The American President - a sort of oldie, but pretty goodie

I say sort of oldie because it came out 15 years ago, and I say pretty goodie because it is a good, solid romance. It's a chick flick but a decent one at that.

Michael Douglas plays President Andrew Shepherd, a widower and father who has an very large approval rating, but begins to get uncomfortable with the perception surrounding his being a single father. Coincidentally, he meets hard-charging political strategist and lobbyist Sydney Wade (Annette Bening - American Beauty). Shepherd is immediately taken by Wade and invites her to a State dinner, the two begin a relationship, much to the chagrin of Sydney's boss and much to the delight of President Shepherd's political rival, the scheming Senator Bob Rumson (Richard Dreyfuss - Jaws). Rumson begins to attack Sydney and the President's character which sends President Shepherd's approval ratings tumbling and eventually forces Shepherd to choose between one of his priority bills and the bill Sydney was hired to get passed. The film also stars Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox, and Samantha Mathis.

This is basically just a well done, feel good romance movie. It has likable good guys, hatable bad guys, chemistry between the stars, a happy ending. It's really hard to say anything bad about it. I'm sure some of those people who are so super conservative or liberal would focus too much on whatever political thing is going on in the movie rather than the movie itself, but those people need take a hike anyway. It's not too long, it progresses nicely, and ends on high note. It's not overly cheesy or cliche' but then again most romances have those, which is one of the reasons we like them.

I guess if I had to say one critical thing about the film is that I thought it may have spent a little too much time focusing on the race for votes which is the mechanism used to drive the action of the film and not enough on the relationship of our main characters. But that's me being nit picky.

I don't know if you necessarily need to go out and rent this one, because it's not going to change your life or anything, and its also on like every week. But since its on TV a lot (and there's usually a reason for a movie being on TV a lot...it's a good movie) I would recommend cuddling up with your snuggle buddy and taking this one in.

A Serious Man - Coen Brothers, so it'll probably be awesome the 6th time I see it

A Serious Man is the newest Coen Brothers creation. If you haven't at least heard of the Coen Brothers, you have 2 options. Go jump off the nearest really tall building or do some research on them and watch some of their movies, because they (the movies and the Brothers, not the really tall buildings) are awesome. Having said that, however, Coen Brothers' movies are also very weird, and sometime very hard to really understand. They all have this strange, um, thing, about them. I find that the first time I watch a Coen Brothers movie, I am a little confused, and find myself saying, "well, that was okay...i guess..." But then the second time I like it a little more and the third a little more, and so on and so forth. Usually the opposite happens with most movies. They lose a little bit of their luster after each subsequent viewing. I say all of that to say this. A Serious Man was okay...i guess...

A Serious Man is a very black comedy of Larry Gopnik, a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university, who is a good man who's live is unraveling around him. His wife Judith is leaving him for a totally pompous acquaintance, his unemployable brother Arthur sleeps on the couch and gets in serious legal trouble, his son Danny is a discipline problem and a total pothead, and his daughter Sarah is stealing money from his wallet, an Asian student is blackmailing him for grades, and all the while Larry tries to keep his life in order and find answers to all of this through guidance of 3 very unhelpful Rabbis. This is a movie about the Jewish faith, about trying to stay faithful amongst all the crap that's going on. If you know the biblical story of Job, this is a black comedy based on that.

The Coen Brothers always find ways to deal with very deep themes in their movies. This one is no different. This would be a very serious, very depressing drama if there were not the series of outrageous events, circumstances, and characters that inhabit this film. There are no big stars in this flick either, however, you'll probably recognize a few of the actors.

It is really hard for me to write a truly honest review of this movie because I can't help but think that this movie is actually much better than I thought after my first viewing. If I had to tell you right now, without anything else, what I thought of the movie, I would have to say I thought it was a little dull, very strange, and a bit difficult to understand the point. But I can't say that because I know it is a Coen Brothers movie and their flicks are so subtle and creative and different that they all end up being good. This movie is definitely creatively done, and definitely original.

