Sunday, January 31, 2010

nick and norah's infinite playlist.



I don't think I'll ever get sick of this movie. I believe at one point I watched it three times back to back. I love the music, I even have it on my ipod, which I listen to every morning on my way to work. This movie is awesome, I love that it's basically them running around New York looking for a band in a secret location. Night life out there seems pretty exciting. We don't have any of that in Vancouver. You might think so, but no. I'm actually a little jealous that Vancouver events aren't like that. Maybe it was played up a bit in the movie, but either way I want it. I want to hang out one day and Steen coming up to me going "DUDE! So and so is playing! BUT I DONT KNOW WHERE! WE HAVE TO DRIVE AROUND BC LOOKING FOR THEM! OH MY GOD AWESOME!" It's like a little adventure.

**SPOILERS**


But I love how in this movie, it was a little adventure to look for Norah's drunk best friend who happened to get lost in one of the biggest cities AND to look for "Where's Fluffy". I also wish that band actually existed, because I'm sure I'd like them and I would totally run around town trying to find them. Now let's get to Michael Cera. If you know anything about me, you would know that I'm a fan of that guy. I wish I knew him and his crappy little car that people mistake for a taxi. I also found his obsession with his ex absolutely hilarious. The beginning of the movie with him leaving a 10 minute message on her voice mail...awesome, and it happens to not go through. I loved it. He plays the hopelessly pathetic really well.

Alright, am I the only one who thinks Tris (Alexis Dziena) is gross? Whenever I see her in this movie, or in any movie I just think, "woof!" She's repulsive! And that retarded dance she does towards the end where she's trying to get Nick to, I don't know, fall for her or something. I just wish that scene wasn't in the movie. I hated it, I hated her dance, it was stupid, and I hate her. Hate is a strong word, but I feel it's okay to use it when it's appropriate. And I feel now is very appropriate. Oh my god and the part before that scene when she's playing with him with her feet. Feet!? Why!? That's gross. Feet are gross, couldn't she just pet him on the head or something and play with his hair like a normal person would. I need to stop talking about her because I'm starting to get a little angry.

I personally found the three gay guys very awesome. They were so cute. Oh, before I forget. Caroline (Ari Graynor) is kinda gross. I don't like girls like that...the party girls who just go out to get sloshed and try to pick up guys. Although in some ways she was cute about it. Some. Like 1%. But the scene where she dropped her gum in the public toilet, where she just had puked in and then puts it back in her mouth...that made me sick. Then Nick and Norah end up chewing it later, oh god, if they only knew. That's just wrong.

Anyhoo, I loved this movie. I loved the soundtrack. I loved the characters, the story, the everything. I love that it took place in one night and a lot can happen in one night and it did. It keeps you interested. It was all simple. It's a very entertaining movie overall. It, it, it, it. I suggest people to watch it, if you haven't already. And if it's not your cup of tea, then I guess we all know what your cup of tea is, and I don't need to bring it up.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

zombieland.



This was an awesome movie. I'm not a big fan of Woody Harelson, but he was pretty good in this movie. I also think that Jesse Eisenberg is one of those actors that I can watch and enjoy how socially awkward they are. He reminds me a little of Michael Cera, whom I am a big fan of, so I guess that's another reason why I enjoyed this movie. I am also a fan of zombie movies. I don't care what anyone says. Yes, they are pretty much all the same and have the same basic plot, but they're still slightly different. This movie was easier to relate to considering the main actors, minus Woody, were all young.

**SPOILERS**

This movie was a hoot. The scenes with them killing off zombies were pretty funny. Most zombie movies are pretty intense and serious, whereas this movie made it more comical, almost to the point where you walk out wishing your town was run down by zombies just so you can walk around with guns and shoot them. I think one of my favorite scenes was when they went to the super market on a mission to find twinkies. The zombie banjo tester was great. Oh! And also, one of my favorite cameos yet, Bill freakin' Murray! That was so awesome! They just roll up to Bill Murray's house and hang out then all of a sudden he comes out dressed like a zombie. What a guy. It did make me mad when Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) shot him. It was funny in a way, but I was still excited that Bill Murray was in the movie.

One thing I didn't like about this movie was that stupid girl and her sister (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin). They were soooo annoying. Every time they warmed up to people they would steal all their shit and run off. I hated that. It's like their too retarded to find their own supplies.

I also enjoyed how they made this movie as a rules/pointers thing, you know, just in case we get some wild zombie apocalypse.

Overall, I think this movie was great. I can't wait to buy it on bluray. It's so funny and witty. The story and ideas just keep you interested. It did have some slow parts, but who cares, it's an awesome movie like I've said a million times now. This may seem like one of those "teen" movies that we all just can't get enough of, but it's not, and if you think that then you can go watch "Bring it On".

Monday, January 25, 2010

the lovely bones.


I was looking forward to this movie for a while, but when the reviews started... I wasn't so sure if it would live up to what I had hoped for in my mind. I liked the film more than I disliked it ( I'm a sucker for thrillers/mysteries/murders), but there were too many moments that seemed misplaced, unclear, and confusing. I wondered if this was due to the fact that "The Lovely Bones" is a book-to-movie adaptation.

I loved the concept of the story, and some of the acting, but the narration (featured in the trailer), seemed unnecessary throughout the entire film, and actually explained what was happening, or gave things away before it happened on screen. I hate when movies feel the need to explain things.

The coolest part of "The Lovely Bones" from the trailer seemed to be the 'other worldly' visuals, but they did not live up to anything they should have considering it was a Peter Jackson film... I found these visuals quite boring, as they cut away from the interesting, and at times intense, mystery storyline to be showcased. They were too random, and felt way too disconnected from anything I comprehended. The best parts of the movie were the scenes involving Stanley Tucci- he made it watchable.

I listened to /Film's podcast review of this movie, and they seemed to really dislike it... certain people way more than others, basically expressing that no one in their right minds should ever watch "The Lovely Bones". I wouldn't go so far as to say no one should watch it, but I would say I wish it was what I had envisioned it would be- a whole lot better.

Currently I'm reading the book, and within the first chapter one can tell the differences between it and the movie, as a huge fact from the book is left out of the film. I've heard many other things are different as well. I know the film is an adaptation, but in this case, the book is winning, and I've so far only been through two chapters.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

2001: a space odyssey.



