Let Me In (2010)

Before I had even seen "Let the Right One In," the remake was already on its way. After watching the original, I couldn't fathom why another one was necessary. Still, I had to watch the American version once it came out and I guess it was okay. So far it's made about twelve million dollars domestically, just about matching how much the Swedish version made worldwide two years ago. The potential for profit is enough reason for a remake I guess.There's...

Now You See Her, Now You Don't

Listening to: Vampire Weekend, "Taxi Cab." I believe everyone is into Vampire Weekend, and I guess I am now too after two selections in a few weeks. I can't even decide which song I like better, Taxi Cab or Oxford Comma. "Unsentimental, driving around, sure of myself, sure of it now / you stand this close to me, like the future was suppose to be..."There's probably a better term for this but I'll go ahead and call it the "ghost relationship." My...

Secretariat (2010)

I'll give a lot of leeway for movies about subjects I really enjoy. Comic books, action movies, teen dramas, and certain types of sports movies. The problem with the latter is that they usually suck, especially when the "inspired by a real story" gets the Hollywood treatment and the facts are adjusted to fit a conventional story arc. Most of the time, I end up wishing that I should have just watched a documentary and read some websites. After...

Red (2010)

I don't know how this movie got away with billing itself as simply "Red." Googling "red movie" does return it as the first hit but there are just too many other "red" movies about, not to mention the service Redbox. I mean, there are at least three other movies also titled "Red," including one that also stars Brian Cox. The superb plot of that 2008 gem is "A reclusive man sets out for justice and redemption when three troublesome teens kill his...

The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009)

I quite enjoyed Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and have been waiting to drag people to the sequel with me. Power in numbers and certain movies by myself, what of it? There's actually not that much to say about Girl Who Played With Fire except that it hits most of the high (and low) points of the first one. The style and pacing of the story is different but it's hard to say which was better. James Berardinelli compared the structure of the Millenium...

Singles Club

The mixtape is an endangered species and an anachronism, duh. There was a time when making mixtapes was fun, exciting, and romantic. Well that time is now over as everyone just crams their iTunes full of songs. At least I know I do. Between Pandora and Shufflr, I barely know what artists I'm listening to, much less the names of the songs. I used to be religious about finding/owning the MP3 of a favorite tune but now I just keep an email draft...

Breakadawn

Listening to: Jukebox the Ghost, "Empire." This is the second Jukebox song I'm really into so I'm starting to think it's about time to snag the whole album.If only my entire life were a fantasy game, things would be a lot more exciting. Defined goals, defined rules, defined ways to win or lose, defined seasons and "better luck next years." I really wish Friendonomics.net took off, but it didn't since there was no real incentive to buy or sell stocks...

Easy A (2010)

Emma Stone is a winning actress. I don't think I've seen her in her other work but in this she's amazing. What I like about Emma especially is her deep voice, which reminds me of my first impression of Ghost World-era Scarlett Johansson. Then again, Tara Reid has a raspy voice too and look at how that worked out. From Stone's Wikipedia: "She gave a PowerPoint presentation to her parents, set to the Madonna song 'Hollywood', to convince them to...

The Social Network (2010)

I don't know what's going on with David Fincher. First Benjamin Button and now this. You're losing me Finch! I'm glad he's returning to darker territory with the remake of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.While it's hard for me to say that The Social Network wasn't good, I don't think of it as a must-watch after actually seeing it. Critics are fawning over Aaron Sorkin's dialogue and script, yet I found it a bit heavy handed. Lots of "show not tell."...

Bring it Back to Respond/React

Watching intently: These links are going to be redundant for many of you but they need to be shared. I first started noticing Heather Morris' dancing skills during the Glee Vogue video. She had this overly frenetic style that was hilarious. And those fierce facial expressions she did were killer. I had no idea she was actually a dancer first, and when I found that fact out, it explained everything. Now I can't get enough of her dancing Single Ladies...

I'm Reading at Litquake

Listening to: The Pipettes, "Because It's Not Love (But It's Still A Feeling)." Resurrecting the sound of 1960s pop, the Pipettes have had their entire lineup swapped once over already in their short career. No matter, both incarnations seem pretty great to me and I can't decide on a favorite song. I think it's Because It's Not Love but I'm also partial to "Your Kisses are Wasted on Me." For the first few days after I started listening to them,...