Review: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY * * * *

Dear Oren Peli...

When I sat down to watch your movie, I figured I knew at least half of the tricks you would use to freak me out. I was right, I did know half of what was coming - and you freaked me out anyway. Are you happy now?

Allow me a moment Oren to tell my dozen readers what your movie is about. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY is a cinema verité look at the lives of Micah and Katie. One afternoon, Micah comes home with a shiny new high-end video camera. See, Katie has told Micah stories about having abnormal experiences when she tries to sleep. She says it has happened on and off since she was a girl. Seemingly wanting to get a better understanding of the situation, Micah intends to set the camera to record while they sleep...hoping to capture...something.

Before the project begins, they speak with a psychic. He offers precious little help; he only knows that what they're dealing with is not hinged to the house, so they can never run away from it. He also knows that this presence is not a ghost...it's something much darker than simply the soul of a dead person. Great news, ain't it?

Things start to go downhill from there, as we see through Micah's all-night-long videos. At first it seems simple - a door swaying slightly all on its own. Unfortunately it's all downhill from there for the young couple.

You see Mr. Peli, I was pretty sure I knew what I was in for. Indeed it was ten years ago that another pair of filmmakers tried to mess with me by presenting footage of three campers that supposedly got lost in the woods. I guessed - correctly - that you would use the tricks they used. You'd attempt to give me goosebumps with grainy imagery of something the characters could see clearly, but that the video would only capture half-assed...leaving my mind to fill in the blanks. You'd bang on walls and stomp on floors, giving no hints as to why they were happening.

That, dear sir, would have made for an acceptable, if not original, movie. But kudos, because you know full well that such trickery has already been done once or twice before. Instead, you chose not only to slam doors and make chandeliers swing, but you also give the audience enough information to fill in the blanks with some blood-curdling ideas. As the couple lays down to sleep the first time, I knew I'd see something strange. When they lay down to sleep the second time, I knew this set-up would be your M.O. to deliver the scary, and thought I had it all figured out. But then, around the fifth or sixth time the couple lay down, I found myself truly dreading what I might see next.

Essentially, you showed me exactly which combination of punches you would use to knock me out...and then went on to knock me out using that same combination time after time.

There were times where I found myself wondering why Micah didn't just stop filming...but then again, I have to ask myself if I could put the camera down when I'm seeing something I think can't really be happening. The couple fights, as most couples would under such stress. However, all of that goes away anytime the chips are down. Micah and Katie might disagree on how to handle this presence, but the story stays honest in the way they reach for each other anytime that presence returns.

Clearly sir, you are a student of what goes bump in the night. You have done your homework, figured out what can make an audience uneasy, and used everything you have learned to screw with our collective nerves. Given that it's Halloween, many of my fellow bloggers have been making lists about the movies that freaked them out the most. I can say without a doubt, that you'd rank pretty high on mine.

Yes Mr. Peli...on this particular night where we roll the clocks back, and afford ourselves an extra hour of sleep, I will likely find myself getting precious little sleep as I keep the bedroom lamp on. Hope you're proud of yourself.

Sincerely,
One Rather Freaked-Out Mad Hatter

What did you think? Feel free to leave comments with any thoughts or reactions on PARANORMAL ACTIVITY.

Ghost in The Machine

Today, I Feel Like This...

Everybody's Talkin' 10-30 (Chatter From Fellow Bloggers)

'Morning campers! It's a lovely shade of grey here in Toronto, and I might be tempted to cry about it except that the weekend begins today, and it's the first weekend in a while where I can catch up on some rest...and of course, some movies.

You'll notice that I haven't posted anything particularly Halloween-y. I can only shrug and say that I tend to alternate between being totally into the holiday one year, and then taking the next year off to reload on ideas. However, if you must get an idea of how geeky I can get this time of year, take a look at what I did last year.

Today though, I'm cheating off of other people's test papers. I've taken a lot of time this week to give a proper look at what my friends in the blogosphere have been up to over the last ten days, and as usual they don't disappoint.

So, for your reading fulfillment, I give you...

Blake at Bitchin' Film Reviews has seen CIRQUE DU FREAK, but it seems like he didn't find it all that freaky.

M.Carter has provided a spooky top five this week. Give a look to her calls for the Top Five Freakiest Scenes.

The Reel Whore, who howls the 80's teen classic, TEEN WOLF.

Aiden at Cut The Crap, who still gets the heebie jeebies from PSYCHO (which would be my reccomendation if you're looking for something freaky to rent this weekend) While you're there, vote on his poll!

Speaking of PSYCHO - remember that pointless shot-for-shot remake in 1998? Julianne Moore was in that. Rae at Nitflicky is looking back on the career of Miss Moore, one of the best actresses workin' today.

Last but not least, read about what happened to Big Mike...then pull up a chair and joine me in jealousy row.

Enjoy!

Home For a Rest

I wouldn't go so far as to say that today I feel like this...but it's close.

This weekend brings October to a close, and keeping this blog going during this month has been testing to say the least. When the month ends Saturday night, I will have posted 25 days out of 31. I cannot believe that I only called it in six days out of thirty-one.

What makes this even more bewildering to me, is the fact that I saw two new movies all month. Dos. Deux. Due. makes it a bit tricky to write a movie blog when you aren't watching movies! I did watch the odd dvd here and there, but all of 'em were movies I'd seen before...hell, in the case of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN and SWEENEY TODD, they were movies I'd reviewed before!

