Podcast: Cinematrimony – The Avengers
by Matt Scalici on May.07, 2012, under Reviews & Podcasts
Marvel’s massive plan to assemble four of its biggest franchises into a single mega-hit finally materialized this weekend as The Avengers opened to the biggest box office debut in movie history. Listen as Cinematrimony hosts Matt and Francesca Scalici give their real-time reaction on the way home from the theater. Did the Hulk finally smash his way into Matt’s skeptical heart? Did the specter of Francesca’s hated cinematic nemesis Scarlett Johansson overshadow the rest of the film? Find out on this episode of Cinematrimony.
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Ben Stark’s Shelf of Shame, Revisited
by Ben Stark on Apr.17, 2012, under Shelf of Shame
In September, I sacrificed my pride on the Film Nerds alter, confessing that I had not seen five highly regarded cinematic classics. Per the Matt Scalici edict for the Shelf of Shame, I was to give myself six months to watch these “blind spots” and, thinking a challenge was what I needed to conquer a few monsters, gave myself quite a big slate to cover. Two films on my list ran longer than 3 hours… One of them running as long as 10!
Unfortunately, I failed to see them all within the six month period. My original post was written on September 15, 2011.
Regardless, I’m so glad I undertook this challenge, and I wish Ben Flanagan luck on his own recent descent into humility.
Without further ado, here are my thoughts on the five films no longer on my Shelf.
5.) Dazed & Confused
Having not seen any Richard Linklater films outside of A Scanner Darkly and Waking Life, this was one that I was very interested in finally seeing. It proved itself to be an obvious pick for a compulsively watchable cult film, and there are plenty of moments here that very accurately sum up the feelings of high school: The glee of the last day of the year, badly organized parties in the woods, and countless hours spent driving around with friends, lamenting a lack of romantic entanglement. All that said, it’s really hard not to compare this film with American Graffiti (D&C fan Ben Flanagan mentioned that Linklater would most likely call for a comparison), and if I have to force myself, American Graffiti certainly takes the cake for its high stakes, amazing cinematography, timeless soundtrack, and relentless pace. Whatever the case, if you haven’t seen Dazed & Confused, it not only sits high on the list of “great high school movies”, but it also makes a strong case for being the ultimate 90’s film, as all of the aimless woes of Generation X are interestingly transferred to the anxieties of teens in the post-counterculture 70’s.
4.) 8 ½
Not only did my collegiate travels through Neo Realism and New Wave cinema somehow swerve around this classic from Federico Fellini, but they also shielded me from the knowledge of its fantastical nature. I had always ignorantly presumed that 8 ½ was a comment on Italian culture in the same way that the marvelous La Dolce Vita was. What makes this realization even more embarrasing is the fact that I’ve seen Woody Allen’s Stardust Memories, completely aware that it was a reaction to 8 ½. Somehow the pieces just didn’t stick in my brain, but imagine my surprise when I found myself spending time in the glorious world of this masterpiece. Not only did I enjoy 8 ½ so much more than even La Dolce Vita, I found myself completely wrapped up in Fellini’s mission and plight, his antagonistic relationship to his contemporaries that felt he was turning his back on realism. What Werner Herzog would call “the agitation of the mind” is ever-present in 8 ½, and what struck me was less its reliance on director-as-perspective than its insistance on dismantling masculine psychology. Despite the visual flourishes and overall design of the film, what really sold it for me was the emotional through-line dealing with the hero’s relationship with his wife. The fact that Fellini communicated such a deep understanding of these characters in the midst of flourishes involving mind reading, fantasies, and surrealist flashbacks makes this truly deserving of its high regard as a cinematic accomplishment.
3.) Bringing Up Baby
This well-regarded Howard Hawks gem is the only real trifle on the list, considering Dazed & Confused’s place as a landmark film for a “serious” director. There are different stages of “zany” in the realm of screwball comedies. If George Stevens’ reasonably restrained and socially conscious Talk of the Town is a 0 out of 5 on the zany scale, then Bringing Up Baby is a 5. In fact, the film’s energy is so nerve-wracking that my wife couldn’t get past the first ten minutes or so. Originally, audiences shared her sentiment, as this was the film that earned Katherine Hepburn the title of “box office poison”. I’ll admit that it took me the entirety of the first act to really tune into the film’s frequency, but once I was there, it was a great ride. I still prefer some of Hawks’ other screwballs, such as His Girl Friday and Ball of Fire, but when it comes to bonkers thrill-rides, Bringing Up Baby belongs in the same conversation as Arsenic & Old Lace and my own personal favorite, Preston Sturges’ Palm Beach Story.