Will someone, please, explain to me as to WTF is going on here? Please.

the departed.



**SPOILERS**

I'm going to keep this short and sweet. I'm glad everyone killed each other off at the end of the movie, because I was so close to building a time machine out of my microwave and going back in time to the filming of this movie and shoot everyone on set. The idea was cool, but it was constantly a cat and mouse game and I was getting REALLY tired of it. I also found it hard to get into at the beginning of the movie. And that girl that was dating Matt Damon's character, what a bitch! Sorry, but I can't tolerate people who cheat, it's just a movie, but I don't care. She was a twat.
I also find it really hard to take DiCaprio seriously. He's the worst. All the accents in the movie were distracting as well. I couldn't stand it! It was as if they were trying to hard to do a proper Boston accent. Oh my god, and Mark Wahlberg! So hard to take him seriously. He was a huge douche bag in this movie. Also, don't you find it a little boring and redundant how he always has to play some kind of a bad ass in every movie he's in. No, not a fan.

The only thing I liked about this movie is when they all died, and the soundtrack. That is all.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

sherlock holmes.




Guy Ritchie has definitely redeemed himself. One thing that stood out to me a lot in this film was the dialogue. It's classic Guy Ritchie. English and witty and full of sarcasm. I want to watch it again just so I can listen to them talk. It's very entertaining. I've noticed that in a lot of movies coming out lately. The character/actors mesh so well together. In this movie, it's as if Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. were meant for each other. I guess the bond they characters had between each other helped, but I still think that those two together, we're perfect.

I'm just going to get out and say it. I loved everything about this movie. The settings, the characters, the visual effects, the story, and the soundtrack. It all worked so nicely together. It just felt right. The setting, beautiful. It had that desaturated, gloomy, grayish look to it and I love seeing that in movies. I find it really appealing and visually, it's interesting. The characters, again, were great. I wasn't a fan of Watson's little Misses. Maybe her character was meant to be a bit of a twat, or maybe the actress just sucked. I don't know, I don't think I've seen her in other movies before, but she's also one of those people where I just don't like. Don't know why, but I do. Maybe I'm just bored and looking for someone to hate at the moment. Another character that I found very douche-bag-ish, if you will, was Lord Blackwood. *sigh* Maybe it was his buck teeth. Whatever it was, I'm still not a fan. He's supposed to be one of those characters that should intimidate you throughout the movie. I don't know about you guys, but that didn't work on me. At the end of the movie you realize why he gave off that douche-bag vibe. He didn't fool me.

The soundtrack was awesome! I can't wait to get that on my ipod. It just tied in so perfectly with the whole style of the movie. Mind you, Guy Ritchie has a knack for choosing awesome soundtracks for his movies. He never lets me down.

**SPOILERS**

I like how he had a bit of a fight club theme going on at the beginning. I also found it very interesting how he had the character foresee what he was going to do to people, before he actually does it. I liked that. The fight scenes were awesome. But there was one scene that was supposed to give off that intense, panic feeling, but it failed miserably. Yes, it was the director's fault. Guy, it was your fault. The best way to come out of it is to admit you were wrong. So, what happened was, they were in some kind of a warehouse of some sort. They had dead piggies hanging around by chains, and then! Holmes' eye candy appears out of nowhere hanging by chains as well going straight towards the torches of doom!! Oh, but don't panic, because there's an off switch, wheel mechanism right next to Watson, so good ol' Watson to the rescue, just turns it off and YAY she's safe from the firey torches of doom! That to me was a bit lame. One more thing...there's a shot at the end of the movie-ish. It was lovely. It was just an establishing shot of Lord Blackwood hanging and you can see the city all around him. It was just perfect. I loved it! I want to go back and look at it again. I think it's my favorite shot out of the whole movie.

Overall I was pretty satisfied with this movie. To me it seems as though Guy Ritchie only makes movies that are good to a certain level and it doesn't get better, it can, but it's as if he just can't do it. It's not amazing, it's just awesome. This movie, to me, took a step further away from the normal "just good". It still wasn't AMAZING, but it's close. It can only get better. Can't wait to see more of his work in the future.

Monday, January 18, 2010

juno.



I loved this movie. It's like a low budget indie film. Those in my opinion are very awesome. The story was great. It was just a real life situation, yet very simple. It had lot's of character development and the dialogue was funny and witty. I loved Juno's personality. I also love Ellen Page. She's one of my favorites. Every roll she plays in, she seems really cool, calm, and collect. It's almost like Michael Cera how he keeps his character personalities somewhat consistent through all the movies he's been in. So it's great that they're both in the movie. The way they interacted with each other was great. They didn't over act, so in a way you were able to relate to their lifestyle and character more because how "real" they were actually being.

**SPOILERS**

The fact that I'm writing "SPOILERS" at the top is a little sad. If you haven't seen this movie yet, it's probably because 1) your a guy and assume this is a chick flick and don't want this movie to interfere with your "manliness" (which makes you even more of a douche) 2) you don't have eyes, in this case, I'm sorry, but your a freaking liar, because your reading this right now, and 3) you assume it's a crap movie because it's about teenage pregnancy, in THIS case, you deserve a creepy little Asian man crotch in your face.

So anyways, I like this story. Sure it's been done, but what movie hasn't. The little things they do in this movie, is just so random and awesome. Example, the scene where Juno gets all that furniture and parks it right on Bleeker's lawn and waits until he comes out. Her interesting way of say "Hey dude, how's it going? I'm pregnant." I love it. Or when she packs his mailbox with a million packs of orange flavored tic tacs. It's little things like that that give this movie it's quality and goodness.

I love Juno and Bleekers relationship. Because it's not exactly boyfriend/girlfriend as one would come to expect, but it's just them as friends. They like each other, but there's a sense of beating around the bush about their feelings for one another. Of course, at the end they get together, but their relationship just seems really sweet. It's not like the happily ever after where they ride off in a carriage being pulled by ten white horses while people throw rice in their eyes. It's more like, here they are singing and playing the guitar together and it's the beginning of their little youthful relationship. Simple and effective...and REAL!

