Past movies....and breaking news!!

Toy Story 3
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Don Rickles, Michael Keaton, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger
Directed by Lee Unkrich

What happens to toys when the kids that played with them out-grow them? That is the idea behind Toy Story 3, the much anticipated edition to this multi-million dollar franchise. We all know Andy, the kid who fell in love with Buzz Lightyear and Woody, not to mention Rex, The Potato Heads, Jessie and Hamm. Andy is now in his late teens, on his way to college, and it's been a long time since he's thought about his plastic friends. He must decide which toys he'll keep stuffed in the attic or, God forbid, throw away. Through circumstances only Disney Pixar could come up with, the toys are accidentally donated to a pre-school. There, the toys we all love encounter some very perilous situations. Is there a happy ending, or does Bambi's mother get shot, so to speak? You'll have to watch to find out, but I gotta tell ya, I can't remember being so emotionally involved in a story in a very long time. I laughed (out loud!), I cried (like a pregnant woman!), and I enjoyed every second of this film. There is little doubt that this will be the end of the Toy Story movies, and I'm sooooo very pleased with it's conclusion. If you have kids, there is no reason you shouldn't get this movie....NOW!!!

GRADE: A+

The Girl Who Played With Fire
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Lena Endre
Directed by Daniel Alfredson

Here is movie number two of the "Girl" series, the first one being "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo". This film deals with our leading lady, Lisbeth Salander, trying to track down her father and correct the wrongs that he did to her as a young girl. If you've read the books, and I strongly suggest you do before watching the movies, you'll realize that this is probably the weakest of the three. After saying that, the movie still remains very faithful to the original story. I appreciate that and I rather enjoyed watching the film, more than reading the book. There is a lot more action in this one, and a lot more characters are introduced, sometimes making it difficult to keep track of everything that's happening. Even so, Noomi Rapace is just as strong in her portrayal of the troubled Lisbeth and commands your attention. People watching, and especially those who haven't read the books, may find this chapter a little, well, all over the place. You must know that this is simply a bridge to the finale, one that I look very forward to seeing.

GRADE: B+

I Am Love
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Flavio Parenti, Edoardo Gabbriellini and other Italians...
Directed by Luca Guadagnino

An Italian movie made about the very rich, and the very horny apparently. I'm kidding, there's much more going on here. Tilda Swinton (who knew she spoke Italian??) plays the matriarch of a very prosperous family in Italy. She has everything she wants, but craves more. When she is introduced to a friend of her son's, a talented chef, feelings start to stir. Can she hide her feelings? Will she? What's a woman to do? The story plays out like one of those New Age films from the 50's and 60's, kinda in the Francois Truffaut style, lots of ambient sound and colours that seemingly have nothing to do with the story but create feelings and stir emotions. Yes, there is much melodrama, but I was always interested in Swinton's next move. She is, as always, fantastic! The men smoulder, the women weep and it all comes down to a very intriguing climax.

GRADE: B+

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Alison Pill, Ellen Wong, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman
Directed by Edgar Wright

Filmed in Toronto, taking place in Toronto, this has to be one of the most inventive movies I've seen since "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind". Scott Pilgrim is a bassist in a band. He's in his early 20's, has a 17 year old girlfriend, and everything seems to be peachy keen...until he dreams about and then meets Ramona Flowers. She is a mysteriously cool chick that he wants to be with. Thing is, she comes with a bit of baggage. Scott needs to defeat her seven evil exes in order to claim her as his own. Then the fun begins! Filmed like a live action video game, Scott needs to fight each of these exes ala Street Fighter, racking up points and coins as he goes along. Sounds lame, but I tell you this movie is far from it. The camera work, the special effects, the comedy and action sequences, everything is beautifully done. The characters are well crafted enough but the story of good versus evil and how they battle each other is the real treat. Edgar Wright is quickly becoming one of my favourite directors (Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz). He has a keen sense of comedy and his camerawork is so refreshing. I absolutely loved this film, on the same plain as Kick-Ass, for it's no-holds-barred craziness and balls out good time.

GRADE: A+

Grown Ups
Starring: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Kevin James, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayak, Maria Bello, Maya Rudolph, Colin Quinn, Steve Buscemi
Directed by Dennis Dugan

What is it about Adam Sandler that people love? I think he's a great dramatic actor (Punch Drunk Love, Reign Over Me), but I don't get the attraction of his comedies. I think he's immature, annoying and terribly un-funny. This movie has confirmed my thoughts of him. The movie is about 5 friends that meet up for a cottage weekend with their families after their school basketball coach has died. Hilarity ensues, or at least that's the idea. I can't say I didn't laugh once watching this film, 'cause I did, exactly once. Otherwise, if you think poopoo, peepee, boobs and bumbs are funny, then go ahead and watch this film. What the hell was Steve Bucemi and Maria Bello thinking??? Here are two great actors trying to ham it up, to what end?? I've lost all respect for both of them. And I don't think I've ever understood a word Salma Hayak has said!! Total waste of time, but the sad thing is, it'll make hundreds of millions of dollars because the general public loves this shit.

GRADE: F


....And now, the news.....

After 8 years of being a Store Manager with Blockbuster Video I have decided to leave. I will be starting my new job at the end of November with Purdy's Chocolates. They are a Canadian owned, family owned, 109 year old company that has begun expanding in the East. They are hugely popular in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton and hope to be as popular in Toronto and the surrounding area. I will be managing the Fairview Mall location (one of my first retail jobs, when I was 16, was at Grand & Toy in Fairview...weird, eh?). I have been in the "movie" business for 15+ years and it was a hard decision, but one that I felt was right for me. I will miss my free movies and games, the people I worked with and for, and even most of the customers who loved to talk movies. I'm a little scared, but I'm very exited as well. I will still occassionally post my thoughts about movies on this blog, just not as often. Who knows, maybe I'll start reviewing chocolate! It's been a good run, but I must move on......

Tuesday Movie Reviews

How To Train Your Dragon
Starring: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders

I was supposed to review this movie Friday, wasn't I? Ooops. I'll make it short and sweet then...GET IT! It's fantastic! A wonderful, funny, touching movie for both kids and adults. (Young kids may be a little frightened at times, but that's good for them...puts hair on their chests!). Dreamworks is definitely keeping up with Disney/Pixar and this film proves it. Loved it, loved it, loved it.

GRADE: A+

Predators
Starring: Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Laurence Fishburne, Danny Trejo
Directed by Nimrod Antal

The opening scene is exhilarating. Brody is falling through the sky at an incredible speed. He has no idea how he got there or where he's falling to. Slam, he hits the ground! Unfortunately nothing else in the next 90 minutes lives up to that first 2 minutes. Sure it's fun watching these renegades killing and blowing up stuff. It's neat seeing the traps laid out before them. The Predator make-up is even cool to look at. But there is nothing going on here, folks. Even though the action sequences are loud and bloody, I totally fell asleep from sheer boredom. If you've even seen a movie called "Cube" then you've seen this one, too. It's basically the same premise of people randomly selected for a survival test, only Predators is much more bloody, and did I mention LOUD?!? Meh, it was directed by a guy named Nimrod...

GRADE: D

Night Of The Demons
Starring: Edward Furlong, Shannon Elizabeth, Monica Keena, Bobbi Sue Luther, John F. Beach, Michael Copon
Directed by Adam Gierasch

My co-worker told me yesterday that this was a remake of a movie by the same name that was made over 20 years ago. I wonder if the original was as bad as this new version. The back story revolves around a mansion owned by a lonely lady who resorts to black magic to get the man she loves. Everybody mysteriously disappears. Flash forward about 90 years and a Halloween party takes a terrible left turn when the bodies of those at the seance are found in the cellar. Now everybody is a flesh eating demon! All except for those that have to escape the flesh eating demons. Anyway, bad! I was only curious to see what Edward Furlong was doing these days. He looks old and bloated. Too bad, he was actually a pretty promising actor in the days of The Terminator 2 and American History X. Now he has to resort to straight to DVD horror movies. Bleh!

GRADE: F

Into The Wind
Documentary
Directed by Ezra Holland and Steve Nash

It is every Canadian's duty to watch this hour long documentary from ESPN's 30 years of 30 films series. This one focuses on Terry Fox, his remarkable history and the lives that he touched during those days in the summer of 1980. There are interviews with all the central players, including the friend that drove the van and his parents, rarely seen on film or TV. How can you not shed a tear of joy, sadness, absolute pride while watching what Terry Fox did. It's a truly inspirational story told with grace. Highly recommended.

