The A-Team

I've never seen the tv series that this is based on, but pop culture has filled me in on all I need to know. We're living in the Age of the Remakes, and the big-screen adaptation of the A-Team sees when the four heroes put their team together, with an absurd, fun escape that just doesn't seem possible. Of course, over the next two hours, these four characters weave themselves in and out of impossible situations, but always manage to escape, no worse for the wear, and able to quip about their close calls. And of course, they work in their well-known lines with Hannibal saying, "I love it when a plan comes together," while Baracus steadfastly refuses to get on an airplane. As expected, they also are framed for crimes they didn't commit, making them fugitives on the run. Make no mistake, this is a campy film. It is not award-winning stuff. The plot is more than a bit convoluted, and villains repeatedly pass up chances to kill our heroes until... sometime later.

This is a pretty by the numbers action movie so there isn't much to talk about. With Liam Neeson leading the team as Hannibal, they definitely cast the right actor to lead the ragtag team of ‘soldiers of fortune. Bradley Cooper also is perfectly cast here as "Faceman," the smooth-talking, womanizing member of the squad. Sharlto Copley is the goofy Murdock character here. And of course, Quinton Jackson plays the character B.A. Baracus, who was famously played by Mr. T in the TV version and sadly doesn't cameo here in the film.My only real gripe with this movie is the same I have with lots of action movies these days: It's way too rapidly edited, to the point that I found it hard to register what the hell's going on during some of the action sequences. I also find a few of the characters a tad annoying, but it wasn't enough to distract from what was a pretty solid action movie.

Sex and the City

Never thought I'd watch this as I'd never seen the series that inspired but, here I am watching the Sex in the City movie. The movie finds Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda four years after the hit HBO series ended, as they continue to juggle jobs, friendships and relationships and start to navigate motherhood, marriage and Manhattan real estate. Most importantly, the main plot of the film finds Carrie and Mr. Big decide to get married. The film then races through various themes of love, commitment, individuality, forgiveness, friendship, loss, loneliness and just about every other human condition you can think of.

I'm surprised that I really liked this movie. The film was funny. Pure and simple it did the one thing I didn’t really expect it to be able to do: It made me laugh. A lot. The humor was more “male” than I expected it to be, and a little more crude at times. There were several solid laugh out loud moments and the rest was quite entertaining. In most movies, you have characters that make their way through the story. But Sex and the City didn’t really have a story. The characters WERE the story, and in this context it really worked because of the diversity in the 4 main characters and their legitimate charm and likability (aside from the Miranda character)… but most importantly because of the long tested chemistry between them all. The chemistry of that on screen friendship was palpable and carried the movie.

Although sometimes a bit forced, I found the emotional and touching scenes worked. Each of the main characters go through significant challenges in the movie and at times it is communicated quite well. As good as the film's drama is...there was simply too much going on. For some reason the producers felt the need to give each and every one of the 4 main characters a significant story line sub-plot instead of one central story or without tying them together. 4 full stories takes screen time, each one interrupting the other and causing far to many themes to be brought into it. It’s not that any of the stories weren’t good, nor that any of the themes introduced weren’t worthy ones to be explored, it's just that Sex and the City had too many things going at the same time, and as such it hindered my ability to savor or appreciate any single one of them. In spite of that I loved this movie and while I may not check out the series anytime soon, but I'll be watching this movie every now and then.

Shrek Forever After

Dreamworks can't hold a candle Pixar. The Shrek movies come close in a different manner, but everything else Dreamworks does looks either uninspired or just plain awful, and I'm never interested enough to see if my first impressions (and most critics) were wrong. As their sole successful franchise, the Shrek movies have had a pretty good run. The first two were surprisingly entertaining films, but the third entry was a dull, lazy film that seemed to descend into the very thing the first movie seemed to parody – generic, cliché, pop-culture trash (Okay maybe I'm being rough on a film I've only seen once several years ago). But it seems that the series is finally ready to close it doors as Shrek Forever After is apparently the last in the series (aside from a Puss in Boots spin off movie). Thankfully, Shrek Forever After turns out to be a surprisingly funny and enjoyable affair.

