Movie Review: Men In Black 3

In 1997, Men In Black was ahead of its time. It was funny, clever and engaging. However 15 years later everything about it just feels old and dated.  Men In Black 3 wasn’t bad, persay, it just wasn’t fresh.

Men In Black 3

Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Alice Eve, Jermaine Clement

Premise: Boris the Animal, after 40 years in captivity, escapes from his prison on the moon and returns to earth to kill K (Tommy Lee Jones), the MIB Agent that put him away. Only instead of killing K in the present, Boris opts to kill him in the past, before K had the chance to put him in prison. When he succeeds, J (Will Smith) finds his life turned upside down with K being dead for 40 years, Earth being invaded by Boris’ species, and with J having the only memory of his previous life. To make things right and save Earth, J must travel back in time to stop future Boris from killing past K (Josh Brolin).

My Review: Let me start off by saying Men In Black wasn’t a bad movie. Will Smith has been MIA for the past few years it was good to see him on screen again. I missed his charismatic, self-depricating charm. Also, Josh Brolin was a welcome addition to the crew. He is excellent as the younger version of K imitating Tommy Lee Jones to a T. But I felt like there was something missing. The jokes and gimmicks didn’t feel fresh, there wasn’t enough of the actual Tommy Lee Jones, and the plot points felt old and not well thought out (taking it to the past was the wrong choice). And don’t even get me started about that unresolved emotional punch at the end. Seriously, who ends a movie like that?

MIB 3 was better than the second installment, but there were more creative places they could have taken it. Though fun at times, all in all the sequel was unnecessary.

 

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

 

 

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Casting Finnick Odair

Catching Fire: Casting Finnick Odair

So…I don’t know if you heard…but casting is underway for the 2^nd Installment of The Hunger Games series, “Catching Fire.” Personally this book is my favorite even though it’s a little less action packed than the others. It’s the first time we really see the brutality of the Capitol outside The Hunger Games, the first time we see Katniss bear the repercussions of her decisions in the arena as well as her relationship with Peeta, and we also get to see her work with a group of people instead of against the group of people. One of my favorite characters is also introduced in Catching Fire and that’s Finnick Odair. So that bears that question, now that Francis Lawrence has been hired as director for the next installment of The Hunger Games, in Catching Fire, the thing on everyone’s brains is, who the hell will be cast as Finnick?

Finnick Odair

Casting for Finnick isn’t that easy. Many people are quick to jump on the find the “find the hottest guy and cast him” bandwagon, but Finnick is so much more than that. Finnick is truly messed up, his body used and abused, his mind full of secrets longing to be with his crazy equally messed up girlfriend. Sure he is cocky and arrogant and a bit oblivious to what is actually going on for the first half of Catching Fire, but as we get to know Finnick, we realize it’s because he’s so damaged, he can do nothing else but just grin and bear it. Like I said, Finnick is, and has to be, more than just a pretty face.

My Picks for District 4, Finnick Odair

(On a scale of 1-10 how Finnick is he? 10 being FINNICK and 1 being NOT FINNICK.)

---

Josh Pence

Google him. Your answer is there. Josh is just an all around catch and he knows what it’s like to be used for only his body. Plus he’s not that well known which I think is key for casting Finnick. We can’t associate him with another persona. Finnick has to be Finnick not (insert actors name here) playing Finnick.

Rates on the scale as a 9.

---

Chris Evans

He wasn’t even on my radar as Finnick until I saw that boxing shot in Avengers. You know the one I’m talking about…*sigh* However, he may be almost TOO well known at this point. I do think his previous work showcases he can play the pretty boy with a lot of depth. And well, he’s just pretty to look at.

Rates on the scale as a 8.

---

Hunter Parrish

He was originally my top choice for Peeta, but if we can’t have him as Peeta how about as Finnick? He can portray the depth, dark and light of Finnick Weeds has given him a lot of experience being “eye candy.” Only problem? He’s short, IMDB lists him as 5’7. Does height matter? I think in this case, it just might…

Rates on the scale as a 6.