GRADE: A

Tuesday Movie Reviews

Splice
Starring: Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Chaneac
Directed by Vincenzo Natali

I so wanted to like this movie, but, alas, I felt slighted. Brody and Polley are a couple of scientists that are trying to create new creatures that will eventually be used to cure major diseases. (The movie explains it, I won't go into it.). When they get the idea to add a human element into their creatures, the company they're working for balks, too many moral complexities. But our brainiacs decide to try it anyway. What they come up with is this part monkey, part bird, part human thing they decide to call Dren (Nerd backwards...crafty!). The thing starts to grow at an exponential rate and Polley starts to have maternal feelings. Dilemmas arise and fall by the wayside, until Dren becomes too much to handle. This could have been a pretty good horror/sci-fi film, but it gets bogged down in melodrama and nonsense. The creature that grows to the age of 20 or so in a matter of months all of a sudden stops? Makes no sense. And why don't these geniuses of science realize that playing God and splicing together different species may be a bad idea??? Brody and Polley play through their roles admirably, but the "star" of the show is supposed to be this mute Dren-thing. I was bored with her after 5 minutes. What a shame.

GRADE: D

I Am Comic
Starring: Tim Allen, Tom Arnold, Dave Attell, Margaret Cho, Tommy Davidson, Phyllis Diller, Tom Dreesen, Jeff Foxworthy, Jim Gaffigan, Janeane Garofalo, Bobcat Goldthwait, Kathy Griffin, Larry Miller, Rosanne, Sarah Silverman, Ritch Shydner
Directed by Jordan Brady

If you can't tell by the cast, this is a documentary about stand-up comics. Some of the best are there to try and give insight to a very difficult profession. Director Brady was on the scene for a while, and he thought it would be neat to give the viewer an inside look at what it means to be funny day in and day out. He does a pretty good job, but what really gets interesting is how he starts to follow Ritch Shydner. Shydner used to be a very popular comedian in the 1980's, even appearing on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (he didn't get the invite to the couch). He'd been out of the game for a number of years, writing mostly, but a chance open-mic night gets him feeling the urges again. And he's awful! Just stinks up the joint! But, as explained in the movie, it's a hard racket to leave behind. I liked the film, not only for the little bit of insight into the lifestyle, but because some of it was damn funny. You won't find the meaning of life or comedy in the message, but you will be entertained for about 90 minutes.

GRADE: B

...Special Friday release of How To Train Your Dragon...review to follow shortly.

Tuesday Movie Reviews...and more....

The Karate Kid
Starring: Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson
Directed by Harald Zwart

So I was 12 when the original Karate Kid hit the theatres (Ralph Macchio was somewhere in his 30's I think!). I remember feeling happy, sad, angry, euphoric. It's one of those movies that has stuck with me all these years later. The new Karate Kid has been forgotten already, not 15 minutes after watching it. Why, you ask? Jaden Smith! Here's a kid that comes from the loins of one of the most engaging actors of our time. Whether you think he's a good actor or not, there is little argument that Will Smith commands the screen. This trait did not get passed down to his son. He simply looked bored with everything he was doing. He surely can't act, and continued to bore the crap out of me every scene he was in. The story is largely the same as the original, transplanted to Japan and with younger kids. By the way, making the kids younger takes the whole romantic element out of the film. Jackie Chan was Jackie Chan...I could understand about every third word he said, but he does cry, which kinda shocked me. I have a feeling kids around 10 to 14 may enjoy this film, but anybody who has seen the original should stay far away from this remake. Oh, I almost forgot the worst part of the movie...Taraji P. Henson's performance. She was like a cartoon character all screechy and animated. She should be ashamed!!

GRADE: D-

The Trotsky
Starring: Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, Genevieve Bujold, Colm Feore, Saul Rubinek, Michael Murphy
Directed by Jacob Tierney

I knocked Jay Baruchel a while ago for his performance in She's Out Of My League. Well, I stick by what I said about that film, but he has totally redeemed himself with his near perfect portrayal of Leon in this movie. It's all about a teen rabble-rouser that truly feels he is the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky. When he's forced to go to a public school after pissing off his rich father (played amazingly well by Rubinek), he starts to plan a student union, one in which he will not back down from. Along the way he meets his Alexandra in Emily Hampshire, 9 years his senior, but fate has brought them together. Through all of his speeches and strong beliefs, he starts to have a real effect on all the people around him. The movie kind of reminded me of Rushmore, a young man more gifted than he should be, but living on the outskirts of society. I loved Rushmore when I first saw it. I loved The Trotsky even more!! Baruchel never wavered in his portrayal. I have a new found respect for his abilities. The supporting cast was top notch, from Michael Murphy as the ex-hippie retired lawyer to Colm Feore as the perfect nemesis for our hero. Hilariously funny and often sweet, I'm proud to say that this is a Canadian feature that I can highly recommend!

GRADE: A+


...and now, the "more"....

On March 5th of this year, I made a few predictions about the 2010 Major League Baseball campaign. Now that the regular season has come to an end, I just wanted to review how I did.

1) "The World Series will be won by the St. Louis Cardinals over the New York Yankees"
- The World Series has yet to be decided, as the playoffs start tomorrow, but the St. Louis Cardinals are not in the playoffs...so I'm pretty sure I was wrong about this one. Go Phillies!!

2) "The Chicago Cubs will NOT win the World Series for the 114th consecutive year!"
- This was an easy one...the Cubbies ended up in 5th place out of 6 teams in their division.

3) "Albert Pujols will have a career year (which is saying a lot with the career he's had so far) and will win the Triple Crown for the first time since 1967!!"
- Well, Mr. Pujols had an average year for the likes of him. He did not win the Triple Crown, but he led the league in Home Runs and RBI's. He came 5th in Batting Average...so I wasn't far off on this one.

4) "Roy Halladay will win the Cy Young award as best pitcher in the National League."
- The awards won't be handed out until the end of the World Series, but it's looking like ol' Roy has a good chance at winning this one. He led his league in Wins with 21, Complete Games with 9, Shutouts with 4, Innings Pitched with 250, 5th in ERA and 5th in Strikeouts. My money is still on him to win.

5) "Ichiro Suzuki will not get 200 hits for the first time in his career"
- Oops. Never count out Ichiro! For the record 10th straight season Ichiro Suzuki has top 200 hits in a season. Unbelievable! He finished with 214.

6) "Derek Jeter will win the American League MVP award"
- Again, has yet to be decided, but I have a feeling Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers will actually win this one. He had a phenomenal year!

I have to say it was an exciting year for the Jays. I'm ecstatic they ended up with a winning record (85-77), only 4 games behind mighty Boston. Jose Bautista had a career year, leading all the majors with 54 Home Runs. I'm looking forward to next year already....

Tuesday Movie Reviews

Killers
Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl, Tom Selleck, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Mull
Directed by Robert Luketic

What starts off as a promising concept, with a promising role for Ashton Kutcher, quickly deteriorates into crap upon crap! We start with Heigl on a plane with her ultra-conservative father (Selleck) and clearly alcoholic mother (O'Hara) preparing for a trip to Nice, France. Cut to super spy Kutcher on a mission in Nice trying to kill someone...for something...it's unclear. They meet, fall in love and Kutcher wants out of the "biz" of hired assassin. Three years later, they're married, have a seemingly wonderful life until a hit is put out on Kutcher. This is the exact moment that the writers and director totally lost their collective minds. Nothing that follows makes sense and is hardly humorous. Turns out that everybody in the neighbourhood that the two lovebirds chose to live in are assassins themselves. WHAT?!?!?!? Think about how insane this is! These people CHOSE to live there, CHOSE the jobs they were in and they ALL TURN OUT TO BE ASSASSINS!!!! Stupid....
The trouble is, I was actually enjoying the movie up to this point. Kutcher was doing a fine job in his role and Heigl, well, she's easy to like. O'Hara was a gas at times, but they played it too hard. Selleck was useless until the end, which had me shaking my head all over again. It's a shame when movies are so obviously rushed out to bank on the stars involved and plot is forgotten along the way.

GRADE: D

MacGruber
Starring: Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillipe, Val Kilmer, Powers Booth, Maya Rudolph, and about five superstars of wrestling
Directed by Jorma Taccone

It's rare that a Saturday Night Live sketch can be fleshed out enough to become a hit feature. It's been done extremely well (The Blues Brothers), not too badly (Wayne's World) and downright awfully (Superstar). MacGruber falls between the first two categories. Will Forte is a lot of fun to watch as the MacGyver-type lead character who can seemingly get himself out of any situation by using the scraps around him, at least that's what he believes. He is brought back into the fold to seek revenge on Val Kilmer who killed MacGruber's bride to be. With the help of his friends, Wiig and Phillipe, they get themselves into crazy situations, ultimately prevailing over evil. What makes this character so much fun to watch is his total lack of awareness. He thinks he is the best there is, but he's clearly beaten down time and time again as a result of his awful planning. Phillipe is put there as the sane one, but, I gotta tell ya, I hate this guy. He has never changed expression in anything he's been in. Wiig, though, is my comedy hero...or heroine...whatever. I love her! She has great timing and likability. There are a few great laughs but there are also a few moments that should have remained as a ten second scene on SNL. You gotta be in the mood for silly if you're even gonna attempt to watch it.

