World's Greatest Dad - a strange comedy-ish drama

The only reason I rented World's Greatest Dad is because I read that it was getting great reviews. I didn't actually read any of the reviews, I just read that it was getting good ones. And I have to say, if being a different gets you good reviews, well, then it deserved them.

WGD is a dark comedy starring Robin Williams. He plays Lance Clayton. A man who dreams of being a rich and famous writer, but has only managed to make it as a high school poetry teacher. His only son Kyle is an insufferable jackass who is really a total douche bag who hates music and likes scheisse porn. Then, in the wake of a freak accident, Lance suffers the worst tragedy of his life, but he ends up turning it into the greatest opportunity of his life. He is suddenly faced with the possibility of all the fame, fortune and popularity he ever dreamed of. However, he begins to face the dilemma of facing the reality of how he got it all.

While this movie has it's moments, it really isn't all that good. There are some very uncomfortable situations, and I felt like I just spent the whole movie waiting for something bad to happen. And while we are one the "whole movie," I found my self checking the run time of the movie just to see how much longer I had. Now, I'm not a huge black comedy fan, but I can also appreciate the irony and art behind them. This one was just more of a drama told in kind of comedic tone with dark subject matter.

I can honestly say, that while I didn't hate this movie, I don' t think I feel comfortable recommending this to most people. Unless you are a huge Robin Williams fan, you can probably just save you time and money on this one.

Terminator Salvation - Not like the other Terminators

Terminator Salvation is not really a "Terminator" movie like the previous 3 were. There isn't a battle between 2 Terminators or one Terminator versus the rest of the world or anything like that. Terminator Salvation is basically just a bad ass action movie with Skynet, the creators of the Terminators as we know them, as the bad guys, set in the future, with the Terminator mythology as a back drop/driving force. So don't go into this one expecting to see an Arnold like machine kicking the crap out of humans, because you'll be disappointed. At least to a certain extent...don't want to give too much away to those of you who don't know anything about this current installment of the Terminator franchise. If you go in expecting to see a really cool sort of sci fi action flick, then you'll really enjoy this movie. Even the harshest critic I know, my roommate Timmy, liked it. And that's saying something.

Salvation takes place in post-apocalyptic 2018. Bad ass John Connor (played by Christian Bale) is a grown man, fighting with the Resistance against Skynet and its army of various types of machines. He is not the leader of the Resistance...yet, but is believed by most to be a prophet of some sorts because of his knowledge of the future. His certainty about the future changes when he meets Marcus Wright (played by the new it guy Sam Worthington - see Avatar, and Clash of the Titans) who is not who he seems or even who he thinks he is. Connor is in a battle with Skynet to save humanity and with the Resistance leaders to save his future. Wright is in a battle to find out who and why he is, and to figure out what is right and wrong.

The movie is basically one mind blowing action sequence after another. It is filmed in a sort of washed out style similar to, but not as extreme as Minority Report with Tom Cruise. If I had to give it a few knocks, I would say for one, the showing of the name of the director, McG, is the most egotistical, ridiculous things I've ever seen. Just pay attention at the beginning and you'll see what I'm talking about. There's a couple of completely unnecessary and/or over the top explosions, however they just add to the visual fun of the movie. And the last thing is that, for the Terminator purists, its not really like any of the others before it. One maybe positive, maybe negative, depending on your point of view is that it is not nearly the mind f@# that the others can be.

This movie is really entertaining. It has its flaws, and isn't going to be winning any awards or anything, but I enjoyed the hell out of it. And like I've said all along, the point of watching a movie is to be entertained. It's a sci fi movie, so of course you're going to be like "Yeah, right!" But that's part of the fun of watching movies. I recommend this to anyone who likes lots of action and anyone who just like to have a fun, mindless 2 hours.

Paper Heart - different and heartwarming

Paper Heart is a "love" story. It is a movie that follows the main character as she is making a documentary about love. It is a movie about a fake documentary. If that makes any sense. It follows Nick and Charlyne (the Asian stoner girlfriend from Knocked Up) as they embark on a quest across America to make a documentary to document what exactly "love" is. Along the way they interview real ministers, happily married couples, chemists, romance novelists, divorce lawyers, a group of children and more to determine the definition and perhaps even experience the mysterious emotion of love. Eventually, Michael Cera, playing himself, becomes the object of her affection. And the movie goes from being just a documentary about what love really is, to also documenting the makings of a loving relationship. It weaves together reality and fantasy, and as I said earlier, it combines elements of documentary and traditional storytelling to get at modern romance.