My suggestion to you guys is this. If you like Coen Brothers movies, you should rent this one. But be forewarned that it is a much more serious "comedy" than some of their others. It will be difficult to grasp at first, I think. If you don't like the Coen Brother's or you are like Timmy and need explosions and car chases to keep you entertained, then you are going to find this one very dull. Maybe after I see this one again, I can write a better review, but until then, this is all I've got.

Couples Retreat - a bit more serious than I thought

What can I say about this one other than it was "Okay"? Couples Retreat is a movie with an all-star comedic cast including Vince Vaughan, Jason Bateman (Arrested Development, Juno), Jon Favreau (Swingers, I Love You, Man), Faison Love (The Perfect Holiday, Idlewild), Kristen Davis (Charlotte from Sex and the City), Malin Akerman (The Heartbreak Kid, Watchmen), and Kristen Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, When in Rome). When ever you have Vince Vaughan and Jason Bateman in a movie, there are going to be laughs. This movie was no different. There were plenty of laughs. I mean I laughed a lot, but for a comedy to be truly funny and really good, the ratio between laughs and seriousness needs to be right. This movie was too light on the laughs and too heavy on the seriousness. Hence, the highly specific "Okay" rating.

Couples Retreat is centered around four couples who settle into a tropical-island resort for a vacation. While one of the couples is there to work on the marriage, the others fail to realize that participation in the resort's therapy sessions is not optional. In attending these sessions, the couples realize that things aren't so hunky dory and all of the couples problems get multiplied and exacerbated.

Like I said before, this movie is bad, its just not great. I expected more from the comic geniuses in this flick, and I didn't get it. Vince Vaughan has some of his classic, hilarious rants. The naked Asian guy from The Hangover is in it. You see all the hot girls in their underwear and bikinis. My favorite part is seeing Kristen Davis, who I think is an absolute smoke house, in a not much clothing a lot. And the scenery is breath taking. It made want to go on vacation bad. But the real scene stealer is the little kid who plays Vince Vaughan and Malin Akerman's youngest kid. He's cute as hell and everything he says and does is hilarious. Obviously the cuteness helps, but still.

If you rent this one, you won't be terribly disappointed, but you won't be thrilled either. If I had to give it a number grade, it would be probably a B- maybe a C+ if I wrote this on a Monday.

New York, I Love You - Paris, je t'aime too.

Some of you may be blown away at my multi-lingualness and you very well should be, because I just wrote some French at you. New York, I Love You is the sister film to 2006's Paris, je t'aime which translates into Paris, I Love You. Creative, I know. The premise behind both these films is that they are a series of short vignettes, each directed by a different director, each about a different kind of love, each in a different part of the city. I personally think it is a really cool premise.

New York is a little different from Paris in that Paris's stories never really intertwined and some of New York's did. It is also different in that we were told who was directed what in Paris but not in New York. Paris had a couple of fantastical scenes, where as New York really only had one-ish. I like both of these movies equally for different reasons.

New York stars many big name actors. Some playing roles that are very atypical for them, some not. If you want to see a movie with tons of big names, that doesn't suck, as I've heard but don't know first hand about Valentine's Day, then you'd like this one. Some of the big names include in no particular order, Bradley Cooper, Shia Le Beouf, Natalie Portman, James Caan, Andy Garcia, Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson, Christina Ricci, Blake Lively, Orlando Bloom, Anton Yelchin, Ethan Hawke, Drea De Matteo, Maggie Q., Robin Wright Penn, Chris Cooper, Cloris Leachmen, John Hurt, and more and more.

I like this movie because it is like watching a bunch of tiny little movies because each is it's own interesting story, and each is filmed in its own special way. Characters in one story appear briefly in other stories. Character's from two different stories interact in transition between the various scenes.

This film doesn't have a end goal. The stories and characters don't combine into one final resolution. It is a film that just contains different stories about different love in an amazing city. The stories range from a story about a boy (strangely) losing his virginity to a manny and his charge to a husband and wife in love to a lonely, aging star and a bell hop. They are very different but all very intriguing. I do however recommend that everyone see this movie. It's not going to blow your socks off, but I think you will feel a little bit more cultured, maybe a little bit happier after you see this. This is more on the movies-are-an-art-form side of the spectrum than the movies-are-just-for-entertainment side, but it is still quite entertaining. Rent this one, pour some red wine, get cozy with your honey, and enjoy the show. Or rent this one, be like Timmy and open a Natty Light, and enjoy the show. Regardless, rent this one.

