Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011)

20140627:
While I would have done the very ending differently, the ending of the movie is well-done and makes the movie as a whole simple and sweet.

Jeff (Jason Segel)

In this simple-and-sweet sense, the movie reminds me of Safety Not Guaranteed (2012). However, I definitely liked Safety Not Guaranteed better than Jeff, Who Lives at Home, because Safety Not Guaranteed was consistently charming and enjoyable whereas Jeff, Who Lives at Home was rough around the edges.

Ultimately, this movie is worth watching at least once - though one should be prepared for the occasional depressing or emotional moment.

[20140627][20181123 Edit]

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Instant Comments:
Ha. "I watched Signs again last night."

Pat (Ed Helms)

Lol. He sounded like a kid when he was talking to his mom.
Wow, this gets quite strange by the 17 minute mark.
Damn, didn't see that coming.
Haha. He's thirty.

Oh my goodness. (Car)
Hehe. AIM.
That's one fucked up car.
Hahaha. "Well, having sex is one thing, but making love is another, right?" "What's that even mean?"

Sharon (Susan Sarandon)

The camera movement in this movie is awesome.
That's so beautiful. (him running down the bridge)

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Watched 20140627 (Netflix, Instant, HD) (Streaming until 6/30/2014)
Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011) Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass. 83 min

Pat and Linda (Judy Greer)

Relevant Links:
Jeff, Who Lives at Home (IMDb.com)
Jeff, Who Lives at Home (Wikipedia.org)
Jeff, Who Lives at Home (RottenTomatoes.com)

Poolhall Junkies (2002)

Watched 20140625 (Netflix, Instant) (Streaming until 20140701)
Poolhall Junkies (2002) Mars Callahan. 99 min

Relevant Links:
Poolhall Junkies (IMDb.com)
Poolhall Junkies (Wikipedia.org)
Poolhall Junkies (RottenTomatoes.com)

A naturally good pool player named Johnny with dreams to go professional is raised as a hustler. One day, he realizes the truth and looks to escape his hustling lifestyle. One thing leads to another, and he finds his way back in the game. How will things work out for Johnny?

20140625:
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. In particular, it had good dialogue and I liked the plot.

Of movies I've seen, Poolhall Junkies reminds me most of Swingers (1996). Furthermore, if you like one, then you would most likely enjoy the other.

Instant Comments:
Oh no... how sad.
"Don't you ever tell me who I play again, Joe."
"Me and Johnny, we's niggas."
"It's common knowledge."
Hehe. "Hey, what's he mean by the rock?" "That's the cue ball."

I wonder if he'll let us know if he won the game or not.
Ha. Haha! "Not enough sand."
Christopher Walken's voice is awesome.
"A crease on your pants."
"This one's for all the marbles boys."
Haha. "I don't have to make it again in a million years, I made it just now."

Hehe. One-handed.
Psh, his girlfriend is so quick to judge.
Hehe.
Old Spice and Aqua Velva.
Ha. He got freaked out about her asking him to choke her.
When the hustler gets hustled.

I like how there's a sign that says, "No Gambling".
$2000.
"Phil, remember that bet you made?"
These kids are so dumb. Its bad when a hustler gets hustled.
"You're covered." "I'm covered? What the hell kind of ATM you got?"
"Fine, good." Haha.

Man, Christopher Walken is motherfucking awesome:

Joe: How the fuck does that make you feel... to be in that position with all your money on the table?
Mike: How much you got, Joe?
Joe: What?
Mike: Total. You put down 80 thousand like it didn't matter. That's a lot of money for somebody like you and him. I think it matters.
Joe: What's the difference...
Mike: I'm a millionaire! That's the difference. I lose 80 I get another 80. For me it doesn't matter. See, I think it's you... who's sweating this, the both of you.

That's an awesome pep talk.

Ha. Sound effects (lion roars and swords).
Haha. "Never go swimming, you'll drown."

