Which Would You Prefer?

Right now I am listening to all my favorite albums from 2009 to make my "Best of..." list. I can't decide if I should link to each artists' MySpace page (so you can listen to a few song by clicking on the built in player on each page), or just link to a youtube video featuring my favorite song from each album (if available). So what should I do, a myspace link, or a youtube link? So all 6 people who are reading this, feel free to answer, and remember, I allow anyone to comment, you don't need a blogspot account or anything.
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(500) Days of Summer (2009)

(500) Days of Summer
2009
Romantic Comedy
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel

I watched 500 Days of Summer last night with my brother. I am sure most people watched this movie while on a date or with a member of the opposite sex, well that wasn't really an option for me. Did it ruin the experience? I have no idea, but at least you might get a laugh out of my brother and I watching 500 Days of Summer by ourselves on a Monday night.

For those who don't know the movie chronicles the 500 days Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) has a relationship with Summer (Zooey Daschanel). Day 1 being the first time he sees her, and day 500 being the day he finally gets over her. In between you see their first kiss, the first time they hang out, fights, making up, and everything else that happens over the course of a relationship. As the opening line of the movie says, this is not a love story, because they do not end up together in the end. However, it does not go straight from day 1 to 500 it jumps around to various days in the timeline. I sort of liked all the quirks the director threw in. Most notably being how the timeline jumped around to different days instead of just going from 1 to 500. It kept me on my toes the whole time thinking "so this was after that fight, but before that other thing." I enjoyed the musical number after the first time they had sex, both because it was a good song and because it had a great mood about it. The brief pieces of animation and dream sequences also added to the light mood of the film

As expected, Joseph Gordon-Levitt kills it in this movie. With only a few recent roles he has proven to be one of the top young actors out there right now. Just rent The Lookout if you don't believe me. He is likeable and relatable as Tom, and without that, this movie would be a lot worse. Zooey Deschanel is fine as Summer. She is really cute and acts like the quintesential hipster girl, which I expected. Now I don't know if you are suppose to really like Summer that much or not so I can't say if she played the role the way it was intended. A nerdy part of me also really enjoyed Chloe Moretz who plays Tom's little sister, not only for the funny lines she had in this movie but because she plays Hit Girl in the upcoming comic book movie Kick Ass, which I gaurantee will be one of everybody's favorite movies in 2010 (you can quote me on that).

When all was said and done I really did not care for Summer at all. The only things she seemed to have going for her was that she is really cute and that she is fun to hang out with sometimes. Other than that she comes off as really selfish. She didn't really care about Tom's feelings that much, she just said she doesn't want a relationship but does nothing but lead Tom on not really caring how he feels about their situation. Also towards the end she invites Tom to a party she is throwing without letting him know something very important. That was totally shady and a super dick move, but of course she did that because she really doesn't care how other people care I really wish Tom would have ripped into a little more instead of just being the nice guy. Late in the movie Tom makes a great point about the things she does while claiming they are not dating and are just friends and that is "You don't treat a friend like that." So basically, fuck Summer, because she is kind of a selfish bitch.

I know there are a few things that stopped me from enjoying the movie as much as other people have. Those things have absolutely nothing to do with the actual quality of the movie itself. Those things being the fact that I have never been in a relationship, and the fact that I have never gone through a break up. Maybe I will watch this movie again after one of those things takes place and see if my reaction to it changes. Because how much you connect with characters and a plot directly affects how much you enjoy a movie.

500 Days of Summer is a fun movie. Its not sappy, its not sad. If you have ever been in a similar situation you might find watching it to be carthardic. It is realistic without being boring. There are more than a few laugh out loud moments to be had without being a straight up comedy. I just hope I never meet a girl who does what Summer does to Tom's heart to mine.

3 out of 5 Stars
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Extract (2009)

Extract
2009
Comedy
Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Mike Judge

"What is it with women? Y'know, they say they don't care about looks - they just want a guy who's smart and funny - but they always just end up laughing at whatever the good-looking stupid guy says."

