Larissa Rewatches Movies She Hates: Dazed and Confused

to be fair, I rewatched this months ago and really don't want to do it again.

Dazed and Confused... you ALL love this movie. It like "defines a generation" or some crap like that. I was part of that generation. I grew up in a small town that not many people left. Matthew McConaughey's character really exists and he is not that charming/handsome/interesting.

When this came out I was just starting my escape from that town. High school was barely a year behind me and I HATED high school. I ran as fast as I could from it (which realistically takes 2-3 years) and ended up in the city. Maybe not the one I belong in but that one that is close and the one that is home 20 or so years later. I saw it around that time.

tonight I tried to watch this 10 minute montage of clips and even it annoyed me.

It takes place in the 70's but in the early to mid 90's it was basically the same.  Stoners and cool kids and parties.  This movie takes place in a bigger town than mine (that is Gummo and I will never watch that one again, ew) at the end of the school year. Everyone is getting all "revved up" for the big party in the woods

For those of you who did not grow up in small towns, yes we really did have parties in the woods, we were all excellent at peeing outside. You might not think this is a useful skill but it is, trust me.


I digress.

I love movies about high school but not movies that remind me of ACTUAL high school. You couldn't pay me enough to do that shit again.

So yes, this is a good movie since it does a great job of showing that part of life, it makes me so angry and sad and I still hate it.

Larissa Rewatches Movies She Hates: Dirty Dancing

So recently I was talking to my dear Elle about movies I hate everyone loves. Her and I met on the internet arguing about such things. While time has not made me like Tarantino any more we wondered if time would change my opinion of some of my most hated films.

I started tonight with Dirty Dancing.



When this movie came out in 1987 I was in FULL Lost Boys/Stand By Me obsession. I was a weird girl, even at 13. It's kinda when I started becoming weird.

So Dirty Dancing... the movie everyone, especially Gen X-ers, love? I hate.

Tonight I watched it from start to finish again. I still don't get it.



It's the story of Francis "Baby" Houseman, a girl who is obviously not like other girls. She is smart and thinks for herself. She also naturally wants to change the world. Her dad is a doctor, mom a cookie cutter doctor's wife and she has a vapid sister who wants to marry the rich awful boy who is in law school.  It takes place at what seems like the worst place on earth, I will complain less about summer camp because of this.

The "entertainment" staff at the resort are trouble and they are ones you don't want your kids associating with when you are a big (handsome) doctor from the city. Right, Jer?



Jerry Orbach is the second most handsome man in this movie (because who I am kidding Swayze was SEXY).

Well of COURSE Baby thinks for herself and quickly learns that the staff has the best parties and has lots of sex. She also wants to make them think she is different from all the other rich girls. The poor kids naturally don't buy it because a rich girl could't possibly understand REAL problems.

While trying to help the poor kids by flaunting her money and free time Baby is mesmerized by Johnny's hips and disobeys Daddy and continues to see him. OF COURSE.


OF COURSE Johnny falls for Baby, OF COURSE everyone learns that classism is a little wrong and OF COURSE they kiss at the end.



The best thing, and really only redeeming thing after the aforementioned Swayze hips, is the soundtrack. Albeit not genuine to 1963, even the modern songs blend pretty well. Except the random Pointer Sisters, but I think they had a deal with a Deity to be on every soundtrack in the 80's.

So this movie is still terrible and feels more cliche, even though I am sure it did then. It will not be removed from my Top Hated list.

#fangirlproblems

Can you be a fan of something without being a fan of the source material?


I don't like comics. I just don't. I have tried. Season 8 of Buffy, The Umbrella Academy, The Walking Dead and various others I was told I "had to" read over the years. I. JUST. DONT. LIKE. THEM.  I can't explain it but I just don't

So this raises the question, can I be a fan of things based on comics as their source material? Can I be a fangirl of these things?  Can you like a movie based on a book if you never read the book?

Of course we CAN, there is no way to stop how you feel about something (pop culture or otherwise). But is it a fandom faux-pax?

A friend I have had for quite some time is a comic fan, before I post things or tell him things I can hear his anger. Honestly, it's hilarious to me at this point and sometimes I post things JUST for this to happen. I live to argue with this friend, it's basically the basis of our relationship.   Recently with my involvement in the Arrow and Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D, fandoms purely based on the TV shows, this has become more heated.

Fandom is different. I am always hesitant to call myself a fangirl, since there are so many negative connotations associated with this term. Comic nerds are hip and cool now, fangirls are their obnoxious little sisters.  There are a lot of posts here about me being a fangirl, there is even a tag for it. I am not crazy, I do not stalk celebrities (though Norman Reedus might beg to differ, jk), I do not think the fandom or any of it's components owe me anything. Actually, I hate these parts of fandom, because of them I avoid common fandom like things.

