The Informant! (2009)

The Informant!
2009
Based on a True Story
Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale

The Informant! is based on a real guy and true events, which is amazing considering some of the crazy turn of events that occur in it. Matt Damon plays Mark Whitacre, who works for ADM (a bio-agriculture company), in the mid 1990s he contacts the FBI with information that ADM and its competitors are conspiring to fix the price of lysine (a corn additive) which allows them to raise the price of basically every product that contains corn or corn syrup (which is A LOT of stuff), ripping off consumers for millions of dollars every year. When he comes to the FBI with this information he begins working for them as an informant, making tapes and collecting information about the price fixing scheme. I won't say anything else because it takes some crazy terms towards the end. He is obviously not a trained spy or anything so things like watching him trying to fix his wire right in front of the people he is trying to tape makes for some quick laughs. I consider Matt Damon a pretty good actor, but this role is unlike anything else he has done. Which makes the fact that he does an amazing job so much more impressive. Without someone as talented as Damon playing the lead the film might not have worked as well. Because Mark Whitacre is a pretty complex guy. Mark Whitacre is also the source for all the comedy found in the film. From all the crazy stuff he does, to how he constantly compares everything that is happening in his life to Michael Chrichton books. One thing I really enjoyed about The Informant! is that many comedic actors are cast in small dramatic roles throughout. It was nice to see those funny people playing different kinds of roles. It may be because of my degree in Criminal Justice, but I find movies about investigations like this extremely fascinating. The average person does not normally know how exactly the FBI works when it is collecting information and trying to build a case against someone. This movie is only based on true events, but I think the insights it gives about corporate crime and how agencies attemtp to stop it ring pretty true. If you like Matt Damon as an actor make sure to rent The Informant, you will have a good time watching Damon transform into the quirky Mark Whitacre, while at the same time saying "This can't really be based on a real guy, can it?" It is an interesting movie about real life crimes that you may not have heard about, but affected you for years.

3 out of 5 Stars
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Rocket Science (2007)

Rocket Science
2007
Drama/Comedy
Reece Thompson, Anna Kendrick

Yes, another Anna Kendrick movie, but I promise, I didn't rent it because she was in it. Although I freely admit she is very quickly moving up my celebrity crush list. No, I rented Rocket Science in my continuing attempt to see every movie set in high school (or college). There are some I have skipped because they seem like they are trying to hard to be quirky or indie or something else like that which I would hate, at first Rocket Science seemed like it could have turned out like that, but having never heard anything about it before I saw it on Netflix I decided to give it a shot. And I am happy I did, because I really liked it. The movie follows the life of Hal Hefner (Reece Thompson), who has a terrible stuttering problem, who is recruited by star of the high schools debate team Ginny (Anna Kendrick) to be her new debate partner. Even though he has a terrible stutter and can't speak in public to save his life, he accepts her invitation to be her parter, eventually developing a huge crush on her. A lot of stuff happens after that point, but I won't spoil it. It may sound like sort of a ridiculous premise but the way it is actually presented is anything but. I can honestly say I had absolutely no idea how this movie was going to end or where it was going most of the time, which was refreshing. I think Anna Kendrick may actually be a little cuter in this than she was in Up in the Air, but I can't really put my finger on why (I think it may be because she is a little chubbier in this movie, therefore more realistically in my league). Nevermind about Anna Kendrick because even though she is good in this movie, Reece Thompson in the lead in phenomenal. There is just something about his character and performance that comes off as so authetic. I really believed he was the character. Which is not easy considering he has to compete with the stutter the whole time. I also liked how they handled the stuttering, it wasn't there for you to laugh at, or feel sorry for, it was just part of life, and you accepted that and moved on. Rocket Science containts a variety of emotions, it features some very dramatic (and slightly depressing) scenes, but also has plenty of scenes that had me cracking up, sort of like real life I suppose. Hal Hefner is a character you root for. There were a few things about it that annoyed me because it was trying to be hip (like the parents playing accoustic Violent Femmes covers all the time), but they did not distract from the overall experience. If you think you have seen all realistic portrayals of high school from movies, make sure to see Rocket Science, because it is a great example ofit.

