Fight Club

The Good: With enough twists and turns to leave you with some serious chiropractic bills, this film will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat.
The Bad: Realizing that it takes a certain level of craziness to reach their level of toughness.
The Bottom Line: Get ready to #$%^ somebody up.

Here's how I'd see a fight between Chuck Norris and Brad Pitt (star of Fight Club) going:
Round 1 - bell rings, Chuck throws a full looping roundhouse kick. Brad takes it full force, turns back and laughs evilly at Chuck. Chuck soils himself. Pitt proceeds to beat "Nancy Boy" Norris into a bloody pulp while Chuck attempts to ball up in the corner, rock back and forth, and cry. Pitt ignores Norris' yelps for mercy and ends the bludgeoning by hammer-throwing Chuck into the nearest house light, lighting up the arena in a blast of sparks. This textbook massacre could only be provided by a true badass in one of the most jacked up movies ever: Fight Club.

"The first rule of fight club is you don't talk about fight club. The second rule of fight club is you DON'T talk about fight club. The third rule of fight club is when someone says "stop" or goes limp, the fight is over. Fourth rule is only two guys to a fight. Fifth rule - one fight at a time fellas. Sixth rule - no shirts, no shoes. Seventh rule fights go on as long as they have to. And the eighth and final rule -- if this is your first night at fight club, you have to fight."

David Fincher's cinematic adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's breakthrough 1996 novel highlights what it takes to really live. Through a progression of the narrator's battle with insomnia, the movie chronicles different coping mechanisms, such as buying Ikea's entire catalogue to attending every support group in New York. The mechanism that ends up working for Ed Norton's character is the film's namesake, started by both Ed and a friend he met on the plane (Brad Pitt - Tyler Durden). After losing all of his worldly possessions when his condo mysteriously explodes, Norton calls to stay with Durden, and a esoteric, barbaric, and massochistic bloodbath ensues.

In this manliest of movies, there are several scenes that make you writhe with either bloodlust or disgust (stereotypically based on your gender). There is more than one scene where the character absolutely physically demolishes themselves in order to gain their respective wishes. This ends up being a tale of sacrifice, dedication, inner struggle, obsession, and the chorus of the hymn of Men in modern America. There is something primal and vital to the American that Palahniuk relates about the inner struggle with life as most know it - as Durden emotes in the film:

"Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables: slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man, No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war...our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning the fact. And we're very, very pissed off."

Now, there is a big part of me that when I hear those words, I want to say "f*ck yeah!" and sign on the dotted line. If there's no part of you that doesn't feel this way, it may not be the movie for you, because this is only a glimpse into the genre of attitude marketed by this film. It is a recruitment of sorts, and spawned a generation of t-shirts, video games, spin-offs, quotes, and mottos for the American male.

What's more is that Palahniuk continues with his assertions and attempts to propel the notion that there is something wondrous in war - not only the glory, but the presence; the shear reminder that your manlihood is intact, ferocious, and when the right switches flip, anyone can let out their inner beast. This is comforting to me, for the strangest reasons that I couldn't begin to describe, but if you'll remember, I told you there'd need to be some chiropractic work.

Without letting too much of the plot slip, Andrew Kevin Walker captures the best parts of the novel in this story of blood, lust, direction, and finding oneself. You really never know what you're made of until you test it. Pitt and Norton's acting is highlighted by their mutual love interest, (Love triangle - romance addicts are in luck!) Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter).The film doesn't scream brutality at its core, even if that is what surfaces, but rather, they use this brutality to explore the humanity of such acts, and what sacrifice is necessary for gain, and if it's worth it. The notion that lives must be sacrificed for the good of the population is a much, much scarier notion when the initial lives in question are yours and mine, and that is exactly what this film is about. Tyler Durden, and Ed Norton's character are again reminders of the kind of men that have both a craziness and toughness that you and I could only dream of.

Million Dollar Baby

The Good: Girls boxing - not only that, but kicking ass. And Clint, of course.

The Bad: If you find any, let me know.

The Bottom line: This movie has it all; strength, courage, emotion, heartache, despair, love and friendship; all that "mushy" stuff, and it still is badass.

            

            Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris: "Boxing is an unnatural act. 'Cause everything in it is backwards. You wanna move to the left, you don't step left, you push on the right toe. To move right, you use your left toe. Instead of running from the pain - like a sane person would do, you step into it."

            In yet another addition to Clint Eastwood’s collection of golden statues, Million Dollar Baby added 3 Oscar’s (among a myriad of other awards) to his repertoire, including best picture and best director – not bad for a man of age 75 when the film came out. When I tried to ask Chuck Norris about a head-to-head with Clint, he was nowhere to be found, and is rumored to have fled to Persia.

            Chuck’s cowardice was of no concern to Mr. Eastwood however, as he directed and starred in my third entry into the badass category of our blog – Million Dollar Baby, also starring Hillary Swank (Maggie Fitzgerald) and Morgan Freeman (Eddie Dupris). 

            Now, most of my reviews have been about the up and coming underdog’s conquest of the man on top, and a rise from the gutters to the shoulders of America. While this film certainly fits the bill to an extent, it is more an emotional rollercoaster, and could not have been acted better by any one besides the main trio. Jay Baruchal ("Danger" Barch) provides the comical relief, and other ancillary characters give Clint a chance to flex his diversity muscle, but Hillary, Morgan, and Clint are the heart and soul of this movie. 

            Freeman plays the best friend loyal to a tee while Clint plays the hard-nosed but loveable boxing manager, and Swank is his student, stubborn and dedicated to the bone. Clint’s ability to show emotion while still remaining the epitome of what every man hopes to be is what makes the acting in the movie irreplaceable. Clint propels Swank to deliver the best acting of her career, and Freeman is the accent and icing on the cake. 