---

Brant Daughtery

Yes, yes, he doesn’t quite look like Finnick. But Josh Hutcherson doesn’t look like Peeta and man, Brant is good looking. I know how only from his performance on Pretty Little Liars, so I know he can play a jerk really well. But if anything, we’ll just look at him and swoon…

Rates on the scale as a 5.

---

Justin Hartley

Seriously, he IS Finnick. He has the body, the looks, the experience playing the dark side (Smalleville), and the heartthrob. I last saw him on Hart of Dixie where he played a totally different character. He may be a bit on the older side, but who cares? Would you argue if you had to look at this face for 2 hours? I think not. Besides, make-up can do wonders right?

Rates on the scale as a 8.

---

Drew Van Acker

Look at his imdb photo. That is so Finnick.

Also google him, the pictures that come up will be all you need to convince you. He just needs more mass and muscle, but he can pull it off. But I’m sure he could pull it off. Also, he’s great in Pretty Little Liars as a “dude you don’t know if you can trust or not”. Sound like a certain character? Eh? Eh?

Rates on the scale as a 7.

---

Names floating out there I’d be OKAY with: Garret Hedlund, Ryan Kwanten

Names floating out there I say NO to: Armie Hammer, Taylor Kitsch (after Battleship and John Carter flops, NO), Robert Pattinson (Hell no, no no no no no no no”), Zac Efron (Yummy, but too young), Alex Pettyfer (Bad reputation, could never pull off the depth), Robert Pattinson (I know I already said him once, but I really mean it)

*crossed out means they’ve been eliminated as a choice, *WHEW*

What do you think of my choices? Who do you want to see in the role. Personally, I’d be fine with an unknown as well. Fresh faces are always good as long as Finnick is a heart throb, but able to take on the depth and complications of the role. What do you think?

Next up: Johanna!

Movie Review: What to Expect When You’re Expecting

What to Expect When You’re Expecting

Starring: Elizabeth Banks, Ben Falcone, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Matthew Morrison, Dennis Quaid, Brooklyn Dekker, Anna Kendrick, Rodrigo Santoro, Chase Crawford, Chris Rock, Joe Manganiello’s abs, Rebel Wilson

Because the premise is so intricate with the interweaving, I’m taking the plot description from Rotten Tomatoes, my go to movie site (Thank you, Rotten Tomatoes!). Premise: “Over the moon about starting a family, TV fitness guru Jules (Cameron Diaz) and dance show star Evan (Matthew Morrison) find that their high-octane celebrity lives don’t stand a chance against the surprise demands of pregnancy. Baby-crazy author and advocate Wendy (Elizabeth Banks) gets a taste of her own militant mommy advice when pregnancy hormones ravage her body; while Wendy’s husband, Gary (Ben Falcone), struggles not to be outdone by his competitive alpha-Dad (Dennis Quaid), who’s expecting twins with his much younger trophy wife, Skyler (Brooklyn Dekker). Photographer Holly (Jennifer Lopez) is prepared to travel the globe to adopt a child, but her husband Alex (Rodrigo Santoro) isn’t so sure, and tries to quiet his panic by attending a “dudes” support group, where new fathers get to tell it like it really is. And rival food truck chefs Rosie (Anna Kendrick) and Marco’s (Chase Crawford) surprise hook-up results in an unexpected quandary: what to do when your first child comes before your first date?”

 

What to Expect when you’re watching What to Expect when You’re Expecting:

• Do expect to laugh.
• Don’t expect it to be all fun and games.
• Do expect some surprisingly fleshed out characters.
• Don’t expect to not be creeped out by Matthew Morrison even when he’s hanging out with people his own age (Yes, that was a Glee reference).
• Do expect to find Chase Crawford and Anna Kendrick adorable.
• Don’t expect all story lines to be thought out.
• Do expect great work from Elizabeth Banks and Ben Falcone (Their storyline was my favorite – minus the Dennis Quaid parts.)
• Don’t expect it to be the perfect romantic comedy.
• Do expect to be charmed by Rebel Wilson (I really shouldn’t like her as much as I do, the characters she plays are so annoying. Maybe it’s the accent.)
• Don’t expect it to be all about women.
• Do expect, surprisingly, a lot of hilarious, testosterone heavy moments.  (Many of the “Daddy Dudes moments were hilarious.)
• Don’t expect to love it.
• Do expect to like it more than you think it will.

