"One Day" Review

On June 30th, I WROTE A BLOG about the five films I was most looking forward to, in the remainder of 2011.

Now, I have been able to cross of Numbers One and Two, and I felt like writing a little bit about each one of them.

#2. "One Day".
Friday, July 15th, 2011 was a Pay Day for me. I had just recently finished reading the novel "Love Monkey" by Kyle Smith, and was looking for something new to read. A few nights earlier, I had been at a screening for the final "Harry Potter" film, and the preview for "One Day" came on. I geeked out, as two weeks previous I had named it #2 on My List, and had been loving the preview for a couple of months - specifically remembering how the OneRepublic song "Good Life" would stick in my head for hours after watching the trailer.

As I perked up and leaned forward in my seat, my friend Heather leaned over to me and asked if I had read the book. I told her that I had not, and she informed me how much she loved it and believed that I would too. Two days later, on the aforementioned Pay Day, I purchased the book (NON-movie poster cover) and brought it to work with me that night. I read Chapter 1 quickly, and as I began reading Chapter 2, I noticed "July 15th, 1989". I flipped back to the first chapter - knowing full well the premise - and saw "July 15th, 1988". In a bizarre twist of fate, I actually purchased the novel on the exact "one day" mentioned in the title. That could have been the first sign that I was destined to love the novel, but it was not the last. Watching the evolution of these two characters, and their times together, their times apart, their missed opportunities, their fights, and everything else that made them friends - was perfection. It was some of the best writing and storytelling I've ever read. Coming off the heals of "Love Monkey" which I felt was a novel very close to where I am at in life today, to read this novel, felt like reading a novel about how I too had stressed/ruined some good friendships.

On July 15th, 1988, Dexter and Emma have both just graduated from University, and they drunkenly find themselves awkwardly undressed in Emma's flat. From this moment on, the two of them agree to remain friends. The film then checks in with them on each subsequent July 15th. What makes it so wonderful is that it's not a gimmicky "Let's always agree to hang out on the exact same day" type of lame plot device. Instead, some years they are hanging out together and some years they are not. Dexter and Emma are close friends, best of friends, and therefore it's not completely out of the grasp of reality for them to at least talk on the phone each day. Prior to the internet and social networking - the masses of people would at least check in with their friends via the home phone on a regular basis. So, even the years that they are not together, it's nice to see their conversations, or their missed attempts to speaking to each other that day.

Over the course of the years, we see Dexter as he rises in popularity as a TV Presenter, while we witness Emma being stuck in the rut of a dead-end job with a lack of motivation and low self worth, only to see how the charm of Dexter can bring a smile back to her face. In later years, we see (in a PG-13 version of Dexter's drinking/drug life) how he grows to annoy Emma and eventually take her for granted so many times that it pushes her over the edge of what she can take from him, telling him that she no longer desires to be his friend. While Dexter is spiraling out of control with drugs and his popularity with women, we get to watch as Emma focuses on purposes in her life. She begins teaching, and directing children's plays, and eventually publishes a children's novel. (A subplot in the book that works really well, but was sadly eliminated from the film...)

Years later, we catch up with them again, and we as an audience are reminded that it is our closest friends who most often annoy and upset us and we always hold them up to higher standards, but they are also the people that we can never completely write out of our lives. As Dex & Em reconnect, we see their thirties begin to take control and shape who they are to become. Life is painful, it's not pretty and everyone is often compromised in numerous ways. This story does not pull any punches, it shows a lot of the bad that everyone is faced to deal with. Children, marriage, infidelity, divorce, bad friends, mistakes, and emotions are all addressed as our two star-crossed friends eventually come to point in time that feels right for them both to finally cross the line of friendship into a territory they have both wanted for so long.

