Displaying Category: Rating_5

Here's a movie that seems like your typical mindless teenage dramedy that we've all seen (or heard of) dozens of times before. That would only be fractionally accurate. It is a movie about teenagers and high school and there is both drama and comedy... but it's presentation is far from typical. Olive is an intelligent and well-read 17 year old who's never dated (and given how attractive she is, this is the most unbelievable part of the movie) and is therefore, obviously a virgin. After being less than truthful with her best friend about a fictional encounter with a college boy over the weekend she is, within moments, now the school slut. (The villain here being the cell phones that kids use to propagate such rumors.) Olive then leverages this new found notoriety into a sort of enterprise wherein she assists boys by advertising her encounters with them in exchange for goods and services. And then she basks in the attention she gets while at the same time, becoming more and more outcast from her peers as a result of her bedroom exploits. Simple enough, right?

The focus of the film is not on the individual encounters (most are just alluded to in passing), but on the problems that arise from being ostracized from your peers. I expect this is mostly targeted at the women and girls, but the boys are represented as well in that you've got all these guys coming to Olive to provide this service so they can be accepted. In a way, the guys are selling their social rejection credits to Olive who re-purposes them to garner attention. As you may expect, this does not turn out well for Olive, but that's not what makes this movie so much fun to watch. It's the writing. In a way, Easy A reminds me of Juno in its constant and clever application of smart, witty, sarcastic, and ironic dialogue, while also mixing in dozens of delicious pop culture references that will resonate with different viewers at different times for different reasons. Alright, there were probably a few too many times where I was the only person laughing, but I don't care. I was having a blast.

Watch. Enjoy. Laugh. Try not to fall in love with Emma Stone, I dare ya. Also, any scene with Olive's family is pure gold.

5/5

While watching this movie I kept trying to come up with words other than "awesome" to describe it. It's actually kind of tough, though, because this movie really is awesome. It's kind of a live action Dragonball movie that's about a million times better than the actual Dragonball movie (when talking about the actual fighting, which is everything that Dragonball is). Also mix in some great jokes and references to 8-bit video games and comic books and punk music and a story that pretty much everyone can relate to and you end up with pretty much a perfect movie.

Of particular note is how this movie is put together. There's a sort of beat (in musical terms) throughout the film, but instead of the thump thump of a drum you've got a joke or funny line. Every x seconds. You're basically moving from one laugh to the next the entire movie. I may have gotten that same experience with Hot Fuzz (the writer, Edgar Wright also wrote Hot Fuzz... and Shaun of the Dead... and others...), but this was better because the humor was closer to my heart (than the action movie/cop humor of Hot Fuzz).

And while looking up Edgar Wright, I found this news nugget that makes me really sad:

Proving once again that films aimed at older audiences have theoretically stronger legs than those aimed at teens, The Expendables and Eat Pray Love both had strong weekend multipliers and both performed at or above realistic expectations. With all the hub-bub regarding 'the guy movie vs. the chick flick', both films posted exceptional opening weekends and both respective marketing teams should be commended. As for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, its frontloaded and underwhelming debut proves that geek cultures is not mainstream culture, and that hardcore geek interest should not be mistaken for mainstream interest. With films like that, the only real victory should be the fact that it got made and released... -Scott Mendelton, Huffington Post on IMDB

So yes, I think geeks will love this movie. I also think everyone should love this movie because the experience is universal, but barring that, I'm okay if it's only popular with the geeks.

5/5

In very simple terms, this movie was amazing. It is beautifully rendered, well written, wonderfully acted (both live action and CG) and presented in ground-breaking 3D. It's also light years away from being an original story and it doesn't really matter. To provide a little more detail on the story, it's basically Dances with Wolves or, in my opinion, Battle for Terra. That's fine. It's a common story, but it works. James Cameron has taken a common story and presented an epic movie that moves the viewer with both adrenaline and emotion. It hits square on and solid. I do have some issues with plot holes, but I've moved on. I enjoyed myself too much to get caught up on technical details. Go check it out.

