Rachel Getting Married. Amazing-ness.

So the Oscars are tonight, and my favorite part was always the red carpet and seeing all the dresses. I'm a girl, what can I say?

This year people pretty much know the winners, and I must say, I do want Slumdog Millionaire to win best picture cause 1. it was great and 2. it was the underdog, and that's always a good story. The only other contender I've seen was Milk, which supposedly is the only one really in competition, they say, with Slumdog Millionaire. And I really didn't think Milk was that amazing. Great, important story, yes, but best picture? No way. So I really hope Slumdog Millionaire wins cause it really was a moving film and it was beautifully/amazingly made.

But to the point and in reference to the title of this post. I haven't seen many films or performances that are up for awards this year, which is not unusual for me. I'm more of a classic film and indie person really. I saw Slumdog in New York City before it came out wide release, and I also saw Rachel Getting Married in New York.

I had wanted to see that movie when I heard it was coming out, but it didn't look like I was going to get the chance as it was in small theaters for a while and I thought it would leave theaters quite soon. So I was cool waiting and seeing it on DVD or something.

But then I found out some of my friends from England were having an impromptu reunion in NYC, so I had to go. They were having dinner with someones parents, so they would call me at night to go out and stay over. I was super excited since I hadn't seen these people in almost 2 years, and they were from all over - Australia, Maine, etc. Pretty random. So I was going to have dinner with another friend in the city, but that feel through. So I had hours to kill before meeting them. What to do? Well, it's NYC and there is EVERYTHING and ANYTHING to do - that's why I love the city so much! So I found a theater by Lincoln Center that was showing Rachel Getting Married - actually, that's the only movie that was showing! I had a gift card so I could go for free. Why not? And in NYC, it's totally not unusual to go to the movies alone. I do it sometimes and sometimes feel weird when I am closer to home, but I know I wouldn't see anyone I knew, so I was totally fine seeing it. It was a big theater and it was quite crowded for a Saturday afternoon.

The movie itself was amazing, and Anne Hathaway was terrific in it (well, everyone was!), and I really want her to win the Oscar tonight, but I think that's a long shot because Kate Winslet apparently has it in the bag. So...whatever. But back to the movie.

I love character-driven stories that seem so real, and this was definitely one of them! First of all, the screenplay was incredibly realistic - just in terms of dialogue and such. There was one rather long scene where characters toasted for Rachel's (Anne Hathaway's sister) wedding, and just the toasts - with the attempts at witticism, awkward pauses, and borderline inappropriate embarrassing stories - seemed just like any wedding. It sounds so simple and probably cliche, but I really have never heard more realistic dialogue in a movie in my life. It sounds like it should be so easy, but for some reason, when you see things like that on the screen they never quite seem real. That's a combo of great writing and great acting to pull that off, and I love when that happens, because I feel like I am in the scene with the characters. It feels like real life right up on the screen. I forgot I was watching actors in a movie. And that's a rare feeling - I don't think I've ever felt like that before, so I loved that! Some movies are meant for escapism, and some are supposed to hit closer to home, and this was the latter.

The movie was shot with a hand-held camera, making it shaky, which worked perfectly, because the plot had to do with Kym (Anne Hathaway) getting out of drug rehab to attend her sister's wedding. The whole rehab plot line and fitting back in with family/tense family dynamics also felt so incredibly real. Again, I love stories that just sock it to you - laying out real life right in front of you, bare and everything. Nothing glossed over. That's what this was, complete with the feelings of awkwardness that can accompany films like this when scenes and characters get totally into you and it seems almost uncomfortable because you feel like you are there. And it feels so real you think you're going through it too. In film making I think that is such a huge accomplishment, and this film hit it on the head.

So I'm trying to write a screenplay (and trust me, it's a lot more put together than these incoherent ramblings!), and I am also trying to make mine realistic, hopefully to the point that this movie got to, where it can be borderline uncomfortable and awkward to watch. That's when I feel I would be making a difference, especially when I am trying to tackle difficult subjects, like this movie did (except instead of drugs, rehab, and family, I have assault, eating disorders, and love. Always a good combo).

I walked out of this movie and felt so different. It was dark in the city at about 6pm, and I still had time to kill. People were talking about the movie on the way out - it seemed everyone liked it. And I just felt changed somehow. The movie was so real it was really mind-blowing. I felt like I just experienced something amazing and different - again, like I was going through the emotions and situations the characters were going through. And then for that just to suddenly stop with the end of the movie and to go out into the big city, it was such a shock to the system. Such a weird feeling, not sure if I can thoroughly explain it.