2.) Gone with the Wind
This was the true monster. I think, in the back of my mind, I was convinced that I’d die never having seen Gone with the Wind. It just seemed too long, too much of a weepy, and too socially inaccessible for me to make time for. Lo and behold, my wife and I knocked it out over two nights, and boy am I glad I did. It’s tempting to measure this movie up to other all-time box office giants like Star Wars, Avatar, and E.T., but that might need to wait for another discussion. Really, what bowled me over about this movie was its severely dark tone and truly detestable protagonist. I never knew that Scarlett O’Hara is the female Daniel Plainview, and the fact that fans of There Will Be Blood don’t draw this parallel is shocking. Both films take the American spirit to its logical conclusion, positing that self-reliance, when unchecked, will destroy… that we, as individuals, cannot support our own ambitions when turned on ourselves. The fact that this film has so widely been accepted as a testament to post-Enlightenment individuality without a shred of irony is absolutely horrifying, but shouldn’t draw judgment on the film itself. Victor Fleming and David O. Selznick never once ask us to unequivocally cheer Scarlet – even when she shoots a villain square in the FACE we are forced to confront the morality of the situation – and yet, to uninitiated cinephiles like myself, Gone with the Wind is “marketed” as a heroic saga, rather than the dark tragedy it is. A fascinating movie.
1.) The Decalogue
When I picked this as the number one title on my Shelf of Shame, I did it with the knowledge that this project from Krzysztof Kieslowski was not technically a film, but a series for Polish television. My hope was that it embraced cinematic conventions enough to engage me the way a great, ambitious film might, with a visual approach to grammar that would categorize it as “cinema”. Well, I have to admit that The Decalogue is NOT a film. It is a TV series. While there is thematic crossover – even a hair of character crossover – these are individual vignettes dedicated to telling self-contained stories through television grammar, on a television budget: using close-ups, an emphasis on dialogue, and closed spaces. All that said, it is among the five or so most important TV series in the history of the medium. Whether it be the character emphasis of Lost, the complex moral tensions of Breaking Bad, or the lyrical melancholy of Twin Peaks, every great television show since the early 1990s owes a great deal to The Decalogue. And, while I’m a bit disappointed that I did not get to see the full-tilt directorial prowess of Kieslowksi here, there are some exquisitely directed episodes. My favorites include IX and X, the latter of which plays almost like a dark comedy. So, while The Decalogue is not the cinematic director’s workshop I was hoping for, it is certainly is essential viewing for aspiring screenwriters looking for ways to translate theme into story.
So that’s it! I’m surprisingly proud of myself for tackling a few of these, and I’m very happy to lose the obligatory weight that’s been hanging around my Netflix queue for the past six months. In the past, just thinking about tackling a few of the above titles would give me tinges of anxiety.
All that said, there are several titles on my expanded Shelf of Shame: Paths of Glory, The Conversation, Spirited Away, Straw Dogs, Tokyo Story, Strangers on a Train, Scanners, Good Will Hunting, Dr. Zhivago, Birth of A Nation, Some Like it Hot, It Happened One Night, All About Eve, Hannah & Her Sisters and even freaking Ben-Hur (either one).
Oof. Suddenly, the anxiety has returned.
The Great Scenes: “Come Home” from Junebug
by Craig Hamilton on Apr.09, 2012, under The Great Scenes
The Movie: Junebug
Spoiler Level: Zero point Zero
The Setup: Madeleine is an arts dealer living in Chicago with her new husband, George. Madeleine plans a trip to North Carolina in order to convince an obscure artist to allow her to showcase his art. This artist just happens to live very close to George’s hometown. Madeleine and George have only been married 6 months and she has never met his family. Madeleine is a naturally friendly and easy-going woman, and it certainly provides an interesting scenario when the groom’s family meets their new daughter-in-law well after the wedding for the very first time. While in North Carolina, the family attends a church potluck where everyone knows George and was already aware of his return home. At the potluck, Madeleine seems taken aback when a young pastor prays with the family and it proves to only confound her more when she sees how easily and unashamedly George fits back in; bowing his head. The pastor then asks George to sing in front of the rest of the congregation the hymn, “Softly and Tenderly”. Shyly at first, George agrees without much hesitation.
