The Pop Culture Addict’s Blog

The first one was so unexpected and and underdoggedly funny. It successfully did what the excellent Aliens in America does – entertains us and makes its points about tolerance. It left me wanting to see what happened next immediately. Instead, we had to wait 4 years. But you know what, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay sustains the magic of the first one but explores a different direction – just to keep our (and that of everyone involved) interest up. Harold and Kumar 2 is way more over the top and fantastical. If you want realism, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle actually has it. H&K 2 just decides to throw realism to the wind and go into the land of Zucker, Abrahams & Zucker of Airplane and Top Secret fame. Some of it worked better than other parts. But the characters are still appealing and funny though the humor remains very male-centric. It was one of those rare movies where the line at the men’s room was out the door while the women’s room barely had anyone in it. The last time I remember that happening was at the Hong Kong movie festival in the Village.

I’m such a fan of 30 Rock. It is sublime. It is accessible. It is everything I want in a half hour comedy. Baby Mama was cute enough. Despite having seen the trailer and ads many times, I managed to be surprised by some twists and turns. There were a surprising number of kids at the show I attended. I guess baby surrogacy is more kid-friendly than I thought. Or there is a dearth of kid-friendly movies out there. Speaking of which, I still want to see The Forbidden Kingdom and I look forward to Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.

The Little Flower of East Orange

Went to the Public Theater to see The Little Flower of East Orange. It is by Stephen Adly Guirgis and directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman starring Ellen Burstyn. Interesting. Michael Shannon was good. I liked him much better than in Bug. I think I just wasn’t that into the movie (Bug) (didn’t see the play). It was a little too nail on the head for me or something. I don’t know. The sister, Elizabeth Canavan, was good too. All of the actors were into it. For me, it took a while to get into the rhythm of the play – especially the hospital part which is most of it. But then it got interesting enough. And it was on the short side (about 2 hours vs the typical 3) so I managed to get through without taking a culture nap. [This is a term I just coined. It means a catnap taken during a cultural event whether it be a movie, play or concert - typically classical. I happen to be a pro at it! Its occurrence in no way reflects the quality of the event. It just means I was tired. Or the conditions were right for a nap. I'm sure there are others out there who know what I'm talking about! Feel free to use it. As in, "The move was good but I took a culture nap so I missed the pivotal reconciliation scene."]

LOST

Lost is so good. If, as a fan, you left last season, you should come back because the writers and actors are really stepping it up. Ben is so good at being creepy. People are saying it and I have to jump on this bandwagon Michael Emerson totally deserves recognition for his incredible acting on this show! Also, though not Ben-centric, The Constant was still the best episode ever as I (and many other fans) have noted. I can’t imagine how this season is going to end. I read somewhere that the ending will make us viewers wonder how the show will flash-forward or backwards again! What could that mean? I’m so excited to find out! I only recently started reading Doc Jensen’s Lost commentary at ew.com. Fun stuff. I also read Watch With Kristin’s Lost Re-dux every week and the tvguide.com Lost blog. Occasionally I will stray and read more fanboy/fangirl stuff but once we get into easter eggs, then I start to feel guilty. And I try to live a guilt-free existence! But the writers really know how to make you want to know everything there is to know about the show and speculate and speculate and speculate!

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So I finally watched Bordertown in its entirety. The story is interesting and worth telling but the movie itself fell short. There were good elements. The writer/director, Gregory Nava, has decent work in his portfolio. Certainly Antonio Banderas, Martin Sheen and even Jennifer Lopez all have done more than watchable movies before. The story is based on facts about Juarez, a bordertown in which factories put out electronics for trade. It is a very anti-NAFTA, anti-big corporation, government cover-up movie. The women who work in the factories have a rough life and in real life, they were being victimized terribly. I watched the movie to support my fellow PCA, Jorge Urzua. He played a police officer. I have to say, in all honesty, he was the best thing in the movie. He was very natural and charismatic. He can be proud of his work in the movie. JLo’s hair looked incredible. I wouldn’t mind having such pretty hair all the time. I suppose she had hair and makeup touching her up every few minutes. I guess I would need a crew to follow me around to ensure not a hair fell out of place and that my coloring was just right.

The Forbidden Kingdom

I haven’t seen it yet but I want to even though it looks a bit dubious. I am a fan of both Jet Li and Jackie Chan. A fellow PCA said the only thing he really enjoyed was one fight sequence and the cute girls. I know I’m not the only one who distinctly remembers Jet Li saying Fearless would be his last martial arts movie. He wanted to do serious acting. Incidentally, he was really good in Unleashed. That one surprised me, I must say. Anyway, I think I will try to see The Forbidden Kingdom in the theater. It just looks like fun. And I’m totally fine with Jet Li changing his mind about retiring from kung fu movies and making more of them afterall.

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I forgot to mention this cd I’ve been listening to. It benefits a good cause.

Proceeds go to The San Diego Foundation’s After-The-Fires Fund 2007, one of the most reputable non-profit organizations in San Diego, helping the 1,500 families that have lost their homes during the fires. While the money raised will go to The San Diego Foundation to assist the community and families in need now, a portion of that will also go to the Fireman’s Fund, to replenish resources and ensure firefighters have the equipment they need.