The plot is basically a take on "It’s A Wonderful Life", which reflects a world in which Shrek was never born. In viewing the trailers, I felt this came off as a rather underwhelming and lazy plot. However, the writers Josh Klausner and Darren Lemke manage to do enough with the material and place Shrek in quite an entertaining setting where his friends and family do not know him. The best main character here is the lead villain of the story Rumpelstiltskin. Rumpel is played like a conniving, snake-like Southern Californian swindler with a Napoleon complex. All the best scenes and material come from Rumpelstiltskin, although the true show-stealer and crown jewel of the movie is the minor character of a little fat kid in the beginning of the film who only has 3 lines of dialogue and manages to be the funniest character in the film (my friends and I are still quoting him).

The frustrating aspect of the movie comes from DreamWorks’s penchant for casting big names in very minor and borderline bit roles, such as Jane Lynch as a random ogre by the name of Gretched. Jon Hamm makes his voice acting debut as an ogre named Brogan in Fiona’s resistance movement, but Hamm is left with little to do, making his casting rather pointless. DreamWorks Animation features tend to rely on celebrity stunt casting more than any other studio and nearly rival the Simpsons in terms of pointless celebrity guest stars. If Shrek Forever After is to be the final chapter of Shrek’s story, at least the franchise ends on a positive note. In no way does the movie exemplify revolutionary or fine cinema such as Pixar’s works, but it possesses a good sense of humor, provides a few good chuckles, and is even touching at times making the movie feel satisfying if this is the last they ever do.

Milk

Milk is a bit outside the normal range of films that I tend to gravitate towards but its subject matter, strong casting and it's best picture nomination of 2008 was enough to make me give it a shot. Despite being a film from two years ago its still quite relevant, with the Proposition 8 battle that's very reminiscent of Proposition 6 in the film. We still aren't where we should be with gay rights, but thanks to the work of people like Harvey Milk, it's only a matter of time.The movie tells the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to "major public office". This isn't a biopic about his whole life so much as just the important part, the decade in which he began to make a difference in his community.

The film mixes scenes with the actors and real footage from the time effectively, grounding it in the period. It took me some time to get into it, but I ended up being riveted by the performances and the story. Sean Penn is pretty brilliant as the titular character, Franco and Hirsch were both good, and Josh Brolin seemed perfect in the role. I'm not sure where he came from but he's got a nice career going. The climactic scene is completely brilliant. The film makes no secret of the fact that Harvey and the Mayor are both assassinated, but the way it all comes together is about as well as you can do it in cinema. Every single shot has a purpose, and the sense of dread as you realize what is happening is palpable. The whole movie makes really good use of reflections at times of importance, and you can tell when something's going down just from how it's filmed. As both a film and political message, Gus Van Sant created a real triumph.

Be Kind Rewind

Be Kind Rewind is an odd uneven film, but I kinda like it. This movie, despite what one might assume based on the actors, trailer, and plot summary, is not all that funny. There were multiple points (mostly towards the end) at which I thought, “I think this would be more interesting if it was actually funny". Clearly, I’m somewhat conflicted as I said that I kinda liked it. The movie runs through a lot of issues — gangs, poverty, ambition, copyright law vs transformative use, business morals, generational differences, stereotypes… I’m not kidding, it’s all in there, and the movie is billed as a comedy. I’m guessing that’s because to distract from all those issues, Jack Black wanders across the screen from time to time dressed in a tinfoil suit...it actually is pretty distracting. The plot finds a New Jersey man caught in a freak power plant accident and becomes magnetized and unwittingly erasing every tape in his friend's neighborhood video store, then they record over the tapes with condensed, low-tech reenacted versions of the movies and those start to become popular.

The idea of people remaking well known movies and renting them out is a fantastic idea andin this film the movie is at its best when they are doing just that. Jerry and Mike use fast talking, ingenuity and imagination to recreate some well known classics and it is an absolute pleasure watching them do so. They use props and costumes that they assemble made from junk that anyone could gather for themselves. The downside is that the story that held all of this together is quite weak. A lot of time is spent on the myth of a local Jazz Legend that really takes focus away from the story and adds an unnecessary mythos to the plot, mainly towards the latter end of the movie and its also why the movie isn't that funny. Mr. Fletcher , the owner of the store, is absent for much of the film, and to be honest his character adds nothing to the story. Like I said, I enjoyed this film, but it certainly had problems with its story. I would recommend this film because the cool parts are worth checking out and although I wasn’t busting a gut laughing – I did enjoy myself.

