Law Abiding Citizen

Written by: Kurt Summer

Directed by: F. Gary Gray

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Leslie Bibb, Colm Meaney

Clyde Shelton ( Butler) loves his wife. He loves his daughter. They have a wonderful life. But everything is brought to a halt when the Shelton's are the victims of a home invasion and Clyde wakes up to find that his wife and daughter have been murdered.

Nick Rice (Foxx) is an up and coming prosecutor who has an astounding conviction rate and is gunning to be the top dog. He takes on Shelton's case but goes against Clyde's wishes and takes a plea bargain to put one criminal on death row, and let the other (who actually did the killing) go with murder in the 3rd.

Fast forward ten years. Rice is doing it big, as assistant DA. He's groomed Sarah (Bibb) into a great right-hand man. They are still marveling at a high prosecution rate. Life is good. Nick and Sarah go to the execution of Ames (Josh Stewart), the one pinned with the murder of Clyde's family. Everything appears to be going as scheduled until Ames yells out in pain and thrashes around on the table before the heart monitor stops.

Immediately an investigation is launched and is lead by Nick's buddy on the force Det. Dunnigan (Meaney). They find that the machine has been tampered with and have to reopen the case to try and find out clues as to who would have done such a thing. Maybe Ames' partner in crime Darby (Christian Stolte). Darby has been living a life of crime since his release. He gets a ring from an anonymous caller telling him that the cops are on the way. No sooner than he can question who is on the phone, Darby hears the silence in the distance. He follows the instructions giving to him on the phone and narrowly escapes capture. Until he finds out that the person giving him a way out, is Clyde.

Clyde then takes pleasure in kidnapping Darby and doing things to him reminicscent of the Saw movies. And then the shit gets gangsta!

Nick, Dunnigan, Sarah, and a host of lawyers try and get to Clyde, get him to confess, and eventually lock him in jail. Until they learn that people are still being murdered while Clyde is behind bars. Nick Rice must find who is helping Clyde on the outside before his own life is put into danger.

Jamie Foxx does a pretty decent job. Really headstrong into advancing in his career. Starts off as a loving husband whos eager to be a dad, but ends up as being the guy who is too busy at work to go to his kids recital. He's kind of a dick, but he isn't so far gone that he can't make a turn around. I still can't stand Gerard Butler playing an American, but his accent doesn't slip too much in this movie. As far as his performance though, anyone really could have played the role. You don't get too much background info on the rest of the characters to even care about what they do outside the office. Like they try and develop a relationship (plutonic) between Foxx and Bibb but I just wasn't buying it. And Clyde constantly pushes the theme of justice being served, but it's not strong enough to be constant throughout the movie. Nobody did a horrible job, but aint no Oscar contenders in the bunch.

The movie is incredibly fun though. Not exactly suspensful but it does leave you wondering how the hell things are going on. I'm so glad the studio didn't try and get this dumbed down to a PG-13 flick. Some parts are pretty gruesome, but I'm thankful they didn't cut away.

We sat in the movie totally confused as to how Clyde gets the entire city of Philadelphia to pee it's pants fearing that anyone who may have done some wrong to him in the past would be hurt, and the movie does a good job of keeping you interested for the run time.

Initially I walked out of the theaters with a solid B for the movie, but the more I thought about it, the more I doubted I could ever really just sit and watch the movie again. You know how when you found out that Bruce was a ghost, and then you go back and watch him and little Hailey Joel and you're like "oh he did get shot in that suit" "oh yeah his wife doesn't talk to him ever" well you can't do that with this movie. It's not like the ending is totally implausible (ok maybe it is a little far-fetched) but without a crucial speech in the middle of the movie from some random, you really wouldn't be able to guess this one on your own. Even if I gave you the spoiler right here, right now, you'd be like "well how could you know that?". You couldn't. But that still doesn't make it a bad movie. Very entertaining. Very popcorn (I ate a bag of JellyBellys with my eyes wide open). I'll give it a C+.

Where The Wild Things Are

Written by: Spike Jonze & Dave Eggers (book by: Maurice Sendak)

Directed by: Spike Jonze

Starring: Max Records, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, Lauren Ambrose, Forest Whittaker, Paul Dano, Chris Cooper

Yes I've read the book 700 million times as a kid. No, I have no recollection of the exact story but that Max was a bad kid who was sent to bed without dinner and escaped to an island of Wild Things. So I went into this movie with no storyline expectations, but just wanted to see another something for my childhood finally brought to life. Especially by one Mr. Spike Jonze.

Our first glimpse of Max (Records, and yes it is awesome the kids name is actually Max) is actually on screen before we see his little face. A few nice little drawings on the production company cards. But when he hits the screen, its at a startling pace.

After roughhousing with the dog, he makes his way outside to build and man a fort by himself. He begs for his sisters attention, and it's granted briefly by way of her and her friends engaging in a snow fight with Max and eventually crushing his ice fort, and consequently his spirit. To get revenge he makes an utter mess of his sisters room.

When Mom (Catherine Keener) comes home, she doesn't scold Max, but instead helps him clean up and feel just a little better about himself. It's short lived though, because soon Mom's boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo) comes over and takes the attention away from Max. Max causes a scene, mostly against the audacity of frozen corn for dinner, and runs off into the night. He finds a boat and sets sail until he gets to an island...inhabited by Wild Things.

When he docks he comes across Carol (Gandolfini) smashing the bejeezus out of huts. Judith (O'Hara), Ira (Whittaker), Alexander (Dano), and Douglas (Cooper) are trying to stop him because these are the huts they live in. Clearly enraged and grieving over KW (Ambrose) leaving the bunch, Carol decides to destory everything. Sympathizing with being the outcast of the bunch, Max races in and helps Carol in his efforts. He then tells the Wild Things tales of the time he overtook some Vikings and they made him their king. They collectively decide that Max will be their new king and make everything right again.

Like most politicians and royalty, Max comes up with all sorts of promises that the group wholeheartedly believes. They have a romp. They sleep in a giant pile. They get to work on a gigantic fort, using everyone's best talents and really creating a group effort. He even gets KW back in on the fun and everyone feels like a literal great big family. Until Judith notices Max spending more time with Carol. And some of them feel slighted when Max divides the group into "good" and "bad" for a dirt fight. Some of them even begin to question his resume.

Max spends the rest of his time on the island trying to find out what is best for everyone, including himself.

Firstly, let me say, that although this movie is about a rambunctious 8-10 year old, this is not a movie for kids. The monsters are a little creepy. Ok well a lot creepy. They make promise to basically eat Max if he screws up. Literally eat him. He sees the bones of the previous king. It is not lighthearted or even that colorful. It's sad and a little lonely, but if you were ever 8-10 years old, you will understand a little about where Max is coming from. (ok well maybe not when he yells and bites his mom, you'd be like "my mama would whoop his ass"). Maybe you learned something in school that made you fear for your life. Maybe your mom didn't give you every minute of attention you felt you needed. Maybe you wanted to run off from home in the middle of the night to a land where only things you wanted to happen would happen.

