Fenxy

Into the Wild is a great call. Right now I'm pecking away at The Great Deluge, which is pretty damn good. And I always recommend people read Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks.

I actually enjoyed it, the abrupt ending. Like jen said you could look at it a bunch of different ways. I saw all the suspicious looking people as representing possibility. The editing at the end was great at developing tension, and I thought it was used to highlight this point. That Tony lives in a world where everyone is suspect.

And when Meadow was running towards the restaurant the last sound you hear before it goes black is the ring of the door chime. I assumed she made it into the place. Thus the sound, and the completion of the family.

You know, Tony's with his family. They're doing good, but he still lives in a volatile landscape of deception and possible death. The ending juxtaposed those two worlds. It's sort of a "more of the same" conclusion. He could die in that restaurant. Or not. We don't know and neither does he. He never did. I thought it was fitting.

What a great question Summer. Superfreak made me chuckle. At this particular point in time, though it'd probably change if you asked me tomorrow, which may betray a lack of thought about it, I'd have to say the Welcome Back, Kotter Theme song, or maybe Simon and Garfunkel's 59th St. Bridge Song.

I'm a sports talk junkie. It's pretty much the only thing I listen to in the car. ESPN radio is entertaining, Jim Rome can be fun, but I love listening to the regional sports talk. Down here in Alabama football's a religion unto itself. They just got 92,000 to show up for an Alabama spring practice game. Had to close the gates on another 5,000. It's Saban-mania in full force, but the regional sports talk is great. I get a kick out of the Auburn vs. Alabama and SEC smack that goes on. So in the home it's all music, but in the car all talk.

I'm with you Josh. I mean, Meatloaf singing Hot Patootie Bless My Soul, what's not to love.

I don't pay her much mind one way or the other. Guess she's never really appealed to me, but I wouldn't say I dislike her or she annoys me. I did read an article about her today in the USAToday. It had a bunch of her rants/quips. Goes to show throwing out dramatic statements sells. As RightOn pointed out she brought in more viewers and made a bunch of money for ABC.

I watched a flick called the Reflecting Skin back in college. I didn't know what the hell was going on, and I'm pretty good at letting weird movies be weird. This one was just "huh?". Memento was a great mind scramble , and Donnie Darko as many have already pointed out.

RightOn has a good call with Apocalypse Now. Easy enough to follow along, but man, it hit me emotionally the first time I saw it. Same with Bloody Sunday. I thought that film was brilliant.

Dead Presidents is a great soundtrack, and, what the hell, I'll say it, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Watched Half Neslon recently which I thought was great, rightly praised. The family scene was terrific, people just missing each other, sad. The Science of Sleep is sitting on the DVD player, kinda been putting it off but happy to hear y'all liked it.

I'll have to check that out, consider it on my Netflix queue. Thanks RightOn... I don't realy feel like I have the knowldge or expertise to say but I'd agree a staged musical is probably a better than its movie incarnation. A more interactive and dynamic expereince but again I'm no expert. Maybe something along the lines of how people typically claim the book is better than the movie version.

Yeah Grease 2 is not a good movie by any stretch but it's got nostalgic value for me which trumps the merits of its artistic value.

Les Miserables is a play I'd love to see. Not familiar with Bye Bye Birdie other than recognizing the name.

Funny I was talking about this with my wife yesterday as I was listening to my favorite artist, Bob Marley. So I'll say Time Will Time by him.

Though if you're not around to crack the whip Nicole :) the answer might change if I was asked tomorrow.

I loved the movie Grease. Funny thing with movie musicals is I'm always filled with anticipatory dread before watching them but typically end up thinking they were great. Thought I'd hate Chicago. Loved it. Thought I'd fall asleep watching Moulin Rouge!. Thought it was brilliant.

I also have a soft spot for Grease 2 and the Rocky Horror Picture Show might be my favorite movie musical.