The above quote is probably my favorite part of the movie Extract. Extract is the most recent movie from writer and director Mike Judge (MJ). Because of that fact I was very weary before watching it. MJ wrote and directed a movie that I (and most everyone else) absolutely loved, which was Office Space. But on the other hand MJ also made what I usually name as the second worst movie I have ever seen, Idiocracy. So I was worried before watching Extract if it would be love or hate. Well it turned out that it was more towards the love end of the spectrum.

The plot is about Jason Bateman's character. He owns an extract (food flavoring) company. He is getting tired of the grind so he looking forward to possibly selling the company to General Mills. The one big problem in his life is that he does not have sex with his wife anymore (Kristen Wiig). He then begins to like a new temp worker at the factory (Mila Kunis) but doesn't act on his feelings because he is married. His friend (Ben Affleck) gives him drugs then gets him to agree to a plan to hire a giggolo to seduce his wife, so that way he can cheat on her and not feel guilty since she would have cheated too. There are some other side plots, but I don't want to spoil the whole movie.

Now I liked Extract, but nowhere near as much as Office Space. In many ways the two movies are similar. Both about a guy sort of unhappy with his life and career. There are funny parts, but not as many as Office Space. Probably the funniest scenes feature the giggolo he hires. The giggolo is a really stupid college age kid and some of the idiotic things he says are hilarious. Jason Bateman is likable and funny as usual. I hear a bunch of people always talking about how much they love Kristen Wiig, well I personally can't stand her and do not find her funny at all. Though thankfully she doesn't really try to be funny in Extract (same as Adventureland almost) so she didn't bother in this role.

There are things about the movied that could have been improved. One of the factory workers is clearly a racist, but they never have her really say anything offensive, which I feel would have been funnier than her complaining without them. Ed Koechner plays a very nosy neighbor. His first few scenes are funny, but his character gets annoying (for the audience, not just for the characters) relatively fast.

I am just happy Extract was not as God awful as Idiocracy, because if it was I would never see anything else from MJ for the rest of my life. It is not as good as Office Space, but I liked it. I laughed throughout and was not sorry I rented it. I guess that is an endorsement...

3 out of 5 Stars
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Avatar (2009)

Avatar
2009
Sci Fi/Action
James Cameron, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver

Avatar. The movie James Cameron dreamed up over 15 years ago, but couldn't make because he had to invent the technology used to make his ideas into an actual movie. In only a few weeks it has become the 2nd highest grossing movie of all time. Though as my brother pointed out, tickets cost more, and many people are seeing it in 3D which also costs more, so I don't know how much weight should be placed on its overall gross, just know that it has made A LOT of money so far (over $1 billion worldwide, and counting). Of course due to all the new technology Cameron had to come up with the movie cost somewhere around $400 million to make.

The story takes place in the year 2154. A private company has arrived on the planet Pandora to extract a mineral that is found there. The name of the mineral is Unobtanium, which is a stupid name, but has been used before in science fiction to mean a mineral that will solve all of our problems but is obviously hard to obtain. The main native population of Pandora are the 10 foot tall and blue Na'vi. To better interact with the Na'vi. since the air on Pandora is toxic to humans, the humans create human/Na'vi hybrids (called avatars) that are basically just Na'vi who can be controlled mentally by a human being that is synced with it. The main character is Jake Sully (Sam Worthington). His twin brother was a brilliant scientist who had a Na'vi avatar built for him, but died, so since Jake is his twin they bring him in to use that Avatar. Jake is a former marine who is now paralyzed, so controlling the avatar gives him the ability to walk again. Jake begins to bond with the native population and is accepted by them, and of course he falls in love with their princess. Then the humans find the largest source of Unobtabium on Pandora is under the Na'vi holy site. When they Na'vi can't be convinced to leave, the two sides go to war, and Jake has to pick which side he fights on.



The main criticism of the movie is that the plot is too cliche. Too similar to movies like Pocohontas, Dances With Wolves, and Ferngully. There is nothing wrong with those complaints because the story is very cliched. It doesn't break any new ground with its plot, but that didn't really bother me too much. Most movies are full of cliches. I don't see why I should hold it against a movie for having them, or praise a movie just because it is less cliched.

