Girl Power

Taken from agiantlobster

I think Lisbeth Salander is a prime example of female strength in modern cinema and literature.  She does not have super powers.  No super strength, no psychic powers, no connections to people who can bail her out.  No, in fact, she's just as vulnerable as the next girl.  But she takes care of herself.  She doesn't need Mikael Blomkvist to take care of her.  She didn't want her guardianship because (mostly because Bjurman was abusive) she wanted freedom and independence.  She might not be the best role model, because she does perform fairly violent acts.  But honestly, I'd much rather my future daughter look up to her than say, Bella Swan.  Because if you can't take care of yourself, who will?

Priest (M.R.)

Taken from Google

I found Priest  to be a perfect summer movie.  It does not require much thinking, has a fun plot, and awesome explosions and fight scenes.  I am a fan of pretty mindless vampire-related action movies, but this pretty much took the cake.

Imagine putting together a horror movie about dystopia, mixing in an action movie, adding elements of Van Helsing, throwing in a Western, and add in vampires and that's the movie in short.  I had a lot of fun seeing it with my friends, but not sure if it is worth the cost of 3D.

Rating: 6/10

Sucker Punch (M.R.)

Taken from The State Of Happiness :)

First off, it is not some movie intended just for dorky kids wanting to see scantily-dressed girls fight off demons with swords and guns.  I mean, that is an element, but Sucker Punch is not for everyone.  For an action movie, it's got quite a bit of depth.  I think a more accurate description would be "Inception featuring scantily-clad girls fighting off demons with swords and guns."

I really wanted to think this movie was based off something.  A book, a graphic novel, a video game...something!  But the beauty of it was that it wasn't.  Sure, it took action and stylistic motifs from all those media, but that's what made the movie so interesting to watch.  The costumes were amazing and each character had a distinct style.  The only ones fully developed were Baby Doll, Sweet Pea, and Rocket, but it's difficult to do that in a 1.5-hour time-span.

The plot was really substantial for an action movie.  There were so many layers that just made it interesting.  A mental institution, a brothel, and a video game.  I approved of it greatly.  Zach Snyder's talent in movie-making seems to come from the fact that he can make pretty obvious breaks between the action and more sentimental bits of a movie (like in Watchmen).

In short, I thought this movie was excellent and good time.  It takes you on an adrenaline-filled, emotional rollercoaster.  And covers a lot of issues.  Plus, who wouldn't want to see girls beat up stuff?  In addition, it has inspired me to get fit (and maybe possibly acquire the ability to dead lift my weight [no big deal]).

Rating: 9/10

Red Riding Hood (M.R.)

Taken from closer ❦ to the sun

Since I was traveling most of today, I am a little delayed on posting this.  But anyway.  This movie is a classic fantasy love triangle wrapped in a nice package of little red riding hood and other wolf lore.  Even though this movie was directed by Catherine Hardwicke (who did Twilight), my friend and I decided to give her a fair shot.

I thought this movie was a lot of fun.  In a sense, it is an awesome date movie.  It has suspense and action to satisfy a guy's needs and some romance to satisfy a girl.  I know it bothered people that the girl usually goes for the not as secure relationship, but isn't that where conflict comes in?  Anyway, I thought it was a great plot and me and my friend were guessing the whole way through who the wolf was.  I don't know if it was entirely warranted but whatever.

People have complained that the period piece did not have enough intricate clothing and no one sounded British.  Um, does everyone in that kind of movie have to be British?  Also, the plot takes place in a village, where it seems like no one has much money.Who said it was a period piece anyway?  I feel like the story could have worked in a modern village too.

All in all, this was a good, fun, action-filled, romance-filled work that everyone should go see.  Be it seriously or not seriously.

Rating: 8/10

Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader (M.R.)

Taken from Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere

The third installment of the Chronicles of Narnia series, for me at least, was a super fun ride that mainly stayed loyal to the book but added in a few details to retain a bit more fluidity and excitement.  Voyage of the Dawn Treader is an adventure featuring Edmund and Lucy, since Peter and Susan cannot return to Narnia, with a new companion, Eustace.  I thought the actor portraying Eustace did an excellent job and the special effects weer great.  I have to admit though, I am tired of having to wear glasses to watch a movie.

