How Do You Know

Drive By Blog

How Do You Know directed by: James L. Brooks

I have been saving titles since July so that I will go back and do a write up later.  When I saw the title How Do You Know, I couldn't even recall which movie it was and had to go to IMDB to remind myself.  That alone should set the tone of the following "review"...

It's a romantic comedy with Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, and Owen Wilson.  Witherspoon's character is a softball player who is retired at the start of the movie.  She ends up dating another successful playboy athlete (Wilson) but then realizes later that she should have been with the more awkward geekier friend (Rudd).

That's the best that I can give you since their wasn't anything special or spectacular to make this film stick out in my mind.  Unoriginal and generic.   In the end, Rudd thinks the girl runs away, but she ends up waiting for him at the bus stop.

You're Welcome, I just saved you 2 hours of your life.

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Crazy, Stupid, Love   directed by: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa

Back to blogging with a movie that actually made me laugh out loud.  I would like to point out that the weekend before I saw this movie, I saw Ryan Gosling.  In.The.Flesh.  Not to mention he was here to shoot scenes from an upcoming Malick movie called Lawless. 



Ryan Gosling at FFF Fest.  Photo by Tim Griffin.

 This was taken at Fun Fun Fun Fest as Ryan Gosling was on one of the stages filming.  This guy is a bad ass and one of my favorite indie actors.  Later the same night I also scraped against him up close and personal at another show. :)  It was a good night needless to say!

Music photographer, Griffinshot.com  took this and a bunch of other amazing photos, if you are so inclined.



Crazy, Stupid, Love
All-star cast supporting a funny, touching, and sweet romantic comedy. 
Steve Carell and Julianne Moore are a married couple that have lost touch since they started years before as high school sweethearts.  The movie opens with Julianne Moore asking for a divorce and admitting to an affair with a coworker. 

Ryan Gosling is a handsome, successful play boy that frequents the same bar to find ladies to seduce and bring home. An arrogant womanizer full of techniques, he is never turned down except for one instance by the delightful and hilarious Emma Stone, a lawyer who is dating Josh Groban.  Well, Josh Groban as a character, not as himself.

Steve Carell wonders into the same bar that Ryan Gosling uses as his hunting ground, and Gosling decides that this broken man is so pathetic that he will help him get his life (and ultimately) his wife back.  The main story through the film is the development of Gosling and Carell's friendship, odd as it is, and how (in every good roco) everyone is only a degree from everyone else.

You really have to see for yourself. Every character in this was cast perfectly and they each made me laugh and feel for them.  After a streak of depressing dramas that I accidentally fell into, this was the perfect flick to get me out of my rut.  Would I watch it again?  Hell yes I would, I will own it!

Waiting For Superman

Waiting For Superman   directed by: Davis Guggenheim

This is a documentary about our nation's public schools.   I interned in a public school years ago in college; the one thing that was obvious to me then was that Bush's 'No Child Left Behind' bill was a horrific piece of legislature. Waiting For Superman highlights all of the less obvious reasons that the public school system is failing, how we can fix them, and why we won't.

What I learned:

1. Tenure in public schools is not good.  Once a public school teacher is tenured they are nearly untouchable despite level of engagement, effectiveness, or attitude.  Even teachers with violations and complaints go and spend (Paid) time waiting to meet with a review board.  There are hundreds of teachers not working, getting paid while waiting for their verdicts, sometimes for months at a time.
2. At one time it was actually publicly believed that low income kids could not learn at the capacity of middle to high income. This has been largely proven false with a variance of testing methods done in and across bad neighborhoods and "fail" schools. There are better and more effective teaching methods that are not adopted into the public school system although the results are undeniably in  favor of education.
3. Admission to magnet, charter, and other alternative schools  are highly competitive and are done through lotteries.  A random selection is the only fair way to choose students with so few seats available.  Of course not everyone can afford private school so chances of giving your child a better opportunity by attending one of these alt schools is random and out of your hands.   What's the hard working parent to do? 

Waiting for Superman follows several children and their families as they try to get into alt schools, and struggle to make ends meet.  Since the public as a whole is doing little to fix this broken system, fortunately there are a few pilgrims like Michelle Rhee and Geoffrey Canada to lead the way.

Michelle Rhee is the former Chancellor of DC public schools, and a past educator herself.  She stated that she did not intend to serve another term so was not looking for popularity to hold the position. She only wanted to come in and make the hard decisions that people have been afraid to make....and she did.

Geoffrey Canada, is the CEO of Children's Zone in Harlem and a well respected education activist. He assists in commentating this documentary helping us to understand the detriment of many of the policies in place.   Canada has made his rounds on the talk show circuit and gained national public respect.

Documentaries are intense.    See the website to learn more and what you can do to help.
http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/action/

President Obama with the kids from Waiting For Superman.

Sons of Anarchy

Sons of Anarchy     An FX series created by:  Kurt Sutter

I  have a habit of getting into a series and not sleeping or moving until I watch every available episode.  Mad Men was last month (and worth every waking moment); Sons made the cut this month.  'Play next episode' on Netflix instant is dangerous and way too easy. 

Sons of Anarchy is about a Motorcycle Club that watch over the people of Charming, CA, and kep the drugs out. They also sell firearms and could more likely be referred to as a biker organized crime syndicate.   Or as the "white trash Sopranos" to quote a friend and fellow fan.

