Viewing the scene in question, I would argue that it's a double entendre, i.e. 'What's he think I look like? A jackass?' was said by Lampwick in the sense of 'a foolish person', which causes Pinocchio to be amused because he resembles a jackass in its original sense.

I also would ask why 'jackass' is objectionable. It's an insult, but to my knowledge it has never been taboo.

It has been awhile since I've watched the movie...so my initial reaction was probably to be expected. End of story.

Lol, no, the use of the word is perfectly acceptable. Besides, Pinocchio is, like, perfect anyway, so.

Hobo With A Shotgun............Um........Out of the modern grindhouse movies I've seen like Planet Terror, Machete stuff like that, this movie is properly the most mean spirited thing I have ever seen.

Berlin 36



Based on a true story, "Berlin 36" is a German film (with English subtitles) about a Jewish woman athlete, Gretel Bergmann, barred from competition in Germany. But because of a threatened boycott by the Americans, Bergmann is allowed to train for the Berlin games of 1936. The film is her story leading up to the Olympic Games.

Interesting film as till lately the Germans pretty much avoided anything to do with Nazi-Germany. In this film as in others, they are willing to take a hard look at their past. Certainly adds a sense of authenticity to see Germans playing Germans, speaking German in pre-WWII Germany. And no, they don't "white wash" the times and attitudes.

Spoiler Alert:
The film however is "based on". As with probably all films, the film does take liberties for instance Bergmann didn't know that her arranged rival was a boy till many years later.

Scoot Pilgrim was amazing!!!!

50 First Dates

5/5 stars

The plot was amazing, I adored the comedic moments, especially the children. The ending wasn't too cliche, which was refreshing. This movie defnitely spoke about the realities of short-term memory loss very accurately(to the best of my knowledge). Wonderful cast of characters. I wish there could be more movies like this.

Not my genre I admit, but I saw Hugo yesterday.
This review says it well for me:

For more advanced cinephiles, the result is a cabinet of wonders in which each shot, each experiment in 3-D perspective, and, indeed, each scene in the story's progression can be linked to what we already know about Scorsese, his work, and his well-known cinematic passions. A niggler might note that every element is at times an eensy bit too perfectly meshed and worked over. Today, I don't feel like niggling.

Hugo is played with jolting melodramatic pathos -- and the genetic blessing of bottomless, pale blue eyes -- by Asa Butterfield ("The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"). He is a sad young orphan who keeps the clocks running in a bustling 1930s Parisian train station patrolled by a limping gendarme. (As hammed up by Sacha Baron Cohen, the character constitutes one of the movie's few tonal dissonances.)

Hugo is also the patient tinkerer who works after hours in his clock-tower hideaway repairing the automaton, gear by gear. Then a bitter train-station toy-shop keeper (Ben Kingsley at his best) and his intrepid goddaughter ("Let Me In's" Chloë Grace Moretz) set the boy on a path of discovery. "Hugo" both ticks and flies by, a marvel meant to be pulled from the cabinet and enjoyed again and again.

I saw Hugo as well earlier this week. It was not what I expected from the trailer, and I was enchanted by the time the film finished. In fact, I was in tears... I felt like Selznik, Depp, and Scorsese had taken everything I have loved about movies, and made a film just for me. I don't know if there is even an audience for Hugo, but I loved it. I could do without the 3D, but that is easily rectified by choosing the 2D version. Anyway, one of the best surprises I could have had.

It's not a new release or anything, but I rewatched Tangled with the family the other day. I do like the movie (it's cute and fun, great Disney flick all around) but I can't get over how much I dislike the ending. SPOILER: Her tears having the same magical properties as her hair is just pulled out of the air from nowhere. I get it, it's a kid's movie, but it still bugs me. I'm fine with deus ex machina endings if they seem somewhat plausible, but throughout the entire movie, all of the focus is on her hair. I just don't think the tears thing should have worked (baha my family kept yelling at me that I was ruining a cute kid's movie with my "realism.")

DYING to see Hugo. As a Scorsese fanboy and a budding cinephile, I pretty much AM the target audience.

I only caught two films this Thanksgiving break (a whole week and I only watched two movies...I'm ashamed), but I loved 'em both:

A Single Man (2009) 4.5/5 stars / A-
Colin Firth gives a naturalistic and devastating performance as George Falconer, a gay university professor, in the pits of depression. George finds his life empty and has been depressed since his longtime companion Jim died in a car accident. George decides to kill himself. The film spans the course of a day, George's last day alive. The film is not a depressing affair, though--there are shining bits of happiness and things that make life worth living scattered throughout. This is Tom Ford's debut feature, and it is a knockout. Superbly, if a tad flamboyantly, directed, intricately layered, and beautifully written, the technical aspects of the film are outstanding. Julianne Moore plays George's best friend, Charley, a woman who is sort of a mess herself; Moore is terrific in a role that's a bit too brief. Also very good is Nicholas Hoult, a promising young actor who plays Kenny, a student of George's who expresses interest in him. In their bit parts, Matthew Goode and Jon Kortajarena are serviceable. This is an excellent film, rich with humanity, and truly worth seeing.
Dir: Tom Ford

The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) 5/5 stars / A
Ken Loach's The Wind That Shakes the Barley is a gripping and powerful portrait of the Irish Civil War. Damien and Teddy O'Donovan (Cillian Murphy and Padraic Delaney, respectively) are two brothers caught in opposite sides of the battle. The film is not particularly long (a little over two hours), but it feels long--and though it sounds like it, that is not a criticism. A story of this scope should feel lengthy. Loach's direction is restrained and brutally realistic. This is a period piece in every sense, but it doesn't once feel like it. The power of the film is magnified by the presence of mostly unknown actors, all excellent. Stunning cinematography, intelligently written, and very affecting, this Palme d'Or winner raises lots of tough questions and gives very few answers. Outstanding.
Dir: Ken Loach

Just saw The Muppets today, and I have to say I'm pretty impressed.

Unlike something like Rocky and Bullwinkle that took the whole "fictional characters in real world situation" and didn't give the characters justice, the Muppets definitely got that part right. They actually added some depth to many of these characters while still maintaining a lot of the characteristics that you saw from The Muppet Show and other forms of media. Did it necessarily have to have musical numbers? Not really, but it does keep in line with the Muppet tradition, plus they work in such a way that the movie is very aware of itself and pokes fun at it. Good fun overall with a surprising amount of depth and emotion.