Holy Jumping Catfish!

the following review was written by one of my very best friends, casey r. weber.  he is a graduate student at california state university-northridge (CSUN).  after this awesome review of It Happened One Night directed by the great Frank Capra, i hope he continues to write guest reviews for a long, long time.

Whether you're hitching a ride or falling in love with a rogue reporter, Claudette Colbert proves that "the limb is mightier than a thumb." Clark Gable demonstrates his usual versatile acting prowess in this slapstick comedy produced in 1934, an outdated yet prominent classic that is sure to carry the audiences into the world of laughter till their stomachs hurt for generations to come. Although cheesy to the point of wanting a pillow to your face the moment the couple acknowledges their feelings for one another, it is a sure sign that love is in the history of the making.


In the modern cultural lenses, we learn to see how men and women work together where most couples today can laugh about the silliness of male dominance and the ho-hums of female inferiority. For instance, Ellie Andrews (played by Colbert) is stuck with the idea of marrying someone she knows she doesn't love, yet the men continue to demonstrate corporeal acts where they feel obliged to take care of a female. In another instance, Peter Warne (performed by Gable) takes charge throughout the film, thus making sure Andrews is well-behaved to his expectations.


But in the end, the fabled "walls of Jericho" crumbles to the ground along with the sound of the efficacious trumpet, revealing the greatest feeling of romance. All in all, even in our present-day views, we continue to appreciate the background as well as the ensemble of the cast that makes the film truly a piece to behold in the face of motion picture history.


As Warne would say, "Holy jumping catfish!" I rate this a 4 out of 5 stars!

Families can be Unstoppable

family matters isn't the main plot in Unstoppable, but it is placed on the back-burner even though it is one of the most important story lines in director tony scott's film.  there must be a reason i like Unstoppable, other than the fact that tony scott also directed possibly my favorite movie of all time, Top Gun.  scott has not lost that lovin' feeling or the need for speed in his über-intense action films.

inspired by a true story in stanton, upstate pennsylvania, Unstoppable stars film veteran denzel washington and up-and-coming newbie chris pine.  washington was his usual spectacular self portraying an old engineer frank who has been given his 90-day notice and pine was the perfect choice for will, a young conductor who bears a big name in the train industry.  paired together, the two stars complimented each other quite well.

72 days into the 90-day notice before frank is forced to retire or quit, two boneheads at the train yard mishandle a half-mile long train.  mishandle is grossly understated due to the fact that the "coaster" turns into a full speed freight train carrying toxic chemicals.  the scary part is, it's headed toward an elevated s-curve in the industrial parts of stanton, near will's home.frank and will take it upon themselves to risk everything in life (and their own) to chase after the train known as "the beast."

that's the main plot.  throughout the film, will finds himself losing a battle with his wife in a case of miscommunication.  he thought his wife was in danger of cheating on him with a guy who had the hots for her in high school.  turns out that guy is a cop and will ends up punching him.  will is served up with a not so tasty dish in the form of a restraining order.  its been weeks since will has talked to his wife, and he's trying to say he's sorry.

frank has his own family problems.  since his wife died, it seems he's been fading from the lives of his daughter, forgetting one's birthday.

both men's family problems connect with many americans today.  with society placing a decreased importance of the family, scott does a tremendous job taking real life problems and placing the family unit on the pedestal.  no matter how big or small the problems are within the family, love and patience eventually leads to forgiveness.  the stronger the bond, the less likely the family will fall apart.  excellent job mr. scott.

the film does not leave room for character development like other hollywood films.  what you see is what you get.  and audiences see something far more realistic, tangible and relate to perhaps their own personal lives.  even if audiences can only imagine the train sequences, they can understand what the two men, a grisly engineer vet and the young ambitious conductor, are going through.

i give this film 4 stars out of 5 for a job well done.

Insidious Indeed

the following review was written by my good friend, austin balaich.  he will periodically be one of my honorary film critics, specializing in animations.  here's to austin:

Scary movies don’t scare me anymore these days.  The definition of scary movies to the common people typically end up in words such as gory, bloody, gross, and many other similar terms.  The film by James Wan puts the word “Insidious” to the test in this scary thriller.  As I watched how the film gradually gets scarier and scarier, this movie definitely stays true to the designation, “Insidious”.  

