Movies Seen

With this post, I am trying out something new, actually two things new to me. Triggit allows you to drag and drop photos as well as easily link to Amazon and other affiliate sellers with your blog. So, to give it a try, I also signed up for Amazon's Associate Program. So, if someone clicks on my amazon link and buys, I get some money. The funny thing is, first I publish, then use Triggit on the web page with Firefox as the browser.

I think of blogs as a gift economy. People write from passion, giving their offerings to the world. It has the potential of reward through gifting. I know a published author who has said several times to me, "I don't read blogs." She says it with a finality that stops me from exploring further with her. Is it because she doesn't like the ease with which some bloggers plagiarize? Is it because a writer's monetary worth is brought lower? Is it simply because it can suck away too much time?

I think when the sediment trickles down, the future will find a way to recompense more authors on the web. We already see some of this with the music industry and bands choosing to give the consumers the choice of the amount they give. Some blog authors have a paypal "tip jar," and it works for them. Since I read a lot and watch a lot of movies, amazon seems a good choice for a low-key way to get tips.

Hoodwinked
Animated, Little Red Riding Hood crossed with The Incredibles. The movie begins at the end: each character tells the story of what happened while the grizzly cop attempts to solve the mystery. The squirrel talks too fast, same gimmick as in Over the Hedge. Fun fluff.

Rhinoceros
I thought I'd check this out as I saw a live performance of Rhinoceros several years ago. This is an odd play, in which one by one people turn into rhinoceros. You never actually see a rhinoceros, and it's all about the acting. Well done, but better live, I thought. I saw it in a small theater in the round, and the actors were only feet away from us in the audience.

Shakespeare Retold
Four Shakespeare plays retold in modern times. It comes from the UK, so it works. Best ones: Taming of the Shrew, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Also Much Ado About Nothing, and Macbeth. I was least interested in Macbeth, all about competition and murder in high end restaurants.

Fast Food Nation
I thought I was getting a documentary version of the book, and it turned out to be fiction. I wasn't sure I had the right movie when it began with undocumented immigrants crossing the border into the US. Oh...nobody wants to work in the meat plants, gritty and brutal places. Greg Kinnear was great as the mucky-muck coming in to check out the problems with the burger suppliers. There were some cameos from stars, clearly some roles taken as public service to draw people to the movie. My favorite, Fez from That '70s Show had a lead. Oh my, he (Wilmer Valderrama) is going to be Ponch in the CHiPs movie. Childhood celebrity crush, meet adult celebrity crush.

Last Holiday
Queen Latifah is told she's dying. She decides to go on holiday and spend all her thriftily saved money. Because she spends so freely, all the rich people thinks she is one of them. One guess as to how it ends. Remember Joe vs the Volcano? But this kinda movie, of course you know the ending. QL is beautiful. It was just be accident that I watched it on NYE. Of course that is the last holiday.

The Motel
This caught my eye because of the graphic novel-like cover. It is a nerdy boy's story of adolescent sexual exploration. His Chinese-American family owns a motel with hourly, daily, and weekly rates. Of course, porn is involved. Honest, authentic, sweet.