Kick Ass (2010)

Kick-Ass was kick ass. I bet I'm the first one to make that little quip.

Hit-Girl, seen above, might be the most awesome character ever created. Who wouldn't want to watch an eleven year old girl kick major ass? 

Aaron Johnson, who is just the sort of fellow I adore, has pretty much the best hair on the planet. It's Groffien.  I mean, yes, they amped up the nerd effect for authenticity, but focus on the tresses. 

I know, this is a pic heavy post. But Kick-Ass is very visual, so I think it's fitting. This is not a kids movie. It's not really even a comic book movie (which is sort of what I was expecting). It's a dark comedy of sorts with lots of killing and gore. Occasionally, the realism is brought into sharp focus. Occasionally, realism is thrown out the window. It's an interesting movie, and undeniably unique. I've watched a few of the hit-girl scenes over and over, they're that entertaining. If you're an adult, check this out. Unless you've read the graphic novel, I can almost guarantee, the flick is not what you think. 

The Town (2010)

The Town (or as I like to call it, Good Will Hunting 2: The Chuckie Story) is getting far better reviews than it deserves. FAR better. It's okay - Jeremy Renner is electric and the three (slightly long) heist scenes are fast and fun. And the film definitely sparkles most when it's being funny. But the plot takes some stupid and unrealistic turns and chunks of the dialogue are insanely bad. Take, for example, the Good Will Hunting ripoff scene where Ben Affleck and Rebecca Hall (the pretty British lady slummin' with the boy from the wrong side of the tracks) are sitting outside at a cafe. She looks around at the lovely sunny day and out of nowhere says "My brother died on a day like this."

There's also the little problem of Rebecca Hall's character being the dumbest chick on the planet. Their first date together, Ben Affleck drills her about what she knows and what she told the FBI about their robbery. She doesn't, for a second, question where this random bad-ass rough-edge guy game from? She's dense and I hate her.

Also, there are probably fifteen scenes where characters are talking about what happened to poor Ben Affleck before the movie began (including poor Ben Affleck). It is exposition city up in there and it's heavy handed and eye roll inducing.

Blake Lively was fine, Jon Hamm's accent was in and out. The nun costume might be my pick for Halloween this year.

The thing is - it's not a bad movie. But it's not the brilliant cops and robbers drama RottenTomatoes would have you believe (94% REALLY?). And the ending is a weird amalgamation of Nicholas Sparks and The Shawshank Redemption. If you like action movies - go see it. If you're expecting something loftier that may rise to your indie drama tastes, you'll be sorely disappointed.

Star Trek (2009)

For my money, Star Trek was the best film of 2009. I wasn't a huge fan of The Hurt Locker and Avatar had some serious acting issues. Of the actual nominees, District 9 would have been my choice, but Star Trek was sorely overlooked.

Just so we're clear, I am not a Trekkie. I think I've seen the original Star Trek once and Star Trek Next Generation maybe five times. I could not have named a character beyond Spock and Kirk. Yet, I love love loved this movie. I have a special place in my heart for movies that have to be movies. Stuff that should be seen on a big screen, the stuff that people are talking about when they use the phrase movie magic. They remind me of why we all love movies to begin with. It's what separates movies from plays and television. Avatar had movie magic in spades but Sam Worthington - oof! Star Trek balanced it all beautifully. Engaging story, good acting, fun characters, and the sparkle of cinema.

I truly loved Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine in this movie. They were fun and funny and loveable with a few tinges of angst (I always love my angst). The supporting cast was also fantastic. Each character got a moment to shine. How adorable was Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov? And my Lord of the Rings love dictates that I always give major props to Karl Urban (who I met once! I had to resist the urge to bend down on one knee and call him majesty).

J.J. Abrams knows story and I appreciate that above everything. My biggest Star Trek related hope is that the sequel doesn't suck. I adore these characters. I guess I see where the Trekkies are coming from.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

I really enjoyed Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. It was big, it was flashy, it was funny, and it moved a mile a minute. I read in some review that this is a movie for the ADD generation. No kidding. We're in and out of scenes at breakneck speed and there's always something new to look at.

