Collin and francesco's Movie Review Blog

Big Fan

2010-01-14T12:45:00.002-05:00

Big Fan

Big Fan came out this past tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 to rent. This movie was all right. It had a good plot, good beginning, but it did not execute or finish well at all. All in all, I honestly wouldn’t recommend it as a must see movie at all. But at the same time I wasn’t completely bored.

Written and directed by Robert Siegel, writer of the 2008 indie film the Wrestler, and a reporter for the Onion, this dark comedy takes you into the life of NY Giants fanatic Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt, Spence from King of Queens). He is a loyal fan through and through. Every night he calls in sports radio stations to defend his giants against his archenemy Philadelphia Phil, and even writes down what he has to say. His life is simple. He is a parking attendant, lives with his mother, and lives for the giants. One night, he and his friend see their favorite giants player, Quantrell Bishop filling up with gas in Staten Island. They decide to follow him and try to get his autograph. They end up following him to a club in Manhattan. Paul tries to approach him to get his autograph. At first things go ok, but then Paul mentions how they followed him from Staten Island. This freaks out the football star, and he beats Paul into a bloody pulp. Waking up in the hospital days later, Paul tries to come the grips of the fact that he was beat up by his favorite football star. Now he doesn’t know if he should sue Quantrell, or give him jail time, or drop the charges so that he could play for the Giants and possibly get them to the Super Bowl.

The movie had its great moments. There were some very funny parts. I enjoyed watching the scenes with Paul’s family. Like when Paul confronts his brother on the toilet about pressing charges against Quantrell. Or when Paul gets in a fight with his mother over the phone while Paul is talking on the sports radio. But these moments didn’t last the whole time. There were some very dull parts through out the movie. As I said before, the gun was loaded, but it only shot blanks instead of death bullets.

This movie did have a lot of language. Some of it just sounded forced. But it is the way people talk in Staten Island. But it is R for lots of language. So if you’re not a fan of the F word, don’t bother to see it.

My Excused Absence

2010-01-14T12:15:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone. I know I don’t have very many fans or followers, but I want to give you a reason of why I haven’t updated my movie blog in months. I was getting ready for marriage, and my girlfriend/fiancée decided to end our relationship and not try at it anymore. It was a sad day. I went through months of depression and reflection. But now I am all better. I have learned many many things, and I am a better man for going through the things I went through. So with that, I am back in the game with my reviews and opinions on movies.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

2010-01-13T12:51:00.000-05:00

I saw The Fantastic Mr. Fox over the thanksgiving break. It was honestly amazing. By far, my most favorite Wes Anderson movie ever made. It was so fresh, so original, and so funny. I honestly loved so much about it. Its claymation, but then its not. Its just fresh.

If you are not familiar with Wes Anderson, he has done movies such as Bottle Rockets, Rushmore, The Darjeeling Limited, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and The Royal Tenenbaums. His wit is hard for everyone to embrace, but if you get his sense of humor, his movies are pure brilliance. But its defiantly dry humor and wit.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="560" caption="Wes Anderson"][/caption]

The Fantastic Mr. Fox is based off the book by Roald Dahl, who also wrote James and the Giant Peach, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The Fantastic Mr. Fox (George Clooney) is the story of one Mr. Fox and his wild-ways of hen heckling, turkey taking and cider sipping, nocturnal, instinctive adventures. He has to put his wild days behind him and do what fathers do best: be responsible. He is too rebellious. He is too wild. He is going to try "just one more raid" on the three nastiest, meanest farmers that are Boggis, Bunce and Bean. It is a tale of crossing the line of family responsibilities and midnight adventure and the friendships and awakenings of this country life that is inhabited by Fantastic Mr. Fox and his friends. Through out the movie, the many characters make this movie a riot. Bill Murray plays the badger, and Mr. Fox’s “different” son is played by Jason Schwartzman so perfectly.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Bill Murray as the Badger"][/caption]

Here is a list of the wonderful cast.

George Clooney ... Mr. Fox (voice)

Meryl Streep ... Mrs. Fox (voice)

Jason Schwartzman ... Ash (voice)

Bill Murray ... Badger (voice)

Wallace Wolodarsky ... Kylie (voice) (as Wally Wolodarsky)

Eric Chase Anderson ... Kristofferson (voice) (as Eric Anderson)

Michael Gambon ... Franklin Bean (voice)

Willem Dafoe ... Rat (voice)

Owen Wilson ... Coach Skip (voice)

Jarvis Cocker ... Petey (voice)

Wes Anderson ... Weasel (voice)

Karen Duffy ... Linda Otter (voice)

Robin Hurlstone ... Walter Boggis (voice)

Hugo Guinness ... Nathan Bunce (voice)

Helen McCrory ... Mrs. Bean (voice)

Adrien Brody ... Field Mouse (voice)

As you can see, this movie is stacked with brilliant actors and actresses. But what made me love this movie the most was how original the art of it was. I have never seen a Claymation movie done so beautifully. Now I am not heavily involved in the clay movie-making world, but this is by far one of the coolest movies done with clay that I have seen in a long time. It made my jaw drop. The way the shots were set up, or how they would use the most random household products to make certain effects. Like cotton for smoke. It was brilliance to see all the creativity used in this movie to make it so entertaining. So it was claymation, but then again it wasn’t.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2igjYFojUo

Besides the artwork being so fresh and a change of pace, the writing was pure funny. Instead of saying the F word, they used the word cuss. It was hilarious to hear them use the word cuss after everything. Little kids might not have gotten it, but adults sure did, and it therefore made it really enjoyable to a lot of people.

The soundtrack was a really fun listen. 1. “American Empirical Pictures”*

2. “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” - The Wellingtons

3. “Mr. Fox in the Fields”*

4. “Heroes and Villains” - The Beach Boys

5. “Fooba Wooba John” - Burl Ives

6. “Boggis, Bunce, and Bean”*

7. “Jimmy Squirrel and Co.”*

8. “Love” - Nancy Adams

9. “Buckeye Jim” - Burl Ives

10. “High-Speed French Train”*

11. “Whack-Bat Majorette”*

12. “The Grey Goose” - Burl Ives

13. “Bean’s Secret Cider Cellar”*

14. “Une Petite Île” - Georges Delerue

15. “Street Fighting Man” - The Rolling Stones

16. “Fantastic Mr. Fox AKA Petey’s Song” - Jarvis Cocker

17. “Night and Day” - Art Tatum

18. “Kristofferson’s Theme”*

19. “Just Another Dead Rat in a Garbage Pail (behind a Chinese Restaurant)”*

20. “Le Grand Choral” - Georges Delerue

21. “Great Harrowsford Square”*

22. “Stunt Expo 2004″*

23. “Canis Lupus”*

24. “Ol’ Man River” - The Beach Boys

25. “Let Her Dance” - Bobby Fuller Four

If you are having doubts about seeing this movie, ignore them and go see it. You wont regret it. I promise. It’s worth your time.

Management

2009-10-27T12:05:00.002-04:00

Management

I rented this movie on a limb. I saw it at the Redbox kiosk, and said, “aw what the hell, ill try it out.” What made me want to get it the most was that Steve Zhan was the main character. I loved him in Happy Texas where he was an ex-con posing as a gay beauty pageant director. He is great in a lot of movies. So that’s why I rented it. Really knew nothing about it.

It was actually really good. I was surprised. What surprised me the most was how plain Jenifer Aniston looked in the movie. Ok, to the real stuff of the movie. The plot of the movie is great. Steve Zhan (Mike) works at his parent’s motel. He is the maintenance man. His life is more or less the same everyday. He lives in Arizona, and they rarely get interesting people coming through. So one day when Jenifer Aniston (Sue) comes through, Mike is automatically smitten by her. He comes by her room every night and brings her random gifts. When those fail, he tells her that he likes her butt, and she lets him touch her butt. They start a little fling. Mike flies out to Maryland to try and pursue her. It doesn’t work out. He ends up taking a bus back to Arizona. Then she comes back to Arizona, and it doesn’t work out again. She leaves. Mike wants her back, so he travels to Maryland to find her, and finds out that she is living with her ex boyfriend who is a “punk” played by Woody Harrelson. Mike goes to Aberdeen to find her, and gets a job at a Chinese restaurant and makes best friends with the funniest Chinese guy ever. They are determined to win Sue back for Mike. After a while, Mike becomes a Buddhist monk, but gets asked to leave when getting to intense about volleyball. Then he tries one more time with sue…

Might have given you to much info about the movie, but trust me, it goes way more deep than that. This movie is extremely funny and quirky. Through out the movie I was laughing, and just feeling bad for Mike. He is just so in love, and doesn’t know what to do about it. Steve Zhan stole my heart in this film.

Jenifer Aniston didn’t to do bad in this movie. I liked her character. I have never seen her play a character quite like this. She was dull, boring, and played it safe. She wasn’t outgoing, and dressed really plain. She wasn’t hot at all.

Woody Harrelson and the Chinese friend were so funny in this movie. Woody plays this ex-punk rocker, and does a very good job at it. He cracked me up through out the movie. The Chinese dude was just dope. He had great one-liners, and made the movie have very good balance.

This isn’t a movie that focuses on cinematography, or editing. It was a romantic comedy. It also had a great soundtrack with songs mostly by The New Pornographers. All in all, this movie flowed together very well. I liked it so much that I bought it on Amazon immediately after renting it. It’s a movie I would like to own in my collection for a long time.

Where the wild things are

2009-10-17T12:22:00.005-04:00

Before this movie came out, I was extremely nervous. I was afraid that it would be overhyped (which it kind of already is in the states thanks to Urban Outfitters). I was afraid that my tattoos on shoulder and stomach from the book would become a fashion trend (even though I got them years ago) and that the movie wouldn’t do the book any justice. I was mostly wrong. Just mostly. It wasn’t perfect, but pretty darn close to how I would have done it.

Spike Jonze directed the movie. For those who don’t know him, you should know that he is pretty much a genius. He is the mastermind, along with the Beastie Boys behind Crailtap (Girl skateboards, chocolate skateboards, Lakai…) and has so much imagination. He has made such movies as Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. His most famous works are probably Jackass 1 and 2. I am assuming more people have seen those movies than his others. He started out doing skate videos, then music videos for the Beastie Boys, and just worked his way to the top. He is a true artist in every sense. He was the perfect director for this movie.

The crew behind this movie was excellent. You had Dave Eggers ( as the writer, Spike Jonze as director, and Maurice Sendak as the producer. All of them pure artist in their own way. Maurice wrote the greatest children’s book. Dave Eggers is one of the best humor writers, and Spike Jonze is just crazy.

The plot of the movie is the same as the book, expect it takes it to a whole new level. In the book, the story goes that Max gets in a fight with his mom. He tells her that he will eat her up, so she sends him to bed without any supper. Upset, Max stomps to his room. All of a sudden, his room starts turning into a forest, and then he hops on a sailboat and sails to a land where the wild things live. He declares to be a king, and becomes their king. They just play and have fun. Max then becomes homesick and sails back home. When he gets home, supper is waiting for him, and it’s still hot. The movie follows that, expect adds more drama to it. In the movie, Max is struggling to be accepted and fit in his family and world. His family thinks he is annoying and hyper, and he doesn’t seem to have very many friends. When trying to get his mothers attention while her boyfriend is over for dinner, Max over reacts and bites her, and gets sent to his room. Instead of going to his room, Max runs away into a forest. He finds a sailboat, and starts sailing into the big blue ocean. He finds an island, and monsters live there. He approaches them with no fear, and wants to be there friend. He tells them that he was a former king, so they shouldn’t eat him. They come to trust him through his lies, and do what he says. He tries to make all the monsters happy, especially Carol, and they begin to build a big fort. When Carol finds out that he doesn’t have any powers and isn’t a real king, he becomes very angry and tries to eat Max. Each monster represents his emotions, Carol obviously being his abusive Dad that caused his mom to be single. Max escapes by hiding in KW’s (his mom) mouth, and then goes to his boat to return to his mother. It was a very sad goodbye between Carol and Max. I might have cried. Not sure though.

This is not a kid’s movie in my opinion. I feel that it is too sad for children. This is definitely a movie for adults who grew up as children reading the book. Adults who have dealt with real life, and can relate to Max. They can relate to Max in the sense that they just want to get away from it all sometimes and be someone else. The whole over all tone and mood of the movie is very depressing. It’s an emotional movie, with lots of interpersonal battles. Carol, the main monster, has a hard time controlling his anger. Some of the monsters have a hard time controlling their depression. With all these personalities clashing together, conflicts arise.

Granted, the movie is PG, but the overall tone isn’t kid friendly. I would have no problem taking a kid to see this movie, I just don’t know if they would be entertained as much as I was during the movie. I thought that the writing was sheer brilliance. It had its own flavor and style to it. These monsters were cool and funny as crap. They had real personalities, personalities of people you meet every single day. Max was every ADHD child you can think of, who had a running imagination. He was probably a lot like Spike Jonze as a child. Max and the monsters were casted perfectly, and they worked so well together.

The soundtrack was excellent. Karen O (singer from the yeah yeah yeahs) did a great soundtrack. It fit the movie perfectly, and gave it its ups and downs. It is worth buying and listening too.

The cinematography was very good. So many scenes I wanted to keep as a snap shot. They did such a good job with lighting and unique angles. It was honestly beautiful.

All in all, I wouldn’t have changed a thing about this movie. I thought it was perfect. I don’t think there could have been a better adaption of the book than this movie. I am glad that Spike didn’t make it for the masses either. It wasn’t made for everybody. Majority of people will not like this movie and will disagree on my review. They could think it’s too sad and depressing. But this movie wasn’t made to make everyone happy. This movie was made to make a classic children’s story come to life, and it did. I loved it so much. It was honestly done just right. I walked out feeling so relived. It didn’t disappoint me at all, and I don’t think that it will become a movie that everyone will see. Which is good and bad. But I think it was done just right. I honestly wouldn’t have changed a thing about this movie. It wasn’t to long, to short, to scary, to dark. It had its funny moments, and its sad moments. It was pure beauty.

Zombieland

2009-10-13T20:23:00.002-04:00

Zombieland

Wow. Let me start out by saying WOW! This movie was awesome. So many things I loved about this movie. In all honesty, I can’t think of negative things to say about it at the current moment, which is because I am so stoked on it. It reminds me a lot of Shaun of the Dead. I don’t want to make an outlandish statement saying one is better than the other, but currently Zombieland has my heart. It has all the things I want, zombies, hot chicks, comedy, and gore. Plus it has Woody Harrelson and Bill Murray.

Earth's population has been decimated by a virus, related to

the mad cow disease, that turns everyone into flesh-craving zombies. Only a handful of humans remain, including Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), a student at the University of Texas trying to make his way to his hometown of Columbus, OH, where he hopes his parents are still alive. Columbus has long been an outsider and somewhat phobic, which he uses to his advantage in avoiding zombies. In fact, zombies are not his greatest fear: clowns are. In order to stay alive, he has created a list of rules, rules that he always follows no matter what.

While walking down the highway, he encounters Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), driving an Escalade. He is trying to get to Florida and kill as many zombies as he can on the way. Tallahassee agrees to give Columbus a ride as far as Texarkana. When they stop at a grocery store in hopes of finding Tallahassee's coveted Twinkies, they fight off three zo

mbies then find two teenage girls, Wichita (Emma Stone) and her younger sister, Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) in the storeroom.

From there, it’s a series of cons back and forth, and killing Zombies, and they end up traveling together to get to a theme park in LA based on rumors that zombies are not there.

This movie had a lot of good things going for it over all. The flesh eating zombie scenes were awesome. Killing the zombies was even cooler. Woody Harrelson is a master at killing zombies, and uses many cool weapons to do so. Jesse Eisenberg was brilliant. At first, I thought this is a wanna be Michael Cera, but he is something new and fresh and not as annoying. Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin worked very well together, and made a good sister team in the movie.

Did I mention it was very funny? Bill Murray was excellent in it. He had a good cameo in it, and his brief moment in the movie was classic. All in all, the movie was a good laugh and riot.

Surrogates

2009-10-01T12:41:00.001-04:00

What to say about this movie… Well, I guess one thing I could start off by saying is that this movie was entertaining and did have some value to it. But on a scale of 1-10, I give it a 5. I don’t know if I am being generous or harsh with the 5, I want to give it a 4 but I felt it was to mean. Also, I am not the biggest fan of sci-fi stuff either. Compared to majority of sci-fi films this one actually could be believe able.

I compare this movie to kids being addicted and obsessed to games like “The Sims” or world of war craft. Games where you build your own world around you, and be who you want to be, look like what you want to look like, and do what you want to do, and live your life through these games. People are living their lives remotely from the safety of their own homes via robotic surrogates -- sexy, physically perfect mechanical representations of themselves. It's an ideal world where crime, pain, fear and consequences don't exist. When the first murder in years jolts this utopia, FBI agent Greer (Willis) discovers a vast conspiracy behind the surrogate phenomenon and must abandon his own surrogate, risking his life to unravel the mystery.

There are things I hate and like about the movie. The things that I really liked where the special effects. I thought they were pretty cool. Seeing Bruce Willis looking like a doll and jumping from buildings to buildings was pretty cool to see. It had some good action sequences, and some very good twists to the plot. I liked that there wasn’t to much bad language, or any sex scenes. It was pretty clean for the most part.

The movie had bad acting though. I cant pin point why it bothered me, maybe it was the writing, but I remember being bored with the dialogue majority of the time. Bruce Willis isn’t exactly the greatest actor in the world, I mean he is good, but this movie had no body to really support him well enough to make this a block buster. I personally think he is getting to old for these cop action movies, way to old.

Ma vie en rose

2009-10-01T12:38:00.001-04:00

This was a very fun movie to watch. It’s a French Belgium film, and it gives you a very different look and point of view of children, homosexuality and confused little boys. No one in the movie actually is gay, but the main character of the movie is struggling with his identity as a male, and he is only 7.

Ludovic is a young boy who can't wait to grow up to be a woman. When his family discovers the little girl blossoming in him they are forced to contend with their own discomfort and the lack of understanding from their new neighbors. Their anger and impatience cave and Ludovic is sent to see a psychiatrist in the hopes of fixing whatever is wrong with him. Then the town flips when Ludovic plays the part of snow white in the school play, and tries to get kissed by a boy at his school. The town drives out the family. A movie that addresses trans-gender and gender issues in general through the eyes of a child.

This is movie is very funny, and very sad at times too. But all in all, it’s a drama with humor through out it. What impressed me most about this film was the character development of the mother and the father. At the beginning, the father was raged at his little boy, and the mom tried to help understand what their son was going through. Towards the end, the roles switch, and the father accepts his son and loves him, and helps his wife to accept their son and love him too. It made me really happy to see the changes that they made, and the fact that they accepted their son for who he was, or wasn’t. It is very hard on parents to accept that their child could not be normal, and they fear for the child more than anything else.

The little boy who played Ludovic did an amazing job. He had long hair, and at times he did look like a girl. But I thought as a child actor, he did a phenomenal job. You could tell that this little boy really believed he was a girl trapped in a boy’s body, and you felt so bad for him for being so confused.

The ending of the movie was really good. It was a good change and outlook on life through a child’s eye and their choices. This movie is worth renting for sure

Rudo y Cursi

2009-10-01T12:30:00.002-04:00

As you can possibly tell, I am soccer nut, and love to watch soccer movies. The beautiful thing about soccer movies is that they are made in many different languages. Unlike baseball or American Football movies, which are all made in USA, soccer movies are made world wide, and it is a world wide loved sport.

This movie however puts an interesting twist on soccer. In this sport, you can be big one day, and dead the next. The trick is holding onto your fans.

Mexican half brothers Beto and Tato - who will eventually be appropriately nicknamed Rudo (rough) and Cursi (corny), respectively - have a typical love/hate relationship with each other. They both work on a banana plantation and live with their extended family consisting of their mother, abusive stepfather, sister Nadia, and Beto's wife Toña and their children. The family are rural peasant class and are barely making ends meet. The brother's fortunes change when into their lives comes Batuta, a soccer scout. Despite their advancing ages, both Beto and Tato are naturally gifted at soccer, Beto as a goaltender and Tato as a striker. Playing professionally has always been Beto's dream, although Tato has other professional thoughts on his mind. Batuta eventually recruits both for different teams in Mexico City. Beto and Tato's fortunes rise and fall, the falls based on those things which hold more passion for the brothers. For Tato, he loves fast women, specifically television spokes-model Maya, but he loves singing even more. He would give up his soccer career for one in Mexican country singing, if only he was any good at it. For Beto, his passion is gambling. Although Beto is up front and straightforward about most things in life, he would lie and cheat to hide his gambling problem and debts. They just have to keep these alternate passions in check to make their soccer lives lucrative ones.

This movie by no means is anything amazing though. It’s kind of slow, and has awful music in it. That could be part of the joke of the movie, but it got on m

y nerves after a while. But I thought it was a good rags to riches story, and how fast you can go up and down in life.

I personally loved the character of Cursi played by Gael García Bernal, who was Che in Motorcycle Diaries, was in Babel, Y tu mamá también and The Science of Sleep. He is a very good actor, and I love him in all of his movies. He was very funny and corny in this movie, but not that good of a soccer player. In the mov

ie itself, you don’t actually see him play soccer, or that much soccer playing, you mostly see him cheering after a goal and the crowd’s reaction towards it.

This movie is rated R, and there is some nudity

in it. If they took out this one sex scene, this movie would be PG-13 with out a doubt. The language isn’t all that bad. I cant remember if there was a lot of F words or not, but I know there was some in there. But I thought it was a good movie and I didn’t think it was a waste of my time.

Whip It

2009-09-27T16:43:00.002-04:00

Whip It, not to be confused with a popular song from the 80’s by a four man band wearing odd red hats resembling Lego pieces made for giants is the debut film from Drew Barrymore. Like many other actors Barrymore has gone behind the camera to take her turn at calling the shots though still appearing in the film, her main role however was orchestrating this roller-derby opus.

The film portrays the story of a Texas high school girl played by Ellen Page secretly falling in with a group of tattooed roller-derby freaks against the wishes of her pageant pursuing mother. Anyone familiar with her role in Juno will be equally endeared by the role she plays though less pregnant this time around. The Texas sized heart of the film lies in the struggle the main characters have in forging their own destiny separate from what friends or family would want for them. As Page breaks away from her mothers will she becomes more rebellious thus adding to the changes affecting her and those for whom she cares.

