Vancouver

Let's talk Olympics.

I love The Olympics. I love the ceremony, I love the ridiculous sports that you never get to watch any other time. I love the medals, and the pomp and circumstance.

I love Olympic athletes, and the way that they become rock stars for two weeks a year. Sometimes more.

Apparently I'm in the minority, but I much prefer the Winter Olympics to the summer. In the winter you get figure skating, and ski jumping, and speed skating and biathlon.

What's biathlon? It's a combination of cross country skiing and crossbow shooting.

Yes, crossbow shooting. Ridiculous! And amazing! Of course they don't shoot each other. That would be ideal. They shoot targets. But still.

Oh right, and the Winter Olympics also give us this guy.

Oh Apolo...

Questions to be answered.

Oscar noms out today. But having not seen any of the nominees, I don't have much to say about them. (Seriously folks, I still haven't seen Avatar)

So let's talk Lost.

Epic final season begins today and I'm insanely psyched up for it.

Questions that I'm dying to have answered in this final stretch of story.

1. What are the numbers?
2. What is the monster?
3. Who is Jacob? (My friend Mark's theory is that he is Jacob, you know, Israel, of the book of Genesis? And the other dude is Esau, the brother that Jacob disinherited. I took it further then and asked if Richard was Joseph...Mark wasn't so into that theory.)
4. Charlie was destined to die, even with the reset, does he die?
5. If they never go to the Island, do Desmond and Penny still have their baby?
6. Does this mean that they won't get to the Island?
7. If they remember what happened will Sawyer kick Jack's ass for killing Juliet? (PLEASE SAY YES!)

Anyway, we shall see tonight. I'm hoping to get my mind blown!!!!

Swan Song

Alright, I know I've been a bad blogger. And maybe someday I'll finish out the best of the decade. But right now, there's just one thing that I have to write about.

Dollhouse finale!

I just finished watching it on DVR. I was thoroughly satisfied, especially for a show that I watched every episode of, but didn't ever love.

I knew what to expect going in. This is Joss Whedon, there are certain markers. Main characters were going to die. Redemption would be found. Vagueness would ensue.

The finale picked up where the unaired "Epitaph" left off, with Felicia Day, that guy and Molly from Heroes racing away from the zombie like "butchers" in LA to find Echo and the others. They were eventually captured by Rossum soldiers, one of whom was Paul. I knew not to expect things to be the same, but it seemed odd that Paul would be with Rossum. As it turned out it was all a plan. Rossum had kidnapped Topher to create a sort of mind bomb, that would wipe the entire world. Already a little bit unstable, for having been Topher, they drove him completely insane by shooting a someone in front of him every time he messed up. After rescuing him, Echo shot Clyde in his latest form and the fugitives headed to a farm, where Prya and Adelle and a young boy were picking strawberries. We find out that the boy is Prya's son. Anthony is conspicuously absent.

After explaining what was done to Topher and why, Topher reveals that he figured out a way to do the bomb but backwards, restored anyone who was ever wiped to their original "actual" status. Thrilled by the prospect of a returned world, but worried for their own existence, the gang realizes that they need to get someplace underground. They need to return to the dollhouse. An alarm goes off, and every one panics, fearing Rossum found them. But instead a group of Mad Max style fighters show up, speaking russian, among them is Anthony. As it turns out a small group of people have enhanced themselves further to help fight Rossum, allowing themselves to download various skills, but only able to keep so many at a time they wear the imprints around their necks in flash drives. We soon find out that although they had the child together, Anthony's decision to become one of these super soldiers, and forever revert to Viktor, drove a wedge between him and Prya. They head to Los Angeles, and the Dollhouse.

Paul and Echo talk on the trip, about how for ten years they've been dancing around their feelings. He asks why she only ever lets him in when she thinks their about to die, and she blows off the question. When they reach LA, they get ready to fight the butchers, there's some awesome gun mowing down and Penny, uh, I mean Mag (Felicia Day) gets shot in the legs. Paul runs over to check her and is immediately gunned down. Echo seems unshaken and other guy throws Mag over his shoulders and they head down into the Dollhouse.

The Dollhouse seems unchanged, dolls wander around it, one commenting as soon as they enter, "I try to be my best." But the biggest surprise comes when it turns out the person looking after all of them is Alpha. He teases Viktor about his face, and when Viktor playfully calls him a psycho he responds that he's "lapsed." So now, Spike, I mean Alpha is a good guy. The super soldiers try to take control of the situation but Alpha and Echo outsmart them (ah duh) and Prya begins smashing the flash drives angrily. Echo loses it on her, reminding her how lucky she is to have Anthony, and that he'll always love her. Echo finally admits to loving Paul, and Prya introduces her son, T, to his father.