The movie is filmed documentary style with a handheld camera which gives it a real feeling. Kind of like you are there. And since the actors are playing "themselves" you feel like you actually get to know what Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera are like in real life.

The reason indie films are indie films are because they are not made to make the "general audience" happy. They are made to make a certain type of audience happy. Sometimes that certain type is a very small type and sometimes its more broad. This one I think appeals to a more broad audience. It is a documentary about love. You hear many opinions about love. So if you like documentaries, I think you will like that aspect of the story. If you like love stories, you will like that aspect. If you like both, you will definitely like this story. But be forewarned, there isn't a lot of action, mostly interviews with people about love, and watching two awkward young people fall in love. There isn't a ton of humor or some huge falling out or dramatic entrances and exits. It is a real story or at least feels that way. Real life doesn't have an overly handsome cad confessing his love to an overly beautiful girl in the middle of a crowded room interrupting some totally important event, and this movie doesn't have that. It is a happy movie, with happy parts but some sad ones too. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, but if you are one that needs to be constantly stimulated by some crazy, zany action to enjoy a movie, then you won't like this one. If you like to see something different every once in a while, then you will really like this one, and walk away with a smile on your face.

Angels and Demons - Better than The DaVinci Code, but still not up to the book (obviously)

Like The DaVinci Code, Angels and Demons could never live up to the phenomenon that was the book. Both of those books were absolutely spell binding, mind racing, thrillers. They honestly were some of the best books that I had ever read. Like most books, movies based on them just aren't as good. That's not a knock against the filmmakers. It's just damn near impossible to make a movie as good as a book that the readers read with their own imagination. It's like one of my favorite sayings, "Nothing is ever as beautiful as it is in your imagination." That is how Angels and Demons is. So try to compare the movie to the book is just unfair, so I'll do my best to look at the movie as just a movie. So the short answer is that this was a pretty good movie.

For those of you who have been living under a rock, Angels and Demons is based on the hugely popular novel by Dan Brown. It follows Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) who is a Harvard professor who specializes in symbols. When the current Pope dies unexpectedly, the conclave is formed and the process to choose a new Pope begins. This is all complicated when the four leading candidates for Pope are kidnapped. The Church calls on Langdon for help to find the Popes. He, along with the help of a beautiful scientist named Vittoria Vettra, go on a break neck journey through Rome, Italy and the Vatican to try to find the Pope's and who is behind all the evil before it is too late.

I have to say that I really liked The DaVinci Code although it lacked so much that the book had. Once again comparing it to the book. However, I liked Angels and Demons better as a movie than I did The DaVinci Code. As a stand alone thriller, it is very smart, very fast paced and very surprising. It is not like any other thriller I've ever seen before. There is intrigue, good character development, and just enough violence to keep you interested without over doing it or making it too gratuitous. One thing that many people could not stand about The DaVinici Code was Tom Hanks terrible hair cut. Well, that has been remedied. He got a regular hair cut and doesn't look like Nicolas Cage anymore. There was a part of the book that I found totally ridiculous and unbelievable that isn't in the movie which was nice. The movie takes place in Rome which is beautiful and made me want to go back there and live or something.

But, like all movies based on books, it doesn't go into as much detail on all the interesting historical facts about the churches and the Illuminati and the art, which is one of the reasons the book is so cool. But as a stand alone movie, if you didn't read the book, it is really good and you don't miss anything in the story.

I highly recommend this as a rental to anyone. If you've read the book, I don't have to tell you that it won't be as good (but there, I just did). If you haven't read the book, read the book! Its awesome! But you will like the movie as it is. It's not the greatest flick I've ever seen but it is still worth the rental and the watch by far.

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard - Another hilarious trailer...

