How does that make me feel?: Summer 2K10 Edition

Greetings readers! This week has already been packed with pop culture, and tonight I will be watching Winter's Bone at the Uptown theater with fellow bloggers Chris and Qualler, as my pop culture filled week continues. I'm looking forward to this film (and not just because the title almost sounds dirty), and my anticipation of a trip to the cinema, the buttery popcorn, enjoying a film with my neighbors and friends is making me feel: HAPPY!

Here's a rundown of how some other pop culture experiences made me feel, in the order that they were viewed this week.



Augusta, Gone
If you enjoy a good Lifetime movie (what? lots of people do. it's normal!!) and you haven't seen this one, YOU MUST. It has everything a good Lifetime movie should have, rolled into one: teenage drinking, drug use, runaways, homelessness, and of course a mother who believes in her daughter despite everything and who is constantly thwarted by the men in her life. She was the only one who was worried when her teenage daughter was drinking! Where was her father? He didn't think it was a big deal! He just thought "kids will be kids," but the mother...she knew something was wrong. Just like I, the viewer, would have known, because I too am a mom who loves her kids and who is constantly worried about them! And now I know that my worst fears are probably justified, because this was based on a TRUE STORY, people, so if my daughter seems like she's hiding something, that's probably because she is a drug addict who will soon run away and try to kill herself. But don't worry...things all work out in the end! I can't tell you why, but this movie left me feeling: COMFORTED!

Huge
Before I get into the premiere, I have to mention the brilliant 30 seconds or so worth of television that I witnessed before the show started. I caught the last part of the last scene of the episode of Secret Life of the American Teenager, which airs right before Huge, and in this scene I saw Adrian slow dancing with Tom to "You Are So Beautiful," crying. And he was wearing a tux for some reason. I don't know what happened in the rest of the episode, and I like it that way.

This ABC Family summer drama (?) premiered on Monday, and so far...I think I like it. It chronicles a group of teenagers (so far following one in particular) at a summer fat camp, and while this premise could fall into the realm of way over done and ridiculous, the writers and actors so far are handling what could be a terrible subject matter (fat camp? really?) with subtle moments of both humor and depth. I feel like it captured something of the essence of what it feels like to be an awkward teenager, which is why I like My So-Called Life so much and hate SLAT so much. I can definitely see the My So-Called Life moments, though I didn't think it was overall as strong as MSCL. However, it's difficult to determine something like that after only watching the pilot, and I definitely think this show has potential. Overall, the premiere made me feel: HOPEFUL!

Pretty Little Liars
This week's episode really picked up the pace a bit for me. Things were actually starting to get...scary? Suspenseful? Less boring, that's for sure! I also realized that this show is MUCH BETTER when you watch it with a group of friends. One of the last scenes featured the bitches looking into a standing mirror which had a scary message (something like "it won't be that easy bitches!") written in red. The image of their reflection and the blood-red letters was fantastic, made more fantastic when the girls recognized the lipstick that had written the message as "Alison's color!!!" I like that lipstick is scarier than blood. This week's episode left me feeling: CONTENT!

Inglorious Bastards
I know, I know...welcome to last year, Brigitte! But, Qualler and I finally rented this flick (on Blu-Ray! I could totally tell the difference...not) and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I do love Tarantino, but I generally hate war movies of any kind. This one gets my recommendation, though. However, despite it being a good film (and I'm always especially happy when films that feature a large portion in subtitles do well in the box office because it helps Americans learn how to read) it was pretty violent (duh) and scary for me (duh) and I got sad when certain people were killed (a doi doi). So, overall, this movie left me feeling a combination of: SAD AND AFRAID!

I ended up going to bed in a bad mood that night, and had to read some Berenstein Bears to get to sleep.

How Does That Make Me Feel? ABC Family

As I await the return of good television (Mad Men, Gossip Girl), I'm sticking out a long summer of ABC Family, and often turning to my DVD collection when I can't stand it any longer. The following are some recently viewed programs and how they made me feel.