5/5

For those who aren't yet familiar with this movie, George Clooney stars as a man who's job is to fire people. The offshoot of this is that he spends most of his time flying around the country, and he likes it. He has gotten extremely good at knowing how to get through security the fastest, what perks he has available with the airlines and the rental car companies and he's working toward a "secret" goal of airline miles so he can be one of the seven people to ever achieve that number. In other words, he has no personal connections at all and this is how he wants it.

Over the course of the movie we see this character grow to see the value in more personal connections with other people. He starts to fall for someone and maybe wants more with her, but that would get in the way of the existence he's built up all these years. And then there's his sister's wedding that he can't quite figure out if he should even bother attending. Those are the basics, anyway, but the real issue here is whether I liked it. That would be a YES. It wasn't a comedy, but it has some very funny lines that produce more satisfying laughs than most true comedies can ever hope to manage. It's subtly emotional and really gets the viewer thinking about why it's important to have connections with others. The only part that really has me stammering is the ending. I'm not entirely sure why, after this satisfying journey, we ended up where we did. I don't know if it's good or bad, it's just not where I wanted to be, if that makes any sense. Regardless of that, it was still an exceptional movie.

5/5

You know, when I saw the trailers for this movie, I thought it must take place in 1984 or something. Look at the way they dress and the cars they're driving and the music... but no, it takes place in the present, it's just that they're in the remote town of Bodine, Texas. Well, and Austin too. The point is, the further you get from a mainstream metropolis, the further back in time you go.

Anyway, Whip It is a fantastic movie mostly about female empowerment and "coming of age" and parenting and also about something called "The Squeeler." No, I won't explain what The Squeeler is, you'll have to go see the movie. Unlike Ellen Page's character in Juno, Bliss is shy and quiet and awkward and stuck living her mother's dreams of winning beauty pageants and hating it. Then she discovers roller derby and the tough, loud, and outrageous women who skate the oval for fun and glory. That's pretty much what you get from the trailer and I don't plan on revealing any more. The writing is witty and funny and moving. The music fit so well I can't actually recall much of it (I think that's good). I laughed out loud several times and even cried a couple times. I really couldn't find anything overtly wrong about it, though throughout, I kept getting this nagging feeling like something was just the tiniest bit off, but I have no idea what that thing is... Regardless, it was great fun and had that great feel-good value to it. Definitely go see it.

5/5

Tom Hansen believes he will never truly be happy until he finds "the one." And so we are launched into an amazing story of love and relationships between two very dynamic characters.

This movie was pretty much perfect. Excellent and extremely humorous writing. Some wonderful (though obvious) insights into love and how it can affect people differently and how those differences can affect a relationship. Because the story takes place over a 500 day period (frequently jumping around in that space) we experience the full spectrum of new love (expressed through a fantastic music and dance spectacular in the park) deepening love, heartbreak, hope, and hopelessness. Honestly, I went into this movie expecting to cry. I wanted to cry. Mostly, there was too much laughing to cry. Even as we watched in sympathetic horror as Tom experienced the depths of heartbreak-induced depression, we were treated to well-timed and orchestrated hilarity that managed to keep every emotion in-check with reality.

I actually left feeling more hopeful, even after or maybe because I recognized myself in much of what Tom experienced. Whether it's all just coincidence or destiny, I feel like maybe there's still some hope for something good. And yes, this is a movie that explicitly calls out TV and movies and even greetings cards as the shepherds of false ideas on love, itself selling ideas of love that may or may not be false. It doesn't matter, it was all crazy fun and I would happily do it again.

5/5

Spring Awakening is a sort of pop/rock musical following a group of teenagers in 1890s Germany as they struggle to cope with the physical and emotional trials of puberty. So basically, topics including wet dreams, masturbation, sex, pregnancy, suicide, physical and sexual abuse, and abortion. You know, easy stuff like that...

Obviously the point here is that these aren't easy topics, not for the kids, and clearly not for the parents. And that's kind of the genius of it all. It's a show targeted at both groups simultaneously. A fun pop/rock tryst that feels naughty for the kids and provides all sorts of subject matter they can relate to, and a sort of blatant in-your-face wag of the finger to parents begging them to talk with their kids about the complexities of growing up and sexuality and anything else, really. Communication is vital to the healthy development of any child, and don't you forget it! Or else... And then we see all the bad that can happen when parents refuse to have all those important talks with their children.