Basically, What to Expect When You’re Expecting exceeded my expectations. It wasn’t perfect, by far. And it had some cliché moments, but it was still quite adorable. There was a surprising amount of character development within the large cast. I figured it would be another Valentine’s Day or New Year’s Eve with all the heavy star power, but it worked. Strangely enough it worked. Stand out of the movie? Hands down, Elizabeth Banks.

 

Rating: 3 stars (out of 5).

 

 

Movie Review: Battleship

Plot holes, cheesy dialogue, cringe-worthy moments, Battleship has it all. Yet for all the expected lows, this movie based on a board game was a lot better than it should have been.

Battleship

Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Tadanobu Asano, Brooklyn Dekker, Alexander Skarsgard, Liam Neeson, Rihanna

 

I came into this movie with loooowwww expectations. Like to the floor. And maybe that’s the only way you should enter this movie because despite cover your eyes it’s so awful in an uncomfortable sort of way moments, at also had some throwbacks to the game itself that were pretty clever. Let me break it down for you…

Where It Failed

1) Unlikeable main character. (for clarification, love Taylor Kitsch) hated his character. He was a hot head. He was selfish. He had basically no backstory. He was a loser. But not one of those good losers who’s just had a hard life and gets himself into trouble but has a good heart. They did such a good job at making him a loser, they forgot to make him likeable/someone to root for.
2) Cheesy, cliché and predictable situations. Like how does a loser like Alex get the bombshell, physical therapist, smart blonde (Brooklyn Dekker)? Or why have a handicap retired naval officer punch an alien in the face? Yeah, that happened. Also, use of old people for cutesy purposes? Yeah, cheesy is an understatement here.
3) Generic Characters. Rihanna’s character, Alexander Skarsgard’s character, Liam Neeson’s character, frankly could have been played by anyone. Dude, Peter Berg, if you have a Liam Neeson, you should use him.
4) The aliens. They looked like sea lions. And not the scary kind.
5) Plot Holes. Plot Holes. Plot Holes. Why are the aliens there? How did Alex become such a screw up? If he was such a screw up how did he get to be such a high ranking officer? If he was about to get kicked out of the program why would they send him out on a raft to investigate a foreign object in the sea? What was everyone else/the rest of the world doing while Hawaii was being taken over? None of these questions were answered and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

So what’s left you ask?

 

Things I Liked About Battleship

1) Tadanobu Asano, who played Hopper’s nemesis, Captain Yugi Nagata.  Asano was just a delight to watch. Sure in the beginning he was just a stereo typical caricature, but he meshed well with Alex Hopper and was memorable. Everything you want from your protagonist.
2) The parts of the movie that integrated the actual board game. Ok, granted the whole “peg” thing was a bit ridiculous, but I got a kick out of my. By far my favorite part of the movie was the “hit or miss” part when their alien “opponent had become virtually invisible in the night. It was pretty damn exhilarating even though we were looking at a computer screen most of the time.
3) The water action sequences. This wasn’t your typical alien invasion story. We’ve seen buildings explode, aliens kill people viscously, and army’s gather the troops. But what happens when the aliens attack from the water? The Navy happens.
4) I’m grateful they never used the line, “You sunk my battleship.”
5) Yeah that’s all I got.

I’m not going to lie. It wasn’t the best movie of the summer, that title will go to The Avengers (Sorry Batman and Spiderman). If I compare it to Transformers, I’d say it’s definitely better than the 2nd and 3rd installments, but that’s not saying much. Ultimately, check it out, or don’t. You’re not missing much, but it’s a good way to clear your brain for 2 hours…

 

Rating: 2 ½ stars (out of 5).

 

 

 

 

Movie Review: Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows is at its best when it’s completely deliciously melodramatic. This movie is strange, funny, sweet, weird, and evil. And you know what? I liked it.

