My gal pals have never seen Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot so we went to go watch it at the infamous Cinespia! Some Like It Hot must be Wilder's most popular and beloved film. It was certainly my first film of his and it's undeniably one of the most funny and witty films I've ever seen. We ate our favorite snacks, snuggled up with some blankets, and laughed for days! That last line in the film is one that will forever be engrained in my memory for life. It's a classic!

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I got the extreme pleasure of interviewing the filmmakers behind 3rd Street Blackout, Negin Farsad and Jeremy Redleaf. Their film was selected as one of the very few gems for Los Angeles Film Festival's Feature Narrative section and I loved it so much! Witty, charming, and thoroughly relevant in our technology inundated realm, 3rd Street Blackout is a knock-out. Read below!

Negin Farsad and Jeremy Redleaf, writers, directors and stars of 3rd Street Blackout, talked with Associate Programmer So Yun Um about their film, which also stars Janine Garofalo, John Hodgman and Ed Weeks. The story follows neuroscientist Mina and her hacker boyfriend Rudy, a picture-perfect, prototypical hipster couple who live, work and love across digital platforms. When Hurricane Sandy pummels the city and knocks out the power in their neighborhood, at first it is romantic. But when Rudy discovers an indiscretion that Mina kept secret, they must learn to navigate on analog terrain, or risk losing their relationship. 

Is this a story that happened in real life?

Negin: We were both in the hurricane zone after Hurricane Sandy. I was actually dating a guy and I had a relationship that was intensified because of the black out and I live on 3rd Street. And some of the characters [are based on real people]–like the chill master across the street is a real guy who’s played by Arthur French but the real chill master is a guy who appears in the film and says hello to the chill master. The guy at the card shop that I go to all the time plays the father of the actor who runs the card shop. There are real life people from the neighborhood. The band lives in my building and what not.

(read the rest of the interview at Film Independent)

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Year: 2014

Director: Jeff Baena

Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon

Country of Origin: U.S.

Rating: R

Time: 91 mins

Just when we were all getting pretty sick of Zombie films, the co-writer of I Love the Huckabees (2004) and who is also Aubrey Plaza's boyfriend, Jeff Baena, decides to explore the world of the "zom-rom-com" with Life After Beth. We first witnessed the birth of the zom-rom-com genre last year when Warm Bodies made it's cutesy debut and it's clear that this is a genre that is here to stay. Although the zombie genre has been sucked dried, ripped apart, and pummeled to death at this point, props to Baena reviving it in this decently refreshing and endearing take on modern day romance with a black humor twist and the biggest help from its all star indie cast!

The film begins with Zach (Dane DeHaan) distraughtly asking the store clerk if they have any black napkins, it is assumed that he is going to the funeral. It is soon revealed that it is the funeral of his unexpectedly deceased girlfriend, Beth (Plaza) who got mysteriously got bit by a spider/bug (?) of sorts. After Zach has a grieve-induced bonding experience with Beth's parents played by none other than John C. Reilly and Molly Shannon, they soon become distant towards him upon learning that Beth crawled her way out of her grave and came back to life. Unable to process the logic behind such an act, Zach blindly becomes deliriously drunk in love (cue Bey's song!) by Beth's oddly normal and resurrected presence and embarks on adventures he regretted not doing with her when she was alive. Even though Beth has no recollection of herself dying or breaking up with Zach, she is not the same Beth they know and love. AKA, she is exactly everyone's worst nightmare. Beth is supersonically violent, aggressive, absent-minded, and physically filthy. I mean come on, she is a zombie who is technically deteriorating right before our eyes guys. 

All though the premise is treading on tepid waters, it is the indie cast that keeps this hellish relationship comedy afloat! For both of the leads, DeHaan and Plaza play characters they have not portrayed from their polar opposite roles in The Amazing Spiderman 2 and Parks and Rec, respectively. DeHaan is a Dracula reincarnated with his all black attire and his undeniably endearing and potently convincing love-strucken act while we see Plaza ditch her usual dead-pan stance to embrace a more dramatically colorful costume such as being a flesh-devouring zombie who is emotional! Horray! And who doesn't want to see Reilly and Shannon play delusional and lovable parents who just want their baby back! Awwww...

Clearly, this is a movie about puppy love because once Beth's mental and physical state starts rotting away, so does Zach's love for her. We all know how this story starts and ends but it's the immensely humorous and eerie vibes in between that keeps the film's heart beating a little bit louder and longer. With so many all-star players who I've mentioned and others I haven't (secret), Life After Beth is one of this year's feel good indie summer flicks that you won't regret watching. And if you do, you have my permission to ravage and ingest my flesh. ;D

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I had heard about Frank when it premiered at Sundance Film Fest earlier this year but before I saw it at LA Film Fest, I wasn't so sure if I even wanted to see it considering it's far-fetched premise was about a leader of a eclectic music band who sports a fake head. But after I watched it, I wholly fell in love with its pensively profound premise that spoke such volumes about our generation of artists living in this digital age. This is one of the rare times I have ever seen Fassbender (possibly a first) in a comedic role and he pulls it off wonderfully. The premise actually goes deeper than the advertised premise that is equally refreshing and enlightening. It is the perfect musical comedy to end your summer with! And who else wouldn't want to see Maggie Gyllenhaal in all her aggressive and badass glory?! Definitely be sure to check out this week!