The main actors are Sam Worthingon and Sigourney Weaver, but to be honest, they are not the stars. The stars are the planet of Pandora itself and the Na'vi avatars. Pandora is an amazing sight to behold. It is not just a made up planet that the movie takes place on. Cameron has created a fully realized world here. He created plants and animals and an ecosystem that not only makes sense but works perfectly with the plot. All the alien life is familiar, but like nothing you have ever seen on screen before. The Na'vi avatars look and move like real life actors. This is due to the new motion capture technology Cameron invented. The specieal effects used to create Pandora are so good you have a hard time telling what is real and what is CGI, which is great, since most of the scenes are a mix of the two. One human character worth noting is the Col. who leads the human mercenaries. Even though his motives and actions are kind of evil, he is so badass. On more than one occassion he runs outside with a gun to kick ass, even though he can't breate in the atmosphere and could die if he stays out there too long.

I saw Avatar in IMAX 3D, but the IMAX screen I saw it on was kind of crappy. It was only about 10 ft bigger than a regular screen, so I basically just saw it in 3D. Many 3D movies use the 3D effects to just have random shit flying out at you every 30 seconds, Avatar used its 3D differently. It used it to add layers to the visuals. It made it seem less like watching a flat screen, and more like you were looking out your window and Pandora was your backyard. I think I would have actually liked a few more gimmick in the 3D, having a spear come out at me or something.

The movie is 2 and a half hour long, but compared to movies of a similar length (like Inglorious Basterds), the time really flies by. The story is cliched but the visuals are absolutely beautiful. The action scene at the end is epic and heart pounding. See it in 3D, it was made to see in 3D, if you don't see it in 3D you are just doing yourself a disservice. It would still be a good movie to watch at home on DVD, but seeing it in 3D in the theatre makes it a must see.

4 out of 5 Stars
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Terminator: Salvation (2009)

Terminator: Salvation
2009
Action
Christian Bale, Sam Worthington

Out of all the blockbusters to come out this summer (star Trek, Transformers 2, etc.), Terminator: Salvation (TS) was actually the one I was most excited to see. Of course I couldn't find anyone that wanted to see it with me, so I never got the chance to see it in theatres. Finally it has come out on DVd so I enjoyed it in the comfort of my own home, alone.

In Terminator 1 a T-1000 Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) comes back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) before she gives birth to her son John Connor, because in the future he stops the Terminators and Skynet (a big evil computer basically) from wiping out all of humanity and taking over the Earth. In Terimator 2 John Connor sends a reprogrammed T-1000 (Arnold again) back in time to protect his mother and himself from an improved T-1000 (Robert Patrick), so that he stays alive long enough to stop Skynet and the machines in the future. Got it? Good, you are up to speed. Yes, there is a Terminator 3 movie, but we will not worry about that right now.

TS takes place in the future. None of the time travelers from the previous movies achieved their goals, and the machines did rise up and attack humanity, and John Connor is still alive leading the human resistance. So basically the plot of the movie follows John Connor (Christian Bale) in the year 2018, leading the resistance and looking for ways to stop Skynet and the machines from wiping out all of humanity. During the course of the movie he runs into Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington). Marcus is confused by the world around him because the last thing he remembers is the year 2003 when no one knew anything about Skynet. It eventually turns out that Marcus is actually a robot who thinks he is still human, so he must choose to side with the humans (which he thinks he is).

Bale and Worthington as the two leads do a fine job. Nothing Oscar worthy or mind blowing, but they were both good and believable. All the actors had to do here was do a servicable job acting, because the action is the real star here. Since this was a summer blockbuster there were a lot of explosions and special effects. I am happy to report that all the explosions and effects looked great. I am not sure how they do the effects on Terminator robots, but it still looks awesome, just like it did in T1 and T2. The only bad effects are on a T-1000 terminator who looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Since Arnold wasn't available to act in the movie its all CGI and looks kind of fake for the time it is on screen.

This isn't the best Terminator movie, but it is the best war movie about man fighting machine (if that makes sense). This is basically a good old style summer blockbuster in every way. So try not to scrutinize the plot too hard (any movie involving time travle does not hold up too well to that), just sit back and enjoy the robot exploding fun. Could they have made a better Terminator movie set after "Judgement Day"? Sure, but this one is pretty solid for what it is (light on mythology, high on action).