When I was 19, my friends and I took a road trip to Toronto because *ahem* the legal drinking age in Ontario is 19. And we had to find "vacationy" things to do. So we went to Casa Loma which is this huge castle that some rich guy built a long time ago that is now mostly used for movies. Anywho - there is a scene in Scott Pilgrim that takes place outside Casa Loma and it's the first time I've seen Casa Loma be used as Casa Loma. It was cool. My friends endured me saying "I've been there!" about a dozen times.

But back to the movie. I posit that you have to like Michael Cera to like this movie. He is Michael Cera-ing it up beginning to end. He's good - in that way that he's good - and I kept thinking how lucky this kid is that he has some comedic talent because otherwise, he would probably never get laid.

The uber-expansive supporting cast was also very good. Especially Kieran Culkin, Ellen Wong, and Mae Whitman (who I love anyway). The fight scenes were a tad long - especially the final one - but it wasn't much to worry. This movie entertained and made me laugh. That's exactly what I was hoping it would do. Score.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Pulp Fiction is one of the best movies ever. Argue with me. Go ahead. I dare you. I welcome the non-challenge of proving you wrong.

It's story. It's what story should be. Story story story. It's surprising, it's smart, it's real but not really real. Each and every character is the protagonist of their existence and that's exactly how all films should feel. They all move around in this one world, bumping into each other, making appearances in others' stories when it makes sense for them to do so. I always wonder if Jules hears about Vince's death and what he thinks. Or Mia. It's such a cool piece of story for the protagonist of one chunk to show up in someone else's only to be blown away. And the unpredictability is so cool. Who would see the whole gimp episode coming? No one, that's who. And that's awesome. Same thing with poor Marvin getting his head blown off. I that's probably my favorite moment in the film, "The Bonnie Situation" my favorite story.

I was thinking recently about films where protagonists don't arc. The only films I could come up with were bad films. But - this film might have a case for being both good and mostly arc-less. Jules arcs. Obvi. But I don't think anyone else does. Not Vince, not Butch, not Mia. I think Butch is the most surprising because he's arguably the most protagonisty in terms of desires and conflict. But he's no different at the end than he was at the beginning. Perhaps it's an off screen arc? Perhaps in the beginning when he's listening to Marsellus, he's planning to actually throw the fight. And when we see him next, he's arced into choosing his pride over his safety. He's opted to say screw you. I don't know. It doesn't really matter. I'm just rambling.

Any way you slice it, this movie is terrific. It's entertaining, it's fun, it's smart, the acting is great, the direction superb, and I can watch it over and over until the end of time. All hail Tarantino.

Body of Lies (2008)

Body of Lies was a movie I could have lived without. It wasn't bad and it wasn't really good. It wasn't boring or too complicated but it also wasn't very interesting or unique. It came and went. I shrugged.

To be fair, this isn't my preferred genre. I often say - and I'm about to say it again - that a good movie is a good movie and people who discount any film based on genre alone are dumb. Or lazy. Or they don't care - which is acceptable. But film people who say it are dumb. Or lazy. However, I can't deny that everyone prefers some genres to others. I'm always going to enjoy a musical more than perhaps its filmic worth would indicate. I would never try to argue that Rent is a good (or well made) film but damned if I don't enjoy it. Okay - so - point. Espionage action, especially set in the Middle East, aint my bag. And this movie isn't good enough to overcome it's genre. So I'll probably never watch it again.

Ebert said, and I agree, "'Body of Lies' is a James Bond plot inserted into today's headlines." That's my other issue with it. It was like they decided to write a movie where us awesome Americans actually get to catch Osama Bin Laden. Without ever actually showing a terrorist attack on American soil. We're catching the guy that bombed Amsterdam who is threatening to bomb us. Whatever.

And the protagonist. He's what should have made us care. But there is almost zero about him as a person. He's getting a divorce. That's all we know. Do we care? Not really. And I'm sorry, but on no planet would Leonardo DiCaprio be able to pretend he's Middle-Eastern. (I wasn't quite sure he was pretending to be Middle-Eastern - but Ebert thinks he was. So we'll go with Ebert). There just isn't enough character. Anywhere. Russell Crowe's role was all but unnecessary and I'm surprised Russell Crowe's people wanted him to do it. It must have just been because of Ridley Scott. His character was an aged version Ari Gold from Entourage, barking orders into his bluetooth while dropping his kids off at school.

