tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31644071993229024342024-03-13T12:27:34.725-07:00Cut The Crap Movie ReviewsFor people who don't read movie reviews.Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-8566224990211849822009-07-01T17:12:00.001-07:002009-07-01T17:17:55.520-07:00BIG UPDATEHey Folks,<div><br /></div><div>So here's the scoop. I'm not going to be posting any more reviews on this site starting tomorrow, July 2nd, 2009.</div><div><br /></div><div>I bought the rights to my own domain name and set up a swank new website for you all to hopefully enjoy. The URL is...</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://ctcmr.com">http://ctcmr.com</a></div><div><br /></div><div>I know, what a wild change getting rid of that "blogspot" part. But now I've got weekly polls, you can follow my updates on Twitter, all the reviews will be posted at 12:01 AM each day, and the list goes on.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks to everyone for reading, I really appreciate it and I'll keep on doing what I'm doing. Hope you like the new site and keep it real.</div><div><br /></div><div>- Aiden R.</div>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-30142050474016880662009-07-01T15:14:00.000-07:002009-07-01T16:50:50.152-07:00Trainspotting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SkvhqgytVrI/AAAAAAAAANo/2L9lSkbCIJM/s1600-h/600full-trainspotting-poster.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SkvhqgytVrI/AAAAAAAAANo/2L9lSkbCIJM/s320/600full-trainspotting-poster.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353620702533342898" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">9/10 Gravity-Defying Drug-Induced Nightmare Babies</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The best movie that Danny Boyle's ever done (which is saying something) and the only movie other than <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Requiem for a Dream</span> that will never, ever make you want to touch a drug for the rest of your days.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Trainspotting</span> is about an on-again-off-again Scottish heroin junkie named Renton and the eccentric group of on-again-off-again heroin junkies he hangs out with. The plot more or less revolves around Renton's struggle to kick the habit and set off on a brighter path that doesn't follow his friends down the ugly slope that comes with doing heroin all the time. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">That plot line might not sound all that crazy to some, but when was the last time <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">you</span> were hooked on heroin?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I rest my case.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I could go on and on about how awesome director Danny Boyle is, so I'll keep it brief. The great thing about Danny Boyle is that each time he makes a movie it's totally different from anything else he's done, and nearly every time it's absolutely great. It's about time he got his due this past year with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">Slumdog Millionaire </span>because he's been doing his thing for 15 years now and he's been doing it a lot better than most. So good for you, Danny boy.</span><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">This movie is his second effort after starting his career with a wild horror movie/psychological thriller called <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Shallow Grave</span>, which I highly recommend. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: italic;font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Trainspotting</span> is one in-your-face movie that slams on the gas pedal in the first frame and doesn't let up until the credits roll. It's an intense, gritty, gross, funny, dark, and harrowing movie that you might not know what to make out of when it's all over, but it'll stick with you. Few movies really dig this deep into the life of a junkie (not that I have any experience on the matter), but Boyle quickly makes the audience feel like they're part of Renton's gang whether they like it or not. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The characters are all great and unique, so are the actors, and the script is equal parts shocking and insightful. I read the novel it's based off by Irvine Welsh a while back, and that was even better. You may not think there's much you'd have in common with a group of Scottish dope fiends, but it's ends up being a really relatable story about a group of friends struggling to find some sense of direction in their lives...and they all happen to do heroin.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The one drawback to this movie is that everyone talks with pretty thick Scottish accents and use lots of Scottish slang, so it takes some pretty sharp listening to catch what everyone's actually saying to each other if you're not fresh off the boat from Scotland. There is some really funny dialogue, but it might take you a second or third viewing to get it all down.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">In a nutshell, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Trainspotting</span> is totally insane and it's utterly brilliant. It's like mixing together <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Pulp Fiction</span>, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Requiem for a Dream</span>, and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Breakfast Club</span>, and everyone sounds like Sean Connery. It's not for the faint of heart, and that's kind of a strange analogy, but there's just nothing else like it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Long live Danny Boyle.</span></div>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-91800582452027726212009-06-30T17:26:00.000-07:002009-07-01T16:48:07.528-07:00Tropic Thunder<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SktbovYxnDI/AAAAAAAAANg/ek1Jmi8Wozg/s1600-h/tropic-thunder-poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SktbovYxnDI/AAAAAAAAANg/ek1Jmi8Wozg/s320/tropic-thunder-poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353473337533242418" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">6/10 Progressive Blackface Jokes<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The opening ten minutes is some of the funniest shit I've seen in ages, but after that, the laughs get kinda hard to come by.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tropic Thunder</span> is about a group of A-list actors who sign up to do a Vietnam War/action movie and end up sabotaging the whole production for various reasons. So when the director realizes he isn't getting the desired results, he throws them all into the jungle, leading them on to believe that they are filming the movie when in fact they are all fighting actual guerrilla soldiers. Then things get hairy.<br /><br />It's like <span style="font-style: italic;">The Three Amigos</span>, only way more offensive.<br /><br />Nothing goes un-insulted (is that a word?) in this movie: gays, homophobes, blacks, whites, and a pretty funny but totally wrong running gag about the mentally challenged among other jokes in bad taste. God, I hope I don't sound like a bigot saying that, but the movie is really at its funniest when it's pushing the envelope going after what the audience holds sacred. But as it usually goes with these things, when it works, it really works, when it doesn't, it bombs.<br /><br />T</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">he jokes don't land as often as they should, there's too much down time in between gags, and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">since the opening scenes had my sides aching right off the bat, it makes the silence of missing laughs that much more noticeable as a result.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /><br />And maybe I just wasn't listening, but I couldn't understand half of what Robert Downey Jr. was saying in this movie. How he got an Oscar nod for this, I do not know. Maybe it was penance for ignoring the awesome job he did in <span style="font-style: italic;">Zodiac </span>a couple years back (great movie, go see it).</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br />So the story is nothing new, it's not as funny as it could have been, and all the actors involved have done better things in their career when it comes to comedy...except for one man. <a href="http://www.accesshollywood.com/content/images/80/230x306/80764_tom-cruise-in-tropic-thunder.jpg">Tom freakin' Cruise</a>.<br /><br />Yes, Tom Cruise <span style="font-style: italic;">is </span>in this movie. He's not on the poster and the studio didn't publicize his involvement whatsoever, but he's got a pretty big role that's way outside his typical range and, amazingly enough, he's hilarious. Can't give away too much because that's kind of the draw, but he's a definite saving grace to the movie and he deserves some serious props for pretty much stealing the show from the three lead actors.<br /><br />My suggestion: rent <span style="font-style: italic;">Tropic Thunder</span> and watch it with a six-pack at your side. It's not the funniest movie of 2008, but it has its moments and there are still a handful of cameos from some big-time actors that I haven't mentioned who make it worth the time.<br /><br />At the very least, go and YouTube "Tropic Thunder fake trailers" so you can see the opening scenes without having to dish out five bucks and a slot on your Netflix queue.<br /></span></div>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-87315324247997519252009-06-30T05:59:00.000-07:002009-06-30T11:01:14.692-07:00The Reader<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SkoM9ruCBSI/AAAAAAAAANY/wkJiI-NKFFE/s1600-h/the-reader-poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SkoM9ruCBSI/AAAAAAAAANY/wkJiI-NKFFE/s320/the-reader-poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353105360930604322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6/10 Bare-assed Nazis</span><br /><br />Deserved the Best Actress Oscar, really didn't deserve the Best Picture Nomination. Hard to believe this got picked over <span style="font-style: italic;">The Dark Knight</span>. Good one, Academy.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Reader</span> is about a 16-year-old German kid who has an illicit, Summer-long affair with a Nazi train conductor during World War II. They have lots of sex, he reads many a book aloud to her, and she really digs it. Summer ends, fast-forward to when the kid is in law school and to his surprise finds that he's now sitting in on his former lover's Nuremberg trials for her role as a guard at Auschwitz.<br /><br />Oh, to be young and in love.<br /><br />The real selling point of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Reader</span> is obviously Kate Winslet. She got nominated for absolutely anything at every single award show this year for her role here as the Nazi seductress. And while I still haven't seen her other award-winning performance in <span style="font-style: italic;">Revolutionary Road</span>, the Oscar was well-earned for her turn in this movie. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> I even think she won a Nobel Peace Prize for it...or a Grammy. Same difference.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />I'm not sure why she won the Best Actress Oscar because she's not the main character, but she definitely is the most interesting part of the movie regardless. Her character is very manipulative and Winslet's performance just adds to that, making it strangely difficult to feel bad for this troubled Nazi who may or may not have been responsible for killing a <span style="font-style: italic;">lot </span>of Jewish people.<br /><br />Lots of real emotion, it's a tough character to play considering her circumstances, and Kate makes it all feel real. She's no joke and she's come a long way from the days of Jack and Rose.<br /><br />And hats off to you, Kate, you have officially beaten out Marisa Tomei for the most frequently naked, Oscar-nominated actress of all time. Something to be proud of, I guess. Won't catch me showing my goods to everyone on Earth anytime soon, but if that's your thing, then keep on fighting the good fight.<br /><br />But aside from Kate and a good story, the rest of the movie is very mediocre. The pacing is really strange and moves along at a way-too-fast pace, like someone sped up the film reel and cut off ten seconds from the start and end of each scene. It actually just made me want to read the book afterwards because it felt like the director, Stephen Daldry (<span style="font-style: italic;">Billy Elliot</span> & <span style="font-style: italic;">The Hours</span> - good movies), rushed like crazy through the plot and gave the audience a Sparknotes version of the story he was supposed to tell.