Five More Movies to Add to Your Netflix

Here they come again...

Go (dir. Doug Liman)- Great cast, funny script, and some really memorable scenes. The whole rave thing is going to seem dated now, but the characters and their situations make the movie still entertaining.

Starship Troopers (dir. Paul Veerhoven)- An unfairly maligned movie that people thought praised facism, not denouncing facism. The use of Anglo actors with Latino surnames is part of the satire. Look for great ideas about media and how all of us could become part of a proto-Nazi movement. "Service equals citizenship."

The Limey (dir. Steven Sodebergh)- Funny, sad, and clever. Terrence Stamp gives an amazing performance. Luis Guzman, Peter Fonda, and Nicky Katt all deliver good support. The story is a traditional revenge tale, but told boldly.

Undercover Brother (dir. Malcolm Lee)- Hilarious! One of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Clever and dumb, that is hard to pull off. Dave Chappelle steals the show as "Conspiracy Brother" and there are scenes skewing racism that are still laugh out loud funny to me.

Wonder Boys (dir. Curtis Hanson)- What a great movie. My husband enjoys movies where there are characters we grow to love and live with. This is a very smart movie that accurately captures English and creative arts departments with their unprofessional mingling of students and teachers. Well shot and well acted.

Middlebrow: A Definition

So, here are my conditions on being middlebrow. Feel free to send your own.

• vegetarianism
• public television/history channel/discovery/etc.
• bumble and bumble haircuts
• whole foods
• woody allen movies
• the new york times
• belittling mtv/reality tv/popular shows
• life of pi
• golf
• herbal essences shampoo
• new york/new yorker magazines
• for the oldsters, M*A*S*H (the originator of middlebrow)
• Other Music

Five Movies to Add to Your Netflix

So, I've decided to give you five movies I enjoyed and maybe didn't get enough love. You should check them out. I'm gonna do this every week or so, so enjoy!

1. Nurse Betty (dir. Neil Labute)- One of the few movies to understand how a soap opera is made. I'm talking to you Soapdish and Tootsie. The acting is great and a solid supporting cast make this a comic and romantic film to try.
2. Kingpin (dir. The Farrelly Bros.)- One of my top 10 movies. I laugh every time I watch it. This movie is not as loved as Something About Mary, but it has some great performances and Bill Murray as Ernie Mcracken is another gem from him.
3. Gattaca (dir. Andrew Niccol)- Brave New World meets a 1940's film noir. This was Jude Law's big break and he is fabulous as is Alan Arkin and Uma Thurman. A lot of heady ideas are involved and it's a true testament to humanity.
4. Equilibrium (dir. Kurt Wimmer)- Not perfect, choppy, seems edited by committee. But, the fight scene are amazing and Christian Bale is quietly creating the most interesting filmography of his generation.
5. Grace of My Heart (dir. Allison Anders)- A movie for music geeks featuring characters based on Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, Carol King, et. al. A well done melodrama with some beautiful songs and a great central performance from Illeanna Douglas.

Oscar Thoughts

So, the Oscars have come and gone and I just have a few thoughts...

Chris Rock was hilarious. The Magic Johnson segment was hilarious.

"Russell Crowe does research on three weeks ago."

Johnny Depp looked crazy, but he rules so who cares.

Best Dressed: Hialry Swank, Beyonce, Cate Blanchett, and Salma Hayek.

The show was very nice and in general I was happy. Yay Charlie Kaufman!

Black History Month 3: The Enemy Strikes Black

"A rat done bit my sister Nell. (with Whitey on the moon)
Her face and arms began to swell. (and Whitey's on the moon)
I can't pay no doctor bill. (but Whitey's on the moon) Ten years from now I'll be payin' still. (while Whitey's on the moon)
The man jus' upped my rent las' night. ('cause Whitey's on the moon)
No hot water, no toilets, no lights. (but Whitey's on the moon)
I wonder why he's uppi' me? ('cause Whitey's on the moon?)
I wuz already payin' 'im fifty a week. (with Whitey on the moon)
Taxes takin' my whole damn check, Junkies makin' me a nervous wreck, The price of food is goin' up, An' as if all that shit wuzn't enough: A rat done bit my sister Nell. (with Whitey on the moon)
Her face an' arm began to swell. (but Whitey's on the moon)
Was all that money I made las' year (for Whitey on the moon?)
How come there ain't no money here? (Hmm! Whitey's on the moon)
Y'know I jus' 'bout had my fill (of Whitey on the moon)
I think I'll sen' these doctor bills, Airmail special (to Whitey on the moon)" -Gil Scott Heron