I put my iPod on and listened to a 'chill' play list. I was meeting my friends way downtown and I was at 66th and Broadway. I love walking through NYC. First of all, it's great exercises, and I just love walking around the city, especially at night. I walked down to the East Village, so a good 50 blocks, and I must have passed hundreds of people on the street. There are so many people in the city, and I love just wondering about everyone who passes me. What's their story? What do they do? What are there problems? Everyone has a story, and it's fascinating to think how many different and crazy stories you pass on the city streets. I passed like 50 stories probably in 5 minutes. That's so insane to think about!

And I was in the thinking mood after seeing that movie. The combo of the city at night, which always inspires me, as I just said, because of all the wondering and all the different people just breezing by you - though you don't know them you realize they have their own stories, problems, ups and downs, etc. - and my music, which, at one point, was playing John Mayer's "Say, " which always makes me think, sometimes in a bad way, and the movie itself just got my creative mind going. All of a sudden, thoughts flew into my head for my screenplay. Mostly dialogue and some new situations to throw the characters in. My story is based in New York, so being there I think just added to my thoughts, because I would pass by things and be like 'Let's put that in the screenplay! Let's just throw this and that in' because I am seeing it play out right in front of me, right in the setting I am writing about. That's how I know at least some of it will be real!

But I rarely get thoughts running through my head about my screenplay - and so many crazy new ideas - unless I am hung-over or drunk (weird, I know, but that's when I get most of my ideas!) But, as I said before, I know it was the combo of being in the city I was writing about, being surrounded by all these strangers, the movie I just saw that inspired me so much, and my music which just totally put me in a creative/inspiring/all-encompassing mindset. I felt so inspired by the city I was wandering through. It's so big and small at the same time. I was walking by myself in a city of millions, listening to my music, so I was in my own little world. But at the same time, there were so many people around me - all strangers - all in their own little worlds too, but we were all together operating under - and in - the same world, or city, in a way. That's what we shared together.

I don't know. Something about that dynamic does something for me. I felt so alive after seeing that film and going out into the great city of New York. Though I was completely alone with my music and thoughts, I have rarely felt more alive. It was an incredible feeling to have, and even more incredible that I was having it while walking alone. That's how much of an affect that city must have on me! To feel that way when you are one person in a city of millions, surrounded by so many, to have that feeling alone is so mind-blowing. And I absolutely loved it!

So, again, long and weird and winding and off-topic story short, Rachel Getting Married was one of the best and most realistic films I have ever seen. If you want to write, see it. It blew my mind to pieces. And see it in NYC. Cause that atmosphere after it just added to the feeling I got from the movie.

Amazingness.

RE: He's Just Not That Into You

IF ANYONE'S READING - SPOILERS

So I did see this movie on Tuesday with my friend, and I was liked it way more than I thought I would (based on reading 2 reviews, of course!) It wasn't exactly what I thought it would be either. I thought all the girls would be whiny and needy and the guys jerks. The only characters that kinda got on my nerves were Drew Barrymore's character (and she was in it for like 30 seconds), Ginnifer Goodwin's character who has no idea how to function in a dating world, and Justin Long's nasty 'know-it-all' character. Ironically, though, since I'm a fan of the TV show Ed, I really like Ginnifer Goodwin and Justin Long together, so even though their characters annoyed me, by the end they didn't. So I let that one slide.

Other than that, it was actually a pleasant movie, and I thought the story was told quite well, especially since there are so many people to follow and they are all so intricately woven together. That must have been like a puzzle to write! But I thought it turned out quite well.

Will Ferrell. Diego Luna. Diego Luno.

I saw Will Ferrell's Broadway show - "You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush" last night.

One word: Hilarious.
Another 2 words: Diego Luna.

After 8 years, it's so sad to see this character go!

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist IS AMAZING!

So I'm changing the direction of this blog after 2 posts and some careful thinking to...movies.

I'm a huge film fan and I studied it in college, so there you have my 'careful' thinking. As such, I've seen a lot of movies throughout my short life, and a wide assortment I should say (right now, out of the library, I have the original Hitchcock classic Rebecca, the indie Garden State, a movie on Benedict Arnold for my work - I research American history for potential film storylines - and a German film called My July), but few movies I call my favorites, and even fewer I can say changed my life in some way.

I'll start with one of the most recent ones. I just saw Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist for the second time yesterday. It came out this past Tuesday, and I actually pre-ordered it (something I rarely do - since I am cheap I always wait to buy DVDs used). In fact, I think I've only pre-ordered DVDs on 2 occasions - a Pre-Code Hollywood collection and 30 Rock season 2. And 1. OK, three times. So this was a big deal for me.

When I saw it again, it was as amazing as the first time, and even more so, I think, because, as was the case with the above movie I wrote about, a lot had changed since I first heard about the film and read the book to when I actually saw it. This time for the better though.