Kick-Ass

I went with some friends to see Kick-Ass last week, and we left with wide grins upon our faces. I assume the “I saw Kick-Ass, it was kick ass!” joke has been done to death by now...so I'll have to find another way to describe my enjoyment of the movie. It’s a little hard to call superhero stories original nowadays, as the “what if superheroes were real?” thing has been done at least twice before within the past two years. Watchmen was just dudes in costumes in a gritty world that also happened to have a diabolical mastermind and a naked blue god involved, while Hancock seemed to be aiming for this vibe until it threw in the superheroine and it became more like some silly magic/fantasy thing going on. Of course, they’re both depressingly serious, so Kick-Ass instead focuses on the light-hearted and bare basics of superheroes: Cheap costumes, crazy characters, and kicking ass. My friends and I have discussed the whole serious-superheroes-versus-silly-superheroes thing before and I guess I can’t deny that I’m a bit more about the silly side of it.

So, yeah, some kid decides to become a superhero by wearing a scuba suit and wielding sticks, and happens to spawn a wave of imitators who, although substantially more badass than him, end up getting him into trouble via proxy, with all manner of gangster dealings going on. There’s some mandatory drama, mostly some mild angst over the hero revealing his identity to his lover, and the dangerous activities Big Daddy and Hit-Girl get up to, particularly when one of the characters dies, but for the most part the movie merely revels in silliness, outrageously brutal violence, and a rather immature love of swearing. I mean, I'm largely immune to and partake in immature swearing, but this one throws cunts and fucks around enough that makes it looks like it’s trying to impress someone. I feel my skills at describing just how joyous this movie was is beyond my writing capabilities. There are people shot in the face with reckless abandon, there is a moustached man doing an Adam West impersonation, and a jetpack is involved. It’s pretty freakin’ glorious, personally.

Toy Story

Watching Toy Story again for the first time several years felt like a reunion with friends that I didn't even know I missed. It's difficult to look at Toy Story and remember just how innovative this film actually was as the first CGI film though this most likely has to with the fact that even over ten years later, the story and characters are just as entertaining as they were then. Having the legacy of the first CGI film can only carry the movie so far and luckily the movie gets more right than it does wrong. When I remember that this was Pixar's first feature film, the storytelling becomes even more impressive than it already is. Prior to this, the studio was only accustomed to making short films and it's surprising that Toy Story doesn't feel like it's being stretched too thin. This is one of the things I love about this movie: every scene is either a cause or an effect. There's no self-indulgence or showing off. The plotting is tight and the characterizations are strong.

Its also impressive that big name actors like Tim Allen and Tom Hanks were able to get into their roles as opposed to most animated films where a celebrity voice presence seems to only exist for box office buzz. Allen and Hanks inject enough genuine acting to make these personalities real and the same goes for all the other characters who all make the best of their screen time. This is indicative of most of Pixar's movies: they treat their characters seriously enough to allow them to grow, creating personalities that are more believable than most of those found in live-action films. The only character that comes of as unlikable here is Mr. Potato head. He spends all of screen time putting Woody down and starts the revolt against him for Buzz's disappearance with little evidence other than Woody dislike for Buzz. I just really hated him for the most film and wanted to throw him in the trash. That's really the only complaint I could pick with this movie. Toy Story more than earns its status as an instant classic and I now I'm interested in reintroducing myself with it's sequel.

Why Did I Get Married Too?

This movie holds the distinction of being the first sequel in the Tyler Perry canon and its a distinction that's made more apparent when the film turns out to be nothing more than rehash of the first. I'm not kidding here. Instead of going on a retreat in the mountains, the cast goes on a retreat to the beach and unlike the first movie, nothing of any real interest happens here because the problems the couples are facing aren't that different from the first film. The biggest offenders here are Marcus and Angela, the comedic couple. If I recall, a big problem with their relationship in the first movie was Angela's drinking problem, which was resolved by the films end. Here, she's apparently relapsed and no one really seems to call her out on it. It seems to just be an excuse to have her over react to everything like she did before...it worked then and it does still work, but it just feels like Tyler Perry didn't know what do with her and her husband this time.

As a matter of fact, Tyler Perry really didn't seem to know what he was doing with any of the characters. Sheila, the most likable female character from the first film, kinda becomes of a twat, mainly because she keeps trying to use her abusive past as an excuse to act like she's entitled to something. There's a bit more melodrama here, mostly involving Janet Jackson's character leading to a pretty over the top moment where she goes around breaking all her glass furniture with a golf club, it pretty good stuff. The downside to the extra drama is that it all leads the biggest bullshit of an ending I've seen in while. A tragedy happens in like the last four minutes of the movie that conveniently allows all of the couples to reconcile their differences and then the movie kinda just ends on a force happy ending that takes place one year later. I seriously think this movie would have been better if Perry had just used the same concept as the original movie, but with a different cast. As it stands this is one forgettable movie.