Battle Royale II (2003)

Watched 20140614 (Netflix, Instant, HD) (Streaming until 20140620) 133 min
Battle Royale II (2003) Kenta Fukasaku, Kinji Fukasaku. 134 min

Relevant Links:
Battle Royale II (IMDb.com)
Battle Royale II: Requiem (Wikipedia.org)
Batoru rowaiaru II: Chinkonka (Battle Royale II) (RottenTomatoes.com)

20140614:
Unfortunately, this movie doesn't have the same impact for me as the first movie, Battle Royale (2000), did.

While it had some of the same setup as Battle Royale, the plot of Battle Royale II ultimately takes a much different direction than that of Battle Royale. Ultimately, the sequel lacked the appeal of the first movie.

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Instant Comments:
Wtf, "against every last adult"? That doesn't make sense.
I find it strange they were surprised by the necklaces. Do they not keep up with the news? Panic makes sense, but confusion doesn't.
Damn. I wonder if anybody would refuse to join after that. (Shintaro)

I understand it makes for great visuals and suspense, but it would have been easier just to getr everyone to play if he told them they die in pairs.
It's kind of silly that the Wild Seven make it their goal to kill adults, but are currently on an island and have to protect themselves by killing kids.

Also, if the aim was simply to destroy the Wild Seven, why have the silly rule of dying in pairs. Also, why not just send more students.
I understand the part about children being expensive to raise, but that's about it.
Hehe. Toilet paper.

These kids are dropping like flies.
Oh. At about forty-six minutes into the movie, one of the snipers notices one of the fighters wearing a metal necklace.
Shouldn't they remove their necklaces?

Hmm, well one of the members got her necklace removed. Why didn't the Wild Seven member remove more?
I sort of expected the actor who plays Nanahara to have built a tougher look. As such, he doesn't really look the part.

Hmm, at the fifty-nine minute mark, it seems that perhaps there's a loss in translation.
"You aim a gun, you shoot it... This is what it takes to survive."
Gee. He just saved them all and that's how she still wants to kill him?
That's the thing about war. Kill or be killed.

This story has become all sorts of weird.
Flashback at the one hour eleven minute mark.
This movie doesn't nearly have the appeal which the first movie had.

American Wedding (2003)

Watched bits and pieces of once before.
Watched 20140613 (Netflix, Instant, HD) (Streaming until 20140616)
American Wedding (2003) Jesse Dylan. 96 min

Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs)

Relevant Links:
American Wedding (IMDb.com)
American Wedding (Wikipedia.org)
American Wedding (RottenTomatoes.com)


20140613:
While Jim (Jim Levenstein) and Michelle's (Alyson Hannigan) wedding is the underlying plot of the movie, American Wedding centers heavily on good ol' Stifler (Seann William Scott).

Steve Stifler (Seann William Scott)

Curious to compare screen time between Jim and Stifler, I clicked my way through the movie looking for scenes that exclusively contain one or the other. After jotting down these rough approximations (see below), I tallied up the differences and found that the two characters share about the same amount of screen time.

Of course, at the end of the day, its just a fact to be noted, and watching the Stifmeister running around causing trouble is quite entertaining.

Michelle Flaherty (Alyson Hannigan)

Overall, I found American Wedding to be worth watching if you've seen American Pie (1999) and American Pie 2 (2001). This is primarily due to various references the film will make to the previous films. Related to this is that characters and their personalities were mostly established in the first film.

Instant Comments:
"You look like you're ready to burst." Haha.
Hahahaha. "I'm the happiest man in the world."

Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) and Stifler fight over
Michelle's sister Cadence (January Jones)

"Well, polish my nuts and serve me a milkshake."
"Is it weird that it feels good?"
Hahahaha.
What would these movies be without Stifler?
Haha. "Are you saying I'm impolite or something?"
This guy looks familiar, but I'm not sure where he's from? Oh, he was Little John in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), which I just saw. His name is Eric Allan Kramer.

Jim's dad (Eugene Levy)

Haha! Haha! "I told you that guy wanted to fuck me!"
"Pretty soon you're gonna want me to shave your balls." [Jim gets excited and inquires.]
Haha. Well played Finch, well played.
"It's on like Donkey Kong, biatch!"
It's Jim's fault this time, 'cause he lied.

