Movie Review - Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (2 of 5): Damn, this movie was a huge disappointment. That is really all I need to write for a review, but I guess I should explain. I went into this movie expecting three things: 1) a good performance from Michael Cera, who I think has awesome comedic timing and potential (just watch Arrested Development); 2) a great soundtrack; and 3) a nice coming of age story. Unfortunately, Nick & Norah satisfied none of these expectations.

This is a film about Nick, an emotional pussy who just can't get over being dumped by his hottie - way over his head - girlfriend. How they ever got together in the first place is never explained. He is in a band with two gay guys that are annoyingly self-aware and comfortable with their status as homosexuals, despite the fact that they are teenagers in high school. Nick gets out one night in his beat up Yugo and meets Norah, who is coming off an on-again/off-again relationship with her rocker boyfriend. Nick and Norah then proceed to have quirky conversations while getting to know each other in a series of ridiculous circumstances.

My grievances with this movie are many. First, everybody in this film is so self-aware and confident in their personality that it makes you want to puke. Really, is any teenager actually this comfortable with their identity? This is not a realistic coming of age story in the vein of Breakfast Club or American Graffiti. No, the characters in this story already act and converse as adults, even though their circumstances and actions would dictate otherwise. Second, Nick & Norah's night is never ending. They do and see so much in one night it becomes completely unbelievable and all of this is topped off with forced relationships an unrealistic dialogue. Finally, for a movie with "infinite playlist" in the title one would expect some good music, right? Wrong. I can't name a single memorable song in this movie - the soundtrack was crap.

I can't recommend Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. It's a completely forgettable film and the people who wrote it need a reality check. Also, after this movie, Juno and Paper Heart, Michael Cera really needs to get some new material to work on before he is perpetually typecast as the "loveable dweeb".

Movie Review - Adventureland

Adventureland (5 of 5): Trailer I think that one of the laziest things to do when reviewing a movie is to note the similarities it shares with others. Thankfully, Adventureland is not like many other movies that have been released as of late; and the poor marketing it received, billed it as "Superbad at the amusement park". This comparison, although not necessarily a bad thing, is not really warranted, Adventureland stands alone and is far superior in wit and feeling.

Adventureland tells the story of James, the recent college graduate who, due to a family financial crisis is forced to postpone his summer of traveling Europe before embarking onto graduate school in New York. After discovering that his minimal employment history, combined with a degree in comparative English literatue, makes him rather "un-hireable"; James takes a job at the local amusement park as a game vendor...not rides, big difference.

It is easy to empathize with the nightmare it must be to work at an amusement park. Dead of summer heat, minimum wage, rude, inconsiderate douchebag members of the public, and the most overlooked aggravation of all; being present in that environment while the same obnoxious over-played song repeats itself all day long. (In the movie it is "Rock Me Amadeus over and over. After working two state fairs I have hateful feelings towards Justin Timberlake songs)

The cast of characters working at the park are truly hillarious. The main plotline consists of James falling in love with an emotionally unavailable Emily; perhaps the most wonderful female lead I have seen in years. The inevitable love triangle insues; actually more of a square, both main charcters have other intimacy choices. The beautiful thing about Adventureland is that the cast of characters, although probably generically defined as "geeks' or "nerds" and are as socially awkward as it gets; are lovable and easy to connect with. It seems like so many movies utilizing these types of characters only develop them just enough for a laugh, when the laugh is over, they just seem pathetic. Adventureland shows that despite being a geek (speaking as one) you aren't necessarily crippled by your awkwardness and are unable to win a kiss from the girl.

Maybe because I identified with the main character so well, or that the movie was set in the mid 80's, the setting of my childhood, or perhaps the fact that the soundtrack contains a Whitesnake song; Adventureland gets my vote for the best movie that I have personally seen this year. If you were a teen in the 80's, or ever had a dead-end job that you were too smart to be in, you will really appreciate this movie.

Dedication: This review is dedicated to a girl I once knew...she was the most confusing, enigmatic girl I have ever known, but provided for a unique summer of my own.

Movie Review - Tropic Thunder

Tropic Thunder (4 of 5): I checked out Tropic Thunder over the weekend. It was a very funny movie. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed it quite a bit more than I was anticipating. With the exception of Zoolander, I don't usually find Ben Stiller movies that great. After seeing Tropic of Thunder though, I think it goes head to head with Zoolander as my favorite Ben Stiller flick.