Katey Sagal plays Gemma, the bad ass matriarch of SAMCRO (Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original). The show wouldn't have the success that it does without her and she won the Golden Globe this year to prove it.

Ron Perlman plays the president of SAMCRO aka Clay Morrow, with Charlie Hunnam as Jax Teller his VP, 2nd in command.  They are the leaders of the club and have many biker thugs in their command to strong arm every decision.   Not one episode short of drama with all of the backstabbing, explosions, gun fighting, and scheming against and alongside other gangs and law enforcement. The one part that really bugs me is the voice over from JT Teller, Jax's dead father, Gemma's dead husband. His voice is all wrong and the tone and timing  doesn't always match in with the other writing.   Other than that I remained entertained for about 6 days and wanted to buy a leather jacket and get into fist fights.  Season 3 is about to start....and the finale of Season 2 left a lot of crazy open loose ends.   

Jax Teller (Hunnam) is the blonde in the middle and the main character of the show.  Just for kicks I put his IMDB headshot below...unbelievable.

The Help

The Help    directed by Tate Taylor

This story is about a young white woman, Ms. Skeeter (Stone), an aspiring author in the 1960s. She sets out to write a book from interviews with the black women who work as hired help taking care of the housekeeping and childcare for white families. Although frightened by the prospect of being punished, one woman, Aibileen (Viola Davis) decides to share her stories and take a stand against the severe racism and falling tower of injustice it brought.  Then, following the arrest of one the the help from a charge by her white employer, most of the black women decide to come forward and contribute their point of views as well.

I guess we should tip our hats to Bryce Dallas Howard and Ahna O'Reiley; they must of nailed their characters since I was absolutely disgusted by them and excited to see them pay for their small mindedness.  Ms. Skeeter, played by Emma Stone, was one of only a handful of white folks that believed the world should be viewed on a more even keel.

Now, even with such a serious subject matter this film still demands laughter from the audience, and it got it from me and my friends. Some of The Help's stories are not to be missed, but I encourage you to experience them with with the film. My written renditions will no doubt fall short of their hilarity.

Opinion note: How people ever harbored enough unsolicited hate to treat another person in the way that some of these people did is beyond me. Let this story also show that the harshness of the racism reality may have somewhat diminished over the decades, but is in no way dead and gone from society.

I also wouldn't be surprised if Viola Davis is nominated for another Oscar for this performance as Aibileen Clark,  maybe not a win, but 2 Academy noms is only be the beginning for her.

Cowboys and Aliens

Drive by Blog: Cowboys and Aliens

I really couldn't have been more pleased from the movie Cowboys and Aliens if they tried!  Action, comedy, amazing casting, fun storyline, special effects, explosions, not to mention there are actually COWBOYS AND ALIENS.

The previews give you just enough, showing that Daniel Craig has this mysterious iron cuff that we know is somehow connected to the aliens. Turns out he is an outlaw, gang leader that was abducted by the aliens, and while being held captive, attacked one and stole his dynamite bracelet. Jack (Craig) wakes up in the middle of the desert with no memory except that he can easily take down multiple men in one go, and so does repeatedly. Thumbs up. :)

Favreau may be an action movie genius by playing off the personas of Ford as Indiana Jones, and Craig as James Bond. You bring your beliefs of them with you and immediately accept that they are extreme Badasses.   I even felt the presence of Terminator II in the moment where the alien was submerged into the molten gold machine, and we see him dissipate.....  Very clever Favreau.   Oh and did I mention hell yes, this is what summer movies are suppose to be about!

Tree of Life

 Tree of Life

Eesh.  I just watched the trailer again to make sure my expectations were set correctly for a movie and not an IMax, Discovery channel film.....and yes, expectation falsely set.

Malick attempts to show us in a "new way" his art on the ebb and flow of the universe, with special emphasis alongside a very traditional Texas family in the 1950's. Questions surround life and death, beginnings and endings, spirituality and evolution. Texas never comes up in the movie, I just recognized many of the scenes from being filmed here in Austin.

There are loooonnng segments of nature; from the cosmos to dinosaurs to cellular mitosis.   While this is all very beautiful and fascinating, we have seen it all before.  Another nod to the wonderful Discovery Channel; especially Planet Earth and Blue Planet, oh and don't forget the screen savers that come loaded on every computer.

Sean Penn may be super famous, but not sure if 5 total minutes of screen time is worth a top name billing.   The acting parts that there are, are great even with them pieced together for you decide the emotion versus dialogue leading you through a plot.  And did I mention the creepy whispering narration..?

I wish I could find more positive things to say, but honestly I just couldn't wait for it to end so that I could stop wasting my Sunday Funday....

Again, abstract does NOT equal complicated and artistic does NOT equal brilliant.

Go see it, but watch this trailer again first and see if the film even tippy toe touches your expectation.

The Last Airbender

The Last Airbender

If this were a real drive-by, this movie would be capped in the head.  Let's first discuss the expectation of Mr.M.Night Shyamalan as a director.  At first it was high hopes: The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, first half of The Village.   Then we start going downhill: second half of The Village, Lady in the Water.  Then plummeting with The Happening, and now having hit rock bottom with The Last Airbender.

I am a big fan of fantasy movies, anything with magic, special powers, witches, wizards, spirits..... all of it.  The idea that people were connected to one of the 4 elements and could "bend" them, along with an avatar who could bend all of them and would protect Earth from the super power that fire had become, super cool! 

