I finally got to the movies again, the last time I went was when Sweeney Todd came out (long time, I know).  I didn’t even know much about this film, which is in really limited release, except the general premise.  It’s about two guys who work in a really old school  video store (everything is on VHS) and all of their videos get erased so they set out to film the movies on their own.  To be honest, besides a few other details, that pretty much sums the movie up.  But still, it’s not what you would expect.

The movie is pretty odd at the beginning especially, and it’s not like other Jack Black movies.  It didn’t have me rolling in the  aisles, but there are a lot of odd sight gags in the film.  I laughed on several occasions, and coming from someone who rarely finds current comedies funny AT ALL, that says a lot.  Towards the end the movie becomes the traditional underdog story.  For the most part I would recommend just waiting for this to come out on video.  But if you’re a movie buff and enjoy sort of far fetched, slightly unrealistic comedies give it a go while it’s still in theaters.

C+

After hearing endless buzz about the latest cult-indie hit ‘Juno,’ I couldn’t help but see what everyone was talking about; after all, you know I’m a sucker for indie films.

As the title might suggest, Juno (Ellen Page) is faced with the life changing event of teen pregnancy. At sixteen years old, she has to make a decision as to what to do for her life, and her baby’s life. The movie is actually a fast-paced, witty banter look at a situation that is common in the lives of many young girls. While some aspects of the movie probably weren’t so realistic, the main skeleton was… being, this sort of thing does happen, every single day. Jamie Lynn Spears isn’t the only one dealing with it right now.

The more I think about the film, the more I like it, actually. Page plays a convincing teenager. Though, I will admit the slang used among the characters made me feel at times, old. [Ack, I’m only 23! Do you all really talk like that?]

I’d say this one’s at least worth renting, and might even be comforting if you’re pregnant yourself.

I finally got around to seeing ‘P.S. I Love You,’ starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler. I wanted to see it for two reasons…  1. The movie features the song “Last Train Home” by GTS’ favorite Rockstar guy, Ryan Star, and 2. Everyone I knew who had seen it talked about how amazing it was.

The movie features a series of back and forths, past meetings to present day, but surprisingly, it isn’t confusing. Swank and Butler play a convincing married couple who lead ordinary lives, in an ordinary marriage in New York City. They have their ups, their downs, their forgotten dreams, but in the end the one thing that matters most is, they love each other crazy. The movie centers around their relationship, but not in the way one might think. Butler comes down with a brain tumor, but in untypical movie fashion, the story doesn’t center around the sickness, just the love story, which was a refreshing change of the usual love story movie. Following Butler’s death, Swank must pull herself together, for the first time, without the man she has loved. As time begins to pass without him, she receives a series of letters, which provide instructions for her life. Her life, without her husband.

The movie is sad, yes. I won’t lie and say it isn’t. But it’s sad in that life-examination sort of way. In a way that makes one think ‘Would I want letters if that were to happen to me?’ or ‘Would I leave letters for someone?’ It is a good, perhaps girl, maybe girl/guy movie [if he admits he likes that kind of thing, and most all of you do,] and definitely worth checking out if you have a chance.

What’s up with people totally skipping all of the good movies recently? It’s bad enough to see Sweeney Todd tanking, and now this movie couldn’t even debut in the top 10!  “The Great Debaters” probably looks a bit boring based on the trailer to some people but it’s actually not.  The movie follows four members of a debate team at an all black college in the 1930’s, and their coach, played by Denzel Washington (who also directed).  Forrest Whitaker is also in the movie, and you really can’t go wrong with these two Oscar winners.  And Oprah, of course.

The movie unsurprisingly goes the way of many sports and underdog films, and it does have a cliche or two, but for the most part it’s a pretty fresh take on the genre.  What I loved the most about the film was the dialogue and how Denzel’s character verbally sparred back and forth with the students.  The acting and the character development make the movie as well.  Some of you might remember Jurnee Smollet from when she was in Full House, and it’s pretty cool to see her break out in this film.  But I thought the kid who played Forrest Whitakers son was the heart and soul of the film; the scenes between him and his father where believable and some of the best.

Alright, I’m not going to give much more about the film away.  But there re more conflicts in this movie than just them winning their tournaments and race, which made the film well balanced. Check this one out if you need  a break from all the action and kid movies that are out at the moments.

B+

While most people were out watching National Treasure over the weekend,  I was much more interested in seeing Sweeney Todd.  Look, it’s a musical, it’s horror, it has Johnny Depp and Tim Burton….it doesn’t get any better than all of that!

I didn’t know too much about Sweeney Todd before going to see it, which was a good thing because that made it more surprising.  The movie is basically about a barber who’s seeking revenge because his family and his life was taken away, and I won’t give much more of the plot away than that.

All the elements in this film came together perfectly.  The acting as great, of course with Johnny Depp front and center; he always does an amazing job.  But the supporting cast is also just as good, especially Sasha Baron Cohen (yup, Borat) who plays a rival barber.  I also loved the cinemetography, which looked very Buronesque but wasn’t excessively dark.  And of course, it’s a musical, and I loved the music.  It was all pretty dramatic, and it’s not the that you would sing a long to like say if you were watching something by Webber, but it was great nonetheless.

I think anyone who enjoyed Moulin Rouge and Phantom of The Opera will like Sweeney Todd, although it is different and the pace is sort of slow in the beginning. If you can handle a lot of blood, albeit cartoonish looking blood, then check this one out.

8/10 

I was really hyped to see this movie ever since I first saw the previews earlier this year.  And of course it’s Will Smith, which pretty much means everyone is required to see it.  The movie is based on the book of the same title (and it’s also been made into a film twice before) about a man who’s survived a disease that wiped out most of humanity and turned the rest into ….well, the best word for them would be vampires. But the film is a lot more than just a monster movie.  It’s definitely a character study; think Castaway with a post apocalyptic background.

The one positive thing I’ll say about the movie is that they did a good job blending horror  with a really emotional  scenes.  There are some really sad moments and I know a lot of people cried a couple of times.  That mix pretty much sums up the first hour of the film, which has a slow steady pace but keeps you at the edge of your seat the whole time.  And of course it also has Will pumping iron cause, you know, he has to do that in all of his films.

Now when I first heard that this movie was about an hour and thirty minutes I found that alarming.  The whole thing pretty much fell apart in the last thirty minutes.  It had  a really lazy, rushed ending that pretty much ruined the whole thing for me.  I would still say it’s worth seeing in the theaters though.  Honestly if they had stuck to plot in the book it would’ve been a lot more interesting but as always, it’s all about that “Hollywood ending”.

I’m still sort of on the fence about this movie.  But wow at it earning $76 million in the first weekend!

6.5/10