This movie offers more than just Ben Stiller though. There is a great cast, including Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Nick Nolte (looking seriously alcoholic) and Tom Cruise. They all play really messed up characters and everybody is unique. Tom Cruise is especially icky and disturbing - and trust me, I would't use the word "icky" unless it was warranted.

Although I had a lot of fun with this film, I can see how some people may not like it. There is a decent amount of poking fun at retarded people, which I found hilarious, but many may not. Also, a lot of the humor has an inside joke appeal, either referencing other war movies or making fun of the Hollywood system. These jokes may go over the heads of some.

Overall though, this is a really fun film with lots of laughs. I would definitely watch it again and that is something to say since so few comedies these days are worth second viewings, in my opinion. Even the movie trailers at the beginning are worth the price of a rental. Check it out.

Movie Review - The Haunting In Conneticut

The Haunting In Conneticut (4 of 5): Any fan of this genre knows that the state of horror movies has been reduced to cheap gorefests, perpetuated by movies like Hostel, Saw, and endless gory remakes of classic 70's and 80's horror. However, Connecticut does not bombard you with excessive violence and blood.

Instead, it tells the story of a teenage boy suffering from cancer who agrees to undergo some experimental treatment. In an effort to ease the burden, his family abruptly and hastily moves the entire family to a rental home in Connecticut. The home seems to provide the ideal setting for the grief-stricken family, however, from the onset, most of the family is unaware of the home's disturbing past. The movie explains itself thoroughly, so there is no point in re-capping it here. Suffice to say that the house has a chilling and haunted past "filled" with death, self-mutilation, spirits and lost souls.

Where this movie succeeds is in it's ability to scare with imagery. There are a handful of scenes that really made me jump, simply due to a look from an on-screen character, or some environmental effect. The make-up and CGI in some areas were very effective in presenting a truly frightening scene.

That being said, the movie is not without it's generic horror pitfalls. My biggest pet-peeve in horror is the cheap scare that is delivered as the music builds up, and something pops out of nowhere and makes the character and viewer literally jump. Connecticut certainly has it's share of these cheap scares. Additionally there are a lot of borrowed concepts from other successful horror successes such as Poltergeist, The Ring, and The Others.

It's important to remember that in horror, more than in any other genres, there are so few universal truths as to what is scary. It is a very personal and wide ranging emotion. This one did it for me and I was very pleased to leave the theater pretty freaked out at the film I had just seen.

*Note* If you do see it at the theatre, be sure to stay well into the credits. There is a very spooky, albeit contrived surprise at the end.

Movie Review - Let the Right One In

Let the Right One In (4 of 5): This independent Swedish film quietly snuck in and made many Best of 2008 lists last year. It is the story of Oskar, a bullied 12-year old boy who dreams of revenge. He befriends his new neighbor, Eli, a 12 year old girl who has some very strange qualities: she can’t stand the sun, can’t eat food, and needs to be invited into rooms. Yes, Eli is a vampire.

Let The Right One In is a coming of age story that is both romantic and violent. Although the story may seem preposterous, you never find yourself thinking it is unbelievable. This is largely because the vampire elements are presented realistically and not allowed to become campy. Eli looks and interacts like a mostly normal girl – although with years of experience behind her eyes. It is this subtle presentation that makes the violent/horror elements of the movie all the more terrifying, since we perceive them being perpetuated by what appears to be a normal pre-teen girl.

The movie is close to two hours long but it never seems dull. It is a visually beautiful film and offers exceptional writing and performances by its young cast. A multi-layered story is presented for the characters and the vampire mythology. In particular, I liked Eli’s interaction with her “caretaker”, and the obvious parallels it presents to her current and future relationship with Oskar. Blinded by love, Oskar does not see the tragedy inherent in what his life will become, but we do.

Overall, I found this film to be very enjoyable. It provides romantic, horror and tragic elements all wrapped up into one nice package. If you don’t shy away from independent or foreign films, I highly recommend Let the Right One In. Or, you can wait until 2010 and see the planned (and very likely terrible) American remake. At which point I would be happy to come to your home, tell you “I told you so”, and punch you in the face for being an idiot.

