Mark Ruffalo Just Can't Get Enough - Thanks For Sharing Review

Thank the Lord. 2013 is behind us. (Sigh.) That was a rough one.

Happy New Year.

So, I spent most of the week with friends. Doing things. Friend things.

Nice Rack.

My friend April Pantell really wanted a rack. She has a thing for racks lately. Spice racks, clothing racks, magazine racks, CD racks, DVD racks, wire racks, key racks, bike racks, surfboard racks, pot and pan racks, wooden racks, racks with wheels, racks with bells. I have never known her to be so organized. I guess people can change.

We spent a good part of the afternoon the other day driving around Orange County looking for suitable racks. Ross, TJ Maxx, Walmart, Target, Walmart again. No rack was good enough for her. (I can only imagine what it would be like to date her.) It was a complete waste of a shopping day. But it lead to a marvelous idea (April and I have a ton of marvelous ideas-at least, according to us.)



Future Employees of the Month!

Ok, so are you ready for this?

...There needs to be a one-stop-shop for all your racking needs. None of this traipsing around town searching for sub-par discount racks. Imagine: The perfect rack store. It could reside in Fullerton. There is an area near Commonwealth Avenue and Raymond Avenue that could really use some foot traffic. It would be called - "NICE RACK". Only big breasted men and women could work there. Their attire would be black slacks, black shoes and a fluorescent pink shirt that would  read in white letters: "Nice Rack."

I know I'd shop there. Come to think of it, I could use a rack for my Fisher Price Little People. I collect them. (No, it's not weird.)

April and I co-wrote a blog way back when. You can check it out here.

I'm hiding from Liz.

I also got to spend time with the talented, lovely birthday girl, Liz Uhl. Now Liz, Liz is hoot. Liz is the kinda person where the only way you can get her to exercise is if you throw the wine opener across the room. I've never seen a woman move so fast in my life. Liz lives in Hollywood, so I drove up there and had a wonderful time hanging out with her and her friends listening to great stories. There was this one story about this girl who pooped in the Walgreen's parking lot. No one would actually say who the girl was but I know she was at the party. I could smell her. Good times.

Anyway, I watched a bunch of movies over the last couple days that I'd never seen. Django Unchained, Life of Pi, An Unfinished Life. But the one I'm gonna write about is a fantastic ensemble piece, Thanks For Sharing.

THANKS FOR SHARING - 2013 - ***

dir. Stuart Blumberg
Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Gad, Joely Richardson, Patrick Fugit, Pink (as Alecia Moore), Carol Kane.

Most people think sex addiction isn't really a thing. Just something your partner says they have when they get caught cheating. But that's not true. It's a thing. Wikipedia defines addiction as the continued repetition of a behavior despite adverse consequences. That's a good definition.

An addict can get addicted to anything, even sex. Thanks For Sharing is an open, honest and frank look at the world through the eyes of an addict. All sorts of addicts. But mainly sex addicts. Have I mentioned it's mostly a romantic comedy? And a damn good one.

Adam (Mark Ruffalo) is basically our hero here. After years of hookers and porn he has been on the straight and narrow for 5 years. He helps lead SAA (Sex Addicts Anonymous) meetings with his sponsor and best friend Mike (Tim Robbins). New to the group, and court appointed to SAA, is Neil (a wonderful Josh Gad). He was a doctor until he got fired for filming up the skirts of his co-workers. The movie follows the lives of these three men and their daily struggles with their demons.

Adam is longing for a relationship. One night he meets Phoebe (Gwyneth Paltrow) at a party and they hit it off. But how do you tell the woman of your dreams you're a sex addict? (By the way, sex within a relationship is allowed for sex addicts.)

Richardson. Fugit. Robbins.

Mike is not only a sex addict but also a recovering alcoholic. He has a damaged relationship with his son (a very appealing Patrick Fugit) who is also a drug user. He is married to Katie (Joely Richardson), who questions her sanity everyday for choosing to be with an addict. What does that say about her? (Did I mention this is a comedy?)

