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Reviews
Zombieland (2009)
What every comedy these days should look at for inspiration
Before my review, me let just get it out of the way
SHAUN OF THE DEAD
There I said it, because frankly, every review I have read so far about Zombieland has to have a reference to Shaun of the Dead somehow.
Many do compare this movie to Shaun of the Dead. And while the two movies share the same theme of zombies and comedy, they take the idea of the zombie genre very, very, VERY differently.
This movie starts out with Columbus, played by Jesse Eisenburg, who is afraid of everything and is pretty much a wimp. Frankly, being in a zombie infested world is still not a good enough reason for Jesse Eisenburg to grow a pair in a movie. Colombus is trying to get back hometown, but then comes across Tallahassee, played by Woody Harleson, who is the very opposite of Columbus. He is not afraid to kill zombies with whatever he has on him whether it is a bat, gun, clippers, or a banjo. The two then comes across Little Rock and Wichita, two girls who have survived the zombie apocalypse not just because of their gun-ho nature, but because of trickery and deceitfulness. And at that point, the rest of the movies is just zombie slaughter after zombie slaughter.
FYI, the reason for their weird names is because their name is the location that each person is planning to go to get away from the zombies.
The movie is just hilarious and always have quick jokes throughout that do not drag on like most comedies do in their movies. And with Eisenburg narrating the story, it is even funnier. Woody Harleson is the funniest of them all. Even with the scenes without him, the film is funny but when Harleson is in a scene, it just becomes better. And Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin playing the two girls were also really good.
What this movie did that really made me proud of this movie was that they actually created a zombie film. With many movies out there that poke fun at things, they often forget the things they are poking at. In this movie, they wrote a movie about zombies and then added comedy to it, so now you can appreciate it not just as a comedy, but also as a zombie movie as well.
This movie is definitely not for the weak of heart because like most zombie movies, it does have it's share of blood, gore, and graphic images, all of which I thought were cool, well-caught on camera, and realistic. And I also really liked how they supplemented the zombie slaughtering with metal music. It really fit in well.
And if you have seen Shaun of the Dead, do not think that you will watch it again when watching this movie because like I said before, they are different. Zombieland had awesome action sequences while Shaun of the Dead stuck to a more slower pace. Plus, Shaun of the Dead's setting was before the zombie apocalypse, while Zombieland took place during the zombie apocalypse. And for Zombieland, the whole movie was dedicated to zombies while Shaun of the Dead also stuck in some romantic comedy sub-plots.
This movie is a well-crafted film that has everything you want in horror comedies. Bloody violence, laughter, and more bloody violence after that. There is nothing in this movie that I could find wrong in it and hopefully you will not either.
4.5/5
P.S: This movie probably contains one of the best cameos that I have seen this year and in a long time. It was funny and well-executed. You would never guess who it is. You just would never guess.
District 9 (2009)
Budget: 30 million
I watched the film thinking how on the face of this planet could the director and producer only used 30 million to create this film and still create wonderful visual effects. Maybe it is the absence of big name actors. Maybe Peter Jackson knew people who can charge less money. No, it is not that; it was creativeness that made the movie so cheap and I put Einstein on the spotlight with his famous quote, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." And if you are confused how that can be, than watch District 9 and you will find out.
The basis of the film is that twenty years ago, an alien ship landed in the middle of South Africa and had alien refugees in the ship. The government was kind enough to bring these aliens into a refugee camp and the government believed that soon, the aliens will fix the ship and be able to get out of Earth. But after twenty years, nothing happens except the aliens start acting up and riot, wanting to go back home. So the MNU (Multi-National United) decide to take care of the aliens and throw them into an area called District 9. They not only abuse the aliens, but also attempt to learn about their arsenal and technology. Of course, the aliens refuse to give it up. So a brave, yet moronic man named Wilkus van der Mwere who is part of the of the MNU goes out to District 9...
And I have to stop there because a true experience of the film is to watch the movie without knowing anymore than what I said.
The first act of the film was in a documentary format which made this alien concentration life seem more realistic to a human perspective. What really made me proud was to see new time director, Neill Blomkamp, use some documentary film making in this movie because topics such as alien invasions and documentaries were never melded together before like it is shown in this movie. The director created a movie that not only stuck to what the audience likes to see on the big screen, but also to experiment and go a bit progressive into the idea of the science fiction genre such as a documentary filming in the first act.
