Only 2 Days Left!

...perhaps only 1 1/2 days, depending on when Netflix takes films off Instant Watch.

I watched True Stories with my family last night, and Dear Lord Jesus, what a delight that film was. It's hard to speak accurately of the plot: David Byrne narrates in more-or-less unconnected thoughts about small-town life as he visits Virgil, Texas, during their 150-year anniversary celebration. John Goodman looks for a love and sings a Talking Heads song to close out the film. Well, a lot of people sing Talking Heads songs, actually. It's quite wonderful. It's David Lynch at 6 years old. Maybe. All three of us laughed frequently, and my wife (who is a big TH fan) bopped around to the music throughout most of the film. I was suprised to learn that while she knew most of the songs, she'd never seen the film before.

And it's off NWI on January 19. It's only 89 minutes, guys. You gotta watch it. It reminded me why I love film so much; it was a breath of fresh air.

John, I'm so happy you watched Frozen. I know it wasn't a great film, but I really liked it. It's a shame that it won't be taken seriously by a lot of critics, and its subtle unique touches will be missed by the college-aged frat boys who are just waiting for the wolves to come back. I have rarely seen a thriller/horror film that will rock you off your seat for a good steady half hour and then completely scale itself back and focus on dialogue and character development. There was something pleasantly existential about just hanging out with the protagonists on the ski lift chair in the sun and the brisk mountain air while they talked--all the while not knowing whether or not they were going to make it to the final credit roll. Then it's right back to the intense drama, then back to calm and quiet. The dynamic pace was refreshing. I would wager that Ben and Brandon would both at the very least be entertained by the film. But it's got longer on NWI than True Stories, so watch that first!

I liked Lost in Translation. I was won over by Murray in one of the first "quirky-Murray" films I'd seen (I wouldn't see Rushmore until later). I saw Coffee and Cigarettes around the same time, and enjoyed Murray's "quirky-Murray" cameo in that as well. I don't remember much else about the Translation. I must confess that I've enjoyed Coppola's work, even though I won't argue with the hipster label. I mean, Virgin Suicides, right? (Great soundtrack, by the way.)

Brandon, Emma Stone is indeed fun to watch. I'm looking forward to her interpretation of Mary Jane; I think she'll do a much better job than Dunst. But why you hatin' on Juno, dog? It's not the movie's fault it got turned into another Napoleon Dynamite marketing dynamo. Both of those films lost something because of the rabid hipster cash grab that went into effect when they went big. If no one had ever heard of Juno, I can't believe you wouldn't be a little softer on it at least.