Zombieland - FINALLY! I good movie!

I will totally watch this movie again! Zombieland is a completely entertaining movie. From beginning to end, I was having fun. I love it when silly movies don't take themselves very seriously, and this one definitely doesn't. For those of you who don't know anything about Zombieland, and are just going by the name, this is not a scary, Zombie movie, this is a funny Zombie movie, and it's pretty dang funny too.

Zombieland takes place in the very near future when a plague of some sorts turns just about everyone on earth into flesh eating Zombies. The movie follows 4 survivors as they try to reach some sort of "Zombie-free" zone. The story is told by Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg - the poor man's Michael Cera) in which he explains how everything happened and periodically tells us the rules of survival, which appear written on the screen when on of his rules works or doesn't. He is accompanied on his journey across the country by Tallahassee played by an absolutely hilarious and entertaining Woody Harrelson. These two are joined by Wichita (Emma Stone-Jonah Hill's girl in Superbad, who is actually hot in this) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin - Little Miss Sunshine). There are many fun and entertaining parts as the 4some journey's across country to California where we have a super show down between the zombies and our heroes.

There are multiple reasons why I liked this movie. Firstly, everyone in the movie is does a really great job and is hilarious. I mean, my boy Woody kind of steals the show, but there really isn't a weak actor in the bunch. It's also filmed in Georgia, and while I didn't necessarily recognize anything right off, I'll be glad to share a little trivia with you. There is a section of the movie that takes place in an ridiculously large, and opulent home owned by a super hilarious movie star, who has a really funny cameo. That house is in Buckhead. There's also a scene at an amusement park. That is filmed at the theme park in Valdosta. Just a little trivia. Like I said earlier, this movie doesn't take itself seriously, so there are a lot of "yeah right" scenes, but because of the nature of the movie you are totally cool with it. There's also something wickedly fun about killing a lot of zombie, I don't know what it is, but it's really cool. Call me weird.

I recommend this one to everyone. I do that with one bit of warning though. It's a ZOMBIE movie, so there is going to be a lot of gross, gory parts. Either prepare yourself for it, or get over it and grow a pair, but either way, you gotta see this one. You'll have a blast.

Whip It - Drew Barrymore's directing debut

The back of the DVD box for Drew Barrymore's directorial debut about women's roller derby's says something along the lines of "pure genius." Well, I wouldn't go that far, but I wouldn't say it was "pure retard" either (pardon my political incorrectness there).

Whip It is the story of Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page - Juno) who is a sort of edgy, "alternative" misfit who has grown unhappy with her small-town Texas life football and beauty pageants. Football loved by her father Earl (Daniel Stern - Home Alone I and II) and the pageants by her mother Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden). Bliss just wants to get out and needs a plan and a calling. She eventually finds a flyer for a Roller Derby event, schemes to attend, gets invited to try out and becomes Babe Ruthless, her alter-ego roller derby character. She makes the team, lies about her age, works hard to succeed, experiences her first love with the young lead singer of an Indie rock band, gets disappointed in love, bonds with her new family of roller derby girls who include such actresses as Drew Barrymore, Kristen Wiig (SNL, Knocked Up), Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers, Old School), Eve, and Andrew Wilson (Luke and Owen's older bro), fights with her mother to escape the beauty pageant and live her new dream as roller derby star. And they all live happily ever after. The End.

This was a good movie in that it had an interesting cast that all seemed to mesh with one another. It was also pretty cool in that it is a decent flick about women's roller derby which I can honestly say I've never seen.

It should be noted that the word "good" for the purposes of this review is the be defined as "well acted, well written, well cast, well directed." It is not to be defined as "I liked it." Because I was actually kind of bored with it. I mean, I like Ellen Page, I like Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore, and Juliette Lewis, but I just didn't like this movie. I felt it kind of hard to believe that Ellen Page's little ass could handle one match in the rough sport of roller derby. I also just wasn't that intrigued by the roller derby sport. I know the idea is to see sexy women in skimpy outfits, knocking the crap out of each other, and that's supposed to be hot, but I just don't think it is. The women are tattooed and butch and the only time women fighting is hot is when it involves bikinis, a kiddie pool, and lots of jello...or mud...or KY jelly...

