Movies

Hey everyone!

So, as promised, here are the reviews of the movies that I've seen since my last post. I'll have a blog up later about what's happened in the last week.

'Easy A'

This movie was billed and advertised as the next 'Mean Girls', though I would say this film could really stand on its own! About a girl who builds up a deceitful reputation as the school girl who will sleep with any guy for a little reciprocity. Any discussion of 'Easy A' should talk about how Emma Stone is an A-Lister who everyone should really be prepared to see a lot more of. She's incredibly talented, very charming, and is one of those actresses that makes me want to see more of her every time she's on screen; she seems very familiar. Her performance in this movie was outstanding, full of layers and surprising depth to a role that, had it been played by say... Lindsay Lohan, would probably have been a bit one-dimensional.

The supporting cast was amazing as well, working together to make likable characters who seemed real enough for a teen comedy. Her family was great, and this movie also shows that Amanda Bynes should work more.

The script is very well done, and was pretty original for a teen comedy. Hilarious and full of unexpected twists, I was satisfied throughout the movie. Pacing was pretty good too.

I would recommend this movie to anyone! It's tons of fun, captures modern young people very well, and is worth the time and money spent on it. The only criticism that I have would be that it's too short, and the one sided characterization of almost all of the guys in the movie. Also, more could have been made about the difference between the sexual expectations and allowances of males and females.

A-

'It's Kind of a Funny Story'

I went into this movie expecting it to be another quirky, semi-funny film that didn't live up to its trailer, and I was partly correct. Quirky? Yes. Semi-funny? Yes. But it was a lot better than I expected in some aspects.

The main character, Craig (Keir Gilchrest of 'US of Tara') is suffering from depression and checks himself into a mental ward. He meets a colorful cast of characters while trying to sort out his own feelings of numbness and inadequacy. Gilchrest does an ok job as the main character but I don't really see a difference between him in this movie and as Marshall from 'US of Tara'. He fits the character, I guess, but I can't help but think that a better actor would have made this performance more effective in bringing out the comedy and tragedy of a character who is dealing with some issues that, I expect, many of the disconnected and dulled younger generation are going through.

The real bright spot of this movie was Zack Galifianakis. His performance as a father struggling to overcome mental illness and better his life was poignant and moving, while bringing a charm to a subtle performance I would never have expected. Honestly, Galif. was the best thing about this movie, and if I had an Oscar vote, he would lead it right now. Emma Roberts was also in it and did a perfectly adequate job, making her brief, depth-lacking character likable enough. The script did a pretty good job of having a nice flow and I loved the art direction of the film. There were a lot of good factors that didn't really come together, but Galifianakis' performance is what made this movie really worthwhile.

B-

'Red'

Three words to describe this movie: So. Much. Fun! A perfect movie it is not, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie. The script was perfunctory, a typical action movie. The added twists of the former CIA agents with a rousing cast made me laugh and cringe in the best way possible. There's not much to say about the film- it's about a group of former top CIA assassins who are now themselves being hunted for unknown reasons. But this movie stars Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, and Bruce Freeman, and it has Ernest Borgnine. Ernest Borgnine! Will it win an Oscar? Helk no. (Yes, I mean Helk. Deal with it.) But this movie was-again- so much fun that you don't care. You want a movie that you can just go see and unwind, I would highly recommend 'Red'.

B+

'For Colored Girls'

I'm a bit confused as to how to grade this one. I'm a big fan of Tyler Perry, and I feel as if many of the criticisms heaped upon him are, though partially valid, are more due to a lack of understanding of African-American culture, or, as in the case of Roger Ebert, a distaste for the way that Perry portrays it.

Me? I love it. I'm obviously not African-American, but TP's movies remind me of home, of my family and faith, and while saccharine to the point of cloying, they usually are known for strong, complex female characters (a particular weakness of mine) and happy endings. 'For Colored Girls' delivers on that, so naturally I enjoyed it. As a matter of fact, if I were grading this film purely on acting, I would hand it an A+. Listen to this cast: Whoopi Goldberg, Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose, Kerry Washington, Loretta Divine, Thandie Newton, Kimberly Elise, Janet Jackson, and Tessa Thompson. Let that set in. That cast kicks your cast's ass. And they acted the pants off (literally?) of themselves in this movie. The performance drew out so many emotions in me as I watched that it made me want to watch it more.