When I first saw the trailer for The Goods, I giggled like a school girl. I was so pumped about the movie, I told everyone that would listen that I was going to see that as soon as it came out. I mean, the trailer was absolutely hilarious! Its a movie that stars Jeremy Piven (Ari from Entourage), Ed Helms (Andy from The Office), Ving Rhames, the naked Chinese guy from The Hangover and the cop that tases the boys from The Hangover, just to name a few. Then the reviews came out and the general consensus was that while it had a few humorous parts, it really wasn't all that funny. So, my joy deflated, I decided that I wouldn't waste $10.50 at the movie theater to watch it, I would just wait for it on DVD, and boy am I glad I did, because honestly, it really wasn't all that funny at all. Damnit!

The premise of the movie is this. Jeremy Piven leads a group of crack car salesmen and women who specialize in going to failing dealerships and emptying their inventory for them. Well, the team goes to some podunk town to help the failing dealership once again. There is of course a series of obstacles that our team must over come, there's a romance or two, and there's a happily ever after...sort of.

While there are a few funny parts in the movie, they funny parts in the trailer are way funnier in the way they are presented in the trailer than they are presented in the movie. Jeremy Piven is funny as Ari in Entourage, but not funny as Ari the used car salesman in The Goods, which is kind of exactly how he plays his character in this flick. The movie isn't a total waste though. Katheryn Hahn (SNL) is pretty funny as one of the sales team who has a thing for a 10-year old man child, played by the taser cop from The Hangover. Ed Helms is really funny as a boy band douche/import car salesmen. And Will Ferrell has a pretty entertaining, yet stupid cameo in the movie too.

My advice to you is this, if you are sitting in Blockbuster and The Goods is really the only option, then you should watch it and you'll have a reasonably entertaining evening. But I'd recommend you wait until its on HBO or something and save your 5 bucks.

Ballast - Only for the true indie fan

Ballast is a movie that I would only recommend to a true indie fan. Ballast takes place in the Mississippi Delta and follows the live of three people. After his twin brother commits suicide, Lawrence stops going to work at his convenience store, instead he just sits at home staring at the television, like a zombie. His 12-year-old nephew, James, is in trouble with drug dealers and is desperate to get money to pay them off for the crack he has been smoking. Meanwhile, James's mother, Marlee, is scrubbing toilets to earn whatever she can to afford food and clothing for her son. But when Marlee finds out that her son's life is in danger, they run away to stay with Lawrence. This reunion is not wanted by any party and it triggers long-held memories and problems that slowly boil to the surface. This is set in the Mississippi Delta, and shot on location with nonprofessional actors who live in the region. The dialogue seems mostly improvised, and the director uses only natural sound and light. These all combine to make the audience feel that they are watching the lives of actual real people. It feels like a reality movie with out staged scenes.

Ballast is good in that it is so organic and real. It is good in that you feel like you have been made privy to the stark reality that these people in the Mississippi Delta experience. It is good in that it is incredibly different from most of the movies out there, indie or not.

However, it is slow. There is very little action. The actors are hard to understand. In fact, I had to watch most of the movie with subtitles to understand what was being said. The setting is cold, and rainy, and bleak and the circumstances of all the people are very desperate. That is the reason I suggest that only really big fans of indie films see this one. Its is an emotionally powerful movie, if you can actually get into the story, which isn't exactly easy to do. If you can't get into a story like this, then you will probably think that this is one of the most boring movies ever made. The movie has garnered a lot of critical acclaim which is the reason I rented it to begin with. I am a fan of indie films. I think they are a refreshing departure from all the stuff that is churned out of the big studios, but I had a very difficult time getting into this one. If I hadn't just had some coffee before I watched it, I would have probably fallen asleep multiple time. So, you've been warned kids!

Up - another great Pixar flick

I don't think Pixar has ever made a bad movie. The tradition continues with Up. Up follows Carl, an elderly man, who always dreamed of adventure, but in living life he was never able to make it to his dream place, Paradise Falls. When Carl's wife passes away, and then it looks as though he will lose his beloved home, Carl decides that it is finally time to make the trip to Paradise Falls. Carl decides that he is going to take his home with him, so he uses thousands of helium balloons to take him there. There is a small chink in Carl's chain though---Russell, a well meaning, sweet kid who is kind of a pest to Carl. Russell just happens to be under Carl's porch when Carl and his home "take off." Thus the 2, a curious, innocent boy, and a jaded, heartbroken old man, go on an adventure only Pixar could create.