Movie Review - I Love You Man

I Love You Man (3 of 5): I'm almost ready to say "enough already". These movies are coming a little to quickly ( I know what that's like) one after another. I Love You tells the story of a sensitive guy who is recently engaged to a beautiful woman. Through the planning of the wedding, it becomes painfully obvious that the male lead (Rudd) lacks a network of social male friends. In an attempt to gain some independence and not be so smothering, as well as to find a best man for the wedding, Rudd engages in a series of "man-dates". These dates culminate with Rudd discovering Segal the quint-essential "man" who slowly weens Rudd away from a lifestyle of Appletinis and musicals to a life of beer drinking and playing in a Rush cover band.

The movie flows well, but I really didn't find myself laughing. The one strength of the movie; which is a common thread to the success of this brand of movie, is the ability to connect and identify with the characters. Anyone who has been in a serious relationship or marriage knows how incredibly difficult it is to maintain your identity with respect to your existing friends. You understand the constant balancing act between hanging out with friends and your relationship responsibilities; especially when either of those two dynamics are new to you. Rudd's character is the most socially awkward on screen personality since George Costanza or Larry David from Curb your Enthusiasm. Coincidentally the same person essentially.

The man dates are comical, and the constant awkwardness of Rudd trying to fit in and connect using "guy-slang" are painfully familiar and funny. However, overall, I really found very few laugh out loud moments. But maybe that's the point; life really isn't always that funny; rather a series of socially awkward moments punctuated by a few amusing comments. Very few of which were found in this review...

Movie Review - Sunshine

Sunshine (3 of 5): Last Monday night, I had the opportunity to go to Chicago to check out an advanced screening of Sunshine before its wide release on July 20th. Sunshine is set 50 years into the future and follows a group of scientists and astronauts in their voyage to re-start our solar system’s dying sun. Along the way, the crew encounters the original ship that was sent to perform their task seven years prior and a horror that lies in wait.

Sunshine is a science fiction movie with horror elements introduced into the third act. I liked the science fiction, but I didn’t like the horror. It’s obvious that a lot of thought, consultation and time was spent to create a world that feels as though it could exist 50 years from now. There are some very interesting and cool scenes that the science fiction elements of the movie make possible. Unfortunately, in the end, the horror elements of the third act ruined my full enjoyment of this film. Its not that I dislike horror, but I think that Sunshine would have been better as just a pure science fiction film without the horror elements that seemed out of place and almost silly.

Performances are pretty good all around. The actors and actresses succeed in drawing moviegoers into the film to make them feel like they are a part of the crew on the ship. If you pay close attention you’ll notice that even the sun is presented as an actor in this movie, which is cool. Of course, this being a Danny Boyle film, the score and sound effects are terrific, although not as good as in some of his previous movies, i.e. Millions, 28 Days Later and Trainspotting. The special effects are also very good for a lower budget film, fully convincing me of their reality.

Overall, Sunshine is worth a viewing if you are a fan of space/science fiction movies - there just aren’t a lot of them out there these days, so we have to take what we can get. The story is unique, there are many exciting scenes, and the “science” of the film seems legitimate and interesting. Unfortunately, the third act of this movie is quite a departure from the rest of the film and I have a feeling will distract many people from a complete enjoyment of the movie.

PS - After the movie was over, the audience was treated to a Q & A session with the director, Danny Boyle. I expect to write up my thoughts on that portion of the evening within the next week, so stay tuned!

Movie Review - Smokin' Aces

Smokin’ Aces (3 of 5): In an effort to feed my recent craving for high-octane action movies, I checked out Smokin’ Aces. Basically, this movie is about two FBI agents trying to protect a mob snitch from various hitmen who are all trying to collect the contract on his head before he testifies against the mob.

Thankfully, I wasn’t totally let down by this film. Actually, this movie was better than I was expecting. Smokin’ Aces is one of those ultra-stylistic, large cast, action shoot ‘em ups that directors like Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie have made popular. However, it really only feels like what would be left on the cutting room floor of a Quentin Tarantino or Guy Ritchie film. Sure, you can make a movie out of it, and it’ll be entertaining, but it’s not great because all the really great scenes have already been used.

After a questionable first few minutes of actors seeming to act WAAY to cool and many character introductions complete with super-cool “stop the movie and splash the name of the character on the screen” effects, Smokin’ Aces settles down into a watchable groove. Characters do their thing, come and go, and present the story with a fluidness that can only be offered by the excellent editing this film provides to such a long character list. Unexpectedly, you get to know each character a little and even start to sympathize some with some. Don’t get too attached though because bullets start flyin’ and people start dyin’. Just what you expect!

