Scripted Life

The Tree of Life

2012-01-26T10:57:00.000-08:00

Hmmm...where to begin with this overtly artistic visual feast. I guess it is what it is. Terrence Malick's film opus to life itself, from beginning to end, is a sight to behold. Unfortunately, that's mostly all there is to behold is the sights. The cinematography is stunning, with each shot meticulously planned and each angle chosen to maximize appeal to the viewer's eyes. It's a film geeks dream, you can almost hear the ohs and ahs as you take it all in. And on that level it succeeds masterfully, but it's elsewhere that it falls short.

The sort of days, weeks, months, in the lives approach to the central characters and their story, if you can call it that, leaves a bit to be desired for the audience. As you watch the beautiful scenes, you feel as though you're waiting for the story to begin. And waiting, and waiting, particularly as we venture back through the development of the world from big bang to dinosaurs to present day. When we do finally get to some semblance of story, it's very vague and sorely lacking in narrative. A father (Brad Pitt) struggles with anger, disciplining his children, and dominating his wife. And the kids struggle with resentment of their father as a result. And other than a present day off shoot, there's little to bring any resolution, closure, or even an ending to it all.

Unfortunately, an abstract tale about the circle of life is not enough to make an engaging film. Even with all the amazing imagery and masterful direction. It is directed well technically, just not artistically in terms of the art of story telling. The film will be a shoe in to win an Oscar for cinematography, and rightly so with the work put in by Malick and Emmanuel Lubzkei. So, a picture may be worth a thousand words, but a moving picture still needs to arrange those words into an interesting story.

2 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

The Artist

2012-01-13T11:00:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most have heard of this film by now as we approach the run up to the Academy Awards and the ever present phrase du jour "Oscar Buzz." The Michel Hazanavicius-directed silent film takes the viewer back to the by gone era before "talkies" took over and changed the entertainment landscape. George Valentin (Jean DuJardin) is the dapper star of Hollywood silent films, at the top of his dramatic facial expression game. The only thing that could bring him down is his unhappy wife Doris, but even her low spirits don't seem to affect him. He knows things aren't great, but he loves what he does and it's a pretty great life. And that's enough, isn't it?

Enter the cute ham Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), who literally bumps into George outside a premiere of one of his films, an idealic meet-cute. When Peppy weasels her way onto the studio lot and wins a dancing spot in Mr. Valentin's current movie, sparks fly, but alas he's married and cannot act on them. George continues on making his film until a major development shifts the entire fabric of the industry. Films are now able to include voice recordings and the era of talking motion pictures has begun. Production is halted on all silent films at the studios and everyone scrambles to produce fresh new material taking advantage of this new development. This leaves George out in the cold, dropped by his studio just as Peppy is signed on, poised to become a big star. The movie progresses to an emotionally rewarding conclusion as we discover what will become of George, Peppy, and if there will ever be a George and Peppy.

Michel directs what's essentially a period rom-com and successfully updates it just enough to modern tastes. Now, I know some will still have a hard time sitting through a silent film, but those that open their minds will be rewarded with something fresh and charmingly entertaining. Both leads are excellent physical actors and lend exquisite old school feel to the movie aesthetic. Not to mention the brilliant addition of the canine companion for George Valentin. Just when things might get a little too down or a little slow for lack of dialogue, the pup steps in and delivers some much needed levity. I promise you this film is worth the effort to open your mind and fall under its spell.

5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

2012-01-06T10:53:00.000-08:00

If you're a Sam Raimi fan you'll enjoy this one. Or at least if you're an early Sam Raimi Evil Dead and Army of Darkness fan. Or if you were entertained by Shaun of the Dead. These movies should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect from this backwoods hillbilly inspired horror-comedy. Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine) are just a couple of good 'ol boys heading for their new vacation home when a group of college kids encounters them on the road. Ditching the lesson mom always told to "not judge a book by its cover", the frat boys and sorority girls are creeped out by Tucker and Dale's hillbilly appearance.

What transpires over the course of the film builds on this misguided judgement and takes the idea that things are not always what they appear to comedic heights. When bashful Dale tries to approach one of the coeds at a gas station, his pathetic attempt to meet girls ends up looking like a maniac holding a scythe and laughing hysterically. The audience gets to derive most of the comedy from knowing more than the characters do. We know Tucker and Dale are harmless country boys. And we know the college kids think they're sadistic killers, the embodiment of a local legend from 20 years ago. But, neither group of characters knows what the other is up to. We also know it's leading to a confrontation bringing these two groups crashing together. When cutie Allison (Katrina Bowden) falls from a rock ledge when the group decides to go skinny dipping, nearby fisherman Tucker and Dale are the only ones who can help. Her friends have no idea she's fallen, and when they see her being hauled into the boat by two hillbillies they run. But they can't just leave Allison can they? And from there, we have our mistaken identity backwoods showdown.

The movie is a fun little story that plays the comedy horror angle very well. It's a bit gory, but not overly so. A college kid running in fear impales himself on a tree branch - always watch where you're going. You get the idea. Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine are great in their roles and have an excellent rapport that shows in their buddy-buddy exchanges. It's not high art, but it's funny and decent escapist entertainment for an hour and a half.

3 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

The Descendants

2011-12-31T15:39:00.000-08:00

The wife and I made it to see this one in the theater a bit back. It's a great dark sort of comedy-drama, although the film is more on the drama side. Matt King (George Clooney) is reeling after a tragic speed boating accident leaves his wife in a coma. King is a lawyer who spends too much time with his work and not enough time with his family. The behavior of his daughters being the prime example of the effects of his absence.

Alex is a teenager with outlandish behavior and language that would make a sailor blush. She's off at a reform school of sorts when Dad decides he and younger daughter Scottie will make a trip to bring her home. Scottie has issues of her own, lashing out at a neighbor girl at school who's developed earlier than most girls. Matt needs to bring the girls together so he can break the news to them that their mom's prognosis has gone from bad to worse. The doctor's do not believe she will ever recover, and their mom had a legally binding advanced directive in place. Meaning that she will be taken off life support. He needs to prepare them, his broken family, to let their mother go. Matt isn't good at this sort of thing, and he blurts it out to Alex first. He was prepared for a rebellious outburst, but he was not prepared for the bombshell she'd drop on him. It seems that his comatose wife had a secret she was hiding from him. Now, Matt has to sort out his tailspinning life, become a father to his girls, and find a way to say goodbye to a woman he thought he knew.

The film is another "change of life" tale from writer-director Alexander Payne, best known for 2004's Sideways. With the help of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, Payne has crafted an emotionally raw and compelling drama mixed with his usual darkish comedy. It's heavy at times, but never oppressing. Clooney is fantastic as the father struggling to put things back together after such a life-altering tragedy. If you enjoyed Sideways, Little Miss Sunshine, or Up in the Air, you'll enjoy this character-driven yarn.

4.5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Margin Call

2011-12-03T08:58:00.000-08:00

It's been a while but I'm back. I've still been watching films, but have been spending time on writing a novel. More on that in a later post. Anyways, the film is a timely tale of corporate greed at the beginning of the 2008 United State financial collapse. Young up-and-comers Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto) and Seth Bregman (Penn Badgley) survive a department layoff while the senior Eric Dale (Stanley Tucci) is unceremoniously let go. But before Mr. Dale goes quietly into that good night, he slips Peter a flash drive with an ominous warning - "Be Careful."

Peter stays after work into the night pouring over the financial speculation numbers and calculations contained on the drive. And after making some alterations of his own, he discovers a startling situation. If the company continues packaging and selling investments under it's current guidelines and calculations they'll be bankrupt in short order. Worse than that, there's no way out. At least no ethical way out. The rest of the tale walks that rocky edge of business ethics and personal morals as the top brass figures out their only escape is to knowingly sell bad investments that will lead to a market collapse. Do they save themselves? Or take one for the market?

The film is competently directed and written by first-timer J.C. Chandor, but it suffers from a few critical flaws. The catalyst to start the film being one of them. Eric Dale is fired, told his cell phone will be immediately shut off, and escorted to his office to collect his personal belongings and leave. But, the security guard escorting him lets him pass off a flash drive right in front of him? Another major knock revolves around the dialogue of the characters. The F-word flies with such abandon the viewer almost has to chuckle at the ludicrousness of it. I can believe a character or two or three dropping the F-bomb at times, but not every character and in damn near every conversation. When multiple characters keep saying "Fuck me" at every turn it becomes comical, loses all validity as a sign of emotion, and contributes nothing but distraction. And that's perhaps what viewers of the film will be left saying, "Fuck me this could have been better."

2.5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

The Ides of March

2011-10-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

Hey Hollywood, are you listening? Make more movies like this. Well-acted, written, and directed. And most importantly, original. I know it's not a "proven" commodity like a sequel, a re-make, or a comic-based motion picture. But as we've seen through the past year of schluck (Green Lantern anyone?), nothing is proven. It still has to be made well, entertaining, and most importantly engaging. And what's engaging about stories that have been done before, often multiple times. /end rant.

Stephen (Ryan Gosling) and Paul (Philip Seymour Hoffman) are campaign managers working to get Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney) elected to the office of United States President. The campaign is hinging on the ever important primary in Ohio, a crucial cog to winning the nomination of the Democratic Party. Stephen is the younger, media savvy political mastermind that puts fear into their democratic competition. So much so, that he is approached by the other candidate's campaign manager, Tom (Paul Giamatti), to jump ship and join their campaign. Stephen agrees to meet with Tom, but turns him down. When Stephen confesses this breach of trust to the uber-loyal Paul, the stability of the campaign is thrown into chaos. And they cannot afford chaos, so Stephen is ultimately fired. What no one knows, however, is that Stephen holds one last card in this political game. A card that will change the direction of the campaign depending on whether he decides to play it.

This stripped-down, bare bones political thriller accomplishes what innumerable big budget action thrillers have failed to - it's engaging from the opening to the credits. It builds tension from little more than dialogue and circumstances. A ringing cell phone and an idling truck are both used to expertly create tension and suspense. It's a shining example of less is more. George Clooney's directing and the writing of Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Beau Willimon take center stage in this film based on Willimon's play. It's classic filmmaking at it's best, the way movies should look, feel, and entertain.

5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Initial D - The Complete Series

2011-10-01T08:10:00.000-07:00

If you're into anime and you're into cars, this is your series. I ripped through all 4 stages of Initial D in quick order through Netflix instant viewing. Thankfully, Netflix has the Funimation version of the series as I've read the Tokyo Pop dubbing is atrocious. My viewing of this series is a little behind the times, but I'd never thought of viewing anime until I found a whole slew of it available to stream.

Initial D the anime is based of the manga of the same name by Shuichi Shigeno, and follows the rise to street racing infamy of Takumi Fujiwara and his "Eight-six." Takumi is a high schooler who's been delivering tofu for his father's shop driving through the mountains of Akina in the Gunma Prefecture of Japan. The Akina Pass is legendary for it's numerous and tight curves heading downhill to town. Unbeknownst to Takumi, he's developed unreal driving skills making his tofu delivery runs as fast as he can in the early morning hours before school. When his driving skills are discovered by his friends, Fujiwara is pulled into the fast-paced world of downhill drifting. Following some initial resistance to racing, Takumi eventually discovers he has a god-given knack for driving and decides to pursue racing full bore.

Through all 4 stages of Initial D, we're treated to the progression of Takumi's driving skills and legend as he beats competitor after competitor in his undermatched and outdated eight-six. The Toyota Sprinter AE86 Trueno, the Corolla GT-S in the states, is a mid-1980s rear-wheel-drive hatchback with a 4 cylinder engine putting out a diminutive 112hp. The car is outclassed in virtually every race as it faces much newer and more powerful vehicles like RX7s, Lancer Evolutions, WRXs, and S2000s.

But this constant challenge in every conflict is what makes the series compelling. The audience learns, along with Takumi, that it's most often the driver that matters and not the car. Fujiwara's battles in each episode provide a new lesson in racing and another opportunity for his driving skills to improve, all during a fast-paced street race that's a blast to watch. That being said, the series does have it's faults. It can get dialogue heavy and repetitive at times, but that's a result of it's manga-based source material more than the anime creators. Explaining some of the racing theories for the audience requires dialogue to be integral even during the races. Another gripe is the character of Itsuki, who's an over-the-top comic character found in quite a few anime there to create comedy. Unfortunately, the character comes of as an annoying spas, but luckily his role in the series diminishes as Takumi joins Project D. The series also attempts to include some social commentary early on to create conflict for Takumi outside of racing. His burgeoning romance with fellow high-schooler Natsuki takes a serious turn when Takumi discovers she's involved in enjo kosai, a controversial practice where young girls take money or gifts in exchange for providing companionship to older businessmen. Other than this and a few other subplots though, the series fires on all cylinders and give the viewer a high octane and intelligent look into mountain street racing in Japan. Sort of the anti-Fast and the Furious for gearheads.

4 out of 5

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Details at IMDB

Your Highness

2011-09-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

In stark contrast to its name, this film reaches new lows. Well, maybe not new lows, but lows none-the-less. It's low brow, it's low on story, and worst of all it's a comedy that's low on laughs. I think I laughed out loud once. And that was when the lead character tumbled down the stairs in full armor.

The film follows the wasted life of Thadeous (Danny McBride), a prince who is tired of living in his perfect brother, Prince Fabious'(James Franco) shadow. Fabious is handsome, strong, and loved by all. Thadeous is overweight, constantly high, and pitied by all. He's a family embarassment until he's thrust into action to help his brother save his kidnapped bride-to-be Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel slumming it) from the evil wizard Leezar who wants to deflower her in order to gain control of a powerful dragon. Inevitably, Thadeous will mess up, almost cost them the quest their on, but ultimately redeem himself in time to help save Belladonna and make his brother and family proud.

It's a storyline we've all seen before, which isn't the problem here really as most every story has been told before. The problem is the story, the plot, and the dialogue just aren't any good. What could have been a send up of the dark ages a la Monty Python's The Holy Grail becomes a lewd collection of crass humor and foul dialogue. Oh, they swear, shocking. There's sexual innuendo that's repetitive and wholly unoriginal. Not to mention the lines of taste a crossed on two particularly unfunny occassions. First, by the introduction of a Yoda-esque character who'd have to register as a sex offender. Second, when Thadeous takes his battle prize after a victory over a minotaur, his junk, and where's it around his neck for the rest of the motion picture. Neither are funny or ever will be funny. They are hack attempts at shock comedy that fall as limply as the aforementioned phallus. And I'm still not sure how the team behind this film convinced Natalie Portman and Zooey Deschanel to join the debauchery.

1 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Take Me Home Tonight

2011-09-05T09:58:00.000-07:00

Remember the 80s? That's seems to be the driving question behind the film Take Me Home Tonight. Hairbands, bangs, popped collars, and cocaine-fueled Beverly Hills parties? Check, check, check, and check. This comedic enterprise tries to capitalize on the nostalgia and laughter of an oft-mocked era of cheesy hair and bad fashion. Matt Franklin (Topher Grace) is an MIT graduate now back home living with his parents and working at Suncoast Motion Picture Store. Remember those? He was the smartest kid in high school, literally, who had the biggest crush on Tori Frederking (Teresa Palmer), the girl most likely to succeed. He still hangs out with his best buddy from high school Barry Nathan (Dan Fogler) and his twin sister Wendy (Anna Faris). When Tori walks into the video store at the mall Matt is presented with one more chance to ask her out. But he can't.

You see, Matt's still paralyzed with the fear of rejection, the fear of failure, the fear of making a decision on anything really. He can't ask the girl out. He doesn't know what to do with his life. He thinks too much. So, after a quick change of clothes Matt finally starts to do and not think. He talks to the girl of his dreams and Tori becomes the catalyst to a wild night of change for Matt. There's just one problem, he lied to her about working at Suncoast and told Tori he works for Goldman Sachs. With the help of the recently fired Barry, they steal a Mercedes from the very dealership he was canned from and their quest to get Matt's high school crush commences. There are ups, there are downs, and then it comes to a crashing, but pretty funny, finale.

The film has plenty of laugh out loud moments. Topher Grace does what he does best, a quick witted sarcasm developed on That 70s Show. Dan Fogler brings hilarity and energy to best bud Barry. And Demetri Martin provides some of the best lines in his brief time on screen. Unfortunately, the stellar comedic talents of Anna Faris are wasted on a role that gives her little to work with. Teresa Palmer's high school hottie was believable, but I was distracted by the fact she looked like an older blonde doppelganger of Kristen Stewart. Overall, it's a fairly well-written boy meets girl comedy with strong, witty dialogue but a weak seen-it-before storyline.

3 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Limitless

2011-08-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

A mediocre film that never reaches the limits of its potential. That pretty much sums up this Bradley Cooper-starrer. It's an interesting premise that's turn into a mish-mash of a movie that fails to ever pull it all together. Eddie Morra (Cooper) is a self-defeating writer in a creative funk he can't break free from. He has a book deal and has yet to write a single word. He has a beautiful girlfriend Lindy (Abbie Cornish) who's leaving him because he's a pathetic shell of his former self. Morra spends half his day trying to write in his filthy apartment and the other half drinking at the bar. Until a chance encounter with his ex-wife's brother Vernon.

Vernon convinces Eddie to join him for a drink to catch up and offers him something that will change his life. NZT is a pharmaceutical drug that allows people to use their brains to their fullest potential. Most people only use 10 percent of their brain function while this drug enables limitless use of 100 percent of your brain. With Eddie's natural smarts the effects will be magnified 100 times over. After downing the clear little pill Eddie's mind goes on overdrive. He helps his landlord's wife write a brilliant law school paper. And helps himself to his landlord's wife. He cleans his apartment. He also writes, and writes well. All of that in just one night convinces Morra he has to have more. After agreeing to do favors for Vernon in exchange for more NZT, Eddie returns to Vernon's trashed apartment and finds him dead. But they didn't find his stash. He has hundreds of NZT pills at his disposal and realizes his life will never be the same. But, at what cost?

The films spins a decent yarn, but never capitalizes on the intriguing possibilities of a super drug. Instead, it essentially becomes a stolen drug thriller. Morra's got it, they want it. Who will end up with it, or end up dead? The acting is decent, not that there was that much demand for a "performance." But, it's the directing and writing that fall short in this motion picture. The parlor tricks employed by the director (Neil Burger) begin to grate on the viewer's eyes. I understand you want to visually show Eddie's enhanced states, but most of the visual trickery pulls you out of the film. And it starts from the opening credits. The writing (Leslie Dixon) is not awful, but there are some holes in the script where plot points go unresolved (a woman's murder), and huge leaps are made in the story that stretch believability (Morra for US Senator). Instead of a movie about what would you do with unlimited brain power, we are left with a film about a highly intelligent drug addict.

1.5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Gnomeo and Juliet

2011-08-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

It is what it is. Romeo and Juliet with gnomes. There's been a glut of animated family fare in the last decade and it has gotten to the point that I bet a lot of people are getting burned out. Remember when a new Disney movie coming to theaters was an event. There was maybe one new animated feature every year or couple of years. Now, there's animation domination of the movie screens all year round. For the most part this trend is due to the always reliable fact that people will continue to have kids. And those kids will need to be entertained whether they are in the theater or the back of the minivan. Heck, if you can throw in some laughs for the parents you might even strike gold at the box office and the ever burgeoning DVD market. I digress, my point being that animated films like Gnomeo and Juliet almost go unnoticed.

Gnomeo (voiced by James McAvoy) and Juliet (with Emily Blunt's vocal cords) are the young son and daughter of rival garden gnome clans. Gnomeo's a "blue" and Juliet's a "red", named for the color of their little gnome hats. While both are sneaking out one night in full camouflage, their paths cross in the backyard of an abandoned house. Inevitably, the two fall for each other and well, I won't bore you with the rest of the well-worn Shakespeare tragedy here. Needless to say, being a family-oriented film the tragedy is all but removed completely so the audience can receive it's happy ending. I can't blame them.

