Thursday, July 28, 2011

THAT TOUCH OF MINK TRAILER DORIS DAY CARY GRANT

That Touch of Mink (1962)

It's been awhile since I've watched a classic movie so I decided to dive into a Doris Day/ Carey Grant movie. Both are one of my favorite classic actors to watch. They're both so off and yet charming that pretty much every movie they're in (whether it's starring together or alone) that it's a real treat. " Plus, I saw an ad in the LA times about Cary Grant's daughter writing a book about her relationship with her iconic father.


"That touch of Mink" is a comedy starring an unemployed small town girl in, Cathy Timberlake (played by Doris Day) and an older rich, subtly arrogant, businessman, Philip Shayne (played by Cary Grant). Shayne's limo accidently sprays street water upon Cathy as she's waiting on a curb. Feeling guilty but unable to stop, he drives off. Cathy is pretty miffed off as she storms off to an automat (which was a place where people could buy cooked food through coin slotted windows. Kinda like an expanded vending machine of cooked meals). Philip (somehow) sees Cathy walking into the automat and sends off his (weird) underling to give her money for a new coat. Cathy spouts off her indignation to (weird) underling who is (weirdly) delighted and decides to take her to Philip himself to complain.


Instead of yelling obscenities and stuff, one look at Philip and she sputters into senseless, deep-breathylove words (oh, COME ON!!!). So begins a story of extravagent gifts, trips, and the possiblity of sex without marriage. The sex is vaguely hinted at of course.



I was a bit surprised by a how disappointing the movie was for the first part. This movie was made in the sixties. Was this not the beginning of the sexual revolution? I know that the transition was still taking place in film and television but this movie just felt like a stretched out 1950's plot. After reading through some online forums, some people mentioned that this was the same filmmaker who made "Lover Come Back"(That movie wasn't my favorite but it had some great moments). Everyone made a mention that these movies were the filmmakers way of poking satire at the morality of the times. I don't what the morality was for "Lover Come Back" but in "That Touch of Mink" it was about women and losing their virginity before marriage. Cathy had a personal moral dilemma. She was really attracted to Philip (and damn who wouldn't-yowza!) but she was reluctant to let go of her virginity (yeah! ah-ha! Doris who was 40 playing a 30 year old virgin. Doris is flipping pretty as hell playing a virgin- yeah ok I'm gonna let that go). She worries that she would be considered loose and yet she loves him. She worries that he doesn't love her even she loves him . Off all the worries that she had about Philip, this last one is still pretty relevant to todays standards. Every modern girl out there who has slept with someone before marriage will juggle the emotions of self worth, importance, and love, all while trying to maintain a balance of physical self and needs. Us girls are horny creatures but we deserve some respect dontcha know?

The beginning of the movie was boooooooooring to me. I found it really hard to believe that Cathy was so hell bent on that marriage thing. It just seemed like a coy device to tug on Philips britches. There was also this weird plot point with a psychiatrist that I believe was just a filler for the movie. The (weird) underling was annoying. It felt like he was trying to be like Tony Randall or something. Plus, my biggest heartbreak for me was the meager displays of romance or development of romance between the Philip and Cathy. I love Cary Grant but he just seemed to have the same facial expressions throughout. I was cheering every time I saw him break a smile. Yes! Your human! Your alive!!!

The parts I did like about the movie came towards the end. The chase scene pretty much redeemed the movie from turning it off before the end. It is the moment where Philip, unconsciously nudged by (weird) underling, chases after Cathy to prevent her from sleeping with a sleazy man. The chase is pretty absurd but when Grant is folded into the back of the meat trunk, and you can see his head peeking up through the back window, it was GLORIOUS. I loved that scene.

The other scene I loved was when Philip and Cathy are sitting on the sofa during their first night in Bermuda. It's a very small scene but it is so powerful. Cathy is nervous with the looming potential of sex as Philip gently kisses her back (OH. MY. GOSH. SQUEEE!!!) . In order to calm her nerves, they have a cute dialogue that I will not repeat. It is something that is simple yet timeless. Every girl who has been nervous about sex has always wished that the guy could ever be this considerate!