Secondly, if you know anything about Spike Jonze and what he is capable of behind the camera, that might help you be prepared for the tone of the movie. If you know anything about the Jim Henson Company, you can be prepared for the life-like qualities that the monsters have. I've read enough articles on the making of the movie to tell you about the CGI that went to it but I'll spare you. It is totally visually stunning.

I've been debating most of the weekend on what grade to give this movie. A-. Could I be biased? Maybe. Am I being sentimental and nostalgic? Yes. Do I want to see this over and over? Indeed (on BluRay). Could it have been better? Couldn't everything?

Definetly see this.

Capitalism: A Love Story

Written & Directed by: Michael Moore

Starring: Michael Moore, The U.S. Government, American Tax Dollars


Ahh Michael Moore. Where do I begin on his latest documentary about the American love affair with making a profit? With the factory workers in Chicago that refused to be put out of their job without their proper severance? With the Congresswoman who urged any homeowners facing foreclosure to become squatters in their own homes and refused to be moved? With the ex CEO?s of Goldman Sachs that became in charge of the U.S. Treasury and used their power to bail their buddies out? The Dead Peasant policy, where your company profits from your death? No. I think I?ll start at the end of the movie. Where Michael Moore states that he refuses to live in a country like this. And no, he doesn?t plan to move.

Michael starts the film with footage of his childhood. Growing up in Flint, Michigan, the son of a factory worker. Where they own their own home, off one income. Taking vacations every other summer to New York. His father had healthcare coverage for the entire family, and his pension was safe and secure, ready for him in his retirement. The American Dream.

Somewhere between then and now, Americans? dreams have shifted to making as much money as they possibly could and squashing whoever stands in there way. We work twice as much but don?t have the pay to show for it. Digging ourselves deeper and deeper into debt, ?working jobs we hate to buy shit we don?t need? ? Tyler Durden.

The documentary covers many aspects of the failing economy. Financial analyst, Harvard professors, foreclosed homeowners, property vultures, and even the clergy give their view on how we got to be where we are now, and what exactly there is to be done about it.

I was particularly interested in the clergy?s point of view on the evils of capitalism and the amazing power of propaganda, which is doing an excellent job of making the people support the very thing that is taking them down.

There?s tons more to the movie, but I don?t want to spoil it. I can?t say that Michael Moore breaks new ground on the government screwing over the people for their money, but it is a different perspective on some aspects of history (my mouth was wide open in shock during the part about FDR?s proposed Second Bill of Rights). I give it an A. Just like I would have given Sicko, Fahrenheit 911, and Bowling For Columbine. Yes you will be upset when you leave. And yes you will think of Huey Freeman calling Ronald Regan the devil. But do everyone a favor, and take someone who called President Obama a Socialist, like it was a bad word, with you to see it.

Taking Woodstock

Written by: James Schamus (screenplay), Elliot Tiber (book)
Directed by: Ang Lee
Rated R for graphic nudity, some sexual content, drug use and language

Starring: Demitri Martin, Henry Goodman, Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Groff, Emile Hirsch, Eugene Levy, Liev Schreiber

There was this little concert in 1969 that you might have heard of. Took place in a little town in New York. Few giant musicians. Couple hundred thousand hippies. Woodstock. But this movie isn’t about the music acts. It’s about the people. Particularly the people in White Lake, New York.

Elliot Tiber (Martin) is trying to make a life for himself in the Big Apple. But he’s holding himself back by constantly making sure that his parents Jake and Sonia Teichberg (Goodman and Staunton) run their “resort” the El Monaco. The Teichbergs (of course Elliot changed his name to a more gentile-y Tiber) have run into a little financial difficulty and Elliot has promised the bank that they would be caught up on their mortgage before the end of the summer.

To keep himself busy, Elliot dabbles in the arts (even has a group of players living in their barn) and is the chairman of the city’s board. And every summer the townspeople gather for his music festival, which consists of some records and a hi-fi on the lawn. He pays his dollar fee and has the permit approved to host as usual.

At the local diner Elliot finds out that a big concert was supposed to happen in a nearby town, but it was shutdown by the townspeople. He gets on the phone with a group called Woodstock Ventures and has them come out to view his property.

Michael Lang (Groff) hops off a helicopter with his long, flowing hippie hair and peace mentality, and about twenty lawyers. They find the rest of the El Monaco resort to be in the same position as the hotel itself. They pass. Immediately. But before they go, Elliot takes them down the road to his neighbor Max’s (Levy). Beautiful lush green lawn. This is where they decide Woodstock will be held.

Suddenly word gets out and everyone in White Lake hates Elliot for what is potentially about to happen to their town. They protest and try to get the permit pulled, but the show is already on the road and the hippies are on the way.

The town’s inhabitants quickly form from dairy farmers to flower children. The El Monaco is triple booked. Chocolate milk is selling like hot cakes. Even some of the townspeople have gotten in on the fun. And Elliot is driving himself crazy. Making sure his parents are safe and aren’t driving themselves crazy. Making sure that the concert is actually going to happen. And in the midst of things, trying to enjoy himself.

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from the movie. The previews were semi-funny, and I absolutely love Demitri Martin’s comedy, but I’m wasn’t so sure how he would do acting…in a starring role. But he was great. He’s wonderfully awkward like a grown up Michael Cera. The parents were stereotypical Jewish parents, but that’s probably really how parents were in the 60s, and I’m sure there are plenty of parents out there like that now.
But I really really loved whoever the hell Jonathan Groff is. I swear they invented a time machine and went back to Woodstock and plucked him off the lawn and brought him back to be in this movie. Wonderful.

And Ang Lee had some absolutely great scenes. Particularly the “wave” scene that almost makes you want to trip on acid and see a crowd of thousands bouncing up and down to the music. Almost. Like a happier version of the cave rave scene in the Matrix Reloaded. The movie had a mellow tone to it. It’s funny, and a little sad at times, but very enjoyable. Word is that some of the scenes are done just like the documentary of Woodstock (I’ve only seen footage of the actual concerts). I give it a solid B.

Note: Do not ask who played Jimi or Janis or Santana or Jerry Garcia, or The Who. They weren’t to be found. And that’s a good thing.

World's Greatest Dad

Written & Directed by: Bobcat Goldwaith

Starring: Robin Williams, Alexie Gilmore, Daryl Sabara, Evan Martin, Henry Simmons, Geoffrey Pierson

Rated R for language, crude and sexual content, some drug use and disturbing images.

Whenever I go to see a movie at the River Oaks (Landmark) Theater, we see a commercial for HDNet movies. And it?s like ?watch them at home before they?re out in theaters? because somehow or another they get rights to show some movies (Indies) before they?re released wide. Well I never had HDNet till recently, and one Saturday after getting suckered into watching Big Fish yet again, I see this great preview for a Robin William?s movie called World?s Greatest Dad. So I set the DVR to record it cause this looked like something I?d want to see in the theaters, so hell yeah I wanna see it at home for free.

Lance Clayton (Williams) is pretty much a loser. He?s divorced. Is a high school English teacher whose favorite class to teach has the lowest attendance possible. He loves crappy music. And has been denied publishing for everything he has ever submitted. His son Kyle (Sabara) is obsessed with fetish porn, has no friends at school save for Andrew (Simmons), hates his father, and is pretty much a dick.

