The Pop Culture Addict’s Blog

Well, the most productive thing I’ve done today may have been putting a new charm on my cell phone. It is actually the second one I’ve tried. The first one was really cute but too big and it ended up falling off (don’t worry, I still have it but it won’t work as a charm anymore). Also, I re-read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – over the period of a few days, not just today. It was just as great as the first time. Actually, it was better because I just re-read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

I have been renting movies that I know aren’t supposed to be great but I’ve been enjoying them somewhat. The Invisible was watchable. I’m interested in seeing the Swedish movie it is based on. Actually, it is based on a Swedish book which I also wouldn’t mind reading – in English. I don’t read Swedish.

I rented Premonition starring Sandra Bullock and it really wasn’t as horrible as it looks. I can’t explain why I wanted to see it. I guess I thought it would be entertaining enough and it was.

Next up are Rush Hour 3 and The Nanny Diaries. Don’t know how those will be. Oh, I saved the best for last. For some inexplicable reason, I really want to see Kickin’ It Old Skool. So, I rented it. I will watch it tonight.

Oh, I did go see The Kite Runner. I hadn’t read the book but knew enough about the plot to expect it to be on the dark side. Well, the kids were good and the movie seemed to capture the feeling of being in Afghanistan during that time period. Harsh story though.

I still want to see the National Treasure sequel but that will have to wait. Also on the quality note, I re-watched Once. Very charming.

I guess I’ll go see how bad Kickin’ It Old Skool is!

Oh, I’m also totally entralled with Ruth Reichl’s book Comfort Me With Apples. I had recently read Tender at the Bone so this is a nice follow up.

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Well, now that I’ve re-watched Superbad and Knocked Up, I’ve started re-watching Undeclared. What a gem. And I dug up Freaks and Geeks too from the pile. I might have to go through that series again too. I suppose this writers’ strike is contributing to my dvd watching. But I’m glad to be making use of my library!

Also, after watching Superbad and then seeing the excellent Juno, I’ve been re-watching Arrested Development. Then again, I’m always watching Arrested Development. That show never gets old! And Michael Cera is a superstar. I admit I just dl’d his and Ellen Page’s version of Anyone Else But You.

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I just finished powering through the 30 Rock Season 1 dvd set. It really held up. I got it on a whim a couple of months ago and only just broke it out this week. Such brilliant writing and execution.

I also watched those Jack McBrayer shorts on funnyordie.com. I was watching The Hills parody with James Franco and Mila Kunis. I have to say, I do love the Kenneth character but Jack McB is the same in everything he does. I noticed he was in Talladega Nights. But as Kenneth the Page, he is spot on. Also, he is great as a talk show guest. Very amusing.

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Just a quick note to say that I had seen a few of Johnny Depp’s scenes from Sweeney Todd at this special Tim Burton event earlier this month (or was it last month?). I was still on the fence about the movie. Also, I’ve seen the classic Angela Lansbury version on PBS and I saw the acclaimed Broadway revival actors/singers as musicians version last year with Michael Cerveris and Patti Lupone. So it’s in my pop culture consciousness. But I really liked the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp version. Sure, Helena Bonham Carter doesn’t have the strongest or most interesting singing voice, but it worked. She is a strong enough actor to sell it. Johnny Depp brought a tortured rock star quality to it. Also, he has the acting chops to pull it off. The kid was good, Sacha Baron Cohen was good. The guy who is as pretty as the girl he loves was fine. The girl had a very nice singing voice and a challenging song to sing. Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall had me thinking of Harry Potter but they were still good in this movie. Sure, it was gory but it was very theatrical. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this.

As an aside, I had very low expectations of Walk Hard and ended up liking the songs and thought it was watchable though not as good a movie overall as Talladega Nights which is along a similar vein. Personally, I want to see that National Treasure sequel. That looks like fun! And no, I have yet to see the #1 movie in Korea, aka August Rush. But I will. Mark my sappy words, I will!

From Variety Asia:

“August Rush” strikes chord in Korea
Written by Han Sunhee Wednesday, 12 December 2007

SEOUL — CJ Entertainment has been enjoying surprising success with musical fantasy drama “August Rush,” which topped the Korean box office for the second consecutive weekend.

Pic opened Nov. 29 on 318 screens with a $2 million weekend take and has grossed $5.8 million to date, seeing a drop of just under 1% in its second weekend. It’s the first foreign film to top the local box office since “The Bourne Ultimatum” 11 weeks ago.

Advance ticket sales indicate that the tear-jerker is still appealing to local auds and playing well on 284 screens.

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I’m starting to feel like writing again but I don’t quite have time. Maybe I’ll try to write more frequently with shorter entries. That probably would be more timely!

Anyway, I just wanted to remind myself that I want to say a few words about There Will Be Blood which I saw last week. OMG. So good. Daniel Day-Lewis was amazing. That kid who played his son was fantastic. Paul Thomas Anderson really impressed me with his skills. I was not a fan of Magnolia. I mean, parts of it were okay like the Tom Cruise storyline but I found it terribly self-indulgent (perhaps unlike my blog – I can accept that!). But There Will Be Blood is truly a work of art.

I guess I just said a few words but I think I have some more thoughts percolating. More later!

EDIT: Oh yeah, I want to remember to say that I was lucky too see a screening with a Q&A with Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Thomas Anderson. Made it more memorable though the movie can stand on its own

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