Fame

First let me please apologize to all two of you follow this blog. The end of the school year got a little crazy and honestly there were not very movies that I was excited to go see. Nothing really stands out in my mind as I am sitting here trying to come up with movies I have seen recently that deserve any kind of mention in the blog-o-sphere. I did however just finish watching a truly bad movie that I fell I must warn you about.

The 2009 version of Fame leaves a lot to be desired. Faithful followers will recall that I was urged to start this blog after watching a truly bad movie. I fell compelled yet again to mount up on my soapbox and spread the warning against this crime against bad movies.

Followers will also remember that I am a fan of "bad" movies, the movies that are predictable and cheesy and written to prey on the minds of teenage girls (and a 26 year old girl). Perhaps thats why I was drawn to Fame. It had all the makings of a truly great bad movie:

high school full of extraordinary students - check

singing and dancing - check

complicated yet predictable plot - check

a powerful theme song - check

What Fame lacked was the ability to cohesively tell any kind of story. It left you without any real victories. At least when I watch Step Up 2 : The Streets I get an ending that satisfies. They win the battle and gain the respect of the snooty dance school they go to - everyone celebrate and feel good. The end of Fame showed a few students graduate from high school. Thats seriously it. There were so many characters that it was virtually impossible to connect to any one person. Of the characters that actually achieved something, none of them were people you actually got to know through the film. The characters you actually really invested in stood on a stage at the end of the movie having no jobs coming and no real achievement through the 4 years that the movie tried to show you in under 2 hours.

One exception was the very stereotypical urban black man, Malik. His father ran out on them, mom works 3 jobs, sister was shot and killed in a drive by. He learns to accept the things that have happened to him and embrace them to become a better actor and rapper. Or at least thats what we are supposed to believe because his teacher is smiling when he raps near the end. Seriously Hollywood, aren't you tired of that. Why couldn't the kid with the rough life be the white kid, why couldn't his struggles exist with a father at home, why do you insist on perpetuating a stereotype that only teaches young people to accept it. Why not push the next generation of this country to not make judgments based on the color of a persons skin but on the caliber of their soul. Why do you refuse to let us out of our boxes, we are pushing on the walls and screaming for freedom yet you continue to pigeon hole our generation. My only solace is that it appears that very few people have seen this piece of dribble that you call a film. The generation of Americans that is rising up as I type this will hopefully continue to push and scream for new definitions of itself. Black doesnt equal fatherless, hispanic doesnt equal poor, and white doesnt equal entitlement. Quit trying to teach us that it does.

Remember Me

OK OK, you got me, I will admit it. I did go see this movie because Robert Pattinson is in it. Wait a second before you judge me though. I don't like Pattinson in Twilight, he is better than his insipid costar sure, but I am still not thrilled with him in these films. I did like him as Cedric Diggory though, and there are a few moments in Twilight where you see that he may have some depth as an actor. In this film he plays Tyler Hawkins, brooding poet living in a crappy New York apartment and chain smoking his way through life. No one does brooding quite like Robert Pattinson.

The rest of the cast is phenomenal. Pierce Brosnan plays Charles Hawkins, Tyler's distant business minded father. The always classy Lena Olin plays Diane Hirsch, Tyler's remarried and loving mother. Emilie de Ravin plays Alysa "Allie" Craig a college student aspiring to be a social worker specializing in criminal justice. Chris Cooper plays Sgt. Neil Craig, Alysa's overbearing father and investigator for the NYPD. Finally we have relative newcomer Ruby Jerins who plays Caroline Hawkins, Tyler's adorable little sister. Ruby was divine in this film and I hope to see her get more traction as an actress from this role.

The film follows the Hawkins family and the Craig family through a summer in New York, focusing primarily on Tyler and Allie. The movie starts on a NY subway platform where an 11 year old Allie is waiting for a train with her mother. As the train approaches two young men pull guns and take the mother's purse. They get on the train to leave but when the doors open one last time the shoot the mother and leave with the departing train. We first meet the Hawkins family at a graveside. We find out later that it is Tyler's older brother who died on his 22nd birthday.

The complexities of grieving family are something that could be endlessly studied. No two people grieve in the same way. When you get together more people all grieving the same thing but in different ways, things can get very tense. Some people try to hide from their grief, some embrace it and move on, some languish in their grief never willing to heal. Tyler and Allie find each other through interesting circumstances, but what I think bonds them is that they have both suffered great losses.

The film goes through the typical romantic comedy style interactions for Allie and Tyler. They meet cute, go on a clever first date with an activity aside from dinner. They flirt, the make out and they fight and break up. All of this you should expect. This movie is good for the parts of the film outside of this relationship. True, there are two incredibly hot make out sessions that are fast forward-to-the-good-part worthy. The films true charms, however, are in the little things outside of the main romance. Ruby Jerins portrays the artsy little sister with true panache. She makes you wish this little girl were real so that you could be her friend and mentor. If you watch this movie and don't want to crawl into the screen and give this little girl a hug and ask her about her drawings you must really dislike children.