3.5 out of 5 Stars
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Up in the Air (2009)

Up in the Air
2009
Drama
George Clooney, Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga

Up in the Air is about a man who probably has the most depressing job ever, going around to different companies and firing people for a living so the employers don't have to do it themselves. A job that forces him to spend most of his life in an airplane flying around collecting frequent flier miles. With a life like that, and taking into account our current economic times, this movie could have very easily been a very depressing affair. However, I did not find Up in the Air to be all that depressing at all in the end. Even with dour subject matter I found it quite charming and it managed to have me in a good mood almost the whole time. I guess I I would have to credit the cast with that achievement. George Clooney is one of the top actors in the business right now but I don't think I personally give him enough credit. His skill is apparent here where he somehow manages to effortlessly become his character. I totally believed him the whole time and never just saw him as George Clooney playing a part. Anna Kendrick might have been my favorite part of the movie. Her character just came off as so real. She was cute, but with enough annoying personality quirks that made me not fall in love with her completely, just like people in real life. She was nominated for an Oscar for this role and I wish she would have won. I know I will like her performance for more than Monique's who beat her with her part in Precious (a movie I make a point of never seeing in my life). Vera Farmiga also received an Oscar nomination for her part. I liked her as well but not as much as the other two leads. However there is a twist towards the end about her character's life that I really enjoyed and made me appreciate her work more than I previously did. When Up in the Air first came out it seemed like it was critic's favorite to win Best Picture and since I ended up liking it more than The Hurt Locker, I think I would have preferred it to win (even though it was not my favorite movie of the year).

You should definately see Up in the Air. It is a well made movie about a guy who has an usual job, as well as a slice of life in our current economic times. There is a heart and charm about it that somehow carries it above its possibly gloomy storyline. The cast is fantastic and really steals with show without seemingly doing anyting out of the ordinary.

4 out of 5 Stars
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Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009)

Universal Soldier: Regeneration
2009
Action
Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Andrei Arlovski

I finally got to see a new action movie that doesn't hold back and instead chooses to kick all kinds of ass. That movie ws Universal Soldier: Regeneration (USR). The first Universal Soldier movie was kind of an over the top 90s action favorite. I think USR is technically the 4th sequel, but since nobody saw the other ones it is basically a sequel to the original. Too many big budget action movies are all about big name actors and explosions, which has gotten old at this point. Hollywood could learn something from this direct to DVD flick.

I knew this movie was gonna be awesome basically from the start. It opens up with a hostage taking followed by an awesome car chase sequences. Most direct to DVD movies do not have quality chases like the one here. Not only that, most direct to DVD movies to not look this good. All the action scenes look great. They are not over edited so you can't tell what is going on.

Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, and Andrei Arlovski all star in USR. Andrei Arlovski is a UFC fighter and this was his first acting gig and he did a good job. Granted all he really had to do was act like a robot and kick ass, but he did it well. He and Lundren both play bad guys who Van Damme has to stop. I am a huge Lundgren fan so my main complaint is that he really only shows up in the end of the movie. Van Damme really steals the show. He doesn't do much until the end, but when the end comes he kicks epic amounts of ass. I really can't say enough about how awesome the last 30 minutes were. Van Damme takes on a whole building full of dudes with only a knife. How he ends up dealing with Lundren is really just insane. The final fight with Van Damme and Arlovski manages to last for quite awhile without becoming boring or repetitive.

There is one thing I should warn people about this movie. It is extremely violent. There are like five scenese where somebody literally punches someone in the face until the die. Blood flies freely from nice wounds. You also get to see what the back of someone's head looks like when they get it blown out by a shotgun.