Reese Witherspoon presents: Legally Blondes:
This was pretty terrible. I'll admit openly to being a fan of the original film, Legally Blonde. I have fond memories of watching this at camp whenever we had a rainy day (it was one of three films to choose from, and I can't even remember what the other two were, so I think it's safe to say that I've seen this movie more than a few times). I never got around to seeing Legally Blonde Two: Red, White, and Blond, nor have I seen (or have any desire to see) Legally Blonde: the Musical. So why did I decide to give this ABC Family original movie a try? A movie that had a tenuous, at best, connection with the first film? I guess I just love to make myself cry. And cry I did, for the first hour, until I decided I just couldn't take any more. The movie starred twins who were Elle Woods' cousins and who recently moved from England to California with their father...and for some reason they had to have a ridiculous trial in order to save themselves from expulsion...I wasn't completely clear how this movie related to Legally Blond, and the part I saw made me feel: Confused.
Make it or Break it:
The more I watch this show the more I like it. This week's episode was no exception. I love that the teenagers on this show are not so annoyingly self-aware as they are on most ABC Family shows. They can have sex without talking it to death and without moralizing it the way the teenagers do on Secret Life. The friendships seem to develop and grow in a realistic, teenage type of way, and I'm genuinely interested in each character's plot line. Plus, I like gymnastics. All of this makes me feel: Happy.
Secret Life:
Ok, so, I couldn't actually bring myself to watch this week's episode, but in general I thought the season was going well...reasonably well...watchable, at least. However, as in the commercials for this week's episode, Amy was holding her baby, and he was like an 8 month old toddler! I really don't like when shows do this: someone had a baby, and then suddenly that baby is like 4 years old. WTF?! I didn't even want to see what would happen between Amy and Young Bob Sagat. I'm pretty sure they break up this week, but...m'eh, who cares when there's a baby involved who grows at such an accelarated speed??. Giant babies make me feel: Angry!
10 Things I Hate About You:
This is not even worth watching if you happen to be home, flipping through the channels, with nothing to do but kill some time. Do yourself a favor, skip this one, watch an episode of Life After People or Cake Boss instead. This bastard child of a teen movie that I really enjoyed in its time makes me feel: Sad.
Watching Beverly Hills, 90210 Season 3 on DVD:
This is like wrapping yourself in a favorite blanket and sipping hot cocoa on a lazy winter afternoon. No matter what mood I'm in, no matter what has happened that day, revisiting an old episode of 90210, much like a phone call from an old friend, makes me feel: Happy.
Qualler says that ABC Family is to me as FX is to him. I can handle that.

How Does that Make Me Feel: Creepy A** S***

Greetings readers! I've certainly participated in a lot of pop culture lately. I got to see an American teen classic last week for the first time: Final Destination. Last night Qualler and I saw the new Woody Allen flick, Whatever Works, and the Comedy Central series Michael and Michael have Issues was on. But the the thing that sticks out in my mind more than anything is a creepy, creepy, CREEPY viral cartoon that most people probably saw years ago. I had a lot of mixed feelings this week, but the creeped out feeling is the one that lingers...

Final Destination
One thing that I feel goes along with Summer as well as bonfires and barbecues is bad horror movies. This Saturday I finally saw Final Destination along with Chris and Qualler. I have to say...while it was not nearly as good as my personal favorite Scream, it was pretty good in the bad-good and still kinda scary for Brigitte sense. I enjoyed myself completely, though the switch between being frightened about my own final destination (we all have one! You can't cheat Death!) and laughing out loud with my friends made me feel: Confused.Whatever Works
Overall, I have to say that it was pretty M'eh. I enjoyed it the way I enjoy most Woody Allen films, because they are interestingly shot and the music is nice. I also enjoyed some of the twists and turns of the plot, but I could have done without the obligatory young woman falling in love with and pursuing a crotchety old man ending in a May/December romance that makes me feel queasy. It also makes me feel kinda sad that when Woody Allen has to cast a younger man to play the role that he used to play, he casts Larry David (who I suppose I'd marry over Woody Allen). However, I did laugh quite a few times, and I was entertained all the way through. So despite the things I didn't like, the movie made me feel: Content.Michael & Michael Have Issues
This ranked a more positive M'eh than Whatever Works, as in a "m'eh, yeah, it was pretty good...pretty, pretty good!". Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black are consistently funny, and it's good to see them on the air again (even if David Wain is missing from the group). I'm not sure how I feel about the whole show within a show concept, and it seems a little more straightforward/accessible than Stella, but it was funny. I'm excited to see how the season will unfold and if the concept of Michael and Michael having to work together but hating each other will get old, but this first episode made me feel: Very Happy.Salad Fingers
After Final Destination ended, Lady Amy joined in the party and we decided to fill our evening with You Tube videos. We revisted some old favorites, and we also saw THE MOST HORRIFYING AND CAPTIVATING THING I'VE SEEN IN AWHILE AND I DON'T KNOW WHY IT MAKES ME SO AFRAID AND SO INTRIGUED AT THE SAME TIME BUT IT DOES! Salad Fingers made me feel: Very Sad and Confused and Afraid.



That's all for tonight--enjoy!

How Does That Make Me Feel: Spoiler Alert! Grey Gardens=Sad!

I’d long been looking forward to HBO’s fictional retelling of the 1975 documentary Grey Gardens, which told the story of Edith and Edie Beale, the aunt and cousin of Jackie O., and when it premiered a couple weeks ago, I couldn’t wait to watch it. I had read an article in Vogue which commended the fact that Drew Barrymore finally had a serious role which showed off her acting talents (not that her cover girl commercials are anything to sneeze at) and that the whole thing was going to be fantastic. I have to admit that much of my anticipation had to do with the costumes and set. That's a little silly, yes, but I know that if nothing else, an HBO film is going to be marvelously produced, down to the last detail. So, even if I don't love it, it would be pretty to look at, right? And pretty it was--pretty depressing! What follows is a run-down of my emotions (along with some spoilers) while watching this sad, sad film that works as a retelling of the making of the famous documentary about two secluded, delusional women living in a completely decrepit mansion.