Where Barrymore truly shines as director is getting the right actors in the right roles assembling a cast as delightful as they are diverse. Whip It includes SNL’s Kristen Wig, Death Proof’s Zoe Bell, Eve, and Juliette Lewis as some of the roller-derby dames. The film also pulls in Arrested Development’s mischievous Maeby aka Alia Shawkat, Andrew Wilson (the lesser known Wilson brother), and even Jimmy Fallon finds an appropriate role as the roller rink announcer.

What will surprise viewers though is how Barrymore resists the urge to fill scenes with needless dialogue instead letting the images see the story through. Drew accurately animates a middle class America without glamour but not without comfort or charm. Barrymore also turns in a world class playlist guiding the movie gently along to The Ramones, The Raveonettes, Little Joy, .38 Special, Radiohead, and ever talented Dolly Parton.

Though the plot can be recognized early on Whip It is a simple and enjoyable story that may not win over the masses but will certainly strike it big with the Fox Searchlight indie market. Whip It is the first chick flick in recent memory that is such without overburdening viewers with taxing emotions but not without the bumps and bruises that come along the way. Where chick flick meets contact sport.

Goal! The Soccer Trilogy

2009-09-25T14:25:00.002-04:00

Goal! The Soccer Trilogy

I don’t know how many of you have actually heard of the movie Goal! I don’t think it was ever released in theatres, but you could defiantly rent it at your local blockbuster or Hollywood video, or do as I did, and buy for $2 on Amazon. Now was it worth buying all three of the movies?... Sort of. The first two were alright, but the third was just awful. Pure awful!

The first movie is called Goal! The dream begins. It tells the story of a gardner, Santigo Muniz, from Mexico working in LA, and playing in a local soccer league in the city. He had no direction in life, and was just working for his fathers landscaping company, and just plyaing soccer. While playing at a local soccer game, a former New Castle United player was there watching. What he saw was amazing skill in this young Santi Muniz. He told him if he was ever in England, to look him up and he would get him a try out with New Castle United. Santi took it seriously, and took him up on that offer, and flew there and risked everything to try and make his dream come true. Playing for the EPL is no walk in the park.

Goal 2 is Santi getting traded to Spanish Giant Real Madrid, and having all the money get to his head, and he ends up putting his money ahead of everything. While playing in spain, he ignores his fiancé, finds his long lost mother and brother, and makes stupid mistakes.

Then Goal 3 comes along, and its porbaly the worst soccer movie ever made. It was pure awful. It was about the world cup, but instead of Santi playing for Mexico, it focuses on his two friends from Real Madrid playing for Englands national team. Santi is barely in the movie. It was just pure crap.

Typically, these types of sports movies are not that interesting. Remember the titans set a pretty good standard, and ever since then people have been trying extremely hard to make an emotional sports film. Lets just face it, all of them are cheesy. Goal is cheesy, but the soccer play in it is quite entertaing to watch. Kuno Becker, who plays Santi Muniz actually isn’t that bad of an actor. He did bother me to much in this movie. But non the less, the first two Goal movies are actually watchable in my opinon. They are watchable, but they aren’t a must. Goal 2 is more entertaining than the first one, only beacsue of the live footage of Real Madrid games, and the final game agisnt Arsenal with great shots of Terri Henry.

Extract

2009-09-17T14:43:00.001-04:00

Anyone seeking to relive what has become comic relief in workplaces all across North America thanks to Mike Judge’s 1999 classic Office Space will unfortunately come up with a case of the Mondays in his newest film Extract. Though no TPS reports will be filed in Extract, instead it’s actually an extract factory that plays the back drop to this new workplace disaster, the film is a genuine failure at recreating the questions and problems that plague every working class thirty something trying to make their way in the world.

Though the workplace has provided as a great subject for TV and film the problem with Extract is that it simply did not flow. The film largely follows a recipe similar to Office Space. You have Jason Bateman as the burnt out boss, John Reilly plays the annoying neighbor, and even Gene Simmons makes an appearance as the tough talking lawyer (which is actually one of the better scenes). Also making contributions are SNL’s Kristen Wig, Ben Afflek, and Mila Kunis. Despite assembling a notable cast Mr. Judge came up short in actually giving them a descent or believable storyline of which to go off. It actually feels more like a rambling incoherent collection of thoughts than a solid piece of hand crafted cinema. The film does have a few moments of glory but unfortunately they are almost all for the most part played out in the film’s trailer.

Overall the film just didn’t live up to expectations. Certainly it would have been nice to have this film workout but until Mike Judge can come up with something better Office Space will remain his masterpiece.

Movie-Moron's top tens list!!!

2009-09-16T00:08:00.002-04:00

This is a list done by my good friends at Movie-Moron. They have compiled some intresting list of movies and one liners from bond to vampires. This is a must read and must see.

Top Tens

Top Ten Zombie movies

Damned United

2009-09-15T01:45:00.002-04:00

The Damned United

This was a fun movie to watch. I am personally a big soccer fan, and love to follow the sport as much as possible. This movie didn’t really focus on the athletes of soccer, or so much the game play itself, but more on the coaching and managing aspect of the game. Its not a foul movie, a few F-words every now and then, but for the most part a pretty clean movie and a fun watch.

This movie was directed by Tom Hooper, who did the John Adam series on HBO, and is doing the remake, or another version of East of Eden that’s coming out in 2009. The movie is about a loud mouth former English superstar taking over England's top football club Leeds United, previously successful manager Brian Clough's abrasive approach and his clear dislike of the players' dirty style of play make it certain there is going to be friction. Glimpses of his earlier career help explain both his hostility to previous manager Don Revie and how much he is missing right-hand man Peter Taylor who has loyally stayed with Brighton & Hove Albion.

If you are a soccer fan, especially one of Leeds United or the EPL in general, I would recommend seeing this movie. It isn’t a blockbuster, or anything special. It is an interesting movie, and a good glimpse on how some of the business side of football works. I learned some things from it actually, and it was a good piece of history to watch. It’s always fun to watch movies about soccer that actually happened.

I really enjoyed watching the flashbacks of the movie. It kept on going back and forth between his time at Derby and Leeds united. I thought that the writing was really good, and thought that Michael Sheen (Brian Clough) did an amazing job. He was supported very well by Timothy Spall (Peter Taylor) who is famous for Peter Pettigrew in the Harry Potter series. They worked really well as a team, and had many great English actors to carry the film on. The Leeds United football team really was full of douches, and they did a good job at being ones.

You know what, life is short, so go see this damn movie and enjoy it!!!

2009-09-14T10:12:00.000-04:00

Julie & Julia

Julie & Julia as most people know by now (I realize I’m quite behind on reviewing this one) is the film adaptation of a book by Julie Powell; Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen. The book is the result of the popularity Mrs. Powell attained while blogging about her attempts to cook her way through the iconic Julia Childs French cookbook; Mastering the Art of French Cooking one day at a time for one year.

Just as masterful as French cuisine Julie & Julia is a savory blend of two true stories being portrayed by four fantastic performances. In fact it would be hard to conceive Meryl Streep not getting an Oscar nomination for her rendering of the quirky 6’2’’ Julia Childs (just watch of video of her on YouTube to understand the job she did). Stanley Tucci also turned in a great performance as the husband of Mrs. Childs. Opposite their couple is the modern day chef Julie Powell and husband played by Amy Adams (Doubt, Sunshine Cleaning) and Chris Messina.

The movie follows both women as they turn their passions for cooking into a career. However how they accomplished their achievements is not as simple as it would seem, and much like a complicated recipe you rarely get it right on the first try. Julie & Julia more than a glorified two hour food network special is a genuine story of the all so troublesome quest of finding your niche in life. Viewers will see both women progress and grow in a interesting character development that goes from the brink of despair to success au cuisine.

Machine Girl

2009-09-13T04:03:00.002-04:00

Machine Girl

This movie was seriously amazing. I think this is the best B-rated gore fest film I have ever seen. There is no swearing, or nudity or drug use in the movie, just pure gore and violence. Sometimes it’s funny, and sometimes is disturbing, it varies every couple of minutes. Yes, that’s how much violence there is in the movie, it varies between funny and disturbing every scene. But it is so worth the time to watch it. I rented it on instant queue on Netflix.

The plot of machine girl isn’t too complicated, but leaves plenty of excuse for total revenge and carnage. Ami is a typical college girl. She's bright, friendly, popular and athletic, with nothing to set her apart from other girls her age other than the fact that she is an orphan, left to care for her younger brother after her father committed suicide after being falsely accused of murder. But while there is tragedy in their past, the siblings' future looks good, except for one thing. Ami's brother has racked up a considerable debt to another boy at school, and that boy just happens to be the heir to a clan of vicious ninja-yakuza. Ami's brother can't pay, violence breaks out and in the course of trying to avenge her brother, Ami is captured by the clan. They torture her and hack her arm right off. Ami escapes, barely alive, and is taken in by the owners of a machine shop who build her a customized, bullet-spewing arm. From that point, the quest for revenge is on in earnest

Honestly, the first 5 minutes of the movie is amazing. If you rent this on instant queue and watch the first five minutes, and don’t like it, then don’t finish the movie. But if you love the first five minutes, then your in for an amazing ride. In fact, ill put up a clip of the first five minutes, and If you love it, then rent it asap!!!

Its obviously to violent to watch with the faint of heart, and children, and not the best date movie, but its funny and violent and just unreal. Extremely gory, but clean in language. See it!!!

Band Slam

2009-09-13T03:59:00.002-04:00

Band Slam

So I saw this movie at the dollar theatre, and trust me it was worth a dollar, but nothing really more. This movie was awkward to watch because pop kids take cool music and try to make it main stream and appeal to the Jonas Brothers fan base. So for some reason it really bothered me. I don’t want Jonas Brothers tweeners to know about the history of the Velvet Underground from a main stream movie with Disney pop stars. Besides me being upset about the music they talk about in the movie, the movie actually wasn’t all that bad. It was pretty funny, and it was funny to see Vanessa Hudgens play a depressed anti-social girl.

Teenager Will Burton lives in his head, and his head is filled with music. When his mother, Karen Burton, gets a new job in New Jersey, Will starts his junior year at a new school only to find the old cliques still apply, but rock-n-roll rules the scene. Perpetually a misfit, Will strikes up a friendship with like-minded outsider Sa5m (the 5 is silent). They are both surprised when the school's "it" girl, Charlotte recruits Will to help assemble a band to compete in "Bandslam," a battle of the bands that is "Texas High School Football BIG." Charlotte's ex-boyfriend Ben Wheatly is poised to win with his band Glory Dogs - Springsteen wannabes down to their hats. For the first time in his life, Will finds he is uniquely suited to not only participate in something, but to truly make a difference

All in all, I didn’t really like this movie. Not the biggest fan of it. I was really bummed that I had to sit through the whole thing, and that the music they played really wasn’t that good.

I think this photo says it all, this movie is cheesy and is trying hard

The Hurt Locker

2009-09-01T10:21:00.002-04:00

The Hurt Locker

I finally saw this movie. Its been in theaters for a while, and I was a little scared to making the commitment to see it. Everyone told me it was intense, but not really a plot. Everyone was right. I was on the edge of my seat the whole movie, but I noticed there was really no plot nor character development. It was just a guy in a bomb suit going into different scenarios defusing bombs. And thats it. Well, there is more depth than that, but really it was just a reality check on war. I have never seen a war movie that felt more real.

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who directed the the best Swayze and Reeves movie ever, Point Break, showed us in the Hurt Locker what war is like in middle east. It takes us into the lives of the most dangerous job in the world, disarming bombs in the war. When a new sergeant, James, takes over a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst violent conflict, he surprises his two subordinates, Sanborn and Eldridge, by recklessly plunging them into a deadly game of urban combat. James behaves as if he's indifferent to death. As the men struggle to control their wild new leader, the city explodes into chaos, and James' true character reveals itself in a way that will change each man forever.

When the bombs are being disarmed, your heart is racing. You keep wondering if they will blow up or not. Very intense scenes. Especially when he finds a car full of bombs, or a bomb implanted in a little boys body. But all in all, its just a crazy redneck showing no fear when approaching a bomb. In the end, the crazy Sargent goes home, and realizes that he only lives for one thing, and thats the thrill of almost dying, and goes right back to the war.

Good movie to see in theaters, but just so you know, there isn't much of a plot or character development, and there is lots of F-bombs. But it is intense and suspenseful throughout the whole film.

Paris 36 (Faubourg 36)

2009-08-31T15:40:00.002-04:00

Paris 36

It's hard to keep track of all the cool French films out in the market these days. It seems that they come out very underground like, and they like it that way. But the production value of the films is very far from underground, much like this movie Paris 36.

Paris 36 (Faubourg 36) is a French film about a small community in Paris during 1936. A man is charged with murder. He is Pigoil, the aging stage manager at Chansonia, a music hall in a Paris faubourg. His confession is a long flashback to New Year's Eve, 1935, when he discovers his wife is unfaithful and Galapiat, the local mobster, closes the music hall. Over the next few months, Pigoil loses custody of his beloved son, Jo-Jo, and must find work. Pigoil and his pals take over the Chansonia as a co-op; Galapiat is momentarily benign. Their star is the young Douce, a girl from near Lille for whom Galapiat lusts. She in turn falls in love with Milou, a local Red. There are ups and downs, but mostly ups - but what about Jo-Jo and what about the murder?

This movie is a fun watch. Beautiful music, amazing shots of Paris in the winter time, and beautiful singing. There is much laughter and much sadness throughout this film, and its a great ride for your emotions. It was truly a splendid French film to watch.

The movie is appropriate expect for a quick boob scene. Though the movie is pg-13, there is no swearing or anything like that. Just a random boob scene that wasn't really needed. Other than that, its a harmless movie that is fun to watch. Catchy tunes.

Victory (1981) Great Soccer Flick

2009-08-30T23:13:00.001-04:00

Victory (1981)

Have you ever seen or heard of this movie? I ran across it accidently when I typed in the word “soccer” on Amazon, and came across it on the 3^rd or 4^th page. It was on sale for really cheap, and I read that Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine and Pele were in it, so I thought it couldn’t hurt by buying it. Trust me, it didn’t hurt one bit. I actually feel way cool for having this movie in my DVD collection from now on and forever.

Directed by John Houston, who really never did anything to good before his death in 1987, expect Annie, did this movie to express his love for the sport of football (soccer.) Starring once again, the big names of Stallone, Caine and the ambassador of soccer, Pele. The plot of the movie is about Nazi’s trying to prove to Europe that they are better than everyone in everything. In a POW camp, a Nazi officer recognizes the English soccer star Colby (Michael Caine) and talks to him about setting up a friendly soccer match. It soon turns out to be war instead of a friendly soccer match. They end up bringing in prisoners from other camps who can play the game to make it more even, because the Nazi’s decided to put them up against there all star team. Hatch (Stallone), the American, is determined to get on this team any way possible, as he thinks it’s a plan to a perfect escape from this camp and back to America. He ends up as the goalie. The only person who actually makes this team good, is recently captured prisoner from Africa, Luis Fernandez (Pele) who still has some good health in him. Do they win the game against Nazi Germany, or lose and just escape? Its one hell of a movie to watch and find out.

First off, let me say that Pele is a horrible actor. In this movie, they give him barely any lines, and he mostly does amazing ball juggling skills and bicycle kicks to make up for his poor speaking. I have to say though, it was very entertaining to watch. Stallone was actually quite funny in this movie. I really liked him for a change in this movie. Typically I am not a Stallone fan outside Rocky and Rambo, and I like those because they are a bit cheesy. But he is very good and clever in this movie, and reminds me of someone I would want to hang out with. Caine is a bitter old guy as he is in most movies, but this time he is bitter for a reason, and becomes what the war and the POW’s need, a reason to play soccer and forget everything else.

All in all, this movie isn’t superb acting, but it is fun to watch. If you are a soccer fan, I recommend this movie over many other soccer movies. It’s a great watch, with a pretty good plot that draws you in through out the movie. Rent it, or buy it for really cheap on half.com or amazon.com.

World's Greatest Dad

2009-08-23T11:30:00.002-04:00

World’s Greatest Dad

I saw this movie thinking it would be something that it wasn’t, and I wasn’t the biggest fan of this film. I thought that the plot was way messed up, and almost disturbing. What was even more disturbing was the fact that Robin Williams was dating a woman that is 25 years younger than him. It was just awkward to see.

Lance Clayton (Robin Williams) is a poetry teacher at a private school and a failed writer. He has a son, who can be easily summed up in a couple of words, a douche bag and a pervert. Lance tries to be the best dad that he can, but his pornography-addicted son wont let him love him at all. No matter what he tries, he can’t be the best dad, an accomplished writer, or even compete with the younger teachers that fight for his younger girlfriends heart, who is also a

teacher. Then all of sudden, tragedy strikes, and Lance’s son Kyle dies while masturbating (gross I know). Embarrassed by this, as any father would be, Lance makes it look like a suicide with a poetic suicide note. That note made it big, and was published. People were begging for more writings from his dead son Kyle, so Lance fakes a journal by him and gets it published as well. He wins the girl, and the fame. The question is, does he keep going with it, blow his cover or get exposed? Either way, it’s a screwy thing.

All in all, I didn’t like this movie and I can’t say I would recommend anyone to see it. First off, at the end of the movie you see Robin William’s dong, and secondly its repulsive the way the son talks about women and pornography. There were some funny parts in the movie, and the plot was good, but Robin Williams should be playing a grandfather rather than a father of a teenager, and he just didn’t have his usual charm in this movie. Bottom line; don’t see this movie, not really worth your time.

Adam

2009-08-18T08:40:00.001-04:00

Adam

Have you ever heard of Asperger's Syndrome? Do you know what it is?

For a long time when people have heard the word Autism, or Asperger's Syndrome, it is almost treated like cancer. People think that they are capable of functioning, or even having the basic relationship. The story of Adam cancels out all those factors, and shows that people with Asperger's Syndrome struggle, but are just more open with the child inside.

Starring Hugh Dancy (Confessions of a Shopaholic) as Adam and Rose Bryne (Crazy stalker girl in Wicker Park) as his next-door neighbor and lover named Beth, this movie takes you into their relationship and the ups and downs of it. Adam has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, and people with it therefore show significant difficulties in social interaction, along with stereotypies and other restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development. So people with it in fewer words are too smart for themselves. In this case, Adam knows everything there is to know about telescopes and the technology behind it, and about the universe. Beth, his neighbor is a schoolteacher who is aspiring to be a children’s book writer. They start dating and her father disapproves. Her father is a lawyer, and wants her to marry someone who is successful and has lots of money, and Adam at the current moment is far from that. Beth’s Dad faces criminal charges for illegal business that he did, and when Beth needs comfort the most, Adam isn’t there to give it to her. He gets a great job in California, and is asked to leave Manhattan, and wants Beth to come with him. Does Beth leave with him and marry him? Or does she stay and end the relationship?

This movie was very touching for me. Personally, I know people with Asperger's Syndrome, and I can only imagine how hard it is for them in this world. There were many ups and downs throughout this film. There were times where you wanted to bury your head in your hands because you just wish Adam would say the right thing or would know what to do. There were also times when Adam and Beth’s relationship was going just right and you were very happy about it. Then there were times where there was difficulty in communication and it made it hard to watch Adam express his feelings.

All in all I liked this movie. There was no language in the movie until one scene where Adam and Beth fight, and some swearing is involved. Other than that, this movie is as clean as a whistle. I recommend seeing this movie because it can teach us a lot about people with Asperger's Syndrome, and it gives us a good reality check.

District 9

2009-08-14T22:51:00.003-04:00

District 9

It’s not at all what you expect. The trailers are misleading, and it’s a very good thing.

This has to be one of the most original movies about aliens I have seen in a long long time. Let me retract that statement, this is the most original movie about aliens ever! This movie has a lot of hype to it, and it might live up to all of it, but it for sure has the best special effects of any movie this summer. Some parts of the movie were slow, and kept you thinking, “I thought there would be more violence”

Directed by Neill Blomkamp and presented by Peter Jackson (LOTR, King Kong) this movie talks about the life of aliens, or prawns as they are called in the movie, living in Johannesburg, South Africa. Thirty years ago, aliens made first contact with Earth. Humans waited for the hostile attack, or the giant advances in technology. Neither came. Instead, the aliens were refugees, the last survivors of their home world. The creatures were set up in a makeshift home in South Africa's District 9 as the world's nations argued over what to do with them. Now, patience over the alien situation has run out. Control over the aliens has been contracted out to Multi-National United (MNU), a private company uninterested in the aliens' welfare - they will receive tremendous profits if they can make the aliens' awesome weaponry work. So far, they have failed; activation of the weaponry requires alien DNA. The tension between the aliens and the humans comes to a head when an MNU field operative, Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), contracts a mysterious virus that begins changing his DNA. Wikus quickly becomes the most hunted man in the world, as well as the most valuable - he is the key to unlocking the secrets of alien technology. Ostracized and friendless, there is only one place left for him to hide: District 9.

This movie was brilliant in many ways, but it was not perfect. In a way, it almost felt like I was watching a movie about the video game called Halo. The beginning was very funny, dry humor that you would find in most British comedies. Then it went to more serious, to scary, to very sad. It wasn’t an emotional roller coaster, but the mood changed throughout the film. Main character Wikus Van De Merwe played by Sharlto Copley was amazing. Pretty new to the big screen, Copley impressed me very much that I wish he were a million times more famous. It’s hard to explain why he was such a good actor, but the main thing that got me was that you feel in love with him, and there was so much emotion and love in his character. It felt very real watching him.

I would recommend seeing this movie for many reasons. 1. It is hands down the best movie out in theatres currently. 2. It has amazing special and visual effects. 3. It’s not your typical cheesy starship troopers alien type movie. 3. It doesn’t have any of the Wayne’s brothers in it. It was a very funny, sad, and intense movie with good alien gore in it. Not a good date movie, not to romantic at all.