Why Did I Get Married?

I keep saying that I'm not going to watch another Tyler Perry movie. I made an exception for this one mainly because I'm going with some friends to see the sequel this week and also because this doesn't have Madea in it at all, so the comedy/drama portions of the story should complement each other less abruptly. Why Did Get Married's story is pretty straightforward. A group of four married couples go to the mountains for some marriage retreat. While they're there, drama unfolds as the couple's learn dark secerts about their relationships and have to learn to cope with those issues and love spouses despite their faults - you know, typical Tyler Perry material.

Actually, the movie is bit more restrained on forcing messages down our throats. With Madea completely out of the picture, the scenes were able to mix the comedic and dramatic elements of the story without the sudden jumps in tone that made Madea Goes to Jail so horrible. As a result, I have to say this maybe my favorite of the Tyler Perry Movies I've seen. There isn't too much for me to really talk about though as if you've talked about one Tyler Perry film, you've basically talked about them all. I was impressed that I was able to sympathise with the characters and their motivations and some of the characters (mainly the volcanic Angela) were actually really funny. The performances are uniformly good, and the positivity promoted is a welcome relief from all the negativism inherent in some of the post-modern drama I've been sampling parts of recently.

Something else that really shocked me about this film was how both parties in the marriages were equally at fault. Normally in movies like this, the man is the one to blame because he's always either pig-headed, sexist, abusive, a cheater or all of the above. Here, only one of the men present in the movie displays those traits, and instead it's the women who have to do a bulk of the learning and changing (though the main lesson is still all about compromise), and the whole plot manages to wrap itself up in a way that doesn't feel forced or cheesy...or at least as cheesy as most Tyler Perry movies are. All in all, its a surprising solid film and I'm curious as to where the second is going to take things.

Ratatouille

I've set myself with a goal to see all Pixar movies before the year's end. In the last couple of years I've completely ignored the studio's films despite their critical success. Out of the the 11 Pixar films (counting the upcoming Toy Story 3) I've only seen 5 of them. Ratatoullie was Pixar's 2007 release. It's the story of Remy, a rat who dreams of becoming a famous French chef though his large family doesn't share such a sentiment. Remy's life takes a detour and leads him to the bright lights of Paris where his idol, Auguste Gusteau's restaurant has fallen on hard times, but with the help of a clumsy young man named Alfredo, Remy's culinary experience might just save the restaurant.

Saying that a Pixar movie looks good is pretty much a given. The movie is packed with beautiful images of Paris, drawn to look quaint and retro. There are imaginative camera angles and movement, and a stunning attention to detail. The characters move and emote with fluidity, not stiffly, the most animated films now-a-days do it. As usual with Pixar films, there is a simple plot that somehow manages to hold a lot more weigh and complexity than I would've guessed. Most notably, I was impressed with how the movie juggles the multiple relationships and plots all at once. There's Remy's connection to his dad and brother, his conflicting desire to be a gourmet chef, Linguini's crush on a fellow cook, The head chef's paranoia that there's a rat living in the kitchen. The rightful ownership of the Gusteau brand name comes into play, and somehow, a picky critic figures into the whole thing as well.

Another thing that struck me was that while most Pixar films strike a happy balance of subject matter that both kids and adults can enjoy, this one seemed to be aimed more for the adults; not in a suggestive sense but in a sophisticated sense. There's little in the way of pure slapstick and most of the humor comes from what's being said than what's happening on screen. Sure kids will enjoy this but I think older people would appreciate it more. I certainly enjoyed this and I can't wait to see what other Pixar films I've let slip past my radar.

The Producers

I don't watch a lot of non-Disney, non-animated musicals. I don't know why, I've just never had the desire to see one. The Producers somehow managed to catch my eye and I found it to be an incredible outing. The movie is an adaption of a Broadway show that was, in turn, an adaption of 60's movie, which also in turn, this movie also acts as remake of. For those unfamiliar with the story, Max Bialystock is a low-budget musical producer, who funds his failures with checks collected by romancing old ladies. His schemes grow grander when he meets accountant Leo Bloom, who pays a visit to check out Bialystock's books on behalf of his firm. Noting that a bad play doesn't have to pay out on investments, Bloom gives the producer the idea to collect a large amount to put on an awful musical that will close instantaneously, leaving him with a large profit.