            Maggie Fitzgerald (Swank), a “piece of trash” as narrated in the film (by who else, Morgan Freeman), nags and nags Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) until he agrees to manage her in the boxing world. After months of training, she finally accepts a fight, and starts massacring her opponents. At one point, Frankie gets upset with her for knocking them out so quickly, because she’s missing out on valuable experience. As she climbs the ranks, Dunn sticks to his principles and doesn't give in to money, or fame, or a premature chance at the title. While training and working a job, Maggie furthermore has to deal with a greedy and unappreciative family. After seeing this, and through the training, a deep emotional bond develops between Dunn and Fitzgerald, and I'll leave you to see what "Me cuishle" (Maggie's Gaelic nickname given to her by Clint) means. Swank finally accepts a title fight against one of the meanest boxers to ever set foot in the ring. After the fight, the movie is far from over, but I’m not about spoiling great movies. After the fight is when you see acting at its best – Clint shows you his entire range in the piece, and for all you "sissy-emotional-movie-phobes" out there, this is a badass classic, so get over it.

            With Cinderella Man, James J. Braddock was your badass, and in Fight Club you had Brad Pitt and Edward Norton – however, they end up being one in the same, thus one badass. In Million Dollar Baby you get two for the price of one – Clint doesn’t even need to throw a punch to prove it, and if for some reason you thought he did, Swank picks up his slack with a barrage of knockouts and hooks you couldn't throw if your life depended upon it.

Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris: "Franklie likes to say that boxing is an unnatural act, that everything in boxing is backwards: sometimes the best way to deliver a punch is to step back...but step back too far and you ain't fightin' at all."

27 Dresses

The Good: great chemistry between the actors; and an equal balance between humor and romance

The Bad: an ugly assortment of bridesmaid dresses - haha

The Bottom line: a creative storyline with laughs and a great romantic interest

27 dresses is a story about 27 dresses, well not quite. Jane Nichols (Katherine Heigl ) is the resident bridesmaid for all her friends. She knows what needs to be done, and her friends can depend on her to plan out a successful wedding. Although she sacrifices her own life to help out her friends, her own love life is questionable.

Enter Kevin Doyle (James Marsden), a charming wedding announcements editor. He writes about the most romantic stories that result in absolute fantasy-like weddings. Although he writes about these mushy-romantic stories, he does not believe in them. He wants to write about hard hitting news stories, but keeps getting stuck in these wedding announcements because he is too good at them. Well imagine what happens when Doyle meets Nichols. A girl who absolutely loves the fairytale weddings and a boy who is absolutely cynical about them; well it didn’t go well. Through the movie, Doyle helps Nichols help realize her own true life passions, and understand why she does so much for others but nothing for herself. Well for the 27 dresses? It signifies the 27 weddings that she was a bridesmaid for.

Just as the title suggests, we get to see 27 uniquely styled bridesmaid dresses. No, I am just going to say it, they were just plain ugly. I have to probably congratulate the costume designer in this movie to come up with the most outrageous dresses for her closet. Each dress from each wedding was from a specific themed wedding, and probably could be used as Halloween costumes. And the great thing about Jane is that she kept every single one of her dresses with her.

Kevin: [motions to a "Gone With the Wind"-style dress] What the hell is that?
Jane: Theme wedding.
Kevin: What was the theme? Humiliation?

Well let me talk about the character relationships that make this movie a romantic comedy. This movie provides sisterly relations and love relations, which will keep you laughing with your friends. First of all Jane’s younger sister, Tess ( Malin Akerman), is as opposite of Jane as you can be. As Jane is spending her time helping others in the shadows, Tess is there trying to get everyone’s attention in the spotlight. I love the dialogues between them, especially when they have different views on what is important in life.

Jane: You tell him the truth or I will.
Tess: No, you won't. You wouldn't hurt a fly and you definitely wouldn't hurt me, I'm your sister.
Jane: That was yesterday. Today you're just some bitch who broke my heart and cut up my mother's wedding dress.

This quote was concerning the moment when Tess was lying to her fiancé about her real life just so that she can marry him for his rich lifestyle.

Now the relationship between Jane and Kevin is hilarious too. A cynic and an optimist arguing on the subject of weddings and bridesmaid dresses is really amusing if you think about.

Kevin: Wait, what are those?
Jane: [nervous] Nothing.
Kevin: Are those...?
Jane: No!
Kevin: Are they bridesmaid dresses?
Jane: This is none of your business!
Kevin: Oh... good God. What, you kept them all? You have a whole closetful? Why?
Jane: I have a lot of friends and I like to keep them.
Kevin: [snickering] Right. Well, that makes complete sense because they're... *beautiful*.
Jane: Some of them are not that bad.
Kevin: Not that bad? I'd like to see one of them that's not that bad.

Overall it’s a great feel good romantic comedy. Possibly not a great movie for your guy friends, but this movie was a huge hit with the females when it got released. Studio research showed that 75% of the audience was female. So for your next sleepover check this movie out at your local video store. And to leave you with something, here is a wise quote of love from Kevin Doyle, “Love is patient, love is kind, love means slowly losing your mind. “

Pixar's Up: Live it Up

The Good: Warm Vocal Performances, Visually Emotional, Fantastic Animation, Touching

The Bad: Unnecessarily Sad and Frantic at Times

Bottom Line: Don't let the animation fool you. This film has a lot to say and you'll leave it with a sense of an excitement and ready to conquer anything.

There’s something charming about the Pixar franchise. It’s difficult to put your finger on it, but from Cars to Finding Nemo, their films are beautiful. Yes, they’re cartoons, but in many ways, these animated featurettes are more relevant to the human condition than live action films.  And Up is no exception. With an exciting plot complemented by fantastic direction, it’s as if Pixar can deliver nothing short of a masterpiece.

