Poll question: what is the funniest R-rated comedy since 2000?

The winner of the last question for best Australian actress was Cate Blanchett. The voting was a little screwy due to the blogger issues, but Cate took the price. Now let's move onto another question about the R-rated comedy.

I could have listed a bunch of films from the 1970s/1980s/1990s, so I decided to narrow it down to the past eleven years--even then I left some films out so feel free to do a "write-in" vote in the comment field of this post. Your choices for the funniest R-rated comedy since 2000 is as follows: Old School, Knocked Up, The Hangover, I Love You Man, Superbad, Bridesmaids, Wedding Crashers and 40 Year-Old Virgin. As I said earlier, write-ins are welcome! Go to the home page to vote.

Bridesmaids

Finally the women get involved in the raunchy R-rated comedy game. The men have been hogging the spotlight of this re-born moneymaking genre, but Bridesmaids is funny enough to steal a little thunder and box-office from the trying-to-top-itself-by-going-to-Bangkok Hangover II. Bridesmaids might even be funnier than its male focused counterparts simply from the refreshing quality it has by showing us women behaving inappropriately for the sake of laughter.

While Bridesmaids works as an ensemble with lots of funny ladies on display in the cast, Kristen Wiig is the main talent responsible for the film's success. Wiig, a veteran of many years on Saturday Night Live and playing bit-parts in comedies, not only plays the lead role, she co-wrote the script about the misadventures of a gaggle of women before a wedding occurs. Wiig's character Annie is a down on her love-life woman stuck in a degrading sex-only relationship with an insensitive brute [Jon Hamm] whilst becoming increasingly jealous of her best friend's bridal choices. The entire cast, from Maya Rudolph to the scene-stealing Melissa McCarthy, fearlessly give their all.

Bridesmaids is produced by Judd Apatow and directed by former Freaks and Geeks creator Paul Feig. It has the familiar Apatow combination of taking bawdy language and situations with the underpinning of sweetness that make his romantic comedies [Knocked Up, 40 Year-Old Virgin] such a unique blend of naughty and nice. It's got plenty of doses of the outlandish, but it's never completely in place of warmhearted elements that make you root for these people [or at least some of them] even as you laugh at them. Wiig, along with the rest of the cast, is not afraid to look bad onscreen, which adds tremendously to the film's appeal. Bridesmaids is a very welcome addition to the R-rated comedy world and gives a slightly different perspective of comedic dysfunction, while giving us both characters with depth AND laughter. Let's see if the just released Hangover II can do both of those things.

UTW review of The Conspirator

Robert Redford is a preachy S.O.B. He loves to tell the world of its ills in a variety of ways. The Conspirator pretends to be about the aftermath of the Abraham Lincoln assassination and the trial of some of the people involved in the conspiracy, but it's really about other things in the not-so-great society we live in. I just find Redford tiresome amongst other things. Go here if you want to read more thoughts I have about him and his latest movie.

Netflix streamers

For some mysterious reason, I only recently chose to connect my wireless to my blu-ray player to stream from my Netflix queue. It took me about half a streaming before I was kicking myself for waiting as long as I did to synch my account to my TV/blu-ray. The last couple of months I've drastically cut back on my discs--and have downgraded my account from 3 discs out to 2--but have been streaming like a wild man. There's something to be said for good old fashioned instant gratification!

I've created some boundaries for the streamers though. No blu-rays is rule #1. If a blu-ray is in queue and available to stream, I only watch it blu-ray. Obviously, the reason is the streamers don't look as good as the blu-ray, although the HD versions they offer seem every bit the equal of any run-of-the-mill DVD transfer that gets released. A thing I love about it is the TV series that are offered. Episodes are able to be viewed one at a time and it remembers the last episode that was watched, so you don't have to flip through episodes already seen.

If you have proper equipment, a Netflix account and fast enough wireless, try out some streamers! It will will take you about 3/4 a stream before you will likely fall in love with this bit of new[ish] technology.

