Sleazy "A"

Easy A should be renamed "Sleazy A".  Emma Stone stayed in character throughout the entire film, yet at the same time I am glad I didn't spend a penny on the film.  Good thing it was a loaner from the library.


Although the movie tried to depict a hodge-podge of cheesy '80s flicks with all of its innuendo and the Scarlet Letter, it did more damage than good.  I have no idea why in the world IMDB gave the film 7.1 stars out of 10.  To me, I understand the film was about not judging another person for their actions and still be friends with our friends no matter what the circumstances call for.  But I almost get the feeling the film is mocking social behaviors and the lessons Nathaniel Hawthorne was trying to convey when he wrote his book. 

Gossip is a horrible way to end a friend's good reputation.  No one will know the truth of what happened, except the parties involved with the gossiping - meaning the person who started the rumor, and the people stated in the rumors.  In society today, gossiping is easy.  There are a myriad of ways to begin a lie.  There's text messages, Facebook, blogs, emails, simple phone calls.  Director Will Gluck passionately got that point across.  The hardest part in life is undoing a lie.  Life is better, and easier, once you've told the truth...even if no one believes in you. 

I can do without all the sex innuendos, the teen parties, and the language in this film.  The idea was noble, the presentation was not.  I give this film 1.5 stars out of 5.

Never Too Old to Be Dangerous

Guest critique, and a wonderful friend, Casey R. Weber has agreed to write this review.  I figured he'd want to have some fun before (hold your applause please) he embarks on his new journey, the accelerated Masters and Teaching Credential program at the Calif. State University - Northridge.  G'luck matey.  The program is 18 months long and he has taken on 23 credit hours!  Now you can applause :)  Here's to Casey!

 

 

Bruce Willis, who performs as Frank Moses in "RED," has fulfilled the expectations of a modern-day action hero: tough, quick-witted, pre-determined, ultra-cool, and maybe even bald.  In the past, we focused on one-liners whereas today we concentrate on multiple lines that tickle us pink.  Thus, since the 80s, the experimentation of an ideal "action hero" continues to evolve.

In today's society, we accept that the retirement age has increased (though it's not universally accepted).  Moses, a former black-ops CIA agent, is a retiree to experiment with the idea of a simple life.  In actuality, he can't handle the pressure of sitting for a minute to relax.  So in essence, he requires some stimulation to explore the excitement to live up to the status of his operation name, RED, which stands for "Retired: Extremely Dangerous."  Although as humorous the acronym sounds, Moses proves that regardless of his age, he has the potential to compete against the general competition of CIA agents.  

Throughout the movie, Moses flirts with the young woman, Sarah Ross (acted by Mary-Louise Parker), who handles Moses' pension checks.  He realizes that the excitement will never dwindle, so he ends up getting into trouble with the crooks who work with the government--but of course, he did nothing wrong.  He meets with his old pals, Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman), Victoria (Helen Mirren), and Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich) along the course of the adventure.  I have to admit, I found Malkovich to be the funniest.  For some odd reason, he has these ridiculous facial expressions and body language that got me chuckling.

Perhaps most disappointing about the film is the excessive use of force that is deemed less relevant to the account of today's society.  For instance, how is it possible to be exceedingly knowledgeable considering the circumstances of the CIA vet's situation?  And even at his retirement age, how is it that he is more than capable calmly stepping out of the spinning car then shooting his rival whereas when they meet again, he gets his butt kicked like everybody else?  I feared that the idea of consistency came to question.

However, the movie gave me an analytical thought: back then, we see the retirees finish with their careers then watch their grandchildren grow, sit on the porches to enjoy the sunrise/sunset, and even traveling on a cruise.  Today, we feel the drive to accomplish something we've always wanted to do.  Michael Jordan said he came out of retirement to "scratch the itch" he had been carrying since retirement.  Lance Armstrong wanted to promote cancer awareness.  Steve Jobs came back because he had countless ideas to make cool gadgets.  In sum, like Moses, we may become retired, but we'll want to come back to something we truly enjoy.

Since the movie gave me some insights about the aforementioned aspects of life, I've become somewhat biased neither to appreciate nor groan in disgust.  I'd say the movie did capture my eye, but not in its entirety.  It did, however, give me an idea that you're never too old to be dangerous (or even achieve, for that matter).  

I'd rate this film 3 stars.

Repenting for the Unknown Deed

Throughout life, each of us make choices on whatever path we are on.  Life would be simple if we could choose between one fork in the road.  However, as we know, life is not that simple.  We make choices, which leads to more choices, and yet more choices.  Sometimes, we have to make decisions based on survival, hiding from archaic predators.  Such was the life for Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) who finds himself lost, in Germany.  After a near fatal car crash which left Dr. Harris in a coma for four days, he discovers that his wife has left him for a man who assumes his identity. 

Now, the question implied in the title of this blog, is it possible that we can repent for doing the ungodly, devilish deed if we don't know who we are and even what we are?  We start to make choices to survive and choices for self-understanding.  I have never heard of director Jaume Collet-Serra and couldn't even guess if the director is male or female based on the name alone.  After googling the director, I've learned that Jaume is a he.  I almost thought the title of the film Unknown was perfect for the director, the story-line and the choices the character displayed.

After learning who we are, and what past deeds we've committed, both positive and negative, arises a very important question for self-reflection.  After realizing the wrong we've done, are we brave enough to repent and provide restitution for our actions?  Brave enough to sacrifice even our very own life to save another's? 


Unknown was given an average rating by many critics.  However, I thought the intention of the film was phenomenal.  The film seems like a short-take of the Bourne series, which may have contributed to a dis-satisfactory rating.  I thought the acting could be improved.  Liam Neeson and Diane Kruger (Gina) displayed AAA grade acting, yet the supporting cast was marginal. 

The film was very entertaining and caused me to think, and reflect upon my own actions.  I give this film 3 out of 5 stars.

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.