The movie feels like a throwback to an older generation of studio musicals as opposed to the bits and pieces I've seen of the Rent and Moulin Rouge movies. The movie's shot in a very straightforward manner that works with the story to achieve a very specific sense of time and place. The casting is also solid with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick making the jump from the Broadway show to the film in the lead roles of Max and Leo. The chemistry and interactions between them feel strong and real, mostly coming from the years they've spent playing the characters. Most of the supporting cast from the stage show also reprise their roles here. I didn't know who Gary Beach and Roger Bart were, but now I think I might need to search out some more of their films as they're hilarious as the gay duo of Roger De Bris and Carmen. From what I've been told (and its kinda of apparent) the only two characters who have new actors in their roles are Ulla and Franz Liebkind, who are now played by Uma Thurman and Will Ferrell. Its clearly just a case of wanting to have big name stars attached to this movie, but it works out just fine. Both Uma and Will seemed to have a lot of fun with parts and to surprise but of them cloud sing pretty well.

The musical numbers are a treat, making most of the scenes funnier and just more enjoyable. The songs are catchy and the cast preforms them with great skill and their personalities really help make the songs memorable. I have would have to say that my favorite songs were the ridiculous "Keep it Gay", mainly just for the "interesting" costumes used during that one, Ulla's "When You've Got It, Flaunt It" which has great lyrics and showcased Uma Thurman's singing abilities, and "Springtime for Hitler" which is just completely absurd and hilarious. This movie was a nice surprise to me. It's funny, has great casting and music and should be be seen by anyone who enjoys good comedy and music.

Pokemon: Mewtwo Returns

Mewtwo Returns isn't a movie, its a TV special that was tarted up to direct-to-dvd movie status. As the title suggests, the special is a follow up the events of the first movie. From what I've been told, the English version is a direct translation of the Japanese script and if this is the case then the Japanese version of the series must be pretty boring. OK, the script is refreshingly intelligent so maybe its just the way the story progresses that is fairly dull. I mean, the movie features Ash and the gang having to deal with a large chunk of the Team Rocket organization (always a treat when it happened in the show) in addition to the team's boss Giovanni, but nothing really becomes of it. It's sort of a huge build-up to a big letdown. Mewtwo himself doesn't do much except continue to ponder his existence. Even when he finally does something, he just gives in. There are morals to story like in the first movie, but their now forced in your face or hypocritical and its actually kind of sweet. All-in-all the special is decent is worth at least one look. I know that I didn't have much to say, but there wasn't much to talk about.

Pokemon: The First Movie

Ah yes, lots of memories with this one. The first Pokemon movie was released at the peak of the craze the series commanded in the late 90s. I remember seeing this twice in the theaters and watching it countless times when it was on video. Just recently watched it for the first time in almost a decade and I found it to still be pretty good. I don't really have much to say here that hasn't already been said. This is the story of a human created advanced pokemon called Mewtwo and his quest for a purpose. Mewtwo then goes about attracting all the best pokemon and their trainers for a fight that the TV series main characters get involved with. Essentially, its the typical man creates beast, beast supercedes man, beast learns humanity stuff that movies churn out every couple of years. The movie is a tad darker than what was normally done in the regular anime series but it pulls it of fairly well and succeeds in conveying some form of emotions. On the flip side though, there are some god awful and just plain hypocritical morals that the film crams down our throats. Pokemon is the wrong franchise to try and drive home a "fighting is wrong" message or a racism stance for that matter. I've been told that none of that exists in the original Japanese version of the film which also features a better characterization of Mewtwo as opposed to dub version where he acts like a cold-hearted villain with a generic desire for world domination. I have no interest in going out of my way to see the Japanese version so I'll just take what I can get. The movie isn't as good as when I was a child, but its still a nice diversion.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters

I remember seeing the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie with some friends when it was in theaters and all of us left the movie feeling like our brains had been jumbled up. But, the thing is... that's exactly what a movie based on Aqua Teen Hunger Force should do. It effectively left us feeling like our brains has been molested from what we just saw and there aren't that many movies that can claim that accomplishment (good or bad). For those who've never seen the show, its kind of hard to explain. Aqua Teen Hunger Force is a show on Adult Swim starting 3 talking food items that's basically 11 minutes of pure nonsensical chaos loosely tied to paper thin plotlines. The movie, much like the TV series, has some semblance of a plot, but the fun comes from how the story takes several detours, along with side plots that wind up at being dead ends, and by the time the film ends, everything has become even more convoluted than when it started.