Blogger issues

Not sure what is going on with Blogger. I've had posts, comments and multiple votes on the poll disappear. The poll, for example, was 8 Blanchett, 6 Davis/Collette/Watts and 0 for Kidman. Now it's much less than that. Not even sure if this post will show up...or if it will be visible for a little while and then go to some mysterious location.

UTW review of Source Code

I'm trying to get somewhat caught up on my longer reviews that appear in Urban Tulsa, so expect a few of them over the next couple of weeks so I'm still posting reviews of movies still in the theatre. If I wait too long, these will be available to rent on DVD rather than see on the screen. Up this time is Duncan Jones' second film, Source Code. It's a lean little sci-fi thriller that I enjoyed. Go here to read the full review.

Box Office Magazine profile

In the May issue of Box Office Magazine there is a profile of me written by Cole Hornaday if you want to go check it out. Titled "Programmer, historian, oddball" [!],  lots of topics are covered including electronic music, my dad's less than stellar parenting choices, midnight movies, Circle Cinema and even CineRobot. Go here to read it.

The new poll question is a real barn-burner as there is a log-jam at the top of the question: Who is the best Australian actress. If you haven't voted, head to the home page to mark your choice.

Real Life trailer

In 1979, Albert Brooks wrote and directed a satire of the PBS reality

show An American Family. His comedy was called Real Life and in

this terrific [non] trailer, Brooks dons the persona he plays in the film.

This trailer takes some jabs at 3-D, which was staging a comeback in

the late '70s. Thirty years later and his zingers still ring true regarding

how ridiculous 3-D is. Enjoy.

New poll question on Australian actresses/UTW review of Limitless

We did a poll recently on the male actors from Australia, now let's do one on the women! The question is who is the best actress from Australia and it's a strong field. Your choices are: Judy Davis, Naomi Watts, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett and Toni Collette. Go to the home page to vote!

Results for the latest poll question on your favorite Sydney Lumet movie was: 5 votes for Network, 3 for Serpico, 2 for 12 Angry Men/Dog Day Afternoon/Running on Empty, 1 for Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and no votes for The Verdict.

I'm still woefully behind on these Urban Tulsa reviews! I saw Limitless in late March and it was surprisingly enjoyable in a guilty pleasure, mainstream sci-fi thriller kind of way. Go here to read the full review.

April movies

Kind of a thin month movie wise, but I did see a few others that will have to remain secret as they might end up at Slumber Party 3: Payback in July. Don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone! And yes, Tiny Furniture deserves that one star and even less if I could. Also in April was two films with Juliette Binoche, four documentaries and watching an all-time favorite Something Wild again.

Source Code---2011---usa   ***1/2
Tiny Furniture---2010---usa   *
Typeface---2009---usa---***
Somewhere---2010---usa   ***1/2
Air Guitar Nation---2006---usa   ***1/2
Something Wild---1986---usa    *****!
Certified Copy---2010---france   ***1/2
Typeface---2009---usa   ***
Summer Hours---2008---france ***
Boxcar Bertha---1972---usa   ***
Hanna---2011---usa   ***1/2
Grown Ups---2010---usa   *1/2
Opa!---2005---greece   **1/2
Con Artist---2010---usa   ***

Dream drive-in double feature for Tulsa World

Recently I was asked by the Tulsa World to pick out a couple of films I'd show as a dream double-feature at the rebuilt Admiral Twin Drive-In in Tulsa. Go here  and scroll down if you want to see what two films I chose--two wildly different movies, but each personal favorites of mine.

If you didn't know, the Admiral Twin, which burned to the ground last year, is being rebuilt in 2011. Tulsa without the Admiral Twin is not Tulsa so I am eager to see it reborn all modern in 21st century refinement. The photo is of the original entrance sign that I wish they'd also bring back and repaint.

If you have a dream double-feature, I'd love to know it. I had a hard time narrowing my choice down to these two. The link seems to be kind of off/on for some reason...my choices were Bad News Bears and Days of Heaven. If the link is faulty for you, google "tulsa world dream drive-in double feature" or some combo of that and it should come up if you want to read why I chose those films.