                                         









I do like hot boys




I. JUST. DONT. LIKE. COMICS. What I do like is TV and movies.  LOVE TV and movies, I always have. So I will always lean toward this medium.  So when things are adapted to either of these things of course I am going to lean towards them. In the case of Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D (and Avengers) they included Joss Whedon, who is basically the king of fangirls.  So yeah, I am going to like these things, I am going to run tumblrs and liveblog the shows (who does that? not me!). Does this make me inferior to my friend who reads the comics but doesn't watch the shows? Or just different?

The beauty of media is that there are so many different outlets.  If you don't dig one you can always try another. I am not a musician but I love music, I can't draw but I like art. I don't like comics but I like the stories and characters that come from them.

Is it wrong? Does it make me a lesser fan? Do I actually care? No.

Do I love to argue with my friend? Do I enjoy the things I do without guilt? Has fandom made my life better? Yes.

Everybody wins.

everybody also ships Steve/Bucky

I Love Chick Flicks

I do, I really really do. I watch them mostly when I can't sleep, which is often. Mostly this is because they are so mindless and predictable they lull you to sleep.

 Which is why I should hate them.

In most circles I am what is considered a movie snob, I will always prefer the original to the remake. If I even WATCH the remake. I see foreign films, I LIKE foreign films. Slow and boring? COUNT ME IN!!

But DAMN I love me a lousy RomCom. Tonight there is hockey on TV. I remembered months ago I DVR'd some terrible movie and started watching it (until the boy came home and hockey was turned on, and still is on so I will finish watching my movie once it is over)

Not all RomCom/Chick Flicks are bad, some are actually pretty great. Here are five of my favorites that you may have overlooked.



1. Happy Accidents Starring Vincent D'Onofrio and Marisa Tomei 

this is an odd one but OH SO GOOD. I grabbed this when working at a video store and deciding to have a D'Onofrio day at home on a day off. What a great random find. I cannot recommend this enough.



2. Music and Lyrics starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore

Hugh Grant is like the KING of RomComs. Many have tried to dethrone him but none have succeeded in my mind. I can tell you one thing this is not going to be his only appearance here.

This movie is sickeningly cute and is everything everyone hates about RomComs.

But is does have a pretty great soundtrack and you get Grant as a aging pop star and gems like this:



3. Love Actually starring basically everyone

I might as well get the other Grant film out of the way co-starring with Colin Firth (another perfect romantic lead), Snape and Nanny McPhee, Rick Grimes and Keira Knightly being less annoying than usual.

This is also one of the best Holiday movies ever and I watch it every Christmas.  Then there is Bill Nighy ... Solid Gold Shit


4. Love Me If You Dare starring Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet

An early Cotillard film (2003) that is stunning and funny and dark... very dark.

This film is in French, but suck it up it is also brilliant and one of my favorite films



5. I Love You Phillip Morris starring Ewan McGregor and Jim Carrey

Upon seeing this my friend Jesse commented "It's like they made a movie just for you" (I am sure he was meaner but I forget the exact wording) and it's true. This movie is everything I love.



Whether or not you like Chick Flicks or not these are all excellent movies (except for maybe Music and Lyrics which is just cute). Feel free to share some picks of your own.

Post Con Sadness

This weekend my girls and I went to Philly Comic Con. As usual fun was had and we touched many hot boys. After this weekends there is always a sadness that comes. For days your heart is racing and there is SO MUCH stimulation that you wonder how your brain and body can stand it.

It can't

Today I slept until Noon, I sat around in my PJs all day and barely did anything but my laundry. I also ate badly and snapped at my boyfriend.
AWESOME.
At least I haven't looked at my bank account and cried yet.

Tomorrow I head back to work in FULL FORCE. I am working OT and just jumping the fuck back into it. I have had most of this last month off. It's been glorious.

Over the weekend I thought about this blog, how I should write about fandom things, not just rant about them on Tumblr with naked GIFS and CAPSLOCK. How I have a lot of things to say. How I should be doing this to reflect on things and help me enjoy all these things. A break from my stupid customer service job.

Because MAN is it stupid.

Something needs to happen, I need to write. Write things that are not characters of my favorite shows fucking (WHO DOES THAT NOT ME WHO ARE YOU LOOKING AT). Will anyone read it? Maybe not but I will share it and see what happened. Both with readers and with myself.


SO HI EVERYONE, welcome back to my blog.