Directed by Pete Docter, who also directed Monster’s Inc, wrote Toy Story and WALL-E, the story begins in the 1940s with the story of Carl and Ellie, two children who dream of becoming explorers. While Carl (Edward Asner) is shy and Ellie (Elizabeth Docter) is a loud tomboy, both wish to follow in the footsteps of the archetypal aviator and adventurer of their time, Charles Muntz (Christoper Plummer). Almost like Charles Lindbergh, newsreels chronicle Muntz as a man who flies to faraway places in his gigantic blimp and brings back exotic creatures. When one of his discoveries, however, is accused of being a fake, Muntz is publicly humiliated and returns to Paradise Falls in South America. Though he travels there to prove his critics wrong, that's the last we ever hear from Muntz--at least for the time being.

Meanwhile, the film fast forwards a few decades, guiding us through Carl and Ellie’s life in its most memorable sequence: a silent montage. Reminiscent of the Chaplin era of silent films, Docter gives a snapshot of the couple's life together. We see them get married, renovate the dilapidated house of their childhood, and save for their own adventure to the utopian Paradise Falls. Their plans, however, are stalled by the very problems that seem to threaten all our dreams: home repairs, car troubles, and medical bills. With Carl’s modest income as a balloon salesman, their trip never comes to fruition nor is the couple able to bare children. Regardless of these setbacks, the couple remains happy and grows old together, but Ellie tragically falls sick and passes away. Now alone, we can identify with Carl’s pain as he forges on with his everyday routine. He's grown accustomed to Ellie's presence and as he eats breakfast, cleans, and returns home from work, he misses her presence and seems to loose interest in life. We see this in his face as it grows more emotionless day after day and Carl shuts himself off from the world completely, only to fall into the stereotype of an old man holed up in his house.

This is where the movie really takes flight. In present day, Carl’s house is in the middle of an urban development project and when the city threatens to send him to a nursing home, Carl uses his expertise to attach thousands of balloons to his house. When eviction day arrives, Carl, in a delightfully cheerful act, releases the balloons and launches his house into the air. Headed for the famed Paradise Falls, he finds an unexpected companion in the form of chubby Wilderness Explorer, Russell (Jordan Nagai), who happened to be on Carl's porch when he took off. Together, the unlikely duo—who share a relationship similar to Dennis and Mr. Wilson from Dennis the Menace—head to South America.

Along the way, they encounter problems with the creaky, old house and even hit a fierce storm, but when the weather clears, they discover Paradise Falls is just across the ravine. Anchoring the house by tying a garden hose to their backs, Carl and Russell have a chance encounter with the legendary Charles Muntz. Now an aged explorer, Muntz commands a pack of loyal, talking canines and entertains the duo as they head towards their final destination. The adventure that ensues includes air battles, chase scenes, and yes—even a sword fight. Young or old, every minute of this movie is enjoyable for viewers of any age and in spite of its happy ending, the plot remains refreshingly original.

But as in all Pixar films, what really makes the movie great are its characters, which are magnificent both in terms of meaning and animation. In fact, one of the things I love best about this franchise is that the characters look how they feel. Carl, with his square, hunched frame, looks as though he’s been stuck in a crawlspace for years and his droopy face is indicative of his lack of interest in everyday life. Russell, a bit pudgy, plays the role of a nuisance wonderfully and with such energy. And finally Charles Muntz, is an aged Harrison Ford with a mustache, indicative of the adventurous mold from which he’s been cut. The animation, then, combined with the warm vocal performances works to entertain us at our core.

It’s touching how much we feel for these characters, especially our hero Carl. And the statement of the movie—life is an adventure, so live it up—is about as good a message as we can hope to receive when we’re in the dumps. In all honesty, the movie hits all the right buttons and it's a film everyone can enjoy.

The Good: Jack Black. enough said.

The Bad: middle school kids making you jealous of their musical talent

The Bottom Line: Combine these two things to create a feel-good, hilarious comedy

The name Jack Black brings up many words in ones head. Ridiculous, hilarious, crazy, very crazy, strange, very strange, ruthless. And after this film, well-respected. Although not oscar worthy, this film defines what a good movie should be: a invoking story line, hilarious one liners, great acting, and, obviously, a good soundtrack. This movie emits bolts of happiness into its viewer, which stick with you for quite some time after you turn the movie off.

This film is about a lazy bum named Dewey Finn, who has no job, no girlfriend, and no life after recently being kicked out of his band. Your typical “loser.” He mooches off of his roommate Ned Schneebly, and his controlling girlfriend Patty (played by Sarah Silverman- a great comedic edition to this movie). After taking the mooching to a new level, he steals his roommates identity to take a job teaching music at a nearby prep school. He becomes very close to his students and the rest of the faculty at the school, and creates a new life for himself. He turns his music class into his new band, and sends them on an adventure who’s ultimate goal is to win Battle of the Bands. Through many ups and downs, the viewer watches Dewey grow in many ways, and mature in more ways then the viewer could expect.

Although this plot sounds somewhat unrealistic, the director, Richard Linklater, has a way of making the story line seem very comfortable to the watcher and easy to relate to. Each of his characters hold very different personality traits polar opposite of each other, making them easy to relate to someone in the viewers own life. Everyone has that lazy friend, or the controlling girlfriend, or the bully pushing them around. By having a somewhat strange plot, the director compensates by his amazing characters, and great actors to play these characters. Jack Black, Sarah Silverman, Joan Cusack are a few of the well known actors in this film.

One of my favorite dynamics of the movie is the student-teacher relationships (or lack there of) in the film. Dewey does a great job of bonding with these great kids he got paired with, and his electric personality is magnetic. He is not a teacher to them, he is an inspiration and a friend. He treats them as people rather then his students, which somewhat works against him in the movie, but brings an interesting twist to the film. Without this in the movie, there would be a much more formal look to the film, and would take away from the comedy. Jack Black’s true personality comes out in the movie, which one could only imagine as a plus to the film.