<br /><br />As a result, it's difficult to connect with the characters, there isn't enough character development, and I didn't care about any of them or what was happening to them as much as I probably should have. It's not often where a movie ends and I think, "That should have been an extra 20 to 30 minutes longer," but this is one of those rare instances.<br /><br />My good buddy Fred says the book is much better, so I'm going to suggest you go with Fred on this one and hit up your local library. <span style="font-style: italic;">The Reader</span> is worth seeing for Kate, but you're getting shortchanged with a good story told poorly.<br /></span>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-31447276318967347192009-06-29T05:56:00.000-07:002009-06-29T07:30:27.682-07:00Role Models<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Ski_lPcHaiI/AAAAAAAAANQ/bPrNdTSrMOE/s1600-h/role_models_poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Ski_lPcHaiI/AAAAAAAAANQ/bPrNdTSrMOE/s320/role_models_poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352738803650357794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />8/10 Wizard McLovins</span><br /><br />Surprisingly enough, this was actually the funniest movie of 2008. Was banking on <span style="font-style: italic;">Pineapple Express</span> to take that title, but the proof is in the pudding, folks.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Role Models </span>is about two energy drink spokesmen that are forced to mentor two kids as a means to fulfill their community service hours after destroying a school statue in a freak energy drink truck accident. Though initially resistant to their circumstances, the two guys gradually form a bond with the kids and everyone starts to change for the better. I think I'm...yup, I'm gonna cry.<br /><br />The movie's directed by David Wain, who also did <span style="font-style: italic;">Wet Hot American Summer</span>, a freakin' hilarious movie that still cracks me up every time I see it. Paul Rudd is pretty funny as the somber energy drink spokesman/role model, but I'm starting to feel like he's playing the same role in every movie at this point. Someone needs to cast him as a serial killer...or a crazy war veteran. Enough of this "mopey, but cute and endearing" shit.<br /><br />Seann William Scott is hilarious as usual in a "grown-up <a href="http://www.ugo.com/versus/images/characters/gallery_Steve_Stifler_1.jpg">Steve Stifler</a>" kind of way. Newcomer Bobb'e J. Thompson (who spells their name like that?) is also damn funny as the foul-mouthed, boob-obsessed, asshole kid that Seann William Scott has to mentor. Only other thing I've seen him in is <span style="font-style: italic;">30 Rock</span>, but a funny kid all the same. Who doesn't like watching kids curse in movies?<br /><br />But I probably should have known that McLovin would steal the show as the horribly strange and awkward mentee whose sole passion in life is playing a real-life version of Dungeons & Dragons (known to the elite members of this bizarre underworld as "LARPing"). His real name is Christopher Mintz-Plasse, but let's be honest, this kid could cure cancer and he'd still be known as Dr. McLovin.<br /><br />That's pretty badass, actually. Sounds like a Motley Crue song.<br /><br />I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this movie going into it, but I was really surprised when it didn't end up being another forgettable summer comedy. It has great characters, it's consistently hilarious throughout its run-time, it has a <span style="font-style: italic;">great </span>final act, and the story is genuinely heartfelt and not corny in the least. Still vividly remember the ear-to-ear grin plastered on my face after I left the theater.<br /><br />So if you still haven't seen <span style="font-style: italic;">Role Models</span>, if you're still finding a way to fill that McLovin void in your life, and if you still think that <span style="font-style: italic;">Tropic Thunder</span> is the funniest movie that came out last year, then you owe it to yourself to go and rent this movie.<br /><br />We both know that <span style="font-style: italic;">Tropic Thunder</span> could have been better.<br /></span>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-28019241562399925302009-06-27T14:50:00.000-07:002009-06-29T07:13:21.446-07:00Milk<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SkaVMXHP8zI/AAAAAAAAANI/jQ5kCWzqDSE/s1600-h/milk-poster-sean-penn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SkaVMXHP8zI/AAAAAAAAANI/jQ5kCWzqDSE/s320/milk-poster-sean-penn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352129246771802930" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">8/10 Personal Heroes of Aiden R.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Gus Van Sant behind the camera, James Franco with an afro, an Oscar-winning screenplay, an Oscar-winning performance by Sean Penn, and the bittersweet life story of Harvey Milk. That's some good stuff right there.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Milk</span> is a biopic about Harvey Milk, a camera store owner in San Francisco in the mid-to-late 1970's that became the first openly gay man elected to public office and was later assassinated by fellow San Fran city supervisor and psychotic bastard, Dan White.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">After getting used to the biopic formula over the past few years with movies like <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Ray</span> and<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> Walk the Line</span> (which were both good, but pretty damn similar in plot), I was surprised and impressed with the different direction that Gus Van Sant took this movie in. He's done a lot of great movies to begin with (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Good Will Hunting</span> & <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">My Own Private Idaho </span>among others), so maybe I shouldn't have been all that surprised.<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Right off the bat, he tells you how the movie ends - Harvey Milk gets assassinated. Can't think of a whole lot of movies that take the approach of giving you the heads up that the main character gets offed at the end, but it's in the history books anyway and it actually works better that way in the long run. As a result, Van Sant makes it clear to his audience that he's not trying to create a formulaic drama of Milk's life, but rather emphasizes that the movie is as much about the importance of the gay rights movement as it is about Milk himself.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The '70s was a wild decade and its great to be reminded of a time when people were proud and unbelievably adamant about standing up and fighting for things they believed in no matter what the odds. It's amazing to me that gay rights is still such a heated issue, but nonetheless, it's just as amazing to see that the effort is now as strong as ever.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Sean Penn does a really good job of bringing out Milk's magnetism and embodying his message of hope. I still think Mickey Rourke deserved the Oscar for <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://ctcmr.blogspot.com/2009/05/wrestler.html">The Wrestler</a></span>, but Penn is great all the same. The guy's a good actor, can't knock him for it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">It's got a really good script, it's got a great message, and there's not a bad bit of acting to be found. Yes, there is a good deal of man-on-man make-out sessions, but come on, you can handle it. We're all adults here.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I've always been really fascinated by the story of Harvey Milk. He stood for everything that was and is right about universal equality, not just for the gay community, but for anyone who was a victim of intolerance in America. And unfortunately, in his death, he also became the embodiment of everything that was and is inherently wrong with American prejudices and intolerance.<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I still haven't seen the Oscar-winning documentary that came out way back when in 1984, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Times of Harvey Milk</span>, but I'd go ahead and say that it's required viewing if you liked <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Milk</span> or if you're unfamiliar with Harvey Milk's life. He was an amazing guy and it's a really beautiful and heartbreaking piece of American history.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">With all this Proposition 8 bullshit that's going on in America right now, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Milk</span> is as pertinent as ever. Gays are alright in my book and I honestly don't see what the big deal is about. Not gonna get on a soap box here, but let's be honest, the last thing anyone we need is more conservative nutjobs like Dan White in the world.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Am I right or am I right?</span></div>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-46503067261022531512009-06-26T05:46:00.000-07:002009-06-26T09:32:43.152-07:00Robocop<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SkTDhcPwy9I/AAAAAAAAANA/8afD3FObGXg/s1600-h/robocop.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SkTDhcPwy9I/AAAAAAAAANA/8afD3FObGXg/s320/robocop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351617236508396498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9/10 Great Reasons to Not Take Up A Life of Crime</span><br /><br />Sweet sassy molassy, do I freakin' love this movie. One of the few awesome things about the 1980s that didn't involve synthesizers or Flock of Seagulls.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Robocop </span>is about a guy who joins the Detroit police force in the near future and gets shot up within an inch of his life by street thugs his first day on the job. Buzzkill. But instead of kicking the bucket, the mayor of Detroit decides to make this cop a living test subject of kickass law enforcement technology and turns him into fucking ROBOCOP!<br /><br />And <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span>, kids, is why you don't kill cops.<br /><br />Directed by Paul Verhoeven, who can be great (<span style="font-style: italic;">Total Recall</span> & <span style="font-style: italic;">Starship Troopers</span>) or pretty damn bad (<span style="font-style: italic;">Hollow Man</span> & <span style="font-style: italic;">Showgirls</span>), this is easily the best thing he's ever done for the world.</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> He's the real reason this movie's the great time that it is. Him and the great script.</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />Like most of Verhoeven's movies, <span style="font-style: italic;">Robocop </span>has its fair share of crazy violence. It gets a little over-the-top at times (the old "guy gets horribly mutated by chemical waste" gag), but then again, it also brings some serious laughs in turn (the old "mutated guy gets hit by car" gag).<br /><br />Look, it's rated-R and it's called <span style="font-style: italic;">Robocop</span>, you should be ready for some violence.<br /><br />But <span style="font-style: italic;">Robocop </span>has everything you'd want from a movie that combines two of everyone's favorite things: vigilante justice and robots. It's got wild special effects which don't look terrible twenty years later, a great, engaging story that's much more than just popcorn fluff, absolutely hilarious dialogue, and it also has two of the all-time great sci-fi characters to boot - Robocop (of course) and Clarence J. Boddicker.<br /><br />For those unfamiliar, Clarence Boddicker is one of the meanest, brutal, most coldblooded and funny villians ever put to screen. He's almost like Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) from <span style="font-style: italic;">No Country For Old Men</span>, only with less hair and a bigger smile. He's not the mastermind behind all the evildoing in the movie, but he is the baddest dude by far, he's got some of the best lines, and he's played by Kurtwood Smith.<br /><br />Yup, he's played by Red Forman from <span style="font-style: italic;">That '70s Show</span>. And he is awesome.