Armchair Commentary

Not Your Average Chick-flick

  There has been so much talk in the media around the sensation of Kirsten Wiig's Bridesmaids and how surprising/awesome it is that a movie created by and starring a bunch of women could become such a box office success.  It is awesome, and Bridesmaids is hilarious and compulsively re-watchable (and available now!).  It's nice to see a movie like this get recognized by a really broad audience, but it should hardly be surprising that women make some incredible movies.  Here are a selection of other great films, written or directed by woman, and generally starring more women. 

Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Clueless

Amy Heckerling tie.  Two whip-smart movies featuring complex and three-dimensional female characters with endlessly quotable dialogue, non-cheesy romance and genuinely funny and real moments.  Amy Heckerling's  next movie, Vamp, a horror comedy about female vampires in NYC, reunites her with Clueless star Alicia Silverstone and will be released in 2012.

 

Lovely & Amazing 

All of Nicole Holofcener's films center around the relationships women have with each other, be it in their friendships (Walking & Talking, Friends with Money), with their neighbors (Please Give) or in the case of Lovely & Amazing, with their sister and mother.  Romantic relationships feature strongly in each film, but they're always secondary to the primary relationships.  And those primary relationships are rich!  Honest, hilarious, sad and often uncomfortable, they're always familiar.  Bonus, all of her movies feature the great, great Catherine Keener.

 

Monsoon Wedding

Another great film centered around a wedding, but here the action all takes place in the few days leading up to the big day in Delhi.  Director Mira Nair has a keen eye for quiet, in-between moments and this film moves smoothly and beautifully through a big cast of characters all related somehow to the preparations for the arranged marriage of a modern upper-middle-class Indian family’s only daughter, Aditi.

 

  

Trailer Park: Super Sad but Really Pretty Edition--"Like Crazy"

  I've been left to wonder and wait rather impatiently for the trailer of this year's Sundance Grand Jury prize winner, Like Crazy, to show up online since January.  Here we are in August and it turns out I'm not at all disappointed.  Based on this lovely trailer (which features a beautiful Ingrid Michaelson cover of Can't Help Falling in Love), Like Crazy seems to be most things I love in quiet little indie movies...full of ethereal light and gorgeous cinematography, painfully realistic dialogue and moving, honest performances.  A simple definition: short on plot, long on mood.  The story of two college kids in love who are eventually separated by graduation and a revoked Visa, the whole thing reeks of the thrill, pain and confusion of first love, in the very best possible way.   --Kira

 

 

Michael Moore Interview for "Capitalism: A Love Story"

Turns out spending 30 minutes on the phone with Michael Moore is a great antidote to apathy disease.  So is watching Capitalism: A Love Story.  These days caring about the state of our country and following politics tends to be an emotional rollercoaster ride (at least for me).  I don’t pretend to be anything but the choir Moore’s critics most often complain he’s preaching too, but it’s been too easy to check-out in frustration and pretend like it doesn’t matter.  Moore’s new movie is a reminder that it does and that we have power over the state of things.  Talking to him felt like an extension of watching his intensely personal films and confirmed his intense commitment to igniting change and his deep love for our country.  It was completely inspiring (note my use of that word in the interview about 2000 times :)).  -- Kira

Lost: What's the Best Season?

It's safe to say that Amanda Faddis and I could not be more excited for the final season premiere of Lost tomorrow.  As office-mates and fellow Lost fanatics, we tend to spend a lot of time dissecting each episode, sharing revealing post-episode blog posts and completely geeking out over our favorite moments and the cutest Lost guys (for the record - me: Faraday & Desmond, Amanda: Sayid & Sawyer).

Now, in anticipation of what is sure to be a completely awesome final season (here's hoping!) - Amanda and I decided to think back on the previous five seasons of creepy, strange, confusing and excellent television to figure out how the seasons rank.  Check our our season recap board below in all its chaotic glory (Huge Spoiler Alert):

The final countdown:

5th Best Season: Season Four

Despite introducing a few new favorites and the flash forward technique; fewer episodes thanks to a writers' strike and what felt like a rushed storyline made this our least favorite season.