The movie is rated R for violence, and a couple dozen F-words. All of it was in South African accents, so some of it wasn’t understood very clearly, but there was lots of swearing. Not so much that I wanted to walk out or that it ruined the movie for me, but enough for me to step back and say “wow, they didn’t need all those F-bombs in there” Other than the violence and language, the movie is pretty clean and safe.

Funny People

2009-08-14T19:20:00.001-04:00

Funny People

What happens when a funny person faces a life threatening illness, his funny friends try to support him and somehow in the end he defies the odds and miraculously heals?

What you have of course is the latest by funny man director/writer/producer/sometimes actor Judd Apatow. For those familiar with 2007’s Knocked Up the recipe remains basically the same, namely three parts comedy, two parts drama, and to finish it off a nice crass comedy shell. No the film doesn’t really leave much to the imagination, no surprise punches here. It’s not shocking that much of the comedy revolves around bodily functions and male genitalia. Seth Rogan is his usual funny but less over-weight of late struggling comic character that serves as the moral glue between the characters floating around in this dilemma.

However what is different about the film is the role played by Adam Sandler which is not his typical comedic shtick(basically every movie he’s ever done with the exception of Punch Drunk Love). Though he plays a fictitious movie superstar and comedian he shows a dark side to offset his comic characteristics. Sandler also provides viewers with an interesting look into the life of a Hollywood star on the brink of death with little to show for all his talent. Another of the uncharacteristic and refreshing characters Apatow provides is that of Jason Schwartzman as the self obsessed douche bag of a roommate to Seth Rogan. Another pleasing role reversal from what we’ve seen from Schwartzman in the past.

Despite the familiarity with the plot Funny People still has its charms. Judd Apatow gives the audience a view from backstage into the life of comedians both large and small. Funny People proves that sometimes people never really change but is that all so bad?

Whatever Works

2009-07-31T11:13:00.002-04:00

Whatever Works!

I just recently saw Whatever Works! The new film written and directed by Woody Allen. It’s your typical Woody Allen movie where the main character might as well be Woody Allen himself and the character he plays in every movie. But that is the charm that comes with Woody Allen.

I am a big big Woody Allen fan, and I have to say this is my least favorite out of all the Woody Allen movies I have seen. Typically his rants about atheistism and religion, and his negative view on society doesn’t really bother me. I find it rather humorous, like in love in death, but this one had a different twist to it.

No doubt the movie was funny. I found myself laughing very loud during some scenes, like when Larry David would be going off on random tangents of why he is a genius and how he feels bad for everyone else who isn’t. The plot itself was very funny. The plot is that Larry David, a man who had it all, was bent on ending his life. He was a teacher at Columbia, and had money. He tried to commit suicide but failed, and ended up divorced, with a limp living in the Bronx. To make money he teaches children how to play chess, and more than likely ends up loosing his cool and calling the children idiots.

One night while walking home, a homeless girl played by Evan Rachel Wood approaches him and asks him for some food and a place to stay. She is from the deep south of Mississippi, and is 18, and ran away from home to spite her mother.

Boris Yellnikoff (Larry David) decides to let her stay till she can find a job and save some money. Her name is Melodie St. Ann Celestine, and slowly becomes a Boris herself. She adopts all of his random rants and pessimistic views of the world. She realizes that he is the only one for her, and they get married. Their age difference is huge, but it works out. You never see them kiss or anything. It’s a marriage to just keep each other company.

Then Melodie’s mother comes racing into town beaming with joy because she finally found her daughter. The mother is played by Patricia Clarkson (Lars and the Real Girl, Station Agent) and is the most southern Baptist a woman can get. She is appalled to find out her daughter married an old man and is bent on ruining their marriage. She asks them if she can stay because of her marriage that recently feel in shambles. Her husband lost everything and ran away with her best friend. While in New York, her life changes dramatically, ends up being in a 3-way relationship, and tries to find men for her daughter to hook up with.

Then the Dad finally comes into town, praising Jesus that he finally found his wife and daughter and wants everyone to move back home and be together. He finds out his wife is living with two other men, is an artist, and that his daughter is married to an old man who claims he is a genius. He goes out drinking and tries to find himself, which he does.

At the end everything comes crashing down, and people take the route that makes them the happiest. It’s an interesting ending, considering that everyone is happy in the end.

All in all, it was a good film, but one I wouldn’t buy or own, and one I wouldn’t tell people they have to see. It has its entertaining moments, good messages, mixed messages, and your typical Woody Allen whit.

(500) Days of Summer

2009-07-27T19:21:00.002-04:00

(500) Days of Summer

Day one, boy meets girl.
Day two, boy obsesses over girl.
Day three through day 500, boys repeats process of day two with occasional moments of bliss lifting him above the clouds of heartbreak only to come back down to his meager and lowly existence. That is the movie in a nutshell, but I suppose I could shed more light on it. However let me begin by telling you what this movie isn’t. It isn’t Serendipity, Message in a Bottle, or Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants(that was a love story wasn’t it?). It wasn’t Maid in Manhattan, Failure to Lunch, or The Notebook either. Basically it wasn’t your typical boy meets girl/over the top/prove my love to/win the girl at any cost/Hollywood love saga.

Instead (500) Days of Summer was a true to life clever approach to the real side of love. The pain, the frustration, and the agony we in the real world, not Hollywood, have come to know all too well. Namely what it’s like to fall for someone that doesn’t ever fall quite as hard or fast for you. Playing the part of the desperate to impress boy was Joseph Gordon-Levitt(remember 3rd Rock from the Sun? Well he’s grown up a bit since then) and playing the object of his obsession was the charming Zooey Deschanel(Elf). The two meet at work when Miss Deschanel is hired as the assistant to Mr. Gordon-Levitt’s Boss. Slowly the two get to know each other, and with each passing day Gordon-Levitt becomes more smitten by Deschanel. The short of it is that the two gradually work their way into a non-working relationship that the boy only wants to strengthen and validate and the girl only desires to casually continue without serious talk or labels. Miss Deschanel manages to string him on through out the course of the movie in what is one point ironical referred to by the narrator as “not a love story” at least not for the two.

What impressed me about the film was that it didn’t subscribe to a more conventional methodology, it wasn’t predictable nor cliche, it included a great scene shot at IKEA(I don’t want to spoil anything but it may or may not have involved meatballs), and it even included a impromptu musical scene that could rival a Broadway production. (500) Days of Summer knows when to pull the punches and when to draw the laughs. I don’t think I’ve seen a romantic comedy so refreshing and honest since High Fidelity. Oh l’amour, c’est fantastique or c’est la vie.

I saw Inglourious Basterds before you, Achtung Basterds?

2009-07-23T01:40:00.000-04:00

What audiences have come to know and love of Quentin Tarantino can be expected in his most recent opus, Inglourious Basterds. His latest release since 2007’s Deathproof, deals with a group of Jewish Allied Soldiers engaged in a no holds bars all out terror campaign against the Nazi regime in German occupied France. The Basterds cruelty is aimed to cause a panic that will reverberate all the way back to Berlin. However what audiences don’t know is what it will be like to have Tarantino turn back the clock almost 70 years doing his first film that isn’t set in modern times or North America.

True to Tarantino’s artistic storytelling style, he weaves the film chapter by chapter, presenting five in all. Each chapter is filled with cleverly written dialogue, showcasing actors transitioning from German to French to English as the scenes require. Quentin’s ability to find actors that could seamlessly move from language to language is perhaps most astonishing. In particular, it’s the performance of Chritoph Waltz(an unknown to English speaking viewers that is unless you fancy yourself a German Cinema aficionado) that steals the show. Mr. Waltz is the "Jew hunter" the clever and multilingual colonel that works his way throughout most the movie, just as despicable as he is debonair.

On the other hand the performances of the "basterds" were great as well. Brad Pitt as their leader is likable and ruthless Tennessee country boy turned Nazi killer(imagine Benjamin Button staying 30 for the whole movie and scalping Nazi’s and voila you have Lt. Aldo Ray). Fellow Basterd, Eli Roth, known to the Germans as the "Bear Jew", plays what could be best described as a Brooklyn street Jew with something of a fetish for employing baseball bats for more than baseballs. The Basterds roll through France, living up to the name the Nazi's have endowed upon them.

Perhaps my only problem with the movie is that it didn't show enough of the basterds. We don't ever see why they were selected and are only teased with small doses of the mayhem they cause to Hitler’s forces. Also we don’t have any great battle scenes, shots of troops storming the beaches, or american prisoners jumping motorcycles over barbed wire fences(Steve McQueen!). The movie lacks the action often shown in classic WWII movies. As can be expected Mr. Tarantino host numerous quality actors playing small roles like a master chef using only a dash of his best spices to bring out a delizioso taste. One might speculate that Kill Bill One and Two was enough and dividing up the load into two films would be the case for the Basterds. However what Inglourious Basterds lacks in action and character development it makes up for in a history altering story-line that only Quentin could conjure.

2009-07-23T00:49:00.004-04:00

Harry Potter: The Half Blood Prince (The new 6th movie)

2009-07-15T12:47:00.002-04:00

So I saw the midnight premier of the new Harry Potter movie. I got inline at 4 p.m. in the afternoon and waited till midnight. The real question is, was it

worth it? Was it worth $10 to sit in a long line outside in the heat for 8 hours? Was it worth staying up till 3 a.m. and missing my first class in the morning and waking up the next day super exhausted? The answer to all these questions is YES, it was worth it.

Every Harry Potter movie seems to be better then the next Harry Potter movie. It’s because the story keeps becoming better, and the characters develop more along with the story, and it keeps getting darker, which I find to be entertaining.

This movie is the sixth movie in the series of books and movies. Directed by David Yates, who directed the last Potter movie order of the phonenix, and doing the new 7^th book movie split into two parts, and staring the normal cast for the most part with the expection of new ones, this movie takes you into the memories of the past and the dark secrets of the future.

I don’t want to give to much of the plot away, mostly because I am not sure if I am spoiling things or not. The most important thing to know about this movie is that Harry is starting private lessons with Professor Dumbledore, during which Harry learns the dark secrets of Voldemort's past, hoping that they could use these secrets to find a way to defeat him. Harry's year gets even more stressful with the suspicious actions of Draco Malfoy, who has been sneaking around the school doing, so Harry assumes, Voldemort's bidding. Harry quickl

y becomes determined, and slightly obsessed, to find out exactly what Malfoy has been up to and putting an end to it.

One thing I didn’t like about this movie is that it left me with so many questions. I am to eager now for the 7^th and 8^th movie. I would read the book, but then I would have to start from the begging and I don’t know if I am willing to make that commitment. That’s a crap load of reading just to know what happens. People tell me I cant see all the movies and then just read the 7^th book. But this ending is most def a cliff hanger that leaves you with questions.

This movie had awesome features to it. It was very comical, and yet very dark. Ron was the comic relief of the movie, and so was Harry when he drank a potion that made him “drunk” but was told that it would give him confidence in whatever he does, which in real life alcohol does to you. The love squabbles that happen between everyone is quite entertaining as well, but in the end true love takes its course.

It had many good creepy dark moments too. I loved all the death eaters in it. There is a scary zombie like cave scene that will make everyone jump and screen for the first time seeing it. It had a lot about death eaters which was fun to see and learn and about.

One thing I had hoped for in this movie is that we would see more of Lord Voldermort instead of his pale, creepy looking childhood past. I always have enjoyed seeing the Dark Lord, mostly because he has really cool long fingers and no nose which amazes me.

All in all, the movie was a fun watch. I enjoyed myself as much I have in all the Harry Potter Movies. I say it’s the best one, only because each one gets better as it tells more of the story and its mystery.

The Brothers Bloom

2009-07-14T01:53:00.002-04:00

The Brothers Bloom

First emotion that comes to me when I think of this movie is love. I loved this movie. It was a fun movie with lots to offer. All in all, I would see it again and again, and most likely own it when it comes to DVD.

Written and Directed by Rian Johnson (Brick, Evil Golf ball Demon from Hell) and staring Rachel Weisz (Agora, Lovely Bones, Fred Claus, Mummy Returns), Adrien Brody (The Darjeeling Limited, King Kong), Mark Ruffalo (Rumor Has it, Zodiac, All the Kings Men, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and Rinko Kikuchi (Who will be in the new Shanghai film) This movie was very funny, witty and clever. I haven’t seen a good con movie like this for a while.

The plot of the movie is about two brothers - older Stephen and three years junior Bloom - have been con artists since they were kids. Stephen is the mastermind, for who the intricacy of the story used in the con is as important as the positive outcome of the swindle. Bloom is the main character of Stephen's stories, the character he considers the anti-hero. As adults, they travel the world and never enlist the same people twice in their cons, except for their consistent sidekick, the mysterious and primarily silent Bang Bang, a Japanese woman who just appeared in their lives one day and who has a penchant for blowing things up. As Bloom hits his mid-thirties, he wants to quit the business as he is losing his own identity to that of the

characters he portrays; he doesn't know anymore what is real and what is make-believe. Stephen talks him into one last con, the mark to be the eccentric, lonely but beautiful New Jersey heiress, Penelope Stamp. Penelope's primary past time in life is to, as she calls it, "borrow hobbies": when she sees something she likes, she learns how to do it solely through reading books. As the brothers go through their final con on Penelope, three main problems may occur to thwart the plan. First, the brothers' former mentor and now archenemy, Diamond Dog, may exact his long awaited revenge on the brothers. Second, Penelope may end up being more unpredictable than all their former marks. And third, Bloom, who has let love slip by in his life, may fall for Penelope. But through the process, no one ever really knows who is conning whom.

There were so many things that I liked about this movie. First off, I really enjoyed Rachel Weisz in this movie as Penelope. She was very funny in it, and so ditzy and believable. You never really know what she is capable of in the movie, and it’s always fun to watch her character unfold. Adrien Brody was great in this movie. I haven’t seen to many of his films, but from the ones I have seen this has to be my favorite of his. Mark Ruffalo plays a good smooth,

but sweet man. I liked him as the mastermind behind most of the cons. I feel that this role suited him very well. Rinko as Bang Bang was entertaining to watch. She didn’t say much at all in the movies, but her outfits and facial gestures were good.

I really enjoyed the outfits in the movie and the set designs. It took place all over the world, and it was fun to see the beautiful parts of Europe. Everyone in the movie had very unique outfits, and I loved the all the different clothes that Bang Bang wore. I really wish I could pull of a suit 24/7 like the brothers do in this film.

The cinematography in this film was very excellent. There were many cool shots. My favorite shot in the whole movie was the ending one where they are in Russia. It was so beautiful and well light.

The movie was clean for the most part. Little violence, no drug use, and some language. It was defiantly worth seeing and taking the time to see.

Devils Playground

2009-07-13T11:17:00.002-04:00

Devils Playground

This is a documentary about the alleged Amish rite of passage called Rumspringa. The film follows Amish teenagers in LaGrange County, Indiana who enter the "English World" and experiment with illegal drugs, drinking, partying, and pre-marital sex. After a certain amount of time, the teenagers are expected to either become baptized as adults in the Amish community, or permanently leave the church and be forever shunned by their families and friends.

According to the film, at the age of 16, Amish youth are allowed to depart from many of the Amish rules, though the scholarship on the subject does not support this view of a normative rumspringa. The young people sample life outside of the Amish community. Many drive cars, wear modern clothes and cut and style their hair in more fashionable styles, get jobs, have romantic and sexual relationships, and some experiment with tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.

One Amish youth whom the film follows, Faron – a preacher's son – even turns to drug dealing to satisfy his habit. Faron is eventually apprehended by the authorities and aids them in arresting another dealer. The movie continues as each subject faces a variety of challenges and pressures from both the "English World" and the "Amish World" of their families. Some return to their families, others do not. One girl is baptized but later leaves the Amish church, resulting in her family shunning her.

According to the documentary, after the period of Rumspringa, "almost 90%" of Amish youth decide to rejoin the church.

I thought it was an interesting thing to watch. I wont watch again, but it was a cool look into the Amish life and community. I was blown away about the Amish life and the teenagers. It makes sense though, after being in a bubble your whole life, your first chance breaking out you don't know how to go about it or what to do, so you go crazy. So many sacrifices come with being Amish, and the teens have a sweet deal. Between 16 and 25, they can do whatever they want, and then be baptized and be all good.

Things i didn't like about this movie is that it felt super depressing. It was a sad movie. I felt so bad for these teens, and their families, and for them living in Indiana. There was a lot of swearing that just sounded awkward. What was most depressing is that these kids have nothing to look forward to if they don't go back to the faith. None of them are high school graduates, and none of them have options because of lack of education. So they leave the faith, live in trailers, do drugs and work dead end jobs.

Bruno

2009-07-13T11:04:00.002-04:00

Bruno

I did not like this movie. I rarely walk out of movies, but with this one i walked out in the first 10 minutes. What made me walk out was the long gay sex scenes with a little asian dude, and the minute clip of Bruno doing a windmill with his penis. It just wasn't for me. Now i know i didn't sit through the movie long enough to really say that it was awful, but the first 10 minutes was enough for me to make me feel uncomfortable and want to leave. I thought it was a poor excuse to get cheap laughs.

In the previews, the movie looks really funny. I didn't get to those funny parts when actually watching the movie, mostly because i was tired of seeing a bunch of dick. ONe thing i thought was interesting was that in the movie theatre mostly Motorcycle Bros and big truck guys were in this movie. They must have felt more weird with all the penis in the movie. BUt anyways, i feel that some penis and gay jokes are funny, but showing gay sex and flopping your dong on screen for a minute is way to far for me, and just not funny. i think its a poor excuse to get laughs, and personally i am surprised they were allowed to show that in a rated R film. I know that it progressively gets worse as well, even showing female nudity. Getting an R rating for this film was like getting away with murder.

Borat was not as bad for me. I could handle Borat. I thought that was funny and clever. Bruno could have been much funnier if it didn't focus so much on penis' and made more vocal jokes. I was really bummed i wasted my time with this movie. I feel like its a stand up comedian who only uses swears and sex jokes to get a rise out of people, and get shock credit. But when a comedian uses clean language, and talks about normal things that aren't shocking, it is a lot more creditable, funny, and it takes more talent and skill.

Paper Heart

2009-07-07T16:04:00.002-04:00

i have to say i am very excited for this movie to come out. I am getting sick and tired of Cera playing the same role everytime, but i feel this role fits him better than ever. I think it looks like a very good mocumentary. IN real life, Cera and the asian girl are dating

Public Enemies Review

2009-07-05T20:39:00.002-04:00

Public Enemies

To be honest, there was a lot of hype to this movie, and it did not live up to it. I have to side with the reviewers who didn’t like this movie. This was not Depp’s or Michael Mann’s masterpiece by any means. This movie lacked many things that could have made it great.

First off, this was one long big police chase. That made if fun and entertaining, but at the same time, you didn’t get to know the characters. There was so much going on with the plot and the characters that it got annoying.

Now I am not saying this movie is complete garbage. It was fun to watch. I am glad I saw it. I enjoyed the gun shot sounds, and I enjoyed the grainy soap opera feel that the movie had. Depp and Bale did an amazing job in this movie. I really enjoyed watching them in this movie. Depp always plays such a good sly bad guy.

I am in a pickle with this review. I didn’t love it or really like it, but I wouldn’t mind seeing it again. I enjoyed the action and seeing Depp play John Dillinger. But once again it lacked things that bothered me.

For example, it told a couple stories at once, and you never knew what was going on in each story, how it started, how it ended, and where the crap they are. I didn’t enjoy that. There were people talked about in the movie, and when they talked about them, you never saw them.

I don’t know. I guess see the movie and see for yourself. I didn’t love it or hate it. I was just ehhh about it.

Public Enemies

2009-07-01T11:15:00.002-04:00

So browsing the internet, i have read mixed reviews for the new film "Public Enemies." Honestly, i am getting fully mixed reviews. Some say its horrible and the worst film this year, and then some say its the best film of the year. Reading both reviews, each side has a good argument. I am going to see it tonight, and i will let you know my true feelings. So keep posted.

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

2009-06-29T12:17:00.002-04:00

Transformers

I haven’t heard to many good things about this movie. Before going into it, I seemed to have surrounded myself only with bad reviews. It wasn’t my choosing, it was the peoples. Majority of film critics did not like this movie. After seeing, I can see why. But also after reading their reviews, and seeing the movie, I think people liked it better than they expected. It was so thrashed in reviews, that seeing it was no disappointment. So I really don’t have a side I want to stand on this movie review. It wasn’t terrible, it was amazing, it was just entertainment.

Directed by Michael Bay, who is already working on a Transformers 3, and a new Birds remake that comes out soon, and staring pretty much the same cast as the first one, makes this movie nothing short of good. It was good, not amazing. What did wow me was the graphics and Megan Fox. Man, both were amazing.

Decepticon forces return to Earth on a mission to take Sam Witwicky prisoner, after the young hero learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers. Joining the mission to protect humankind is Optimus Prime, who forms an alliance with international armies for a second epic battle.

This movie had its ups and downs. I thought that the first half was very slow, a

nd the second half was very action packed. The movie was way to long, and I don’t think it’s exactly a kid’s movie. All little kids want to see this movie, and for a mass market of kids this movie has some language in it that I don’t want little 6-years-old running around saying.

Some of the Decepticons were amazing. I was impressed by lots o their designs. I really enjoyed seeing them, and how badass they were. It bothered me a little how much more badass the Decepticons were than the Autobots. I heard that originally Jonah Hill was supposed to be Shia sidekick for this movie, but demanded to much money. That would have made the movie so much better. I think he is one of the funniest people.

My Sister's Keeper

2009-06-27T20:49:00.002-04:00

My Sisters Keeper

It’s hard for me to give an honest review for this movie. I am not a big fan of movies were the point of it is to make you cry. Trust me, this movie makes you cry. It’s hard to give a bad review on a sad movie, so I don’t know if my review on this is exactly right or wrong. I hate to admit that, but it’s sad, and it made me cry, but I also don’t like those types of movies at all. I think it’s a cheap way to get people to like your movies. Like Will Smith being in Seven Pounds or The Pursuit of Happiness, it was just a cry out loud of an Oscar to the point of it was to make you sad. I hate feeling sad. But in all honesty, My Sisters Keeper was a good one-time watch.