The great thing about the story is that it's not a typical, boy-meets-girl, boy-woos-girl, boy-screws over-girl, boy-tries to win back-girl because he can't live without her kind of lame plot that requires misunderstandings to create drama and push two people apart. Instead, the story of Dex & Em is about two people, whose lives are just never harmoniously at the same point for them to get what they truly desire from each other, or for them to feel like it's the right time to pursue anything beyond friendship. Over the years we get to see the foundation being built, so that when the time is right, the two of them can finally make each other the happiest. The story is a wonderful look at growing up, making mistakes, taking your friends for granted, acting arrogant only to have life beat you down into humility, settling for what is given to you, and the endless pursuit of dreams. It's a love story, that covers a million other emotions.


The film is a very good representation of the novel. It's flawed, and it's a double-edged sword. If you have read the book, then you can fill in some of the gaps of what is missing, based on what you remember reading. It's like the "Harry Potter" franchise, when I would discuss some of the issues I had with people, they would inform me, "Well, the left out this part... blah blah blah," which did help things make more sense. The same is true here, there are some small details that are overlooked and I believe it makes the film story a little weaker.

However, if you have not read the book, and you are just going by what is presented to you on the screen, I believe it to be a good representation of the surface of Dexter and Emma's friendship/relationship. Sadly, it's just the surface, and so many emotions are missing. A letter that Dexter writes Emma and then never gets to mail is completely eliminated - I admit, it would be hard to have included, however in the narrative of the novel, as Dexter writes it, it's one of the most touching moments for his character, before he begin to despise him. Emma is involved with a married man at one point, their stressful relationship is completely avoided, despite the fact that it shows Emma finally attempting to be more selfish, as the man claims he wants to leave his wife, and Emma tells him not to, because she doesn't want to be with him. Dexter's hard-core partying and drug use are never touched, which makes his revelation of getting married not as powerful. You never get the full feeling of how much of an influence Sylvie had on his life, forcing him to quit drinking and doing drugs, and basically suppressing him like a puppy dog.

Again, the film is a sad Catch-22, were I don't want to tell you to wait on watching it, because it's really enjoyable. However, at the same time, I think anyone would enjoy it more if they had read the book and were able to grasp the full emotional impact these two people have on each other.

David Nicholls wrote the novel, and I am very happy that he was asked to adapt his own work into the film version. I always had faith this would prevent the film from feeling like a bastardized version of such a great story. While a few of my favorite scenes and moments are eliminated from the film and other scenes are slightly changed, I still feel like the film works very well on its own, and was a pleasure to watch. Both Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess did wonderful jobs portraying the wide range of emotions required for the various years. The make-up department also did a phenomenal job of aging the characters each year. Wardrobe and the art departments also did wonderful jobs with clothing, and props, and the movies on the marquee at the cinema. It all made the experience so much more enjoyable.

Most importantly, the narrative structure of the final few chapters was preserved for the film. It works so perfectly in the novel, and I hoped and prayed that it would be told the same way in the film - and it was. It was so perfectly inter-connected, that despite knowing everything, I still got tears in my eyes.

Finally, any film that includes Del Amitri's "Roll to Me" instantly gains bonus points for being awesome.

In all seriousness, I do suggest reading the novel. Preferably before you see the film, but if time is an issue, then I hope the film will interest you enough to pick up the novel afterwards, so that you can get the full experience of what these two amazing characters put each other through, and go through together. It's an amazing story of friendship and love.

RATING: 8.6/10

"Another Earth" Review

On June 30th, I WROTE A BLOG about the five films I was most looking forward to, in the remainder of 2011.

Now, I have been able to cross of Numbers One and Two, and I felt like writing a little bit about each one of them.

#1 - "Another Earth".
To quote Dione, "It's a good thing you liked the film, since you're exactly their target audience. If you didn't like it, they really screwed up."

I can agree with this statement, and I can be upfront when I say that this film was exactly everything that I wanted it to be. It delivered to me on every level, exactly how I was expecting/wanting it to.