Highlights:
- The switch to flash forwards
- The introduction of Farady, Miles and Charlotte
- Learning that some survivors will get off the island and the misery that they will endure as the Oceanic 6

4th Best Season: Season Three

While we finally meet the Others, the loss of Charlie and the random Nikki and Paulo story lessened our love for Season 3.

Highlights:
- Meeting the infamous Others (Petula Clark's "Downtown" in the season opener is one of the show's best moments)
- Desmond's flashes of the future and numerous attempts to save Charlie's life
- After almost 3 seasons of sexual tension, Kate and Sawyer finally hook up and poor Jack happens to witness
- The jaw-dropping Season finale
- One of our favorite characters, Charlie meets his end

3rd Best Season: Season Two

All things Dharma are what makes this season awesome; however we couldn't stand Ana Lucia.

Highlights:
- Everything with the Swan (Dharma videos and map of all stations, pushing the button, meeting Desmond)
- Meeting the tail section of the plane - including the mysterious Mr. Eko and seeing that Rose was right about her husband's survival
- After flash backs to his Iraqi Republican Guard past, Sayid finally tortues someone on the island and we love that it's Ben

2nd Best Season: Season Five

One word sums up Season Five for us: Jacob.

Highlights:
- Because smoke monsters, polar bears, ancient Egyptian statues, and a washed up Colonial-era ship aren't enough- the Lostees experience time travel and because its Lost, it was executed fantastically.
- Lots of love - "La Fleur" and Juliet, Desmond and Penny
- The introduction of a new plane crash, its survivors, and learning that they are not on the island by chance
- Meeting Jacob (!) - who would have thought that one of the biggest Lost mysteries would be partially revealed before the last season. Plus this has supplied Lost fans and bloggers with plenty to theorize until the Season Six premier
- More Richard Alpert and more eyeliner, which is always a good thing

1st Best season: Season One

After almost 6 years, it is hard to remember the first awe-inspiring season which started the obsession; however re-watch it and you will still be impressed.

Highlights:
- The plane crash istelf (did you know that the producers had to purchase an actual plane to recreate the crash? JJ Abrams did not want to use CGI).
- Overall super creepy tone from the lack of opening credits and the use of one note that ends each episode
- We learn that the survivors of Oceanic flight 815 are not on just any island when they encounter a Polar Bear and a Smoke Monster
- The writers' use of flashbacks to slowly reveal to us the survivors' great back stories and how they are connected with each other

So...how wrong are we?  How would you rate each season? 

Season 6 premieres Tuesday and is already pre-orderable on DVD and Blu-ray.  Superfans might be interested to know the Complete Series Set is also available to pre-order now.

- Kira & Amanda

Trailer Park: Mad French Genius Returns After 6 Years

Well this is exciting news.  Jean Pierre Jeunet - inventive, unique and kinda crazy director of modern classics (or at least - some of my favorite movies ever) Amelie, Delicatessen and The City of Lost Children - is back!  After years of internet rumors that he was working on an adaptation of worldwide bestseller Life of Pi, I for one am really relieved and excited to see he's back with a project that's once again entirely from his own surreal imagination.  I can't post the video here, but head on over to Empireonline to check it out. --Kira

The Best Movies & TV of 2009: Horror

It really is a heavy cross to bear, being one of only 2 people who actually like horror movies here at Amazon.  Sure there are perks...all those screening copies that would normally go in the free-pile end up on my desk (and I don't even have to ask!).  And of course, there's that incredible God-like power that comes with being uncontested in picking my top 10 horror releases each year. 

And what a year it's been...in case you haven't figured out the rules by now, our picks have to be DVDs (or new to Blu titles) that were released in 2009.  This sadly means that while Zombieland is certainly in my top 3 for the year, it won't release until 2010 and so we must say goodbye to Woody and the gang until next year. 