The plot of the movie sees Master Shake, Frylock, and Meatwad trying to assemble some exercise equipment called the Insane-o-Flex that subsequently goes on a rampage which the Aqua Teens attempt to stop (with extra emphasis on "attempt"). As I said the plot gets pretty damn screwy from there. Other characters from the series make appearances like the Mooninites, MC Pee Pants, and the Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future. There's a major side plot that involves the origins of the Aqua Teens and of course this just devolves into a total mindfuck. The few times I've watched this on DVD, I was able to see that the movie has a layered sense of humor that I didn't necessarily pick up on the first time around. There are funny situations and jokes fired from every angle, but then there is the absurdest means of plot development. Its intentually confusing, but in its own way it's clever, along with being completely insane.

I can always appreciate what the Aqua Teens are up to, but I as much as I enjoyed this, I can't help but feel that the movie could have been more. About half of the joke of the movie seems to be the fact that the movie even exist in the first place. Also the movie doesn't really attempt to improve its quality in jump to big screen. Adult cartoon series-based movies like Beavis and Butt-Head Do America and South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut made incredible efforts to rise above the standards set by their shows, but Aqua Teen is content to deliver the same old same old. Like most tv show based films, the movie drags on a bit (running for the length of about nine 11 minute episodes of the show), but thankfully things pick back up for the completely bizarre grand finale. Its not perfect by any means, but it's a unique film based on a unique TV series, and it mostly gives fans exactly what they would expect.

Brüno

I liked Borat, but unlike most people, I wasn't in love with the film. I thought it had a good mix of smart, edgy satire and shock value, but I also felt the movie wasn't able to substain itself through multiple views like the Jackass movies...and the endless amount of people who thought it was hilarious to constantly quote lines from the film was annoying as hell. Bruno tries to achieve the same, but fails simply because it tries too hard. The plot is almost an exact copy of Borat as it sees a foreigner come to America on a mission with a sidekick joining him and many of the comedic bits seem to be an attempt to create moments very similar to the famous scenes from Borat.

The straight comedic moments in the movie, while managing to make chuckle every once in while, were tired and predictable. Much of the humor is pulled from tired gay stereotypes we've all laughed out hundreds of times before and the rest of the humor relies way too heavily on Bruno getting nude for comic effect and it gets old very quickly. Bruno's attempts at satire also invoke a sense of deja vu and its just...well lazy. The movie is attempting to expose the bigotry and homophobia of Americans, but it doesn't expose anything that most people didn't already know. People in the south are homophobic? Stop the presses! The one time movie actually succeeds with this angle is when Bruno consults a Charity PR Firm to figure out which charities are most fashionable and it was a wonderful dig at how shallow many celebrity social causes are. Its a shame the rest of the movie couldn't be like this.

Also, Bruno just comes off as a dick. He's a terrible person and an extreme stereotype who instigates pretty much any and all conflicts he comes across. A naked Bruno attempting to sneak into a hunter's tent in the middle of the night, it's kinda funny, but it's no surprise that hunter gets so pissed about. Bruno practically forces himself on Ron Paul and the outcome of Ron calling him a queer wasn't worth the effort and I didn't feel shocked at that and I was actually surprised that Bruno didn't get knocked out or something. Bruno's attempts at revealing the homophobia in our society are just weak and desperate. The movie has some legitimately smart moments and some pretty funny moments, but they're just to few and far between to make the movie really enjoyable.

Latter Days (Review)

I don't watch a lot of gay-themed films. Most seem to reiterate the same material over and over and just seem...not good. Latter Days is a huge exception to this trend. The story follows the relationship between Aaron Davis and Christian Markelli. Aaron is a Mormon missionary who is quite passionate about his religion and film. Christian is a party boy who only wants to have sex with a new guy every night. After Aaron and three other missionaries move into the apartment across from Christian, his friends bet him fifty bucks that he can’t hook up with one of them, so he instantly goes after Aaron. Naturally there are some problems that result from this, Christian starts falling in love with Aaron and the Mormons hate the homosexual community and to say anymore who just spoil the whole movie.

