Once--the New York Times review

I freely admit that I passionately hate A.O. Scott. I think his aesthetic sensibilities are highly questionable, the NY Times is stupid for keeping him on payroll, and he's just an all around prick. In fact, I often see movies just because he panned them. However, giving credit where credit is due: his review of Once is spot on (not just because we agreed on something for a change, but because he actually captures what makes this movie special).

I know it doesn't need to be said anymore, but I absolutely loved this movie and I want EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU TO GO SEE IT. Here, I'll make it easy for you.

New York:
Landmark Sunshine Cinema
143 East Houston Street
11:40 1:40 3:40 4:40 5:40 6:40 7:45 8:40 9:45 10:40

Los Angeles:
ArcLight Hollywood
6360 W Sunset Blvd
12:00 2:20 4:50 7:30 9:40

To sweeten the deal, I am offering to buy a cupcake for anyone who goes to see this movie in NY.

The soundtrack is on sale next Wednesday, 5/22. Once you hear Marketa Irglova sing "If You Want Me," I dare you to NOT buy it.

28 Weeks Later

In reparation for my working in St. Louis last month on the weekend, craphole city that it is, I took a comp day today to chill with my better half. Our main goal for today was to see 28 Weeks Later, which was so EFFING SCARY. Yes, I knew it would be scary, but it was easily scarier than the first one.

Initially, I didn't know if they'd be able to pull off a whole new cast of characters for a sequel, but it worked out great. Stringer Bell was in it and played Stringer Bell (just kidding) and I learned an important lesson. No matter what country you're in, kids are stupid and can never be trusted to follow instructions, even if it means getting mauled to death by a zombie.

Kid: "Dad, can I leave the safe zone to get some stuff back at our old house?"
Dad: "No son, it's dangerous out there because they haven't finished burning all the rage-infected zombie corpses. Besides, didn't you hear all the American soldiers tell you a dozen times that it's dangerous out there and you could spread the rage virus, which has only been tenuously suppressed, and we're still at risk of another outbreak if you leave the safe zone?"
Kid: "But I WANNA GO HOME and get my favorite pair of Vans and pictures of Mom before she became a zombie."
Dad: "You fucking kids will never learn."

Riiiight. Basically, the fate of the world rests with some kid who wants to go home for sneakers and a picture. Fantastic.

UPDATE: Moonrat points out that I didn't actually finish making an argument in this post (d'oh!), so I'll complete that now. Despite my frustration with the fact that the fate of the world is dependent on a couple of irresponsible and selfish pre-teens, this was still an awesome and terrifying movie. Anyone following trailers or who enjoyed 28 Days Later will be surprised by who gets infected and by the arc of this movie. Fortunately 28 Weeks Later was not a victim of the sequel curse, so go see it and bring someone who won't mind you burying your face into their shoulder or clutching tightly.

Spiderman 3

I really, really wanted to like this one, but I knew I wouldn't. This wasn't Spiderman 3, it was Emo-Spidey. The slightly greasy, matted hair, the sullen eyes exaggerated by--I swear--black eyeliner, and the too tight skinny boy jeans? Yeah, you're so bad Spidey.

There were 55 new characters and not one of them was fully developed or entirely likeable and there were 12 different villains in the movie and it was way too long.

Sigh. We know there'll be a fourth one, a fifth one, and maybe a sixth one, so I imagine there's time to recover from this faux pas.

Once

So excited! If all goes well, I'm going to see a free screening of Once at NYU tomorrow night. Here's the quick and dirty movie summary:

A modern day musical set on the streets of Dublin. Featuring Glen Hansard from the Irish band "The Frames," the film tells the story of a street musician and a Czech immigrant during an eventful week as they write, rehearse and record songs that reveal their unique love story.

After the movie, there'll be a Q&A, and a live performance by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (Czech immigrant). Sweet! But, what do I ask? I always like to prepare questions ahead of time, but it's so hard when you're too big of fan. What should I ask?

Q: "Hi, Glen and Marketa. I'm a huge fan of The Frames and of The Swell Season. I was in Dublin with you guys, y'know, ringing in the New Year! I was the Asian girl near the stage...probably a little hard to miss with all the vanilla people around me. Y'know, the one with the camera in your face the whole night? Anyway, I saw you last week when you were in NY. You guys were great! I even got a set list, which was way cool. Anyway, umm, yeah. I didn't really have a question, I guess. It was just a public opportunity to squeal, make inaudible shrill noises, and gush. So, umm, thanks guys!"

No, I can't say that. Someone help me not sound like an ass because without a rehearsal I will say those things above.

Hot Fuzz

Funny, funny movie. The extreme closeups, the frenetic editing of chase scenes, the ridiculous shots of pairs of feet walking...it was great.

However, I'm a douchebag. Will someone please explain to me what Hot Fuzz means? Is this like a British thing? Their version of our Five-O?