Black History Month 2: Electric Boogaloo

"Power condedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong that will be imposed upon them, and these will continue until they are resisted with either words or blows or with both. The limit of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress." -Frederick Douglass

"All racists are irresponsible." - James Baldwin

"I am America. I am the part you won't recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me." -Muhammad Ali The Greatest (1975)

Black History Month...

Some quotes:

"A wise man once told me not to argue with fools, 'cause people from a distance can't tell who is who." -Jay-Z

"The true measure of a race can be judged by the character of its woman." -Mary Bethune Cookman

The Fifth Annual Amy Awards

Here they are. The fifth annual Amy Awards. Please remember that I currently do not get paid to see movies, so I missed a few. So, this list is based on what I saw and what I really liked. Enjoy the creamy goodness.

Best Movies-
1. Mean Girls
2. Spider-Man 2
3.Hero/House of Flying Daggers
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
5. Kill Bill II
6. The Incredibles
7. Million Dollar Baby
8. Sideways
9. Garden State
10. Maria Full of Grace

Honorable Mention- Anchorman, Collateral, Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, The Terminal, Bad Education, Vanity Fair, Shaun of the Dead

Favorite Male Performances- Tim Meadows, Daniel Franzese (Mean Girls), Mark Wahlberg (I Heart Huckabees), Dustin Hoffman (Meet the Fockers), Jamie Foxx (Ray), Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church (Sideways), Gordon Liu (Kill Bill), Wil Ferrell (Anchorman), Morgan Freeman, Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby), Neil Patrick Harris (Harold and Kumar), Brad Bird (Incredibles), Gael Garcia Bernal (Bad Education), Tobey Maguire, JK Simmons (Spider-Man 2)

Favorite Female Performances- Sanrad Oh, Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby), Daryl Hannah, Uma Thurman (Kill Bill), Catalina Moreno (Maria Full of Grace), Cate Blanchett (The Aviator), Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst (Eternal Sunshine), Natalie Portman (Garden State), Sharon Warren (Ray), Ziyi Zhang (House of Flying Daggers/Hero), Reese Witherspoon (Vanity Fair), Amy Poehler, Lindsay Lohan (Mean Girls)

Favorite Screenplays- Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine), Tina Fey (Mean Girls), Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby), Alvin Sergeant (Spider-Man 2), Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill)

Favorite Directors- Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill), Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine), Pedro Almodovor (Bad Education), Zach Braff (Garden State), David O'Russell (I Heart Huckabees)

Random Musings-
Team America had some of the best songs of all time, too bad the movie didn't live up to it.
I Heart Huckabees was not a complete success, but the ideas and the interesting visuals made it a movie more people should have tried. It was not as pretentious as it seemed.
Can someone make a scary Hollywood movie? Please?????
Wil Ferrell is a comic genius. Enough said.
The voice work in "The Incredibles", "Shrek 2" and by Alan Tudyck in "i, Robot" was fabulous. Maybe actors do better without their bodies?

Hope you enjoyed the list, send your comments.

Watch this Space...

5th Annual Amy Awards.

Coming next week. Get ready!

Random Musings...

Enough with the inaguration. I didn't get to see "The View", "Starting Over", and "AMC". Great! Thanks. At least I got to see "The People's Court". You may stop Reihnquist but you can't stop Marylin Milan.

Best Quote on I Love the 90's. "He's so old, he farted dust." Godfrey on Anna Nicole's husband.

In NYC, get Bread Papa and get the best cream puff ever.

So, I could watch I Love the 90's all day and night and that's what I'm doing.

Please watch "Life as We Know It". If it gets cancelled like "Freaks and Geeks", "Undeclared", and "My So-Called Life." I will hunt all of you down and stab you in the head with a fork.

What's the Matter With Gwen Stefani?

