Day 57: "You've gotta make me believe you belong up there!"

I have to admit to being somewhat of a closet fan of the Hollywood musical.  Not a full blown-gonzo-jazz-hands fan, but I do appreciate the good ones.  Burlesque doesn't fall into that category.  The music and the choreography were great, but the story, oh dear God, the story...let's just say it was a festival of every "person from the sticks goes to the big city to get famous" cliche that ever was written.  I think they actually managed to get all of them in there, I stopped counting when I hit 16 individual cliches (yes, I did count).  This was a textbook of the predictable.  This movie tried to be a mixture of Moulin Rouge, Cabaret (sans Nazis) with a large dollop of Coyote Ugly thrown in for no particular reason.  It was two full hours of fantastic song and dance routines broken up by a forty car pile-up of a story.  Beautifully shot, it had potential.  I was optimistic it might have been another Baz Luhrmann-esque gem, and the opening number showed promise, but then the story started and it all went to Hell.

The talented cast did a really good job with what they were given, which wasn't much script-wise.  Christina Aguilera sings her ass off in this, and, according to my wife, would have made a better Roxie Hart than Renee "Trout Mouth" Zellweger did in Chicago (I agree).  She actually shows an iota of acting talent, too.  It would be cool to see her in another role in, perhaps, a more "established" musical.  Cher and Stanley Tucci are really good as well, but the story is so bad that you have a really hard time believing characters that smart fell into that ridiculous set of circumstances.

If you are in the mood for a 120 minute music video, this might be for you.  If you enjoy the classic film musicals, and are hoping this is a modernized version of the genre, look elsewhere.  Might I recommend Oliver (my personal favorite), Damn Yankees, or The Wizard of Oz.  Seriously, you cannot go wrong with them.  5.5/10

I'm shooting to have tomorrow's blog up earlier.  This getting it in just under the 12:00 hour is killing me.  Just a reminder, pot luck from here on out, unless it's something in theaters or a AAA title I have been waiting to see.  See you tomorrow, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 56: "This is one of the worst days of their lives, how we feel doesn't even compare."

Up In the Air is a weird movie.  It was advertised as a kind of comedy, but watching it, it's much more a "dramedy."  Think Good Morning, Vietnam only a lot more on the dramatic side.  It has its funny moments, just a whole lot less than I remember from the trailers.  This doesn't make it a bad movie, not at all, but i went in with the mindset of laughing quite a bit, and was disappointed on that level.  Essentially, this is the story of a corporate severance expert (a guy brought in to fire people wholesale), and the life he is not leading, that he wants, deep down.  Yet another mid-life crisis movie, a la Sideways, with a corporate America twist and a lot less wine.  Honestly, I was bored.  I'm sure this movie appeals to some audience out there, but I'm not that audience.

A great cast, including George Clooney, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, Zach Galifinakis, and Danny McBride are very subdued in their performances, almost comatose.  Watching this was like watching one of those British Merchant Ivory dramas; very good acting in a very limited story.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did.  It was not a bad movie, it just wasn't for me. At all.  I'm guessing this is why Jane Austen stories doesn't appeal to me either.  That, and I'm a guy.  Not my bag, guys, sorry.  6/10.

I'm not going to commit to a specific movie for the next day from here on, I just don't know what mood I'll be in.  Unless it's a big, AAA title, it's going to be pot luck from here on out.  Sorry to those who enjoyed the advance knowledge, but it was getting to be a hassle, especially if I wound up not wanting to see what I picked.  Soooooo......see you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!!

Day 55: "Don't talk to me about money, I've got money. This is about principle."

Here we go again.  I loved the first Saw, LOVED it.  It was a fresh, original take on the horror genre that had not been seen before.  The next two come out, completing the story set up in the original.  Then the rest came, turning the franchise in to a Freddy and Jason affair.  The entire sub-genre of "Torture Porn" was born with Saw.  In Saw VI, the series has long since fully accepted that it will be nothing more than a torture and gore franchise, and revels in that knowledge.  I love horror movies, and this one, in terms of gore, does not disappoint.  Story-wise, however, I really think this series has run its course.  The filmmakers decided to use this story as a thinly veiled attack on the health care industry.  Go with whats topical I guess.  End it before it degrades into Abbott and Costello Meet Jigsaw.  This is not the best in the franchise, but it definitely not the worst.  The cool thing about Saw is that we all know who Jigsaw is, he was even dead and committed horrific acts, but we still want to see what's next in his sick bag of games.

Costas Mandylor does a good job, continuing the carnage as the new incarnation of Jigsaw.  Tobin Bell revisits his ongoing role as the original Jigsaw through flashbacks, hallucinations and onscreen video segments.  Three movies removed from being alive, his presence is still creepy as hell.

My main concern with the movie is, and has been since the fourth installment, that Jigsaw was showing people the error of their ways and teaching his players the value of their lives.  The lesson was that they were unappreciative of what they had, and he taught them otherwise, with potentially lethal results.  The latest bunch seems to just be giving "sinners" their just desserts for past moral and personal indiscretions.  As a horror film though, i did kind of have fun.  Call it a guilty pleasure.  6.75/10.

Tomorrow's movie: I'm going with pot luck again.  I really can't decide what I want to see.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 54: "I just wondered, why, in Hamlet 1, everybody has to die? It's such a downer."

Hamlet 2.  I actually had some hope for this one.  Steve Coogan is a really funny guy, it's a pity when he picks up a stinker like this.  The movie wants to pick up on the whole South Park, rude humor vibe (it was written by Pam Brady, a former partner of Trey Parker and Matt Stone), but can't catch it.  I'm all for parody and satire, this is just a disaster on wheels.  An awful actor turned teacher involved with a psycho bitch motivated by her obsession with getting pregnant decides to write a sequel to the titular classic.  A time-travel-musical sequel.  Really.  It's honestly just downhill from there. 

The less said about this, the better.  Also, I just can't think of anything more to say other than: I cannot wait for more of the great looking, award winning movies from last year to get released, I'm starting to run really low on anything quality.  2.5/10

Tomorrow's movie: In the mood for some gore.  Tobin Bell and Costas Mandylor in Saw VI.  Why yes, I would like to play your game, sir.  Again.