Meanwhile with help from a video of Bennet, Topher builds the bomb and tells Adelle and Alpha that he has to actually explode it himself. Adelle offers to go with him, but he tells her that he "has to fix what we did to their heads, you have to fix the rest of the world. Your job is harder." She hugs him and Alpha takes him upstairs.

Adelle and other guy get ready to take the dolls to the surface, and she and Echo say goodbye. She tells her that Alpha went to destroy the tech and then hide, not knowing if he'll revert when the bomb goes off, but that he's leaving the chair. She tells Echo that the last fantasy the Dollhouse will fulfill will be Echo's. Echo responds that she has no fantasy. Adelle hugs her and they head to the surface. Topher sets the bomb off, and the dolls all collapse and wake up disoriented. Molly from Heroes sees other guy and asks what happened. He tells her he'll explain it. Back in the Dollhouse Echo finds a envelope with her name on it and a drive inside sitting on the chair. She sets up the chair and lies down. As it turns out, it's Paul's imprint. This way he can be with her always. She walks down into the house, past Prya, Anthony and T, and reclines in her pod, finally at peace.

OK, analysis time. Like I said, I saw certain things coming.

1. Paul's death: As soon as Paul and Echo all but said "I love you" in the truck, I knew one of them had to die. It was that simple. I didn't expect it quite as soon as it happened, but thus is the way of Whedon. He giveth Wesley his Fred and then he taketh Fred away.
2. Topher's redemption: Someone had to sacrifice themselves to save the world. Spike, Cordie, Shepherd Book, now Topher. Plus, in Topher's mind, the only way to redeem the destruction which his tech brought about, was to pay with his own life.
3. Human element over tech: It's the old Return of The Jedi model. The Ewoks and rebels win with heart. Maybe this is because I just watched Buffy season four, where magic beats technology, but I'm starting to see a theme.

There were some other Whedon-y touches that I noticed.

1. The scene where they start to fight the butchers was almost exactly like the final scene of Angel. I half expected Echo to grab an ax and say "Let's go to work"
2. The butchers themselves bear a remarkable resemblance to the reavers of Firefly and Serenity.
3. Vague ending with a sense of continuation...We could get a Dollhouse movie, or comic. (I don't want one. I'm glad it's over. DR. HORRIBLE 2!!!!!!)

Surprises

1. Anthony and Prya got to live happily ever after. My dad and I were trying to figure out their tragedy, and guess what, there wasn't one! They have a kid. They get to be happy. I'm still not sure what to do with it.
2. Alpha's a good guy now. I was happy, because between this and V, I was sure that Alan Thudyk was going to be the bad guy forever. And that would make me very sad.
3. Didn't end on a battle that we never get to see. It was kind of a nice sweet romantic ending. Way to grow Joss.

Anyway, did anyone else watch and have an opinion?

Best of A Decade: 2006

Between finishing high school and starting college, you'd think that I wouldn't have had a lot of time for movies. You would think wrong. This was the year I really started becoming a pop culture junky. My obsession with musical theatre began to wane and I was hooked on the silver screen!

Tristan and Isolde

Ahh James Franco. So beautiful. By taking the magic that makes the story of Tristan and Isolde interesting though, they just made a nice little take on Lancelot and Guenivere, which is fine. Because I like that story too.

Cars

Notice there have been a lot of Pixar movies here? I love Cars. I love Paul Newman voicing the old Paul Newman car. I love George Carlin as a hippie VW bus. I love Jeremy Piven as Lightening McQueen's agent, Ari Gold, I mean Harv. I love it's quiet little story line. I love everything about it.

Take The Lead

Antonio Banderas does the tango...do I need to say more? I will, mostly about Lauren Collins as a debutante. Because Paige in a private school uniform is still Paige, is she not?

John Tucker Must Die

I love movies that were clearly made ten years too late, and this is one of those movies. It fits on the shelf quite nicely next to Ten Things, and Drive Me Crazy. And Brittney Snow is adorable, as is Penn Badgely. (BTW, in flashback, Brittney plays Penn's stepmother Lilly on Gossip Girl! Funners!) Sophia Bush is hilarious as Brooke Davis, I mean, some other girl who is nothing like Brooke at all whatsoever. Oh right and Jesse Metcalfe has his shirt off almost as much as Taylor Lautner in New Moon. And he's legal.

