354 – Top Five (2014)

Controversial statement alert: Chris Rock is really famous. He is the type of famous wherein most people who have never seen his work still know who he is (though I cannot imagine a person who hasn’t seen – and loved – Grown Ups 2). Rock’s career has been an interesting one to follow, from his early days on Saturday Night Live to his great success as a standup comedian to his current job primarily as one of the voices from Madagascar. It has been a wild ride for Rock, who has never had the same massive cinematic success as his character in the new film Top Five, but clearly identifies with the consuming fame that he tackles therein.

235 – Lazy Saturdays

god i wish i had a corduroy couch

There’s always so much to do during the week. Between work and chores and just generally trying to create a career for oneself, there’s not often a lot of time to relax. So every once a while you have to set aside a day and just dedicate it to doing a whole lot of nothing. Today was one of those days.

234 – Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)

When Sin City was released in 2005 it was widely praised for its innovative visual style and exaggerated neo-noir tone. I was there at the beginning, a 15-year-old watching with a group of friends as part of a birthday celebration. My sister was there too. She didn’t care much for the film, but it worked for me. Sin City was a touchstone for me at the time. It was the first R-rated movie I snuck into. It was a comic series I would leaf through in Borders (RIP), hoping to be titillated. It was everything a teenager could want. But I’m not a teenager anymore, and Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller made the mistake of waiting 9 years to put out a sequel. So if I’m not watching Sin City: A Dame to Kill For for titillation – why am I doing it?