GRADE: B-

A Solitary Man
Starring: Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito, Jesse Eisenberg, Mary-Louise Parker, Imogen Poots, Jenna Fischer
Directed by Brian Koppelman and David Levien

Douglas plays the man in the title. He's creeping up on 60, has realized he's not gonna live forever, is divorced, has a shattered reputation, and is quickly losing money. What's a man to do? How about try to screw every twenty-something he sees. He tries to revert back to his youth in order to feel more like a man. Along the way he meets a shy college kid (Eisenberg) and tries to show him the man he can be. The character is kind of living out the old "If I only knew then what I know now" attitude, but it just gets him into more and more trouble with his most promising relationships, the ones with his immediate family. Douglas plays the character to a tee, he is perfect. It's quite amusing watching a old man pretend to be something he is sooo clearly not. All the supporting actors are very good, too, especially Imogen Poots (who needs to change her name) as one of the young girls he seduces...or is the other way around??? Either way, the writing is very good and the film is fun to watch. Great ending shot, too.

GRADE: B+

Tuesday Movie Reviews

Harry Brown
Starring: Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, David Bradley, Iain Glen, Ben Drew
Directed by Daniel Barber

Michael Caine plays Harry Brown, an elderly man who's wife is dying. He's lonely, and scared of everything...especially the young punks that cause havoc all around the apartment complex in which he lives. When his wife finally passes and his friend is murdered, Harry decides to do something about it. It's "Death Wish" for the 21st Century. Just like that classic from the mid-seventies, Harry Brown is gritty and violent. Caine is absolutely perfect in the role, particularly in the quiet moments. What upset me is the believability of the movie. Do they honestly want us to believe that a man in his seventies(?), who used to be a Marine, can still handle all that he does in the film? The character was totally out of his element and it was hard to get past. I liked portions of the movie (some very strong performances by the drugged out gun salesmen), but I couldn't get over that believability hurdle...as much as I tried. Still, worth a look for Caine's performance, which will probably get him a few votes at Oscar time.

GRADE: B-

Leslie, My Name Is Evil
Starring: Kristen Hager, Gregory Smith, Ryan Robbins, Kristin Adams, Don McKellar
Directed by Reginald Harkema

Taken from real life events, this film chronicles the fall of a young girl, Leslie Van Houten, and the obsession a young man has over her. Van Houten was one of Charlie's Girls, tried for murder during the Charles Manson trials. The young man, Perry, was one of her jurors. The film plays through both of their lives until they meet in court. She's a girl who feels slighted by her mother and rebels against the war in Vietnam. He's a church-loving, God-fearing Christian that's on the path of the straight and narrow. The film, believe it or not, is supposed to be a dark comedy...but it surely wasn't. It's the epitome of bad Canadian movie making, looking about as cheap as it probably was. Sure the director throws in some gimmicky shots, but it's all in an elaborate way to fool you into thinking this is something much better than it is. I did like Hager's portrayal of Leslie, but Robbins as Manson was totally miscast. He was worse than awful, as was Don McKellar's smug prosecutor. I was waiting for this film to get better, but it never did and left me wanting a whole lot more.

GRADE: D-

Tuesday Movie Reviews

The Back-Up Plan
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Alex O'Loughlin, Michaela Watkins, Anthony Anderson, Linda Lavin, Tom Bosley, Robert Klein
Directed by Alan Poul

Jennifer Lopez plays a woman who can't find a man (??) and wants to have a baby. What's a girl to do but get artificially inseminated. That's her back-up plan, get it? As soon as the procedure is done, like 5 minutes later, destiny brings her together with the perfect mate. They fall for each other, she tells him she's pregnant, he balks, and they live happily ever after. I've just told you the movie, no surprises here. What is surprising is how utterly boring the film is. There are a couple of laughs, and I mean a couple, but everything plays out exactly like you'd think. This is colour by numbers people. We've seen this movie a thousand times. The only one like it that was somewhat entertaining was "Knocked Up" because the writer decided to write about real-life situations, not boring fantasy. It was nice to see Linda Lavin (TV's Alice) and Tom Bosley (Mr. C.) again. Actually, I thought Tom Bosley was dead, but what do I know. I was getting bored at the half hour mark and an hour into the film I started counting the hairs in my beard (I stopped at 347).

GRADE: D-

After Life
Starring: Christina Ricci, Liam Neeson, Justin Long, Chandler Canterbury
Directed by Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo

Ok, here's what I got out of this movie. Liam Neeson is a crazed serial killer who works as a mortician, and Christina Ricci has nice boobs. That's all! I just don't understand why screen writer's have to make things soooo complicated that the audience loses interest. Ricci apparently dies in a car crash. Neeson is the man who is preparing her body for the funeral, only Ricci wakes up and thinks she's still alive. Neeson tells her she's dead, that he has a special "gift" and is able to communicated with dead people to prepare them for the beyond. Ricci doesn't believe him at first, then takes his word for it, then doesn't believe him again. All the while her boyfriend, played by Long, is convinced she's still alive...for no good reason mind you. If that sounds even a little confusing, try watching it. Really the movie is just Neeson being creepy, Ricci walking around naked, and Long over-acting all his scenes. Completely a waste of time...except for Ricci walking around naked, did I mention that already?

GRADE: D-

$5 A Day
Starring: Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Walken, Amanda Peet, Sharon Stone, Dean Cain, Peter Coyote
Directed by Nigel Cole

Nivola plays a health inspector with some secrets. As a result, he loses his job and his girlfriend. He gets an urgent message from his father saying he's dying and needs to see him. His father, Walken, is a con man, so Nivola doesn't believe him at first, but goes anyway. Walken says he's dying of a brain tumor and has to go to Mexico for therapy. With nothing else going for him, Nivola goes along. So begins a road trip down memory lane that brings the two men together after years apart. What I liked about the film was the truth in the dialogue. We have a guy in his thirties who never had a good relationship with his father, and a man just trying to make things right. There are funny moments and highly dramatic ones as well, but the two men play off each other fairly well. Sharon Stone looks as though she had all her skin removed and had tanned leather put back in it's place. I can't believe how hot she used to be...not no more! I liked this movie, probably a little more than I ought to have. I guess I was in the mood. Walken is actually very good.

GRADE: B

The Square
Starring: David Roberts, Claire van der Boom, Joel Edgerton, Anthony Hayes
Directed by Nash Edgerton

This one is the sleeper of the week! A married man is having an affair with a married woman. Her husband has hidden a bag of cash in the house, which she finds. She tries to convince her lover to steal it so they can run off together. He hires someone to do the deed, and that's when things start to fall apart...in a big way. I can't get too much detailed in the story so as not to ruin what happens, but the whole film is very satisfying. It's an Australian "Blood Simple", one of my favourite Coen brothers films. There is a general feeling of doom and gloom, the darkness of the scenes, the monotone background music, everything about the movie makes the viewer know that something terrible is about to happen...and when it does, it's still a shock. Great performances by all, but David Roberts is a huge stand-out. He carries the film on his shoulders and everyone follows him. Great movie that I hope people won't overlook.

GRADE: A-

Some Things That Are Pissing Me Off!!

So I read the paper, watch the news, listen to news breaks on the radio and there are a few things that have been making me angry lately. Here are a few of them...
Rogers Cable - The brilliant minds that run this company recently decided to create a whole new sports station to their cable lineup called SportsNet One. In doing so, they have switched upwards of 20 Toronto Blue Jay games to this new network from the other SportsNet channels they have. If you are not a Rogers Cable subscriber, you cannot watch these games. Now, Rogers owns the Blue Jays as we all know. They have complained that the attendance at the games have not been where they want, and I've been to a few games this year where it looked as though there were less than 10,000 fans in the enormous Rogers Centre. Taking away games from people that subscribe to other cable companies is NOT going to drive attendance. In fact, it's very likely to do the opposite. I, for one, will continue to go to Jays games because I support the team. But I have read numerous letters to newspapers where people say they will NEVER go to a Jays game again. I gotta say, I don't blame 'em. If this is some sort of ploy to have people switch their cable companies, it ain't gonna work either. I have nothing subscribed to Rogers, no phone, no TV, no Internet. I can say I will NEVER switch! This is obviously a powerplay to have other cable networks (Bell, Cogico, etc.) to buy the Rogers SportsNet One and put it on their lineup. I sincerely hope they don't. At least I have a choice to switch, but did Rogers ever think of those places in Canada that don't have a choice. Believe it or not, Rogers Cable is not available everywhere. They have alienated all those people, and I hope they all boycott Rogers from here on in.