Day 53: "I am irked, and that will not do"

It's really weird watching a Disney movie that involves something so un-Disney-like as genetic manipulation.  Granted, it's just a minor plot device, but hey, bizarre nonetheless.  Bolt is basically the story of a movie star dog who believes himself to ACTUALLY have the powers he has on-screen.  From this premise, we begin our story.  Not a bad movie as far as Disney is concerned, but far from their best.  Unfortunately, they did rip off Warner Brothers for a few of the supporting characters (specifically the Goodfeathers), and the story itself is uninspired.  I wanted to like this a lot more than I did, but just could not keep my interest for more than a couple of minutes.  The animation was even average, it really doesn't add anything to the genre as an art form.

The cast was a bit uninspired as well.  Miley Cyrus continues to ply her saccharine Disney Channel acting techniques to expected results: an uninspired, crazily overacted heroine.  John Travolta is really not a good fit for voice over acting, as his performance is a bit flat.  I mean, this is the guy who played Vincent Vega to perfection, and he's relegated to a white bread, boring hero.  No wonder he came across flat.

Not necessarily a disappointment, as I wasn't expecting much to begin with, but definitely not up to scratch for a Disney production.  Thank goodness they redeemed themselves with Tangled.  5/10.

Tomorrow's movie: Steve Coogan and Elisabeth Shue as Elisabeth Shue in Hamlet 2.  I'm beginning to run low on what I've got on hand people, gonna start soliciting you for suggestions, so let me know your thoughts!  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 52: "You sure I can't talk you outta this?"

Truer words than today's quote have never been spoken.  Since today was a pot luck day, I decided to take a stroll into the past to see the 1974 disasterpiece Earthquake.  What can I say, I'm a sucker for cheesy, disaster epics.  I really wish I'd picked something else to DVR.  Released during the "Golden Age" of the Hollywood disaster era (the 70's had it all, from The Towering Inferno  and The China Syndrome, to The Poseidon Adventure and Avalanche), it fulfilled the requirements of the day: huge star-studded ensemble cast, disaster of epic proportions, and total lack of quality control.  At 124 minutes long, the titular seismic event doesn't occur until 72 minutes in.  That means that for 1 hour and 12 minutes I had to endure the most contrived, shallow attempts to develop characters and set up some semblance of a story.  I literally nodded off for about 10 minutes and was really mad when I told myself I would have to rewind and watch what I missed, which wasn't a lot.  The effects were OK for 1974, but other disaster films were better.

As for the actors, well lets just say most of them had seen better days by then.  Charlton Heston, Eva Gardner, Lorne Greene (really, Adama?), George Kennedy, Genvieve Bujold, Walter Matthau (a cameo, seriously, just a cameo), Richard Roundtree, and a very young Victoria Principal all collected a paycheck for this.  Shame on all of you.  This was nothing more than the actors going, "Really, I'm going to get paid?!?  For this?!?"

If you are in the mood for a retro-disaster movie that inspired some of the crap disaster movies that have come out in recent (read: the last 15 years) years, watch something else.  Watch Airport, watch The China Syndrome, watch Gene Hackman in The Posiedon Adventure, hell, watch The Swarm.  Just don't watch Earthquake.  It makes me wish California would have fallen away from the rest of the U.S.A.  1.5/10.

Tomorrow's movie: Bolt.  Man, I really wish Miley Cyrus wasn't in this.  Words cannot express the length
and breadth of my loathing for that particular human being.  Oh well, watching 365 movies, it was inevitable.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 51: "She provides for me, my city does."

The next 300.  The next Sin City.  I'm sure that's what comic book legend Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Returns, Daredevil) was looking forward to hearing about his directorial debut.  Yeah, I love you Frank, but no, this was a terrible modern adaptation of a classic comic book series.  Over-stylized to the nth degree, Miller obviously thought the Sin City format would translate just as well here.  It didn't.  The writing is too much in the comic book fashion, and  nowhere near what a coherent film script should read like.  The original comic, created by another icon, Will Eisner, was the simple story of a slain policeman's return from the dead as an above the laws of nature vigilante.  Miller has concocted an over-indulgent fantasy surrounding the original mythos that is nearly unwatchable.

The ensemble cast is headed by Samuel L. Jackson, so completely over-the-top that it makes his cop from Snakes on a Plane seem completely reasonable and level-headed.  Actually, the entire cast is given free reign to go crazy with their parts, and it's a total mess.  Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes, Eric Balfour, they all go undirected.  Gabriel Macht's performance as The Spirit is played so straight, it's unintentionally funny.  Like a tasteless joke.

Unfortunately, this movie oozes awful.  Sorry Frank, go back to what you are the master of already.  I hate to see you do this to yourself.  actually, the best part of the movie was watching the closing credits, as Mr. Miller provided the illustration himself.  As comic book movies go, definitely a bottom feeder.  3.5/10

Tomorrow's movie: POT LUCK!!!  Haven't done that in a while, so here's hoping!  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 50: "They bring it in, they hunt it, they kill it. In that order"

Predators.  Hollywood's latest attempt to cash in on the "watch self-proclaimed badasses get wiped off the face of the planet" genre.  The Predator franchise started off so well back in 1987, and has, unfortunately, after two sequels (including this one) and two Alien tie-ins, never been able to revisit the initial quality or popularity of the first film.  Pity though, because the Predators themselves are great movie monsters and badasses in their own right.  This iteration of the series pits a group of humans against a trio of monsters, again, but this time the battle is on the Predators' turf.  Apparently, they have their own game preserve planet, and like to cheat.  So much for their early sense of combat honor.  Like this movie, the band of "heroes" is a very bland group of cliche military and civilian toughs, with a couple minor surprises thrown in.  An average action film, at best, there are no real "big-bada-boom" moments, and the action is fairly subdued.  There is one small bright spot in the action where blades collide.  That was pretty cool, but otherwise, this is a paint-by-numbers actioner.

A surprisingly talented cast does what they can with the script given, but even they cannot save this movie from itself.  I really had a tough time wrapping my brain around Adrien Brody as the Arnold-esque hero, but he was actually OK.  Appearances by Lawrence Fishburne, Danny Trejo, and Topher Grace (Foreman? Really?) don't add much to the story either, sorry guys.

Not surprisingly, this is a mediocre movie.  If you are in the mood for a Predator movie, do yourself a favor and just watch the original.  It was a much, much better movie.  I was quite shocked to find out that this was a Robert Rodriguez produced affair, I expect much better from him.  6/10

Tomorrow's movie: One of my favorite comic book writers and artists takes a crack at directing one of his favorite comic books.  Frank Miller directs The Spirit.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 49: "Defecation flows trippingly from the tongue."