The bright spot in Lance?s life is his girlfriend and co-worker Claire (Gilmore). She?s smart, attractive, and way out of his league. He gets visibly jealous when the more popular English teacher Mike (Simmons) flirts with Claire, especially after she congratulates Mike for being published in The New Yorker after his first submission.

But despite all the crap in his life, Lance still tries. Tries to be a good man for his girlfriend. Tries to incite poetry in his students. And most of all, he tries to get his son to love him.

Suddenly, a tragedy strikes Lance?s small family and while trying to cope with his grief and loss, he uses the situation to greatly benefit himself.

I got the movie. It was darkly, darkly humorous. And I?m usually a fan of such films, but I just did not like it. I even thought it was a timely theme about how once tragedy happens then everyone wants to be a part of it to make themselves feel?however we feel when we want to be a part of something. Like when Michael Jackson died and everyone had Michael Jackson tshirts and bought all the cds and went to the funeral like they really knew him and were die-hard fans since ?ABC?.

Robin Williams truly is a great actor. And for some reason he?s really good at creepy, oddball roles (see: The Final Cut, One Hour Photo, Death to Smoochy). And I don?t recall seeing Daryl Sabara in anything else, but man that kid is a good actor because I wanted to jump through the screen and beat his ass for how he talked to his father. And beat the dad?s ass for letting him. The supporting cast was ok. No stand out performances for me.

I just did not like it. I didn?t care one way or the other what happened to these people cause they were all so horrible or self absorbed or so pitiful that I just wanted the movie to be over. Then I get online to check out what other people thought and they LOVED it. I had to make sure I was reading about the same movie. It?s a decent premise for a story. And the acting was good, there was just?some missing magic for me. When I finally hit ?stop? on the remote, I promptly hit the ?delete? key and was all too thankful that I saved myself $7. D.

Inglourious Basterds

Written & Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

Starring: Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Bruhl

Rated R for strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality.


This is a World War II movie like you have never seen before. 1941. Nazi occupied France. A small dairy farmer gets a visit from one Colonel Hans Landa (Waltz). A hell of a dectective sent by the SS to re-inspect for Jews and make sure the paper work is correct and no Jews are in hiding. After an incredible tense few minutes, Landa makes his discovery. But a young teen named Shoshana (Laurent) is able to escape.

1944. Aldo Raine (Pitt) is a Lieutenant in the US Army and has recruited a band of crazy ass Jewish soldiers to be dropped into France. Their mission is fairly simple. Kill and scalp 100 Nazi soldiers.

Shoshana has relocated to another city in France and is operating a theater under the name of Emmanuel. A young German Private Frederick Zoller (Bruhl) admires her as she changes her marquee. He is instantly smitten, but she is worried that she is under scrutiny. She finds out that Frederick is actually a war hero and is starring in a movie about his sole sniper attack on a whole town filled with the Allies soldiers. He soon gets the idea to have the premier at Shoshana?s theater. Shoshana has another idea.

Raine and his Basterds have (not so easily) acquired some intel from a German spy, actress Bridget von Hammersmark (Kruger), about the premier of Zoller?s movie and want to infiltrate the premier.

Firstly this is a QT movie. I think the only historical accuracy about this movie is that there are Nazis and some Allied soldiers. In fact, the movie starts with ?Once upon a time?. I know there was a movie made in the 70s with the same title (correct spelling) but there is no way this is even close to a remake.

The movie is chock full of incredibly detailed conversations. Some in English. Most in French or German (with mostly correct subtitles?you?ll see what I mean). Incredibly realistic violence and gore. Hilarious dark humor. A little piece of Sam Jackson. And a shootout or two. All the proper ingredients for everything you love about Pulp Fiction ? Death Proof. Ok, except for Red Apple cigarettes, and I think they were deep in the background somewhere.

I don?t know who Melanie Laurent is, but she is incredible. I know she?s a French actress so I might have to Netflix some of her previous stuff. But like I said, she?s incredible. Christop Waltz is equally brilliant as the very tactical Lieutenant. He?s out for number one and always gets his man. There?s one scene in the movie where Shoshana runs into Col. Landa after she?s re-established her new life. Ooooh man its so intense. But Laruent plays it off without being over-dramatic. This scene is as debatable to me as the contents of Macellus Wallace?s briefcase. Everyone has their own opinion.

Brad Pitt is hilarious. Yes I am biased and no, I do not care. Eli Roth gets to live out what is probably every Jew?s fantasy.

If you like Quentin Tarantino, you will love this movie. I can?t necessarily say I?m a big fan of his, because between you and me I think he?s very overrated and creepy, but I do like his work. And yeah I?ll buy the BluRay and watch the commentary and read all the trivia that will pop up on IMDB for years to come about the connections to other movies he stole ideas from. So what. The shit is good. Go see it. Period.

A.

(500) Days of Summer

Director: Marc Webb
Writers:Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend, Chloe Moretz, Matthew Gray Gubler

The narrator of this movie will tell you what it is about. Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl does not. Tom Hansen (Gordon-Levitt) is a young guy who has always believed in love. He loves old movies and music. He studied to be an architect, but as life goes, he ended up writing greeting cards. One day his boss hires a new assistant named Summer Finn (Deschanel). Summer appears to be a normal girl, but somehow she has an effect on men that leaves them?stunned.

We are then shot back and forth between different days in their 500-day relationship. Around day 200 or so Tom tells a joke in Ikea that Summer isn?t amused with. On day 40-something, Summer is having a ball in Ikea with Tom. On Day 22 they have drinks and do karaoke in a bar and really get to know each other. On Day 300 they are working on being friends etc.

Tom is convinced that Summer is his one true love and is determined to make it work through the help of his friends and much younger sister.

The story is simple and has been done before, but I haven?t seen it quite this way. The back and forth between the numbered days is very simple to follow and the events often parallel each other. There is a hilarious dance number very Bollywood-ish and just cheesy enough to be endearing and not annoying. Even the parts done ?interview? style of Tom?s friends views on relationships was good and surprisingly not out of place.

Of course Joseph Gordon-Levitt was excellent as Tom. When is he not excellent as anyone (if you need an example see: Brick)? He?s so easy to indentify with even if you don?t love movies and music from the 60s. A hopeless romantic that is remarkably not a whiny bitch. You root for him. You want him to win at something in his mediocre life.

Zooey Deschanel is incredibly cute as usual. And the friends, although quirky and strange, weren?t the least bit annoying and were quite funny.

I give this movie an A. The hipster in me would watch this over and over as ?this is my love life? type movie. How lucky am I to get this AND Away We Go in one summer. I was worried they would be pretty similar. But they weren?t. And damn near equally enjoyable (I loved Away We Go just a hair or two more).

District 9

Directed by: Neill Blomkamp
Written by: Neill Blomkamp &Terri Tatchell
Starring: Sharlto Copley
Rated: Rated R for bloody violence and pervasive language.

About 28 years ago an alien ship stopped above Johannesburg, South Africa. No threats were made. No action was taken against humans. The ship was just there. Hovering. The South African government arranged for helicopters and the military to make their way into the ship instead of waiting on the aliens to come out. What they found was that the aliens were sick and malnutritioned. Thousands of them. The military extracted the aliens, and set up camp for them in a secured area of town they called District 9.