I’ve watched this film a couple times and there is no doubt in my mind that this one of the best films in the genre. I found the script to be very well written as it adds a new depth to the traditional ‘coming out’ story that we continually get bombarded with when studios make ‘gay’ films. In Latter Days I actually found myself caring about the characters and was truly invested in the story progression. It is such a great romance film and Steve Sandvoss and Wes Ramsey absolutely nail their performances and it doesn't hurt that they're pretty damn handsome to look at either (Steve Sandvoss in particular). The minor characters also play important roles in the development of Aaron and Christian's relationship and the actors that play them do their roles as well as expected even though I couldn't recognize anyone expect for a young Rob McElhenney (Mac from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia). Anyway, to say anymore would just be redundant. Latter Days is a film which I can easily watch again and again, and if you're open to gay themed films, I'd say it out.

Best Movies of 2009

I actually think I went to the movies this year more than I have in the last six or seven years. Much like my television picks, I missed out on most of the big budget releases. Almost the entire summer blockbuster season when unnoticed by me, I haven't gotten off my butt to see Avatar (came close though), and as usual I missed out on Pixar's latest inevitable award winner. Overall, people seem to note that 2009 was a pretty lousy year for movies and I can agree with that. The summer blockbuster period was littered with just awful and lazy 80s cartoon adaptions and sequels and the roughly seven or eight movies I actually went out to see ranged from pretty good to just plain boring. I had some difficultly picking five movies that I really like and like the television picks, there is one movie on this list I haven't talked about yet.

Best Movies of 2009

5. Zombieland

Horror is not my genre of choice, but Zombieland succeeded in entertaining me mostly because it focused more on the comedy and relationships between our heroes than on the onslaught of the undead. The surprise celebrity cameo may be one of my favorite sequences of the year and the finale at an amusement park is probably the most purely inventive scene I've seen in a action-related context. Despite my aversion to almost anything horror related, I wouldn't mind seeing the creators continue the story of four strangers looking out for one another.

4. I Can Do Bad All By Myself

Tyler Perry seems to have figured out that if he is going to do a drama/comedy film, the two genre elements must bounce off one another naturally instead of randomly switching off at any given moment. That was the problem with "Madea Goes To Jail", but "I Can Do Bad" fixes this and is all the stronger for it. The movie doesn't do anything groundbreaking, it's just well paced and has solid cast work.

3. Star Trek

I haven't talked about this film mainly because I saw it before I started posting my opinions of things on this site. This movie was my first proper exposure to the Star Trek franchise and though it didn't make me want to rush and watch any of the various series, it was still an enjoyable science fiction outing. The movie managed to do a lot to make both series fans and newbies happy, and I think it succeeded in most areas. Zachary Quinto makes a memorable Spock, even if I still see him as the villain from Heroes and Simon Pegg as Scotty pretty much made the movie for me. The movie is well set up for further cinematic outings and I'll be waiting in line if it comes.

2. Precious

This is the type of drama that Tyler Perry should aspire to create. Precious is a truly emotional and dark movie and it never really gets much lighter, just deciding to end things when there is some small hope present. I said it before but the real strength of the movie is it's cast. Mo'Nique made an unbelievable transformation from a decent no-nonsense comedic actress to a extreme villainous force to be reckoned with and Gabourey Sidibe perfectly captured crushed innocence and lost potential for the title character. This is just a great movie.

1. The Hangover

I love comedy films and The Hangover can stand up with the classics of the genre. It is without a doubt one of the funniest film I've seen in a while. The combination of Helms, Cooper and Gilifanakis is a combo that shouldn't work, but works flawlessly. I said it before and I'll say it again, if you’re looking for a good, fun movie, look no further.

Precious (Review)

I was actually shocked to learn after seeing this film that Tyler Perry was "involved" in its production since this movie is rough five times greater and more ambitious than his own outings, although I guess that has to do more with Oprah's "involvement" than anything else. Based on the novel "Push", Precious tells the ridiculously depressing story of Precious Jones. She's 16, morbidly obese and illiterate. She lives in Harlem with her abusive mother and to top it all off, she's pregnant for the second time by her AIDS infected father. She gets kicked out of public school and is transferred to an alternative school. There, a teacher named Blu Rain brings her up to speed on getting a GED and Precious decides to make a better life for herself in spite of almost everyone trying to keep her down.

