Role Models

   This was hilarious in an unusual way. Seann William Scott has certainly been type casted to play the same role as "Stifler" back in 2000. I loved the real rpg in this film. Ken Jeong was simply hysterical in this playing King Argotron. I think he was funnier in Knocked Up, but it was a completely different character. The Superbad actor Joe Lo Truglio was hilarious. I'm almost sure he made up the "scrub-a-dub-dub" which  I was so confused about, and then watched it in the extras section of the DVD.  The kids Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Bobb'e J Thompson were perfect for the roles. I like always loved Paul Rudd. I also keep seeing Elizabeth Banks in everything. I think I've seen her 4 new movies in the past 4 months. Does she ever work a lot. This was really weird comedy, but nonetheless it was pretty good. 

Flash of Genius

   The story about a man nearly destroyed by his invention that was stolen by a major company. I can see why a man would fight for his integrity and honour for receiving the due recognition that Robert Kearns was fighting for. The question is: when do you give up? The previews made it look like this was a movie you would cry watching, but in actuality, I never shed a tear, not even got a little misty eyed throughout the film. Mr. Kearns fight was the fight not just for himself, but all the other people who had their inventions stolen. Surprisingly enough, I used my University education in this, and that it was neo-diffusionism that people use the same tools they are introduced to an adapt to it to make an entirely new object, but at the same time not an entirely new object. Kearns fight for justice has brought other people to do the same thing and bring justice to major corporations whom lie and cheat honest people from what was rightfully theirs or what they deserve. It was an okay film, but it had a strong moral message that resonates beyond the film.

Rachel Getting Married

   This was a great eclectic film. Kim is a recovering drug addict, and gets out of rehab a couple days before the wedding of her sister Rachel. Rachel thinks that Kim gets all the attention even when it is supposed to be Rachel's special time. I liked the music, the writing, the character interactions and the story. Its just one of those films you have to see and not one to talk about unless you've seen it. It was heartfelt and achingly sad in the destruction of the human soul and the disintegrating family over the years. A lot is reconciled by the end of the wedding. What I think is interesting is the friends who tell embarrassing stories about either the bride and groom that shouldn't be shared at all. Don't people have funny stories that don't revolve around breaking the law and sex? I know from personal experience that people actually do this at people's weddings. I think I would have to tell anyone who was doing a speech to not say anything that shouldn't be said in front of respective new family members and already existing family members. This was a very good movie.

Happy-Go-Lucky

   It took me awhile to like Poppy in this film. I just thought her and her friend/flatmate were insane when they were making bird masks. It finally made sense after that. I like how Poppy's character evolves from a childlike adult into a woman who finally sees the seriousness of reality. It was brilliant. I loved Scott the driving instructor. I thought the one sister was irritating. I think they should have picked someone else for the role that wasn't annoying to look at. I think that part was related to the clothing and not the actress per se.  There are a lot of bad things in life, and Poppy tends to look at only the bright things in life and not the dark, and I think Poppy finally realizes that you can't always be ignoring the dark things in life. I can see why Sally Hawkins won the Globe, she was a riot and enjoyable to watch from start to finish.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua

   I didn't want to see this, but it happened to be in my house and I just happened to want to watch something new. I was surprised by the cast of this film. Apparently its cool to be a celebrity and do kids/family movies since they've stolen all the parts for voice acting. It was a cute film. I liked the dogs being anthropomorphized. The silly music that built the drama of the loss of love and so on between Papi and the loss of his Chloe. I'm honestly not interested in deconstructing this film, since it was just absolutely silly. 

Watchmen

   I bought my ticket to see this on the opening night two weeks in advance. I waited outside the theatre nearly two hours before it started so that I wouldn't have to watch it from front row. Considering the massive hype for this, it just wasn't that great. It wasn't the film that wasn't great, it was the story. I can't believe this 12 part comic published in '86 was such a hit. I didn't like that it was about some retired vigilante "super heroes" who come out after they find that someone they know is behind the death of the Comedian. I did like that they showed the bad parts of the characters, the parts that we don't normally see about super heroes. At the same time I didn't like that they were retired and coming out again to fight the evil of nuclear war. I'm not alone in being slightly disappointed with the story, since the movie store guys didn't think that much of it either. It was beautiful, I liked the story about Laurie and Dr. Manhattan/Jon. In fact I thought the best part of the film was Jon. It was difficult to understand since it would never happen, yet conceptually it could, which makes me contemplate a whole range of other possibilities and the magnanimous size of the universe and the trivialities of the human life. I was annoyed by the fact that the always talked about saving humans. What about humans? What about every other living thing on this planet. I think that every other living thing on this planet minus human beings is worth saving the planet from human destruction. It is sad that to save humanity, you have to destroy it in order for people to make peace. One other thing that annoyed me was Rorschach's irritating Clint Eastwood voice. Talk about unoriginal. I liked the psychology behind his moving mask, yet I didn't get how the mask could move like that in the first place. I think why I didn't care for it was because I hadn't read it and had 12 comics merged into over 2 and a half hour movie. There is just too much to dissect and analyze since this was a thinking movie and thinking movies have to have time to think over all the miraculous details hidden in the colour and action. That's what separates a graphic novel from a comic. The amount of literary skill and relevance to society and not what entertains us. Finally I thought Jeffrey Dean Morgan was absolutely amazing in this.