Film watchers be warned, this movie requires a pack of tissues, it is not the stuff of summer romance that you might expect. Tyler's legal troubles that develop through the movie lead him to a fate that none could have predicted as Allie's father's world is turned upside down. The end of the movie is beautiful in the pain that in inflicts, you never see it coming, just like the real event.

Inglorious Basterds

I have already mentioned that I wanted to see the Best Picture nominees before the Oscars, it should be noted that I failed miserably. I managed to see 3 out of 10. I will eventually see most of them, but 10 is a big number. I did manage to see Inglorious Basterds before the awards show, and I am tremendously glad that I did. I wasn't sure how I felt about this movie going into it. I had heard that is was incredibly violent, and knowing Quentin Tarantino movies I didn't doubt this. I also thought that this would be a very sad movie, you don't often go to a WWII film and laugh your way through it. I watched this one because my roommate wanted to, and I ended up loving it.

The title of the film refers to a group of Jewish-American soldiers who tromp through Germany killing and scalping Nazis. This group is led by Leiutenant Aldo Raine, played by the brilliant Brad Pitt, a soldier from Tennessee. The Basterds are very good at what they do and their name is soon feared by all Nazi soldiers. The Basterds are a very violent group, and much of the film's gross out moments come when they are on the screen. The scalping, while disgusting, was not too bloody for me, the chicken, to watch. I did turn away when they took a bat to a Nazi's head but apparently it wasn't too terrible to watch. Another name among the Basterds is BJ Novak from The Office. His character doesn't talk much, but it was interesting to see him play someone very serious and stoic.

While the title of the film would indicate that the story is about these Basterds, I would have to say that the movie is only half about them. The rest of the movie is taken up by two brilliantly portrayed nemeses. Christoph Waltz won an Oscar for his role in this film as Colonol Hans Landa of the Third Reich. Col. Landa is known as the Jew Hunter among his peers, and Waltz does a stunning job of bringing out this man's true brilliance and creepiness at the same time. I truly hated this man while watching this film, and while I guess that is probably not hard to do while playing a Nazi I really believe that Waltz took it to another level. His nemesis is Shoshanna Dreyfus played by Melanie Laurent.

Col. Landa and Shoshanna first encounter each other in the dairy region of France when Landa slaughters her family and she narrowly escapes. This is our first glimpse of the relentless heartlessness of Landa. Shoshanna picks her life back up in Paris where she runs a relatively small cinema. Landa and Shoshanna are reintroduced when the Third Reich decides to hold a movie premiere at Shoshanna's theater and Landa is in charge of the security. The brilliance of these two actors is highlighted in a cafe scene where Landa goes on and on about putting creme on Shoshanna's apple strudel. The scene is so incredibly tense, you sit on your edge the whole time, yet really they are just talking about dessert.

The movie comes to a peak as we near the movie premiere. The movie is about Frederick Zoller a sniper that held down a town for the Nazis single handedly. Frederick, who plays himself in the movie called Nation's Pride, falls for Shoshanna. It is his idea to have the premiere at her cinema. The Basterds hear about the premiere from a prominent German actress, Bridget von Hammersmark played by Diane Kruger, who has turned against the Third Reich. When they hear that Hitler himself will be at the premiers the Basterds come up with a plan. The Basterds are going to go into the premiere with Bridget and with tons of explosives strapped to their ankles.

What the Basterds, and the Third Reich, don't know is that Shoshanna has devised her own plan for taking out the people in the theater. Shoshanna and her projectionist have a large collection of film as you would expect a theater to have. The upside for them is that at this time in history film is one of the most flammable items on the planet. They have enough to burn the theater to the ground.

I won't tell you how the whole things comes to an end because I really want you to see it. If you don't mind a little blood and a lot of tension, you will love this film. It's a good story, everyone loves to hate the Nazis. Brad Pitt is always talented, and you will definitely want to hear him try to speak Italian with his Tennessee accent. There is enough humor in this film to break up the tension and find that perfect balance of action and comedy.

Star Trek

I wanted to see this movie when it was in theaters. Somehow I never got around to it. I wanted to see it when it was at the discount theaters, again I didn't get around to it. I finally rented it this weekend. While I would not consider myself a Trekkie, I have always been a Star Trek fan. I usually like the movies, and I regularly watched The Next Generation series on TV. I am a little young to have watched the original series on TV, but my parents made sure we saw the movies.