********SPOILERS AHEAD**************

I had read somewhere (maybe in Vogue? Or maybe I didn’t read it, but saw it on TV? Everything’s a blur.) that Drew had to really go to great measures in order to get into character. For example, she spent a year working with a vocal coach in order to learn how to speak like Eddie Beale. Hearing that it took her A YEAR (really, Drew?) made me at first think “wow, this is really going to be something to see, I’m looking forward to it” and then, upon reflection, “wait a minute, it took you that long to learn to speak with an east coast rich person’s accent? Really?” Overall, this piece of information left me a little less assured that this would be a fantastic viewing experience, and I started to get a little: NERVOUS.As soon as the movie began, I knew it would leave me feeling uncomfortable and depressed. The film was mostly linear, but used some flashbacks so that even during the filming of documentary we could see what these women were in happier times. An early scene in the movie showed a young, happy Drew as a teenage Little Edie Beale walking hand-in-hand along the beach with her little cousin, Jackie. She was beautiful, smart, and full of promise. I knew where this was going. Of course, even in happy times there were hints of the looming future decay, such as when big Edie tells her daughter not to let herself become stressed, since stress makes her hair fall out (Alopecia). Even though I felt mildly happy watching a young, healthy girl move to New York with her father and pursue her dreams as an actress, knowing what would happen mad me feel: SAD.Inevitably, Little Edie had to leave New York, miss her big break opportunity to audition for some big time producer, and had to move back in with her mother. Over the years she wanted to move back to New York, give acting another go, and just get away from Grey Gardens (which began falling apart after her father's death, which didn't leave them enough money to maintain the mansion) but she could never break away. As this continued, I have to admit that it all became too predictable. Where were the twists? Yes, her dreams were dashed, but--there was no but. Though it might indicate that I have no soul, around the middle of this film I was feeling pretty: BORED.Eventually, as the documentary was being filmed and the board of health tried to evict the Beals on the grounds that the house was uninhabitable, word finally got around to Jackie (where had she been all this time??). When Jackie O. (played by Jeanne Tripplehorn, aka Barb from Big Love! Woot!) came to visit her aunt and cousin and offered to rebuild the house and clean it all up for them, I thought "finally! Someone in this huge wealthy family steps in to help the poor crazies." As the house was restored to its original glory, and it seemed as if the women wouldn't have to finish out their days in miserable conditions, I felt momentarily: HAPPY.Unfortunately, even with Jackie's help, the house wasn't really kept up, because the Edies didn't really care to keep it up. Even with the house rebuilt, they more or less went back to their previous state of isolation and loneliness. After the documentary filming was complete, and the filmmakers left, Edie and her mother were even more alone. More sadness! However, in the end the film was (sort of) a hit, Little Edie attended the screening, and she finally felt like an actress. Now, here's the thing I didn't really follow. During the whole filming of the documentary, little Edie didn't really seem to get it. She kept acting as if she were acting in a role, as if the word would finally see how talented and wonderful she really was. I kept waiting and waiting for this to blow up in her face, but it never did. Her mother even discouraged her from attending the screening, saying that she doesn't see herself the way other people will see her. But Edie goes, receives applause, flowers, and as the movie ends, we're told that Edith died shortly after the film's release and Little Edie lived in all the fabulous places since she was finally able to travel, and that she was even asked to perform her own cabaret show in New York. And that's it. I think we're supposed to feel good by this ending...but it just made me even more depressed. It still seemed like she didn't really get it, and that she was more of a freak show than an actress, and that she had wasted much of her life stuck in this sad little world with her mother. All in all, I was feeling: VERY SAD.
But, as I predicted...it was pretty to look at.