There's a new movie in my overall top five.  Tom Hooper's The King's Speech is a brilliant biopic/character study of a man who was seen by some as unfit to wear the crown.  The story revolves around the rise of King George VI's troubled rise to the throne, and every obstacle, both personal and public, that he had to overcome.  I was under the impression was going to be about one man's struggles with his horrendous stammer, but the stammer was just a symptom of the King's own past.  The relationship that forms between King and therapist, in a time when therapy was in its infancy, was amazing to watch.  From patient to confidant to friend, each step is laid bare for the audience to see.  The King's Speech was absolutely the best movie I have seen in the past year (sorry Black Swan, there's a new king of the hill).  Everything about this movie trumpeted filmmaking perfection.  I am not normally a fan of heavy drama, but this movie was astounding in it's capacity to move me.  There are not enough positive words in the English language for me to heap enough praise upon this film.

On to the acting.  There were no bad or even sub-par performances here.  Colin Firth's performance was awesome (in the correct use of the word).  His portrayal broadcast every emotional high and low King George VI went through in acute detail that was a joy to watch.  To be perfectly blunt, Geoffrey Rush was robbed at the Oscars. Sorry Christian Bale, your acting in The Fighter couldn't hold a candle to Rush as Lionel Logue.  The on-screen chemistry between Firth and Rush was something I have not had seen in many, many years; it was that powerful.  Not being much of a Helena Bonham Carter fan, it was wonderful to see her play a "normal" role.  We all know she can do the Bellatrix LeStranges and Marla Singers of the acting world, but pulling off a subtly acted, convincing Queen Mother?  Bravo.  Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill and Jennifer Ehle as Myrtle Logue round out the magnificent cast.

I will be getting this into my permanent library as soon as possible.  This is storytelling at it's highest plateau.  Put this in your queues, buy it, do whatever you have to do to see this movie.  It is brilliant and you will do yourself a great disservice by passing this up.  It doesn't happen often enough, but the Academy's 2010's Best Picture was spot on. SEE.  THIS.  MOVIE.  10/10

Tomorrow's movie: will inevitably be a letdown from today's euphoric event, but I'm going to go with Predators.  Why the hell not?  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 48: "We are here! we are here! We are here!"

I was unsure how to feel about Horton Hears A Who.  The last Dr. Seuss movie I saw was made live action and was a complete disappointment (Grinch).  I have to say that Horton channels the essence of what Dr. Seuss always represented to me, fun, imagination, and whimsy, all topped with a life lesson.  Fun from start to end,  Horton brings the imagination of Dr. Seuss to life.  The computer animation is beautiful and captures the imaginative world perfectly.  The story moves along very well, addressing such ideas as faith and determination in such a way as to make them accessible to all ages without slamming those ideas down our throats. 

The casting was spot on.  Jim Carrey as Horton, Steve Carrell ad the Mayor of Whoville, and Carol Burnett as Sour Kangaroo were wonderful.  Carrey and Carrell performances in particular had me picturing them in the studio using their prodigious physical talents to aid in their voice overs.  It was very refreshing to hear Carrey back in his natural, comedic, goofball element, just letting loose.  Many others' talents were on display here as well: Seth Rogen, Ilsa Fisher, Will Arnett, and Jonah Hill, to name just some.  Every performance added to the magic of this movie.

As you might have guessed, I really liked this movie.  It's not often that an adapted movie can hold a candle to its source material, but Horton does a fantastic job of this. Kids and adults will be laughing through this one, so watch it with the family,  it's just plain fun. 7.75/10.

Tomorrow's movie: Captain Barbossa and Colin Firth in The King's Speech.  I've been wanting to see this since the Oscars.  I'm hoping it lives up to the expectations.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 47: "In any war there's collateral damage, you know that!"

What can I say about Punisher: Warzone?  Ummmmm, how about gratuitous, unadulterated, over-the-top, comic book violence.  I mean violence like your mother was always trying to keep you away from.  The filmmakers obviously were reading the Punisher series set in the Marvel Knights universe, not the plain old garden variety sociopath from the days of his guest appearances in Daredevil.  The film revels in every comic book cliche available to it.  The mobsters are very Italian, their henchmen are very street gang, and the police are either clueless or, shall I say, "over-enthusiastic."  Believe it or not, this is what a comic book movie looks like when very few liberties are taken with the canon.  Frank Castle is appropriately humorless in his quest, unfortunately coming off as very unlikeable and hard to root for.

The actors do a good job with the roles they have, going sufficently overboard when the scene calls for it.  Dominic West is a perfect example, playing Jigsaw to a tee.  Full blown whackaloon one minute, and homicidally calm the next, he does a great job in the role.  The bad guys are actually a lot more interesting than Castle, which is a shame, because I loves me the Punisher.

This movie is a bit uncomfortable to watch because of the violence, but overall it was a decent adaptation of the darker Punisher comics.  6.5/10

Tomorrow's movie: Jim Carrey and Steve Carell in the Dr. Seuss classic Horton Hears A Who.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 46: "Searched you pretty darn good, didn't they?"

Jonah Hex.  Craptastic comic book movie.  As a friend of mine put it, "underwhelming."  I like Josh Brolin, but dude, seriously, say no once in a while.  Megan "Toethumbs" Fox, stop trying so damn hard to be sexy, it comes off as stupid.  John Malkovich, shame on you.  Ghost Rider was better, but not by a whole lot.  Its only saving grace was that it was short, 81 minutes to be exact.  Phone Booth was longer, and more importantly better.  A B-grade comic made into a D-grade movie, I should have known better.  End of speech, I'll keep my review like the movie, short and bad. 3.5/10

Tomorrow's movie: Another comic book movie, based this time on one of my favorite comics: Punisher:Warzone.  I liked the first movie, but sequels (especially comic book sequels) tend to suck.  Oh well, they can't all be winners.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 45: "This is NOT a routine expedition!"

Wow.  Seriously, wow.  Land of the Lost shocked the hell out of me.  It was actually funny and best of all extremely enjoyable.  I had a lot of fun with this.  I was under the impression that Sid and Marty Krofft just signed off on this project in order to cash a paycheck, but they were actually the producers.  I am a big fan of the 1974 TV series, and I had just as much fun watching this now as I did then.  The quips that mock lines from the original theme song, to the ACTUAL theme song, to costuming continuity (Holly's costume was virtually identical to 1974 Holly's costume, at first), this was as much an homage as a parody.  On the down side, it was shot for 3D (*sigh*), and there was stuff flying at your face left, front, and center, but to be honest I was having too much of a good time to notice.  Chaka was turned into a bit of a drunk perv, but the Sleestak were just as "scary" as I remember.  Damn this was fun.