Still through it all, I was able to keep things going...and more interestingly, y'all kept dropping by.

Note: It's here where I have to pause and thank Bruisey von Whippit. She was nice enough to guest blog for me twice during this crazy month!

Some have said that in a lot of ways, I live for this little space - I can't say I disagree. This blog combines my passion for writing, my passion for meeting people, and my passion for movies. In the last month, I've turned the focus on my personal life more than ever before in the two plus years I've been doing this...and again, y'all kept dropping by.

So you'll have to excuse me if I whine momentarily at how very tired I really am right now. Likewise, I hope you'll take me seriously when I thank you for continuing to read the drivel of a movie nerd during the stretch when movies were taking a backseat to some important life events.

So yeah. I'm tired, but getting my rest. I'm slacking, but with new movies on the horizon. And I'm humbled, and truly, truly thankful.

Review: WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE * * *

Some kids don't have it so easy. They find themselves feeling left out for reasons beyond their control, and there's only so much time they can be their own best friend. Some of these kids are content to be quiet introverts, others are wild things just waiting to roar.

The book that this movie is based on is precisely ten sentences long, thus it feels overindulgent to waste too many words on plot. If you are one of the sad children who were never read the story at bedtime, it goes like so...

There's a badly behaved child named Max (Max Records). One night he dresses up in his favorite wolf costume and acts out even worse than normal. His mother (Catherine Keener) loses her temper when Max bites her. When she scolds him even more Max runs away to a nearby shoreline. There he climbs into an abandoned sailboat and sets sail, eventually reaching an island. And as the title tells us, this island is where the wild things are.

In the book, the island where the wild things are exists only in Max's imagination. So perhaps it's fitting, that when time came to turn the book into a feature film, director Spike Jonze and writer Dave Eggers were forced to push their imagination further than most. It's one thing to take a book the length of an iPod manual and turn it into a film - it's something else entirely to take a beloved story and try to expand it into something that hopes to be equally beloved. Risky, is precisely what it is.

Happily, Eggers and Jonze come through. They begin by trying to help us better understand Max. He might indeed be a brat, but steps are taken to actually explain his bratishness...even to make us sympathize. One has to wonder how difficult children become difficult. Modern science has started chalking it up to a certain chemical imbalance, but when I was a kid it wasn't so scientific. Eggers understands that. Like his inspiration on the page, this Max is a holy terror...but he's also lonely, isolated, and misguided. There is no amount of Riddlin in the world that would do as much for Max as a walk in the park with his big sister.

What Eggers does for Max, Jonze does for The Wild Things. Indeed they take time to roll their terrible eyes, and gnash their terrible teeth. These wild things however, also like to break things, to cause a rumpus, and to build better things than those which they've broken. Jonze takes the imposing beasts Maurice Sendak first made us all afraid of, and makes them stand in the sunshine until we seem them for what they are: lonely, isolated, and misguided. Sound familiar?

Indeed, the heart and soul of this film is the way the wild things so desperately want from Max, that which Max in turn wants from his family.

While it felt like the wild things threw one temper tantrum too many, they have enough heart, warmth and whimsy to make Jim Henson smile down from whatever cloud he's sitting upon. Spike Jonze understand what it's like to be picked last at recess, and he infuses that adolescent loneliness into every last inch of this movie.

What did you think? Feel free to leave comments with any thoughts or reactions on WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

Decade pt. viii ( Top Five 00's Movies - 2007 )

I'm fighting off some post-Vegas jet lag this morning. Thus, I am calling in my last post-dated blog entry. Yes gang, starting tomorrow, I'm back to posting live.

It doesn't hurt that today was on tap to be the next entry in my Decade Series...and it also doesn't hurt that today's entry is the first one where I get to build off an entry I made during the year in question. It's odd, because what I'm writing about here are films that were released a mere two years ago...but thinking back about them all, it feels like it was a lifetime. Strange, ain't it?

2007 found me distracted by another Red Sox World Series Championship. It was also the summer the literary world finally closed the book on Harry Potter (again - seems like forever ago, doesn't it?).

Eight down, two to go - for me, these were tops in The Year of The Boar

Hatter's Top 5 Films of 2007

#5. THERE WILL BE BLOOD... You'll hear me say this again later down the list, but I really wonder how this one will age. Then, as now, it felt very dark and gritty for moviegoers like me. I have to wonder if in another five years we'll all look back at it as an amazing performance in a flawed film. But that's in the future...for now, I still see it as one of the best of the year. Truly unsettling, sprawling, and sharp, it was a welcome return for Daniel day-Lewis, and director P.T. Anderson.


#4. JUNO... I put this movie on the list just for introducing me to the work of Ellen Page and Diablo Cody. The thing is, the backlash vultures circled around those two women quickly...and nowadays, you'd be hard-pressed to find two more disliked talents. These days, I still count myself a fan. Really, I'm a sucker for this sort of film...the one that starts off amusing and cute, but slowly unfolds into something far more thoughtful. Easily the funniest film I saw in '07, and the one with the most heart.


#3. ONCE... When this film ended I immediately texted one of my best friends, complaining that I couldn't believe she let me wait so long to see it. Very simple, but oh-so-gorgeous in its simplicity, with an equally gorgeous soundtrack. The caring this couple has for one another is the sort of love you don't often see in movies, since it's so hard to nail down and define. It's the sort of timid "I would, but I can't, but I still want to" that happens all the time in the world, but rarely gets written about.