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Jenny Slate is baaaaaaack! I had not known who Jenny Slate really was before being introduced to her painstakingly hilarious character Mona-Lisa Saperstein on Parks and Rec. Had I known she was the voice is the DARNEST CUTEST animated short, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On and been on SNL, I would've, would've, would have.... done nothing. My motto is better late than never. AMIRIGHT?! After her contract was not renewed due to the possible eff up when she dropped the F-bomb on the first episode of SNL, she decided to take on feature films full throttle! And thank god she did because now, we get to witness Gillian Robespierre's Obvious Child a game-changing rom-com flick that changes the discussion of abortion on screen. It is genuinely laugh out loud hilarious as Slate plays an aspiring stand up comedian, Donna Stern who recently gets dumped by her boyfriend, loses her job, and then accidentally gets pregnant by her one night stand! All of this sounds beyond shitty but the movie makes light of the situation in endearing and humorous ways.

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I recently visited Netflix after not being on it for while and almost fainted when I realized that one of my top films of 2013, Noah Baumbach's Frances Ha was on Netflix Instant! Not even just on Netflix but it is streaming! Amazing. Then naturally, I saw a plethora of other amazing films I've been DYYYYING to see and am elated that Netflix is making my life that much easier. So here's a list of films that were newly released (see list) and some that caught my eye that I think are worth watching.

1. Frances Ha (2013, Noah Baumbach) Streaming & DVD

Surprisingly, this film vlog of mine is the most viewed on my channel and it's no wonder why because this is one of his most accomplished films to date. It resonants on so many levels. A

2. Only God Forgives (2013, Nicholas Winding Refn) Streaming & DVD

I actually enjoyed this one (peep this review) despite that after my first viewing of Drive, I was one of the few that didn't like it as much. Only God Forgives on the other hand, really was like a perfect acid dream. B+ 

3. Europa Report (2013, Sebastian Cordero) Streaming & DVD

Europa Report showed at LAFF '13 and I should have done a review of this but obviously got too lazy (not a good enough reason!). But no doubt, this was one of the best low budget science fiction stories I've seen in a while. It plays on the reality of being in space and all the responsibilities and risks that come with the challenges of venturing in space. I loved it for the sheer fact that it didn't go for cheap tricks but just told the story like it is through found footage. A

4. Pacific Rim (2013, Guillermo del Toro) DVD

Pacific Rim was one of the big blockbusters this past summer that I truly loved (oogle at this review) Despite what other film critics say, this is one film in which the CGI overrides the story content and makes the movie that much better. Definitely worth watching but please watch it on the big screen with a deafening sound system. B+

5. The Heat (2013, Paul Feig) DVD

This estrogen-charged buddy cop film couldn't have been done better than Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. Even though, they followed a lot of buddy cop genre conventions, it was hilarious and refreshing to see these two unlikely pairs in action. (Gander at this review) B-

6. Blackfish (2013, Gabriela Cowperthwaite) DVD

Blackfish is one of the most important documentaries to come out in 2013. Excruciatingly devastating and potent, it shatters the happy facade of SeaWorld as it unveils the horrid condition and treatment of their killer whales. I did had a little beef with the construction of this film but overall, very effective. (Sob with this review) B+

7. Prince Avalanche (2013, David Gordon Green) DVD

It is humorous and touching but this film didn't fulfill me as a viewer as much as I wanted it to. Great soundtrack from Explosions from the Sky. (Gawk at my review) B-

Other films I've been wanting to see (streaming):

What Maisie Knew (2012, Scott McGehee)

Computer Chess (!!!) (2013, Andrew Bujalski)

Kon-tiki (2012, Joachim Ronning & Espen Sandberg)

V/H/S 2 (2013, Various Filmmakers) 

We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks (2013, Alex Gibney)

A Band Called Death (2012, Mark Christopher Covino & Jeff Howlett)

Haute Cuisine (2012, Christian Vincent)

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Nicole Holofcener's new film Enough Said, starring Julia Louis Dreyfus and James Gandolfini is one of the most genuinely hilarious films I have seen as of lately. This is a good final role for Gandolfini as it portrays himself in a different light that showcases the range of talent he truly had as an actor. Sadly, there is not much substance to this film besides huge laughs but who cares! B-

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