tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171840652009-12-20T08:14:02.340-05:00(n.) the state of being haunted or excessively preoccupied with images, dialogue and personalities in cinemaArdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.comBlogger474125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-63616518124157713002009-08-23T22:29:00.002-04:002009-08-24T02:04:39.740-04:00

INT. JOLIE-PITT MANSION - NIGHTFade in on Brad Pitt. He presses END on his cell phone. He catches his reflection in the framed Rothko that hangs in his bathroom. He is handsome, rugged but years edge lines around his eyes reminding him that Time is a Cruel Mistress and even his beauty cannot tame her.BRAD PITTHey Ange! ANGE!ANGELINA JOLIE (O.S.)Jesus Fucking Christ, Brad! What the fuck is

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-1673862378289480732009-08-14T19:32:00.008-04:002009-08-14T23:35:24.873-04:00

Hey! What's up, Judd!? Can I call you that? You seem so approachable. Plus you're named after a villain in a Rogers and Hammerstein musical which is fucking awesome. I wanna name my kid "Sky Masterson" after Marlon Brando's character in Guys and Dolls. And when people ask me why I would do such a heinous thing to a defenseless child I'll respond: "Remember when you all ate up everything

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-49785236878430315942009-08-14T07:45:00.003-04:002009-08-14T19:01:40.415-04:00

Here's the thing. Watchmen is awesome. Read it. It'll take you a weekend at most. It might be the "Catcher in the Rye" of graphic novels. Hell, it might be the reason we have the term "graphic novel" to denote comic books that aspire to narrative coherence. I don't know. I don't really care either. All I know is that when I read it in the summer of 2002 I saw things I will never un-see.

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-3826261955362003422009-07-01T06:09:00.006-04:002009-07-02T03:06:14.373-04:00

There was a time when I loved film. I really loved going to see films. Reviewing them. Talking about them. Allowing them to permeate my life. Nowadays I don't enjoy them at all. I pretty much avoid seeing movies in the theater at all costs. They've lost all luster and mystery to me. Apparently, Michael Mann feels the same way.Ah Michael Mann. Remember the last time we hung out? That was

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-87000109972473162922009-04-21T05:38:00.005-04:002009-08-15T00:40:35.774-04:00

Whoa.  Spoilers.  Because that's how I roll.WOW.  i just... okay.  I haven't blogged seriously in over a year.  I've been meaning to start it up again recently and this film really made me want to write an entry.  I found myself during the 90 minute run time imagining those old days at my desk job where I lived for this type of movie.  A movie I could go home and mercilessly rip apart for my own

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-50795227052724790582009-04-21T05:04:00.008-04:002009-08-23T22:29:01.558-04:00

Arden ♥s this movie!At the center of this heavily biased yet satisfying documentary is the undeniable friendship and unwavering hope of two aging rockers, Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner, the guitarist and drummer (respectively) of an all-but-forgotten metal band, Anvil. After 15 minutes of fame 30 years ago, the band was quickly eclipsed by the likes of Metallica and Megadeth. But if they

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-78338626932629735782009-04-19T06:07:00.005-04:002009-04-21T06:27:45.646-04:00

Things I Learned Watching Monsters vs. Aliens...The ultimate dream any female can have is to get married and someday see Paris.  This is good dream.  We should continue to have it.  Also, if for some reason a female is genetically altered to have superpowers she will fight tooth and nail to achieve her mediocre dream of normality.  This is also good.Stephen Colbert may be a TV Star Personality

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-83578483346006548402008-08-21T13:45:00.005-04:002009-04-21T17:25:38.377-04:00

At this point, seeing a new Woody Allen movie is like going to the dentist. You might be sentenced to hours of pain. You might escape with only a cleaning. I'm happy to say that his newest is an example of the latter. You won't be too disappointed or too elated by the story of Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson)'s summer vacation in Barcelona and the hijinks that ensue.

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-69148115192590274752008-07-18T15:00:00.008-04:002009-04-21T06:29:27.174-04:00

You know how I feel about spoilers. Bring it on...Ok...No. No. It was good. I liked it. Just give me a second to scrape myself off the floor. Regardless of your level of enthusiasm for Batman or Nolan's reincarnation of him, you will likely have to do the same after the two and a half hours of The Dark Knight.Easy. Easy. It wasn't bad. I liked it. I just had to reach deep into the inner

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-75316465731604587222008-07-12T03:14:00.007-04:002009-04-21T06:28:59.974-04:00

Arden ♥s this movie!!Couple things...1) This movie was automatically getting a heart from the opening moment. The first music cue is not only a song plucked from the dress up trunks and obsessive movie musical viewings of my childhood but a perfectly mischievous wink of a start to a fantastically compelling and beautifully crafted film.2) The Pixar gurus have got a lock on storytelling in

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-69995332884454820502008-07-09T06:15:00.005-04:002009-04-21T06:28:32.419-04:00

Not unlike the titular protagonist of A Clockwork Orange after being subjected to a random series of images I was unable to look away from...  there are some things that have been ingrained in my subconscious.  I will bring them to the grave.  Thank you, guy from  Swingers.I need to buy an Audi.  I need a cheeseburger.Robert Downey Jr. is not only a reformed drug addict and tragically flawed

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-6607043698194117732008-06-15T15:36:00.003-04:002008-06-18T12:31:02.758-04:00