Do you want a recent kick-ass and violent action movie that does not pull punches? Rent Rambo. Already seen Rambo, then rent Universal Soldier: Regeneration ASAP. It opens with an awesome action sequence and ends with 30 minutes of glorious violent action. This is not for the weak of heart, but as an action movie fan, I loved every minute. I hope Van Damme and Lundren keep making movies like this as long as they can.

4 out of 5 Stars
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Here is Dakota Fanning Singing

They have released the official music video to the song "Cherry Bomb" from the movie The Runaways. This version has Dakota Fanning on vocals, since she plays the singer Cherry Curie in the movie.



I think she sounds alright. I prefer the original of course. Dakota Fanning's voice just isn't as deep or textured as Cherry Curie's. I am curious to hear the rest of the soundtrack since she covers a couple Runaways songs on it other than Cherry Bomb. For comparison purposes, here is the orignal version by the real Runaways.



I am still not sure who the target audience is for The Runaways. I mean it stars Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart so I guess it could be aimed at the Twilight crowd. But it also stars Scout Taylor-Compton in addition to them as overly sexual teen girls,so it could be aimed at horny young males. It could also be aimed at old people who actually liked The Runaways when they were still together. I guess it really doesn't matter who the target audience it, because I want to see it and thats probably all that reall matters (to me).
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The House of the Devil (2009)

The House of the Devil
2009
Horror
Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan

It seems like no other genre of movies suffers from as many horrible entries as the horror movie genre. Finding a truly great horror movie can really be a hard thing to accomplish sometimes. So I became rather excited when "The House of the Devil" began to get a lot of positive buzz. However unlike other recent horror successes like [rec] or The Descent, I do not understand why this movie got good reviews from anyone. Simply, The House of the Devil sucks. It is easily one of the most boring movies I have ever watched. Since it is only 93 minutes long, fitting about 4 hours of boredom into it is really quite an accomplishment.

It is about a broke college student, Samantha (Jocelin Donahue), who is hired to watch after a man's elderly mother while he goes out. Eventually you find out the man is a memeber of a satanic cult (hence the name of the movie), and that Samantha is really there for another darker reason.

Literally nothing happens for the first 75 minutes. It is either her walking around campus, or her sitting on the couch. Then finally in the last 20 minutes when stuff actually does happen its not interesting and not explained enough at all, with an ending that is basically impossible (based on what happens before it). I would say even without changing the plot greatly, the director could have made things seem a lot less boring my making a few changes. A lot of shots just seem to hang out for a few extra seconds for no reason at all. And there is no music at all during the first half, so not only is it boring but it is quiet too, like you are in a library or something. There was also really nothing to build tension at all. I mean at one of the "exciting parts" in the first hour is when Samantha hears a noise coming from the kitchen drain...scared yet? I didn't think so.

This movie really only has two positives going for it. The first being that Jocelin Donahue as Samantha is really cute. The other positive is they copied 80s horror movies so effectively (film quality, title font, clothing, etc.) that I would have easily believed that this movie was actually made in the 80s and wasn't just made to look like it. Now just being passable as an 80s horror movie in itself isn't necessarily a great thing, but since that's what they were trying to accomplish, I give them credit for achieving their goal.

If you hear somebody talking about a great new horror movie called "The House of the Devil" laugh at them, or smack some sense into them. Because it is certainly not a "great", "good", or even "barely decent" new horror movie. It is just 90 minutes of boredom on DVD.

2 out of 5 Stars
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The Invention of Lying (2009)

The Invention of Lying
2009
Comedy
Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner

While watching "The Invention of Lying" I did not laugh once. This is a problem because it is suppose to be a comedy. I think the idea itself is a good one but it just doesn't pan out here. For those that don't know the movie is about a world where no one has ever lied, until one guy figures out how to. I like Ricky Gervais in other stuff and he is probably the only good thing about this movie (even though he wrote and directed it so he is technically the worst thing about it as well), because there were a few times where he was doing his nervous rambling schtick where I smiled and almost laughed. I usually enjoy Jennifer Garner because she can pull of a very cute character rather well, but here she is mostly just eye candy (which she succeeds at). Then again it probably didn't matter who was cast in it, because the writing just falls so flat the entire time. I want to interview Gervais where he can't lie to ask him if he actually thought most of it was funny while filming to see what he would actually say.