The kids in the movie continue to impress me, even after my 13th time watching the film. They are musical prodigies, and incredible actors at the same time. I was skeptical about seeing the movie in the beginning because i wasn’t sure how Linklater could find such young kids that would be able to act and display musical talent, but found the best kids for the job.

The soundtrack to the movie is ideal. It incorporates many old rock legends (The Who, The Doors, Cream, Led Zeppelin) but like any good music-based movie, created music for the movie. Jack Black’s original band has a few songs in the movie, and also his band with the kids. The music is beautifully written and makes every viewer sing along.

Little Miss Sunshine: A Panacea for the Blues

The Good: Original Plot, Great Cast, Simply Hilarious

The Bad: Can’t Name Any—Can You?

Bottom Line: The story of a quirky family fighting for the American Dream in their yellow microbus is really as good as it gets.

I love this movie. Everything about it—the story, the cast, the music—is fantastic, but most of all it’s real. Written by newcomers Michael Arndt and directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, Little Miss Sunshine is the comical Odyssey of America personified in the story of a family trip.

At the center of the story, we have the Hoovers, a family that doesn’t fit the typical blockbuster mold. And while they’re a far cry from the Cleavers, they offer something much better: delightful dysfunction. Olive (Abigail Breslin) is a 7-year old, aspiring beauty queen and although a bit pudgy with her large-framed glasses, she’s an innocent dreamer. At the start of the movie, we see her staring into the television, studying the crowning of Miss USA and rehearsing for her own moment. When she receives unexpected word she’s eligible for the Little Miss Sunshine Pageant, Olive’s father Richard (Greg Kinnear) decides the family must support Olive’s dreams in spite of the group's reluctance. It’s not that her family doesn't love Olive, but each of them—with their radical personalities—are one breath away from losing their own dreams.

Richard is a motivational speaker and obsessed with winning because he’s never tasted success himself. His wife, Sheryl (Toni Collette), can’t hold her crazy family together and Richard’s father, Edwin (Alan Arkin), was kicked out of his nursing home for sleeping around and snorting heroin. Olive’s brother, Dwayne (Paul Dano) wants to be a test pilot, but hates his family and has assumed a vow of silence until he’s accepted to flight school. And to top it all off, Sheryl’s brother, Frank (Steve Carrell), who recently attempted suicide when his lover left him, now lives with the family.

Their internal conflicts be what they may, the eclectic gang of six hits the road for California because they can’t afford to travel any other way. Crammed in their aging VW Microbus, family tensions play out along the journey and they are wrought with personal setback—as well as car trouble. Richard loses an important break for his speaking business, Frank runs into his ex-lover, and each member either suffers or is painfully reminded of their failures. But the importance of their struggle is that it reveals how much they need each other, an ideal that is most prominently displayed when the van breaks down and the family must push it until it kicks into second gear so they can pile in.

I won’t spoil the film, but I love that it's refreshingly fresh and most of all, genuine. These are real people with real problems and you can feel their pain because we've all been in similar, albeit less quirky, situations. No matter how much effort, time, or energy you put into a cause, sometimes it just doesn’t work out. That is the plight of the Hoovers and in many ways it’s the story of America. We live in a fantasy world where we believe anything is possible, but more often than not, we fail. And while the outcomes are beyond our control, what we can govern is our response. When we realize this, we understand that our moments of despair clarify who we are and what matters to us. And to the Hoovers—it’s family.

We figure this out, not because the Hoovers tell us, but because they show us. The cast is fantastic and the characters they build in only a few hours is astonishing. Kinnear, with his tucked in pastel shirts, is the classic Type A neurotic and Collette plays the tired, trying-to-make-it work mother with such grace. Dano, who barely speaks during the first half the film is fantastic expressing his resentment simply through facial cues and body language. Equally impressive is Steve Carrell, who takes a step back from his more overtly comic role in The Office, for darker humor. Playing a scholar, he gives you that professorial feel of an individual with plenty of intellect, but little knowledge of how to manage his own life. And perhaps the best performance is young Breslin, who makes her debut as a convincing, innocent girl, oblivious to all that is wrong in the world. Overall, the cast is outstanding. Coupled with the dramatic, yet subtle tunes of Devotchka, this is a gem of a film that shows us that success is defined by the individual, not society. As Dwanye so eloquently puts it near the end of the film, “Do what you love and fuck the rest.”

Wedding Crashers

The Good: Love the actor’s chemistry and everyone brings something hilarious to the table

The Bad: It’s your typical outrageous Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson inappropriate humor

The Bottom Line: Great comedy with an interesting plot that might have guys wanting to copy the scam!

I like a little political incorrectness. If you weren’t aware, I love great chemistry between actors. I think it’s especially important in comedies. This plus a good blend of sarcasm and inappropriateness makes an excellent recipe for a great comedy. “Wedding Crashers” is one of my personal favorites. I watched this movie almost every night this summer before I went to bed. I love the actors chemistry. The Wilson-Vaughn duo play off of each other’s energy and I found myself forgetting it was a movie and feeling more like I was watching strange scenarios play out between long-time best friends. However, sometimes wish the movie wasn’t so predictable. Many of the Wilson-Vaughn-Will Ferrell movies begin with the self-centered guy who has to go through uncommon awkward scenes, fall for a girl, get caught in his lies, lose girl, come to a miraculous epiphany about life, get girl back. “Wedding Crashers” is no exception.

