When you're in love with a married man, you shouldn't wear mascara

No I'm not having a completely scandalous affair.  It's just time for another...

IM-DuB-it is my quest to watch all the movies on the IMDB top 250 list.  Of course this is ever changing, so my quest will never actually be fulfilled.  If I can get myself to the theatres, I can knock out Inception, and if I understood more Dutch, Toy Story 3 would be crossed off at the beginning of summer.  But I have no desire to spend 8 euros on a movie when that can buy me a round trip ticket to Amsterdam or a meal (or two) on the traveling road.  But I can still try to watch others.  And with the miracle of the internet, I present you with my latest film at number 97...

The Apartment

Released in 1960, directed by Billy Wilder, and staring the very young and very adorable Shirley MacLaine and Jack Lemmon.
A ridiculously cute little movie, it was nominated for ten Academy Awards, winning five of them, including Best Picture.
It was inspired by the Noel Coward film "Brief Encounter" which was inspired by his one act play "Still Life."  It also went on to inspire the musical "Promises, Promises."

According to IMDB, Bud Baxter is a struggling clerk in a huge New York insurance company. He's discovered a quick way to climb the corporate ladder - by lending out his apartment to the executives as a place to take their mistresses. He often has to deal with the aftermath of their visits and one night he's left with a major problem to solve.

I love Lemmon's character.  There's something about it that could only be pulled of in those days.  If someone were to create a character with that amount of slap stick and over acting, he would never make it in the film business.  But back then, what he did was an art.  And I love him for it.
MacLaine is just too adorable for words.  And her haircut makes me wish I had my short hair again.  She's just so cute and vulnerable you almost overlook the fact that she's having an affair with a married man.  And then Lemmon comes in and awkwardly attempts to sweep her off her feet.

The movie is a quiet comedy.  No real laugh out loud jokes, but a constant smile none the less.  If you're in the mood for a movie from the golden age of film, I'd highly suggest renting this one, curling up with some tea, and having a wonderful night in.

Word of the Day: appartement - apartment

You are interested in the unknown. The mysterious. The unexplainable.

It’s time for a second installment of…

My quest to watch the IMDB top 250!

This past weekend I went to Germany to visit my friends that I met in Prague (but they live in Germany.)  Julia and Russell ended up having to cancel, but I still got to hang out with Jonas…on a farm…with sheep…and a giant trampoline…boo-yah!

Oh and also we watched a movie.  In the guest room at Jonas’ there was a small drawer with movies…and one of the movies was one that had been on my blockbuster list since I started it, but it was always “ultra long wait” or whatever the hell they labeled it.  It’s also one that my mom continually says I need to see.  It’s also one that I’ve heard was Johnny Depp’s best work (I know…aren’t ALL of them his best? *sigh*)  It’s also one of the ones with Johnny Depp, before he was…Johnny Depp (aka before Pirates.)  Any guesses yet?  Well the answer is, currently at number 198…

ED WOOD

Here’s the synopsis based on IMDB… 

The life of Edward D. Wood Jr., hailed as the worst director (of Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), Glen or Glenda (1953) and Bride of the Monster (1955)) of all time.

A biopic of the life and work of the legendary 'worst director of all time', Edward D. Wood Jr., concentrating on the best-known period of his life in the 1950s, when he made Glen or Glenda (1953), Bride of the Monster (1955) and Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), and focusing on both his transvestism and his touching friendship with the once great but now ageing and unemployed horror star Bela Lugosi.

You can read more at Wikipedia.

Well…yes…I guess that describes it.  Johnny Depp’s Ed Wood is a spastic, driven, enthusiastic character who likes to wear women's clothing (but unfortunately is nt very good at actually playing drag.)  The voice that he takes on for it is similar to his Willy Wonka in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” although not as extreme.  But it’s still a little high pitched, with a back-tongue placement, and lowering of the center vowel towards the lower end of the vowel chart (for those of you who didn’t get it, that’s ok, I’m just trying to prove my linguistics minor was worth something.)