Bear (Eric Allan Kramer)

Hahahahaha. Those butt cheeks.
Haha! Harold put on his glasses.
"Call the police!"
Hahahaha. Fred Willard's reaction upon being struck.
He should have just flushed it. Lol.

Yikes!

Oh, I think I remember the outcome on this one.
Oh man, I gagged. (truffle)
Only by laughing and not thinking about it was I able not to continue gagging.
"We don't quit at halftime, Ma'am! You don't score until you score!"
Hahaha. "It's like watching monkeys use tools for the first time."

Jim's mom (Molly Cheek), Jim's dad (Eugene Levy),
Michelle's mom (Deborah Rush), and Michelle's dad (Fred Willard)

"I did fuck your mom. Twice."
"I don't know, I just call it boning."
"Focus, focus, focus!"
"Grandmotherfucker." "You're a motherfucker." "Yes I am." "Oh, you son of a bitch."
"I think you and I are a perfectly natural normal thing. Perfectly natural."

Stifler breaks out some dance moves.

See Jim, but not Stifler:
0:47-5:35, 6:15-8:00, 11:38-12:26, 13:33-14:39, 15:23-15:59, 19:40-19:49, 28:40-28:57, 40:32-41:47, 45:28-52:02, 56:32-58:27, 1:04:04-1:05:58, 1:09:00-1:10:06, 1:11:08-1:11:52, 1:14:05-1:14:18, 1:15:20-1:15:29, 1:16:22-1:16:26, 1:22:03-1:22:11, 1:25:26-1:27:26
// Totals 25 minutes and 31 seconds.

Grandma (Angela Paton)

See Stifler, but not Jim:
9:21-9:56, 12:31-13:24, 14:52-14:57, 16:21-17:18, 21:22-23:26, 25:12-27:42, 31:59-35:05, 37:48-39:26, 41:52-44:35, 54:10-55:21, 58:27-59:55, 1:00:22-1:03:59, 1:06:11-1:08:55, 1:12:01-1:13:47, 1:14:31-1:15:07, 1:15:33-1:16:18, 1:16:31-1:17:33, 1:22:20-1:22:29, 1:22:51-1:23:22
// Totals 26 minutes and 1 second.

See both Jim and Stifler:
9:56-11:16, 17:18-19:35, 19:49-21:08, 23:30-24:58, 27:51-28:35, 31:37-31:59, 35:13-37:48, 39:30-40:23, 52:51-54:06, 55:30-55:39, 1:10:10-1:10:59, 1:18:52-1:20:08, 1:23:40-1:25:08

Free Birds (2013)

Watched 20140611 (Netflix, Instant, HD)
Free Birds (2013) Jim Hayward.

Relevant Links:
Free Birds (IMDb.com)
Free Birds (Wikipedia.org)
Free Birds (ROttenTomatoes.com)

20140611:
Overall, Free Birds is a good looking movie with an interesting premise, but often lacks in dialogue and delivery.

If you're a fan of 3D animation and just want to see something new, then give Free Birds a try. Otherwise, there are plenty of higher quality 3D animation movies for you out there. In particular, I really enjoyed the last 3D animation I saw: The Croods (2013).

Instant Comments:
"He's the anti-corn."
"Momma?"

Hehe. This old turkey is silly.
Ranger uses a telescope instead of binoculars.
It actually works!?!

References Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): switching corn for horn.
Haha! "Hmm. Those are some *angry birds*."

Possibly references Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989): Reggie steps out to meet a future self who gives his past self some advice.
Lol, only at the 1 hour 22 minute mark did I realize why the protagonist's voice was so familiar. I realized that the voice belongs to actor Owen Wilson.

"Have you heard about the turducken?"

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

20140601:
If I remember correctly, the only other time I saw this film before today was in theaters with my parents. Watching the movie again today, I realized that the only part I vaguely remembered was the ending. Furthermore, upon finishing the movie, I also realized that its just as much a romance movie as it is an action movie.