So here’s what’s going on: John (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy (Vince Vaughn) are divorce mediators who crash weddings and take on a variety of aliases to pick up girls and bridesmaids. These dudes have a rule: They don't crash weddings like mingy cowards. They barge in, sit at the bridal table (as Uncle Ned or Aunt Liz's kids), secure that no one will call their bluff. They're a comedy dream team.

“Wedding Crashers” is definitely deserving of its R-rating. During one sped up montage, John and Jeremy fall into bed one by one with their smorgasbord of half naked women--the movie has no shortage of nudity! This caught me a little off guard, but the directors do a nice job of making it more humorous than anything-- you’ll have to watch to know EXACTLY what I’m talking about!

And like most movies, there is a love story. At a wedding, John is taken by bridesmaid named Claire (Rachel McAdams)-- it’s love at first sight. Although, Claire’s engagement puts a damper on his plans. Claire’s the daughter of treasury secretary William Cleary (Christopher Walken), so when he invites the guys for a weekend at his beach house, John is ecstatic, seeing it as a prime opportunity to get closer to Claire. Unfortunately, Jeremy’s not nearly as keen on the mini-vacation. He just had a quickie on the beach at the wedding with Gloria (Isla Fisher), the secretary's other daughter, and is looking to get away from her as fast as possible. Jeremy’s in panic mode, telling John: "I got a stage-five clinger.” Fisher does an excellent job portraying a erotic and psychotic pain in the @$$. Your focus on her beauty will be distracted beautiful girl when she tells Jeremy that their sexual encounter was her first time and that they should declare their love. "Don't ever leave me," she warns. "I'd find you." No wonder they guy’s desperate to get as far away from her as possible. Who wouldn’t be?!

The guys argue humorously back and forth about whether to accept the Secretary’s invite, showing off how easily the two actors mesh-- sounding like bickering schoolboys with the vocabulary and sarcasm of grown men! Eventually, John and Jeremy have several hilarious encounters while at the beach house including a bone-crushing game of touch football, the secretary's nympho wife who develops a strange sexual attraction to John, and the anti-social, gothic, artistic gay son who becomes obsessive over Jeremy. Awkward moments like these make over the top comedies my favorite!

Of course, John and Jeremy blow their covers. As if Wilson and Vaughn’s chemistry isn’t enough, Will Ferrell shows up as the innovator of wedding crashing, still living with his mother he now finds weddings out of style -- he crashes funerals. John realizes this lifestyle isn’t going anywhere and John creates a plan to win back Claire.

This movie is full of tons of inappropriate and politically incorrect laughs and will leave viewers adoring the Wilson-Vaughn-Ferrell trio. Unfortunately, the trio has a tendency to make the same kind of movies over and over again... always hilarious... but I’d like something with some slight change.

10 things i hate about you

The Good: Humor and love, with great acting; who wouldnt want to watch that in a movie!?!

The Bad: Very predictable, with all the cliches and stereotypes of high school

Bottem Line: A movie that normally is categorized for girls, but can be watched by guys also. With great acting, it showcases the never-ending dramas of high school.

10 things I hate about you, a movie with humor, love, and great acting. No, I am not talking about the show on ABC family; this is the movie that inspired the show and many other future storylines. Although not a large blockbuster hit, it became widely popular amongst teenagers, and also jumpstarted the careers of Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles (note picture).

There are four main characters in this movie. Kat and Bianca Stratford (Julia Stiles and Larisa Oleynik), Cameron James ( Joseph Gordon – Levitt), and Patrick Verona ( Heath Ledger). Cameron is a new student at Padua High School. During a school tour given by a friend, Cameron spots Bianca in the crowd and immediately falls in love with her. Unfortunately for Cameron, Bianca is popular and wishes to date the jocks of the school. Kat Stratford, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of her sister. Very ill tempered and sarcastic, Kat spends her life at school as an outcast. Patrick Verona, much like Kat, is ill tempered and an outcast in his own right.

Cameron’s problem is that he wishes to go out with Bianca, but Bianca is not allowed to date unless her sister, Kat, decides to go out with someone. So Cameron suggests to Patrick for him to go out with Kat. With the motivation of money, Patrick starts to “woo” Kat into making her fall for him. Soon after, they both go to a party together, and realize that they both like each other genuinely. Eventually prom comes along, and Patrick is paid even more money to take Kat to prom so Bianca can go with Cameron. Well at prom, Kat finds out about the “arrangement of money” and runs out on Patrick in the middle of prom. The next day at school Kat reads a poem in English class called “10 things I hate about you” ( source of movie title). In the poem she describes all the things she hates about Patrick Verona and explains how hurt she felt. I wont spoil the ending for you; you'll just have to find out yourself!

First I have to commend the acting in this movie. This is one of the movie roles that gave Heath Ledger enough recognition for him to become huge in the movie industry. He effortlessly charms his character in such a way that by the end of the movie, all the girls in the room want him to be their boyfriend. His smile in the movie is just amazing also. I don’t know if it is his personality, but every time he smiles, it makes me smile. Julia Stiles also stood out in this movie, one of her first roles in her acting career. It’s not easy to play an ill tempered, sarcastic girl, but Julia Stiles manages to act the role in such a believable way. With both their acting efforts, together they were able to produce a fun high school movie, full with the clichés and stereotypes.

Unlike the last movie review, this movie is not just for the chick audience. Because of the type of humor and sarcasm presented in the movie, this can be enjoyed by both females and males. The romantic aspects of boy meet girl will be greatly enjoyed by girlfriends in a girl’s only sleepover, but if you happen to have some guys over also, this will be a good movie for them also. Don’t worry!

So in a movie with humor, sarcasm, love mishaps, and great acting, check this movie out for your next reunion with gal or guy pals.

Check out the trailer and see what you think.....

8 Mile

The Good: Loosely based on Eminem's life- which everyone wants to know

The Bad: Raunchy language and events

Bottom Line: A detroit rapper tries to climb his way to the top while dealing

with hardships and personal issues the inner-city life throws at him.