How Does that Make Me Feel? Monday Night Television

Greetings Blogulution. A lot has changed in my Monday night story time, and I think it's past time to let you all know how Monday night television has been making me feel.
Secret Life of the American Teenager: Highest rated show on cable television? Really? And I'm actually adding to that ridiculousness by continuing to watch it, week after boring week. In recent episodes Ricky's molester dad comes back and tries to sell the unborn baby, Amy's sister tells her that adoption is just Amy's way of being selfish and getting someone else to do "her job," and now Ben and Amy are broken up. Why do I keep coming back to this? Both the plot lines and my continued participation in this program leave me feeling: Confused.
Lack of Gossip Girl: So, it’s Monday night, I get home from the gym, all set to watch my favorite show, when low and behold—nothing was recorded this week! Was the DVR acting up? No! There was no new episode! I feel betrayed. It seems as if for every two new episodes of Gossip Girl we’re left with a week of nothing. NOTHING! I really wanted to see what would happen with our friends, but I’ll have to wait another week. As I courageously gathered up the pieces of my shattered expectations, I glanced down at my coffee table, where Blake Lively stared up at me from the cover of February’s Vogue, mocking me. Not knowing when I’ll have to go through this kind of disappointment again makes me feel: Very Sad.
No More Bromance: What quickly became my favorite reality show (only because ANTM STILL HAS NOT STARTED ITS NEW CYCLE!!! LET’S GET A MOVE ON IT, TYRA!) is already over. I personally feel that they could have stretched it for at least a full 12 episodes. Not getting to see Brody put a bunch of douche bags through humiliating ordeals each week makes me feel: Sad.
The Girls of Hedsor Hall: So, this is what MTV has to replace Bromance. This show is basically From G’s to Gents, but with women instead of men. A bunch of not so lady like American women get to live at some school in England somewhere, because British people know more about manners than we do, and wouldn’t it be funny if we put classy people together with slutty girls who like to swear a lot? Then they can really embarrass themselves! Grrr! In this episode one girl was told that she looks like a horse (by some British “gentleman”) and her reaction was to get really angry with him. Then she was, of course, reprimanded, because that’s not how a lady would handle the situation. I’m sorry…what? There’s protocol for how to react when one is told that one looks like a horse?? Some gentleman. The entire show takes “troubled” girls out of their environment and lets them know how much they lack in class. They have to wear pearls and act like ladies, which I guess means putting up with everything and keeping that sweet smile on your face. Bring back Brody, please! This show makes me so: Angry!
The City: I want to love this show. And I guess a part of me does…for the fashion. I love watching and later reading blogs about Whitney Port’s various headbands. And I guess I enjoy that in this week’s episode Whitney finally grew some balls and stood up to Olivia when she was completely rude. I’ve never seen a non-passive aggressive confrontation on a Laguna Beach-esque reality show before, so that was refreshing. Also, I don’t like Olivia. And I REALLY don’t like her stupid cousin Nevil or something. And who names their dog Mr. Butler?? Despite all this, an episode whose main source of conflict was that Olivia tried on too many outfits and so Whitney and co were late for Mr. Australian’s crappy band’s show leaves me feeling: Bored.

As you can see, things are looking pretty bleak. For now I can take solace in season 6 of 90210 on DVD. Things are really starting to heat up for Donna...but that's another blog post.

Season Finales before Christmas make me feel: Sad!!!

What has happened to the idea of a television season? This is something that’s been eating at me for awhile now: most of my favorite shows will have ended their seasons before we even get the opportunity for a holiday episode. What’s up with that? Yes, Gossip Girl will keep running in the new year, and yes, I can look forward to certain season premiers, such as Flight of the Conchords and Big Love in January, but I’m still left feeling mighty unsettled about the running time of television programs. Time was you could tell the change of the seasons by the start and stop of new episodes.

“But Brigitte, some of these shows started in the summer! They’re ending because they’ve run their full course!” To that I say—we don’t need new episodes of TV shows in the summer. We should be spending our summer nights out of doors, playing with friends, at the beach, dining outside, and generally storing up as much nice weather fun times as we can before winter hits. Then, with back to school and cold weather, television should start cranking out entertainment so that I have an alternative to vacations and sun.

It’s nice to have new things to look forward to in the cold, dead, blah time after the holidays are over and there’s nothing else to look forward to but all the snow melting. I’m happy that Big Love and Flight of the Conchords will start up with new seasons this January, since that will get me through the long harsh winter months. However, I’d prefer that these shows begin in September and extend through January, February, and all the way till summer.

True Blood: Already over. Over! That went by waaay too fast, guys. And now I have to wait until next summer for the second season.

Dexter: almost over.

Gossip Girl: Running an appropriate length of time

The O.C. or Beverly Hills 90210: now those are complete seasons. I recently completed season 4, and there are 31 episodes. Some might argue that Beverly Hills 90210 is not the same caliber of show as say, Dexter or Big Love, and that it’s easier for the writers/actors/producers to pump out episode after episode, leaving us with less that quality television and the dreaded “filler” episodes. But, I have to remain strong in my feelings and say that I’d rather have filler episodes of the shows I love than no episodes at all for months and months and months.

What do you think, dear readers? In the meantime, I'm going to get back to enjoying The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree on DVD, since all I have to enjoy right now are Christmas DVDs. :-(

How Does That Make Me Feel? (Brigitte is Sick Edition)

Greetings, readers expecting a full-fledged Brigitte post today. Brigitte woke up this morning mumbling something about not wanting to marry one of our two dogs, her eyelashes shrinking, and baseball tryouts all in the span of five minutes. I immediately put her back to bed, then brought her out to the DVD player where she has been sleeping on and off and fighting off her fever / bad acid trip. So far, no dogs have married humans today.