The film entertains and offers a few chuckles, a particularly funny scene involving an internet shopping spree for a lawnmower being a stand out. The voice acting is solid with each of the leads and the rest of their well-known British cast mates lending life to the moving stone statues. Although the audience is skewed younger, the story is so well-worn to most that it has a hard time keeping your interest at times. However, the directing and writing teams do a stand up job bringing these little inanimate objects to the screen.

2.5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Rubber

2011-08-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

After a hiatus, I'm back. I needed a break for a while, but rest assured I've still been watching cinematic fare including the B-Movie Rubber. The film follows the awakening of a inanimate rubber tire from his first rolls through the desert to his crush on a guest of a nearby hotel to the discovery of his deep, dark secret - he possesses the telekinetic ability to explode heads.

The tire first experiments on a bottle that's in his way as he rolls through the desert sand. He then progresses to a scavenger bird on the side of the road leading to town. As he descends on that nearby hotel, he discovers the beautiful object of his affection and hangs around the grounds. Soon his psychotic nature emerges fully as he blows up his first human. Now the town is on high alert and no one wants to believe a little boy who swears he saw a tire roll into the hotel room. As police struggle to determine what's taking place, the tire rolls off to explore and stumbles upon a blaze of burning old tires. He returns to town and his wrath is discovered after countless victims around town lose their heads. Now everyone is convinced, and after the tire is located in a victim's house, a standoff ensues.

It's a bat-bleep crazy idea for a film that could have been a hysterical, campy, genre send-up a la Shaun of the Dead. Instead, it gets confused and caught up in a sideshow angle to the film where there is an "audience" watching the whole thing unfold and the townspeople are "actors" carrying out the script as they "watch" them. It's a totally unnecessary element that takes away from the film by pulling you out of the story. It's like talking to the camera times ten. Unfortunately, a solid premise and great visual effects for it's modest budget are wasted on this overzealous script. The writer/director, Quentin Dupiuex, should have kept it simple.

2 out of 5

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Film Details on IMDB

First Ever Naked Gun International Film Festival

2011-07-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

I had a really fun time attending the First Ever Naked Gun International Film Festival held July 11th, 2011 at the Heights Theater. The night was organized by Pat Proft, one of the screenwriters of The Naked Gun, as well as numerous other hysterical films of the 80s and 90s. He was a screenwriter on the Police Academy Movies, Bachelor Party, Real Genius, and Hot Shots, as well as the Carol Burnett Show.

To start it off, everyone participated in a standing ovation as a tribute to the late Leslie Nielsen, star of all the Naked Gun Films. Then, the audience was treated to a 35mm screening of The Naked Gun. Everyone laughed, and laughed some more. And after the credits finished, we all saluted Mr Nielsen with another standing ovation.

To finish the night off, Pat was kind enough to hold a Q & A session with the audience about Leslie, the films, and his own writing experiences. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and Pat was willing to meet a few of us who stuck around. My wife and I got a chance to meet the funny and gracious host of the evening and snapped a pic I'll share below. It was a great night at the movies.

Super 8

2011-07-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

In a throwback to the movies I remember watching as a child comes the joint Spielberg/J.J. Abrams effort Super 8. It's a child-empowerment tale a la The Goonies or more aptly, E.T. These were the highly successful family films of the 80s and early 90s, before animation began to exert its dominance in the kid-friendly motion picture realm. Come up with an engaging and exciting story and make the kids the stars. And this film does just that. To push the feel even further into that era, the story is set in 1979. It feels more innocent and pulls viewers my age in because you feel some nostalgia as well.

Friends Joe and Charles are making a zombie movie with all their friends. When they sneak out one night to shoot a scene at a nearby train station, they become the only witnesses to a massive train derailment caused by a truck. After avoiding the massive wreckage, they make their way to the vehicle and discover it was driven by their science teacher. Not only that, something is in one of the train cars and it's moving. Before they can investigate any further, a military convoy arrives and the kids flee to avoid getting in trouble. Despite Joe's dad Jackson (Kyle Chandler) being a police officer, the friends manage to keep their midnight rendezvous a secret. But they soon discover what they witnessed is not simply going to go away. Strange things begin occurring and the military takes over the town. The dogs have all run away to neighboring towns. Stores are missing electronics equipment. And people have disappeared. When the group looks over their super 8 camera footage, they find the only evidence of what's going on. Caught on film.

J.J. Abrams does an excellent job writing and directing a yarn that's engaging, clever, and mysterious. Not to mention it's a tale that the whole family can enjoy. Legitimately enjoy. For those familiar with Mr. Abrams it's probably not that much of a surprise as most every thing he touches of late turns to gold. (See Lost, Fringe, Star Trek). And with Spielberg involved it's an unstoppable team. Super 8 brings back that childhood magical feeling of watching a movie. And everyone should experience it. It's like something you didn't realize you were missing in your life, but you're glad it's back.

4.5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Bridesmaids

2011-06-29T11:06:00.000-07:00

I've actually made it out to the theater a few times in the last couple weeks. I'll review the second film later, but first up is Bridesmaids. It's been called the female "Hangover" more than a few times. And frankly, that not an entirely inaccurate assessment. There are a lot of similarities in the ensemble casting, approaching wedding for one of the gang, a missing friend, and some raunchy, outlandish humor. Even the credits pulled the same trick out of the hat with some additional content.

All that being said, Bridesmaids is the better film in my opinion. There's more heart to the story and a more complete story arc for the main characters, Annie (Kristen Wiig) and Lillian (Maya Rudolph). These best friends since childhood are making the transition into adulthood in the form of marriage. This means there's a potential threat to their friendship and "the way things were." Lillian has found a man and they are getting married. Annie is dating a self-centered bachelor (played well by Jon Hamm) who asks her to leave his house about 30 seconds post-coitus. She's never really gotten her life back together after her bakery failed to make it. But Lillian's life is progressing, so Annie needs to pull it together and help plan her best friend's wedding.

Of course, there are some hysterical bumps along the way. Most develop out of a rivalry between Annie and Helen (Rose Byrne), a rich new friend Lillian found through her husband's boss. A poorly chosen restaurant the day of dress shopping and an amazingly awkward engagement party speech are a few of the highlights. But the competition between the two leads to embarassment for the bride as Annie's life spirals further out of control and she lashes out at the bridal shower. Annie's not welcome at the wedding anymore. However, when the bride goes missing before the wedding, Annie's the only one who knows where to find her.

Overall, it's a humorous motion picture that rides on the capable shoulders of it's two former-SNL star leads. Wiig and Rudolph have a great chemistry and play off each other extremely well. And Melissa McCarthy makes a comical turn that's a far cry from her character on Mike and Molly. The story is well-crafted, even though you can see the plot points coming a mile away (particularly Annie's love interest plot line). It's a minor quibble, but you did feel as though you'd seen this story before so perhaps some better tweaking would have hidden the predictability better. None-the-less, it is a gut-bustingly fun little ride.

4 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Hereafter

2011-06-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

This Clint Eastwood-helmed drama is most known for being pulled in Southeast Asian markets after the Tsunami in Japan last fall. The film opens with a sequence involving a French couple staying in a resort area when a Tsunami wave hits the shore. The woman, a reporter named Marie Lelay (Cecile De France), goes off shopping while her partner sleeps in so they are not together when the water comes. Marie is carried through the streets and eventually bangs her head, sinking into the tidal wave. Miraculously she is pulled from the torrent and revived by two locals, but her near-death experience has left her a changed woman.

In France, tragedy strikes a pair of twin boys. Marcus and Jason struggle to cover for their alcohol addicted mother so that social services will not break apart their family. But on a drugstore run for mom, Jason is struck by a car while fleeing from some bullies. Marcus is devastated and social services steps in to take control, separating him from his mother until she can recover from her addiction. But Marcus cannot get over the loss of his brother and still feels a strong connection with him even after his death.

George Lonegan (Matt Damon) has the incredible ability to communicate with the dead. He's done his share of readings, but no longer wishes to delve into the lives of others. He wants to move on with his own and stay away from all of the pain and suffering death brings. His brother disagrees, and wants him to use the gift he's been given to help people. George reluctantly agrees, only to change his mind and head to France to do some soul searching. Inevitably, these three lives will intersect in France and hopefully bring about some form of closure for all and their experiences with death and the afterlife.

Eastwood's directing is spot-on, with a tone and overall feel appropriate to the subject matter. And the acting matches the film's mood perfectly, nothing too overdone or over-dramatic. But where the motion picture suffers, is in the writing and editing, most notably the pace of the story. The scenes move slowly and without much build up, so there aren't strong stakes involved to make for a enticing climax. Things just sort of happen, and then it's over. So, it is what it is. Not bad, but not stellar either.

2 out of 5

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Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

2011-06-02T11:15:00.000-07:00

I have to admit seeing Pirates 4 was not on my itinerary for the Memorial Day holiday weekend. A group of us were looking for entertainment on a rainy, gloomy Sunday so we headed to the cineplex. And after seeing this swashbuckling tale I also have to say I think the critics have been overly harsh. I enjoyed myself and most everyone in the audience seemed to be entertained. In the case of a big-budget tentpole motion picture what more is there?

It's not going to break any new ground. Or be nominated for Oscars. But the dialogue is as snappy as ever, Johnny Depp is his usual ever-likable self as Jack Sparrow, and the action is ratched-up a notch. That last item being a piece I feel was sorely lacking from films 2 and 3, which saw our pirate companions meander through a clear setup film (Dead Man's Chest) and voyage through some non-sensical fantasy trip in At World's End. Both of which progressively eroded away audience and credibility built up by The Curse of the Black Pearl. All three films, the second and third more so, also suffer from bloat, particularly in the lengthier expository scenes. On Stranger Tides does a admirable job of cutting the running time and keeping the action moving. It's a tighter, more cohesive product.

That's not the say the movie does not have its flaws. The zombiefied crew members on Blackbeard's ship and the vampire-esque appearance and behavior of the mermaids are clear panderings to the crazes of both creatures in the current pop culture. They are at least subtle nods, and not overtly pushed at the viewer so as to be a disservice to the story. A few plot points also seemed unnecessary as well, and may have only made the story a little confusing and over-complicated. The Spaniards sub-plot comes to mind. On the whole however, this is a engaging popcorn movie that provides a enjoyable way to spend 2 hours. I can't help but wonder if this was the sequel to the original, if the critics might have seen it a little differently than it being the fourth installment in a franchise that's been stretched a little thin.

3.5 out of 5

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The Roommate

2011-05-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

The Roommate confirms one thing every red-blooded American male already knew. Minka Kelly smolders on the screen. But besides her bombshell beauty, she's extremely watchable and infinitely likeable. The same cannot be said of the film. It treads no new ground, and meanders about the main storyline to barely manage the requisite 90 minutes for a motion picture. It's not horrible, but it's not great either.

Sara Matthews heads off to the fictional University of Los Angeles to pursue a fashion design major. Staying in the dorms, she will of course have a roommate. Enter Rebecca (Leighton Meester), an art major who develops and instant liking to her new roommate. Not out of the ordinary per se, but when Rebecca starts waiting for Sara to get home at night and demanding to know where she was, eyebrows are raised. Rebecca becomes jealous of Sara's other relationships and begins interfering with her life. But she keeps things hidden, well hidden from Sara. After Sara goes home with Rebecca for Thanksgiving, things start to come into focus. An awkward encounter with Rebecca's former high school classmates leaves Sara unsettled. Then Rebecca's mother lets slip that she's on some kind of medication. Sara's suspicion is finally raised, and after they return to school she begins to investigate her roommate a little closer. But is she ready for what she might uncover, and for what happens when she tries to move out?

The acting and directing of the movie are decent enough. But there's nothing exciting here. We've seen this psychological thriller tale of obsession before. It's biggest flaw is that the writing isn't strong enough to maintain believability or keep the audience on the edge of the seat. We know what's going to happen. We know Sara will meet a guy that will raise the ire of Rebecca. But, would a girl really kiss a frat guy who purposely spilled a drink on her and tries to get her up to his room drunk? We also know Rebecca will stop at nothing to have Sara all to herself. However, would Sara's dorm friend really not report having her naval piercing ripped out in the shower to anyone? And we know the film will culminate with Rebecca losing what's left of her grip on reality in one last desperate attempt to keep her "best friend"? I knew the film wouldn't be ground-breaking going into it, but you gotta at least give the audience some sort of twist to keep it engaging. See Chloe instead.

1.5 out of 5

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Somewhere

2011-05-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

We've all watched them before, those small, intimate, independent films full of everyday moments that hold weight and attention without the over stimulation of the big budget blockbusters. Things like a floating bag in American Beauty. Or banging on drums in The Visitor. Sofia Coppola's latest motion picture is laced with these moments. But unfortunately they don't hold any weight, or keep our attention.

Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) is a bored out of his skull actor who has checked out on life for all intents and purposes. He lives at the infamous celebrity hotel the Chateau Marmont and tools around town in his Ferrari looking for anything to distract him from his directionless life. He's successful, he's got money, and he probably doesn't have to work another day in his life. He can't stay awake during a striptease in his hotel room, or mid-coitus with a sexy young blond. Even women don't excite him that much. Though he does go through the motions so-to-speak with plenty of them anyway. On top of all that, he hasn't hardly had time for his daughter Cleo either. He takes her to figure skating practice when asked, yet doesn't know she's been taking lessons for three years. But when Johnny's ex sends Cleo his way before she heads out of town, he's forced to spend some time with her. And it's Cleo who wakes Johnny up.

I'm all for intimate character dramas that shed light on some facet of the human condition. Lost in Translation being a great example. But Coppola's take this time around fell woefully short of that film. It's b-o-r-i-n-g. From the first frame it's boring. Watching a Ferrari round a short track 5 or 6 times in one still shot is not entertainment. And it never picks up from there. We are treated to 4 or 5 other scenes following Mr. Marco around in his Ferrari on the streets of LA. The motion picture doesn't pick up speed until the last half hour. Too little, too late. The character arc is weak and the conclusion does little to resolve our character's internal struggle. Is he going to better his life? Possibly, but we're not totally sure. So, I'm not totally sure I'd recommend anyone watch it.

2 out of 5

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No Strings Attached

2011-05-18T10:14:00.000-07:00

With a few films coming into theaters paying off a variation of the central concept of this movie, I wasn't expecting much. Friends with benefits, sex buddies, or no strings attached lovin', whatever you want to call it, I didn't feel too confident in it resulting in a great motion picture. And while great may be a strong word, this certainly is an entertaining and funny way to spend around 90 minutes.

Adam (Ashton Kutcher) and Emma (Natalie Portman) first meet at a kid's camp when Adam's parents are getting a divorce. Emma's parents are already divorced and at her young age she's decided relationships are doomed. After casual encounters at a frat party and a farmer's market later in life, they meet yet again when Adam is schlitzed to the point he doesn't remember where he is or who he's with. Or where his pants are for that matter. He was attempting to drink away the fact that his father is sleeping with his ex-girlfriend when he ran into Emma and spilled the whole story. He didn't bone anyone, but Emma was kind enough to let him sleep it off at her place. While looking for Adam's pants, Adam reveals he likes Emma. But of course Emma doesn't want a boyfriend, what she needs is someone she can call between shifts at the hospital to show up for unattached, devoid of emotion, fornication.

Adam's game and the romps in sack commence. But as has been pointed out before, like in When Harry Met Sally, relationships cannot exist between man and woman without sex and sex cannot exist between man and woman without a relationship. As much fun as they are having, someone is going to develop feelings eventually and want more. And that someone is Adam. Which emotionally repressed Emma wants nothing to do with. Or does she?

Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters, Stripes) directs this often comical take on the will they, won't they rom-com film. You'll laugh out loud, root for them to get together, and be on the edge of you seat when it looks as though they won't. Well, maybe not the edge of your seat but you get the idea. It's not as good as the similar Love and Other Drugs, but it's definitely worth a spin in the Blu Ray player.

3 out of 5

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Smiling Spaces Web Video #2 - Coupon Clutter

2011-05-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I wrapped filming on the second in a series of instructional/promotional videos for Smiling Spaces, a professional organizing business. This time around we're doing a mock infomercial to share some coupon organizing ideas and encourage people to get organized with Smiling Spaces.

I still need to record some voice overs and can then move on to editing the footage. We had 23 shots and over 70 takes - before the audio takes for voice overs. Time to get crackin'. Look for video #2 very soon on facebook, this blog, or pinupfilms.com.

Love & Other Drugs

2011-05-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

This Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal-starrer pushes the envelope on the uber-stale rom-com motion picture. How many boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back stories have we seen in the last decade? Not only that, how many of them seem half-hearted and uninspired? How Do You Know, The Bounty Hunter, The Backup Plan, anyone? Hollywood studios should issue refunds for the hours of your life you can never get back spent watching these droll films. /End rant. Back to the movie at hand.

Jamie Randall (Gyllenhaal) is a new pharmaceutical salesman during the last hayday of fancy-free drug sales in the mid 1990s. He's a confident, smooth talking, charmer with the ladies who manages to parlay those skill into the sales world. And as he struggles to win over a particularly stubborn doctor to his Pfizer brand pharmaceuticals, he encounters the feisty Maggie Murdock (Hathaway). No she's not the doc's cute office assistant that he seduces, wins over, and convinces to talk her boss into switching to Pfizer, only to figure out that's what he really wanted and run off in a huff leaving him to chase her down and tell her he's fallen for her. Too obvious. Maggie is a patient suffering from early on-set Parkinson's. But she doesn't want sympathy and owns her illness maintaining complete control over her life. She sees right thru Jamie's womanizing schmarm, but she's also attracted to him and wants the same thing he does. Casual unattached sex. Jamie's game and they begin a torrid tryst. But her rejection of him as relationship material intrigues him and he has to discover why. And as things progress beyond casual and get real, Maggie's illness and Jamie's rising career disrupt both their paths and force them to examine what they really want.

Edward Zwick's intimate and real look at a relationship is a refreshing and engaging change from the rom-com-bombs of late. The character's, dialogue, and story all feel new and entertaining. There is no straying from the language, nudity, and sex that make up a fascinating love affair. And the acting is excellent. It's funny, serious, sad, and hopeful all at the same time. One to watch.

4 out of 5

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Unstoppable

2011-04-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

Brother to Ridley, director Tony Scott creates an engaging film that holds the tension and suspense from start to finish. The ticking time bomb effect in this particular film is accomplished through a runaway train carrying hazardous materials and travelling on a fast-paced course to a highly populated Pennsylvania city. Who's going to stop it? Enter veteran Frank (Denzel Washington) is training newbie Will (Chris Pine) in the finer points of freight train operation. Frank's been around the block and doesn't let a distracted Will forget it. When Will hooks up too many cars to their engine, Frank's by the books mentality and Will's figure out a way to make it work attitude clash. They disagree on how to handle the situation and eventually end up barrelling on down the track.

But when they learn of the runaway train and narrowly avoid a head-on collision with it, they both agree they're the only ones with a chance to stop it. Throwing caution aside, Frank and Will risk life and limb to catch up to the train - in reverse. By heading backwards down the track trailing the unmanned engine, they have a shot at hooking up to it and braking to bring it to a stop. It's that, or they have to board the train and move precariously from car to hazardous car until they reach the front to slow it from there. But can they accomplish either of these before the train reaches a sharp curve in the middle of a populated town?

Scott's motion picture grabs you from the get-go and doesn't let go until the gripping conclusion. Washington and Pine do an admirable job with a solid, if not stellar script. Their onscreen chemistry keeps us interested even in the limited set piece of a train cab. The action is heart-pounding, keeping the audience in suspense and on the edge of their seats. What more could we ask for?