8 Mile. Anyone within the state of Michigan has uttered these words, usually within the context of “Do Not Go.” Growing up a mere 15 minute drive from this legendary road, when the movie based on this place was released I was highly intrigued. While I had been raised hearing about this part of Michigan, I was also raised within rap culture, more specifically with the artist Eminem, a Detroit-bred rapper. This movie was loosely based on his rag to riches life, but also encompassed many other aspects of street life. Not only was I interested in how they would display his life story growing up on 8 mile, but the actual story it would tell.

8 Mile told the story of Jimmy Smith Jr., aka B- Rabbit, played by Eminem (birth name Marshall Mathers), who’s ultimate goal was to to sign a record deal. The entire film was based around his efforts to become famous, while encountering every possible problem one could be faced with. This crudely surfaced a dark look at what life was like living on 8 Mile, and portrayed a lifestyle many can not recognize or relate to, making the movie so intriguing. The problems B- Rabbit had to overcome intimidated the viewer, but entranced them at the same time. I could not tear my eyes from the screen.

Everyone was aware that B- Rabbit would become successful, viewing Eminem’s current life, but how he got there was the heart and depth of the movie. His life from the get-go seemed to work against him in every way. He previously lived with his girlfriend who informed him she was pregnant. Not wanting to interrupt his life dream, he moved back into the trailer park with his alcoholic mother and her abusive boyfriend, trying to make enough money to create a demo tape. At this time the viewer was also introduced to his little sister, Lily, who was B-Rabbit’s only inspiration in life. He became a factory worker in order to pursue his rap career, and support his sister. He constantly struggled and fought the street life, encountering other rap enemies who wished to demolish his dream. His aspirations are strayed with he met a girl named Alex, who played many mind games with B- Rabbit. He dealt with drugs, deaths, and multiple failures along the path of stardom.

The key to this movie was realizing that every viewer expected to see these problems, but the way in which the director, Curtis Hanson, displayed them is what makes the movie standout. Hanson didn’t hold back in showing the gritty side of street life, and the lifestyle rappers live. Every scene was raw with emotion, and physically dark to display how dark B- Rabbit’s life was. It was filmed more so looking like a documentary then a feature film. The setting was realistic to Detroit, and did not pretend to be anything more then it was. Even the finale, Eminem’s happiest scene in the movie, took place underground, in dark and depressing circumstances, quite like the rest of B-Rabbits life.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie is a silent scene, where B-Rabbit was seen traveling on a Detroit city bus, writing down song lyrics. He sat at a window seat, and the viewer was able to see the city passing by. Broken down buildings, “out of business” signs, homeless people, trash, burnt down and abandoned homes, and graffiti reflect the life B-Rabbit lives, but the scene proved music is his savior and motivation for staying sane. He wrote with a small pencil and crumbled up paper, but never loses concentration. He looked out the window only to find inspiration from his city, not to be disillisioned. The two things contrast, showing the viewer all of the outside forces working against him, but his dedication to the art form of rapping. Unlike others in the city, his hard background inspired him to rap, and accomplish his dream- not bring him down.

This film encompassed every essential aspect a great “music” movie must have. Not only did it create specific songs for the specific movie, but based its entire story on music. In close to every scene, B-Rabbit is found rapping, or including music of some sort into the dialogue. He is shown performing throughout the movie- and impressive performances at that. They demonstrated the “rap” lifestyle so thoroughly, the viewer felt they lived it themselves.

October Sky: Optimism in the Stars

The Good: Jake Gyllenhaal, his buddies, and the stuff they explode

The Bad: Predictable ending;West Virginian accents

Bottom Line: A true, but cliche, story with a convincing cast demonstrates anything is possible with a lot of passion and a bit of 
luck.

If you’re looking for that quick ticket out of the blues, the uplifting, coming-of-age story in October Sky, may just be the answer. Based on a true story, the film is set in 1957, the year Sputnik was launched into space. While it was an exciting time in world, the people in Coalwood, West Virginia could care less. They only understood the coal mine that employed their small town and beyond that, there wasn't much else. 

This didn't leave much hope for Homer Hickam (Jake Gyllenhaal), who after seeing Sputnik, wanted to follow in the path of rocket scientist Wernher von Braun instead of his father's. With a small-town education and little support from his family, Homer enters the science fair to pursue his dream and this is where the magic of the movie takes flight. We are taken on Homer's journey to win the science fair as he visits libraries, experiments with his own concoctions, and inadvertently destroys his mother's fence.

With limited success on his own, Homer enlists the help of his schoolmates including Roy Lee (William Lee Scott), Odell (Chad Lindberg), and the oddball math genius Quentin (Chris Owen). Together, they begin constructing more sophisticated rockets, create bigger explosions, and we laugh with them as we're reminded that boys will be boys.
While the comical group picks up local supporters, like their teacher Miss Riley (Laura Dern), the chilling presence of Homer's coal mining father, John (Chris Cooper) seems to provide little hope that Homer will ever be allowed to reach his lofty goal. When local authorities accuse Homer and his friends of starting a fire with a lost rocket and his father is injured in the mine,  even Homer seems to doubt himself. Everything seems to be going wrong for him and although we know it works out in the end (Yes, I spoiled the ending, but I mean come on, did you really think I would recommend a feel good movie with a sad ending?), we seem to root for every thing this kid stands for: relentless ambition and the idea that we're all destined for something bigger.
In his first lead role, the young Gyllenhaal does a remarkable job. He has the naivety and starry-eyed view that anything is possible. And in spite of the circumstances that surround him—the traditional values that plague Coalwood or the mockery of his ambitions by the town—Hickam carries on and is only mildly setback. While Homer’s father is convinced his son’s future is predetermined, Homer is optimistic of the future and his ability to shape it. This is a perspective so often lost with age and although the movie is largely unsurprising, it highlights the persistent effort and positive frame of mind needed to enact real change in Coalwood, the US, or the world. And it’s important to mention that it also includes a fantastic supporting cast, most notably the tough Chris Cooper and warm Laura Dern.