One thing that bothered me was before lying is invented the people in this world don't just tell the truth, they go out of their way to say everything they are thinking. That is not the same thing as telling the truth. It reminded me a lot of "What Women Want" but with everybody saying their thoughts out loud instead of just one guy hearing them. So when a when two people meet instead of just saying "Hello" they say something like "Hello, I find you rather attractive and hope to have sex with you later." It is a lame joke that gets really old really fast, like in the first minute, and that is basically the only joke for the first half of the movie. The second half of the movie basically just makes fun of Christianity, which doesn't even bother me as Christian, it only bothers me because it wasn't funny. Watching Gervais trying to explain the 10 Commandments he makes up out of nowhere is about as close as this whole thing gets to funny, but it's not that close. The last 30 minutes drag on for way too long before coming to the completely predictable "happy" ending, but I don't really see many people caring what happens by that point.

Nice idea with great possibilities, but horribly executed. Maybe in a few decades a writer or director that can actually inject some humor into the outline can remake this movie and make a version worth seeing.

2 out of 5 Stars
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Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

Law Abiding Citizen
2009
Thriller
Gerard Butler, Jaime Foxx

I like things where people take the law into their own hands, like The Punisher or the Death Wish movies. So it is no real surprise that I was very excited to see Law Abiding Citizen. In it Gerard Butler's character's family is killed and even though the guys who did it are caught, Jaimee Foxx and the rest of the District Attorney Office gives a plea deal to one of the guys (he is out in 3 years). This pisses Butler off so much he decides to not only go after the criminals responsible but instead turn his rage towards the entire justice system itself for making deals with murderers. Even after he is caught and locked in prison the killings somehow continue to occure and escalate. It is revealed that Butler used to work for the military and is really a tactical genius. Soon the question is not only who he might kill next, but how exactly he is doing it. I also liked that he turned from a vigilante killing "bad" people to a total murderous psychopath killing only to serve his own purpose, it made the audience root for him in the beginning then have to re-analyze how they felt about what he was doing later in the movie.The two big names in this are Gerard Butler and Jaime Foxx, and without them I don't think it would have been as good. This movie's topic isn't Oscar material, but they still turn in top level performances. Their characters are at odds the whole time, but you can tell they respect in some way where the other is coming from. But when you have to strong characters like that going head to head one of them eventually has to flinch.

The first 2/3 of the movie are pretty sweet. It is great to watch the battle of wits between the two main characters. You constantly have to adjust who you are "rooting" for. When the killings take place they happen in such unexpected ways and places you are never really sure when they might go down. The escalated attacks build a great cycle of tension and release. The action scense last anywhere from 1 second to several minutes but each one is shot well and gets your heart beating a little faster.

The movie takes a downturn in the last third, but keeps being entertaining on certain levels. The last third of the movie is discussed below, but it contains plot spoilers for those who have seen the movie already...

*Spoilers*
I don't normally like to give away plot spoilers on here, but I feel the need to discuss the movie and the ending (and since its been out awhile), I will talk about some things that might spoil the plot below.


How Butler's character continues to carry out murders while being in solitary confinement is interesting until you actually find out how he is doing it, by sneaking out of prison for each attack. Because it is really one of the dumbest things I have seen in a movie in recent years. It is just so stupid and idiotic. If a genius was somehow carrying out attacks from inside prison I feel like they would probably monitor him 24/7, or at the very least look at him every few hours, but apparently the warden of the prison felt like helping out the plot of the movie by making an opening for this stupid twist. During the movie they wonder if he has an accomplice on the outside helping him, I don't know if that would have been the best possible idea, but I think an accomplice would have made things better, and more importantly believable. Not to mention he is the most famous man in the city, the whole city is on lockdown because of him, yet nobody notices him when he walks into city hall.