The other character's were great too. Leah, Juno's little friend, was alright, she was a bit over the top for me. Sure in high school we had our skanks, but I didn't know one chick that acted like a horn dog like Leah did AND she had a thing for her crusty old school teacher. Barf! Juno's parents were awesome. They were just a regular family. Nothing too big, again, just simple. Her dad was funny. I liked a him a lot and her step mom was a hoot as well.

This movie never gets old for me, I love watching it. It makes me laugh, and some parts make me sad. I wish there were more movies like "Juno".

the hangover.



I didn't think this movie was going to be as good as it was. I had no idea what it was going to be like. Although, this movie is mainly directed to a male audience, considering the fact, it as all about a bachelor party that got way out of hand-ish. Either way, I still found it hilarious. I love the story and how the whole movie worked like a puzzle. I never found myself bored though this film, because I was constantly wondering what the hell went on with those guys. I'm glad at the end they showed all the photos of their night. Some was a bit raunchy, but it was still really funny.

**SPOILERS**

You know the hotel room scenes. Where the camera is just panning around the room and you see several shots of random shit. Or the scene where they went back to their room looking for that creepy little gay Asian man's money. Okay, what I'd like to know is, where did that chicken come from? There's a random chicken wallowing around their room and it was never explained how that got there. Sure it was one of those things that you just don't ask and it's there just to show you that they got down to some really weird shit. I was still curious about it though. Also, thinking back to all the stuff they went through that night, and seeing all the pictures at the end...when did they have time to get a chicken? Oh well. Still awesome.

Another thing I liked about this movie, the characters. Who ever did the casting for this movie deserves a pat on the back. Those guys were great. They all have different personalities and the dialogue between them, is awesome. Zach Galifianakis is such a weirdo in this movie, but If he wasn't in it, the movie wouldn't be the same. I also like how their plans were to celebrate Doug's (Justin Bartha) bachelor party, yet he was hardly in the movie. It's alright, because the other three guys were way funnier than him.

Everything else about the movie was awesome. The little Asian man. I don't know, he's annoying. The way he sprung out of the trunk of the car and wrapped himself around Bradley Cooper's head. Totally grossed me out. He basically had a face full of little Asian man crotch. That grossed me out sooo much. He was sorta funny, but annoyed me more at the same time. It was almost bad enough that I wanted to punch him in the face.

The ending was great too, how Stu (Ed Helms) totally blew up in his girlfriend's face. I would have ended that with, "oh and by the way, I got married in Vegas!" She deserved it. What a c*nt she was (pardon my français), but she pissed me off sooo much. If your reading this and you are like Stu's girlfriend, you deserve to get little creepy Asian man crotch in your face for the rest of your life.

Okay so, overall this movie was fantastic. The bluray is out and I would go buy it, but I'm a little broke, but that is definitely on my list of must get movies. This movie is great for whatever mood your in. If your contemplating suicide, this will totally lift your spirits. :)

Saturday, January 16, 2010

whip it.


I absolutely loved this movie. I didn't know anything about it when I went in to see it, other than it was about roller derby, and Ellen Page was in it. It had a super indie vibe, yet Drew Barrymore was in it. Later I learned it was Barrymore's directorial debut.

The story's about a girl, Ellen Page, in a small town, who's always catered to her mom's ways, gets fed up and secretly joins a roller derby.

The film is nothing amazing, just another indie movie, but I enjoyed it, and I think different people will take different things from it, based on how they were raised and what sorts of situations and feelings they've experienced, much like any film. The characters were diverse enough, that it kept things interesting. I found the movie realistic, yet a little over the top at the same time; there weren't enough consequences for certain actions.

I found I could relate a lot to this movie, and walked out tempted to join a roller derby. The girls in the movie have a similar style to myself- tattoos, piercings, dyed hair, attitude- that it seemed to speak to me, and was very inspirational and motivating. That being said, I don't see most guys enjoying this film at all. What I took from "Whip It" was it doesn't matter who you are, or whether you're an underdog or not, if you try, you can do anything you put your mind to.

Friday, January 15, 2010

inglourious basterds.



Oh boy! What a movie. I had such high expectations about this movie. I went in there thinking "Oh my God! This is going to be an epic war film with Brad Pitt and he's going to kill all these Nazis!" Because basically that's what I got out of the trailer. I was so excited, I love World War II movies and the fact that Brad Pitt was going to be in it made it sooo much better. Scene one started...all good there, after scene one...I don't even know. Not what they made it out to be.

**SPOILERS**

I must say, I hate this movie. I mean it had a few cool parts. A FEW. Brad Pitt was hardly in it. It was mostly the stupid Nazis. There was also a little story that ran through the whole thing which tied up all those people together at the end. Story was okay. It was cool that the Jewish lady wanted revenge for the death of her family. So she was planning on locking all the Nazis including good ol' Hitler, whom by the way is a douche, in a theater and blowing it up. That, is pretty awesome, and I think that's how it should have really gone down in real life. Anyways, so it was Brad Pitt's little resistance group of people killing off Nazis. They were probably in this movie for about 30 mins all together.

Oh! Before I forget. That Hanz soldier guy was such a prick! I know it's just a movie, but I hated his character sooooo much! Not because he was a Nazi, but because he basically played God. He knew what was going on all the time. He knew everything about everything. And he was so snooty about it, oh my god! Makes you want to punch him in the face. He doesn't even tell you he knows what you know, he just smiles, but gives off that tension feeling were you know your pretty much fuct. How does he even know!? *head explodes*

Another thing that I wasn't too keen about with this movie. It was all in subtitles. Not the Brad Pitt parts, but all the Germans spoke German! You'd think it's alright, and you know what, it's fine, it's realistic. It's a lot better when the whole world speaks with British accents in movies, but sometimes it's just hard keeping track of what's going on. The subtitles were going too fast, and I want to watch the movie and not have to read what they're saying because your missing the action.

I think the worst...well one of the worst scenes in this movie was when all the Germans were in the pub, just talking. It was so boring my brain drifted off thinking about what I'm going to be doing later that night. It was just them sitting around TALKING, not anything like, "yeah we gotta go kill those Jews!" I honestly don't even recall what the hell they were on about.

The only awesome parts of the movie were the Brad Pitt parts and when all the Nazis burning in the theater.