Dark Shadows

Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bohem, Chloe Grace Moretz,
Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, and Eva Green

Premise: Barnabas Collins is the son of a wealthy fisherman, who rebuilt a town into a thriving fishing town. With a big house and good looks, Barnabas seems to have it all. After breaking the heart of his former lover, Angelique, in one fell swoop she kills his parents, killed his current lover, cursed him as a vampire and buried him “alive” in a coffin for the rest of eternity. Talk about a woman scorned… Cue 200 years later, the Age of Aquarius to be exact, when Barnabas is freed and returns to Collinsport to help the new generation of the Collins family rebuild his father’s now dying business.

My Review: It takes a certain kind of person to get Tim Burton. His work is dark and dramatic as well as melodramatic. His characters are strange and unusual and, well, there’s just something off about his movies. A lot of people don’t get it. I on the other hand love it. I get him, I don’t know why. And love him or hate him, you can’t deny his creativity.

Dark Shadows, is based off an old TV soap series of the 70′s and Burton’s use of soapy elements is key to making this movie work. Let’s do some math here. TV Soaps are over the top, Burton is way over the top, therefore juicy vampire soap + visually stunning, dark, twisted Tim Burton = visually stunning, dark, twisted vampire soap opera.

Sometimes Tim Burton’s character can be hit or miss. Edward Scissorhands : Hit, BeetleJuice: Hit, Willy Wonka: Miss, White Queen: Miss, Mad Hatter: Hit and miss. Well, Barnabas Collinsport was a definite hit for me. Barnabas is arguably the most relatable Burton character Depp has played since Edward Scissorhands. The thing I love about Johnny Depp when he works with Tim Burton, is that he puts his whole self into the character (He does this in Pirates too). I think he is most comfortable playing eccentric characters  in heavy make-up. There’s just something about Depp that makes him completely watchable. And when he speaks as Barnabas, he pronounces every syllable as if he is reciting a poem. That in itself is mesmerizing.

But with a great lead you need equally great supporting characters. Michelle Pfeiffer (the matriarch of the house), Helena Bohem Carter (the creepy drunk psychiatrist), Chloe Grace Moretz (the sullen, cranky teen of the 70′s) , Jonny Lee Miller (the greedy, jerk father) and Eva Green are all just as creepy, quirky, and strange as Depp which makes this movie work. But possiblly the best performance is that of Eva Green’s. She is so evil it is almost cartoonish. But it works. While for some that may be a turn off, we have to remember, this is a melodramatic soap we’re watching. So we should just enjoy the fun of it all. Eva Green plays Angelique Bouchard, the witch who cursed Barnabas. She is delusional and malicious, striking our “hero” where it hurts the most whenever he seems to gain an inch. But her bitterness and resentment is really just the product of a broken heart. And that realization brings me to my favorite moment of the movie.

Burton has a wonderful way of taking how a character feels figuratively and showing it to the audience literally: broken hearted, crumbling to pieces, shattered. And those moments are breathtaking.

I won’t pretend that this movie is for everyone. And it’s not a movie you should take seriously. But if you’re a fan of Burton, vampires that kill, the 70’s, campy, soapy dramas, and Johnny Depp, then you’ll enjoy this movie.

 

Rating: 3 Stars (out of 5).

 

 

 

 

Movie Review: The Avengers

I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun at a movie. The Avengers is one of the best summer movies I’ve ever seen. I dare you not to geek out. Hulk Smash!

Marvel’s: The Avengers

Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson, Stellan Skarsgard, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddelston, Clark Gregg, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Cobie Smulders

Premise: It’s a story we’ve all heard and seen before. The world is being threatened by a big baddie that unleashes unruly aliens on an unsuspecting metropolis. A group of unlikely misfits must band together to save humanity…blah blah. Yes, this is what The Avengers is about, only Joss Whedon manages to pull it off in a way that is fresh, clever, bright, witty, and completely geek-tastic.  Plus, Whedon has one thing none of the other movies have. And that’s a Hulk.