Needless to say, when Brigitte is sick, lots of TV on DVD gets watched. More specifically, lots of teen dramas from the 90s and early 00s on DVD get watched. After finally polishing off Season Four of Beverly Hills 90210 earlier this afternoon, we've been on a steady diet of Dawson's Creek. This begs the question, in Brigitte Blogulator form -- how does that make me feel? Today, I will be looking at the various issues that inevitably crop up whilst watching Brigitte's (and, okay, fine, my) favorite teen dramas.

Jim Walsh as a character
Jim Walsh is probably one of my top three favorite television characters of all time. Sensible to a fault, working hard at an underappreciated profession (my current profession -- accounting!), and, most importantly, not flashing his teeth in the credits of the show like most of the other characters do, Jim Walsh is a shining beacon in the world of teen drama parents. When Brenda first proposes going to London to pursue her acting career (hey, maybe Shannon Doherty could have gone to acting school herself in the fourth season! Hey oh!), Mr. Walsh responds with, "How much is that going to set me back?" Jim Walsh, a man after my own heart.
How does that make me feel? Very happy!


Dawson Leary's head
This isn't really the character Dawson Leary's fault as much as it is a) the casting directors who chose James Van Der Beek as the lead character in Dawson's Creek and b) James Van Der Beek's, but Dawson Leary's head is just way too damn big. His clothing ensembles, usually in the second season consisting of sweater vests over baggy t-shirts, accompanied by a Dave Matthews Band style necklace, and that parted-down-the-middle haircut that was all the rage in 1999 (hey, we were sophomores that year, too!) do not help the matter at all. In fact, Brigitte herself stated that if she ran into James Van Der Beek, she would punch him in the face for no other reason than that he's ugly. Plus, the dude is just a total whiny a-hole.
How does that make me feel? Uncomfortable.



Brandon Walsh v. Dawson Leary v. Dan from Gossip Girl
Today's version of Dawson Leary, y'know, the whiny guy who would rather complain about his chick problems but also be a pompous ass to the said chicks. That being said, Dan from Gossip Girl fares pretty well when compared to Dawson and, even worse, Brandon Walsh (played by Jason Priestly) from 90210. Whereas Dan is just kind of a judgey a-hole, Dawson is a judgey a-hole aaaaand counts Spielberg as his biggest film influence. That's just plain dumb. But Brandon Walsh takes the cake -- not only is he a judgey a-hole and have questionable taste in pop culture, he is unbelievably pompous about how great he is. In season four, when he's banging the professor of feminist studies (yep, pretty good life lessons, there, feminist professor, who tells Brandon she wants to do him in an elevator!), participating in a "task force" on his college campus, or telling twin sister Brenda not to drink so much while he crashes the Walsh family car, I definitely wanna sock-it-to-him the most of any of the teen drama jerks.

How does that make me feel? Violent! Even when he's dubbed in Italian!



Opening and closing credits music
One thing I think all of us can agree on is the lack of great credit sequences in not only teen dramas, but in all of television these days. In fact, all shows have pretty much eschewed the "show some action from the show spliced with portraits of the actors" formula, usually in favor of showing a quick title card after a cold open and rolling the credits over some of the opening activity. Luckily, the folks over at YouTube have a lot of time on our hands and have graced us with a proper credit sequence for Gossip Girl:

How does that make me feel? Content that the fake video exists, Sad that it's just pretend.

Farewell Old Friend

Good evening Blogosphere. It's been an exciting week, and I know that we're all abuzz with election news and what will soon become an election hangover. But in all the chaos, a dear friend was lost today. Michael Crichton, or as I call him, the man who got me out of my assigned 5th grade reading, died Tuesday at the age of 66.

This loss, of course, makes me feel: sad.

I clearly remember when Jurassic Park came to theaters, and how I declared it the best movie ever made. Ever. I do not regret that statement. That movie made me feel: Happy!!

I loved the film so much that I decided to read the novel as my elected 5th grade reading. We had to read several extra books each semester and write so many reports, but because I chose Jurassic Park, and it was so long that my 5th grade teacher agreed to let it count as my entire semesters' elective reading. what i missed that semester I'll never know. I even read The Lost World, but all I remember from either book are the dinosaurs, and how cool it would be if i could have one for a pet, and why didn't they just make vegetarian dinosaurs, then none of this mess would have happened....

I think I missed the point of the book(s). I suppose I was really just: Confused.

Whether or not I "got the point" or "understood what philosophical statement Crichton was trying to make," I will always love Jurassic Park. The years may have changed me, but they have not dampened my love of this great film. Not a stormy night goes by that I don't feel like popping it into my DVD player and settling in for a fantastic journey. And I am not alone in my adoration; this iconic film will forever be a part of our pop-culture past and helped to pave the way for our pop-culture present and future.

While we remember and old friend, taken too soon, I'll leave you with this:
In 1994, Michael Crichton had the number one movie (Jurassic Park), the number one television series (ER) and the number one novel (Disclosure). In 1994, Kurt Cobain's life was tragically cut short. Now, Michael Crichton's life has been cut short.