In present day Johannesburg, the military has hired MNU, a private military company, to move all of the aliens, or ?prawns? from District 9, to a ?new and improved? District 10. Wikus van de Merwe (Copely) is promoted to run the operation, by his boss/father-in-law. Trying to be diplomatic about the situation, he goes into the slums and passes out formal eviction notices to every prawn. The prawns are irate about being moved and most refuse to even acknowledge the form that Wikus shows them. Along the way Wikus and his heavily guarded backup manage to serve notices to scores of aliens, confiscate illegal weaponry, and even kill a few prawns along the way.

When they get to the house of an alien named Christopher Johnson, Wilkus makes a discovery of a lot of illegal computer parts. Christopher protests the search and refuses to sign the eviction notice because he knows it?s illegal. Wilkus threatens to take Christopher?s son if he doesn?t cooperate. Continuing his search of Christopher makes his way into a secret room filled with a homemade chemistry set. While examining the tube, some sort of chemical gets onto Wilkus. Seemingly ok at first, the rest of the movie focuses on the change that Wilkus makes.

I went into this movie knowing full well that the writer/director was South African and grew up in Johannesburg during apartheid. So yes I picked up on the blatant tie-ins right away. Even those that I have talked to that didn?t know were like ?damn that?s pretty racist?.

I loved, loved, loved that there weren?t any big name actors tied into this movie. Really makes you feel like they are just people. Especially since most of the movie is filmed ?mockumentary? style. Interviews are taken from different agencies about Wilkus? disappearance. The film crew goes and talks to his wife and she shows them around to say how Wilkus really was just a normal guy trying to do his job. Wilkus has problems with his mic when the film crew is setting him up to film the beginning of the evictions. And when he gets sprayed in the face he tries blocks the camera guys from filming his reaction. You don?t have that shaky camera feel though like on Cloverfield or Blair Witch. Brilliant!

The graphics are utterly ridiculous. I read that Nick Blonkomp was supposed to do a Halo (the video game) movie, but the studios passed on it. Peter Jackson really wanted to work with Blonkomp and gave him $30 mil to do another movie. This was the product. I?m still blown away it only took $30 mil to do it and I can?t remember the budget for Wolverine but those graphics were piss poor.

I don?t want to give too much away but it?s really a great movie. There?s some action. Lots of tension. Even a few laughs. What I can tell from others I?ve talked to is that you either loved it or didn?t like it at all. I give it an A. Definitely something to go see. Now.

Julie & Julia

Written: Nora Ephron, Julie Powell (book, ?Julie & Julia?), Julia Child (book, ?My Life In France?)
Directed: Nora Ephron

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some sensuality

Starring: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanely Tucci, Chris Messina

Julia Child (Streep) is living in 1960s Paris with her husband Paul (Tucci) who is temporarily there for a government position. Bored with shopping and wanting an ?in? on the French way of life, Julia falls in love with French cuisine, but can?t find a cookbook in English. She decides to join a beginners cooking class at Le Cordon Bleu, but her knowledge of how to boil an egg puts her light-years ahead of her other classmates. Begging the headmistress for a spot in the advanced class for professional chefs, Julia strives to be the head of the class and get her degree.

Julie Powell (Adams) is on the cusp of 30 working in a crisis center for a post 9/11 New York city. Once an aspiring writer, Julie feels like she isn?t on the same level in her career as her executive buddies she went to college with. In her new apartment with her husband Eric (Messican), Julie decides that she is going to cook her way though Julia Child?s cookbook, and blog about it, hoping this will be the thing she needs to get out of her rut.

Julia and a couple other friends get together to open a cooking school for Americans that are in Paris but don?t have the means for a housekeeper to do the cooking for them. They decide that this will be the way to get what Julia has been looking for the whole time?a French cookbook in English. They embark on the difficult task of writing, testing, and publishing one of the most famous cookbooks ever.

Julie spends all of her time and effort outside of work on making her way through the recipes that Julia worked so hard to get published. She blogs all of her difficulties and triumphs (in more than just the kitchen) and soon develops a massive following as she works on 500+ dishes in only 365 days.

I mostly wanted to see this movie because I love food. And also Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. Especially after seeing the two together in Doubt earlier this year. Granted, in this movie the two have no scenes together, but still, they?re great actresses. Meryl does an excellent job as Julia Child. She?s warm, and endearing, and just a little off, as Julia always seemed from the cooking shows I remember watching. I never would have figured that I would actually be interested in Julia Child?s life and how she became to be one of the most well-known cooks ever.

Something just wasn?t doing it for me with the Julie story though. Maybe I just didn?t care she was working a crap job and didn?t like moving out of Manhattan to Queens, even though the space was bigger and they lived above a pizza shop! And I?m sure it was cool in 2002 to be a blogger and have a following, but nowadays people?s cat?s have blogs so that part wasn?t impressive either. And I kept wondering where exactly she was getting the money to buy these expensive items to make the dishes with. Not that Amy Adams didn?t do her usual terrific job in the movie, I just didn?t like the Julie character all that much. She was just kind of a whiner.

It was a good mix of the storylines though. I think they spent equal amounts of time on both stories, which can be kind of difficult. And I really liked how the direction was done to make Meryl Streep really look to be 6?2? like Julia Child was.

I give the Julia part an A and the Julie part a C, C-, which leaves the movie with an overall B- rating. And make sure you eat before you see the movie because it will be worse than going to the grocery store hungry if you don?t.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Written by: Stuart Beattie & David Elliot
Directed by: Stephen Sommers

Starring: Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Dennis Quaid, Sienna Miller, Rachel Nicols, Christopher Elccleston, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Rated PG-13

Duke (Tatum) and his buddy Ripcord (Wayans) are a couple of soldiers on a top secret mission to move some top weaponry for the government. Suddenly their crew gets bombarded by these kick ass ninja looking crew with super sonic guns and a crazy non-radar detectable plane lead by The Baroness (Miller) and her baddies. Duke tries to chase her down when she steals his case of missiles, but instead of blasting him into oblivion like she does everyone else, she pauses, says his name, to which he replies ?Ana?? then she burns off. Duke and Ripcord get saved by ?Scarlet? (Nicols), a red-headed ninja master, ?Heavy-Duty? (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), who is in fact heavy-duty, and ?Breaker? (Sa?d Taghmaoui), their high-tech nerd.

After the weapons are retrieved and secured Duke and Ripcord want to know what exactly is going on. They get debriefed by General Hawk (Quaid) and he lets them know that they just witnessed the awesomeness that is G.I. Joe. Top soldiers from a bunch of different countries have joined forces to get rid of all the bad in the world. Or something of the sort. They get a tour of the super secret, super cool base. Level upon level of simulated training rooms, surveillance equipment, even some underwater futuristic crafts. So Duke is like ?hey we want in? and Hawk is all ?we tried to get you four years ago but you was on some bull? and Duke is like ?man I had some personal stuff going down. This is cool. I wanna be down? and Ripcord?s all ?yeah. I wanna get me some of that red-head over there let me in to?. And Hawk?s like ?no!? but of course somehow Duke and Ripcord start training.