Stupid Studies - I saw a story on some Canadian news program, I think it was CBC, where a university conducted a study on obesity. Their conclusion was that people in countries that ride bikes or walk to work and other outings often seem to have less obese citizens than those countries that do that kind of stuff less often. REALLY!!! Did we need a study for this??? How much of taxpayer's money was spent on this crap?? Thousands??? MILLIONS??? They could have given me the money and I could have told them that! I always thought I was shedding off the pounds by getting my fat ass in my car and driving around all day. So glad I was told differently. Morons!!

Blockbuster Video - It really makes me crazy when people talk about things they know nothing about. It's OK to have an opinion, but if you're told something else, that seems to make sense, at least consider it. I have been a Store Manager at Blockbuster Video for nearly 8 years. As you all may know, Blockbuster Video is very likely filing for bankruptcy...IN THE STATES! This does not mean all Blockbusters everywhere are going out of business. The fact, FACT, is Blockbuster Canada is the most profitable adjunct of the Blockbuster family, and has been for many years. We made close to $50 million last year, and are expected to make more this year. If and when Blockbuster U.S. goes under, it will be even better for us. We have been lending them money to stop the bleeding for a while now. If they go under, we keep all our profits! Now, the name may be changed, we may be sold, but a company that makes $50 million a year doesn't just close it's doors. The Source operated stores in Canada for over a year without an owner, but someone finally bought them because they make money. Stores that are closing around your area is simply a part of the business. In the salad days of this industry, stores were everywhere, diluting the business. Closing stores only makes sense, bring everyone within a few miles of what used to be 4 stores into one. I'll ask you this...if Blockbuster did go under, where would you get your movies? NetFlix? Only if you've spent more money on your download capabilities and want to wait for your movie to start. On Demand? No special features, no commentaries, and a horrible selection of films. Illegal downloading? This, believe it or not is not as popular as some people have you believe...and you never know what you're gonna get (viruses and such). You, as a movie lover, should support your local Blockbuster, or even local store, 'cause once they're gone, they're gone for good. But I can tell you with 100% certainty, we're NOT GOING ANYWHERE!!! So if you do go into a Blockbuster Video, do not ask "What will you do when you go out of business?". Do not say "You guys won't be around long.". Do not poke the bears...don't be ignorant...rent your movies, say thank you and get the fuck out!!

we do appreciate your business......

Tuesday Movie Reviews

Gunless
Starring: Paul Gross, Sienna Guillory, Tyler Mane, Callum Keuth Rennie, Dustin Milligan, Graham Greene
Directed by William Phillips

I've never been a huge fan of the Western genre, although I love a few of them. I enjoy the rich characters, mostly with a secret hidden well in their past. Gunless has this in the character of The Montana Kid, an American outlaw on the run finding himself in the unfamiliar territory of Canada. He's a bad man, or at least he has come to think so. When he meets a small town of polite Canadians, none of whom have handguns, his world is turned upside down. He has "called out" the blacksmith for a duel at sundown, but he is a man of honour and will wait until an old gun is repaired for the blacksmith to use. In the meantime he becomes friendly with the townsfolk and a certain woman that has asked for a favour. The beauty of this film is in it's simplicity. It is a comedy, and every joke seems to work very well. The characters in town are just this side of quirky, but each one has something going for them. Paul Gross is great as the American cowboy, invoking a bit of Clint Eastwood and Paul Rudd into his character. I really enjoyed this movie, more than I ever would have thought. Easygoing and light, and completely satisfying.

GRADE: B+

Me And Orson Welles
Starring: Zac Efron, Claire Danes, Christian McKay, Ben Chaplin, Eddie Marsan, James Tupper
Directed by Richard Linklater

Richard Linklater has long been a favourite director of mine. He has done some real gems (Slacker, Dazed And Confused, Before Sunset, A Scanner Darkly) and a couple of duds (Bad News Bears). I find that he can tell a very good story while making his actors perhaps better than they are by giving them a "real" quality. This latest film is perhaps one of his best. A young man wants to be an actor, so he ditches school and heads to Broadway to try his luck. This is around 1937 or so. He happens to meet Orson Welles who is putting on an updated version of Julius Caesar at his Mercury Theatre. The boy says all the right things and is thrust into the play, in a small role, but with one of the biggest names in town. The story is about the boy's ups and downs, the boy played very adequately by Efron. The real treat of the movie is the performance given by McKay as Orson Welles. Not only does he look like a young Welles, but he IS Welles! His performance was remarkable. The film reminded of the times I was in theatre in high school...the anticipation of putting on a good show, the fear that went with it, the unparalleled joy of having everything come together for the premiere. All of this was captured beautifully by Linklater and the cast. If you have even a mild interest in theatre and/or Orson Welles, this is a must see.

GRADE: A

Cemetery Junction
Starring: Christian Cooke, Matthew Goode, Ralph Fiennes, Ricky Gervais, Jack Doolan, Emily Watson
Directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant

We find ourselves in the small town of Cemetery Junction in Britain circa 1973. Three friends, who have grown up together and have roused their share of trouble, are starting to look towards the future. One in particular, Freddie, played by Cooke, has decided to work for an insurance company instead of the steel mill that everybody else seems to work for. He wants to better himself, but he is often pulled back to the troublesome friends he loves. It's a coming of age story that works very well. There are moments of drama, perhaps melodrama, mixed with very funny scenes. A little romance sneaks in, and any movie that plays on the final scene from The Graduate is OK by me. The performances are good, especially Matthew Goode's, and Gervais makes a few scenes funnier then they should be. A real British delight that all can enjoy...if you're OK with the swearing that is.

GRADE: B+

The Assassin Next Door
Starring: Olga Kurylenko, Ninette Tayeb, Vladimir Friedman, Henry David
Directed by Danny Lerner

I saw this movie at the store and thought it looked like a cross between La Femme Nikita and Bound. After watching it, I was sort of right. Kurylenko, playing off her success as a Bond girl in Quantum Of Solace, finds herself in the company of some very bad men. She is forced into being a prostitute, but for some reason is trained as an assassin (we never really know how that comes about). She is doing this in order to one day be reunited with her estranged daughter. She finds a friend living next door to her that makes her temporarily forget all her problems. The friend has problems of her own, being an abused wife and all. The scenes that include the two women together are quite good actually. Tayeb, as Elinor, is very good indeed. But the action sequences are sub par and the story seems to run over itself too often. I understand what the director was going for, but he seems to lose interest half way through, which, obviously, made me lose interest. Too bad, because if this was strictly a dramatic tale without the high octane action sequences, it may have worked.

GRADE: C-

Tuesday Movie Reviews

Date Night
Starring: Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg, Common, Kristen Wiig, Mark Ruffalo, James Franco, Mila Kunis, Ray Liotta
Directed by Shawn Levy

How can a comedy with two of the funniest TV stars teaming up be anything but great?? Actually, that last statement was meant to be sarcastic....but it turns out Date Night was truly a treat to watch. Carell and Fey are a married couple in the burbs of New Jersey. They've fallen into the comfortable stage of their marriage where nothing seems exciting anymore and all is just routine. When they decide to let loose a little by going to a fancy new restaurant in Manhattan, all hell breaks loose. They're mistaken for another couple that has in their possession something a major mafia guy needs. You've seen the trailers, you know there are funny scenes that abound. What the trailers don't show you is a the amazing chemistry that Carell and Fey have. They are fantastically funny feeding off each other, and you know half their lines are ad-libbed. The story is actually quite believable and each scene moves along nicely. There were a few times when I rolled my eyes at the silliness of it all (car chase scene with cab was useless), but I was willing to let these few instances go because of the fun I was having. You have to watch the credits as well...very funny outtakes!