Coincidence?

How does that make me feel? Special Edition: Flash of Emotions

Hello Blogulution! This weekend I saw a movie so terrible that I just had to report back to you, trusty readers, before you waste valuable money and time like I did.

(SPOILERS AHEAD!!)

Flash of Genius
or Why I'll Never Enjoy Driving in the Rain Again

Going to movies is always a fun time, right? I mean, there's the popcorn, hanging out with friends, partaking in some pop culture outside your own home...really, going to movies is great. I even enjoy, for the most part, going to see bad movies, and when i went to see Flash of Genius this past Saturday with some friends I was looking forward to all the joys that movie-going brings. I wasn't expecting anything great, but nonetheless, I was feeling: Very Happy!!

About 15 or so minutes into the movie, I knew that it wouldn't win my personal Bloggie for film of the year, but I was still having a good time. For one, my good friend Lorelai Gilmore was in the film (you look as great as always, Lauren Graham! I just wish they'd give you wittier lines that you could deliver more quickly...) and who doesn't love Greg Kinnear's deeply concerned face? I loved it in As Good as it Gets when he was trying to be brave despite the fact that his apartment was robbed and he was totally beat up by Skeet Ulrich, and I was loving it again now, as he tentatively and earnestly invented something (I wasn't totally sure why that invention was significant, but whatever...windshield wipers that pause, I'm digging it. My car has that!!). Despite the laughable topic (windshield wipers) and the fact that being an honest, hardworking college professor with SIX children and a doting wife to support felt a bit...m'eh, I was feeling: Happy!

Further into the film, when Kinnear's character is screwed over by Ford, I wasn't feeling so happy. Not because I actually cared about these characters or wanted them to succeed at all (the whole thing was way too schmultzy to feel genuine...), but because, upon suing Ford, he refused the settlement! Not only did he refuse the settlement, but he refused it even when his wife, his partner wanted to take it. In the mean time, he had also become so obsessed with Ford that he stopped going to work, and so the family (as Lorelai pointed out) could really have used that $250,000! This was getting as painful as watching an episode of Deal or No Deal--and really, it was much worse, because I didn't feel that it was appropriate to shout out "take the deal!! Take the G**DAMN deal!" in the theater (or at least I gathered as much by all the dirty looks I was getting). Much later in the movie, he once again refuses a settlement of $30 million. Refusing money that I could use to pay off my student debt always makes me feel: Angry!!

What felt like HOURS AND HOURS later, after the laughter and the fury had died down, when Kinnear was still fighting legal battles, and something something about his family...well, you guessed it. Things have stopped being fun. They've even stopped being interesting. Hey Kinnear, are you capable of any other facial expressions? Lighten up! End the freaking lawsuit already! We get it--time is passing. Lawsuits take a really, really long time. That doesn't mean you need to devote a really, really long time to this portion of the film. Ever heard of dramatic liberty? This would be a good time for some subtitles that read "throughout the next 10 years..." I never thought I would wish that a film I was watching would take a hint from Ray. And really, there's only so much popcorn a person can eat. For the last half of the movie I felt completely: Bored.

All in all this movie was really just another bad, but then funny bad, but then too long to be funny bad and so it's just bad bad film in a long line of films I've seen in my lifetime. However, it was after I left the theater that I really was hit by Flash of Genius' significance in my life. Realizing that I could not just walk away from this movie, that whenever I hear the "swish swish, pause, swish swish, pause" of my windshield wipers I would think of Kinnear's stupid, no longer endearing, "I'm so damn earnest that I put my pursuit of justice for the little guy fighting against the big bad corporation above everything, including my family" is just unfair. You're face will haunt me forever, Kinnear!! And I used to love the rain! Thinking back on the movie makes me feel: Very Sad.

How does that make me feel? mid-September 2008 edition.

Pop culture this month has left me full of feelings, and I'd like to share just a few with you (mild spoilers to follow).

The first six episodes of Dexter: Season 2
So far, I'm really getting into the second season, and am already hungry for more Dexter (just imagine that was said in a creepy Michael C. Hall voice). I really enjoy how darkly funny it's becoming--I would say even funnier (while still maintaining that scare factor I so crave and characters I genuinely care about) this season than the last. When Dexter started going to Narcotics Anonymous meetings I was just tickled. He DOES have an addiction. Get it? But it isn't drugs!! It's killing people! He's a serial killer! One would think that the whole "I'm a secret killer and make lots of little puns about it" thing would get old fast, but I'm totally still digging it (digging it a grave, that is. Zing!). So far the second season, in some ways already surpassing the first, makes me feel: Happy!