Ok. Like most PTA movies, I'm sure this will be studied in a museum someday. And possibly the only way to enjoy There Will Be Blood is in a class at NYU film grad school circa 2028 entitled "Raising Cain: How the Auteur Theory Rendered Ego Deconstruction Useless". Join us next week for Eyes Wide Shut and don't forget that your papers on the latest chapter read in Truffaut/Hitchcock are due

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-23300423211959165652008-05-23T18:24:00.002-04:002008-05-23T19:06:46.738-04:00

All kinds of spoilers. Because that's how I roll.There was a point during this movie where I actually got severely suicidal. I left the theater 20 minutes in, wandered to the concession stand, bought a lot of crap to stuff my face with and then returned to my seat knowing full well that I had missed nothing. That nothing had been said or done in that 5-10 minute period that would be at all

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-61647894275074806092008-02-24T06:31:00.002-05:002008-02-24T05:45:48.986-05:00

Wrote this like 2 months ago. Sorry, guys. Really loved this movie. Loved it.I mean, watching Johnny Depp - JOHNNY DEPP - croon Sondheim's "Pretty Women" with the unadulterated bravata of the aspiring rock star he was circa 20 years ago... while seductively wielding a razor at the naked throat of the villianous (and can I just say bizarrely erotic) Alan Rickman...AAAAAAAAAHHHH! That's as

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-37757694495074630732008-02-24T05:21:00.004-05:002008-03-06T22:11:11.561-05:00

I just realized a lot of you have been reading the blog despite me not updating it in over like two months.nice going, junkies!i'll give you a quick update as to why i haven't been posting.1) i'm cooler now.that's really the only reason so i'll just explain why i'm cooler.(a) i'm writing and directing theater in los angeles and it's going well. got some good reviews. got some sold out shows.

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-76483217437115045672008-02-24T05:16:00.003-05:002008-02-24T05:19:36.702-05:00

the new beverly is screening this movie on march 15th at midnight. why?BECAUSE IT'S THE 10th ANNIVERSARY OF IT'S RELEASE!!!!!!!!!that means that without a doubt. i am officially old.ps, i grew up with ethan embry and he was my first kiss. i don't know what he's up to. i haven't spoken to him in a long time so don't ask me.pps, i had a shirt just like hers in this movie when i was 18. but i

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-48995141470802617792008-01-17T21:28:00.000-05:002008-01-17T21:30:01.873-05:00

New play cinephiles!

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-69860937478471004562007-12-14T16:16:00.000-05:002007-12-14T16:26:44.360-05:00

So yesterday... I woke up at 8am. And not unlike Henry Hill in the last 40 minutes of Goodfellas, "I had a busy day that day." So I'm doing my laundry at the sketchy laundry place near the 7/11 and I look up and the flipping Golden Globe nominations were announced. And this wave of relief and gratitude swept over me. Not only did I not care AT ALL but I was so happy that I didn't have to DO

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-54515761767255726762007-12-06T10:00:00.000-05:002007-12-06T05:12:13.246-05:00

Extremely enjoyable movie. About as harmless and girlishly satisfying as any of my guilty Ruffalo pleasures (13 Going on 30 or Just Like Heaven) but Enchanted has a wicked sense of humor to go with its sugarplum charm.Yeah. I can't believe I wrote that sentence either. I'm tired and I've been eating too much to compensate for feelings of inferiority lately. But also Enchanted puts you in that

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-81341950500993088962007-12-04T21:42:00.000-05:002007-12-04T21:44:47.024-05:00

Ahh... the reviewer gets reviewed!Check out an online review of my play, Cinephilia.

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-43124094247107195162007-12-03T15:54:00.000-05:002007-12-03T19:18:16.963-05:00

Here's my beef with director Todd "I don't compromise for anyone!" Haynes' new flight of fancy, a college art project of a Bob Dylan biopic, ingeniously entitled I'm Not There as if to stave off any kind of silly demand viewers may have for a purpose or narrative or point. My beef is... is Bob Dylan that interesting? He's a genius. He's a poet. He's voice of ye olde babyboomers. But is the

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-15592253030041672002007-11-19T04:51:00.000-05:002007-11-19T04:54:20.366-05:00

Because I don't really need it. Because I'm cloaked in failure!Man... this movie grows on me the older I get.

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-71454214461803668152007-11-15T22:28:00.000-05:002007-11-20T07:40:16.943-05:00

This movie hit me in the face. Go see it.It's very rarely that any recent film is about 3 to 5 steps ahead of me but this one was. Not that I'm so smart or anything. I just mean that most narratives are so stale and overwrought that I just instinctively start guessing what's going to happen next. Kind of a game I play with myself when I'm resentful that I just spent $11 on some overhyped crap

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-22656268859400477412007-11-13T15:47:00.000-05:002008-12-09T20:29:15.084-05:00

.....and I'm in love with you.Come see the play that started a blog that started a revolution.How hot are my actors?! Loving movies is easy. Loving people is hard. A relationship implodes in Williamsburg, Brooklyn one post-coital evening as a womanizing film fanatic, Johnny, makes plans to leave his long-infatuated lover, Arden, and his roommate, Plato, for Los Angeles. Over 200 films are

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17184065.post-91731268737077287022007-11-13T02:14:00.000-05:002007-11-14T21:32:24.429-05:00

I was reconnecting with a friend of mine from college a couple nights ago. We were swapping stories about the "dark times". You know... those times where we came very close to oblivion either by our own actions or at the hands of what Shakespeare described as "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune". She spoke of having a sudden panic of conscience. A terror that she would hurt and

Ardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07707306911152196832noreply@blogger.com5