Maybe I dislike this movie more than I initially thought. I saw it because Leonardo DiCaprio is a great actor and I'm a loyal fan who will see him in pretty much anything. Now that I can check this movie off my list, I never have to think about it again.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2009)

This movie.

I've heard people rave and rave and rave.

I've read this review at The Playlist where they loathed it. Shredding it in true pretentious Playlist fashion. (Love you, Playlist...)

I'm definitely somewhere in the middle. It's over long and there are some debatably unnecessary character building tangents. But I enjoyed the movie. I was entertained, and the title character was unlike any character I've seen before.

She is a hard core, pierced, motorcycle riding, computer hacker that no one should mess with. She sleeps with men and women and she keeps her thoughts and feelings to herself. She's the movie. She's what's unique about it. The Playlist was not a fan of a sequence in the first half hour or so where she gets revenge against an (overly) evil probation officer. I was on her side with that revenge. And I was shocked. I think this sequence does what it's intended to - it tells us what she's like and if you don't like it (or her), stop watching now.

It's true that all of the characters apart from her are fairly cookie cutter. I would argue that with her character being so different from what we're used to seeing, it's not unreasonable for the author (or screenwriter) to keep the rest of the cast fairly understandable.

The plot is a plot. It's not genius. It's not absurd. Mysteries aren't typically my bag. They tend to be either obvious or so ridiculously complex that no movie goer could play along. I'm never going to be particularly interested in the mystery itself if only because I know the ending will (almost) never live up to the twists of the plot along the way. (Shutter Island is the first movie in a very long time where I found the ending to be as cool as the journey). This movie had Lisbeth, and I was content to watch her be sort of awesome.

This movie gets talked about. For that reason alone, I would recommend it. Nothing drives me crazier than people with strong opinions about movies they haven't seen (or books they haven't read or musicians they haven't heard). It's an entertaining watch. It's got some graphic sex stuff so beware of that. But The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a cool chick and I look forward to seeing the sequel.

Inception (2010)

Inception is entertaining. I think it borrows heavily from The Matrix, but eh. We could use a Matrix movie every ten to fifteen years. You should see it in the theatre so you can stop avoiding articles with spoilers and conversations where people are talking about it. Because you're bound to run into both.

However...and...do I want to spoil it? No. I won't. I guess. But it's not like anyone reads this so I guess it doesn't really matter if I do. So I will. SPOILER ALERT!

Throughout the movie it's been set up that if the freaking top stops spinning - we're in reality. Not a dream. So the last shot of the movie, Leonardo DiCaprio spins his silly little top and walks away. The film cuts to black with the damn thing still spinning. My opinion of that? Christopher Nolan is a dick. It's reality. It's a colossally stupid movie if it isn't and I don't think Christopher Nolan is stupid. Just a dick. He wants the IMDb boards to explode with threads about theories and to have people cite crazy minutia as evidence either way. Most importantly, he wants people to run back to the theatre for a second look so they can take notes all the way through and build their case that it's all a dream. He knows. He picked one way or the other and I would eat my hat if he picked 'it's all a dream.' He just won't ever admit it.

To that end, read this article. It's an interview with Dileep Rao who played the chemist. He has it all worked out and he talks about his opinions on what's what. If you're confused or you just want a definitive something - check it out. I love him for actually answering these questions.

And - twelve year old me who saw Titanic six times in the theatre has asked me to mention that Leonardo DiCaprio hasn't looked this good in quite some time. So see it for that if nothing else. (And Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Cillian Murphy too).

28 Weeks Later (2007)

28 Days Later may be my favorite film. I often say it is. Of course - it's tied with about twenty others - but I love love love 28 Days Later.That being said, 28 Weeks Later is not nearly as great. I like the beginning and, in theory, I like the ending, but the middle is one excruciatingly long chase scene in which members of the escaping party drop like teenagers in a slasher film. And of course, the entire thing is a little ridiculous.