The performances are certainly competent in this film. Alicia Keys shows some talent and Andy Garcia plays the same stoned face character he did in Ocean’s 11 (only this time with a crappy accent). Jeremy Pivens produces some surprisingly emotional scenes and Ben Affleck simply succeeds in not annoying the crap out of me. The two actors that get the most screen time seem to be Ray Liota and Ryan Reynolds. Ray Liota does a fine job and gives a realistic performance. Ryan Reynolds actually has to hold up a lot of this movie and in that regard he succeeds. His tough guy “I have facial hair now which means I am older and not a funny actor anymore” image works much more in this movie than it did in the abortion of a film that was Blade Trinity.

All in all, this is a fun movie. It is a little overly long, kind of busy, and I don’t particularly like the melodramatic and fairly predictable ending, but if you overlook those aspects I think there is some fun and entertainment to be had watching this flick. Bullets definitely fly, chaos ensues and there are some surprises along the way, so make sure you are in the mood for action when you rent Smokin’ Aces.

Movie Review - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (4 of 5): A few months back I watched the first two movies of Sergio Leone’s The Man With No Name Trilogy (see those reviews here and here). The Good, The Bad and the Ugly finishes this trilogy of spaghetti westerns off in style. Set during the American civil war, Clint Eastwood’s character forges an uneasy alliance with a bandit in order to find 200,000 of buried Confederate gold.

The Good… is a great flick. It has an engrossing story, good shoot-outs, awesome characters, and even a few lines of humor too. It is also a beautifully filmed movie. The widescreen shots of the desert southwest are just breathtaking and set a wonderful tone for the film as a whole. Also, the sound in this film, as in the others, is really awesome. The sound of this movie has to be the king of Western films. I mean, who doesn’t recognize “aww-yee, aww-yee, awww, whah, whah, whah”? (well, maybe you don’t recognize it spelled out like that, but you do if you have seen this movie)

As I mentioned, the story is great, but it does get a little too elaborate for its own good. Having the civil war scenes throughout the movie and the extended scenes of character development are just too much in some instances. Some of these scenes just don’t add anything to the movie as a whole and only prolong the ultimate climax. Overall, I felt his film is longer than it needs to be.

But how about that climax!? It is arguably one of the best showdowns in Western movie cinema. The tension that it builds is just incredible and really fun to watch. I had a really good time watching The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Although I have seen parts of it throughout my childhood, it was nice to finally sit down and watch it all through.

Movie Review - 16 Blocks

16 Blocks (3 of 5): In 16 Blocks, Bruce Willis plays Jack Mosley, an aging alcoholic cop who is tasked with escorting Eddie Bunker (played by Mos Def), a prosecution witness, from police custody to a nearby courthouse. Neither one recognizes that powerful forces exist intent on keeping them from reaching their destination. They even start to wonder if they will be lucky to make it to the courthouse alive.

16 Blocks is a decent film with solid performances by Mos Def, Bruce Willis and David Morse. When this movie started I was expecting a been-there, done-that, run-of-the-mill film. However, after a gripping sequence during the first action scene in this movie, I knew 16 Blocks was going to be a little different. I ended up being pleasantly surprised to see that 16 Blocks is deeper than your normal action/thriller film. The characters in this movie really shine. They are developed well and are much more interesting than you would expect of a movie of this caliber. There are of course some good action scenes, but they are appropriately spaced out with some compelling moments and a fitting ending.

These types of movies are hard to classify sometimes. Basically, I did not feel I watched anything superb after finishing 16 Blocks, but I would hardly call it a waste of time. It is solid and decent entertainment that is worth a couple hours of your time. In the same respect though, it also feels like one of those movies that, in about five years, we'll see playing on TBS ten times a day for weeks on end.

PS - Yes, the voice that Mos Def decides to use for his character is really annoying.

Movie Review - Session 9

Session 9 (2 of 5): Session 9 centers around five hazardous materials workers who are cleaning asbestos out of an abandoned mental illness hospital. One of the workers finds some old tapes to listen to that chronicle the sessions that a mentally ill patient had with her doctor. As the patient’s story is slowly explained, one of the workers disappears and other things start to happen that make the workers start to question each other.

