movies – Page 2 of 2 – Rasmenian detritus

The Unintentional Comedy of French Movie Titles

November 20, 2012November 23, 2020 by Rasmenia Comment Closed

It recently occurred to me that I haven't made fun of any French weirdness in quite a while. I mean, it's been like, 2 whole blog posts ago. It's not that I'd stopped noticing, having grown accustomed & become part of the weirdness. Okay, okay... I may have become a wee part of the weirdness, but that doesn't mean I don't take notice of it.One thing that has been a constantly baffling source of amusement here is the French titles for American movies. This isn't something confounding only to Americans, either. There are plenty of savvy French movie goers who understand the absurdity & hilarity of the French titles, but those bizarre titles keep showing up, anyway.It often seems that there is no rhyme or reason to it. After seeing countless movie posters, TV spots & theater signs, there is no discernible pattern to this madness. Believe me, I've tried to make sense of it. I can't do it.Sometimes, they...

13 Writers on the Screen

February 10, 2011November 30, 2020 by Rasmenia Comment Closed

1. Oscar Wilde Wilde, 1997 - Stephen Fry is just freaking brilliant in this movie that depicts Oscar Wilde's career, wit & torment as he struggled with a family, his homosexuality (represented by the jazzy pink suit) & the absurd trial that resulted in his being sentenced to hard labor - a sentence that eventually caused his death.2. Sylvia Plath Sylvia, 2003 - While I can't stand Gwyneth Paltrow (who can?) I really enjoyed this film about Sylvia Plath & Ted Hughes. Of course, there's some other business about Bell Jars & sticking heads in ovens, as one might expect.3. Truman Capote Capote, 2005 - I went to see this movie at the theater & have a clear recollection of being bored more than anything. This film is really more about the conception of Capote's novel, "In Cold Blood" & is less about the writer himself. While Philip Seymour Hoffman isn't really capable of delivering anything close to a shitty performance, his acting...

Paris: Real & Surreal

August 4, 2010August 5, 2010 by Rasmenia Comment Closed

There are certain places around the globe you can go to that just don't seem real. Standing before certain buildings, monuments & natural wonders can often be a very surreal experience, feeling less like a day out of real life & a lot more like being on a movie set.Or, more accurately... in an actual movie.Whenever I go to Washington D.C., it feels bizarre to me, as though I've been inserted into the middle of a news report, or some exciting action flick. I've constantly got my eyes peeled for a bad guy to come tearing through the crowd, pursued by a determined hero with a pistol in his hand. I periodically check the skies for aliens, who as we all know, only land in major cities with well-known buildings & monuments.As anyone can imagine, Paris is no different. In fact, for Americans, it's probably even more surreal. Seeing something like the Eiffel Tower for the first time is an...

Misanthropy at the Movies

April 29, 2009November 23, 2020 by Rasmenia Comment Closed

At the restaurant inside the movie theater, Olivier & I sat down at the table. He started eating. I was struggling with the impenetrable plastic package holding my napkin & brittle plastic fork."Man... did you get a load of those fucking people that were in line in front of us?"Olivier responded by nodding his head. His mouth was full of sandwich. He swallowed. "Yeah, they were pissing me off, too," he said. Sip of soda. Swallow. "The wife was smashing her elbow into my ribs while she bitched about napkins to the person working behind the counter."My fork was now free. I pulled my sandwich apart & began flicking bits of tomato off of it. "Seriously... you'd think that her husband could have corralled their kids while she did her bitching." Tomato. Flick. "I thought that they were going to start climbing my legs as if I were a mighty oak. I love how people think that any other adult...

13 Movies That I Want to Watch (But Don’t Exist)

March 19, 2009January 25, 2021 by Rasmenia Comment Closed

1. Don QuixoteTerry Gilliam has already tried to make this one. Evidently, the movie didn't want to be made - flash floods, an injured lead actor & the Spanish air force proved to be rather expensive & inconvenient flies in Gilliam's ointment. The good news is, Gilliam is rewriting the script as I write this post. Hopefully his second try will turn out better & we won't end up with Lost in La Mancha II: The Next Disaster.2. JerichoThe show that, in spite of being saved once by an insane amount of peanuts, eventually came to an end. A feature film is in development. Unfortunately, "in development" doesn't necessarily mean the same thing as, "Fuck yes, we are definitely making this movie!" So, until then... I wait.3. Arrested DevelopmentWhy this show was canceled to begin with is beyond me. It's one of those stupid things that happens. It doesn't make sense & can only be explained with the statement, "some...

13 Warrior Women

February 7, 2008December 3, 2020 by Rasmenia Comment Closed

I'm really not the kind of girl that likes watching kissing movies, or chick flicks with best friends or sisters dancing around, crying and having deep, long conversations about the boring events in their lives. I'd rather have someone hammer kabob skewers up my nostrils. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for TV shows and movies with chicks. I'd just prefer to see them beating the shit out of someone or something.1. Aeryn Sun - Farscape Okay, so she's not exactly the nicest person. Technically, she's not even human. But, she's really not so bad once you get to know her.2. Sara Pezzini - Witchblade Not quite as scantily clad as her comic book counterpart, but still just as cool.3. Aeon Flux Well, the flesh and blood persona of Aeon Flux isn't quite the same as watching the animated version, but it's still fun.4. Lara Croft - Tomb Raider Yeah, yeah...I know she's not Indy. So what?5. Lt. Kara Thrace, a.k.a. "Starbuck" - Battlestar Galactica Cigar...