This is one of those well made films that just felt a little flat to me. The fun parts just didn't feel all that fun, the sad parts just didn't feel all that sad, and the happy parts just didn't feel all that happy. Maybe I was in a bad mood when I watched this, but I honestly wouldn't recommend anyone rent this. If I comes on HBO or something, maybe you can watch it, but don't waste you hard earned money on this one.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - WTF???

When the person that you are watching a movie with has to lean over both half way through the movie and also immediately after it and apologize to you for suggesting the movie in the first place, you know it's a pretty bad one. Some of you may have no idea, but The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is the movie that Heath Ledger was filming when he tragically died last year. Most think that his last movie was as the Joker in The Dark Knight, but no, it was this one. And I kind of wish it wasn't because basically this movie is so weird it was bad. Don't get me wrong, I think a lot of weird movies are good because, if nothing else, they are different from anything else out there. But this one is so bizarre it makes it almost unwatchable.

When trying to figure out how I was going to tell you what this movie was about, I hit the proverbial wall, and could not for the life of me think of how to describe this movie without my head exploding. So I looked up some other synopsi...synopsises...synopsis'....whatever. And now I will paraphrase them for you.

Ahem....The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a fantastical morality tale, set in the present day. It tells the story of Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) and his extraordinary 'Imaginarium', a travelling show where members of the audience get an opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom. Blessed with the extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others, Dr. Parnassus is cursed with a dark secret. Long ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr. Nick (Tom Waits - creepy guys in Domino and Book of Eli), in which he won immortality. Many centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr. Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his first-born reached its 16th birthday he or she would become the property of Mr. Nick. Valentina (Lily Cole) is now rapidly approaching this birthday and Dr. Parnassus is desperate to protect her from her impending fate. Mr. Nick arrives to collect but, always keen to make a bet, renegotiates the wager. Now the winner of Valentina will be determined by whoever seduces the first five souls into believing in their brand of life. Dr. Parnassus enlists the help of the mysterious Tony (played by 4 actors: Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell) in his journey. Dr. Parnassus basically promises his daughter to the man that helps him win.

Okay, that sounds basic enough right? Well, when you consider the fact that this movie takes place in the 'imaginarium' which is basically in some one's head, living out their fantasies, it gets incredibly bizarre. You never really learn how all of this is going on other than Dr. Parnassus is somehow pulling the strings with his mind.

I wanted to see this movie because it was Heath Ledger's last movie, and I have liked him even before he blew all of our minds as The Joker. I also knew that even though Heath died half way through the making of this movie, they still wanted to finish it and enlisted the help of Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell to finish it. They all 4 play the same character, Tony. And I really wanted to see how they were going to pull that one off. And while it was really cool to see such well known actors play the same character, and while it was a sort of surreal feeling seeing the point in the movie's filming when Heath died, the movie was still pretty bad. There is so much time spent in the 'fantasy world' and it is so strange that you actually get bored with the movie because there is not enough explanation into the characters and their motivations and how the things are happening. Also, this is one of those movies that ran waaaayyy too long. Maybe if it were a bit shorter, it would have been more captivating, but that didn't happen.

I really only have 3 good things to say about this movie. 1) The visuals and effects in this movie are pretty dang amazing. 2) You get to see Heath Ledger's real last film as well as see 3 of the biggest actors today step in and help. 3) This movie would probably be good if you were on some sort of psychotropic drug or something.

I honestly can't say I recommend this movie to anyone other than for them to see Heath. I know some people will say this is a masterpiece of a movie with it's visuals and fantastical and moral themes, but I just didn't like it at all. I can see its good qualities as a piece of art, which are actually pretty amazing, but as a piece of entertainment, I think this one falls way short.

Gamer - what a weird movie!