I’m gonna say it now The Avengers will be the most fun you had at an action superhero movie…ever. Sure, The Dark Knight Rises will be epic, but it’ll be moody and dark. The Avengers is pure, delightful fun. You will laugh, you will cheer, you will clap your hands like the proud nerd you know you are at heart.

This movie works because it was developed by a nerd fan-boy who appreciates the ridiculous cool factor this movie has. (I mean there are men in bright colors and tights and armor walking around NY city. How is that not ridiculous?) But it’s the fact that Whedon is the King of Nerd, that makes this movie as great as it is. Whedon has had a knack great dialogue, and contrary to popular belief, you can’t just put eight mega-heroes together in a room, blend, and expect a smooth delicious treat to come out. Sure the geek in us want to see the Hulk and Thor punch each other out, or Captain America and Iron Man battle like teenage boys fighting over who’s prettier, but the film critic/movie lover in us wants plot, and emotion, turmoil and triumph. Joss Whedon manages to fulfill both these wants. It’s a superhero movie with a plot that makes us CARE, that is a feat in itself

The Avengers is one of the funniest movies I’ve seen and a lot of that has to do with Marvel developing each character (with the exception of Black Widow and Hawkeye) in previous movies so we felt like we already know them. This allowed Whedon to skip over the messy “getting to know you” plots and have fun with the “getting to know you” parts instead.

Nick Fury (a bad-ass Samuel L. Jackson) decides to assemble the Avengers when Loki (Tom Hiddelston), brother of Thor, steals the tesseract (the glowing box of unlimited power) that Stark found while searching from Captain America. Now Loki is threatening to unleash a great evil in order to gain ultimate power and essentially rule the world. He knew assembling the Avengers would be hard, but what he didn’t expect was that it would be nearly impossible to get them to get along. Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is an obsessive compulsive, genius, narcissist, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is still a hot head, “Shakespearean” speaking god, Bruce Banner (a still loveable Mark Ruffalo no matter how “dark”) is a moody, scientist with a “big” problem, Black Widow is an ass-kicking former Russian spy, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is an observant, sharp shooter, and Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) probably the biggest outcast of them all is the only man that’s not bitter or jaded enough to do anything but follow orders and save the world. Each Avenger is already a superhero, and that’s the problem. They are loners, outcasts, misfits, and like Tony Stark says, “[they] don’t play well with others.”

Once they start working together what we get is clever, nerdy, action-packed battle scenes and bright moments that get your blood pumping. The movie is bright and colorful and hopeful, instead of brooding and sinister (I’m looking at you Batman). It’s a movie that makes you root for the good guys and cheer when then bad guys get the shit kicked out of them by The Hulk. Even Agent Coulson can appreciate the epic-ness of this movie, so why can’t we?

I’ll say it again: The Avengers is the most fun you’ll ever have in a superhero movie and that alone is a fresh feat. Check it out, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. And dare I say it…3D actually worked for this movie. Man Joss Whedon is on a roll!

 

Rating: 4 1/2 stars (out of 5).

Random Thoughts  **minor spoilers**:

• Loved the one liners!
• What was that old school video game that SHIELD agent was playing?
• I am fascinated by Chris Evan’s butt in the boxing scene.
• Loved the Loki/Hulk show down.
• I’m not a fan of Scarlett Jo, but I am a fan of her portrayal of Black Widow.
• End tag: HILARIOUS. Freakin’ hilarious.
• I wish Joss had included this scene in the movie, as well as had a REAL cameo from Natalie Portman.
• There was one moment in the movie where the entire theater gasped in horror. That’s how you know we really care about a character.

 

 

 

 

My 15 Most Anticipated Summer Movies

Top 10 15 Summer Movies I’m looking forward to

15. Prometheus
Release Date: June 8
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UEv03g51kU&feature=relmfu
Okay, I’ve only seen the first Alien. Does it matter that I haven’t seen the rest? I don’t think so. The trailer for Prometheus looks FANTASTIC.