It’s also one of those movies that you watch and continually go “(S)HE’s in this?!?!”  So many stars!  Sarah Jessica Parker, Bill Murrey, Patricia Arquette, and so many more!  And all of them superbly acted.  By superbly acted, I mean perfect for the genre.  The movie was shot in a style of an Ed Wood movie – as in a 1950s, stylized, horribly directed, B/C/D rated horror film with little to no budget.  Ironic seeing as the director was Tim Burton and the opening credits are said to have cost more than an entire Ed Wood film.

The movie is filmed in black and white.  There are several possible explanations for this.  One is that they wanted to continue the style of an old Horror Movie.  Another is that they had an argument over what Bela Lugosi (the original Dracula) would look like in color.  It didn’t matter.  I thought it worked either way.

But then thing I love best, is that it’s FUNNY.  But it’s very subtle.  You have to be watching and listening.  I’m sure I missed some of the jokes.  But that just means I’ll have to watch it again!

Have you seen this movie?  What did you think?  What should my next Im-Dub-it movie be?

Word of the day: directeur - director

I want you to hit me as hard as you can...

You all know that I watch TV…a lot of it.  Fine, fair enough, but I decided to put a stop to it…by watching movies instead.  IMDB’s top 250 movies to be precise.  First I started by going through and checking which ones I’d seen – only 83…a bit sad, really, seeing as my family are HUGE movie buffs.  But I’m going to change that.

Thanks to certain sites, I can watch a lot of movies online.  Which leads me to a new series –

It’s pronounced Im-duh-bit, but you have to say it fast.

An explanation: We came up with this saying my freshman year of college in the dorms.  We were all starting to get to know each other and consequently sharing our loves and hates of standard things in all our lives – namely, music, movies, etc.  And by the time welcome week was over, we had a list 100 movies long that we all needed to see.  As we worked our way through probably only 5 of these movies, we were constantly asking “what else is he in?” “whose voice is that?” “and who directed this?” and we kept saying I-M-D-B it.  Which then got shortened to Imdubit.

So there you go.  Here I will tell you about movies that I have seen for the first time, but probably should have watched a long time ago.  So let’s skip the “WHAT? YOU’VE NEVER SEEN ____?” and just move along to the “Wasn’t it good?” section of the conversation.

WARNING!  If you have not seen the movie I am about to discuss, there will be spoilers.  I suggest you leave now (but come back tomorrow PLEASE!)

This entry’s movie:

Fight Club

Fight Club is a movie that most boys my age are obsessed with.  My roommate in college had a poster of it on his wall and it was one of those movies that he was always trying to get me to watch but I would eventually convince him that “The Holiday” or “Princess Bride” was a much better choice (the things he put up with I tell you.)  It’s one of those movies that everyone knew had the quote “Rule number 1: You do not talk about fight club. Rule Number 2: You DO NOT talk about Fight Club!”

Here’s the plot summary as told by Wikipedia: The film was directed by David Fincher and stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter. Norton plays the unnamed protagonist, an "everyman" who is discontented with his white-collar job in American society. He forms a "fight club" with soap salesman Tyler Durden, played by Pitt, and becomes embroiled in a relationship with him and a dissolute woman, Marla Singer, played by Carter.

So for those of you still reading, you’ve seen the movie.  For those of you still reading who were like me for the last 10 years and said you had seen it because you knew the basic plot line and really, what more could be added to it…they fight and make soap, the end right?  WRONG!  So stop reading, go watch the movie and then come back.

Because the ending BLEW MY MIND!!!!  My jam actually dropped.

I mean…what?  Edward Norton is both people?  Brad Pitt is just a figment of his imagination?

After seeing a movie like that, you are constantly thinking about the movie for a few days after, thinking about all the instances where you could have known and if you watch it again, you’ll be sure to look for them.  And it brings up so many questions…

What of Brad Pitt’s dialogue got heard via Edward Norton’s body?

What is happening when they’re "in the same room" with other people?

Why can’t Brad Pitt be my imaginary friend?

And so on and so forth.

I’m glad this was my movie to kick off this series.  Here’s to 167 more!

Word of the day: strijd - fight