GRADE: B+

The Jonses
Starring: David Duchovny; Demi Moore, Amber Heard, Ben Hollingsworth, Glenne Headly, Gary Cole, Lauren Hutton
Directed by Derrick Borte

A beautiful couple and their two gorgeous kids move into an affluent neighborhood. The house is monstrous, the cars are hugely expensive and each of the family members start rolling out these wonderfully new gadgets...cell phones, lawnmowers, golf clubs, etc.. Everybody else on the block see these things and have to have them themselves. Within the rich community, everybody has to keep up with The Jonses. Only thing is, The Jonses are a fake family, salespeople brought together buy some huge company to sell their wares. Interesting concept, and it works fairly well for about 15 minutes. Then it all falls apart. The movie becomes a Movie Of The Week on NBC or something. All of a sudden one kid falls for a married man, the other comes out of the closet, the "wife" starts to have feelings for the "husband"...someone dies, someone gets drunk and drives...it's terrible. Writer /director Borte totally missed the mark on this film. It should have, and very easily could have, been a straight, balls-out comedy ala Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. As I was watching it all get so melodramatic, I could picture this movie being a great comedy. What a shame. Oh, and Lauren Hutton looked like she died weeks before the shoot and nobody told her...blech!

GRADE: D


Side note...I was going to watch the remake of Death At A Funeral with Chris Rock and Danny Glover, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Not only do I know I'd hate it, but it would have made me very angry as well. There is absolutely no reason to remake a movie that was released only three short years ago, that was absolutely hilarious, and great, and touching, and soooo British. Please see the original and stay away from the new one.

Tuesday Movie Reviews

Kick-Ass
Starring: Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong
Directed by Matthew Vaughn

Director Matthew Vaughn's first movie was Layer Cake, a great crime drama starring James Bond himself, Daniel Craig. It was a fast-paced, action-packed flick that was fun to watch. Kick-Ass tops that cult film! I had a great time watching this movie and I'll tell you why...it didn't take itself too seriously. This is a comic book movie for adult viewing (lots of killing and blood and swearing) and it makes you feel like a kid again, reading your first Spider-Man comic. The story revolves around a geeky teenager that wonders aloud why nobody has tried to help ordinary people on the streets, ala a superhero without the strange powers that most of them possess. He dons a costume, gets beaten to a pulp, and becomes an Internet sensation. Meanwhile, a father and daughter team have been practising their superhero routine, bent on avenging a mobster that was responsible for the death of their wife/mother. The three hook up and all hell breaks loose. The action sequences that follow are gory but lavish. The little girl, named Hit-Girl, played impressively by Chloe Moretz, has all the moves and the mouth to go with it. She reminded me a little of Natalie Portman in The Professional. Cage does a spot on impression of Adam West as Batman...hilarious! I can not think of a movie that I enjoyed so much from start to finish and I can't wait for the sequel.

GRADE: A

The Ghost Writer
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, Kim Cattrall, Tom Wilkinson, Eli Wallach
Directed by Roman Polanski

This is the third time I've tried to write this review and for some reason it keeps erasing itself!!! So...good movie, watch it!!

GRADE: B+

Tuesday Movie Reviews

Clash Of The Titans
Starring: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton
Directed by Louis Leterrier

I remember seeing the original Clash Of The Titans many, many years ago. I loved the "cheese" factor of that movie....it was so bad it was good. The animation was mind-boggling for it's time and Medusa scared the crap out of me! This 21st Century update is not as memorable, yet it is exactly what I expected. Lots of action sequences, some hard to follow, but satisfying nonetheless. The special effects were well done and up to today's standards. The acting, if you can call it that, was just corny enough to make me smile at times. It is what it is, lots of money thrown at a subject that really isn't that interesting except for the digital stuff. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes try to bring a touch of class to the proceedings, but their performances just come across forced and one-dimensional. But as I said, all of it was what I expected, so I can't be too disappointed. The movie is two hours of wasted time with a pretty cool Kraken. With the original in 1981 leaving such an indelible image in my mind, I guess I hoped that this one would too, but I've already forgotten about it. Kids will like it, though.

GRADE: C+

Repo Men
Starring: Jude Law, Forest Whitaker, Alice Braga, Liev Schrieber, RZA
Directed by Miguel Sapochnik

An interesting idea that loses it's cache very quickly and becomes boring and nonsensical. Jude Law and Forest Whitaker are two of the repo men from the title. Their job is to take back synthetic organs from people who have gone past due in their payments. They work for the company that supplies these organs to dying patients for phenomenal prices. That's the interesting part. Where the story falls apart is first in it's predictability. Obviously one of these guys is going to need an organ to stay alive, will be delinquent on the payment, and the other one will have to repossess it. What I really hated about the film, though, was the fact that this futuristic method of giving life and taking it back without any legal consequences was never explained. The legal and moral ramifications of such a transaction would never, EVER, let this kind of stuff exist. The movie was much more bloody than it had to be, and Alice Braga was sooooo annoying. They also gloss over a drug problem that these organ recipients seem to have, which could have turned into a decent subplot. The only thing I liked about the movie was that it was so obviously filmed in Toronto...I love seeing TTC trains on the big screen!

GRADE: D

Operation: Endgame
Starring: Rob Corddry, Ellen Barkin, Zach Galifianakis, Maggie Q, Ving Rhames, Jeffrey Tambor
Directed by Fouad Mikati

You ever see a movie and think "How the hell did this ever get made?"? Whenever I see a title that has some "name" actors but is directed by someone I've never heard of I think that someone had more money than they knew what to do with and wanted to "create" something. This movie falls into that category. I don't know who Fouad Mikati is, but he must know some rich people. A quick look on imdb.com tells me that this is the only thing he has ever done in the entertainment field. I truly hope it's the last. Every scene, and I mean EVERY SCENE, was painful to watch. Violence for the sake of violence, annoying characters with absolutely no purpose whatsoever, horrible "comedic" moments, and some of the worst pacing I've ever witnessed. I hated the entire film. The cool looking DVD cover will try to fool you, but do not be fooled...this is one crapfest!!

GRADE: F

Tuesday Movie Reviews

The Losers
Starring: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Jason Patric
Directed by Sylvain White

Fun...just pure fun. That's the only way I can describe The Losers. I had no idea what to expect, but I like. The story revolves around five special forces soldiers all with a great ability to do something. They get double-crossed by some richer-than-God dude and have to make like they're dead. They then team up with a woman bent on vengeance and all hell breaks loose. Now, the story is waaaaayyy more convoluted than it needs to be. It doesn't really matter though. The characters and the actors that play them are the meat of the movie, along with some pretty looking action sequences. Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who has been in dozens of other movies and TV shows, most notably The Watchmen, looks like a cross between George Clooney and Javier Bardem and played his role perfectly. Jason Patric was just this side of hamming it up, but the character seemed to call for that. Zoe Saldana is wicked hot...she looks so much better without all that blue paint from Avatar. This was The A-Team on an adrenaline rush and if you forget about the crosses, double-crosses and triple-crosses, or how little some of them make sense, you're in for a real treat.

GRADE: B+

Cop Out
Starring: Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Kevin Pollak, Adam Brody, Seann William Scott, Jason Lee
Directed by Kevin Smith

I'll start by saying I never thought Tracy Morgan was funny. I think he is the biggest no-talent in Hollywood. I can't understand why people like him. After saying that, this movie is a perfect vehicle for him. It should show the world what I see. I didn't think that I'd like Cop Out from the commercials I saw for it. I had no idea how much I'd actually hate it!! From the opening sequence where Morgan is screaming his head off (yelling does not equal funny!!) and Willis is naming off all the movies that are referenced (give your audience a little bit of credit), to the outrageously unfunny dialogue, to the borrowed, but not quite exact, soundtrack from Beverly Hills Cop, this film was just one big mess. Kevin Smith is a very funny and talented writer and director. This was the first movie he directed without writing and he should have seen just how bad the script was. I've lost a ton of respect for him, but he can't be the only one to blame. Some would say this is an homage to the buddy cop flicks of the 1980's. I would tell those people to take their heads out of their asses and re-watch Beverly Hills Cop and 48 Hrs and the like, 'cause this crap doesn't come close to measuring up. (by the way, count how many times they say the word "homage" in the movie...it's ridiculous!). Sean William Scott's character is totally useless and childish and the bad guy is awful. Please stay away from watching this film...I beg you.

GRADE: F

The Runaways
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon
Directed by Floria Sigismondi

This is the story of the first all-girl rock-punk group to hit it big in the 1970's, a group brought together by Joan Jett (played by Stewart) and headed by Cherie Currie (played by Fanning). They were a bunch of teenage girls that knew what they wanted, but couldn't really handle the fame and fortune and ended up breaking up after only a few years. Unlike most rock docu-dramas, The Runaways was a complete bore, but the performances were top notch. Stewart became Joan Jett, in all her manerisms. Fanning (who's all growed up) was her fantastic self as the young Currie, whose book the film is based off of. Michael Shannon was perfectly creepy as the man that brought the group together with dollar signs in his eyes. These three performances are worth a watch, but the story gets too bogged down in drugs, lesbianism and sterotypes, without giving very much depth to the actual rise of the band. Good for the acting, bad for everything else.