"Previously On" segments that give me too much information
While I am enjoying the second season of Dexter on DVD, I was a little annoyed that the first episode's "previously on" had to sum up the entire first season. Maybe this is the convention, but should it be? What does it say to me, the loyal fan, about how much "they" (not entirely sure who "they" refers to, but go with it) care about my devotion to watching the entire series, in order, and not just feeling like I can jump in at any point like some johnny-come-lately? It sort of tells me that "they" don't care about having devoted fans, since I can join at any time and just be caught up by a ridiculously long "previously on." I was similarly irritated when Dirty Sexy Money used this tactic, and at the beginning of every episode repeated the premise of the entire show. What does this say about confidence in building a fan base? I'm all for a quick summary of the important points of the last episode, but really...it makes me feel like everything just keeps getting dumbed down for the viewers. I have to say, too much back story given in the "previously on" makes me feel: Angry! (I think that Angry Amy might have a rant up here sleeve regarding this topic as well...)

The Swiffer commercials featuring Hall and Oates' "Baby Come Back"
I'm in love with these commercials (see link above), because, what can I say, I'm a sucker for personification. The mop loves her! He just wants her to take him back! Sure, there are the general sexist connotations that the mop takes the male role since only women use a mop (and further, that these roles of "human and mop" have to be designated as male or female at all) but really, as soon as "baby come back" starts playing and a "sad-looking" mop peeks out from behind a tree (yes, I know the mop doesn't really have a face) I just melt. Personification of inanimate household objects make me feel: Very Happy!

Gossip Girl
I don't know, Gossip Girl, but you seem to be losing your edge. A summer black out in the middle of a party that somehow finds all our characters forced together just when they need to be so that they can manage their various relationships? Serena and Dan alone in an elevator, forced to finally talk through their issues, Chuck and Blair in a dark, luxurious home, where only one thing can happen (oh yeah!), and Little J with Blair's mom, with nothing to do but talk through some designs and eventually redeem herself to her fashion hero? Deus ex machina much? I don't know...I guess I just wanted a little something more from you than a "device" episode so early on in the season. How does it make me feel? I hate to say it, but, after the third episode of the season: Bored.

Mad Men: Season 2
The second season of this incredible drama has already surpassed the first. I'm really loving it as each character becomes more and more dynamic and real, and I can't wait to see how the various stories unfold. Also, of course, the clothes are great. Men should really wear suits to the office still. I am especially enjoying how much the major female characters are developing this season, and how their struggles with societal limitations (and how each character deals with these limitations) is becoming a major theme in the storyline. So far this season is making me feel: Happy! However, I've learned that I don't like watching a show as it's actually on, waiting like a jerk between episodes. Having to wait each week to actually watch the next episode makes me feel incredibly: Nervous!

Rethinking the Swiffer commercials and what they're really implying...
The more I think about it (and I can't seem to get it out of my mind), these adds for Swiffer don't make me want to buy a Swiffer wet jet; rather, they make me feel sorry for all the discarded mops out there, who no longer have a home or a purpose. it's really a keen insight into our culture of waste. what happens to all those mops, now?? I saw The Brave Little Toaster! I know where they end up. On second thought, this add makes me feel: Incredibly Sad.

Summer Lovin'

Summer has been good to me so far. Despite my yearning for American's Next Top Model and new Gossip Girl (yes, I do try to bring those up in every post...they mean THAT much to me). Despite the absence of these staples in my summer days, I've found plenty to fill my time. Here are just a few things that make me smile, and a couple that make me frown...but I continue to watch anyway because, well, I'm a masochist.

My Winnipeg
I've been trying for awhile to think about how I can write about this, one of the best movies I've seen in awhile. Guy Maddin's "biography" about his hometown is funny and touching--and really effing avant-guard in the most wonderful and self-aware sort of way, without being at all pretentious. This is truly one of the best films of the summer (though it can't really be called a film of the summer, but I saw it this summer, so...there we are). There aren't really words to describe this hour and a half romp through one man's imagination and memories of growing up, but it really balances the whole intensely personal experience and common experience thing really well. Overall, seeing this made me feel: SO Happy!!

Shannon Dohrety on the new 90210
Ok, I know that this won't actually start till fall, but I recently learned that Shannon has confirmed rumors of appearing on the new series, and this knowledge makes me happy. We'll see how long it takes for her to be kicked off of this one, too...Oh, Shannon! The drama never stops when you're around. I'm glad this "remake" or "sequel" or whatever you'd like to call it features original cast members. However, I'm a little bit afraid that this will be too much a rerun of a show that (and I shudder even as I think this) might have gone on too long in the first place (10 years is a long time for a "high school" drama, after all). And, the fear that these actors will never move on to bigger and better things and will forever live only as their vapid, immature Beverly Hills characters makes me feel: Nervous.