Werner Herzog reads Curious George

I always love Werner Herzog's unique narration in his documentaries,

so to hear him read a children's book like "Curious George" gives

it a whole new perspective. Werner takes it to a darker place

thanks to his teutonic accent. Get the kiddies next to the screen

for some Werner!

UTW review of The Adjustment Bureau

Go here if you want to check out my review from a few weeks ago in Urban Tulsa on The Adjustment Bureau. It's a science-fiction thriller based on a Philip K. Dick story [which made me have a lot of hope as I'm a long-time fan of his] that stars Matt Damon and Emily Blunt as a star-crossed couple who might not be allowed to be together due to the shadow world that controls our actions. This could have and should have been so much better. Read on to find out how...

Sidney Lumet 1924-2011

Sidney Lumet died a few weeks ago at the age of 86. If you look at Lumet's career on IMDB it's a pretty amazing list of films that he was involved in since directing an early masterpiece in 1957 with 12 Angry Men. Extremely prolific as a director, he churned out nearly one film a year from the late 1950s to 2000. Lumet's sheer amount of films he helmed might have damaged his legacy as it caused more "misses" and also stripped away from the special quality his peers attained by releasing fewer movies. Lumet had some not so great ones, but he directed a bunch of bonafide classics and can't miss films in his career.

Lumet was in show business in some form or other for nearly seventy years! He was on Broadway as a child actor in the mid-30s before serving in WW2 from 1942-46. After the war he initially gravitated back to the stage and then became a highly respected director in the emerging world of television. With his first movie, he hit a home run with 12 Angry Men, a testosterone filled, claustrophobic, tense look at a trial's jury as they deliberate a case. After that, Lumet kept on making movies and more movies and more movies.

The 1970s and 1980s were his zenith as a filmmaker. Just look at this list of must-sees that Lumet directed in those two decades: Serpico, Murder on the Orient Express, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, Prince of the City, The Verdict and Running on Empty. In 2007, an 82 year-old Lumet proved he could still hang with all these young whipper-snappers by delivering the pitch-black drama Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. It was the last film he would make and he went out on a high-note with that one.

Frequently using New York City as a backdrop to his films, Lumet's style wasn't flashy. He believed in a straight-ahead naturalism and realism that made stories set among the world of the police or lawyers a perfect backdrop for his attention to detail. I love directors who aren't trying to show-off to the audience at every turn and Lumet didn't want the camera, editing or photography to distract from what was taking place on screen. I love that no-nonsense, what you see is what you get style and attitude from Lumet. The man had guts and he loved to make movies about corruption, betrayal and throw in some sort of social statements in his films.

If you don't know a lot of the films I've mentioned, do yourself a favor and get them in your Netflix queue as soon as you can. I'm going to put a few of these in and re-watch them and go through his filmography and pick out the ones I didn't see. It's time to appreciate the rich cinematic world of one of America's greatest filmmakers of all-time: Sidney Lumet.

New poll question: What is your favorite Sidney Lumet movie?

My next post will be a tribute to the recently departed director Sidney Lumet, so I thought some of his more well known films would make a good poll question.  Which one of these movies is your favorite? Go to the home page to vote!

2000 statistics!

Let's go to the year 2000 and the statistics for that year. I got to travel some, including a month or so in Seattle gorging myself at the Seattle International Film Festival. That was good fun. 2000 was also a more social year watching movies as my solitude was quite a bit less. Here's my year in movies...Plus, check out the beard I had in the mid-90s to the right of the "I [Heart] Bigfoot" sticker.