The visuals effects were fantastic, which is not surprising considering Peter Jackson produced the film who is known for visual movies such as Lord of the Rings and the King Kong remake. The aliens looked realistic, the weapon firing were outstanding and the cinematography was another great highlight. Every bit of the 3M budget was obviously for the special effects, and it was used very well. Also, the story line was well developed and because it was complex, and it really got the audience and I engaged in what was going on. The story line also connected with real-life issues such as racism, apartheid, or xenophobia which I believe should be the basis for good science-fiction movies, a connection to human flaws and set in a grungy future of the Earth.
District 9 is what we would call "The Matrix" ten years ago, "Terminator" twenty years ago, "Alien" thirty years ago, and "2001: A Space Odyssey" forty years ago. A science-fiction action film that used progressive and advanced camera styles and also went above and beyond into the world of the science fiction genre. And who better to be connected to the next movie that would do this visual effects revolution than Peter Jackson/Neil Blomkamp. I hope this team will perform another spectacular science fiction opus in the near future and Neil Blomkamp has said that he will revisit the District 9 world someday.
The only thing is that if you do not appreciate science-fiction, then this is not the movie for you. The movie is for serious science-fiction lovers like me. Only for viewers who enjoyed Alien, Terminator, The Thing, and all of the science-fiction classics. This movie will become a classic many years from now. You have to watch this movie on the big screen because it was meant for the big screen. I do not know why the movie was not in an IMAX format because that would have upped the ante even more. The film is going to lend itself to a sequel and hopefully the sequel will be just as I hope it will be. Well directed, well produced, well filmed, kick-ass, and in IMAX (hopefully).
La misma luna (2007)
A child who must struggle to get across the border... in a week?
This is the story about a young child who was separate by his mother. The reason behind this is because the mother was trying to get papers for her son to come to America. So the mother goes to America, while the kid is in Mexico with his grandmother. After having his grandmother die, the child finds out that he is going to be given away to some annoying couple across the street that would care less about the kid. So this kid makes the daring journey across the Mexican border... in a week.
Yeah, if I recall correctly, there have been Mexicans who have taken months, even years to get across the border and you are telling me that this nine-year old kid is able to get across the border, maintaining that adorable look that all young girls will just gaze at? I know that this is based on a work of fiction, but the keyword is "fiction" not "fantasy." The whole purpose for the kid to get across the border in a week was because every Sunday, he would call his mother on a pay phone, tell her how much she loved her, miss her, and cry over her. The kid had to get to where his mother was in a week so that way the mother will not start freaking out.
None the less, this movie is still well-done. I mean, for an indie movie, it is pretty much solid in terms of the acting, direction, and the way things were filmed. There are no big names in this film, (except for a total of three minutes with America Ferrera) so you are more focused on the story line and the motifs/themes of this film. And there are some heart-touching plots in this film that I thought would be overrated, but ended up pretty good and higher than what I expected. And the movie moved not too quickly, but at a good pace to where you did not get bored all the time and you were thrilled to know if the kid will find his mother or not.
Sometimes the movie does go off in that path as if this movie was made by amateurs that written a film for a textbook. Most of the characters speak Spanish, but not all. Do not watch this film if you want to learn about Spanish culture. Because it the background of the film was just, enough, to supply it. They showed a Mexican or two getting treated unfair, and the police attacking some Mexicans. The whole purpose of the film is just to show this boy's adventure.
This is a low seven for me.
The Matrix (1999)
Mind-bending experience...
I remember when I was young and this movie came out, everybody was quoting the Matrix moves. The dodging bullets, running up walls, or just plain stylized jumping. But what they did not know is the science behind that. And, yeah, there is a science behind that according to this excellent movie.
In this movie, Thomas Anderson has two lives: your average man that programs software for a large company. Then there is Neo, one of the most powerful and skillful hackers known to man. But then Mr. Anderson gets a phone call from a man named Morpheus who tells him that he is the "one" in another world.
So when Neo joins Morpheus on this quest to this other world, a lot of explanation comes about which I will explain in as simple terms as possible.