This movie was good not great. For those few of you who may not be in the know, this is an origins story with a twist. It shows you how the original characters from the series came together to man the Starship Enterprise, well how they would have come together if it had happened in an alternate universe. For those of you who are closer in age to my generation you may find some of this movie boring or confusing since you are probably not familiar with the original cast. Sure you have heard the phrase "Beam me up Scottie" a lot of times, and you may be cool enough to do the Vulcan farewell, but you don't really know much more than that. For this group of people this movie is more about the action and adventure of deep space travel.

The story is that a Romulan man named Nero has traveled back in time to try to prevent a tragedy to his people. He personally holds Spock responsible. Nero kills Kirk's father, so Kirk grows up a rebel with no respect for Star Fleet. He still ends up joining but winds up as a stowaway on the Enterprise's first voyage instead of captaining it. The Enterprise pursues Nero across space to try to stop him from destroying Earth. It's very entertaining. There are lots of phasers, hand to hand combat and explosions. I definitely think that you non-Trekkies out there would enjoy this movie.

For those of you that do know and love the original Star Trek cast then this movie is a must see. It's very witty, there are lots of jokes that reference the original series, but they are somewhat subtle. Directed by JJ Abrams this film definitely captures the excitement from the original series in an updated way. I think the most exciting part of the film was seeing Leonard Nimoy comprise his original role as Spock. He still has what it takes. The scene where future Spock meets current Spock was laugh out loud funny. Major points go to Zachary Quinto for pulling off Spock in a manner that I think old Leo himself was impressed by. Young Sulu, Chekhov and Scottie are near perfection. One of my favorite lines in a Star Trek movie is said by Checkhov: "Take me to your nuclear wessels." While they don't use this line exactly there is a scene or two of Chekhov trying to say the letter V.

So in the end I say definitely watch this one. It's a little long, so it is probably perfect for a rainy Saturday. I wouldn't tell you to run out and buy it, it's not the kind of movie you watch over and over. If you haven't seen it yet, and you like the idea of Star Trek even a little bit, put this version on your list of rainy day movies.

When In Rome

I cannot tell a lie. This movie looked really bad, really really bad. I have a thing for bad movies. You know the ones I am talking about. The movies that take things too far, the ones where the cheese factor is sky high. I actually like the sequels to movies that were already pretty cheesy. I liked Step Up and Step Up 2: The Streets. I fully intend to watch the fourth Cutting Edge movie that will be premiering on ABC Family in the next few weeks. Please don't think that I don't know the difference between good movies that normal people enjoy and the awesomely terrible movies that I get a kick out of. I thought this movie would fall into the latter category, but I was surprised to find out that it did not.

The movie stars Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel. Kristen has a impeccable sense of comedic timing. I haven't ever seen Veronica Mars but it is on my list of shows to watch now because of her. Josh Duhamel is not know for his comedic abilities, he has starred more in action style shows and movies. He does a heck of a job in this film though. Kristen plays Beth a curator of the Guggenheim. She loves her job, she is not married nor in a serious relationship. She says that when she finds someone that she loves more than her job she will settle down. Josh plays Nick a former pro-football player who is now a sports photographer.

The two meet at a wedding in Rome. They bond over their shared horror at the bride and groom's impetuousness. A misconception leads Beth to become frustrated with love. She climbs into the fountain of love, conveniently located right outside the reception hall, and pulls out some coins. When she returns to New York she finds that several men have fallen head over heels in love with her. Her paramores are played by Will Arnett (Arrested Development), Dax Shephard and John Heder (Napoleon's Dynamite). These gentlemen are hilarious.

I won't go as far as to call this movie a great movie. It was entertaining. I was funny. The ending is predictable, but enjoyable. If you like romantic comedies, you will like this one. Light and frothy, with some beautiful scenes of Italy thrown in. Rent it for a ladies night, and enjoy the eye candy that is Josh Duhamel.

Valentine's Day

Needless to say I was really really excited to see this movie. Let's start with the all-star cast, everyone who's anyone was in this movie. OK, that may be an overstatement, but there were a ton of fabulous people in this movie. Jennifer Garner is fantastic in almost everything. We will forgive her for Elektra and Catch and Release. Bradley Cooper, also from Alias, is always endearing. Taylor Lautner is humble and cute, even with his shirt on. Taylor Swift is always good for bringing a smile and laugh. Ashton Kutcher is charming in almost everything he does. Eric Dane truly is McSteamy even while not playing a surgeon. Hector Elizando is a name you may not recognize as easily, but I fell in love with him as a bodyguard in The Princess Diaries. The last big name I will mention needs no introduction, Julia Roberts will pull me to a theater almost every time.

While this movie did indeed have a lot of big names to reel in an audience, it had to keep that audience once they had taken the bait. The movie follows about a billion characters through Valentine's Day in Los Angeles. If you have seen Love Actually or He's Just Not That Into You, then you know the type of movie I am talking about. The characters are all related in various ways and the story hops from person to person. The characters range from an adult phone entertainer to an elementary school student in love with his teacher.

