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....