So what went wrong? Acting - sorry kids but you did give a first timers performance.  Isn't some of that blame to be placed on the writing?  Definitely.  How can one be expected to put so much of themselves into lines with such little impact.  For example, the spirit's advice for the water people to win a battle was, "Show them the power of the ocean."  Ummm, their lives are dedicated to controlling water and they live on the sea...I think they are aware of the ocean's power. 

Not only did Shyamalan not see any of this in all of the hours that he was working on the film, but he also thought that it was good enough to leave as a cliffhanger!  If part two makes it into production I will be shocked, but will also watch it....I need closure. :)

Anyone see Devil?

Date Night

Drive-by Blog: Date Night

I understand why it was decided to make this movie with Steve Carell and Tina Fey both on a high with their respective sitcoms (which I love both and watch regularly), it had to of made money.  BUT, hate to tell you...improv comedians are no screenwriters, at least not in this case. Honestly it hurts me to talk so negatively about this because I appreciate both of them for the amount of times they have made me laugh, but truth reigns..and this was NOT a funny movie.  

Date Night is about a routine suburban couple decide to take a couple's reservation at a fancy restaurant in New York City, resulting in them being chased by twisted police then bringing a mob boss and crooked politician to justice - solid plotline.  The jokes fell flat and the funny seemed spread a little thin throughout th 88 minutes. Not even the star studded co-cast could offer much assistance (Wahlberg, Franco, Kunis, Common).

Just not that much to say - which says it all.

The Tourist

Drive-by Blog: The Tourist

If starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp is all you really want, then this was made for you.  If you care at all about originality, plotline, story, or acting then enjoy poking fun at this one. Its Thomas Crowne meets Salt meets Face Off, but not near as exciting.

The Tourist is a story about a woman who is involved with a criminal, and is torn between her love for him (and his billions) and the right side of the law.   She pulls Frank (Depp) into her tangled web of lies and deceit to act as a decoy for the police and a mob boss.  As Elise (Jolie) plays Frank like a love sick puppy, we continue to see flashes of a man (Rufus Sewell) that we assume is the elusive man everyone is hunting down, Alexandre Pierce.

Well unlike any spy/supense movie I have ever seen before, there is a twist!  Elise isn't who she says she is, and then.....oh my word neither is Frank!   As much as I don't think I can ruin the movie, I will say no more as to not "spoil" the film.   Straight sex appeal and celebrity are the only reason I can see this movie made any money and if that was the goal then touché.

Robin Hood

Robin Hood

I eat my words. My brother told me that I would regret not seeing this in theatre.....dang.

Crowe plays Robin Longstride, a man who isn't sure of his beginnings that decides to follow through with a dead man's last request of uniting his father and sword.  The man ends up being Robin of Loxly and Longstride quickly fills (impersonates) his role as husband to Marion (Blanchett) and son to Sir Walter Loxly (von Sydow) so that they can keep their land and have the leader they deserve. Okay at first I was like, "Damn, not even an evening of grieving?!".  Then Marion explains that her husband has been gone for years and that it was a marriage of convenience and they were only together for a few weeks.   It was different time period and with war, keeping lay of the land was the priority.

King Richard Lionheart (Huston) dies and then his younger brother, Prince John, becomes the new King Of England and starts by trusting dark people and making bad decisions.  The French are let into the monarchy set up for an easy take-over, the young prince retires the King's most trusted advisor William Marshall (Hurt), and Robin of Nottingham with his Merry Men start fighting back.

Bottom line this was a great action movie. We got the story that we had never seen before rather than the guy in the triangle green hat steeling bags of coin from the Sheriff.  Crowe was well cast, and Scott directed a seen before movie into an original.    

Only thing left to do now is find my niche to become a archer assassin.

The Fighter

Drive-By Blog:  The Fighter

 Melissa Leo and Christian Bale both won Academy Awards for their supporting roles in The Fighter, not the best at acceptance speeches but they 100% deserved the Oscars nonetheless.

 Dickey Eckland (Bale), and Micky Ward (Wahlberg) are half brothers and both boxers. Dickey's time in the spotlight has passed and HBO is following him for a documentary on the effects of crack cocaine. Micky is an up and coming boxer who is struggling to be more than a "stepping stone" for other fighters.  His girlfriend Charlene (Adams) convinces him to fire his mother (Leo) and brother and hire a legit manager and trainer to get his career going in the right direction.

The Fighter shows the fall out of this family and what they have to do to repair the family.  Dickey goes to jail, but gets clean while continuing to give his kid brother boxing tips from inside.  The mother struggles with being pushed out of the loop and takes her team of daughters to intimidate Charlene (unsuccessfully) into leaving her son alone.  Micky starts to win fights but remains torn on cutting his family out of his boxing career.  Don't worry, happy ending.

  I believed the actors, the emotions, the dynamics and was impressed with direction, acting, writing and editing.  Watching the boxing matches felt like seeing a HBO live fight and really pulled you in while adding an extra layer of intensity.  In a nutshell this movie feels real and pulls no punches. (sorry, had to!)

The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia

Drive-By Blog:  The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia


Before you let yourself be offended by the title alone, Whites is the surname of a below the law family in Boone County, West Virginia.