The Scene:
Why It’s Great:
Madeleine hears the minister’s request that George sing in front of the crowd. She watches the exchange at first with a look of mild and humorous curiosity as if she is a bit confused as to why they would ask George, her husband, to sing a hymn. However, as George begins to sing, Madeleine’s look of curiosity turns into an intense and focused glare of someone returning home, as it were, with a feeling that something is not how they left it. The half-smile Madeleine had at first is gone and in its place is the stone-cold face of a woman who is seeing her husband for the very first time. Perhaps she was unaware of his musical talents. Perhaps she was unaware of him being religious. Perhaps it was the ease with which George steps right back into the stride of the way of life of his family and the people of his hometown. By Madeleine’s reaction, one that is itself worth a million lines of dialogue, we are given the impression that Madeleine is realizing that she met, fell in love with and married a completely different George than the one singing at present. Yet, by its conclusion, Madeleine is sincerely impressed and made happy by what she has just witnessed. Whether it’s his musical talents, his religious feelings or just maybe because she finally feels like she has caught a glimpse of the real George, she is proud and content; joining the rest of the congregation in applause.
We are all born and grow up and are fashioned into something that has a hint or flavor of our original environment. We all change when we leave home and become what we think is our true selves. Eventually, we return home again and feel that natural pull guiding us back to what we once were. Some fight it, but George doesn’t. He doesn’t give in completely, but he’s home and it is a part of who he was or is and he doesn’t fight it. He’s not being fake. He’s being himself or what his self was at one point in time and Madeleine, a big-city arts dealer, understands that and accepts it.
I shouldn’t close without mentioning the beautiful symbolism that the lyrics of the hymn provide:
Come home, come home,
Ye who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!
Podcast: Cinematrimony – The Hunger Games
by Matt Scalici on Apr.04, 2012, under Reviews & Podcasts
Matt and Francesca Scalici are back with another episode of Cinematrimony. This time they give their reaction to year’s biggest box office hit so far, the action/sci-fi/thriller The Hunger Games. Does this young adult adaptation fall victim to the same melodramatic pandering as the Twilight films? Does the violence go too far or not far enough? Find out in this episode of Cinematrimony.
DOWNLOAD: Cinematrimony – The Hunger Games
The Great Scenes: “Goin’ Crazy Out There at the Lake” from FARGO
by Ben Flanagan on Mar.19, 2012, under The Great Scenes
The Movie: Fargo (1996)
Spoiler Level: Moderate
The Setup: Brainerd Police Department Officer Olson (Cliff Rakerd) arrives at the residence of Eklund & Swedlund’s bartender Mr. Mohra (Bain Boehlke) on a gray day in Minnesota while investigating the recent interstate murders of a state trooper and a teenage couple. In a single two-minute shot, Mohra politely recounts to Officer Olson an encounter with a “kinda funny-lookin’” little fella (Steve Buscemi) who was looking to get set up with a prostitute, noting he was “goin’ crazy out there at the lake,” while also bragging about murdering “the last guy who thought he was a jerk.” Figuring it might be related to the homicides his wife heard about in Brainerd, Mohra thinks it might help with the investigation.
Why it’s Great: For me, this scene best reflects the “Minnesota Nice” motif writer/directors Joel and Ethan Coen introduce in their black comedy masterpiece, my favorite of their films. The film puts on a clinic when it comes to taking full advantage of the sense of place the filmmakers come to fully realize, perfectly utilizing the regional dialect and decency of its all-too-real characters, namely the unassuming citizens of Minnesota.
Unassuming as they may be, these proud Minnesotans are not to be dismissed by the likes of Buscemi’s scummy Carl Showalter who seemingly feels above the area and thinks he can literally get away with murder. What he fails to assume is that folks like Officer Olson (and Brainerd Police Chief Marge Gunderson, played by Oscar-winner Frances McDormand) are doing their jobs, and citizens like Mr. Mohra are going to help them do so to preserve their safe and proud quality of life.
Beyond the scene’s direct relation to the Coens’ plot, I love it for the sake of the slice of freezing but pleasant Minnesota life you get from Officer Olsen and Mr. Mohra, the latter of whom is sweeping wet snow from his driveway with a push-broom. They’re pleasant to one another regardless of the fact that they’ve never met, and not just in your average cordial way. They’re just naturally inclined to be friendly, and it’s unfortunate that something so grisly happens in their universe. But again, they’ll see that it doesn’t continue with thorough police work, from law enforcement and the community.
