Tropic Thunder
Jun05

Tropic Thunder

2008. 107 minutes. Rated R. Kirk Lazarus: “I know who I am! I’m a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude!” It doesn’t pass the Bechdel Test. There are gratuitous explosions. It toes the line with stereotypes. But Tropic Thunder was one of my favorite movies of 2008. It’s a movie about making a movie, which is a fantastic frame; unbeknownst to the actors who have been dropped on location in Vietnam for...

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Joueuse (Queen to Play)
Apr06

Joueuse (Queen to Play)

2009. 101 minutes. Unrated. I can’t play chess in my head. I’m a poor strategist. I didn’t even discover castling until college. But I know the basic moves of chess, and I love the IDEA of chess as foreplay, and it works pretty well in this French romantic comedy, even if the endgame is (satisfyingly!) predictable. This is the second French romantic comedy I’ve seen, and something about them leaves me a little cold. Are French women...

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Somewhere
Mar05

Somewhere

2010. 97 minutes. Rated R. Nothing much really happens in this slice of life pic. Actor Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) has an endless string of wine, women and song in between gigs to abate his boredom. When his ex decides she needs a break and sends their tweenage daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning) to live with him for a bit, he curbs his behavior, swapping twosomes with pole dancers with guitar hero and homemade eggs benedict (his kid makes...

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Grace and Frankie
Mar04

Grace and Frankie

2015. 25-35 minutes. unrated. Grace and Frankie is a huge hit on Netflix, currently in its fourth season. I started watching it after repeatedly seeing the show’s thumbnail picture which features nothing but a giant purple vibrator. Since the most risque thing I’ve ever watched in my life was the movie Chocolat (starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp), I was perplexed as to why this bulbous lilac monster remained in my recommended...

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127 Hours
Feb25

127 Hours

“These stones never move, they’ve been here for centuries.” 2010. 94 min. Rated R. While hiking through Blue John Canyon in Utah, climber Aron Ralston (James Franco) is caught by his forearm when the rock he’s standing on gives way and pinions him against the wall in a crevice. I’m not much of a climber (but enojy a little rock-scrambling). I prefer company in the great outdoors. I’m sort of...

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