<br /><br />Despite the ways in which it transcends the sci-fi and action genres, it's still very much a guy movie. Lots of explosions, lots of guns from the future, and while there is one tough woman who serves as Robocop's partner in the force, it's not really enough to appeal to a wider female audience the way it would to grunting, barbaric men. Don't hold me on that though, not just gonna throw out generalizations all willy-nilly here.<br /><br />I realize that for some people who haven't seen this movie, the title <span style="font-style: italic;">"Robocop" </span>might make it sound more stupid than badass. But let me assure you, there is nothing stupid about this movie. If all Summer blockbusters were still as good as this, the world would be a much better place.<br /><br />Suck on that, Michael Bay.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Robocop </span>will always be a personal favorite of mine and I completely recommend it. One of those movies I could watch a thousand times and never get tired of. And that's a beautiful thing.<br /></span>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-11880453240736725482009-06-25T04:52:00.000-07:002009-06-25T08:23:44.393-07:00Valkyrie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SkNmDpEtaXI/AAAAAAAAAM4/qpHPmy6OKjE/s1600-h/valkyrie-poster-fullsize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SkNmDpEtaXI/AAAAAAAAAM4/qpHPmy6OKjE/s320/valkyrie-poster-fullsize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351232994997528946" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">3/10 Great Excuses to Rewrite History</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Is it worse to see a crappy movie with a free ticket or a ticket you actually paid for? Something to think about. Really wish I had that free ticket back.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Valkyrie</span> is about a German colonel under Hitler's command that, along with a small group of other he-man Hitler-haters, puts together a plan to assassinate Adolf and clear their own names in the process. I wonder if it's gonna work...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">And that right there is the problem with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Valkyrie.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> Every person who's going into this movie knows exactly how it's going to end. Hitler lives, so Tom Cruise and his buddies are all in deep shit. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Not spoiling the movie for you. World history spoiled it for you if anything.</span></div></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">The entire plot is a slow boil of tension leading up to the assassination attempt...and then it doesn't work. So what's the point of watching it then if that's the payoff? The movie just ends up being the story of how all these anti-Nazi Nazis blew a golden opportunity, and you know it right from the start. The whole time I was watching this in the theater I was saying to myself, "I wonder how Tom Cruise is going to die at the end of this?" Pretty sure everyone else was, too.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">While it's not a standout script by any means, it does have good intentions. It beats you over the head with its message that not all Nazis were bad, that some actually stood up and fought for what was right. And while that's great, I'm all for the good Nazis, was anyone really aching for a movie that finally allowed us to sympathize with the Nazi party? Yeah, I wasn't either.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">And if you're going to make a movie where the plot is essentially null and void, you're going to need one hell of an actor to carry the rest of the movie so that the audience doesn't hate the finished product. Even though I didn't <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">hate</span> this movie, Tom Cruise was not the man for the job. He's definitely got his moments in his career, but I've never seen a movie with him in it and said to my good buddy Fred, "That movie would have <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">sucked...</span>if it wasn't for Tom Cruise." Same story here. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Should have cast Mickey Rourke. Always cast Mickey Rourke.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Director Bryan Singer does a satisfactory job, but he can do a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">lot</span> better. For God's sake, he did <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Usual Suspects</span> and the first two <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">X-Men</span> movies. Those are all awesome movies. Get back to your roots, Bryan. We miss you.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Now, what would have made this a good movie is if the attempt <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">did</span> work. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"What?" </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">That's right, screw history! The bomb goes off, Hitler's mustache flies clear off his face, and his little, hunchbacked, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ragdoll</span> body rockets up to the moon. Tom Cruise ends World War II, all those bad <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">nazis</span> get killed off, and I don't know...Marty <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">McFly</span> shows up in his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">DeLorean</span> to celebrate. Roll credits.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Who <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">wouldn't</span> want to see Hitler get taken out like that? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">But since beggars can't be choosers and I wasn't allowed to write the script, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Valkyrie</span> ends up being a pretty disappointing movie. It's not disappointing in the sense that I had any expectations to meet whatsoever, but isn't it just disappointing to watch someone "walking the Green Mile" per se? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">All I'm saying is look out for Aiden R.'s remake: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Valkyrie: Hitler's Fucked</span>. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Hello, Hollywood!</span></div>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-6452452289589475812009-06-24T05:57:00.000-07:002009-06-24T16:04:42.632-07:00Transformers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SkIkCGMKlPI/AAAAAAAAAMw/X-mskRycqsI/s1600-h/tf-teaser.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SkIkCGMKlPI/AAAAAAAAAMw/X-mskRycqsI/s320/tf-teaser.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350878925709546738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5/10 ROBOTS?? FIGHTING!?!? <span style="font-style: italic;">YES!!!!</span></span><br /><br />One day during my senior year of college, I came back to my apartment to find my roommate and his friends sitting in the living room with all the lights off watching a movie.<br /><br />Being the polite roommate, I asked, "Hey, whatchya' watchin'?"<br /><br />His response, "Only the greatest movie ever made." Cue my roommate high-fiving his friend in agreement.<br /><br />I turned to the TV and was amazed to find that they were watching <span style="font-style: italic;">Transformers</span>. What was I expecting? <span style="font-style: italic;">The Godfather</span>, that robotless piece of shit?<br /><br />Consider myself served.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Transformers </span>is about good alien robots and bad alien robots who can transform their shape from cars, jets, etc. to giant fighting machines that each have their own little quirks and personalities. Anyway, they come down to Earth to look for something called "the All Spark", somehow Shia LeBeouf and his unrealistic love interest, Megan Fox, get involved, and then the robots fight for the next hour and half. And I think it's based off a documentary.<br /><br />Sure, there's a semblance of a story and there are people acting in it, but no one's going into this movie looking to give a shit about the characters or to be moved in some way. When you turn on <span style="font-style: italic;">Transformers</span>, you want action and you want it NOW!<br /><br />Michael Bay knows this. He's always known it.<br /><br />He's mastered the art of killing brain cells for two hours, made a career out of it, and this might be him at the top of his game. Not to say that he's got some other masterpiece of film making to live up to, but he knows his target audience and this is exactly what they're looking for.<br /><br />With that said, <span style="font-style: italic;">Transformers </span>is fun. It's got the nostalgia appeal for anyone who grew up around the '80s and it has some great special effects. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And as expected, the action scenes are wild when you can actually make out what's going on.<br /><br />But that's about it.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />Shia LeBeouf contributes nothing of substance to the movie, Megan Fox is around for the sex appeal factor, and all the dialogue is pretty annoying, especially since it tries so damn hard to be funny. We all know someone who tries so hard to be funny but just comes off as unbelievably irritating. No one wants to spend two hours with that person in a dark room.<br /><br />There's really not a whole lot to say about <span style="font-style: italic;">Transformers </span>because there's not much there apart from what you see. With that said, I enjoyed watching it, but that doesn't make it a good movie. This is a Michael Bay summer blockbuster and it's exactly the movie you would expect it to be:<br /><br />Robots. Fighting. Robots.<br /></span>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-73478577713332480302009-06-23T05:56:00.000-07:002009-06-23T10:28:09.995-07:00The Vanishing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SkDRaG6MULI/AAAAAAAAAMo/TgZMPhsAKvI/s1600-h/vanishingposter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SkDRaG6MULI/AAAAAAAAAMo/TgZMPhsAKvI/s320/vanishingposter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350506603777642674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3/10 Grudges Against BRAVO</span><br /><br />I finally got to see this last night after waiting for it to appear on Netflix for ages now. What a freakin' disappointment.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Vanishing</span> is a French movie about a guy whose girlfriend disappears when they stop at a gas station while on vacation, the boyfriend's continued search for answers three years after the said "vanishing", and a guy with a sinister red beard who may or may not be behind it all. Sounds good in theory, but it just isn't enough.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I'll try not to give too much away because this is one of those movies where you're better of knowing next to nothing about what goes on if you want to get the most out of it.</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> And one of the reasons I might be more inclined to dislike <span style="font-style: italic;">The Vanishing </span>is because the first time I heard about it was also the time I had the ending ruined for me.<br /><br />See, around Halloween each year, Bravo runs a special on "The 100 Scariest Movie Moments". So two years ago I decided to sit down and watch the whole thing, because I guess that's what I did with my spare time in college. Since I'm big on horror movies, I knew more or less all of the ones listed, but it was the "scary movie moment" from <span style="font-style: italic;">The Vanishing</span>, a movie I'd never heard of, that really peaked my interest.<br /><br />Turns out, that moment is what the entire movie was leading up to, a moment that's intended to be a total surprise to the audience that pretty much makes the whole thing worthwhile. But since I knew it was coming all along, my reaction was about the polar opposite of what it should have been.<br /><br />Thanks a lot, Bravo.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">But then again, the same thing happened with <span style="font-style: italic;">The Sixth Sense</span> and that movie was awesome (I think I'm cursed or something). So keeping that in mind, there's more to this movie that really didn't work for me aside from a spoiled ending.