Resurrecting the Movies thread...

[delalluvia]

I am disappointed to report that they have started filming a sequel to Donnie Darko.  D.D. is one of my favorite movies and I can't believe they are doing this.  Filming started 5/18.  Only the actress that played Donnie's little sister will be in the film. No one else connected with Donnie Darko is involved with the film.   It sounds rather similar to the first film in many aspects.

The synopsis here might give away to many SPOILERS for some.

S. Darko takes place in the summer of 1995, seven years after the original film. It follows Donnie Darko's younger sister, Samantha (Daveigh Chase), who, in the wake of his death, has found herself at age 17 with a broken family, mired in feelings of insignificance. She and her best friend Corey (Evigan) set off on a road trip to Hollywood in a bid to 'make it big', but their journey is cut short when their car breaks down unexpectedly, leaving them stranded in a small desert town. When a meteorite happens to crash-land nearby, Samantha is plagued by bizarre visions telling of the universe's end and it appears that their breakdown was part of some grander plan. She must face her own demons and, in doing so, save the world and herself [Source Wikipedia]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1231277/synopsis
Here's a brief synopsis.

This is a trend in movie-making that I despise.  Hollywood making movies about themselves.  Young teenager has trouble at home?  Of course she wants to run away to Hollywood and become a movie star.     What?  No kid - especially from an extremely intelligent politicized family - Donnie's grades were off the chart and his sister got into Harvard - ever wants to work hard and put themselves through school?  I know Donnie's little sister was in that dance contest, but was Sparkle Motion really a good showcase of 'talent' that an agent would take seriously or that her parents would have encouraged as a career?  Maybe for the Gong Show...

[serious crayons]

I think that on 9/11, women wearing spike heels had to whip them off and run barefoot no matter how much the shoes cost. I wish we'd get past finding high heels attractive. Chinese women with bound feet, which breaks the feet and folds them in half, with the toes scrunched under the heels, thought that looked pretty, too (there are still some old women around with feet like this).

But I digress. I saw Lars and the Real Girl yesterday. I liked it -- I like anything starring Ryan Gosling. ALL of the actors were good, including Lars' girlfriend. And it was cute and interesting. But I didn't absolutely love it. I guess the premise stretched my credulity just a bit too far.

[Kelda]

Regarding "Sex in the City," two of the women on The View (Sherry and Elizabeth) saw a preview and were gushing like crazy over it.  I also saw a positive review on CBS Sunday Morning.  It seems to be one of those things you love or hate.  I think I'd be in the latter category, having watched only two episodes.  They struck me as crass and unfunny and hardly a compliment to women liviing in NYC.  It seemed like just another show encouraging women to equate self-esteem with clothes, jobs, boyfriends and hipness, and the writing and acting did not make up for it. 

Well I love SATC - its brainless TV - with some laugh out load moments and is nothing like my life - and the movie well i loved it - it was an enjoyable 2 hours and yes was basically 5 episodes of SATC but they're aint anything wrong with that - me and my three mates made a day of it and enjoyed a few cockatils and dinner before the film and a few more drinks after it. I gret (cried) about 5 times throughout it!

[delalluvia]

I think that on 9/11, women wearing spike heels had to whip them off and run barefoot no matter how much the shoes cost.

Or how comfortable they are.  You can't run in high heels.  But on the other hand, you can't run in sandals either.

I wish we'd get past finding high heels attractive. Chinese women with bound feet, which breaks the feet and folds them in half, with the toes scrunched under the heels, thought that looked pretty, too (there are still some old women around with feet like this).

They didn't think it was pretty, they thought it was necessary because high ranking Chinese men thought it was sexy.  People do some drastic things to get ahead in life.  Unfortunately it's usually women who end up having to "adjust" their bodies.

[serious crayons]

They didn't think it was pretty, they thought it was necessary because high ranking Chinese men thought it was sexy.  People do some drastic things to get ahead in life.  Unfortunately it's usually women who end up having to "adjust" their bodies.