My hopes and dreams for this movie were shattered. I don't understand how people liked it. It was lame. Who ever liked this movie needs to stop what their doing and go watch "Bring it On Again". Tarantino, your dead to me, over.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

the imaginarium of doctor parnassus.



A Poo Poo Production. SOLD! What a weird movie. I don't even know. It was really good, yet really weird. Visuals were awesome. Characters were awesome as well...minus Colin Farrell. Not like he was bad in this particular movie, he's just bad in every movie so it doesn't really matter. I think I might need to watch this movie one more time to grasp all the meaning behind it. I know a pretty good idea of what's going on, but there's so many hidden meanings in this movie that I need/want to figure out...before my head explodes.

Heath Ledger...*sigh* What a guy. He's one of my favorite actors, well was, but I'm going to talk as if he's still alive. I bought a plant the day he died and named it after him and it's still alive, so technically he is too. I'm not crazy, really. Anyways, I love the guy, he's such a great actor. He makes any movie automatically awesome. Even if it was a Nicolas Cage or Brendan Fraser movie, it would instantly make it a good movie somehow. Okay, so seriously, I think Terry Gilliam did an awesome job filling in Heath's character roll. Why he chose Colin Farrell, I do not know.

**SPOILERS**

I love how this whole movie was kind of like a game. I found it a little weird how they saved Tony (Heath Ledger) and when he woke up from his mini coma he suddenly fit in with their little sideshow crew. No questions nothing, just cuts to a scene of him dressing up and all lah-dee-dah. I guess there wasn't much for him to think about considering he had no idea who and where he was. The girl in the movie was pretty cute, had a super tiny face. I think she's related to John Cusack. Ha! She was a good character too. I just didn't fancy the part where her and Tony were all lovey dovey. I was secretly raging with jealousy in my black little sole. Steen didn't even know that I was sitting next to her about to explode into million little angry pieces. I would have probably exploded the popcorn along with me. At least in the scene where they were getting it on it was Colin Farrell doing the deed.

You know what? I think the movie was amazing. All up until Dr. Gandolf was sitting in VANCOUVER...right in front of the giant colosseum looking library. Why did it go downhill from there? Well, since Steen and I live in Vancouver, It just seemed really cheap and familiar. We've been to that library, so we recognized all that stuff. I'm not sure how to explain it. It was just cool how it all took place in England and all far away from reality...for us, and then, oh look! It's where we hung out! It just ruined movie mode for me and got really fake. Sure it's a movie and it's all fake, but when your in a cinematic adventure it feels like your there. You know what? I'm done explaining this, If you don't know what I'm talking about yet then go watch "Not Another Teen Movie" because your the worst.

So anyways. This is a great movie and if you haven't seen it yet, go see it. It's very different and requires quite a bit of thought. The imagination land place is beautiful and pretty cartoony, so you'd enjoy that. Hooray for awesome movies. I sleep now.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

cloudy with a chance of meatballs.



This movie has so much awesome in it, I don't even know where to begin. It's visually entertaining, colorful, and the dialog is just silly. I love everything about this movie. The animation is super cartoony! All the characters have that squash and stretch, and the movements are just so zippy and fluid. And the way they push the character poses. It's great! And don't forget about the expressions! Wow! It's as if they told the animators, the whole crew even, to do whatever the hell they wanted with this movie and this is what they came up with. It's clever and I love it!

Flint as a little boy...soo cute! He has the lovable puppy eyes and cute expressions. The dad's character design is pretty cool too. He kinda reminds me of the Swedish Chef from the Muppets. Steve is one of my favorite characters. Just random and weird.

**SPOILERS**

I was uber jealous of the people and their awesome food rain. The pancake part was awesome. I love pancakes and every time I see that part I get hungry. The burgers looked pretty good too! I was thinking...if their town depended on sardines so much, wouldn't they smell like it? I mean it's all they eat and they're around it a lot! Like the movie said, "Sardines are super gross!"

Another thing I enjoyed about this movie was the textures. If you look at Flints hair. It looks awesome! It's cartoony yet a bit life like. The docks and the water as well. They were so well done. I just love looking at everything in this movie. There's a lot to take in and thats one of the things that keeps people interested.

This movie had a lot of randomness to it, and I like that in a movie. Of course if it's appropriate. For this movie, it sky was the limit for sure!

brothers.


Though I have not seen the Danish version of this film, which I've heard is amazing, I thought this film did a great job at what it set out to do. Upon first viewing the trailer during theatre previews, I remembered thinking, "Oh, this looks like a heartfelt husband dies in war, wife moves on and continues life cute, but sad, type of story"... Until it was revealed that the husband comes home, experiences mental turmoil, and all hell breaks loose. At that point, I knew I had to see it.

There was a lot of emotion, detail, and intense moments throughout the course of this movie. There were significant character arcs, and the actors' performances were great. If anything, Jake Gyllenhaal was slightly underused in his role as the brother. It might be interesting to see his and Toby Maguire's roles reversed. I didn't even notice Natalie Portman was the wife at first, she was a great choice as she's an exceptional actress and has great range with her facial expressions. The only part I didn't buy so much, was the relationship between Maguire's character and his daughters, it seemed a little forced, and awkward. I'm not sure if I'm just picturing him as Spider-Man a little too much or not. The eldest daughter may have overacted a little bit too.

**SPOILERS**

In terms of the story, the relationship between Portman and Gyllenhaal made sense, but happened way too fast. Same goes for Gyllenhaal's character realization and change- how could one go from bad ass, to prison, to home remodelling, supportive, father-like figure in what seemed like a week? I'm just glad the movie didn't turn into a chick flick during these sequences, and held it's integrity. The pairing between Maguire and Gyllenhaal was unique, but it wasn't as natural or entirely believable for them to be brothers, as it should've been or as one might hope.

The war segments of the movie were very effective, and intimidating. You want to know what will happen next, but at the same time are aware that the more the story progresses, the closer someone is to getting brutally hurt or murdered. What Maguire's character had to go through in order to survive, was insane.

