Lay an Egg for Me, Little Ginger Bird

Movie: Frank
Actor from Previous Movie: Maggie Gyllenhaal (Giselle Levy, Clara)
Where to Watch: Netflix

Okay, so. This was definitely one of the weirdest movies I've ever seen. But I totally loved it. It was one of the most original movies I've seen in awhile, if only due to it's unique characters. Some were lovable, some were INFURIATING, all were unbelievably interesting.The cast was small but that just let everyone stand out in different ways. I was most impressed by Michael Fassbender, who was playing someone far outside of his normal range and he did an excellent job.

For a movie about a band it had really cool music too? Usually I feel like the music in movies about bands is just sort of ok at best. Because the songs are usually like too hollywood and not like something you'd hear on the radio. The genre was 100% not my kind of music. I don't even know what genre is was. It ended up sounding really cool though and fit the weird offbeat tone of the movie. Words can't do most of this movie justice but especially not the music, so here's one of the songs.

The comedy in the movie was pretty on point, even if sometimes it was very dark. It wasn't laugh-out-loud funny, which sadly I think is getting kind of rare in movies today, but there were alot of small jokes that caught me off guard. Alot of the humor also comes from just how absurd the people and situations are. I mean, the title character is a guy who wears a big paper mache head all the time. There's a running gag where Frank has to describe his facial expressions because people can't see them under the head. It's strange and hilarious and very charming.

Overall opinion of the movie? I'll let Maggie Gyllenhaal's character tell you what I think:

Bechdel Assessment: Fail :( This was surprising and super disappointing because I thought the movie was otherwise fantastic. There were really only two female characters in the movie and I can't even remember if the drummer had a name. She and Clara didn't speak to each other. Oh well.

I've Got My Courses, I've Got My Camel Cigarette. Where the Hell is My Dreamboat?

Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Actor from Previous Movie: Ginnifer Goodwin (Judy Hopps, Constance Baker)
Where to Watch: Netflix

I don't have much to say about Mona Lisa Smile other than that I liked it. It reminded me of Dead Poets Society, but I found it much more likable and interesting. I'm a sucker for movies set in historical time periods, and the costumes/music/production design didn't disappoint. With only a 35% on Rotten Tomatoes and 2 stars on Netflix, my expectations for the movie were not very high. So when the movie turned out to be pretty good, I was pleasantly surprised!

Normally I don't like to say movies are for one specific audience. Obviously anyone can like any movie--romance isn't just for women and violence isn't just for men. However, I do think this movie is really more of a chick flick.

Bechdel Assessment: Pass! Of course! One of the first scenes is an art history class at Wellesly College, an all-girls school.