While I am a sucker for a love story, I liked this movie more for the comedy than for the moments when couples finally get together. Several of my favorite moments came from the film making reference to the plethora of films and shows that its cast has starred in. My favorite story line was that of the elementary school boy, Edison. I won't tell you any more than that because I want you to watch it and love it like I did. I will also tell you to stay for the credits, my favorite single moment in the movie was actually in the outtakes and moments after the credits started rolling.

This movie is definitely one that can be rented, it was fun to see in the theater but if you haven't seen it yet go ahead and wait for the rental. Ladies, don't make your boyfriends watch this movie. It is a chick flick in every sense of the word, save this one for ladies night. It's not the kind of movie that changes history, or that really even means anything. It is fun and fluffy, watch and enjoy.

Avatar

To tell the truth I put off going to see this movie. It was so hyped up. People were painting their faces blue, they went to see the film over and over. I feared getting excited about the movie and then being let down when it didn't live up to the hype. To tell the truth this movie looked weird. The blue people looked a little strange to me. I hate watching people fall in love when I know one of them is lying, which I thought was the premise of this movie. It makes me uncomfortable and nervous waiting for that moment when the truth is out there, and it just sits there. To Avatar's credit, while this does happen in the movie, the movie is so much more than that.

The people that have called this movie visually stunning were not over-hyping it. It was one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. James Cameron has always been one of my favorite directors. (Can you say Titanic?) He definitely didn't disappoint with this futuristic epic love story. Everything you loved about Titanic is taken to new levels in Avatar, except that boys actually liked this movie. I call this an epic love story because in truth that's what it is. It's not your typical love story though. Sure boy meets girl and falls in love with her, but it's more than that. Boy meets girl and falls in love with an entire planet.

The story takes place on the planet Pandora. A large company has set up an operation on this planet to mine for a substance cleverly called unobtainium. There are three types of humans on the planet: company suits, mercenaries and scientists. The suits don't play much of a role in the movie, except that they are the reason everyone is there. The mercenaries are there to protect the operation from the indigenous people, the Na'vi, who don't like their planet being destroyed by mining. The scientists are there to study the planet and the aliens who inhabit it.

The cast is not heavy on big names. Sigourney Weaver plays the lead scientist who has formed a bond with the Na'vi people. Sam Worthington, a relative unknown, plays Jake a paraplegic ex-Marine who the entire story revolves around. Jake's twin brother, who dies before the movie begins, was a scientist who had planned to travel to Pandora. The movie's title comes from the real life Na'vi bodies who are controlled by human minds and who cost millions of dollars to create. The Na'vi bodies are mapped to specific human DNA sequences, since Jake is a twin he will fit the mold for his brother's Avatar. He knows nothing about science, the planet Pandora, the native language or the mission of the company. Once out and about in his Avatar on Pandora Jake is separated from his group. While out in the wilderness he meets the daughter of the local Na'vi tribe's leader. This chance encounter is what sets the story of Avatar in motion.

The planet Pandora is like nothing you have ever seen. The mountains float, the flowers glow, the animals have too many limbs and the people are blue. Much of the beginning of the movie is spent showing you scenes of this crazy beautiful planet. The colors and shapes jump off the screen, especially if you see this in 3-D. Once your eyes have feasted until completely over-sated on the scenery, you begin to settle in to the plot.

Jake petitions the tribe to let him live among them and learn their ways. Neytiri, played by the beautiful in blue Zoe Saldana, is charged with teaching Jake the ways of the Na'vi people. At this point you are started to be reminded of Pocahontas, but Cameron takes the story to the next level. The standard scenes that could be expected from this story line are escalated from routine to extraordinary due to the stunning background. By day Jake is with Neytiri learning to survive on this beautiful yet deadly planet, by night he is back at the company home base documenting his adventures. It is complicated to explain how this works, just trust me when I say it makes sense in the movie.

I don't want to give too much of the story away, so I will just tell you that tensions build and a battle ensues. I must say that this is one of the more exciting battles that has ever been on the silver screen. It rivals the Helm's Deep battle at the end of Two Towers. I didn't expect to fall for the plot line of this movie in the way I did. I expected it to be the same story that has been told before, but I found myself completely enchanted by all things Avatar. I think that is James Cameron's true gift; he takes a story that we have heard before yet he tells it in a way that keeps you completely riveted.

If you have the chance to see this one in the theaters I highly recommend it. If you can afford the few extra bucks, and you don't get motion sick, then I suggest going for the 3D version. It is not the 3D where crap seems to fly out at you from the screen and scared the bejeepers out of you. It really just enhances the depth of the movie visually, everything pops just a little bit more. There is a reason this movie is generating Oscar buzz. Give it a shot, if nothing else your eyes will love you for showing them something they have never seen before.