I feel like the artists for the show made the ship perfectly, although the design makes it seem not fit for the ocean.  The amount of subplots added to the movie enhanced the experience, because for the most part, not much happens in the book.  Well, not as much as in the other novels.  So I thought the bit with the dragon and the serpent was excellent.

The character that stole the movie for me was Eustace.  I mean, I felt most attracted to King Caspian, but he was not a main character, more like an appendage to the plot.  Eustace was delightfully annoying, the way he was in the novel.  He was super exaggerated in the beginning, which makes his turn around at the end so drastic that the audience can relate.

Overall, I liked the movie and it is something I would see again.  But warning: this is the one with the most Christian subtext.  Yes, even more so than The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.

Rating: 8/10

Black Swan (M.R.)

Taken from You're a wizard, Harry...I'M A WHAT?

So, to start off: this movie is not about lesbians.  Sorry, boys.  Black Swan is a dark, twisted thriller about the mental struggle of a ballerina striving for perfection.  It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time.  Even as the music was slightly tamer or more uplifting, you just knew something strange or bizarre was around the corner.

Nina, the protagonist, is an aspiring ballerina in the highly demanding ballet company in New York City.  Aside from her mother being an ex-ballet superstar and her coach being a total prick, there was a lot of pressure on her.  And the way the hallucinations played out from scene to scene really made it easy to see Nina's world through her eyes.

A lot of the movie was confusing.  During most of it, I had a hard time keeping track of what was real and what was the imagination just running away toward a dangerous place.  And I feel like this movie elegantly shows the danger of putting too much personal pressure and just how unrealistic being perfect is (as if most people did not know that already, but we all slip up)

Rating: 8/10 (why: I wouldn't see it again.  Too disturbing)

Tron: Legacy (M.R.)

Taken from The Stalker Blog

This movie has been one of the best visual rides ever.  Sure, there were basically three colors used in The Grid part of the film, but Tron: Legacy had been so engaging, I was just fascinated with the lights and sounds.  The plot was surprisingly consistent and followed classic Disney format.  But even though it does not exactly end happily, there is a triumph of man over machine.

There were a few highlights for me.  For one, Jeff Bridges's face.  I mean, he has aged pretty okay.  But the digital de-aging of him was incredible.  You take a pretty old dude and make his face look like he is years younger, around 30 most people said, is pretty incredible.

Another highlight: the soundtrack.  I am huge techno nerd, to the max.  So the fact that Daft Punk wrote the soundtrack completely made me excited.  In the same way I reacted to the fact that Trent Reznor wrote The Social Network soundtrack.  My favorite, as is most people's, is the track named "Derezzed." It played during the lounge scene and I am so happy I finally have it on my iPod.

And the last highlight, the bodies of the women.  In order to fit into those skin-tight, glowstick outfits, apparently all the actors had to remain in tip-top shape.  So, I am resolving to get through a Tron: Legacy-inspired workout in order to get my body at the same place.

I highly recommend this movie to people fascinated with computers and the internet.  The whole movie is a metaphor for the internet haha.

Rating: 8/10

127 Hours (M.R.)

Taken from What about me

This movie was exciting, considering it follows a dude's battle for life while he was stuck in a canyon with a rock crushing his arm.  Aron Ralston, portrayed by James Franco, had been climbing and he slipped, bringing a boulder down with him.  Over the next five days, he drains his food supplies, drinks his own urine, video tapes himself to keep sane, and eventually amputates his own arm.  That amputation scene was the scariest, most realistic portrayal of anything medical I have seen in a while.  This statement is coming from someone who saw knee replacement.

But the most important thing to take from the movie is the struggle endured by Ralston.  Most people probably would not make the choice he made and amputate their own arm.  Hell, I wouldn't do that.  It takes a lot of courage and strength and desire to live to cut off one's own arm for the greater goal of living.  And it just makes you think of how to be grateful for living and hopefully not having to undergo such an experience.