I heard about the movie first, and, being a Michael Cera fan, I decided to check the book out. HOW THIS STEP CHANGED MY LIFE I CAN'T FULLY EXPLAIN. I checked the book out of the library and ended up reading it within days (which is super fast for me). Then I went out and bought the book, another thing I rarely, rarely do. But I couldn't help it. The moment I started reading the book I knew it was something different. First of all, it was written by a guy and a girl, so that guy's parts are written by the guy and the girl's written by the girl. Second, they jump back and forth between the two - that is, one chapter is the guy, the next the girl, the next the guy, and so on, which made it interesting, because some parts overlapped. I didn't mind. Third, it is one of the best-written books I have ever read in my life. It's classified as 'Young Adult,' which makes sense for the theme and characters, but not for the writing. I'm usually embarassed when I check 'YA' books out of the library because I'm way past that age. But this one I didn't care. Instantly, the authors pulled you in to these characters. I almost got whip-lash from how fast I got to know them. They were also incredibly deep, insightful, and perceptive, something you rarely see in modern writing (at least the books I read). I felt like the authors were writing something that pertained to me as well, and I could relate to the feelings like I never have before. So I can't fully explain how the book completely changed me when I first read it this past summer, but you get the picture.

As I said, it took me a few days to read the whole thing. I was busy. I had work, etc etc. But right after I finished it, there were events that changed the way I thought of the book and movie.

I was in New York City, sitting on the floor in Barnes and Nobles in Columbia Circle, reading the rest of the book. It was raining so incredibly hard outside and the floor inside was covered with people seeking a refuge from the rains. I was waiting to meet up with my friend Katie and killing time. She was living, for the summer, in the most beautiful 'palace/mansion' in the city. I call it that because I have never seen, and probably never will, a more beautiful apartment. It was worth millions, really, and she was sub-letting it for next to nothing. Consequently, I went over to stay a lot so I could feel like a queen.

I was excited for a few reasons that night. 1. I just finished the book. 2. I got to see Katie. 3. I got to hang out with this really cute new guy I had met weeks before. This was the first guy that I actually liked since I broke up with my ex, and he had the capability to take my mind off him, which no guy has done since. Plus, he was super cute, from Cali, and in med school in the city. Perfect. And he quoted 30 Rock to me. I fell instantly.

I had hung out with him before, but tonight was different. We started off on the Upper West Side, traveled with his roommate to an Indian club downtown (and though we were the only non-Indian people, we rocked it), and then walked back up to mid-town before grabbing a taxi back uptown. The night lasted hours, and it was one of those beautiful late summer nights where you could walk comfortably late at night. I love walking in the city, and I love doing the spontaneous things we did, like jump in a cab and wander until we found the first Indian club we went to. I love doing different things like that and just following the night, seeing where it takes you, and, of course, New York City is the best place for that because they truly have something for everyone! Long story short, that night felt to me exactly something out of Nick and Norah, simply for the all-night random adventure around NYC, complete with a few impromptu make-out sessions on a park bench, against a closed bakery, in the middle of the street....etc. So I felt quite close to the story at that time, and I couldn't wait for the movie to come out!!

I remember the film came out on a Tuesday in early October. The 5th or 6th. I remember the date so well, because the day before, that Monday, I found out my ex had a new girlfriend. For the second time in my life, after the breakup, I felt my heart literally sink. Though enough time had past, I still was not over it, and I wanted to cry and scream and puke and...just sleep. It was horrible. But on the upside, I had two things to look forward to the next day, which couldn't come fast enough: 1. Nick and Norah and 2. my pre-ordered 30 Rock season 2 DVD would arrive. It was supposed to be an AMAZING day. Unfortunately, I could barely get through work, hours after the fact, without crying. But I still looked forward to the movie. I got my DVD in the mail and went to the long-awaited free movie Tuesday with my friend Katie, who was so great to me for that entire week, hanging out with my every night so I wouldn't be alone and talking, well, more like listening, to my rants. I don't know how I would have gotten through that week without her, or those DVDs, or that movie.

Anyway, the movie was everything I hoped it would be. Yes, things were changed from the book (um, he says 'Will you be my girlfriend for 5 minutes,' not her!) but I didn't mind. I'm not the type of person that expects the movie be exactly like the book, even if they are both my favorites. So I walked out of the movie refreshed and alive, a feeling I get after viewing only a handful of movies. I knew then I would buy it, which, I said before, is another rarity for me. It gave me hope, made me laugh, and just uplifted my spirits at a time when I needed it the most (of course, when I woke up on Wednesday morning, it was like a truck hit me all over again, but at least I was satisfied and my mind occupied with something other than him for those few hours on Tuesday night).

I also love the film because it is not only an adorably awkward (and real) love story (I myself am awkward about 98% of the time, can you tell?), but a love story for, and about, NYC and youth. The combination of the young characters who are visibly nervous and -I'll say it again cause I know of no other word - awkwardly trying to get to know each other in the middle of this great city is, for some reason, so inspiring to me. The film does a great job of focusing on the city - its atmosphere, its attitude, its vibe, its enchantment, especailly at night - and also on this would-be couple, who are just two people randomly running around in a city boasting a population of millions. When there are so many stories out there in New York, it is wonderful and refreshing to see a movie that can focus on the larger-than-life character of the city, and 2 of its smaller inhabitants.

