A Big Movie

Terrence Malick has a made a big movie with “The Tree of Life”. It’s big in its imagery, themes, performances; even the little details are big. But what else is to be expected from a movie that is about the creation of the world?

Some critics will argue that the majority of the opening is a glorified program that would be better placed on the Discovery Channel than in a movie theater. What these critics have wrong is that the Discovery Channel has never produced something as beautiful and as well done as this movie, which could be considered as Terrence Malick’s masterpiece. The problem with stating your opinion on this movie is that it is the type that if you like it, people will call you a pompous and pretentious asshole, but if you do not like it then you are an idiot and just did not “get it.” So what am I? Well, I guess you would have to say that I’m a pretentious asshole because I loved it. “The Tree of Life” is a gorgeous, wonderful film that despite containing the grandest themes of love and life is anchored into personal and human connections through the riveting performances of Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain.

I know that it’s not in too many theaters (I made an hour commute into Boston to watch it in the only theater that’s screening it in Massachusetts, and likely New England) but if it is at all possible make sure you see it while it is in theaters. There is something magical about this movie and it is simply awe-inspiring to see it on the big screen. It is movies like this that make me so angry that James Cameron’s “Avatar” was as successful as it was. “The Tree of Life” will make a fraction of what “Avatar” made at the box office, but the true value of the film is infinitely greater.

Kristen Wiig, I love You, But..

Disclaimer: I love Kristen Wiig. Yes, I ma now groan when I see Target Lady or Penelope, but the first six or seven times they did those skits I fell off the couch laughing every time. I'm the kid who watches "Saturday Night Live" when it airs and then gets annoyed when my friends bring up the sketches three weeks later. On paper, I should love "Bridesmaids". But I don't. And here's two reasons why:

1. I'm not a girl. I think this is the main issue for me and personally I feel that this movie was important for the same reason. Women needed to prove they're funny again. Tin Fey is the only one people ever think about with Ellen DeGeneres stuck in daytime television and Amy Poehler hidden in the underrated "Parks and Recreation". Just like women needed someone to stand behind in comedy they also needed some bit of toilet humor that it was socially acceptable to laugh at. At least, that's the only reason I can think of including the scene at the dress fitters.

2. I could barely sit through all two hours with this movie and watch Kristen Wiig's character self-destruct like she does. Some may argue that that didn't worry them because it's a comedy and therefore there's no reason to worry, everything was guaranteed to turn out well. Well, I disagree, her character was so self-destructive I honestly couldn't believe her character was real anymore and that everything would turn out all right.

Yes, it has some funny parts and I really, really wanted to like it. I just couldn't.

X-Men from the 60s

I really suck at posting on a regular basis and I'm making a serious effort now of turning that around. I've seen a s*** ton of movies the past week so hopefully that will help!

Let's start with the most recent superhero movie (and I'm not counting Green Lantern, because well-to be completely honest, it looks awful and a movie entirely done with CGI is not my cup of tea) so I'm obviously talking about X-Men: First Class. I, myself, am not a big superhero/comic book kind of guy, but the current crop of Superhero movies usually draw one or two big names (Iron Man, The Dark Knight, etc.) and that's enough to get me to watch it (plus they're generally pretty kick ass. The X-Men trilogy marathon on FX last week, my newfound love for Jennifer Lawrence, combined with my admiration for James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender was enough to get me to see it opening night.

X-Men: First Class is perfect for the average movie goer and even better for anyone who has seen the other X-Men movies. I'm not entirely familiar with the mythology of the characters so any references to other parts of the franchise I completely eat up. In fact, Wolverine's cameo had my brother laughing for a whole five minutes after it happened. Not to mention, it's a pretty movie (and the 1960s is just a fun time to place a movie). But I'm not going to waste your time with my mediocre opinion on the superhero aspect, instead just read this (incredible) article from Darren Franich over at Entertainment Weekly.

