A CT.com/Intrepid Media Article:
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27 May 2009 | By Kat
I have created a new branch off of the My Reviews page. It’s called; CT Tweets About…
The first entry is my thoughts, as they occurred, while listening to John Cleese’s audio commentary on the special edition DVD of A Fish Called Wanda.
Think of this section as a previously recorded live feed. Come take a look.
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Category: Movie Reviews, Movies, Music, Random Weirdness
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24 May 2009 | By Kat
I’ve adored Paul Ruud for years. So when he started mixing it up with not only the Will Ferrell crowd, but also the Apatow bunch, it just made me smile all the more. Ruud is one of those actors who I can honestly say has never let me down. Not saying every movie he makes is absolutely gold, but in the movie, he always shines. And for that matter, a lot of them are gold.
Jason Segel is a recent member of my illicit fantasy of the ultimate dinner party turned Scene It game. Ruud’s been on the guest list for many years. The guest list, by the way, is getting awfully big. I’m pretty sure we’re talking about a week long Scene It championship at this point. But the crowd invited might not even object. The list includes, but is hardly limited to; the two previously mentioned comedy troupes, the entire View Askew universe, everyone from the Whedonverse, and the Stargate universe. It also includes anyone who’s ever starred (including guest/recurred) on Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, NCIS, Medium, Friends or Will & Grace.
Just imagine the catering required. Whew.
But Jason, while a new edition, has already vaulted straight into my heart. I will tell you, that I never watched Freaks and Geeks. So I didn’t first start seeing Jason until How I Met Your Mother. But Marshall was a fast favorite. Then I saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and I was smitten. And then after listening to the commentary for that movie; let’s just say it’s a good thing I have no stalking tendencies. (In point of fact, I might geek out to some individuals, but I can’t imagine ever screeching and scaring anyone I should encounter).
So my love of Ruud and Segel, particularly how they work together, made I Love You Man an obvious sell. I had to wait for the second run theater, but that didn’t make it less enjoyable.
One of the cool qualities of some actors, particularly ones with a repertoire as insanely broad as Ruud, is that sometimes it’s just fun seeing them have fun. This can make an otherwise mildly amusing scene, into something that’ll actually make you chuckle. This included many of the scenes featuring Ruud trying to be cool and failing miserably (think Leprechaun). Those weren’t the best scenes, but watching Ruud play with them, and seeing Segel and others react; priceless. But those were just the points in between the serious laughs.
Without giving anything away, I’ll say this. When Ruud’s own tuxedo-clad image first appeared, through the back of his car window, I’m the only one who saw it. In a small group of 20 viewers, I’m sure at least a few people wondered why I was already laughing. But it almost seemed to make them all the louder, when everybody started to see more of Paul’s face on the street.
This was just one of several moments of hilarity. Then there’s Segel’s ill-conceived attempt to get his friend more BJ’s from his fiance. Once again I think I was the first to get the joke, but we were all pretty vocal by the end. And to the writers I say; thank you for letting him realize the folly of it later, instead of him just being an oblivious douche like best friend characters before him.
The supporting cast really tied this movie together too. In my book, if you get Jane Curtain to play a mom, you are hitting a home run. Andy Samberg was also a nice new face (haven’t watched SNL regularly in many years), and made an odd character much funnier. And keep an eye out for a few bust-your-gut moments with Thomas Lennon. Plus, it’s Lou-fricking-Farigno playing himself; along with Hulk jokes. Come on, what more could you want?
Ruud has played both sides of the character fence for a while. In ILYM he’s once again the average dude, ala the underrated Over Her Dead Body. I honestly can’t tell you which side I like more, the straight man, or Paul as Kunu or Brian Fantana. But this is the first time I feel like I’ve really seen Segel change it up, and I’m digging it severely. My exposure to Segel has been primarily as the incredibly nice guy, who’s just so easily pushed around. But in ILYM, he plays someone who is so remarkably at peace with himself and his environment. Sure, he has a few hangups (called out by Ruud’s character eventually), but overall he’s a very centered man. Seeing that confidence coming from Segel was a a wonderful surprise (the character reminded me a bit of Larry Miller in Frozen Assets) I’m hoping it further proves his leading man qualifications, and promises us more exposure to Jason.
Ok, perhaps exposure is the wrong word. 
Overall this is a great bromance flick, a funny ride, and further proof that romantic comedy can be made with appeal to everyone. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, get ready for DVD. Or head to a second run like I did.
On a personal note, I came home just hopping with inspiration. A new script is in progress, and it’s killing me how much I already like it. I honestly think it’s a really new spin on the entire romcom genre, and those ideas always get me going. I think that’s why writing went so fast on Rent To Own and As Fate Would Have It. I dug the idea so much, I wanted desperately to see it on screen. The only problem is a gender bending issue that is causing me serious pronoun headaches. But I just keep telling myself it’ll be a funny thing to point out in the commentary.
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06 May 2009 | By Kat
New article, regarding spoof movies like Epic/Date movie, is now on CleverTitania.com. Come have a peek.
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23 Nov 2008 | By Kat
(originallly posted on my AFF SexyAds blogs)
Yeah, and I’ll bet you believed I kissed Katy Perry too, didn’t you? Come on, fool you once, shame on me, fool you twice, shame on you. 
I went to see Zack and Miri last night. OMFG! Kevin baby, you knocked that one out of the park. That movie is a mix of the weirdest little genres all rolled into this strange stew. And it frigging works!