Hawk calls McCullen, the founder of M.A.R.S. defense services that actually created the missiles that were the focus of the opening battle like ?hey we saved your stuff? and McCullen?s all grateful?or is he. NO! Turns out he?s there with The Baroness like ?go get my missiles back so we can wreak havoc upon the earth!? But she has longing eyes for Duke despite being married to some needle-nose micro-biologist. And Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee) is sent by McCullen to keep an eye on her to make sure she stays in her place.

McCullen has the G.I. Joe dudes enter some code into the missiles to make sure they are re-guarded, but that in fact sends off the locator signal to lead The Baroness and Storm Shadow right to G.I. Joe?s headquarters. Battle ensues. The Baroness and Scarlet get into some heavy girl-on-girl action. Storm Shadow meats his match in a silent, black clad Snake Eyes. Consequently they both get a flash back to when they were like 10 years old training against each other. DUN DUN DUNNNNN

Anyway, the rest of the movie is G.I. Joe trying to stop McCullen, Cobra, and his mysterious Doctor from launching the missiles.

All action. All the time. That?s what the summer was made for and G.I. Joe totally delivers. It?s set in the ?not so distant future? so they don?t really bother to explain all of the technology used. Like where are there super-sonic guns? Cause it?s the future. Planes can fly Mach6? Uh yeah, in the future they can. The plot of the movie is fairly simple and the characters are fun and its clear that the bad guys are bad and the good guys are good. It?s genius to build an army of bad guys who have extreme connections to the good guys sent to stop them!

Nobody?s going to win an Oscar for their acting in this movie, but nobody was cheesy enough for me to complain about. I had no problems with any CGI in the movie either. I walked away upset that Transformers 2 wasn?t this good. It was very reminiscent of the first Transformers, maybe even the first X-Men. They lay the ground work for a franchise. The title has a colon, the team survives, the future of the baddies is unclear, leaving room for them to appear in the future. I?m all for it. B+. I?m not sure of the re-watch factor at this moment, but there were no glaring inconsistencies that I could complain about in the car. And the plus is because they threw in a reference to ?kung-fu grip?.

Funny People

Written & Directed by: Judd Apatow
Starring: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Jason Schwartzman, Jonah Hill, Eric Bana

Rated R for language and crude sexual humor throughout, and some sexuality

George Simmons (Sandler) is an incredible famous comedian who is known for his crazy movies that feature his head on a baby?s body, or his body with a mermaid tail, or just him doing silly voices. He also likes to play guitar and has tons of celebrity friends. Ira Wright (Rogen) is a wanna-be stand up comedian/full time deli worker, who sleeps on the fold out couch of his TV ?star? friend Mark (Schwartzman) and their other up and coming comedian friend Leo (Hill).

Sadly, George finds out that he has a very rare blood disease that will more than likely kill him and decides to get back to his roots and hit the Improv spot to do good old fashioned stand-up. Leo and Ira are super psyched to see one of their comedy idols up close and personal but George?s crazy-sad act leaves them a little freaked out. Especially when George tries to run Ira over in the parking lot.

But a short while later George calls the boys and asks them if they?d like to do a little writing for his act. Ira accepts but declines on behalf of Leo (unbeknownst to him). Ira and George get a little work done, then Ira gets hired as George?s assistant. They hit the road and do a few well-paying acts here and there and George?s career starts to get back in stride.

Things get a little screwy when Ira suggests that George reach out to his friends and tell them that he is in fact, dying, because surely they?d be more support than he can be. George reluctantly obliges and even calls his long lost love Laura (Mann) despite the fact that she is married to Clarke (Bana).

Ok first things first. The title of this movie is very misleading. Previews even sort of show that this isn?t just a pee-your-pants funny type comedy. It should be more ?Funny People: Serious Shit? or ?Watching Funny People live real life?. Don?t get me wrong. I laughed throughout the whole movie. But it?s not like 40 Year Old Virgin or Knocked Up. Not even close. It?s more of a humorous drama... full of dick jokes.

Firstly, the movie is waaay long. And I think it was because it?s two movies trying to be one. There?s the movie with the mentor and the mentee. And then the movie about the guy who gets a second look at his life and tries to amend his mistakes. Either movie would have been very solid on its own, but the two together left for very drawn out story once Ira and George go to actually visit Laura and her family (note: Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow?s two daughters play ?Laura?s? daughters in the movie again. Just like in Knocked Up). It feel like they just totally moved in instead of a quick overnight visit.

That was really my only complaint with the movie, even though I couldn?t figure out George?s obsession with Ira?s penis. Now to the good.

On very first note I loved the soundtrack. Loved it! Turns out its some Lennon and Wilco (whom get plenty mention in the film). I loved Mark?s apartment and wanted every poster and record hung up. I loved Ira?s t-shirts. I loved the mock-up poster of Chris Rock dressed as Hendrix and every fake movie George Simmons was in. And it?s awesome that Apatow puts old home footage of Adam Sandler doing prank calls and stand-up in the scenes so you can establish how long this George Simmons has actually been around. And despite the glaring similiarties between ?George? and Sandler, it didn?t feel like he was just playing himself. Like I don?t buy that Adam Sandler is that much of a dick in real life. George is tired of being in stupid movies just to make money and isn?t really close to anyone. Sandler plays it well though.

Seth Rogen isn?t as Seth Rogen-y as he has been in every other movie. He?s more shy and quiet in this one instead of crude. He has the hots for Mark?s neighbor Daisy, (Aubrey Plaza) another comedian, but is too scared to make a move. He slimmed down a lot so Apatow puts in plenty jokes about that.

For some reason or another I never really saw how George and Laura were oh-so-deep in love but I think it?s just cause the George character is such a jerk you don?t know how he was close to anyone. Leslie Mann plays it well enough. She?s not as bitchy as she usually is. The other supporting cast does well too. And there?s a bazillion cameos in the movie. I loved it, even though everyone looks crazy old.

Overall I give this a B. I see where Apatow was trying to go with this and I?m sure on his next go round he?ll get the bulls-eye. Go see it?but not with any children within earshot, and when you don?t have too many other obligations for the rest of the day.

The Hurt Locker

Written by: Mark Boal

Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Jeremy Renner, Brian Geraghty , Guy Pearce

Rated R for war violence and language.

With less than two months left in Bravo squad’s tour of Iraq, we follow three soldiers out on the job trying to maneuver a robot to disarm what they think is a bomb. After a few difficulties, Sergeant Thompson (Pearce) suits up to dismantle it by hand. With the cover of Sergeant Sanborn (Mackie) and Specialist Eldridge (Geraghty), Thompson inches closer and closer to the bomb. Eldridge spots a guy with a cell phone in a store front and tries to stop him before he hits the button triggering the bomb.

Cut to Sanborn welcoming the new squadron leader James (Renner) to the crew. They quickly learn that James has a kick-ass way of handling things. Their first day out trying to disarm a bomb, he foregoes the robot and immediately wants to suit up to put his hands on the bomb himself. Eldridge is completely shocked, and Sanborn is pissed, but they make it out alive…that time. They just try to count down their last days in the sand until they can make it back home.

This is a war movie about being in war. There’s no hidden agenda about being for or against what’s going on in Iraq. The filmmakers don’t even really say anything about what the soldiers are doing there. They just follow orders. End of story.