My answer, nothing. I will start all of this by saying that I am NOT a fan of No Doubt. I hated ska before they popped it up and I still hate it. But, I love the new solo album by Stefani entitles "Love Angel Music Baby". The album is a hodgepodge of styles and sounds. The whole thing is a sloppy kiss to the music she (and I) grew up on.

In the US, this album has not gotten loads of praise, but it has killed in Europe. It's easy to see why. Most Americans want sincere music, they hate camp, irony, or humor in music (look at Robbie Williams and The Darkness. Two really great sounds, that have not made it stateside or American acts like Rufus Wainright and Scissor Sisters who hangs on the edges.) The fluffy, poppy, and very "gay" sound turn off many. This knee jerk reaction is similar to disco hate. (Another topic for another time.)

Stefani's album has tracks that feel like PIL, Grease, Stetsasonic, Force MDs, and many songs you might remember skating too. I feel for this album immediately. Women ages 25-35 will have an affinity for the music here, its what you heard every Friday during All Skate.

Happy Holidays

I am taking Christmas back from Bill O'Reilly. He can kiss my butt. I love Christmas, but seriously most people like the gifts and trees and crap. Give the whole "secularists hate Jesus." I believe myself to be a Christian in the traditional sense of the word. But, I know many people who are not religious and they don't hate Jesus or the holidays. Let it rest!

but, for everyone else, Merry Christmas and Happy Happy to any holiday you celebrate!

Television...

TV is really in a great period right now. Everyone is aware of Lost and Desperate Houswives, two shows that kick major ass. But, please watch Arrested Development and life as we know it. They are struggling and they are some of the best shows on TV. So, it would be a nice thing if they lasted.

But, ABC should be patting themselves on the back for creating some great television.

Get Thee to a Video Store...

Yesterday Robert Altman's "Short Cuts" was released on DVD. I am getting my copy tomorrow after work. Anyone who loves film and loves humanity should have this movie. This is my favorite Altman film, it made me seek out his other work. I saw "Popeye" when I was a kid, but didn't know he directed it. And, I love that film. Different debate for a different day!

"Short Cuts" takes several stories and one poem from great American writer Ray Carver and weaves them in a coherent and realistic narrative. The film is long and some of the stories are not my favorites, but as a whole piece of work looking at human relationships it says a lot. The story has no formal ending and there are very few epiphanies. Unfortunately, this is true of life. Most of us don't change and most of us feel our lives are hermetically sealed. Altman's film refutes this, he makes us look at ourselves and determine if we truly make decisions that affect no one.

This is not a film for fans of Michael Bay. All the explosions are internal. But, there is some amazing acting. You will get to see an actual performance from Andie McDowell and look for cameos from Altman regulars. Also, this is the movie that foisted Julianne Moore on an unsuspecting society. Her performance here is one of her best and truly brave. Pubes are brave! Altman is also one of the few people who realizes that we live in a multicultural world. He never pushes it in your face, but he truly realizes that in the present cultures are not hermetically sealed.

So, go get it. Give Criterion a big kiss and thank God that some people follow their muse no matter how bleak or unprofitable it is.

Guess Who's Back?

Okay, I'm done talking about politics and I'm gonna go back to writing crap.

I hope to post more and also make those posts fun and cute. I want to be a beacon of superficiality in these times. It has been a sad week and now it's time to get back to the business at hand.

But, on one sad note, I just read that ODB died. The rap world lost a true original and someone who always played it on the edge.

"Wu-Tang is for the children." Remember that. And listen to some WU and ODB in memory of his passing. You won't regret it!

The Revolution Will NOT Be Televised

I can't believe it...he won. Why?
Do people like losing their jobs to Indians and want to scrape together a mortage working the AM shift at Target and the PM shift at GM?
Do people want their family members to fight in a war and die that we created?
Do people want to make sure minorities and gays have no voice, including their family members? And trust me, you all have gay relatives, they are afraid to tell you.
Do people want a country where librarians can go to jail for doing their job?
Do people want a draft?
Do people want much of the Constitution over turned?
Do people want unbreatheable air and more gas taxes?
Do people want to never pay for a college education?
Do people want the US to never be respected again? Remember, once people around the world looked up to us?
Well, if this is what you wanted, congrats! You succeeded. Just remember, that all the "red" states will never be bombed. Us "blue" states (NY, DC, California, Illinois) with a lot at stake might never recover. 9/11 never forget, more like never remember.