Will Ferrell and Danny McBride head up the cast here, and play off each other very well.  This is far from Will Ferrell's best work, but I would put it in his top 5.  I have to admit that the dinosaur "Grumpy" was one of the funniest characters on screen, and never said a word.  The main change with the characters is that they are not a family in this telling. 

I really do recommend this movie for a good time.  Believe me, I am as surprised as you probably are.  It's not art, but it was very fun.  Give it a rent at least, let me know what you think.  I may be full of crap, but I bet you will laugh out loud.  7.75/10

Tomorrow's movie: Josh Brolin in Jonah Hex.  Bracing for disappointment.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 44: "Let's get these aliens back to Base 9...not that it exists."

Another in a long line of non-Disney animated mediocrity, Planet 51 proudly carries the torch of its brethren.  It's not that it was a bad movie, it was just not great.  Graphically, it was astounding.  Gorgeous, colorful visuals that definitely helped to transport the audience to this world.  The story began with an interesting idea, but kind of broke apart upon its telling.  The U.S.A. has sent a survey to a previously thought, uninhabited world.  As it turns out, this world is occupied by aliens (well, natives) that have, apparently, paralleled our society up to the 1950's.  Including the music (exact Earth songs of the time period), culture, and, most amazingly, the paranoia.  This society seems to have watched every invasion movie, then incorporated the overbearing fear of said invasions, into their everyday lives.  It's like the "Red Scare" only on crack.  There are a few laughs, more for the kids than the adults, but they are there.  A whole lot of 50's sci-fi in jokes also make their way on screen that gave me a chuckle or two.

The cast is comprised of a group of Hollywood mainstays: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Justin Long, Jessica Biel, and Gary Oldman.  I love Gary Oldman, but I'm thinking that animation is not the best format for his talents.  I would not have known it was him if not for seeing his name in the credits.  Johnson goes very playful, and not at all the usual tough guy audiences are used to, and actually kind of pulls it off.

A very "blah" movie for me, but if you have kids, they will probably have a blast.  Worth a look if you have access to a high-def version, as I said, visually amazing.  Check it out if nothing else is on that night, but ultimately forgettable.  6.25/10

Tomorrow's movie: One of my favorite Saturday morning shows as a kid makes it's way to 2009, as Will Ferrell goes up against some CG dinosaurs in Land of the Lost.  I guess Sid and Marty Krofft needed the cash.  I can only hope for an H.R. Puffinstuff movie.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 43: "I'll kill you. I'll take the book."

With The Book of Eli, the Hughes brothers have made their best movie since From Hell.  Set in a post-apocalyptic world, this film shows what happens when humanity loses it's faith, but one man maintains his.  It's not often that a story about faith can keep my interest, they tend to be way too preachy for my tastes.  This movie extolls one man's conviction in his faith without delving into the self righteous, religious banter that tends to follow.  Ahh, the Bible.  Like alcohol, as Homer Simpson so eloquently once said, "The cause of and solution to all of life's problems."  This movie has the Bible portrayed as both a weapon and a victim.  The survivors of this particular holocaust blamed it for the war that had occurred, and the main antagonist wanted to use it to influence his subjects further into submission, using faith as his club.  An extremely violent picture, it never goes too far in it's portrayal of a dystopian future.  If I was to sum this story up in a sinlge phrase, it would be The Road Warrior with God at his back.

Denzel Washington does a fantastic job as Eli, portraying both humble and fierce almost within the same breath.  I believed that this was a man who would protect his faith at ALL costs.  Great job.  Gary Oldman plays yet another psychopathic mofo brilliantly.  Carnegie (Oldman) is the flip side of Eli's righteousness.  He is absolutely convinced, and willing to sacrifice everything, but in the most heinous, evil way imaginable.  It's like Stansfield (from Leon: The Professional) was reborn, only crazier.  Mila Kunis extends her range, yet again, in another breakout role as Eli's "disciple."

This is a story about faith put to it's utmost personal test.  How one man's pilgrimage to protect and spread his faith at the highest cost is still one of the most uplifting stories that can be told.  Put this one on your Netflix queue, I really liked this one a lot.  8.5/10.

Tomorrow's movie: The Rock and that Apple guy from the ads lend their voices to Planet 51.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 42: "Y'all hurt Ronnie, and nobody hurts Ronnie."

Observe and Report is one of those movies that just is a disappointment on every level.  Bad story, bad directing, bad acting, I could keep going, but you get the point.  This was billed as a comedy, but instead winds up being a really bad Taxi Driver knockoff (don't laugh, it plays out in a very similar way).  Way too violent and dark to be the kind of comedy it was billed as, O&R Just comes across as unpleasant and, for the most part, boring.  The story revolves around a mentally unstable mall security guard who has his turf challenged by the local police when a flasher decides to use the mall as his playground.  When I compared this to Taxi Driver, I wasn't kidding.  The main character is so unbalanced he is medicated, when he is turned away by both the woman and career he thinks he is in love with, he flat out snaps.  He is also extremely socially awkward and...oh, how we miss you Travis Bickle.  It was just not fun in any way.  Wait, I take that back, the skateboarder scene was fun, only because I work in a mall, and I hate those little bastards.

The cast, for the most part, tries their best with what they've got, but you can't polish a turd.  Seth Rogen channels his inner straight man for this, playing mall cop Ronnie Barnhardt as seriously as he can, which, I guess, could have been funny if there was anything remotely humorous around him.  Anna Faris, is, as usual, GOD AWFUL.  How this woman got a career acting is completely beyond my comprehension.  It's the same dumb blonde she always is, only, somehow worse.  Ray Liotta (as many of you already know) is one of my favorite actors, ever.  I was embarrassed for him when I was watching.  He really tries, but just can't pull the rabbit from the hat to save this movie.  Better luck next time, Ray.

Total garbage, start to finish.  Really, this made Paul Blart look like The Godfather.  another hour and a half of my life down the toilet. 2/10.  See something else, for your own sake.

Tomorrow's movie: Uuuuuummmmm......oh, OK.  The Book of Eli.  Why not.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 41: "You came to me to be strong, I made you the strongest."

