Dunns on Films - Take One

I'm back!!!!!!

2010-10-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

So it's been a year hiatus, what gives?? I felt like we were going through a serious quality movie drought....But don't fret, there are some AMAZING movies on the horizon and i can't wait to blog about them!!!

I hope to plug my movie wish list this weekend and hopefully get yours as well along with a movie review of "The Social Network"...Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 98% rating. Can't wait to check it out.

1987 + Amusement Park = Good Times

2009-08-27T23:14:00.000-07:00

So Dunner and i just finished watching the movie "Adventureland" and i found it thoroughly enjoyable. I know the Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA that i was sipping on didn't hurt either.

It's the same director as Superbad which i loved, it's not as funny and totally awkward but that's because these people are trying to come to terms that they work at an amusement park for a living, cut them some slack, they are almost carney status. What is the epitome of a carney? That is a whole other blog post and i am going to leave those comments for my friend littles to explain in her blog. The awkward charachters are why i love this movie or maybe it's because it's set in 1987and i was loving the soundtrack. Or was it the club they liked to hang out at called "Razzmatazz"? hmmmm Or their uniform t-shirts seen here:

The only thing that ruined it for me is the "too cool" actress that is Kristen Stewart... yeah yeah she is the lead in the twilight movies. She totally bugs, what's her problem? Is she "too cool" for the screen?! C'mon sweetie your no female James Dean, your far from it and you have no talent. Josh and i started a new drinking game set to this movie, every time Kristen Stewie does this:

you take a drink, she does it every 2 minutes and it drives me bonkers..

Guest Blog by Shannon: 500 Days of Summer Movie Review

2009-08-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

500 Days of Summer, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel is a fantastic romantic movie. Rarely have I seen a movie which so honestly depicts a real relationship.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (the little kid from 3rd Rock from the Sun) plays Tom, a geek-chic hipster who hates his job as a greeting card writer, who falls hard for the new girl at work, Summer (Deschanel). Summer is truly adorable free spirit and doesn’t want to be in a relationship. The two start hooking up which inevitably leads to an undefined relationship that lasts 500 days (like the title, get it? get it?)
Through the course of their relationship Tom is way more in love with Summer, than Summer is with Tom. This pretty much sums up every relationship I ever had before I met my husband, which might be why I loved the movie so much. I also found it so refreshing to see that the love-sick character is a man and not some neurotic, flaky, whiny women, which is all to often is played by Katherine Heigl, Kate Hudson or Jennifer Aniston.

500 days of Summer does a great job of avoiding the formulaic romantic comedy and uses a few cutesy movie tricks to tell the story; a Movie Phone voice narrator, a story that jumps around in time, an all out Broadway dance number, and my personal favorite -a split screen depiction of Tom attending a party with one side an enactment of his expectations for the evening and the other his reality played simultaneously.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is about as charming as they come and I can’t wait to see him in his next movie role. My only real criticism of the movie is that Zooey Deschanel, while adorable, always seems to be playing Zooey Deschanel in each of her movies. To date, the women lacks any sort of range as far as I am concerned.
Oh yeah, and the art direction on this movie rocks. All in all, two thumbs way up!
Thanks Betsy for letting me stop by and blab!

THANK YOU Shannon for taking the time to share your thoughts on the movie! I can't wait to see it!! You have me intrigued to see the different techniques they use to film the scenes...and other than the movie Elf, what other movies has Zooey Deschanel been in? If there were more i can't remember them, needless to say she is adorable.

Stay Tuned for Guest Blogger!

2009-07-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

My fabulous friend, Shannon, will be gracing us with her blogger presence with a review for the movie "500 days of Summer". She couldn't say enough about the film so i asked to her to do a post, my first guest blogger and am super excited!!

I haven't seen the movie yet so can't wait to hear what she has to say, i might add that she has excellent taste in everything pop culture. Take it away Shan....

Upcoming Summer Movies I can't wait to see!!

2009-07-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

Julie&Julia (Anybody read the book?)
http://www.julieandjulia.com/

500 days of Summer
http://www.foxsearchlight.com/500daysofsummer/

Funny People
http://www.funnypeoplemovie.com/

The Way We Get By (Documentary)
http://www.thewaywegetbymovie.com/

Inglorious Bastards (looks pretty gory, josh might have to do the homework on this one)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361748/

What are you looking forward to seeing? I got my work cut out for me!