14. Rock of Ages
Release Date:June 15
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT_Ytd21mKg
I’m a huge sucker for musical movies. And Tom Cruise playing a rock star? This hopefully will be a great rock movie for all ages. See what I did there? Yeah you did.

13. GI Joe Retaliation
Release Date: June 29
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2YMu52MfqA&feature=fvst
I was skeptical of the first G.I. Joe and it turned out I liked it. The second one can only get better right?

12. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

Release Date: June 22
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34x6m-ahGIo
I know a lot of you are thinking, how is this movie not up higher? It’s because I don’t know how to feel about it. I LOVE the blend of genres and I’m interested to see Abraham Lincoln kick some ass, I just hope it’s not another typical vampire movie. I’m over that.

11 Ted
Release Date: July 13
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt_OSznnGkY&feature=relmfu

A boy wishes for his teddy bear to come to life. And it does. Then 20 years later, that bear is still around. GENIUS. Seth McFarlane has a way of taking cute adorable things, and making them foul-mouthed and dirty and it’s just HILARIOUS. Throw in Mark Walhberg and Mila Kunis and seriously, this movie will be one of the classics.

10. Total Recall

Release Date: August 3
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWMhADqlPYg
I loved the original with Arnold and I’m a little skeptical of Colin Farrell playing Hauser and that fact that Jessica Biel is in it at all, but I am interested to see what a movie about the future is actually like, well, in the future. I also hear it’s going in a slightly different direction from the original…

9. Magic Mike
Release Date: June 29
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMU7s6cwxEM
Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matt Bomer, Matthew McConaughey, Joe Manganiello…as strippers. Any self-respecting woman will be there to see this movie. Oh yeah, AND the movie has a storyline!

8. Brave 
Release Date: June 22
Trailer: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/brave-2012/trailers/
I’m excited for this Pixar movie. The trailer looks so beautiful and every time these movies contain a lot of heart.

Can’t. Wait.

7. Men In Black 3
Release Date: May 25
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoyV49FfjOU
10 years after Men In Black 2, they finally make Men In Black 3…with…Josh Brolin playing a younger version of Tommy Lee Jones. Brilliant. BRILLIANT. And I don’t even need to say more here.

6. Dark Shadows 
Release Date: May 11
Trailer: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/dark-shadows/trailers/
Johnny Depp and Tim Burton doing a movie that takes place in the 70′s? Oh and Johnny Depp is a vampire?

Yes please.

5. Snow White and The Huntsman
Release Date: June 1
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55Dq2psogSw
The visuals look fantastic – very Tim Burtonesque, the Queen (Charlize Theron) looks deliciously evil, the twist on the fairy tale story is intritguing…and then the cherry on the cake…Chris Hemsworth. Definitely the Golden Boy of the last few years. I’m definitely excited for this one…

I have high hopes.

4. The Amazing Spiderman 
Release Date: July 3
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tnxzJ0SSOw
I am a sucker for Andrew Garfield and though the timing of the “Reboot” was a little strange, he is the perfect choice for the nerdy Peter Parker. Also, who doesn’t love Emma Stone? I’m looking forward to watching a Spiderman that is actually a bit tough, and a likeable female lead (looking at you Kristen Dunst.)

3. Battleship

Release Date: May 18
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDMXkPfxjOc
How do you turn a board game into a movie? I don’t know I guess we’ll find out. Though I think the movie would have been more exciting if it were a combo of Candyland/Battleship, adding the alien element is pretty interesting. Plus those water/battleship/alien sequences look pretty amazing.

2. Batman: The Dark Night Rises 
Release Date: July 20
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GokKUqLcvD8
Tell me anyone who’s NOT excited for the movie. Christopher Nolan breathed new life into this franchise. It’s dark, creepy, and exciting. And I’m also to see Anne Hathaway as Catwoman as well as the other new faces: Joseph Gordon Levitt and Tom Hardy.

