Number Two Guide

Infinite Poop

September 16th, 2009

Directed by Miranda July, Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005) is an independent film that follow the eccentric lives of several individuals trying to make sense of this complicated world.  At least that is what I gather from reading several online plot summaries.

The film currently sits in my Netflix queue.  What initially sparked my interest in this film is a particular hilariously bizarre clip that has to do with….you guessed it, poop.

Unfortunately I am not able to setup this scene with any plot  background, but I don’t think it would even help.  This clip acts as a short story in itself.  Enjoy.

Basking in the “Summer” Heat

July 29th, 2009

A romantic comedy that appreciates rectal humor is no easy thing to come by. And though one of the most endearing comedic moments of the film is spoiled in the trailer - when our Indie hero Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) reveals to the lovely Summer (Zooey Deschanel) that his nickname in college was “perfectly adequate Hansen,” she replies: “They used to call me anal girl”… because she was neat and clean, duh - there are still dozens of moments to cherish in this surprisingly human take on love and relationships.

Tom is a greeting card writer, author of some graduation and valentine’s day gems, but his real passion is for architecture. Summer is the perfect love interest for Urban Outfitter fans. She’s a personal assistant at the greeting card company and recently imported from Michigan. As far as indie romance goes, and I’m talking two hipsters falling in love (not just the film style), 500 days couldn’t be more stereotypical. They both love the Smiths, wearing cardigans, drawing on their walls, and walking through Ikea making fun of corporate consumerism.

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Harry’s Half-Assed ‘Prince’

July 17th, 2009

When was the last time you could name a franchise with two quality installments, let alone six? Terminator lost steam after two, Pirates after one, Spiderman after two, Friday the 13th never even had it, though that didn’t seem to matter - but six? Only one franchise has done it successfully (sorry Bond, you’ll need to work within a time frame next time), and that’s Harry Potter.

Whether you’re a fan or not, book after book and movie after movie of this beloved franchise have retained such an astonishing level of quality. So it should come as no surprise that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is good. But how good?

On the book scale, Prince, or the sixth installment, ranked right behind number three, the Prisoner of Azkaban, and close to the Goblet of Fire (the one with the tournament), as the best in the series. The rich back story of Tom Riddle, aka Lord Voldemort, is what made book six so enchanting. Author J.K. Rowling took readers through a ‘pensieve’ look at the formation of one of literature’s great villains. We find out about Voldemort’s parents, his relatives, his penchant to collect trophies, and his charming schoolboy alter-ego.

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