And now, my top 10 Horror picks of 2009 (remember, it's horror - if words like "blood", "guts", "torture" and "icky" upset you, you should probably stop reading here)...

1. Let the Right One In
Vampires are so hot right now.  This carefully controlled vampire tale manages to be quietly terrifying and oddly sweet.   

2. Drag Me to Hell
Sam Raimi is back!  That probably should be enough of a reason why Drag Me to Hell is number 2, but it doesn't hurt that no one does creepy-campy-funny-actually-scary better, and it's almost strong enough to forget about the horrors of Spiderman 3.

3. Splinter
A really fun, really gross monster (not-technically, it's more like a parasite/bloodsucking/icky thing) movie set in a gas station and starring Paulo Costanzo.  Maybe my tastes are a little bit retro, but give me a gross-out gore flick with lots of exploding blood and guts over the horrifying torture-porn of movies like Saw any day.

4. Martyrs
French.  Incredibly disturbing.  An Amazon customer said it best "Brilliantly made, hard to watch".  I think it's worth it.

5. Night of the Creeps [Blu-ray]
One of the greatest, most underrated campy sci-fi horror films of the '80's gets the treatment it deserves for repeated home viewings. 

6. Trick 'r Treat
Finally released after being shelved for who knows what reason, just in time for Halloween - this movie has cult hit written all over it. 

7. True Blood: The Complete First Season
See Number 1.  Scary enough to satisfy, sexy enough to make you happy it's on HBO.

8. Audition: Collector's Edition [Blu-ray]
Japanese horror master Takashi Miike made Audition back in 1999 - it was and still is the scariest movie I've ever seen. Reliving the amazingly disturbing climactic scene in new 1080P high-def is something I'm equally dreading and can't wait to experience.

9. Grace
It's sick, it's wrong, but I love a good zombie baby.  There are no laughs in Grace, the tone is unsettling from start to finish, but it's an interesting idea executed really well.

10. Repulsion - Criterion Collection [Blu-ray]
Well, it's Roman Polanski.  So there's that.  But very few films have ever come close to achieving this level of skin-crawling terror - it's gorgeous to watch on Blu-ray.

See the rest of the top 100 DVDs, the top 100 Blu-ray discs, and many other lists at http://www.amazon.com/bestmovies2009. ---Kira

Popcorn & Kleenex - "Up" and Other Movies that Make Us Lose It

You know how it goes...the moment when you're watching a movie and you're tearing up a little bit, attempting a quiet sniffle, averting your eyes or taking deep breaths.  But then something snaps and you decide to just ride it out, let loose and enjoy the cleansing catharsis of sobbing your heart out.  I'm an unabashed crier - overly emotionally responsive to everything...a movie, book, song...if I'm in the right (wrong) mood, just about anything can set me off, but it's a rare occasion when I experience that end-of-the-road-totally-lose-it-moment.  And I kind of love it...am I the only one?

The last time this happened to me was completely unexpected.  Heading into a weeknight 3-D showing of Up, I'd heard rumblings that it was a little emotional, but I certainly didn't expect to end up sobbing behind my awesome 3-D old man glasses.  And boy, did I sob.  I considered leaving the theater to catch my breath and my friend started giving me sincerely concerned looks.  Eventually I pulled it together and so thoroughly enjoyed Pixar's latest masterpiece that even before the Oscar-buzz season begins, I'm confident in saying it's my absolute favorite movie of 2009.  The really sad stuff is over in the first 15 minutes (but what a beautiful 15 minutes!) and the rest of the film is hilarious, moving, exciting and really, in my opinion, just about perfect. 

Amanda already blogged about the romantic films that make her cry like a baby, but I was curious about the other-non-Notebook-y type movies that destroy us (in the best possible way) and here a few responses from my movie-addict friends here at Amazon.

Angela: Million Dollar Baby
"I bought the DVD in the morning, watched it that night, promptly gave it away the next day because I knew I could never subject myself to that much of a sob-fest ever again."