3.5 out of 5

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Mess O Magazines

2011-04-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

The first web video for Smiling Spaces is complete. We wrapped up post-production and editing about a week and a half ago. Things came together nicely and the client is happy with the final outcome. In a short entertaining minute and a half the video provides some great organizing tips and a few smiles as well.

Feedback thus far has been very positive with requests for more videos on more than one occasion. Rest assured, we have more ideas in the works and hope to have video number two uploaded and available by early May 2011. Thanks for everyone's kind comments. And please keep passing it along and sharing on facebook. We hope you look forward to the next one.

Without further ado, here is the blog debut of Mess O Magazines:

Get Low

2011-04-03T15:36:00.000-07:00

The darkish comedy Get Low is a quirkly little film starring Robert Duvall as Felix Bush. He's grizzled, he's old, and he wants to set up his funeral - while he's still alive. Bush drags himself out of the backwoods of Tennessee and meets young Buddy (Lucas Black), a funeral director's apprentice. Buddy sees Felix's wad of cash and offers to help. The struggling funeral business of Frank Quinn (Bill Murray) sure could use some funds since no one seems to be dying. Bush gets his funeral, Quinn gets some much needed coin, and Buddy can impress the boss by bringing in a client.

Buddy and Frank get right to work and quickly learn not to ask Felix too many questions, like why he wants to hold a funeral when he's still alive. Or to question why he wants to hold a raffle at the funeral to give away his priceless acreage of untouched land. With this last bit announced on the radio, mayhem ensues with break ins at the funeral home and Felix calling the whole thing off after a pastor refuses to speak at the ceremony. And after a reunion with Mattie Darrow (Sissy Spacek), Felix's stubborness threatens to keep her from attending when she's the only one that matters. Buddy and Quinn need to pull this all together so everyone can get what they want.

The acting is fantastic with Duvall nailing the sullen loner and Murray oozing with schmarminess laced with a little heart. The writing and direction work in tandem to serve the story and keep the content light in the face of the darker subject matter. And it all ultimately reinforces the reflective and positive message of the film. It's never too late.

4 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

The American

2011-03-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

George Clooney to me is one of our only true old-school Hollywood movie stars. And he usually does a great job of selecting films, particularly of late. Therefore, even though I knew critics panned The American, I gave it a shot. Unfortunately, those folks were spot on in their reviews of the Italian-set thriller.

Clooney plays an assassin and weapons expert who crafts high powered rifles. To his employer he's Jack, who's good at what he does but might be losing his edge. And to everyone in the quaint little Italian town he's laying low in he's Edward. His assignment is to create a rifle small enough to fit in a briefcase, yet with the power of a sniper rifle. Edward keeps everyone at arm's length and walks through town in a constant state of alert. He tries not to let anyone in, but begins to feel for the prostitute he's been visiting exclusively, Clara (Violante Placido). The last time he let a woman into his life she ended up dead, but Edward is beginning to tire of his trade and wants more out of life. But when he attempts to tell his employer this is his last job his uneasiness is not quelled. And when some past enemies show up in town things come to a head fast. Can an assassin ever really be out of the game?

The overall premise is okay, solid but nothing groundbreaking. The acting is very good, Clooney delivers as always, and the stunning Violante holds her own. It's the story and overall package that are just...lackluster. We've seen this story before and it never manages to surprise or engage us. The ending also leaves something to be desired as well. It completes the story, but does nothing for the character arcs of Edward or Clara. We're just left kind of hanging there.

1.5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Buried

2011-03-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

It took me awhile to work up the effort to review this one. Some of the accomplishments of this film are to be lauded. One location for an entire movie and it managed to be intriguing the entire running time. And that location is a cramped coffin in an Iraqi desert. +1. The camera work keeps the audience interested and doesn't get stale. +2. Ryan Reynolds acting is believable and engaging when there's no one else to play off physically present (CGI films take note). +3.

However, some other aspects of the film are seriously and frustratingly lacking. The actions of our protagonist, Paul Conroy (Reynolds), become annoyingly unrealistic as the movie progresses. He posesses a cell phone given to him by his unknown captors who are demanding a ransom for revealing his location. Of course, that means the battery can't last forever. Yet, Paul continues to have conversations with people that are not brief, by any means, and are often doing nothing to get him out of his predicament. Most notably, during a long conversation he has with the Personnel or HR Manager of his employer who cannot help him. Anybody in that situation would hang up. -1. The attitudes of some of the government officials helping Paul also seem far-fetched. Anyone who learned of his plight would bend over backwards to help and not transfer him blindly to someone else, or say they can't do much for him. -2.

And that leaves us with the biggest problem with the motion picture - the ending. It's one that kind of slaps you in the face. But worse than that, it leaves the viewer hanging. There's no resolution to the story and particularly for the character of Paul. Credits roll and the audiences will say "WTF?" -eleventybillion. You feel like you invested all this time for nothing. So, that's my recommendation, don't waste your time.

1 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Smiling Spaces Web Video #1

2011-03-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

I recently began work on a series of web promotional videos for Smiling Spaces professional organization. The idea is to increase web presence and traffic to the website and social media outlets to continue reaching new audiences. And rather than just some straightforward promotional videos, commercials, or how-to videos, we wanted them to be creative. Something that people would be able to enjoy, maybe get a laugh or two, pick up some organizing tips, and hopefully pass it on to friends and family.

After some brainstorming, we settled on 3 main ideas to start with. There are probably 8 to 10 solid ideas total, but we took the top 3 (or at least the best and easiest to film) and developed them into scripts. We now have three 1-2 page scripts that lay out the groundwork for our videos. Since these will be strictly for the online medium, we wanted to keep them all around 1-2 minutes or shorter. As 1 page of a script equals 1 minute of film, we are right on track.

First up is an idea that presents some organizing tips in the style of a 1950s/1960s educational or instructional video. We created the Annie the Organizer character and got an appropriate period costume. Very 50s housewife. Shooting took us about 6 hours with 16 scenes and over 60 takes. A couple of days later, I recorded the announcer-style voice overs in 5 blocks of monologue. Now, it's time to chop the footage down and edit into a complete video with voice overs and music. More on that later...

The Town

2011-02-26T10:43:00.000-08:00

The bank robbery film The Town succeeds in taking the typical and expected action/heist movie and turning it into a character study. Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) is a former Boston hockey star who blew his chance at the big time in the NHL. His Charlestown neighborhood roots and destiny never let him go. His father was a bank robber and Doug winds up following in his father's footsteps with the help of his buddies. The team is comprised of a driver, technical expert, and Doug's best friend James Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), a ruthless but fiercely loyal partner in crime. The group holds up a bank in blue skeleton masks, Point Break-style, and despite a hiccup with the bank's assistant manager Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) the vault is opened. But the bank alarm is tripped and Coughlin takes Claire as a hostage in case they are confronted by the cops. Blindfolded and terrified, she's later let go by the water as they flee.

Coughlin took things too far, but the group agrees that they need to follow Claire to make sure she can't ID any of them. Doug takes the task to ensure Coughlin doesn't do anything stupid. Unfortunately, it's Doug who does something stupid. He engages Claire at a laundromat and the two hit it off, Claire unaware of Doug's secret. Doug begins dating Claire as the group prepares for it's next hit. He assures the group Claire doesn't know anything, but when Coughlin finds the two of them eating in the park his affair is out. Doug wants out. He wants to leave with what they have and move out of Boston with Claire. Unfortunately, Coughlin and the neighborhood's crime boss won't let him. Not without completing one last job. As the FBI centers in on the group and approaches Claire, the truth about Doug is revealed. After an emotional exchange, Doug convinces Claire his intentions are good and he really loves her. But, he's gotta pull one last heist, then the two of them can leave the town. With the heat is turned up on them and the stakes never higher, can Doug and his crew pull off the impossible?

The film is very well directed by Affleck, who also contributed with the writing team. Acting is excellent with each character aptly cast from a slew of standouts including Jeremy Renner, Chris Cooper, Jon Hamm, and Blake Lively. It's a very engaging storyline, but there are a few points of contention I have with the writing. Claire's acceptance of Doug's involvement in the robbery of her bank and subsequent kidnapping is preposterous. I don't think any woman would forgive him for that or even consider being involved with him after that. My other point of contention is the ending, which I feel does not wrap up the character arcs or story well enough. Doug is clearly the protagonist of the story, and he never changes enough for the audience to root for him, or at least empathize with him. Especially after his vengeful retribution after the final heist. And it's a subpar ending that keeps this good film from being great.

3.5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Heartbreaker

2011-02-24T08:03:00.000-08:00

This is a french film begging to be remade for American audiences. Not that I would do that necessarily, the film is easily watchable in its current subtitled form, but domestic filmgoers simply won't see a "foreign film". Those that do, however, will be treated to a deftly crafted comedy with a little romance thrown in. Notice I didn't use the words romantic comedy as they've become almost a dirty word in the film industry. Heartbreaker is exactly what I stated, a comedy first, with some romantic elements thrown in.

Alex Lippi (Romain Duris), his sister, and her husband work as a team commanding big bucks to break up relationships. Someone with a vested interest in the situation hires them to infiltrate the lives of the couple and end their courtship. Alex is the lead and his team works to support him. He uses seduction to distract the women, get them to begin to fall for him, but breaks it off before anyone gets hurt. He strives to open their eyes to the flaws in their mate and get them to see there is someone better for them out there. Things are going great for Alex and his team. Except Alex has a little secret - he owes a mob boss a lot of money. When they are offered a high-paying gig to break up a couple, Juliette (Vanessa Paradis) and Jonathan (Andrew Lincoln), a week before their marriage Alex has his way out. The only problem is his team wants to bail on the job because it's impossible to find any flaws in the rich, handsome, charitable Jonathan. Alex doesn't have a choice though. He's forced to press on and use the only means he has left - seduction. If he can get Juliette to fall for him and call off the marriage he can pay off his debts. But what happens if the seduction works both ways?

The film is brilliantly acted, especially by Doris and Paradis. Doris' James Bond-esque scenes are particular standouts of action-filled hilarity. They're shot superbly with a tongue-in-cheek style by director Pascal Chaumeil that blends fast-paced chase and comedy with a knowing wink to the audience. Story is not left behind in the shuffle either. The premise is unique, the dialogue is snappy, and the tale is fleshed out completely from beginning to end. It's a light, funny, breath of fresh air from the formulaic cinema rut we are currently entrenched in.

4 out of 5

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Easy A

2011-02-22T10:50:00.000-08:00

This smartly written The Scarlett Letter update pleases and tickles the funny bone from start to finish. Emma Stone stars as high school student Olive, a mature-for-her-age smart ass that doesn't get noticed much, especially by the opposite sex. That is until she becomes the school slut. Or at least faux-slut. You see when buxom blond Rhiannon (Alyson Michalka), Olive's BFF, mistakenly believes she lost her V-Card Olive ends up rolling with it. And unfortunately the school saint Marianne (Amanda Bynes) overhears this non-revelation and the rumor mill takes over from there. Suddenly everyone knows who Olive is and what she's done.

She enjoys this newfound infamy at first, but before she can set the record straight she's given an offer she can't refuse. When gay but not out Brandon (Dan Byrd) asks her to pretend to get it on at a party, Olive feels for his plight and agrees to act the part to ease the relentless teasing he endures. And the rumor steamroller continues on. Soon other high school outcasts and misfits see Olive as their ticket to normalcy and popularity. She's reluctant to this burgeoning business in fake whoredom, but her heart's too big to say no. Of course this new reputation has its price as Olive loses her best friend and becomes entwined in a teacher-student relationship that threatens the marriage of her favorite instructor Mr. Griffith (Thomas Haden Church).

The film takes us on a wild, funny ride as we root for Olive to do the right thing before it's too late. Emma Stone is brilliant in the whip-smart role of Olive and Thomas Haden Church nails the cool professor at school. Every school has one. The directing is great and takes a nicely crafted script by Bert V. Royal and turns it into a witty, fast-paced dialogue comedy that may remind you of director Will Gluck's first turn behind the camera on Fired Up! One of my knocks on the motion picture are the too easy-breezy parents, though great turns for Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson, their trusting relationship with Olive stretches the level of believability. The other knock is the development of Olive's crush since grade school Todd (Penn Badgley). We know she pines for him, but his interest in her and subsequent rescue should have been developed a little more. Those are small potatoes in the overall scheme of a hilarious, well-executed film.

4 out of 5

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Tamara Drewe

2011-02-20T08:32:00.000-08:00

Hoping to enjoy a good 'ol wacky British comedy I added Tamara Drewe to my Netflix queue. I'd seen it on a few movie critics year end lists of their favorite movies of 2010. Unfortunately, this film would not crack my Top Ten. Let alone my Top 50. The titular character, played by Gemma Arterton, is a former ugly duckling who returns to her hometown a successful swan. Unlike most of these stories though, she became a swan through plastic surgery to fix a rather large beak. Tamara is a talented celebrity reporter caught up in the world of glamourous looks and superficiality. A fitting path for someone who struggled so mightily with her looks as a child.

When she returns to town the locals who used to know her are speechless, amazed, and a bit jealous in some instances. But it's the men in particular that respond to her reformed looks, especially when she saunters across a farm that's host to a writer's retreat in a pair of shorts so high they reveal a hint of the shapely derriere beneath. However, there's one man in particular whose attention she craves. Her childhood boyfriend, Andy Cobb (Luke Evans), who was nice but still not mature enough to look past her schnoz. She convinces him to help her refurbish her family home so she can sell it. But she won't reveal her true feelings for him. Instead she brings back a rock star she interviews and parades him around as her new man. Then, when she witnesses Andy with another woman, she begins an affair with the married novelist who runs the writer's retreat. As much as she returns with the confidence of her success and beauty, she's still the confused and hurt little girl of her youth struggling to figure out what to do. The rest of the film is a journey that reveals whether she can figure it out before too much damage is done.

As far as the mechanics of the motion picture, everything is done quite well. The acting, directing (Stephen Frears), and writing are for the most part quite good. However, it is the story in total that just doesn't quite do it for me. What appears to be a British romantic comedy spirals into a tragedy of sorts by the finale. And the development of Tamara and Andy's sort of reconciliation is lacking enough time and depth. We know of their history, but their reunion after what takes place is a bit too easy for my liking. So, a weird twist to the story and poor ending sink what ultimately could have been a nice little film.

2.5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Monsters

2011-02-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

This lesser known gem follows the travails of photographer Andrew Kaulder (Scoot McNairy) as he attempts to get a shot of the "monsters" in Mexico. A returning space shuttle crash lands in Mexico six years prior, and ever since there's been a battle against these creatures who've taken over Northern Mexico. Kaulder gets roped into tracking down his newspaper boss' daughter who happens to be in Mexico as well. He finds Samantha Wynden (Whitney Able) in a hospital after a creature attacks the city. She's shaken, but virtually unharmed.

Unfortunately, now the boss wants Andrew to escort her to the coast and the safety of a ferry to the US. He wants to stay near the attack in the hopes of being the first to get a live shot of the creatures. But, Kaulder relents to his superior and the two begin the journey to the coast. Of course things don't happen quite that easily. The train to the coast has to turn back since a section of the track is destroyed. They're only option is to continue on foot and by hitchhiking. Every step along the way is greeted by a new challenge preventing them from escaping the creatures and reaching safety. And, relative strangers as they are, they can only trust each other. Can they band together and make it home?

The film is shot quite well by director Gareth Edwards who also penned the tale. The camera is always moving, which adds to the urgency of the story and also eases the shot constraints for the lower budget. You can move faster from shot to shot without as much setup and perfecting the alignment of a tripod or the motion of a dolly. Edwards also does a great job on the story with the focus being on the character arcs of Sam and Andrew against the backdrop of this alien infestation. I enjoy seeing films off the studio beaten path and this one is worth a look.

4 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Salt

2011-02-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

The latest action-oriented Angelina Jolie film is an adequate way to kill two hours. Nothing groundbreaking, but there are a few nice twists and turns along the way. Although, the well-educated viewer will probably be able to see them coming. Evelyn Salt (Jolie) is a CIA operative who goes deep under cover to help the United States get information in North Korea. So deep, in fact, she marries a German man she uses for cover and access to a highly guarded area. When she's captured, it's her husband (then boyfriend) who hounds the U.S Government until they trade for her release. After her release, Evelyn's story really heats up.

A Russian spy turns himself at an CIA outpost operating covertly as an everyday business. Salt is asked by her superior, Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber), to question the spy since interrogation and Russian language are her stong suits. The spy declares that a Russian operative who's been under cover for years will assassinate the Russian president at a funeral for the American Vice President. Salt has a hard time believing a Russian spy will kill the Russian president. What's more, he says the operatives name is Evelyn Salt.

The film unfolds from there into a action/thriller sort of in the vain of The Bourne Identity. Salt has to escape her now suspicious CIA partners and prove her innocence before they lock her up and try her in court. It's the wrongfully accused/mistaken identity tale, which is not entirely unique. However, writer Kurt Wimmer does manage to sneak in a few surprises and keep you guessing. The acting is decent, with no real stretching needed to deliver a solid performance. The action sequences are directed with fervor and make you feel a part of the chase. All in all, Salt is an all right way to spend an afternoon.

2.5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Piranha

2011-01-27T14:21:00.000-08:00

Also known as Piranha 3D when it arrived in theaters, this remake of a 70s spoof of Jaws follows an outbreak of flesh eating piranhas on Lake Victoria in Nevada. The town sheriff, Julie Forester (Elisabeth Shue) investigates a man's disappearance on the lake following some earthquake tremors in the area. Lake Victoria is a hotbed of adolescent debauchery as Spring Break has descended on the town and the last thing the sheriff needs is more work. His boat and body are discovered only the man has been horribly disfigured. Soon after, seismologists report heightened activity from under the lake and request Sheriff Forester's help to guide their diving efforts. The divers make a startling discovery - there's a rift in the lake floor that's opened up and unearthed an underground lake. What's more is the newly opened caverns are full of deadly fish that rip the divers to shreds before they can make it into the boat.

Sheriff Forester has a crisis of epic proportions on her hands. Hungry piranhas running loose on a lake that's overflowing with exposed flesh. As they hurry back to spread the word and evacuate the lake, the sheriff's teenage son Jake (Steven R. McQueen) has ditched his babysitting duties and hitched a ride on a "Wild Girls" boat to be their guide around the lake. Derrick Jones (Jerry O'Connell) is a douchey filmmaker of "Wild Girls" videos that capture the drunken escapades and loose morals of skin-revealing sprink breakers. He's brought his own well-asseted phillies, Dani (Kelly Brook) and Crystal (Riley Steele) to get the partying started. In a twist of envy and jealousy, the girl Jake pines for but is too chicken to make a move on, Kelly (Jessica Szohr), hops on for the wild ride. Sheriff Forester has to clear the lake and find her son before the razor-sharp toothed fish turn the water into their own personal buffet table.

The film is well-directed with some unique and interesting camera shots. One memorable scene involving Dani and Crystal swimming like sea nymphs is hilarious yet brilliant. And clearly would be even more so in 3D. The acting is above average for this type of film with decent performances from a crew of veterans including Richard Dreyfuss, Ving Rhames, and Christopher Lloyd. But it's the gore factor that takes this motion picture from campy horror fun to over the top ridiculousness. Most of the gorier parts are probably acceptable for most viewers. However, three scenes in particular turned me off and will turn viewers off. One involves a young gal and her hair being caught in a propeller. Another pushes the envelope of good taste and goes on far too long as a guy demonstrates the worst in humanity with his me first escape in a dingy. The third is a laughable attempt at comedy with a piranha's ingestion of a particular part of the human anatomy. The earlier line associated with this was funny enough, the visual is just disturbing and unnecessary. Thus, what could have been pretty good becomes pretty bad.

