Watched: Chaplin

These kinds of movies are the ones that turn me off biopics. When the movie just moves from point A to B to C in a person's life, and seems more focused on fitting in all the major events and accomplishments than actually getting to know the subject. It's not that this isn't a well-made or well-acted film. Downey in particular carries off the Britishness and artistic obsession well, but between the stunt casting (Moira Kelly as some showgirl Chaplin loved when he was young and then his fourth and final child bride later in life, blergh) and the determination of the filmmakers to get in all of his major movies, wives, and political stances, the movie feels rushed. Chaplin says at one point, "If you want to understand me, watch my movies." I would take any one of his movies over this in a heartbeat.

Watched: The Crazies

I don't always watch horror movies, but when I do... I prefer them well-made.

P.S. SETH BULLOCK AND CAROLYN FRY!!! Talk about your power couple.

Watched: Blood Into Wine

Sort of self-effacing but informative. I don't actually care that much about wine growing and freely admit that I mostly watched this for the Maynard. Which; this is not a movie about Tool. Or A Perfect Circle. Or Pucifer. Although all three do get mentioned in passing. This is a movie about his vineyards, about his super-hippie naturalist partner, about a bunch of people talking about things like the integrity of soil and survivalism. So, keep that in mind. But it does have some fun bits with Milla Jovavich, Tim and Eric, Patton Oswalt, and an old timer Arizona historian. Good stuff.

Watched: Exit Through the Gift Shop

I don't really know quite what to make of this one. I really enjoyed it. I didn't read too much press about it during the summer, and what I read I forgot, so the end was still kind of a shocking, disappointing, hilariously weird twist. I think it does a great job examining a scene through the eyes of this guy, who we think we know but eventually realize we may not. Like, at all. Is Guetta a mastermind or a devotee, a hack or an artist in his own right? Did he spend years following around Shephard Fairey and Banksy so that he could rip them off or did Banky's go-ahead simply push him to think he had acquired a style in all those years of watching, a style that should be shared? Here's an interesting take. Obviously I don't know any better than the writer, or others who question the film. I guess Banksy and Guetta are the only ones who really, truly know. Although between you and me, I've heard that Banksy isn't even one guy, but a whole bunch of people working together under one name.

So yeah. Ambiguous, entertaining, and wry. Like a snarky sphinx. I liked it all right.

Watched: Cropsey

Pretty effective documentary. Hilarious Staten Island accents aside, the film has a lot of the look and feel of a horror movie (I swear the soundtrack is eerily similar to The Exorcist's and some of the shots are straight up Blair Witch Project). It also has the added twist of being true. The story starts out exploring the "Cropsey" urban legend, then works its way through the disappearances and investigations of the five children attributed to "drifter/pervert/weirdo" Andre Rand to the strange rumors of cult activity and devil worshiping on Staten Island and their connections to the kidnappings/murders.

Between the gruesome footage from Geraldo Rivera's report on Willowbrook's (the mental institution whose forced closing and later, use by itinerants and former patients as a home in the subterranean tunnels plays an important role in the kidnappings) complete lack of civil or humane treatment of its patients and the weirdness of Andre Rand's letters to the filmmakers; the whole things is totally effective. I'm not kidding about the Rivera footage by the way, it's pretty fucking upsetting. These people were just... thrown in this place to disappear, essentially. Also, I think it's interesting the way they frame the doc as an investigation so that the deeper the filmmakers get into the stories, the less everything makes sense. They leave the film fairly open-ended, which as they note in their final voiceover, is the way most urban legends go. Also, it was probably not a good idea for me to watch this at 3 AM by myself.

Watched: Jonah Hex

I don't really have much to say about this, because it was every bit as rushed and non-sequitur and boring as most of the professional critics said it was. There were also a lot of pretty random cameos (Wes Bentley? The guy who from Lost? The Comedian? Aiden Quinn?)

But that's not why I watched this. I watched this for one reason.

And his name is Michael Fassbender.

Yep. Pretty much the only enjoyable part of this half-baked wanna-be Western Steampunk comic book adaptation fiasco. Fiasco, I say!

Birthday. Dammit. *Googles "songs about being 23"*

a decade ago

I never thought I would be

at 23

on the verge of spontaneous combustion

woe is me.

-Incubus

WOULD THAT THIS HOODIE WERE A TIME HOODIE!

Conspiracies Theories and Interior Design.
Just rewatched. I have to say, this has probably been my favorite episode of Community this season. It's got Joel McHale and Alison Brie's excellent chemistry, Dean Pelton being an idiot, Professor Professorson (changed from Professorberg when his family was fleeing from the nazis), prop guns, the most underwhelming threatening message ever, Abed and Troy's fort city, and the Latvian Independence Parade.

What more could you ask for in a half an hour of television comedy?

Love.