I Want to Attend a Gatsby Party
Okay. So I’m not a huge partier. I’m 32, and although I enjoy a beer or glass of wine every now and then, really the only time I heavily imbibe is at my annual Festivus party. That’s all about to change. Actually, that’s not true. But after watching Baz Luhrmann’s Gatsby this weekend, I want [...]
My Year Without Movie Trailers
I get really, really excited about movies. Especially tentpole films. Movies about tentpoles are the best. Back in the day, I would do two things when I was really excited about a movie: I would read every early review about the movie, and I would watch every trailer multiple times. I don’ t know why [...]
Would You Visit Jurassic Park?
I remember the first time I saw the cover of the book Jurassic Park. It’s a brilliant, iconic cover. It shows that packaging matters. How do you sell a book about dinosaurs to tens of millions of adults? With an elegantly designed cover (and an entertaining book). I was in middle school when I first [...]
Let’s Look at the Lyrics: The Sound of Music Song
I remember watching only a few movies growing up: Home Alone, Pretty Woman (inexplicably, given that I wasn’t even allowed to watch PG-13 movies until I was 13), Newsies, and The Sound of Music. We knew The Sound of Music better than the Von Trapp family. I don’t know why, but it was a family [...]
Pet Please/Pet Peeve: Stunt and Butt Doubles
Pet Please #82: Actors and Actresses Who Do Their Own Stunts Do you ever read a movie review or synopsis that reveals the main actor or actress did his or her own stunts? Whenever I read that, my excitement for the movie jumps. I think part of it is that I feel like the actor [...]
Movie Contrivance #18: Two People Tugging at an Object Until It Breaks
Recently I watched a movie that I never thought I’d watch, and I genuinely enjoyed it. It’s called Pitch Perfect–basically, it’s Bring It On for acapella instead of cheering. I’ve read a bunch of positive reviews about it, so when it was released on DVD last month, I decided to give it a chance. Plus, my brother [...]
Movie Contrivance #17: Heavy Eye Makeup When It Doesn’t Make Sense
On Saturday I saw my favorite movie of the year so far, Warm Bodies. It’s essentially Romeo and Juliet with zombies, which sounds hokey, but it’s incredibly well done. The protagonist is a zombie, so for the first time, you get to see what a 20-something zombie thinks about all day. The main female lead is played [...]
Lincoln and the Theater
Originally this was going to be a review of a new theater in St. Louis, the MX on Wash Ave. I got an invitation to the sneak preview grand opening tonight, and I thought I’d have a lot to say since it’s a fancy new theater in a hip area of town, and they’re doing [...]
A Guaranteed Soulmate
I just finished watching a really interesting romantic comedy with a slight sci-fi twist (keep reading–it’s very slight!) that posed some great questions that I will now pose for you. And myself. Because I write this blog. The movie, TiMer, presents the idea that (a) every person has exactly one soulmate, (b) every pair of [...]
My Favorite Movies of 2012
By the time this post goes live, it will almost be midnight on December 31, 2012. It was a pretty great year for movies that I saw for the first time this year, with 26 movies receiving at least the coveted Stegmaier 4 Stars (out of 5) and 11 movies receiving ratings of at least [...]
My 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2013
My apologies for the brief absence on the blog. I’ve been busy with family Christmases (which have delightfully included Biddy taking a massive dump on my parents’ couch–an act of defiance that he’s only done four times ever–and Walter using his recently clipped claws to ruin an antique carpet. Sounds like he finally wants to be declawed…). [...]
My Updated Celebrity Five
I can’t believe it’s been 2 years since I last posted my celebrity five. I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept–it’s a hypothetical list of celebrities you would hook up with if you had a chance, a list that will never be used by anyone. It kind of feels odd to make a list about [...]
Texting in Movie Theaters: What’s the Solution?
I went to see Skyfall this past weekend (one-word review: eh). Like any movie-viewing experience these days, I was pulled out of the film several times by people in front of me who decided that they couldn’t wait a single minute more without checking their phones. In a dark theater, the light from one cell phone screen goes [...]
Pet Please #80: George Lucas No Longer Owns Star Wars
Sweet baby Skywalker. The day has finally, finally come. Nay–I didn’t think this day would ever come. I really didn’t even think it was a possibility. Which makes it all the more sweet. Disney bought Lucasfilm from George Lucas so that they could own Star Wars. And they’ve already said that Star Wars VII is [...]
The Deception That Is “The Lion King”
There is no doubt that The Lion King is a very good animated Disney movie. But I think that most people have been deceived into thinking that it is a great movie–deceived in the same way that romantic comedies trick us into thinking that two people belong together simply because one of them has stalked the other for long [...]
Movie Contrivance #16: Getting a Drink Thrown at Your Face
A few weeks ago I was watching an episode of The Newsroom (it’s not a movie, but it is HBO) in which Jeff Daniels’ character repeatedly gets drinks thrown in his face on date after date. It’s a running joke, but every time it happened, I was taken out of the scene, because I’ve never [...]
Is Sleepless in Seattle a Movie About Three Stalkers?
I’ve been pushing the limits when it comes to sleep lately due to the Kickstarter campaign (check out the sketches for the board art here–there’s a poll!). So I thought it might be time to mention a blog entry I’ve thought about for a while: Is Sleepless in Seattle, known as one of the most romantic movies [...]
360 Perspective: The Dark Knight Rises
This is a spoiler-free post about The Dark Knight Rises: Christopher Nolan, Bane, gun control, and an Aurora miracle. After being awestruck by The Dark Knight a few years ago (5 years ago, to be exact. Wow. Time really flies when you get old), I was really looking forward to the final chapter of Christopher Nolan’s [...]
Movie Contrivance #15: Sword Fighting
I have two major qualms about sword fights in movies. The first comes to you thanks to a delightful little film called Snow White and the Huntsman. My two-word review of this movie is: “Good try.” It’s the type of movie that has some solid aspects on the surface, but in the long run it [...]
Movie Contrivance #14: I’m Pregnant
People tell other people they’re pregnant so often on TV and in movies that it’s no longer a surprise. It’s officially a contrivance. In movies, the revelation that someone is pregnant always happens when something crazy is happening, and the pregnant person isn’t reacting as they normally would, and then they say those fateful words: [...]
Why Would You Possibly Want to Take Over the World?
I’ve really been enjoying the HBO show Game of Thrones lately. It’s all swords and sorcery, political posturing and trickery, and an abundance of nudity. That pretty much covers everything I love. However, there’s one key component of the show that I don’t quite understand: Almost every character is trying to be king of the [...]
The Avengers: Awesome Sauce
I walked out of the Moolah Theater after seeing The Avengers about 2 hours ago. I really enjoyed the movie, and its level of awesomeness is slowly sinking in. It is truly a spectacular movie. My favorite superhero movie of all time is The Incredibles. I honestly didn’t think we’d ever get a live-action movie [...]
Movie Contrivance #13: Traveling Back in Time
Yes, I know that Back to the Future is one of the most well-liked, well-written, entertaining movies ever, and its plot hinges entirely on traveling back in time. But consider this: Say I created a time machine that allowed me to travel back in time. I travel back to 1983 and steal the script for [...]
It’s Time to Finish Off the Adoption Stigma
The other day I saw the following photo on Pinterest: You’ve seen or heard this type of adoption humor before. It’s a fairly common joke in movies, sitcoms, and online memes. I’m writing today as someone who is not at all sensitive or ashamed of the fact that I’m adopted to say that this type [...]