Changeling

   This was a heartbreaking story. I can't believe these things actually happened in LA. I bet these things happened in other places too like throwing women into psychiatric wards for hysteria. They make electroshock therapy look bad, but in reality it really helps some people with severe depression wake up. It is always portrayed negatively in films. I thought Angelina Jolie did a fantastic job in this. I don't think she should have got the oscar for it. I think what made her so great in this film was probably that she as a parent could imagine what it would be like to lose a child. The previews only ever showed the wrong kid being returned to her, not the whole other part which I thought made the movie so great. I think since it was a mystery in the previews that I will keep it a mystery here too. Though I did think the signing of "Silent Night" was pretty creepy. I wonder if he actually sang that or if that was something that Eastwood threw in. 

Confessions of a Shopaholic

   I didn't like this movie all that much. Isla Fisher was fantastic in this. Maybe it should have been British like it was supposed to be. I think a lot of it has to do with changing the setting of the story like in P.S. I Love You, which was supposed to be in Ireland and with a short blonde, not Swank at all. I think changing the original story too much to adapt it to a film takes out the magic of the whole thing. I didn't like who they picked out to be her friend, I didn't like the setting at all, such as the office, the apartment and her parent's home. For a Kinsella story, I think they must have butchered it, because Kinsella certainly writes better than this. Don't get me wrong, it was pretty funny. I thought her clothes were too distracting. I think it took away from the film because the eye was drawn to some of her outrageous outfits and bright colours. The acting was good, the rest was blah.

What Just Happened

   I really enjoyed this film. I probably would have liked it better if I was in the film industry, especially in LA. Regardless, it was amazing. I think the title accurately describes the ending when you're like "what just happened?" But also it explains Robert Deniro's character's career in two weeks. I thought Bruce Willis was a riot with the whole beard thing and mass amounts of swearing and violent reactions. I also liked Sean Penn in this playing himself. I loved the director who starts freaking out and crying over having to change his ending. I bet that happens to a lot of directors and that's why when the DVD comes out they have alternate endings which were probably the ones they wanted to use but were told they couldn't. It is an all around good comedy that never disappointed me. I don't think it is for everyone though. Probably the best thought out part of the film was Deniro listening to the scores from the film he produced which adds drama to the scene, but seems irrelevant to what the context is. Fabulous. It was certainly way better than his last film with Pacino.  

Sex Drive

   The first half hour of this film was hilarious. Seriously just hilarious. I absolutely loved James Marsden in this. I think he should do more comedy like this. He did do Sugar and Spice, but he played a dumb jock, he also plays a jock, but a jerk and good one too. I guess for something called Sex Drive, it would be full of sex, and I guess it was, but it was all crude and gross. I liked the Amish, and whatever that music concert was which was full of drunk Amish. Sarah or maybe it was Mary, the Amish was the only one who didn't look Amish like the fact that she had her hair hanging down out of her bonnet and that she had lacy underthings. I know they're trying to make Amish fantasies  come true, but I'm sure they don't wear sexy underthings and are meant to keep their sex appeal at bay. The quality of humour drops after the first half hour. I didn't like the ending at all. In fact it was lame. Probably the best part of the movie was the house party with the crush thing and those two guys that hit on every girl they see. 

Kitt Kittredge: An American Girl

   I thought this was a cute little family movie. It was definitely more for kids, but still entertaining at the least. Usually she plays a little girl in an adult film, but this time she played a little girl in a children's film. That may have had something to do with her character. It is basically about a little girl in the depression and her family gets hit just like many other people she knows. A lot of the people that are the most affected live in these "hobo jungles". I'm not sure if that's what they actually called them. There is a thief who is framing the "hobos" and which Kitt and her friends are trying to solve the mystery. At the same time surviving during the depression and reporting on relevant events from her perspective of which she tries to get one of her articles published in the paper. It had a great cast like Chris O'Donnell, Julia Ormond, Stanley Tucci and Joan Cusack.