So what musicals have you been in? I've only seen Guys and Dolls on stage but have always wanted to watch Sweeney Todd. Now that Tim Buton and Johnny Depp are making the movie I'll probably see it on scene before I see it on stage.

Rich is right. Damn hard. But without a lot of thought, and it would certainly change if you asked again tomorrow, here's what pops out:

Wonderboys
Nobody's Fool
Midnight Run
Amores Perros
Bloody Sunday (Paul Greengrass one)
The Sweet Smell of Success
Bad News Bears (the original)
Rebecca / Rear Window
The Last Temptation of Christ
Alien

I thought it was great. The quirky character movie is becoming a bit of a cliche but I agree with the lot of you. It felt real to me or at least it had depth, didn't try to hard to make you fall in love with the quirks.

Steve Carell's performance surprised me. One of my overlooked gems of the year. I'd put him in my short list of best supporting actors this year. If I had such a list which I do not. It kinda reminded me of Bobby Cannavale's role in Station Agent which I thought was one of the best of 2003. A bit out of nowhere.

Richard Pryor was an amazing comic. I might have to go with him. While I'm not exactly ga-ga over some of his movies these days, Robin Williams was a force of nature back in his early stand up days. I think he was absurdly brilliant. Of course he was snorting coke by the trash bag but man he could go on a riff like no other.

I remember listening to a Cheech and Chong record around the sixth grade that made me laugh for days. I'm not saying they're titans of comedy but I got a kick out of it. Something with a cop in a classroom and a basketball jones song. My memory fails me. There's a joke in that suppose.

Because I played it till my mom wanted to jab a butchers knife in her ears I'll go with the Chipmunks Christmas Album. Jewel's is nice also.

I don't remember if it was the first one, think so, but I caught the Grateful Dead at Madison Square Garden in 1990. Either than or a James Taylor concert. I can't remember exactly.

Rick Springfield seanrox. Being a child of the eighties I'm not to proud to say I wish I saw that. My wife hates that "Voices Carry" song. I'm a big fan.

"We hope you'll enjoy the rest of your flight. By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?"

Hands down The House of the Dead, dreadful movie.

I'll throw out a few that pop into my head first. I loved seanrox's pick of Sneakers, solid fick, underrated, and stefani's pick of Eliabeth I & II reminded me of Elizabeth (not sure if it's the same film, probably not), Cate Blanchett eats it up in Elizabeth. Good movie. How about:

- Wonder Boys (Michael Douglas's best role, well, this and Wall Street)
- Midnight Run (Grodin and DeNiro are great together)
- Nobody's Fool (Newman was robbed of an Oscar)
- The Sweet Smell of Success (an oldie but worth a viewing)
- Bloody Sunday (the Paul Greengrass one, one of the best films this decade, imo)

Those come to mind...

Thanks JPhill, it's good to share a tissue sometimes. Actually another note about Weekend Movies made me think of dropping this one. Talk of sad endings and all.

The Notebook seems to be a popular pick. My wife starts crying when she sees a notebook now. She loved it. Me, not so much, but being the sappy sort I might have gotten a little choked up.

Watership Down was a good call karmatosed. That one always gets to me. Love Song for Bobby Long, another of my wife's favorites, choked me up pretty good.

I vaguely remember watching Old Yeller but can't recall if I cried or not. It was a long, long time ago. Probably did.

seanrox, I didn't know this, thanks. I'll have to check this out. I honestly have never watched VH1 but if they're giving the 80's love I'll shower some of mine on 'em. Thanks again.

I didn't know that, does she? I honestly haven't read a thing about it. I've only seen the trailer. I'm kinda assuming he tries to stop her from ruining his life, as he sees it. If he spends the whole movie trying and then dies, that's a bummer. Actually that makes me think of a new Note. Thanks Scrivs.

Thundarr the Barbarian and that Dungeons and Dragons one come to mind. I miss the 80's sometimes.