And my #1 most anticipated movie of the summer is…

The Avengers 

Release Date: May 4

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOrNdBpGMv8

Basically, if you don’t want to see this movie, then you’re either not a nerd (and face it, we are all nerdy about something), you hate movies, and you’re probably going to die alone and get your face eaten by cats. Avengers IS the movie of the summer. Joss Whedon described Avengers misfits/outcasts who must find a way to work together to save the world. That shows a lot of heart, more than just superhero’s kicking ass. Marvel has a good track record for making action movies and adding Joss Whedon to the mix just takes the cake.

Movie Review: Cabin In The Woods

If you ask anyone who’s seen this movie, they’ll tell you, you have no idea what’s coming. We’ll I’ve seen the movie and I can tell you, you have no effin clue what the hell is coming. I couldn’t dream up this stuff if I tried, and that’s what makes Joss Whedon so incredible.

CABIN IN THE WOODS

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Connelly, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Amy Acker, Bradley Whitford, Richard Jenkins

*Warning, this review contains mild spoilers, but don’t worry, I don’t ruin the good stuff*

The movie starts off with two normal office workers (Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford) having a hilarious conversation about fertility or something and you wait, and wait and wait for them to get eaten by zombies, or fall off a cliff with a vat of radiation, or one office worker to go all Tarantino on the other worker. You wait to be scared in the first 10 minutes like any “normal” scary movie. But this isn’t a normal movie. You do get scared but it’s from the title CABIN IN THE WOODS screaming its way on screen, literally. Seriously, I jumped.

And that’s when you know you’re in for a great ride. You’re going to be waching something pretty damn special. But no the truth is, you have no idea.

Premise: 5 typical 20 somethings trek into the middle of no where to a deserted cabin in the woods. Yeah that’s a good idea. You have the dumb blonde (Anna Hutchison), the meathead jock (Chris Hemsworth), the nerdy minority (Jesse Williams), the virgin “heroine” (Kristin Connely) and the pot head (Fran Kranz). The cabin trip promises to be a lot of fun and probably a lot of screams. Sounds like the typical slasher porn right? Wrong. You have no idea. There’s actually something bigger going on.

 

Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard play for and against the stereotypes. They use humor for scares and scares as humor. They let you believe you know what’s going to happen, and it happens only in a completely amazing way, the expected is unexpected and expected at the same time.

Don’t get me wrong this movie is not a great scary movie but it’s a fantastic black comedy horror movie, up there with the ranks of Evil Dead and Army Of Darkness. It does provide some scares but that’s not the point. Because really, you have no freakin idea.

One of the things I loved about this movie was Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s attention to detail as well as love for all things ironic. There are little delicious treats all through out this movie that I cannot even describe. This was a fun movie, you don’t even know!

I don’t want to spoil it for you so I won’t say too much more but even if you aren’t a fan of scary movies this is a must-see. If you like originality, creativity, a sharp script, BLOOD, funny quick banter, and great attention to detail, this movie is for you. And don’t worry about it being hyped up too much, because honest, seriously, all together now, you have no IDEA!

 

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 Stars

 

 

 

After you watch the movie check out this link for an indepth (majorly spoilerly) interview with Joss Whedon.

 

Movie Review: Bully

I knew Bully was going to be a hard movie to watch. But to say that I was not prepared for the emotional toll it would take on me would be an understatement. From the first frame of the distraught father with red, teary eyes, I knew this wasn’t going to be easy.

 

Bully

Bully, is a movie/documentary that needed to be made. It’s a movie that should have been made a long time ago. And its movie that should be remade over and over and over again until kids people stop dying. Yes, it got a lot of publicity due to the ratings war it the producers had with the MPAA, and honestly, I think it was one of the best things that could have happened to this movie. It’s a movie that needs to be seen by parents, school officials, community leaders, authority figures, kids, and people contemplating having children. Many people are quick to think of bullying as a “fact of life,” but it doesn’t have to be that way.

To say that every kid/person at one time or another was bullied would be incorrect. There is teasing, there are hurtful, degrading comments, which can all be a form of bullying. But then there is the kind of bullying that becomes so insufferable, malicious, and evil it leaves the person being bullied feeling like they have very little ways out. There’s only some many people you can tell – who do nothing – until you’re forced to look for other ways to make the pain stop.

