365 Days, 365 Movies: May

I'm not even half-way through the year, and I'm already growing tired of watching (roughly) a movie a day. While I can wile away several hours watching a single television show, watching a movie each day has begun to feel like a chore.

To help combat the rising tide of ennui, I decided to set a task for myself: pick an actor, and watch as many of his/her films as I can in one month. I immediately chose Reese Witherspoon, for many reasons. First, her movie Hot Pursuit came out in May, which meant that I had an excuse to go to a movie theater. Second, she is an actress that I really love, but I can't, for the life of me, pin down which of her performances inspire that devotion. And third, Sweet Home Alabama was playing on TV while I was trying to make up my mind, and I didn't want to subject myself to Patrick Dempsey movie marathon, partially because I'm still mad about his exit from Grey's Anatomy.

Anyway, I watched a bunch (12, technically) of Witherspoon hits this month, and I'll have more to say about that down the line. For now, though, stare and weep at my mastery of watching films.

Hit or Miss: Quick Movie Reviews 9: Procrastinator Edition

Hello there, dear readers. I haven't written a legit blog post in almost two months, and the ratio of movies I've seen vs. movies I've reviews has gotten impressively large. The main reason behind that is that I was a producer on a television series for most of April and May, which meant most of my free time was spent thinking about one specific TV show rather than writing about a myriad TV shows and movies.  To rectify that, I present condensed reviews of many of the recent releases I've imbibed. Should you HIT the theater to watch them, or maybe MISS them entirely. The only way to know is to read on!!

Age of Adaline

Starring: Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, Ellen Burstyn, and Harrison Ford

Time goes by so slowly
for those who wait.

The Story: After a car crash and a freak electrocution, Adaline (Lively) is dismayed to find out that she can't age.  Afraid of what the government might do to her if they find out, she continually changes her identity and runs away from any kind of attachment. Her only confidant is her daughter (Ellen Burstyn), who Adaline must watch age while she stays the same.

Pros: It's an interesting story, and it's well-acted. Blake Lively convincingly portrays a 100+ year-old in a 20-something body.

Cons: The narration is clunky and unnecessary, and the film's attempts to scientifically explain Adaline's condition only makes her condition seem even more ludicrous. And, despite glimpses of her past, the story stays mostly in the present, which deprives the audience of seeing Adaline as she makes her way through life in the 1900s. Instead, we watch a tepid love story between two very attractive people, one of whom has a secret. Oooooo.

Consensus: This movie is totally worth a $1 rental in Redbox, and it's not a bad way to spend two hours if you can't find anything good on Netflix. Still, it's totally MISS-able in theaters.

2015 Best Picture Nominees, Part 2 [The Biopic]

For the second in my three-part look at the films up for Best Picture at this year's Oscars, I'm looking at the three films who most cleanly fall into the Biographical Picture category, or 'biopic.' Plus, unlike the first three films I reviewed, I actually think all of these three films deserve to be nominated.  But, I also included some snubbed films at the end, because no system is perfect:

Pop Culture Wrap Up (7/27-8/27)

It's been a big month for me, pop-culturally speaking. I've seen things. I've done things. I've seen some of the things I've done. Basically, I've had some experiences, and I want to talk about those experiences. But what do you do when your whole life is packed to the brim with pop culture but none of it is really deserving of its own blog post? Well, I'll tell you: you cram everything into one post and hope that your immediate family will account for less than 50% of the readership.

Best of 2013 Part 2: Films and Events

A solid 3.5 weeks after going through the momentous TV and music events of 2013, it's time now to turn to the movies and general events that defined the year. Again, it's difficult to look at the year as a whole, because it seems like we are constantly teetering between instant forgetfulness AND instant nostalgia. We're like that guy from Memento who wanted that mint to impress that tattoo artist. Or something. It's really hard to remember what that movie was about. And I miss it dearly. 

Anyway... let's look at the film moments and new cultural touchstones that shaped 2013:

Reese Witherspoon’s Arrest is the Best Thing to Happen to Reese Witherspoon Since Reese Witherspoon Won That Oscar

or

Reese Witherspoon's Arrest: Meditations on an Emergency

Reese Witherspoon is a gem. She is an American marvel. She’s got a Southern brassiness and an adorably large chin, and she’s won us over with her film roles that highlight her warmth, determination, and spirit. But sometime between Sweet Home Alabama and last week, our love of Reese Witherspoon has faded. Maybe it was her roles in Four Christmases or War Games This Means War. Actually, it was definitely those things. Much like a child outgrowing their cuteness and trying desperately to reclaim it by unrealistically turning ‘r’s into ‘w’s and adopting a very fake-looking ‘aren’t I precious’ face, Reese Witherspoon has been trying her darnedest to reclaim her rom-com stronghold and force herself back into the spotlight as America’s Sweetheart. The only problem is that, in doing so, she fundamentally