Away We Go

2009-06-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

I was really looking forward to seeing this movie and after my husband dragged me to go see Transformers 2 which was 3 hours of Megan Fox's pathetic robotic acting performance, let's just say he owed me.

So away we went to my favorite little theater, Grand Cinema. The film stars Maya Rudoplh, you may recognize her from SNL and John Krasinski aka Jim from The Office. I didn't know it was possible to love anything more than Jim's charachter on the Office but Krasinski won me completely over in this movie. And so did Rudolph as i didn't know if i was going to be able to take her seriously.

This movie is about a couple who find out their pregnant, are convinced that they are "screw-ups" and go on a cross-country adventure to visit family and friends in hopes of finding the "perfect" place to start their family. What the end up finding out is that everyone surrounding them are completely dysfuntional and that what they have between each other is pretty damn good. Watch for hysterical performances by Allison Janney who plays Rudolph's former boss who is the epitomy of suburbia dysfuntion and Maggie Gyllenahl who is an upper class yuppie professer disguised as a new-age psyhco (watch for the stroller scene, laugh out loud hysterical).

What i really loved about this movie was that it's about a couple who truly loves one another, how refreshing! When was the last time you watched a movie that celebrated a loving relationship? Maybe Director, Sam Mendes had to compensate for his suicidal oscar nom Revolutionary Road....

Dirty-Mouthed Harry

2009-01-12T20:24:00.000-08:00

Asians beware!! Gran Torino has more politically incorrect comments than a Bob Saget comedy special. You could write a racial slang manual just in the first 15 minutes. Did it get a ton of laughs? An unbelievable amount. It was classic Eastwood.

Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a Korean War veteran well into his golden years. His wife has died, and this crusty curmudgeon only finds happiness in waxing his beautiful 1972 Gran Torino. He strikes up an unusual friendship with a teenage Asian neighbor who he caught trying to steal his car.

This movie was part Heartbreak Ridge, part Outlaw Josey Wales (you'll see the reference) and part Unforgiven. "He should have armed himself if he's gonna decorate his saloon with my friend" is simply shortened to "Get off my lawn". Definitely a must-see.

--Dunner

The Curious Case of Brad's Hotness..I mean Benjamin Button

2009-01-05T19:49:00.000-08:00

The story of a baby born with wrinkles of a 90 year old and a disease where he physically gets younger while he mentally grows older. When he is 7 he looks like an 85 year old and when he is 60 he looks like a youthful 20 year old. While the film tries to tug at your heart strings it didn't grab all of mine. There were definately moments where you were touched but the movie is 3 hours long and it feels like 3 hours.

The graphics and cinemotgraphy are incredible, if you liked the style of English Patient and Atonement you will like the visuals of this movie. But it reminded me of a version of the movie Forrest Gump. Man with disability, meets amazing people, falls in love with childhood friend....etc,..but no one can beat Forrest Gump?!

The highlight of the movie for me was the hotness that is Brad Pitt. I really wanted to hate him but he is gorgeous in this movie and really it's distracting!!! I'm telling you, i found myself along with every other women in our aisle drooling over this man. Looks do kill! Damn!!

See i'm getting distracted from writing this blog. While it probably will win best picture at the Oscars, i don't think it should. I liked the movie but Slumdog Millionaire still has my vote.

The Real McDreamy:

Slumdog Millionaire=Brilliant

2009-01-05T19:00:00.001-08:00

What are you doing reading this blog, log off your computer, get out of your house and go see this movie! I have a couple more movies that i need to go see before the Oscars but I really want to say that this was the best movie i have seen all year and in the last couple of years!!

Josh and I decided to venture out in the snow recently to go see this movie not knowing much more then that it's about a man from Mumbai India who goes on the tv show "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?". Needless to say, 2 1/2 hours in and many tears later, i walked out of the movie theater with a full heart and geeky grin on my face. Visually the film is a gem, filmed in Mumbai and around India. Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) directs the film of his life.

It's about a boy, Jamal who grew up in the slums of Mumbai to go on to be a real competitor to win on the tv show who wants to be a millionaire. The Indian police are certain that Jamal is cheating his way through the show. Jamal protests that against the odds, he knew the answers because each question had a bearing on his own life and they began to flashback thru the many adventures and challenges Jamal faced growing up in a poverty stricken area of Mumbai.