Okay, I knew Gamer wasn't going to blow my mind or anything with some crazy detailed plot. I was expecting a relatively mindless sci-fi actioner. Well it was that. It was definitely action packed and definitely had an interesting premise, but what I didn't see coming was how weird and off the wall this thing was going to be. I mean, there was some WEIRD stuff going on in this one.

Set in a future-world where humans can control other humans in mass-scale, multi-player online gaming environments, a star player, Kable (Gerard Butler - 300, PS, I Love You), from a game called "Slayers" looks to regain his freedom while taking down the game's mastermind. Slayers is a worldwide phenomenon in which death row inmates are given the opportunity to compete in a real life shooter game. Survive 30 matches and you go free, but you could die playing. The "players" are controlled by micro chips in their heads in which they are controlled by some kid in his bed room playing the game like someone would play Modern Warfare, except in this game there are really bullets and real people get killed. It is learned that the creator of this new technology is not such a nice guy and Kable is not such the bad guy. Well, Kable figures out a larger conspiracy and must escape prison to save himself and his loved ones.

This is a total guys movie. This movie is pretty much non-stop action. There's gun fights galore. People getting blown to bits, car chases, fist fights, tons of nudity, lots of sex, just a ton of fun. But thing are really weird too. You have one world/game that is just like Sim City or Second Life but instead of controlling an avatar on a computer screen, you are controlling a real person just like in Slayers. This is a persons job, they go to work and get controlled by some fat dude sitting in his living room. Because its a game, people are dressed crazy and basically all they do is go to this world and drink and do drugs and have sex but they have no consequences to they're own body. So you have a bunch of people dressed like Halloween doing crazy stuff and not reacting to the real world around them. But that's not the weird part. At the end, our villain uses his mind control powers to have a song and dance. Literally in the middle of this intense action movie, there is a song and dance. I mean weird!

Gerard Butler is a bad ass in this of course. The antagonist is Michael C. Hall (Dexter) and he is super creepy. Amber Valletta (Hitch, The Transporter 2) is Butler's wife and resident hottie. And she wears skimpy out fits the entire movie basically. Ludacris is a master computer hacker.

Like I said, this was a fun, dude's movie. You may be a little dumber, and definitely have that "what the hell just happened?" look on your face, but you will be entertained. There's tons of action, really cool visuals, pretty women, I mean, what else can you ask for if you are looking for some mindless fun? So, in conclusion, this is definitely not the best movie I've ever seen, but it's not the worst. Yes, the plot line absolutely ridiculous. Yes, its got some totally pointless and definitely weird parts. Yes, the acting is pretty bad. But, if you want to see a mindlessly fun movie, you may want to check this one out.

The Invention of Lying - a great idea that falls a little short

The premise of this film is quite interesting. It takes place in a world just like our own, it is modern day, people have regular jobs, they live in regular homes, but there's one huge difference. People can't lie. Not like it's against the law, it is physically impossible. It's just like in our world, people can't fly. In this film's world, people can't lie. As a result of this, there's no flattery just for the sake of flattery, there's no pleasantries when you aren't feeling pleasant, and there is no make believe, no movies or TV shows that are based entirely on fact. The biggest stars in this world are screen writers and readers who sit in a chair and read the fact based stories that the screen writers prepare. They are basically reading out of history books. This is high entertainment in this world. Well, one day, a slouchy, unlikeable loser, Mark Bellison, played brilliantly by Ricky Gervais (the British Office) after a terrible day in which he's been laid off and is unable to make rent, goes to the bank and suddenly lies about how much money he has. No one is the wiser because no one can lie. Mark decides to use this new found ability for his personal gain. He becomes rich and famous and gets the attention of the woman of his dreams Anna (Jennifer Garner) but in the process learns important life lessons and the importance of actually telling the truth.

I'm going to be honest. I wasn't totally bored with this movie, but I just felt like it was missing something. Like it was just a little too bland. I can't tell you how I would have made it better, I can just say I felt like it could have been. Ricky Gervais plays the same kind of dead pan loser that no one likes, that he always plays, and while I think he is hilarious when he hosts awards shows or does his stand up, I have yet to think he was funny in a movie. Jennifer Garner of course plays a beautiful, perfect idea of a woman, however, because she can't lie, you see a shallowness to her that sadly the majority of people may possess or at least think about. But regardless of her "flaws" in this movie, you still fall in love with her, just like you do in all of her movies. Rob Lowe is also in the movie as the handsome, obnoxious ass romantic rival to Ricky Gervais.