#2. THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY... Few films are truly unforgettable - this is one of the few. It sails right past gimmicky, and sits smack in the middle of innovation. By telling the entire story from the trapped position that Jean-Dominique Bauby finds himself in, it shakes the viewer out of their seat and gives them a clear understanding of his frustration. Visually stunning, and flawlessly directed, this is the sort of film that should win the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in a perfect world. If you've never seen it, go out and rent it right away.


#1. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN... I'm sure you're shocked that I picked a dark and violent film to top my list. In case you're keeping score - and let's be honest, who isn't? - this is only the second time in the series that a Best Picture Winner has landed on top of my five for the year. What can I say, it's just that good. At the time I didn't think Oscar would tap a violent film to be Best Picture right after THE DEPARTED, but I'm happy to see I was wrong. This perfect adaptation is equally witty, tense, and horrifying. Every actor involved gives a perfect performance, especially Javier Bardem. His performance is so good in fact that it chills your soul, while still making you want to cheer for the bad guy. It could easily be The Coen Brothers' masterpiece, and for my $12 ticket - it was the best movie of the year.

Others on my shortlist for 2007 include LARS AND THE REAL GIRL, KNOCKED UP, THE DARJEELING LIMITED, RATATOUILLE, THE KING OF KONG: A FISTFULL OF QUARTERS, INTO THE WILD, SWEENEY TODD, ATONEMENT, CONTROL, AWAY FROM HER, LA VIE EN ROSE, MICHAEL CLAYTON, PERSEPOLIS, GONE BABY GONE, WAITRESS, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, and SHINE A LIGHT.

Check in on November 24th for the next installment, my top five films of 2008.

Did I miss one? Feel free to leave comments with your own favorite movies from 2007, along with suggestions for the next top five.

Viva Las Vegas

Today, I Feel Like This...

Everybody's Talkin' 10 - 23 (Chatter From Fellow Bloggers)

Yep - still posting, even though as you read this I am nowhere near a PC, nor am I thinking about anything movie-related. God bless the inventor of post dated blog entries!

Before I jetted off to my first proper vacation in over five years, I took a bit of time to see what the rest of my band of blogging brothers were talking about. I can tell that this is the time of year when all the good stuff happens, because lord are they ever chatty these days!

So, for your reading fulfillment I give you...

Ryan at Univarn, who openly wonders what's going on with one of my all-time favorite directors, Cameron Crowe.

CAZ at Let's Go to The Movies has seen Heath Ledger's final movie, THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS.

Fandango, who takes a moment to inform comic geeks everywhere what is going on with Marvel's X-Men film series.

And Tom at Plus Trailers takes a second to talk about one of his favorite movie scenes. (Mental note: I really need to do a post on this subject)

Enjoy!

Note: I usually collect these links on Thursday night/Friday morning to highlight a week's worth of material from these awesome bloggers. The window between last week's E-T and this week's, was obviously much shorter than the usual seven day gap.

In short, I'm sure that these bloggers, and many others that I follow, have posted even more goodness than what I have collected here. Please click through my blogroll (Labeled "All The Right Friends" in my sidebar) a little and support their passionate work.

Shiny Happy People

A week or so back, Ryan at Univarn left me what has to be the funniest comment I've ever read in the two plus years of writing this blog. It's slightly random at this point, but so funny that I felt the overwhelming urge to share it with y'all...

"I know the recent trend is to make Vampires more emotional, but my god do they have to glitter in the daytime? Is there anything less scary than an emotionally insecure glittering vampire?

Sure, he might kill me, but I'm going out laughing."

Stage Fright ( ME AND ORSON WELLES Trailer )

Sometimes I wonder what happens to a movie in the development process. Case in point, ME AND ORSON WELLES.

I saw this particular film at TIFF two years ago, and wondered many times what was happening with it. It had a big director, a pretty good story, and starred one of the hottest young actors in Hollywood. I dug the movie, but for whatever reason, it's been sitting on a shelf somewhere for nearly two years now.

Well it would appear as though it's finally seeing the light of day this November. Give it a look, if for no other reason than to see Christian McKay's spot-on Orson Welles...

Waking Up in Vegas (Top Five Vegas Movies)

Hatter here.

...Yes I'm actually writing this one, I didn't schedule it to post a week or two ago. I know it might seem weird that a guy takes a moment out from a week of post-nuptual bliss to blog, but this is the one post I couldn't do ahead of time.

See, I wanted my Tuesday Top Five for this week to reflect our honeymoon plans (ie, we're going to Cuba? Let's do a Top Five Caribbean Movies post). However, there was one small hurdle:

Missus Hatter and I didn't plan our trip ahead.

That's right gang, we decided to see what we felt like in the days immediately after our big to-do, and book something last minute then. So yesterday, surrounded by shards of wrapping paper, and with the taste of wedding cake still on our lips, we finally sat down and decided where we were going...

Vegas Baby!!!

Yes yes - we're off to Sin City, which makes this post even more fun since there have been so many awesome movies made about it.

So please, take a moment away from tying tin cans to our rear bumper, and writing words on our windshield in shaving cream, and take a look at...

Hatter's Top Five Vegas Movies

#5. HONEYMOON IN VEGAS (1992)... Seems like an appropriate place to start, donchathink? This one could have made the list for The Flying Elvises alone, which reminds me - while we're away Missus Hatter and I are looking to get hitched again, but by Elvis in a cheesy chapel this time! Of course, having learned my lesson from this movie, I know not to offer up my newlywed to cover a bet. It'll be hard though, since those games are just so damned fun...and I'm not much good at them.