Large white trash family that does and sells drugs, doesn't abide by the law, are violent and aggressive, go in and out of jail, and we can't stop watching them on this film.  They have some celebrity due to one of the older brothers, Jessco White, who is known for his role in the documentary Dancing Outlaw.

Hank Williams III stars and soundtracks in this film, and is a family friend and admirer of the Whites.

Being a huge fan of documentaries, I watch and wonder how much is real and how much is leading us to feel and opinionate a certain way.    With The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia I imagine the Whites sitting around watching their doc on a wood panel tube television and feeling very prideful and accomplished.

If you plan to watch it and don't have experience with southern mountain accents, then find a translator or be ready to rewind a bit.  If it wasn't for the excessive illegal activity then I am sure we would see these proud to be criminals in a reality show that would share the same audience as Jersey Shore.

The Runaways

Drive-By Blog:     The Runaways

Kristin Stewart as Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie; the two leading ladies of The Runaways, one of the first all girl rock bands in the 70's. They were angry, conflicted, experimental, and naive.  Wait what's the word for that......oh right, teenagers! Four teenage girls made up a sexy rock band that blew up the charts and the world until the pressure got to be too much for lead singer and the face of The Runaways, Cherrie Currie. The present tells us that this probably ended up being one of the best things that could have happened in Joan Jett's career.

This is a good movie to start my "drive-by" blogging because there is just not that much to say. Although a biopic, not much here is surprising or interesting aside from the fact that they did blow up as an aggressive all girl rock band in the mid 1970's. Cherrie Currie is now a chain saw artist and Joan Jett is still a well respected rock star for her record toppers with The Black Hearts.

As far as a rating this movie  I sat through the whole thing without falling asleep, and that is the closest I can come to a compliment.

You Don't Know Jack

I am a sad excuse for a blogger by the way, seeing as how I watched this movie weeks ago. Nonetheless!

"Is this the face of a killer?", is the tagline for the film You Don't Know Jack. Al Pacino's face as the well known "Doctor of Death", Jack Kevorkian, adorns the poster for this informative (and long) biopic.

I only knew the basics about infamous Kevorkian prior to this film; He assisted his patients in ending their lives, was very controversial, and ended up in jail for going too far. You Don't Know Jack starts with Kevorkian as an unemployed doctor who believes if a person has little to no quality of life, and are living in suffering then they have a right to die. Kevorkian's sister, Margot Janus (Vaccaro) and his best friend and former colleague Neal Nicol (Goodman) are his two main supporters of the idea.

It starts with Kevorkian interviewing people that feel they are ready for end. Most with diseases that were rapidly on the decline and had no hope of recovery. People that wanted to take their lives due to depression were not considered and were advised to seek help.

He becomes friends and begins to work alongside Janet Good (Surandon) who is also an assisted sucide advocate; with help from Nicol, Janus, and Good, he begins to accept patients. Although Kevorkian is designing the machines and supplying the injections or lethal gases, he is not technically doing the deed and therefore with help of his high powered attorney Geoffrey Fieger (Huston), Kevorkian continues his right-to-die campaign. He is successful in over 100 assisted suicides and in an attempt to get the Supreme Court's attention on the matter, he himself administers an injection to a patient, then airs it on 60 minutes. This act, and Kevorkian representing himself in court is what ultimately landed him in jail for over 8 years.

The amount of information that we learn in this film and being able to see and understand Kevorkian's side of the story is truly thought provoking. After seeing footage of Kevorkian himself we can also see that Pacino did his homework to play the character flawlessly. The irony is.....as a movie, I got bored. All the content was there: he was a painter, a doctor, never married, compassionate for people's rights to live and die, an activist....but what fell short? Well I think the footage on the cutting room floor is the answer to that question.

One thumb up to subject matter and acting, one thumb down for editing and direction.

The Social Network

It has been very deliberate that I have not seen this movie until now. I use Facebook as much as anyone but an entire movie that seems to be sweeping awards left and right.....are we that obsessed with social media? (I do realize the irony as I am writing a blog that I will twitter here in a bit.)

So I bit the bullet, ready to own up to my pre-slander if I did in fact enjoy this film, and now I must give credit where credit is due....to Jesse Eisenberg. His acting was phenomenal and he has totally earned his Oscar nomination. Garfield you also did not disappoint and your linguistic transformation impressive. I have a feeling that we will be seeing both of these young actors much more in the near future. Get on it while it's hot kids!

The story of course is about Mark Zuckerberg (Eisenberg), Facebook founder, and the conception of The Facebook. The story leads us through the legal battles Zuckerberg faced against his one time best friend and CFO, Eduardo Saverin (Garfield), and the Winklevoss twins (both played by Armie Hammer) who originally pitched the idea to Zuckerberg. We see that Zuckerberg is a brilliant and curt Harvard kid, that may have a bit of a "holier than thou" complex. Fortunately for him the founder of Napster, Sean Parker (Timberlake), shares the same syndrome and seeks out Zuckerberg as a party of interest, eventually wedging himself in as part of the company and between Mark and Eduardo.

Zuckerberg only has an eye for Facebook domination and doesn't have too many feelings on who he hurts along the way. I am still unsure from the movie whether the guy finished his degree, I'll wiki him later. But let's face it....at the end of the day everyone got a settlement and Zuckerberg is still the youngest billonaire in history...so boo hoo.