3 out of 5 Stars

(This was originally suppose to be the first of a new Terminator trilogy from director McG, but this one was not a huge success and recently the rights of the Terminator franchise have moved to another studio, so chances are we will not see the next two in this series.)
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Inglorious Basterds (2009)

Inglorious Basterds

2009
Drama
Brad Pitt, Quentin Tarantino

The project Tarantinio has been talking about for more than a decade has finally been made. I remember reading years ago about how he wanted to cast Eddie Murphy and other older actors like Bruce Willis that you wouldn't normally picture in a WWII movie, though I suppose that was before he actually finalized the version of the script he filmed, because I don't know how well Eddie Murphy would have passed for a Jew.

The movie was advertised as a group of American Jews (nicknamed the Basterds) sent into Nazi occupied France to terrorize the Nazis and send fear through their ranks. I say it was advertised as that because based on the commercials I expected a lot of Nazis getting scalped and violence galore, but that't not what I got. Sure there are a few gorey scenes (guy gets scalped, guy gets a swastika carved into his forehead), but there was really very little action at all. You really notice how little action there is in a movie that is 2 and a half hours long. So since there wasn't much action, there was just a lot of talking, most of it not in English. Not a real problem, just took me a minute to adjust to it.

People always praise Tarantino for his dialogue but I am not sure exactly why. I mean I have no problems with it, but I don't hear people complaining about the dialogue in other movies, so I don't get why people always go out of their way to praise his. Are they praising it because its' realistic, or just because it's entertaining to listen to? Somebody answer that for me. Like I said, I like Tarantino as a director and as a writer (though I actually like him the most as an actor), I just don't get all the love he gets for his writing of dialogue.

The movie starts out with a very intense, suspense laden scene. The villain of the movie, Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) is interviewing a farmer in the French countryside. He is interviewing him about whether he knows what happened to the Jewish families who used to live near him. As the questioning intensifies the camera pans down to reveal that the Jewish families are actually hiding in the basement of the house. This scene is paced perfectly and makes you hold your breath wondering whether the families will be discovered or not. Christoph Waltz is receiving a lot of Oscar hype for Best Support Actor for his work as Hans Landa. I have heard him described as "terrifying" but personally I just found the character kind of pompous and annoying, but that's just me.

My biggest complaint is that that movie should not have been called Inglorious Basterds because the Basterds were barely in it. Out of the 9 Basterds only like 3 even had lines. This wouldn't have been a huge problem except for the fact that they were by far my favorite part of the film. The scenes with Pitt and BJ Novak pretending to be Italian were awesome. A few more scenes like those and this would have been gold, even without action. I wanted more Eli Roth and Sam Levine.

Most of the movie deals with a Jewish woman, Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent), who runs a movie theatre in Nazi occupied France. She escaped a SS death squad run by Landa, so when the Nazis plan to show a propoganda film in her theatre she plans a way to take revenge on him. She decides she is gonna lock the doors and burn the place down with all the Nazis inside. Little does she know the Basterds are planning an attack of their own on the same night, strapping bombs to their ankles and blowing the whole place sky high. This sets you up to anxiously await and see if both, or either, plan will actually achieve its goal by the end of the movie. Even though Brad Pitt is the big name in the movie, Shoshanna is actually the main character. I would say the main reason I didn't mind that fact was that she is freaking gourgeous in the movie.

She is a French actress so I had never seen or heard of her before, but I hope that with the success of her role in Inglorious Basterds she does more roles in American movies. Because I for sure would like to SEE more of her.

My biggest compliment of the movie is the last 20 minutes or so. When both the theatre owner and the Basterds plans to attack the Nazis go into full effect. It is a glorious scene to behold, that made me cackle with joy.

I fully recommend Inglorious Basterds. Just be sure to change your expctations on what to expect before you watch it. This is not a WWII action movie that is 2 hours of Brad Pitt killing Nazis up and down the French countryside. It is a movie set in WWII with a lot of dialogue in French where you learn a lot about a few characters and therefore get interested in how their stories turn out. It's not my favorite Tarantino flick (either Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction, I haven't see all of his stuff), but it is still better than most can do.