Rating: 9/10 

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 1 (M.R.)

Taken from http://catchadragon.tumblr.com/

This installment of the Harry Potter film series has been, by far, the best one.  Sure, it felt like an action movie, but honestly, the book was the most exciting part of it.  The movie left out enough of the camping trip that the audience could stay attentive and still get most of the story.

I was happy they caught a bunch of my favorite moments from the book, such as the epic night flight and Dobby's death and a bunch of funny lines I thought they had not included.   I almost cried when Dobby died, but I was still laughing hysterically from the scene when Ron opens up the Horcrux.

Of all the movies, they did the best job with cinematography and using CGI.  I really felt unsafe during most scenes, just as the characters would when they were on the run from...oh...everyone.  And the graphics they used for the Ministry of Magic cleansing of the muggles reminded me of movies that took place during the 1940's and similar totalitarian times.  I thought it was a nice touch.

I highly recommend this film to everyone who likes action movies and fantasy films.  And anyone who enjoys watching awkward make out scenes for the sheer hilarity of it.

Rating: 9/10

The Social Network (M.R.)

Poster from Social Network Trailer

A few?  The Social Network is a riveting dramatization of the founding of facebook that makes the situation seem like Mark Zuckerberg has zero friends.  But film is film, so of course everything will be dramatic.

What I personally loved about the movie is the script and the way the directors and producers interwove the story of facebook's founding with the two major lawsuits Zuckerberg had been involved with, namely with the Winklevoss brothers and another with his cofounder, Eduardo Saverin.  The film goes into great detail the social and relationshipal challenges of starting the groundbreaking social-networking site of the decade.  It also touches on a few financial matters, but if you do not have some basic knowledge of business or economics, the business talk might be difficult to follow.  It is, however, easy to tell when a transaction or contract went well or not judging by the characters'.  Jesse Eisenberg performed impressively as Zuckerberg, especially copying the curt, expository way he speaks to everyone while still maintaining a seemingly calm demeanor.

Another thing I loved from the movie was the fact that Trent Reznor cowrote the soundtrack.  Though I am not a huge fan of Nine Inch Nails (funny, because I am a sucker for industrial anything), the soundtrack fit the mood and definitely added suspense even though there were no action-movie sequences in the film.

Though the cherry on top for me was the fact that this movie portrayed recent history.  And the people involved are so young (Zuckerberg and Saverin are only 26).  So it is definitely easy to put in perspective of the current young adult scene.

Rating: 9/10

Easy A (M.R.)

Picture taken from Shockya

This was possibly the best teen flick I've seen since watching Mean Girls for the five millionth time.  Easy A follows the life of a teenager named Olive.  She was a quiet girl until a little white lie about losing her virginity that erupts into a story of silly teen drama and assumed adultery.  The one-liners in the movie were clever and the references to classic literature showed that the humor was much more intellectual than a senseless string of sex jokes.  There were plenty in this one though.  Emma stone was quite endearing as Olive and the whole webcam idea was cute, I thought.

The movie had me thinking though: people suck.  Not that this is a new revelation, but they seriously do.  I mean, I'm sure the aim of the crazy Christian group wasn't to bash Christians because honestly, there are groups of people of any creed that can band together to bring down any one person.  And that sucks.  But it's nice that in the film, Olive had her family and one friend Todd to depend on.  Everyone needs a friend like that.  And reputation shouldn't matter, but having a good one helps a lot.

Rating: 8/10

Bright Star (M.R.)

Poster from Cecil County Public Library Page

This movie follows the three-year romance of John Keats and Fanny Brawne.  It appears a classic tale of girl falls for man who is not into things she likes.  She does not seem to enjoy literature while he is a poet and dislikes her sense of fashion.  The romance blooms, but in this film, it is hard to tell.  Sure, the imagery was beautiful, but it clearly was one of those BBC classic literature films.

It was refreshing, though, to see a romance where the couple is not making love every 5 seconds.  Honestly, I don't think women in the 19th century could have that much sex and not get babies.  I'm just saying.  Otherwise, the movie felt very choppy and it was hard to tell what was going on.

Rating: 5/10

The Good The Bad The Weird (M.R.)

Poster from Imp Awards

This has possibly been the most bizarre movie I've seen in a while.  I mean, a Western that doesn't take place in America?  That's a strange concept.  But the strangeness of it made for a fantastic movie.  The plot was great, the acting was superb, and the action sequences were amazing.  Definitely a must-see.  I am usually not one for foreign films.  Also, due to health reasons, this review is a lot shorter than they tend to be.  But don't let the subtitles discourage you from seeing this.

Rating: 8/10

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World (M.R.)

Poster taken from Shockya

I spent about two hours or so reading all six novels in the Scott Pilgrim series.  I loved every frame of it.  I cannot say I feel the same about the movie.  Sure, it was a great movie, but there was just something missing.  The acting and visuals were incredible, but I could not say it was as revolutionary as critics made it out to be.  Though the stylized violence added an extra layer of fun to the film.

Michael Cera plays Scott Pilgrim, a 23-year-old with no direction in life who is dating a high schooler.  He plays in a band and while at a party with his band mates, he meets Ramona Flowers, the girl of his dreams.  There's a catch: he has to defeat her 7 evil exes.  I thought Cera was absolutely perfect for the role, as if the novel had been written to be a movie with him in mind.  Although, the movie could have provided more back story to truly establish Scott as the schmuck he is.  The characters seemed not very deep, and the movie moved from battle to battle with no real flow.  The downtime between the battles was what made the novels so interesting.   Then again, it is difficult to condense 6 books into one 2 hour movie.

The visuals definitely kept me awake during my stomach-ache related stupor.  The incorporation of various video game motifs and having the Universal Studios sign all pixelated added to the fun of the movie.  The fight scenes were amazing and the fact that the actors did most of their own stunts was pretty impressive.  Sure, it was clearly video game violence, but at least the directors did not make the viewers feel as if they are playing it.

Overall, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World was a fun ride, but there was just that character development that was missing.

Rating: 7/10

Despicable Me (M.R.)

Courtesy of The Examiner

Despicable Me has got to be the cutest movie I have seen in a while.  You know the line "It's so fluffy, I'm gonna die"?  This movie is "so adorable, I'm going to disintegrate into a sap and cry by the end".  Which was amazing and does not happen often (I swear).

Steve Carell voices Gru, a large, ambiguously accented super villain who has one goal: to steal the moon!  You can tell this will be a ridiculous kid's movie, because silly villain, you can't steal the moon!  It's too big!  The accent totally made the role and he was so cool as a dad to the three little orphans.  I wish my dad were that cool.  My favorite of the orphans had to be Agnes.  She was so cute and carefree and just wanted happiness for her "sisters," even though some of her ideas were a bit unrealistic.

Everything about the film was adorable.  I would definitely love to own a minion to be cute and adorable and do my things for me.  Like make me a replacement unicorn toy.  My favorite?  Using one as a glow stick. What I truly loved about the movie was the fact that it touched on family love, especially love within an adopted family.  Because any hope of that being positive was completely demolished by that movie, Orphan, for the few that had seen it.  I honestly cried during the end because it was so touching and cute.  There was not a gag during the film that was either disgusting or just plain stupid in the sense that it reminds the audience that they are watching a kid's movie.

Clearly, this review was not as serious as past ones.  But there was nothing wrong with the movie, in my eyes.  It had the right balance of cuteness, silliness, and sentimentality. 

Rating: 10/10

Inception (M.R.)

Borrowed from Filmofilia

This movie is the movie of the summer.  The only thing that could have possibly topped this one is if Harry Potter 7 or 7.5 came out at the same time.  It is nice to finally see a totally original movie that had been thought out to its fullest potential without many plot holes.  The visuals were incredible (most likely because I saw it in Imax for the first time in my life) and the actors seemed so real in their delivery.  The only real complaint I have is the soundtrack (WAAAH WAAAH WAAAH Shutter Island style).