So if your goal is to inspire and uplift then this is one of the most enjoyable movies to serve that purpose, but if you’re looking for an original drama with a suspenseful plot, I suggest you walk past this film in the aisles of your local Blockbuster.

Role Models

The Good: Who can resist these young actor’s precious faces?!
The Bad: If you find one, let me know!
The Bottom Line: Creative blend of actors.

If you’re looking for a good laugh and a movie with excellent chemistry amongst its actors, "Role Models" will fulfill your craving. Unless your family enjoys profanity and nudity, I would recommend watching this film alone or with a group of friends. The sarcasm and boyish charm of all four of the main actors makes this movie is hilarious and it still manages to give off one of those classic life view-changing moments that are a common movie theme.

Danny (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann William Scott) play Minotaur energy drink sellers aiming at public schools, with Danny driving the car and Wheeler wearing the Minotaur costume. Wheeler is a underachieving, woman chaser. Danny is a self-loathing cynic whose girlfriend breaks up with him. When loses his mind and drives the monster truck into a public property, the two land themselves in the criminal justice system. In exchange for a jail sentence, they are offered community service in which they need to complete a 150 hours at a mentorship program called Sturdy Wings run by a psychotic ex-junkie (Jane Lynch). Wheeler is paired with Ronnie (Bobb'e J. Thompson), a 10-year-old black boy who immediately accuses the big guy of fondling his balls. Meanwhile, Danny is paired with Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), a nerd obsessed with playing medieval-knight games. While, Wheeler and Danny look at the task as simply getting to their mandated 150 hours, they learn to put others before themselves and step outside of their comfort zone.

Certain points of the movie are over the top. For instance when the guys go on a camping trip and Wheeler ends up sleep walking naked or the weirdness of Augie’s medieval battle reenactments that he forces Danny to join--fake swords, homemade capes and all. And although Danny gets Augie banned initially, meeting his family allows Danny to understand how important individuality, happiness, and standing up for what you believe in are, even if they seem odd to other people. It’s quite a charming plot and scenes like these left me with my mouth hanging open and cracking up.

The best part of this movie was the different styles of comedy that resulted from the various actors. It was a playful blend of old and newer stars backpacking off of their previous break out performances (Augie is the more commonly known as McLovin). Sean William Scott is one of my personal favorite comedy actors, but I must say that his wittiness may have met its match with Bobb’e J. Thompson’s foul mouth. The young child-actor matches the quickness of his older co-stars and his constant interest in boobies would have even feminist laughing. There’s just something hilarious about a 10-year-old with the sarcasm of a 30 year-old that appeals to me. The two are the perfect pair for each other and exhibit excellent chemistry.

Some scenes are a bit more serious than the others. This provides a good balance in the movie and I think actually makes the comic scenes even funnier! Sean William Scott’s sex-obsessed, quick-tongued, and inappropriately sarcastic role as Wheeler in this movie parallels his more commonly known character Stifler in the American Pie movies; however, his compassionate and caring side as the mentor of “Ronnie” is refreshing. One in particular which Wheeler loses Ronnie at a house party and spends days trying to earn back the young boy’s trust is a nice break from the hilarity of the movie. It’s scenes like this one and the previously mentioned scene between Danny and Augie that draw the viewers more into the plot of two selfish adults learning to step outside of their box for the benefit and happiness of someone else. "Role Models" really takes the viewer through the comical events that can unite even the most unlikely of individuals together.

A Walk to Remember

The Good: Who doesnt like a good romatic love story. Great movie for girls to fantasize about love

The Bad: cheesy story line with mediocre acting

Bottem Line: The true side of love, and how it can change someones life positively.

A Walk to Remember is a movie about love in the most unexpected places. It shows the budding relationship of two high students, showing the true side of love (cant you just see the love rise from the picture above?).

Landon Carter, Shane West, was a student who had no vision in his life. Landon was the school’s popular bad boy, admired by everyone. He frequently participated in many pranks, but when he became part of a prank that went horribly wrong, he had only two alternatives. Either get expelled or join after school activities. Upon joining the theater group he meets Jamie Sullivan, Mandy Moore. Jamie was the pastor’s daughter, who worked hard at school but was always ridiculed at school for her clothing choices. To help him with his lines, he starts asking Jamie to help him after school. As Landon spends more and more time with Jamie, he starts falling in love with her. Although this seems how any normal love story would go, there was a twist. The problem was that Jamie was suffering from terminal Leukemia, and she had made the decision to stop her treatment. Through the duration of the movie, it shows how Landon starts dealing with the news to give Jamie the best remaining time of her life.

During the movie, Jamie shows Landon a list of dreams that she would like to accomplish before the illness weakens her too much. Dreams such as being in two places at once, watching a comet, getting a tattoo, and witnessing a miracle just to name a few. To be at two places at once, Landon took Jamie to the state border so she could have one foot on one state and another foot on the other state. Landon built Jamie a telescope to watch the comet and he asked her to marry him so that she could get wed at the same chapel as her mother, her number one wish.

Through the movie, her influence on Landon's life was monumental. He started to set dreams and goals for himself, just like Jamie had done for her. At the end of the movie, Landon comes back to visit Jamie’s father 4 years later. At this point, Landon was finishing up with college and he had been accepted into medical school. This was a huge change for Landon, since prior to Jamie he had no plans for after high school.