Clerks II

While hardly the best of the man's work, I do like this particular entry in Kevin Smith's catalogue. It was nice to see Dante and Randal back behind the counter, and Elias, the socially retarded born again kid, obsessed with the Transformers and Lord of The Rings, is one of Smith's better comic creations. Also pillow pants.

Accepted

I love Justin Long. There I said it. Plus this was the first movie I saw with my college friends. And it brought Jonah Hill to our attention ("Ask me about my weiner!) and Blake Lively was actually likable in something. It's a silly little romp, but it's a lot of fun.

The Devil Wears Prada

The clothes, the shoes, the Emily Blunt, the Meryl Streep! Yes, the adorable Anne Hathaway is the least of the good things in this gem of a chick flick. Streep won a Golden Globe for her performance as Miranda Priestly. (A mistake in my opinion, but I'll get to that next.) And did I mention the clothes?

Dreamgirls

I'm sorry, I drifted off for a minute thinking about this movie. It's probably the best of the new era musicals. Beyonce was robbed of a Globe and Oscar nom (see, I said I would get to it.) And Eddie Murphy was unreal. And shall we talk about Jennifer Hudson's Oscar winning performance as Effie?

Rocky Balboa

Not the best movie in the series, but it beats out Rock V. Also, Milo Ventimiglia fulfilled the prophecy put down by Amy Sherman-Paladino all those years ago..."I know Jess seems exciting, because he's dark and brooding, and he's seen a lot of Stalone movies!" "Nothing wouldn't happen to wear a leather jacket and do a convincing 'Adrian!' would it?" Plus there's the whole Milo-Philly correlation. In Gilmore Girls, Jess ends up in Philadelphia. American Dreams takes place in Philadelphia and then this. I'm just waiting for Peter Petrelli to head to the city of brotherly, love.

The Departed

If I watched this movie one more time, I'm pretty sure my roommate Jen was going to kill me. But it's just so good! It's all star cast shines and Scorcese finally won his best director Oscar. (He probably should have gotten it three years before for Gangs of New York.) It's always interesting to see a movie where everyone but one character ends up dead at the end.

Best of A Decade: 2005

In Good Company

This is one of those highly underrated movies that people tend to forget about. Topher Grace stars as a synergizing business wunderkind who gets moved into a sports magazine ad department, previously dominated by Dennis Quaid. What follows is a story about life, business, family and friendship. Grace's Carter becomes infatuated with Quaid's daughter, played with cutey sex appeal by Scarlett Johansson, and eventually learns the value of hard work and ethics. Plus any movie that uses Peter Gabriel's "Salsbury Hill" deserves notation.

Sin City

"You go down the right alley in Sin City, and you can find anything." Robert Rodriguez is BRILLIANT! Seriously people? It's called Desperado. Also Planet Terror. Anyway, Sin City is the beginning of Rodriguez's partnership with comic God Frank Miller, on Miller's iconic stories of Basin City and it's underground. The second film is in the works, but his one focuses on stories, "The Hard Goodbye," "That Yellow Bastard," "The Big Fat Kill," and "The Customer is Always Right." The style, all green screen was later adopted for other comic adaptations. But Sin City was the first, and by far the best.

Fever Pitch

Apparently this movie is supposed to be a fluffy romantic comedy. I think it's a tragedy. I remember watching the second half of it with my hands over my eyes. Also this only furthered my brother and my theory that the 2004 Baseball post season was a large media conspiracy intent on destroying everything Yankee fans held dear.

Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of The Sith

On multiple viewings, not a favorite. But I walked out of the theater and said "WOW! Thank God!" The first twenty minutes are a return to the joy of the original Star Wars trilogy. Actually the first two hours are really good. It's the last half hour (minus the kick ass duel fights between Sidious/Yoda and Obi-Wan/Anikan) that kill it. Plus, Jimmy Smits? Really?

Batman Begins

"Why do we fall?" "It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me." "I don't need to kill you, but I don't need to save you either." I could just keep quoting it, but I won't. It's just awesome. Nolan's vision of Batman is so clear it's hard to talk about much else. The movie isn't perfect. (The Scarecrow? Really? That's your villain choice) But the flaws are minimal. As great as The Dark Knight was, I prefer Begins. I love origin stories.

Sky High

I don't care that it's one of the lamer Disney tween movies of the decade. It has a character in it named "Warren Peace!" Get it? That's comedy man. Also a punk girl who can shapeshift into a Guinea Pig. And Michael Angorano is one of those underrated young actors who people never think of, but when they see him always love. (I adore his work on Will and Grace as Jack's son Elliott.)