I agree that the women were victims of having to "adjust" their bodies. However, I think Chinese women whose feet were bound DID consider it attractive. Here's an NPR story about it:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8966942

Excerpt:

As Wang surveys her tiny shoes, cocking her head from side to side, it's clear she's proud of her little feet.

"There's not a single other woman in Liuyicun who could fit their feet into my shoes," she says. "When my generation dies, people won't be able to see bound feet, even if they want to."

African women who favor female circumcision think that women's genitals are ugly without it. Western women who wear high heels or shave their legs think that's what's necessary to be attractive.

Of course, among the three, the Western choices are the least invasive. Yay! You can take your shoes off any time, and switch to whatever footwear you want. You can let your leg hair grow in, if you choose.

But I was thinking earlier tonight: It's funny that what's considered attractive for women often has so much to do with keeping women from being strong and/or functional. Bound feet or high heels keep them from running. Expensive dresses in luxury fabrics keeps them from rugged activities. Long painted nails keeps them from using their fingers. Makeup, etc., inhibits their time to do other things.

Or how comfortable they are.  You can't run in high heels.  But on the other hand, you can't run in sandals either.

Most sandals, no. And you notice that only women wear sandals to work. Men's work shoes aren't ideal for running.  But I bet there weren't many men who felt the need to take their shoes off on 9/11.

[BelAir]

Show was entertaining, but not anxious to see the film.

late to the party I know, but that's how I feel about it.  Fine to watch little hour long vignettes, but no way for a 2 hour movie-type story line.

[BelAir]

Oh, Karl, how sad.  Should have left "bizarre" enough alone.

I, too, love Donnie Darko.  In fact, there was a stage play version of it here in Cambridge, MA last fall.  It was brilliant.  I went with a few friends on Halloween.  Chris Cooper was in the audience (he lives near here).  There's one degree of separation from Jake (Jarhead).

Chris Cooper was in Jarhead?  Wasn't he also Jake's dad in October Sky?  Who played Donnie's dad?

[Ellemeno]

I was looking forward to seeing Sex and the City, because I had a nostalgic spot for it - when my daughter was a newborn, several people asked if we had named her after one of the characters in the show.  We hadn't, but it got me curious, so I rented Year One, Disc One from Netflix, and for the next several weeks, alone with my baby, sleep deprived walking and rocking in the middle of the night, with spit up on my shoulder, I watched all six seasons, vicariously tripping around Manhattan with my imaginary friends.  So they got me through a rough spot, and I was grateful.

But the other night, I felt lonely after seeing Sex and the City with three other women.  Lonely, because they only gushed about how wonderful it was, and none of them seemed to want to hear my tentative attempts at discussing the emptiness of Handbags and Huge Walk-in Closets as Gods.

And I'll tell you another part that stretched suspension of disbelief to the breaking point.  When Anthony sees Stanford at a big event and grabs him, says "Thank God you're here," and plants a big kiss on his lips.  In the series, Anthony loathed Stanford, so what happened?

Yes, the movie was fun and cute, and even touching and somewhat redemptive, but holy mother.

[southendmd]

Chris Cooper was in Jarhead?  Wasn't he also Jake's dad in October Sky?  Who played Donnie's dad?

Hi BelAir,

Chris Cooper played Lt. Colonel Kazinski in Jarhead.  A small part, but he says something ridiculous like "I felt it move" after the marines cheer.

Yes, he played John Hickam in October Sky. 

For more BBM connections, he was Colonel Harry Burwell in The Patriot, and was July Johnson in Lonesome Dove! 

Donnie Darko's dad was played by Holmes Osborne.

Thank you, IMDb!

[Aloysius J. Gleek]

LOVE Chris Cooper--

--and he played the ultimate Chris Cooper rôle as 'Conklin' in The Bourne Identity (uncredited in The Bourne Supremacy, and continued to echo malignly in The Bourne Ultimatum).

ibid., op. cit. IMDb!