#4. THE HANGOVER (2009)... Yeah, it's a really new one, but there's no way I couldn't include it. As the tagline says "Some guys just can't handle Vegas". Part of me wonders how hard we'll have to party to destroy our suite like that. Maybe I should try to track down Alan and score some of his drugs. I also can't wait to ask the desk clerk at our hotel if the place is beeper friendly.

#3. CASINO (1995)... Vegas isn't all about the laughs. Indeed I'd be remiss to complete this list without a nod to how a city like this was built. Part of me wishes I was able to see Vegas back in the day, since as a wise man once said "You don't need all that Pirates of the Caribbean bullshit, or the rock & roll grunge tip...you and me gotta kick it here. Old school." Scorsese's opus to Vegas' heyday is one of my all time faves, and a stern reminder not to get caught cheating at black jack.

#2. FEAR & LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998)... If my honeymoon gets anywhere near this absurd, I know I've done something wrong. Course, it'd never hurt to have Doctor Gonzo following me around noting "As your attorney, I advise you...". One of the very, very, best...and such a truly twisted movie. R.I.P. Hunter.

#1. OCEAN'S ELEVEN (2001)... Stephen, George, Brad, et al just make Vegas look so. damned. cool. in this flick. Honestly I wanted to stay in The Belaggio just because they used it here! I won't be planning any three-casino-heists while I'm there, but someone should hide my dvd of this flick before I get any bright ideas. This movie (and the third one in the series) are perhaps the best movies ever filmed in Veas, some of the coolest, and certainly most fun. Thus, it takes the spot as the my top Vegas movie.

Did I miss one? Feel free to leave comments naming your favorite Las Vegas movies, along with suggestions for the next top five.

That's The Way Love Goes ( Guest Blogger THE LOVED ONES Review )

Susie Q is back...though these days we have taken to calling her Bruisey von Whippit. Tell your friends.

The Divine Miss Q has imparted upon me yet another bit of guest reviewing. This is another cool flick that she caught at this year's TIFF, and what with everyone's attention starting to turn towards an upcoming celebration of ghouls and goblins, I figured it was a rather apropos time to share her thoughts with you fine folks.

Side note - If anyone is interested in guest blogging for this humble space, let me know. I'd be happy to share your work with my readership of seven

So do take a look after the jump for Susie's thoughts on Sean Byrne's THE LOVED ONES.

I've been putting off writing this review of Sean Byrne's The Loved Ones for one simple reason: Out of everything I saw at TIFF this year, this last minute addition to my already sleep-deprived schedule ended up becoming my runaway favourite. And I'm not the only one. Described as a mix of Carrie meets Evil Dead meets Misery, The Loved Ones garnered TIFF's first ever People's Choice Award for Midnight Madness films, and has been receiving rave reviews from critics and us regular viewers alike.

I'm just worried I won't be able to do it justice, really.

The story follows young Brent Mitchell (played by the very pretty Xavier Samuel, who soon will no doubt set young hearts a-fluttering when he appears in Eclipse, the 3rd installment of the Twilight saga), who begins the film engaged in a disarmingly cute conversation with his father while driving down a mostly deserted country road. Swerving suddenly to avoid a ghostly figure which appears seemingly out of nowhere, however, Brent loses control of the car and crashes, tragically killing his father in the accident.

We flash forward a few months, and are shown the toll that his father's death has taken on Brent and his family. His mother, unable to cope with her loss, shuts herself away and drowns her sorrows in whatever alcohol she can get her hands on. Brent's own loneliness and despair is broken only by his girlfriend, Holly, played with just the right mix of compassion, intelligence and playfulness by Victoria Thaine. Add in a prom night on the eve of the school year's end, a woman scorned, a hilarious and charming subplot involving two of Brent and Holly's friends, Sac and Mia (Richard Wilson and Jessica McNamee), and a director who knows how to weave an engaging tale, and you have the ingredients for what is sure to become an instant cult horror date movie classic!

Sean Byrne directs this gruesome parable with a deft sureness that belies his relatively wet-behind-the-ears status as a feature film director. He knows when to show us that little bit too much, and when to let our imaginations do the work. He knows that no shot, no character and no plot point need be wasted. And most of all, the dude knows when and how frustratingly and tantalizingly long to hold a shot, building tension, teasing his audience with the promise of a release that, heart pounding, you almost start to think will never come ... before letting it go so quickly that the recoil nearly snaps back and slaps you in the face like an elastic band.

And just when you think you've seen enough, that it's gotten about as horrible as it can get, Sean Byrne gives you more. Plucking the strings of viewer, and character, endurance like a mad violinist, Byrne weaves his demented tale to the masterful beat of his own insane drum. And we love every breath-catching, scream-inducing moment of it.

Truth be told, however, this film really belongs to the astounding acting talents of Xavier Samuel and the film's primary villain, the unlikely bad girl, Lola, played to the delightfully deranged hilt by the amazing Robin McLeavy. Samuel, for his part, really has very few lines. We live his doomed fate with him literally through his eyes...from the expression on his face, to the fiery glint in his soulful eyes, to the sounds of his terrified screams. Xavier Samuel owns the camera in this movie. Tight close-up after tight close-up, he brings us in to everything his character is experiencing, whether we want to see it, or not. He's like a sort of beautiful trainwreck that way; we can't stand to see what he's showing us, but we can't bring ourselves to look away, either.

And if Samuel owns the camera - the eyes - of this film, its heart and soul (or the lack thereof) belong to Robin McLeavy. From her first awkward moments of screen time, there is just something arresting about McLeavy's Lola. Just as Lola does with Brent, McLeavy patiently waits until she has the audience right where she wants them, before she releases the full extent of her unabashed power, in a tour de force performance that can only be described as the most successfully disturbing incarnation since Annie Wilkes hobbled Paul Sheldon into believing that she was his Number One Fan. McLeavy is unashamed and unapologetic in her portrayal of Lola; each moment she is on screen, Lola shows herself to be even crazier than the last, to the point where she fairly skips through the fields of lunacy, giggling maniacally to herself as her demented internal world takes her over completely.

The Loved ones is a slick, perfectly-woven-together and sickening story that will take you to the edges of your own sanity, and yet, when all is said and done, it will leave you breathless and begging for more.

Thanks to Sean Byrne and The Loved Ones, Crazytown has a new Mayor. And her name...is Lola.

Get Me To The Church on Time

I'm getting married today!

On of the bestest, most beautiful movie geeks I've ever met has said that she'll spend the rest of her life with me, and today we stand up before a whole lot of our friends and family and say "I do".

So it goes without saying that today, I feel like this...


Suffice to say, I won't be at a computer much for the next week or so, but I've scheduled a few posts to pop up for your post-nuptual reading enjoyment. Take care gang...talk to ya soon.

Everybody's Talkin' 10 - 16 (Chatter From Fellow Bloggers)

Things will be a bit quieter around here over the next week or so. I do have some bloggy goodness scheduled to post, but by and large I won't be near a PC very much until closer to the end of the month. Please do continue to stop in, and leave comments on what I do post...just keep in mind that the whole caper is more or less on auto-pilot.

One reason to keep stopping by, is to click on my blogroll and see what my fellow geeks are up to. Speaking of whom, it was actually kinda tough compiling this week's version of E-T. I'm not sure if they're all just writing that much more, or if I happen to be following that many more of them...but I only had to go back about two days to land myself an entire post's worth of linky goodness.

So, for your reading fulfillment I give you...

In honour of this week's release of WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, Miss Rae Kasey at Nitflicky has compiled her list of the top ten children's lit adaptations.

Tony at Cinema Viewfinder has me jealous with the fact that he's already seen A SERIOUS MAN. Give his review a look.

Joel and his Magical Ticket Stub have been taking in the Ottawa International Animation Festival. His early thoughts can be found here.

M.Carter took a look back at one of my all time favorites this week. Here's her thoughts on the classic, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.

Daniel at Getafilm amused me this week by pointing out that only in the movies can you go to a club with pounding music and have a conversation without needing to yell.

And finally, Norma Desmond at The Flick Chick has put up an interesting piece on what she considers a great final scene. The movie is one of my all time top five, so you won't hear any argument from me!

Enjoy!

Can't Help Falling In Love (Top Five Movie Weddings)

Seventy eight hours from now, my days as a single man are over. It's kinda funny to write that, for the same reason that jokes about my impending doom bore me - when you've co-habitated with someone for a few years, you have a pretty good idea what you're in for.

But this is not a relationship blog, this is a movie blog!

Weddings have had an interesting history on film. Sometimes they turn bloody, sometimes they turn funny, and sometimes Julia Roberts runs away. But whether they are happy-ever-after, or foiled by the most inappropriate outburst, weddings on film are often much livelier than those in real lofe (well, mine's gonna rule...but all the others).

So as I play out the clock on my bachelor days, allow me a moment or two to talk about some of my favorite wedding scenes. Oh, and can someone please get me to the church on time?

Hatter's Top Five Wedding Scenes

#5. THE MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN (1984)... Sing it with me once, "Somebody's getting MA-reeeeeeed!". Yes, I know, this is the second week in a row I've heralded The Muppets...but they're just so darned cool. After an amazing romp around Gotham, and after pulling everyone from Liza Minnelli to Gregory Hines into the fracas, Kermit and The Gang finally land their dream and put on a gigantic Broadway show. And what better way to end the show, than by having Kermit and Miss Piggie finally get married?

#4. THE PRINCESS BRIDE... Really? Do I need to explain why I chose this one? Along with the fact that it proves how any sham of a wedding can be voided on a technicality, it point out what is truly the most important thing of all. Wuv...twue wuv.

#3. OLD SCHOOL... In some ways, I have a hunch that of all the movies I chose on this list, this one stands the greatest chance of what my wedding will turn into. I did indeed choose my groomsmen for their frat packishness, and there have already been a few moments of *coughdontdoit!* All in good fun of course. Then again, I do have to sit there while at least two of them get to handle a mic (Crap...is it too late to elope?). While we don't have any wedding singer to raunch up "Total Eclipse of The Heart", that version did come up at the karaoke night that served as our Stag & Doe! Now if only I can keep people from hanging a giant squinty photo of me...

#2. LOVE ACTUALLY (2003)... They say that lots of girls have long imagined various details of their wedding day. Guys, on the other hand, don't do such things. However, I will admit, that the first time I saw this scene I was a grinnin' fool, and did indeed wish that someone would do such a thing for me. As it happens, we won't be doing it, but there will be enough rock & roll in the ceremony to more than make up for it.