When I started seeing trailers and TV spots for the film, I had no idea what it was about.  Something about dreams and crimes and Leonardo DiCaprio was all I could gather.  So I went into the film with an open mind.  And it was completely encompassed by the sheer awesomeness of the whole dream scape idea-implantation idea.  The most intriguing part is that this is not some futuristic technology (okay, to some extent, it is) but it plays off the idea of how dreams work.  And the audience is stuck in Christopher Nolan's dream.

Now I do not know if the movie was visually sort of perfect or if Imax made it seem that way.  But either way, I was so fascinated and absorbed in the dream scape.  What is really nice is that everything was not in a turquoise or orange filter.  But I think the best sequence of the movie was when they incorporated the idea of fighting in free fall without gravity.  To pull something like that off without it being too fake takes some genius.

And then there is the acting.  Sure, the only total unreality was that everyone remained so focused and calm.  But maybe that is because they were trained professionals.  I know I would be pooping myself.  Ellen Page still looks 16, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt is proving to be quite the actor.  I saw him in 500 Days of Summer and I thought he was good in that one.

The commentary on the soundtrack was a joke.  Not something I would want on my iPod, per se, but it really fit the idea.  The repetition of the drone sort of reminded the reader they were in a dream, since it only happened in all the dream sequences.  Overall, I would definitely not mind seeing this movie again.  I recommend everyone to see it because it truly a work of original genius.  Or go see crappy remakes.  Pick one.

Rating: 10/10 (That hasn't happened, but this definitely deserved it)

Predators (M.R.)

Image courtesy of Predators download, Movies

Where do I begin?  I would say at the beginning, but I will just burst out laughing hysterically.  Sure, it might be advertised as this sci-fi, action, adventure flick.  It is actually a comedy disguised by gore and suspense.

Predators is about a bunch of people that free fall onto an island where something is hunting them.  Or are they hunting something?  Either way, they are royally screwed because they first think that they got abandoned in some jungle on Earth, but turns out that they are in the land of the predator.  It features Adrian Brody, Topher Grace, and Laurence Fishbourne, so if you like talented actors, people from That 70s Show, and Othello, you are going to love this one.

The acting seemed kind of real, except Adrian Brody's character seemed too bad ass for his own good.  He was so bad ass, he did not even reveal his name until the end of the movie.  Now, me and MG(squared) walked into the movie thinking it would be one of those shenanigans where everyone dies at the end or there is an epic moment of deus ex machina and everyone gets saved.  Neither happens.  Whoops, spoiler.

The suspense was great, but the music honestly ruined most of the scenes.  I just could not take it seriously.  As if they have not updated the soundtrack since Arnold Schwarzenegger fought the original predators in that Guatemalan jungle in the 80's.

Special effects department ruled.  Except for the fact that the creatures' blood was Inca-Kola-colored and shined in the night when everything else was pitch-black.  And it was a bit of a shame that the directors chose not to develop the characters' back stories more.  Then again, it would have made the viewer actually care about some really crappy people.  It was a move for the better.

Rating: 7/10

Get Him to the Greek (M.R.)

Image credit: Boston Herald

This movie rules.  Honestly, in terms of sheer ridiculousness, it reaches Hangover status.  The humor keeps you interested, the music is amazing (even though Infant Snow is a fake band), and the characters are just great.

The humor is mostly drug and sex related.  But that keeps pervs like me and you awake during the movie.  What really caught my attention was that each scene seemed to have a joke attached to it.  Such as the bit with the airport, or when they are rendezvousing in the strip club.  The jokes did not flow as well, the movie took a bit to get started, but that is okay.