Jeremy Renner does a great job as a soldier who just knows what he’s good at. He takes apart bombs. Hundreds of them. He’s kinda of a dick, but you still like him for some unexplainable reason. Brian Geraghty was new to me even though he’s been in movies I’ve seen before but obviously I didn’t pay any attention to him. Eldridge has that All-American look and is young enough to be scared shitless to actually be in war. They even mention that the character sees a shrink while he’s there. I think that was a good add-in because that doesn’t really seem to get talked about .

To me Anthony Mackie has just always been “Papa Doc” to me even though I’ve seen She Hate Me and I choose to ignore his 2Pac impersonation in Notorious, but after this movie I’ll finally be able to see him as a good actor. Maybe even great. He shows a full range of emotion n this movie. I really felt for him in a scene with Renner where they talk about having sons to go home to.

This movie looked like Traffic to me. Not in the over-saturated color sort of way, but in the “damn is this a documentary?” way. You feel like you’re right there. Hot ass desert. Random sniper fire. Right in the face of the bombs. You feel it! The tension when the techs snip the wire. When they’re ducking behind rocks. Running from a bomb they just know is about to blow. Goofing off in the barracks.

Overall I give this movie an A+. Yes! A+. I’d be super shocked if it wasn’t nominated for at least Best Director, if not Best Movie, and Best Supporting Actor (I didn’t say win, but they should get the nods dammit. Especially with the Academy expanding the Best Movie nominations to 10 instead of 5!) If you liked Jarhead, you will love The Hurt Locker. Did you see In the Valley of Elah? You didn’t? You should have. For the 10 other people that saw it, if you liked it, despite the preachy symbolism at the end, you will like this movie. If you didn’t…well you should still like the movie, and you should probably look for Elah on cable or Netflix.

Public Enemies

Public Enemies

Written by: Ronan Bennett, Michael Mann
Directed by: Michael Mann

Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, Stephen Graham

Rated R for gangster violence and some language


Public Enemies is a look at about a year and a half in the life of John Dillinger (Depp) as a notorious bank robber during the Great Depression in 1933. He likes movies, fast cars, robbing banks, and Billie Frenchette (Cotillard). Pretty simple guy. J. Edgar Hoover (Crudup) is a government guy who is trying to start what is now the FBI. He gets Melvin Purvis (Bale) to head up the Chicago division and gives him the difficult task of capturing Dillinger, ?Baby Face? Nelson (Graham), and ?Pretty Boy? Floyd.

Dillinger is a pretty quiet guy. He has a few close friends. He?s loyal to them. And it seems as if he has a few principles. He won?t take any of the customers or tellers money, only the banks. Purvis is determined to get his man and J. Edgar Hoover is making it a national campaign to stop the crime spree in the Midwest.

It was a great change to see Johnny Depp play a role that didn?t require makeup. Don?t get me wrong, I loved?ok well I generally liked all of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and I watch Edward Scissorhands whenever it is on. But Johnny is a good actor period. I liked his Dillinger. He was a cool bad guy. Like you wanted to be friends with him. He was charming and thought things through and was smart. Plus anyone who can successfully rob a bank in under two minutes, with no casualties, without casing the joint, and give the hostage a souvenir is certifiably awesome.

Christian Bale was good in this too, just like he is in the other billion movies he?s been in the past couple years, but I wouldn?t call this a particularly stand out role for him. He kinda seemed like a dick, but I guess its because the guys he were working with pretty much botched every task they had before them.

I really liked Marion Cotillard?s Billie. She was young and was totally smitten with Dillinger, but she wasn?t stupid. She knew what was at risk when getting involved with such an infamous guy, but she went for it anyway. I think Stephen Graham had a great time playing the crazy ?Baby Face? Nelson. I was dying for him to say something along the lines of ?I believe you, but my Tommy gun don?t.?

Normally I don?t pay much attention to the cinematography, but it was pretty cool in this movie. I read that Mann uses HD cameras to do the filming, and its very noticeable. Sometimes I couldn?t tell if they used actual old footage, or just were able to make the print look that authentic. Mann also gives you a great car chase in the woods and plenty shootouts (I guess that?s what ?gangster violence? is to the ratings board). I did have some problems with the audio and at first I was pissed thinking that Bale was using his ?Batman growl? but the sound was just low on what everyone was saying. I actually read a lot of people?s complaints about this.

Overall I give the movie a B. Mann does a good job showing you a general overview of crime in 1933, so we don?t get much background info on why Dillinger is who he is, but we?re also introduced to all these other gangster guys that you?ve heard about in rap songs (as soon as they mentioned Frank Nitti, the ?I Got 5 On It? remix wouldn?t get out of my head) and have seen in Bugs Bunny cartoons, but its too many guys and nobody really gets the focus they deserve. The 2.5 hours runtime actually flew by for me and it would be a great BluRay buy.

Transformers 2: Rise of the Fallen

Written by: Ehren Kruger, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman
Directed by: Michael Bay
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese, John Tuturo, Ramon Rodriguez, Kevin Dunn, Julie White

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, language, some crude and sexual material, and brief drug material.


Boom. Fight. Fight. Laugh. Fight. Laugh. Autobot history. Full on battle. Laugh. Love. Boom. That is the plot for Transformers 2: Rise of the Fallen. Is that not informative enough? I will try and keep it short as the whole plot itself is a little?convoluted.

Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) is leaving his parents (Dunn and White) and heading to college. He promises to stay with his superhot girlfriend Mikela (Fox) and asks his alien car, Bumblebee, to leave him and go join Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots because his dads garage is no good place for him to be. Sam?s mom is heartbroken her baby is leaving and the dad can?t wait for him to go so they can start a super vacation. While going through his closet, Sam digs out his old Transformer 1 clothes and a piece of the All-Spark falls out, goes through the floorboards, and lands in the kitchen igniting the electrical gadgets into crazed?robots.

Meanwhile Captain Lennox (Josh Duhamel), Optimus Prime, and the other Autobots/military guys are under scrutiny for their allegiance. Apparently the government is mad because the robots won?t share their technology. The Decepticons have been spotted in different countries around the world and they have to be looking for something. Maybe something to re-animate Megatron, who is down in the bottom of the ocean, heavily guarded by all types of Navy personnel.

Sam goes off to college and ends up with a conspiracy theory website runner, Leo (Rodriguez) as his roomie. Maybe Leo knows a thing or two about aliens who hide among us as cars.

Soooo then some Decepticons rain down on us and free Megatron and Megatron goes back to whatever planet they live on and talk to his master and his master is all ?find me the life force for our kind!? and Megatron is all ?aye aye sir?. But at the same time Sam is going nuts and seeing symbols because he touched the all spark then Megatron hunts him down and they both end up looking for the life force at the same time. I think that is the plot.

I was a little worried about Transformers 2 after the gazillion bad reviews that had been written, but after I learned from my midnight screening viewing friends that it was in fact awesome, I felt a little better. But the critics aren?t necessarily wrong about the movie. The plot is not air tight. Some things just do not make sense. I do not care about Sam and Mikela?s teenage love nor the fact that they can?t express it. I don?t care about Sam?s college life. I don?t care about the parents vacationing in Paris. I don?t even care how hot Megan Fox is (and yes she?s hot, but do they have to make her look so pouty. What kind of lip gloss lasts through an all out war in the desert?). I don?t care about governmental bureaucracy and conspiracy theories. I don?t even care about the history of the Autobots and Decipticons. All I want to see is robots kicking ass.