This movie is unique in the fact that, while it is a silly comedy, it deals with some pretty deep themes. There is the theme of "honesty" versus "lying." You see that sometimes, the best thing you can do is "lie." Or at least not tell the truth. You see the consequences of being brutally honest and the consequences of lying. The movie also deals with religion in an in-your-face kind of way. I am still a little confused about the religion aspect of the movie, because even though it appears at times that the movie is mocking religion and everything that you are told, it also seems to be telling people that faith and/or religion is a good thing, and gives people something to live for. I'd really like to hear other people's take on that aspect of the film.

Like I said, I didn't hate this movie, but I also wouldn't recommend you waste a rental on it. If it's on TV, then I would recommend you watch it, but otherwise I don't think this one is really worth that much of your time.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS SUPERBOWL DRINKING GAME:

I know it's not movie related but my generous roommate Cakefart sent this game to me. Seems pretty fun. And oh yeah, the "we" are Falcons fans, if you couldn't figure that one out on your own.

1. Every time they mention hurricane Katrina, drink 1

2. If they show pictures of the City of New Orleans right after Katrina, drink 1

3. Every time they say how much the Saints mean to the City of New Orleans, drink 1

4. Every time the words "tragedy", "flood", or "devastation" are used, drink 1

5. Every time they talk about how good Reggie Bush was in college, drink 3

6. If they show Kim Kardashian in the stands, drink 5

7. Every time they show a picture of Reggie Bush with a bat or say "bringing the wood" drink for
5 seconds..

8.. Every time Reggie Bush gets negative yardage trying to run around in the backfield a bunch and outrun the defense, drink 1 and turn to the person next to you and say "I told you Vince Young should have won the Heisman"

9. Every time Reggie Bush gets up and flexes his arms in that pose he likes to do, drink 1

10. If they mention Tim Tebow for any reason, funnel a beer

11. Every time they say that "it's destiny for the Saints to win" drink 1

12. If they show footage of Katrina survivors at the Superdome, take a shot of cheap liquor

13. If they call Saints fans the most passionate fans in football, drink 1

14. If they say that the Saints, Saints fans, or the City of New Orleans "deserve" a Superbowl
victory, drink 1

15. Every time they say how good of a story the Saints are, drink 1

16. If Jeremy Shockey pretends to be hurt after dropping a pass, drink 2

17. If they mention the Saints beating the Falcons in 2006 in the first game after Katrina in the
Superdome, drink 5 and remember that we are still a better football team with better fans.

18. Every time they compare hurricane Katrina to the Haiti earthquake, funnel a beer and yell "********!"

19. Every time they mention Drew Brees as the Mardi Gras king, drink

20.. Every time they show Archie Manning, drink 1, and mention how bad he sucked. If they show old footage of him on the Saints, drink 5. If they mention how tough of a decision it was for him as for whom to cheer for, drink 10.

21. Every time they show a saints fan yelling "Who dat!" Or a sign/shirt saying the same, drink 1.

22. If they show Chris Paul at the game, drink 1 and mention to someone how much better he is than Marvin Williams.

23. If they show former Mayor Ray Nagin, drink 5 and then punch someone in the face


Other Rules not involving the Saints:
1. Every time they show Eli Manning in the press box, drink 1
2. Every time Pierre Garcon is mentioned with Haiti, drink 1
3. If Brett Favre is mentioned for any reason, drink 1

The Book of Eli - a lot better than I thought!

This is a movie I really genuinely liked. I went in to this movie expecting to see 3 things: 1. Denzel being his usual bad ass self; 2. Denzel being a bad ass and kicking everyone else's ass with that cool sword of his; and 3. Really cool visuals. I got all 3 of those things. What I didn't expect to get was a super cool twist and a decent but slightly different morality tale. This movie delved into some topics that I didn't really expect a big Hollywood movie to delve into. Don't get me wrong this is still a pretty mindless, good fun action flick, but at the same time it has some heart and soul to it that I was not expecting.