Directed by Nick Cassavetes, who also directed Alpha Dog, the Notebook and John Q, seems to have a place in his heart for emotionally tugging movies. This movie stars Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) Cameron Diaz, and Alec Baldwin, this movie takes you into the hard and sad life of the Fitzgerald family. Sara and Brian Fitzgerald had a baby girl who was born with cancer. The only to save her, was to make a test tube baby who be the perfect donor for their daughter so that her daughter could live. As time goes on, and the daughter, Anna (Abigial Breslin) realizes that she wants her own control of her body and decides to sue her parents for the right of her body so that she doesn’t have to be a donor to her sister Kate anymore. It is a very emotional story. It tells the story from every family members point of view, and the hardest is watching Kate’s point of view, the daughter with cancer. At the end, and surprise happens which tears the family apart at first, but brings them back together. Each story is unique and special, and they all have their own tender touching moments.

I thought Cameron Diaz did amazing. This is one of the best roles I have ever seen her play. She played this psycho mom who would stop at nothing to save her daughter with cancer. She was a hero, but a hero you hated. It was hard to really love her character, but at the same time that’s why makes Cameron Diaz so amazing. I don’t think I have ever been so impressed by Cameron Diaz before, expect in Being John Malckovich.

Things I didn’t like about the movie were that it was hard to tell wither or not it was flashback happening or if it was present time for the family. That got frustrating at times. Also, at the peak of one of the saddest parts, it was ruined by the Dad saying, “who wants pizza” and the most random bearded dude says “yes, defiantly” I’m like what the crap, that ruined one of the best sad scenes. But I was also grateful for that, because it was a bit of an emotional toll on me.

I think the little Abigail Breslin did an all right job. It’s hard to live up to her name in Little Miss Sunshine. She did amazing in that. This was a role that I didn’t like as much. She still did good, but it almost sounded like she was just saying her lines, instead of being really into it. Same with the actor who played her little brother, he did horrible in this movie as well.

All in all, I would say see this movie at least once. You have to be in a certain mood for it though. It’s a very sad movie to watch. It tugs at your heart and pulls your emotion strings. I am not going to say that it was amazing, or totally awesome. I frankly wasn’t the biggest fan of this movie, but I also hate very depressing movies. I only saw this because my roommate and girlfriend wanted to see this.

The Proposal

2009-06-23T13:12:00.002-04:00

The Proposal

I didn’t think I was going to like this movie as much as I did. It was built up by my Mom a lot. She really liked it, and ended up seeing it twice. So going into the movie, my expectations weren’t extremely high because I ignored my moms praising of the movie and I typically don’t like Sandra Bullock. But I ended up walking out of the theatre really liking the movie and thought it was cute and fun. It wasn’t hard laughs or funny the entire time. There was drama involved, as well as romance and comedy.

Directed by Anne Fletcher (27 Dresses, Step Up) and staring Ryan Reynolds (Just Friends, Van Wilder, X-Men: Wolverine) and Sandra Bullock (Lots of crappy movies) Oscar Nuñez (Oscar in the office) Craig T. Nelson and Betty White (Golden Girls). It was a good cast expect for Bullock, and it was fun. Ryan Reynolds of course was the star of this movie and made this movie good. He has a good sense of humor to him, very witty and sarcastic that hasn’t gotten old yet. He has proven to be able to play many different roles, and he will stick around for a long time.

Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) is the executive editor-in-chief of a book publishing company, Colden Books, who forces her assistant Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her in order to avoid being deported to Canada. He grudgingly accepts, under the condition that he is promoted to the position of editor. When the government investigates, the two are forced to spend the weekend with his parents in Alaska in order to sell the lie. The family suggests they could marry the same weekend, and they reluctantly accept. They start to fall genuinely in love as they spend more and more time together. The question is, what happens to them? Do they get caught? Stay in love? Move to Canada? Or do long distance?

This movie really makes you hate Sandra Bullock. She is just so mean in it. But you start to feel bad for her towards the end and I ended up feeling some sympathy for her. I really liked Betty White, she has always been funny. In real life she is 88, and she is still rocking. One thing I liked about this movie was that it took place in Alaska. Not to many movies take place in Alaska, so I thought it gave it a cool spring to it. The shots of Alaska were amazing and beautiful, and almost made me want to live there, but then I realized I hate small towns.

Oscar form the office plays the town gigolo and is pretty good in this movie. He got me laughing pretty hard couple of times, especially when he tries to give Sandra Bullock a lap dance and tries to hit on her too. There were some pretty good classic scenes, and honestly this is a good date movie despite the fact that Sandra Bullock is in it.

One part I didn’t like was when Sandra Bullock was covering up here naked body with her hands. She doesn’t have the best looking body, and it was just awkward looking at. I actually felt weird looking at it. Like it usually those scenes are meant to make you laugh and feel embarrassed, but this felt weirder because she is just a weird woman. But other than that the movie is harmless.

I would see this movie again. I recommend people to see it. It’s a cute date flick.

The Hangover

2009-06-12T11:17:00.003-04:00

The Hangover

This movie wasn’t what I excepted. Before seeing it, my knowledge of the movie was Vegas, bachelor party, and having a huge hangover. Essentially that’s what the movie is about. But it wasn’t your typical Vegas party movie. Yes there was the random marriage that everyone forgot about, but what made this movie different was that they lost the groom and had no clue what happened…… at all.

Directed by Todd Phillips (All the Kings Men, Old School) and starring Bradley Cooper (Failure to Fly, Yes Man, Weeding Crashers) Ed Helms (Andy from the Office) Zach Galifianakis (Out Cold, What happens in Vegas) Heather Ghram and Justin Bartha (National Treasure, Failure to Fly). It was a very funny movie. Almost everything about the movie was funny. The plot was funny, the characters were funny, and the situations were funny. All the main characters were very funny. There were not many dull moments for me during this movie.

The plot of the movie is that Doug (Justin Bartha) is about to be married, so his friends -- Stu (Ed Helms), a dentist planning on proposing to his girlfriend of three years, Phil (Bradley Cooper), a schoolteacher bored of the married life, and Doug's soon to be brother-in-law Alan (Zach Galifianakis), who is smart yet socially-inept -- take him to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. Stu's girlfriend is very controlling, thereby forcing Stu to lie to her about their destination. The guys get a suite at their hotel, then sneak on to t

he roof of the hotel and toast to the night ahead. Skipping forward to the next morning, the three groomsmen awake with no memory of the previous night. They find Doug missing, Stu missing a tooth, a tiger in the bathroom, and a baby in the closet. Initially they believe Doug to have gone out for breakfast, but soon worry when his cell phone has been left behind. They collect what memories they have to figure what happened to Doug. You discover everything with them, and it is very funny to watch. They end up dealing with Mike Tyson, kidnapping naked Chinese guys, and stealing police cars.

My favorite person in this movie was Zach Galifianakis. I have always thought he was funny. I love him in the movie “Out Cold” and he is a good stand up comedian. He made the movie shine very much. This movie proves that saying things are “gay” is still hilarious, no matter how politically incorrect it may be. Heather Ghram and Justin Bartha have somewhat small roles, you don’t see them that much in the film, but they still did a great job.

There is brief nudity in the film. There is one scene where you see Heather Ghram’s nipple. You just see one nipple for half a second. She is breast feeding, so its nothing really sexual. Other than that, the movie is nudity free. Its rated R for many eff words. If eff words don’t bother you, I highly recommend seeing this movie. It will have your sides hurting from laughing so hard.

The Great Buck Howard

2009-06-11T22:48:00.002-04:00

This movie was phenomenal. I enjoyed this movie very very very much. It was a good, clean, fun independt film. There aren’t to many good independt films these days that are just pure clean and genius. The Great Buck Howard is one of them.

Written and Directed by Sean McGinly, produced by Tom Hanks, and staring Collin Hanks, John Malkovich and Steve Zhan. This movie tells the story of the Mentalist, Buck Howard. He was a has-been, and still lives in the past. John Malkovich plays Buck Howard. Collin Hanks, plays Troy, a law student drop out who has no clue what he wants to do with his life. He ends up hooking up with the Great Buck Howard, and becomes his road manager and assitant. They go to small towns and do gigs for old people, and it’s the same show in every town. The trick that gets everyone, is when an audience member hides Buck Howards pay, and he has to find it. It blows peoples minds. I honestly don’t want to tell you more of the plot, because I am afraid of spoiling the goodness and surprise of it all. Things start going crazy for Buck, and his success and popularity goes up and down. Is that good or bad? Just watch, and be entertained by this amazing story.

I do love John Malkovich in most movies. I think he has the most amazing tone of voice. I would love for him to do a book on tape, I would buy it in a heart beat. The thing that made this movie so good was that it was a fun plot. It was wholesome, something that everyone can enjoy. It wasn’t raunchy, or perverted in anyone. I don’t think I heard one swear word through out the whole movie. John Malkovich played the most amazing character. Buck Howard was so stuck on himself and in the past that he lives in the glory days of being featured on the Jonny Carson Show 60 times. He is only a big deal to older people, and he doesn’t realize it. He is a big has been, and plays a great job at being a prideful has been.

I enjoyed Collin Hanks character. All of us desire to do what we want to do. Most of us never take that chance. Hanks was in law school, and having the support of his parents. He drops out, and moves to LA and wants to become a writer. Takes a big leap. Meets The Great Buck Howard, and becomes his assistant to make some cash before he decides what he wants to do. Going on his adventures with Buck Howard, and having seen what Buck Howard do what he truly loves, makes him chase his writing

Land of the Lost

2009-06-07T20:51:00.002-04:00

Land of the Lost

This movie was crap. I didn’t enjoy it at all. Actually that’s not entirely true, there were parts where I did chuckle a little, but I don’t think saying things are “gay” or masturbation jokes are the best jokes, I think they are just cheap laughs.

Directed by Brad Silberling (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events) and staring Will Ferrell, Anna Friel (Goal, and Goal 2) and Danny McBride (Foot fist way, Hot Rod, Pineapple Express). The plot of the movie is that on his latest expedition, Dr. Rick Marshall (Ferrell) is sucked into a space-time vortex alongside his research assistant (Friel) and a redneck survivalist (McBride). In this alternate universe, the trio make friends with a primate named Chaka (Taccone), their only ally in a world full of dinosaurs and other fantastic creatures. Can they all make it back to our world alive, and if so: Will Dr. Marshall can go from zero to hero with his discoveries?

This movie did have some cool visual and special effects. Ill give it that. I enjoyed seeing the dinosaurs and cool backgrounds. But it seems l

ike a big waste of money for cool background stuff for such a lousy movie. I am just so over Will Ferrell. He is dead almost. He needs to venture out and play different roles, or at least not have the main role. He cant fill it like he use to. Anchor man was good, because it was original. But every movie after that, was just trying to top anchor man and I am just over it now. One thing that really pissed me off about this movie was some of the sacrilegious stuff Ferrell said through out the movie. Usually that doesn’t bother me, but when he started joking on Christ being on the cross, I thought that went to far.

I think Ferrell should go back to his roles like in Stranger than Fiction, or Melinda and Melinda. He has overplayed his character of random outburst and prideful humor. He is just not funny anymore as the main role. Danny McBride actually I think did the best in this movie. He was hilarious as the supporting actor in Pineapple express, and he did good as the supporting actor in this role as well.

All in all, I would not recommend seeing this movie. It’s a piece of crap.

17 Again

2009-06-03T11:41:00.002-04:00

17 Again

Surprisingly, I actually really enjoyed this movie. I don’t know if its because I had no expectations for it before going in, or the fact that it was actually pretty good. I enjoyed myself the whole movie, but that is because I am sucker for chick flicks most of the time. But I was surprised at how funny Zac Efron actually was.

Directed by Burr Steers (Igby Goes Down) and staring Zac Efron (High school Musical) Matthew Perry (Chandler from Friends) Leslie Mann (Drilbit Taylor, Knocked Up, 40-year-old virgin) and Thomas Lennon (Reno 911). It was a good, fun, clean family flick. It was predictable in way, but it made it fun. I am not a Zac Efron fan, but this was so good. He did very well as the lead role.

The plot of the movie is Mike O’Donnell (Perry, Efron) was a High school Basketball star, and had it hall. His best friend Neo (Lennon) was always by his side. On the night of his big game, where college scouts were looking at him, his girlfriend comes with some breaking news. She is pregnant. O’Donnell doesn’t go to College, and just works to live. He blames his wife Scarlett (Mann) on ruining his life. They are in the middle of a divorce and O’Donnell moves in with his Billionaire nerd friend Neo. O’Donnell meets a “spirit god” and gets a chance to redo his high school life. He poses as Neo’s son, and enrolls into his kid’s high school. So what is the point of reliving the age of 17 again?

I don’t know, but this movie was so funny to me. I was laughing most of the time. It is a movie I wouldn’t mind seeing again in theatres, or owning when it comes out on DVD. I love using words like tool and douche to explain people, and this movie u

ses those words well. I especially liked Efron playing an adult being stuck in a teenager’s body. It was awkward to see a cool hip kid speak like an adult to high school students. He was extremely awkward and funny.

I liked the ending of the movie very much. It was cute a

nd sweet. Honestly, I didn’t think it was a waste of my time or money. It was a good chick flick that was easy to enjoy for me. But at the same time, I love chick flicks.

Night at the Museum 2

2009-05-31T00:59:00.002-04:00

Night at the Museum 2

This movie was pure garbage. It was so boring, annoying and not funny. I don’t know what Ben Stiller, or any of those actors where thinking when making a new Night at the Museum. I am just so over Ben Stillers Characters that he plays in movies. I think two of his best films are Heavy Weights and Zoolander. In those films he played two different characters, which he has never played ever again.

I feel asleep a couple times during this movie. It just wasn’t my bag of tea. I feel that it was a big bag of crap. Nothing special in this movie.

UP

2009-05-31T00:53:00.002-04:00

I thought this movie was my favorite Pixar movie ever made. It was so good. It was funny, sad, and beautiful. Its one the best kids films I have seen in a while.

Directed Pete Docter (Walle, Monsters Inc., Toy Story 1&2) this movie tells the story 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen, who grows up with his wife and best friend, both with the desire to see and travel the world, especially a place called paradise falls. They end up never being able to follow their dreams, and one day his wife dies of old age. Carl, bored, old and alone decides to never leave his house. Construction starts around his house, and he refuses to leave. After assaulting a construction worker, he is being issued by the court to go to an old folks home. He refuses to go, and decides to tie a bunch of balloons to his house and float to paradise falls. While on his flying adventure, he finds a Boy Scout on his front porch who decides to go on the adventure to get his “assisting the elderly” badge. They get to paradise falls, and find a bird that gets them in loads of trouble. They are befriended by a dog named Dog, who protects them from a hunter who has been hunting the bird his whole life.

This was such a sweet movie. I actually cried twice in it. It was very touching and heart warming. You really end up loving the characters and wanting Carl to succeed in this story. The characters in this movie are very funny. I especially like the Dog named Doug and the Boy Scout named Russell. A very funny family comedy.

Terminator Salvation

2009-05-27T10:20:00.002-04:00

Terminator Salvation

This movie does not get two thumbs from me. If anything, I give it a partial thumb rating. Why such a harsh review? It just didn’t work me, it didn’t keep me interested. I went with a party of five people, and we all fall asleep at some point during the movie. I still can’t figure out why we all fall asleep considering that the movie was pretty much action packed the whole time.

Directed by McG (Charlie’s Angels, Smashmouths music video “walking on the sun” and the new upcoming 2,000 leagues under the sea) and staring Christian Bale (Batman Dark Knight) Sam Worthington (Never seen or heard of any of his work), Helena Bonham Carter (Harry Potter Movies, Sweeny Todd, fight club) and Anton Yelchin (Star Trek, Alpha Dog) Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, John Connor is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright, a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

This movie just simply didn’t meet the standards I had for it in my mind. Don’t get me wrong, the special effects were off the hook, and there was some good action. But after seeing so many good movies this month, like Star Trek, Wolverine and Angles and Demons, Terminator just doesn’t meet up to those movies. All those movies had more depth to them with a more interesting plot. I think a big problem with terminator was that they tried to cram so much in with a short amount of time available.

The things I didn’t like about the movie was the acting of Christian Bale. I cannot stand his Batman voice, it kills me. He used it in some scenes of this movie, and it just sounded so cheesy and bad. Also, it left me with so many questions at the end, that I know will be answered in Terminator 5, but still it was annoying to wonder all about the time travel scenario. The action scenes were packed, but somehow were kind of boring. I don’t know why I felt this way, maybe it was because overall the movie had like a gray tone to it, but it was just kind of boring.

The things I did like were the special effects. I thought they were awesome. It was definitely worth seeing this movie based on the special effects. I also liked the character of Marcus Wright played by Sam Worthington. Thought I have never seen his work before, I felt that he did very good as the terminator who thinks he is human. Originally the part of Marcus Wright was to be played by Bale, but Bale wanted to be O’Connor and had the writers re-write some of the script to give O’Connor more of a speaking role.

All in all, I probably won’t see this movie again, and I am just fine with that. I wasn’t the biggest fan of it, but more of my friends liked it rather than disliked it. It’s worth a matinee price I guess, but I wouldn’t recommend putting it at the top of your list of movies to see.

Sherlock Holmes Trailer

2009-05-19T15:23:00.001-04:00

Guy Ritchie's last few films have not been that great. Ever since he did snatch, everything kind of seemed down hill for him. But i think this movie will make him great again, i think this movie will redeem him.

The Road Trailer

2009-05-18T11:19:00.003-04:00

If you read the book, you know it was a interesting read. Why Oprah recommended it i will never know. it was very depressing. But yet it was beautiful at the same time. I have to admit that i did like the book. I read it very fast, and i was drawn into it from the beginning. My mother didn't like it, but she doesn't like depressing stories. This book was written by the same author named Cormac McCarthy who wrote No country for old men.

This movie is Directed by John Hillcoat. With Charlize Theron, Viggo Mortensen, Guy Pearce. A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and, when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing: just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food--and each other

Race to Witch Mountain

2009-05-18T01:12:00.002-04:00

Race to Witch Mountain

This movie was fun to watch. I saw it in my local dollar theatre in town, so I know it is coming to DVD soon. I say rent it. For a Disney movie made for families, it was surprisingly fun and action packed.

Directed by Andy Fickman, who directed She’s the man and is doing the new Johnny Quest film that is coming out in 2010, and staring the Dwayne Johnson (the Rock), this movie tells about Aliens that come to earth to learn about photosynthesis to save their home planet. While these Aliens are on earth, an evil bounty hunter that the Rock protects them against is hunting them down. The Aliens are kids, brother and sister, and hire the Rock as their cab driver to get them to places. The government and evil bounty hunters chase them. It was surprisingly entertaining.

I found myself actually enjoying this m

ovie. I think it’s a fun family feature film for everyone to watch. I wouldn’t mind watching it again with some little kids, or my nephews.

Yeah, it was obliviously cheesy with the one-liners and such, but it is a kids movie with the Rock, what do you expect? I actually had lower expectations going into the movie, and they a little bit above met. I didn’t think it would be that entertaining of a movie, especially so action packed with explosions for a PG Disney movie.

Angels and Demons

2009-05-16T14:33:00.002-04:00

Angels and Demons

I was very excited to see this movie. I read the book about a year ago, and have been anxiously awaiting the release of the movie ever since. I must say, it did not live up to what I wanted it to be. No doubt it was good, but it wasn’t excellent, but most def better than the Da Vinci code.

Directed by Ron Howard, and staring Tom Hanks, this movie tells the story of Robert Langdon, the Catholic Church and the illuminati. The illuminati are swearing revenge on the Catholic Church for what they have done to scientist hundreds of years ago. They kidnap cardinals and brand them with signs of the earth, and plan to blow up the Vatican City. The Catholic Church calls up Robert Langdon who understands the history between the church and the illuminati, and is a master of symbology.

Ill start off with what I thought was good first. First, I thought it was entertaining. Awesome shots of the Vatican City, and of Rome. There were some good suspenseful scenes, and some good history lessons tied into the movie. The ending scene was truly phenomenal and they did a pretty good job of making a computer made Vatican City.

This is what I didn’t like about the movie, they changed a lot of things from the book. They took out my favorite fighting scene between Robert and the hit man at the Bernini fountain, and they didn’t have the whole story of why the scientist was killed about his daughter. It wasn’t exactly true to the book, or as much I would prefer it to be.

It’s a fun movie to watch, but its nothing epic in my opinion.

Funny Games (2007)

2009-05-15T11:45:00.001-04:00

Funny games (2007 remake of the 1997 Austrian Thriller)

This movie was just effed up. That’s the best way to describe this movie in a nutshell. It is so sick and twisted, and yet funny and weird, that it is impossible to not have a creepy grin on your face during the movie.

Written and directed by Michael Haneke, who also wrote and directed the original Funny Games movie made in 1997 in Austria, staring Naomi Watts (King Kong, The Ring, The Birds) and Tim Roth (Lie to me), this thriller takes you on a families summer vacation from hell. Anne (Watts) and George (Roth) go on a family vacation at their summer home with their one son and Dog. Two young men, who claim to be friends with their neighbors, come over to borrow some eggs. They are so polite and nice that it is freaky. The one boy named Tubby asks for eggs, and when Anne doesn’t want to give him any, his friend Peter and him become forceful for the eggs. When they do this, they are very polite, and it’s weird. Then they decide to play games with the family, and start torturing them. They are complete psychopaths.

This movie was really interesting to watch though. It was a thriller movie, but filmed in a very artistic way, kind of like 28 days later by Danny Boyle. Lots of amazing shots, and great lighting in it. It gave your typical slasher film a new feeling and look. T

he two crazy boys in it are so good. They are so creepy and just good at being creepy. It tripps you up how polite they are the whole time while tormenting this family.

I wasn’t a fan of the ending, and I thought the movie was a bit long. I didn’t like how sometimes the killers would look at the camera and talk to the audience. It wasn’t the best slasher film ever made. It was good and creepy, but in general I am not into these types of movies. It was vulgar with language or violence, the creepiest part was how polite these boys were to the family they were killing.

If you’re in the mood for an interesting slasher film, I say rent it. Its worth a one time watch for sure.