For example, why would "lock down" equal locking all the people in a big warehouse. And honestly - the zombie can just push the door open? Not much of a lock down. And how did zombie get out of the room in which he was zombieified in the first place? Was he able to use his key card? And what are the odds that Andy would miraculously end up hiding in the very room his sister and Rose Byrne are hiding in? And that Rose Bryne could out run zombies with a bullet wound in her leg? And on what planet would you descend into a pitch black tube station while trying to avoid zombies? Whatever. These are dumb questions because the answer is "It's a horror movie, stupid. Shut up."

That's what bothers me though. The first one is so much more than its genre. It's realistic, first of all, and the characters make decisions that are plausible. Yes, maybe the taxi driver wouldn't go through the tunnel because zombies might be in there but if its the fastest route, he might. Especially if he doesn't know he's in a zombie movie. I'll watch 28 Days Later sometime soon and gush about its brilliance.

I like the kids in 28 Weeks Later and I love Robert Carlyle for always. Sometimes, the cinematography is beautiful (it has that in common with the original). And I think the ending is creepy and realistically what would happen should a person exist who is immune themselves but also a carrier. It was clever of the 28 team to come up with a way to get the virus outside of England. That being said, I prefer the hopeful ending of the first and chose to just pretend the second didn't really happen.

Unbreakable (2000)

Let me begin by saying I'm a huge, loyal M. Night Shyamalan fan. So loyal, in fact, that I've seen every one of his films in the theatre since The Sixth Sense. I even tried, futilely, to defend The Happening. It had to be some sort of prank or something. Or he was going for some weird new acting style? Ebert liked it! I try...

Anyway, I had never seen Unbreakable. Occasionally someone will claim that it's their favorite M. Night film and I'll think, "Man, I've got to see that." I just hadn't gotten around to it. Now, having seen it, I think anyone claiming it's the best M. Night movie is just trying to be hip and not roll with the crowd.

It was good, don't get me wrong, but The Sixth Sense and Signs are leagues better. My biggest problem with Unbreakable was that, at no point, did Bruce Willis pick up a knife and poke the tip of his finger. Who, in the history of people, would suspect they were "unbreakable" and not test the theory in some small way? It escalates to his son threatening to shoot him rather than threatening to scratch his arm.

It had a few turny twists - nothing so engaging or clever as in Signs - and all the acting was competent. Samuel L. Jackson was styled perfectly for his role and Robin Wright can make the phonebook interesting. I'm pleased I've seen it. I won't be buying it. And...I hate to admit this...but I won't be seeing The Last Airbender in the theatre. Movies in L.A. are $13 and that's more than I make per hour. I'll rent it but that's the best I can do, Night. Please please please make something good again? Even of The Village caliber would be a step in the right direction. Please?

Courage Under Fire (1996)

About six weeks ago, Courage Under Fire was on television. My roommate was watching the last half hour and she was surprised I had never seen it before. I'm so frequently the one surprised by the films she hasn't seen, I had to rectify this apparent gap in my film knowledge in order to right the world. So I Netflixed it.

It was entertaining. It borrowed heavily from the concept of Rashomon but understandably didn't execute it quite as well. Matt Damon and Lou Diamond Phillips' characters didn't actually have differing points of view - they were just lying. I found it strange to be seeing not what they actually think they remember but rather a filmed version of their lies.

I also find Denzel Washington too dignified and elegant to come across as a man with a drinking problem. He's practically a walking emblem of integrity - even when playing flawed characters. He doesn't quite fit into a character who is tortured the way this character is supposed to be. There's a scene where he meets up with a reporter and the reporter tells him he looks awful. My thought was "no he doesn't." He was dressed a little ridiculously but he still looked like dashing Denzel Washington.

Matt Damon, on the other hand, did look awful. Kudos to him for looking like the gaunt addict he was playing.


I was engaged beginning to end and I was very curious to see the mystery unfold. No question this was a well made, interesting, Hollywood film. Next time it's on t.v. I can sit and let it play in the background without worrying I'll be spoiled.

Independence Day (1996)

Independence Day was just on television - surprise surprise. So of course, in honor of America, I watched it.

