That's a great catch...not to say my husband isn't great, but that's very special.

Rented 1408 last night. It was very formulaic and the ending was lame, but there was one spot that was surprising. Unless you see it for free, don't bother.

Been picking up pieces of Clueless and it's stil fresh and I always sing (with hands) "Rolling with the homies..." Herbal refreshment, Byron Alcott High School.

Also been watching a bunch of horror films in honor of Halloween.

Finished off my month o' horror with The Hunger. As my roommate astutely put it, if you have lesbian vampires and David Bowie, who needs a plot?

I saw Purple Rain for the first time, which was equal parts bizarre and awesome. It was definitely worth it to see Prince perform onstage throughout the film, and to finally hear "Darling Nikki," which I've heard so much about. He must be amazing in concert.

It's an Almodovar film, which helps in understanding what is going on I think. The back cover claims it was "hysterical". It had some very funny parts, but also some very troubling ones.

Plot spoilers:
>>Near the beginning a main character's husband tries to molest her daughter, who stabs and kills him (go her!). And it later comes out that the daughter is the product of her mother's molestation by her grandfather.<<

So, hysterical not the first adjective I would describe this movie with.

He really is. Now you need to see the PR sequel, Graffiti Bridge, which keeps all the bizarre and replaces the "awesome" with "awesomely bad."

My roommates and I rented Meet the Robinsons, a Disney CGI animation that was in theaters for like 3 days last summer. Dude, it was the weirdest movie EVER. I felt like I was high the whole time. It wasn't really funny, either--the whimsy was a little too forced. Very odd. The ending was very sweet, but overall two thumbs...confused. Would not rent again.

Honestly, I kinda just want to see it because of "I have a big head...and little arms!" That shit is hilarious.

I Netflixed Spider-man 3, only to realize that it was on my campus cable the same night. Damn. Overall, it was like the other two -- it tried to go for that weird humour in the middle, where he goes all dark and twisty with the Venom-suit stuff, and...yeah, I just didn't get that. I just don't like Tobey or Kirsten. However, Jamoes Franco, Topher Grace and Thomas Haden Church were all great, IMO. ("My spider-sense is tingling...if you know what I mean!" Awesome.)

1408 is on now. WTFmonkeys.

And I FINALLY got my hands on The Brave, Johnny's Palme d'Or-nominated 1997 directorial debut. It's not perfect and feels unfinished in a way, but it's beautiful and haunting (I can't stop thinking about the ending. Seriously).

Okay, yeah, THAT part was funny as hell. But that was literally the only one.

So I'm watching The Mark of Zorro, and it's a bit of a mixed bag. My main complaint with it is that Tyrone Power doesn't do very much as Zorro - most of the time is spent with his foppish alter-ego. Oh, that and the appallingly bad stereotyping of poor Mexicans. (well, Californians, techinically, but during the time of the story, that's one and the same). On the other hand, it has three very persuasive pluses:

(1) The big fencing duel between Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone near the end, which should be a leading piece of evidence in How Good Cinematic Fencing Can Be Awesome and Sexy.

(2) Tyrone Power's array of extremely tight pants. Seriously, I haven't seen pants that tight on a man on film since Labyrinth. Zorro got back, y'all.

(3) Basil Rathbone in general. Between the fencing and the costume and the villainry...*le sigh*. >I just wish they didn't kill his character off so long before the end, as he was one of the few interesting ones in the entire film. Stupid movie.<

Omg I love that movie. Also, Fop!Zorro cracks my shit up.

One of the things I remember really NOT liking about Volver was how talky is was: How nearly every single important piece of character development was expressed through dialogue, often, with the actor just sort of addressing the camera.

Shame, for such a visual director, to rely so much on exposition. There may have been a reason for it (?) but it didn't work for me.

I also remember how the only scenes that seemed sensual and engaging where the ones set in the restaurant -- even though they were relatively insignificant to the plot (except perhaps as the place where Raimunda is in control and most comfortable).

Not my favorite Almodovar film, by a long shot.

I haven't truly loved an Almodovar film since All About My Mother. These later melodramas seem to be much more critically acclaimed but I prefer the earlier, crazier and um..well sexier stuff like Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, Matador and Live Flesh. They're so full of life and far more entertaining. Volver was kind of dull.

Jaws. I don't usually yell out loud during movies, but >>those HEADS in the sunken boat thing?! AAUUGGH WHAT THE HELL.<< And I turned into one of those annoying people we always mention on the Movie Theatre Etiquette page, because I kept going "That's a big bitch" every time the shark showed up. Damn.

I remember watching Jaws in my American Film class my senior year of high school, the only one in my class getting the hell scared out of me because everyone else in the class had seen it but I was a big old wuss and hadn't watched it up until that point.

Aw, I wanted to see Meet the Robinsons. My family kids me that I have the body of a T-rex so I was making that "big body, small arms" joke way before that movie.

I'd forgotten how much I loved Home for the Holidays, and how sad it made me. And Jodie Foster's commentary makes it even sadder, somehow.