#1. THE GODFATHER (1972)... In many ways, this is what I have to look forward to, except for the fact that my side of the family isn't Italian, and thus will be outnumbered. Still the singing, the dancing, the drinking, and the food...lots and lots of food! I won't be watching Luca Brasi practicing his speach, but I will have to make sure nobody upsets cousin Frank (he's friggin' huge!). I will see what sort of favours I can get out of Lindsay's dad as a gift on his daughter's wedding day...all the while bemoaning my lack of Sicilian roots that prevented our big day from going Full Corleone.

Did I miss one? Feel free to leave comments naming your favorite movies weddings, along with suggestions for the next top five.

Toys In the Attic (TOY STORY 3 Trailer)

What more can I say about this movie besides "I'm so there"?

Review: WHIP IT * * *

There's a certain subculture of women who get what they're looking for via a pseudonym, fishnets, and excessive eyeliner. Actually there's more than one subculture that involves those details, but this one takes the whole package and puts it on eight wheels. The subculture is the somewhat insane life of roller derby girls, and WHIP IT is their story.

The story introduces us to Bliss Cavender (Ellen Page). Bliss has the soul of a riot grrrl, but the lot in life of a small town beauty contestant. That curious combintaion is stoked by her mom Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden), a former beauty queen herself who is getting a second vicarious kick at the can by way of Bliss. Bliss doesn't date, is a bit of an outcast, but gets by just fine by way of her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat).

While visiting Austin, Bliss is given a leaflet for a roller derby match. Knowing her parents won't approve, she lies and sneaks away with Pash to watch the action. For Bliss, it's love at first sight. After the match, she meets Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), who tells her that tryouts are being held soon for new girls. Bliss dusts off a pair of skates with Barbie on the sides, and takes a swing at being her own hero. Gifted with some unexpected raw talent, coach Razor (Andrew Wilson) informs her that she has made the squad. She is now a member of The Hurl Scouts, competing as Babe Ruthless.

At the heart of WHIP IT, is a balance of individuality and team work. Individualism is key of course, echoed by the mantra to "Be Your Own Hero". How many of us watch a rock band perform, or support someone running a marathon, and think to ourselves "I wish I could do that"? What WHIP IT points out, is that we could...perhaps even, that we should. There is nothing stopping us from being whatever we want to be but our own inhibitions. Getting over inhibitions isn't enough though, and that's WHIP IT's second point - to get off the ground in any of life's adventures, we need to depend on a team. Be they family, friends, or tattooed freaks, few of us can get anywhere alone.

As Razor point's out, derby isn't just about wearing fishnets and picking out a cool name. It's only when they learn to work together that they can get anywhere on the track. Bliss does indeed break away from the pack when she starts competing, but it's only when she understands how to trust her family and friends that she's able to take her achievements to the next level.

I'm not entirely sure what to make of Ellen Page's acting, since many moments felt like Juno McGuff with skates on. She's as good as she needs to be, and time will have to tell whether we've seen the best of Page, or whether she has something more layered to offer. Conversely, Kristen Wiig's performance really stood out for me. Kristen's known for her subversive snarkiness...or her over-the-top wackiness. As Maggie Mayhem, she was clever as always, but clever with a genuine caring that I haven't seen from her yet. I was pleasantly surprised by Wiig's range, and can't wait to see her in something like this again.

WHIP IT is far more sweet, smart, and empowering than it needs to be - and that's a good thing. It's a celebration of individuality and some very strong women. It's a promising directorial debut by Drew Barrymore, who hopefully won't wait too long to follow it up.

Back during TIFF, I took the time to go to the roller derby expo put on in honour of WHIP IT. Managing to score myself a trackside vantage point gave me a true appreciation of how intense this sport can be. It's fast, tough, and takes a slight degree of insanity. Every one of the women who take part in it are indeed their own hero, and WHIP IT is a fitting love letter to each of them.

What did you think? Feel free to leave comments with any thoughts or reactions on WHIP IT

Where Are We Runnin?

Today, I Feel Like This...

Everybody's Talkin' 10 - 09 ( Chatter From Fellow Bloggers )

I don't mind telling ya gang, this little weekly feature where I highlight what other bloggers are saying couldn't come at a better time.

The last two weeks have been a constant flurry of business for me, and I still have about two more weeks to go before life starts to get back to normal. Yes, with a wedding day first and foremost on the brain these days, it really cuts down on one's movie-watching time...and as I've always said, rightfully so.

Thus, never have I had more fun readin what everybody else is writing. I'm vicariously munching on popcorn, and complaining about projection focus, all without leaving the comfort of my desk. I'll get to start going to the movies again in a few weeks, but for now gang, thanks for keeping me in the loop.

When selecting which posts I want toi highlite, I usually try to pick only one review for variety's sake. But since I'm so behind on what's out there, I felt shaking things up this week would be rather apropos.

So, for your reading fulfillment I give you...

Daniel at Getafilm, who seriously enjoyed A SERIOUS MAN.

Alex at Film Forager, who found her tribe with WHIP IT!

Blake at Bitchin' Film Reviews (where ya been buddy??), who dug ZOMBIELAND.

The Mistress of The Dark at Certifiable Wenches, who was honestly unimpressed by THE INVENTION OF LYING.

Tom at Plus Trailers, who says that ANTI-CHRIST is a movie he won't soon forget.

Joel at The Ticket Stub who says that CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY is money well spent.

And Fletch at Blog Cabins, who claims that SURROGATES isn't exactly better than the real thing.

Enjoy!