In the Earth that you are presently at right now, according to the movie, is not the real world and that the real world is somewhere out there in an unclassified location. In this movie, where Neo, Morpheus, Trinity, and a bunch of the other characters are located is in the real world: the Matrix. And in this Matrix, a lot of cool things can happen and the reason why these cool things can happen is because the Matrix allows your mind to become free and to do whatever you want. For example, you can believe yourself to run up the walls; you can believe that you can dodge a bullets. All these things that humans in the fake world cannot do is possible in the Matrix, but only if you believe. Now try imaging this guy who was living the fake world for about twenty plus years and suddenly trying to get used to believing in doing things. Because while Neo does not understand what is going on, you are along on the ride with him. When you do watch this film: you must listen attentively to everything that Morpheus says. The reason is because later on, you will need what Morpheus says to understand what is going on.
For one thing, the way this film was created was beyond excellent. The visual effects had a meaning and almost a purpose in this film. It was not there to make some cool show. They were there to break down the steps to how someone can run up walls or dodge bullets. The slow motion that was used was also very well done. I thought that the slow-motion was actually going to ruin the movie like Zack Synder does to his movies. But the slow-motion enhanced the film incredibly and gave scenes a certain kind of stylistic element that entices you. I was also very much drawn into the concept of the whole film because although there was a lot of action in this movie, a good portion of the movie was also a lot of philosophy that connected to the world we live in right now.
And already I see that this movie has become a classic because films today like Wanted, Watchmen, 300 and many other action films use the Matrix as a guideline to there own visual beauty, even though those three films do not come close to what the Matrix is. This movie is the birth of some of the finest visual art/filming and basic elements of science-fiction I have ever seen. Even to this day, ten years later, it still looks gorgeous.
Maybe if the movie was more intense and was less to appeal younger kids, I would have given this movie a low 9. But I will give this movie a high 8.
Religulous (2008)
Freedom of speech has defined America
Bill Maher and the free country of America decides to create probably one of the most controversial movies of 2008. Considering that it has to deal with one of the most touchy aspects of America, religion.
If you do not know, Bill Maher is not at all religious. He grew up as a Catholic but once he became an adult, he decided to become an atheist. And finally, after expressing some of those views on Real Time along with his rebellious nature in politics and social issues in America, he decided to make a movie about that: about different religions that men and women believe in.
A woman told me at my school that when she saw this film, she thought that Bill Maher was being kind of obnoxious to the men and women who believed in other religion besides his. And I can see that is the case in the film. However, you also see that Maher wants to understand the whole excitement of different religion and how it runs and manages their lives. The only problem is that since religion is a controversial subject, many men and women start getting angry at Bill Maher.
For one thing, this movie is very funny, especially if you like watching Real Time. Also, I think that Bill Maher was absolutely right about having a movie about religion because in America, many men and women say they believe in God, but they really do not understand their religion or are just plain ignorant about it. Also, Bill Maher exposes some religions that actually potentially damage men and women around the world.
You can say that this movie is a lot like a Michael Moore film, but instead, the main topic is religion instead of politics or social issues. And if you do like Michael Moore films or just films in general that expose the weakness in controversial and sensitive subjects such as religion, then you would definitely enjoy this film. I also want to give a shout out to the men and women who stick strongly to their religious views to NOT watch this film, because you might end up throwing your remote control to the television screen. The movie is just that rebellious.
I give this movie a mid seven.
Frost/Nixon (2008)
He's not a snowman, he's not a poet...
He's probably the world's bravest interviewer in all of American History. This film is the story of David Frost and the four part interview he had with former President Richard M. Nixon. But if you think that these interviews were just any ordinary interview that you would see on Letterman, Leno, or O'Brien, well, you will be pleasantly surprised about this movie.
Let me give you some history behind the movie. After Nixon resigned from office due to heighten controversy about the Watergate scandal, Nixon was trying to redeem himself from the mistake by showing America that it was a non-intentional mistake. He was planning to write a memoir about his life journey and even go to a few interviews, hoping that through the words that he wrote and spoke, that America can forgive him for his past wrong-doings and remember him as a legacy for incredible achievements such as being the first President to have good connections with China. But then he saw David Frost's offer for an interview and Nixon and his team basically said that they could bully David Frost on air and make David Frost look stupid and Nixon look very presidential. But what Nixon did not know about this was that David Frost's funds for this interview was coming out of Frost's dear friends, or as I like to say, "Beg, borrow, and steal." So Frost was not going to let Nixon "bully" him around on air. He was going to give Nixon a fight.
