Well we are now safely home and time to reflect on The Simpsons Movie … well that is done!

Now I shall preface my comments by stating that I am not as much a fan of The Simpsons as others that I know, and I do not have the innate ability to rattle off lines from the series throughout the years. Most of the time, it’s funny, some of the time I laugh. This pretty much describes my reaction to the movie.

I am sure there were funnier parts of the movie, however there were moments when applause, hootin’ and hollerin’ overwhelmed my ability to hear, so I shall have to watch it again (most likely when it is released on DVD). I’m willing to wait.

We sat in the theatre waiting for the “slushy” moment, alas didn’t appear (I think Ian dreamt about it, so it wasn’t meant to be there).

Following the movie most of the group ventured over to the Cheesecake Factory for a martini or other drink. Good discussion — not about the movie — and an enjoyable evening overall.

Being Social, Reviews

Well I thought I might do a weekend recap.

Friday night I did the usual coffee gathering with Frisco Pride members, and was suprised to see six new members in attendance (the largest we’ve had in a long time). Later we did a salad at Cotton Patch Cafe and then headed home to watch Boys Briefs 2, which was hosted by Danny Roberts. It was really enjoyable. Sometimes with these short films, you can get some depressing movies that overwhelm you. This series of shorts, didn’t have any of those.

Saturday, as I was loading the dishwasher, I pulled a muscle in my back. Talk about a great way to mess up weekend plans. I tried to recover, but it gradually got worse, so I ended up laying down and napping. The worst part of this was the reality that I was not going to be able to head to a Frisco Pride cocktail event that evening. I’d been looking forward to it for a while, and here I was moving about like an 110-year old. I did manage to cook some pretty tasty fried rice for dinner, and then proceeded to watch the two remaining films I had from NetFlix: The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and FAQS.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye was really good, and actually quite educational. I was suprised to learn some of the history of evangelical television, and the fact that Jim and Tammy Baker were responsible for starting “The 700 Club”, “Trinity Broadcasting Network” and “PTL.” I was also suprised at the involvement of Jerry Falwell into the destruction of both Jim and Tammy’s lives, not to mention the apparent deceit that he manipulated to push Jim and Tammy out of PTL.

FAQS was less educational, however provided a great deal of eye candy … if you are into that kind of thing. Adam Larson (from MTV’s Road Rules) appears as a gay basher, who discovers his sexuality. The lead character, Joe Lia (India) is a little unbelievable, but has some cute naked scenes which make up for the mediocre acting. The ultra-hottie of the show is Spencer (played by Lance Lee Davis) … talk about a nice chest

Most of Sunday, I watched mind-numbing television while trying to “click” my back into place. Sunday evening we had Bobby, Ian and Kean over for dinner, and enjoyed cooking some kebabs on the new grill (the old one needed a part replaced that didn’t seem to be availble *sigh*). Chris was very happy with the new acquisition.

We finished our weekend by watching Comedy Central’s roast of William Shatner. It was okay.

Commentary, Friends, Health, Random Thoughts, Reviews

Today, I decided to play catch up with movies. We’ve had three movies from Netflix for over a month, and I decided that I need to watch at least a couple of them. I’ve already blogged about the first one I saw, The God Who Wasn’t There. The other two movies were The Fluffer and Ben and Arthur.

Of the two movies, I watched The Fluffer all the way through. This is not to say that it was a good film, but it was bearable. I guess I lived in hope of seeing some porn, but it didn’t happen. There is a good scene where Ron Jeremy and Chi Chi La Rue are making cameo performances. It really isn’t anything more than just a party in the middle of the movie. It was probably the most interesting part.

I didn’t make it through Ben and Arthur. When the film stars the writer, producer and director (all the same person), you can kind of see that it’s going to be low budget. The number of times that you could see the actors actually “start” acting was kind of funny (you know when the director says “action” and they start). What is really interesting is looking at the movies that many of the actors have appeared in. Many of the same names keep on appearing. One thing that is consistent is the ranking these movies get – nothing more than two stars (I exaggerate … barely)

There is a silver lining – I have three new movies on the way

Random Thoughts, Reviews

I just finished watching “The God Who Wasn’t There“, a film by Brian Flemming that “examines the Bible and discusses the history of early Christianity, raising doubts as to whether the New Testament personage Jesus ever really existed.”

I obtained the movie through Netflix, and what intrigued me about this movie was the description that it gave.

Borrowing the lively approach of documentaries such as Fahrenheit 9/11 and Super Size Me, ex-Christian fundamentalist Brian Flemming’s exposé shines an unflinching spotlight on Christianity and the existence of Christ. Flemming interviews religious experts and Christians of varying backgrounds, ultimately asserting that Jesus Christ is more than likely a fictional character based on legend and that Christian doctrine is rife with contradiction.