In this day and age of the graphic novel and Manga translated movies, I was surprised to discover that The Warrior's Way was neither.  It has the same stylized look made popular in such movies as 300 and Sin City, but unfortunately, doesn't have all the charm of those.  Set in the late 1800's, a Japanese swordsman fails to fulfill his lifelong mission, subsequently, his clan now has him marked for death.  He escapes with the last of the rival clan, an infant girl, running all the way to a desert town in its own death throes.  I was expecting this to be a Cowboys vs. Ninjas slugfest throughout, but apparently this town is under the thumb of a corrupt military officer, who has more of a presence than the ninjas.  I will readily admit that the battle scenes are very well done, showing the audience that, without a doubt, our hero is the best damn swordsman to walk the Earth.  This movie appeard to me to be a combination of a highly stylized Yojimbo, mixed in with a splash of The Wild Bunch, Zatoichi for flavor, and a touch of Lone Wolf & Cub.  All of that awesome could have been....well, awesome, but winds up feeling muddled and confused in its tone.

The acting is sufficiently over the top to put it in the comic book genre.  Dong-Gun Jang is our silent badass hero, and the only actor to understate his performance.  Geoffrey rush is hysterical as the town drunk/rifleman.  Picture a less motivated, more drunk version of Captain Barbossa from the Pirates of the Carribean series.  Kate Bosworth is Daniel to Jang's Miyagi.  Danny Houston portrays, apparently with great relish, the supremely evil Colonel.  WOW is he bad (evil bad, not performance bad).

Disappointing to say the least, I expected more from Warrior's Way.  I don't know why I expected more, but it is what it is.  A decent popcorn muncher if you aren't in the mood for one of your favorites, but you won't regret not seeing this one.  6.5/10.

Tomorrow's movie:  I really wish I hadn't put in that this had to be for movies I haven't seen before, because I just watched the Blu-ray version of Back to the Future, and really want to review it here (one of my overall top 5 of all time).  Oh well, ces't la vie.  Guess I'll go with.....*thinking*...Seth Rogen in Observe and Report.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 40: "All you gotta remember is that everything will be OK."

127 Hours is a really interesting piece of concept filmmaking.  Based on the true story of Aron Ralston (James Franco), a mountaineer and all around outdoorsman, and his harrowing adventure when trapped alone in a canyon for, you gessed it, 127 hours.  Told in a documentary style, the camera follows Aron through every step of his ordeal.  Extremely well crafted, the movie goes back and forth between showing Aron from a point of relative safety, and through the lens of his own video camera, which throughout the movie becomes its own character, telling the tale from an impartial angle.  His video camera serves as both companion and confessional for Aron, giving the audience an occasionally, almost too, intrusive look into this man's pain and suffering.  Ultimately this is a movie about the strength of the human spirit when pushed to it's extreme limits of endurance.  We see this man go through so much, to come so close to surrender, but never cross the line completely, although the reasoning and logic is there. 

Roughly 90% of the film is James Franco alone on camera.  I was never a big fan of the man until I saw this.  His previous characters were, for the most part, essentially, two dimensional.  This role is a huge step for him.  I saw a man seriously engaged in portraying the loneliness of solitude and the despair of hopelessness.  His nomination for the Best Actor Oscar was a deserved one; not having seen Colin Firth's performance in The King's Speech yet, I really can't say whose was better.  I will say this: Franco's performance is going to take a lot to top.

I am surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did, and would recommend it.  Note though, it does get graphic, and I found myself (a horror and slasher movie fan) cringing in empathetic pain along with the main character.  This one slipped in under my radar, but I'm really glad I caught it before it faded from my memory.  8.5/10

Tomorrow's movie: It's cowboys versus ninjas in The Warrior's Way.  Looks like it could be corny, but what the hell, it could be fun.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 39: "In tyranny lies only failure."

Ridley Scott has done what few filmmakers before him have accomplished, a successful retelling of a classic legend.  Robin Hood does a wonderful job of telling us everything we didn't know about the famous outlaw's humble beginnings; historically inaccurate as they may be (longbows weren't used by the English until well after King Edward, sorry, geeked out for a second).  This is the best telling of Robin Hood since Errol Flynn had the mantle back in 1938.  A much darker, grittier and less romanticized telling, this was, by far, the most believable scenario for the birth of a hero.  There is so much going on behind the main story, this is almost a political thriller.  Scott shoots the battles in a very Gladiator-esque fashion, so much so that there were times I was hearing Hans Zimmer in the background.  The story does slow down in places, but picks right back up before the yawns kick in.  The characters for the most part are a bit on the shallow side, but have enough depth to identify with, which, honestly was one of my few problems.  There were too many personality anachronisms for these to be credible medieval characters.

Russell Crowe channels a large chunk of Maximus for his Robin, and it was nice to see him show a less serious side in the movie as well.  Cate Blanchett gave Lady Marion the most personality in this story.  Her portrayal is strong and subtle, showing how, I can only hope, a liberated woman of the day would have acted.  Max Von Sydow and William Hurt are also very good in their roles as Lords of the period.  Hurt does a great job as the senior advisor to the King who falls into disfavor.

I had a lot of fun with this.  Scott took every cliche that was involved with Robin Hood and ignored, or downplayed it.  What was left was the raw nugget of the birth of one of my favorite heroes.  As the movie ends, the legend begins. 8.25/10.

Tomorrow's movie: Harry Osborne in 127 Hours.  Go, rock climbing!!!!  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!! 

Day 38: "Beware of the oppressor! He's really...oppressive."

The third movie in the saga, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (whew) was a very entertaining chapter in this story.  It's got all the elements that a good fantasy movie needs.  I just wish that something wasn't missing.  I don't know what was missing, but what could have been a fantastic sword and sorcery story wound up being merely a vanilla, run-of-of-the-mill, family fantasy.  It's not a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it never stretched my imagination.  I have only read the first book, The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe, and really liked it.  When I saw the movie, though, I was underwhelmed by it.  Kind of the same feeling here, but without the joy of reading the novel.  The story moves well, the story is well written, the effects are beautiful and believable, but something is missing.  It's as if there was no real dramatic "omph", I didn't really care what happened to the characters.

The acting was, for lack of a better term, very British.  Low key, under-emphatic...British.  it was like someone told the actors,"look, you're British, so scale it back a bit."(thanks Eddie Izzard).  I wish the director had just wound them up and let them go, it could have been great.  Instead we get, unfortunately, a merely good fantasy piece.