The tension, and insecurities in this movie made it impossible to stop watching. Maguire, a once friendly father, was now an emotionless, scary looking shell of who he once was. He did an amazing job with this roll. Maguire made it seem as if he'd actually endured the same devastating experiences as his character. The scene to remember was when he was entirely too suspicious of his wife and his brother, that he took a gun and almost shot himself in the head, in the middle of the front lawn. The close-up on his face was so intensely enticing; I couldn't stop watching though I feared something horrible would happen.

"Brothers"- a water balloon of emotion thrown at a brick wall. I recommend it to everyone, and hope this movie aids in spreading the message that there is no excuse for war, and that family and love is what matters.

mamma mia!



*Sigh* Okay. I'm not too sure what to think. I like ABBA. Go ahead laugh. I don't care. My parents listened to them a lot as I was growing up, so you know what? I grew found of them. So I thought I'd give this movie a chance. It's an alright movie. It's a musical, so if musicals aren't your cup of tea then whatever. I on the other hand don't mind them. But anyways, it's not that bad of a movie. It has a lot of girly parts. Meaning several girls giggling and jumping up and down going, "eee!!" Those parts make me feel a little uncomfortable. The singing parts are very cheesy. VERY cheesy. It almost made me not want to look. The music was fine, because I enjoy it. But the acting during the music...oh boy! It's just something that gives you a little unsettling feeling inside.

If Meryl Streep wasn't in this movie, I'm not sure I would have been able to get through it. I love that woman. Every movie she's played in, she was amazing. She's so energetic and full of life and she pulls you right into the movie. The other characters, uber cheesy. Pierce Brosnan was good. Stellan Skarsgard just kept making me think about Pirates of the Caribbean, and I guess that's why he was cool too.

**SPOILERS**

The story in general was good. Just about a girl wanting to be given away at her wedding, but she had three possible fathers. I like movies with weddings. It makes me a little teary eyed. But on the other hand, it was a little different in this movie. Wedding was cancelled and the mom got married instead, oh and what do you know? Married to one of the possible fathers.

While watching this movie I had a feeling the mom's sisters were going to end up hooking up with the possible dads. What a surprise! The mom gets one, the sister gets one...and I believe the other dad is gay because he disappeared with some guy. Whatever makes him happy.

The blue screen played a big role in this movie as well. Although it wasn't abused like it was in "Australia". I just don't like when blue screen is obvious, it looks cheap and boring.

Oh, can I just say. The guy that was going to marry the main chick...sucha prick. He seemed like a cool guy, but then he gets mad at her for contacting the three guys who could be her father?! What the hell is all that about? He was stupid, I didn't like him at all. Just looked like a douche. You know those people that you see and you don't even need to know them, but you automatically hate their guts? He's one of them. Oh and back to Pierce Brosnan, he can't sing.

Overall, I think this movie was, meh. Too predictable, too cheesy, and too blue screeny. It's definitely not a movie for guys. Girls...a selected few. If it weren't for Meryl Streep and ABBA, I'd scrap this movie.

youth in revolt.



I just came back from watching this movie and I must say, well done! It reminded me a little of "Juno", and that's a wicked awesome movie too. Just the style, the acting, the actors, it was all very simple and very effective. It's basically about a 16 year old kid going through great lengths to be with a twat. Basically.

**SPOILERS**

One of my favorite parts of that movie was the title sequence. Stop motion FTW! I loved it! Michael Cera is super creepy in stop motion mode, but it was still pretty cool. They did that several times throughout the movie, but different styles. They had picture cut out animation at one point. At another where he's totally tripping balls, they had a cool 2D animated porno sequence. That was a good scene. Not because of the porno. Then at the end credits they had another, really short and sweet piece. The animations we're great. Overall, it just gave the movie a really good feel.

I didn't know Justin Long was in that movie, so that was a big surprise. He definitely added a bit of awesome to it. Another surprise, Steve Buscemi! He played the dad with the slutty girlfriend. Pretty gross, she wasn't all that great looking herself. Either way she ran away with Paul (Justin Long) so they can create knarly looking children together. Cera's Francois Dillinger character was amazing. A little creepy looking with the mustache and colored lenses and all, but SO FUNNY! It's also a little mind blowing thinking that Cera totally pulled off that kind of character. I'm always used to him playing the same kind of guy in every movie, so this was a major difference and very awesome!

In all honesty I thought that Sheeni girl that Cera's character was obsessed with was a total nincompoop. It makes me glad that I'm not 16 anymore. First of all, pretending you have a boyfriend is just sad. Same goes for the other side. Just don't do it. It's lame and it makes you look like an idiot. Second, her taste in dogs is horrendous. There's a little black dog that Cera get's her and you know what? I'm not going to get into that. It was unfortunate looking, just take my word for it.

Anyways, I loved this movie. I can't wait until it comes out on bluray. I'm all over it. The story was hilarious and by the time the movie ended, in my head there was a soft, disappointed "noooo..." I definitely recommend it to everyone. It's funny. Who doesn't love funny movies. If you don't think it's funny go watch "The Fast and the Furious".

the hurt locker.



I would just like to say that if it weren't for the Wall.E looking robot at the beginning I probably wouldn't have given this movie a chance. I'm glad I did though because this movie was intense. It's a war movie, and I like war movies. It's just not your typical war movie where the soldiers go in and shoot a load of people and get shot back and killed and there's this whole emotional process. Okay well it has SOME of that, but this was based on the soldiers that go in and disarm bombs. That may sound boring and I thought it might be, but like I said, it's INTENSE!

**SPOILERS**

Watching this movie made me realize how savage the human race is, I mean really, we're fuct. The things we do to each other makes me really hope that 2012 really does happen and John Cusack just randomly appears. Of course, I feel this way after watching any war film, John Cusack just pops into my head and I start thinking of 2012. But no really, the things the Iraqis do to each other totally blows my mind. There was this little boy in the movie trying to sell DVDs to the soldiers, and the sergeant buys a few and gets all buddy buddy with the kid. Which I thought, oh how nice, even if their Countries are in battle, he still has a little love for their people. So blah blah blah movie goes on, and they find this old building that's pretty much used as a bomb factory. They're going around investigating and behind the curtains there's a body. THE KID'S BODY! He looked like he had the snot beaten out of him. What they did was cut up his chest and hid a bomb in there. A KID! Just for seeing him talking to the sergeant. Some people need to be punched in the face.

