Movie Executive to Boy Actor in Film: So you just had your moment [referring to the red carpet entrance]. How was it?
Boy Actor: Oh it was moment...esque.
I laughed as I was frantically, DESPERATELY searching for a pen to record that insipid but humorous remark.
NO ONE FUCKING HAD A PEN!
"Can I borrow a pen?" I asked everyone.
One Stupid Bitch: Um, can I, like, give it to you later?
Yummicoco: I just want to quickly jot something down...
One Stupid Bitch: But, it's like at the bottom of my bag...
Normal Adolescent Behavior was a little too sexy for a teen movie but I really liked it. Amber Tamblyn plays a 17 year old girl who is sexually involved with 5 other people. By the time, Amber's character finally decides to leave the group in order to exclusively fuck the boy next door, it was time for me to leave for the panel discussion featuring Rosario Dawson, Julie Delpy, Eva Mendez and Julia Stiles.
Overheard in the Ladies' Bathroom:
"THEY WERE LAUGHING AT HER."
I knew right away that they were talking about Julie Delpy and her incessantly talking about wanting to create a Japanese war movie. I was really impressed with Rosario Dawson who came off super smart and ambitious.
I left feeling pumped, like, "I can do this!".
Then I went home and went to sleep.
FILM RECAP
Suburban Girl
A mildly enjoyable adaptation that unfortunately lacks the spark of Melissa Bank’s novel The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing, results in a chick flick that is tepid at best. Baldwin (in the Mr. Big school of New York high lifers) as Archie does his best to charm as mentor and lover to Gellar’s 24-year-old fledgling book editor, but the couple can’t overcome their soggy chemistry. But go see it!
Despite the problems, the films greatest strength is its stars. Baldwin’s comedic timing is impeccable as always, while Sarah Michelle Gellar inhabits her role with great conviction as the aspirant junior editor.
Ironically, as Baldwin's Archie is slowly revealed, it becomes apparent that his character’s life mirrors that of his own in real life. He's divorced. He's estranged from his daughter. He hasn't spoken to her in years and is resigned to just leaving her voicemails. He is an alcoholic struggling with his sobriety. Regardless, he emanates an irresistible appeal on screen, which is entertaining and mesmerizing.
SUNDAY: AIR I BREATHE PREMIERE
The Air I Breathe is stunning in many ways. It should be established right from the start that this is not a movie, which allows you to check your brain at the door. It demands your attention and thought. You actually have to think! It stars Andy Garcia, Brendan Fraser, Cecilia Suárez, Clark Gregg, Emile Hirsch, Forest Whitaker, John Cho, Julie Delpy, Kelly Hu, Kevin Bacon and Sarah Michelle Gellar.
At the premiere, Andy Garcia wore an ascot and Brendan Fraser (slightly balding) looked intimidating. Emile Hirsch, Forest Whitaker (who did not attend the premiere), John Cho (did not like him in West 32nd this week), Julie Delpy, and Sarah Michelle Gellar as a pop star round out the cast. The movie is based on a Chinese proverb that breaks life down into four emotional cornerstones - Happiness (played by Whitaker), Pleasure (Fraser), Sorrow (Gellar) and Love (Bacon)—these emotions are not captured as isolated fragments of feelings, but as elements that make up the whole of the human existence. Similarly, the main characters from which each of the four emotions is based travel on paths that are inextricably linked to one another.
Director Jieho Lee and co-writer Bob DeRosa have crafted an intriguing work that leaves more questions than answers. They were there too but no one in my section wanted to talk to them. Sarah Michelle (looking calm and collected in purple Chanel) gave Bob a kiss just before her publicist pointed to me so I could ask my question. This unconventional story does not contain the major character arcs that most films present. Forest Whitaker and Brendan Fraser work especially well in this unstructured format delivering solid performances. Sarah Michelle Gellar shows much range as the emotionally tortured pop star that is sure to surprise audiences.
Kevin Bacon was at the premiere--reminding me of a weird six degree meet 4 emotions- interlocked-sandwich. Kevin Bacon is a delight and is perfectly cast as a would-be hero, while Emile Hirsch (did not see him there) provides some comic relief in his brief appearance.
Pretty heavy but really beautiful to watch. The Air I Breathe offers fascinating visual effects despite the fact that it is not a big budget film. Hand-held cameras were used for close-ups of the more chilling parts to create tension and suspense. Alfred Hitchcock would have been proud.
Secret Fave: Numb
Not sure when this comes out but I loved this movie. Definite cult classic material starring Matthew Perry. Perry plays a screenwriter stricken with depersonalization which is a rare form of depression. He's so sad he can only stomach the Golf Channel and shoplifting. Kevin Pollak is hilarious as his overeating writing partner.
Surprised that I liked it: Blue State
What starts with this simple "what-if" premise, becomes something else—a love story, a road trip film, a coming-of-age story—yet director Marshall Lewy ably maintains a gentle symmetry as the young blogger realizes that his trip to Winnepeg, Canada is not all that it is cracked up to be. There's not a great deal amiss with the acting, especially from the surprisingly delightful Breckin Meyer who fully delivers on the promise of such roles as in Go and Kate and Leopold by bringing sensitivity to the role of the politically aware blogger—albeit without ever coming close to reminding me that he was once the star of Garfield, The Movie.
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