One last question I have: what happened to Disney's involvement?  The first movie was good too, but it had a sense of style and, what appeared to be, commitment to the movie.  This one just felt like 20th Century Fox was going though the motions to finish this particular trilogy. Visually stunning, but the soul of the film is not there.  Fans of the books deserve better. 7/10.

Tomorrow's movie: Russell Crowe (yay) in another Ridley Scott film, Robin Hood.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!! 

Day 37: "I used to be somebody, but now I am sombody else."

Writer/director Scott Cooper's Crazy Heart is a marvelous character study of a country star whose life has been in a downward spiral for many years.  The story of "Bad" Blake opens with his lonely, pathetic life on the road and shows us the despair in his performances.  An old school legend on guitar, he attempts to smoke, drink and screw the pain out of his life.  Blake was responsible for the modern country stars that are currently touring, and getting rich and popular in the process.  We see the pain that this causes him, and how he tries to bury it.  This is a man trying to run away from the beast he is responsible for, but he cannot because the music is his one consistent love.  This movie guides the viewer through so many of this poor man's ups and downs (ok, more downs than ups) that you cannot help but develop an emotional connection to "Bad."  I really liked this movie a lot, and it is the best pure character study I have seen since 1997's Boogie Nights.  It is that good.

Now, anyone following this blog is well aware of my feelings towards Jeff Bridges.  He won the Academy Award for his performance of Blake, and it was well earned.  This character will live in the pantheon of iconic roles he has played throughout his career, including, but not limited to: The Dude, Kevin Flynn, Preston Tucker and Jack Prescott.  Hands down my favorite actor working today.  Maggie Gyllenhaal plays his inspiration in the movie, using her character to show what can drive a man to do amazing things with his life.  Robert Duvall and Colin Farrell have brief, but very strong and vibrant cameos as well.

I am in no way a country music fan, but this movie was a penetrating look into the life of a dysfunctional star and the amazing power that one person's influence can hold in that life. 9.25/10.

Tomorrow's movie: I'm gonna go pot luck again.  I'm thinning the DVD herd and picking up some new stuff, so I have no idea what's going to motivate me right now.  No hockey until the playoffs start later this week, so my blogs should be up a bit earlier for a while (please Flyers.....let this be your year).  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 36: "Your wedding can suck it!"

Take this for what it's worth, coming from a man, women are nuts.  Full-blown, over-the-top, ridiculously, in-effing-sane.  Bride Wars is a case study of this unfortunate phenomenon.  The story of two women, friends since childhood, who have dreamed of the perfect wedding, suddenly find themselves simultaneously engaged.  Let the games begin.  The downward spiral that these women slide down is mind-blowing.  Crazy insane is truly an understatement.  Speaking for the majority of my sex, when men compete, we will kill to win.  If we cannot win, we will harm those who are in the way.  Women, will make those who are in their way WISH they are dead, which is infinitely worse.  This story is the chronicle of wedding crazy.  It moves along, disaster to disaster, the two women making each others' life worse.  Having personally survived the plans for my own wedding, I know what can go wrong, without the complication of a competing friend. 

Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson are both really funny in their respective roles as competing brides and best friends.  Hudson does play evil much more convincingly than Hathaway, but they both do the bitch very well.    Unfortunately, the remainder of the cast seems to be in the movie for reaction shots of the crazy.  I, honestly have never seen a movie where I felt more sorry for the on-screen friends, than this. 

Not a bad movie by any stretch, just reeeaaallllyyy uncomfortable to watch.  I liked it, but, WOW, Jackass 1, 2, & 3D were easier to deal with on the "HOLY S**T!!! Did they really just do that?!?!" scale.  Word to the wise, non-females, never, ever, mess with a woman's wedding plans.  EVER!  6.5/10

Tomorrow's movie: what today's movie was supposed to be: Crazy Heart.  Jeff Bridges bromance continues. Power outages really suck.  Sorry about the confusion.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

**IMPORTANT CHANGE**

Due to a power outage, and power being restored at 9:56pm, I have to change today's movie to something shorter.  Bride Wars is the winner with a running time of 1:28.  Have it on right now, will post immediately following.  Crazy Heart will be back on track for tomorrow.  Sorry.

Day 35: "Sorry, I didn't know the proceedure for stopping a blitzed ten year old."

Push has to be the most uninspired, boring movie about superheroes, ever.  This is coming from a guy who has seen the original 1990 version of Captain America, and Dolph Lundgren's Punisher.  Any movie that has an extensive voice-over describing the workings of it's own particular universe, I have little faith in; strike one.  Lots and lots and lots of annoying, unnecessary herky-jerky jump cuts every ten to fifteen seconds in an attempt to falsely quicken the pace; strike two.  A weak, poorly executed story revolving around a rogue government agency rounding up the super-powered for their own insidious needs, which was done better in the Stephen King movie Firestarter (an indictment in itself); strike three, you're out.  Screaming Asians, psychokinetic twenty-somethings, drunk tween psychics, it's a Generation X X-Men gone horribly, boringly awry.  Just really bad filmmaking.

Chris Evans, playing another super-powered hero, doesn't really look that interested in this movie.  That's OK though, neither was I.  I kind of expected more form Dakota Fanning, to be honest.  She still has a lot of talent, but this is far from her best.  The only actor who appeard to care about his role was Djimon Hounsou as, of course, the primary antagonist.  This was just so far below his capabilities.  For some reason, the director (Paul McGuigan) seems to have told the actors to look bored and uninterested.  Yay, the world's first emo superhero movie....*sigh*

Sorry guys, I would have liked to recommend this as an alternative to the costumed hero movies, but I really can't.  I just had difficulty staying awake, let alone getting involved.  Zzzzzzzzzz. 3/10.

Tomorrow's movie: I'm really liking the pot luck thing, but I guess I'll commit to something.  Let the Jeff Bridges love fest continue: Crazy Heart it is.  It astounds me how many movies I have seen that I wanted to see that wound up being total crap.  I really used to like a lot more movies, is it that I'm old, or is the majority really this bad?  Man, I hope not. 

Day 34: "The site is up."

