Blog: DesieLiz

I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions. I don’t get the concept or why people need an excuse to make a big change to better themselves. Hey, if you want to get something done, pull a Nike and just do it. That being said, this year I halfway jumped on the bandwagon and decided to create a goal for the year 2010. Last year, I was at the theater enough to see 84 films… this year I’m going for 100. One year, one-hundred movies. Of course my ultimate goal is for some big studio to hear my story and make film about my life, but until then I’ll blog my way through each month letting you know how each film was and whether I think it’s worth your time.

Up in the Air
You’ve probably heard some buzz about this film, especially considering it’s recent Best Picture Oscar nomination. It was enjoyable but, like I often feel about Best Picture nominees, I didn’t really get all the hype. It has a lot of those artsy qualities critics tend to eat up, tragic characters, a reflection America’s individualistic attitudes and workaholic lifestyle, and a depressing ending. George Clooney did his thing and the chick from Twilight wasn’t half bad either.

Bottom line: Up in the Air is for people into non-uplifting character studies, an easy wait-for-DVD rental, and not worthy of the Best Picture of 2009 award by any stretch.

Daybreakers
You can read my official GotchaMovies.com review here.

Bottom line: Willem Dafoe is amazing…unlike this movie.

Youth in Revolt
Reflecting back on this movie…it was weird. Not really good or bad weird, just weird. I did enjoy it. I love Michael Cera and I’m into stories that make no sense but make me not even care that they don’t. It was pretty amusing and off the wall, and a nice change of pace. Youth in Revolt doesn’t offer a cliché teen movie in any fashion. I also appreciate this film because of the guerilla marketing techniques they used as promotion including groups of college guys dressing as the main character’s alter ego and passing out free screening passes on college campuses.

Bottom line: This movie is offbeat and lacks sense at times, but it all melds together to create a charming story that’s worth a watch.

Leap Year
We get it, Amy Adams is likeable, adorable, and exudes and air of innocence that makes her hard to hate, but to be honest it’s getting really old really fast. My beef is more with her as an actress playing the EXACT same role in every film and not with Leap Year itself. The story was cute and no less cliché or predictable than any other romantic comedy. It has some really funny scenes and a beautiful backdrop.

Bottom line: If you can handle Amy Adams playing the same exact character one more time you’ll be able to enjoy Leap Year… at least a little.

Book of Eli
When I saw this film it was one of the rare occasions I went in having zero clue what the movie was about. I was intrigued from the first scene and thoroughly enjoyed watching this story unfold. I do feel like the movie’s twist takes the story from slightly divine to a little unbelievable but that is really just a personal preference as far as these types of stories go. The cinematography is really cool and I liked all the acting, including Mila Kunis who’s been getting a lot of flack for her role.

Bottom line: Book of Eli is an interesting, unique story that makes you think. Back that up with some talented acting and good action scenes means you should head to the theater.

Legion
Telling the blasphemous story about an angry God who sends Angels or zombies or something like that to exterminate the world’s population, Legion leaves the word “meh” written all over it. Questions don’t get answered and nothing fits together. I will just stop there because this movie deserves no more of your time or mine.

Bottom line: This movie is lame not has virtually zero entertainment value. Pass.

The Lovely Bones
What most drew me to this film was that Peter Jackson’s director credit. I haven’t read the book so I didn’t feel any of the anger about his adaptation that some people have been buzzing about. I thought it was done really well. The film isn’t about murder or vengeance, it’s about dealing with grief and the process of losing a loved one. Some of the scenes set in “the in between” are a little weird and almost creepy but overall everything is really well done.

Bottom line: This film is pretty good. I don’t suggest it for children, but the story, effects, and satisfying demise of Susie’s murderer are worth a view.

Extraordinary Measures
You can read my official review here. I suggest you do, this movie is good and you need to be convinced that’s true.

Bottom line: This movie was fabulous. The story is dynamic and inspiring and you won’t regret taking the time or spending the money to see this in theaters.

When in Rome
Once again my nerdy marketing student self has to give a shout out to When in Rome for their unique marketing efforts. Promotion for this film was everywhere and it was adorable how they did mock confessional type interviews with the on-screen couple. Kristin and Josh are not just super cute, but also put on a genuine performance. The film is funny, upbeat and enjoyable and the art museum aspect of the plot adds some unique dimension I thought was really interesting.

Bottom line: Great choice for date night. Don’t let it get lost in the shuffle with all the other romantic February releases.