Eli (Denzel Washington) is a man who has been travelling across the US for 30 years, walking west across post-apocalyptic America after a cataclysmic war that turned the earth into a total wasteland. The world has become a lawless civilization reminiscent of the Mad Max movies where people must kill or be killed. The barren roads belong to gangs who rob and kill for water, a pair of shoes, or just for fun. Eli is a peaceful man who only acts in self defense, but also happens to be a bad ass warrior with awesome killing skills when he is challenged. Eli is guided by a higher power and a mysterious book. He is given the task of protecting the book and taking it to its final destination. Eli guards the book with his life, because he knows that the book is the only hope that humanity has for its future. He comes across a town/settlement that is run by the despot Carnegie (Gary Oldman). When he learns of the book that Eli carries, he decides that he will stop at nothing to get it and harness its power. Along Eli's journey, he meets Solara (Mila Kunis - the little hottie from that 70's Show and Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and she accompanies him on his journey to the place where his book will be safe.

Like I said, this was a really good flick. I don't think Denzel has ever messed up on a role. He even makes otherwise terrible movies actually decent. See The Taking of Pelham 123. He once again delivers as a quiet, smart hero. Every one's performance, I thought was a little subdued, which fit well with the tone of the film. Mila Kunis, who while I think is quite cute, can sometimes get a little annoying, was actually decent and seemed well cast in her role. Gary Oldman, who I think is a phenomenal actor, has a tendency to completely overact, kept in check on this one. The fight scenes are awesome basically because Eli is such a stud and totally F's of the bad dudes in every way. And his sword is super cool! The movie is post apocalyptic so it is film in the stark deserts of western America. It is filmed through a greenish lens and is a bit washed out, which only adds to the tone. There is not much humor at all in the film so don't expect any laughs. There's an exchange between Eli and a shop keeper (Tom Waits) which is sort of light, but definitely not funny.

If you like action movies, you like this one. There's plenty of it. If you like Denzel you like this, because he's in at least 90% of the scenes. This is a serious action drama and it is thoroughly entertaining. Is it the best film I've seen? No. Will you be glad you saw it? Absolutely. Will you be totally blown away by it? Not really. I recommend this one. If you don't catch it in theaters, it's a can't miss rental.

2010 Oscar Nominations!!!!!

Besides the 4th of July and UGA's opening football game, Oscar night is probably my favorite day of the year. Below are the nominees. I know who I want to win. I'd like to hear your comments. Thanks!

Best motion picture of the year
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up In the Air

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
Helen Mirren (The Last Station)
Carey Mulligan (An Education)
Gabourey Sidibe (Precious)
Meryl Streep (Julie and Julia)

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
George Clooney (Up In the Air)
Colin Firth (A Single Man)
Morgan Freeman (Invictus)
Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Matt Damon (Invictus)
Woody Harrellson (The Messenger)
Christopher Plummer (The Last Station)
Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones)
Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Penelope Cruz (Nine)
Vera Farmiga (Up In the Air)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart)
Anna Kendrick (Up In the Air)
Mo'Niqu (Precious)

Best animated feature film of the year
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fos
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Up

Best Documentary Short Subject
China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant”
Music by Prudence
Rabbit à la Berlin

Best Short Film (Animated)
French Roast
Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty
The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)
Logorama
A Matter of Loaf and Death

Best Short Film (Live Action)
The Door
Instead of Abracadabra
Kavi
Miracle Fish
The New Tenants

Achievement in art direction
Avatar
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

Achievement in cinematography
Avatar, Mauro Fiore
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Bruno Delbonnel
The Hurt Locker, Bruno Delbonnel
Inglourious Basterds, Robert Richardson
The White Ribbon, Christian Berger

Achievement in costume design
Bright Star, Janet Patterson
Coco before Chanel, Catherine Leterrier
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Monique Prudhomme
Nine, Colleen Atwood
The Young Victoria, Sandy Powell

Achievement in directing
James Cameron (Avatar)
Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)
Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)
Lee Daniels (Precious)
Jason Reitman (Up In the Air)

Best documentary feature
Burma VJ
The Cove
Food, Inc.
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Which Way Home