More in the tradition of a disaster movie than an alien invasion flick, Independence Day knows what's what. Bill Pullman's gravely voiced president, Will Smith's endearing fighter pilot, Jeff Golblum's mumbling computer geek, Randy Quaid's crazy father with a heart of gold - Independence Day delivers it all. With some awesome action sequences, lots of explosions, a few touching deaths, and a dash of humor thrown in for good measure, Independence Day is a flashy fun time. Summer blockbusters today need to take a clue from those of the days of yore. (Yes - I'm considering the mid-nineties the days of yore).

What can I say about Independence Day that hasn't been said before? I think my favorite scene is the one in which Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum escape from the mothership at the end (climax #2, if you will). I think the wedding ring Will Smith gives to Vivica A. Fox is one of the most hideous rings I've ever seen. And I don't think, in a world of logic, the president would be allowed to fly in the final mission (climax #1, if you will). But who cares about the world of logic when we got aliens to fight!

So Happy Birthday, America. Let's hope Aliens don't show up any time soon. Because I'm pretty sure I wouldn't survive the traffic trying to get out of Los Angeles.

Happy 4th of July!

The Brothers Bloom (2008)

The beginning of The Brothers Bloom was fun. It has a fairy-tale style opening with rhyming voice-over that I found charming. The crux of the story rests on the relationship between the two brothers played by Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody. Except, about halfway through the film, the crux of the story stops relying on the relationship between the two brothers and starts relying on the cons.
For a while, it had me. Just when I thought “Maybe Mark Ruffalo is actually conning Adrien Brody” Mark Ruffalo says to Adrien Brody “You’re the last person I would ever con.” Touche, Brothers Bloom. But as it progresses, it gets caught up in its cutesy con craziness and when the audience loses track of who is actually caring about what, the audience stops caring about anything. When we finally reach the end and the final con that we know is coming, it makes no sense. Movie lost.

If you particularly like any of the actors, it’s a fun enough movie to sit through. Rachel Weisz was very endearing – especially in the beginning – and Rinko Kikuchi as Bang Bang was also fun. It was four good actors being overshadowed by a script that was trying too hard to be clever.

Alas, I am still left waiting for another brilliant Mark Ruffalo performance.

Lethal Weapon (1987)

Two years ago, I got all four Lethal Weapons for $10. Can you believe that? I mean, Lethal Weapon is awesome. It’s from back in the days when Mel Gibson was cool and Gary Busey wasn’t totally crazy. Ahh the 80s.

I’ve always been particularly proud of the fact that my parents weren’t into censorship. As a result, I saw this movie at a very young age. I grew up with the classic Christmas duo of Lethal Weapon and Die Hard. Merry Christmas Mother F***ers! Right? Bad ass.

This was the first time I watched Lethal Weapon since I’ve moved to Los Angeles and having some geographic reference points only enhanced the fun. For example, check out this picture.

Not only is it sweet that The Lost Boys is playing, but that’s the Wiltern on the corner of Wilshire and Western Ave. See that second floor window on the right side of the frame? I occasionally work in that office building. It’s like I’m famous.

So I guess that’s about it. What else can I say? It’s the buddy cop standard, and if I haven’t mentioned this already, it’s awesome.

Push (2009)

I almost liked Push. Let me first say that Dakota Fanning is terrific and probably the best thing about this movie.

So – this movie. Let me give you a brief synopsis because I mentioned this film to a few people and none of them had any idea what movie I was referring to.

It’s the one with Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning and Djimon Hounsou that had the rock video trailers with vague information about people with special powers. Ring any bells? It sort of came and went without much fanfare. The general idea is that some people have powers and the evil government wants to lock them up. And there’s this girl who escapes them with some extra special drug that they want back. Heroes-esque. At least early Heroes-esque.

Truthfully, it’s not bad for what it is. Lots of magic action sequences, a cute-ish relationship between Dakota Fanning and Chris Evans, and some creepy evil Chinese men who have a scream that can make people bleed through their ears until they die. It ends open for a sequel that I doubt will ever come and thinking too hard about the plot will ruin the illusion, but I wasn’t bored, I wasn’t irritated by anything, and again, Dakota Fanning is very good.

Not a glowing review, I know, but if you like this variety of movie, this is an okay way to spend 111 minutes.