Total: 264

By month

January: 21
February: 19
March: 9
April: 20
May: 49
June: 45
July: 24
August: 14
September: 21
October: 15
November: 15
December: 11

By decade

1920-29: 3
1930-39: 6
1940-49: 11
1950-59: 9
1960-69: 8
1970-79: 8
1980-89: 17
1990-99: 137
2000: 64

Where I saw 'em

84--Pryor Creek, Oklahoma
75--Seattle, Washington
56--Norman, Oklahoma
31--Tulsa, Oklahoma
6--Dallas, texas
5--New York, New York
2--Rapid City, South Dakota
1--Bozeman, Montana; Missoula, Montana; Muskogee, Oklahoma; Springdale, Arkansas; West Palm Beach, Florida

Who I saw 'em with

178--alone
21--Lillian Blevins
18--Otis Hoover
13--Laura Ballay
10--Nancy Churillo
9--Shane Davis
8--Bobby Ahn
4--Sherrill Davis
3--Seth Jones
2--Amy Cargill, Emily McNichols, Joshua McNichols, Robert Schrader
1--Sara Booker, Scott Booker, Donnie Bostwick, Shelley Faught, Denny Kelly, Pedro Koo, Victoria Nguyen, Michael Ninburg, Chuck Wootten, Rig ?, Shirl ?

By country

166--US and A!
13--China/Hong Kong [for some reason I didn't split these two in 2000, not sure why]
12--Italy, Japan
10--France
8--England
6--Iran
4--Denmark
3--Spain
2--Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Taiwan
1--Austria, Brazil, Ethiopia, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Slovenia, South Korea, Turkey, Venezuela

In a theatre: 126
Documentaries: 23

UTW review of Cedar Rapids

Go here if you want to read my review of the sly comedy Cedar Rapids. I really liked this comedy with a great cast and a wonderful subversive edge to it. Unfortunately, this didn't do much box-office, which is a real shame, but mark my words--it will be much appreciated when people discover it via DVD.

Running Upside Down short film

Dear Readers,


CineRobot guest-blogger Stephanie Huettner is producing a short film called Running Upside Down and I thought you might want to be involved or know about the project [click on the image above to be taken to their website where you can watch a video from the filmmakers and learn more about it]. They are attempting to raise funds for the film that will allow them to go to Taiwan for part of filming. You can donate a few dollars or a bunch of dollars; I just sent a payment of $25 [The Tarantino level] to help them to their goal of $5,000. I think this is a worthy cause to support young filmmakers, so let's help them raise some money! Maybe I should pool some donations and get CineRobot a producer's credit?

Sincerely,

Joshua

Rush v. Pearce

If you haven't voted in latest poll, cast your vote. We've got a 5-5 tie with Rush and Pearce battling it out.

Tiny Furniture

I saw Tiny Furniture last week and don't have time for a full review, but have to get in a quick rant about it off my chest. The gist of it is I loathed pretty much everything about this phony, gimmicky, masturbatory, self-conscious, lifeless, horribly written and poorly acted movie. The creative force behind Tiny Furniture is a privileged 24 year old named Lena Dunham who casts her real mother, sister and [probably] friends in the story and shoots it on the extreme cheap with DV cameras. Somehow, this woeful fraud of a movie has garnered critical praise, releases on a spate of art theatres across the nation and people claiming Dunham's a rising young filmmaker.  I obviously disagree with that assessment of her film and her as a filmmaker.

Like many of the micro-budget movies I've watched recently, Tiny Furniture is bland, under scripted and exasperating. The film feels more like a student project rather than a something that deserves to be seen by audiences in a theatre. This is just an exercise in youthful narcissism by a filmmaker who can't waste time growing older, maturing,  working on her ideas and becoming a more complete artist. No, like many younger people in the creative fields in 2011--whether they are writers, painters or filmmakers--they have to get their vision to the masses NOW. Many aren't ready for that and churn out undeveloped, unthought out crap that the myriad of internet hype machines fawn over in their hunger for fresh talent. Tiny Furniture is a perfect example of that. In the future, Dunham might have something to say about herself and the world instead of just wallowing in the endless, unabsorbing, hollow posturing that takes place in Tiny Furniture, but she isn't anywhere near that level at this point. This should have been a college project of Dunham's and never seen the light of day, but it did and will be in the running for the worst film I see in 2011.