A Big Day

Hi everyone! It's been a while since I posted a non-review entry, and today is the best day for just that. So I never go and see a movie simply to review it for this blog. I don't have nearly enough money. Well, things are going to change. Now, I didn't win the lottery or come into money, but what I did do was become the winning bidder for a special prize at a local charity silent auction. The winner (me) received a season pass to National Amusements, a popular movie chain near where I live. This means that I (along with one guest!) can go to see unlimited movies from October 1st of this year, through December 31st of 2011. Thirteen months of movies that I don't have to pay for, aside from the cost of my winning bid! Now this will save me money as for example this year I've already seen 67 movies since the last Academy Awards in February (movie years are funky like that), so if we are extremely conservative and say a movie ticket costs an average of $8, that means in eight months I've already spent around $536 - and that's just for me! This pass allows me to bring a guest. So this pass that I won is fifteen months of me and a guest going to see movies galore, and boy am I going to use it. I will see almost anything for free. For instance, I like to see every movie that gets nominated for both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. But every year to accomplish this I end up paying to sit through things I just don't enjoy, even if I do appreciate the artistic merits. Now I know I don't HAVE to see these movies, but I like to be well rounded in my viewing for when I make my predictions. Now with this pass, it won't matter. Also, now I can repeat view movies again and again. I loved Inception but didn't want to pay to see it again just because I wanted to use my money elsewhere.

So with that, starting this October, my movie blog is going to have a ton more reviews. Hopefully you stop by even more, and share your thoughts. Peace!

Movie Review: THE TOWN

I love movies set in Boston. Love them. I even loved My Best Friend's Girl, the poorly received Dane Cook comedy set it in the Hub. I am forgiving because I love the locations - I've usually been to most of them. Ben Affleck's The Town is set in a crime ridden Boston neighborhood right outside the main tourist trap areas - Charlestown. This is one area I'm not that familiar with (although I was just there a couple of nights ago, passing through.). From the moment I saw the trailers for The Town I thought two things - 1) YES! A Boston movie, and 2) this trailer gave way too much away. So here is my review:

The Town is one of the most entertaining movies in a while, yet it completely rips off The Departed and Shawshank Redemption to a point that's nearly unforgivable. I love those two movies, and there is a fine line between ripping off and paying homage, and Affleck's film pushed the line. That being said, I was completely into the story, the characters, and the direction. The writing was smart - even funny at times. There is one of the best car chases I've seen in a while. There are some great bank robbery and heist scenes. So if you leave your movie history knowledge at the door, this is a great movie. I will say though that the trailer is too revealing - if you haven't seen it, don't.

One thing that bothers me is that Affleck is from the Boston area, yet this movie paints Boston like it's Detroit. That really seems unfair. If I wasn't from here, this movie would make me want to stay away. That complaint aside, I highly suggest seeing this movie. It's thrilling, it's fun, and it's certainly worth the price of admission. I would give The Town a 7 out of 10.

Movie Review: EASY A

High school is a place where drama ensues around every corner, no secrets truly remain hidden, and your peers judge your every move. Easy A sets out to exploit these facts, but makes the incorrect assumption that once you get your HS diploma, these human flaws simply go away. I can tell you for a fact that the drama you have in high school is nothing compared to college and the workplace, but that's aside from the point. Despite it's flaws, Easy A is a light Juno-meets-Saved movie that's sure to entertain many, and offend many more.

The plot consists of our heroine, Olive, who comes to the aide of many a nerd (and a gay friend to start things off) by taking payment to allow them to say they've slept with her. This gives the guys a great reputation, and her the reputation of a, how does she put it, 'harlot'. As word spreads of Olive being a resident whore, opposition from all angles rears it's ugly head. Amanda Bynes plays the leader of an overly dramatized Christian group out to stop Olive from her wicked ways. Olive is played by Emma Stone who you may recognize from Zombieland, and this is really her movie. There are a lot of other supporting characters, but few get developed that well - it's all her show. This isn't a bad thing as she is funny, witty, and entertaining to watch.

On the downside, this movie doesn't add a whole lot new to the high school genre. Like I said, this movie is a lot like Juno and Saved, so while it does do a good job at being entertaining, it's not the most original thing I've seen all year. The Christian characters are so comically drawn that they become borderline offensive to people of faith. Overall though, I did enjoy the movie (and cool opening and closing credits), so I would give it not an A, but a 6.5 out of 10.

DVD Review: Killers

Two of the most likable stars, in my humble opinion, teamed up to make Killers - a movie that didn't do well with critics or make a whole lot of money. I skipped it in theaters, but caught it on DVD, and here is my review.

Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl play a couple that meet on vacation, fall in love, and start a life together. The only catch - he's a spy. While he attempts to leave this life behind, it eventually follows him and creates havoc on the homefront. That's basically the plot plain and simple. If it sounds like Mr. and Mrs. Smith, you're right - but it's nowhere near as good.

As I said, I really like the two leads. This movie just didn't do it for me. I'm not sorry I passed on it in theaters as there are so few laughs, and the action scenes are completely without an ounce of originality. There are a couple of nice moments, and exactly two laughs - so I guess if you have some time to kill (no pun intended), it's not the worst rental. But it's certainly not a good movie. It's really too bad as the potential was great. I would give this movie a 3.5 out of 10.