And that was a huge premise of the movie. While you watch the movie, it is treated like a boxing match or a fight. You see the two opponents on each side of the ring with their entourage, giving them pep talk, developing strategies on what to do or what to say, and helping them on how to tick off their opponent. Also, the interviews that were conducted were very intense and thrilling (especially the last interview). I was legitimately and thoroughly hanging on every word and stall in the interview and that was what made the movie so great. The anxiety of those interviews and the raging wit and word war between Nixon and Frost.
Frank Langella was probably the best Richard Nixon impression ever since Anthony Hopkins. Even though Langella did not look anything like the real Richard Nixon, his movements, his way of speaking, and his expressions all really emphasized the idea of not just his impression of Nixon, but also how Nixon was not at all a nice guy and how Nixon became known as "Tricky Dick." And let me not forget about Michael Sheen and his great performance as David Frost in this film.
I thought that the beginning of the movie was rather rushed a little and in some ways, not favorable, but everything else was just marvelous. Also, there was so much limelight on the two characters David Frost and Richard Nixon to the point that all the other characters in the movie just seemed like shadows. But then again, you can make a backfire about that by saying that the movie is solely based on the interviews with Nixon and Frost, thusly, being called Frost/Nixon. And I liked that because if this movie were to go off into the other characters for too long, I would have been condemning the movie more.
But if you are interested in politics, especially one that involves Nixon and Watergate, I highly recommend this movie to you. Thusly, I give this movie a low eight.
Taken (2008)
Watch at your own risk. Nesson is no longer a gentleman like his other movies.
We have seen Nesson basically act very nice and soft in his other movies and I have no doubt that he can act well in that type. However, us viewers forgot that Liam Nesson is on the top 10 list in Hollywood of actors that can act as characters who you do not want to mess around with.
In this film, Nesson plays an ex-agent. We do not get much detail of what he does for a living, so ex-agent is as far as we know about him. His daughter wants to go to Paris with her friend and at first, Nesson's character did not feel comfortable of letting her daughter go. But after being guilted by his ungrateful and spoiled ex-wife, he let's his daughter go. The two girls go to Paris, develop the stupidity to tell a French man which hotel they are staying at and which floor they are on, and, well, you know happens. They are taken and thrown into the slave trade. No big surprise.
But what you got to realize about this movie is that it is very realistic in that regard. There are many girls that have done this mistakes. Even boys have done this mistake. And having a background like that in the movie makes it more believable and less like a Steven Segal action-flick.
And the great thing in this film is that Nesson's character is really cool about it. Throughout the whole film, he is not stressing a bit because he has a lot of self-esteem and self-worth. He knows that he is guy who can kick ass and beat the living daylight out of men he does not like. The character does not have a single doubt in his mind that he will never see his daughter again. In the film, tells the enemy, "Look, give me my daughter, and I will not have to mess you up. If you do the opposite, then I will kill you."
The action scenes are fantastic and awesome to watch. And the thing is that all the action scenes are actually more realistic than your average action scene because it is not stylized at all. Nesson just kicks their ass, kills them, and leave them. And he moves on to another criminal entourage to do the same thing. That is real fighting because fights between people do not last long; they pretty much end after ten seconds or so.
And you can not complain about Liam Nesson playing the main role because he acted well for this part. At the same time of being calm and quiet, he is also very relentless and coercible with his fighting. I could not ask for any better of an actor to play this role.
My only problem with this movie is that it is too short. But then again, if it were longer, I probably complain about it being too long. But I have not seen the director's cut of Taken so I want to be able to obtain that version and see some more action scenes.
If you really like action movies, this is the movie for you. Even if it is not stylized like some James Bond film, you will definitely be entertained. Just, do not watch it with your daughter. I give this movie a low 8.
Into the Wild (2007)
First time seeing Sean Penn direct...
And man it was pretty good. Though, seeing the temper that Sean Penn went through as an actor, it would have probably been hell as him being the director. I'm kidding. Penn is a great and talented actor that is unarguably going to be remembered in honor of his acting.