We Don't Care

The information age is an amazing thing. It allows anyone who wants to the opportunity to climb up on the soapbox and scream their opinions to the masses (guilty, your honour).

Where it comes to movies, I'm starting to notice a little trend. It seems as though every once in a while, people feel the urge to feel like a brave little salmon swimming upstream. This isn't a bad thing, as fellow blogger Univarn recently put it - the more differing opinions, the livlier the discussion. However, there's a moment that instatly turns me off any would-be pointmaker. Six magic words actually...

"I haven't seen the movie, but..."

I've heard that lead in when discussing everything from Michael Moore to THE HURT LOCKER. And whether the following point is good or bad, it always irks me. It's admitting one's own uninformed position, but still arguing the position. I'm equally irked and perplexed by this.

Don't get me wrong - I'll never say that everybody should see everything, just in case it comes up in a moviegoing argument. I just wish that people - those that wish to push their opinions to the masses especially - would be content to allow wiggle room for where they could be misled.

What do you say folks? Ever come across people who want to tell you something will be amazing, or will suck, even though they haven't seen it for themselves? Am I the only one this bothers?

Red River Shore ( RED CLIFF Trailer )

I used to really love John Woo movies. the action...the guns...the birds...

Then the guy tried to get all serious and made WINDTALKERS, and for me it felt like he sorta lost his mojo at that point.

Well it looks like he's trying to right the ship, and what better way than to make a Chinese historical epic, right? I mean...it's not like audiences can get enough of those...

On The Road Again ( Top Five Road Trip Movies )

So, as some of you may recall, this past Saturday I claimed I felt like this...


That was because I knew my brother and I would be on our way back from Lord-knows-where after taking a road trip together to celebrate my upcoming wedding. Well, for those of you who might be curious, it turns out I actually felt more like this...


As a big 'ol Red Sox fan myself, this was like making a pilgrimage to the holy land. I was absolutely floored to be back in Boston, be sitting in Fenway Park, and that everybody involved in pulling off this caper managed to keep it a surprise. Not to get too far off on a warm and fuzzy tangent, but I'm a pretty lucky guy to be surrounded by such wonderful friends and family - my younger bro in particualr.

So with the roar of the Fenway faithful still ringing in my ears, and the smell of clam chowder still in my nose, I figured this would be an opportune time to take a look, albeit a somewhat abbreviated one, at some cinematic journeys that could rival our trip to Beantown. Please read on for...

Hatter's Top Five Road Trip Movies

#5. SIDEWAYS (2004)... However on our trip, the groom-to-be did not attempt one last fling before settling down, nor did he make it a mission to get his best man laid. I am surprised that we drank as little as we did though.

#4. EASY RIDER (1969)... However on our trip, we weren't seen as quite the outsiders. Plus, I look pretty dumb in leather.

#3. THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (2004)... However on our trip, nobody was witness to either traveler showing signs of being a future revolutionary. Likewise, both travelers knew the difference between a mambo and a tango.

#2. PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES (1987)... However on our trip, there was no moment of believing one's hand was between two pillows.

#1. THE MUPPET MOVIE (1979)... However on our trip, we didn't drive around in a Studebaker. I will admit that many of my jokes are about as good as Fozzie's, and that younger bro has moments of grumpiness like Sam the American Eagle. But the heart and soul of this trip was taking a journey together worthy of The Rainbow Connection...thus this Henson classic lands on the top of my list.

Did I miss one? Feel free to leave comments naming your favorite road movies, along with suggestions for the next top five.

The Boys Wanna Be Her ( Guest Blogger WHIP IT Review )

That's Susie Q: The Girl, The Geek, The Legend.

Soo-See caught WHIP IT back at TIFF, and has graciously offered to put her movie-writing skills to good use for your humble narrator. I'm slacking when it comes to seeing the new stuff you see, but when one has an awesome browncoat like this to lean on, one need not worry about slacking.

So take a peek after the jump at Sue's thoughts on Drew Barrymore's WHIP IT.

As soon as I heard that Drew Barrymore had directed a film and that it was coming to TIFF, I was curious to see what it would be about. I was very plesantly surprised to find that it wasn't at all what I had expected. I'm not even sure what I did expect, but it certainly wasn't a film involving an ex-beauty pageant queen opting to trade in her tiara in favour of fishnets and rollerskates to try her hand in the rock 'em and sock 'em world of roller derby.

Aside from women's field hockey, I really couldn't think of a more brutal sport than roller derby. And yet with Barrymore behind the lens, I knew there would be something special in this...something real, and raw, and brutal-for-a-reason. I knew there would be a point.

If I hadn't been sold on trying to get a ticket for this World Premiere screening already, by the time I read the cast list, I would have been totally on board. I'm sure she could have had her pick of actresses young and...more seasoned...to glam up the roller derby world for us all, but true to form, Barrymore selected instead an insanely perfect roster of some of the most talented and beautiful artists out there. Daniel Stern and Marcia Gay Harden (on whom I've had a mad crush for quite awhile now) are luminuous and startlingly conflicted as the parents of the lead character, Bliss. Alia Shawkat (Pash) and Carlo Alban (Birdman) are genuine and perfect as Bliss' best friends and sometimes conscience. The roller derby gals, headed by their coach, Razor (who is himself imbued with life by the incredible Andrew Wilson), include the likes of Zoe Bell, Kristen Wiig, Eve, the always amazing to watch Juliette Lewis, and Drew Barrymore, herself, who usually seems to be most comfortable when she is at her most unglamorous.