In Get Him to the Greek, Aaron Greene is given a career-changing and life-altering assignment to get washed-out rocker Aldous Snow to the Greek theater in Los Angeles.  As you can imagine, lots of crazy stuff happens.  But throughout their time together, lots of good music gets played in the movie.  All the songs are attributed to the band from the film, Infant Snow.  I wish they we were real.  My favorite song has to be "The Clap."  More music like that needs to be written.  Actually, there are many Brit-pop bands who write similar stuff.  Russell Brand works well as a frontman and singer.

One of the things that sold the movie for me were the characters.  As Aaron Greene, Jonah Hill plays the timid, music-nerd intern.  P. Diddy plays the CEO of Pinnacle records, which is not too far from the P. Diddy in real life.  Just the way Aaron Greene gets tossed around by the CEO and the rock star makes for great humor.  But how they all detox so quickly from Jeffrey and the other various drugs used in the film, I will never understand.

Get Him to the Greek has been a really fun romp.  I learned something from it: don't do drugs, kids.  They kill creativity.

Rating: 8/10

Prince of Persia (M.R.)

Poster courtesy of The Daily Stab

Stop being distracted by the poster.  Yes, that is Jake Gyllenhaal, a white dude, playing a Persian.  But this is a movie based off a video game, so as long as he remotely resembles the dude in that, I think it is fine.  That being said, Prince of Persia has been one of the most fun action films I have seen in a while.  The movie did well in the plot, stunt, and suspense departments.

The movie tells the story of a man named Destan, who was taken off the streets of Persia when he young by the king, thus making him a prince of Persia.  After a successful raid and a framed murder, the prince must run away and uncover the secrets of ta weapon that can reverse time.  During the movie, I find myself actually caring about what happens to the characters, especially Destan, even though he does possess ungodly strength.  The movie's plot varies from the video game's because the video game focuses more on monsters and Armageddon caused by the Sands of Time.  The movie just touches on that.  So even though making a video game based off a movie based off a video game sounds silly, I guess people want a game that would mimic the movie.

The stunts performed by Jake Gyllenhaal, probably mostly enhanced by CGI, match video-game style improbability and awesomeness.  Many transition scenes mimicked that of a video game, when you cut away from the hero for a bit to learn a bit of back story.  The fight scenes are like those in a game and sometimes I wanted to just grab a controller and help Destan out.  But me with my gaming skills would not do much.

Scenes involving Destan escaping various armies and fighting off baddies ("boss battles" as I called them during the movie) had me on the edge of my seat.  Bwrah cradled herself a lot, but given that the movie seems like it is being played by a dude on expert mode, nothing bad would happen except for a cut or two.  Even when things got hopeless, I wanted to know how to it would be resolved, and the possibilities were endless.

In short, Prince of Persia was a great way to start off the summer movie season.  I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys action movies that do not feature many explosions and can actually be remembered.

Rating: 9/10

Toy Story 3 (M.R.)

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Image Credit: New Toy Story 3 Poster

I have not been to a kid's movie in forever.  A lot of them, as my friend Alice Dork expressed, tend to remind people that they are watching  a kid's movie with ridiculous dumb laughs which apparently only children can appreciate.  But Toy Story 3 had a good balance of plot, laughs, and charm that most people could appreciate it.

The story is basically that their owner, Andy, is going off to college and the toys are uncertain of their fate.  After a mishap with his mother, they toys wind up at a day care center, which seems warm and inviting but is actually a nightmarish hell hole run by mafia-esque bear named Lotso.  So, you can imagine the rest of the movie is about them trying to get away.

Well, thanks to Toy Story 3, I now know how a garbage dump works and what happens to my stuff once I discard it.  But the connection the toys had to their kid was incredible.  And it really showed how important friendship is.  If that does not sell you on the movie, there is a sequence with Hispanic Buzz Lightyear, aka El Buzzo.

The jokes in the movie were funny, such as references to eBay and the toys' ability to use computers and read instruction manuals and what not.  I thought it was really funny.  And the irony of Sunnyside Daycare split my sides.

Me being a teenager and seeing this movie and enjoying it shows that the latest Toy Story installment is appropriate for kids and "kids" of all ages.  I highly recommend it to anyone.

Rating: 9/10