This movie was based on a book of the same name by Jon Krakauer. Into the Wild is about a post-graduate kid named Christopher McCandless who after seeing his life being spoiled by his parents, decides to live a dream that he sees in Jack London's books: he wants to go into the wild and live there. And over the course of the whole movie, we are introduced to characters that shape McCandless's life and give him some life lessons.
I really liked all of the scenes of the Alaskan wilderness that was portrayed excellently through stunning cinematography. It was just beautiful to see the scenes and to see it through a large television. And I thought there were some great acting performances. Emile Hirsch acted brilliantly and was very persuasive with all of the scenes he was in. Also, I give a small shout out to Hal Habrook, who came at the end as Ron Franz, a grandfather figure to McCandless. I mean, a lot of actors over the years of film-making that had to act like a wise old man, but Habrook made his performance very likable and very well done.
However, the movie was not entertaining. Before trying to avoid the movie because I said that, keep reading and you will see what I mean. Into the Wild was very contemplative and it was not trying to make the wild look like a fast moving adventure with thrilling in every spot. If it were like that, then that would be entertainment. However, this movie really contemplated the surrounding areas that McCandless went through and showed his interests in those areas. In other terms, the film was slow-moving and was in no rush to get to other scenes. The movie is not meant for adventure entertainment, but more of self-reflection of the meaning of adventure, and for that, the movie deserves even more credit. I think that is what a true adventure movie should do.
My dad told me that the movie was in some parts glamorized. Thinking about it for awhile made me realize that there were glamorized scenes in this movie. Sean Penn made McCandless's adventures seem very easy and there was very few scenes of McCandless suffering the hardships of being away from home. And in order to reprimand the lack of drama, they had to put all the drama in the ending of the film. Alright, this is a spoiler, but I do not think it is one because it is pretty obvious what the ending of the movie is and it should not be a surprise to you. McCandless dies of starvation at the end of the movie and when you see his death, he did not die, he DIED. They really made his death really emotional, using flashbacks, deep music, and just scary images of death. The whole intense tragedy was either for Penn to get the producers to sign to his movie or to just show that McCandless's adventures was truly after all, not worth all the grief and it was a stupid mistake.
However, if you like adventure, then this is a movie for you. Just do not expect a re-make of Indiana Jones from this. I will give this movie a mid 7.
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Your average day reality-hits-you movie, except better...
I kept rewinding the part in the credits where it said that the movie was written by Ben Affleck. And then I kept looking at the DVD box that said that he won an award for it as well. Never really liked him as an actor, but I guess he has some strength in writing.
So the film is about a young adult named Will Hunting. We see that he lives alone in a small house because his parents abandoned him, works as a janitor at MIT, and spends most of his nights with his friends at bars. But what we also learn in this movie is that Will Hunting is a genius; he has incredible strengths in the fields of not only mathematics, but in all other subjects as well. And when a professor finds out that it was Will Hunting that solved the two Algebraic graph theory problems that was supposed to be solve by a student, rather than a janitor right outside his hallway, the professor goes out to help Will. Under the professor's supervision, Will must educate himself more with Algebraic graph theory class with the professor and sees a therapist two times each week.
The rest is just about him trying to find himself. This movie is great and nobody can doubt it. I mean, the message that the movie brings really entertains me because sometimes we can not judge others for just how they may act everyday. It also shows how there are many individuals out there in the world that may have really high IQs, but do not know how to apply it to daily life. And that is what Will Hunting exactly is.
Now I have seen Robin Williams a lot in stand up comedy and he was really funny. And there were some parts in the movie that Robin Williams was funny. But I am telling you, the Juilliard studying really came out in this movie. He was persuasive with the character he was playing and had parts where he had to keep expression that many actors struggle to have. And those actors are not even comedians like Robin Williams. Matt Damon also acted well going from charismatic joking to deep depressing attitudes. However, I really did not care for Affleck or Driver's acting. It was alright. The thing was that once you saw Damon and Williams act, those two were okay.