State of Play

2009-05-11T01:41:00.002-04:00

State Of Play

This was a fun movie to watch. It isn’t a thriller so much as it is a mystery. Its one of those movies where you are left in the dark till the end, and everything just makes sense. If I had to describe the plot in a short sentence I would say “government scandals and affairs”

Directed by Kevin Macdonald (Last King of Scotland) and staring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Jeff Daniels and short appearance by Jason Batemen, this movie takes you into the life of Rep. Stephen Collins (Affleck) and his life in D.C. One morning a woman who worked with him was pushed into the metro train and was murdered. News came out that he was having an affair with her and he was trying to stop the press from doing it. He calls his old college buddy Cal (Crowe) to help him out. Cal thinks there is more to the story and starts investigating with co-worker at the newspaper Della (McAdams) and they find a whole new mess of things. Who killed the woman in the train station? What is Rep. Stephen Collins really up to? You will just have to watch this movie to find out.

Now I wont say that I loved this movie in anyway. I didn’t love it, I thought it was good and fun, but nothing I haven’t seen before. Its something I wouldn’t purchase unless it was for $2 used. It’s a movie that you cant watch over and over again. The good thing about it is that you can talk about it once its over though.

The plot was strong though. I couldn’t find to many holes in it. But at the moment I wasn’t looking for holes, I was looking for answers. I wanted to know what was happening. Its fun discovering the scandals that goes on in D.C. because there are so many.

Overall, I say to wait till it comes out to rent.

Star Trek

2009-05-10T01:55:00.002-04:00

Star Trek

This was one of the coolest movies I have seen in a while hands down. I have not seen anything that visually cool in the past couple years. I have never felt that spaced looked so real and tangible before. The only thing that would have made this movie cooler was if it was in 3-D. Overall, plot was interesting, and the visual effects were off the hook spectacular.
Directed by J.J. Abrams (Cloverfield, Mission Impossible 3) and staring Chris Pine (Princess Diaries 2) as Cpt. James Kirk, Zachary Quinto (Heroes, 24) as the young Spock, Leonard Nimoy as Future Spock, Eric Bana (Munich, Troy, Hulk) as the evil Cpt. Nero, John Cho (Harold and Kumar) as Sulu and Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) as Scotty. As you can tell, it’s a great cast that has a lot to offer. Pretty boys, bad asses and nerds.

This movie had a lot of hype about it before it came out. It also had some bad press as well. People were unsure on how it was going to be. J.J. Abrams has openly admitted he is more of a Star Wars fan, so Treky fans were a bit special on him directing it. They were afraid he was going to make it more of an action space movie, instead of a true Star Trek movie. Most of the Treky’s were right. This isn’t a typical Star Trek movie. You can have not seen one Star Trek episode and could have completely understood this movie. It takes you all the way back to the beginning of Star Trek and you can’t start any earlier than that. It was a lot more action than I had anticipated, and the effects and cinematography blew me away.

The Plot: The film opens with the Federation starship USS Kelvin investigating a "lightning storm" in space. It turns out to be a black hole, and the Narada, a Romulan mining vessel, emerges from it and attacks. The Kelvin's captain, Richard Robau (Faran Tahir) is captured and killed by the Romulan captain Nero (Eric Bana). First officer George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth) takes command and sacrifices himself and the Kelvin by ramming it into the Romulan ship in order to allow the rest of the crew to escape. During the escape, George's wife Winona (Jennifer Morrison) gives birth to a son: James Tiberius Kirk.

About 22 years later, Kirk (Chris Pine) grows into an intelligent but reckless young man. He meets Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) in a bar in Iowa, where Pike convinces Kirk to enlist in Starfleet Academy and follow in his father's footsteps. During his eventful education on Earth, he is suspended for cheating on the Kobayashi Maru designed by the half-Vulcan, half-human Spock (Zachary Quinto). Despite this, Kirk is smuggled onboard the USS Enterprise by his friend, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban), as it is sent on its first mission to investigate a distress signal originating from the planet Vulcan; Captain Pike commands the ship, with Spock as his first officer, and Uhura is also assigned to the ship. En-route, Kirk realizes that the situation is similar to the one 25 years ago when his father died and, with the help of Uhura and McCoy, manages to convince Pike and Spock that the Enterprise is heading into a trap. If I tell you anymore, I will simply be spoiling the movie for you. But that’s the basis, or at least what you need to know.

Now this movie wasn’t all perfect. I have to admit that it had some flaws. Some of the acting was way cheesy. I couldn’t stand Spock, I seriously wanted to kill him. He was pretty annoying in it. Kirk was a pretty boy, and acted like one. There were some pretty cheesy lines as well. But I have no complaints with the amount of action it had and the visual effects.
Can I just go off for a little bit on how amazing the visual effects were? They were amazing. I have never been so blown away by visual effects. The first five minutes was incredible. It goes right into some amazing action. And the shots of the galaxy were unbelievable. So SO SO So So So good. I wonder if the next Star Trek could ever top this one.

I was impressed with the fighting scenes. There were some pretty good ones. I really enjoyed watching Sulu sword fight some bad guys, and seeing Kirk pretty much fight everyone that annoyed him. I would have wanted a little more blood and guts, but it was PG-13 so they had to monitor that a little bit. But the movie wasn’t boring one bit. I was constantly on the edge of my seat trying to figure out the plot and just engaged on the background and scenery of the movie. The plot is confusing.

All in all, it was a good movie. I don’t want to give it a perfect score, but I have to say it was more entertaining visually than Wolverine, and the most impressive special effects I’ve seen of 2009 so far. We still have the new Terminator and Transformers to compete with visual effects. But this isn’t a waste of your time or money in my opinion. I want to see it again so badly. One funny thing I thought was that a lot of the shots in the movie almost reminded me of space tours. You’ll see what I am talking about once you see the movie. So I say go see it. Its clean, fun, awesome, cheesy acting, visually entertaining, a confusing plot that will have you talking at the end of the movie but also understanding more and more as you discuss it, and did I mention how cool the shots of the galaxy where?

So yeah it isn’t perfect in plot or acting, but still, it was pretty entertaining.

Three Kings (1999)

2009-05-08T02:02:00.002-04:00

Three Kings

I bought three kings the other day because it was on sale for super cheap, and I have heard good things about it. A lot of Internet surveys say it’s in the top 50 war films ever made. I’ll have to agree that it is in the top 50 of best war movies ever made, but I don’t think it was perfect. Regardless, it was a good fun story.

Directed by David O. Russell (I Heart

Huckabees, Fighting) this story talks about the days immediately after the Gulf War. A group of American soldiers come across a secret Iraqi map, which discloses the whereabouts of a bunker where Iraq is storing stolen gold and treasure from Kuwait. The soldiers hope to take the gold and keep it for themselves. However, when they arrive at the site, they discover that the Iraqi army is more concerned about persecuting its civilians than stopping them from stealing the gold. They learn that the civilians have been encouraged by the U.S. government to rise up and fight Sadaam Hussein, but are facing certain execution because the U.S. military refuses to help them. This incident creates a crisis of conscience for the American soldiers. Do they take the money and run, leaving the civilians to face certain death at the hands of the Iraqi army? Or do they risk losing the gold in order to escort them to safety across the border into Iran?

The main characters in this movie are Mark Wahlberg (my hero), Ice Cube, George Clooney and Spike Jonze as the soldiers. I was impressed by the acting in this movie, more so than I thought I would. The language was a little rough at first, a lot of the swearing really didn’t seem necessary, but it wasn’t l

ike that through out the whole movie. It was a very touching story though of what men do when faced with a choice of gold or the lives of others. Spike Jonze did a good job in this movie. He was very entertaining to watch. By far Wahlberg stole the screen though. He is just such a good badass character in most movies. I have to admit though, he does suck in some movies, like the happening, but he was fun to watch in this one.

It had some cool visual effects with the action scenes. It was like nothing I have ever seen before. It would show the bullets entering the body slow motion, and it would actually show it “in” the body. It was gross and cool at the same time. It almost paved the way for the Matrix in that in that it was original with slowing down the gun shooting scenes.

Script controversy

Former stand-up comic John Ridley had originally written the screenplay, then titled Spoils of War, as an experiment to see how fast he could write and sell a movie. The writing took him seven days, and Warner Brothers bought it 18 days later. When the studio showed a list of their purchased scripts to Russell, the one-sentence description of Spoils of War, "heist set in the Gulf War", appealed to him. Although Russell claimed he never read Ridley's script, so as not "to pollute my own idea", he admits that "John gets credit where it's due. The germ of the idea that I took was his."

Ridley maintains that Russell shut him out of the process, saying "I never heard a word while he was shooting the movie. Never saw any of the script changes. And then finally, a year later, I get a copy of the script, and my name isn't even on it." Although Warner Brothers worked out a deal to give Ridley a "story by" credit, Ridley remains unhappy with the experience, and has blocked Russell's efforts to publish the Three Kings screenplay in book form.

Russell penned the script with several actors in mind. Although Spike Jonze had never acted in a movie before, Russell wrote the part of Conrad Vig specifically for him, and the two practiced Vig's southern accent over the phone while Jonze directed his first feature film, Being John Malkovich. Although Russell had to convince a wary Warner Brothers to cast an inexperienced actor in such a large role, he eventually won out. Russell said Jonze's lack of previous acting work was beneficial to the film, citing the "chaos that a nonactor brings to the set...he really shakes things up."

The part of Archie Gates was originally planned for Clint Eastwood, but Russell decided to rewrite it as a younger character. George Clooney eventually saw a copy of the script and was "blown away" by it. When he heard the part was being re-written, he jumped at the chance to get involved. At this point in Clooney's career, he was best known for his role as the handsome Dr. Doug Ross on the popular television drama ER. Clooney was ready to pursue a role in film. Unfortunately, Russell seemed unwilling to cast Clooney in the role.

Persistent, Clooney sent a humorously self-deprecating letter signed "George Clooney, TV actor" to Russell asking for the part, and showed up at Russell's New York City apartment to plead his case. Russell still wasn't satisfied that Clooney could portray the character. He instead convinced Nicolas Cage to play the role. However, when Cage became unavailable after being cast in Martin Scorsese's Bringing Out the Dead, Russell gave the part to Clooney. Russell later stated that Clooney "was meant to play the part."

Saved! (2004)

2009-05-03T03:19:00.002-04:00

Saved!

Just watched Saved with my girlfriend and friend Mike. Last time I saw that movie was in theaters while I was in high school. I saw it for sale for $4 at Barnes and Nobles and bought it. It was well worth the money. I forgot how funny it was. A very good point of view and take on Christianity and born-agains.

This movie stars Jena Malone (Donnie Darko) Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin and Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous, Wristcutters). Mary (Jena Malone) is a good Christian girl who goes to a good Christian high school where she has good Christian friends, mainly Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore), and a perfect Christian boyfriend, Dean. Her life seems perfect, until the day that she finds out that Dean may be gay. After "seeing" a vision of Jesus in a pool, she does everything in her power to help him turn straight, including offering up her virginity. But none of it helps because Dean's caught and sent to a "degayification" center and Mary ends up pregnant. It's during her time of need that she becomes real friends with the school's set of "misfits," including Cassandra, the school's only Jewish girl; Roland (Macaulay Culkin), Hilary Faye's wheelchair-bound brother, and Patrick (Patrick Fugit), the skateboarder son of the school's principal, Pastor Skip; whilst Hilary Faye turns her into a social outcast.

It is a very funny movie. It had me smiling of laughter, and laugh out loud laughter sometimes too. Some people are truly this weird, were almost every other word is Jesus, and they think all you need is faith to be saved. It’s a good take on how crazy Christians can be, and what lengths they will go too to let people know that they are Christian. It has a good message, which says that we Jesus would love and accept everybody no matter what. Life isn’t as easy as saying I accept Christ and amen, there is more to it than that. Not everyone believes in Christ or God, and that’s okay as long as their okay with it.

It’s a very funny movie that I say you should watch if you see it on TV, or in the $5 bin at Wal-Mart. Its worth the $5 and fun to watch with people. Hopefully you aren’t a crazy Christian freak and will find this movie funny and not offensive. Its not making fun of any religions what so ever, but more some fanatics that want everyone to know they are born again. Its PG-13 for some mild language, but it’s a rather clean film. Its pretty much a Christian film.

New GI-Joe Official Trailer

2009-05-02T02:26:00.001-04:00

X-Men Origins Wolverine

2009-05-02T02:13:00.002-04:00

Wolverine-Men Origins

This movie was totally bad-a. I was entertained the whole time by it. There was never a time or part where I said that this was really boring, or to much talking. I thought that concept of the movie was way rad, and I really liked the way the movie developed and carried itself.

Gavin Hood directed this, and I haven’t seen his work before, but now I look forward to seeing more of his work. He did a good job of doing a contrast of light and evil. The plot of the movie is about Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and his Brother Victor/Sabbertooth (Liev Schreiber) they grow up in Canada, and they are mutants but no one knows it. They fight side by side each other in all the wars starting from the civil war through the Vietnam War. Then a man named Stryker (Danny Huston) put together a team of mutants to take care of the military’s dirty business. Logan gets tired of all the killing and decides to move back to Canada and live with his girlfriend in a secluded home. It’s not that easy for Logan. Stryker wants him back, and Victor wants him dead. Why would his own brother want him dead, and Stryker want him back? Logan then finds out that Victor kills his girlfriend, and finds Stryker for answer

s. Stryker says that he will do an operation on him that will make him indestructible and able to kill his brother. During the operation, he overhears that they want to erase his memory and have him work for Stryker and Logan wakes up and creates hell. He is bent on revenge for his girlfriend, but there is so much more to the story.

This movie was so awesome. There was no foul language, and lots of amazing fighting and battle scenes. I really enjoyed the last battle scene with Deadpool, Victor/Sabbertooth and Logan/Wolverine. It’s not a scary movie, I think its okay for kids over 7 to watch for sure. Of course there was some cheesy lines, but overall the writing was pretty good. David Benioff wrote it, who also wrote Tory, Kite Runner and Stay, all excellent movies, and did a good job of making the history of wolverine come to life for actors. I have to admit though, Gambit was kind of a wuss and disappointment to me in this movie, sorry Gambit friends. I really thought they would have made him cooler, and not so gay looking.

Hugh Jackman and Liev Schriber did so awesome in this movie. They were a great team together, and the fight scenes they had were so legendary. Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool was pretty entertaining as well if I do say so myself. Hugh Jackman is a sexy man in this movie, I’m just saying. I would recommend seeing this movie. It is so good and so worth the time and money. It was pure enjoyment.

Doubt

2009-05-01T19:24:00.002-04:00

Doubt

I have a lot of mixed feelings about doubt. It is a very well written script with amazing actors to play the parts. Everyone was perfect for the part, and they played their parts well. But it was so slow and boring to me. My expectations were so high for this movie, and sad to say they were not met.

Directed by John Patrick Shanley, this movie tells the story that is set at a Catholic school in the Bronx. It centers on a nun, Sister Aloysius Beauvier played by Meryl Streep who grows suspicious when priest Father Brendan Flynn played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, begins taking too much interest in the life of a young black student. Is she being overly protective or not protective enough? And can she work within the system to discover the truth?

The cast was good. The children did a wonderful job in the film, and Amy Adams did such a good job playing a naïve young nun. Philip Seymour Hoffman was the highlight of the film for sure, especially when he got in a big argument with Meryl Streep that gave you the chills.

The frustrating thing with the movie is you never know what actually happens, and your left to come up with your own conclusions. Thus it is called doubt. I hear seeing the play is 20 times better, but still it was boring to me. The movie had a lot built up, and then at the end of the movie nothing happened. It kept climbing up towards something good and juicy, and there was no juice at the end.

Personally, I wanted more drama in it, and I want more evidence on how the priest was being a dirt bag. I wanted more confrontation, and I wanted it to be less dull. I wouldn’t see this movie again, but if your bored and in a super dull mood, go

see this movie. Its fine to watch with children, it never actually says rape or anything like that, just that the relationship between the priest and the child is improper. Most of the movie is adults talking.

Changeling

2009-04-30T16:06:00.003-04:00

Changeling

This movie is so good and powerful. A wonderful drama, which I felt, should have been nominated for best picture, and Angelina Jolie should have won best actress. Before I start this review, I highly recommend you see this movie, but it is heavy to watch.

Directed and produced by Clint Eastwood, who did award wining movie Gran Tranio recently, directed this movie about the corrupt LAPD and child abduction in 1928. Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) is a single mother with a son Walter living in LA. One day she needs to go into work, and decides to leave her son

home alone for a couple of hours. When she returns he is gone. She calls the police, and they were not very much help to her at all. After some months had gone by, the LAPD provide her with a child. They tell the press and everyone that they found her kid Walter, and Christine knows it isn’t her child. She tries to tell the LAPD that this isn’t her child, and they try to convince her that she is just not use to having a kid around, despite the fact that the kid is 3 inches shorter than her kid and that he was circumcised. Since the LAPD wont listen to her, Rev. Gustav A. Briegleb (John Malkovich) takes her case and gets all the help for her that he can. He has a personal vendetta against the LAPD, and has a radio talk show on

how corrupt they are. To make sure Christine shuts up and avoid getting any more bad press about finding the wrong kid, they throw her in a mental institute to make the public believe that she is crazy and full of lies. Then an amazing discovery happens when a kid comes forward about an awful thing that has been going on in riverside, and Christine is released. She decides to sue the police department for lying to her and the city, and finds the best lawyer in the county and gets him to do the work pro bono. I don’t want to give away any more of the movie. But it is amazing, and a tearjerker and so powerful. The hardest part is that it is a true story.

John Malkovich and Angelina Jolie were so good together. You love their characters, especially Malkovich who is such a powerhouse in the movie. You love his character. This is some of the best acting I have ever seen by Jolie before, and she played a really good mother. She was very convincing for a woman in the 1928, and she looked awesome with all of her outfits. The movie is a bit long, but you are drawn into the story the whole time. Worth the time to watch.

The movie is rated R because of the subject matter. It is very hard to watch. There is only one F word, and it was very called for at the moment when used. But the subject matter has to do with many children being murdered. In all honesty, I think it should be PG-13. I think this is a very good movie that everyone should see, but not with children. Get it on redbox or something. A free promo code you could use for it is “breakroom” Do it!

King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters

2009-04-29T12:43:00.004-04:00

King Of Kong: A fistful of Quarters

This is a great documentary that I love to watch and own. I watched

it last night with a bunch of friends who haven’t seen it before, and it was funny seeing their reactions to the people in the documentary. The story is about two adult men battling each other for the world record title of highest score on Donkey Kong arcade game.

This documentary is about competitive classic arcade gaming. It’s all real too, nothing fake about it. Its grown men who were obsessed with arcade games from the 80’s, and are addicted to playing arcade games in their adult life, if you can call it that. You laugh at how weird and awkward these guys are, and so

metimes you feel sad for them because they are so strange, but then it makes

you laugh again.

The main focuses is on two gamers, Billy Mitchell and Steve Wiebe (wee-bee). Billy Mitchell has held the world record for highest score on Donkey Kong since 1983, and will let everyone know it till the day he dies probably. He even has an army of nerds that worship the ground he walks on. Billy actually thinks he is a god. Steve is an OCD, competitive, just laid off Father and Husband who wants to do something useful with his time with no job. He wanted the satisfaction of being the best at something, and he chose Donkey Kong. Little did he know that Donkey Kong and competitive classic arcade gaming had its own culture and world, and Billy Mitchell is the king. He did not know what he was going up against when trying to beat Billy’s world record, and the things that Billy and his cult would do to Wiebe are just ridiculous.

There is so much I want to tell you about this movie, but I don’t want to give away its amazingness, you just have to trust me. There are so many great one-liners from Billy Mitchell and his followers, and they are real, not scripted. Ex, Billy says that competitive gaming has helped him run his business, and raise his family, its not all fun and games. I forgot to mention that Billy is in everyway appearance wise still stuck in the 80’s.

There are many good parts about this movie, and it is a must see. It is PG, and very clean and funny. Its great to watch with anybody. It shows you another universe you never knew existed, and how insane and sad competitive gaming really is. You will be disgusted in how immature Billy Mitchell is, and how threatened he feels by somebody just randomly deciding to be good at video games, and how the gaming world treats this new comer. See this movie now, and laugh your head off.

ONLY CLICK ON THIS LINK IF YOU HAVE SEEN THIS MOVIE ALREADY. THIS BREAKING NEWS CAME IN ON APRIL 27, 2009. ONLY CLICK ON THIS LINK IF YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE. http://twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=19&id=1728

Vénus beauté (institut) Venus Beauty Institute

2009-04-28T17:50:00.001-04:00

Vénus beauté (institut) Venus Beauty Institute

I really didn’t like this movie. I thought it was pretty long, and most of it seemed pointless. It would be a good date movie, but not a movie to watch by yourself in your bed at 10 in the morning, which I did.

The movie was about Christmas and New Year's Eve approaching. Angèle, who's over 40, picks up men for anonymous sex; yet when Antoine, an unkempt younger man (who's overheard one of her sex partners rudely dismiss her) declares that he loves her and wants to be with her, she pushes him away. What's at the root of her mistrust of love? She works at the Vénus beauté salon, where the relationships and loves of her clients and of her boss and two co-workers contrast with her own. Out of loneliness, she occasionally contacts an old boyfriend, but their schedules never click. Antoine continues to hang about, even though he has a fiancée. Is there any route to happiness for Angèle?

The movie was directed by Tonie Marshall and starred Audrey Tautou (Priceless, Da Vinci Code, le battement d'ailes du papillon, He loves me he loves me not, and Amelie) who plays Marie, a 20-year-old who works with Angèle and gives up a lot for love and Nathalie Baye ( Tell No One, and catch me if you can) as Angèle. It was good acting, and also depressing to watch. But I love watching French films in general, I feel that they are better than most films.

It is a French film, so of course there was the random naked scene, but it wasn’t a dirty one, it was girl streaking in a way. But all in all, it wasn’t that good. It was a cute story of finding love, and how women at 40 should act 40, but other than that I would never buy it or see it again.

Dan Browns 3rd book about free masons?

2009-04-27T11:16:00.001-04:00

Having struck gold with the Da Vinci Code and hoping to do so again with Angels & Demons, Columbia have already secured the film rights to a third Dan Brown novel featuring everyone’s favorite symbologist Robert Langdon. The novel will be called ‘The Lost Symbol’ and has apparently been completed though it isn’t scheduled to hit bookstores until the 15th of September.

Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol - Movie News

From AintItCool -

Today, Variety announced that the studio has secured the rights and has begun work on adapting the yet to be released 3rd Langdon adventure/mystery novel following after DA VINCI CODE and ANGELS & DEMONS. The novel will hit mid-September.

At the reporting of this news it is unknown whether Tom Hanks

would want to complete a Langdon trilogy… or if Ron Howard is up for it either. Such things will most likely be negotiated after the box office of ANGELS & DEMONS is tallied. We’ll have to wait and see. I found the first film a little lacking, but I’m hearing really good things about this new one.

When I read Angels & Demons and the Da Vinci Code novels, I remember thinking that they would work better as films than novels. Seeing as they are essentially races/chases through grand locations interspersed with the occasional action set-piece, I thought that formula would work better on screen than on the page. However, I found the Da Vinci Code movie to be quite dull in execution, I have higher hopes for Angels and Demons (the better of the two novels in my opinion) and if this third novel in the saga is anywhere near as successful as the first two then I am certain we will see a speedy, hopefully well made, adaptation.

- Movie-Moron

Now, does anyone know information on the third book?

Thanks Movie-Moron.com

2009-04-22T12:45:00.002-04:00

Movie-Moron.com is the a great movie review website. I have become friends with the creator of it, and he has put up a review of a movie i did. I am very honored by it.
Here is the link
http://www.movie-moron.com/?p=4864

and here is the link for movie moron. It is a website that brings in humor to movies and reviews.
http://www.movie-moron.com/

Bananas (1971)

2009-04-22T12:41:00.001-04:00

Bananas (1971)

Close family and friends of mine know that I am obsessed with Woody Allen. I think Woody is the greatest writer and director of comedy and life of all time. His work will always trump over others in my book and will always be timeless. Anyways, some of my friends haven’t seen a lot of his early works, so we had a movie night were we watched the second movie he wrote, directed and starred in himself, Bananas.

Bananas is a very funny political satire on Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. Woody Allen plays Fielding Mellish (a consumer products tester) who becomes infatuated with Nancy (a political activist). He attends demonstrations and tries in other ways to convince her that he is worthy of her love, but Nancy wants someone with greater leadership potential. Fielding runs off to San Marcos where he joins the rebels and eventually becomes President of the country. He ends up doing all the work for the rebels because the leader, a man who looks and represents Fidel, says people just like him better. This actually happened with Che and Fidel. Then once they win independence, the leader takes over and wants Fielding to go to America to try and get support. Fidel did that with Che as well. While on a trip to the states, he meets Nancy again and she falls for him now that he is a political leader.

Nobody to famous is in this movie, as it is an early film, and at the time Woody didn’t have that big of a name yet. This was Sylvester Stallone’s first major picture. He didn’t have any lines in it though, but he was a subway thug who harasses people, and there is a funny silent film like chase scene in the subway between him and Woody. There were many funny characters in this movie, and it was entertaining for me to watch.

Some of my favorite parts were when the Leader of San Marcos (the guy who represents Castro) comes into power; makes a speech with a set of new rules. They were very funny. Things like “We will change our underpants every half hour, and we will wear them over our pants to make sure that we know you have changed them” or “everyone that is now under the age of 16, is now 16” I love Woody Allen’s silent film antics. You can tell he gets a lot of influence from the Marx brothers and early comedies done by Buster Keaton. The music in this was very fun, and seemed to fit every scene perfectly. I really liked the last scene of the movie, where Woody is on his honey moon night, and they make a sports news program with play by play steps of what was going on. It was very funny, and the interview of Fielding and Nancy was very funny.

Now some people might not like Woody Allen stuff. This is an early work of his, and so you really have to like Woody Allen’s antics to really appreciate this movie. As time went on, he got better and more experienced. With this, he knew what was funny, and what he wanted to see, so he shot it. Some people find his stuff boring and unfunny, and I feel it’s because they don’t really pay attention to what is going on. The humor is in facial expressions like in old silent films, and most of it is in-between the lines of his dialogue. You really have to pay attention to get the full experience. I recommended Woody Allen to anybody who wants to read a funny book or watch a funny movie.

This movie isn’t long; most of Allen’s films don’t go over 120 minutes. A fair warning to those who want to watch it, it is PG-13, but there is one begging scene were he is secretly trying to buy porn, and you seem some boob images. Its settle, but I feel that I should warn people of those things, because not everyone likes that stuff. No language really, and for the most part it is a clean film. This isn’t the best early Woody Allen film, but it’s a good one to see.

Sin Nombre

2009-04-15T20:39:00.002-04:00

Sin Nombre

Sin Nombre was hard for me to watch. It was very depressing, almost like watching a movie about the holocaust. I compare it to movies like that because they are depressing, and they usually end depressing. The ending of this movie was not what I expected, but I also think that the director Cary Fukunaga wanted to give this movie a sense of reality, the reality of gang life and crossing the American boarder.

The plot of Sin Nombre has two different stories that combine together. One is of a gangster named Willy/Casper, and his life in the gang. He brings a young friend into the gang, whose name is Smiley because he always smiles. Casper brings Smiley along one day to meet his “girlfriend” and the gang finds out and is not to happy about it. So the gang leader kills her, mostly because Casper loves her and lied to the gang about having a girlfriend. Casper is raged by this, and bottles his anger towards the gang leader. Later, the leader takes Smiley and Casper on a trip to rob the immigrants who are trying to flea to America by train. The leader tries to rape a teenager, and Casper furious with the leader already, cuts his head off and pushes him on the tracks. Smiley runs away and tells the other gang members. The gang puts a hit on Casper through out all of Latin America, and promises that they will kill him. While this story of Casper and the gang is going on, through scenes going back and forth, the story of Sayra is being told. Sayra is a teenager who lives in Honduras, and reunites with her father and uncle. They convince her to take the trip and escape to New Jersey with them for a better life. It shows the struggle of their trip, and how hard it is to travel through Mexico safely. The girl Casper saved from getting raped was Sayra, and Sayra feels safe around him. She also remembered that a psychic told her that she would make it to America by the hands of the Devil, and she feels that Casper is her answer. Is Casper her answer, or just trouble?

It was hard watching this movie for me. There was so much poverty shown throughout all the countries of Latin America. There was lots of gang violence, and little kids killing people to just feel apart of gangs. Seeing families and people struggle to get to America and get a better life was very hard to watch. They sacrifice everything, and most of the time it gets them nowhere. It was hard to see people try so hard for nothing. It defiantly showed me a world I did not want to see, but knew existed. It really made me count my blessings, and be grateful that I was born to a good family in America, and blessed with the life that I have.

Would I recommend this movie to others? That is a hard question to answer. I am glad I saw this movie in the sense that it is something good to have under the belt, but I don’t know if its worthy enough to rush to the theatres to see. I would recommend people not to see this, mostly because it is a sad and heavy movie to watch, and the ending is very hard to watch too. It is not an uplifting movie, and you don’t walk out feeling good about yourself. So I would say go see something else if you felt like seeing this flick.

The Mighty Boosh

2009-04-10T00:43:00.004-04:00

The Mighty Boosh

Recently I have been turned onto the show “The Mighty Boosh” by my good friend Francesco from Brooklyn. It is a very funny British show. But i need to remind you, it is a British show, and some Americans just don't get British humor. I don’t know if I should even blog about it, because it's fun having this little secret of mine, but I feel that it is funny enough that people should watch it. It is a lot like the show Flight of The Conchords, but it is the BBC take on it. I like FOTC better, probably because I saw it first, and it caters more towards Americans. The mighty boosh is original, for it started in 2004, before FOTC itself. So far, 2 complete seasons are finished, and you can watch most of it on Hulu, or download it off of a torrent website.

Developed from three stage shows and a six episode radio series, it has since spawned a total of twenty television episodes for BBC Three and a live tour of the UK. A recent festival has been held and forthcoming album of their music and another live tour are also planned. (More on them, click here)

It mostly takes place in a flat (apartment) of two friends who work at a zoo. Watching their adventures, funny random songs, and amazingly funny outfits and mustaches, this show will have you laughing hard.

You can watch it on this link here, or download it off of any bit torrent website.

Tell No One (Ne le dis à personne)

2009-04-09T23:50:00.004-04:00

Tell No One (Ne le dis à personne)

This has to be one of my favorite movies of all time. I love love love love love love it. I am a sucker for most French films, but most French films seem to be weird comedies or romantic films. This one stands out from most French films because it is a thriller and murder mystery. It has you on the edge of your seat the whole movie, questioning who really is the murder, and the ending makes your jaw drop, almost like the ending of Fight Club did to most people.

Directed by Guillaume Canet and staring François Cluzet as Alexandre Beck and Marie-Josée Croze Margot Beck, who are husband and wife, this film takes you through the journey of Alex’s life 8 years after his wife was murdered at his family’s old swimming hole. The murder story itself has many holes in it, and it leaves many police men baffled for many years. 8 years later some bodies near the swimming hole were dug up, and allows the opportunity for this murder case to reopened. A lot more unanswered questions come up, and Alex’s name gets thrown in the newspaper. Once the case is reopened and publicly known, he starts getting contacted by someone whom he thinks is his wife who has died, and soon strange people are following him. The question is, who murdered his wife? Why was she murdered? Who will defend and help Alex? and will he ever find solace in his wife’s death? I don’t want to spoil any more of the movie for you, but trust me when I say its amazing. Its honestly one of my favorite thrillers.

This movie is just absolutely beautiful. The music is amazing with a great song by Jeff Buckley in it, and perfect music to set the tones for many suspenseful scenes. There is wonderful cinematography in it as well. It isn’t the typical French film were it is famous shots of the Eifel tower, but rather it shows normal life in Paris France. I really enjoyed the characters in this movie, especially the main character Alex. He really loved his wife so much, and you can see his passion for her through out the movie as he tries to solve her murder mystery. As he starts digging around for clues, he receives help from unlikely people. His lesbian sister's wife, and a gangster whose child was saved by Alex. As time goes on, weirder and weirder things start coming together, and eventually you find out the true murder story, and how more than one person was actually murdered.

I honestly give this movie a 10 for 10. I bought this movie as soon as I found out it was available for DVD release. The special features and things like that were okay, but this DVD is defiantly worth owning. It’s a good French thriller. I actually ended up seeing this movie 3 times in theaters because I was so entertained by it, and I wanted to show it to 3 different people. I must give a fair warning though, there is one boob scene for those that are cautious about those scenes. You see a dead body of a naked woman for a second. The language is mild, and nothing to offensive. The movie does not have a rating, but I would have a hard time giving it an R rating if I was asked too.

Overall, I would say if you have not seen this movie see it now. If you want to see a new movie, go see this one. If you want to be on the edge of your seat, and have your draw drop from a good ending, see this movie. It is amazing. Awards it won.

Favorite Wes Anderson Movie

2009-04-04T18:01:00.002-04:00

Online Surveys & Market Research

Looks like Rushmore is in the lead

Men In Black 3?

2009-04-04T17:37:00.002-04:00

Seriously, Men In Black 3? Well in reality, i think it will be good for Will Smith to stick to roles he is good in, comedy roles.

http://www.obsessedwithfilm.com/movie-news/men-in-black-3-ghostbusters-3-officially-announced.php

Fast and Furious 4

2009-04-04T17:22:00.005-04:00

Fast and Furious 4

I actually saw this movie. I can’t believe it either. I paid $12.50 for it, and I am still regretting it. I even knew what I was getting into before I saw it. Obviously there was to be expected cheesy one-liners, a deep Vin Diesel voice, and Paul Walker trying to act like a bad ass. I can regretfully claim that I have seen all the fast and furious movies, but this one was actually the best one yet. I think they should have stopped making fast and furious movies after the first one. When they made a second one, I had to see it just to see how bad it was. Then I saw Tokyo drift on an airplane once, and I was so glad I never paid money to see it. Then the fourth one came out, and I fought the urge to not see it, but I ended up seeing it for some reason. The reasons are unknowin, and yes I do want to fight myself for seeing it.

What is the plot of this action packed adventure movie you might ask? Well…It’s about driving fast with furious rage. It’s always about revenge. People are after Vin Diesel again, and Vin Diesel is after the drug lord who killed his girlfriend. Paul walker is working for the government law enforcement again, and does undercover work again. He cuts a deal with the FBI and Vin Diesel. Do they get their revenge? Does the FBI get what they want? Does Paul Walker become a bad boy again and let Vin go? See this mess of a movie, and you’ll find out.

Now I feel bad for totally bashing this movie, incase someone who actually ever reads my blog wants to see this movie. It did have some great driving scenes. A lot of adrenalin through out all the driving scenes in the movie. Good explosions, some good fights, and amazing one-liners. It was so cheesy that it was good.

Vin Diesel is not a horrible actor. He is known for doing bad movies, but I blame it on the writers. In real life, through interviews I have seen him in, he is just a real big geek. He did fast and the furious because he loves cars. He did the Riddick movies because he loves sci-fi stuff. In high school he said his favorite game and sport to play was D&D. So I blame the writing on how horrible this movie is. Vin Diesel needs to be put in a bad guy role, and I feel that he will truly shine more. But at the same time, with a body and voice like his, he is destined for B rated movies for a while.

Paul Walker is just a tool. Need I say more? Not really, but I will. I don’t know how writers write a script and then accept Paul Walker to play one of the main roles. I just don’t like him, and I refuse to type about him any more.

You should by now know what your paying for before seeing this movie. You can’t walk in and expect Citizen Kane. This is movie is an excuse for Hollywood to make more money. They pump out crap and see if people will eat it up. I am shocked that people like crap still. But its true, and that’s how Hollywood makes money, they cater to others needs. Now I know some will disagree with my blog here, and if you do, tell me about it. But if you’re rude about it, I will tell you to get bent.

Fast and Furious 5 plans?

AdventureLand

2009-04-04T11:42:00.003-04:00

Adventure Land

Honestly, you will get a different opinion from most people on this movie, but I loved this movie. Mostly because I could relate a lot to the main character. He reminded me a lot of myself, a hopeless romantic, and also someone who wants to be a writer. Most people were expecting a super bad kind of movie, since the movie poster says right in the front “from the director of superbad”. But overall, it wasn’t the most amazing movie ever, but I think it was a good/fair clever romantic comedy.

Directed by Greg Mottola (director of Superbad) and staring Jesse Eisenberg (The education of Charlie Banks), Kristen Wiig (SNL), Bill Hader (SNL, Hot Rod), Martin Starr (freaks and geeks), Ryan Reynolds (New X-men movie, Just Friends, Van Wilder) and the ever fabulous Kristen Stewart from Twilight. It was a good cast that worked really well together. I especially liked Stewart and Eisenberg as the two main characters. I thought they did very well together. There was really good chemistry between them, and they felt very real. I have always been a fan of Stewart ever since the movie “In the Land of Women” She does well at playing the bad ass troubled teen. But they were a good team together, and I would really like to see them work together again.

The movie is A comedy set in the summer of 1987 and centered around a recent college grad (Eisenberg) who takes a nowhere job at his local amusement park, only to find it's the perfect course to get him prepared for the real world. He deals with girls, heartache, love, and the finding the right one. It’s a simple, but entertaining movie. (For a more detailed plot, with spoilers, click here)

The thing I liked most about this movie is that the characters seemed so real. They weren’t trying hard to have characters that were so far fetched. They seemed like people that you would meet in real life. I especially could relate to the main character James (Eisenberg) because I have had similar summers, and I have been known to be a hopeless romantic. I really liked the character Kristen Stewart played too. I think this is her best role yet. She really shined in this movie, especially when you compare it to twilight.

The things I didn’t like about this movie was Ryan Reynolds character. I am not use to seeing him be a douche bag, so that was weird. But he always seems to small weird parts in the weirdest movies. There was some down time parts and slow parts that could have been better. But overall, I liked the movie better than I didn’t like it. I give it 1.5 thumbs up.

Just a warning, it isn’t as filthy as superbad, but there are some F-bombs and lots of pot smoking. But if your bored, I say catch a matinee of it, but if your over 40, you might not like this movie that much.

MoNsTeR's vs aLiEnS

2009-04-01T14:25:00.003-04:00

Monsters vs. Aliens
Honestly, I was not impressed by this movie. I even saw it in 3-D, and half way through the movie, you could tell they got tired of doing the 3-D animation. Yeah it was a good clean family film, but there was so much more that they could have done with the story. It was a boring story, with no real climax and it felt like it was just being dragged on and on and on. I didn’t hate the whole movie, but overall I didn’t love it either. I know that this is a children’s film, but so many of these dream works and pixar films these days try to market to more than just children.

First off, the cast was fabulous for this movie. Lots of big names and lots of good funny people in it. Reese Witherspoon was Susan/Ginormica (main character, monster tall) Seth Rogan (superbad, Knocked up, freaks and geeks) was B.O.B., Hugh Laurie (Dr. House on House MD) was a mad scientist cock roach, Will Arnett (Job on Arrested Development) was a half man half fish sea monster, Kiefer Sutherland (24, lost boys) was General Monger, Rainn Wilson (Dwight from the Office) was the Alien Warlod Gallaxhar, Stephen Colbert was the President of the United States, Paul Rudd (I Love You Man, Role Models) was Susan’s fiancé, Jeffery Tambor (Dad in Arrested Development) was Susan’s Father, Amy Poehler (SNL, Baby Mama) was the voice of the Alien super computer, Ed Helms (Andy from the Office) was the news reporter, and John Krasinski (Jim from the Office) played one of the commanders. As you can see it was a very full cast of brilliant comic genius who didn’t really get to shine to their full potential. The only who actually did well in this film, and really made it funny was Seth Rogan as B.O.B. He is just naturally funny, and has a really good laugh.

The plot of this Movie is Susan (Witherspoon) who was living her quite life in Modesto, California, gets hit by meteor on her wedding day that contains powerful matter in it. During her wedding vows she starts growing, and becomes monster tall, and the government raid her wedding, capture her, and call her a monster and put her in a monster prison. That’s where she meets the other monsters, like B.O.B. (Rogan), the missing link (Arnett), and Dr. Cockroach (Laurie). They will never get out of prison, until Gallaxhar (Wilson) finds out that the meteor that hit earth contains material that he needs to create a new world and decides to destroy earth as well, so the government sends the monsters to fight the battle.

The things I liked about the movie were that it was clean. I wouldn’t expect it to be dirty at all, but it was good clean humor. There weren’t any jokes that really only adults would get, or anything sexual at all. There are no bad words for kids to repeat over and over again. I like the fact that the movie is about a woman finding her own niche, her own beat in life. It is very pro feminism, which I think is a good thing to install into young women these days. Women need to know that they can do anything in life if they want to. Susan, the main character, finds out through trials and experience that she is her own person and that she is who she is, no matter what people or society tells her. People made fun of her and picked on her, but that didn’t get to her. It was a very good clear message. I also loved Seth Rogan in this film. He was awesome. He was very funny and clever. He made me laugh a lot in this film. Stephen Colbert did pretty good in this film. My favorite scene with him in it was when we approached the alien starship for the first time, and played the song from close encounters of the third kind and then did a break dancing battle to show that he came in peace. The 3-D animation was really cool at the begging, then after it a while it was old and was nothing special.

My problem with the movie was that it jumped into the plot way to fast for me. It just started, and left me with questions at the begging of the movie. I wonder how a little kid must have felt. I have to admit, seeing it in 3-D was pretty cool. I hadn’t seen a 3-D movie since Captain EO with Michael Jackson at Disney Land. But half way through the movie it felt that the animators got tired of trying to make it cool 3-D scenes, and it got less entertaining as the movie went on. I really felt the movie just dragged on for me. I had a hard time staying awake.

Now, this I am not saying that my 6-year-old Nephew and 4-year-old niece wouldn’t love this, in fact, they probably would want to see it multiple times in theatres. It’s got a good feel to it. Nothing negative, lots of bright colors, and things that kids would laugh at it. To a 6-year-old boy, a talking cockroach or a clever sea monster is hilarious. Aliens that have big heads and women that are as tall as buildings are pleasing to their eyes. The only way I would actually see this movie again is if my niece or nephew asked me to take them to the movie. I would get more joy from them laughing than anything else.

The Brave One (2007)

2009-03-31T10:09:00.002-04:00

The Brave One was an interesting movie, with a good characters. Its not the greatest movie ever made or life changing, but a cool story to watch unfold and develop. Its something to watch if it is playing on TNT or lifetime.

Directed by Neil Jordan (Breakfast On Pluto, Interview With a Vampire) and staring Jodie Foster and Terrance Howard as its main characters, The Brave One tells the story of Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) and her struggle with losing her fiancé. After being mugged with her husband in central park and being beaten into a coma, and her husband dying, Erica feels unsafe in the “safest city” in the world. She describes feeling as a stranger, and in order to get over what had happened to her fiancé, she had to become someone else. In order to feel protected and safe she illegally buys a hand gun for “just in case” situations. Erica’s day job is a radio talk show host that has many listeners in the New York area, including a Detective Mercer (Terrance Howard) who is a big fan. Once he hears about the beating and killing of Erica and her fiancé, he personally looks into the case and becomes close friends with Erica. As Erica goes about her daily life, with a gun always in her purse, she stumbles upon situations where she needed to use the gun for self defense, safety and justice. After several killings done by her out of self defense, Detective Mercer starts to suspect her. Many people are calling this killer a vigilante because she is killing thugs, drug dealers, pimps and so forth. Erica doesn’t shake at the feeling with killing someone, and is now determined to find the gang that killed her fiancé. The ending is surprising, and I wont spoil the movie any more than I have, but its good. What will happen? Will Mercer stop her? Join her? Help her? Or not get to her in time?