And that they do. Michael Bay gives plenty of action in this flick. The two ten-year-old boys and I had a blast. We literally all had the same expression when Optimus Prime goes ?King Kong? on a few Decepticons out in this field. Total awe. Like I almost reached over and high fived the kid. But Michael Bay also gives this movie the Bad Boys 2 treatment. It?s like take everything you loved from the first one; the humor, the action, and you stretch it out and double it and put so much into it you forget what happened the first hour of the movie. I won?t rant about Bad Boys 2, but you get my point. That?s what happens in Transformers 2. Yes the parents are inappropriate and funny but the whole time? There are quite a few cheap laughs (and yes I laughed at them). And there are more robots which is a plus, but these two little Chevy Aveo (I think) twin cars were sooooo annoying. It was like two Jar-Jar Binks? running around. I don?t think I?ve ever wanted cars to wreck so badly. There?s lots of travel in the movie too. Unexplained teleporting-type travel. And it gets confusing on the time span of the movie in some places too. But at least the mystery of the pyramids gets explained.

All in all, this is a total popcorn flick. Transformers was created when I was little to sell toys. I had quite a few of them in the 80s. Now I want the toys and the cars to go along with it. As a whole its not on level with the other action movies of this summer (see: Star Trek) or even the first Transformers movie. The adult in me gives it a C- but overall I give it a B- and that?s because the awesomeness of Optimus Prime gets an A alone.

The Proposal

Written by: Pete Chiarelli
Directed by: Anne Fletcher

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty White, Denis O’Hare, Malin Akerman, Oscar Nunez

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, nudity and language

Normally I don’t bother with romantic comedies because they’re all the same, but for some reason I have a thing for Sandra Bullock and an even bigger thing for Ryan Reynolds so I had to give this one a go.

Margaret Tate (Bullock) is a no-nonsense Senior editor for a big firm in New York. She dresses nice, is well put together, lives in a posh Central Park loft, and is hated by absolutely everyone in her office. Her assistant, Andrew Paxton (Reynolds) is a 20-something wanna be editor who has been schlepping around behind Tate for the past three years just hoping to get a promotion.

After firing the guy right underneath her, Margaret is summoned to the big bosses office where she learns that she is being deported back to her native Canada for disobeying the law while reapplying for her Visa. Once deported Margaret will lose her job and the guy she just fired would be put in her place. Coincidently Andrew has to interrupt the meeting to get Margaret for other business. The wheels turn in her head and she announces to her superiors that she is in fact engaged to Andrew thus letting her become an American citizen. Andrew agrees if it gets him bumped up to editor.

Of course the government is suspicious of the union so Mr. Gilbertson (O’Hare) is assigned to the case and is determined to take the couple down. Certainly a weekend trip to the family house in Alaska would be enough evidence that these two love birds are legit…or will it?

There’s not much new to this movie. There’s a bitchy boss who can’t get a man. A young ambitious guy who has more layers than there appears to be. A cute mom and dad couple (Steenburgen and Nelson). The nice ex-girlfriend (Akerman)who regrets letting the guy go. Lots of misunderstandings and uncomfortable moments. All ingredients for the typical rom-com/date flick. But this isn’t a bad one. In fact, its quite enjoyable.

It’s good to see Sandra Bullock ditch sugary girl she’s been known to play. Ryan Reynolds is a great smart-ass but they try and give his character depth with the bad father-son relationship he shares with Craig T. Nelson. Betty White is the typical quirky grandma. I wish she would have cursed a lot more, but no complaints on her part.

The big big star of this movie is the beautiful Alaskan backdrop. I think the last movie I saw based there was Insomnia (the Simpson’s Movie doesn’t count really) and it drove me nuts. Oh and bonus points to the movie for having Sandra Bullock sing a lot of Lil Jon and drop it like its hot.

Overall I give this movie a C+. Too much logic is overlooked for me to give it higher ratings. How could the company be ok with a subordinate being engaged to their boss and getting a promotion? Why can’t she just have a work Visa? Do eagles really try to steal puppies (ok that’s not really necessary to the plot but they make a big deal about it)? But you get a few laughs and maybe even a mushy feeling somewhere in you. Totally a movie you just turn on if you catch it on HBO and you’re bumming on the couch. Nothing wrong with that.

Away We Go

Written by: Dave Eggers & Vendela Vida
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Starring: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Allison Janney, Jeff Gaffigan, Maggie Gylenhaal, Jeff Daniels, Catherine O’Hara, Chris Messina

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

Burt (Krasinski) and Verona (Rudolph) are a early 30’s couple who have been sort of just making it through life. Burt sells insurance to insurance companies over the phone (in a hilarious voice, to mask his easy-goingness) and Verona is an artist who paints pictures for medical books (I think, they weren’t 100% clear on it). They’ve been together for a long time, but Verona refuses to marry Burt. Ever. Suddenly, the two discover they are pregnant.

Six months later we see a large bellied Verona and Burt making their way to Burt’s parents house. Gloria (O’Hara) and Jerry (Daniels) are super excited to be sole grandparents (Verona’s parents passed away while the couple was in college), and can’t wait to welcome the little girl into their lives, after having two sons of their own. While at dinner Gloria and Jerry share their own big news…they plan to move to Belgium. Soon. So soon the baby won’t even be born yet.

Totally rocked by the news Burt and Verona realize that it will just be them and the baby out alone in the world. They have no family nearby and don’t have that many friends. Verona figures since they have no ties to the city, they can pick up and leave and start fresh with their family once the baby arrives. Pooling whatever little money that have, the two take a trek to different cities, visiting different friends and relatives, to see who they’d want to live near.

In Phoenix they visit Lily (Janney), Verona’s old boss and her husband Lowell (Gaffigan), who have two kids. Verona’s sister (Carmen Ejogo) in Tuscon. Burt’s cousin LN (Gyllenhaal) and her family in Wisconsin, Burt’s brother and his daughter in Florida, and college friends in Montreal who have adopted kids.

Along the way they learn a lot about what kind of life they want for their family and more about what kind of people they are. It’s a darkly funny coming of age story, and yes you can come of age at 33.

This is light-years more upbeat than the last Sam Mendes film that I saw (Revolutionary Road). And although I’ve read tons of negative comments about it being a “pretentious indie flick” I absolutely loved it. It’s very humorous but you still feel really close to the characters. Like they are your own friends. You want things to work out for them. Also a great change of pace to see a film where the couple actually likes being together. And I’m sure everyone who has even thought about kids sees families that you in no way want to be like, much like Burt and Verona experience on their journey.

I think John Krasinski will always be “Jim from The Office” to a lot of people, but that sort of works for him in this movie. Even with the beard, scruffy hair, and glasses, there is a little bit of Jim in Burt. I was very pleased with Maya Rudolph’s Verona. She was funny, but not silly like she tends to be on SNL. You really could feel Verona’s loss when she talked about her parents passing away with her sister. The two had great chemistry as a couple.