Starring Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne, they’re parents of a child who gets captured in a coma, but the parents eventually figure out that it’s not just a coma.  The path they have to take to bring their son back to reality depicts all kinds of insidiousness in this movie.  Ghosts, demons, eerie sounds and occurrences were cleverly edited and put together in this film.  As I carefully watched this film, I literally felt creeped out as the multiple overhead and following camera angles show much vulnerability around the parents.  There were some moments where my heart suddenly stops beating and some other where my mind was forced to reject the graveness of this so-called reality this film is suggesting.  This is a clever film, and it truly will make you check your closet for monsters before you go to bed.

I give this film 4 out of 5 stars for its brilliant use of horror other than these gory and gross movies.  It reminds me of the unusual similarities of horror and thriller to the film by Alejandro Amenabar, The Others.  If you liked The Others, you’ll get spooked while watching Insidious.    

thanks austin!!

the man who loved his wife

darren aronofsky continues his string of far-out films with The Fountain starring hugh jackman and rachel weisz.  it is hard to say if the weirdness masked the heartfelt notion that a one-woman man can save his dying wife.  it is in human nature to feel powerless when a loved one is nearing death.  some of us panic. some of us are scared and want nothing to do with the thought of a possible life beyond one here on earth.  and some of us believe, myself included, that there is life beyond the grave - and eventually, we can be victors over death.

culturally, there is one thing i can relate with the film.  the wedding ring is a symbol of eternal love.  i can feel for jackman's character when he lost his ring.

hugh jackman really did an admirable job.  i was impressed with his diligence in staying in character.  all in all - the movie was too weird for me, with scenes changing from earth to a nebula star and a former life in old spain and new spain.  i can't comprehend the craziness of what could be a simple love story between man and wife.

i give The Fountain 2 out of 5 stars.

Popcorn Cake equals Sticky Fingers!

about time for my first popcorn recipe!!!!!  this is a recipe that i have always enjoyed, and hope you do too!  some of you may want to try some sticky finger food when watching your next movie.  one item you absolutely need is a hot air popper and an appetite because these are mighty addicting!

ingredients:
16 cups popped popcorn
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter - never use margarine, it will ruin the flavor
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup Karo syrup (light)
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cups mini-marshmallows

optional ingredients:
EXTRA VANILLA!!!
1 cup shelled peanuts
1 1/2 cups small gumdrops

directions:
mix popcorn, marshmallows and if desired the shelled peanuts and gumdrops.  in pan melt butter, add sugar and Karo syrup.  bring to a boil and simmer three minutes.  add 1/2 tsp vanilla...or desired amount, extra if you're me...pour over popcorn and mix well.

if you really want it "cake-like" use a bundt cake pan and fill it up.  let cool and turn upside down on plate.  if you're like me, eat it straight from the bowl, allow for sticky fingers to get messy and enjoy the warmth of popcorn cake.

i rate this treat 9.5 stars out of 10! 

werewolf truce?

amanda seyfried gave a fantastic effort in Red Riding Hood.  her magnetic red hooded cape complimented her acting in a way that made the film worthwhile, once.  however, her supporting cast let her down, even to the level of disappointment.  personally, the story of lovers staving off an arranged marriage is an old tale, and the twist that someone is the werewolf gave the story some spice. 

Red Riding Hood follows the same woodland fantasyland genre as stephanie myers' Twilight.  ironically, or not, both films are directed by catherine hardwicke.  the werewolf and vampire fad is still a novelty in american society and Red Riding Hood takes advantage of it.  the film was dark in many aspects, and when a small town is taken aback by murder, everyone is a suspect.  trust no one.  seyfried played her part extremely well, especially since she plays the innocent, wide-eyed girl her other films.  i appreciated the fact she branched out to expand her resume.  i can't say the same for her cast-mates. 

this movie is a good movie to watch once, and maybe once again 10 years down the road.  i give the film 2.5 stars out of 5.

Money Never Sleeps

money money money...Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps makes me care less about money and more about my family.  you would expect more from a movie starring shia labeouf and michael douglas.  while the movie accurately portrays investment bankers shorting share-holders and the very real possibility of government bailouts of wall street (hasn't that happened before....?) at the expense of the public, the acting job by douglas and labeouf made me sick to my stomach.  good thing i borrowed this from the public library, for free mind you, because i wouldn't spend a cent to see this movie.  shia  in Transformers would be a better stay-at-home date.

i give this film a 1.5 out of 5 stars.