The film begins at a party, where 17-year old Rhoda has learned that she has been accepted to MIT. Rhoda has always been fascinated by the stars and dreams of a life in astrophysics. On this specific night, Rhoda make a terrible teenage mistake, that results in the death of a mother and her child, leaving the father as the sole survivor.

From the beginning, we are given the juxtaposition of emotions ranging from elated jubilation of seeing our hopes and dreams in our future, to the shock and misery knowing what our actions have ultimately caused. The score for the first five minutes of the film really carry it well.

In an added twist of fate, this tragedy occurs on the exact same night that a bright blue star appears in our sky.

Fast-forward four years. Rhoda is being released from prison, and we learn that the bright blue star was actually another planet, which appears to be the exact same physical make-up as our own planet earth. And, over the past four years it's been getting closer and closer.

We only had a brief amount time of time to get to know what Rhoda previously was, but it seems fairly obvious that she is now a shell of herself. She seems to lack ambition, and asks her social worker to get her a job where she doesn't have to interact with many people.

At one point she finally goes to visit the site of her horrific accident, only to witness the widower arriving to leave a stuffed animal where his say was killed. At this point, Rhoda investigates the man - John Burroughs - and eventually gets up the courage to go to his house, in an attempt to apologize. However, she chickens out and makes up a lie about being sent as a trial-service to clean his home for him. Over the next few weeks, she continues to return under this guise, and slowly they begin to help each other out of their respective shells.

This is where the dramatic irony of the plot kicks into full gear, and works wonderfully. As their partnership evolves into friendship and more intimacy, the audience gets a wonderful look at how its troubling her psyche, and in relation to John, it's like watching a balloon fill with air, knowing that eventually it's going to explode.

A subplot to the film involves a mega-millionaire - I picture him as a fictional version of Sir Richard Branson - who has created a spaceship to travel to "Earth 2". Rhoda visits the website, which asks you to write an essay on why you feel that you deserve to go on the trip. I personally believe that (writer-director) Mike Cahill and (co-write/star) Brit Marling wrote a wonderful piece of voice over dialogue here, as Rhoda reads her essay as she composes it.

If you've seen the preview, it's no surprise to you that she ends up winning the trip (otherwise why would this film be about her?), however, before she embarks she finally makes the decision to come clean to John about who she is. It leads to two very powerful and emotional scenes between the two of them, where I found the tension and emotions very intense and honest. This emotional roller coaster you've been watching, hits some new lows.

The film then wraps up in a non-traditional, yet not-surprising twist that reminds us all that no matter how badly we've screwed up our lives, we have the chance to make amends for it.

Finally, the film goes one step farther, a la "Primer" and knocks the story out of the park! I compare this film to "Primer" in this simple way: When you watch "Primer", you sit through it, you witness the story, you learn the truth, and then the story feels like it's over. There is resolution. (In the case of "Primer" the resolution drives you to re-watch the film, to catch the clues you missed) THEN, "Primer" ends with one final shot, one final scene with no dialogue, but a simple reveal that opens multiple cans of ambiguity up for you to consider where the story could continue - and then the credits roll. The same is true of "Another Earth". The final shot of the film opens up many avenues of debate, questioning the hows and whys. And it works so well.

Personally, I believe I have it all figured out. I honestly think that I know the important pieces that were set up to explain the ending. I don't want to include spoilers in this write up, so perhaps I'll do another blog at a later time, or something. It's not as complicated as the ten-page essay of "Mulholland Drive". It's pretty simple, and what I believe to be correct.

In the simplest ways possible, the film is about heart and emotion. It's about mistakes and regret. It's about attempting to move on in our lives, even when we can't achieve the dreams we once had. The film is very well acted, and using some interesting cinematography that I believe aides in the realism of the piece. Brit Marling is beautiful to look at, but backs it up with some amazing acting talent. Along with Mike Cahill, she did an amazing job on the concept and story, and Cahill was able to perfectly capture the emotions of the story through the lens.