Ellen:  The end of Schindler’s List, when Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) looks at the items of luxury around him (his car, his ring) and imagines how many more Jews he could have saved. It was me and four other people in the theater at a weekday matinee, so that gave me freedom to let the waterworks go. I don’t cry in movies that often, but this was like a heaving-shoulders-sputtering-using-sleeve type of crying, a level of cinematic reaction only matched by the end-title sequence of Philadephia, when home movies of Tom Hanks’ character as a happy (alive) boy play over the Neil Young title song.

Stephanie: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Yes, I am revealing the depths of  my geekitude here, but when Spock sacrifices himself for the Enterprise, his farewell to Kirk … well, I’m tearing up just thinking about it. The way he straightens his coat when he rises to greet his superior officer (a gesture you see echoed by Zachary Quinto in the new Trek). “I have been and always shall be your friend” he says, his voice reduced to a croak.

I completely echo Ellen for that end-title sequence in Philadephia - I've got to be armed and ready with tissues and twizzlers to make it through that.  The final episode of Six Feet Under also destroys me so completely each and every time that's it's become my go-to viewing for the random occasion I actually want to feel like that.  What's your "Lose It" movie or TV show? 

Up comes out tomorrow - order the 4 Disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack before Wednesday and get a second Disney Blu-ray movie for $10 off.  Check out all the details here and get your kleenex ready (though I readily admit that my reaction was probably not typical :) ---Kira

Mad Men Returns - Finally!

It's been almost a year and I have not been very patient in waiting for this brilliant show to return for a 3rd season.  Thank goodness the wait is nearly over (3 Days!!).

Pre-order the Season 3 TV Pass, start chilling your cocktail glasses and watch this great clip from Jon Hamm's inspired SNL performance late last year.--Kira

Interview: Tina Fey and Jack McBrayer

I'm very fond of saying "This is the best show on TV".  In fact, I'm very fond of decisive, poorly thought out but emotionally true statements in general - for example, "The Fray is the worst band of this decade" or "Jon Hamm is the most attractive man on the planet" or "Dead Alive is the best movie ever".  It's a pretty annoying habit actually, but in the moment that I'm watching/listening/reading/describing or simply thinking about said television show/movie/book/band/album/etc, I actually believe this statement wholeheartedly. The point here is that I'm prone to hyperbole; it is both my curse and gift.  Having provided this preface, I now must formally declare, hyperbole be damned: 30 Rock is the funniest show on television. 

I repeat: 30 Rock is the funniest show on television. Hands down, always (and this from someone who loves The Office like I love my own mother).  I recently had the opportunity to host a casual conversation between Tina Fey (creator, writer, producer, star "Liz Leeeeeemmmmmmmmmon") and Jack McBrayer (hillbilly genius Kenneth the Page)*.  They dish on all the fancy guest stars in Season 3, hip summer attire and what to look forward to from Season 4 (Kenneth joins the cast of TGS?!?). ---Kira

Pre-order Season 3, check out our Amazon Exclusive Seasons 1-3 bundle, or watch your favorite Season 3 episodes now on demand.

Shop more TV Shows here

*Apology in advance: I am the biggest nerdy fan-girl when it comes to this show, and try as I might to maintain my normally super-cool composure (ha!), nerves and awe got the best of me here. Try not to judge too harshly... 

Trailer Park: The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Wes Anderson is back.  And he's doing stop motion animation?

Yes, awesome. Of course it is mildly disturbing to me that all the things I loved as a child are just being re-made, re-packaged and re-sold back to my adult self. But in this case (and in the tremendous expectations I have rested upon Where the Wild Things Are) - I embrace it fully, because simply - I love Wes Anderson and his entire aesthetic - which is even coming across in this totally new style for him.  The cast is made up of a lot of the usual suspects - Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston - and some new additions - George Clooney and Meryl Streep as Mr. and Mrs. Fox.  Looks promising.  ---Kira