Ok, I admit, I enjoyed the movie. That does not mean that I think it deserves a Director or Best Picture nomination. Acting, Supporting, Adapted Screenplay, Editing -- you deserve your nominations, not necessarily the wins, but you can be proud of the noms.

Temple Grandin

It's true that some things just couldn't be written as fiction. Temple Grandin is a movie based on the true story of Autistic woman Temple Grandin. Claire Danes is the lead, with Catherine O'Hara, Julia Ormond, and David Strathairn supporting. All did bang up jobs and I for one immediately rewatched my favorite parts.

Temple Grandin was an odd but very bright and misunderstood girl. She thought in pictures, had a photogenic memory, and a big heart for animals, but when it came to people she had some trouble. Her aunt (O'Hara) lived on a ranch that Temple first visited the summer between high school and college. On the ranch she saw how cattle were calmed as they were branded and tagged; having panic attacks and episodes herself she learned that this squeezing was actually very soothing and also calmed her down. She then built her own "squeeze machine" also known "hug machine" to help manage her anxiety and went on her way to becoming one of the most influential people in the field of animal husbandry.

Against what the expectations were at the time for a person with Autism, Temple went on to college and graduate school. Her masters thesis was on how to build a more functional and humane system to lead cows into being dipped and into slaughter. "Nature is cruel but we don't have to be. We raise these animals for us, we owe them some respect." Her methods and understanding of cattle were fascinating to watch and her success admirable.

Director, Mick Jackson, did a great job of illustrating to the audience Temple's thinking in pictures. We watch and feel for her struggles while awing her creativeness and drive. A lot has been learned about Autism and how it affects people from the 1940s when it was blamed on a mother for being cold. Grandin gives all hope and is truly an inspiration to other people with Autism as well as society as a whole. She is now a professor at Colorado State and it was nice to see her at the GOlden Globes, as Danes accepted the acting award for her role in Temple Grandin.

Winnebago Man

Jack Rebney was an ornery man living in seclusion while old video footage of him went viral on YouTube. You may be familiar with these videos: footage of a man filming a Winnebago commercial,cursing, yelling at the crew, pissed off at the heat and the lines. It has been viewed into the millions and filmaker, Ben Steinbauer, found himself wondering what happened to this "angriest man on earth".

Steinbauer eventually tracked down Rebney to a small house in the mountains of Northern CA. When they first met, Rebney acted like a sweet old man who had found peace in the mountain air solitude. Fortunately, it doesn't take long for Rebney to contact the film maker and admit bulls*#$. He was still an angry old bird who loathed the internet, the dumb ass people that watched these "viral videos", and how politics and people were ruining the country.

Over a couple of years, Ben and Jack get to know one another well, in this time Jack loses his site, which shockingly doesn't seem to really affect his attitude. We get the feeling that regardless of how Rebney feels about his fans, he still enjoys being filmed and being heard. He is ultimately convinced to attend the Found Footage Festival as a guest, and we see eager kids lined up waiting for hours to see the "Winnabego Man".

As Jack enjoys his fans taking pictures and talking to him after the show, we start to wonder....How much of these documentaries are real? Is Rebney a cantankerous teddy bear?
Did he lose his familiarity with society so much that once he was reintroduced he decided that they were not all knit wits? After his fans cheer at his Dick Chaney jab, he immediately gives them all credit for being "quick". Who knows what was actually true and how much of the truth is laying on the cutting room floor.

Personally, I felt like despite Rebney's strong opinions, his age and condition became more apparent. He had been through a lot and was fine with his situation and the friends he had made (or more than friends?). The bit of attention and adoration that he received felt good and he couldn't pretend it didn't. An angry personality, is not the same thing as a bad person. Sad part about this, I actually was not that entertained. So even if this movie was clipped and pasted to be the most captivating story, it still fell a little flat.

True Grit

In True Grit, Bridges made a very convincing drunk, jibber-jabbering, smart ass renegade marshall. While I mean that, I am also starting to find it difficult to separate some of his characters from him. Yes Yes, we all think that he is most like "The Dude", but if Crazy Heart were a couple of decades earlier, Bad Blake would  have been Rooster's kin, no?

Matt Damon is suppose to be a Texas ranger on the hunt for the same man as Rooster. Damon is obviously not a Texan, and the man(who is a great actor) was not rugged enough for this role! Bridges, yes. Brolin, yes. Damon......a better Jason Bourne.

Most impressive however was Hailey Steinfeld and her undying need for avenging her father's murder. Wow. This young teenager had some very difficult dialogue and rough situations to act through, and totally nailed it. Actually, the more I think about it I am surprised that she wasn't nominated for a lead acting globe. Not that she would have beaten Portman, but she deserved the exposure. She presented on the Golden Globes last night alongside Justin Bieber and I didn't even realize it was her.

Rooster's rhetoric was a lot of fun, especially since I was in a matinee with an older crowd who LOVED every punchline. I am not saying that this beats the charisma that is John Wayne, but it's worth the watch. What kind of movie watcher would I be if I missed a Coen Brothers' film anyway? Especially with parts filmed in Austin.

Valentine's Day

I should get out my opinions on this before my wine wears off and I don't want to admit I even watched it! So if you saw He's Just Not That Into You , this movie is basically the same story set on the Valentine's Day backdrop. They even share Bradley Cooper, but he is less of an asshole in this one.