Other people had a problem with the end, but I didn't. He didn't even seem to mind dying, he knew it was going to happen eventually, he wanted people like him to be dealt with harshly. All he wanted to do was make people in the justice system think about some of the things they do when prosecuting criminals, and he accomplished that. His goal was never to kill a bunch of people then get away, because he could have done that.

*End of Spoilers*


I definately recommend checking out Law Abiding Citizen. It is a fun ride with two good performances by the leads. There is a pretty stupid twist towards the end, but it doesn't ruin the enjoyment I had with the rest of the movie. More than a the vigilante movie I was expecting it is more a character study of two men who have more in common than they think, and it looks to see how far those characters will go to stand up for the principles they hold dear.

3 out of 5 Stars
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Edgeplay: A Film About The Runaways (2004)

Edgeplay: A Film About The Runaways
2004
Documentary
Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Cherie Curry

I figured it was about time I watch a documentary, so I decided on Edgeplay: A Film About The Runaways. The Runaways were an all girl rock group in the late 70s and early 80s, featring Joan Jett and Lita Ford among others. There is a new movie coming out called The Runaways about the band starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning, so I figured I might as well learn more about this band before I see that movie. I should preface this review with saying that I was alread a fan of their music before watching this documentary. The story of the band is actually pretty interesting. Most of the girls were only 15 or 16 when they got together to form the band, and weren't much older than that when they first became popular. Sometimes they are referred to as "jailbait rockers" which is probably a pretty acurate term considering their age and the provocative clothing worn by lead singer Cherie Curry. You learn a lot about them in the documentary, how much they didn't really like each other, how much their manager abused all of them, and what utlimately led to several of the members leaving the band. Or how their first big hit "Cherry Bomb" was written in about 15 minutes as a song for singer Cherie Curry to audition for the band with.

Technically, this isn't really a good documentary at all. It is almost entirely shaky camera interviews and blurry old concert footage, and barely any music. There are not old interviews, or live appearances. All of the members give new interviews except for Joan Jett who does not appear in the documentary at all. The documentary was also made by the band's second bassist Vicki Blue, which annoyed me a little, because I know her personal invovlement greatly affected the end product.

If you are excited to see the new scripted Runaways movie check this out first. You can learn the "true story" before seeing the retelling of it. Or watch this if you feel like watching a documentary about the rise and fall of a rock and roll group,and Behind the Music isn't on. I suggest checking out their first album, "The Runaways" too, it is my favorite by them.

3 out of 5 Stars

Here is a fan made video of The Runaways featuring my favorite song by them "Dead End Justice"



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New Found Glory 10 Anniversary Tour

Saturday night the New Found Glory 10th Anniversary Tour came to town. It is the tour celebrating the 10th Anniversay of the release of New Found Glory's self titled album, which most of their fans call their favorite. Besides New Found Glory the other bands at the show were Saves the Day, hellogoodbye, and Fireworks. NFG is probably in my top 2 favorite bands of all time, and I love Saves the Day so I was very excited to go see this show. NFG and STD were two bands I listened to all the time when I was in high school, and both have a special place in my heart. I have seeen NFG live several times before, but somehow I had never seen STD live until that night.

Fireworks was the first band to play. I had actually seen them like a month earlier with Hit the Lights. It seemed like most people had no idea who they were or didn't care which sucked because they have great songs and put on a good show. The only time people got really into them was when they played "Detroit" their most popular song. It was good to see them live again.

hellogoodbye was next. I am not a fan of theirs at all but after this show I might be, nothing to do with their music though. I somehow managed to be standing next to like 4 douchebags who were flicking them off and yelling obscenities the whole time. Thankfully the band called them out on being idiots which I loved. Security came twice to tell them to knock it off which they finally did partly because the one dude hid like a little girl when security came around. So I thank the band for making the part of the show I was looking forward to the least somewhat interesting. And even though I don't like their music I have to say their new songs sounded better than their old ones.