One of the experts that Flemming speaks with is Sam Harris who has written “The End of Faith”, a book recently read by my friend Bobby.

I enjoyed the movie for what is was. It provides a few references to the inconsistencies that occur within the Bible, along with a better understanding on how similar the story of Christ is to other mythical stories told from earlier generations. The reference to Mel Gibson’s movie, “The Passion of the Christ” was eye opening, and scary – both at the same time.

Philosophy, Reviews

On June 30, our fearless crew headed to Superman Returns to find Brandon Routh flesh. Our intrepid reporters were disappointed with the brief moment where we got to see, but we took that moment and remembered it fondly … well until the next piece of flesh came our way. The movie itself was great (to me). I don’t have as strong a recollection of the earlier movies (a la Christopher Reeve) as some of my friends, and I think (in hindsight) that this may not have shrouded my view as much as others. I really liked the story line, and especially enjoyed the background that was presented earlier in the film. I loved the way Superman flew – a small thing, but to me probably one of the most noticeable differences to the earlier movies. Story line was good, although a little bit predictable – it was Superman afterall.

On a side night, I just finished watching a show on Lifetime Original called Lovespring International, starring Jack Plotnick. Think a-s-t-r-o-p-h-y-s-i-c-i-s-t! (Update: Eric McCormack is an Executive Producer on this show.)

Observations, Reviews

Last night, we saw X-Men: The Last Stand (otherwise known as X-Men 3, or X-Men³). Of course, I just went for the dinner.

Being a huge X-Men fan, I couldn’t wait to see that guy in the wheelchair, or the other guy that turns things to ice (I’ve followed their careers religiously). To my suprise they inroduced this very cute character (well the guy who played the character was cute), and my fan-ness was becoming more engorged than I thought possible.

As for the movie – engorged fan status aside – I enjoyed it. I think this film made a good final movie, though they did leave a remnant of hope that a further sequel could be possible if needed. I will have to rewatch the other movies over the summer, just to make sure.

What really suprised me about the previews – and maybe it was because of the movie we were seeing, but there seems to be a large number of movies being made based on comic books (am I catching on to this trend a little late perhaps?). Superman Returns & Ghost Rider were just two of the previews we saw prior. One “super-hero” movie that is coming out – not based on a comic, as far as I know, is My Super Ex-Girlfriend, which we saw the short for (trailer at the link). It looks like it will be a funny movie!

Reviews

I just got through watching Iron Jawed Angels, a movie about Alice Paul (primarily) and Lucy Burns, and their fight for the right for women to vote.  The Netflix guide gives the following summary about the film:

From 1912 to 1920, a group of fiery young suffragettes led by Alice Paul (Hilary Swank) and Lucy Burns (Frances O’Connor) band together to wheedle the United States into adapting a Constitutional amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote. Along the way, they incur the wrath of President Woodrow Wilson (Bob Gunton) and anger other suffragette leaders (Anjelica Huston and Lois Smith). Directed by Katja von Garnier.

The movie was excellent.  It provided an opportunity to see the struggles that women had to endure to obtain a basic right.  The movie also explored the tragedy that surrounded this fight, along with the blatant hostility that was used by men (and in some cases, women) against women citizens.  The music in the film was incredibly well placed, and mixed modern music into the film, without detracting from the time period of the film.  I was thrilled to see Ida B. Wells-Barnett featured in the movie, as I recently did a project on her contribution to feminism, and in particular the extension of rights to women (of all color).

The movie has some intense moments (mainly in the women’s prison), but you learn later in the film that this was a critical part of the story line.

Of course, given the apathy that is shown by many women and men today, perhaps it would do some good for everyone to see this film to remind them of the struggles that were had to obtain simple rights, like voting.  It is also comforting to know that if pursued long enough, change is inevitable.

Highly recommended!

Reviews

Yesterday, Chris, Layton, Ian and myself went to see Transamerica.  For those not in the know, it's a film about the journey of a male-to-female transgender named Bree (also Stanley, played by Felicity Huffman, of Desperate Housewives fame), in the final days of her transition, and her discovery that she has a son.  The son, Toby (played by Kevin Zeigers) is a troubled “teenager” who discovers the identity of his father, after he tries to seduce Bree (one of those awkward moments in the film for the audience, at least for me).

Huffman's performance as a woman playing a man becoming a woman was brilliant, and she did an amazing job at looking the part.  I listened to an interview on NPR not that long ago with her discussing this role, and how mentally draining it was to be Bree.  All I can say is that she deserved the Golden Globe that she received early last week for the role. 

I'd rank it about the same as Brokeback Mountain, and hope that more films like this can be made to tell the thousands of stories of normal people out there.

GLBT Issues, Reviews