I can't hate on Jennifer Garner since her charm has just recently won me over, but other than that... HOW did this movie corral so many actors?!?! I just have to think that it was a lot of fun, and not a lot of work.

The thing is, I am a terribly sappy movie watcher; the sad parts, the romantic parts, anything to push on the senses gets me teared up. I just watched a 2 hour movie about love and not even misty. Not a welled up eye or an out loud "awwwwwww", and this is a movie about love!?

Apparently splashing together a multitude of cliches equals a romantic film. Surface movie fans it's all yours.

The Invention of Lying

 The Invention of Lying is just what is sounds like, everyone tells the truth therefore everyone believes everything they hear. Not being able tell a lie means that people will say anything and everything that pops into their head, and apparently rudeness is also something that hasn't been invented yet in the setting of this movie.

Ricky Gervais is the man in the story that discovers lying when he swindles the bank into giving him too much money.  He then starts experimenting with telling things that aren't and discovers that he can help people.   As his mother is dying he describes a type of heaven that she will find herself in so that she isn't as afraid of death.  After his mother, the nurses, and the doctor hear this, Gervais becomes the man everyone in the world looks to learn about the afterlife.

Through this story he is falling in love with Jennifer Garner, and while she also loves him, she will not consider him since they are not good genetic matches.  Which is what we are all thinking about when we meet a potential suitor right?? I don't think so and they made her sound like a robot.  She realizes that her feelings are more complex than just making attractive children, and that being happy means more than she had ever known.

Gervais ends up being Moses on the mountain telling the world how to make it to the happy place after death.  The man in the sky uses him as his channel, and everyone will get mansions in the sky when they pass on. He becomes a rich and famous screenwriter, and NO ONE ever figures out that he is just making things up.  

I ended up thinking that this movie was very sweet, and I enjoyed Gervais and Garner in their roles.  Although The Invention of Lying is a comedy, I was impressed with Gervais's ability when doing the emotional scenes.  There may be more to that guy than I have given him credit for.....??

No award winner, but I am not demanding that 2 hours of my life back either.

TRON: Legacy

I saw TRON: Legacy 3D in IMAX. I am thinking movies shouldn't be considered 3D if they have less than say, 50% shot that way.  I mean it's pretty silly to wear those glasses for only a  handful of scenes to pop out at you.  I'm just not on the 3D bandwagon yet anyways, regular D suits me just fine.

Now Daft Punk doing the entire soundtrack and making a cameo in the film, is something I can get into!  The beats in combination of the wild neon,  black-lightish colors felt like a dance party.

Was the story a little on the weak side?....sure.  Did I have a blast watching it nonetheless?.....Hell yes I did.
I did go into this film understanding that it was about a man who built an alternate reality based on a video game, and then came to be trapped in that reality by his creations.    Admittedly I never saw the original movie,but I was familiar with actual video game and the concept.  Watching the neon trails on the track during the challenge between the TRON cars was awesome. There were a few other moments too when I wish that I could have rewound and watched the scene again! (Bridges in the black cape once he enters the city)

Thirteen was a good fit for Quorra, Bridges also played a good Kevin and Clu.  I guess Micheal Sheen played his Zuse character correctly but he really got on my nerves. After seeing his acting skill as David Frost I now expect a little more out of him

I have said it a thousand times to the haters:  It's an action movie based on a guy being trapped in a video game world, accept that as the story and go have some fun.  (Don't forget to download the soundtrack, it makes me bobble head.)

The Pillars of the Earth

The Pillars of the Earth is an eight part mini series set in 12th century England. From the start of the first episode you follow Tom the builder (aka Tom Builder) and his family trying to find a means to live through his architecture. Along his path to find a town in need of a master builder(that also had money), his baby is taken after he leaves it for dead, his wife dies, and he falls in love with a witch woman and merges their 2 families together. I mean hey, it's only 8 episodes to cover 20 years, no time to waste right?? Ultimately he lands his feet in Kingsbridge, and is commissioned to build a brand new church after the old dilapidated one burns to the ground.

The man pulling the strings is a priest (Waleran) who will stop at nothing until to get the title of Arch Bishop. The issue of separating church and state are obviously not something that has been brought up in the 1100s, therefore the church IS the state. Waleran (Ian McShane) is trying to protect a secret surrounding the burning of a ship that killed the king's son, ultimately putting the king's nephew on the throne and outcasting the princess. One thing that you know from the start, Waleran is pure evil. Fortunately the Bishop doesn't need to have any moral stability, or a conscience.

The love story is between Jack, a sculptor, and a noble girl (Aliena) who loses her title after her father is framed a traitor. They court for years and as Jack decides to become a monk, Aliena marries his step brother (while pregnant with Jack's child) so that she will have money to continue her brother, Richard's warrior path.

I have to say that some of the shooting style was poorly chosen, with some blame on editing. The Pillars of the Earth had a lot of potential With that amount of deceit, incestuousness, and foul play. It just could have been better. Some of the comments are cheesy and totally set up for that Horatio Caine moment.

On the flip side, watching a church being built that was the first of it's kind, and seeing the characters embark on a 10+ year project and never losing dedication really kept my interest. The Kingsbridge church was really it's own character that could make or break a person, and successfully did both.

Glad that I watched the series, but also glad that it was easy (and free).

The King's Speech

The moment you forget about the actors and only care about the characters is when the movie has won you. This same moment is why I love movies in return. The King's Speech definitely had this, I even found myself mouthing words to help Firth in his struggles. This movie will be a familiar in the awards ceremonies around the corner.