Even after they finish the business at hand, Mohra immediately transitions into weather discussion, a go-to topic any of us use to avoid awkward silence. But in his case, it sounds genuine. “Looks like she’s gonna turn cold tomorrow,” Mohra says, to which Officer Olson replies, “Oh yeah, gotta front comin’ in.”
“Yeah, you got that right,” Mohra then says, as the two men part ways and almost continue as if nothing ever happened.
Again, with these wonderful performances from Rakerd and Boehlke (in what I believe to be the greatest acting ensemble ever assembled) and the wintry Minnesota backdrop, the Coens never better exploit this exceptional and wholly tangible sense of place they created in the blissfully freezing Fargo.
Podcast: Cinematrimony – 21 Jump Street
by Matt Scalici on Mar.16, 2012, under Reviews & Podcasts
Matt and Francesca Scalici are back with another episode of Cinematrimony. This time they give their reaction to the star-studded comedy 21 Jump Street, starring Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum and a whole crew of various funny people. Does this movie break the mold of the “action comedy” genre or is it just another run-of-the-mill re-hash of an ’80s TV show? Find out in this episode of Cinematrimony.
DOWNLOAD: Cinematrimony – 21 Jump Street
Great Scenes: “Garry Calls His Dad” from PARENTHOOD
by Graham Flanagan on Mar.08, 2012, under The Great Scenes
THE SETUP: Troubled teenager Garry (Joaquin Phoenix) summons the courage to ask his mother Helen (Dianne Wiest) permission to call his estranged father and ask if he can move in with him for a few months. Although Helen tries to persuade Garry not to follow through, she reluctantly gives Garry his father’s work-number, which he immediately dials. Within seconds, Garry’s excitement over the possibility of being reunited with his dad transforms into heartbreak. Helen can only sit back and watch as her son learns a painful life lesson about love and expectations.
THE SCENE:
WHY IT’S GREAT: Ron Howard’s box office hit dramedy Parenthood examines a group of families attempting to persevere amidst the unavoidable challenges and tragedies that are always eventually guaranteed by the decision to create life. Of course, that’s a pretty grim assessment of the movie’s overall theme, since most people associate the movie with Steve Martin making balloon animals while dressed like a cowboy. Although the movie is indeed laced with enough memorable humor to justify its categorization as a comedy, this scene – which exists at the opposite end of the emotional spectrum – k always stands out for me.
Of course the heart and soul of the scene lies in the performance of the then-15 year-old Joaquin Phoenix. The young actor triumphs with his ability to create such a realistic sense of vulnerability. Then there’s Dianne Wiest, whose work in this commercially-accessible “hit” equals that found in the movies for which she won Academy Awards. Wiest must do two things at once: A) She expresses the penetrating sadness a mother must feel when her son tells her he wants to leave her household. B) She summons the strength to allow her son to take a chance that, although she knows will result in defeat, she knows he must take if he wants to actually learn something about the sometimes-harsh realities of life.
Fortunately, Garry later gets the father figure he so deeply desires, albeit in the unlikely form of Todd, played by Keanu Reeves in one of the warmest, most-underrated performances of his career.
I was 7 years old when this movie was initially released, and – at the time – my parents wouldn’t let me see it. I didn’t understand, since the previews offered the aforementioned hilarity of Steve Martin in a cowboy suit. Of course, I now see why they wanted me to wait a little while to see Parenthood. Although laugh-inducing comedy pervades throughout, the movie contains some of the most genuine portrayals of what it really means to be part of a family that we’ve ever seen in cinema. For me, this scene supports that idea.
Follow Oscar Night 2012 with the FilmNerds Crew
by Matt Scalici on Feb.24, 2012, under Other Features
Follow along this Sunday night as the FilmNerds.com contributors share their thoughts live on the Academy Awards. You can follow us all on Twitter or watch as our tweets roll in live here at FilmNerds.com.
Shelf of Shame — Ben Flanagan
by Ben Flanagan on Feb.22, 2012, under Shelf of Shame
The Shelf of Shame. In each installment, one of our FilmNerds contributors will reveal five indisputable classic titles that for some inexplicable reason they have not yet seen. In an attempt to earn back the respect of their fellow FilmNerds, each contributor will then set out to see all five of these films some time in the next six months (we felt that was a fair interval, even for the busiest of nerds) at which point we’ll check in with them to see how they did.