It's a touring show, so if it comes to your area I would highly recommend a viewing, whether you're a parent, a teen, or neither... it's a great show. Just keep in mind, it does have mature content including some nudity and a fair bit of swearing to say nothing of the aforementioned themes. If you want a taste of the music and staging, there are plenty of videos on YouTube.

5/5

Unfortunately, no stub for this movie. The kiosk printed the receipt, but neglected to print a ticket. That was about three and a half minutes before the movie sold out for a 7:15pm showing on a Saturday evening. The fact that this flick is still selling out a week after release should tell you something. This movie is good.

Actually, that's fairly typical of a Pixar movie, but Up definitely doesn't disappoint. I actually saw the "Disney 3D" version and it was quite nice. Like any 3D movie, the effect is fun for a few minutes, but your brain quickly adapts and while the action certainly feels more natural, you very quickly stop finding the visuals neat.

The story is pretty much pitch perfect and had me wondering what makes the folks at Pixar such geniuses compared to all the other production companies and directors and writers out there that get a hold of great concepts but consistently fail to construct worthwhile features. What made Up special to me was actually it's bittersweet application of tears. There are several very touching and, honestly, quite sad moments in the movie that I found surprising for a "kid's movie" and yet, quite effective at rounding out the overall experience. I only wish I had someone to hold hands with during a few of the more tearful scenes. The application of comedy was also effective and pleasantly humorous. Though there weren't many pop-culture references, there was a rather satisfying (and unexpected) Star Wars reference toward the end that gets doubly supported if you catch the companion reference in the closing sequence.

See the movie, it's worth it. Bring a date.

5/5

Wow. I'm still trying to work out how to review this movie, which is hard because I really don't want to give anything away, but it's tough to explain my thoughts on it without detailing elements of the film. It's a challenge!

It was definitely an excellent movie, no doubt, full of some wonderful nods to Star Trek history and mythos (can I call it that?) while introducing all new elements that really worked well. I was also impressed by how emotionally moving the movie was at points. We developed emotional connections with characters that were only on screen for a few minutes (except for Olsen, who was, unfortunately, wearing a red shirt) and those connections strengthened as we acquainted ourselves with these characters we've all known since forever, but now feel fresh and different and new.

While I can't come up with any obvious flaws, the movie does follow some classic space opera cliches and revisits the common Trek plot device of time travel. That doesn't detract at all, and is actually the spark that allows for this series reboot to happen and remain believable. Star Trek was well-worth seeing... probably even twice!

Update: Still lots of fun the second time around!

5/5

This was a live presentation of the NPR radio show that usually broadcasts on Saturdays that was beamed by satellite to movie theaters all around the country. I have never seen any of the episodes of the show that broadcasts on Showtime (because I don't have Showtime), but I do love the radio show, so I thought this might be fun. I guess the initial big hurdle to get over is that the tickets were $20 a piece. Walking out, though, I definitely felt like it was worth it.

Waiting for the broadcast to start, they were running these odd little anagram puzzles and hangman puzzles. That was different and fun. The show itself was really quite wonderful. I've never seen Ira Glass do his thing before, so he's doing his intro story and running the quotes and music cues himself on two separate machines. It actually reminded me of running lighting and audio boards back when I did theatre, but obviously he is a professional. There were both funny and touching stories from Mike Birbiglia, Starlee Kine, and Dan Savage. There was a little clip from the final episode of season 2 of the Showtime program. There was a peculiar little cartoon by Chris Ware. And, finally, it featured musical guest Joss Whedon. I was expecting an interview out of Joss, but no, he actually got on the piano and did a little number. Good stuff! They also played some clips from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which was great to see on the big screen.

For those who missed it the first time and want to see it, there's an encore showing on May 7th. It also sounds like they'll air a trimmed down and "edited for radio" version on May 2nd as one of their regular Saturday shows.

5/5