Iraq is definitely not on my list of must see places. Maybe it's just a movie, maybe everyone is holding hands dancing in a field of daisies. I don't know, but so far what I've gotten out of movies and the news that place and the people are sketchy as hell. You can't trust anyone. Your taxi driver could be a suicide bomber and you don't even know! You could be sitting in the back enjoying your animal crackers and watching all the amazing things out the window, like kids playing soccer in the dirt or what not or flying kites and BOOM! Your dead. Your so dead, you don't even know. You think your still eating animal crackers, but your not. They're all scattered around in bits just like you are. People might even mistake you for an animal cracker crumb.

Here's a question I asked myself while watching this movie. Why is it when you have 500 riffles pointing right at you, and they're just yelling for you to get down on the ground, and your just standing there? At times your probably just saying, "oh no, I'm just going for a walk, it's ok!" But why!? Just get the hell on the ground! The sooner you do that, the sooner they will let you get back up and go for your stupid walk! If your going to stand there just starring at them, maybe it's me, but that's totally a red flag. JUST GET DOWN ON THE GROUND BEFORE I THROW MY HOT BOILING CUP OF TEA AT YOU!!

Anyways, I think this movie was great. The dialogue was very funny and witty. For the most part. Obviously in serious parts you want serious people. The actors were great. Them + witty dialogue = AWESOME. You can tell this movie had a good director. A pat on the back to Kathryn Bigelow. Only thing that I wasn't a great fan of was the visual effects, for the most part it was pretty cool, but in some parts it just looked totally fake and that bugs me. The explosions we're awesome! I can't wait until 2012!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

2012.



Is it me or does John Cusack have a really weird looking face. It's almost as if his facial features didn't quite grow into his giant man head. Anyhoo, let's get on with the end of the world...again. Don't get me wrong, this movie was intense! Even my little brother with ADD was hooked. It was a good movie, and I'd totally watch it again. But what I would like to know is, how many more end of the world movies are there going to be until some producer out there just says, "okay, stop!" We all know we're killing the world and pissing off the universe. "The Day After Tomorrow" made it pretty clear we screwed ourselves over. That movie, is a whole different story, which I'm not going to get into right now.

**SPOILERS**

I would just like to start out by saying thank you to our world leaders who think that in our time of need, they're the important ones. Or sorry, anyone who has 1 billion dollars to piss away on a ticket to live. This movie pretty much told me that me and the people in MY life, wont survive, unless I get up right now and start building my own ark because let's get serious people. I don't have a billion dollars. I was not fortunate enough to have a billion dollars, as well as most of the world. So, just to let you all know...you wont survive either, so go build an arc, we have 2 years left and times tickin'! Even the families in the movie who HAD that kind of money didn't get a ticket for the whole family. How messed up is that?! If I didn't have enough, I just wouldn't go. What kind of new life would it be if Steen wasn't there hanging out with me talking shenanigans over a cup of tea. Not awesome in my opinion.

Enough about the arks that are clearly too good for us. Did you see the visual effects!? Whoa. I don't know about you people, but if I was driving along and the street started breaking up and bursting out flames all over the place, I would think, "HOLY SHIT! THIS IS AWESOME!" and then I'd shit a brick. It's crazy! And here you are hearing about people killing themselves when they hear about there being an end of the world. If your going to die you might as well see your world fall apart. It would be an amazing sight, but still not so fun because your going to die.

I like John Cusack, but something about the way his character and lifestyle was in this movie made me think of the character he played in "1408". It seems like they took the guy from that movie and plugged him into "2012". That's all I could think about. Maybe that's the only character John Cusack knows how to play, because he's just like Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves. Don't get me started about those two. That's a completely different evening. And those kids of his! His son, I'm sorry, but he's a little shit! How could you be so cold to your dad? He's taking you camping for God sakes! He's taking time out of his super exciting life to take his little brat of a son camping. If you didn't want to go, then just don't go. Stop wasting his time and yours, but your already wasting your time playing video games and texting your nerd bomber step-dad who is obviously the weak character and ends up getting crushed by giant ark gears and dies! You are dubbed the worst kid in the world.

You know how you go see a movie and then the next day at work you go to your friends and start review the movie with them. Well I did that and this is what one BONEHEAD of a guy said to me, "2012 was basically part comedy movie, part romance, and part action..." Okay, fair enough! But what I'd like to say is, what movie isn't part comedy, part romance, and part action!? Isn't that pretty much every movie in existence!? Sure, every movie uses a different recipe, but I believe, I could be wrong, but I believe that they all have some sort of comedy, romance, and action. And what the hell was your opinion about anyways? You pretty much told all of us what we already knew! Your stupid get out of my face! Did I mention he's one of those guys who likes "Not Another Teen Movie" and "The Fast and the Furious"? Well he is, so that explains a lot!

Anyways, If you haven't seen "2012" yet, you need to go see it. Yes, it's just like any other disaster movie, but you know what if you like shit blowing up and people running for their lives and most of them failing, then your on the right track.

Monday, January 11, 2010

500 days of summer.


This film completely took me by surprise. I had only seen the trailer on TV a couple times, but never fully paid attention to it, assuming it was another teen drama flick or a chick flick type movie about a young couple's relationship over the summer, or something like "Elizabethtown". I didn't think about the title's meaning, and assumed it was what it was, 500 days of summer-a season... not a name. Which led me to wonder how summer could possibly last over a year?

Wow. I am really glad I didn't really know what to expect when stepping into this film, it surprised me in a very good way. Right from the beginning it had narration that reminded me of Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", split screen editing similar to "Requiem For A Dream", and a whimsical nature that seemed very familiar, yet very new. It was very funny, had good, interesting characters, and was most of all, dead honest. This was not another chick flick, and everyone should see it.

**SPOILERS**

I thought it was cool to see the movie's roles reversed, with the male character as the main story, and the female character as the "not-to-be-trusted" character usually males portray. The way the story was told was very funny, yet very heart felt and expressive, and I really connected with the characters on both sides of the 'argument'. You have this goofy guy who just wants to find his soul mate, and this independent girl who doesn't want to be tied down- I wanted the guy to get the girl, but at the same time I completely understood why she chose the path she did. He wasn't the right guy for her, she found someone else, and that was that. I found myself wanting to be angry at her, and the movie for destroying the 'hopeless romantic' within me, but this was the honest side of the film that I enjoyed. No bullshit, just life. The acting was great, and the musical scene couldn't have been performed better. I believe Joseph Gordon-Levitt was made for this role. I also thought the split screen segment with the main character's expectations versus reality to be effective and creative. The ending could be argued to be a little predictable but I thought it was fitting with the movie. Another thing; the soundtrack: perfect.