<br /><br />First: it's boring. It moves along at a snail's pace, doesn't really build up the tension the way it should, and it takes forever to move the plot along.<br /><br />Second: the script more or less spells out the direction the story is going in and doesn't leave a whole lot to the audience to assume outside of what they've probably already figured out. So much for the element of surprise.<br /><br />And finally: I really didn't care all that much about the characters or what happened to them because they didn't really seem to care all that much either. The main character gives up searching for his girlfriend maybe 48 hours after she vanishes, then only takes up the search again three years later because he randomly has a dream about her. That's not drive, that's just...I don't know what that is, but it's stupid.<br /><br />The lead (over)actor really bothered me, too. So did the other guy's <a href="http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/images/stills/v/vanishing_1988.jpg">red beard</a>.<br /><br />Maybe my expectations were too high for this movie, and maybe I should have just gone back to playing <span style="font-style: italic;">Halo </span>instead of watching Bravo for five hours. But since I can't change the past, I just can't bring myself to recommend <span style="font-style: italic;">The Vanishing</span>. It does have a good ending, but what's the point of a good ending if everything leading up to it is overwhelmingly forgettable?<br /><br />Talk amongst yourselves.<br /></span>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-42522789234203866622009-06-22T05:45:00.000-07:002009-06-22T13:36:52.828-07:00Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Sj9-NTl9IRI/AAAAAAAAAMg/bTk15suTXck/s1600-h/24-403%7Eborat-posters.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Sj9-NTl9IRI/AAAAAAAAAMg/bTk15suTXck/s320/24-403%7Eborat-posters.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350133649402306834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8/10 Funny Bigots</span><br /><br />Easily the funniest movie of 2006 and the movie that finally established Sacha Baron Cohen as one of the funniest guys out there today.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Borat </span>is about a Kazakhstani journalist named Borat who goes over to the USA to do a story on American life but ends up trekking across the country to try and marry Pamela Anderson after seeing her on <span style="font-style: italic;">Baywatch </span>and, naturally, falling in love with her. Oh, Borat. You dog, you.<br /><br />The character Borat first made his appearance as one of Baron Cohen's three alter-egos on his gut-bustingly funny show <span style="font-style: italic;">Da Ali G Show</span>. If you've never seen it, go rent the first two seasons a.s.a.p. or just YouTube the hell out of it.<br /><br />Borat acts as an endearing, ignorantly racist foreigner in a foreign land whose own totally absurd prejudices of how a woman's brain is the size of a squirrel (among other gems) are continually reinforced by the people he interviews who actually <span style="font-style: italic;">do </span>believe that men are better than women and that all Muslims have bombs strapped to their chests. A good deal of the interviews are pretty jaw-dropping, it's a surprisingly effective look into some of America's more bizarre subcultures, and isn't it great to see racist jackasses get humiliated in front of the entire world?<br /><br />Hell yes it is.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The thing is, Sacha Baron Cohen is not a racist. He's actually a practicing Jew and is the only one in on the joke during his cross-country voyage through America's South. And that's why it all works instead of coming off as the most anti-Semitic movie of all time.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Borat </span>is phenomenal comic writing in action and Baron Cohen sends it home like only he can. It's an edgy and surprisingly smart movie that pushes the envelope in a really unique way and it's one of those things that people are still going to be laughing their asses off to years from now.<br /><br />You really have to see it for yourself to understand how good this movie is. It might touch a nerve here and there, but suck it up, you're an adult. You can handle it.<br /><br />I also have no idea how Baron Cohen managed to stay in character for so long to plug this movie. He's either batshit crazy or was born for this line of work. I'm leaning towards the latter.<br /><br />The point is, <span style="font-style: italic;">Borat </span>is absolutely hilarious. The only drawback is that a lot of the humor revolves around its shock value the first time around, so it doesn't bring the laughs in subsequent viewings the way it does when you don't know what's coming next. If I wrote this review three years ago around this time, it would get an easy 9/10 Funny Bigots.<br /><br />I really don't know how <span style="font-style: italic;">Bruno </span>is going to top this. But one can only hope...<br /></span>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-42172346843648623982009-06-21T19:50:00.000-07:002009-06-24T11:47:14.318-07:00Away We Go<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Sj7z8_wGzPI/AAAAAAAAAMI/m8ENW1wpW5Y/s1600-h/away_we_go_poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 207px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Sj7z8_wGzPI/AAAAAAAAAMI/m8ENW1wpW5Y/s320/away_we_go_poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349981636593634546" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">7/10 Aiden R. Dopplegangers</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">A very sweet, quirky movie that I ended up liking more than I thought I would.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Away We G</span>o is about two parents-to-be that go through a mid-life crisis of sorts and decide to travel to various locations across the country to find the perfect place to call home for both themselves and their child. Along each stop they meet up with various eccentric couples that each help them discover the kind of parents and husband/wife team they want to be.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The movie starts out as a kind of adult version of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Juno</span> and runs with it for a good deal of the script. It's got the snarky dialogue and more likable, endearing characters than you can shake a stick at. <span class="Apple-style-span">They don't say things like "wizard" or "homeskillet" in</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> Away We go, </span><span class="Apple-style-span">but whatever, it works. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Juno</span>'s a good movie, this is too.<br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I didn't find myself laughing as hard as everyone else was, but it's the kind of comedy that I can appreciate without feeling like I have a shitty sense of humor.</span><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">But there's just something about it that didn't grab me from the get-go and it wasn't until about an hour or so in that I really started to enjoy the direction the movie was going in.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"> </span>But once the script really catches it's stride, it has a lot of really heartfelt and impressive things to say about life, parenthood, and what really matters in relationships. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Works well as a date movie, but it's a good movie in its own right either way. It's just one of those movies that leaves you feeling good about life.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Everyone in the cast is very good (Maya Rudolph can act? Sure, why not), the characters are all really fleshed out and unique, and director Sam Mendes does a good job with a genre that he's for the most part pretty unfamiliar with. Soundtrack is pretty good too, kinda like <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Garden State</span> with a couple of great Dylan tracks as a bonus.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">And a big shout out to Allison Janney (Juno's step-mom in <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Juno</span>) as the absolutely hilarious wife of the first couple the main characters visit in Arizona. No idea she could be so funny, but she rocked.<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I just saw this movie with my good buddy Fred and he loved it. Maybe it wasn't my kind of movie to start with, but it won me over anyway. Being that I highly respect Fred's opinions on these matters, if you think this might be your kind of thing, then go with Fred on this one.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">More importantly, I am going to sue the shit out of Jon Krasinski. Mofo totally stole my look.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Sj72W3FaCcI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/gR7yCH3O2nA/s320/john-krasinski09-6-2lheader.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349984279966910914" border="0" /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Sj72W7eUOxI/AAAAAAAAAMY/k5zeSKTCDck/s320/n17600044_32013866_5277.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349984281145129746" border="0" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Call me crazy, but throw some glasses on me and I think some shit is up.</span><br /></div></div>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-44840288636398787732009-06-20T20:10:00.000-07:002009-06-22T11:36:27.952-07:00Taken<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Sj2lz6lR79I/AAAAAAAAAMA/aueMIylAGNM/s1600-h/taken-poster-dark-fullsize.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Sj2lz6lR79I/AAAAAAAAAMA/aueMIylAGNM/s320/taken-poster-dark-fullsize.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349614243703549906" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">6/10 Dad of the Year Awards</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Just finished watching this with my good buddy Fred. So much for not being horrified about my future kids spending a semester abroad.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Taken</span> is about an ex-soldier trying to repair his relationship with his daughter because he was too busy killing people for the good ol' U.S. of A. to be a part of her life growing up. So in trying to be the cool dad, he lets her and a friend go spend a couple weeks in Europe. Then they get kidnapped by Albanians on the first day there, prompting dad to go on one of his trademark killing sprees to get her back. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Being the cool dad is never easy.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">It's directed by Pierre Morel (check out his first movie <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">District B-13</span>, wild action movie) who puts together some sweet action scenes here and there, but for the most part it's one of those movies where there's so much crap going on at once that it all just kind of blurs together. Can't imagine what a seizure-fest this must have been in the theaters.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The story's nothing special, the dialogue is fine, but dear lord, when did Liam Neeson turn into such a badass? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">This is Oskar Schindler we're talking about here, never done an action movie in his life. But for some reason, Neeson is absolutely awesome as the ten-foot-tall one-man wrecking crew whose entire arsenal of close combat fighting moves boils down to "Chop. Neck." Never gets old and it sure does the trick.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Wasn't expecting much out of Mr. Neeson, but he sure as hell carries the movie and he does a surprisingly great job.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Taken</span> was also written by Luc Besson, director and writer of some of the greatest action movies ever made (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Professional</span> and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">La Femme Nikita</span> being the best of the bunch). You can see traces of Besson in the way the movie is paced at times, but <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Taken</span> really isn't a good judge of what he can do as a writer and a film maker. Just sayin'.