There was also this awkward scene where Philip takes her to a yankees game and they're sitting in a dugout. I can tell that these were famous baseball players at the time, but I plead sport-ignorance. Those players are either really embarrassed to be in this movie, or they're shy, or horrible actors. Plus, I just can't believe that Cathy is a sports fanatic.
All in all, not a great classic movie in terms of fun entertainment. It does have wonderful dialogue and amazing images (I believe it won Best Comedy or some big award). As a sex-comedy, it's a meh. But it's Doris Day and Cary Grant so it's still a good movie to watch if your fan of either.






Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Captain America : The First Avenger - Official Trailer [HD]

Captain America (2011)


This is a very special blog post for me. Thanks to a very knowledgeable roomie, we won red carpet premiere tickets to Captain America.

yes. RED. CARPET. PREMIERE!!!!

Quick recap on how we won:

Ralph Garmen of KROQ announces the question to call in and win tickets: " During the 70's, Captain America decides to stop being Captain America and decides to fight against the man. What was his name?". The correct answer: Nomad. Who got in by the 2nd try? ME! Who begins to scream like the silly fangirls we are? WE DO!!! Oh man we screamed so much...at 7 am...

Fast forward to yesterday, we endured the craziest obstacle course to get to the premiere. After working a full day, we frantically change into our glamorous clothes before dashing off to the premiere. It was to be held at the El Capitan in Hollywood. I was given specific instructions to arrive between 5 pm to 6 pm. Sharp.

We endure through 2 hours of LA traffic before arriving in Hollywood. Then we frantically find parking, fight through the crowds, get tossed around to wrong locations, before we're able to even walk into the right theater. Just to do some shameless name dropping, I managed to see Vanessa Hudgens ("High School Musical), Robert Downey Jy ("Iron Man!"), Kevin Smith (GOD!), Ralpg Garmen (KROQ), and I believe we were tailing Chris Helmsworth ("Thor")

The movie doesn't release until this friday, so I won't ruin it. I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I will admit that I'm not very fond of Captain America. I always found him a bit of a arrogant, patriotic jerk. I have always shyed away from overly patriotic characters. After watching this movie, I have changed my mind a bit.


I really, really loved how Chris Evans portrayed Chris Evans. He was likable, strong, and HOT. I will not lie. He was just amazing!!!! There is a scene where he pulls himself out of the river and I could not help but squeal. Squeal really, really loudly in the same theater that Chris Evans was sitting somewhere ( To my disappointment , I never saw Chris Evans at the premiere. They were ushering people in so quickly that we didn't even get a chance to take pictures).

The casting for this movie was phenomenal. Tommy Lee Jones was the funniest character in the movie. He very much reminded me of own father.

I absolutely loved Peggy Carter. She was so bad ass!! There is an incredible scene where she stands in the street and shoots the bad guy. Her stance is solid and her aim is golden. Holy crap she is awesome!!

I'm not sure if they have any names or anything, but the crew that Captain America chooses to back him up are awesome. They are one of the most mixed racial group of awesome. Yes I realize I'm writing "awesome" way too often but I am still too hyped up from the premiere!

I don't know too much of Captain Americas backstory since I never had an interest but I do know the following points:
* He was made into a super strong being by the army
* he was the 2nd experiment. The first guy was a black guy (whom I forgot his name)
* he was frozen and awakened in present day to join the "avengers"
* he has a shield

The movie does a great job of condensing alot of backstory into a very enjoyable movie. The action montages were awesome, the shield action was awesome, and I really enjoyed the dancing girls ( as a side note, I also enjoyed the dancing girls in "Iron Man", too).
It took me awhile to get used to the story flow but it fit the story. The scenes played out like a comic book. The movie doesn't waste too much time with explaining how he gets to a certain point. It's all done "off panel". The point of the movie is that this is Captain Americas back story.In fact, "Iron Man", "Thor," and now "Captain America" has been a major led into one of the most anticipated comic book movie : "The Avengers!" (Hint: Stay until the end of the credits in order to see a really cool glimpse of it).