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Let me preface by saying I’ve chosen to avoid the coward’s route and admit that I haven’t seen these films — and let’s make this clear — FROM BEGINNING TO END IN ONE SITTING.
Have I seen bits and pieces of each of these movies? Yes, but just because I caught some or most of them either on cable, VHS or DVD doesn’t mean I’ve seen them, and I refuse to claim that I have. Beyond that, I have no excuse. Just didn’t get around to it. Some will seem egregiously omitted, but it’s not for lack of trying. These are omissions I personally consider shameful because they’re all films I’ve always wanted to see but just haven’t. So here goes. Be gentle. Nobody feels worse about this than I do.
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
While I don’t particularly love the musical genre, I certainly do not hate it. Honestly, I just don’t like the Broadway format, which I feel has unfortunately informed the way most studios generate modern musicals. But Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly’s consensus classic is what movies are all about, losing one’s self to the bliss of unparalleled song, dance, comedy and romance. Kelly’s a guy whose filmography has totally escaped me throughout the years, so I owe it the time. So I think I’ll start with what mean believe is not only the finest musical ever made but one of the greatest American films produced.
The Seven Samurai (1954)
Running times don’t scare me. I love Akira Kurosawa as much as the next film snob, and I dig samurai movies like one probably shouldn’t. But how have I been able to appreciate any of those samurai movies I’ve seen without seeing more than two minutes of Kurosawa’s epic. Fantastic premise, director, cast and scale aren’t the things that have deterred me from this surefire classic. So what is it? If I knew, we wouldn’t be in this pickle here, would we? Like Kelly, I haven’t seen enough Kurosawa to consider myself a legitimate fan and appreciator of his work even when I have great access to it. So let’s start here.
The Conversation (1974)
Something tells me this one hurts my fellow Film Nerds more than the others (actually, probably not), but the biggest slap in the face I could give this movie isn’t that I haven’t seen it. It’s that I’ve owned it on DVD for nearly six years and haven’t made it past the first 20 minutes. Out of this detestably shameful list, this is the one I want to see the most, as the subject matter and parties involved are all right up my alley. This kind of movie appeals to my own sensibilities even more than something like “The Godfather.” Alas, it just wasn’t meant to be all those years.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Forgive me, Stanley Kubrick. None of us are worthy, but especially me for this crime. Another one I happen to own, but not until recently. Ahem, that is, not until a couple of years ago. So yes I’ve owned it for two years and haven’t even had the decency to pop it in once. Also another case of seeing bits and pieces throughout the years and loving every last drop of it all, especially anything George C. Scott says or does in it. The saddest thing about this entire list is that every title here, perhaps aside from the first, is something I’d normally see the split-second it released in a theater, and I’d drive to whatever town I needed to if it didn’t play in mine. But accessibility has ruined some of us. Does the lack of the hunt cheapen the experience? Something tells me that in Dr. Strangelove’s case, um, no.
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
As a longtime Steven Spielberg freak, I wish I had even a bad excuse for this one. I know. I know. OK? I KNOW. But sometimes I feel like I’m cursed with this movie. I’ve seen plenty of it to lie, like so many of you know you do, and insist I’ve seen the whole thing. But I’ll be a man here and admit it’s never gone from credits to credits in one spin. In terms of the curse, my problem has always been that whenever I turn this movie on, without fault I might add, I fall asleep during the first half-hour. I cannot explain it. Surely it isn’t because this thing is boring. Do you think I like not having seen what some consider Spielberg’s greatest contribution to this precious medium? Even he says he wants to be remembered for it along with “Schindler’s List.” Maybe it’s a chemical response, I don’t know. Something doesn’t align right with my brain at a certain point in the movie, even if it’s just a millisecond. All I know is it’ll happen one day, hopefully within the next six months. I’ve likely blown my opportunity to experience it like I did all of his other films we marveled at as children and continue to now. I’m now cursed with watching “E.T.” with a more critical eye and with a knowledge that it’s taken this long in the first place. But I hope all of that context disappears when it’s just me and this film, at a showdown I’m pleased to forfeit.
So there.