I liked and disliked this movie for many different reasons. Not a lot on both sides of the argument, but I defiantly liked the movie more than I disliked. First off, this plot has done several times, and it has been done way better. So it wasn’t something that was to original for me to see. It was slow at the begging, and didn’t really pick up for me till almost half way through. Terrance Howard got on my nerves by almost looking and sounding like he was going to cry in every scene. Jodi Foster wore these sunglasses in the movie that just bothered me, they didn’t look good at all, and she is a good looking woman. There were just some cheesy one liners that cops would say, for example, when there was a murder on the subway, one cop says “I hope this was his last stop”

Things I liked about the movie were Jodi Foster, and the bold face character she played. She truly transformed characters from the begging to the end. She went from sweet to lifeless. I really enjoyed her character. I also enjoyed the killing scenes she had. They weren’t over done, and they felt like a good justice kill. I really enjoyed listening to her talk show bits in the movie. She had a great poetic voice, and used such great words and descriptions to explain her feelings. I really liked the ending, I thought it was a good ending to this film. I liked that it took place in upper Westside. There was a shot of her getting into the 103 street subway stop, which is the one right by my apartment, and the one I take every morning. So that was cool. I also liked that it took place in New York

Overall, this movie is good. If it is on TV, I would say watch it. I see it being a lifetime movie or something. But its not something to buy, and watch over and over again. Its an alright rent, I don’t know if I would ever recommend it to someone to rent. I think its TV quality, like if its on TV, watch it, other than that, I don’t think you need to bother or are missing out on much.

Green Street Hooligans 2

2009-03-27T08:01:00.002-04:00

(Green Street) Hooligans 2-Stand Your Ground

When I first discovered that they made green street hooligans 2, I nearly wet myself I was laughing so hard. Not to say that the first green street hooligans wasn’t good, in-fact I still love that movie. Green street hooligans was an amazing movie done by Lexi Anderson who ended up directing the new punisher movie, which is an interesting film carrier for a women director. Green street hooligans is tough to beat when you have Elijah Wood and Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) as your main characters. But that movie left no room for a sequel, or at least a good one when you think about it. This brings us to GSH 2.

GSH2 first only has one returning character from the first movie, which is “Dave” played by Ross McCall. Reading the plot of the movie before actually seeing it gave me very low expectations. But once I saw it, I was more pleased than I thought I would be. So as I give you the plot of this movie, don’t jump to conclusions on how bad you think it might be.

The plot is follows the deadly climax of "Green Street Hooligans," several members of the West Ham firm and numerous members of Millwall end up in jail. The GSE quickly discover the brutality of life on the inside, as they are constant targets of the superior numbers and better-financed Millwall crew. Football on the inside and out is followed fervently by the prisoners and wins and losses by both are quickly followed by punishment or reward. This could mean a beating or an extra shower or a day of visitation, which inspires extreme behavior. When overcrowding compels a need for the early release of a fortunate few, fate brings West Ham and Millwall together again this time on a Pitch. The stakes are the highest they have ever been for all concerned with death or freedom quite literally a goal away. Game on. So in a nut shell, lots of gang violence and fights.

The movie was mostly gang violence and fights. Well, firm (futbol gangs) violence and fights. They fight because they root for different teams. Soccer is obviously more than a game. Books and movies like fever pitch written by Nick Hornby would agree that futbol is just more than a game, but most people don’t see it that way. I have to admit, some of the violence I could just not watch. One scene a man gets beat to death with a weight in the workout room and it is a bloody mess. The actual soccer playing in the movie was complete crap as well. It was boring to watch. One great soccer movie with sweet jail revenge involved is “Mean Machine” with Vinnie Jones, but besides that, green street hooligans 2 was better than I thought it was going to be, but it was still crap.

Revolutionary Road

2009-03-22T23:07:00.002-04:00

Revolutionary Road

It was a great story overall. I never read the book, but from how well the writing of the script was I could tell that the book must have been amazing. It was so poetic, full of wonderful profound things. I really did like this movie, but I wouldn’t say I loved this movie. It was good, a good drama, but it was a bit slow and heavy for me. I had very mixed feelings about the movie. I will express them through out this small review.

One thing I did like in this movie was that there was very little swearing, and no pornography. I think that shows a lot of class when the writer can find other ways to express what he wants to say without resulting to foul language. When there was swearing in the movie it almost felt necessary somehow. But nonetheless, I thought that the writing was done really well.

I am usually not a huge fan of Kate Winslets looks, but I think this is the first movie where I was just drawn to her beauty. It was weird. She just looked really good in this movie, and the way she played her character made her seem and feel so young. It’s hard to compare her to her role in “The Reader” but she did a fabulous job in this movie as well. She played a very convincing immature and also confused housewife, which I feel most of them are.

Leo did a great job as the father and husband in this movie. He is a great and fabulous actor all around. I can’t think of to many movies with him in it where I just want to walk away or turn off. Anyways, he did great in this. He portrays a good young father who wants to do what’s best for his family, and just be able to support them at any costs.

Other great characters carried the movie on as well. Cathy Bates had a small part of a nosey neighborhood realtor who has a crazy smart son but cant keep his mouth shut. I really enjoyed them in this movie. David Harbour did a great job as a the family friend who tries to help Leo and Kate through out the film. But overall, Kate and Leo were the main focus of the film.

The cinematography and art direction was just so good in this movie. It took place in Conn. in the 1950’s. There were very many beautiful sunshine shoots, and dramatic scenes that were done with the perfect amount of light. The lighting in this movie definitely made it more dramatic, and it gave the film such a good touch. The costumes in this were good. Very old school, and some of the dresses that Kate wore in the movie were just elegant.

The Plot of the movie in a nut shell is A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. Based on a novel by Richard Yates and directed by Sam Mendes Who has directed Jarhead, Road to Perdition and American Beauty, this movie has a lot of things going for it. But still, I had mix feelings about it. I can’t tell you why. The movie had some good twists to it, especially at the end.

It was beautiful overall. Some great lines I liked in it were “But I don't. I hate you. You were just some boy who made me laugh at a party once, and now I loathe the sight of you. In fact, if you come any closer, if you touch me or anything, I think I'll scream.” –Kate Winselt. And “No, Frank. This is what's unrealistic. It's unrealistic for a man with a fine mind to go on working year after year at a job he can't stand. Coming home to a place he can't stand, to a wife who's equally unable to stand the same things. And you know what the worst part of it is? Our whole existence here is based on this great premise that we're special. They we're superior to the whole thing. But we're not. We're just like everyone else! We bought into the same, ridiculous delusion. That we have to resign from life and settle down the moment we have children. And we've been punishing each other for it.”-Kate Winselt.

I think that Kate took the show on this movie. She made the movie good, and Leo was the perfect support for it. All in all, I would recommend seeing it, but I would recommend to read it first. I feel that the book is tons better than the movie. I feel that there was so much more that needed to be said.

I Love You Man!

2009-03-22T00:29:00.006-04:00

I LOVED I love you man. It was so good. Francesco and I both agree - best comedy of 2009 thus far. It was definitely the most real comedy I’ve seen in a while. Not that I could get away with this comparison, BUT it kind of reminded me of an immature Woody Allen film. Less funny, because Woody Allen is the greatest, but in the sense that Woody tended to write romantic comedies that were actually believable and could have been based on real life. And for that, it was gold.

I think this is a good comedy that wasn’t touched by Jude Aptow. Not that I have anything against him. I loved pineapple express, but this didn’t have the same over usage of the F word, sex talk, or raunchy porn scenes. I’d say overall a good clean movie that I wouldn’t be embarrassed to see with my parents.

Okay so the movie was written and directed by John Hamburg who did “Along came Polly,” “Meet the Parents,” and some episodes of “Stella”. He had an all-star cast, including Paul Rudd, Rashida Jones, Jon Favreau, Joe Lo Truglio, Jason Segel, Lou Ferrigno, J.K. Simmons and Andy Samberg. They were all so perfect for this Bromantic comedy. In my opinion, everyone did an EXCEPTIONAL job. I SERIOUSLY enjoyed this movie, and I honestly can’t get over how much I laughed throughout.

AND for the plot- Paul Rudd has never really had guy friends, always been a girlfriend kind of guy and always puts women first. So, when he gets engaged, it starts a bit of an uproar concerning who will be his best man or his groomsmen (opposite of the usual sense, in that he has NO male friends). He ends up seeking help from his father, played by J.K. Simmons, and his gay brother, Andy Samberg. The solution is going on “man dates,” but none of them are successful. However, while trying to sell Lou Ferrigno’s house, he meets Sidney (Jason Segel), who is in attendance at the open house, hitting on divorced women. Rudd and Segel hit it off pretty well, and start hanging out everyday. At first Rudd doesn’t know how to be friends with a guy, but they end up becoming so close that Rudd puts Sidney over his Fiancé, which ends up causing more problems. Now I don’t want to spoil anymore, but ill just say that it is a completely NON-cheesy, NON-cliché ending.

I also want to mention the amazing soundtrack, lots of great Rush songs. Oddly enough, Rush seems to bring everyone together in this movie. Also included were songs by Vampire Weekend, Black Keys, Beck and Matt Costa – all very appropriate in this case.

So I’m gonna say that I honestly had no complaints! “I Love You, Man” was full of great one-liners, awkward situations, and everyone’s characters were SO great. It makes you want to just fall in love with a cool girl and have a good guy friend. This is a comedy ill be watching over and over and definitely owning.

Let the Right One In

2009-03-21T12:44:00.004-04:00

I really enjoyed this movie. I enjoy Swedish cinema in general. They aren’t so much wham bam thank you mam. They allow the characters and the plot to develop a bit more than most American films. As to what type of movie this is… I would say it’s a romantic thriller. Others may disagree, but then again, this is my opinion were reading here.

The plot of the movie is about a 12 year old boy who gets picked on a lot and is lonely, and has no friends. His next-door neighbor is a 12-year-old vampire, and she is very lonely as well. He pursues her in a relationship not knowing that she is a vampire. She has a father, who kills for her so that she can drink blood, and the town catches on and the father gets caught. No she must survive on her own, killing whom she musts in the small town.

The movie had its creepy parts, had its cute parts, funny parts and really bloody parts. The super bloody parts were not exactly scary, though they could have been made scary, but very settle allowing one to soak more of it in. The cinematography was very great. Very beautiful shots, which I think is hard to do when most of it is in the white snow. The killing scenes are actually really well done. I really enjoyed watching them. I know that might sound creepy, but when you see bright red on white snow, there is something cool about it.

I would actually recommend this as a good date movie for many reasons. First off, it’s scary enough to hold someone’s hand in, but at the same time it wont have you having nightmares or scared of the dark. It’s a good love story. And it also is a good foreign film, and girls are always into guys who like foreign things, it means they are open to change.

This is a movie I would like to buy and keep in my collection. I think the children in this movie did such a fabulous job. They amazed me and impressed me so much. I enjoyed seeing the main boy grow and struggle, and also the vampire come to grips with her life. This is so much better than Twilight, but comparing them is unfair because they are in two different leagues. I look at twilight as the romance novels you can pick up in the grocery store where it looks like Fabio is on the front, to where Let the Right One In is a novel that is a good read front to back, and it has a good ending.

Shanghai 2009

2009-03-20T11:08:00.011-04:00

Last night I was invited to a movie premiere of the new John Cusack film “Shanghai.” It was actually really good. My friend Justin and I got tickets to it as we were walking around union sq. This guy approached us and asked us if we wanted to go to a special screening and help review a movie. I was all over it and excited. He told us that its still in the making, there needs to be editing done, and music still, and things still added in and cut out, and they need to know audience opinions.

Doing some research on my own, I found out that the movie was Mikael Håfström, a Swedish director who has done some American films, like derailed, but mostly foreign cinema. It had Jeffery Dean Morgan (The Comedian from Watchmen), Yun-Fat Chow (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), Li Gong (Memoirs of a Geisha) and David Morse (Killer in Disturbia, bad cop in 16 Blocks). It was overall a good movie to watch. I wouldn’t say excellent, but well.

The plot was hard for me to follow, especially since going in I didn’t know anything about the movie. From what I have gathered, the plot is a WW2 drama. It takes place right before America joins the war and Japan attacks China and Pearl Harbor. John Cusack and Jeffery Dean Morgan are spies for America in Shanghai trying to figure out what Japan is doing there and what’s going on with the war. (I didn’t figure out that they were spies until the end of the movie) John Cusacks cover up is a journalist, and through out the movie he kicks a lot of ass. I was shocked because I didn’t think a journalist could be so bad ass, and then I found out he was actually a spy and it made a little more sense. Anyways, Morgan gets involved with the Japans army commanders mistress and gets wind of attack plans on Pearl Harbor. He passes it on to Cusack who tries to gather enough evidence to prove it to his superiors so that they can be prepared for an attack on Pearl Harbor. He gets involved with the Mafia leader played by Yun-Fat Chow, and his wife played by Li Gong and together/secretly/behind backs figure out what Japan and Germany are up too.

It was surprisingly action packed. I thought it was going to be a long drugged out drama with lots of romance scenes. It was really clean. No foul language, no boobies, and minor drug usage. It was an action drama movie. It was not excellent by any means, it was just a good overall film. It had some flaws, but then again I saw not a whole finished version. My only beef was John Cusack playing this bad ass spy which was hard for me to grasp because he usually plays writers in his films, or some heart broken guy who can’t find love, but then does at the end. My favorite thing about the movie though was the scenery in it. Shanghai looks sweet. They had good fighting scenes, and I thought that Yun-Fat Chow did awesome and Li Gong did even better.

I would recommend to see this movie or rent it. Not really a buy movie though. Not something I would exactly want to see twice. I usually don’t like to see long war dramas more than once, expect like classic ones (Saving Private Ryan, Platoon, Apocalypse Now, Full metal jacket, etc...) So over all I would give it a strong 2.8 out of 5. That’s a fair rating. I wasn’t bored in the movie, I was mostly trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

I should clarify, though this movie has great actors, the fighting in it is with guns, and it’s a one shot your dead deal. The cinematography in it is beautiful, and has some amazing shots of Shanghai in it. It really does make you want to go visit the city and see the beauty of it. Though Gong is looked upon as a sex symbol who cheats on her husband, she does show herself as a true actress by the way she deeply cares for her country. The costumes in this movie are nothing special to be honest. Shanghai was a city in China that was very westernized. Most of the men in this wear suits or Navy outfits, and the women wore dresses. The dresses had some style and class, like Gong for example wears many different beautiful outfits, but nothing i would expect to be nominated in for an award.

k so i posted a new paragraph to my blog post. I am new to this, so i enjoy everyones helpful feed back. Please continue to let me know what else you would like to know about the film and i will try to add it in my post. It has been very helpful to know your opinions on my writing and what you think i should have included. Sadly Hardy, this movie portrays Gong as a sex object, but she still does amazing in this film. And Gong and Cusack dont really get it on, sorry kill bill. And Whosmurry, i haven't seen every Cusack film, but more so than not he usually is not portrayed as a killer in his movies.

Answering other questions about the movie, Wantanbe and Gong do have some scenes together. Wantanbe is a Japanese Military Commander, and close friends with Chow Yun Fat. Most of the Chinese hate the Japanese at this period, and Gong leads a group of rebels that tries to kill off powerful Japanese leaders in Shanghai. So there are scenes where she tries to kill him, and towards the end he tries to kidnap her. But other than that, there is no amazing dialogue between the two. Chow does love his wife in this movie, even though he has many mistresses. They get along, but they don’t trust each other. But when it comes down it, Chow does kill for her, and does fight for her honor. He respects her as a wife in the sense that he confides her in a lot of things. I don’t get why he cheats on her so much, and why she cheats on him. They have very open and understanding marriage that works for them. Chow and Gong both do good speaking english in this film. Chow did better than Gong, but Gong was alright. Her words were not difficult to understand, though she did speak slow most of the time. I think maybe a couple of times i leaned over to my friend to ask what she just said. I would perfer all movies to be in subtitles to be understood better. But overall, i her chiense accent while speaking english wasnt something that stood out to me as bad what so ever, but when i honestly thought about it, it could use some improvement. Its not like i walked out saying "what the hell was up with that chick who could barely speak english" I came out instead saying " So John Cusack was a spy?"

As for other characters in the movie, like Franka Potente who played the German Spy, Cusack, Gong and Fat do a stellar job. Pontente wasn’t that impressive to me. First off, she has a huge jaw that distracted me through out the movie. She had a small role and was not in the movie all that much. Her character was in love with Cusack, and it affected her work as a spy. But she honestly wasn’t anything to impressive. Rinko Kikuchi did alright, though she played a character of a drugged out addicted opium mistress/whore. She didnt have much of a big role in this film, nor did she have many lines in it. She is the girl that everyone is trying to find, protect and fight for. She knew everything that one American spy had told her, and she knew everything that the Japanese commander had told her. I am more excited to see her in "The Brothers Bloom" where she has much more of a bigger role.

Why "The Watchmen" took a nose dive

2009-03-16T14:45:00.002-04:00

The watchmen took a huge nose dive this weekend with numbers dropping 67%. In my opinion, it is taking a huge dive simply because it had way to much hype. I don’t even know how this hype got started. If you’re not a comic book fan, you have most likely never heard of the watchmen. Then you see these previews of violence and hear it’s the same director as 300. So you think of your own “awesome” conclusions of how the movie is going to be, and you’re disappointed because it wasn’t how you wanted it to be. Well, movies are usually never how you want them to be. If you wanted it a certain way, you usually would have enough will power and direct it yourself. This was a movie that came to live from a novel. The novel itself is not action packed, it’s a story with a begging and end. It’s about people, not fighting crime. Comic book readers knew that, others didn’t. They were bummed when they found out that it was just about people, and it wasn’t all action packed and shoot em up. It blew up with high numbers when it first came out because everyone was curious, then they saw it, and explained that it wasn’t a super hero movie. It’s a movie about people who want to be super heroes. In my opinion, which I have posted earlier, the movie was kick asss. I also read the graphic novel though and knew what it was about before going in.

The Usual Suspects

2009-03-16T09:54:00.003-04:00

Last night, my Friend Justin and I watched “The Usual Suspects.” It was good, even though I had a hard time following the plot. It was weird seeing Benico Del Toro so skinny, and play a character similar to Brad Pitts Mickey in Snatch. I also think it was the only big break Stephen Baldwin ever got besides Bio Dome, which I admit I am huge fan of. I really do enjoy watching Pauely Shore movies. Kevin Spacey was of course creepy and weird as he is in most of his movies.

Directed by Bryan Singer (Valkyrie, X-Men, X-Men 2) this crime drama starts out with a boat explosion and the one survivor of it, Kevin Spacey “Verbal” speaking to a police officer in an integration room. It all happens as the police line up five conmen who were suspected for a hijacking a truck in New York. Since none of these con men did it and were found not guilty, these conmen wanted to get revenge on the police department. While doing this revenge, they cross paths with an urban legend named Keyser Söze, and each of them have wronged him and must pay him back now. But really, who is Keyser?

This movie had cool twists, explosions, violence and great characters. My favorite person to watch in this movie was Kevin Spacey. He played a weird gimp guy that they called “verbal” Very smart man, and always with a plan. The movie is told from his point of view, and he is a very interesting character. Would I see this movie again? Of course I would, but only to better understand it. Overall I give this a 2.5 of 5. It was great, it wasn’t awful, it was good, and super confusing.

I LOVE YOU MAN

2009-03-12T11:48:00.002-04:00

I am super stoked for the new movie “I love you man” Reading an interview with the writer John Hamburg (writer of meet the parents, meet the fockers, and co-writer for Zoolander) makes me want to see the movie even more.

I am mostly excited because it has a good comedy cast, and its not done by Jude Aptow. His movies tend to be to much for me. To much raunchy stuff, and to much F bombs. In the interview Hmaburg says there are only two F words in the whole movie, and there is no nudity or raunchy scenes.

The movie was originally going to be PG-13, but when he got an R rating he said “well I guess we live in a R-rated world” Which I think is very true. The fact there is no nudity in the movie, there is talk of sex and things of that nature. But when Writing the script Hamburg said
“I was never conscious of, "Let's be really raunchy, let's not." It was just like, "Who are these characters?" Well, a guy in his late twenties who lives in Venice who picks up divorcées is probably gonna talk about sex and curse, not in a gratuitous way, but in a realistic way. I don't think Paul Rudd's character, he only says the F-word once in the entire movie. He says "f*ck" at the end when he finally mans up and slaps Tevin, he says, "Stay the f*ck away from my listing." That's the only time I think he curses in the movie.”

He just wanted to write about these characters, and show what they really would be like. I guess who they really are. I am super stoked to see this movie. The writer is good, the cast is good, and even some of “Stella” is in the movie, which you cant go wrong with.

New DIrector for Twlight Sequal

2009-03-12T11:11:00.004-04:00

I came across this while I was at “work” and thought it would be cool to post up. I know there are a lot of twilight fans out there. Not to say that I have a lot of readers or followers, but the women in my family love twilight.

It was reported that actress/director Drew Barrymore turned the job to direct the new Twlight movie. Instead, Director Juan Antonio Bayona (the orphanage) is said to be the new director of the twilight movies. Juan Antonio Bayona is a horror film director and Guillermo Del Toro’s protégé. It is not 100% sure if he has got the gig, but it sounds like from gossip and news that he is the most likely.

I saw the first twilight, and it was alright considering that I have not read any of the books. I only saw it because my mom thought my girlfriend wanted to see it and forced me to take her. It wasn’t that bad. But if Bayona directs the sequel, I will most defiantly see it. He did a good job on the orphanage, and has a good active imagination. He can really put a good twist and new taste the Twlight movie series.

The Baxter

2009-03-12T10:18:00.005-04:00

Recently I re-watched my #2 favorite movie, the graduate being #1, the Baxter. I usually post movies on here as I watch them. So I watched the Baxter for the hundredth time just so I can post it up on this page.

I love this movie so much. I love good zany romantic comedies. I have never been a fan of slapstick humor, I just didn’t think it was that amusing. But a good, sophisticated comedy always pleases me. This movie does it all for me. It has great writing and directing (done by Michael Showalter) with a great cast and grew. A lot of things in this movie I find brilliant.
In a nut shell, the plot of the movie is about a guy named Elliot Sherman (played by Showalter) who never has any luck with the girls. He is what his grandma calls a “Baxter” a guy you settle for, a guy that you are content with, the guy you would leave at the alter for someone else. So this movie is about Elliot and his luck with the ladies. He is thrown into a love triangle between his temporary sectary (Michelle Williams) and a client (Elizabeth Banks) of his. Where his secretary is dating someone else and his client still has strong feelings for her high school sweet heart. Is he destined to be a Baxter forever?