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">There's also no main bad guy in the movie, which is kind of a double edged sword. While it's fun to watch Neeson snuff out one extra after another who can't shoot or fight worth a damn, there's no one to really root against or anyone who just might be capable of stopping this walking Irish bloodbath. I think we're just supposed to assume he was in the U.S. military, but whatever, minor casting glitch that will probably get my neck chopped if I complain about it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">But in the end, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Taken</span> is a fun movie. The hour and a half fly by in an instant and if you're not looking to think to any great extent, can't really go wrong here. It's not a <a href="http://www.blogger.com/posts.g?blogID=3164407199322902434&searchType=ALL&txtKeywords=&label=Terminator+2%3A+Judgment+Day+%281991%29"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">great</span> action movie</a>, but it's worth seeing for Neeson who makes it better than anyone else could have.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">That's the last time I trust Albanian human-traffickers.</span></div>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-10581599666353045702009-06-19T05:46:00.000-07:002009-06-19T10:08:51.588-07:00Pootie Tang<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SjuPq8jKRlI/AAAAAAAAAL4/Vv0gwdqxxVQ/s1600-h/pootie_tang.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SjuPq8jKRlI/AAAAAAAAAL4/Vv0gwdqxxVQ/s320/pootie_tang.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349026950403475026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />6/10 "Sah da tay"s</span><br /><br />Yeah, 6 out of 10 is a pretty generous score for this movie by most standards, but we all have our guilty pleasures.<br /><br />What can I say. It cracks me up.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Pootie Tang</span> is about an urban superhero of sorts who named himself Pootie Tang because he's cool as all hell, too cool for the English language in fact, which is also why he says things like "Wah da tah!" and "Sine yo pitty on the runny kine" instead of using actual words that mean things. But things go awry in Pootie's life when a tramp seduces him and steals his pimp-belt that he uses to slap the shit out of evildoers, thus sapping him of his crime-fighting abilities. Tragic.<br /><br />It's written and directed by Louis C.K., an absolutely hilarious guy whose standup is actually a million times funnier than this movie is, so it's got that going for it. The cast is also comprised of the entire cast of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Chris Rock Show</span> from way back when, which was a damn funny show. And Pootie Tang is played by some guy named Lance Crouther who hasn't done anything before or after this movie came out, but he gets the job done anyway.<br /><br />Aside from the running gag of Pootie Tang's made-up language, the comedy in the movie is just silly and slapsticky, more often than not opting for something that might be funny instead of something that actually makes sense. Doesn't work all the time, but it's got its moments.<br /><br />Chris Rock is also pretty good, but he's done much better. Wanda Sykes is in it too, but Wanda Sykes sucks. And if you've seen the latest season of <span style="font-style: italic;">Curb Your Enthusiasm</span>, J.B. Smoove, the guy who plays Leon Black, is in it too, and he's got some good lines. I guess that's about it.<br /><br />And don't be surprised if you've never heard of <span style="font-style: italic;">Pootie Tang</span>. For some reason, everyone at my office was quoting this movie all day yesterday, but when I came home and asked my roommates and my good buddy Fred if they'd seen it, I was answered with a resounding "What the fuck is <span style="font-style: italic;">Pootie Tang</span>?" People weren't exactly racing to see this movie when it came out either and so it has thus fallen into the annals of obscure comedies long forgotten. I think I feel a tear coming on.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Pootie Tang</span>'s not the funniest thing out there, not by a longshot. But if for some reason the moon and sun align on the winter soltice and you happen upon this movie while channel surfing, I'll stand by it and say that it's good for a few laughs.<br /><br />One of those movies that's funnier in retrospect when people start randomly quoting it, like it's some secret bond that only you, that other guy, and Pootie know. This has happened to me more than once and it's reason enough to watch <span style="font-style: italic;">Pootie Tang</span>. It's a truly magical feeling.<br /><br />Treasure that moment, people.<br /><br />Never let it go.<br /></span>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-31619596057658024872009-06-18T06:13:00.000-07:002009-06-19T12:31:44.553-07:00The Proposition<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Sjo_zPaj9DI/AAAAAAAAALw/dd6J5YHMz6w/s1600-h/406px-The_Proposition_5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Sjo_zPaj9DI/AAAAAAAAALw/dd6J5YHMz6w/s320/406px-The_Proposition_5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348657656999703602" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">9/10 Much Needed Showers</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Along with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">3:10 to Yuma</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">, this is one of the best Westerns to come out in the last ten years<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"></span>and it's grittier than chewing on a mound of dirt. Trust me, that's a good thing.<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Proposition</span> takes place back in the day in the Australian Outback where two of three criminal brothers on the run are caught by the law and are given a proposition: if Guy Pearce (the middle brother of the family who's been caught) brings in his straight-up evil older brother, the law will let Guy and his younger brother go free in turn. It's got a real Cain and Abel feel too it and it's one bad mother.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">It's the debut effort by director John Hillcoat (who's also putting out <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Road</span> this Fall), and it's a beautiful, yet brutal experience in equal parts. The brutal aspect is pretty much due to the script written by first-timer Nick Cave (frontman of the band Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds) who outright shits on the notion of sugarcoating life in the Australian West and puts together one in-your-face morality story that most screenwriters would kill for on their first try. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">And the beauty part comes in the form of the Australian Outback itself. It's not often that the setting of a movie ends up playing as much a part of the story as the characters do, but it's clear from the get-go that everyone and everything is affected by it in some way or another. The scenery is nothing short of breathtaking and it's something else to see what big sky country is really like. And not like Texas-big sky country, this is the real shit.<br /><br />That's right, Texas. Consider yourself messed with.<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">But the story is great, the characters do not fuck around what.so.ever., they're backed up by great actors (Ray Winstone and Danny Huston - awesome), and this is the only Western I've seen that even comes close to making Clint Eastwood and John Wayne look like pussies. That's like sacrilege for me to say that, but I'm serious, this movie's not pulling punches. Very violent, the bad guys are seriously coldblooded, and man, it sure does a great job of conveying that life in the Outback sucked ass.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I've recommended this movie to a number of my friends and more often than not they come out less enthusiastic about it than I thought they would, which is always a bummer. The main compliant across the board being that it's too slow. I've never noticed it, but then again I might be a little biased because I love Westerns. Love, love, love, Westerns.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">So if you're not hopped up on Pixie Stix when you watch movies and don't need explosions every half-second to not be bored, or if you're just looking for a good Western, or if you just like kick-ass movies with ruthless, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/posts.g?blogID=3164407199322902434&searchType=ALL&txtKeywords=&label=Gran+Torino+%282008%29">hardcore dudes who would make you lose all bowel function if they stared at you for too long</a>, then go watch <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Proposition</span>. It's a personal favorite of mine and one of the few movies I actually own.<br /><br />Screw that Baz Luhrmann <span style="font-style: italic;">Australia </span>crap. <span style="font-style: italic;">This </span>is freakin' Australia.<br /></span></div>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-23715326480770086372009-06-17T05:46:00.000-07:002009-06-17T07:07:51.554-07:00The Believer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Sjjs9ABjynI/AAAAAAAAALo/ecCNjYoH-5w/s1600-h/poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 224px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Sjjs9ABjynI/AAAAAAAAALo/ecCNjYoH-5w/s320/poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348285090225179250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6/10 Products of Excessive Teenage Angst</span><br /><br />Really didn't know what I was getting into when put this bad boy on my Netflix queue. In hindsight, I probably should have.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Believer</span> follows a twenty-something Jewish skinhead living in New York who is struggling to inwardly justify his anti-Semitic beliefs to himself by serving as the spokesperson for an up-and-coming fascist movement led by Billy Zane, of course. And the laughs just keep on coming.<br /><br />The closest thing I can compare this movie to is <span style="font-style: italic;">American History X</span>, a great movie that also revolves around individuals dealing with anti-Semitism. I'd always thought that <span style="font-style: italic;">American History X</span> was a pretty tough movie, but man, it's got nothing on <span style="font-style: italic;">The Believer</span>.<br /><br />I'm not Jewish, so I don't know how I would take this movie if I was, but even as a Catholic I was pretty unsettled by it. The script, the dialogue, and the plot are all filled with such an overwhelming amount of hate and questionably bad taste that it really makes the whole experience one tough pill to swallow. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />There is a kind of ambiguously redeeming value to the story by the movie's end, but it takes such a surprisingly long time to get any kind of substantial character development in a positive direction that all the negative qualities of the main character just overshadow the potential good in him. When you're dealing with something as serious as anti-Semitism, hate crimes, and Holocaust denial among other things, keeping that redeeming quality prevalent should be a priority.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Believer</span> was the launching vehicle for Ryan Gosling, who plays the main character, and he is seriously intense in this. He's a great actor to begin with, another one of the best actors out there who aren't getting the real credit they deserve, and this is one of the best things he's done (next to <span style="font-style: italic;">Half Nelson</span>). The role is no joke and it quickly becomes clear that he's not screwing around. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Good way to make people forget that you used to be in the Mickey Mouse Club. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Believer</span> won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001, which is kind of a big deal, so there are obviously people out there who are going to disagree with me on this review. And it's not all bad. It's got a really taut script that's executed really well by Gosling and it's one of the more challenging movies you're ever going to see, but it's just such a difficult movie to sit through that I found myself wondering why I was watching it at times.<br /><br />I'm not saying that you shouldn't see it, but just know what you're getting into and I guess try not to take it personally. Yeah, it's just a movie, but it's also one of the most unnerving movies I've ever watched in my life.