The 40 Year Old Virgin

Judd Apatow. I think the man is one of the best writers out there. I'm serious. Watch the movies that he wrote, not just produced and be awed by what he does. The absurdity of his vulgar sex comedies are offset by such incredible heart and reality that you can't help but root for his out there protagonists.

Wedding Crashers

Hello world, meet Isla Fisher.

Walk The Line

You'll notice that Reese Witherspoon is on this list a lot. She's one of my favorite actresses. But Walk The Line gets its note because of, well everything. It was released in a time when music bio-pics were flooding (Ray is the other really good one) but it stands out because of it's heart and the greatness of the music. Oh, right and Joaquin Phoenix and Reese did their own singing, so you know, cute.

Corpse Bride

Yay Tim Burton doing it right! I miss when Tim Burton got it right. Don't you?

Serenity

Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion. Big Screen time and budget. Oh and um, this:

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire

Back before Edward Cullen and his whole not showering thing, I had a major crush on Robert Pattinson because of his performance as Cedric Diggory. By far the most faithful adaptation of the six movies so far, it's not the best, but it's my favorite book. Shut up! I like exploring the "world" of a fantasy universe. And this one does that more than any of the others. Plus VIKTOR KRUM!!!!!

Pride & Prejudice

Although not the definitive adaptation of Jane Austen's most famous novel, it is the one you can stand to watch more than once a year without tons of chardonnay to aid in the six hours of exact translation. Not that this is something I've done. Ever. *cough* But I do love Ang Lee's interpretation. Kiera Knightley and Matthew Mcfayden's Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are adorable and awkward as their romance blossoms.

Rent

Yes, I went the day it opened, and I wore a jean mini skirt, pink fishnets and black leather boots. Yes, I quacked at the screen when Aaron Lohr started singing "Will I?" (If you don't get it leave!) And yes, I cried, a lot. It's not a perfect movie, but before they released the final performance on DVD, it was all we had OK?

Coming in 2006: Tristan and Isolde, Clerks II, Dreamgirls, The Departed and more.

Best of A Decade: 2004

2004 was a lean year for new movies for me, because I spent a lot of it catching up on stuff I missed in 2003. But there were definitely some stand outs, and here they are.

Garden State

I think that Garden State is one of the most romantic movies ever made. Plus I love a good behind the scenes story, and Garden State has one of the best. When Zach Braff got the job as Dr. Jon Dorian on Scrubs he immediately quit his day job. When he found out it would be a year before he would actually be working on the show, he sat down and wrote this little beauty. Plus it made me not hate Natalie Portman, and got me listening to Frou Frou.

Jersey Girl

One of the things that I love about Kevin Smith's movies is that there isn't an ounce of pretension in them. They are exactly what they are, with no apologies. Jersey Girl is a soft, sweet, marshmallow of a movie about fatherhood, family and being who you are. It doesn't try to be something else and that's what makes it great. Also Ben Affleck and that little girl singing Sweeney Todd. That's good too.

Saved!

"I am filled with Christ's love!" Let's face it, Born Again Christianity is funny. Most religion is funny, when you employ comedy. This movie, about a perfectly behaved born again girl who's boyfriend tells her he's gay, so she has sex with him to prove he isn't (one is the lesser sin!) and then finds herself pregnant and ostracized. And as good as Jena Malone is in this as Mary, it's Mandy Moore owns as the meanest mean girl you'll ever see. One who thinks she's doing God's work.

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

Ben Stiller's character in this movie is just an R rated version of his Heaveyweights character from the 90s, but what makes this movie great are in the fact that the characters are all so out there that Vince Vaughn is the strait man. Also it ends with the heroes receiving a trunk full of gold labeled "deus ex machina." I love a good Greek drama joke, don't you?

De-Lovely

OK, another one of those not that good movies that the experience of made it for me. I went to go see this Cole Porter bio-pic with the cast of a production of Anything Goes I'd just finished. We all sang along and it was very nerdy and very fun.

Spider-Man 2

The first movie was better. But it didn't have Alfred Molina in it as Doc Oc. Therefore there wasn't that wonderful visual that I get every time I see it...That of him singing if "If I were A Rich Man," and doing the Tevye shimmy with all of those mechanical arms. So funny!

Shaun of The Dead

I love Simon Pegg. I love him. I love this movie and it's gory funny, perfectness. A lot of laughing.