The cast of the movie is great. It has the guys from Stella, and a lot of the same cast from the movie “wet hot American summer” (directed by David Wain, who recently directed Role Models). The Stella crew is Michael Ian Black (writer and director of Wedding Daze and Run fat boy run), Michael Showalter, and David Wain. Anytime one of these guys do a production they are sure to include the other members of the Stella troupe in it. Paul Rudd, who I guess is almost in the Stella crew, but not quite, is in most of these independent movies that they make. That’s one thing I love about Paul Rudd, though he might be a famous actor and have famous characters that he plays, he will always do small budget films with his buddies. He just loves to act, and he is good at it.

This movie reminds me a lot of Woody Allen, who is my favorite writer and director. That is why it is my #2 favorite movie. The graduate is #1 simply because it was the movie that made me appreciate how great film can be. The writing in this is so clever. It is so cute, and so easy to get lost in. It can be so awkward, so true, and so weird. It is a movie that I love watching over and over again, especially with people who have never seen it.

Overall, if you are looking for a good, old style feeling romantci comdey without sex and swearing and just no morals, then see the Baxter. It is a good clean romantic comdey that if you pay close attetion to will have you laughing your ass off.

The Watchmen

2009-03-10T09:09:00.003-04:00

The watchmen was an amazing movie. It was just a good story. It had a great beginning, middle, and ending. It felt so classic, but yet it was very modern. But i dont know if it is my favorite comic book film ever made. Its hard to beat comic book movies that have recnetly come out like the Dark Knight, or iron men. The X-men movies were pretty cool, but the watchmen stuck true to the original story for the most part, and the story was so in-depth itself. Directed by Zack Snyder (who directed 300, and currently is said to be directing the new heavy metal movie), the watchmen had a very graphic yet detailed story line. It was not your typical superhero movie. It takes place in like an alternative universe were masked heroes are part of everyday society, but beneath the mask, or “under the hood” as they say, superheroes weren’t all that great. Some of them wanted money, fame fortune, to rule the world, and others saw life as a big joke and laughed as he killed people. The plot thickens as it goes into the past of all the heroes, and how their lives are intertwined, and while all of this is going on, nuclear war is being declared by the USSR and the Middle East. Armageddon is about to come. Will it come? Will a masked hero save it from coming? Or will a mask hero not do anything? It’s a good question, and yet frankly a hard one to answer.
I was very entertained through out the whole movie. I had finished reading the graphic novel before I had seen the movie, and I was blown away on how true to the graphic novel this movie was. They even got the characters to like the drawings from the comic book. I can see how people were excited for this movie to come out, and I can see how this is a cult classic graphic novel. Some people might be disappointed in this movie if they know nothing of the graphic novel and expected a shoot em up bloody super hero movie, for this movie is more than your typical superman movie. There is depth to every character. My only compliant of this movie is the fact that you see Dr. Manhattan’s dong is a couple of scenes, and it’s just weird. That has to be why it’s rated R. Besides the dong shots, I loved the movie so much. It is defiantly a movie I plan to own on DVD, most likely Blu Ray.

I give it a 3.5 out 5 though. Even though i loved the movie so much, it will still missing somethings i thought were important and cool from the graphic novel. I think they did a great job casting the characters, but i think they should have gone more into depth with Rorschach story and gone more into his meetings with the prison doctor, but they did do a great job casting Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach. The movie does have some slow parts, and even some parts i just wanted to fast forward. As much as i loved it, there were things that kept me from giving it a perfect score.

Smart People

2009-03-06T00:44:00.002-05:00

Do you ever look through the discounted DVD section at your local video rental/sales store hoping but not overly expecting to find any films that are actually worth two hours of your night? It almost feels more like an animal shelter, all those poor DVD’s staring up at you just wishing someone good Samaritan would purchase them and give them a home. Of course most of them are there for a reason and should probably just be taken out back and shot(if you had seen Crank you would understand). However when I saw Smart People and its cast of Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Hadden Church, and Ellen Page it seemed to be more of the indie sleeper than one that should be put to sleep so I gave it a chance.

Smart People, as can be inferred from the title is a film about what happens when people whom are in fact smart try to deal with family and other relationships in a less than intelligent manor. Perhaps sometimes intelligence can be blinding as is the case with Smart People. One example of this is when Dennis Quad’s daughter, played by Ellen Page (Juno) got accepted to Stanford but couldn’t confide in the same man that inspired her to pursue her studies at the cost of having a normal teenage livelihood. In addition Thomas Haden Church(where the hell has he been since Wings other than Sideways?) plays the “adopted brother” of Mr. Quaid, throwing some chaos into the mix even getting the overachieving Ellen Page drunk at one point in the film. The various personalities introduced in Smart People have a dynamic that makes for a highly entertaining and interesting story. The movie absolutely charmed me with its solid performances and writing making me glad I didn’t let this little film go by the wayside of DVD’s that no one wants.

Milk

2009-03-04T21:51:00.005-05:00

Milk was good. Watching the movie was good because it informed me on the political side on the gay rights movement. It has been going strong since the 70's all because of a man named Harvey Milk. Milk is the Martin Luther King for the gays pretty much. He was able to do for them and their rights in the state of california and in the city of san francisco. I thought Sean Penn and James Franco did a wonderful job in this movie. I personally liked James Franco's performance better than Sean Penn's, but thats not saying that Sean Penn was anything short of amazing. THis is a movie worth watching, but not worth seeing more than once. Its long, and very political. To me, personally, it was dull and boring at parts, and i am not that big into politics. I think it was a good movie for the gay movement, and i think it probaly empowered a lot of activists out there, which is good in my opinion. People need to fight in what they believe.

I give this movie a 4 out 5.

it tells a great story of a great man who fought for his rights.

The Watchmen

2009-03-04T09:38:00.001-05:00

I am making this a short post because I am work, but can I just say that I am so stoked for THE WATCHMEN to come out. I am still currently reading the graphic novel, and I must say, it’s full of wonder and surprises. Starting it, I really had no clue what to expect. I thought it was going to be a typical superhero novel. I was way off. It goes into way more depth than your typical Spiderman superman comic. None the less, it still has lots of action, crime, murder, corruption, betrayal, masked vigilantes and bad guys. But The Watchmen has a different twist on it. It portrays a world that is going into WW3, and the role of a super hero is pretty much a joke. You are led on a goose hunt but a character believing that there is a murder of masked hero’s, and he wants to get to the bottom of it. As the story goes on, you learn about the masked hero’s, their true identities, and who they really are. Let’s just say all superheros aren’t exactly clean cut stellar guys. This novel, and hopefully movie, makes the notion that a super hero, masked vigilante is something that could happen today. It is different in so many ways than most comic book stories. It gives reasons and stories that almost make sense of why they fight crime, and why they are the way they are. I don’t know how they are going to fit all the amazing elements that are in the comic into the movie, but never before have I been more excited to see a comic book movie. I highly recommend reading the watchmen. I started it a few days ago and I am almost done with it. It is really hard to put down, and a good read through out the whole novel.

The Reader

2009-03-03T22:32:00.003-05:00

This movie amazed me. It had me floored. At first i didn't know what to expect. It started out with an older woman having an affair with a teenager. But then it picked up, and i was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Its a story about a woman who loves to be read to. Through out her life she has people read to her again and again. This character is played by non other than Kate Winslet, who deserved the award for best actress in this past academy awards. As certain events happen in her life, she eventually ends up in prison, and her teenager affair, now grown up, sends her books on tapes. I am giving a brief description with holding many details because it is a treat having them unfold in-front of you on the big screen. I will say that it has to do with Nazi Germany and the holocaust. But i will say no more. There is a secret that is held until the end of the movie, a secret that we all take for granted in our daily lives.

Ill have to admit, i did cry a couple of times through out this movie. It moved me very much. Though most of the movie was flashbacks and talking, it had you on the edge of your seat. It had your head in your hands saying "why dont you do something" or "why dont you say something." IT was a movie very easily for me to get lost in the plot, and to get so involved with the characters.

I recommend this movie to anyone in a chill mood of course, and who like drama romantic movies taken place during a historical movement. It is defiantly a different outtake on the holocaust.

i can rave all day about how much i loved this movie. I thought it was excellent. BUt i want to try and keep this posts short and sweet. I give it a 10 out of 10, 5 out of 5

Children Of Men

2009-03-03T19:45:00.003-05:00

Recently someone told me to rent "Children of Men." They recommended it to me since i like clive owen as an actor, and i like good action movies with twist. They had one thing right when they recommended it to me, it had clive owen in it.

To be honest, i wasn't the biggest fan of this movie. The acting was just terrible. THe plot was cool, but it left so many holes in the story. I was left with so many questions through out the movie, most of which developed at the begging of the movie. It left me in the dark for a while. I really think that they should have made it a two part movie, but that would have pissed more people off.

Lets get back to the acting though... i cant believe how cheesy it was. I usually like most clive owen films, but this is one that i am not a big fan of. He personally doesn't make the movie bad, it was a team effort by the whole cast and crew.

THough i do give the movie props for the special effects. It was pretty entertaining to watch. They made a apocalyptic future seem like it could be right outside your door. Slowly, i think this movie could be a sneak peak into the future, global unrest from a global depression.

All in all, i give this a 1 out of 5, maybe a 2. Its something that i would never brag about owning, and i brag about owning street fighter and both mortal combat movies.

King Of California

2009-03-03T08:07:00.003-05:00

King Of California was actually one of the first movies i saw when i got back from my mission. It wasn't by means the best movie to see right off the mission, there was better blockbusters and major hitting films, but this one was fun to watch.

Written by Mike Cahill who also wrote space ghost coast to coast and Aqua Teen Hunger Force, you can bet it has it quirky moments that make you look dumbfounded. Staring Michael Douglas and Evan Rachel Wood as a father daughter team, the plot of the movie is essentially a treasure hunt bringing family together.

Michael Douglas gets released from a mental hospital and moves in with his daughter who he has abandoned most of his life. At first she keeps her distance from him, especially as he goes on about buried treasure. He finds out that the treasure is buried under a costco, and convinces his daughter to help get to it. Do they find gold? or do they get caught?

I really enjoyed this movie. It is a movie that i have added to my DVD collection. Its fun to watch with people who have never seen it before, and its pretty entertaining with its weird characters. I give it a 3 out of 5

Surfer Dude

2009-03-02T09:18:00.002-05:00

This has to be one the dumbest movies i can remember seeing in a while. Surfer Dude was a Matthew McConaughey movie that went straight to DVD. My roommates and i rented it thinking it would be a funny comdey to watch, which it was at first. BUt then as the movie goes on, it was almost impossible to tell if McConaughey was trying to be funny and just acting, or if he really thought he was the "surfer dude."
The plot of the movie is Matthew McConaughey surfs around the world surfing the worlds best waves. When he comes home to Malibu, there are no waves, and therefore, he has no purpose to live. This bussiness man wants him to help with a surfing reality game and TV show, but all McConaguhey wants to do is surf.
In reality, McConaughey likes to think of himself as a surfer, despiste the fact that he is a texan at heart. He always trys to act like an old soul, and this movie was just overboard.
I know some might argue that the whole point of the movie was to make us laugh, but i felt bad laughing. All in all, it was hard and annoying to watch.
0 out 5

Gore Verbinski is directing the Clue Remake

2009-02-26T08:46:00.002-05:00

Gore Verbinski is going to direct the remake of the classic 80's movie "Clue". Verbinski is known for his Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy. He is also set up to do the the "Prince of Persia" film in the near future.
I am excited to see both of these movies in the future. I love to play the game clue, and i loved the movie. I dont know if this will be half as good as the original, but none the less, it will be fun to see someone try and remake a cult classic. Prince of Persia seems more of his style, considering all of the pirates movies.

In Bruges, is now in my top ten forever

2009-02-25T09:20:00.002-05:00

In Bruges, Written and directed by Martin McDonagh is pure genius. I think it was one of the most original and funny movies i have seen in a long time.

My friend Nathan and I watched it thinking that it was not going to be that good because Colin Farrell was in it. He was by far the funniest character i have seen in a while. His character reminded me exactly of me if i were a hit man. The kid had so much ADHD, and was distracted by everything, mostly midgets. Brendan Gleeson added so much to the comedy, by pretty much being the parent of Colin Farrell.

The plot of the movie is that Farrell and Gleeson are two hit men from englangd, and one of them accidentally kills a little boy. Their Boss, Ralph Fiennes (The Reader, Voldermort in Harry Potter, chumscrubber) sends them to Bruges for a vacation and to get away from England until things cool down. Their boss think it will be perfect for them, because Bruges is a perfect fairy tale land.

Farrell hates the place, and gets so bored. From his boredom, he gets into different kinds of trouble, and becomes friends with the most interesting people. ITs a movie that had me laughing pretty much the whole time. I would recommend to watch it with subtitles, because the accents are so thick, and it might be hard to catch all the settle humor and jokes. It is not a slap stick movie, just very silly and funny in a smart way.

I know i am an easy grader, but i mostly put movies up here that i like, except Gomorrah. BUt i give this a 5 out 5.

Michel Gondry to direct "The Green Hornet"

2009-02-25T08:50:00.002-05:00

I have to admit i am pretty stoked on this. Michel Gondry is an awesome director. He did Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind, the science of sleep, be kind rewind, and some episodes on season two of flight of the conchords.

I dont know who he will do as a director of an aciton movie like this, but i know he will have a good touch on giving it the classic old time dick tracy feel. I think its a good change for comic book movies to have a director such a Michel to add some different spin to it.

I acutally dont know if this movie will rock, but my expections are high considering how much i have liked Gondry's pervious work.

They say the movie is going to be an action/comdey. We know that Gondry does well with comdey, and they have casted Seth Rogan (pinapple express, knocked up, superbad) to be in it, but its not going to be anything like his other films. It will be like Will Ferrell playing in Stranger than fiction, not his typical loud and random character, and everyone enjoyed it. I am assuming Seth wont be dropping f bombs and have lots of boob jokes, because Michel Gondry is classier than that.

Everything is illuminated

2009-02-24T22:24:00.002-05:00

Upon Request, i am doing a review on Everything is illuminated. Might i add, i love that i have been receiving requests on certain movies. Its totally awesome and making me happy.

I loved everything is illuminated. It was such an amazing film. Liev Schreiber (sabbertooth in the new X-men wolverine movie, and in a very good movie called the painted veil) directed this film. It is based off of a novel by Jonathan Safran Foer (who also wrote extremely loud and incredibly close, my favorite book ever to read) with Elijah Wood (who plays Jonathan Safran Foer) It is an excellent all around movie. It is about a young Jewish American man who endeavors to find the woman who saved his grandfather during World War II in a Ukrainian village, that was ultimately razed by the Nazis, with the help of a local who speaks weirdly funny broken English. The man who speaks broken english is non other than Eugene Hutz (singer for Gogol Bordello) and he is awesome in it.

I enjoy almost every minute of this film. It very beautiful. SO many beautiful shots, and a great story line that is easy to get emotionally involved in. I loved it. I give it a 4 out 5 on my grading scale.

Children of Heaven (1999) (Iran)

2009-02-24T22:12:00.003-05:00

So i just recently watched "Children of Heaven" (iranian) with my friend Jendar, and it was very good. We both enjoyed it very much. In a nutshell, the movie is about a little boy losing his sisters shoes, and they share the boys shoes together through out the day. They have a relay sort of thing going on, until one day the boy finds out that there is a race, and the 3rd place winner gets a new pair of shoes.... I wont ruin the ending.

It was very cute. The little boy was so adorable and same with the girl. It is a PG good family film about family love. I recommend it to anybody to rent.

Ghostbusters 3 in production?

2009-02-24T09:01:00.003-05:00

In a report on Ain't it Cool News (http://www.aintitcool.com), production on "Ghostubsters 3" may very well happen this year but nothing is definite yet. Says Aykroyd to the Boston Globe:

"Script is commenced early summer. Hope to be in production by late fall 2009."

Word on the street is that "Office" writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky have been hired to do the script to bring together the oringinal Ghostbusters - Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson - with new and younger cast memebers as well. Apparently all parties, including longtime holdout Bill Murray, are interested in donning the jumpsuits one more time.

I am pretty stoked for this. Recently i have watched the ghostbusters, and they are funny as crap. Bill Murray is amazing in them. Orignally Dan Aykroyd wrote the movie along with his pal John Belushi because they were both obbseed with the paranormal world and ghosts. Recently, he did a movie called "Dan Aykrod, Unplugged on UFO's" Sadly enough i saw it, and it was a joke. But back to Ghostbusters, of course the film came out different than what they originally had in mind, and Aykroyd was told to rewrite it before it could be put into production.

Shrek the fourth?

2009-02-23T13:50:00.002-05:00

So i recently found out that they are making a sherk the fourth. To be quite honest, i am rather excited for it. I liked the first 3. They are fun, feel good family movies that everyone can enjoy. I recently saw the broadway play here in new york, and i loved it. The plot for the fourth movie is simply this.... After challenging an evil dragon, rescuing a beautiful princess and saving your in-laws' kingdom, what's an ogre to do? Well, if you're Shrek, you suddenly wind up a domesticated family man. Instead of scaring villagers away like he used to, a reluctant Shrek now agrees to autograph pitch forks. What's happened to this ogre's roar? Longing for the days when he felt like a "real ogre," Shrek is duped into signing a pact with the smooth-talking dealmaker, Rumplestiltskin. Shrek suddenly finds himself in a in a twisted, alternate version of Far Far Away, where ogres are hunted, Rumplestiltskin is king and Shrek and Fiona have never met. Now, it's up to Shrek to undo all he's done in the hopes of saving his friends, restoring his world and reclaiming his one True Love.
I think it sounds fun, and i hope it is good.

My post thoughts of the Oscars

2009-02-23T09:00:00.002-05:00

I will make this a short posting, since I am at work, but overall I liked the Oscars this year. I was a bit skeptical about it at first, but over all it turned out good. There was no outrageous fashion, everyone looked pretty good, no lengthy speeches (expect one speech I didn’t really care for) and the true winners really did win for the most part.
On my predictions I was 7/10, which isn’t bad. I have hard time discerning my thoughts from my hopes sometimes, but for most of the guess I put who I thought will win, and who I think should win. I was wrong on Best Actress, Foreign Film, and original screenplay. I wasn’t to amped on the guy who won for “Milk”. Was it really necessary to bring up that you came from a conservative Mormon home? I didn’t think so. It was pointless. He could have just said conservative Christian home, but the fact that he said Mormon will give him more press. I thought it was pretty lame.
I am glad Heath Ledger one, and I really enjoyed his families acceptance speech. Slumdog did come away with a lot, but it was also a really great film. I am glad that Danny Boyle finally won, even though he should have won for trainspotting way back when.
The highlight was Hugh Jackman making a great claim and prediction, “THE MUSICAL IS BACK!” Which is coming true. I am really excited to see more and more musicals hit the screen. It’s an art form that is so fun, and requires so much talent. I hope to see more and more as time comes. I wonder if they will do a “Wicked” musical….. Who knows.

My hopes and Predictions for the 81st Academy Awards

2009-02-22T18:11:00.003-05:00

Best Actor

In reality, Sean Penn will probably win for milk. Personally i didn't like milk that much, it just wasn't that good to me. I really want Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” to win. I thought he did a very good job. he showed very good and strong character development, and he made you just love him. I thought it was awesome, and he made the movie so good. He was a lonely guy, and then all of sudden he is a drummer loving life and accepting the unexpected.

Best Supporting Actor

Heath Ledger should win, and will win. There shouldn't be any if ands or buts. He was so good, and yet so creepy, and now a legend. He deserves it, no matter what.

Best Actress.

I really want Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” to win. I thought she did an awesome job in it. Honestly, i thought it should have been nominated for best picture too. It was such a good movie that really touched me, and Angelina played an amazing loving mother in that role.

Best Supporting Actress

I am in a toss up between Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler”. The only reason why i wouldn't want Marisa Tomei to win is because you have to see her boobs in that movie, and she is just to old to be a stripper. Both women did an amazing job, and i cant decide between the two. They were both believable in both parts of their roles. My guess is that Cruz will win only because she is the bigger name, and the older guys who vote for these awards like her hotness.

Best Animated Film of the Year

Honestly all the nomamtions suck for best picture. Wall-e by far the most boring. But i think Kung Fu panada was the most enjoyable. I liked it, it was funny. But Wall-e will probably win due to all the hype of it.

Best Director

Danny Boyle will and should win for Slummdog Millionaire. It was a good movie, and Danny Boyle seems to never disappoint. It was able to reach and touch many people around the world, and it was very beautifully done.

Best Documentary

Man on the wire. No questions or comments needed on that one.

Best Foreign Film

It hard to say between“Waltz with Bashir” and "the Class". The waltz was very original, and very creative and moving. The class was a very touching, and family feel good film. I think waltz should win, but if my vote mattered, i would pick the class.

Best Picture

MIlk or Benjamin Button Will win. I don't want them to win. I want slumdog to win. It was so much better and moving than those movies. Button was a cool story and had cool effects. Milk, honestly i didn't like it, but the hype has convinced many others that it was amazing. I hope slumdog will win.

Best Original Screenplay

In “In Bruges” (Focus Features), Written by Martin McDonagh for sure. It was so amazing. I have never laughed so hard in a movie, and seen something so great in a while.

Gomorra

2009-02-22T18:00:00.002-05:00

Gomorra was just awful. I saw this movie having many high expectations. I was reading many reviews claiming that this movie was better than the godfather, and the best mob movie ever made. With these rumors floating around, i was very excited to see it. My friend Dave and I saw the movie, and we were ready for a good violent, crime mob movie. We were very very very let down.

Honestly, the movie had no plot. It started with a bunch of fat dudes tanning at a day spa, and then they got shot. You have no clue by who, or why. Then it goes into a life of a little boy, then a tailor, and two teens who think they are bad ass. None of their stories intertwine or relate to each other. Throughout the movie there are people talking about rumors of war, but no wars ever happen. Then the movie ends with the two teenagers being shot.

It was so stupid. A waste of time. It just ended. Just like that. No peace of mind of the plot, or characters, and through out the whole movie you dont know one name. I give it two thumbs down. Please please please, dont waste your time with this movie.

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