1.5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

2011 Oscar Nominations

2011-01-25T14:06:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite times of year is upon us again with two of the biggest television events of the season - the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards. Football and Film's big days are always hanging around each other and provide us with the opportunity to find out who/what is the best of the year. And they're the perfect excuse to throw a party and hang out with your friends. (Check out a fellow blogger for Tips on Throwing an Oscar Party)

My enjoyment of the Oscars comes not so much from the awards show itself, but in discovering the best in film. It's a great time of year to cheer on the films you loved, if they're lucky enough to be nominated, and find out what other motion pictures are worth your time to see in the future. Or in the real near future if, say, you want to race to see all the Best Picture Noms before the big night on February 27th. Though, that feat might be harder now since last year they upped the Best Picture category nominations from 5 to 10.

My predictions will follow in the coming month or so in the main categories (i.e. those that are aired on television). So, without further ado:

The List of Nominations for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR

Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING

Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"
David O. Russell, "The Fighter"
Tom Hooper, "The King’s Speech"
David Fincher, "The Social Network"
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "True Grit”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Javier Bardem, "Biutiful"
Jeff Bridges, "True Grit”
Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"
Colin Firth, "The King’s Speech"
James Franco, "127 Hours"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Christian Bale, "The Fighter"
John Hawkes, "Winter’s Bone"
Jeremy Renner, "The Town"
Mark Ruffalo, "The Kids Are All Right"
Geoffrey Rush, "The King’s Speech"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right"
Nicole Kidman, "Rabbit Hole"
Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter’s Bone"
Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
Michelle Williams, "Blue Valentine"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Amy Adams, "The Fighter"
Helena Bonham Carter, "The King’s Speech"
Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"
Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"
Jacki Weaver, "Animal Kingdom"

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR

"How to Train Your Dragon", Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
"The Illusionist", Sylvain Chomet
"Toy Story 3", Lee Unkrich

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION

"Alice in Wonderland", Production Design: Robert Stromberg, Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1", Production Design: Stuart Craig, Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
"Inception", Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas, Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat
"The King’s Speech", Production Design: Eve Stewart, Set Decoration: Judy Farr
"True Grit", Production Design: Jess Gonchor, Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

"Black Swan", Matthew Libatique
"Inception", Wally Pfister
"The King’s Speech", Danny Cohen
"The Social Network", Jeff Cronenweth
"True Grit”, Roger Deakins

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN

"Alice in Wonderland", Colleen Atwood
"I Am Love", Antonella Cannarozzi
"The King’s Speech", Jenny Beavan
"The Tempest", Sandy Powell
"True Grit", Mary Zophres

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

"Exit through the Gift Shop", A Paranoid Pictures Production, Banksy and Jaimie D’Cruz
"Gasland", A Gasland Production, Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
"Inside Job", A Representational Pictures Production, Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
"Restrepo", An Outpost Films Production, Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
"Waste Land", An Almega Projects Production, Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

"Killing in the Name", A Moxie Firecracker Films Production
"Poster Girl", A Portrayal Films Production
"Strangers No More", A Simon & Goodman Picture Company Production, Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
"Sun Come Up", A Sun Come Up Production, Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger
"The Warriors of Qiugang", A Thomas Lennon Films Production, Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon

ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING

"Black Swan", Andrew Weisblum
"The Fighter", Pamela Martin
"The King’s Speech", Tariq Anwar
"127 Hours", Jon Harris
"The Social Network", Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR

"Biutiful", A Menage Atroz, Mod Producciones and Ikiru Films Production, Mexico
"Dogtooth", A Boo Production, Greece
"In a Better World", A Zentropa Production, Denmark
"Incendies", A Micro-Scope Production, Canada
"Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)", A Tassili Films Production, Algeria

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

"How to Train Your Dragon", John Powell
"Inception", Hans Zimmer
"The King’s Speech", Alexandre Desplat
"127 Hours", A.R. Rahman
"The Social Network", Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Coming Home" from "Country Strong", Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
"I See the Light" from "Tangled", Music by Alan Menken, Lyric by Glenn Slater
"If I Rise" from "127 Hours", Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
"We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3", Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

"Day & Night", A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Teddy Newton
"The Gruffalo", A Magic Light Pictures Production, Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
"Let’s Pollute", A Geefwee Boedoe Production, Geefwee Boedoe
"The Lost Thing", A Passion Pictures Australia Production, Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
"Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)", A Sacrebleu Production, Bastien Dubois

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

"The Confession", A National Film and Television School Production, Tanel Toom
"The Crush", A Purdy Pictures Production, Michael Creagh
"God of Love", A Luke Matheny Production, Luke Matheny
"Na Wewe", A CUT! Production, Ivan Goldschmidt
"Wish 143", A Swing and Shift Films/Union Pictures Production, Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING

"Inception",Richard King
"Toy Story 3", Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
"Tron: Legacy", Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
"True Grit", Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
"Unstoppable", Mark P. Stoeckinger

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING

"Inception", Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
"The King’s Speech", Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
"Salt", Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin
"The Social Network", Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
"True Grit", Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS

"Alice in Wonderland", Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1", Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
"Hereafter", Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell
"Inception", Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
"Iron Man 2", Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

"127 Hours", Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
"The Social Network", Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
"Toy Story 3", Screenplay by Michael Arndt, Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
"True Grit", Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
"Winter’s Bone", Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

"Another Year", Written by Mike Leigh
"The Fighter", Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson, Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
"Inception", Written by Christopher Nolan
"The Kids Are All Right", Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
"The King’s Speech", Screenplay by David Seidler

Devil

2011-01-21T14:25:00.000-08:00

M. Night Shyamalan stormed onto the Hollywood scene with the surprise twisting Sixth Sense. He followed his homerun out of the box with the underappreciated Unbreakable and the very solid Signs. Since then, unfortunately, his films have gone down hill slowly, one after the other. Although, I think the criticism of his work is a little too harsh of late. You can't make movies with the impact of the Sixth Sense every time you roll the cameras. So, with some trepidation, I added Devil to the Netflix queue and awaited Night's latest effort hoping for a return to form. Let's clear up one thing though. Some may think this is a M. Night Shyamalan film, but he did not direct. He gets a story credit and acted as a producer. What does that mean? Well, he put up financing for the film and helped develop the story. Someone else directed, and someone else wrote the script.

The premise of the film is decent enough, four people stranded in a elevator encounter strange phenomena and begin to die one by one. But the lights go out every time and no one know who's doing it. Is one of them a killer with a motive to be there? Or is one of them the Devil enacting some sort of twisted justice? The cops become involved as they are already at the building investigating a suicide. Are these two events connected in some way? The investigators struggle to uncover clues and discover the identities of the occupants until there are only two people left. One is an innocent bystander who got on the wrong elevator. And the other is a killer. Will they strike before the fire department can break into the lift?

The directing is adequate as the motion picture creates suspense and tension all the way to the climactic conclusion. However, as has been the case with the last few movies Night has been involved with, it's the story that doesn't quite do it. There's no new ground being broken, and the characters are okay at best. And the themes have already been explored ad nauseum by the genre. In the end, I'm still a fan of who will be one of the great directors of our time. Here's hoping his next film puts him back in the director's chair and his work back on top.

2 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Frozen

2011-01-18T13:09:00.000-08:00

Now let me preface this review by saying that Frozen is a "B" movie, and thus the standards to which it should be held are a little lower in some areas. That being said, what it accomplishes with it's limited resources is in fact quite impressive.

Three college students head out to the slopes to blow off some steam and escape the daily grind of academic life. As they are short on cash, Dan (Kevin Zegers) convinces his girlfriend Parker (Emma Bell) to flirt with the lift operator and offer him some cash to let them ski without passes. She succeeds and the two of them plus Dan's best friend Joe (Shawn Ashmore) carve the slopes til closing. And that's where it gets interesting. The three convince the lift operator to let them have one last run down the hill before the resort closes. Through a series of events and distractions, mainly the lift operator being called away and replaced by another gent unfamiliar with what they look like, the friends end up halfway up the slope when the lift is shut down.

It's just a glitch and they'll restart in a few minutes, right? When the resort shuts down all the lights on the slopes, the three a left hanging in the frigid wind. And did I mention it's Sunday night and the resort doesn't open again until Friday. From there, the film unfurls in a series of what would you do moments. It's one of those thrillers that has you yelling at the screen about what to do and what not to do. The three struggle to stay warm and stay sane as they figure out what to do. And if they will ever get off the mountain, or even the chair lift.

That ever present tension is what makes this film successful. It engages the audience fully and has us wrapped up in the situation these characters are facing. We sympathize, feel, and root for the characters. We are interested and want to see what's going to happen to them. And for most viewers the overall situation will stick with them and is something they'll talk about after the credits roll. That being said, the directing is adequate, although it's a little heavy-handed trying to setup suspense early on. Acting is a little better than the typical B movie, but not stellar by any means. And my main gripe with realism stems from the behavior of the, shall we say, protagonists of the film. Putting all that aside though, Frozen is a intriguing film that grips the viewer and doesn't let go til the chilling conclusion.

3 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Despicable Me

2011-01-13T17:49:00.000-08:00

What would happen if Dr. Evil were crossed with Daddy Warbucks? That's the question the animated tale Despicable Me attempts to answer. Gru, voiced by Steve Carrell, is a down-on-his-luck villain with a cash-flow problem. He comes up with fantastic grandiose ideas, but few of them bring in any money. And his latest plan involves stealing a shrink-ray gun in order to shrink and steal the moon. But the bank won't loan him any money until he has the shrink-ray gun. So, Gru and his minions, fast-talking little yellow...things, purloin the gun only to have it swiped by another super-villain named Vector (Jason Segal).

Now, Gru has no money and no shrink-ray gun. He has to figure out how to get into Vector's fortress and grab it back. After some comedically pathetic attempts to sneak in, Gru observes three little girls selling cookies get invited right in. Light bulb. He discovers the girls are orphans and convinces the head of the orphanage to let him adopt them. But of course, things don't work out for Gru exactly as planned. The adorably cute girls run roughshod all over Gru's lair and keep him from working on his rocket ship. But the under-loved Gru also experiences the unconditional love of a child. And after he gets back his shrink-ray gun and completes his rocket he's faced with his biggest challenge ever - deciding what he really wants, the glory or the girls.

The voice acting is well-cast and well-executed. Directing and animation highlight a nicely developed story and often hilarious characters. And it would take a robot not to be affected by the youngest orphan girl asking if anyone came by to adopt them while they were gone. My only knock on the movie would have to be that some of the content (guns, shrink-rays) is more adult, and therefore pushes the audience age up a bit. Overall, the film is a little bit Annie, a little bit Austin Powers, and a lot of laughs.

4 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Scott Pilgrim vs The World

2011-01-10T18:08:00.000-08:00

This is one of those love it or hate it movies. If you like comic books, video games, and graphic novels you'll probably love it. If you're currently googling the words graphic novel you probably won't like it. Scott Pilgrim vs The World is a film for the video game generation. It's a hyper-kinetic hybrid of boy meets girl and boy battles girls exes to video game style to win true love.

Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) has been in a rut ever since he got dumped by the hot lead singer of a local band. He's in a band himself, and uses that fact to find a new girl. And to get the girl he lowers his standards and starts dating high schooler Knives Chau (Ellen Wong) who worships the ground he walks on. He's got someone who follows him wherever he goes, much to the chagrin of his bandmates, but he's still not really in love. Until he meets Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winsted), the blue-haired mystery girl. After an awkward introduction, Scott manages to fanagle a date with a reluctant Ramona. But her reluctance soon fades when she gets to know Scott, and reveals she's recently ended a relationship and needs a nice guy in her life. But after their first date, Scott Pilgrim is ambushed by a guy he's never met and must defeat him like Bowser in Super Mario Bros. Thus begins Scott's quest to battle the Seven Evil Exes of Ramona Flowers.

The movie is competently written and well acted by a good, if not stellar, young cast. The film's dry humor especially, is well-executed. But it's the direction and cinematography that stand out. For those familiar with said comics and games you'll recognize the stylistic action and comic panel-esque set shots. It fits the genre, tone, and storyline to a tee and is a testament to the director, Edgar Wright. Ultimately though, it's the average story and mediocre character development that leave room for improvement in this motion picture. See if you're first in line when a new gaming console drops. Pass if you think PS3 is for the third line after the closing of a letter.

2.5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Exit Through the Gift Shop

2011-01-05T11:32:00.000-08:00

What is street art? That could have been the question this film addressed by presenting the undercover lives of the world's biggest street artists through the eyes of a filmmaker who has never made a film - Thierry Guetta. Instead the question viewers will be left with is - What is a documentary? and more importantly - Is Exit Through the Gift Shop a documentary?

Theirry Guetta is a french clothing store owner living in Los Angeles and making pretty good money upselling vintage clothing to the rich. What's unique about Theirry is he's never without his camcorder. He videotapes everything. And on a break back home in Paris he discovers that his cousin is a street artist named Space Invader. Does he simply spray graffiti on a brick wall? No, that's not what street artists are about. They elevate graffiti to a whole 'nother level. Invader's trademark is leaving pixelated depictions of characters from the game Space Invaders all over the world using tiles from Rubik's Cubes. Now, Guetta has a fascinating new world to film instead of the mundaneness of everyday life. And he becomes obsessed. Soon, he's filming street artists all over France through contacts of his cousin. He convinces Invader to come visit him in LA and documents his art in this new venue. Then, he encounters Los Angeles' most notorious street artist in Shepard Fairey, who becomes a key contact for Guetta.

Sometime later and after years of documenting street art Thierry is missing one prize trophy for his documentary footage. Banksy. The world's most high-profile yet unknown street artist. Everyone knows his work, but nobody knows what he looks like. His art has delighted followers and angered authorities for years all over Great Britain. His often statement-making art even showed up in Palestine on the wall separating the West Bank and Israel. When Banksy decides to stage a show of his work in LA, Shepard Fairey points him in the direction of Thierry to be his guide around the city. The two eventually become acquainted enough for Banksy to let him film him incognito both in LA and back home in Great Britain. The world's best is finally documented. So, this "filmmaker" can make this documentary he's been archiving footage for. And when he presents his documentary to Banksy for review his path changes. It's terrible. He's only filmed for years and never edited a single frame. And it shows. Banksy proposes Thierry try his hand at street art and put on his own show while he works more on the documentary. And the last part of the movie is a fascinating ride as we follow Thierry as he becomes Mr. Brainwash - a renowned street artist who sells $1 million worth of art at his first show. That's quite the turn for this documentary. And the question of the film arises - Is this real?

The question surrounding the film makes this documentary all the more intriguing. Is the story of Theirry Guetta real? Or is this an elaborate Banksy hoax? Arguments abound on both sides of the fence and can be found all over the internet. And potential Oscar nominations will only further the hype. Did Banksy create this character who becomes a $1 million selling street artist only to show how street art is being commercialized and people will buy what they are told is good art or the next big thing? Or was the documentary real and Banksy simply documented a sociological experiment that grew beyond his wildest dreams. The film doesn't answer these questions. What it does though, is bring the viewer into this compelling underground world of street art and leaves you wondering about the art of the film itself. Is it Banksy's elaborate comment on consumerism and the easily brainwashed art comunity? A prankumentary if you will. Regardless, it's an entertaining and fascinating motion picture.

4 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

True Grit

2011-01-02T09:41:00.000-08:00

The Coen Brothers latest yarn might be their most accessible to date. Those who are not normally fans of the talented duo should find this film more of an entry-level Coen production. Not as dark, violent, or odd as most of their other works. Sort of Coen Brothers-Lite. That's not to say they've lost their edge or razor sharp wit. In fact, the western True Grit is one of their best motion pictures to date. And that's despite the fact that it's a remake in a Hollywood environment filled with remakes, re-imaginings, and retreads. But in typical Coen Brothers fashion their film stands on its own.

Fourteen year old Mattie Ross (played well by newcomer Hailee Steinfeld) is a take-charge spitfire looking for revenge. Her father was killed by outlaw Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), who stole his horse, his money, and fled to the nearby Indian country. Mattie arranges for her father's transportation home and burial. Yet she doesn't return home herself. She barters her way into recouping $300 of her father's assets and hires the toughest Marshall in town, Rueben "Rooster" Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), to track down her father's killer. Mattie also encounters Labeouf (Matt Damon), an overconfident and in-love-with-the-sound-of-his-own-voice Texas Ranger who has been trailing Chaney for months for the murder of a Texas politician.

Cogburn and Labeouf strike up a deal to capture Chaney and split the reward money offered in Texas. And they also plan to leave Mattie behind. But stubborn and resourceful Mattie knocks over the ferry operator and swims her horse across the river to run them down. From then on the two have to respect Mattie's insistence on seeing her father's killer brought to justice. The film takes us on an wild journey through the Native American territory in the pursuit of that justice. And in the end young Mattie will learn about the complexity of revenge and the dangers of life.

Joel and Ethan Coen have crafted a western in a fashion only they could. It's intriguing, odd, and yet still true to the genres rules of good versus bad and upholding justice at all costs. The movie is engaging throughout and has the hilarious banter that is the trademark of a Coen film. The feel and directing are spot on and the acting is phenomenal. Bridges and Damon deliver in their own unique ways, and Hailee Steinfeld does more than just stand her ground with her much more experienced counterparts. If you like the Coen Brothers, or westerns, or just great character-driven movies that you owe it to yourself to see True Grit.

5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Daybreakers

2010-12-21T13:21:00.000-08:00

Vampires are all the rage these days. I enjoy a good vampire tale myself, so I was looking forward to something with vampires that don't sparkle. Daybreakers has a sort of Matrix-esque feel to it with it's futuristic world being overrun by the night stalkers while the few remaining humans are in hiding. Vampires are the majority and farm humans for their blood. But their supply is running out and their only hope is that Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke), chief hematologist, can create a synthetic blood substitute. And the need grows even more dire when it's discovered that as people begin to starve they transform into a more animalistic version of a vampire, "sub-suckers," that attack other vampires.

Edward is of course not your average vampire. He has refused to feed on human blood and has a sympathy for the way they are being treated. He wants to find a blood substitute so that vampires will no longer need to rely on humans for blood and the species can be saved from extinction and preserved. However, his boss Charles Bromley (Sam Neill) only seeks to find a synthetic version for the monetary possibilities of a blood substitute for the masses and the real thing for those who are willing to pay. When Edward has a chance encounter with a band of humans, his and his company's disparate ideas diverge even further. Elvis Cormac (Willem Dafoe) is a former vampire. And when he relates his transformation story to Edward he realizes there's hope for something even better than a blood substitute - a cure.

The story and premise are more intelligent than you average vampire film, but unfortunately this motion picture falls apart in the execution. The acting is decent enough with a solid cast of veteran performers. The dialogue, however, is flat and at times too expository. The direction was nothing to write home about either, with shots that linger a little too long, most notably during a poor attempt to invoke emotion from the audience when Bromley's defiant daughter is dragged into the sun. And what could have been a smart story that involves vampires turned into a typical genre bloodbath. Vampires explode in a bloody mess and blood gushes out of bodies like geysers. Gore is all well and good, but the trend of the last decade for uber-gore crosses the line to ridiculous. And why would a sub-sucker have super strength when it's weakened from blood starvation? Not to mention spill out gallons of blood when its stomach is cut open? All we're left with is a movie not worth remembering. And that's never good.

1.5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Letters to Juliet

2010-12-17T14:27:00.000-08:00

Not many people know there is a wall in Verona, Italy where people can attach letters they've written to Juliet Capulet, the titular tragic heroine from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The belief being that she is some sort of Goddess of Love. Tales of woe, scorned love, and pleas for advice are all collected from the wall each day by the Secretaries of Juliet who dutifully answer every last one.

When Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) and her fiance travel to Verona on a pre-wedding honeymoon of sorts, Sophie is often left to fend for herself. A little too often. Her betrothed, Victor (Gael Garcia Bernal), is a chef and restauranteur about to open his first establishment back in NYC, an Italian eatery. Inevitably, the culinary wonders and vineyards of Italy are too hard to resist and Victor attends wine auctions and learns cooking secrets from Mama Italia, your stereo-typical home-cooking Italian mother. Sophie sees the sights and curiously follows the woman who collects the "Letter to Juliet". She befriends the secretaries and helps them collect the letters the next day where she uncovers a loose brick which contains a 50 year old letter. Sophie is struck by the story of Claire (Vanessa Redgrave) who left Italy without one last meeting with her true love Lorenzo. She wonders whatever happened to these two lovers and decides to answer the letter. Much to her surprise Claire and her grandson track her down in Italy and they all begin a quest to find her lost Lorenzo.

The film provides a solid premise and basis for romance set in the stunning landscape of Italy. It's go all the elements of win. Yet it fails. The characters, with the exception of Claire and Sophie, are one-dimensional, the relationships are under-developed and rushed, and the story is as predictable as turkey on Thanksgiving Day. And a major point of contention with my wife was the costuming, particularly of Sophie. It was atrocious, which is a waste when you have the striking qualities and...assets shall we say of Seyfried. Waste is a good word. In the end, the film felt like a waste of what could have been.

2 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Grown Ups

2010-12-12T15:41:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just want a good laugh. I was hoping, fingers crossed, that the latest Happy-Madison Production would do just that. It's another Adam Sandler-starrer where he's paired with a way-too-hot-to-be-with-him beauty (Salma Hayek) and some sort of comic hijinx arise. In this iteration, Sandler and his pals, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, and Kevin James are all grade-school buddies who played on a championship basketball team together. It was the best time of their life and the coach was a mentor to them all. And when he dies, the friends all come together to remember him and reconnect at the lake cabin where they celebrated their championship victory.

Inevitably, all the characters have led very different lives that have brought them to very different places. Of course, they all have their issues to work out as well. Sandler works too much and his family-life suffers for it. Rock is an emasculated house-dad whose wife steps all over him. Spade is an aging playboy who has yet to grow up. Schneider falls in love too easily and struggles to connect to his daughters. And James lost his job and is looking for a direction to move forward.

Everyone's got a story. Check. They each have their issues. Check. Add some laughs. Check. Resolve it all by getting the grown ups to grow up. Check. Sounds like a formula because it is formulaic. A little too mathematical. It's got all the parts, but unfortunately the sum of all the parts just isn't that great. It's lazy writing. There are no challenges or surprises for the audience. Nothing unique. Yes, there are a few yuks to be had. But some more effort developing the concept and story would've made a mediocre film at least good. I mean there is more than one occassion in the motion picture where it felt like you were watching 5 stand up comedians trade one-liners on stage. They weren't integrated into the story at all. So, why would an audience feel into the story either?

1.5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Greenberg

2010-12-03T13:31:00.000-08:00

Ben Stiller stars as forty-something Roger Greenberg, a just released from the mental hospital carpenter who decides to house-sit for his brother Phillip. He's more than just that though. Greenberg's a certified jerk. He's selfish, a bit obsessive-compulsive, and has no regard for the feelings of others. There's only one opinion in life - his - and he'll be sure to share it with you. You know that filter most of us have that kicks in to keep us from saying things we shouldn't say? Yeah, Roger doesn't have that.

And as a result, Roger doesn't have much of anything going in his life. His only family is vacationing in Vietnam, which is the only reason he's visiting. And that family is bitter that he did not come home when his mother passed away. His friends, if you can call them that, still hold a grudge for costing them a recording contract when they played in a band together. He's got no job and no direction in life. And he's okay with that. Unfortunately for Florence, she finds that fascinating. Florence is Phillip and family's personal assistant. And while their away she agrees to check in and help out Roger. Their awkward introduction develops into an even more awkward relationship. Florence's mid-twenties naivety and loneliness plays into Roger's overbearingness and vulnerability. He's mean and insensitive, and says he doesn't want to be with her. Yet, he keeps involving her in his life. And she has some masochistic desire to be with him even though she knows he's an ass. All this plays out in Greenberg as we wait to find out if Roger will finally get a clue, grow up, and do something with his life.

Disappointingly, there's not much of a resolution to it all in the film. You watch this character, who yes may be interesting, but is in no way sympathetic. You don't find yourself rooting for him. In fact, you kind of get sick of him and by default bored with the film. You want this poor girl to run the other way and not be manipulated by this self-centered headcase. And by the end of the story, you're not even sure if the headcase has cleared his head. It's a character film with an irredeemable character. Noah Baumbach appears to have missed on this one.

2 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

The Best of Leslie Nielsen

2010-11-30T20:14:00.000-08:00

You don't know who Leslie Nielsen is? Surely, you can't be serious. Well, Nielsen's response would be, "I'm am serious, and don't call me Shirley." A fantastic comedic actor left our world in Leslie Nielsen on November 28th, 2010. He will be greatly missed. As he was a part of the world of film, we are lucky enough to have permanent recordings of his work. And his work, of course, is a little piece of him.

As a personal favorite of mine, I'm indebted for the countless hours of laughing hysterically at his deadpan delivery. Leslie's the undisputed King of Deadpan. He's delivered more unforgettable and quotable lines with impeccable comedic timing than any other actor I can think of. And many people don't realize he was a straight dramatic actor long before he became legendary in funny. So, let's fondly remember his hilarity with the Best of Leslie Nielsen in two parts:

Leslie Nielsen's Most Memorable Lines:

"Nice Beaver." (You just have to see this one) ~ The Naked Gun
"Like a blind man at an orgy, I was gonna have to feel my way out." ~ Naked Gun 33 1/3
Striker: "Surely, you can't be serious?"
Rumack: "I am serious and don't call me Shirley." ~ Airplane
"Like a midget at a urinal, I was going to have to stay on my toes." ~ Naked Gun 33 1/3
Agent 0-0: "I'm going in there."
Female Agent: "That's crazy!"
Agent 0-0: "No, crazy is walking down the street with half a cantaloupe on your head muttering 'I'm a hamster, I'm a hamster'." ~ Spy Hard
Frank: "Now, Jane, what can you tell us about the man you saw last night?"
Jane: "He's Caucasian."
Ed: "Caucasian?"
Jane: "Yeah, you know, a white guy. A moustache. About six-foot-three."
Frank: "Awfully big moustache." ~ Naked Gun 2 1/2

Leslie Nielsen's Best Films:

A Few Clips to Enjoy:

Adam

2010-11-23T18:03:00.000-08:00

This little of the beaten path indie comedy was a pleasant surprise. Adam (Hugh Dancy) is an electronics engineer who just lost his father. He's vulnerable and alone when a new girl moves into his apartment complex. Beth (Rose Byrne) is a children's book writer looking to move on from her previous relationship and get a fresh start. The two meet and Beth is intrigued. There's something different about Adam, but she can't quite put her finger on it. He's nice and invites her in to see his amazing planetarium. But Adam's also a little clueless when he sits idly on the front steps as Beth struggles to bring in her groceries.

As Beth and the audience soon discover though, Adam suffers from Asperger's Syndrome. It's a form of Autism that affects his social interactions and ability to relate to other people. Being out in public is a major challenge for Adam. He's whip smart, but doesn't realize when he's overwhelming people when he overshares on the intricacies of telescopes. And Adam also gets uncomfortable if there's too much stimulation in his environment. But it's his inability to understand others and what or how they think that presents his biggest challenge.

Beth is reluctant to start a relationship with Adam at first. But the more she understands him the closer they get. Her ability to break him out of his habits and force him to think about other people's feelings is actually helping him deal with his syndrome. However, when his syndrome is pushed a little too far and a trust is broken Adam flips out and scares Beth. Adam is back on his own and must decide and challenge himself to determine if this relationship and his life will move forward.

Adam is a moving and well-crafted yarn. It's a new spin on the romantic comedy genre that does a great job of never feeling like a romantic comedy. The acting is solid as well, but if I have one knock on the film it is the directing. The movie is framed, edited, and structured well enough, but there are a few missteps. Some of the shots are a little cliched. The final shot morphing from a daylight panorama over the mountains into a night sky over the mountains comes off a little corny. It's a little too perfect. And clearly trying to do snow-covered streets stretched the budget a little too far. The flakes looked okay, but the snow on the streets of New York looked like white pillow batting or maybe the whips of meringue on top of a pie. You could of done the same shots without showing the actor's feet. These are but minor quibbles though from an overall worth-watching motion picture.

4 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

The Joneses

2010-11-16T18:11:00.000-08:00

There is this great movie you should see. It's so fantastic you shouldn't just see it, you should buy it. Drop whatever you're doing (after you finish reading this blog) and go to the nearest store and purchase it. It's that good. Did I sell you? Did I convince you to run out and buy the film? That's what The Joneses is all about.

Imagine handsome and successful Steve Jones (David Duchovny), his smoking hot wife Kate Jones (Demi Moore), and their two children move into your neighborhood. Their house is a gorgeously decorated palace. Their cars are the latest and greatest in luxury automotive design. Their clothes are impeccable. And they're good at everything. You want what they have don't you? You want to keep up with the Joneses.

Now imagine they're not really married. The attractive daughter and dashing son are not theirs. And they don't actually own anything. They're all salesmen. Or saleswomen. A marketing firm has planted them in the neighborhood and given them the latest gadgets, technology, etc. to promote. Only they don't sell directly to you. They simply plant the want, the desire, the need to have what they have and then wait for the sales of those products to climb. It's highly unethical, but it's also kind of brilliant. And it's also a brilliant idea for a motion picture.

The movie is entertaining while still making its point. It's a funny, but also sad tale of consumerism gone bad. The directing is spot on, the acting is solid, and the writing is inventive and multi-layered. What's particularly creative is the shifting character roles as the fake family begins to act more and more like a real family.

4 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Chloe

2010-11-15T11:04:00.000-08:00

Chloe is an interesting take on the obsession-thriller. There's a dynamic to the relationships in this love triangle that's very atypical of the genre. Catherine (Julianne Moore) is a doctor married to college professor David (Liam Neeson) whom she suspects of infidelity. Their marriage is not what it once was, and when David misses his flight home for his birthday Catherine is upset as she planned a surprise party that he never made. And when she sees a text from a female student thanking him for last night she's worried he's cheating.

A chance meeting in a restaurant bathroom puts an idea in Catherine's head. She wants to put her husband to the test so she hires young, sultry call girl Chloe (Amanda Seyfried) to pose as a student and engage her husband. So, Chloe initiates contact, but tries to let David be the pursuer. And after each liason she reports back to Catherine what happens. Catherine is caught between wanting to know and not wanting to know. But she has to find out. And the more things progress the more she and Chloe become closer.

It's this relationship between the two of them, and subsequently David, which makes the film as a whole very intriguing. Catherine wants to discover not only if, but why her husband is cheating. She sees Chloe as youth and beauty, and herself as aging and not attractive. And after Chloe and David finally do make love, Catherine feels a new connection with Chloe. Chloe can express what it's like to be touched, held, and loved by her husband. Something she has not been able to feel for a long time. This bizarre situation creates an emotional and intimately charged atmosphere between the two that leads to consequences of dire proportions. The motion picture takes some fascinating twists and turns as it comes to a climactic conclusion in the true vein of an obsession-style thriller.

And that's my main gripe with the movie - the ending. Don't get me wrong it does conclude the story and complete the character arcs. However, since the setup and the execution were more unique and engaging that the typical film of this genre, I would've like to see a more original ending. That being said, the writing and dialogue are superb, the directing and cinematography are intimate and seductive, and the acting is top notch. Chloe is a phenomenal character-driven study of love, lust, and an aging marriage.

4 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

New and Improved Blog

2010-11-11T20:48:00.000-08:00

My weeks long migration from godaddy's Quick Blogcast to Blogger is finally complete. I couldn't find a way to get a mass export and import to work, so I had to copy and paste by hand...I know, horrible right? But I made it through it and now every last post of Scripted Life is up on Blogger. But wait there's more!

I also made some improvements utilizing some of the advantages of Blogger as well as some innovations of my own. I hope you'll enjoy these upgrades to the blog:

Categories - Movie review blog posts are now categorized by genre. Easy to find what you're in the mood for.
Links - Actors, Writers, Directors, and Films covered in posts are linked to IMDB - the Internet Movie Database.
Trailers - Video trailers are embedded into the blog post for the movie being reviewed.
Netflix - Use the Add to Netflix link to put the movie being reviewed into your queue.

I'm most excited about the trailers and Add to Netflix bubble. When you hover over the Add to Netflix link, a window will popup allowing you to add the film to your DVD or Instant Queue if available. Love it!

And in honor of the new and improved Scripted Life blog, below is my short film Book 'Em, appearing on this blog for the first time. Enjoy!

The Social Network

2010-11-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

This film had high critical reviews across the board, so I had high expectations. I'm happy to report that it did not disappoint. From the first frame, the film felt comfortable in the capable hands of screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men, The West Wing). Mark Zuckerberg is the computer programming genius behind Facebook, and the film follows the fast, yet turbulent rise of the site and its creator.

Book smart Mark is often too intelligent for his own good when it comes to social interaction. And the harsh dumping by his college girlfriend leads to a drunken motivation to get revenge. Mark blogs about the breakup while simultaneously hacking into Harvard School servers to develop Facemash, a website that takes the dormitory facebook pictures (a sort of student directory with pics) of female students and pits them against one another to determine who's hotter. The stunt gets Mark in trouble with the school but also attracts the attention of upperclassmen in an elite members only club.

The Winklevoss Twins have an idea for a school social interaction website with profiles of students called Harvard Connection. The recognize Marks programming skills and hire him to help develop the site. But while Mark begins to analyze the site and brainstorm, he and best friend Eduardo Saverin stumble upon an even better idea. Mark begins to work on his own site and take the Harvard Connection idea to a whole new level.

And thus, Facebook is born. It starts at Harvard and rapidly grows to more and more schools. Soon the Winklevoss Twins get wind of this site and are furious that their idea has been stolen. They attempt to shut down the site, but to no avail. Enter lawsuit #1. Facebook is too large and Mark and Eduardo have a monster on their hands. When Napster creator Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) seeks out Mark to offer his advice on how to monetize the site, a rift is born between Eduardo and Mark. Eventually Parker is able to get a meeting with a major investor and big money is about to exchange hands. Everyone's happy until Eduardo finds out why you should always read the fine print. After a stock restructuring, Eduardo's healthy stock share dwindles to less than one percent. Enter lawsuit #2.

The film follows a staggered timeline as we shift from Mark in legal depositions facing Eduardo Saverin as well as the Winklevoss Twins back to the origin story of the Facebook website. Will the creator of the largest social networking site and the reason the phrase "Friend me" exists end up with any friends? Therein lies the emotional core of the movie as it follows Mark's struggle to deal with a breakup, success and newfound fame, and how to balance business and friendships. It's an intriguing journey that is well-paced and dynamitely acted, especially Jesse Eisenberg in the lead role. But it's definitely the story, hyper-frenetic dialogue, and overall writing that help the motion picture truly shine.

5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Remember Me

2010-10-26T19:03:00.000-07:00

Remember Me is a bit of a surprise. Both in how it ends, and how good it is. Tyler Hawkins (Twilight's Robert Pattinson) is in many ways your typical New York college student. Except he's extremely guarded and a bit self-destructive. But he also has a huge heart. When someone outside a club gets jumped by a group of guys Tyler steps into the fray. And when the Police Sargeant on the scene ignores his pleas to free the innocent party, he winds up in jail for resisting arrest.

When his roommate encounters the Sgt. Neil Craig dropping off his daughter at college he urges Tyler to pursue her and get some sort of revenge. Tyler shrugs off the idea, but can't resist approaching her anyway. Ally Craig (Lost's Emilie de Ravin) is initially disinterested, but is eventually intrigued when Tyler shows he's not like other guys. The two go on a bizarre series of dates and begin to get serious when they discover they share a common bond. Tyler recently lost his brother to suicide, and Ally lost her mother to a mugger when she was a child. That revelation strengthens their relationship until Ally's Police Chief father finds out who her new boyfriend is and Tyler's secret is out. The relationship is challenged and comes to a resolution in one final twist of fate.

The film is dramatic and unexpected, a credit to the screenwriting of Will Fetters. The central theme of loss, forgiveness, and enjoying life to the fullest is treated with care and respect. It never crosses the line to melodrama or plays with your emotions. The acting is exceptional as well with Pattinson and de Ravin, in addition to Chris Cooper as Sgt. Neil Craig and Pierce Brosnan as Tyler's father Charles Hawkins. It's a romantic ride with an emotional twist of an ending you will not see coming.

3.5 out of 5

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Film Details on IMDB

The Kids Are All Right

2010-10-04T12:12:00.000-07:00

In the struggle to bring independent fare to the nation's theaters it seems like the safe bet of late is to make an emotional drama with a heavy comedy tilt. Think Little Miss Sunshine or Juno. Great independent movies that are critically acclaimed and loved by audiences which eventually catch enough steam to make the switch to the multiplex. In both of these cases you can add academy award winning to the description as well. The Kids Are All Right, starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, and Mark Ruffalo, could be considered the next entry in that trend.

Lesbian couple Nic (Bening) and Jules (Moore) have raised two wonderful children, Joni and Laser. Joni's about to head to college and Laser's struggling to find himself amongst his high school buddies. It's a loving family environment no different than any other family in America. Except Laser, and to a lesser extent Joni, are curious about their biological father. Nic and Jules found an anonymous donor at the sperm bank and now that Joni is 18 she can request contact if the donor is willing.

Paul, a free-spirited organic restauranteur, is taken by surprise with the request yet curious as well. He agrees to meet the kids and they share a connection over dinner at his restaurant. Nic and Jules find out about Joni and Laser's rendezvous and are hurt. But they agree to have him over for dinner. Thus begins a tumultuous relationship between Paul and this family. It's biologically his family, but it's not his family. And that's the interesting journey the film explores in the unusual set of circumstances surrounding this situation. The directing is solid, the acting superb, and the writing is witty and intriguing in its exploration of family and relationships.

4 out of 5

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Film Details on IMDB

Kick Ass

2010-09-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

It is what it is. Intriguing premise, written and directed well enough, but overly violent and cringe-inducing. A geeky high school nobody decides to do what no one else ever has. Become a real life superhero. He and countless others read the comics and watch the superhero movies, but no one has ever tried to don a costume and become a real life superhero. Enter Kick Ass. The creation of Dave Lizewski in response to his mugging-ridden uncaring New York environment. Someone needs to stick up for the people, and it's going to be Kick Ass. Can this be good?

Of course uncoordinated nerd Dave gets his...well, ass kicked. He even attempts to stop a car theft and gets stabbed. But when he manages to ward off 3 attackers trying to pummel a man in the street, a group of onlookers captures it on video. And when that video gets uploaded to youtube Kick Ass becomes a folk hero. His rising profile attracts the interest of a couple of like-minded crime fighters with a hidden agenda to exact revenge on a crime boss. When they begin attacking this crime syndicate Kick Ass's high profile superhero is mistakenly blamed. Now, it's gotten real. And people are dying. Will Dave get out? Or will Kick Ass continue to dole out justice?

Kick Ass is a solid enough movie. The premise of average joe's donning costumes and fighting crime should be ripe for a lot of interesting action and plenty of comedy. Of which this film has little. It's all violent head shots and sliced appendages. I can handle violence, but when an 11 year old girl, dubbed Hit Girl, is gunning down perps execution-style and hacking off limbs with no remorse it becomes hard to stomach. And the scene where she's followed by the camera 1st person shooter style does little to combat the video games promote violence angle. It just felt creepy since there isn't really a moral core to justify it. And I know it's based on a graphic novel. But do all graphic novels have to be so graphic?