It is no secret that I am a Geoffrey Rush fan, and I don't want to say that Rush alone made the film but...well...eh....not sure I would have felt the same way without him. Don't get me wrong Firth did his part. The stammer couldn't have been easy and I can't imagine how many hours of training he had to put in to un-training his speech. Bonham-Carter also fit the bill, but oddly, I find myself wondering why her accent did not sound as natural as I would have expected? Perhaps next time we hear Johnny D speaking in his natural dialect, we may also be confused??

Story is about King George VI (Firth), who had a speech impediment from childhood and therfore lacked the voice expected of a sovereign. He was not the rightful heir to the throne but after his father's death and his brother's lack of noble responsibility, he found himself in coronation and then facing war with Germany.

Through the story we watch Rush, a common man, coach the king in regaining his speech and his confidence, to become the king that the people needed in such a dire time. It's a great story, and I am going to continue to revel in it until I read the non-fiction, and realize all of the romantic parts are untrue.

Until then...Rush for Actor in a LEADING role.

Despicable Me

Ever since I realized that we would not be going back to having cartoon movies, I have had a bit of a personal boycott against the animated ones.   I did NOT see Finding Nemo, I know I know.  I hear Toy Story 3 is amazing, but seeing as how I never got around to 2, I am already playing catch up.

A friend talked me into seeing this movie when it was in theatre and I walked in a hard skeptic, ready to hate, but .....I loved it!  I now own it and turn it on frequently for background while doing other things around the house.   I just can't get enough of those dang minions!  I even have a little minion puzzle solving app for the ipad. Oh and don't forget to watch the minion shorts on the disc;  Ba-na-na!(Watch it).  I do not advise downloading the Best Buy movie app though. There is an option to play the disc so the app can hear it and translate the minions' gibber into English.  This means there will be extra tones throughout the movie to communicate with the app, and it's just not as fun.  The minion speech is part of their charm; not knowing exactly what they are saying is what makes them so hilarious! 

Gru (Steve Carell) is our Despicable Me main character and his goal is to be the world's number one super villain, but poor Gru is struggling to stay in the game. The bank no longer wants to fund his ventures, and a younger, fresher villain aka Vector is quickly gaining the top title. Ain't that sounding a lot like real life. 

Gru devises a plan to steal the moon, but the only way that he can do this is with the help of 3 little orphan girls that he adopts.  At this point I don't really have to say another thing for you to know exactly what happens, but look forward to a sad turn of events, followed by a loving and triumphant ending. :)

Not to mention that the one and only Julie Andrews is the voice of Gru's evil mother!

I cannot say that Despicable Me has changed my mind about the new wave animated movies, but this one and Wall-E aren't hurting the chances.   

The Killer Inside Me

Unfortunatley, excellent trailers do not mean excellent movies. I always feel particularly betrayed by this since producing trailers might just be the best job in the universe.


So I wanted to like The Killer Inside Me from the basis that Casey Affleck's character was a small town Texas sheriff, who also had the thirst for blood. I expected to see a dark film where I followed this upstanding citizen through his public life and then continued on into the depths of his true self.

Casey Affleck is the stronger actor of the Affleck clan, but I wouldn't give him the master of accents title. Not very convincing as a Texan, and not sure if he could capture any southern state's intonation. Affleck goes to evacuate the town whore (Alba) and in the process they find they are the yin to the other's yang. Affleck gets off on beating and Alba gets off on taking one. Affleck's friend is in love with the whore and the friend's powerful father pays Affleck to run her out of town for good. Affleck decides that the best way out of the predicament is to make love to Alba, then beat her to death with his bare hands. She continues to say she loves him as her face breaks open from his fist. He then kills the friend and tries to make it look like a murder/murder.

Throughout the movie the detective (Baker) is on to him, which is not hard to believe with Affleck being sketchy and unstable the entire time. Another reason to not sing the movie's praises. The killer character is not that interesting, plain and simple. He is a young, handsome lawman, in country ass west Texas. His mother definitely skewed the way he thought one was suppose to care about a person due to her violent and incestuous needs. But once he starts killing he is just reckless, and doesn't even really try to cover himself other than killing more people. Not a planner this man.

Shock value was way up on this film, along with violence. Not sure who to talk to about the story, though I would expect it was lost in translation from writer to screen writer to director. The potential was there, and I bet the original format proves it. On the bright side, it has totally gone under the radar so a remake in the next 5-10 shouldn't be too difficult to conquer.

Ben keep directing, Casey keep acting; you guys are great team and then you only have the other to blame.

Black Swan

I think psycho-sexual thriller is the perfect way to describe this film.  Emphasis on sexual, just fyi for those going to see this with their parents.    Aronofsky is always good for a mind f*^# , and if you don't understand then rent Requiem For a Dream.  If I ever feel that my psyche is in a strong enough place to re-watch that movie then maybe I'll write about it, but that's an IF.

Ok, Black Swan.....This is about a very innocent and sheltered ballerina who is cast as the swan queen in Swan Lake, and her struggle with finding the dark side of herself to become the black swan.