That’s all I will bother telling you about, because you’ll never watch this movie. At least I hope you won’t. Session 9 is boring with no real payoff or scares. Although its tone is generally creepy, as a whole the film feels more like a poorly produced made for TV movie. The film was shot in a real life abandoned mental hospital, but the weak story and scares sure don’t justify the expense this production probably went to in order to shoot at that location. There are maybe three creepy scenes in this movie and only one of them really scared me.

Other than that it is an utter waste of two hours. Although, the film is generally eerie and tense throughout, there is no payoff that makes it worthy of your time. What should have been a very cool premise for a horror movie was ultimately handled poorly and turned into a less than stellar film.

Movie Review - True Romance

True Romance (5 of 5): I got a chance to watch True Romance again over the weekend. The film follows Clarence (Christian Slater) and Alabama (Patricia Arquette) who meet each other and fall instantly in love. When Clarence kills Alabama's pimp, the newlyweds ride off into the sunset with $5 million worth of stolen cocaine. Of course, with that much stolen drugs, the police and the mob are hot on their trail.

True Romance is a very entertaining movie. The screenplay was written by Quentin Tarantino, so that should give you an idea of the energy this film exudes. It is really kinetic and engaging, with scenes of light-heartedness/fun and also scenes of violence/hardship. You are also treated to an all-star cast of great performances. Names like Samuel Jackson, Gary Oldman and Dennis Hopper to name just a few (can you figure out who plays Elvis?). Finally, there are some great action scenes in this film that are built up to explosive levels of tension before their violent and bloody conclusions.

If you want to call it one of Quentin Tarantino’s movies, then it is one of his best – tight, to the point and engaging. True Romance is definitely in a league of its own and can be enjoyed through multiple viewings.

Movie Review - Gangs of New York

Gangs of New York (4 of 5): Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York focuses on the rise of Irish and Italian gangs in New York in the mid-1800s. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Amsterdam, a boy who watches his father, a prominent leader and priest, die in a territorial gang-fight. As a young man, Amsterdam seeks the revenge on his father’s killer, Bill "The Butcher" Poole, played by Daniel Day-Lewis. Along the way he finds love with a street-smart thief played by Cameron Diaz and begins to relate to his father’s killer a lot more than he cares to admit.

This movie is very well done even though it is overly long and contains an unneeded love story. Overall, the cast is exceptional. Daniel Day-Lewis is amazing in this film and gives a frighteningly realistic performance as Bill. Even Cameron Diaz who is not normally associated with movies of this type, really looses herself to the character she plays. The story is very entertaining – typical Scorsese gangster fare, only this time set in the 1800s. I especially like how the politics of the time are so prominently displayed throughout the movie. There is a lot of detail showing how tough, chaotic, frenzied and corrupt life was in the growing city of that time.

Gangs of New York presents an entertaining and engrossing story that really transports you back in history. The sets, characters, story, etc. all feel unique and believable. It is definitely recommended as one of Martin Scorsese’s best films.

Movie Review - 28 Weeks Later

28 Weeks Later (3 of 5): This movie is the sequel to Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, but hopefully you knew that since the title of the film is so cleverly thought up. In this movie, we follow the citizens of London as they start to move back into their city after the rage virus pandemic is brought under control. However, when one woman turns up as a carrier of the virus, all hell breaks loose.

I liked this movie. It is a decent follow up to its predecessor, but ultimately not as good. Largely, this is due to my preference of the first movie’s more personal story and almost claustrophobic feel. You could really relate to the characters of the first film and ask yourself what you would do in their situations. Plus, the first movie was a nice new spin on the “zombie flick” which made it feel fresh and new.

In 28 Weeks Later, the film has many more characters and thus feels far less personal. The sequel mostly forgoes a character driven story for more action and more blood. That’s not to say there aren’t some good character moments in this film. The first ten minutes of the movie are frantic and provide one heck of a “holy shit” moment of decision that haunts the characters for the rest of the movie.

28 Weeks Later is a lot bloodier, more violent, and action oriented than the first. I didn’t mind this, but I did find the way they shot the action to be really annoying. The camera is in constant motion and during action/scary scenes it gets really hard to follow what is going on. The other thing that kind of annoyed me about 28 Weeks Later is that there are some ridiculous decisions made by the Army in this movie – stuff that (I hope) would never happen in the real world.

I don’t hold many faults to this film though. It is decent sequel and provides some scary entertainment. Also, this movie is depressing as hell, which is good. Survival horror movies should wear you out and make you feel hopeless by the end. 28 Weeks Later succeeds in doing that.