If there's one thing that this movie has in abundance its 'Life'. They shot in the real slums, with real kids and the camera captures everything. The visuals are so warm, so full of energy, chaos, love and color.

Don't worry ladies, the movie ties in a great love story as well. I won't give anything away but please email me your comments on the movie, i would love to discuss with you!

Son of Rambow-Movie Review

2008-10-06T20:11:00.001-07:00

I am really excited to be blogging about this movie, thanks to my cousin and some other referrals we rented "Son of Rambow" a British film about two young boys with different family backgrounds going to the same school in the 1980s...( bonus points for taking place in the 80s).

This story is about tried and true friendship amidst the hardships of a broken home life. Son of Rambow is the name of the home movie made by the two young boys in the film. One boy, Lee Carter, is a trouble-maker at school whose parents are never at home and a older brother who doesn't give him the time of day so he turns to making these bizarre home movies. The other boy, Will, is the eldest son of a fatherless Plymouth Brethren family. He is not allowed to listen to music, or watch movies among other "wordly" things. He meets the infamous Lee Carter at school and he gets convinced to help Lee make a movie even though he has never seen one....Lee exposes Will to a pirated copy of "Rambo:First Blood" and Will immediately falls in love with the movie. Lee Carter convinces Will to be his stuntman in his new crazy home video.

This movie makes you laugh out loud, has some weird Napoleon Dynamite like moments and totally gripped my heart and made me cry. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and it's offbeat moments. And there were a couple moments where you said "huh?" But it was part of the movie's charm. I want you all to watch it and let me know what you think. It made me wish i was a kid again, running thru the woods, building forts and dancing to "Love Cats". Did I mention the soundtrack is kickass? Skill. Watch the movie preview below:

Bad Betsy

2008-10-06T20:01:00.000-07:00

Okay so.....didn't end up going to see Battle In Seattle, I hyped it all up and didn't go see it :( The Dunns were excited to have a date night and go see the movie.

We went to Purple Cafe in Seattle, which is a fabulous date night spot by the way, thanks to some friends, we had a gift card to use...I am blaming the excessive wine tasting on the gift card. Let's just say lots of wine + movie watching = zzzzzsss.

So i have no Battle In Seattle review for you and i call myself a movie buff!! Blasphemy! As you can see by the pic of the Purple Cafe below....i was slightly pre-occupied:

Upcoming Movie - Battle In Seattle

2008-09-22T20:33:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the long delay in blogging, finally we have some decent movies to go see!! Josh and I are planning on going to to see the long awaited "Battle in Seattle" this week. It is based on actual events that took place during the WTO protests in 1999. I am really looking forward to seeing this movie!!! So can't wait to come back and let you know how it was. Check out the really cool interactive website:

http://www.battleinseattlemovie.com/

and it is currently playing at the following local theaters :

Seattle, WA
Neptune Theatre 1303 N.E. 45th at Brooklyn Ave.Seattle, WA 98105
12:10p, 2:30, 4:50, 7:10, 9:30

(866) 758-1258
Seattle, WA
AMC Lowes Uptown 3511 Queen Anne Ave NSeattle, WA 98101
1:45p, 4:15, 7:00, 9:30

DVD Rental Reviews

2008-09-10T22:46:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile and let's face it...there has been quite the slump in the last couple of months for enticing movies so here is a review on a couple rentals:

What Happens In Vegas: Aston Kutcher and Cameron Diaz are strangers who meet in Vegas and surprise! Get married! One of them pops a quarter in a slot machine and they become instant millionaires.... a judge overrules their annulment and makes them stay married for 6 months to work it out.....oh jeez could it get more predictable....yes it can....however as much as Cameron Diaz bugs me and she does, her acting skills are slim to none, there were some pretty funny parts. It's worth renting if you don't have high expectations.

Baby Mama: I love Tina Fey and one of my favorite shows on TV is 30 Rock. She is so clever and I like her humor. If you like her humor as well, i suggest renting this movie. Tina Fey is in her late 30s and really wants to have children but instead of getting pregnant, she is getting promotions. After adoption and her own uterus fail her, she decides to have a surrogate mother. The surrogate mother turns out to be white trash so the two collide. It's not laugh out loud the whole way through but i really thought it was cute and it did have it's funny moments. I was a little disappointed that it wasn't funnier but still worth watching.