David Fincher's latest release, The Social Network is one of the best docudramas I have seen in a long while.  Essentially the history of Facebook and the controversies surrounding its meteoric rise, Fincher tells the story from a very personal perspective, that of co-founder Mark Zuckerberg.  The movie moves along two timelines, The "present," which occurs in lawyers' offices during Zuckerberg's legal woes, and the "past," the history of Facebook.  Unfortunately, there are almost no redeeming qualities to 99% of the main players.  Zuckerberg appears to want nothing more than public acceptance (almost every socially awkward nerd's holy grail), but falls in with the music industry's worst enemy, Napster founder, Sean Parker.  Really bad things happen at this point, and all humanity gets sucked out of EVERYONE.  My wife, one of 14 people still not on Facebook, has proclaimed that she now has yet another reason not to sign up.  I now surrender to her will.  The film is excellent and Fincher moves the story along very well.

The cast is fantastic.  Jesse Eisenberg does a great job as Zuckerberg (he nails him, judging from the news footage I have seen), and Justin Timberlake continues to improve his acting chops as resident douchebag, Sean Parker. 

I liked this movie a whole lot, and will eventually add this to the library.  The only thing I remain curious about is why the Winklevoss twins are such poor losers.  Granted, the info I have is from the movie, BUT, seriously you rich, over-privileged, Ivy League twits, Mark Zuckerberg was inspired by your idea (which you "stole" from MySpace), get over yourselves.  Great movie. 9/10

Tomorrow's movie: The Human Torch in Push.  Not high on my list, but I have not seen it, so there.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 33: "I'm madly in anger with you!"

When the makers of Some Kind of Monster went into Metallica's studio to film the process of making their next album, I'm sure they thought they were in for a pretty standard, making-of, experience.  There is NO way they could have known what they were getting themselves into or for how long.  This documentary was supposed to be the visual record of the making of Metallica's 2003 album St. Anger, nothing more.  After an astounding two years, they had on film a complete document of a behemoth of heavy metal's destruction and subsequent rebirth from it's own ashes.  On a personal note, I must admit to being an enormous Metallica fan since the summer of 1984 also having followed them on tour in the late '80's-early 90's in a very Grateful Dead way.  Their songs were very much the anthems of my life at that time.  When St. Anger was released, I was, to be blunt, highly pissed.  I felt it was so far below what they had already accomplished, I, most unfairly, viewed the album as a betrayal.  When Monster was released in 2006, I refused to go see it, still stinging from the album.  I did start to watch it a couple of years ago, but stopped after only about 20 minutes (a number many of my friends and family dispute), thoroughly disgusted by, what I viewed, the selling out and "pussification" of my heroes.

I recently decided that I needed to go back and give this documentary another try. I'm getting too old to hold any kind of misguided grudges, and I do really love the band and their music.  I am grateful that I did.  Some Kind of Monster is a magnificent inside look at the worst possible time for Metallica.  The loss of longtime bassist Jason Newsted, James Hetfield's battle with alcohol addiction, the pressures of creating a new album at half strength....all of this occurred within a two year period.  A lesser group of men would have broken.  From the beginning, they had brought in a group counselor.  I, very wrongly, saw this as weakness in a band that I had always viewed as one of the strongest ever.  It took real courage and strength to bring in an outsider, let alone allow those sessions to be filmed.  A very personal look into the lives and creative process of Metallica, it is both immensely depressing and inspiring.  When this movie finally did reach it's resolution, I was elated that these guys, this family, was back together; stronger than ever and ready to kick my ass when they took the stage.  Thank you, guys, for this peek, and I am the lesser man for EVER doubting your resolve and determination.

This is in no way a comedic, Spinal Tap view of the rock world.  it is a raw, harsh look at one band's rebirth from self-inflicted disaster. 9.25/10. 

Tomorrow's movie: The Social Network.  I always wondered how a zombie killer came to be the father of online social networking.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

P.S.-Sorry guys, St. Anger still sucks.  I tried, I really did.

Review scores for month #1

Hey all!  Just thought I'd put up a list of scores for everything so far.  All scores are out of ten:

Inception: 8
Love & Other Drugs: 4.5
Resident Evil: Afterlife: 4
Unstoppable: 9
The Next Three Days: 6
Splice: 7.75
I Spit On Your Grave: 3
Enchanted: 7
District 9: 9.25
The Town: 8
The Sorcerer's Apprentice: 4.5
Legion: 2
Surrogates: 8
Year One: 5.5
Did You Hear About the Morgans?: 4
Paul: 9.5
Children of Men: 8
Piranha 3D: 5
Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World: 9
Salt: 7
Skyline: 4
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps: 8.25
The Tourist: 5
The Men Who Stare At Goats: 7.75
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief: 6.25
Black Swan: 9.75  **PICK OF THE MONTH**
Tangled: 8.25
Bruno: 3
The Fighter: 9
Little Fockers: 1 **STINKER OF THE MONTH**
Yogi Bear: 3.5
Tron: Legacy: 9.5

There you have it, 32 movies down, my life still intact, my sanity stretched a bit, but time well spent.  I want to thank my wife, yet again, for dealing with this as well as she is.  I have subjected her to some real stinkers, but she still watches most of them with me!  Feel free to comment or message me if you have any questions, and thanks to all of you who are still reading, I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to listen to me rant!! 

Day 32: "...and then one day, something happened, something extraordinary."

I can honestly say that this is the longest I have waited for a sequel to come out.  When I saw Tron in the theater when I was a kid, I was blown away.  I couldn't wait to see if they would do another one.  Well, 28 years later, Disney has granted my wish.  Tron: Legacy is a more than worthy successor to its predecessor.  Seeing what the pinnacle of computer technology can produce now, after the seed was planted back in 1982...color me impressed.  The light cycles are light cycle-er, the Grid is much more than just a lifeless backdrop, the characters are just, better.  I freaking LOVED this movie.  The story picks up many years after the end of the first, showing what Kevin Flynn (now one of my all time favorite sci-fi cahracters) had accomplished as Encom's head.  He disappears, leaving his son, Sam, to pick up the pieces.  Sam receives a message from his father after 20 years, and goes looking for him.  Enter the Grid, begin the brilliance.  Tron: Legacy has, without a doubt, some of the best CGI images ever put on film, and the action rarely lets up.  Light cycles, so underused in the first movie, make a magnificent return, along with several other modes of "light" transportation.  This movie accomplishes everything, technologically, that the original strove for, and surpasses it on almost every level.