2 out of 5

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Film Details on IMDB

She's Out of My League

2010-09-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

She's Out of My League is a pleasant surprise. A classic nerd gets the girl tale in the vein of Superbad, American Pie et al. Except in this iteration they manage to walk the fine line I've discussed before between edgy humor and crass sophomoric comedy. There aren't f-words every sentence and gratuitous shots of some bodily function. Although the one scene that could have been adjusted a little and still been hilarious involves a male-centric bodily function and an animal. Having the dog simply chase him or keep pestering him would have been enough for the scene to work. On the other hand, the writers/director tread close to the line without crossing it to brilliant hilarity in a scene of male bonding over manscaping. It was a perfect use of not showing with perfect camera angles that pays off big time. And the barbershop-style actions are priceless comedy gold. And fortunately, that's the side this film stays on for the duration.

Molly (Alice Eve) is the "Hard 10" who Kirk, the "Hard 5", falls for. He's the geeky TSA agent who jumps to her defense from an overzealous security screener. When she forgets her phone in the x-ray scanner bin the door is opened to Kirk for another chance to see her. Never believing she'd be interested in him, consummate nice guy Kirk agrees to meet her at an art gallery event and return her phone. Molly is so grateful she offers him and a friend hockey tickets to repay his kindness. Little does Kirk or his friend realize that Molly is inviting them for a double-date. Unfortunately, nobody believes Molly would ever be with Kirk, including Kirk. A point both of them will have to come to grips with in order for them to be together.

It's a motion picture worth seeing if you like these kinds of comedies. You kind of know what you're getting into, except in this case you can feel more comfortable knowing it's not a gross-out shock value comedy. It's obvious Alice Eve is newer to acting, this being her biggest role to date, but Jay Baruchel, T.J. Miller, and especially Nate Torrence (think squealing VW commercial guy) do a great job of bringing the comedy. And the manscaping scene made me laugh harder than I have in a long time.

3.5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Book 'Em Screening

2010-09-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks again to everyone involved in Book 'Em. The screenings August 13th at 5:15pm @ Hennepin County Central Library went very well. It was a lot of fun to see the finished film up on the "big screen" and sit amongst an audience viewing it for the first time. It was very rewarding to hear the laughs and applause. After being so close to the film writing, shooting, and editing it, I sort of lost perspective on whether it was funny or not. So, it was nice to see people get some of the lines and bits that were thought up in the writing stage where you never know how an audience will react.

Although Book 'Em did not take home any awards from the 2010 Quiet on the Set Gala on August 15th at 7pm @ Uptown Theatre, it was a great experience none-the-less. I'm happy with the final cut, and learned a lot from the process. It's amazing how much goes into making a 5 minute film, which gives a renewed respect for the work involved to bring a feature-length film to the screen. I definitely look forward entering the competition again next year.

Look for Book 'Em to be uploaded to youtube.com soon. Visit pinupfilms.com or find Pinup Films on facebook.com to be in the loop.

Whip It

2010-08-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

Drew Barrymore's first foray into directing brings us the girl-centric roller derby themed Whip It. The films follows Bliss Cavendar (Juno's Ellen Page), a timid, lonely high schooler looking for a more out of life than small-town Texas has to offer. She doesn't really fit in with the football country lifestyle so prominent in this part of the world. She's into punk rock and dying her hair blue. Which contradicts her mother's dream of making her a debutant and beauty pageant queen.

When her mom allows her to go shopping in a "alternative" store for a new pair of shoes, Bliss discovers her calling. Two rocking chicks roll into the store and drop of flyers for an upcoming roller derby event. She's entranced by the girls, and after attending the derby she's hooked. And when Bliss discovers they're holding tryouts for new talent, she vows to become a derby girl. She lies to her parents and begins practicing her heart out. At the tryouts, Bliss actually impresses the coach with her speed. The problem, however, is she's not tough enough. Bliss needs to shed her timidness and embrace her punk rock side to become Babe Ruthless. Just when she's able to conquer her self-doubt and help lead the team to the championship, her secret gets out. Not only do her parents discover her double-life, but the opposing team discovers Babe Ruthless is only 17. You have to be 18 or have your parents consent. Bliss has neither, but can she get her parents to sign on?

The film is a solid entry into the sports movie pantheon with some original subject matter involving roller derby. It's decently acted and has some funny moments. But it does suffer a little in the directing department. Barrymore does an adequate job, but not a stellar one. The girl power attitude is a strong point. The treatment of love/relationships is definitely from a female perspective and ties into the movie's message nicely. However, nothing is pushed very far or challenged too much. The acting and story would've benefited from some stronger conflicts and deeper resolutions. And some of the scenes seemed to be stretched a little too long. It felt like it should've been trimmed down a bit, but the film is already shy of 90 minutes. It needed a further developed story and a little more emotional punch to truly shine.

2.5 out of 5

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Film Details on IMDB

Book 'Em is in the Can

2010-07-26T14:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I turned Book 'Em into MELSA on Monday July 19th, a couple days early. It was a great experience. I'm getting pretty good with Sony Vegas and was able to get the film down to a lean 4:59. One second to spare. I made sure to burn 2 DVD copies and play them in a DVD player to confirm they are operational. A must for any contest/festival entries because it may play fine in your laptop, but give an error on an actual DVD player.

I'm happy overall with the finished product. Not as happy as I thought I'd be though. But, I think that's a product of being so close to the film and so intensely involved with editing and the like that it's hard to step back and watch it objectively. And I'm a self-admitted perfectionist so I'm rarely satisfied with my creative endeavors since there's always room for improvement.

For a first film though, I feel it is a tremendous success. We purchased equipment on a shoestring budget, even fashioning a boom out of a golf ball retriever and some rubber bands. Shooting day went off without a hitch and we even finished ahead of schedule. Well, there was a slight hitch with the extension cable for the boom mic and we lost audio on a few takes. But I learned from it. And editing provided probably the most educational opportunity for me. I've been a part of a professional-level film shoot before, so I've experienced and learned from that. Editing, however, was a completely new adventure. And I believe my editing improved as a result of the QOTS time requirement. Being forced to get the film under 5 minutes forced me to really look at the footage and only include what was crucial to the storyline. And the resulting movie is tighter and better as a result.

Stay tuned for details on the contest results. The screenings are August 13th and 14th at the Pohlad Auditorium in the Downtown Minneapolis Library. The awards gala and winning film screenings follow that Sunday August 15th at the Uptown Theater.

Inception

2010-07-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

In a Hollywood environment that seems to be stifling creativity and uniqueness in favor of remakes, reboots, and sequels, it's encouraging to see an inventive and mentally engaging blockbuster. My trip to the theater to see Christopher Nolan's Inception reinforced this view of the current Hollywood climate. The 25 minutes of previews were highlighted by reboots like Tron: Legacy and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. However, Nolan's film is perhaps the light at the end of the mind-numbing summer-sequel-blockbuster-dud trend of recent years (See Tansformers: Revenge of the Fallen, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, et. al). Apparently it takes the clout of a bonafide writer/director stud to get anything with imagination through the greenlight these days. And with Memento, Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight to his credit Christopher Nolan is just that. And with that resume he's also clearly the kind of creative genius the industry needs, and needs to allow more writers and directors to become. But I digress.

The motion picture is a visual and mental feast. If you're looking for a mindless, popcorn movie this isn't it. You have to enter this world of dream thieves, accept it's conventions, and pay attention as you're treated to one hell of a ride. Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a dream thief. He and his team can enter the mind of anyone and access their dreams to steal ideas. And people will pay dang good money for him to do this. But what happens if someone wants to plant an idea into someone's mind? Saito, a businessman who needs his competitor weakened, is asking just that. Can it be done? Cobb and his team believe it can and they are just crazy enough to try it.

Inception takes the viewer on a wild ride of dreams within dreams and mental espionage. The visual effects are stunning and provide the best use of digital effects since The Matrix changed the landscape of film. The storyline is complex, yet deftly crafted and rewarding for the viewer that sticks with it. Nolan does an excellent job of working explanations of how this new world works into the film without insulting the intelligence of the audience. The acting is spot on, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt nailing Cobb's partner Arthur, and Ellen Page balancing the film nicely as Ariadne. One of 2010's best films.

4.5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Post-Production on Book 'Em

2010-07-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

Sony Vegas has become my best friend. Well, not really, but I do like it better than Pinnacle Pro. The interface is a little more complex, but editing functions and play back run much more smoothly. Pinnacle crashed on my PC a couple of times, and Vegas has yet to do so. At least while rendering full HD. I'll keep my fingers crossed that this continues.

Book 'Em has been slashed and arranged into about 5 1/2 minutes of comedic gold. So, I've got some cutting to do still. My main concern remains transitions and flow. I'm watching Reno 911 and watching for how they accomplish transitions and maintain the COPS like feel. Once I get the transitions down, I can add in the titles and overlays. Some of the overlays will work as transitions, so that should help a lot. Then, it's on to sound. I recorded sound effects the day after shooting so I'm pretty set there. And the only music will be as the credits roll. I figure I'm about 1/3 done, but I've been really busy. This coming week is pretty open, so I'll make my headway there and hope to turn it in a before the July 21st deadline.

Bandslam

2010-07-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

I'm not really sure how or why this film seems to have slipped through the cracks, but it's a shame it did. Bandslam is pretty much the embodiment of what a family film should be. A clean, well-written story directed with little to no sappiness and outstanding young actors. Will Burton, played perfectly by Gaelen Connell, is teased mercilessly at his school. He's a bit awkward, well who isn't in high school, and a music fanatic holed up in his own world to avoid the one outside. But when his mother gets a job in New Jersey, salvation comes in the form of a new school and a chance to start over.

Will befriends Sa5m (Vanessa Hudgens) a kindred loner spirit and his new partner for an English class project where they have to report back on who their partner really is. Things really begin to look up when Senior hottie Charlotte Banks (Alyson Michalka) asks Will to help her watch preschoolers as part of a work-study program. Sa5m warns Will not to fall for Charlotte, who has a reputation of hurting people. However, when Charlotte discovers Will's love of music and recruits him to help with her band, there's no stopping him. Will's catalog of knowledge on music pays off big time as he guides Charlotte and her band from unoriginal mediocrity to fresh and rocking entrants in the Bandslam competition. Just when things are going good for Will, a death in Charlotte's family and a broken promise to Sa5m threaten his new friendships and the future of the band. Can Will keep the band together to win Bandslam and win back Sa5m's friendship? You'll have to watch.

Writer Josh A. Cagan and writer/director Todd Graff crafted a family film with depth, intriguing characters, and believable dialogue. It's an innovative take on the high school outcast does good storyline. It's funny and compelling, a rarity in this genre of cheesiness and heavy-handed lessons. Don't get me wrong, there are lessons to learn from Bandslam, we're just not bludgeoned over the head with them. And all of that, makes this motion picture an overwhelming success.

4 out of 5

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Film Details on IMDB

Production of Book 'Em

2010-06-29T16:09:00.000-07:00

Book 'Em, my short film for the 2010 Quiet on the Set Short Film Competition made it successfully through the production stage. The cast/crew met for a read-through on Friday June 25th and filming began the next morning on Saturday June 26th. I captured the first shots around 9:30am and we pushed on through till we wrapped at about 4:00pm. Ahead of schedule. How about that? A film production that finished ahead of schedule, will wonders never cease?

Anyways, I was very happy with how everything turned out. We had a very able crew and talented actors that brought life to my characters and words. I took a quick peak at the footage and believe we have everything we need, so no further shooting necessary. Although, I learned a lesson with my guerilla-style boom mic. And that is to not rely on an inferior extension cable. The connections on the 25ft extension cable from the boom mic to the camera were intermittent on a few takes and spoiled some good audio. Early in the day I made sure to do one extra take using the camera's built in mic, but forgot to continue that trend later. I therefore have the last few takes on the day that have no audio, and they were the best takes on that scene.

Overall though, I've got what I need and Pinup Films can move on to post-production on Book 'Em. The film has rolled, and it's time to edit. Sony Vegas here I come!

Sherlock Holmes

2010-06-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

This is not your grandfather's Sherlock Holmes. In the hands of Guy Ritchie this reinvention of the classic English sleuth from 221 Baker Street becomes an action-adventure with enigmatic twists. Purists will probably be turned off by the bare-knuckle boxing and big action set pieces. But nestled in amongst all the bravado is a true-to-form Holmesian mystery (Yeah, I made that up).

When we join him, Sherlock Holmes has just caught the city of London's most evil villain Lord Blackwood. And with the capture, his partner Dr. Watson decides his crime-solving days are over and he's going to propose to his love. Already we can see this is not the dutiful sidekick or comic relief Watson of earlier cinematic interpretations. Holmes isn't happy about it either. He's cold and insincere a failed meeting with Watson's soon to be betrothed. Holmes is erratic, unpredictable, and at times a danger to himself. But he's also brilliantly deductive, incredibly inventive, and a certified genius. And although he doesn't realize it, Watson's the ying to his yang. Without him there's no balance. And when Lord Blackwood inexplicably returns from the dead after a hanging, Watson is pulled back into solving the crime he swore was his last.

Sherlock Holmes excels at reinvention of an outdated franchise. And yes, Sherlock movies are more numerous than Bond films, and thus they constitute a franchise. The writers, Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, and Simon Kinberg, did a fantastic job of culling never before used facets of Sherlock Holmes character and life and bringing them to the screen. It's a fresh and original take based on the source material and well-directed by Ritchie. But it does tread into the territory of too dark and brutal at times, which may alienate longtime fans of the detective. And that's an audience you want to be in the theater.

3.5 out of 5

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Film Details on IMDB

The Blind Side

2010-06-17T14:59:00.000-07:00

The Blind Side is a likable film. Well acted (although I'm not sure Oscar-worthy), aptly directed, and a made-for-the-movies storyline. Unfortunately, on the film critique side, it's just okay. Sandra Bullock plays Lee Ann Tuohy, a southern, wealthy belle who grows into a caring mother with uncommon humanity. She takes homeless and family-less Michael Oher into her home and under her wing. And together they make each other better than they were before.

Along the way, the abnormally large and athletic Oher joins the high school football team and is something of a phenom. With the encouragement of a new family, especially Lee Ann, Michael comes out of his shell and dominates on the football field. He's gets courted by colleges all over the country, and after making a controversial choice, he's made a name for himself and is going to college. It's a great rags to riches, coming of age story.

But it's a little too good. Or at least a little too easy, and that's where the film loses points in my book. Where's the conflict? A few minor conflicts arise during the movie, but they're resolved so fast that little tension is actually built. The motion picture plays it safe, so you never really believe there are any threats to Michael's path to college and beyond. Therefore, for a sports drama that builds to that triumphant conclusion, it feels a little less triumphant than it should.

4 out of 5

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Film Details on IMDB

Fantastic Mr. Fox

2010-06-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

I heard a lot of good things critically about The Fantastic Mr. Fox. And after viewing, I have to say I was a bit disappointed. While it is executed well by director Wes Anderson (best known for Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums), I found myself not entirely engaged. And since my wife commented that she was a little bored, I know I wasn't on my own in feeling that way.

The voice talent is superb, with George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and often Anderson-casted Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman all lending their pipes. Animation is also a strong suit of the film. The quasi-stop gap animation and unique 2d style rendering give the film a unique quality that matches Anderson's unusual and quirky style. It has all the off-kilter elements and dry humor you'd expect from one of his films, so fans will not be disappointed.

Unfortuntely, in the end it's the story that's just not that engaging. The motion picture is based on the Roald Dahl tale of the same name, thus it's essentially a children's tale. However, I found myself asking if I'm bored with my adult attention span, how on earth will children stay interested with their proclivity to wander.

2.5 out of 5

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Film Details on IMDB

Book 'Em

2010-06-13T20:44:00.000-07:00

Pinup Films, my new film making endeavor, is currently in pre-production of "Book 'Em" a short film to be entered in the 2010 Quiet on the Set Short Film Competition run by MELSA, as discussed in an earlier post. The great thing about the QOTS competition is there are $10,000 in prizes awarded and yet it's FREE to enter. How cool is that? There are very few film competitions that are free so that's a huge bonus for a starving, independent filmmaker.

Cast and crew are being recruited, locations are scouted, and the script is moving into its 3rd draft. Things are coming together and we should be ready for our target shooting dates of June 25-27. Which will leave about 3 weeks til the deadline of July 21st to edit, score, and re-shoot if necessary. Let the film roll!

Invictus

2010-06-07T16:37:00.000-07:00

The Morgan Freeman-Matt Damon starrer Invictus is set around the release of Nelson Mandela and the 1994 Rugby World Cup held in South Africa. Both are struggling involve those struggling to get to the top and do things right. Mandela is released from Robin Island prison after more than two decades of imprisonment. He's shortly thereafter elected as President of South Africa much to the joy of the black population and the chagrin of the white population as apartheid is brought to halt. It's a country that is no longer divided - officially. But in reality the people are still not united. And this is Mandela's main goal as he takes over the presidency.

Amid skeptical opposition and a microscopic review of his first term as preisdency, Mandela makes the decision to contact the captain of the rugby team. He solicits Francois Pienaar to join him in his quest to unite the country by getting everyone behind the rugby team. A rugby team that's 95% white, and dismal to say the least. But Mandela is able to pass on the idea of hope the Francois who takes it back to his team. And after a trip to teach children in the shanty towns of South Africa how to play rugby, they all are on-board to unite the country with the hope of the future in the Rugby World Cup.

Although the film plays out like the typical sports drama, it is more interesting than most due to the historical context of the place and time. Mandela is inspiring and is able to see through the politics and unite his countrymen through the love of sport. Story aside, the only knocks on the movie are it's pacing and content. It moves slowly at times and has some lengthy "caught up in the moment" shots where President Mandela shakes hands with the rugby players that feel like filler. And a motion picture that clocks in around 90 minutes shouldn't have filler. It makes the story feel stretched, and there's too much history here to need stretching.

3 out of 5

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Film Details on IMDB

The Hurt Locker

2010-06-05T11:03:00.000-07:00

I'll agree that Kathryn Bigelow should have definitely won the Oscar for Best Director for The Hurt Locker. But I'm not convinced it was the Best Film of 2009. Don't get it twisted, it is a fantastic motion picture. Original story - great acting - deftly directed. I'm just hard-pressed to put it atop the list of films for 2009 over Avatar. Big picture-wise (no pun intended), James Cameron's epic was too groundbreaking and too memorable for the audience for it not to win the ultimate honor of 2009. Let's put the comparison aside and get to the movie.

Following a bomb diffusing unit through the intensity and harrowing events of everyday life in Iraq is a brilliant backdrop for this character drama. Sgt First Class William James (Jeremy Renner) is assigned to an Army bomb squad division after it's former sargeant dies during a defusing gone awry. James is the polar opposite of his predecessor. He's all feeling and instinct, a bit of a loose cannon. Whereas the late-sargeant was a strict by-the-book squad leader. And as the film plays out we see both the strength of James' style, his willingness to throw caution to the wind and get the job done, and the weakness of it, ignoring protocol and putting himself and his squad at risk. It's an inner character battle that William James must deal with both in-country and when he returns home. And it's that conflict that provides the films intensity and suspense that keeps the audience on its toes until the end.

As I stated earlier, this is an outstanding motion picture. It's conflict, suspense, action, and character drama all wrapped into one explosive package. Bigelow's directing is superb. The opening sequence with closeup shots of the sandy road and rust-covered car are particularly innovative and stand out as directing and cinematographic genius. And it's also a refreshingly non-graphic war movie. There are some graphic scenes, but we're not getting battered over the head with blood and guts. And that makes those scenes that much more impactful. The one aspect of the motion picture that felt like a misstep, was the closing scene. I think the eye-candy hero's walk would have been fine, but combine that with the rock song that lead into the credits and it felt to action-hero like. And that doesn't ring true to the emotional core of the story.

4.5 out of 5

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Film Details on IMDB

Old Dogs

2010-05-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

There's not that much to really break down on this film, but here goes. Old Dogs is a formulaic family-oriented comedy starring John Travolta and Robin Williams as two bachelors in their 40-50s who run a sports management agency. They're successful in the business world and disasters in their personal lives. Well, maybe not disasters, but they lead very unfulfilling lives when it comes to women and families. Dan (Williams) is the a twice divorced straight and narrow partner to Charlie's (Travolta) womanizing and schmoozing salesman. They've been buddies and business partners for life.

