Call it the Joss effect

Watched Children of Men, a tight, gritty view of the not too distant future. Zack and I liked it quite a bit; hoever, I have to admit that the Orson Wells purist in me was a little disappointed to learn that some of those single takes were actual cobbled together with CGI. But given all the stunts and effects involved, I'm willing to give Cuaron some leeway. The tracking shots are exquistely choreographed (not exactly "beautifully" - people's heads are getting blown off) and the mise en scene is visually stunning. The plot was provocative and Clive Owen, as usual, was mesmerizing to watch. But call me jaded... sometimes I can just smell what's going to happen to each character. Like if a major actor is cast in a movie, yet the trailers don't really feature said actor. Yep, that character's dead. Sometimes, the way a character is fleshed out telegraphs his or her fate. Oh yeah, he's going to make it, she's not, she is, he's not, etc., etc. Maybe I've been spoiled with too much Joss Whedon over the years, but I like a movie to surprise me with the the fate that's dealt to the characters. I totally did not see the deaths of (spoiler alert!): Doyle (Angel), Joyce (Buffy), Wash (Serenity), Fred (Angel) and the one that broke my heart the most, Tara (Buffy). Or maybe it was Joyce. Or Angel's... but he came back. Or Oz's (non dying) departure. Um, I digress. Anyways. Pan's Labyrinth surprised me. Not exactly in a good way, though. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but definitely not a kid's movie.

I'm not crying. It's been raining... on my face!

Right now, Zack and I are totally enamored of Flight of the Conchords. It's like the Kiwi answer to Mr. Show and Tenacious D meets Wes Anderson. Their goofy antics, dry banter and most especially, their quirky songs have us laughing our asses off.

Sigh. It's totally doomed to cancellation.

Le rat qui cuit!

Folks, if you've got TiVO, fire up the 9 minute Ratatouille preview. I have decided that I totally can't wait for this one! How you you resist a haute cuisine restaurant in Paris getting the Pixar/Brad Bird treatment? And I love how the shot of the one of the kitchen staff's legs displays those ubiquitous checkered black and white pants and Dansko clogs.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Went to Charles Chocolates on Thursday to preview their new cafe, and gorged myself on as many chocolates I could stuff in my mouth. I had to stop at some point, but as soon as I drove out of the parking lot, I regretted not sampling more! But I blogged about it on Muffin Top.