Whether you like animated films or not, you can not deny that Pixar makes some of the most visually amazing things put on film. Up is no different. The colors are beautiful, the surroundings are ridiculously detailed, and the characters are different from any other film you've ever seen. Apart from the visuals of the film, the story is heartbreaking, thrilling, funny, and heartwarming. Now, some of you may be saying, "Come on! It's a cartoon! It can't be that emotional." And yes, I agree that you would have a point. Animated films may be a little hard to get emotionally involved with because it is so unreal. But the story in Up is so good, you really just can't help but get into the story to that point.

I recommend this movie to everyone. Regardless of whether you like animated films or not, I bet you will (but may never admit out loud) enjoy it. At the very least, you'll be in a better mood after you watched than before. The graphics are just cool; so you'll have fun just looking at all of that. The story is interesting. There is plenty of action. Good things happen to the good people and bad things to the bad people. It is just a great movie, and if you watch it and think it sucks, I think you are either having just a terrible day or you maybe just be a terrible person and you need to reevaluate your approach to life because this is just a totally fun and happy movie.

Precious - amazingly acted, not for the faint of heart

Let me start out by apologizing for my long absence once again. Especially some of you who have been waiting on this review for a while. You can stop your foot tapping now! In my absence I've watched about 5 or 6 movies, I'll have to go back and look to know just which ones, but Precious is the one that sticks out in my mind the most, and probably will always stick out in my mind forever. Yes, I just used always and forever in the same sentence which probably violates some grammatical rule but I don't care, because I did it on purpose to show the heaviness of this film.

For those of you who have been living under a rock, or somehow manage to what television or log on to the Internet, Precious is one of the most talked about films of the year. And for good reason. The full name of the film is Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, follows a severely obese, barely literate teenage girl in 1980s Harlem, and the battles and obstacles that she must face on a daily basis. Let me tell you, battles and obstacles are about as big an understatement as one could make. By that I mean Precious (the main characters name, played by an actress named Gabby Sidibe), when we are introduced to her, is 16 and pregnant with her second child...by her father...Yes, you read that right and yes, my stomach just churned again writing it. She is verbally, physically and emotionally abused by her mother (played by comedian Mo'Nique in the total opposite of a comedic role) to a level and extent that I have never before seen on screen, nor could I even imagine. The stuff she says and does to her own daughter are mind blowing they are so awful. But because Precious is pregnant again, she is asked to enroll in an alternative school where she finally begins to learn, to feel love, to have friends. She is taught and guided by Ms. Rain (played by the knockout Paula Patton, the main girl from Deja Vu) and also help by a social worker Mrs. Weiss (played brilliantly by an almost unrecognizable Mariah Carey).

I'm going to be honest, this film is deeply, deeply disturbing. You see things happening between a father and daughter that you never want see. You hear things about what a sick mother and father do to their child that you never want to hear. There are scenes of abuse that will be burned into your mind. You watch a poor young girl journey through an existence that would make the best of us just give up and die. It's heartbreaking...and its uplifting in its own way, which make this such a good movie. Despite every possible awful thing that happens to Precious in this movie, she still has dreams, she keeps on plugging along, she never gives up. The way I said that make the movie sound cliche' and it definitely isn't. It's real and raw, and even the happiest of moments are still tinged with a bit of melancholy because we see this girl living a life, even in the best of circumstances for her, that most of us would think horrible. That's part of the movie's power. It shows us how many of the poor live in America. It shows us the evils that go on behind closed doors, that most of us could never imagine. But it also shows us that despite all of the adversity, there are people that are so good that they wake up everyday and face the nearly impossible task of making the world just a little bit better.