Though some might think "500 Days Of Summer" to be depressing, I thought it quite the opposite. Some things were a little corny, but I thought the humour and originality made up for it. Some things were a little sad, but it was very reminiscent of everyday life. I was entertained and surprised up until the very end, left with a satisfied, and hopeful demeanour, believing everything happens for a reason.

finding nemo.



Who doesn't love a good Pixar film? You can always trust Andrew Stanton to create a visually beautiful film and an amazingly touching story. I love this movie not just because it's a Pixar film...okay maybe because it's a Pixar film. But Pixar has never let me down. They always make the right decisions all the way to the root of the film.

**SPOILERS**

The voice acting was brilliant. I can't see any actor other than Ellen DeGeneres playing Dory. Who is by the way my favorite character. Facial expressions, personality, dialogue...all of it, just priceless. I love her. All the tank characters too, they were hilarious, especially with their tank initiation meeting for Nemo. The textures on everything as well, was so lifelike and beautiful. The animation of the sea anemone. Awesome. The animation in the movie in general is very intimidating.

I love the seagulls. They are the most annoying creatures in the world and I like how they're portrayed in this film. I also like how Dory speaks whale. You don't really question Dory about where she learned how to speak it and the fact that she has short-term memory loss is brilliant. Also, in the beginning where it's just a couple shots of their new neighborhood and you see all the fish just living their lives. It's pretty cool. There's a crab cutting grass and you know, fish making out in the background. It's very homey.

I admit, I shed a tear when Marlon's family got gobbled up. That totally sucked, and of course he gets stuck with the fish with the gimpy fin. It's okay. That whole part though was pretty sad. I'm glad at the end Dory ended up living with them. What I'd like to know is, are Marlon and Dory an "item" now? or are they just buddies? or what? They kinda just left that loose ended, but whatever Andrew Stanton knows what he's doing.

I love this movie and I've seen it a gagillion times and it never gets old. Did you know on the dvd/bluray there's an option for a TV screen saver. That means you can have awesome Finding Nemo backgrounds hanging out on your TV while your just doing things around the house, like vacuuming or reading or eating a sandwich or even knitting. It's pretty sweet, you guys should check it out.

paranormal activity.



Hi, my name is Affy and I believe in ghosts. Now put me and this movie together and I'm shitting myself. I went to see this with my friend and as I recall I was the 1st person to scream. Okay, it wasn't a proper scream, it was more like a squeak. I love horror movies. The old classic "Halloween", "Nightmare on Elm St", and "Friday the 13th" were all cheesy and had the same idea behind them, but I can't help but appreciate them. I love to get scared, it's like a sick fascination or something. I might need help, but right now we're going to focus on the movie, not me.

**SPOILERS**

Lets go to the beginning of the movie. No trailers. No beginning credits. Nothing. Just straight to the movie, which was awesome. I like that. And the whole time was just a hand held camera. The actors...no name. Never seen them before in my life and at the end...no credits. That was it. All this made the whole movie experience very unique. The whole movie just seemed rough and candid. That helped a lot in scaring the shit out of me.

Now, lets talk about the boyfriend, shall we? What a raging asshole! He's pissing off this demon thing when the psychic and the girlfriend strictly said to leave it alone and brings a Ouija Board in the house?! If my anyone brought that thing in my house Id throw them and that thing out the window. You know what? I'm glad she killed him at the end. She probably wasn't even possessed. I think he just pissed her off so much she said, "you know what? fuck it!"

Other than the annoying boyfriend, the movie was freaking awesome! All the stuff that was going on while they were in bed. Okay, let me just say this. If that was my house and I was doing that experiment. I would have been long gone from that house the moment I saw the door swing. No, I think I would have left after the noises. I would have gotten up, packed up some shirts and my psp and I don't even think Id leave through the door because that would mean I would have to go down to where all that stuff was happening. I think I would just jump out the window and make my way down somehow. Oh yeah, and don't you hate it when they always go to where the noise is? Why would anyone do that?! "Oh did you hear that loud bang growl thing? Let's go down (IN THE DARK!!!) and investigate." Anyone who has ever seen a horror movie would know never to go to where the bad stuff is happening and that movie has taken place in modern time, so they should know better!

Alright, so after the movie, sleeping life changed for about three days. I was up for two nights patrolling my area, and I think on the 3rd night I was able to have a few minutes of sleep. This movie truly scared the bejesus out of me. My boyfriend said I wasn't allowed to watch it anymore and I too agreed to ban myself from watching it. Considering this movie was done on a very low budget, it definitely made it's point. I even went out and bought the movie on bluray after I promised myself I wouldn't watch it ever again. I can't help it. Like I said, I'm a sucker for horror flicks. I made him watch it with me, and 2nd time around...not bad ;)

Oh yeah, I'm in the credits!

coraline.


Coraline is easily one of the best, and most artistic movies of the last decade. It's amazing how much detail, time, and expertise went into the film, and in my opinion it far exceeds Corpse Bride's story, and is comparable with Nightmare Before Christmas, if not better in it's own way. It's animated play on real life, mixed with it's magical 'other' world, draws the viewer in and leaves one wanting more... And who could resist watching an almost two hour stop motion animated film, let alone in 3D! I got goosebumps throughout the entire thing, and my only dislike is that it wasn't longer. If only I could take a set home with me; I could stare at the details, colours, and textures for hours. Even the clothing is amazing, as it is all hand-knit and incredibly tiny. Henry Selick and Neil Gaiman make for a fantastic team, and my only wish is that more films like this are created in the future.

terminator salvation.



I watched this twice yesterday with my boyfriend, Tom. So while it's fresh, I'm just going to say a few things. Continuity wise, this movie needs some work. It's little things really, but you'd be surprised by how many people actually notice these things.