GRADE: C+

Tuesday Movie Reviews

The Bounty Hunter
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Gerrard Butler, Jason Sudeikis, Christine Baranski
Directed by Andy Tennant

Director Andy Tennant, who has made such fluff as Hitch and Fool's Gold, has made another colour-by-numbers film that sounds like it could be fun, but is sooooo not! Gerrard Butler and Jennifer Aniston are a divorced couple. She's a journalist who has obstructed justice and must face a court hearing. He's an ex-cop bounty hunter. Can you see where this is going? The premise has been done a million times...they hate each other, there's lots of yelling and screaming and bandying about, then they come to love each other all over again. Fine, I can take seeing this movie again. What I can't take is the inane subplot that brings them to work with one another...something about a murder or non-suicide or gun smuggling or who the hell knows what. Gerrard Butler is not made for romantic comedies. He's not that great to look at (did he have a stroke at some point?) and I swear you could smell his b.o. through the screen. Aniston is there simply to be a skinnier, higher cheek boned Rachel Green. The chemistry between the two, if you can call it that, comes across incredibly forced. Oh, did I mention the absurd subplot??? I laughed, in spite of myself, at a couple of scenes, but all in all this is a movie that can easily be missed.

GRADE: D-

Greenberg
Starring: Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, Rhys Ifans, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Directed by Noah Baumbach

If you remember, about 5 years ago, came a little film that got a lot of buzz. It was called The Squid And The Whale and was written and directed by Noah Baumbach. It was a strange little film about family dysfunction, but it was real and quite funny at times. Baumbach's next film was Margot At The Wedding which I have to say ranks as one of the worst pieces of crap I have ever seen! It's quite evident Baumbach had a strange childhood. Well, somewhere in the middle we find Greenberg. Ben Stiller plays the lead character that has just been released from a mental hospital and must find something to do with his life. He's quite content doing absolutely nothing, or so he claims, but there is obviously something missing. He finds a little of that something in Greta Gerwig's character Florence. She's got issues of her own, but they seem to meld well. Here's the problem, Greenberg is not a nice guy. There really isn't anything redeeming about him. The movie plays along at a snail's pace and nothing really seems to happen. It's like looking into someone's boring life. Now, after saying that, Stiller does a pretty good job at the whole dramatic thing. In fact, the movie reminded me of a poor man's Punch-Drunk Love which starred another comic actor, Adam Sandler, in a dramatic role. Punch-Drunk Love, though, had a lot more to offer than Greenberg. Greta Gerwig was good, and Rhys Ifans was really good, but the story was so "nothing" that their performances got lost in the shuffle.

GRADE: C+

Our Family Wedding
Starring: America Ferrera, Forest Whitaker, Carlos Mencia, Lance Gross, Regina King
Directed by Rick Famuyima

I read the reviews on this movie after I watched it, and they were not good. It got totally panned! I really don't understand why. Certainly it's not original, and there were a couple of slapstick scenes that had no business being in the film (the goat???) but all-in-all I enjoyed the warm feeling I had watching it. This is the type of movie I imagine Tyler Perry doing (I've never seen a Tyler Perry movie). Two families, one African American and one Mexican American (how politically correct am I?), are forced together over the impending nuptials of their offspring. Some craziness ensues, and many off-coloured cheap shots, but everybody learns to love one another and become family. Ok, I agree, that doesn't sound so great, but the fabulously likeable America Ferrera makes you forget the bad writing. There are many lessons to be learned by all involved which I found a little corny, but a little sweet as well. The final wedding goes on for days, but it was nice to see this family enjoying themselves. I don't know, maybe I was in the mood for something brainless, but I don't think this movie should have received such a drubbing by the critics. Oh, and Eddie Murphy's brother is in it...I can't say why.

GRADE: B-

Tuesday Movie Reviews

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Sven-Bertil Taube, Peter Haber
Directed by Niels Arden Oplev

The reviews for this movie were great when it was released in the theatres some months ago, but my favourite was something to the effect of "see this movie before the Americanized version screws with it!". Well, I have to agree with that! Based on the best selling novel (the first of three in a series), The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is exciting, fun, brutal and very well made. The story revolves around two unlikely souls coming together to solve a crime that happened almost 40 years prior. If you've read the book (one of the few times I did before I saw the movie) you know how explicit some of the descriptions were, especially revolving around rape and torture. Well the Swedes put it all in the movie for you to experience all over again. Nothing is held back, and at times I had to look the other way. But the scenes aren't at all gratuitous. These images were put in the film to delve deeper into the characters. I have to say I was just a bit disappointed at the exclusion of some plot lines that were in the book, and that's only because I loved the book so much. This movie is not for everyone...but if a little violence doesn't disturb you, you must see it. The two leads are perfect, exactly how I'd pictured them in my head. Noomi Rapace, a complete unknown to North American audiences, is Lisbeth Salander...there's no "acting" there. She became the character and is totally believable in every minuscule movement. I think the movie can stand on it's own as a great thriller and, in a rare occurrence, is just as good as the book it was adapted from.

GRADE: A


A Single Man
Starring: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Good, Nicholas Hoult
Directed by Tom Ford

This was director/writer Tom Ford's first movie, and he will be a force to be reckoned with in the future. Every scene of this film is beautifully set up and executed. From the great colours (notice how images get brighter as the mood lightens) to the authentic set up of a 1960's lifestyle. Fabulous! Colin Firth plays the man of the title who is dealing with the accidental death of his young, gay lover many months ago. The story takes place over a 24 hour period and we see all the incredible lows and giddy highs that Firth's character goes through, including some very well placed flashbacks. Firth is, in a word, phenomenal! I though Jeff Bridges deserved his Oscar for Crazy Heart...until I watched this movie. Julianne Moore is just as good, but this is Firth's film. (Try saying that five times fast!). I have one problem with the movie, and it turns out to be a rather large problem...I hated the ending! Without giving anything away I felt the ending was a total cop-out, predictable and disappointing. I far rather would have liked to see the ending go the opposite way. After saying that, I still think this is a movie everyone needs to see.

GRADE: A-

Tuesday Movie Reviews

Hot Tub Time Machine
Starring: John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, Clark Duke, Crispin Glover, Chevy Chase
Directed by Steve Pink

I saw the commercials. I heard the ads on the radio. I couldn't imagine a movie titled Hot Tub Time Machine being any good at all. I was wrong. Even though I thought The Hangover was funny, I never thought it should have been the huge success it was. This movie, in my opinion, was funnier and better! Sure the concept is absolutely ridiculous. Three down on their luck friends of more than twenty years decide to go back to the place where everything was once carefree. They bring along the twenty-something nephew of Cusack's character. When they get in the hot tub of their chalet, it magically transports them back to 1986. They can now re-live the great times they had, but they have to be very careful. By changing something in their past it may effect their lives in present day 2010. Silly...but hysterically funny. Yes, there are some silly scenes, but done in such a way that even the main characters find them silly. It's like the viewer is not only in on the joke, but part of it. It may be that I was a kid of the 80's and remember a lot of the stuff they were seeing and hearing, but I truly felt I was watching something fun and original. The four main guys were perfect, but John Corddry was a real stand out for me. He was the hardest guy to like...rude, brash, depressing even. But something rang true about him that I could sort of relate to. I really liked this film, and what makes it more impressive is, I shouldn't have.

GRADE: A-

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Starring: Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Joe Pantoliano
Directed by Chris Columbus

There will be obvious comparisons to this movie and the Harry Potter franchise. In fact, Chris Columbus directed the first two Harry Potter movies. What I think is important to mention is that Percy Jackson should be for older kids. There a many frightening scenes that would have freaked me out at age 10 or 11. Still, the story was quite interesting. Percy is a demigod, the son of Poseidon and a mortal woman. He is destined to be a hero and goes for his training after it's thought he has stolen Zeus' lightning bolt. He has no idea what the hell is going on, but soon learns to accept his destiny and superhuman powers. He must find out who actually stole the lightning to clear his name and save the world from the feuding Gods. I really liked the interaction of the kids trying to help Percy on his journey. The special effects were top notch. Even the big name actors in their cameos were quite enjoyable. If I was 14 years old, this would probably be my favourite movie of all time, but, alas, I'm no longer 14. I still liked the film, though, and I look forward to the inevitable sequels.