RATING: 9.1/10

"Purple Violets" Review

"Purple Violets" is a film most people probably haven't heard of. Most likely, one or two (maybe three) of my readers are aware of the film, but since it was never released in theatres - I doubt many people have heard of it. The film, written and directed by Edward Burns, was originally distributed exclusively through iTunes, and later released on DVD. I came across the film via NetFlix - as it thought it was a film I would be interested in.

Interestingly enough, it turns out that this film has hit me at a particularly interesting point in my life. And I really enjoyed it.

The film basically revolves around Patti (Selma Blair). She's a "writer" and she's been married for seven years. And hasn't written a book in ten years, instead, she's become a real estate agent, selling up-scale apartments. Her best friend is Kate (Debra Messing) and one night they go out for Kate's 33rd Birthday, and end up at the same restaurant as Brian and Michael (Patrick Wilson and Edward Burns). It turns out that 12 years ago, these four people were best friends and two couples. Both relationships ended, for various reasons. Kate and Michael's relationship ended over a bad night and a misunderstanding about whether or not Michael cheated on her.


After the chance meeting in the restaurant, and Patti's failing marriage at home, she goes to one of Brian's book signings and then end up going to dinner to catch up. This begins a spark and sets things into motion for Patti and Brian to re-examine their relationship and what went wrong. During this time, Michael does everything in his power to get Patti to convince Kate to talk to him, so that he can get some closure over their bad break-up. It seems Michael continues to carry a torch - 12 years later - and hates the fact that Kate hates him over something that he didn't do.


I thought it was a wonderful examination of relationships (although much like Mamet's work, these characters really feel like they could easily cross over into "The Brothers McMullen" or "Sidewalks of New York" without a problem). And I personally could relate to both relationships that exsist in the film. On one hand, there's the old flame - right in my face - who I want to have sparks with, but there are obstacles in the way. Then, there is the break-up that ended badly, and ended over misunderstandings and hate-filled conversations. The "Girl Who Got Away" Syndrome, and the one I would do anything to get back - despite being stone-walled and bad-mouthed. Finally, it somewhat makes the point, that sometime loves can cross the boundaries of time, and while time doesn't always heal the wounds - sometimes the later words and explainations can ease the pain of the past. Relationships are a complicated thing, and I like the way this film looks at them.

Finally, the more important underlying tone and concept to the film is inspiration. While Patti's character hasn't written a novel in ten years, Brian has been writing a successful series of crime novels, but once he attempts to write something more personal - it's horribly recieved. Brian becomes a supportive confidant to Patti, and does his best to convince her to give writing another chance, by starting with short stories. I keep this blog, because it allows me to write and vent about things in my life. I haven't written a fictional piece of work in the past couple of years. And watching this film has somewhat inspired me to attempt to figure out something to write. And this is how I plan to do it: I'm going to create a new blog, and write a chapter at a time. I haven't picked a subject, genre, or anything else yet - but once I do, I'm going to begin my first online "novel". Fictional. Narrative. An online novel. And I'm going to hope it works.

Here's the trailer for film:

The Travelling Bubble-Gum Film

It was last Saturday night, and I had nothing to do - aside from hang out with my friend Amanda. We decided that we wanted to catch a film, and we really couldn't agree on anything. Then, I showed her the TRAILER for "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist". She was sold, and we were out the door to watch the film.

It's taken me a while to compose this review. There's a lot of good stuff going on in the film. I've talked to both Troy and Jason about the film this week, and everytime I talked to someone, I was afraid that my review would look like it was just ripping off their impressions on the film, despite the fact that I looked at it much the same way as my friends.

I really, really, really liked the film. I enjoy films that take place in one day/night - such as "Clerks" or "Superbad". I like seeing just an interesting slice of a person's life. Now, I've had some wild nights in my life, and I've ended up in bizarre places with random people, and asked myself "How did this happen?". But, none of my experiences have come close to the fun and wild night experienced by Nick and Nora and their friends.