If I were to compare films to football, I would say that acting and direction are the offense, screenwriting and cinematography are the defense, and everything else is special teams. All three parts are equally important but the saying goes: offense sells tickets, defense wins championships. I would say that the screenwriting in this is the reason why it is so poorly received and will not get much acclaim. Tyler Perry has, perhaps admirably, tried to stay faithful to the theatre show, with dialogue befitting of a play. Therein lies the weakness of the script. Perry has his basis in theatre, and is known for stepping out of his box and trying new things. However, his inexperience shows in the script; the slam poetry-esque monologues stop the flow of the film, and while beautiful, take away from the realism that the script is presenting, with real women and real struggles. The only effective one is a voice over, a trick that Perry would have been wise to employ more. Still, it seems as if every character has more than one slam monologue (with the same background music playing, no less), and it really takes away from the film. Still, I don't think that this begats the terrible reviews from the same critics who gave Transformers a passable grade.

I'll say B for this, though you should see it for the acting.

'Skyline'

The worst movie of the year. The acting was stilted, the script pedantic, but I guess the effects were cool. No, I'm not talking about Avatar, but I'm sure that if James Cameron had his name on Skyline it would probably be up for some awards. Soapbox done.

Anyway, there's not much to say about this film except it was terrible. Absolutely atrocious, in every way. I feel very much as if it was a hasty response to District 9 and Cloverfield, sans the talent in screenwriting and plus a lot of indulgent, unoriginal tropes with twists designed to surprise and challenge that do nothing of the sort.

If bad but cool looking alien invasion movies are your thing, then by all means see this movie. But for everyone else, this movie gets:

F.

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That's all for now! Meanwhile, I want to see the following movies soon:

127 Hours
Four Lions
Conviction
Howl
Never Let Me Go
Burlesque
Harry Potter
Black Swan

Let me know if you want to go! Peace out.

Brian

When the Going Gets Tough...

Hey all,

So it's been almost two months since my last post... sorry! I put off posting because I was waiting to hear about a job that I applied for and ended up not getting. What's been happening since? Here's the lowdown:

I applied for a job back home in Wharton, and I didn't get it. sadface.
Texas Football has been underwhelming and breaking my heart. sadface sadface
Submitted my musical for New Works Fest. Didn't get it. Soulcrushing.

Good news: I did get into graduate school at Concordia, and I'll be starting as a Masters of Education student in January! My mom and I are also going on vacation to New York in a few weeks, so that's something I'm looking forward to. It will be good to get a vacation and then start grad school. It sounds weird but this actually helps my bank account, as well! (I know, sounds crazy, but it does!).

Some people might be confused as to why I'm getting a Master's Degree in Education, and it's because this offers me a lot of opportunities. It lets me teach, and it gives me a Degree that I will be very dedicated to and have a chance to get good grades in. A GPA of 4.0 in a Master's is more impressive than a 3.0 in undergrad degrees, right?

Anyway, it's felt like life has kicked my face in the ass lately. Aside from my bills completely overwhelming me, and the rejection from jobs/festivals, I've also just felt pretty alone up in my area. Living far away from campus where most of my friends live secludes me from really being able to hang out with people, and most of my friends are gone at this point. I really may just need to go somewhere new to make new friends, I'm not sure. I'm terrible with social stuff, though, so I doubt it's location so much as just me. I realize more as I get older just how awkward and socially impaired that I am. I love being around people and hanging out with friends, but I think it's just being being around people makes me comfortable. I am terrible at making conversation and always feel like I'm just a big, intruding pile of awkward. But it doesn't matter, I guess. I've always lived and had friends for 'now', and that works for me.

Driver's License Challenge

I realized the other day that my Driver's License is due for renewal in February (I know, I'm old. Womp womp). But as I have been struggling to find a weight loss goal that works for me, I have come up with one! I want to be back to the same weight that I was when I first got my DL in 2004. That will require me to lose 10 pounds a month for the next 4 months. This is completely possible, and doable, and is already been a bit effective. I'm down 3 pounds for sure, and have been going from 3-6 off for the month as of yet. I figure that 2-3 pounds a week is pretty good and on track. If I can do this then I can hopefully start a pattern that will get me to my goal weight of 157. So, if you see me, do not let me drink sodas or eat crazy bad foods. The big thing is not eating foods that don't match nutrition and flavor, as well as not in excess. I don't like wasting food and so now I need to learn to pack stuff up sooner. This is gonna happen, can't wait to see it.

Movie Stuff

I'll say it again- Scott Pilgrim is the best film of 2010 and one of the defining films of my generation.

Also, I saw RED, and it was great! I'll probably have a separate post in the next week for the movies that I've seen since September.


So, I don't think many people read this blog, but if you do, please feel free to leave comments! I'll get back to them as soon as I can.

I'm going to post more, especially with my live becoming more interesting in the next few months. Love y'all!

Brian