While this movie has and will garner lots of praise this awards season, I don't think it is for every one. While I think everyone should see it if not just to get an idea of "the other side of the tracks," I know that is not right. There are disturbing scenes through out the movie and the movie doesn't hold back as to the harshness of the lives of these people. Like I said, its not for the faint of heart. But if you appreciate great performances, you'll like this movie because EVERYONE is great in it. Even Mariah Carey plays an amazing, plain Jane, nasally, New York social worker, if you can believe it. If you are okay, or even kind of enjoy movies that take you out of your comfort zone, you like this one. If you are getting tired of Hollywood watering down movies, or having the same story told to you 100 different ways, then you'll really like this one because its something you've never seen before. I recommend that everyone see this movie, but I'm not an idiot, and I know most of you just don't want to feel the way this movie makes you feel, while watching a movie.

The Blind Side - One of the best movies of the year, by far!

If you don't get choked up multiple times in this movie, something is wrong with you. Personally, I think if you don't cry at least once, something is wrong with you, but that may be me wanting to feel justified for staying choked up during pretty much the entire film, and crying, lets just say...more than once. But I'm a crier in movies. There, I said it. I cry in movies. But this one isn't just some tear-jerker movie. This one starts pulling at your heart strings from the very beginning of the movie and keeps pulling for the next 2 hours. This is the most heart-warming movie I have ever seen in my entire life. Everything about the movie makes you smile. I was happy for 2 days after I saw this movie, just because every time I thought about it, my heart felt warm. Nothing makes you feel better than a good 2 hours of laughing (yes, you'll also laugh) and happy crying (and no you won't be crying the whole time).

Now, I know I'm probably being overly sappy about this whole thing, but I honestly have never felt better and more hopeful walking out of a movie than I did walking out of The Blind Side. Guys, if you are a crier in movies like me, you may want to go alone or with someone who has already seen you cry because you may get a little embarrassed by the amount of dust in your eyes during that movie. Girls, brings some Kleenex and an understanding person to sit next to. Or, you could just go to a matinee, by yourself like I did, and let it all come out. But let me say, it's happy crying, not sad crying, so you'll be both smiling and crying at the same time.

For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about, The Blind Side is the story of real life Pro football player Michael Oher. Yes, it's a movie with football in it, but its not your typical sports movie. So those of you who don't like football or sports movies, don't get scared. This is a true story about the power of kindness, of love, of family, and of what people can achieve and overcome with the right people fighting for them. Once again, this sounds overly sappy and dramatic, but the fact is, what happened in this movie really happened. People actually did what that did in this film, and that is what makes it a truly great, heart warming film and not some over done, cliched sports film.

Michael Oher was a homeless Memphis teenager, the son of a crack-addicted mother, one of 13 kids, who was taken in by the Tuohy's (played Tim McGraw and Sandra Bullock), a wealthy family who eventually become his legal guardians. With their help and support, Oher, who was all but illiterate and had never played football before, becomes a success both academically and athletically, earning a scholarship to Ole Miss and then being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens.

I loved this movie for many reasons. It was incredibly heartwarming like I've already said a million times, but it's also got a lot of funny parts. Most of these come from Jae Head who plays S.J., the Tuohy's youngest kid. He is very gregarious and outgoing and watching his interaction with all of the famous SEC coaches who have cameos in this film is incredibly funny. While I'm on the topic of the SEC, this movie takes place in the South and is about a family that went to Ole Miss. So for me, being a fan of SEC football, it was great seeing Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban, and Tommy Tuberville, just to name a few, play themselves in the movie. But the real stars of the show are Sandra Bullock, who plays the mom, Leigh Anne Tuohy and Quinton Aaron, who plays Oher. Bullock is beautiful and blond and southern and fiery and hates Tennessee (I do too) and loves her family, and everyone of us from the South knows a woman exactly like the person she plays. And she nails it. I once had a crush on Sandra Bullock after I watched Speed, and now I think I do again. Quinton Aaron plays the gentle giant that Oher is to a 'T'. From the first minute you meet him, you want to help him, you feel great when great things happen to him, and feel crushed when bad things do. Although he is larger than any normal human should be, and is the physical protector, you really feel what the Touhy's felt in needing to emotionally protect him.

I recommend that everyone goes out and watches this movie. Young or old, guy or girl, football fan or football hater, if you like to smile you'll love this movie. For those of you who don't like to smile, well...watch this movie and you'll do it anyway. (The Real Oher and Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy) -------------------------------->