All of the supporting cast was great as well. I am totally sure Maggie Gylenhaal had a blast playing LN, the quirky, alternative lifestyle mom who hates strollers because “why would she want to push her babies away”. I also really liked Chris Messina’s character, Tom, their old college friend. He loves his wife and their adopted kids, but the couple has gone through a lot and he delivers this great metaphor about what it takes to build a family.

And the writers did a great job of NOT ignoring that she is in fact black. Verona’s character responds to it several times throughout the movie. Don’t let the poster art fool you, this is ain’t a Juno ripoff.

Overall I give this movie an A. I laughed. I got teary. I got teary from laughing. If you love the trailer you will definetly love the movie. And if you just felt so-so about the trailer, you should still give the movie a chance.

The Taking of Pelham 123

Written by: Brian Helgeland (book by: John Godey)
Directed by: Tony Scott
Rated R for violence and pervasive language

Starring: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Tuturro, James Gandolfini, Luis Guzman

Walter Garber (Washington) is working as a dispatcher for the New York city Metro Transit Authority. Not the greatest job, but that’s what happens when you’re the assistant director who gets accused of taking a bribe. Taking everything in stride, he does the job assigned to him and all is well until the dispatchers notice a blip on the system with train # Pelham 1-2-3 (they constantly say one-two-three, not one twenty three, which I thought was odd, but at least they explain it). The train seems to have stopped and then all but one car is disconnected and sent the opposite way. Garber soon learns that the train has been hijacked and the single car left behind is held hostage (its easier to scare a single car full of folks instead of a train full).

Garber gets through to Ryder (Travolta), the hijacker, and learned that his demands are simply $10 million from the Mayor (Gandolfini) in 60 minutes. The feds send in a negotiator (Tuturo) and everyone tries to get the hostages out of the train safely. Isn’t that the way of all hostage movies?

Of course Denzel gives a good performance of a regular guy who gets pulled into a bad situation and tries to do the right thing without thinking of himself first. Travolta’s character is a little more complex and I wish they would have done more about explaining his past and motives for the hijacking but maybe it was explained more in the book, or the original version of the movie. So I don’t really know if it’s just updated or a total remake, but I’m sure the 1974 version didn’t have video of the hostages streaming live on the web. It’s pretty good to see Travolta as kind of a bad ass. He’s not the most vicious bad guy you’ve ever seen in a movie, but it’s different for Travolta.

Tony Scott definitely puts his mark on the movie. Full of the Scott brand of quick cuts and random text on the screen (in a non-distracting manner). Somehow he manages a car chase and some intense wreckage even though it’s a movie about an underground train. And there are a few humorous spots. Not roll on the floor funny, and it doesn’t interrupt the intensity of the movie, but it does add in some reality to it.

The only other problem I had with the movie was the ending. It wasn’t open ended, but it was a little too easy. And the intensity somehow tapers off once the hour deadline passes. Travolta and Washington don’t spend that much time on screen together, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. And you fans of The Wire might be pleased to see a certain nappy-headed, staple gun wielding, right-hand man on the train and the boyfriend of the shotgun toting, scarface’d, neighborhood whistling thug.

I give the movie a B-. It’s a good throw-back action movie (as in not lots of CGI) and the actors give good performances. Better to see it in the theater instead of waiting for Netflix/Red Box, but it’s nowhere near super summer blockbuster intensity/action.

The Brothers Bloom

Written and Directed by: Rian Johnson

Rated PG-13 for violence, some sensuality and brief strong language

Starring: Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Weisz, Rinko Kikuchi

In rhyming fairy tail fashion we are introduce to two orphaned brothers, Stephen, 13, and Bloom, 10. Kicked out of home after home due to various misdemeanors, the brothers finally settle in a nice little town. Clearly outsiders from the rest of the kids, Bloom desperately wants to adapt, but Stephen has a plan to make a lot of money. He maps out a con for Bloom to get aquainted with the neighborhood kids and tell them a fascinating story about a troll in a cave that knows the way to a secret treasure but needs $30 to show them the way. All the kids chip in and Stephen sets the trap. After the whole con is over, the kids don’t learn exactly what the troll’s treasure was, but they do get a thrill from the chase, the only dry cleaner in town has a shop full of dirty children’s clothes, and Bloom and Stephen walk off with their cut of the dry cleaners money. Everyone gets what they wanted. The sign of a great con.

Cut to twenty-five years later we see Bloom (Brody) and Stephen (Ruffalo) in a burning room with a gun pointed squarely at Bloom’s chest. He’s shot and the gun man runs off. Stephen puts on an act of mourning over his brothers body while Bang Bang (Kikuchi), their silent partner, stands on the sidelines waiting for the show to be over. The trio go to the local bar and celebrate being the best con men in the area. Bloom excuses himself and goes outside for some fresh air, but Stephen joins him and they have an all too familiar conversation about Bloom wanting out of the con business. He tells his brother goodbye and escapes to Montenegro.

Three months later Bloom is awaken by his brother’s smiling face because he has a great new plan. They are going to scam a bored heiress, Penelope Stamp (Weisz), who lives in New Jersey. Certainly this will be their last scam…EVER.

Bloom, Stephen, and Bang Bang scope out Penelope and send Bloom crashing into her. Literally. He learns that she is in fact a millionare, and collects hobbies including: piano and violin playing, juggling, and making regular objects into pin hole cameras. He tells her that is in an antique dealer and will be on a boat soon to collect a treasure. They part ways and Bloom heads to the boat to meet his partners, unsure if Penelope fell for the trap. She does and joins the crew on the boat.

Once the foursome’s adventure begins, it starts to get hard to figure out what is planned and what is coincidental. The crew lets Penelope know that they were once antique smugglers but they swear they have gone straight but she wants in on a heist. There’s a cast of people in on their scheme…or so it seems, but you never really figure out who is playing who until the very end. Lots of foreshadowing and small clues have you thinking one way, then one person will do something that will throw you off track.

I’ve never seen anything from Mark Ruffalo where I didn’t like his performance. And Brody is good as the younger brother who just wants to lead a normal life. But the women are the real stars of the movie. Weisz is great and you really feel Penelope’s shyness and loneliness, but you know that she’s a lot smarter than she seems and could possible be playing the brothers…well at least one of them…maybe. And I never thought I could love a character who literally says three or four words the entire movie, but Kikuchi does a great job with Bang Bang.

A lot of the movie has a very big Wes Anderson (see: The Royal Tennenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited) vibe to it. It’s like you can’t place exactly what time period the movie is taking place in. Classic clothes and cars, and exotic scenery, and then someone will use a cell phone or something to let you know its current. But then I found out that the Rian Johnson also did the movie Brick, which is has the same tone. Sounds and acts like a film noir movie, but takes place in a modern day high school.

I really liked this movie. I don’t think it is the kind of movie for everyone because lately when we think of con movies we think of The Italian Job or Ocean’s 11. This one drags in a few spots, but overall it is enjoyable. Like when it comes on IFC or Showtime later I’ll just put it on wherever it is. Check it out…if you can. Right now it’s limited release.

Grade: B