Zooey Deschanel, who seems to live her life as if the movie industry invention "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" were an actual thing, dropped out of university because "my specialness [was] not appreciated in this place".  She further comments on how rough it is to not be appreciated as the unique snowflake she is in an interview with Allure (via Gawker).  Good thing Hollywood is willing to fawn all over her in the manner which she deserves.

We're just learning that famously reclusive American author J.D. Salinger died yesterday at 91. Ninety-one is a good, long run, so there's nothing to be said here along the lines of "so young" or "too soon" (though, in some ways, it's always too soon). Because he stopped writing and hid from the public eye for so long, Salinger was more myth than man during my lifetime. He came to stand in for his most famous creation, Holden Caufield, and Holden came to stand in for sad, lost outsiders in pop culture in a way that eventually came to do the character and his novel a disservice (I remember thinking, while re-watching  (500) Days of Summer recently, that the movie wore is allegiance to The Catcher in the Rye a little too on its sleeve). 

Anyway, I've never been one for eloquence in the face of death, so I've gathered instead a few pop culture influenced thoughts:

• Franny and Zooey was Judy's favourite book on Once and Again when she added herself to her Book Lovers wall.
• The "Fuck You" monologue from 25th Hour is probably my favourite reference to The Catcher in the Rye in anything I've ever seen, in no small part because it references my favourite passage of the book.
• Pretty much the only thing about the late 90s Fred Savage-starring sitcom Working that I remember is the episode where Fred finds out his boss never read Catcher and recommends it, only for it to convince the boss that he should run away in order to be more like Holden. Specifically, he wanted to ride the rails, hobo-style, and I was disappointed when I read the book, and Holden didn't do that. Holden takes the train like a regular passenger and is depressed crumby luggage. I think the point was that eventually you get too old to read The Catcher in the Rye for the first time, the same way I was told that I would outgrow Ferris Buller's Day Off after I finished school. Neither of these things are true.

IMDb's guess the quote of the day:

Movie/TV Quote
Tom: People don't realize this, but loneliness is underrated. 

I shall claim the shout out for the following three reasons:

1. Underrated is November's theme.
2. I almost always use the month's theme as the keyword when I search for a quote from IMDb to use as a title for my blog post that will link to my article of the month.
3. I am a champion of both Joseph Gordon-Levitt and (500) Days of Summer.

Whoo! Long weekend. But after last week's bounty, does Ottawa have anything left to watch?

Hurrah! (500) Days of Summer, which Dana Stevens called an "almost a classic romantic comedy," is finally here.  I've only been telling you about it since forever (or since earlier this month or, um, March). As you already know, I think break-up movies make for the best romantic comedies. Add in Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and you know you are going to get my butt in a seat this weekend.

Funny People, which you already know all about due to its omnipresent adverting, also opens everywhere under heaven today. I had been excited about this one until I read some middling reviews this week. A flawed, deeply personal film seems to be the consensus. Ah, I'll probably see it anyway. Eric Bana looks great in it, and we share a birth date. Surely that bond is worth my ten dollars. 

500 Days of Summer is one of the movies I have been looking forward to this season. It's unlikely to be a blockbuster, but it's got Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and that's enough to get my butt in the seat every time. It's Marc Webb's feature debut. He comes from the world of music videos, which makes him unknown to me. I'm very glad to read that he and I share a movie philosophy:

Every movie, in some way or another, is a coming-of-age story.  

So true. Movies follow an arc, and that arc should change its characters. It doesn't have the change them for the better, make them more mature or responsible. Sometimes it only shows them harsh, ugly sides of life, making them a little tougher or cynical.  We go see movies with big explosions and crazy premises, but we only connect to the stories. They're the vital centerpiece. 

Okay, forget what I just wrote. My love of robots and things that go ker-blooey has been instantly superseded by my love of Joseph-Gordon Levitt. The trailer for 500 Days of Summer is finally available!