Achievement in makeup
Il Divo, Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
Star Trek, Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
The Young Victoria, Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Achievement in film editing
Avatar, Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
District 9, Julian Clarke
The Hurt Locker, Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
Inglourious Basterds, Sally Menke
Precious, Joe Klotz

Best foreign language film of the year
Ajami
El Secreto De Sus Ojos
The Milk of Sorrow
A Prophet
The White Ribbon

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
Avatar, James Horner
Fantastic Mr. Fox, Alexandre Desplat
The Hurt Locker, Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
Sherlock Holmes, Hans Zimmer
Up, Michael Giacchino

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Almost There" from The Princess and the Frog Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Down in New Orleans" from The Princess and the Frog Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Loin de Paname" from Paris 36 Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
"Take It All" from Nine Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
"The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from Crazy Heart Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Achievement in sound editing
Avatar, Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
The Hurt Locker, Paul N.J. Ottosson
Inglourious Basterds, Wylie Stateman
Star Trek, Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
Up, Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Achievement in sound mixing
Avatar, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
The Hurt Locker, Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
Inglourious Basterds, Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
Star Trek, Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Achievement in visual effects
Avatar, Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
District 9, Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
Star Trek, Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Adapted screenplay
Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell (District 9)
Nick Hornby (An Education)
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche (In the Loop)
Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious)
Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner (Up In the Air)

Original screenplay
Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker)
Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)
Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman (The Messenger)
Joel and Ethan Coen (A Serious Man)
Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy (Up)

Halloween II - the classic slasher flick gets even darker

So of you may not be aware of this, but the Michael Myers franchise has been rebooted. This review is about the 2nd movie in the rebooted series, so it's basically the 9th Halloween movie but the 2nd as told by Rob Zombie. Yes, that's the same Rob Zombie from White Zombie who sang "More Human than Human." He makes horror movies now. Well, let me rephrase that. He makes gore and slasher movies now because horror implies that something is actually scary. And this one isn't really "scary" more than it is disturbing, gross, and weird.

In the Rob Zombie reboot, we see Michael Myers as a boy and we kind of see how he becomes the ruthless killer that he is. Halloween II picks up immediately after Halloween where Laurie Strode (the part made famous by Jamie Lee Curtis) has just "killed" Michael Myers and is in total shock and seriously injured. Fast forward 2 years, no one has heard from Michael Myers although his body has disappeared and no one is 100% sure that he's dead. Laurie Strode is seriously screwed up. She has nightmares and has identified with the dark side of life. Now, it's close to Halloween and Michael Myers has reappeared and just starts killing people left and right. And that is basically the movie. Sounds awesome, huh? Just for you that don't pick up on sarcasm easily, that answer to that question is "No."

I have come to the realization that I do not like slasher flicks. For me, the whole point of watching a horror movie is to be scared. To jump out of my seat, to get my heart racing, to get the sweaty palms. Slasher movies just don't really scare me. They really just gross me out and make me glad I'm not a teenaged girl, a fat redneck, a nurse or a security guard. I mean, all this movie consisted of was Laurie Strode being all dark and depressive, having nightmares, and screaming at her therapist with enough F-bombs to make Quentin Tarantino blush, and Michael Myers just walking around killing folks. Most of whom have no meaning what so ever. I mean, I will go so far as to say, this movie sucked. Period.

Having said that, there were a few cool little things that this movie did differently than the older Halloweens. We see Michael Myers real face almost as much as his masked one. And he's just as scary looking maskless. The way Laurie Strode reacts to the trauma that she's gone through is actually a believable response. And Dr. Loomis is portrayed as an egotistic ass. Other than that, its just a big dude walking around stabbing people and bashing their heads in.

I don't know. If you are into slasher movies, you might enjoy this, but I really don't think you will because it's just stupid killing. There just seems to be no point to 90% of the killings. I know it's meant to show that Michael Myers is a merciless being, but we get it already. If you are a huge Michael Myers fan or a huge Rob Zombie fan then you may like this one. I personally think all of Rob Zombie's films are just hugely disturbing more than scary. If you are in the mood for a horror flick, I suggest not watching this one. In fact, don't waste your time on this one. Ever.