3.5 out of 5 Stars

(This movie actually shares the title (with one letter changed) with a lesser known 1978 movie, Inglorious Bastards. I actually liked the 1978 movie better than this one. That one is basically a more fast paced, over the top version of The Dirty Dozen. It is one of Tarantino's favorites and was the inspiration, obviously, for Basterds.)
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The Road (2009)

The Road
2009
Adventure
Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron

The Road is the film version of the Cormac McCarthy book of the same name. In the mood of full disclosure I must add that The Road is probably my all time favorite book (if not first, then its second), so I was very excited to see the movie version of it. This was actually the movie I was most hyped to see in 2008 but they couldn't finish the editing and soundtrack in time for Oscar season, so they delayed it almost an entire year. Then for God knows what reason, when it finally did come out it was in super limited release, like only 100 theatres in the whole US (compared to big movies that open are in about 3,000). It wasn't showing anywhere in Ohio when it first opened. And like I said, that doesn't make any sense. It was starring Viggo Mortensen who is a popular and respected actor. The book it was based on was also a huge success with a huge fanbase, I mean it was an Oprah Book of the Month selection and won a Pulitzer. I guess after a few weeks they wised up because it eventually started showing here in Columbus on one screen, which thankfully was down the street from my house. So after a year of waiting I finally got to see The Road.

The Road is a tale of what really happens after the "end of the world." A disaster, what kind is never actually said, hits the Earth killing almost every living thing in existence. What is left is a few humans fighting for survival by any means necessary. Some scavenge for the limited supplies still available while others have turned to cannibalism and eat anybody who crosses their path. I have read a ton of post apocalyptic fiction and The Road is in my opinion one of the most realistic versions of that scenario. Because if something like this did come to pass, it would be very ugly, and people would go to extremes to survive. The plot of the movie follows a man and a son walking down a long deserted highway. They are walking to the coast. What will be there? Probably nothing, but I suppose in a situation like this you need some kind of goal to keep going. The movie follows them as they make their way to coast dodging robbers, cannibals and death from the remaing humans they come across. There is very little dialogue, just like in the novel. The most striking thing about the movie really is the setting. Everything is grey and dead. There are no green plants, no birds flying around, nothing. Just ash and rubble. I was actually surprised they could film it and make it as bleek as the novel described but they succeeded in doing it. If you are curious as to where in the world could pass for such a setting, was filmed around abandoned coal mines in Pennsylvania, around Mount St. Helens, and in the remains of Katrina outside New Orleans.

It is well known by now that Viggo Mortensen is a very good actor, and he puts it fully on display here. You can see the pain in his eyes, and you believe that he is ready to kill his son if that is what will protect him the most. The boy is played by first time actor, Kodi Smith-McPhee. For someone with no professional acting experience he holds his own. The boy in the story was born after the disaster hit so he knows nothing of the world beforehand. So every remnant of society they find, whether it be a stuffed animal, or a can of pop, he views it with pure amazement. It is not easy being a kid when your dad constantly reminds you how to kill yourelf if you are going to be captured. One change made from the book to the movie is they added more flashbacks featuring the mother. In the book there are only a few pages worth, but in the movie there was about 10 minute spread through about 5 flashbacks. In the flashbacks the mother is played by Charlize Theron who is also very accomplished, and who also does a great job, even with her limited screen time. You believe her as a beautiful woman before the disaster hits, and as a suicidal depressed woman who just can't take it anymore as the after effects of the disaster being to become clear. Some people are suggesting that Robert Duvall should get nominated for an Oscar for his brief appearance and I would have no problem with that.

After thinking about it for a few days the movie and book seem to be affecting me almost the same. I liked both when I first took them in, but it was the fact that I kept thinking about both of them a lot long after they were finished, which made me appreciate how much I really loved them. If you want a heart gripping tale of a man who will do anything to protect the only thing in the world that still matters, his son, please watch The Road. I would only caution that if you are depressed, this probably won't make you feel any better, but it wasn't sad enough in my opinion to drive you to suicide or something. If you just want to watch a great movie with spectacular visuals and great performances, please watch The Road. I personaly suggest reading the novel first, but doing them in either order would be fine.

5 out of 5 Stars
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