<br /><br />And for the love of God, don't see this just because you liked Gosling in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Notebook</span>.<br /><br />Not. A. Chick flick.<br /></span>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-52097362780368315152009-06-16T06:04:00.000-07:002009-06-16T08:43:46.983-07:00Beetlejuice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SjepfB3JQzI/AAAAAAAAALg/TU2cGCt1wf8/s1600-h/beetlejuicemovieposter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SjepfB3JQzI/AAAAAAAAALg/TU2cGCt1wf8/s320/beetlejuicemovieposter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347929433066521394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />8/10 Demonic Shrimp Cocktails</span><br /><br />I've seen this movie two or three other times in my life and never really got what all the fuss was about. Always thought it was too dark, too strange, and not that funny either. But then again, I also loved <span style="font-style: italic;">The Nightmare Before Christmas</span>, which is arguably all those things maxed out. I was a confused child.<br /><br />So when my good buddy Fred turned this on last night, I figured, "Sure, why not?" And this time it was great. Weird how that happens.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Beetlejuice </span>is about a husband and a wife who die in a car crash then turn into ghosts who have to scare the new owners out of their dream house, only they suck at it and eventually turn to Beetlejuice - a freelance "bio-exorcist" who scares the shit out of people like it's noboby's business - to do the job for them.<br /><br />Great idea for a movie and it's arguably Tim Burton at the most accessible height of his strange vision. Just one of many examples why Burton is one of the most original directors and storytellers out there.<br /><br />While I'm on the subject, I'm a big fan of Tim Burton. <span style="font-style: italic;">Planet of the Apes</span> aside, he's got one hell of a resume' and is always putting out really good stuff that most film makers wouldn't even go near. And that's what's great about him, that he can take scripts and movies that would otherwise be entirely disturbing, nightmarish experiences and turn them into something almost dreamlike that people embrace and connect with. Go watch his take on <span style="font-style: italic;">Sweeney Todd</span>, takes a lot of talent to make people laugh at folks getting their throats slit for two hours.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm supposed to be talking about <span style="font-style: italic;">Beetlejuice</span>. All those things I said about what makes Burton great, they're all here in this movie.<br /><br />The special effects don't hold up all that well, but the makeup is great, the writing is good, and the cast is good, too, featuring every middle-aged actor who hit it big in the late-'80s/early-'90s and was never heard from again (an unrecognizably-young Alec Baldwin being the only one who made it out alive).<br /><br />But Michael Keaton, the freakin' <span style="font-style: italic;">king </span>of the '80s, really brings it all together as Beetejuice himself. What could have potentially been an entirely unlikeable character, even though he's more or less the villain of the story anyway, ends up being a major selling point of the movie thanks to Keaton's insano, mile-a-minute, hilarious performance that quickly turns him into the best character on-screen even though it takes him about an hour to finally show up.<br /><br />As a result, my one complaint with the movie is that there's just not enough Beetlejuice. Who cares about Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as lame-ass ghosts. When you call a movie <span style="font-style: italic;">Beetlejuice</span>, you should probably make it a point to show more Beetlejuice. He's the ghost with the most, baby.<br /><br />That aside, it's still a fun movie, it's got a great, morbid sense of humor, it's got great music (that might be a nostalgia thing from watching the <span style="font-style: italic;">Beetlejuice </span>cartoon as a kid). And come on, it's Tim Burton. So go watch <span style="font-style: italic;">Beetlejuice</span>, then go watch some other Burton movies, and remember the Keaton.<br /><br />Never forget the Keaton.<br /></span>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-91256760470776029942009-06-15T06:16:00.000-07:002009-06-15T09:54:49.705-07:00Burn After Reading<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SjZMFJKyQ1I/AAAAAAAAALY/s8BruOj9noc/s1600-h/burn-after-reading-movie-poster-onesheet-coen-brothers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SjZMFJKyQ1I/AAAAAAAAALY/s8BruOj9noc/s320/burn-after-reading-movie-poster-onesheet-coen-brothers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347545258793255762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />5/10 Grinning Headshots</span><br /><br />Man, what a deceptive trailer. Definitely not the upbeat, enjoyable movie I thought it was going in to.<br /><br />Without getting too into the excessive amount of sidestories and subplots that take place in this movie, <span style="font-style: italic;">Burn After Reading</span> is more or less about two fitness instructors who accidentally get their hands on an ex-CIA operative's memoirs and try to blackmail him into paying them for it so that one of the instructors can pay for her plastic surgery.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Like a lot of movies by the Coen brothers, the story is fueled by a slew of different characters whose lives are all intertwined, yet all have different motives, and everyone has the wrong idea of what's really going on. But then again, it's put together in a way that's not too hard to follow if you're actually paying attention. I was ironing while watching this and I still knew what was going on. So way to go, Coens.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Burn After Reading</span> is a mix between the subtle comedy of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Big Lebowski</span> and the pitch-black morality tale that is <span style="font-style: italic;">Fargo</span>...only it's not as funny as the former and not nearly as affecting as the latter. It works at times, but so much of this movie is so damn dark and depressing that it gets hard to balance out the humor.<br /><br />The story is decent, doesn't really have a whole lot to say outside of "don't be vain and don't be an amoral jerk like everyone in this movie is", but it's nothing special. There's some great dialogue once in a while and the characters are all very unique and well-rounded, but there's too many to really care about what happens to them<br /><br />The big thing that <span style="font-style: italic;">Burn After Reading</span> has going for it is its cast. There's a crap-load of famous people in it and they all do a great job of bringing something different to the table. Big fan of J.K. Simmons (the dad from <span style="font-style: italic;">Juno</span>) as the head of the CIA and one of the few voices of sanity that's trying to figure out what the hell is going on.<br /><br />And while I don't think Brad Pitt's much of an actor (textbook case of Pretty Boy Syndrome</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">),</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> I have to give him credit for giving one of the more noteworthy performances as one of the idiot fitness instructors. Some people should really stick to non-serious roles.<br /><br />I don't know, maybe this is one of those things like <span style="font-style: italic;">The Big Lebowski</span> where I need to go back and watch it again for me to really get how good it is. Or I could just watch <span style="font-style: italic;">The Big Lebowski </span>instead.<br /><br />Yeah, good idea.<br /></span>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-85756611758919314782009-06-14T20:20:00.000-07:002009-06-15T10:53:14.753-07:00Moon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SjXE7-khmEI/AAAAAAAAALQ/BxSJpM0L_ZY/s1600-h/moon-poster-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SjXE7-khmEI/AAAAAAAAALQ/BxSJpM0L_ZY/s320/moon-poster-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347396667259852866" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">8/10 Crappy Jobs on the Moon</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Isn't it great to get really psyched up about a movie and not get let down by it? Love that feeling.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Moon</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> takes place in the future...on the moon. It's about a guy who's been hired by an energy company to harvest nutrients from the moon for three years by himself and he's got two weeks left before he gets to go back home to Earth. Then things get weird when he finds another guy on the moon who looks exactly like him. Maybe it's his twin, maybe he's been on the damn moon too long and he's going batshit, who knows? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">And that right there is the draw to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Moon</span>.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I love science-fiction movies, especially original ones. And if <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Moon</span> gets major points in any category here, it's definitely in the originality department. This is going to be one of those reviews where I have to be careful about what I can say because I don't want to give anything away, but trust me, the synopsis alone should be enough to convince you that this is a really unique story, one of the more unique science-fiction movies in recent memory in fact (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Sunshine</span> and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Children of Men</span> being the noteworthy exceptions).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">It's the debut effort by screenwriter Nathan Parker and director David Jones (who's freakin' David Bowie's son, who was once called <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Zowie</span> Bowie before he changed his name), and while you can tell Jones is somewhat green behind the ears when it comes to directing, it does the trick, and it's a damn impressive first effort by Parker. They keep the movie very simple in terms of pacing and plot and do a good job of making a potentially complicated-as-all-hell story pretty manageable to follow.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The guy on the moon is also played by one of my favorite actors who still doesn't get the due credit he deserves, Sam Rockwell. Don't know Sam Rockwell? Check him out in <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Green Mile</span> and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Galaxy Quest</span> for starters. He's got great range and he does a fine job of carrying <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Moon's</span> script along considering he's in every single scene. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">And it's really something else to watch Rockwell playing the two lead roles at the same time. I've seen a lot of movies where there's the same guy on-screen playing twins or something along those lines (there's a great movie called <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Dead Ringers</span> that does awesome things with this premise, too), but this is the first time I've ever been really impressed not only by how it was pulled off from a technical standpoint, but by how well the two characters interacted with each other. Bonus points for that one.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Even though I really liked <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Moon</span>, I can't shake the feeling that more could have been done with it, like it was almost too simple for its own good at times. I don't know how I would change it or add to it, but I felt like Jones could have sped things up a bit at times. A small complaint considering I never looked at my watch once and it's also his first movie.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Anyway, if you liked <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">2001: A Space Odyssey</span>, you will really like <span style="font-style: italic;">Moon</span>. It's got that same kind of desolate, "I'm-alone-in-space-and-the-shit-has-hit-the-fan" vibe to it. And even though it's not going to convert anyone if you're not into science-fiction, it's really worth taking a look at as it's unlike anything else you're going to see this year.