Moviegirl, Meaty Edition
Saturday, January 21, 2006, 8:52 AM

Bringing this over from my AOL Journal.

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Best movies I've seen lately. Two thumbs-up, all of them. Had I been wearing socks at the time, each movie would've ripped 'em clean off my feet. Uh ... unless you're a glutton for punishment, I wouldn't recommend watching more than one of these on the same night. These are all intense dramas with a capital D.

Iron Jawed Angels with Hilary Swank
Based on a true story of what women suffragists in 1918 went through for women everywhere, just so women could vote. Heartbreaking and awe-inspiring. Kick-ass music, really beautiful (they're not offering the soundtrack yet, but you can hear snippets of the songs at the website). An absolutely riveting movie, one of the most compelling I've ever seen. I don't think I blinked the entire time. There's no doubt in my mind that this movie should be a required watch for everyone.

Yes, that means you.

Crash with Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser, just to name a few
Prejudice of all kinds abounds following 9/11. This'll break your heart, make you angry, make you think. So powerfully well done--actually, I think it was filmed with the same meticulous attention given to Iron Jawed Angels--it was almost like I was being hypnotized with imagery. Some of life's "crashes" may have seemed a bit coincidental to me, but that's how the movie so eloquently makes its point. Also contains beautiful, heart-throbbing music (the song Vision by Richard Souther was also played during Iron Jawed Angels).

Shattered Glass with Hayden Christensen
My honey! Based on the true story of a Washington, D.C., journalist, Stephen Glass, who fabricated people, places, sources and quotes for the amazingly entertaining stories he wrote for the topnotch magazine, The New Republic. The chutzpah of this young man knew no bounds. The movie chronicles his rise and painful, embarrassing fall. I had to watch through my fingers in some places. One of the extras on my DVD included the 60 Minutes interview with Glass. Shocking and amazing. A must-see.

The Laramie Project with Christina Ricci
A "fictional" documentary based on the true story of high school murder victim, Matthew Shephard. Seems weird, doesn't it? But it's another gut-wrenching, well-done movie worth the watch.

Boys Don't Cry with Hilary Swank (won an Oscar for her performance)
This one was difficult for me to watch. Very brutal in some places. The movie is based on the true story of Teena Brandon, a cross-dresser who preferred life as Brandon Teena. Going into the movie, I didn't know if I could forget that "Brandon" was really "Teena" but by the end of the movie, I had no problem. It was an important movie to see, but I'll never watch it again. Way too just RIP the duct tape off those boobs for me.

8 Mile with Eminem
I'm not into rappers and I really didn't want to watch this one, but the roomie talked me into it and I'm glad she did. I remember hearing good things about Eminem when the movie first came out and after watching the movie, I see why. A wonderfully graphic (fictional) look into the life of an angry, struggling music writer. I was amazed at how on your toes the rappers have to be in a head-to-head rapping contest. That's when the movie really shines. As a bonus, there's Eminem's sexay, intense stare. Really, a must-see.

Don't forget the popcorn. Or Kleenex.
4 Did the Unhingey Jiggy Engage in Unhingenosity
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