Jen Yu (Ziyi Zhang)

Unfortunately, much of the cool flying action and choreography was mostly the same old thing I had watched on VHS (Wikipedia.org) while growing up. While other kids probably watched Star Trek alongside their parents, I happily watched Chinese martial art series dubbed in Vietnamese with mine.* And what's there not to like? Running and flying across rooftops? Check. Awesome, epic battles? Check. Some sort of revitalization technique using the palms of your hands? Check.

Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh)

Overall, I would recommend this movie to anybody who like their martial art movies filled with a little bit of drama and romance. Otherwise, for fun and action, you're probably looking to go watch a Jackie Chan movie.

*I did, in fact, also watch television programming for kids.

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Li Mu Bai (Yun-Fat Chow)

20240504:
I was planning to watch the sequel (on Netflix) so I decided to watch this movie again today (on Amazon).

Jade Fox (Pei-pei Cheng)

I found the movie had a simplicity and beauty to it which I feel I rare in films, especially those from the last decade. I'm curious if this is due to a shift in story telling within the movie industry or simply from the subset of movies which I watch.

I loved the choreography and the score. For the most part I enjoyed the story, but I couldn't quite process the ending.

Rating: 4.6/5

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Lo "Dark Cloud" (Chen Chang)

Instant Comments:
2: Haha. "When it comes to emotions, even great heroes can be idiots."
3: I vaguely recall, or it would make sense, that she is secretly a fighter
2: Hehe, classic flight.
2: Where would she have found the time to learn all those martial arts? At least, she's the most likely suspect.
2: Shots fired! "You write gracefully. Calligraphy is so similar to fencing."
3: "Maybe it is. I wouldn't know" Hmm. Right...

I see what she did there.

2: Ha. Bumbling idiot. [20240504: I assume I'm referring to the fighter who is just getting in the way in the fight between Tsai and Jade Fox]
3: Wait... is Jade Fox the caretaker/governess of the young girl?
2: Tricked! (cup)
2: Quite a turn of events at the forty-eight minute mark.
2: A secret romance! This side-story takes about twenty minutes to tell.
3: "Don't touch the women!"

2: The flashback both serves to describe her character and foreshadowing.
2: Crouching tigers and hidden dragons are in the underworld... but so are human feelings. One hour nineteen minute mark.
3: Love this fight scene between Shu Lien and Jen, especially with Shu Lien going through the different weapons
3: hehe a bit of comedic relief with this big heavy weapon
3: What!?! How dishonrable. She had the broken knife at her neck and Jen took a cheap swipe
3: Hmm... she didn't keep to her word. She made a statement, he met it, and... well I guess she's being a child
2: The ol' hands on the back [20240504: in old VHS series, this was a common healing mechanism, though in this scene it was not executed to the same effect]
3: Wow. I can't believe she just openly said she wanted to kill Jen with the needle
3: Shouldn't a poisoned needle have an antidote?
3: Oh okay. Shu Lien is imploring for the type of poison and antidote
3: Uh... I don't get it [I like a person's answer on Reddit:

"The movie is entirely open to interpretation, but in the books she jumps off the cliff to fake her death and wanders into the desert, where she gives birth to a son. The son is taken one night as a baby and the kidnappers leave behind a baby girl who she raises for 20 years and then goes to find her son. She finds him and wants to take him to the girl but she dies. Then the son and girl meet up and slowly discover the true story of their backgrounds and finally they settle down and get married."

]
2: Love the soundtrack. Though the end credits song with English lyrics felt a bit out of place.
2=20140601,3=20240504

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Released 20001222.
Watched once before in theaters. (Mandarin audio, English subtitles)
Watched 20140601 (Netflix, Instant) (Mandarin audio, English subtitles)
Watched 20240504 (Amazon Prime) (Mandarin audio, English subtitles)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) Ang Lee. 120 min

Relevant Links:
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (IMDb.com)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (RottenTomatoes.com)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wikipedia.org)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Metacritic.com)