Saves the Day was next and they killed it, really blew me away with how good they were. They just came out and played like 3 straight songs before saying anything, and really didn't take any other breaks their whole set. Somehow this was the first time I had seen STD live, but now I want to see them on a headlining tour asap. The highlight was probably when they played "At Your Funeral" probably their most popular song. The lyrics start out "this song will become an anthem for your underground" and I don't know what but I think it really connected live with the whole place sing along. When they were done a lot of people were actually cheering for an encore, I don't think I have ever seen that for a non headlining band before. I didn't take my video camera with me but here is a video someone else took of them playing "At Your Funeral" live



Here is a picture I did take of them playing though


New Found Glory was the headliner and up last. This tour was to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their self titled album so they played that straight through. Basically due to how much NFG rocked I am now considering this one of the best concerts I have ever been too. For like half their set I felt like I was going to pass out from singing along so loudly while jumping and dancing around to every song. The whole crowd was so into in there was a crazy amount of energy on the floor, it was great, and best of all nobody in the crowd was acting like a douche. And because they played the self titled album everybody knew all the songs and screamed their lungs out right along with the band. After playing the self titled album they played like 6 other songs from their other albums, all fan favorites.
Somehow, probably while catching my breath I did have a second to snap this picture of NFG.


I did laugh a few times while NFG were playing because some annoying coupole next to me were looking into each other's eyes and kissing during the songs "My Friends Over You" and "Don't Let Her Pull You Down" because those songs are both about not getting too wrapped up with girls and relationships. I guess the message was long on them. So basically the NFG set just had a bunch of great energy and songs I love so it was awesome. Here is a video somebody else took from the tour the show before in Pittsburg.



Basically, if this tour is coming anywhere near you, you should probably go. If you are a fan of New Found Glory or Saves the Day it is a "must-go" situation, because it just might end up being one of the best shows you have ever been to (like it was for me). I had a blast.
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Camp Rock (2008)

Camp Rock
2008
Musical
Demi Lovato, The Jonas Brothers

Yes I did just watch Camp Rock. Why? You may ask. Because I really like Demi Lovato and probably have a crush on her (I know how old she is, I don't care). I had this on my DVR for a long time but finally decided to watch it last night. Now I have a feeling it's because I am not really their target audience, but I really didn't like it quite much. I really only watched it to hear what songs Demi Lovato sings in it, but she really only sang one song the whole (I actually did like that song though). The plot was extremely predictable, in a bad way. A bunch of random minor characters had singing and dancing numbers but I fastforwarded through almost all of those because they sucked and I didn't care. The Jonas Brothers did an okay job acting except for the oldest one. He was playing like a spaced out rocker and was really awful. Thankfully he only had a minor role and Joe Jonas had the larger role and did a fine job. I would say the only real positives of the whole movie was Toledo's own Allyson Stoner who did a great job, and Demi Lovato because her character was very adorable.

There were two minor things that made me go WTF a little bit.
1. Demi Lovato's characters name is "Mitchie." What the hell kind of name for a girl is Mitchie?
2. Her characters mom is a caterer and decides to work for Camp Rock (so her daughter can go) because she said "summer is always slow for business." As someone who works for a catering company I can tell you that is basically the complete opposite of the truth.

The thing I find most shocking about Camp Rock is that Disney hasn't bought an actual camp and made a real life "Camp Rock" yet. With how popular this movie is with young teen girls it would basically be a money making monster. I believe they just finished making Camp Rock 2, but unless it has a better plot, some better supporting actors, and I hear that it features a couple of new Demi Lovato songs, I probably won't go out of my way to watch it.

2 out of 5 Stars
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