Most of the cast from the original film return for this outing.  Jeff Bridges is back as Flynn.  The most common complaint I heard about his performance, was that he was "just replaying The Dude."  News flash people: Kevin Flynn was one of the roles Jeff Bridges based The Dude on.  Flynn was around for 16 years before The Dude.  Bruce Boxleitner returns as Alan Bradley, now COO of Encom (go nerds!).  Newcomer Garrett Hedlund is Flynn's son Sam, and one of my favorite doctors, Olivia Wilde, is the rogue program Quorra, a badass in her own right.

I am usually very leery of sequels to my favorite movies, but Tron: Legacy was brilliant.  I had so much fun watching this movie, it was like being that kid in 1982 all over again.  If you have the means, I highly recommend this on Blu-ray.  High definition is definitely the way to watch this.  I know it was shown in theaters in 3D *shudder* but it stands up very well as a plain ol' 2D movie.  Grab the popcorn, sit back and enjoy! 9.5/10.

Tomorrow's movie: Some Kind Of Monster.  I hear this makes Spinal Tap look tame.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 31: "Too much razzle!!"

The best thing I can say about Yogi Bear is that if you have kids, they'll probably enjoy it.  This live action interpretation of the 1960's Hanna-Barbera cartoon leaves a lot to be desired for an adult fan of Yogi and Boo-Boo.  This is a kids movie through and through, attempting to convey the physical humor of Yogi's petty thefts of "pick-a-nick" baskets, ultimately falling short.  It's almost as if the director (Eric Brevig) wanted to apply the actual laws of physics to a cartoon character's exploits.  Some things just don't translate from their native forms.  This is a perfect example.  The use of 3D in this movie is very much a gimmick, throwing everything they can get their hands on at the viewer.  Have I mentioned how much I HATE 3D?  I cannot wait for this cycle of the fad to run its course and DIE.  The obvious, simplistic life lessons are, well, obvious and simplistic.  A smart kid may even be insulted by how obvious they are.

Dan Ackroyd plays a very Ed Norton (The Honeymooners character, not the actor) Yogi, while Justin Timberlake does a pretty good Boo-Boo.  Tom Cavanagh is Ranger Smith, and Anna Faris is his love interest.  Everyone else stayed away.  Seriously, there aren't any cameos to make this remotely interesting for people over the age of seven.  Cartoon characters, especially supporting ones in the Hanna-Barbera universe, are supposed to be uni-dimensional cutouts, real people are not.

A good movie to babysit the kids for ninety minutes (joking), but that's about it.  If you are a Yogi fan, stay away.  I can only pray that there is not an El Kabong movie somewhere in pre-production.  Having now thought about it, the best thing I can say about this movie is that at least it's not Little Fockers.  3.5/10.

Tomorrow's movie: a light at the end of the tunnel: Tron:Legacy.  I've been waiting for this since 1983 when I left the theater after seeing the original Tron.  Actually buying this one on Blu-ray blind; that's how much faith I've got in it.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

P.S.-I'm going to double post tomorrow.  I figure a complete list of the movies I've seen over the first month and their scores is in order.

Day 30: "No, that's not great."

Little Fockers.  Total piece of crap. Everyone involved should be ashamed of themselves.  I didn't even smile once.  Completely unfunny, unoriginal, formulaic, and just plain awful.  I'll never see that hour and a half of my life again.  Avoid at all costs.  The less said, the better.  1/10.

Tomorrow's movie:   Let the torture continue; Yogi Bear.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!  Not this one, for God's sake.

Day 29: "I'm sick of being a disappointment."

The Fighter, David O. Russell's biopic about the rise of underdog, underprivileged, and ultimately underestimated welterweight boxer Micky Ward is an amazing showcase of storytelling.  The obstacles that Micky had to overcome to get any sniff at a successful career would make Rocky Balboa cringe.  His Dysfunctional (that is not a typo, by the way) family does more to cripple this guy's life than any possible outside influence.  Seriously, they are a train wreck with 22 legs (mom, dad, brother and 7, yes 7, sisters), a misguided posse with a grudge against anyone not "blood."  His brother, Dicky, is a washed up former boxer who has turned to crack in an attempt to keep his past glory alive.  This movie shows the resolve of one man to put his life right and keep his family from killing one and other in the process.  Throw in a very strong love interest, Charlene, and this story absolutely tells itself.

The true strength of this movie is in the performances.  Mark Wahlberg continues to improve, role by role, as an actor.  He showed a spark of something in Boogie Nights (a personal favorite) and The Fighter is his best work to date.  Christian Bale won the Academy Award for his supporting role of Dicky, and it was well deserved.  He is quickly becoming one of the most versatile actors working today; not bad for someone who almost gave up the craft after Empire of the Sun (his first, and my favorite, role).  Amy Adams and Melissa Leo play the dual sides of Micky's love interests.  Adams is phenomenal as Charlene, Micky's strong, stubborn girlfriend, and Leo plays Micky's controlling, narcissistic mother.  Leo won the Oscar for her performance, but I maintain that Adam's performance was stronger.

This movie could have fallen into the cookie cutter mold of most other underdog sports films, but it is a very different, amazing beast.  I usually balk when the words "based on a true story" pop up on screen, but this was a story of one man's determination truly overcoming his vast misfortune.  One for the queue at least; definitely going in my library.  9/10

Tomorrow's movie: The latest, and hopefully last, chapter in the Stiller triogy: Little Fockers.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!

Day 28: "It was worse than cancer."

It's movies like Bruno that make me wonder if comedy is going down the toilet or if I'm just getting old.  To quote Sting: "It's probably me."  I'm a huge fan of Sacha Baron Cohen.  Jean Girard, Borat Sagdiyev, Bruno and Ali G are hysterical characters.  In the case of the movie Bruno, however, it felt like Cohen was just running without any kind of mental filter.  I am by no means a "comedy prude," avant-garde comedy is a personal favorite; the Jackass series, Borat, and Fight Club just to name a few.  But to me Bruno pushed the boundaries past what, even I, would consider bad taste.  Attempted surprise sex with a former U.S. presidential candidate, instigating a near riot at an extreme fighting venue.....nothing was off limits.  The main character proclaimed, as he entered the U.S. in search of celebrity, "I was going to be the biggest Austrian superstar since Hitler."  Wow.  Maybe I am just getting old and cranky. 

The less I say about this, the better. A scant couple of chuckles from me and that was it.  How this movie managed to offend ME, just blows my mind, so I have to give it some props for that alone.  3/10.  Borat blew this away.  What a waste.

Tomorrow's movie:   I'm going to give pot luck another shot, just because I can't commit right now.  See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!