I heard about through Jason Mraz’ blog. These are the tracks on it:

01 SWITCHFOOT | Rebuild
(featuring Matt Thiessen and Dustin Ruth)
02 GREG LASWELL | Do What I Can
03 ANGELS & AIRWAVES | Sirens
04 TRISTAN PRETTYMAN | Love Love Love
05 A.J. CROCE | Lying On The Ground
06 MARRIED BY ELVIS | Mama Was Miss Ventura
07 CARLOS OLMEDA | Mi Lelolai A Mi Yaweh
08 GREGORY PAGE | Ocean Of Memories
09 EVE SELIS | Show Me What Love Is
10 JASON MRAZ | Silent Love Song
(featuring Raining Jane)
11 ANYA MARINA | Not A Through Street
12 STEVE POLTZ | I Believe
13 GET BACK LORETTA | Gotta Believe
14 ALEX WOODARD | Mountain Town
15 VOICES OF PRAYZE | After The Rain
16 BUSHWALLA | Mahem Is Beautiful
(featuring Dawn Mitschele)
17 MOLLY JENSON | Thank You My Friend
18 TIM FLANNERY | Ring Around The Sun

I really enjoyed Season 1 of Greek but I haven’t been able to fit Season 2 into my schedule. I need to catch up online. Another show I want to watch but can hardly keep up with is Jamie Oliver’s new cooking show Jamie At Home. His garden is amazing. And the guy really likes chili peppers. He has an entire greenhouse dedicated to growing them. Another show I totally missed was Autism the Musical on HBO. But time constraints have prevented this. I need my 8th day just for downtime and enjoyment of pop culture.

But despite my other obligations, I do manage to fit in enough. I saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall and found it very cute. Not for the little ones but I think fans of Judd Apatow and Co. will like it well enough. Jason Segel is appealing. Mila Kunis is surprisingly likable in this very un-That 70’s Show role. Kristen Bell works out like nobody’s business as evidenced by her bikini-clad self. I was a fan of Veronica Mars and wished it had another season or so but Kristen Bell certainly keeps working we don’t have to miss seeing her around.

I didn’t mention seeing Run Fatboy Run earlier because I found it just so-so. Simon Pegg is cool and there were funny moments. But I think you can wait until cable.

I don’t believe I ever spoke much about seeing Francis Ford Coppola’s movie Youth Without Youth. It is definitely not for everyone but it was interesting. Tim Roth did a great job in a difficult role. So did his female lead Alexandra Maria Lara. They were all at the screening I attended. Francis Ford Coppola spoke of being surprised and fortunate that his vineyard ended up being so lucrative. He said it allowed him to fulfill his desire to be a “25-year old independent film-maker” and make Youth Without Youth. It was really cool to see and hear Tim Roth in person. He came off as sincere and funny. Also, it was clear he liked working on this movie.

Okay, let’s see if I can keep up with my new rigorous schedule of weekly entries! Till next week or sooner!

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My Blueberry Nights wasn’t as awful as people made it out to be. Norah Jones was perfectly watchable. They all had the same bone structure- Norah Jones, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz and even David Strathairn. I enjoyed the Wong Kar Wai flow of things. It was beautifully shot. The themes were familiar. He grew up in a night club hence another night club setting. I liked what A. O. Scott said about how Wong Kar Wai makes familiar settings his own. So yes, the cute cafe Jude Law owns is not to be found in NYC but I still found charm in it’s fictional existence. Also, I don’t know what the gambling link is in his own life, but Gong Li played a professional gambler in 2046 and Natalie Portman plays a gambler in My Blueberry Nights. She did a good job. I would say the movie was just a bit slim. I liked what I saw but I could’ve taken in more of everyone and everything for a fuller experience.

So I was chatting with a fellow PCA who checks in regularly for updates and she was like, it’s a letdown when I check and there’s nothing new. Then I told her that it’s a letdown for me too! I also check in for updates and I manage to be both surprised and disappointed. Ridunkulous I know. If there were updates, they would be sleepwalking ones. This is my deal: I like to wait until inspiration hits before I write. Also, I like to live without deadlines self-imposed or otherwise as a reminder that I did finally finish writing my dissertation and no longer need to have anxiety dreams about missing deadlines. But I decided I am going to tighten my loose structure of posting 2x a month to weekly at a minimum! So watch out. You might get more than you wanted of my ramblings.

I have still been on my dedicated roll of re-watching Buffy the Vampire Season and Angel on dvd. I just finished watching Buffy season 5 and have to say once again, the ending is so perfect. When Buffy makes that realization of how to save Dawn, it fits so well with the rest of the mythology. It is slayer heroism exemplified perfectly.

So I’ve been listening to the new Gnarls Barkley album The Odd Couple. I enjoyed watching them on SNL last week. I don’t have any favorites yet but I think the whole album has stuff going on. They have the pressure of living up to the phenomenon caused by their debut album. I am trying to approach The Odd Couple as a new album by a new group to shake the sophomore slump predisposition.

At some point in my near future, I must do a serious viewing of Bordertown to support my buddy Antonio Banderas. I may or may not be kidding. I will tell you after I see the movie.

I’m looking forward to the return of Burn Notice on tv. I saw that Season 1 will be available on dvd in June.

I was putting music on my friend’s iPod at her bidding when I suddenly said, oops, I think I just put an inordinate amount of High School Musical 2 on it. She was like, hold up, is there actually an allowable amount? The answer is, yes. All of the Sharpay and Ryan songs are cool.

So I finally got around to starting to read what EW called the best book of 2007. It is The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver. The twist is that at a crucial point where the protagonist could kiss someone and go one way or not kiss him and have her life go another way, the book shows what happens both ways. I read up until the kiss and then I got distracted by the works of ME Kerr and Rex Stout. It was somewhat related to what was heavier to carry around. Anyway, I will have to tell you later what I think of Post Birthday World but so far it’s good!

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