I will leave with one last thought of why this movie works so well at this current period we live in and why it connects with so many audiences today, despite it taking place in the 1960s. Everything about this movie is a flawless combination of 1960s culture and culture in the 2000s. The wardrobe, technology, even characters habits find the even ground between the two and at the same time create a nostalgia for that time that we can all understand from our vantage point in the present.

Every Teardop Is A Waterfall

I just can't help myself from loving this song.

And by this song I mean "Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall" by Coldplay. It is the lead single from their new album (but there is some debate over that.. there's a possibility it's just a one off for the festivals this summer). It's got single written all over it, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. ETIAW is the perfect song to be blasting in your car with the windows rolled down this summer and that's fully what I expect to happen.

But everything about this song on paper means that I shouldn't like it. Do the lyrics really make much sense? No, not really. The title sure doesn't fit the song at all. There are a whopping total of two (yes, two) chords for the entire song (Dsus2 and A, if I'm not mistaken). The only redeeming value that this song has is that crazy guitar riff, but even that can only take it so far.

So why do I love it? It's infectious and happy, and who couldn't use some more of that in their lives? It's definitely going to be an anthem for the summer, just like "Viva La Vida" was back in 2008. But more than anything: it's Coldplay.

Why Hype Sucks

I love movies. There I said it, and I doubt that it comes as much of a surprise. The first thing I do when I go on my computer is head to IMDb and check out any new news or trailers that they've posted. So naturally, I get sucked up into all the hype and even create some of it with my own friends. But I need to stop.

After the whole "Sucker Punch" fiasco, where I totally blew the whole movie out of proportion, I really have to slow down my endorsement and excitement over movies. With "X-Men: First Class" coming out on Friday and "Cowboys & Aliens" later this summer my willpower is going to be pushed to the test. In order to do that I just have to remind myself how useless and even negative hype can be.

First, for myself, I know that I'm going to see the movie and there's no need to convince myself that it's going to be amazing and I need to see it, I know I'll see it anyways. But the more important fact that I need to remind myself of is that when I build movies up, there's no way that it will meet expectations. When I'm watching the movie I'm only thinking about how I need to like the movie or all the reasons why from the advertising and hype that I should like the movie. And it doesn't matter what the movie is actually like, it's a completely mental and psychological game at that point.

I don't know, sorry if you had to read all this. I'm just thinking out loud.

No Hangover This Time Around

By now we've all read plenty of reviews of "The Hangover: Part II" saying it's a repeat of the first, so I don't need to mention the stars (Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms) and I don't need to include that it made over $100 million dollars in the domestic box office by Sunday ($137.4 million to be precise). It's still a great movie in its own right, and the characters are equally defined and hilarious in this installment.

What I will do instead is wonder aloud about the numerous Billy Joel references in the movie

1. Above Alan's bed is a giant poster of the cover art to Billy Joel's 1980 album "Glass Houses"
2. During one of the landscape montages, Billy Joel's 1989 song "The Downeaster Alexa" plays (the irony about this, is that I was watching it in a theater on Nantucket, one of the places in the song, but unfortunately no one else in the theater picked up on that)
3. Stu's song in this movie is "Alan Town" a clever play on Billy Joel's 1982 song "Allentown"

I'm sure there are more references that I didn't pick up on, but it's cool that Todd Phillips threw them in there. I'm sure I'll be watching it again, so I can pick up more of the references and I can actually try and hear all of the jokes over every laughing this time.

SPICYYYYYY

Super delicious awesome tasty awesomesauce sandwich from The Dancing Pickle for lunch today. I went back to an old favorite for me: the Chicken Finger Wrap. This sandwich has everything: boneless chicken strips, lettuce, tomato, bell peppers and chipotle mayo. I'd rather not dissect the sandwich too much, as I might ruin the magic behind it, but if you're on Nantucket this weekend for the Figawi Race, stop in and check it out.

Interestingly enough, for the second day in a row, I have had a spicy sandwich with chipotle mayo. It's delicious and I'm not 100% sure why I'm so into it this week, but this might have something to do with it.