Final Golden Compass Update

Now that the movie I've incessantly blogged about and been oh-so-excited about for the past year+ has finally come out, I'm sure that you are all eager to hear what I thought of it.


It sucked. Don't waste your money. Read the book. The end.

Bring on the Popcorn and the Sticky Floors

Put away your whites, kids, because summer is (almost) officially over, 100+ temps notwithstanding. Do you know what the day after Labor Day weekend really means? It means that it's almost time for the new fall TV season, as well as all those serious and spectacle laden fall movies! You already know what my thoughts are on some of the shows in the upcoming TV season (and yes, I am aware that I stopped blogging about it before I actually finished watching all the fall tv pilots, and, really, that has a lot more to do with the quality of the actual pilots left rather than my fabulous blogging upkeep skills...). And while you know that The Golden Compass is highest on my list of movies I'm excited about, it is by no means the only movie that I'm stoked about seeing in the upcoming months.


Cate Blanchett exploded onto the scene in Elizabeth in 1998. I thought she was robbed of her best actress Oscar, by Gwyneth of all people (even though, full disclosure, I did love Shakespeare in Love. But let's face it - Elizabeth was the far better movie and Cate Blanchett a far better actress). In the ensuing years, she has never failed to turn in amazing work in each of her movies - I recently caught parts of The Aviator and forgot that she manages to actually make her portrayal of Kate Hepburn believable and not a caricature. I got a little nervous when I heard that they were doing a sequel to Elizabeth and even more so when I realized that it would release the year after Helen Mirren absolutely rocked her portrayal on the HBO miniseries and justifiably earned every award under the sun. However, my fears are a little assuaged after watching this trailer for the upcoming Elizabeth: The Golden Age. I hope the Spanish Armada are quaking in their boats right about now.


Another movie I'm excited about is Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody's Juno. I don't really know how to describe it except that the script read as smart, sarcastic, and boasts a great comedic cast. Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney, and the person I'm most excited to see, young Ellen Page, who completely owned the screen in the intensely disturbing Hard Candy. Set for release in mid-December, I think this could be the perfect little sleeper hit, a breath of fresh comedic air in the face of all the overwrought holiday movies that will be out in full force come December. Plus, teenage pregnancy? Abortion? Adoption? Orange flavored tic-tacs? How can you go wrong!


Atonement is an adaptation of Ian McEwan's brutal novel about love set amidst war, the misunderstanding of youth, and the repercussions of one's actions. It's getting a lot of buzz right now because it just opened the Venice Film Festival to mostly good reviews. I'm excited about it because of the actors (Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, and newcomer Saoirse Ronan, who was handpicked by Peter Jackson to star in his adaptation of Alice Sebold's dark, funny, and heartbreaking novel "The Lovely Bones"). I'm excited about it because McEwan is an extraordinarily haunting writer, and while some of his earlier books were just dark and disturbing, "Atonement" managed to combine McEwan's trademark skill of immense foreboding with genuine poignant emotion. Mostly, I'm excited by the prospect of Joe Wright re-teaming with Keira Knightley, because while nothing can ever take away the girlish glee of discovering Colin Firth in the BBC's astounding 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice, I do have to say that watching Joe Wright & Keira Knightley's version is a damn close second. And for all those who say that Knightley is all skin and bones and underbite, I strongly urge you to see her in this - she honestly has never been more luminescent (although, really, let's be honest here - Elizabeth Bennett was never supposed to be that pretty...wasn't she described as plain to Jane's beauty?...) Anyway, back on point - "Atonement" was a heartbreaking novel, it's perfect for awards season fodder - can Wright and Knightley deliver again? Check out the website and trailer and decide for yourselves...

This is just a random sampling of awesome movies in the coming months, but by no means the only movies I'm excited about (we haven't even talked about my secret boyfriend Tony Leung in Ang Lee's Lust, Caution; the ridiculously awesomely violently stupid Shoot 'Em Up - I mean, come on, a movie like knows exactly what it is, and what it is is pure empty entertainment; Stephen King's The Mist, because it reunites Frank Darabont and Stephen King, and it features this really cool trailer that definitely piques my interest; The Kite Runner, because it is an adaptation of a tragic book that made me cry a lot then scream at the book at how absolutely ludicrous it got at piling on the pain; Sweeney Todd, the awesomely dark Sondheim musical about the Demon Barber of Fleet Street and his "meat" pie-making partner-in-crime; and numerous others in the jam-packed four months between now and the end of the movie awards season...)


Tell me, dear reader, what movies are you excited about now that we've officially begun the fall movie season?

Nothing Better...

...than this live duet of one of my favorite Postal Service songs, with Jenny Lewis subbing for Jen Wood (who did the album track). And while you may think I am biased because I love Jenny Lewis, I honestly think her voice works better with this song than Jen Wood's because Lewis's sounds more melancholy. Or maybe I'm just biased. It's a good song regardless.

Golden Compass Comic-Con Update!

I know I've been blathering on for what seems like ages about this giant holiday spectacle movie that has witches, talking polar bears, something called an alethiometer, and a trio of hotness known as Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman, and Eva Green. But, even knowing all this about The Golden Compass, we still don't really know what this movie's about. Well, question no more, dear readers - New Line has posted their 5-minute Comic-Con trailer that finally attempts to explain this movie to those not familiar with Pullman's work (and let's face it - His Dark Materials doesn't really come with the same type of recognition that Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia has).