The only problem I had with this movie (and if it were not for this problem, I would be giving this film somewhere in the eight range), was that there was unneeded raunchy dialogue and cursing during the back and forth discussions with Will Hunting and his little entourage. I get it that the movie takes place in South Boston, a ghetto if you may say. But still, really? Cursing to make a movie sound good? I mean, I have seen movies where cursing is used a lot more than this film, but there were scenes in this film where you really wanted them to be poignant and because one of the character said the f-word in an incorrect spot during the dialogue, it ruins it. This goes for Damon, Affleck, Williams, and Driver.
But this movie really tied up things great in the end. Everything that may have been confusing all comes down well in the end and you get a piece of reality once you finished this movie. I was going to give this movie a low seven as I watched it, but only when you finish this movie, I will have to give it now a high 7. Usually highly-recommended films would be eight or higher, but I say that this would be a nice movie to watch.
Amadeus (1984)
If you want a biography, get a textbook. If you want a story, watch this movie.
The way the tag-line is written, the movie sounds like some Disney film. Amadeus. The man. The music. The magic. The madness. The murder. The mystery. The motion picture. Anyway, this movie is very great. The acting is great, the music is great, the scenery is great. It is just one of those lovable classic films.
So I guess from just the title of the movie, you can assume that this film is based on the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. A biography if you may say. However, this movie is NOT a strict biography of Mozart's life. The movie is not a musical biography like Walk the Line or Ray. So if you were planning to learn all of the small details of Mozart's life, you ain't getting that in this movie. In fact, the background of the movie is based a lot on superstition and creative thinking with the relationship between Mozart and Salieri. We start off with Mozart's life in the movie with him proposing to Constanze, who is later known to be his wife and only wife. Before Mozart got married, there was so much more to his life as a child with the abuse of his father and having to travel all over Europe that could have supplemented his movie. Because in this movie, we learn that Mozart was not exactly a nice guy to be with. He was a social misfit, all because of a childhood he never had which was replaced by his father making him tour over Europe and showing off his musical abilities.
The main premise in this movie is about Salieri and the whole idea that he might have killed Mozart. Salieri tells the story from his perspective to a priest in an asylum about Mozart. Salieri was the most famous composer in all of England, but once Mozart came about, Salieri became a has-been. This got Salieri angry and the growing jealously of Salieri got him to the point where he dedicated his whole life to destroying Mozart. And like I said before, we do not know if this is true that Salieri did kill Mozart.
But enough with the negativity. I thought the acting was brilliant. Tom Hulce acts well as the unattractive and rowdy Mozart. F. Murray Abraham being Salieri was also just as great if not greater than Hulce. I mean they were both persuasive with their acting and used the material they were given for their characters and played it well. Also, there were scenes in the movie that you can tell required a lot of hard work to create because they either had a lot of men and women in the scene or because there was a great amount of sound editing going on. The director's cut clocks at three hours, but I guarantee you that you will be spell bounded for those three hours. Because although the movie does not have a fast pace, it still keeps you locked in.
I would say that the movie did have some scenes were it felt kind of 80s such as Mozart's antics and sexual insinuation that was placed in the movie. But none the less, this is a great story and I am glad that it was not a strict biography, because to tell you the truth, after watching this film, I would prefer this film over a strict biography. The creativeness that Forman and Shaffer add to it makes the movie only more special.
Low eight.
Hung (2009)
Oldest Profession is made into a television show
So HBO has basically covered a lot of ground in terms of different topics in their shows. There was a dsyfunctional family in Six Feet Under, criminal life in The Sopranos, Hollywood in Entourage, women and their sex lives in Sex and the City, music in Flight of the Conchords, politics in Bill Maher, and now finally prostitution in Hung.
The story is about a middle aged man named Ray who is facing a series of middle-aged problems, if you may say it that way. His wife divorced him for a guy that has more money than him, his kids are in full custody of the mother, he coaches a basketball team that has a long losing streak, he has a lawyer next door who is giving him crap, and the worst part, Ray does not have a lot of money. After sleeping with Tanya, she throws a fit at Ray about how the only thing that Ray is good for is having a large you-know what. And Ray thinks about it a lot and believes that the solution was what Tanya said: he could be a man whore. But obviously the whole whore part of it is just a vehicle to struggles in the life, specifically in your middle-age and motifs such as love, envy, and desperation.