A Quick One While He's Away

VOTE

VOTE

VOTE

VOTE

VOTE

VOTE

VOTE

Amazingly, I really think it matters this time. I'll be at the polls at 6am. See you there, bleary eyed but democratic!

Advice to Those Who Didn't Ask

Everyday when I walk down the street, I get asked, "Amy, do you have any advice for celebrities?" And I always answer in the affirmative. I have plenty of advice for today's shining stars.

To Wit:
For Claire Danes and Britney Spears- If the guy you are dating left his girlfriend who was eight months pregnant, he might not be the guy for you.
For Lindsay Lohan- Do not become Tara Reid's good friend. Tara is a cutie who was unable to getting roles in movies by Robert Altman and The Coen Brothers. She wasted her career partying. Do not follow her example. A lot of people like you.
To Edward Furlong- Please lose weight and stop thinking the shit you pulled at 14 was cute. It's not anymore.
To Natalie Portman- I forgot you could act until I saw "Garden State" please ponder that.
For Tara Reid- I love you, please try to get some work again. Making horror slop for Dimension is not the way to go.
For Courtney Love- Enough already. I am tired of defending you.
For Little Kim- Please stop trying to look like Donatella Versace.

That's all for now. But, if any celebs need advice, I'm here.

If Elected I Will Not Serve...

If I ran for president I would try to be as honest as possible. I would probably never get elected. People say they want an honest politician but they do not. They want someone to make them feel better.
But, my platform would be as follows:
- College education would be greatly reduced and all wanting an education would get one.
- A return to core technical learning in hands on jobs (mechanic, plumber, cosmetologist) as a way to increase the skill level required for all jobs.
- A sliding minimum wage as follows, teens ages 14-16 4.00 an hour, teens ages 16-19 6.00 an hour, adults up to the age of 60 12.50 an hour, and all adults over 60 4.00 an hour. This I believe would create a workforce that could be mobile and not rely on welfare and services as much.
- Welfare for disabled and elderly. Medical services would be free, excluding plastic surgery.
- Eating organic and gym memberships would be tax deductible. Any person 50 or more pounds overweight would pay into a fund for special services required for their weight.
- Fast food, gas, cigarettes, and alcohol would have a higher sin tax. These monies would go to fight illness and create better energy options.
- Prostitution and drugs would be legal and have unions, benefits, and help for addicts. This would create more income to the government and safer conditions for all.
- All logging and exploration would require regrowth efforts and preserving coastlines and wetlands.
- Taxes would be paid on a sliding scale similar to the minimum wage scale. With the top 5 percent paying more in taxes than the lowest 5 percent. All giving to charity would be untaxable and untax deductible.
- Gay marriage would be legal, however, no church is under any obligation to marry someone who does not believe in that church's values.
-Condoms, safe, sex and abstinence would be taught as a comprehensive whole in schools starting in fifth grade.

To sum it up, I believe in this country. I believe in the Constitution. It lives and breathes. It is here to always give rights. (Excluding Prohibition which was a failure) We do it slowly sometimes. (3/5ths of a person anyone?) But, we make things better. I think that's the way to make things better.

Just Thinking...

I have come to the realization that I am what the kids term a "playa hater". And, I am going to say something about this right now. You're damn right, I am a hater. I hate almost everyone. A lot of people think this is crazy, but I can't help it. I find most people unbearable. Many times, I find myself unbearable.
I am going to admit something right now...
I am a self- loathing white person.
I hate white people. Most of them are fools. The ones who get on the train at 81st Street with their Manhattan Portage bags and copies of "Life of Pi". I just want to strangle them. They don't get it. The whole world hates them and their yuppie values. They walk around talking about polenta, pilates, and produce (preferably organic). They live in a shell. Why is that white people can live in a world where they never "know" a black person, but for black people this is not the case. But, for the most part everyone sits together in the cafeteria. I keep hoping for things to change, but it seems as if the big battles have been fought. Now we all just have to fight the small battles...
"Some of my best friends..."
"But not you, you're different"
"I'm moving for economic reasons"
"Wigger"
"You act white"
It's 2004 and a biologist did a long term research that came to one conclusion. Race is a mental construct, melanin is the only difference.