Newhart Reruns on WGN
I was really looking forward to these, and had the dvr all set to record what would soon become hours and hours of viewing nostalgia. And yet, when I actually sit down to watch this show, I can't help but think to myself, "m'eh...I'd really rather watch something else..." I have so far only gotten through one episode, and it was actually pretty depressing. The main plot focused on George (the handyman, for those of you who can't recall), now past middle age, meeting up with his first love, whom he had not seen since high school. They had a weekend together, only to find how they'd both changed, and how one cannot recapture the past or fix old regrets...oh, and Bob Newhart always looks so sad! And, hearing his voice makes me think of The Rescuers, which is also a very dark, sad movie (or at least the parts I remember most vividly) so...that makes me sad, too. That poor little girl had to work in a diamond mine!! And her only friends were mice...what can mice do to save her? Oh, it's hopeless!! Clearly, this much anticipated rerun actually made me feel: Sad.

Mad Men: Season One
I've only seen one episode so far, but man I love the 50s! The dresses were pretty...and men didn't have to take all that crap from women. Weren't things simpler before all this liberation crap? And we all miss the days when we could openly smoke and drink in our offices. I'd like to move to the 50s...which Chris, Qualler and I decided is just France, today. Though, France is actually the 50s +, since you can be openly racist, treat women like WOMEN, but you've still got the internet. What would we do without the internet? Seriously, though, I love France, and so far I love Mad Men. Finally, something I can enjoy watching with my friends, talk through much of it, and still get what's going on. We'll see how I feel as I catch up on the first season, but so far this makes me feel: Happy.

Enjoy Summer while it lasts...I know we're missing our network series, but there's still plenty to do in the mean time, even without satelite and a DVR (though, I admit, this takes some creativity).

And how do you FEEL about that?

Well readers, I'll tell you, just as if I were in a therapy session with Gabriel Byrne (whose series In Treatment has been officially renewed for a second season!).

Still trying to find ways I can pass the seemingly endless summer Wednesdays until America's Next Top Model begins its umpteenth cycle, I've been sorting my way through the pop culture debris and just seeing what else is out there. In the process, I've experienced many different pop culture induced feelings, from happy to oh so sad.

Freaky Friday:
Earlier this week I revisited this old favorite on DVD. What a film. In the words of my then 11-year-old brother, "I really like this movie, cause I just think the acting is really good...I mean, she(Curtis) does a really good job of acting like a teenager." Watching old Lindsey Lohan movies makes me feel: Happy!

Engaged and Underage:
This MTV reality series brings about some mixed feelings. For one, they aren't really underage. They usually have a conflict, though! And I likes me some of that drama. And, it's still a show in which people throw a party, which is always good...but it's often just a lot of filler. All in all, this makes me feel: Confused, because I keep watching even though I know it's crap.

My Super Sweet Sixteen:
What can I say? My old favorite is fading fast. Maybe I AM getting older...or maybe MTV is running out of interesting things to show us about spoiled kids throwing themselves elaborate parties. Yeah, they're really rich. And spoiled. They certainly don't seem to respect their parents. I'm outraged! I'm...let's see what else is on. This program makes me feel: Bored, and sad that I no longer have this series to fall back on when there's nothing else I'm in the mood to watch.

Drew Barrymore's Cover Girl Commercials:
She's a face changer. It makes me nervous. As Michael Ian Black points out on his Blog (which, by the way, makes me happy), her face is huge. I can no longer watch these commercials without crying. They make me feel: Sad.

VH1's I love the New Millennium:
Well it's about time, VH1!! I was hardly able to laugh about things that happened a few years ago...and at the same time feel depressed about how old I'm getting since things that happened in the year 2002 are being "remembered" with "what were we thinking?" commentary. But, it was pretty funny, and as always, self-aware, so I have to say that it made me feel: Happy.

The Fact that Nancy Grace is still talking about Hulk Hogan's Son:
I guess Hogan doesn't know best (hahahahahahaha I'm funny!). Seriously, though. His son caused a car crash. There was alcohol involved (allegedly) and the Hulk himself may have provided it (or at least we know that he went to a liquor store just hours before the crash. Coincidence???). Now another kid is paralyzed. It's all very sad, and listening to Ms. Grace talking about this for weeks and weeks, and listening to her "panel of experts" demand where the parents were (her callers also wonder where the parents were) makes me feel: Very Sad!

Christina Aguilera Rocking the Vote on Larry King:
I'm all for getting the kids to vote. Hearing that Christina is really, really excited about politics? Well, for some reason, that makes me feel: Sad.

Shaving Cream Commercial (Gillette for Men, I believe):
In this commercial, the man is smelling his shaving cream, and as the tiny particles go up his nose, they turn into beautiful women, dancing to disco music inside his nose. The thought of tiny ladies getting inside someone's nose and having a dance party makes me feel: Nervous!

Catching the last hour or so of No one would Tell:
Ah, there's always Lifetime! Revisiting this 1996 direct to network television movie about how domestic violence will probably lead to death, starring Candace Cameron and Fred Savage was a lovely way to spend an evening. For some reason, I think we had to watch this in Health class in middle school. Seeing it once again made me feel: Happy, because, as I mentioned before, I loves the drama.