Though the plot sounds like it could be a parody of after school specials, its execution is anything but. Unlike most stories with plots this depressing, the movie doesn't try to be uplifting, though it at least ends with some ray of hope. Instead, the film gives us an uncensored glimpse into the awful life of a decent little girl who's experienced more trauma and heartache then most people do in their whole lives. The real strength of this movie lays in its cast, particularly Mo'Nique as Precious's mother Mary. Mo'Nique usually plays comedic roles in rather bland comedies but here she is true a powerhouse turning Mary into a monster. She is the epitome of human cruelty, though she has her bizarre reasons for her actions and she is a delight to watch. Singer Mariah Carey is stripped of the excessive make-up that she's infamous for and appears nearly unrecognizable as the social worker assigned to Precious' case. Gabourey Sidibe makes her debut as Precious and turns in an outstanding performance, seemingly tapping into preconscious feelings to make Precious come alive. Nothing could've prepared me for the dark nature and pure entertainment of this movie. It's easily one of the best films of the year.

Planet 51 (Review)

This movie was so insubstantial in its content that its almost not worth talking about. An alien world that is currently in the middle of their variation of the 50's is sent into panic when a human crash lands on the planet. An optimistic teenager has to help the human get back to his spaceship before the government captures him for typical genetic experimentation. Apart from some of the amusing parallels to the general attitudes and trends of the 50s (which the movie never really uses to it's advantage either), this movie doesn't have much to hold on to. Most of the jokes in the film are simple butt jokes and while those can be funny, this movie lazily assumes that just the word "butt" is funny. There are few laughs here and there, but the movie really goes no where as the plot develops, throwing in "exciting" explosions and more lame jokes as it approaches a surprisingly dull finale. There is a lack of originality that is evident in every moment of the film. Back to the Future, Mars Attack, E.T, Aliens, WALL-E, and even District 9 have some reference or influence to the plot. I think it would be a much better use of time to watch one of the many movies Planet 51 was "inspired" by than to actual sit through the film itself.

Turtles Forever (Review)

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and they've been celebrating the occasion by releasing special action figures, re-releasing movies, and updating classic Ninja Turtles video games. The celebration concluded about a week ago with premiere of a special animated movie that I had been looking forward to since it was announced. Turtles Forever has the 1987 cartoon cast ending up in the dimension of the 2003 cartoon show. When the 87 Shredder figures out that if are a different set of Turtles, then there probably is a different Shredder, it results in the revival and return of Ch'rell, the Utrom Shredder. Ch'rell is more insane then ever and he takes over and modifies the Technodrome from the 1987 cartoon with Utrom tech and upgrades it to pretty much the equivalent of the Death Star. Both the 87 and 2003 Turtles end up in a fight to save themselves as well as all other dimensions, while learning to put up with one another.

Overall, as a Ninja Turtles fan, the movie is really satisfying. It was a real treat to see the 1987 characters in new detailed animation that still remained true to their original character designs.
The main theme in the film seems to be to show off just how different in tone the two series really are. The 87 series was light-hearted ,and like most 80s cartoons, corny as hell, while the recent series is dark, serious and closer in tone to the original comic book. If I had to chose one over the other, I'd have to say that I prefer that recent series to the older one which is good because the story seems to be more focused on them and giving their series a proper conclusion and their version of the Shredder takes the lead as the main antagonist. If anything, this movie goes out of its way to show just how insane the Shredder of the 2003 series is. He truly is the most heartless and dangerous Shredder ever created and he steals the show.

The only major downside to the film is that here the 1987 series is treated almost as a parody of itself. The movie overplays their stupid and comedic sides from the original show rather then their more serious sides. There is some great humor in the 2003 cast's reactions to the 87 cast's horrible puns and childish attitudes, but at times it really felt like the movie was just one step away from saying "Can you believe anybody ever watched this show?" I have only seen a handful of episodes of the 87 series (as opposed to the 2003 series where I've seen almost every episode) and while I can agree that it can be pretty groan worthy and "kid-friendly", I don't think it ever was or became as juvenile and looney tunes-esque as this movie makes it out to be. Despite this, the movie wasn't perfect but it was still pretty awesome. It had a lot of fan service for the comic fans, the 87 fans, and the 2003 fans. Nickelodeon's acquiring of the Ninja Turtles license has turned this movie into a send-off for an era of the TMNT franchise and as such, it doesn't disappoint.