**SPOILERS**

So here I am trying to get through the second viewing and Tom spots two mistakes in one scene, not far apart from each other either. If you watch the beginning of the movie where John Conner is getting in the helicopter and crashes, you'll notice he didn't put on his seat belt, but the next scene he has it on. And just shortly after that when he's fighting the terminator his boot comes off and oh what do you know! His boot is on in the next scene. Seriously? Is anyone paying attention during the making of this film? Seems like Christian Bale is the only one TOTALLY into this movie considering he flipped out on some guy "looking at the light". Come on Mr. Bale, if your so into character and your work how could you let this happen...in YOUR movie?! It's very disappointing. I thought you were different.

Enough about Christian Bale's mistakes. Let's talk about Mr. McG. 1st of all, change your name, you sound like a one hit wonder rapper. I just want to know why? Why you thought it would be a good idea to use a CG Arnold in this movie? It looked awful. It's so badly done it almost embarrasses me for you. It would have been a smarter move to use the ACTUAL Arnold and sure he's old and wrinkly and probably lost a bit of muscle definition, but since we have the technology I'm sure you could have done a bit of airbrushing or SOMETHING. Either way it would have looked a million times better and made that scene better considering ARNOLD was back. So in a way it was a shitty tease that went wrong. Fail.

I don't think anything else really bugged me in this movie. Other than the fact that John Conner meets his dad as a child. That whole thing confused the hell out of me, but Tom was nice enough to explain it several times to me until I got it and thought "wow that's pretty lame".

Let's quickly go back to Christian Bale for a sec. I know I said enough about him, but I can't help it. What the hell is up with his mole by his eye? It's distracting and every time he shows up in the movie I just see the mole, you'd think he'd get it removed or something or I don't know have them edit it out in compositing. Just something so I'm not watching a giant mole fighting terminators! That should be the tag line of the movie.

Other than that, I liked this movie, just some parts made me want to punch McG in the face.

district 9.



This movie totally came out on my birthday. I think it was Peter Jackson's gift to me. I love how this movie took place in another part of the world other than North America. Every alien type movie you see out there has to do with America. It's still cool to watch, but somehow this being taken place in South Africa made it seem more "real" so-to-speak. I love that it was shot as a documentary/story. I don't do documentaries too much, but this had to do with aliens and explosions so I was sold.

**SPOILERS**

I must say, the visual effects in this movie was amazing. The part where the little alien kid (I want one by the way) activates the robot and starts killing people with it was pretty sweet, but not as sweet when he makes that guy's head explode. THAT WAS WIN! I love the transition of the guy going from human to alien. The nails falling off was really gross, but you can't help to look. AND OH MY GOD! When he chops off his hand!? Can you imagine?! You must be in such a state to willfully grab a knife or whatever and just chop it off. I also love how the relationship changes between Christopher and the guy. 1st he has authority, then he needs his help, then they're buddy buddy in a way. It's quite nice.

You can't help but feel bad for the aliens in this movie. It almost made me think of the Holocaust just by the way they were being treated and how they were forced to live in those camps. I'm glad Christopher and his little kid we're able to get back to their ship. It sucks for that guy whose life was completely destroyed, but he was an asshole. There's definitely going to be a part 2 just by the way the movie ended. It's either going to be really awesome or really disappointing. Either way I'm there.

the princess and the frog.


Though "The Princess and the Frog" may not have been the best choice for a Disney 'comeback' 2d film, I still felt it had a lot of heart, great ideas, and artistic showmanship. I would have assumed something more 'epic' like "The Lion King" would have been chosen to demand more audience attention.

The animation was great, especially the sequences with the Shadow Man, and the shadows. Great backgrounds. Great songs. Some cool characters. For a kid's movie it had a lot of creepy moments, which I personally enjoyed the most, and had similarities to the "Be Prepared" sequence in "The Lion King", and Ursula's Grotto in "The Little Mermaid". I loved that the movie wasn't afraid to explore different styles of animation, and thought Tiana's fantasy sequence was incredible. I'm not sure if it's just me or not, but I noticed the 3d elements a little too much, and didn't like it. I wasn't sure if it was intentional stylistically or just me picking up on things most people might not notice. Though the movie did have moments to laugh at, and moments to cry about, I'm still left wishing there was more to it... Feels like something's missing compared to Disney's best. That being said, I can't wait to see more 2d films in the future, and hope this film helped in reviving interest in the almost lost art of traditional animation.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

avatar.



Okay, let's get serious people. Whoever thinks this movie was a waste of time, do this: move your cursor to the 'X' button and click. Yes, that's right. Just go, because (1) you don't know diddly squat about movies and claim you do (2) your probably one of those people who likes movies like 'Not Another Teen Movie' or 'The Fast and the Furious'. So do us and yourself a favor and just go.

The other day I heard some people talking about the movie and this kid just flat out says, "'Avatar' was just James Cameron's fantasy. It's just a fantasy of his it all it is really. It's James Cameron's fantasy". I mean what a dick am I right?! ANY MOVIE IS A DIRECTOR'S "fantasy". So how can you sit there and say that? Movies wouldn't BE if a director didn't invasion it 1st! I should just walk up to that guy and punch him in the face because he's one of those people that I was just talking about!

Now, onto real things. I think this movie was amazing. Not only because there were shiny and glowing things...well okay, those also play a big role because seriously, the visuals were beautiful. Who can say that that movie wasn't awesome to look at. The story was a bit cheesy in some parts, but everything else made up for it. I don't think I spent even a moment during that movie thinking about how cheesy the story was. My brain was in 'holy shit' mode.

**SPOILERS**

Another thing, who didn't walk out of the theater thinking, "I want an Avatar"? I was jealous. I want to be an 8 foot blue thing that rides around on giant birds! Oh and the acting, awesome. I don't care what you think. They definitely pull you in and make you feel for them. Like when Neytiri's dad died. Oh man! Was that sad or what?! I struggled to pull those tears back, you really felt her pain. And don't say "oh well your a girl, girls get emotional blah blah blah". No! I'm human. Nice to meet you.

All in all I think this movie is a huge stepping stone to our future in film and that's exciting as hell. Only thing that sucks is that any movie I watch after this, it's going be really hard trying not to compare it with Avatar. A million stars to James Cameron because he blew my freaking head off!

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