And for the record, they’re all sitting on my coffee table RIGHT NOW. Behold, my shelf of shame…
Honorable Mentions: On the Waterfront, Rashomon, Blue Velvet, Sunset Boulevard, Some Like it Hot, Coming to America, The Seventh Seal, The Third Man, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Midnight Cowboy, Nashville
A Cinematic Valentine’s Tradition
by Craig Hamilton on Feb.14, 2012, under Other Features
My wife and I have had this Valentine’s Day tradition for the past 3 years where instead of going out to a fancy dinner, we stay home and watch movies. (I know. I’m a genius.) Since Valentine’s Day usually falls within a couple of weeks of the Academy Awards and since we’re huge movie fans and obsessed with seeing as many of the Oscar-nominated films as possible, Valentine’s Day gives us a good excuse to stay in and watch a couple of the more obscure films nominated for Oscars each year.
The tradition is still a relatively new one, but we’ve only been married 4 ½ years. It all began in 2009 when we were busy packing up our townhouse for a move. Most of the downstairs consisted of stacked boxes full of our stuff, ready to move. We had been packing all evening and instead of going out, we decided to order Italian food in, light some candles, spread out a blanket, set up a picnic in our living room, Yada Yada Yada and watch what’s left on our list of nominated films. Along with choosing to watch those films of little consequence, we inadvertently chose the films that were more of a depressing nature, and a tradition was born. Here is a run-down of how our Valentine’s Days have shaped up over our first few years of marriage.
On the inaugural “Valentine’s Packing Picnic with Oscar” in 2009, we chose two films. The first was the brutally stark and depressing, Frozen River, which stars Melissa Leo who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. If you like films about poor people doing bizarre things for the betterment of their family, including but not limited to smuggling a newborn baby in a car over a river that has frozen over, then this just might be the film for you. It was a downer to say the least, but that didn’t put a damper on the romance of the evening. Nay, I would say that it made it all the more fun.
For our second film that evening we decided to watch Vicky Christina Barcelona, one of the better Woody Allen films from the first decade of the 21rst century and one that centers on a love triangle of sorts, but also with many beautiful shots ofSpain. Penelope Cruz was nominated for and won Best Supporting Actress. The film also stars the great Javier Bardem and the not-so-great-but-Woody’s-obsession-at-the-time Scarlett Johansson. There’s something about people sitting around, drinking wine, talking and making bad decisions that I thoroughly enjoy. Valentine’s Day 2009 was a supporting performance kind of night and we all know how important performance is.
For the 2nd annual “Oscar Valentine’s Movie and a Blanket”, we decided to do the very same thing, but this time in a different house. We got our usual Italian and made up our usual picnic, and watched In the Loop, an Adapted Screenplay nominee from that year. It’s a very smart, darkly funny satire about the relationship between American and British politics and stars Tony Soprano, the girl from My Girl and Gabe from The Office. It’s a neat, light little film that keeps you laughing and keeps you on your toes, though on your toes, may not be where you’d like to end up.
In 2011, the 3rd Annual “Oscar Italia Movie-palooza”, we went back to the ways of Supporting Actress and watched the grim, independent film, Animal Kingdom, which is an Australian crime drama film about a family that sort of runs the crime in their area. It’s a good film and stars the fighting teacher that married way up from Warrior and Jacki Weaver, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. It’s violent, sad and an all-around bummer of a film with a hint of Reverse Oedipus Complex; the key ingredients for a night of romance.
This year, the “Oscar Fest Movie Food Candle Magic Carpet Ride” will change course just a tad. We will explore the far-away lands of the non-nominated films, though it could be argued that both films on the agenda deserved a nomination in certain categories. The movie playlist this year consists of Contagion, the very depressing and unromantic disaster thriller directed by Stephen Soderbergh starring lots of famous people getting all sick and stuff followed by 50/50, a serious comedy starring Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt about just one person getting sick. Here’s to hoping my chances are greater than 50/50.
Let’s be real, nobody likes to get out on Valentine’s Day and when I say “Nobody”, I mean me and hopefully my wife or else I’ve got a lot of making up to do. If you already have a Valentine’s Day tradition of dressing up and going out into the cold night and waiting for a table, then consider shaking things up for once. A change from the usual plan implies that some thought went into it. Likewise, bringing home dinner and movies shows that you put forth some effort:
THOUGHT + EFFORT = BROWNIE POINTS
If you’re just now realizing that it is Valentine’s Day, then I’ve got good news. This really doesn’t take much thought or effort at all. It just looks like it does. And honestly, it’s the impression of thought and effort that you’re really going for anyways.
PERCEPTION = REALITY
Enjoy the time together, enjoy the food, enjoy the films, but most importantly, enjoy the rewards that you will reap, my friends. Dim the lights….And…..ACTION!
