Word of the day :
demotic
: common, popular
First off - here are my (relatively safe - which concerns me) NCAA picks for today:
Michigan State over Valparaiso (could be a close one)
Butler over Bucknell
Pittsburgh over Wichita State
Saint Louis over New Mexico State
Memphis over Saint Mary's
Marquette over Davidson
Gonzaga over Southern
Oregon over Oklahoma State
Louisville over North Carolina A&T
Michigan over South Dakota State (watch out!)
Arizona over Belmont
California over UNLV
Missouri over Colorado State
VCU over Akron
New Mexico over Harvard
Syracuse over Montana
(So far: Correct - 3 Incorrect - 1)
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And here are the new movies opening tomorrow:
Admission This one looks like a charmer, but critics are not more than mildly, of at all, amused and moved by it. Directed by Paul Weitz (About a Boy) and starring two of the most appealing comics around - Tina Fey and Paul Rudd - the film is about a Princeton admissions officer (Fey) who meets a young high school student on a recruiting trip - a boy that might just be the kid she gave up for adoption years earlier. Lily Tomlin, Wallace Shawn, and Michael Sheen co-star.
(Yes)
Olympus Has Fallen Hack director Antoine Fuqua's (Training Day) new action film looks ludicrous: the White House is kidnapped by North Korea! The National Security team scrambles to come up with a solution. Cue a lot of generic action, no doubt. Great cast, though: Aaron Eckhart (the President), Morgan Freeman, Robert Forster, Ashley Judd, Angela Bassett, Gerard Butler, Melissa Leo, Radha Mitchell.
The Sapphires Yes, please! Chris O'Dowd (Bridesmaids, Friends With Kids) is a talent scout who is won over - during his trip to visit the troops in Vietnam - by a girl group who covers souls songs: an Australian aboriginal girl group! Inspired by a true story. In the vein of The Commitments, it seems, which is just fine with me. A crowd pleaser if there ever was one.
(Yes)
Also, the animated kids movie' The Croods, featuring the voicework of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, and Ryan Reynolds.
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Okay, if you haven't seen it yet, here are nine reasons why you should see Argo:
1) It's informative. Based on the outrageously true declassified mission, it's a relevant, inspiring bit of modern history that many people probably don't remember too much about.
2) It's tense as hell. Even though you know how it's going to end, it's still terrifically exciting, nail-biting all the way until the end.
3) Chris Terrio's superb script juggles a lot of characters - and does so with heart and humor, and some memorable lines.
4) Crackling editing - William Goldenberg had a marvelous year: he also edited Zero Dark Thirty.
5) Outstanding production design; Istanbul is more than able stand-in for Tehran. The music choices are pinpoint: when was the last time you heard Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" or the Stones' "Little T&A" in a movie?
6) The Hollywood scenes provide a nice counterpoint to the Iran scenes. John Goodman and Alan Arkin provide welcome comic relief as the makeup expert and salty old producer, respectively. Just seeing them each for the first time on-screen can put a smile on your face.
7) The movie is superbly cast in every single role. Affleck himself is understated and coolly poised in the title role and makes 70s facial hair pretty rad again.
8) Because this is now 3-for-3 for Ben Affleck as director. Gone, Baby, Gone was good, The Town was sensational. And now this - it's one of my favorite Best Picture winners of the last few decades.
9) Because you get to hear the best catchphrase of the year: "Argo fuck yourself!"
Image courtesy of: http://www.trespassmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/John-Goodman-and-Alan-Arkin-in-Argo.jpg
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