Will Toby really be gone forever?? I heard that he is back in this season, so does that mean Holly quits??
Hopefully all these questions will be answered in the first episode! I really hope so!!! Stay tuned for my thoughts on the first episode!! Only 6 more days!!!!!!!!!!
I consider myself the biggest fan of the TV show The Office. I know this may not be true, but I am definitely obsessed, and I would love nothing more than to share my knowledge, insights, and favorite episodes/moments with you. I cannot wait for the new season to start September 25, and I will update every Thursday night with my opinions on the new episode. In between the new episodes, I will cover some of my favorite “That’s What She Said” quotes, favorite Michael/Toby moments, and all sorts of fun facts from all four seasons. Along with extensive coverage of The Office, most all other television and movie news will be covered. A review of new episodes of television shows, or newly released movies and DVD reviews will be a constant feature. Also appearing will be news updates in the entertainment including opinions. Ten Spots, Classic Reviews, and other special articles will be featured regularly as well. This blog will be fun and informative and hopefully point out things that you’ve never seen before. I hope that these are the things that will keep you all coming back for more!
What better time to start a blog than on the weekend where a pair of my favorite directors release their new film. After receiving the best picture Academy Award last year for their film, "No Country For Old Men," the Coen Brothers (whose filmography also includes classics such as "Fargo," "The Big Lebowski," "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" among many others) return with what could be considered the ultimate "anti-spy" film.
The plot, in short; two half-wit gym employees find a disk containing possible confidential government material then take it upon themselves to try and return it...for a price. Blackmail, adultery and murder all come in to play as the characters try to figure out what's really going on.
Now first of all, let me preface this review by saying that I am a huge Coen brothers fan. I've watched every one of their films multiple times, and "The Big Lebowski" ranks up with my favorite films of all time. So obviously I went into this film with a bias. While purchasing my ticket, I was positive I was in for one of the best movie going experiences of the year. So I finally made it to my seat, sat back, and prepared to laugh and be whisked away by the tale about to be put in front of me. Twenty minutes later, I was still waiting for it. Forty-five minutes later, still waiting. The Coen brothers have done that I never thought possible, make a mediocre film.
Before getting into any of the negatives, I'd like to discuss the positives. Because however mediocre some parts are, some parts are excellent. First off, let's start with the directing and cinematography. The Coen's have always been able to amazingly portray moods and even tell story with nothing but what they show through the camera, and this outing is no different. Adding to the terrific cinematography, is the near perfect sound design. The score, by Carter Burwell, along with the images put on the screen, almost propel the film more than the actual story.
Acting wise, with a cast like this, how can't things be good. John Malkovich, George Clooney, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swinton are all very good and very fun to watch. One of the best part of this movie may be the fact that you get to see all of these prestigious stars hamming it up and acting like idiots (which most every one of the characters in this movie are.) Which brings me to Mr. Brad Pitt. Pitt appears as the dumb-witted gym employee who realizes that the disk that is found in his gym is full of "secret shit." He hams it up and his character is pretty much a complete moron, but Pitt walks the fine line of seeming too stupid, and amazingly comes out as one of the more likeable characters. In fact, I would rank this as one of Mr. Pitt's most entertaining movies to date. (Comedy wise.)
So after praising the directing, sound, and acting of the movie, here's where things go downhill. Most of my problems with the film involve the plot and it's simplicity. Unfortunately, almost any talk of the plot could spoil something for those who haven't seen the film, so I'll avoid specifics. But the main problem I have with this movie, is the fact that it lacks "heart." Even in movies that the brothers have made that are filled with characters that are utterly confused and on the surface very one dimensional, they still find a way for the audience to care about them and even relate to them. In Burn After Reading, the characters are too the point of stupidity that instead of us caring about them, we are left sitting in our seats, wondering how all of these people can be so clueless.
This movie isn't terrible, hopefully I'm not making it sound as such, but it's far from Coen brother quality. And as a huge fan of their films, the comparison is inevitable. As of now, I would give it only an average review of a five or six out of ten. Although it is still significantly better than most of the trash being released these days.
I plan on watching it a few more times, because as people know, the Big Lebowski opened to horrible reviews, only to gather an enormous cult following years later. Maybe this is one of those movies, or maybe it really just is what you see on the surface. Either way, as it stands currently, it's still a disappointing outing for the brothers.
More thoughts on the film after I see it a few more times sure to come.