Let's talk Natalie Portman.   I am already a fan, but I want to see her nominated for another Academy Award and win it.  (I am not a fan of Closer, but that's a whole nother tangent.)  She is PHENOMENAL in this movie.  Portman, an already a petite girl, lost nearly 20 pounds while going through ballet training for this roll, and came out totally convincing.  Not to mention she now has a fiancee and wil' bun in the oven with one of the ballet choreographers. :) Nice.

Mila Kunis also should not be reduced down to her That 70's Show role, she has some real acting power behind her, and I don't mean Macaulay Culkin. (They broke up anyways.)
What her exact role is in this movie is up to us, was she another ballerina, or a figment of Portman's imagination?   I think she was real, and I think upon my re-watch of the DVD I will still feel the same way. Meaning, while it's branded a psycho-sexual thriller, Portman's character suffered enough psychosis without needing to create an imaginary frenemy.

What really did peak my interest in this film was how accurately it portrayed the ballet community.From all that I have heard and read, from cast members and ballerinas alike, it was for the most part a spot on portrayal.   As a writer if I had learned about the brashness of the ballet companies, then I too would have realized that groundwork had already been laid for a thriller.  Not to mention Swan Lake is the most well known ballet and love story that will wear the tests of time. Brilliant.


Oscar nom worthy film, yes.    One of my favs of the year, no.

rip! A remix manifesto by Brett Gaylor

This documentary is all about copyrights and how they are affecting our remix culture (I just sampled their description). Contrary to popular belief Glee is most def not the creator of mash ups.   Gaylor uses Greg Gillis, aka Girl Talk (who is also NOT the creator of mash ups), as the thread to tie all of his points together, and Girl Talk rocks my socks off.

Girl Talk is dance music for the A.D.D. generation, and it's free. What's not to love?  The Ramones intertwined with Missy Elliot, Beastie Boys with Iggie Pop, Ludacris with Phoenix.  Damn right All Day is blaring in my headphones while I type. On to the next stop money in my pocket.....

Let's not detract from the major point at hand here. There are a handful of giant corporations that own and operate all of America's media. Yep, allllll the movies and music. Instant access to music and movies is available, IF YOU DO IT WITHIN THE RULES. Should artists like Girl Talk be able to take hundreds of samples, mash them together, and make his own album and style while not having to answer to any of the original artists??

Rip makes the point that all of our ideas are born from something else that we have seen or experienced.  The present builds on the pillars of the past, and if an artist takes something and changes it into a totally different style then it becomes theirs.  Gaylor even encourages you take his film and mash it up yourself, after all, it may land him in the clink or as a hobo on the streets of Montreal.
This is only a tiny a slice of what all this doc brings, and since it is available for free on Open Source Cinema (not copyrighted), give it a watch.

I liked the style of it, and the way it was organized. This guy really did his homework and put his heart and soul in voicing his opinion. While I think ultimately I am in agreement with his basic opinions, I can't say it's complete agreement.  Do I like that 2 major corporations are in control of our media, hell no.  I think a lot of things will come on a case to case basis.  I like the idea of sharing, but the idea of "gives an inch, takes a mile" comes to mind when you open anything up to entire society.   There will always be those people that would rather steal and exploit than enjoy and appreciate.

I guess there is really only one question to answer: Pirate/Not a Pirate?    To that I say,"Arghhhhhhhh."

Inception

A recent all star film seems like a good springboard....

Chris Nolan your directing skills have yet again stunned the masses. I appreciate your ability to combine innovative film making with blockbuster intensity. Equal parts writing to directing. I think he's on to something....

OK, this movie does have a pretty hefty story, and is not for the easily distracteed spectator. Dicaprio and Gordon-Levitt(who is growing on me)show us the ways around our subconcious through dream sharing. Stealing ideas is their expertise (extracting), while implanting ones is their challenge (inception). The movie takes us into unstructured dream space that lies within a dream, within a dream, within a dream. The deeper into the dreams, the deeper into the subconscious, which of course means the thicker the plot gets and the quieter the theatre.

Ken Wantanabe (the big wig), needs Cillian Murphy to break up his father's(Pete Postlethwaite, RIP) company from becoming the next energy superpower. The idea is to put the idea into Murphy's head so that he feels it is his own. Dicaprio accepts the challenge to have his name cleared with the US government and through the process puts some other personal issues to rest surrounding thie death of his wife Marion Cotillard.

Only qualm is that the process of obtaining Ellen Page's character is a little too flat. She is a talented college student that immediately jumps into constructing dreams after JUST hearing that the job is illegal? And we just accept that?!? Young unknown girl, most complex challenge ever created, lives at stake......and we stamp her our dream architect with no background check??

Ok, ok so obviously see it, but since it's out of most theatres now, find a big screen and some people that can focus. Appreciate the way Nolan has illustrated such complex concepts, and ask him if cliffhangers with no follow up films are going to be his signature.

This Narcissism Is Overdue

 I do not consider myself a pedestrian critic; more of a cinematic explorer. My movie commentary is my only real talent and I have decided to push it into the social stream.

As I would love to share all of my opinions and experiences thus far, I am afraid that reality suggests we start one by one, with the next thing I see. I decided to use this avenue since the well known movie sites are open to the entire viewing public, and therefore at their mercy.    Let's just say that Rotten Tomatoes's reviewers gave Paranormal Activity an 84%, and from that moment on I decided that solo sharing with the thin air was a better use of my time.

If you agree with that rating, or are a stickler for grammar perhaps this is your exit. xoxo.