But Dan is starting to want more and pines for his 2nd ex-wife Vicki who he married and divorced all in one crazy day in Miami. And within 24 hours of finalizing his first divorce to boot. When he reconnects with her through a heartfelt letter, a touched Vicki agrees to meet him and drops the bombshell that her two 7 year old kids are his. And when Dan hospitalizes Vicki's best friend through a freak trunk closing accident, Vicki is in a pickle. She has to serve 2 weeks in jail for protesting a chemical release into the environment and now she has no one to take care of the kids. Dan steps up to the plate and agrees to care for them. And of course comedic hijinx ensue.

Overall, the movie is not horrible. I laughed out loud multiple times. However, it is about as predictable as Patricia Arquette having a vision on Medium that someone is going to die. And there are some groaner scenes and clunker dialogue, particularly when the film treads into the sentimental zone. The line delivered by Vicki from prison over the phone to Dan at home after stepping up for the kids is expository, lazy writing, and just plain horrible. But there are some laughs.

2 out of 5

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Film Details on IMDB

The first draft of QOTS script is done...

2010-05-12T15:25:00.000-07:00

I got back into the swing of things screenwriting-wise and hammered out a first draft for the Quiet on the Set Short Film Competition. I hadn't worked on a script in awhile, but I wrote 6 pages in about 3 hours. So far, so good. Now, I just need to re-read and re-work it. I'll probably need to pare it down a bit as well, but the core scenes are there.

The required elements are all present except for the International Symbol for Library. I've got an exterior and interior library shot that incorporates the use of a library card. The symbol I think will be taken care of by costuming with a police-style badge. Then, I'll just need to work in a ECU with the badge present so viewers will be able to recognize it.

My equipment is also rolling in through UPS et al. I've got the mic, tripod, and software now so I'll need to start practicing using it. I got a little practice in with the camera at a Dyno Day for the mnmazda.com club. This footage will allow me to play around with editing on the software to get a feel for it as well.

All in all, things are rolling. Next up I need to establish a schedule for the project from beginning to end.

Quiet on the Set 2010

2010-05-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

As I've continued pursuing my passion for writing, I've often wondered about actually filming my own scripts. Now, I'm not talking about trying to make a feature-length film on my own, but rather, delving into the realm of independent short filmmaker. I've been involved in a few short films both in a writing and crew capacity and I learned a lot from both experiences.

For one, I love the collaborative process. Especially the experience brought about by taking part in the 48Hour Film Project. Just like it sounds, you get 48 hours to create, write, film, edit, and score a short film that is submitted into a citywide contest. The contests take place around the world and city winners are pitted against one another until yearly winners are decided. (For more information, see 48Hour Film Project) I joined a already existing crew on the eve of the project. But, we rallied together, produced a film (Paternoster), and had a blast viewing it during the showing at a local theater.

My other experience was strictly as a crew member for my former screenwriting professor and independent filmmaker James Byrne. (See Byrne Films) I worked on Open Wounds as a production assistant and by the end was essentially the boom operator. This was a much more traditional film set experience where everyone had their set roles and listened to what the director wanted. I still learned a lot however about the structure of a film setting as well as the setup of shots, lighting, and sound.

And now I will be continuing my short film experience by taking the helm myself for the Quiet on the Set Short Film Competition put on by MELSA, an organization representing local libraries. (See Quiet on the Set) I look forward to taking my film from concept to script to finished film to submittal in the contest. Best of all, this contest is free to enter. All you have to do is register and fulfill the contest requirements. I plan to use this blog to comment/reflect on the process as I go along so feel free to check back.

Where the Wild Things Are

2010-05-05T13:17:00.000-07:00

I'll start off by saying I never read the Maurice Sendak book. So, I viewed the film with no preconceived notions, biases, or knowledge of the story what so ever. With that said, Where the Wild Things Are struck me as a movie that lacks substance. And since the book contains something like 12 total sentences, that's probably not surprising.

Writer Dave Eggers and writer/director Spike Jonze do an admirable job of stretching the brief children's tale into a feature-length motion picture. It's not a bad movie, just not that great either. Max is a precocious little boy who doesn't have many friends. What he does have are his wildly imaginative stories. When Max encounters conflict in life he struggles to deal with it and acts out in screaming fits. The other thing he does though, is escape into his imagination. And the story launches as Max fights with his mom and runs away, both physically and into his imagination. And that's where the wild things are - his imagination. But during Max's foray into his fantasy world he soon discovers that conflict exists everywhere. And he's going to have to learn how to deal with it.

The directing and special effects of Wild Things are top notch. The creatures are wild, yet have depth and personality. The acting and voice talent is excellent as well with lots of recognizable names. But, as is often the case, a film cannot truly succeed without great writing. That's not to say the writers aren't talented, they probably did all they could with the material given to them. But the film came across the screen boring. I wasn't engaged in the story because there isn't enough substance there for a feature-length film. And if I was not engaged I can't imagine it holding the attention of its target audience - children.

2 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Gentlemen Broncos

2010-05-03T14:59:00.000-07:00

Being a fan of Napoleon Dynamite, I decided to spin Jared Hess' Gentlemen Broncos in the old DVD player. I have to say it is a weird, wild trip into the world of fantasy/scifi geekdom. Benjamin is a socially inept home-schooler who dreams of being a writer. To that end, he attends a fantasy/scifi writer's conference that pulls him out of his shell. He meets a girl, Tabitha, who thinks his story is great. With this new found confidence in his writing Benjamin submits his story to the conference's contest judged by the worshipped Chevalier (played brilliantly by Jemaine Clement). He's Benjamin's idol and his fantastical stories are loved by the conference's rubes. But Chevalier is losing his edge as he struggles to come up with new material.

Chevalier stumbles upon Benjamin's story in the stack of submissions and is instantly hooked. It's good. Really good. Benjamin returns home from the conference disillusioned with the writing world and assumes he didn't win the contest since he never received anything back. His mom needs money though, so Benjamin agrees to sell the movie rights to a local movie director. Well, as close to a movie director as they get around there. As they premiere the film, Benjamin discovers the director has taken liberties with his beloved story and is so sick he flees the theater. What happens next may be the grossest scene ever to grace celluloid...Tabitha chases Benjamin out of the theater to profess her love for him and plants a kiss on his vomit covered mouth. I'm gagging just writing that. Benjamin goes to a book store the next day with his friends, and makes a shocking discovery. The latest book from Chevalier is out and as he thumbs through the pages he finds them very familiar. It's the story he turned in at the writer's conference.

The story in and of itself has potential. Hess has found another world where his skill for the slightly off, dated, and geeky fits perfectly. But I don't think he mined the fantasy/scifi world as well as he could have. There's too little of the conference and scifi/fantasy geekiness, and too much of sequences showing what Benjamin's book would look like as a movie. It's setup early on as a way to visualize his story which is fine, but later on we see alternate versions in the actually filmed version by Benjamin's friend, and scenes as they would appear from Chevalier's stolen version of his story. The comedy aspect also did not hit the homerun that Napoleon Dynamite did. There are some laugh out loud scenes, but there are also some unfunny, gross, and WTF? scenes that kind of ruin what could have been a good thing.

1.5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Zombieland

2010-04-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I find myself in the mood for something gruesome. Not the torture porn that is the Saw franchise, but something to satisfy my morbid curiosity. And Zombieland is just that, a morbid curiosity. From the slow-motion sequence as the credits roll involving a soccer mom being hurled through the windshield of her minivan, there is no doubt the film will deliver on a gore level.

Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg, who audiences will begin to confuse with Michael Cera) is a neurotic, bumbling, college kid whose social ineptitude is best displayed by a scene involving his hot neighbor 406. Incidentally, each character name coincides with the town they are from, as nobody wants to get too close in this Zombie-infested wasteland. Columbus has managed to survive the outbreak of undeadism that has plagued the whole country by adhering to a strict set of rules. The rules are used, often to comedic effect, to help frame a loose structure around the story by showing how to survive. And it's when Columbus begins to encounter other living beings that his rules and his character begin to alter. He teams with Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a Twinkie obsessed cowboy born to kill zombies, who pulls him out of his social shell.

But it's not until the two get duped by two young women, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), that things really start to progress. The girls manage to steal their guns and their truck to make their way off to an amusement park in LA they've heard is zombie-free. This doesn't sit will with Tallahassee and Columbus is awe-struck by Wichita, so the two head off in pursuit and the mayhem is underway.

The film gets bonus points for originality in writing, directorial tone, and visuals. The rules are a brilliant touch to help structure the plot. The overall feel of the movie is spot on, sort of oddball with laughs and just the right amount of violence. Some of it is brutal, but the film does a great job of toeing the line and holding back every so often. And the opening slow-motion scene of a woman flying through the windshield is something never scene on celluloid. Or data bytes.

4 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

The Time Traveler's Wife

2010-04-12T15:10:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...Not sure how in depth I'll get on this one. While I was not expecting The Time Traveler's Wife to be a mind-blowing movie-going experience, it was disappointing even with my lowered expectations. Eric Bana as Henry and Rachel McAdams as Claire are solid enough in the lead roles of two time-crossed lovers who have the patience of a Maytag repairman. But the writing and overall story are just not that strong.

Henry discovers he can time-travel at a young age when he travels unintentionally right before an auto accident that kills his less fortunate mother. As a result, Henry's life is forever altered in more ways than one. He cannot control when he travels, which puts a damper on living and how close he can get to people. And apparently, time-travel leaves your clothes behind as well...ah the whims of the space-time continuum. Henry does begin to help out his cause though. Particularly with the love of his life Claire. After he's experienced their relationship later in his life, he begins to visit her before they ever "meet" to help encourage their connection. However, the plot thickens when Henry shows up shot one day, and they know he will die sometime in the near future.

It's a mediocre film. The direction is competent and the characters are decent, but the plot in not that engaging. We've seen time-travel storylines before, and the only thing unique here is the focus on a love story. And that's where it could've mined more conflict and interest as well. A little more focus on how difficult life would be if you rarely see each other, and more importantly never know when you will get to see each other. It's present in the film, but it needed to be used for more tension and drama. Oh and the creepiness of a naked grown man wrapped in a blanket meeting Claire at the age of like 8 in the woods didn't help either.

1.5 out of 5

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Film Details on IMDB

2012

2010-03-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

I have a background in Latin American history, and thus an interest in things related to Mayan culture. So, I decided to give 2012 a try as the premise follows the Mayan calendar's prediction that the world will end in, you guessed it, 2012. I wasn't expecting a whole lot after seeing the previews since it's promoted as a epic-style disaster movie. Unfortunately, the movie kind of is a disaster. At least when it comes to characters and originality.

Jackson Curtis (John Cusack in a WTH? role) is a published, yet not heralded author who got so wrapped up in writing his book he lost his family. His wife Kate (Amanda Peet) and their two kids now live with Gordon, a plastic surgeon who manages to be there for them when they need him. That's about all the character development we get in this film. Pretty much every other character is a one-dimensional archtype to serve the plot. From the wealthy Russian boss with the trophy wife to the cruise ship singer who tries to reconnect with the son he abandoned before it's too late, the story is littered with cliched characters.

And originality is only present in the overall premise of the motion picture. The world coming to an end just like an ancient calendar predicted is an intriguing premise. But the movie offers nothing further on that idea. It's two and a half hours long and has little to no backstory on the calendar and what it all means. Instead, we get three straight action set pieces involving Jackson and crew escaping certain destruction in an airplane as the runway crumbles behind them. The character development, plot, and action scenes seem half-hearted. Maybe that's because director/writer Roland Emmerich has been here before during Independence Day, Godzilla, and The Day After Tomorrow.

1.5 out of 5

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Paranormal Activity

2010-03-26T15:36:00.000-07:00

Blair Witch Project meets The Exorcist. This pretty much sums up Paranormal Activity. The film takes the concept of BWP's found camera footage and adjusts it to an Exorcist-like story. Although there is never an exorcism. Katie and Micah move into a home together and strange occurrences begin occurring. At first it's just unexplained noises, but then the odd happenings progress. Katie reveals that things like this have happened on and off throughout her whole life. Micah doesn't take her seriously, but he's intrigued enough to have purchased a video camera to start recording themselves in the house. Most notably leaving the camera running at night while they sleep.

As more otherworldly experiences occur, they bring in a Psychic with a specialization in ghosts. The only problem is the psychic advises them that he doesn't sense ghosts, but rather a demonic presence. Therefore, he refers them to another colleague. Disbelieving Micah convinces Katie that they can take care of this themselves, without a "demon expert." But as the nights pass the presence in the house gets more intense, the incidents become more frequent, and Katie's behavior gets bizarre. It all culminates in a one-night showdown that has a very BWP end to it.

The film's similarities to BWP work for it in both good and bad ways. The intimacy of the one camera and the first-person perspective it provides works well to increase the suspense and add to the thrills. However, there's still a been there, done that aspect that the audiences will innately feel. What's particularly similar is the pace. They're both intriguing at first, lag in the middle, and then finally ramp up to the climax. That's where the writing and story development lack. And the endings of both films will inevitably draw comparisons. The "this is their footage" aspect is identical.

2 out of 5

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The Twilight Saga: New Moon

2010-03-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not a 16 year old girl. And yes, I watched The Twilight Saga: New Moon. I've seen the first installment in the franchise Twilight, and it was actually a decent flick. So, I gave the latest vamp tale a try. This time around the love of Bella and Edward is challenged by the realities of their very different origins. Bella begins to realize she will age, and Edward will not. And why would he still want her when she's a grandma. And Edward begins to question their involvement after an incident at Bella's 18th birthday party where she gets a papercut and sends the less self-controlled vampires into a frenzy. There are complications when Bella is around the vampires. Bella's solution is for them to make her a member of the vampire family. Edward refuses to let her lose her soul. His solution is to break off all ties with Bella and leave.

Another challenge to the love of Bella and Edward comes from an unexpected source - Jacob. Newly buff Jacob has always shown an interest in Bella, but something's different about him. Their friendship slowly develops into more as Jacob discovers his own secret. He begins acting strangely and pushing Bella away just as things start to heat up. After a particularly charged incident with Jacob's buddies, she discovers Jacob has become a werewolf. Alice, Edward's sister, returns to discover Bella's hanging with Jacob, a werewolf. But the real reason she returns is to find out if Bella is alive. She had a vision of Bella's death and told Edward of it. Now, Edward is going to kill himself rather than live without Bella.

The film is a twisting and turning relationship drama geared toward the teen segment. No news there. Unfortunately, this installment takes about a full cycle of the moon to reach the end. The pace is slow. Too slow, especially for the market it's targeting. The dialogue is delivered with painful pauses throughout most of the movie. Maybe the director was trying to savor the scenes of romance, drama, and sacrifice for the sake of love. However, it almost gave the motion picture the feeling of melo-drama. The scenes that should have been slowed down felt no different than any other scene. To top it all off, some of the dialogue is plain bad. It's cheesy at times, and often too on the nose.

2 out of 5

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The Hangover

2010-03-19T15:34:00.000-07:00

I'd been waiting for this one in my Netflix queue for quite awhile. The Hangover got a lot of buzz in the last year and sold a lot of movie tickets. Did it live up to the hype? Sort of. Don't get me wrong, it is funny. But I was by no means blown away. I didn't finish the film and feel like I needed to get everyone I know to watch it too. Good, not great. Granted I don't see great comedy all that often anymore. And I think some aspects of this motion picture will illuminate why.

It's that mythical line that shouldn't get crossed. Now I know that line moves for everyone, it's obviously subjective. But c'mon, there are certain scenes that cross over into tasteless. Especially when a baby is involved. They pull you out of the moment, and therefore, the movie. The other increasingly annoying aspect of these type of comedies is the use of foul language. I'm not a prude, I swear. My friends swear. But when virtually every scene has someone dropping the F-bomb, often multiple times, it borders on ridiculous. It's not realistic of most people. And the characters in this movie are common everyday folks. To top it off, the curses lose their effect as well. When you're hearing them left and right, there's no more emotional impact behind them and it becomes almost, well, comical. And not in a good way.

That being said, The Hangover is a well-scripted film. The premise is great. Three buddies (Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms) retracing their steps through a wild bachelor party the night before in order to find their missing friend (Joe Bartha) is a unique idea. It's a structural device that brings the movie back full circle in the end. And let me say again, it is funny. I just believe that the comedies that are truly great, manage to straddle that line of good taste, but not cross it.

3 out of 5

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It Might Get Loud

2010-03-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

For those of us who love rock, and particularly guitar, you must check out It Might Get Loud. From the producers of the documentary An Inconvenient Truth, comes another docu-feature about the meeting of the guitar god minds. Jimmie Page, The Edge, and Jack White are chosen to represent their given generations and present their unique rock/guitar styles. They play til their fingers bleed. Literally, in the case of Jack White in some concert footage of him with The Raconteurs. It's food for the ax-loving soul.

The film follows each subject individually from their youth to their rockstar height, providing details and stories on how they got to where they are now in the rock pantheon. What's truly interesting is the dynamic differences of the three rockers. Jimmie Page is the legend and pioneer of a lot of classic rock sounds. He's smooth and timeless. The Edge is a technological wizard who took the guitar to new heights when it was beginning to fade. And Jack White is totally open creatively and extremely experimental. Yet he's very minimalist and grounded in organic sounds. The film's fascinating opening scene illuminates this as White fashions an electric guitar out of some wood, a couple nails, a steel string, and a glass bottle.

As each of their talents and stories are shared, the movie is interspersed with clips of the three together riffing and discussing works that influenced them. Some of the most compelling scenes are when the group plays one of the three's own songs, jamming and learning together. It's an aural treat for anyone who's a fan of these three talented individuals, or thoroughly enjoys rock and guitar.

4 out of 5

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Whiteout

2010-03-09T16:13:00.000-08:00

Whiteout starts off with the scene most male viewers are probably watching for. A steamy shower scene involving the dazzling (and too talented for this dud) Kate Beckinsale. Unfortunately, the director couldn't even get this right. It's a too obvious shot of Ms. Beckinsale's panty covered derriere followed by distant and not particularly sexy steamed up shower door. No elegance or seductiveness to the scene. Just shot-cut-shot-cut. There's steam, but it's not steamy. It's there to satisfy the fanboys, and I doubt it does. Which is unfortunate since Beckinsale's U.S. Marshall Carrie Stetko spends most of the movie in a parka.

And the rest of the film snowball's from there. The set piece of the Antarctic is a unique choice. It's been done before, but a story involving Antarctica's first murder is a potentially engaging premise. However, as is too often the case, the motion picture doesn't live up to that potential. There are some interesting bits here and there with Carrie and her past. She was betrayed by a corrupt former partner and left to die at the hands of the suspect they just apprehended. This leaves her psyche damaged as she cannot forgive herself for not picking up her partner's ill will. It's the reason she asked for the post in the Antarctic. And it plays well into the tension of her needing to trust a United Nations agent sent to investigate with her. However, the rest of the characters are poorly developed and for the most part one-dimensional. Overall, there's a solid movie idea here. But the cheap special effects, mediocre acting, and flat writing sink this ship before it's out of the port.

1 out of 5

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Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

2010-03-04T15:46:00.000-08:00

So a lot of people probably saw the preview to this movie and wondered if it could provide an answer to the burning question on everyone's mind. Can Salma Hayek still be hot with a beard? It's an unequivocal yes. Especially when it means she's aroused. Seriously though, Cirque du Freak does a fine job of being a freak of a movie. There's lizard boy, monkey girl, and the vampanese. The vampires and the vampanese are separated by their beliefs on feeding. Vampanese feed in the traditional vampire way by sucking blood until the victim dies. Vampires exhale knockout breath, make a small incision with a fingernail, and only take a sip.

