george clooney - the descendants

another teary movie about someone facing death. (i guess i shouldn't find this theme so uncommon, considering that everyone dies.) though my fandom for mr clooney would probably have lead me to the same conclusion anyway, i liked this movie a lot. it seemed fairly well written, and the conflict between daughter and dad wasn't overworked. all the characters were pretty true, with the exception of the older daughter's not-quite-boyfriend, sid, who was one character that either 1) we didn't much need or 2) could have been utilized more effectively.

couldn't have cared much less for the subplot regarding the real estate sell off, though others in my particular audience seemed to find it intriguing.

here's my very, very minor quibble: there were a couple of scenes that seemed very poorly shot; was it the lighting? i don't know...they just looked like a student film project.

what was most remarkable: in scenes between clooney and beau bridges, mr. bridges' eyebrows won everytime.

movie catch up

just a few i've seen in the past few weeks:

• J EDGAR: don't get distracted by the really bad acting and the really bad makeup... but what it was missing was scandal or conflict or something. it was made apparent that hoover had inner demons, but what outside forces really threatened him, other than an oddly weak dig by a senator who discovered that hoover allowed hollywood to glorify him. it was entertaining enough, otherwise.
  
  
• IDES OF MARCH: nothing great, but nothing bad. well, george clooney and ryan gosling are both great; but like J EDGAR, above, there was nothing really compelling here.
  
  
• A VERY HAROLD & KUMAR 3D CHRISTMAS: funny continuation of the world's favorite not-gay same sex couple. the drugs are just an excuse for them to be with each other, of course.

lots and lots of really uninteresting trailers playing right now, too.

ryan gosling - drive

we saw the new ryan gosling movie, drive, this past weekend, because if a movie has ryan gosling, we see it (similar to my george clooney rule). this was one of the best movies i've seen in months, months, though i feel uncomfortable recommending it to anyone.

don't be put off by the very 80's neon pink title sequence in the beginning, but do fall in love with the music selected throughout the movie.

also, prepare yourself: ryan's unnamed character, part time getaway driver, part time stunt driver / mechanic, starts out as a not-really-bad guy with a heart of gold; by the middle of the movie, you find out that yeah, he actually is a good guy who does some really awful things.

even as the interactions between the driver and irene are quiet and slow, the love story happens quickly and sweetly, then gets interrupted by the return of a husband. it appears to be restarted, except for a few straggling debts to be paid, which lead to some of the bloodiest, violently goriest scenes i've seen since...well, i don't know when. (i had that feeling of wooziness in parts.)

it's reported that hugh jackman was originally in place for the role of the driver...ugh, that movie would have been completely different, and probably instantly forgettable.

coming soon: ryan gosling and george clooney in the same movie? see you there!

this-that-theother

• i find myself studying my neck everytime i look in the mirror. i'm also watching celebrity necks these days. sally field: much older than me, and arguably the most obvious neck-age on tv right now. george clooney: closer to my age, in his last movie, his neck-age is pretty obvious.
  
  
  
• echo & the bunnymen track: proxy. look at them now!
  
  
  
• i had to confirm with the admin assistant that at least one other coworker in our office is older than i am. and yes...there is exactly one. by two years.
  
  
  
• superman movie tease

  Nolan said that he admired Singer's film, especially the way it connected in to director Richard Donner's version of Superman and the first two movies starring Reeve. Nolan added, though, that this new movie will stand on its own.

2011 prediction!

okay, so george clooney didn't win anything last night at the oscars. that's fine, we like jeff bridges, and didn't LOVE up in the air. clooney puts out like 14 movies a year, so i'm making what some may call a premature prediction for oscars 2011:

best actor in a leading role: george clooney

and you can quote me.

the husband and i watched at a friend's house; those attending threw $5 into a kitty (total pot: $40 -- i have very nonparticipatory friends), and made their best guesses as to who would win. by the end of the night, the husband and i came in THIRD! against two cards, both of whom acknowledged that they hadn't seen any of the nom'd movies for the year.

i guess being informed did not offer us much in the way of a winning hand.

up in the air

dear project leader:

day two of 50 days of 50 greatest things: today, george clooney.

i went to see up in the air yesterday, solo (the husband had a class reunion-type thingy). i liked the movie...it's no "best picture" thing, to be sure, but enjoyable to watch. what is it, that i am so glamoured by mr clooney? don't know...i appreciate his graceful aging process, for one thing. but more than anything, he's just...charming. he smiles, i smile. he frowns, still, i smile. he furrows his brow, and i smile.

not so many actors can do this, can they?

back to the movie: traveling corporate man meets a female counterpart, and they bond over their lack of roots. not so ironically, his job is tearing up people from their own roots, firing people in downsizing companies. meanwhile, corporate man has to train a newbie, in order to save his own job. about 2/3 the way through, i was thinking, "do i like this?" i think there was a lull of "okay, they've played this already". but by the predictably tidy end, i was back onboard, and decided that i actually liked it.

thanks to mr clooney, no doubt.