Overall Review: Don't rush to the video store to watch these movies, if you find yourself at the store or ordering your next netflix put it on your list.

Upcoming DVD Rental: "Son of Rambo" My Fab cousin only had good things to say about it so it's at the top of our queue, will let you know when we have watched it, looking forward to it!

Amazing-DNC The Sequel

2008-08-29T01:14:00.000-07:00

I know, I know this is a movie blog but i'm getting sidetracked okay....there was no movies that would be watched tonight only my recording of the DNC Speech and let me tell you it's late and i can't sleep, who needs coffee when you can listen to this speech, i am so pumped up right now an d it's 1:30am? okay i'm a little crazy...

Aimee put it brilliantly on her blog and i had to mention it too....WOW....i don't care how cheesy and cliche this sounds because i was moved beyond words watching the closing of the convention and Barack Obama's speech tonight. I need to point out some excerpts that have stuck with me from his speech.
"Enough"
"America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this."
"We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty; that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes."
"And when one of his chief advisors - the man who wrote his economic plan - was talking about the anxiety Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a "mental recession," and that we've become, and I quote, "a nation of whiners."

"That's the promise of America - the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper. "

"But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents; that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need. "

"and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell - but he won't even go to the cave where he lives. "

"it is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend. "

" Let us keep that promise - that American promise - and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess. "

This blog goes out to my boss, Elaine who was in Denver at the convention tonight, "REPRESENT!"

If you would like to read the whole speech, here is the link:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26446638/

Pineapple Express Review

2008-08-21T22:04:00.000-07:00

This is your brain before watching the movie, "Pineapple Express":

This is your brain after watching the movie, "Pineapple Express":

"Any Questions?"

Okay, okay this isn't a drugfree commercial....but somehow after watching this movie, i felt like i had somehow lost brain cells without getting high?! Actually, i enjoyed losing my braincells while watching this movie....it was pretty funny and some parts had me crying they were so funny. But that said, it wasn't my favorite Judd Apatow movie (he is the director) and also directed Knocked Up, Superbad and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (hilarious by the way...).

Plot: Seth Rogan plays a kind-of low life (nothing different than the other movies he has been in) who is a 25 year old dating a high school senior (rude) and loves smoking pot. His drug dealer, played by James Franco, suprisingly pulls it off as being a sensitive, tripped out stoner....(totally Oscar worthy..). They get mixed up in some crime scene as witnesses and go on a little adventure to escape the big drug lords....Okay not the most "unique" plot but the dialogue between Rogan and Franco makes for a majority of the time, entertaining movie.

Review: Rent It ( I enjoyed it but would have rather saved my insanely high priced movie ticket for something better)

Shout Out to Cindy Mancini

2008-08-18T21:35:00.001-07:00

So as some of you may know, I am obsessed with the 80s, i was born in 80, i love the music, the movies, the pop culture, the big hair, accessories and i want to give a shout out to my icons when i was little and this blog is a shout out to Cindy Mancini. Who did not want to be Cindy? Can i get a vote? For those of you who do not know who Cindy Mancini is, she was the cool cheerleader and popular chick who patrick dempsey aka McDreamy falls for in the movie "Can't Buy Me Love". Here is the lowdown

This is Cindy Mancini:

This is Cindy's really cool leather outfit:

Flixster - Share Movies

This is Cindy's really cool bedroom, totally "Outrageous":

And what makes Cindy the ultimate cool 80s icon.....her ride, the convertible rabbit:

Seriously ladies....be on the lookout for my next shoutout, we all loved her, we all wanted to be like her until she got that hating it boycut......a little hint..."To a Brand New life, brand new life around the bend....."

"No Movie for Linear Thinkers"

2008-08-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

Okay. So I'm gonna start this blog by talking about a movie that has been supremely loved and hated. This movie has polarized almost as many people as the Presidential Election. I have probably seen 1,000 movies. That said, I am used to the usual construct of a movie. Antagonist. Protagonist. Climax. Heck....what about a good ol' nude scene? No Country For Old Men is as great as it is apalling. Javier Bardem is a bad guy unlike anything I've ever seen before. Dark stare, sharp features framing a menacing gaze, Lego hair. Yup, he has it all. He is a sloth-like Terminator.