It's the warring of these two factions that best friends Darren and Steve get immersed in. Darren's the good boy who only agrees to become half vampire to save his dying friend Steve. Darren's turned by centuries old vampire Crepsley (John C. Reilly), who started the idea of feed not kill. But it's Steve's lifelong dream to become a vampire. And when he discovers his missing best friend has been turned into a vampire, he joins the vampanese and becomes undead himself. This sets up the battle between good and evil. Or at least good vampire versus evil vampanese, and a challenge to the friendship of two best buds.

There's some decent story here, but not a whole lot happens. It's all explanation of this freakish world and setup for a franchise. The problem is the film isn't good enough to warrant a franchise. The proverbial cart was put before the horse. Reilly provides some laughs and deadpans some lines to perfection. Tongue firmly planted in cheek. However, these are the only highlights in a very average film. I can see why this was greenlit as it provides a funny, gothic teen tale to counter the lovesick vampire craze. Too bad it's dead on arrival.

1.5 out of 5

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The Invention of Lying

2010-03-02T16:50:00.000-08:00

I gave The Invention of Lying a shot due to my affection for The Office television series. It's inspired by the original British series created by Ricky Gervais. Gervais plays the lead, Mark Bellison, a average man in a world without lies. People only tell the truth, at all times. Therefore, there are no white lies to spare feelings. The characters of this world are blunt, and it's used to great comedic effect early on in the film. Especially during the introduction of Jennifer Garner's character, Anna McDoogles. Anna is hot. And Mark is well, not.

The movie provides a few laughs in the first act, but they become very thin later on. What started as an interesting premise, (I found myself intrigued, but wondering how this could be culled into a feature), slowly slid into a weird parallel on religion. Mark loses his job and is about to lose his apartment when his brain magically alters the truth. He's become the first man in the world to lie. And when he tells his dying mother that there's life after death, that it's not just nothingness, he realizes the impact his ability can have. Hospital staff overhear him and word soon spreads that Mark knows what happens when people pass on. From hear, the trail of lies begins to resemble the ideas behind Christianity, God, and Jesus. With Mark becoming a sort of Jesus telling everyone how they need to live in order to be rewarded in the afterlife.

The film wraps up in the typical way with Mark struggling to figure out the right thing to do while hopefully getting the girl of his dreams. It has it's comedic moments, but there's a little too much cheese mixed in. Some of the dialogue is a little to on the nose, especially when the motion picture tries to pull at the viewer's emotions. Although the concept is unique and interesting at times, the foray into religion being a lie may not sit too well with some.

1.5 out of 5

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Public Enemies

2010-02-23T17:44:00.000-08:00

It's just not that good. That's about all I can say. And actually, it's kind of hard to pinpoint why. Public Enemies stars Johnny Depp as John Dillinger and follows him from the months leading up to his demise. He robs banks and he's got charisma. He's a wisecracking womanizer. But he's only a womanizer until he finds Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard), an impressionable coat check girl he smooth talks into running around with him. He gets caught. He escapes. And the public loves his persona.

So it's up to Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale), hired by J. Edgar Hoover to head up a division of his new Bureau of Investigation, to hunt him down. Dillinger's making a mockery of the justice system and clearing out banks at the same time. However, he begins losing friends and fellow mobsters as the bureau starts utiliziing their new investigative tactics to track his every move. The heat is turning up on him, and he senses it. John plans to join a group for one last major robbery and run off into the sunset with his gal. Will Purvis find him before he can?

The overall storyline isn't half bad. But the film's 2 hour and 20 minute running time could use some trimming. There's a stretch of scenes in the second act that do little to advance the story. His flight to the woods after a heist with Baby Face Nelson definitely too long and probably unnecessary. Obviously, the acting is superb with this crew. And the directing is solid. But where the film suffers is in the pacing. It should've felt more like we were following Johnny Dillinger on his high profile bank robbing adventure picking up girls along the way and constantly pursue by Johnny Law. Instead, the motion picture felt pensive and slow.

2 out of 5

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Up in the Air

2010-02-15T15:56:00.000-08:00

I made it out to the theater for the first time in a while to see the George Clooney led Up in the Air. Clooney plays Ryan Bingham who is the penulitmate wanderer. He travels the country 300 plus days of the year as a hired firer. That's right, he gets paid to do the dirty work corporations are afraid to do themselves. And he loves it. Or he's at least in love with the loose and not tied down lifestyle he leads hopping jets, enjoying first class accomodations, and getting the vip treatment whenever possible.

And he likes his personal relationships loose and fancy free too. Just like his job has no ties to his "co-workers," as he's only there to terminate them, his personal life has no ties either. No girlfriend, no wife, and no desire to have a wife. Enter Alex Goran, his female equivalent (well, she states this in a much more comedic way which I will not spoil here). They meet in a airport bar and a game of one-upmanship ensues as they lay out their travel and vip status card-by-card. A no-strings acquaintance is made and they exchange schedules for future encounters the country over.

But Ryan's perfect little reality and life in the air is about to burst when young and determined to succeed Natalie Keneer joins the ranks of his company. She's efficient and saavy in the world of technology. And Ryan's boss thinks she's the wave of the future. Her idea of termination via video conference is a direct threat to Bingham's comfortable way of life. No more need to travel. But Ryan's not ready to go down without a fight and proves that Natalie knows little about people or how to fire them. So, the company decides to send the two out to bring together the old and the new. As Ryan is working to keep the lifestyle afforded by his professional life, his unattached personal life begins be challenged as well the more time he spends with Alex.

The film is excellently penned by Sheldon Turner and Jason Reitman who also directs this adaptation. Reitman's dedication to character and feel for stripped down motion pictures that let the acting and dialogue shine pays off here yet again as it did with Juno. It's an intriguing story being told at an opportune time in this current economic climate.

4.5 out of 5

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The Wackness

2010-01-29T16:50:00.000-08:00

The Wackness follows the mid 1990's life of depressed and lonely teenage pot dealer Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) as he moves on with life after graduation from high school. In school he wasn't a loser, but nobody really knew who he was. He spent his time roaming the streets of New York with his Italian Ice cart selling marijuana to a varied cast of characters. Shapiro, as he's known, is trying to figure out his life by trading pot for therapy sessions with psychiatrist Dr. Jeffrey Squires (Ben Kingsley).

It's this relationship between Shapiro and Squires that gives the film it's backbone. Both are struggling with their current state in life. Both use chemical induction as a form of escape. And both have issues with women. In fact, it's Dr. Squires immaturity that helps this friendship to develop. Shapiro's family is falling apart and facing eviction from their apartment. His Dad's a screw up. So, naturally, Luke needs an older male role model for advice on life and women. And Dr. Squires is tired of his boring life and sham of a marriage. He's not happy, so he wants to return to his youth and do as he pleases.

Shapiro learns a lot from Squires. He takes his advice and reaches out to the girl he likes. Unbeknownst to Squires, it's his step-daughter Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby) who is slowly won over by the shy yet good provider of pot. Luke and Stephanie begin seeing eachother even though Squires, when he finds out, warns Shapiro that she'll get bored and break his heart. But it isn't until the roles are reversed and Dr. Squires life spirals out of control that the emotional core of the movie plays out. It's a solid independent motion picture that provides a unique take on the coming-of-age story. Think coming-of-age meets mid-life crisis.

2.5 out of 5

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The Proposal

2010-01-21T20:06:00.000-08:00

Chalk this one up in the wifey category. It's a film I never would have watched on my own, but when you're married you gotta satisfy both parties' movie tastes. On to the motion picture at hand. The Proposal stars Sandra Bullock as Margaret Tate, the definition of an uptight career woman making her way to the top, and Ryan Reynolds as Andrew Paxton, her too dedicated to his work assistant. She's the witch of the office at a publishing firm and he's her do as I say patsy.

Until Margaret is called into a meeting by her bosses where it is revealed that her work visa has expired and she will be deported by immigration. She's Canadian, and ignored her expiring visa as not important since she's just Canadian. The bosses are about to fire Margaret when Andrew walks in to interupt the meeting. Some quick thinking and Andrew's willingness to play along allow Margaret to convince her bosses to delay terminating her since she's getting married...to Andrew. In order to pull off their little stunt, they'll need to prove their relationship is real to the immigration officer assigned to investigate or Margaret will be deported and Andrew will face 5 years in prison. This little scenario provides Andrew the opportunity to reverse the power roles and only agree to carry out the charade if Margaret makes him an editor.

To prove their love and pending marriage is legit they travel together to Andrew's hometown in Alaska. The inevitable fish-out-of-water hijinx ensue as the stilleto-healed New Yorker tries to acclimate to rural Alaskan living. And in true rom-com fashion, the pair soon shift from acting to like eachother to actually liking eachother. But will Andrew's parents find out and ruin the plan? Or will Andrew's college sweetheart return to challenge his feelings? And will the immigration officer discover what's going on?

Overall, it's a well-acted, decently written, and competently directed movie. But it breaks no new ground. We've seen a couple pretend to like each other to avoid deportation. And we've seen the hardass businesswoman/man realize the error of their ways and do the right thing before it's too late. The film provides a few laughs, but leaves you feeling...meh.

2 out of 5

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G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

2010-01-11T16:57:00.000-08:00

I read an article by one of the screenwriters saying how he was asked to write the film in a month's time before the Writer's Strike of 2007-2008. One month. He went on to praise the director/studio for bringing him back into involvement as soon as the strike ended and throughout the production and post-production. While it is great that a writer was involved farther into the process than is typical, it struck me as a problem in this case. It was rushed into production. It was rewritten throughout production. It was revised in post. "And knowing is half the battle"...I'm sure if the studio execs knew how this movie would turn out they might have worked on it a bit more.

G.I. Joe is a mess. The film has a convoluted feel to it. Every action set piece feels like it was just an exercise in creating cool visuals and explosions. A lot of the action does little to advance the story. It's action for the sake of action, rather than action that poses conflict to the goals of the characters. And if the action does pose conflict, the conflict is too small for the scale of the action sequence. Too often, the plot and characters are bogged down by over-the-top technology. Yes, the accelerator suits are cool. Incidently, when those suits are the highlight of your film they should be a part of the climax. However, all of the holograms, electropulse weaponry, and nano-mites get to be techno-overload. It detracts from any storyline that might exist. The movie could have benefitted from some addition by subtraction.

Overall, the motion picture isn't a total loss. There are a few nice plot twists revealed in the end that complete the only solid character arcs for Duke (Channing Tatum) and Baroness (Sienna Miller). The dialogue, however, is often obvious and rarely engaging. But for guys, which let's be honest this movie is aimed only at men, there's plenty of action and plenty of eye-candy of the female persuasion. Allthough the women oogling does get almost comical at times. Our first scene of Baroness is during a battle where she's sporting an outfit cut low to reveal her very healthy assets. Typical fighting attire I'm sure. Although, at least during that same scene, Scarlett's (Rachel Nichols) outfit is some sort of black armor heal-to-toe. It just happens to be tight enough to reveal her lovely lady lumps. Now I know what the title The Rise of Cobra really means.

1 out of 5

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Paper Heart

2010-01-07T16:24:00.000-08:00

I ordered this from Netflix without looking that closely at it. Some sort of comedy about love with Michael Cera, of Juno and Arrested Development fame, and that weird Asian gal from Knocked Up. The movie seemed quasi-intriguing and light. Well, it is light, but not all that intriguing. The film is set up as a documentary following Charlyne Yi as she tries to discover what love is. She's a musician and comedian who's never been in love and never really even had a boyfriend. Charlyne's not so sure love exists. So with her filmmaker friend Nicholas Jasenovec she travels the country interviewing folks about love. And along the way she hopes to discover what love is for herself.

The interviews provide the grounded backdrop for the motion picture. People of all ages and backgrounds are asked about love and relationships. The interviewees are sometimes very insightful and oftentimes hilarious in relating their tales of real love. Unfortunately, that's where the reality stops. As Charlyne bounces back and forth between her home in LA and her various destinations, an unexpected relationship develops. She meets Michael Cera at a party and he's interested in her. They begin to hang out together and eventually date. And of course, a conflict to their courtship arises as they realize they can never get away from the cameras.

It's a little too perfect of a scenario that during filming she meets another young comedian whose suddenly interested in her after one very brief introduction. The situations and interactions between the two of them also feel a little scripted and forced. The film leaves the viewer wondering if this is supposed to be a true documentary or not. The interviews are definitely real, but the scenes following Charlyne and Michael feel fake. Paper Heart gets lost somewhere in between documentary on the meaning of love and a reality television show titled "Charlyne Finds Love."

2 out of 5

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(500) Days of Summer

2010-01-05T14:23:00.000-08:00

Summer (Zooey Deschanel) is the love of his life. Or so Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) thinks. He's a hopeless romantic type who believes firmly in finding love to achieve true happiness. Summer, on the other hand, has no desire to be "committed" and prefers to be carefree with her relationships. (500) Days of Summer follows the travails of these two romantically opposite, yet undeniably attracted friends. And as the film illustrates, friends is what Summer Finn would call them, while Tom would call them a couple.

The movie progresses in non-linear fashion through their relationship. We know from the start that they break up. After all, as the tagline to the movie states, this is not a love story. But as we jump through the 500 days Tom and Summer's lives intertwine, we are treated to an intimate look at love. Each character defines love differently. Are Tom and Summer a couple? Do they need to define their relationship? And more importantly for Tom, how do I know if she's the one? The film doesn't draw any conclusions, but rather illuminates the truth about love - It's different for everybody.

Overall, the film is a unique and refreshing take on a romantic comedy - if you can call it that. It's quirky (the imagination street dance comes to mind), but it's also inspired. It sets out to not be the typical love story where boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets the girl in the end. And it accomplishes that with great writing by scribes Scott Nuestadter and Michael H. Weber. See this motion picture if you enjoy films that are off the beaten path and less formulaic than the traditional fare.

5 out of 5

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Julie & Julia

2009-12-31T13:50:00.000-08:00

The story of Julie Powell (Amy Adams), a struggling to find her path in life victims of 9/11 helpline operator, is intermingled with the tale of how Julia Child (Meryl Streep, who nails it) got into cooking. It's an inventive storytelling angle that plays out beautifully. Julie wants to be a writer, but she quit the only novel she ever attempted halfway through. She's not the best at finishing what she starts. And she's not that happy with where things are at in life. Julie does love to cook however. And when she and her husband come up with the idea for her to cook every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and blog about it, Julie has a purpose. She's going to cook 519 recipes in 365 days and write about her adventures in cooking on her weblog.

Julia Child follows her husband and his job to France and finds herself looking for something to do. One thing she has thoroughly enjoyed is French Cuisine. So, with the encouragement of her husband, Julia decides to learn how to cook in the French style. Which at the time is something women didn't really do. At least not at the Cordon Bleu level. But Julia and her larger-than-life persona soon win over the all-male class. She stands out, both for her large stature and her cooking ability. Julia is determined to succeed and graduate. And along the way she befriends some fellow culinary contemporaries. They are developing a cookbook for the American audience. The only problem is, they know French Cuisine but do not know English. At least not well enough to make the book a compelling read. Enter that fun-loving one-of-a-kind personality of Julia and you have a winner. But of course, nothing is that easy and there are some bumps and hiccups along the way.

But, perseverence, in both cases, is what pulls the tale of two ladies plights in the world of cooking and writing together. The dialogue is witty and often-time hilarious. The performances are stellar, especially Meryl Streep as Julia Child. And the ending pulls it all together into a tidy resolution. If there is a knock on this cinematic feast, it's the lack of conflict. There's conflict in the form of Julie's deadline and Julia's struggles to publish her book, but there's never a real strong threat. It's kind of like a little bit of story indigestion, but never the flu. That being said, Julie & Julia is a warm, light-hearted tale that has the appeal and comfort of a good home-cooked meal.

4 out of 5

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District 9

2009-12-28T20:05:00.000-08:00

Scifi with a politically, racially, and emotionally-charged core. Sounds like a recipe for a winning story and intriguing screenplay. Unfotunately, District 9 doesn't quite deliver on that promising premise. Wikus Van de Merwe, an awkward employee of Multi-National United, a major weapons and research corporation, is promoted when the citizens of Johannesburg, South Africa demand change. An alien spaceship appeared over the city 20 years ago and the residents of that ship have been refugees ever since.

The aliens, or Prawns, as the humans refer to them for their resemblance to the sea critters, are forced to live in a shanty-town when the races cannot co-exist peacefully. The government creates District 9 and fences the alien population inside. It's a sort of subtle parallel to some of the events of Apartheid that violently split South Africa. The people of Johannesburg see the Prawns as inferior and savage, and want them out the city since they've become a drag on the government's financials. So, MNU is brought in with Wikus in the lead to serve evictions to the Prawns and relocate them to another camp in the countryside.

During a stint in District 9, Wikus discovers some alien technology that could get big kudos with MNU. Before he knows it, the metal cylinder emits a spray that splahes in his face. Wikus has been infected with some sort of ooze that slowly begins to turn him into one of the very aliens he's working to evict. He tries to hide his deformities, but MNU discovers his secret and brings him in. They've been collecting alien weaponry and trying to use it's advanced power. Only problem is that the weapons are tied to DNA and only work in the hands of aliens. Until now. Wikus represents the ultimate in human-alien DNA and has the ability to harness the alien weaponry. MNU tries to kill Wikus to perform their research, but not before he escapes. He returns to District 9 while he struggles to come to grips with what's happening to him. And while he's on the run, MNU launches a full-scale manhunt. Wikus needs to figure out who or what he is, what to do, and more importantly, whose side he's on.

Overall, it's an inventive storyline that's competently directed and acted. At points, dialogue is a weakness with cliched and uninspired lines often delivered flatly. Worse yet, it fails to deliver on the emotional level with it's comparisons to Apartheid. I think there definitely is more character development and gripping drama that could have been mined from that parallel. Unfortuntely, the story slips into predictabliity and has the requisite final battle to end it all. It does have a nice completion to Wikus' character arc that provides a morality to the tale, but it's not as good a resolution as the audience will crave.

2.5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

2009-12-22T11:23:00.000-08:00

I started watching this movie with my wife and we made a bet. How long into the movie before Matthew McConaughey was shirtless? It's become a standard for the typecast McConaughey in his rom-com roles. Women find him sexy, so let's throw a romantic story around him and get him bare-chested. Well, maybe that's stereo-typing a little, but not that far off really. Except in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past that streak is broken.

Surprisingly, Connor Mead (McConaughey), the famous photographer and playboy who opens the story shooting beautiful women half-dressed, never is half-dressed himself. But he is only half a man. Connor doesn't believe in relationships and treats women like his photos. There for the initial challenge and fun, but gone before anything has time to develop. Connor only cares about Connor. Until an invitation to his brother's wedding pulls him away from his self-focused life. Paul wants his older brother Connor to be a part of his big day, and asks him to return to their late-Uncle Wayne's mansion for the weekend. Connor shows and Paul's ecstatic. Until Connor's selfish mindset and aversion to relationships starts affecting the wedding party. Connor's behavior is further exacerbated by the presence of Jenny Perotti (Jennifer Garner), the first and only love of his life.

The film slides into a twisted take on A Christmas Carol as Connor is visited by the man who taught him everything he knows about women, Uncle Wayne (Michael Douglas). Uncle Wayne informs him he's going to end up alone if he doesn't change his ways. Connor shakes it off until he's visited by three ghosts who take him to explore his life's journey with women. The overall story and character arc for Connor are predictable - he'll see the error of his ways, realize he's always loved Jenny, and want to correct his life before it's too late. There are some genuinely funny moments and sequences. And the movie is very solidly acted and some scenes are very well-written. Particularly one involving Connor putting the moves on the Mother of the Bride.

2.5 out of 5

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Film Details at IMDB