Then, there is poor Neil. He just doesn't want to change. He lies about his sobriety, he can't throw out his porn, and he doesn't know how to tell his mother (a nice-to-see-you Carol Kane) he's been fired. But then, Dede (Pink) joins their little recovering addict family and things change.

The relationships in this movie are complicated. They are real. The actors are living beautifully within their fucked up worlds. There is no easy answer for people whose lives are affected by addiction. And this movie knows that.

A fantastic directorial debut for Oscar nominated screenwriter (The Kids Are All Right) Stuart Blumberg.

(3 stars *** out of 4 ****)

Michael Caine, Gillian Anderson & Clemence Posey in Last Love - Review

Sometimes I like to watch movies over a couple of days. Especially if I really like it. I don't want it to be over. You can never watch it again for the first time. I have found that this process brings out a mini-series quality to certain films. The characters get to live with you just a little bit longer.

It doesn't work for every movie and you can't do it in the theatres but it can enhance certain films that you watch at home. Just a little tid bit.

Some might say that that can give certain movies an advantage or disadvantage. I say, who the fuck cares? It's my movie watching experience. No one elses. And if it takes me nearly 2 weeks to watch Speilberg's Lincoln than so be it. Some nerve making a 150 minute historical extravaganza.

Last Love I watched in 2 parts. For what it's worth.

LAST LOVE - 2013 - ***
dir. Sandra Nettelbeck.
Michael Caine, Clemence Poesy, Gillian Anderson, Justin Kirk, Jane Alexander.

A film that moves casual and with a deliberate pace is like a bottle of red wine that you share leisurely with your best friend. In between the sips and the laughs and the hints of blackberry is life. Last Love is like that. It's a movie about what happens in between life's "big" moments. It is a reminder that we are not shaped by one or two big events. Life carves out a little bit of us everyday. We are malleable until the day we die.

It's been three years since Matthew Morgan (Michael Caine) lost his wife Joan (Jane Alexander). He has fallen into a routine, that's quotidian at best. His since of time relies on when then cleaning lady arrives at his Parisian flat or when the phone rings and he's late for another lunch. His lust for life has passed. He has lived in France for years and hasn't learned a word of French. He always relied on Joan. He always had things to do and always had a dinner date because he always had Joan. He has no one now.

That all changes when he meets the young and beautiful Pauline (Harry Potter's Clemence Poesy) on the bus. The two unlikely friends hit it off. Not in a weird way. In a father-daughter way. Her family has passed and his are in the states. A match made in France.

Gillian Anderson.

Pauline is a dance teacher and gets Matthew to come to her classes. They go out to fancy dinners and row boats and eat hot dogs. But all this is just too much for Matthew. He realizes, by spending time with Pauline, how much he misses his wife and attempts to take his own life.

When his son and daughter (a strong Justin Kirk and a splendidly selfish Gillian Anderson) come to visit Matthew in the hospital, family drama ensues.

There is by no means any reason that Michael Caine still needs to be doing movies. He has nothing to prove. He has done everything. Won 2 Oscars. Was in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. He even starred in the surprise summer hit Now You See Me. But I'm glad to see that he is still challenging himself in these small, intimate movies. He is brilliantly restrained as the grieving widower. There are some tender moments that only Caine could deliver. Check out the heartbreak in his eyes when Pauline gets a ride to town with a handsome stranger. What could have been a very creepy performance (think Peter O'Toole in Venus) is not in the hands of Michael Caine.

However, I was most delighted and impressed with Ms. Poesy. A beautiful actress who gives so much life to Pauline. When she's happy, every part of her is happy. Even her hair.

A pleasant score from Hans Zimmer and some very lush cinematography by Michael Bertl.

A sweet litle movie.

(3 stars *** out of 4 ****)

She's a Hustler Baby and Wants You to Know - Jennifer Lawrence and the American Hustle Review

What a treat!

Nora Lewis, one of my dearest friends, came and visited Old Man Baine here yesterday. Why, she even took me out to lunch and then to the picture show.

Yes, the sweet, gorgeous and nothing short of extraordinary, Nora Lewis. For those of you that know her, you realize that that description is an understatement. She is also habitually late, has no track of time and thinks her Garmin is the end-all be-all of street navigation.