The show is entertaining for the first part. There is nothing can make you bored because it does entice you. I am already interested in the progression that this show is going to take. The thing is that the show is not very funny. Most of the comedy is just tongue in cheek. But Thomas Jane does a pretty good job with his role. I have seen the role being played many, many times, but I say that this is a new role for Thomas Jane to really get into.
Like many other dramedies have done in the past, the writer always sees the word "drama" first in that word and use too much drama and unfortunately, this show seems like it is going to take that path This show may be more of an interest to soap opera lovers than the general public if it does continue in the path of a typical dramedy.
However, if you like movies or shows about mid-life struggles (American Beauty or Breaking Bad) and you have a sense of black comedy, than this is definitely the show for you. But do not expect yourself to be rolling on the floor laughing.
Juno (2007)
It all started with a chair
And that is how this movie started. The story of a sixteen year old girl named Juno who was knocked up by a kid on the track team. But obviously, if that were the case of the movie, I give this movie worse than a seven.
So the movie starts off with Juno testing to see if she is pregnant at a pharmacy (special guest appearance of Rainn Wilson and a hilarious appearance if I may say) and then it is a official when Juno sees the plus sign on the reader, she is pregnant. So she tries to go for abortion, but is somehow scared out of doing so. After that, Juno and her friend decide that the best bet for Juno is to look for a couple that want to have a child. And they find the Lorings, who are in complete joy after having the offer to have Juno's baby.
This movie was alright to watch, but not the most entertaining. For one thing, the movie was a bit artistic and acted like an indie movie. And to tell you the truth, the indie-like portrayal would work great for a film like this one that has a rather simple plot. However, the creativity that I was looking for was not supplemented in this film. Maybe it is creativity other moviergoers would like, but definitely not me. And the soundtrack was annoying. It is basically alternative folk music and while at times you can zone it out, other times, it can really be in your face.
I watched this movie to answer the question I had in mind: how did this movie win an Oscar for best original screenplay and got nominated for best actress (Page), best director, and best picture? And by the end of the film, there was no answer. Because this movie really did not deserve those Oscar nominations. Page's acting was not terrible, but certainly not Oscar-nominated worthy. Juno in this film was supposed to be a rather sarcastic girl. At times, she would be funny. At others, she would be annoying. The overall movie really was not special because I believe that if some movie has the potential to win best picture, the plot or storyline should be more than just what Juno gives. I wanted more depth in this film.
For the other actors and actresses in the movie, you got Micheal Cera being, well, Micheal Cera. I do not have a sound sample in this comment, because according to my friends, I make a good Cera impression. But if you have seen the other movies he has been, do not think that since this movie has to do with deeper matters than his other movies he has starred in, Cera is going to perform any different. He is the same. Also, you can not go wrong for J.K. Simmons in this movie. He acts alright with being the father of Juno. And the cameo of Rainn Wilson was cool as well (being a fan of the Office). The rest of the cast is just decent acting to me.
Overall, if you really want to contemplate about your teenage life (if you have one), go ahead and knock yourself out in watching this film. I do not care for teenage drama that is portrayed in this movie or in real life. Call me ignorant if you may, I still thought this movie is alright and not the way I wanted it to be. But there were some parts that I found somewhat amusing.
I am pondering over a high 6 to a low 7.
The Wackness (2008)
Now I am persuaded that the 90s were an interesting era
Josh Peck, going away from his stupid behavior as being a step-brother in Drake and Josh, and entering into a stupid behavior as being a drug dealer, virgin, and a ghetto rat in the middle of New York City.
Do not take the little blurb about Josh Peck to seriously, I kid Peck. I thought he acted well in this movie along with the other supporting actors. What really attracted me to this movie was Ben Kingsley (Ghandi and Shindlers' List) and that told me that something was good about the movie like any other moviegoer.
So this film takes place during the mid 90s were a few things were happening. Rudy Guliani was just elected mayor and everyone was against the way he acted as a mayor. Also, hip-hop was really flowing through the streets with the younger crowd. Two occurrences that were the main background of this film. Oh, yeah, and the large amount of scenes of drug use. The Wackness is about a kid named Luke who just graduated from high school. He makes his money by selling weed to men and women around NYC. But then he comes across a customer, Dr. Squires, who happens to be a therapist and makes a deal with Luke: Luke gives some weed to Dr. Squires and Dr. Squires will dedicate time out of his life to help Luke become an overall good human being. After this deal is made, Luke goes to his graduation ceremony and he sees Dr. Squires's stepdaughter, Stephanie, and Luke develops a crush with her. In this part of the film, we understand that Luke is a virgin like I said before and having a crush with a girl, being a virgin, and having others make fun of you because you can not get laid equals to Luke and his romance with Stephanie in this movie. And I say this once: do not watch this film if you like romantic movies, because in my opinion, this is not a romantic movie.
