scswngr

Member since 11/17/2007, last signed in awhile ago.

"writes crappy when angry"

Send a message

Add to contacts

Invite to a group

Personal statement:

30 year old Video Store Manager. I am obssessed with movies and decided to take a job to be around them while I procrastinate on applying to graduate school. My undergraduate degrees from USC are in International Relations and English (Creative Writing). I am married to a doctor and have 7 pets. I also like animals. :)

"Belief is nearly the whole of the universe, whether based on truth or not." -Kurt Vonnegut in Bluebeard

[more]

scswngr's movie tags

Talk

Terminator Salvation opens not ...
By scswngr in Film Obsessed
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Is there such a thing as too much Terminator? The 15 year old franchise opened its fourth major film, Terminator Salvation, last night at midnight to limited fanfare. Unlike the first two summer blockbusters, Wolverine and Star Trek, the long lines of rabid fans were absent from the opening showing of the latest Terminator installment. Perhaps it was an early Wednesday midnight opening leading into an extended weekend, the lack of history that Wolverine and Star Trek clearly have, or that disappointing third movie in the series that kept people away. It couldn't have been Christian Bale's now infamous rant could it? Whatever it was, the Bakersfield crowd was much more subdued leading into Salvation. Even I was not as excited to see this continuation, but I was open-minded. Aside from his tirade and family problems, Christian Bale is quite an exciting actor, one of Hollywood's brightest stars. I would argue that there are not many actors willing to give so much of themselves ... " [More]

Synecdoche, New York

Difficult & Brilliant
By scswngr in Film Obsessed
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"I don't feel I am capable of a just expository of this film. It is both difficult and brilliant. At the same moment I found myself asking what the heck just happened, I found myself longing to watch this movie again and again. There are simple truths harbored within this work and complexities that will have you searching and interpreting much like you would a classic painting. Synedoche New York is art in its highest and most challenging form. It is not a film for the casual movie renter, but a revelation for the film connoisseur. " [More]

The Dark Knight

Should Win...Will Win...Missing ...
By scswngr in Film Obsessed
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"As I scramble to catch the last couple of films that will complete my Oscar Watch List, I am prematurely making my picks for the statuettes tomorrow night. I will save judgement on the Foreign Language and Documentary Short categories, neither of which I have had the opportunity to get into since I live in a town where you can see 4 screens of Rambo, but you're lucky to get to see an independent or foreign film only months after it comes out on DVD at the local film club. That being said, I have also not had the chance to see 3 of the Documentary Features, but am confident in my decision in that category nonetheless. Otherwise, by tomorrow night's Academy Awards ceremony I will have seen every single movie nominated in every other category.So, onto my picks: Screenplay, OriginalShould Win: MilkWill Win: MilkMissing: The WrestlerScreenplay, AdaptedShould Win: Doubt or The ReaderWill Win: Slumdog MillionaireVisual EffectsShould Win: Iron ManWill Win: The Curious Case of Ben ... " [More]

The Pig

What You Probably Missed: The B ...
By scswngr in Film Obsessed
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"A couple of weeks ago, for the second year in a row, I had the pleasure of traveling a scant 110 miles to the south to view The Best Short Film nominees for this year's Oscars. Unless you live in either a well-cultured or big city, you probably didn't get this opportunity, but do not fear; I am here to break down all the nominees and give you something to think about when the category gets mentioned this Sunday. Although there are a limited number of screenings, you can catch most of the films on iTunes now for a mere $1.99 each, for those of you less concerned, wait a couple of months after the Oscars, and you should be able to rent a DVD collection of the shorts at your local Blockbuster or via your online rental service. Last year, I felt the decision was easy, Le Mozart des Pickpockets, was far and away the best film in the category. The decision this year will not be as clear. Each film was engaging and enjoyable, unlike last year's painfully long Om Natten (At Night), wh ... " [More]

Re:Film Content
By scswngr in Spout Customer Care
"I can't seem to find Skhizein, it's a short animated film that was an honorable mention for Best Animated Film Short Subject. help me help me help me :) " [More]

Re:Sundance Documentaries
By scswngr in Community Recommendations
"Wow, it's hard to pick, but if I had to narrow it down to 5 I guess I would watch most of the things I am personally interested in, or that at least sound like they could be informative and funny at the same time. Tyson When Your Strange Why We Laugh KimJongilia Art and Copy " [More]

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog-Millionaire a 2nd Comin ...
By scswngr in Film Obsessed
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"After watching the Golden Globes tonight I have an eerily similar feeling as I did in early 2006 when I watched Crash gaining undeserved steam as it rocketed toward an eventual Best Picture win at the Academy Awards. This year, I am beginning to resent multiple-Golden Globe winner Slumdog Millionaire in much the same way. Don't get me wrong, I liked the movie a lot, I just feel like its getting all the notice because its so different than the normal Hollywood award fare. Slumdog is definitely worthy of a top 10 listing this year, the same as I felt for Crash in 2006, but I truly don't believe it is the best picture of the year. Certain elements of Slumdog definitely deserve recognition, including editing, direction, and score, but I don't think they should be a lock in any of those categories either. I haven't even made my way through half of the nominees for this year's Golden Globes, and I have already seen 3 other great films in the last week alone (Milk, Brideshead Revisite ... " [More]

Re:Film Content
By scswngr in Spout Customer Care
"You are missing the new Seann William Scott comedy "Balls Out", it releases on DVD next Tuesday and I need to add it to my viewed movies list... help me... :) " [More]

I Know Who Killed Me

Re:The Worst of 2008
By scswngr in Worst Movie Ever
"Well I wouldn't say Bangkok Dangerous was a bad movie... but you could certainly nominate Nicholas Cage for worst actor in a fairly decent movie. Disaster Movie is too easy to pick for worst movie of the year. Its almost as easy as calling Bush the worst president ever... I will have to think longer, but I'm sure I have an opinion on this... last year I Know Who Killed Me made it Soooooooooo Easy.... " [More]

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight: Everything You ...
By scswngr in Film Obsessed
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"The Dark Knight is everything it has been advertised to be: exciting, captivating, and enthralling. It is the first major category Oscar worthy movie I have seen in 2008, and not just for the gripping and chilling final performance of Heath Ledger, who certainly deserves a Best Supporting Actor nod. This Batman movie bests all of its predecessors. It is the best Super-Hero sequel movie i have ever seen, and may just be worthy of a Best Picture nomination come January 2009. Sequel success is not a new thing in Hollywood, but more often then not Super-Hero follow ups fall short of their first chapters. Not only does The Dark Knight up the ante, it takes the whole pot, which is a relief considering one of the last Super-Hero franchises, Spider-Man, which showed early success, has trailed off into mediocrity. Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker is everything Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus could only dream of being in Spider-Man 2. Maniacal, sadistic, and calculating, Ledger's Joker ... " [More]

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

Re:Six Degrees of Separation #1
By scswngr in Movie Games
"You can also do it in two using this: Judi Dench to Jon Stewart in Doogal. Jon Stewart to Seann William Scott in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. " [More]