Heading it all up, and bringing us along to tell her story, is Bliss, played to genuine human perfection by Ellen Page. Barrymore stated before the film started that she'd put all of her experiences, everything she'd learned so far from the business (which comes from an already extensive and nearly life-long career), into a metaphorical box, and drew on all of it when choosing to helm this movie. Based on the novel by Shauna Cross, this story has a little something for everyone, and is largely summed up by the film's tagline, "Be your own hero". When casting for the film, Barrymore needed a special kind of hero, someone who everyone could relate to, and empathize with, laugh with and cry with, fight with, lose with, and win with. Someone we could cheer for. Someone who would bring out the hero in all of us.

That someone is Ellen Page.

Page first caught my eye years ago in the very hard to watch, yet impossible to forget movie, Hard Candy. I was blown away by the girl's talent, her ambiguity, and her ability to make me inherently root for her, even if I didn't always agree with what she was trying to do. I continued my love affair with her turn in Juno (which also introduced me to my new love, writer Diablo Cody), and was charmed to the core once again. Now, with Whip It, Page has continued to hone her craft, and between her innate talent and Barrymore's wonderful and natural direction, it really shows.

Whip It takes its audience on what is not so much a ride, as it is a journey. No one in the film is the same from start to finish, no one in the audience will come out feeling the same way they did going in, and everything experienced in between...the highs and lows, the laughter and tears, the wins and losses...all play like ocean waves, rising and falling with the tide. It's a microcosm...a slice of life delivered to us by characters who are grabbing a hold of it, and all-out living it. It's magnificent and awkward and messy and daunting and addictive all at once. It's a wonderful directorial debut for Drew Barrymore. It's a magical coming together of an incredibly talented and remarkable cast.

And if you don't walk out of that theatre wanting desperately to don an old pair of Barbie rollerskates, and go get the crap kicked out of yourself while laying down some mean hits of your own, and then laugh with the enemy over drinks later while comparing bruises...well, then, there's just something wrong with you.

So sing it with me now - "I said Whip It...Whip It GOOD!"

Comin' Home

Today, I Feel Like This...

Everybody's Talkin' 10 - 02 ( Chatter From Fellow Bloggers )

Today is a strange day. As you read this, I am off to lord knows where at the mercy of my best man. I know precious little about where I'm going, or what I'm doing except to say that I had to pack a change of clothes and bring my camera.

Part of me thinks I should be afraid.

Anyway gang, as things ratchet up wedding-wise, things are slowing down for me movie-wise. Perhaps that's a big part of the reason why I post this glance at other people's blogs every Friday. It keeps me in the loop!

For your reading fulfillment, I give you...

ElGringo at He Shot Cyrus will be celebrating the run-up to all hallow's eve by watching a scary movie every night. Seems like a swell festival!

Caitlin at 1416 And Counting has returned after some technical difficulties, and she got back in the habit by writing about Woody Allen's VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA.

Univarn, who wonders aloud why movie goers seem to hate a movie if they don't love it these days.

M.Carter, who kicks off Halloween month by rhyming off ten characters that give her the heebie jeebies.

Enjoy!

Back in The Day ( A Love Letter to 1999 )

Last week, Badass blogger extraodinaire Joel Crary posted a review about one of my all time favorite movies, FIGHT CLUB. As I glanced at it again today, it suddenly dawned on me...that was ten years ago! While this of course instantly makes me feel old, it also momentarily makes me nostelgic. Not for FIGHT CLUB on its own...but for 1999 at the movies.

I have long argued, that 1999 was the greatest year at the movies in my lifetime - and likewise one of the greatest years at the movies ever. I can never begin to guess why, but the stars aligned that year to give us an absolute bounty of intelligent, original, challenging films. This phenomenon went into overdrive when the autumn arrived, and I swear every Friday when I'd go to see a new release, I'd get knocked on my ass.

Hell, even the major studios seemed to get in on the act. I won't try to convince anybody that flicks like THE GREEN MILE, THE HURRICANE, or SLEEPY HOLLOW were game changers. I will say, that for major studio films, they all felt a bit...smarter.

As luck would have it, this was also the point in my life where I stopped caring about going to the movies with other people to avoid looking like some sort of a loner. This widened the field to what I could see even more, since I now no longer had to convince mainstream-minded friends to forsake an Ashley Judd thriller, and to instead come with me to see that girl from THE NEXT KARATE KID in a movie where she pretends to be a boy.

As the saying goes "it was a very good year"...and I really do miss such a stretch where week after week brought such mind-blowing films. Thinking back on that year just makes me a little sad, when I go to the theatre and try to decide between seeing WHITEOUT or SORRORITY ROW.

For your consideration, I have included a list of my favorite 1999 films below the jump.

FIGHT CLUB
RUN LOLA RUN
MAGNOLIA
SWEET AND LOWDOWN
BRINGING OUT THE DEAD
BEING JOHN MALKOVICH
THE VIRGIN SUICIDES
THE MATRIX
AMERICAN BEAUTY
THREE KINGS
THE INSIDER
ELECTION
THE SIXTH SENSE
THE HURRICANE
BOYS DON'T CRY
THE CIDER HOUSE RULES
THE STRAIGHT STORY
OFFICE SPACE
THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY
ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER
THE IRON GIANT
DOGMA
THE GREEN MILE
MAN ON THE MOON
SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS
THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT
TOY STORY 2
SLEEPY HOLLOW