GRADE: B

The Crazies
Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson
Directed by Breck Eisner

This is a remake of a film done in the 1970's that I always wanted to see but never got around to. I kinda wish I did. It's usually the case that the original is much better than it's remake (see Planet Of The Apes!!). It's not that I hated The Crazies, but I did get a little bored at times. It was quite obvious to me what was making the people want to kill others, even though it was supposed to be kind of a surprise. What I didn't like was the fact that the entire small town of 1200 people seemed to be affected except for 2 people. I guess that's why there was a movie. I liked Olyphant's character. He was strong enough but also human enough to question what was happening. Radha Mitchell made me cringe every time she was on screen. It's not that I don't like her as an actress. I think her character was very poorly developed. There were some good scenes of fright and gore, but, for the most part, the film left me wanting more...kind of like Eisner's other big movie, Sahara.

GRADE: C+

When You're Strange
Starring: Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, Robby Krieger, narrated by Johnny Depp
Directed by Tom DiCillo

There have been many documentaries about The Doors, and the major film directed by Oliver Stone. I've read a lot about the band as well. So, seeing these other films and reading these books, I didn't find out anything "new" about the band. Everything that there is to tell has been told. What I loved was the footage of the band that had never been seen before. That stuff was very interesting. The problem is there wasn't enough to fill an entire movie, so director DiCillo decided to put in some strange scenes that didn't seem to fit with the flow of the documentary. At times the film was a jumbled mess. If you're a true fan of The Doors and the mystery of Jim Morrison, this is probably not the movie to watch. You already know what's being told, and the extra crap may upset you.

GRADE: C

Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage
Starring: Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart, Jack Black, Sebastian Bach, Les Claypool, Kirk Hammett, Billy Corgan, Trent Reznor
Directed by Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn

McFadyen and Dunn were the guys behind the brilliant Metal: A Headbanger's Journey which, even if you're semi-interested in the heavy metal genre, should be required viewing. They bring their love of music and film together once again to detail the rise and success of Rush, the biggest band ever to come out of Toronto. I've always been a fan of Rush, but never a hardcore fan. I may become one now that I've seen this documentary. The film starts with Rush's humble beginnings in Toronto, how they had to replace their original drummer, how they grew to fame and fortune, and about their avid following all over the world. The band seems down to earth and quite humbled by their decades of success which is really refreshing to see. Geddy Lee even jokes that when he was approached for the idea of a documentary he thought the band was far to boring to fill 2 hours. I'm here to tell you he was wrong! Many musicians are featured talking about how Rush influenced them in one way or another, but all of them agree that the members of Rush are some of the finest musicians ever. Great fun, interesting and the music ain't bad either.

GRADE: A

Leah

I'd like to introduce the new member of the Steinberg/Mundier household...her name is Julia, but we've decided to call her Leah. She's a two-year-old German Shepherd/Huskie mix, rescued from Montreal after her elderly owner had to move into an old age home. She has spent the last three weeks in Scugog, Ontario at a Doggie Camp. I think she already misses her friends, but she seems to be adapting well and taking to Denise and I very well. She's a little skittish at the moment (probably because she fell down the stairs in the house and landed on her head!!), but she's checking out the place slowly. We just took her for her first walk around the block and she tried to get into every parked car we passed! She likes car rides apparently. She will be loved and pampered and treated better than she ever thought could be possible. We are not replacing are beloved Saffy, who will always be remembered as the best dog EVER, but we felt we needed to hear the pitter-patter of four hairy feet in the house again. Here's to many happy years with our new best friend....welcome Leah!

Tuesday Movie Reviews

Green Zone
Starring: Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Brendan Gleeson, Amy Ryan
Directed by Paul Greengrass

Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon have teamed up in the past to give us some exciting action films from the Bourne series (Supremacy and Ultimatum). Their collaboration with Green Zone doesn't disappoint. The story revolves around a team of soldiers in Iraq that are trying to track down WMDs. The troupe is led by Bourne...I mean Damon...who thinks something strange is going on when they're never able to find any big bombs. He questions high ranking officials to the validity of the intel they're receiving. When he feels he's getting the run around, he decides to take matters into his own hands. Now, by no means is this a Rambo-type move. He's not taking on the entire US and Iraqi armies on his own. He's clever enough to ask the right questions of the right people to figure out what he'd been fearing...lies from the US government. What I liked so much about this film is the total believability of the story. It feels like this could have been a 60 Minutes expose. The action is pretty much non-stop and Damon, as always, holds your attention throughout. I really enjoyed the way the US government were made to look like total jerks...that always makes me happy. Even though there a few political-type ideas to remember and recall, and I usually hate following those kinds of things, the movie moves along at such a pace that it seems easy to handle. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and look forward to watching it again.

GRADE: A

She's Out Of My League
Starring: Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, T.J. Miller, Debra Jo Rupp, Krysten Ritter
Directed by Jim Field Smith

There were things that I really liked about this film and things that I really didn't like at all. Let's start with Jay Baruchel. I've enjoyed watching his geeky act ever since his days on "Undeclared", a very underrated TV show from the early 2000's. Problem is, he's never really dropped that persona (although I hear he's great in Trotsky). I started to become annoyed at his facial expressions and movements which I know is a bit trivial, but when he looks as though he is constantly constipated it starts to bother me. That was a real disappointment. Another thing I didn't really care for was one scene that I would call "bathroom humour" that I didn't feel needed to be in the movie at all. It was obviously there to make the teenage crowd howl with laughter, but after the age of 18 or so I stopped thinking that kind of stuff was funny. Also, T.J. Miller, playing Stainer, reminded me of a cross between Will Ferrel and Napoleon Dynamite...not a good combination! What I did like was the honesty in the dialogue through most of the film. It was refreshing to hear. Also, the performance of Alice Eve as Holly. Sure, she's gorgeous, but I found myself really liking the character she became. I was under the impression that she would be a bitch in the film, I don't know why I came up with that, but she was totally engaging. Did I mention she's gorgeous as well? Anyway, She's Out Of My League was enjoyable but a little disappointing all at once. Maybe I expected more...I don't know...but I have a feeling it will please the masses.

GRADE: B-

Baseball Is Cool Because...

So I heard today of a very cool happening that took place in the Blue Jays/Giants game yesterday and it made me think of some of the things that I truly love about the sport. It's not always about the great plays and the reams of stats. It's very often the "human factor" of the game that makes my heart swell. John McDonald, a utility player for the Jays, just lost his father to a battle with liver cancer. He had taken the last week or so off to be with him. He returned for yesterday's afternoon game, but wasn't in the starting lineup. One of his dad's last wishes was for John to hit a home run for him. John apparently told him that hitting a home run was not that easy. If you check his career stats, John McDonald is not what you'd call a slugger. Well, as the Jays were losing 9-3 in the 9th inning, manager Cito Gaston decided to let John hit for a slumping Aaron Hill. Remember, this was his first at bat after losing his father days before. It was Father's Day no less. John McDonald hit a home run over the left field fence!! If you were to watch the video, you can see him holding back his tears as he rounded the bases. The Toronto bench acted as if they just won the game...they didn't of course. It was an unbelievably emotional moment that Vernon Welles said he'd never forget.
Check out the video at this link:
http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=9201989&topic_id=8878984&c_id=tor

This event made me think of a couple of other plays that have stuck with me for their emotional value rather than the big home run to win a game or the perfect game that wasn't thrown....

The most famous would have to be Lou Gehrig's famous speech near the end of his career...and life. Gehrig was a powerhouse hitter for the New York Yankees and famously was dubbed The Iron Horse for his incredible streak of consecutive games played, 2130 of them. (Later eclipsed by Cal Ripken). He is also famous for contracting the deadly disease ALS, now widely known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. After playing his last game in 1939, barely able to stand straight anymore, the Yankees held a game in his honour. Gehrig made his famous speech at that game where he called himself "the luckiest man on the face of this Earth". He was in physical pain, he knew he didn't have long to live, but the love of the fans made him feel that way. He was dead less than two years later, but is still remembered as one of the best to ever play the game!

Ted Williams is widely regarded as the best pure hitter that baseball has ever seen. He started his career in 1939 and made a splash right away by hitting 31 home runs, driving in 145 runs and batting .327 as a rookie. His career stats are some of the best in any hitting category, and that's with 4 years to service in WWII, where he was a decorated war hero, and most of two seasons to The Korean War. Baseball pundits think Williams may have shattered all career records if he had played those seasons. He is the last player to hit .400 in a season, batting .406 in 1941...and that's where my story begins. On the last day of the season, Williams was batting .400...well, .3997, but his average would have been rounded up to the .400 in the record books. His manager and teammates told him to sit out the last day of the season, a double-header, to secure his .400 average. Ted Williams was never one to take the easy way out. He said .3997 is NOT .400 and he'd be playing both games of the double-header. He not only played both games, but collected 6 hits in his 8 at-bats to finish at .406!! That's my favourite Williams story, but he tried to top it in 1960. Williams was never a fan favourite in Boston. He was rude to the fans and the press. Everybody appreciated him, but nobody really liked him. He vowed to never give the fans the satisfaction of a curtain call after a big home run. On the last day of the season, on his last at-bat for his career, Teddy Williams hit a monster home run in Fenway Park. He rounded the bases and went back into the dugout. The fans knew this would be his last career plate appearance, and to hit a home run was a very special thing. They gave him a rousing ovation for many minutes...but Williams refused to make a curtain call and tip his cap to the crowd! He may have been a jackass, but he was easily one of the greatest hitters ever.