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Did I mention it's made by David Bowie's son, Zowie Bowie? And Sam Rockwell's the man, so see it for him, too.</span></div>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-57696210453542610202009-06-14T14:51:00.000-07:002009-06-14T20:17:08.736-07:00The Taking of Pelham One Two Three<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SjW4pcwQ3bI/AAAAAAAAALI/toOGW4-VZdA/s1600-h/taking_of_pelham_one_two_three.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SjW4pcwQ3bI/AAAAAAAAALI/toOGW4-VZdA/s320/taking_of_pelham_one_two_three.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347383154805104050" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">8/10 Worst. Train Rides. Ever.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Yes, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Taking of Pelham</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> 1 2 3</span> is a remake of this movie. And while it may not be as "A.D.D.-friendly" as Tony Scott's version, it's still a really good movie that stands out as one of the more intense and entertaining heist movies from back in the '70s.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Taking of Pelham One Two Three</span> is about a transit cop who has one hour to negotiate a million dollar ransom with four guys who up and hijack a New York City subway car before they start killing passengers a minute at a time. Like I said, it's an intense movie.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">But aside from being a good action movie with a great premise, the best part about this movie is actually the script. I was going into this expecting a cheesy, retro, "'70s disaster movie"-type thing, but I was pleasantly shocked to find that it had better writing in it than an overwhelming amount of action movies, or just movies in general, in recent memory. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The movie doesn't get over its head with in regards to what's plausible and the plot moves along at a really solid pace without going overboard. It continuously keeps the audience in check, always reminding them that the clock is ticking and lives are on the line, but it doesn't take itself <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">too</span> seriously, like it's end of the freakin' world and there is no time for jokes...EVER. The dialogue is really sharp and really funny and it makes all the characters seem legitimately real, which is rare in movies. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">At the same time, the tone can be a little too light at times when it shouldn't be. I found it a little strange that I was more outwardly concerned for the lives of the innocent people onboard the train than they were themselves.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The cast is also great. Walter Matthau plays the lead transit cop and Robert Shaw plays the lead train-jacker. As a general rule of thumb, anything that Walter Matthau is in is something you should watch. Why? Because Walter Matthau's in it, and he's great no matter what role he's playing. And if you're like me and only really know Robert Shaw as Quint from <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Jaws</span> (for God's sake, please see <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Jaws</span> if you haven't already), then that's even more reason to see it. He was the man in this movie. A man's man if you will.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">And as a bonus of sorts, if you like <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Reservoir Dogs</span>, you'll dig this movie even more; it's got Tarantino written all over it. Not only are the four bad guys are all named by colors, but you can really see how their interactions and character types translate pretty seamlessly over to the main characters in <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Reservoir Dogs</span>. The dialogue has a real Tarantino-esque feel to it and it's really just easy to see that a lot of his inspiration for that movie came from this one.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';">I'm sure I'll get around to seeing <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">1 2 3 </span>one of these days, even though I'm thinking it's going to be another epic diaper rash by Tony Scott, but the point is, you should be watching <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">One Two Three</span> regardless.</span></div>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-5454325948415157942009-06-12T06:14:00.000-07:002009-06-12T08:41:45.469-07:00True Romance<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SjJ2NVYOGDI/AAAAAAAAALA/-sce6TdWtCY/s1600-h/TureRomance.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 224px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SjJ2NVYOGDI/AAAAAAAAALA/-sce6TdWtCY/s320/TureRomance.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346465679091308594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />8/10</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Angry Sicilians</span><br /><br />One freakin' wild movie and the high point of Tony Scott's directing career.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">True Romance</span> is about a lonely, endearing comic book nerd played by Christian Slater who falls in love and runs away with the world's sweetest call girl played by Patricia Arquette. In the process, they kill her pimp (the great Gary Oldman in underwear and dreadlocks), accidentally steal a bag full of his cocaine, then drive across California to avoid getting killed by mob boss Christopher Walken so they can sell the coke and run away together. A movie for the whole family to enjoy.<br /><br />The cast in this movie is crazy. People must have really loved this script because absolutely everyone who was anyone in the early 1990s has a role in it. Aside from the ones I've already mentioned, it's got Samuel L. Jackson for five minutes, Dennis Hopper in a surprisingly non-psychotic role, James Gandolfini before he started winning Emmys, and a young Brad Pitt in one of the best roles of his career, among others.<br /><br />And not surprisingly, everyone's great. They've all established themselves as accomplished actors at this point, but it's not often you see an all-star cast like this actually make it all work. Makes you long for the days when Christian Slater was known for more than groping women in public. But alas...<br /><br />The directing is good, it's got a great score, and there are some <span style="font-style: italic;">great </span>action scenes, but the real selling point to <span style="font-style: italic;">True Romance</span> is the script by Quentin Tarantino. Anyone who's seen a movie by Tarantino knows that aside from taking his movies from normal to insane at the flip of switch (this story is no exception), he's all about cool, snappy, and atypically well-written dialogue that's always delivered in a monologue/intense dialogue by the most badass people on the planet. Considering the cast at hand, there's a lot of that going on, and it's awesome.<br /><br />There's also something very familiar about the story of <span style="font-style: italic;">True Romance</span>. Even with everything that goes on, it manages to come out surprisingly simple and fresh. At the core of everything, this is a love story between two good characters, and, more importantly, it's a relationship that you actually want to succeed. Might sound sappy, but it's not. This movie is about as far from sappy as you can probably get.<br /><br />And while <span style="font-style: italic;">True Romance</span> is easily the best movie that Scott has ever made, it isn't the best thing that Tarantino's ever written. It's not as deep or edgy as you'd hope for and it doesn't really stick with you in the way that his other movies do. But nonetheless, this is a good that hits the mark in a lot of places and it still has that Tarantino flair.<br /><br />Not exactly the best date movie, but it's probably got more feminine appeal to it than guys getting their ears cut off in <span style="font-style: italic;">Reservoir Dogs</span>. If anything, it's a fun and exciting way to spend two hours.Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-56143913284449708962009-06-11T07:48:00.000-07:002009-06-11T13:28:28.508-07:00Man on Fire<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SjEij0quc6I/AAAAAAAAAK4/aBQr8UBpejU/s1600-h/man_on_fire.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/SjEij0quc6I/AAAAAAAAAK4/aBQr8UBpejU/s320/man_on_fire.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346092231494103970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />1/10 Little Piggies Snipped All The Way Home</span><br /><br />Hey now! It's another shit-heap of a movie by Tony Scott! No <span style="font-style: italic;">way!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Man on Fire</span> is about a cold-blooded former assassin/current mean drunk whose heart grows to the size of a honeydew, thus sending him on a killing rampage, when the girl he has been hired to protect (Dakota Fanning) is kidnapped by a Mexican gang because her dad (Marc Anthony - come again?) is a crooked jerk. It's like <span style="font-style: italic;">How The Grinch Stole Christmas</span>, just a little bit more violent and not quite as festive...and less animated.<br /><br />I had to see this movie for a film class I took in college. Why this movie was assigned is still a mystery to me, but I laughed my way through it all the same. The bad kind of laughing.<br /><br />The assassin with a heart of gold is played by Denzel Washington, a pretty damn good actor who for some reason keeps signing on to work with director Tony Scott. I recently got into a conversation about Denzel with someone who was talking about movies on the subway and they pointed out that all he does in his movies now is just run around with his shirt undone and yell into cell phones. And you know what, they're absolutely right.<br /><br />I blame Tony Scott more for that one, but at the same time, no one is wrenching Denzel's arm to do these movies either. <span style="font-style: italic;">Man on Fire</span> is no exception to Scott's formula of "Denzel + running = awesome", but even though this isn't Denzel's strongest role by a long shot, it sure doesn't help that he's got a really freakin' shitty script to work with either.<br /><br />I don't know, maybe <span style="font-style: italic;">Man on Fire</span> is your kind of thing. Why don't we take a poll. Do you like...<br /><br />- Extreme sadism? Check.<br />- Watching people get their fingers cut off with hedgeclippers only to get killed five minutes later? Double check.<br />- Lengthy speeches about how life is a lot like a bullet? Very deep, indeed.<br />- Guys getting tortured and killed by having an inhuman amount of C4 explosives jammed up their ass and detonated while tied down to the hood of a car? Someone pinch me.<br /><br />If these all sound great, then give <span style="font-style: italic;">Man on Fire</span> a shot. Different strokes for different folks, you know?<br /><br />Christopher Walken also has a bit part in the movie, and while it's nothing special, he's the only reason this movie got a 1 out of 10 instead of a zero. So way to go, Chris.<br /><br />Ugh, I always shake my head when I hear people say they like this movie. I really don't get it. The story sucks, it's been done before and it's been done better, and it's a shining example of everything that's wrong with movie violence today. I recently heard a film critic say that movie violence is so easy, that any film maker can manipulate the audience through pain in a movie because anyone call pull it off. <span style="font-style: italic;">Man on Fire</span> is an exercise in cheap torture disguised as genuine emotion and I'm not falling for it.<br /><br />There's a million better movies out there featuring everyone that was involved in <span style="font-style: italic;">Man on Fire</span>. So please, don't see this movie. You can do so much better.<br /><br />Awesome job of photoshopping Dakota Fanning into the poster, by the way. It's like she's actually <span style="font-style: italic;">in </span>the explosion. <span style="font-style: italic;">Whoa</span>.Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-22493497949855874832009-06-10T06:04:00.000-07:002009-06-25T05:49:41.992-07:00Top Gun<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Si_lKUFYX5I/AAAAAAAAAKw/1XkYd-GTL8Q/s1600-h/003_TOPGUNSA%7ETop-Gun-Posters.