3x with JGL: 50-50

This movie feels very personal to me. 11 years ago, my father died of cancer and looking back now, I would have done so many things differently. Back then, I was 22 and finishing my BA when he died. My mom just lost her job and she was taking care of my father at home, almost till his last day. And it was killing her, both physically and emotionally. He was very demanding and... well, there were other issues besides his sickness, stuff that had been brewing for years. And because she was taking care of him, I was trying to take care of her, to help her and support her emotionally. But I was spending so much time at school and studying... And because of that, I was terser with my father than I should've been. Hindsight is always 20-20.

But back to the movie. It's wonderful, based on a real story of the writer who is also one of the closest friends of Seth Rogen who plays JGL's Adam's best friend in this movie. So, the writer and Seth Rogen - who also produced this film - and the other exec who went through this ordeal together based the story on their own experiences, on how they had felt and reacted, and because of that, the movie feels real.

JGL was simply amazing. Funny and sweet and beautiful and you wanted to hug him and tell him everything would be okay.





A fantastic performance. Though I'm a bit torn. You see, James McAvoy - my other favorite actor! - was set to play this part first, they even went through the whole pre-production with him but then he had to drop out because of a family emergency. The execs offered the part to JGL and he said yes - on Saturday and on Monday they started filming! So yeah, I love JGL in this but James McAvoy would've been so perfect in it too! It breaks my heart :((

And I really liked Seth Rogen in this movie...



Yeah, Kyle was a bit of an oaf but he was also determined to see his friend through this, to help him. He and Adam had known each other since high school and the depth of their friendship was undeniable. He was a bit insensitive from time to time that's why one of my favorite scenes was when Adam found the self-help book for family and friends of cancer patients in Kyle's flat and realized that despite all his goofiness, Kyle was really worried about him and that he had read the book in secret so that he could help Adam better. That was fantastic.

And then there was romance and Rachel and Katherine - Anna Kendrick was amazing as the wet behind the ears therapist, simply lovely! - but I especially loved Anjelica Huston as Adam's mother.



The scene before Adam's surgery - see above - and the one after the whole thing, when he was high on morphine and called her "Mommy!" was sweet. Though the former made me tear up, it was so sad.

To sum it up, it's a wonderful, funny movie about a serious topic that's mostly about how two best friends handle a sickness that threatens the life of one of them. Excellent.

Other known actors? Matt Frewer as the cancer patient Mitch.

NCIS:LA 401 sneak peek

Oooooooooh, I like it! Yeah, Sam is pissed at Callen but that doesn't mean he's any less protective of him, that he would let anyone hurt him. Awesome. I haven't even realized just how much I missed this show until I saw this sneak peek \o/

Book #39

"The Dark Knight Rises: The Official Novelization" by Greg Cox

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

That's how a novelization should be written! Greg Cox doesn't add any new scenes that weren't in the movie itself but he lets the reader peek at the characters' thoughts and emotions. I wanted to learn more about Talia and Bane and I did a bit, most importantly though, their genuine affection and devotion to each other was confirmed by this book. And we also learned more about John Blake and Commissioner Gordon! Batman and Catwoman have never been a big draw for me in this book/movie so I appreciated that other characters got so much space.

Basically, if you liked the movie, you will like the book.

3x with JGL: Inception

How could I do this "3x with JGL" thing and not watch Inception? I think that Inception and not the Batman trilogy is Chris Nolan's real masterpiece. Why? Because it's a) original and b) an ensemble film. A real ensemble movie where everybody has stuff to do that's important for the success of the mission, nobody's just standing around looking pretty.

Much has been said about the movie, so I'll just mention a few things that I've noticed this time around...



Arthur is really pretty and so incredibly young. JGL looked like the youngest member of the cast. Arthur's dream level was my favorite. The rolling corridor, the kick in the elevator, the zero gravity, tying them all together and dragging them down the corridor... SWEET! Also, when he fought the security guys in the corridor, he looked like a giant spider, running up and down the walls, clinging to them!



Eames is really pretty too. Sorry about the quality of the second pic but the focus was never on him in the scene, the camera followed Cobb around, but I needed to post this because he looked so incredibly sexy in his dark purple shirt and black suit, slouched in such a sexy way. Yeah, Eames usually dresses horribly but in that scene? Mwah! \o/ Also, his level was my second favorite, the way he dealt with the security, how he fought them in the snow!

So, the first level was Yusuf's, the second was Arthur's, the third was Eames' and Limbo was Dom's right? That's why the deepest level didn't collapse when Ariadne left. Also, I think the whole thing might have been a dream after all, starting with Yusuf's den in Mombasa. Did you notice that Dom didn't manage to check his totem back then? That he dropped it when Saito called out to him? Or Cobb might have stayed in Limbo together with Saito. Or maybe they did wake up? Food for thought...

I'm now seeing the Arthur/Eames vibes much clearer. Sure, they only had a few lines together, but... Arthur knew that Eames was in Mombasa - yet he didn't know about Yusuf's den. In the taxi, after the shoot-out, he checked with Eames first. When Arthur was playing Yusuf's guinea pig, with Yusuf trying out the kicks on him, Eames was always there, giggling. The "darling" bit. The "Go to sleep, Mr. Eames" bit. The "stick in the mud" bit... Yup, I see it!

Now I would really want to read a fic or two about Arthur dealing with his failure to discover the militarization of Fischer's mind. Or a fic with Arthur and Eames training together in RL, sparring or something. Hm...

Oh, the actor who played Nash? Lucas Haas? He was in Brick with JGL together, playing The Pin.