And I will leave the story at that and let the rest of the movie unfold for you. Now this movie had some good qualities such as Josh Peck's acting. Now, I do not know about you, but I grew up watching Drake and Josh and seeing Josh Peck act like a total goof-ball. So to see him take on a role of being a kid in the middle of the urban streets of New York City was surprising from the time I saw the ad in the subway train to the moment I finished this movie. Also, I enjoyed some of the themes they talked about such as young love and having to grow up. Those themes were well displayed. But there were a few errors in this film that I have to address. For one thing, I do not know why they have to put a character acted by Mary Kate Olsen because this just gives proof that she can only act as Michelle in Full House and that is pretty much it. She was basically one of Luke's weed customers in this film and all she does is dance around stoned and act like a pointless head case. There were some parts of this film that were not needed as well. The raunchy dialogue was thrown in there just to show how Luke's neighborhood was grungy. Those scenes were only there because in case some suburban kid watches this movie, he/she would get the idea straight on that the setting in this movie is not only a ghetto, but a place that you did not want to hang out in. I am not stupid, I got the idea that the place was not the place to be in when I saw kids snorting cocaine, smoking marijuana, and having premarital sex within the first thirty minutes of the film. Also, I wished the moral of this film was a bit more spelled out. I mean, I got the moral of this film (and there is a moral to this film), but the film made the moral kind of sound stupid and tried to be a bit comical. To get the full understanding of the film, in my opinion, you have to really think about it and break it down.
But other than that, if you really want to see Josh Peck rip out some better than decent acting and a coming-of-age story that is not dorky and melodramatic like those shows about stupid adolescents at a high school, watch this film and enjoy what Jonathan Levine's life was back when he was a kid because supposedly, this movie was semi-autobiographical. I give this movie a mid 7.
Up (2009)
Definitely "up" my alley.
After having a long time of not watching animation movies, I pretty much thought that my love for animation was over.
But then came Up and that love sparked back up.
In Pixar's tenth featured film, we start off with Carl Fredricksen as a child who adores Charles Muntz, a famous explorer. He is inspired by Muntz and wants to become an explorer like him one day. Then after walking through his town, he meets a girl, Ellie, that has the same passion for adventure in the wildlife as Carl does. They get married and go through a happy marriage for a long time. Now I do not know if this is a spoiler or not, but I am being safe by saying this may be a spoiler to some of you. Eventually, Carl's wife dies in the first ten minutes of the movie from old age. Carl is very depressed about his wife's passing because the two of them wanted to travel over to South America and plant a house on top of a mountain there for the two to live in. So one day, the day before Carl is about to be sent over to a retirement home, Carl ties thousands of balloons to his house which lifts him in the air, away from his town and towards South America. Everything is perfect for Carl, except he gets a knock on his door and finds out a boy scout, Russell, was on the porch at the time of the take off. Now Carl must deal with Russell and a series of other misadventures while in South America with a talking dog and a exotic bird.
Up really stood out to me as being one of Pixar's finest films ever made. For one thing, the story is very unique and original. Also, (if you really study this film) the movie talks about complex themes that is simplified for children to understand such as aging, struggles and feelings after the death of a loved one, and the eagerness to go out of your normal life. The cast for the voices were perfect; Edward Asner being Carl and Christopher Plummer being Muntz. And like every Pixar film, the sound editing was great and very detailed.
I have a rating system that I use to judge movies. 1 being the worse and 10 being the best. Then I have low, middle, and high within the 1-10 range. So an okay movie would receive a mid or low 6, but a really good movie like Up would get a mid or high 8 for me. And that is what I would give this film, a mid 8. If you thought this comment was useful, do not press "yes" but instead, use this as an impetus to watch Up and have a great time because that is what this movie does; gives you the 96 minutes to focus your mind away from your life and into this wonderful movie.