Bully follows the story of 5 kids: Tyler Long, Ty Smalley, Kelby Johnson, Ja’Meya Jackson, and Alex Libby. Both Tyler Long and Ty Smalley, ages 17 and 11 repectively, committed suicide from being bullied so bad, Kelby Johnson, 16, was finally forced to change schools after she came out as a lesbian. She not only was ostracized by her classmates, but by adults too who felt the need to force their personal views, aggressively, on her and her family. Ja’Meya Jackson was bullied to the brink of pulling a gun on her classmates in order to make it all stop. Her story takes place in the juvenile system. And finally Alex Libby, the teen we spend the most time with. Alex almost didn’t make it into the world when he was born at 26 weeks….14 weeks premature. He is teased restlessly by his fellow school mates because he looks and acts different.

Following all these stories is heartbreaking, especially when the adults do NOTHING. They come off as mindless, selfish, brainless, people who are just too apathetic about the situation to do anything about it. Their mentality is “it’s not going to change.” There were many times I wanted to yell at the screen at those stupid school officials.  The ignorance is unbelievable!. For example, this one idiotic principal kept saying she couldn’t do anything about bullying. You’re the principal for crying out loud, if you can’t do it, who can? Talk to the kids parents, talk to the kids. Suspend, expel, or kick those kids out. Pun.ish. Them. Don’t just force the kids to shake hands then scold the kid being bullied because he won’t “make nice” with his attacker. Like Tyler Long’s mother said in a school board meeting, parents protect their children at home and when they send them off to school they’re not only expecting their child to get an education, they’re expecting their child to be cared for and protected when the parents can’t be there. And the amazing thing about all this (amazing in an unbelievable way) is that these adults are real people. This is not scripted or fiction, its’ real life. There are real people out there ignoring the bulling, the beating, the relentless teasing of other people’s children. To quote Real World, this is what happens when people start “getting real”.

Bully is a must-see movie, but it’s not something to be taken lightly. By no means is it a great film, the camera work was a little distracting and I wish the documentary explored other regions of these kids’ lives, but nonetheless, it’s something you, me, everyone must see. Because despite everything else, it’s a topic that cannot, and should not be ignored. If you ignore it, than other people will too.

 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

(warning, bring tissues!)

 

 

 

 

 

Movie Review: Project X

The only way to explain this movie is to see it for yourself. The true genius of Project X is its documentary-style. It felt EPIC, when in fact, all you watched was a bunch of boobs (figuratively and literally speaking).

 

Project X

Starring: Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper, Jonathan Brown, Kirby Bliss Blanton

Premise: Three nerdy high school students decide to throw one epic birthday party. Things are looking good: the girls are hot, the alcohol is flowing, that’s when things get out of hand. WAY out of hand.

My review: Theres no good way to explain this movie. It was completely unbelievable. And by unbelievable, I mean NOT believable. But you know what? I still believed what I was watching and that’s thanks in part to the documentary/shaky cam technique.

 

Thomas (Thomas Mann), Costa (Oliver Cooper), and JB (Jonathan Brown) are three friends who are outcasts of the school. For Thomas’ birthday they decide to throw him a huge, high school-life changing party. Thomas, good-looking, nerdy and a straight arrow is hesitant to the whole thing. He doesn’t want to damage his father’s pristine house as his parents vacate for the weekend. Well, Thomas, spoiler alert, but you fail.

The movie starts out with that nostalgia of high school: wanting to fit in, throwing a massive party while your folks are out of town, partying with your friends in the back of house. But then the party just get got out of control – Like WAY out of control.

It turned from a typical high school party with crying, making out and property damage, into a drunken orgy filled with adolescent debauchery, dumb out-of-control pranks, and a flame thrower. Then again…maybe that is a typical high school, just to the 10th power. (Writing that sentence makes me feel like an old FART).

Overall it was entertaining and funny, in the moment, but looking back without the documentary style technically it’s not all that impressive. But for good brainless fun, check it out.

 

Rating: 3 Stars (out of 5)