Total count for 2010: 9

By coming in 5th place this week at $4.5 million The Blind Side has become the first film marketed with one name solely above the title to hit $200 million domestically. Go Sandra, 2009 was your year.

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Enjoy!

"1 Year, 342 Movies, 12 Months of Production, 7 Minutes. 2009 proved that innovation is rewarded, and for that reason, I've decided no film should be left behind."

Now that 2009 is over, what are you all looking forward to in 2010?

I came across this article at work today because a woman who works at my school (yay! SDSU) has a bunch of comments in it. Now, I’m no feminist and usually see 2 movies a week minimum, which is probably why I never knew or thought about the fact that people didn’t think women went to movies or that we are underrepresented in the field, but I found this pretty interesting. You can find the article here or read below. The good stuff is bolded.

(CNN) -- There's an old Hollywood tale, and it goes like this: Open a female-led movie around Valentine's Day. Watch women go in droves and drive up box office numbers. Then let Hollywood executives call it a fluke, since everyone knows that women don't go to movies.

Over the past few weeks, that tale has been told with a twist. Two female-led movies have earned astronomically high box office numbers -- like "third best opening weekend" high -- on fall weekends typically dominated by blockbuster movies aimed at men. "New Moon," the second film in the "Twilight" vampire series, has grossed more than $230 million since its opening, while "The Blind Side," about a white family that takes in a homeless African-American boy, is already past the $100 million mark.

For both "Blind Side" and "New Moon," women have made up more than half the audience. And by the time these films complete their runs, they could gross nearly $500 million combined, said Gitesh Pandya, the editor of BoxOfficeGuru.com, because of a largely female audience packing theaters.

"There's no difference in movie-going by gender; women are just as likely to go to the movies as men," says Martha Lauzen, executive director of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University.

If you give women movies reflecting their experience and interests, Lauzen says, they will go -- even on opening weekend. And yet the movie industry always seems surprised to find out that women go to the movies.

Just three years ago, "The Devil Wears Prada," starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, grossed $40 million at domestic box offices in the first five days of its opening. The total so surprised Fox's president of distribution that he remarked he "never thought it would be this big," since he'd never seen a "predominately female movie open quite that large."

Sarah Jessica Parker and her Manolo Blahniks grossed $57 million for "Sex and the City" during its opening weekend in 2008. The film made $152 million total at the box office. This was followed by the success of Streep's "Mamma Mia" and "Julie and Julia," and the Katherine Heigl-led romantic comedies like "27 Dresses" and "The Ugly Truth."

"Women are a dramatically underserved segment of the moviegoing population, and if the industry would produce films that are not, by the way, just about shoes and clothes, but really had multidimensional female characters doing interesting things, women will go to see these movies in droves," Lauzen says.

So, now that the truth is out, women in Hollywood are going to be very, very busy in the next few years right?

Not exactly. "The performances of these films have been nothing short of extraordinary," Pandya said. ""Having said that, studios are run by stubborn men, so it'll take more than this to make substantial changes." "

Lauzen agreed, pointing out that Hollywood isn't the kind of town that embraces change readily.

In 2008, women comprised 9 percent of all directors, the same as in 1998, according to Lauzen's research. Moreover, according to Lauzen, in the early 2000s, females comprised 28 percent of all characters in Hollywood movies -- the same as in the 1970s.

"People need to understand the magnitude of this problem, and how entrenched it is," she said. "That's why I'm saying something substantial and sustained would have to happen to change this." "She believes that, until more women are making movies, there won't be many female-centric movies to see.”

But there is one woman in Hollywood who has hope: Women in Film's president and independent film producer Jane Fleming, who co-founded Shot in the Dark Entertainment. "I think the last three years have been extraordinary," Fleming said. "A large slate of films have done really well, and it becomes less of an oddity and more of a norm," Fleming said. "Anytime something becomes less of a fluke, the more firepower people have to say, 'Hey, these 15 to 20 movies have all done well over the past three years,' and the case for the 'no' goes away."

Fleming is hopeful that the increase in diversity on screen will carry over behind the scenes, too.

""The trend is starting to change. We're seeing evidence that more than 13-35-year-old men go to movies," she said. "It bodes well as we go to have a diversity of voice in the films that are coming out, and hopefully that will translate to more women making them." "

So what do you think? Have you heard about this issue? Do you think this trend is changing?

People officially announced today that Amy Adams and finance, Darren Legallo, are expecting their first child. I love this women and she is beyond adorable so her baby is bound to follow suit.