Although this movie was based on the famous novel written by Nicholas Sparks, the director of this movie, Adam Shankman, did a great job of bringing the story to life. The story took place in the 1950’s, but placing the movie in the 1990’s was a good choice. This made the movie more relatable with the audience. Another major difference from the book, is that they never clearly stated whether she survived or not. The movie ends with Jamie’s death.

Along with the movie, there was a great choice of songs. Since Mandy Moore is a pop singer, she did sing her own songs in the movie. One of the most notable songs was sung during the theater performance, “Only Hope”. This song beautifully spells out what we all need, hope to overcome all our obstacles.

A Walk to Remember is a movie that would be a great addition to any slumber party. With crying, laughing, and sighing moments, this movie would be a great bonding experience for all your girlfriends.

Check out this trailer if this is the slumber party movie for you...

Almost Famous

The Good: Defines 1970's

culture and embraces rock

and roll

The Bad: Somewhat cheesy

and predictable

Bottom Line: A Band in the

1970's is followed by a

teenage boy, looking for life's

answers and a taste of fun in

the wide world of rock and

roll.

Being a music fanatic, I chose a subcategory depicting every great movie centered around the theme of music. As for this movie, “Almost” Famous? I think not. It surpasses the “almost” mark by a mile, affirming this movie to be one of the great movies of our generation, especially regarding the exceptional topic of music.

One of the great (or horrible, depending how you look at it) things about our generation is our true dedication to our time period. We are born and raised in the new millennium, and know it. Everything we do and everything we say is generated from current times. From “lol’s” to ugg boots, our world is being forwarded every single day with new technological crazes and popular fashion. A main reason film is so appreciable is that it can transport anyone to a different time period, and make them recognize things within themselves that can connect to a whole different time. This concept is something we as a young culture are not used to. We are so caught up in our current lives, rarely do we have the opportunity to transport ourselves backwards to the 1970‘s. Cameron Crowe did an impeccable job capturing the essence of 1973, and at the same time, making this film relatable to teen’s in our current society. Although the events that take place in the movie are centered around things that would happen in the 1970s and not today, teens can relate to the bigger idea (such as the love story that takes place).

William Miller, actor Patrick Fugit, is our lovable, sheltered main character, who is the typical awkward boy, lost in the whirlwind of high school. He gets a once in a lifetime opportunity to write an article for Rolling Stones Magazine about the up and coming band “Stillwater.” They pay for him to follow the band around for a small section of their tour, and discover what the band is really about. He soon finds himself swept into the world of women, drugs, and rock and roll. He becomes entranced with the members of the band, and gets to know everyone on a more personal level- even their groupies, who prefer to refer to themselves as “Band-Aids.” He falls in love with the beautiful, mysterious Penny Lane, played by actress Kate Hudson, and holds onto this infatuation throughout the film.

The main premise of the film is William attempting to finish his article on time, which seems to be a problem because of the flaky, uncontrolled band members he can’t seem to contain for a simple interview. Although the movie is somewhat predictable, Crowe’s humor develops the movie so the viewer cannot help but smile. The witty dialogue and the embarrassing things that happen to William show Crowe’s comedic style. The 70’s were known as wild times, especially in the rock and roll world, and Crowe seizes this lifestyle to the T. Much of the movie was based on his own experiences as a teenager also writing for a music magazine just like William was in the 1970’s, which made most of the events in the movie much more credible. The mother/son relationship in the movie is one of the best comedic additions in the film. The mother constantly serves to bring laughter into the movie and reinforce the idea that William really is so young compared to the other characters he dealt with. In the “extras” portion on the DVD, Crowe said in the interview that his mother was constantly calling and worrying about him just like William’s, and it was an instrumental part of the experience- he definitely could not leave her character out.

The average viewer may not know what the 70’s were like, but after viewing this movie, have a much better idea for the lifestyle that was led. William has to overcome many hardships, most which refer directly to that time period. From drug overdoses, to house parties, to “life on the road”, the viewer is immersed in the 1973 and learn to love the era throughout everything. Scenes throughout the movie reflect these bigger issues Crowe brings up. Drugs, especially in the rock and roll world of that time, were in heavy use, and Crowe doesn’t hold back in showing this dark side of fame. He regularly showed the characters engaging in marijuana use, and taking prescription pills. In one depressing scene, Penny Lane had a drug overdose, and young William was the only one there to help her, and clearly the only one who cared. Crowe also showed the band lifestyle, giving insides into how living on the road was. This was a major aspect of the film, because capturing this era was the basis of the movie. All the drama that comes about from traveling across the country, what happens behind stage, and the interaction between other bands was the best part about the film.

One of the most famous scenes in the film is the “tiny dancer” scene. The song by Elton John was released in 1971, and still very popular in 1973. The Band’s group dynamics were suffering at this point in the movie, and the scene demonstrated the important influence music held in that time. All the characters are sitting in complete silence on the bus, trying to avoid the awkward fight they were all engaging in, when Tiny Dancer comes over the speaker. Slowly but surely the entire band begins to sing along, and in that moment the viewer realized that throughout all of the bands personal issues, music is what matters. Music is the reason they were all brought together. This holds significant beyond this individual scene in the respect that in 1973, rock and roll truly was a lifestyle. These people lived, breathed, and died for the music. Crowe reiterates this thought through many events, like the “Tiny Dancer” scene.

The soundtrack in itself could put the 80’s, 90’s and today’s music combined to shame. Every song choice was so thought out for the individual scene and emotions being expressed, and encompasses the real bands of the 1960’s. Simon and Garfunkel, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, and Cat Stevens are just a few of the artists featured in the film. If you have no intention of seeing the film, which I highly do not recommend, at least check out the soundtrack- trust me. If the soundtrack isn’t enough to convince you to watch the life-changing film, you will at least have 19 new songs that will alter your world.