The Incredibles

As good as superhero movies get, they're not better than The Incredibles. Everything about this was funny.

Finding Neverland

I'd watch Kate Winslet in anything. But I really love this movie, and James Barry, the author of Peter Pan. Less because of Winslet, and even less because of Johnny Depp and more for Freddie Highmore, as Peter, the precocious boy whose name Barry steals for the play.

Coming in 2005: Episode III, Walk The Line, Rent and more!

Best of a Decade: 2003

I was finishing out my first year of high school, and I still maintain that 2003 was the beset summer of my life. That being said, I didn't see a lot of movies, which is why this is a slightly shorter list.

Bend it Like Beckham

Kiera Knightley and Parminder Nagra are fantastic in this girl power comedy about soccer, family and finding yourself. But without this movie we probably never would have gotten Neela on ER.

The Lizzie McGuire Movie

I've mentioned my Duff-love, no? I loved this little gem of a Disney tween flick. When Lizzie and crew head to Rome for the summer and she becomes a pop star it's absolutely perfect. And she and Gordo get together at the end, and Kate and Ethan do too. Plus try getting that song out of your head. "Have you ever seen such a beautiful night? I could almost kiss the stars for shining so bright..."

X2: X Men United

The first X Men movie brought about the era of comic book movie blockbusters. This one proved that they could be amazing movies. With the mythos of the X-Men established the movie was allowed to dive into the characters. Centered around a combination of stories, including Wolverine's quest to piece together his past, Jean Grey's growing powers, and a government sponsored researching wanting to take revenge on Dr. X and the other mutants, it makes for an extremely compelling action flick. Plus you know, HUGH JACKMAN!

Down With Love

A more modern take on the screwball comedies of Doris Day and Rock Hudson, starring Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellwegger. The clothes and look are divine, the script is pithy and bantery, and of course, it ends with a song. The twist ending is kind of out there but nothing says "Battle of The Sexes" like that montage where we hear the Sinatra version of "Fly Me To The Moon" mashed up with the Astrud Gibrelto version (in that battle, Frank wins. Frank always wins!)

Finding Nemo

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..." Pixar has magical powers. I've always admired how well they tell stories. Nemo is not an exception. Brightly colored, fast moving and lovely, the story of the little fish and his dedicated father is beautiful. I still haven't yet figured out if Marlin and Dory are supposed to be a couple at the end. Also, I love the sharks. "Fish are friends, not food."

Camp

As a Sondheim obsessed, overly critical sixteen year old, I truly felt that this was the greatest piece of film ever. My friends and I still quote it incessantly, although we do feel that it's probably not the cinematic masterpiece it once was. And a few of the Camp alumni have done pretty well for themselves. Anna Kendrick, is well, Anna Kendrick. Dequina Moore has done some really great work on Broadway and Robin DeJesus...well, "Lights up on Washington Heights..."

(He's the little kid in the hat!)

Pirates of The Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl

"They're making a movie based on a Disney ride? That'll never work!" Guess what? It worked. The first Pirates movie was unbelievably brilliant. Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow is one of his greatest method creations, and Geoffrey Rush's Captain Barbosa is still my favorite part of this whole series. Orlando Bloom is even decent in this first one, and Elizabeth was still really cool and hadn't gotten annoying yet. Work has begun on a fourth installment (Without Will and Elizabeth) but nothing will ever beat this first go round, probably because it was such a surprise.

School of Rock

Jack Black is a comic genius. This is a movie that showcases every minute detail of that. Not to mention the music is very very good. And Adam Pascal plays the lead singer of the band that kicks Black out. And Sarah Silverman is great as the annoying girlfriend. And Miranda Cosgrove...just Miranda Cosgrove.

Elf

Instantly quotable, warm, fuzzy. Jon Favreau's instant Christmas classic, gave us everything we like about Will Ferrell without all of that stuff that's annoying. Not to mention it introduced everyone to Zooey DesChanel's singing voice. "The best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear!"

The Lord of The Ring: The Return of The King

Sometimes movies become events. Sometimes event movies tie themselves in with a moment in our lives and we can't ever untie them. This is one of those movies. My sister and I went to go see it not two hours after hearing that our Uncle Billy had passed on, to escape from what we were feeling. We laughed, we cried, we were those obnoxious people that chanted "Rudy, Rudy, Rudy!" as Sam carried Frodo up Mount Doom. It was a good three hours.

So that was 2003.

Coming in 2004: Garden State, De-Lovely, The Incredibles.