Does this trailer make you want to see the movie more or make you think it'll completely bomb? Weigh in below!

Live Blogging Top Chef Episode 6: "Watch What Happens"

Andy Cohen is a giant douche. Ilan Hall, if at all possible, is an even bigger douche. The end of the live recap.

Also, does it strike anyone else that it's really early in the season for a filler episode? Boo Top Chef.

Golden Compass Update!

Gentle readers, I apologize for the lack of updates. However, today I return with a doozy! (Ok, I admit, I'm a bit late to the party on this one. The one-sheets came out days ago.) Below are the character posters for The Golden Compass, and while the Eva Green one looks a little schmaltzy, again I will give the movie the benefit of the doubt. Why, you ask? Because this newly released trailer looks pretty friggin excellent. The movie looks a little cleaner and less gritty than I had imagined the world to be when I read the book, but hey, I'm not going to judge until I see it.










Also under the category of things that are pretty badass: FX's new show Damages.



Glenn Close acts the hell out of this one, and Ted Danson is creepily awesome. Check it out if you can - the "exploring a case over one season" plot is mildly reminiscent of ABC's awesome (and of course, tragically canceled) Murder One, except Damages absolutely stands out in its own right. The only small quibble is the question of if Rose Byrne can play opposite Glenn Close and hold her own, but I guess we'll have to tune in over the course of the series to find out. Seriously, how many ways can I tell you that Glenn Close is badass in this? Catch it if you can.

Live Blogging Top Chef Episode 4: "Cooking by the Numbers"

Welcome dear readers, to another night of live-blogging summer's most awesome cooking show, Top Chef. How we have missed you Padma, Tom, Gail, Ted Allen, et al. Let a national holiday never separate us again. And without further ado, let us get to it!

01: Casey's sharpening her knives. She means business. Watch out, kids - she'll use this newly sharpened knife to stab you in the back, maybe.

02: Lia may be "younger than the majority" but she's an executive sous chef at Jean-Georges for crying out loud! Her need to prove herself will mean she's either the winner or loser of the challenge. I vote for winner - Lia may be 27, but she works at frackin Jean-Georges. She's got to have some game.

03: How does one get to be a "Global Master Mixologist" and can I sign up please?

04: All these drinks do sound yummy. How much you want to bet someone gets drunk on this quickfire?

06: Maybe Padma will get drunk.

08: Those sharp knives didn't hurt.

09: The first team episode!!! These are always awesome. First team is Camille, Brian, and Lia - damn, I'm wrong already. Those Bravo previews did the trick and sure fooled me!

11: Uh-oh, they're switching groups already. Casey, Howie, and Joey - the Bravo execs and Top Chef producers must have soiled themselves with glee at this turn of events.

17: This just in: Paula Abdul is batshit crazy.

20: $150 is not a lot for groceries - hell, I spend that much!

21: I will say this - on paper, Brian/Hung/Lia seem formidable. The only question is if they can actually get along.

23: Look at how they save Colicchio's visit to Team 2: Joey/Howie/Casey until the end. That's some smart editing, my friends.

24: Joey, that's because you're such an insecure and immature asswipe.

31: Those were some really finely diced cucumbers, Lia. It makes me appreciate Marcel's finely diced mango's in the Top Chef Season 1 vs. Season 2 challenge, before Ilan "accicedentally" dropped them. What a douche.

31: FOAM! Hung really is friends with Marcel.

34: I love that CJ is brushing his tiny slab of meat with a giant brush.

36: I know the other chefs are done and are trying to relax now, but crowding around Team 4 doesn't really seem fair.

37: I agree that Team 4 should have done dessert. Whether they win or lose, I'm glad they did.

45: Lia looks like she's going to cry because she won and got an awesome compliment from Colicchio. Can I call it or what?

45: Brian is gracious in defeat, and Hung actually looks it too. Good for them. Suddenly I like Malarkey! more.

49: Howie is smart where Camille is not. Clearly, your dish sucked, which is why you've been called back. Howie admits that "the components were there" but it didn't turn out exactly the way it was supposed to. Smart. Camille says nothing wrong with her dish - not smart. Howie has clearly seen a few episodes from the previous seasons - nothing says good chef like the awareness of how your food sucked and the self-confidence to man up to it. I don't really like Howie but whether or not this is a smart play, I have to admire it.

50: Wait, what's going on here. Casey, don't try to play the martyr and throw yourself on your newly sharpened knife if you don't really mean it.

56: The commercials for the new Bravo series Flipping Out have got to be the best thing about the show. "I'm an assistant, an actress, and a rapper" is the best line I've heard all year.

58: Suh-NAP! They sent Camille home! I was not expecting this - I was expecting Howie or Joey to go. I thought dessert would get a slap on the wrist and a do better next time. For the record, that's now THREE women to have gone. Lia, better keep winning those challenges. And for the record, how on earth does Sara N. keep floating under the radar?

59: At least Camille seems to have garnered genuine respect from her peers. Oh Camille, we hardly knew ye.

If next week's previews are any indication, someone could get injured in the kitchen. I can only hope Hung ends up running over Joey or something. Knife optional.

I miss Gail, but Ted Allen's more than making up for it. Robo-dorks! Be sure to check out the rest of the blogs, which are in parts insightful, insipid, and entertaining.


And, um, who are these production people and can I get a job on Top Chef please?