You know, I may seem easy to impress in the theater, but that’s not really true. I walk into every Sandler, Stiller, Rogan, Carrell, Ferrell, etc movie, not sure what I’m going to see, but ready to be blown away. Some are amazing, and some are just mildly entertaining. A few I can’t really take at all. It’s like they have two different zones of comedy, and if they push too far into one zone, I don’t enjoy it as much. For instance, I hated Something About Mary, and I can’t really watch 40 Year Old Virgin. Oddly, I can’t deal with movies where the leads are constantly in completely embarrassing situations, unless they can deflect me from the pity enough to laugh. I’m not a masochistic movie goer.
Now I am most definitely a fan of Kevin Smith, I mean, he is one of the three writers I want to get to have a conversation with. But even Kevin Smith movies, I have to admit, there are some that don’t just get me jonesing for a DVD of them. In fact, I sadly admit, I’m not that big a fan of Clerks.
My thinking is, Clerks doesn’t represent the dialogue style that I most enjoy of Kevin’s. It’s the conversational way he talks in all the Evening with Kevin Smith DVD’s (the third rocks btw), that’s the Kevin Smith I really adore. And that is better represented by Dogma, even Jay and Silent Bob.
Most definitely, by Zack and Miri! That movie shocked the hell out of me, and I have to say, well done sir! It’s particularly amazing, because he basically flipped every Jersey Girl hater the bird! He said, ok all here’s your Kevin Smith grade of humor, and some naked Mewes just to further enslave you. But then, haha suckers! I roped you into a romantic comedy. Kiss my ass! Ok, ok, I threw some more inappropriate Mewes into the romantic climax, but it’s still ending with an aww moment damnit!
And he made Seth Rogan kinda sexy all of a sudden. I mean, let’s face it, you could barely like Rogan in Pineapple Express. His character really is a dick, but he manages to keep him just above water enough to laugh at his misery. Knocked Up, not saying the chick didn’t have her own issues, but once again Rogan is kind of a thoughtless dick, even if he gets his shit together near the end. But in Zack and Miri, yeah he’s not perfect, but he’s a pretty decent dude. He actually feels a sense of responsibility. And I don’t know if all of his “what we did meant something” speech was Kevin’s doing or their collaboration, but the dialogue is the only way I can believe a guy like Seth would say those things.
Surprised the hell out of me, this movie, but it was such a great surprise overall. It also made me realize some interesting things about these characters, and this new type of relationship dynamic we’re exploring. The ultimate loser and the woman who could probably do better. And that’s not me talking, that’s Seth’s characters. Smith sort of danced with this topic doing Clerks 1 & 2, and one could argue Mallrats (though mostly with Lee’s character). Rogan does it masterfully, pretty much every time. I think what helps is, the character’s are just so up front and frank. They’ll call bullshit whether it’s appropriately placed or not, so that when the guy does decide to commit to the girl, you believe he’d be as frank about that.
As I said, the “it’s all fallen apart” scene in Zack and Miri absolutely impressed me. You get where Miri is coming from finally. Sure, she handled the situation in a crappy way, as many women in these stories do (see The Break-up for a prime example), but ultimately her resentment started when he gave himself more than one sex scene. Her frustration just got worse from there. You realize that she has secretly harbored feelings for him all this time, perhaps even more than he has done. Part of her did hope he was using this as an in to get her into bed (or a pile of coffee beans as the case may be). And it hurt when she realized that wasn’t his motivation at all. But when she plays it stupid, he calls her on it, and slaps her in the face with how things have changed since they “made love”. It’s a real love scene, not some dumb watered down one, where neither party is coming off real.
Their porno scene was also impressive. I love how Kevin just throws in the goofy off camera stuff, to keep it light, while still letting things get intimate for a few minutes. Even Anderson’s character is affected by the scene (which is particularly funny for the Randal fans). And for all the people who still think Kevin isn’t much for visual style, fuck you! The boy has learned the art of the real camera movement, not that artsy crap some use in movies where it has no place.
The rest of the cast is just a mixture of brillant comedic actors, doing what they do best. Traci Lord’s, passing along the torch to Elizabeth Banks was pretty fabulous. That’s really how it felt. Those of us who love Traci in things like Cry Baby, know it’s never been about her playing the slut. It’s about her playing the cool chick who also has no sexual hangups. Elizabeth is moving into that category quickly, and it’s very cool to have acknowledged that. And Mewes, damn boy do I love you to death, and I know why you really are one of Kevin’s heterosexual life mates. NO ONE could’ve done Lester like you did. Also big kudos to Mrs. Smith (seriously why would you keep Schwalbach if you didn’t have to). She proves she must have a sense of humor, in the parts she ask Kevin to give her. She acknowledges that she looks like a stuckup chick, and lets him play with that, and that is impressive to me.
Great to see Kevin finally getting to work with Justin Long, and what a fricking character he handed him too. That’s one of the funniest damn scenes in the movie, him bristling that his adorable boyfriend (OMFG it’s Superman!!) wants him to be more reserved and ‘closeted’. Always good to see Craig Robinson going for the quiet funny, he does it so well. And I’ve missed Tisha Campbell alot, especially as the hard ass chick, always a good time.
Kevin has kicked ass once again, as he never fails to do. It’s no wonder I adore this man.
And if anyone doesn’t know where my title comes from, search for it on youtube.
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