Off-Target Audience

HBO has been telling us for months how much we will love it's Judd Apatow produced show "Girls". Telling us it is a realistic view of young women in their 20's making it by in New York City. Kind of an anti-"Sex in the City" of sorts.

you know these girls and I bet you don't like them in real life


 I gave in, I generally like things Judd Apatow is involved in....

One of the best shows on TV EVER!!!


 So I have it a shot, I had high hopes. I was expecting great things.

Then it started.

The pilot introduced us to the main character, entitled and privileged. Oh yeah and she is an artist or writer or {insert other nonpaying creative outlet here} There is nothing about her to like, she thinks her parents have to support her and that they should feel honored to do so. The world is SO HARD and it obviously not enough that your parents worked hard to provide you with everything for the last 25 years  including paying for at least 4 years f a very expensive liberal arts college.

Disclaimer: I have nothing against people with expensive liberal arts degrees

The show was awkward at best, not funny awkward, just awkward. This character is supposed to be in her mid-twenties. She sighs and complains like a 13 year old through the whole 1/2 hour. Ending with getting OMG WASTED with her friends because she has it SO HARD AND LIFE IS SO UNFAIR. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE A STARVING ARTIST WHEN I AM NOT ACTUALLY STARVING?!?!?!



I hate it. That is 30 minutes of my life I could have been watching my cat puke and been more entertained. I have heard how subsequent episodes have gone. Funny gave way to offensive.  Offensive and awkward is lazy lazy writing. Kind of like writing a BSDM Twilight Fanfic and suddenly having a bestselling novel that is a national craze (But that would NEVER happen right? Oh..... right...)

 Sorry HBO you lost me. See you in June for True Blood.

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If I am going to watch a TV show about spoiled New Yorkers The CW has had that covered for 5 seasons now... Gossip Girl. I have no shame, it is one of my favorite shows on TV. It about spoiled children of NYC privilege.

Wait, didn't we just go over this? Yes. Yes we did. Except that was the bad version.

These people are nothing like me. They never told me I had to "identify" with them or that I was one of them. I'm not. I did not go to a fancy private school, I did not grow up in Manhattan society (which I to this day remain bitter about, but that is another day), I am not young and tailored and gorgeous.

The girls on "Girls" are exactly these things, except that they also think that just their regular lives are interesting and clever and cool. They're not. They are also not attractive but that has nothing to do with any of this.

See even New York Magazine says so... that means something right?


One of the things I love about Gossip Girl is that the city is one of the characters. Another thing I love is that it really doesn't take it's self seriously. The writing is not groundbreaking, but it is what it needs to be. Interesting, clever and accurate.  You are supposed to hate these kids, but you also kind of like them.

Except for Jenny Humphries, you never like her


They are vicious and mean to each other but also love each other. You know like you and your friends if you had a closet full of shoes that were $1000 a pair, fucked your best friend's girlfriend and did nothing but drink and do drugs from 18 to 25. Oh.... right, you did.





I am a fan of prime time soaps. My new favorite show is "Revenge" I am pretty excited for the "Dallas" reboot. But I also just enjoy good TV.


So stop watching "Girls" start watching "Gossip Girl" You will like yourself more and thank me for it.

It Gets Better

I am not gay. But as many people who are my friend may have noticed I support gay rights with every fiber of my being. Recently there has been an influx of organizations due to the rise of suicides related to bullying.

These are two I enjoy:
http://www.itgetsbetter.org/
http://fckh8.com/

(I was going to post a video here but go to the sites, watch them ALL)

Like I said I am not gay, I wasn't even bullied to the extent of some people I knew. But high school? Something you couldn't PAY me to to do again. Especially now, with things like Facebook. I was bad enough being called a "skank" or "witch" (these were the two favorites) while walking down the street, I can't imagine being in the safety of my house and being bombarded by it then too.

Life after high school? AMAZING. You have the chance to get out of your small town if you choose. You start to do things with your time that YOU want to do. You also start working, which as much as it sucks it better than school. Even my crappy first job at BK Lounge was better than high school.

Something else happens... you meet people like you.

When I was 21 I moved into the Boston area. Suddenly I felt like I could breathe. The people around me didn't care who I was or how strange I thought I was. They didn't know my past, nor did they really care.

I started making new friends & connecting with some old ones. In a few years I had officially left that small town and all it's hate behind me. Like I mentioned, I was not bullied, just made fun of, I never will equal my high school experience to the torture some people went and continue to go through.

BUT IT DOES GET BETTER

These times shape you as a person, they make you feel. Those people you hate so much? It's no lie... high school WILL be the best years of their lives. Which looking back at it now is sad and so very much deserved.

They are assholes.

All the rest of us? There are more of us out in the real world. Hell we RUN the real world. It's pretty great out here.