PS – I wanted to also share a great bit of irony that I noted in my movie experience. Before the movie, I was forced to sit through a five minute long propaganda commercial about why the US National Guard is so great and how much the Guard protects us. Then, I watched the movie and noticed how much the US Army screws up in its protection of London’s citizens (to the point of actually ordering the murder of ALL of the city’s inhabitants!). When the irony of the US National Guard commercial playing before this film about the US Army slaughtering a city’s civilians hit me, I had to laugh.

Move Review - Blade Trinity

Blade Trinity (2 of 5): Wow! Want to see how to completely kill a successful movie franchise? Just watch Blade Trinity. This film effectively destroys the coolness that was created with the first two Blade movies by giving us a campy follow-up of bad story, bad CGI, bad acting, bad writing, bad comedy and bad fight choreography. I am not going to provide my usual synopsis of the story in this review. It should be enough to know it has to do with the return of Dracula. Sounds cool, huh? Too bad this film absolutely blows it.

I think Wesley Snipes was looking for a quick paycheck with this one because the whole production seems wacko, especially the casting choices. I mean, who puts Ryan Reynolds in a movie like this? He is one of my favorite comedic actors, but his usually funny humor is so uncomfortably forced and out of place in this movie it is pathetic. Parker Posey is awful too and can barely talk with fake vampire teeth in her mouth. There is even a crazy scene of Dominic Purcell as Dracula walking down the street to some sort of music. It plays out like a really bad rap video from MTV and actually made me laugh.

In my opinion, the only thing that even remotely redeemed this movie is the cool costume effects that were used for Dracula. In this day and age of CGI, it would have been easy to make Blade fight a computer generated character. Well, maybe not “easy” for this film’s production team, but you get my meaning. Anyway, I thought it was refreshing to see that an actual costume was created and used. It definitely added to the realism of the character. Oh yeah, and Jessica Biel was easy on the eyes too (thanks for reminding me of that Maverick!).

Ignore this film. The first two Blade movies were entertaining while maintaining a sense of realism and consequence that the the third film forgoes and substitutes with camp.

Movie Review - Cars

Cars (4 of 5): Cars is another great movie from the folks at Pixar Animation Studios. The film is about a brash, impatient, egotistical sports car named Lightening Lightning McQueen that is fast becoming the best race car in the circuit. Then, one night McQueen ends up getting lost in the desert and accidentally tears up the street in a sleepy old town on Route 66. When McQueen is forced to stay in the town and fix the road, he slows down enough to realize that there is more to life than just his own conceited desires.

Cars presents a great story and is fun movie to watch. The animation is of course brilliantly executed by Pixar - both the colors and textures pop off the screen. As in their past movies, there are multiple layers to the story that serve to keep both kids and adults entertained with important life lessons and messages. The voice work is also very well done with no one voice overshadowing the on screen magic - even Larry the Cable Guy.

Cars is not Pixar's best movie, but it certainly ranks among the best of the studio's offerings. If you have not seen it yet, I encourage you to take the time to rent this film and check it out.

Movie Review - Knocked Up

Knocked Up (5 of 5): Easily, the funniest movie of the year thus far. The story involves a guy who manages to have a one night stand with a beautiful girl, who is way out of his league. Several weeks down the road she discovers she is pregnant. The rest of the movie revolves around how this pot smoking slacker handles the responsibility of impending fatherhood.

The best part of the film is seeing different elements of yourself in the characters. The characters are incredibly realistic and believable. You could be the hot, career minded woman who slips up, has a one night stand with a loser, gets pregnant, and has no idea what to do with her life. Maybe you are an overweight, video game playing, internet porn surfing, slacker, who has no real idea what he wants to do with life. Or you could be the bitter married couple with kids who fight about everything after realizing the magic is gone, and having kids eliminates a lot of your "options".

Note: This film almost received a 4 out of 5 rating due to one horribly inappropriate scene. When the young woman does finally give birth, the "birthing" is shown in graphic detail. I guess the point was to illustrate the true nature of the event as viewed through the eyes of the over-whelmed father-to-be; either way it was very unnecessary. And I don't want to hear a bunch of crap from people about how beautiful and natural this "Miracle" is. It may be beautiful to you to watch your wife's vagina split open like an over-ripe melon, but not everyone wants to see it. Also, it's not much of a miracle at this point. I think some of the mystery has been effectively solved at this point. It was a miracle when little, sweet baby Jesus was concieved and born. "Miracles" don't happen 288,000 per day. (That's a real stat...look it up.)