So, in a nutshell - and my above 10 page rambling paper on the subject - Nick and Norah was simply amazing. You should go rent it, buy it, read it. Whatever. Just do it.

He's Just Not That Into You

So this movie came out today, and I've read a few reviews. Like most of the reviews from 'critics' that I've read over the last few months, they were all over the place, some gave it three stars, some more like one and a half. All over the map basically.

Moreover, the film spawned separate articles on the subject matter of dating, always a hot topic. I read a few of these as well, and, before I've even seen the movie, my view on the film has done a 180. From these articles and the trailers alone. That's kinda sad.

When I first heard of this movie months and months ago, I was super excited to see it. It was definitely on my free-movie Tuesday (thanks Clearview Cinemas!) list for that far, far in the future day in February when it finally came out. It had a lot of well-known actors (including two I loved from 'Ed' - Justin Long and Ginnifer Goodwin. YES, a mini-reunion from that awesome show!), and it just looked interesting.

As time passed, however, and the movie came closer to premiering, my thoughts on the subject matter changed, not only from articles about the film but from experiences in my own life as well. In between hearing about the movie for the first time and...today, I went through my first total gut-wrenching heartbreak (which, somehow, still sucks horribly months later), my fair share of rebounds, and a few crazy single-and-trying-to-get-back-into-dating disasters. So my clean-cut view of love and dating has flown, no, more like ran at high speed and plummetted, out the window.

So upon seeing trailers for the movie once a week and reading what the critics had to say - that the men and women are quite stereotypical - I grew more and more upset with the film. (And I haven't even seen it yet!) What started months ago with total anticipation at a romantic comedy about everyone's favorite subject - love! dating! relatonships! - has turned into a bitter, but, I think also, reasonably disappointed view on the film's take on its subject matter.
One critic from MSNBC.com that I sometimes like reading gave a pretty good description of the film when he said (something like) 'It's a film that is always about what it's about.' He compared it to 'Crash' and race. I thought that was a very good comparison, and I agreed. Again, I haven't seen the movie, but in the trailers, the 10 or so characters in the movie ALWAYS and ONLY seem to be talking about love and relationships. Now I'm a 20-something year old woman (woman?!), and, as much as this subject does rule my life, I don't talk about it 24/7. And some of the things they showed in the trailer, also lambasted by critics, also struck me as quite backwards. I mean, girls now have confidence to talk on the phone to boys, right? We've been doing it for quite some time now. And the parts with the new technology - especially MySpace (not really that new) seem just...off. There is a certain point, I think, where the older generation shouldn't go out of their way to master these newer younger fads. MySpace is one of these. (Aside - for example, my mom wants me to show her how to use facebook. I refuse. If she can't figure it out on her own then she shouldn't be on it!) WHOA, that was a rambling paragraph.
But what I'm trying to say is this is 2009. Women are no longer ONLY whiny or naive or incapable. And men, I hate to say it, are not ALWAYS at fault or evil. I think we've learned a thing or two about dating, and how incredibly complicated it is. No matter what. It's never clear cut or easy. And it's not meant to be, I think. But to keep trying to question it, get tips, talk about it, and attempt to figure it out and uncover all those wonderful mysteries about it seems to me to almost defeat the purpose. Don't run it into the ground and dwell on it. Do, and find out when you're on the ride. (Does that make sense? It does to me...right now at least).

Wow, that really was a long ramble that didn't piece together exactly right. Oh well.

My first post!

So I decided to jump on the blog bandwagon, because, just perhaps, I may have something to say (just maybe).

It's kind of cool to think that though I'm posting this into cyberspace, that big dark hole of intrigue for me, someone somewhere could be reading, whether that's 20 minutes or 20,000 miles away from me. How cool is that?

But I doubt that will happen, since I have no intention of telling many people about this. So if you happened to wander here because you somewhere put the words 'it happens' into a search in google and this link showed up on page 58720772033.4, welcome.

I don't know what I will write about yet, but I will come up with something.

Although, I feel the need to sound off right now on the weather. SNOW IS EVIL! Snow's weekly appointment with northern NJ is upsetting me right now. And not for the most normal reason. It's 9.20am and I actually want to go to work. In Newark. I know, why? It's not that I love my job - it's fine for now - but I want to go and make money so I can hoarde it and get the hell out of here.

So I'm now going to go brave the roads to get to the train, which will be late, and take my invisible skis and shoeshoes to trek through downtown Newark, since they are not entirely sure how to clear the sidewalks there for walking. But thank you Newark, for providing me with a daily workout routine.