Jeffrey's 2005 List & The Switch

Jeffrey, I love your 2005 list, with one exception. I just really hated A History of Violence. I guess it makes sense now that I've been writing out my movie preferences - I don't think any of you at this point would put money on me having liked it. But it was so critically acclaimed that I really thought I was going to love it, but I didn't like it at all. I thought it was unnecessarily gratuitous and didn't really go where I wanted it to go, I just ended up being mad that I watched it. Of course I was watching it on a couch with a cute boy, so who knows, maybe I would have liked it better under different circumstances. Bygones.

All your other picks I agree with - at least the ones I've seen. I love Brokeback Mountain, what a great romance. Although Brandon I totally agree with you that I thought it was so unfair how Ang Lee vilified the wife character. I thought that was pretty crappy, how did anyone expect her to feel? But it's a beautiful film, I can't believe people were so outraged by it. I don't think Match Point is overrated at all, I love it and totally have your back in sticking up for it. I like your comparison to Crime & Punishment - I never read that one, so I wasn't aware of that. Great themes. I also loved Capote, especially because it was understated, like you said. I loved reading In Cold Blood but I worried that they might really go hog wild with the Hollywood movie and really play up all the drama and make it into an action movie or something. I also was wary because I tend to dislike biopics as well. But I was pleasantly surprised - I thought it was so well done. (And you know my feelings about Hoffman.) Good Night And Good Luck was sooooo great. I have always been fascinated with Murrow and his whole story ever since I learned about it in some of my TV classes. I thought the movie portrayed everything SO well. I loved the stylistic approach to it and it had such great acting, directing, everything. I can't resist showing it to people. (In fact, I tried to make my parents watch it for like a 4th time when we were in Florida. Lost that battle. Oh well.) Paradise Now is one that has been in my queue for forever. I'll get around to it soon. Is Cache SFL?

Jason thanks for sharing your music tumblr - I downloaded some of the songs you have on there today.

Brandon - I have this cookout thing I said I would go to on Friday night on the upper east side, but I'm not sure what the timing is. Send me the details of your gig, if I can work out the timing to go to both I totally will - I'd love to come and hear you guys!

In other news, tonight I watched The Switch, which is that movie with Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman where the two of them are best friends but he is in love with her and she decides to have a baby and he switches his sperm with her donor's so she ends up having his baby. What? Yeah. The premise is so crazy that I really was prepared to not like it. But I want to marry Jason Bateman so it's really hard not to love everything he is in. (Although it also made it hard to buy the fact that his character is supposed to start out being unattractive. Hard to see past my starry eyes.) Surprisingly it was actually kind of a touching movie. Anything with a cute little kid is kind of a shoe-in for me I guess. Also, Jeff Goldblum was terrific in it, his strange style was perfect for the role he played. I mean, like I said, the movie is totally unrealistic and the premise is insane, but I'm glad I saw it, I really enjoyed it. I liked that it wasn't really a romcom, it was really about the kid.