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Si_lKUFYX5I/AAAAAAAAAKw/1XkYd-GTL8Q/s320/003_TOPGUNSA%7ETop-Gun-Posters.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345743248064798610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />3/10 Bi-curious Wingmen</span><br /><br />This movie, in a nutshell, is why the 1980s is a decade best forgotten.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Top Gun</span> is about a hot shot jet fighter pilot named Maverick who's fighting for the title of "Top Gun" in his fleet over his rival, the aptly named Iceman, another cocky pilot with frosted hair tips who may or may not be trying to seduce him while the superior officer is breathing down Maverick's neck for being such a hot shot jerk </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">(why can't you all just leave Maverick alone, dammit!)</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. The Mav</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">'s also trying to juggle a relationship with a woman he met by singing "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" to her in a bar; that one's for the ladies.<br /><br />This is a generous summary for a movie that's hardly more than jets flying around for two hours to a soundtrack comprised almost entirely of synthesizers and '80s hair metal electric guitar.<br /><br />Look, Tom Cruise is a hit or miss actor. I was tempted to say that he's nothing special, but since he does have some good movies under his belt to counter his pretty boy looks and his real-life insanity (it's not his best effort, but<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>his wildly unusual and funny role in<span style="font-style: italic;"> Tropic Thunder</span> is a more recent example of what I'm saying), I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and not completely trounce his acting abilities. He's usually best when he's not the only thing trying to carry a weak script (I'm looking at you<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">, </span><a href="http://ctcmr.blogspot.com/2009/06/valkyrie.html">Valkyrie</a></span>), so unfortunately, things don't work out so well for Tommy boy in <span style="font-style: italic;">Top Gun</span> as a result.<br /><br />The movie is directed by Tony Scott, an individual who pretty much makes the same freaking movie every time. You'd think he'd get the hang of it twenty years later, but no dice for poor Tony. He doesn't do anything to bring this movie to a level of depth higher than "Look, Daddy! Airplanes!" and the only time he has ever gone the extra mile with one of his movies is with <span style="font-style: italic;">True Romance</span>, even though the credit actually goes to Quentin Tarantino's script.<br /><br />The only saving grace of <span style="font-style: italic;">Top Gun</span> is Anthony Edwards as Maverick's best friend/trusty co-pilot, Goose. Anthony Edwards is awesome, he plays the only good, endearing character in this movie, he's a really good actor in general, and we should never forget that he also starred in one of the great comedies of the 1980s, <span style="font-style: italic;">Revenge of the Nerds</span>.<br /><br />Aside from Edwards, <span style="font-style: italic;">Top Gun</span> is a corny mess filled with dumbass dialogue and lots of strange homoerotic undertones that don't do any favors for the so-called "macho" characters that the story revolves around. Nothing like sweaty, glistening guys stuck on an aircraft frieghter in the middle of the ocean playing shirtless beach volleyball with aviators on to take one's mind off the women that are nowhere in sight. Well done, Mr. Scott.<br /></span>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-86987105699071527932009-06-09T12:16:00.000-07:002009-06-10T03:44:02.803-07:00The Hangover<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Si7JGEetzqI/AAAAAAAAAKo/nu4cnDopTsM/s1600-h/the_hangover_tyson_poster.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 219px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Si7JGEetzqI/AAAAAAAAAKo/nu4cnDopTsM/s320/the_hangover_tyson_poster.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345430913854328482" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">VERDICT:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">7/10 Missing Teeth</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Just got back from seeing this with my good buddy Fred, and it was pretty damn funny.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Hangover</span> is about a group of guys who throw a bachelor party in Vegas for their buddy and wake up the next morning astoundingly hungover with no recollection of what they did the night before and no idea where the groom-to-be is. So begins their two-day search for the groom, the owner of a bengal tiger that's staying in their bathroom, the parent of an infant they found in their closet, and a slew of other oddities that may or may not occur after a drunken bender in Vegas.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">It's not really consistently funny throughout, I can't really pick out my favorite scene that stood out among the rest, and the pacing isn't as crazy as I thought it was going to be, but overall it's a funny movie with a new twist on a premise that's been used a million times before. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">You don't ever really see the bachelor party itself, not until a fucking nutso slideshow at the end of the movie, but a big reason this movie is funny is finding out what the hell happened to these guys just as they're figuring it out themselves. It's a fun time that you don't get tired of and it's probably going to do wonders for Vegas tourism.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The three main characters are great and all have a unique brand of humor to bring to the table. Props to the lead actor, Bradley Cooper, who is slowly rising from obscurity to fame and doing a good job of getting there with his role in <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Hangover</span>. But the two reasons this movie is funny more than the writing or the story are Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I'm a huge fan of Galifianakis and he was the reason I was really looking forward to seeing this. He pretty much plays the groom-to-be's unbelievably strange and possibly brain-damaged brother-in-law who tries to fit in with the rest of the gang by asking if they're "ready to let the dogs out" and how he wishes he could breast feed. He's great in this movie, it's about damn time he started getting recognized, and if you've never heard of him before, YouTube him and you'll quickly understand why he's getting all the buzz from this movie.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">But the big surprise for me was Ed Helms. He starts out playing a whipped and glorified version of Andy Bernard from <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Office</span>, but after the bachelor party he starts completely breaking down and gives some of the best lines in the movie. Wasn't expecting Helms to be so funny, but he and Galifianakis have roles that seem like they were written with them in mind and they do freaking hilarious things with the material at hand.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Unfortunately, a big drawback to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Hangover</span> is <a href="http://a552.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/40/l_962f36c14899a9354b4a48c1687cefaf.jpg">this guy</a>, Ken Jeong; an unfunny bastard who plays an annoying Asian gangster whose jokes never land like they're supposed to. I don't know why he's always getting cast in bit roles in practically every comedy that's come out over the past four years. He's never funny, he's always on screen too long, and this movie is no exception. Honestly, what's the big appeal to Ken Jeong? Am I missing something here? Stupid casting choice.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Anyway, now that I've got that out of my system, if <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Hangover</span> seems like your kind of thing, it will at least get you laughing. It's not as endearing as <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://ctcmr.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-love-you-man.html">I Love You, Man</a></span> and the characters could have used some more depth, but these are small complaints and it'll probably stand as one of the better comedies of 2009, right behind <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Bruno</span> (hopefully). <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: italic;font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Hangover</span> pretty much spells out what kind of movie it is in its title, and it's a funny movie that Fred and I would be happy to revisit.</span></div>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164407199322902434.post-15586670602839996942009-06-08T07:30:00.000-07:002009-06-08T11:01:27.638-07:00Step Brothers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Si0gszCHNdI/AAAAAAAAAKg/Dl4mnc-DgoU/s1600-h/step-brothers-poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8CxFwLnVfik/Si0gszCHNdI/AAAAAAAAAKg/Dl4mnc-DgoU/s320/step-brothers-poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344964286744049106" border="0" /></a><b style="font-family: georgia,serif;">VERDICT:<br />7/10 Night Terrors</b><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;">Since Will Ferrell bombed it at the box office this past weekend with </span><i style="font-family: georgia,serif;">Land of the Lost</i><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;">, why not take a quick look back at his last effort, one of the funniest and most surprisingly panned movies of 2008.</span><br /> <br /><i style="font-family: georgia,serif;">Step Brothers</i><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;"> is about two lazy, jobless, wildly immature middle-aged men who hate each others guts but are forced to live under the same roof when their parents get married and they become stepbrothers! Wow, that's wacky!</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;">Doesn't need much explaining to know that all the comedy in this movie revolves around two very funny guys acting like whiny children for two hours. It's not exactly high-brow writing we're talking about here, but it had me belly laughing most of the time and that's what you want to get out of this kind of movie. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;">There's a lot of swearing, a lot of physical humor, and I'm a big enthusiast of comedies where grown men act like I did when I was ten. Some of the gags don't really land like they should and it gets kind of slow by the end, but the first half hour of this movie made my cheeks sore, and that's enough for a recommendation.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;">I think Will Ferrell has always been funny, but I know some of you out there don't share in my sentiments on this issue. But lucky for you, </span><i style="font-family: georgia,serif;">Step Brothers</i><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;"> isn't </span><i style="font-family: georgia,serif;">Anchorman </i><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;">or </span><i style="font-family: georgia,serif;">Talladega Nights</i><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;"> humor, this is more like "Will Ferrell-back-when-he-was-on-</span> <div style="font-family: georgia,serif;" id=":12x" class="ii gt"><wbr>SNL" humor. Ferrell and John C. Reilly, who's growing on me as a funny individual, play well off each other and they have a pretty amusing script to work along with. I've been told by people who don't like Ferrell that they even thought this movie was hilarious, so I'm going to take that leap and tell you to put your biases aside and give this movie a shot if you're looking to laugh.<br /><br />And props to Richard Jenkins who had the freaking year of his life in 2008 with an Oscar nod for his great performance in a very good, yet unfortunately overlooked, movie, <i>The Visitor</i>, and his hilarious turn as John C. Reilly's dad in this movie. He's another one of these guys who's face you'd recognize but could never remember his name. Well remember it from now on suckas, because he's the man and he can act.<br /></div> <span style="font-family:georgia;"></span>Aiden R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09351945691050527843noreply@blogger.com0