There are many more stories like these, but I'll save some for another time.

Tuesday Movie Reviews

Youth In Revolt
Starring: Michael Cera, Portia Doubleday, Jean Smart, Zack Galifianakis, Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Fred Willard, Justin Long, M. Emmet Walsh
Directed by Miguel Arteta

I have become bored of Michael Cera. His role as George Michael in the brilliantly funny TV show Arrested Development was refreshing, but he has been typecast because of it. Everything he has done since that show was cancelled has had elements of George Michael in it. The same can be said for Cera's portrayal of Nick Twisp, a troubled lad who just wants to fall in love and, foremost, get laid. The brilliance of his role comes when Twisp creates an alter ego by the name of Francois Dillinger. This naughty French boy is rude, crass, much more dangerous and hysterically funny. He was created through a number of circumstances too lengthy to get into here, but the short form is, Twisp needs to be bad to get the goods. Cera's foray into other territory is refreshing and comical...and good! I enjoyed this film because of the odd performances and the twisted lengths that Cera goes to in order to find true love. This is a movie that doesn't take itself too seriously, which makes the ride more enjoyable. There are also very cool animation cuts between a few scenes. And Fred Willard??? He's the best!!!

GRADE: B+

The Book Of Eli
Starring: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Beals, Tom Waits, Michael Gambon
Directed by The Hughes Brothers

I really wanted to like The Book Of Eli. I loved the teasers I saw on TV and on trailers. I have to say I was slightly disappointed after watching the film. I'll talk about the things I did like, but I have to warn you now, the things I didn't particularly like may CONTAIN SPOILERS!!! Denzel Washington was great. He is one of a few actors out there that can play just about any role and I'll wholly believe it. He commands the screen in every scene. I also liked the way most of the movie was filmed. There were flashes of creativity I've seldom seen. One shot in particular went from outside to inside, through a window, turned, and went back outside, turned again, and went back towards the house. (You'll understand this when you see the scene). The look and feel of the film was presented very well...muted browns and yellows in a dry world with little water. The action scenes were well conceived, too. Now, what I didn't like. The story was very weak and predictable. (If you can't figure out what the Book in the title is, you should be shot). It was quite obvious what was going to happen minutes before it did, except for the twist. The twist in the story comes out of nowhere and is only there to make the viewer gasp. If you were to look back at everything you saw and heard throughout the film, the "twist" makes very little sense and has little importance in my opinion. There are too many actions that can't be explained if we are to believe what is revealed...and since this happens near the end of the movie, it takes away from all I liked previous. It will create interesting discussions, but I feel it was a cop out, a plot turn for plot turn's sake. Wow, I didn't spoil anything...I'm pretty proud of myself.

GRADE: C

Tuesday Movie Reviews

Shutter Island
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max Von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Jackie Earle Haley, Patricia Clarkson
Directed by Martin Scorsese

When I saw the commercials for Shutter Island before it was released in the theatres, I guessed at the big twist that was being talked about. You may have done the same thing. I bet, like me, you're right. Does that mean all is lost on this movie? The "twist" is not hard to figure out, for sure, but all that follows is quite interesting indeed. I won't go into the story in case it is a mystery to you, but I realized there is a lot more going on throughout the film. Leo is very convincing in his role, contrary to many reviews I read. I don't see why so many people have a problem with this very good actor. Ben Kingsley is great, Max Von Sydow is very good as well (I can't believe he's been soooo good for soooo long!). The movie did seem like a bit of a departure for Scorsese. I didn't notice any of his trademark camera movements (and no Rolling Stones song either). I would liken the look of the film to a cross between Cape Fear and The Aviator. Still, the subject was very interesting, the denouement was wholly satisfying, and I enjoyed the film much more than I expected.

GRADE: B+

From Paris With Love
Starring: John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Directed by Pierre Morel

I feel strange reviewing this film and I'll tell you why...I had no business enjoying it as much as I did!! OK, it's not gonna win any awards, but seeing Travolta kick ass all over the place really worked well. Rhys Meyers works for some sort of secret Black Ops government agency and is trying to move up in the ranks. He gets his big chance when he is hooked up with Travolta, an agent that loves to shoot first and ask questions later. Seems like your regular Lethal Weapon type match up, and it kinda was, but the action scenes were actually pretty good and well conceived. The idea for the film came from Luc Besson who wrote such great flicks as La Femme Nikita and The Professional (or Leon for you snobs). He does know how to weave a good action film and had to have some sort of influence on the filming of this one. Ryhs Meyers was really not very good...seems as though he can't handle situational humour very well. But I gotta say, Travolta surprised me and made the 90 minutes more than tolerable. The story is a little weak (there's a twist that I clued into about 5 minutes in), but this isn't the type of film that you watch for deep meaning. Sit back and enjoy the ride, I did.

GRADE: B-

The 41 Year Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall And Felt Superbad About It
Starring: Absolutely nobody of note
Directed by Craig Moss

From the brilliant title you may have guessed that this straight-to-video release is a parody of Judd Apatow's very successful comedies from the past few years. Truthfully, the title is the most clever thing about this movie. I could only watch about 40 minutes of it, but I doubt it got any better through the second half. It saddens me that parody is a lost art form. It's been 30 years since Airplane, the most famous and funniest of all the parodies that followed it. This is a genre that must die unless Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker bring it back with a flourish. The only thing worthy on note in this piece of crap movie is the kid that played the Michael Cera-type character. He had Cera's quirky mannerisms down pat. Other than that small highlight, do not waste your time with it! By the way, director Moss' only claim to fame is an 8 minute short title "Saving Ryan's Privates" about war heroes that have to save their buddy's penis. Hilarious!! (Does sarcasm come across on a blog??).

GRADE: F

Give It To Him!!!!

So I feel I need to weigh in on the perfect game thrown by Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers earlier this week. Notice how I wrote "perfect game"...because it was!!! For those who don't know what I'm talking about, let me summarize. On June 2nd I'm sitting in my living room watching the Jays. During an inning change there comes a report that Armando Galarraga was in the eighth inning of a perfect game. Laptop is now open and I'm watching the Detroit game live on mlb.com. Down to the last at bat, Galarraga has retired 26 batters in a row. Jason Donald comes up for the Indians. The count goes to one ball and one strike when Donald hits a ground ball to the right of first baseman Miguel Cabrerra which pulls him off the bag. Galarraga covers the bag, receives the throw from Cabrerra, puts his right foot down on the bag a good step ahead of Donald....and umpire Jim Joyce calls him safe!!! Unbelievable!!! This umpire's blown call just took a perfect game away from a young guy, 28, who has never, or would never again, know the pure joy of what he had done. Perfect games in baseball are rare. There have only been 20 of them since 1880....that's 130 years folks!! It's much more rare than a hole in one in golf. (Strange enough, there have been two other perfect games thrown this year: Dallas Braden on May 9th and Roy "Doc" Halladay on May 29th). So, after the game, umpire Joyce takes a look at the replay that millions have already seen. Sure enough he admits to blowing the call. He apologizes, Galarraga understands, everybody goes on with their lives....
BUT WAIT A SECOND!!! The league is sent the tape for review for a possible reversal of the call, giving Galarraga the perfect game he deserves. Bud Selig, the commissioner of baseball, says they will not overturn the call but will take a look at using instant replay for such things in the future. What bullshit! They have the proof in their hands, the umpire said he blew the call, the hit made absolutely no difference in the outcome of the game (the Tigers were up 3-0) so why not reverse the call?? Some people talk of the purity of the game, how it's always been about human error on the part of the umps (who, by the way, get well over 90% of close calls correct!), how stats would have to be reversed and asterisks placed beside Galarraga's name, and blah, blah, blah. Jason Donald is a rookie hitting .250 this year...do you think he'd care if they took away a hit from his end of year totals?? I highly doubt it. Do you think anybody would care if Cabrerra got another assist on his yearly fielding totals?? Not bloody likely. Do you think Galarraga wants to be known as the 21st pitcher in the history of the Major Leagues to have thrown a perfect game?? Fuckin' right he does...and he should!!!