Management

Why can't Jennifer Aniston find a decent movie to star in? Not that Management was indecent, or even that bad, but it was just . . . okay. Which is the assessment I would give every other Jennifer Aniston movie I've seen. Some have been sweet, some have been funny, some have been entertaining--most have been a mix of all three--but there's not an Instant Classic or even a New Favorite among them. Well, Office Space is a contender. But I argue that it's the script of that movie that is the genius of its soul, and Joanna the Waitress could have been played by any number of cute twenty-something actresses.

Anyway, Management is not Office Space. But it is somewhat sweet and somewhat funny and, for what it is (a cautionary tale against feeding a stray puppy that you don't really want to keep), it's a relatively worthwhile way of helping to pass the time while folding laundry or washing dishes.

By the way, is it just me, or does Steve Zahn look weirdly like Michael J Fox in this picture?

Julie & Julia

I wasn't overly excited about watching this movie. I vaguely remember hearing it was boring or dull or slow or something along those lines. There's just something about women finding and following their passion that sounds like it belongs in the same category as an "extraordinary true story" or a "heartwarming experience" or . . . or . . . I don't know, some other sappy cliché about inspiration that would be used to describe The Blind Side.

So I was surprised to find that I actually enjoyed this movie. And even more surprised to feel I could not stop watching it. I was sure there was something wrong with me. Because it actually was inspiring to watch Julie and Julia find and follow their passions, and under normal circumstances I don't do inspiring.

Speaking of inspiring, how could this movie not make me want to blog again? And really (I swear!) this had nothing to do with harboring an absurd hope that my blogs will ever turn into anything more than a trivial pursuit for me. Instead, it was all because I was reminded of how much I enjoy blogging purely for the sake of blogging alone.

An observation: Meryl Streep is so affected in this movie. It would have been really annoying if her portrayal wasn't so perfect an impersonation of the real Julia Child.

And something I learned: Did you know that if you don't dry meat, it won't brown properly? Now I know why I've been rinsing my chicken and patting it dry all these years.

The Slums of Beverly Hills

This is one of those weird little comedies that's more depressing than funny. It doesn't veer off into drama territory, fortunately, but it's definitely not one of those feel-good movies. And I'm kind of surprised they didn't just call it "Breasts," as that body part seems to be the major theme. (Though I must warn you, if you're now planning to watch this movie based on that statement, you'll probably be disappointed. I didn't say it should have been called "All Breasts All The Time.")

And I just realized that the reason I didn't see Alan Alda anywhere in this movie is that he and Alan Arkin are actually two different people.