But that's what makes her so sweet. Not only that, she has a blog on the eats of Las Vegas. You can check out Nora's blog here. (Nora's Blog)

We lunched at my favorite lunch spot in Orange County. Rutabegorz. There are 3 very quaint locations throughout OC and we visited the Fullerton location. Food is great, staff is great. We both highly recommend it. But be forewarned. If you order a salad, it's big enough to feed the Pygmy population of Papua New Guinea.


Pygmys eating Nora's leftover Rutabegorz salad.

After lunch, Nora dutifully punched in the address of the theatre into her little buddy Garmin and we were on our way. Never mind that it was down the street and I knew the quickest way to get there. We went the way that little fucker told us to. Nora is nothing if not consistent. So sweet she is.

We made it to the theatre. Bought our tickets. We were about to get our American Hustle on.

AMERICAN HUSTLE - 2013 - ***

dir. David O. Russell.

Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Jack Huston, Michael Pena, Shea Whigham, Alessandro Nivola, Robert DeNiro.

Let's just talk about Jennifer Lawrence for a moment. I have loved this actress since I saw her in 2010's Winter's Bone, my favorite film that year. Last year she was in Silver Lining's Playbook, again, my favorite movie of the year and she won an Oscar for it. And I would put The Hunger Games: Catching Fire in my top 10 this year. So it is no surprise that Ms. Lawrence was my favorite thing in American Hustle.

Now let's talk about director David O. Russell. I admire his films. They are some of my favorite. Flirting with Disaster. Three Kings. The Fighter. Silver Linings Playbook. I was really looking forward to American Hustle.

I was a little disappointed.

Here's the question. Can actors raise a sub par movie to greatness? The answer here, is yes. American Hustle would not be the movie it is without the outstanding performances of the five leads.

Here, David O. Russell is reuniting with stars from his previous films to bring you a glossed over, at best, retelling of late 70's, early 80's, ABSCAM fiasco. The FBI's public corruption investigation that led to the downfall of nearly a dozen elected officials.

Christian Bale plays Irving Rosenfeld. A small time con artist who teams up with Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams, who looks a lot like a young Nicole Kidman here) to scam thousands of dollars from the people who need it the most. Very desperate people looking for the easy way out by taking a loan they shouldn't. Irving is the pole. Sydney the bait. A match made in heaven. They're probably in love with each other. Never mind that Irving has son and young wife named Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence.) 

It can't last forever. They are soon busted by a bumbling agent (Bradley Cooper in a performance that has to be seen to be believed) and forced to help entrap government officials.

For me, the film stayed in the same gear from start to finish. A sense of urgency was never built. I never felt the plight of what these characters were going through. The screenplay and the directing did not hustle me the way the acting did.

The attention to detail in American Hustle is reminiscent to that of the 2009 Soderbergh film The Informant! Another flashy period film that focused a lot of attention on costume, set and makeup when really they should have been focusing on rewrites. Russell's film doesn't suffer the same demise that that film did because of the bravura performances of his cast.

Adams. Cooper. Renner. Bale. Lawrence

Christian Bale is unrecognizable, brilliant, pathetic, hilarious with every word he utters and every

move he makes. He gives one of the best performances of the year as the balding, overweight Irving. Amy Adams is solid as usual and I think her breasts might get a nomination this year for Best Supporting Actresses. Bradley Cooper. Oh, Bradley Cooper. You're just so god damn cute. Even when you are sitting on the toliet, eating fried chicken, with curlers in your hair. He's a maniac in this role. He tears it apart and it's awesome to watch. Jeremy Renner might give the best performance of his career as Mayor Carmine Polito.

But it's my Jennifer Lawrence as Rosalyn who does it for me. She's fucking hilarious. Some people say she was over the top. Not me. Spot on. What else do you expect from a depressed, alcoholic, stay at home Mom? In the 70's? Some of the funniest lines in the film belong to Lawrence. And don't even get me started on the Science Oven.

I wouldn't be surprised if all 5 actors walked away with Oscar nominations for this film. It's their movie. They make it work. It's not the best picture of the year but it sure is fun.

(3 stars *** out of 4 ****)