Movie Review: THE AMERICAN

There is a great film buried in George Clooney's latest The American. Around this great film though is about an hour of some of the slowest and most boring filmmaking I've seen in quite some time, so it truly makes sitting through the thing a chore. Add a horrible ending to that, and I can think of very few people to whom I would recommend this movie.

Clooney plays Jack/Edward/Mr. Butterfly, a mysterious man who works for some pretty intense folk. Is he a spy? An agent? An assassin? He has a secret, and those around him can tell - they just cannot tell what it is exactly. As I said just a moment ago, there is a great movie in here. Some of the scenes are excellent and full of suspense and action. It's just amazing how few of them there are, and how sad it is that if there were more of them, this could have been a great film.

When I read a book, I like it to move quickly. I don't need a dozen pages to explain what the grass looks like. If you are a lover of every bitter detail, you might actually like this movie more than I did. The cinematography is great (I feel like I am reviewing Eat, Pray, Love again!) and the acting is good. Ultimately though the number of times I checked my watch is proof that I wanted this to end, and that is never a good thing. I would give The American 4.5 out of 10.

Movie Review: ANIMAL KINGDOM

Most of you probably haven't heard of Animal Kingdom. I'm not saying that in a snobby "I'm better than you" sort of way, but in a "I'm sadly obsessed with movies" kind of way. This little art house film from Australia has won many awards at small festivals, and boasts a 96% positive critical score on Rottentomatoes.com. On this Labor Day, I decided to drive to Boston with my brother and catch it at the only theater within 100 miles that was showing it. If it's not playing near you, I'm not surprised - but it should be.

Animal Kingdom does not refer to jungles, but it does deal with ferocious creatures - humans. When 17 year-old "J" loses his mother to a drug overdose, he moves in with his grandmother and uncles - a suspicious lot of crooks, thieves, and drug dealers. When one character is murdered by the authorities, the family seeks vengeance, and "J" gets wrapped up in a world he truly wants no part of.

The movie is brilliantly acted but moves at a glacial pace for the first half before finally kicking into full gear. This movie uses violence minimally - yet effectively. There is blood, but unlike Machete, it's never over the top or gratuitous. The grandmother, played by Jacki Weaver, is incredible and she deserves awards for her performance. The rest of the cast, including Memento's Guy Pearce is top-notch.

I was very impressed with this movie - but it's not that rewatchable once you know how everything resolves itself. That being said, it's really worth seeing. So if you have patience, you won't regret the payoff. I would give Animal Kingdom a 7.5 out of 10.

Movie Review: MACHETE

I am rarely loyal to Hollywood figures. What I mean is that if I love an actor/actress or director, I don't automatically rush to their work. So when Robert Rodriguez released Machete, a movie that was teased at in a fake trailer during the Grindhouse experience, I wasn't sold despite loving some of his past work. This movie just looked like a Mexican version the awful The Expendables and I just wasn't in the mood. $6 movie mornings courtesy of AMC theaters makes what I want to see a lot more broad though, so I figured I would take my chances and maybe get a so-so film. Well, I was wrong. It wasn't so-so. It was so amazing.

Part Kill Bill, part Desperado, Machete is a thrill a minute, laugh a minute fun fest. Sure, it's got plenty of blood, guts (literally), and gore, and sure, there is a decent about of nudity, and yeah, there's profanity, but it's all done in a way that's campy and clever. I laughed more at this movie than I did at Dinner for Schmucks and it blows The Expendables away in the action department.

Danny Trejo stars as a man who has lost everything but his desire for revenge. When he is set up for an attempted assassination of a senator who is cracking down on illegal immigrants, he goes on the run and meets an interesting cast of characters in his quest for justice. Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Cheech Marin, Steven Seagal, Don Johnson, Lindsay Lohan, and an award-worthy performance by Robert De Niro round out the strong cast.

I cannot suggest seeing this if you have a queasy stomach, can't stand some nudity, or just don't want to hear quite a few swears. But if you can put up with some adult content, this is one awesome action comedy. It's gritty, edgy, and if Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World hadn't come out, I would call this the best action movie of the summer. 8 out of 10.

Movie Review: GOING THE DISTANCE

There was a moment when I was watching Going the Distance that I literally thought to myself "I do not know if I like this movie." Every time I started to lose interest, there would be a really nice or funny moment. It just kept doing that, over and over again. The movie tried my patience, but ultimately I think the best thing I can say about it was that it was okay.

Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, a real life couple, star as Garrett and Erin, a couple that is perfect for each other...but live on two different sides of the country. Through many (and I mean many) different exploits, they try out the living long distance thing and learn that it's easier said than done.

The biggest laughs mostly come from the strong supporting cast led by Charlie Day and Christina Applegate. Most of the time though this "comedy" is far more dull than it needed to be with the talent it had at its disposal. The movie seemed to want to be this year's 500 Days of Summer, but instead fell short of that great movie. I wanted to like this movie a lot more than I did, but I didn't hate it either. This to me is the PERFECT rental movie, and it gets a score of 6 out of 10. It's friendly, but forgettable.