Pretty sure the family will hit up a movie this Sunday and it's between:

-Borat
-Babel
-Stranger Than Fiction

We'll probably end up watching Borat, maybe Babel. Harsh Times looks good to me. Christian Bale's a fine actor and that director there, David Ayer, knows how to make that type of movie well.

Training Day of course but even Dark Blue, which he wrote, was a solid flick. I thought. I like how a reviewer described Harsh Times on Metacritic, "If Martin Scorsese were 30 and a Los Angeleno, he'd be making movies much like this one."

The "real Borat," I didn't know that. I find it funny... and kinda sad too.

That 300 trailer is nice and Office Space is classic. Good call seanrox. Someone edited together a trailer of Office Space to make the movie look like a thriller. You can check it out at YouTube. Pretty clever.

I enjoyed the new Bee Movie trailer with Seinfeld and Chris Rock simply because it's different. The standard use-clips-from-the-movie trailers get a little tired.

People who seem intent on insisting their dogs shouldn't act like one. It gets to me being a dog owner. I understand it's a domesticated animal but allow it the pleasure of acting like a dog from time to time.

Dogs want to be with other dogs. They want to sniff each other's asses. They want to hump each other. They want to wrestle and snarl. I don't like it when owners get uptight when their dog has the temerity to act like one.

My two cents here but I'd have to go with the Godfather movies as the greatest trilogy of all time. The third wasn't as strong as the first and second but it beats all others in my book.

I believe Scrivs summed up my feelings on the matter:

I: Stunk
II: Stunk Less
III: Not So Stinky

I feel they all lack depth. It's supposed to be a classic tragedy, the fall of Anakin, but Lucas managed to turn it into a story about a whiny, petulant teenager/young man.

You're kinda kept at a distance the whole story. The people become caricatures of themselves. I felt the Matrix trilogy quickly unraveled into a glorious mess but I'd take that trilogy over the second Star Wars one.

My parents took me and my sister to see Poltergeist when I was a little dude. Ten maybe? That tree scared the crap out of me.

I remember some late seventies flick about a House that possessed a Father. He went bat shit on his loving family. I watched it on TV with my Dad. That one sticks with me. Can't recall the title but it wasn't The Amityville Horror.

It had its moments but overall I was a bit underwhelmed. I love the show but this episode didn't do it for me. It's the season premier. I want to reconnect with all the characters not just three. I understand now that the group is broken up there's even more narratives to follow. Nonetheless.

I did like how Juliet screwed with Jack. Saywer had his Sawyer-esque moments. They basically reduced Kate to a pretty dress and some furtive looks. I don't know, the whole episode felt sluggish. Almost like the real fun begins next episode, which, in my mind, should have been this episode. It was good, but not one of their best.

I could have been a bit too eager also. Like ripping open the Christmas present only to find you got the Zune. You're grateful. You're happy, but not exactly the 80GB iPod you were lusting for.

I watched the first episode of Dexter last night. I liked. A little twisted and the actor who plays Dexter is quite good... I watched Friday Night Lights last night also. Liked it as well. Has a different pace than most TV shows. Also has a slight documentary feel to it. Those are the ones that stick out.. Now off to Lost.

I'm always game for a good Western. This one looks like it's got potential. The guy who directed it also did "Chopper" a pretty violent but well done Australian flick. Worth checking out, based on the life of a substantially messed up Aussie.

Fans of Brad can rejoice cause he'll also be in "Babel" this fall. The trailer looks good (like the "If you want to be understood...Listen" tag at the end) and I loved Amores perros.

I only caught a couple episodes of Deadwood, my Dad was a fan, but I was impressed. Have to rent the DVD's.

Goes down in my book as a great movie.

These pop into my head, though if you asked me tomorrow it might look different:

Bloody Sunday
Ameros Perros
Yi Yi
Apocalypse Now Redux (cheating some)
American Splendor
Finding Nemo
The Widow of St. Pierre
One of the Hobbit flicks
Adaptation
George Washington
House of the Dead (okay, not really)