For all the buzz, this movie was just a waste of 122 minutes, with a few funny lines and some crazy facial close-ups (the orgasmic look on Bardem's face when he chokes the Deputy). I thought about taking on his coin-flipping decision making. I wish that I had flipped to see either this or Fred Claus on November 9th, 2007 - and Fred Claus came up heads.

Would it be too much to see Josh Brolin killed off? Or for Tommy Lee Jones to take less peyote before reveling in his ridiculous dream? I'll leave this little tidbit for you to look for.

"Look at that fucking bone!" You'll know it when you see it. Dunner out.......

Betsy's Top 10 of 2007

2008-07-30T21:05:00.000-07:00

Please see these movies and let me know your thoughts!

10. Hot Fuzz-If you liked Shaun of the Dead, then this movie will not disappoint! It's got some surprises...

9. In the Valley Of Elah- Director that brought you the movie, Crash, this awe-dropping film where Tommy Lee Jones, plays a Veteran that has a son enlisted in the Iraq War. His son comes home from the war to go AWOL. Then his son is found dead. A murder mystery with Charlize Theron as the detective. EXCELLENT. Shows the terror that our men and women face during war and post traumatic stress disorder that seems to be too common with our soldiers once they come home.

8.Michael Clayton-I had no desire to see this movie and it just pulls you in! Awesome acting with twists and turns....devilishly good! It proves that money really is the root of all evil.

7. Catch and Release-Okay I know i am going to get some crap for this one. Jennifer Garner is engaged and suddenly her fiance dies in a ski accident. She finds out more about him after his death then she knew while he was living. Love that it takes place in boulder, Colorado, totally want to go there now and go fly fishing and it's perspective on a woman finding herself through tragedy. sappy.....

6.Gone Baby Gone- Who knew Ben Affleck might be able to save his career after all? In his Director debut, an outstanding cast provides an epic story that makes you think about what you would do in that situation? About a girl that gets abducted in the projects outside of Boston. Totally gripping and left me thinking about it the next day.

5.Into The Wild- This is another book turned movie about a recent college grad who decides to leave his family and economic dreams behind to go find himself by traveling to the "Last Wilderness", Alaska. Sean Penn, Director, succeeds with showing the power of the human spirit and the importance of relationships. I also thought this was a very patriotic movie, showing the "American Spirit" that isn't really spoken or seen much in the media these days. Total tearjerker..Personally I think Emilie Hirsch got jipped from not receiving an oscar nom. Thoughts?

4. Super Bad-This movie was so ridiculous and I loved every minute of it. These boys were the ultimate geek squad. "Dicks? Like a Man Dick?" The link to my fave scene below, enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOEN3KC-UAc

3. Best Documentary: Devil Came On Horseback: This is the most powerful doc I have seen in a long time. About a true story of a US Soldier who gets injured during duty but still wants to serve so gets sent to Sudan only to see genocide take place thru his very own eyes and his fight to stop the violence. It's amazing that the world has let this happen again, did we not learn from Rwanda? Please see this movie.

2. Best Foreign Film: La Vie En Rose: Amazing. The story of french singer, Edith Piaf and her tragic life and death. Best acting of 07 by Marion Cotiallard, I squirmed watching her on screen. Ultimate Tear Jerker, make sure you only watch this when you plan on not leaving the house for the rest of the day.

1. Lars and the Real Girl: Yes it is my number one pick. I LOVED this movie...and I love Ryan Gosling (sorry honey, he comes second) along with every other girl in America. This movie is the ultimate feel good movie about a community that comes together to help a man and his struggle with intimacy and inability to have a healthy relationship with society. It's amazing that a movie is not lewd but has a sex doll? They seem to pull it off!

What were your fave movies of 07', and opinions on my top picks?

Welcome to Our Blog!

2008-07-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

We love movies, okay we are obsessed with watching movies. I won't divulge the dirty details of how much we spend on our dvd collection, movie tickets, netflix, and our "Galactic Platinum Premium Holy Trinity" cable package.

However, there is nothing better then watching a great movie that makes you cry, makes you laugh until you cry, makes you angry, motivates you to learn or gets you through a dull and rainy day.

We hope that you use our blog to explore our unique view of films or to share your insights on your favorite movie.