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Treasure Hunting
Chuck wonders if acting is the ultimate "Fool's Gold." By Chuck Nice
I just recently moved into a new home -- by "new" I mean a self-renovated 1917 relic that has sucked the life out me-- but I'm settling in and working on a blood transfusion. Moving serves as a spring board for renewal; you rummage through all of your belongings asking yourself things like "Should I keep that beret that I wore for Halloween c. 1998? We had such a good time at that party." The answer: Take a picture of it and toss it like a bad relationship - which for me means letting go, fretting incessantly, going back, realizing you made a mistake by doing so and then finally letting go. So as I suffered through this agonizing process with all of my belongings, I came across a DVD that I hadn't watched: Fool's Gold starring Kate Hudson and a shirtless Matthew McConaughey. Rather than just throwing it out I decided to watch it. I now know why they call it Fool's Gold, because if you're in search of cinematic treasure, this film will make you feel like a damned fool; but I'm sure women must have enjoyed Matthew McConaughey's undulating pecs (I'm not jealous at all).
Revisiting Brideshead Revisited
Chuck goes to the movies and shares his family code.A few weeks ago Cinematherapy promoted the movie Brideshead Revisted starring: Matthew Goode (Charles Ryder), Ben Whishaw (Sebastian Flyte), Hayley Atwell (Julia Flyte) and Emma Thompson (Lady Marchmain). Since we advertised the film I thought I should check out the movie. It's strikingly beautiful, filled with stunning shots of the English countryside, Venice, and the Quads of Oxford. At first glance the film appears to be a frilly chick flick with all of the trappings like great costumes and romantic drama (of the highest order); the gay man within me was jumping with delight.
As Subtle as Thunder
Chuck discusses the power of satire in Tropic Thunder.The funniest movie of this summer has to be Tropic Thunder. It was great watching it alone in a theatre and not being embarrassed to laugh out loud. (Normally I'm the only one laughing and it's always at the wrong time. I thought the death scene in Beaches was hilarious -- relax, I'm a stand up comic). The movie was good, old-fashioned raunchy adult humor delivered in a smart and engaging manner.
Boys and Their Toys
Chuck on The Dark Knight and Batman's enduring appeal.By Chuck Nice
So I finally did it! I went and saw The Dark Knight. I know I'm the last person on the planet to see the most popular movie since Titanic, but I'm glad I postponed seeing this film because I loved it. I loved the performances by Christian Bale, Heath Ledger and Gary Oldham -- I even liked Maggie Gyllenhaal, even tough I thought she was miscast as the irresistible siren at the center of a love triangle.
Talking About Race
Chuck reconsiders musicals and racial discourse after watching HairsprayBy Chuck Nice
I really don't like musicals. I just don't get them: One minute, the characters are bantering, and then before you know it, they're breaking into a song, replete with chorus and choreography. I'm unable to suspend my disbelief and enjoy the spectacle. All I can think while watching the routine is this has never happened to me in real life...ever. I've never been at the DMV and seen everyone break into a song about bureaucracy and then dance their way out of the building with renewed licenses and new leases on life. Have you?
Parenting Pleasures, or Are They?
Juno causes Chuck to rant on the positives and negatives of having a kid.
By Chuck Nice
I watched a movie last night that I thought I would hate. It's the story of a 16-year-old girl who gets pregnant and decides to put her baby up for adoption. No, it's not Sex and the City; it's Juno. I thought I would detest this movie because I'm a contrarian and everyone loved it; also the subject matter really disturbed me. The movie is about a high school student, Juno (Ellen Page), who comes down with a bad case of pregnancy, and decides to offer her child up for adoption to an ostensibly perfect couple Vanessa (Jennifer Garner) and Mark (Jason Bateman). My prevenient hatred of the film was based on the fact that the movie is a comedy about teenage pregnancy, and as the father of a daughter I don't find that sh** funny at all. But I was wrong. The movie was great!
Reservations Needed
When The Dark Knight was sold out, Chuck went home and watched a movie about food and romance. Here, he breaks it down for us.
by Chuck Nice
I had a moment this week to go to the movies, so of course I headed out to see The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale. I had heard nothing but great reviews from everyone who saw the movie and even some who did not. I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one who had been told the movie was good, because the film was sold out. What is up with people trying to see a superpopular movie on a weekend? Don't they know that weekday afternoons are the time when theaters are empty? I couldn't believe so many people had the same idea to see the same movie at the same time as me. So I went home and watched No Reservations on DVD.
Age of Innocence
A day in the life of Chuck Nice as he films Cinematherapy
by Chuck Nice
This week WE tv is airing Age of Innocence, starring Daniel Day Lewis, Michele Pfeiffer, and Wynona Ryder. So you have a general idea of the film's tone, I will share with you the movie's tagline: "In a world of tradition. In an age of innocence. They dared to break the rules." If you don't know what that tagline means then you have obviously never watched a chick flick.
No Country for Me
No Country for Old Men left Chuck and his wife disappointed
by Chuck Nice
The other night I'm sitting on the sofa with my wife and, in
a very fetching voice, I asked what she'd like to do. She responded, "Let's
watch a movie." Just for the record, when it's after 10 p.m. and the kids are
asleep, the question "What would you like to do?" is the nicest way of saying
"Let's do it
like drunken co-eds in the back of an SUV." But a movie seemed like a suitable
replacement for hot prison relations, so I searched the On Demand menu for something
we could both enjoy. That something turned out to be No Country for Old Men. After a
brief argument, I convinced her that it must be a great movie because it was
critically acclaimed and Javier
Bardem won an Oscar...how could we go
wrong? Well, the town of
Kit Catastrophe of a Movie
Leave it to Chuck to find the good in a movie that even his eight-year-old daughter begged him to ditch.
by Chuck Nice
A washed-out Fourth of July turned into a perfect reason to go to the movies. Of course, whenever I say that I'm going to the movies, it turns into a perfect excuse to spend some time with my daughter, or as she calls it, "a chance to get away from the little monster"--my two-year-old son. We decided on Kit Kittredge an American Girl, and by we, I mean she. Oh goody, another opportunity for me to learn more about the minds of prepubescent young girls, this time during the Great Depression. The film moved with the lightning-quick speed of a shifting glacier, and less than halfway through my eight-year-old daughter whispered to me, "We should have seen Get Smart. Can we leave now?" Even though she was right, I told her we had to stay so that I could blog about the movie. Her face lit up like Christmas morning in WhoVille, and she asked if she could blog as well. I said yes because I never turn down an occasion to encourage her creativity, and including an excerpt from her means less work for me. So here it is: