(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.