That's all I will have to say on Captain America. There is so much to talk about but I would rather not give anything way. It is definitely something that should be experienced. I am definitely recommending everyone to watch this movie. It's a different comic book movie with an awesome style. The action sequences remind me of Star Wars, the dialogue is hilarious ("fondue"...hee hee), and Chris Evans is HOT!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Summer Wars (2009)


Hurrah! Summer has arrived, fourth of July celebrations have been commencing a day early, and my cat is passed out on my glass table.

With the coming of summer, comes the parade of geek conventions. I've just attended the anime convention in Anaheim, called Am2. I had an amazing time, all the while modeling my first cosplay outfit! It wasn't perfect, but alot of pride and heart went into it.

So how befitting is it to mention "Summer Wars?". Very.

If you've seen "Digimon: the Movie", then you would be familiar with the middle story arc. Where the Ty and TJ(?) fought an online monster that threatened to dismantle technology for everyone. That was the most awesome and exciting part of the movie. I believe the writer or creater of that segment wanted to expand that story,and thus came out with "Summer Wars".

In the movie, the internet is visualized as a bright world inhabited by avatars of different forms. We are introduced to two high school students who work as maintenance drones for the system;Kenji and his best friend (whose name I forgotten because his part is so minor). Kenji is approached by his crush, Natsuki for a simple enough favor by accompanying her to a family reunion in the country. Once he gets there, Natsuki drops the bomb by revealing the real reason she invited him: To pretend to be her boyfriend. Why? I forget but damn that would just piss me off.

In fact, I see no reason why Kenji has a crush on Natsuki. She's pretty vapid and mean. They do eventually get together but I only see it because he was the one to save the world. Natsuki reminds me of those cheerleaders who bypass the nerds who write eloquent love letters to jump into the arms of the quarterback who made the winning pass. The same quarterback that will later spend hours playing Halo instead of realizing she exists. Ok, that is way off tangent.

For some reason I can't remember, kenji recieves a text with a mathematical code he has to decipher. Apparently that's his thing. Most people have suduko, he has math puzzles. Unfortunately, this math puzzle unlocks the access into the internet world, paving the way for a mysterious data gobbler that begins to mess with everything. From credit cards, to machine portals, to nuclear weapon access. EVERYTHING.

Although he becomes a wanted fugitive overnight, Kenji attempts to right the wrongs. With the reluctant help of Natsuki and her family, Kenji's adventures lead him to not only save the world but to also unite a family.

Some parts of the movie did drag on for a bit. Hence why I can't remember certain plot points. For the most part, it was pretty fun and become exciting and suspenseful towards the end. There were a few heartbreaking parts but mostly it was fun.

The character that really stood out for me was Natsuki's grandmother. She had the most fleshed out backstory and she was bad ass! Props for the granny!

Kenji was kind of boring. It made me wish that Ty would come by and push Kenji aside.

You already know my thoughts on Natsuki.

The style is not similar but even more shinier if possible. I kept thinking of the Takashi Murakami art exhibit I saw at MOCA in LA. Just in a very PG sense. Think of clean, solid colors in a glowing background. Often times, I hurt my eyes trying to focus on characters but I eventually got used to it.

I know I mentioned the battles and the final fight. I believe that those fights carry the power of the movie and by describing them, I will dilute the awesome. So I won't. Enjoy.

I believe there are lessons in this movie. Not one central lesson but many. One may possibly point out to the vulnerable of peoples dependence to the internet. Another may be blood is thicker than water. I'm leaning more for " you just don't know who anyone is until shit hits the fan".

All in all, I still enjoyed the movie and definitely adding to my "Must Get" pile. Toodles :)