Movie Review - The Fountain

The Fountain (3 of 5): The Fountain is a bit of a mixed bag. At its heart, it is a love story, but it also has some science fiction and fantasy elements, which makes classifying the movie as any one particular genre difficult. Unfortunately, I think this aspect hinders the movie from being really good.

The film is presented in three different time periods. Tomas (Hugh Jackman) is a 16th century Conquistador on a hunt to retrieve sap from the mythical Tree of Life for his queen (Rachel Weisz), who is desperate for immortality. In 2005, Tom (Jackman) is a doctor searching for the cure to cancer to save the life of his wife Izzi (Weisz), who is in the final days of her battle with death. Then, many years later, Tom travels through space on a quest to reach the place of tranquility that Izzi spoke fondly of, using the Tree as a device to get him to the answers he needs to finally rest.

The various elements of the story, including time, immortality, love and spirituality form a story that is challenging and demanding to the viewer of the film. Although these elements are a great strength to the movie by making it such a unique film, they also drag the movie down too. In the end I felt that there was very little actual story presented and a whole lot of mildly confusing filler and visual imagery. The story itself needed to be grander to fit the epic scale of time that the film spans. Also, it may frustrate some viewers that the ending is not very clear. There are a lot of different ways that you can fit the various pieces of the movie together based on the ending of this film.

Overall, I liked the Fountain. There are some great performances from both Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. If the story was just a little more clear and well developed and there was more reason to care about the characters plights, I would have liked it a lot more.

Television Review - Extras: Season 1

Extras: Season 1 (4 of 5): One of my favorite writer's and comedic actors right now is Ricky Gervais. I was first introduced to his brand of comedy through the BBC version of The Office, which he co-wrote and starred. When that show ended he he has since co-produced the American version of the Office and co-wrote/starred in The Extras for HBO.

Gervais has great comedic timing, wonderful facial expressions and the perfect wit and sarcasm. He carries all these traits over to Extras, in which he plays a movie studio extra. Each episode follows him and his female friend as they interact with a famous actor/actress. Usually these interactions result in a lot of uncomfortable moments, stupidity, embarrassment, follies and faux-pas.

The show has a lot of elements that make it really funny. Each episode features a different well known actor/actress that shows a personal (although fictional) side of his/herself that seems totally out of whack with their perfectly constructed media image. For example, in one of the funniest episodes of the season, Kate Winslet demonstrates a penchant for sexual innuendo and humor. In another, we see how egotistical and foul mouthed Ben Stiller can be.

All in all, this is a great comedy. Highly recommended for anybody who even remotely thinks The Office or Seinfeld is funny and very highly recommended for those who appreciate dry and sarcastic humor. Check it out and then watch the second season which releases this week on DVD.

Movie Review - Shrek The Third

Shrek The Third (2 of 5): This movie should have been called Dreck The Third because it sucks. I was highly disappointed with this film. Basically, it is about Shrek trying to find an heir to the thrown after Fiona's father dies. He finds out Arthur (as in King Arthur) has family ties and then sets out with Donkey and Puss In Boots to go get him and bring him back. Unfortunately, while they are gone, the happy kingdom is overtaken by Prince Charming in a vie for power.

Anyway, the movie is quite a departure from the first two movies, both of which I really enjoyed. The story is so unimaginative and uninteresting that it actually bored me a few times and I considered a nap. Nothing really happens with the characters. Except for Fiona's pregnancy (which could have been a great movie all by itself) none of the characters are really developed. Everything becomes boring and repetitive and this movie has way too many characters with nothing to do that are making return appearances. I also did not find this film as funny as its predecessors. Although I was never a huge fan of all the pop-culture comedic references in the first two (because it is such easy/lazy humor to write), they are largely missing from the third and the movie actually feels empty as a result. Maybe I was expecting them. Similarly, as much as I hated the Smashmouth theme song (gosh, maybe I didn't like the first two movies as much as I though! :)) this third movie has a very lackluster soundtrack.

Well, if you are a kid I am sure you liked it, but if you are an adult, you should know that there is a lot less entertainment in this film than in Shrek 1 or 2 that will appeal to you. Hopefully this is as bad as the series gets, because guess what folks - we are going to be treated to a Shrek 4 and 5 within the next few years! Gosh, I love sequels!