I like the music. It's lots of bands that I don't typically listen to, but one day would like to buy the soundtrack, because I really enjoyed the music in the film. I think its along the lines of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" or "Singles" with its soundtrack. The music from various scenes fitting so perfectly with the actions on screen.


The acting was pretty good, and the character development was really well done. Starting witht he introduction to Nick's character, and then crossing into Norah's world, where we learn how she's been connected to Nick through the mix CDs he makes for his ex-girlfriend - which Norah ends up with. When they randomly run into each other at a club, and find out who each other is - it's the catalyst for two various intentions to run with each other. At first, Nick wants to use Norah to find out how to get back with his ex. And Norah wants to get to know her musical soul-mate better. Over time, its amazing to watch how the night plays out, and how their mixed feelings and emotions juxtapose and collide while two scared people learn to open up to someone new.


But, the storyline involves so much more than just two, new, random people spending the night getting to know each other. They both love an indie band named Find Fluffy - a band who performs secrets shows and leaves clues all over New York City to the location of the show, causing their fans to run amuck throughout the entire city while communicating with their friends to find the secret show. After Norah's friend (Caroline) gets too drunk to continue the night, Nick's gay bandmates offer to take her home, until they get side-tracked and Caroline escapes from the Gays. Thus begins a double-searching night, while everyone is trying to find Caroline and Find Fluffy at the same time. Thus begins the Journey of the Bubble Gum, as it makes its way all over New York City, finds various homes in various mouths while it makes its way from location to location. While its often sick, its sometimes funny, but by the end of the time morning comes, its interesting to reflect on everywhere this one piece of gum travelled over the course of less than 12 hours.


The film reminded me how much I love New York City. I've never had any "adventures" like this there, but the film just reminded me of all the good times I've had in the City with Jason and Letha, McNear and Noah. Walking around, going to random bars in the middle of the night, walking all over downtown and finding holes-in-the-wall where Letha knows. Nothing bizzare, no missing people, just good times in a really fun city. Like the Karaoke Night. Or the All-Day Football Day. Or my first night ever in NYC and the late-night dinner at Dallas B-B-Q. New York City is one of those places that some many amazing things can happen to you, and I'm glad I've always been there with friends.

I love movies I can relate to - on any level. Or, I love movies that just remind me how good and simple life should be. Life moves way too fast these days, there's so much going on and becoming an adult really limits the amounts of irrational decisions we are allowed to make. Everything begins to be planned out, everything becomes a cycle, there are daily things that can't be ignored and have to happen. Places we have to be, pets to take care of, chores that have to be accomplished. It's always fun to be removed from the reality of life, and taken to a place where life is simple and easy, and it reminds me of how I felt life once was. "Nick and Norah" did that for me. It reminded me of all the wild times and fun nights I've had with my friends. And luckily, I'll always have those memories to hold on to.


"Nick and Norah's Inifinate Playlist" is a fun, cute, and enjoyable film. It's a self-discovery film. It's a film about relationships and break-ups. It's a film about perspectives and expectations. And most importantly, it's a film about friends. It's not the most well-crafted storyline, but it's not crap. It's fun. And it's worth watching, just for enjoyment - and to watch the Journey of the Travelling Bubble Gum...

"The Happening" Review

DO NOT SEE THIS FILM!!!!!
Seriously. DEAD SERIOUS.
Watch the Red Band Trailer - and you've seen the film.
Yep, I spoiled it for you.
NOTHING ELSE HAPPENS in this film.
YOU LEARN NOTHING MORE than what they tell you in the preview.
It is a COMPLETE WASTE of time.
Watch the 2 1/2 minutes - and save 91 minutes of your life.

Honestly, I think I'm going to make it my mission to prevent ANYONE I know from going to see this film. M. Night Shyamalan has hit a horrible low on this film. WHY do I ever believe he's going to deliver a "good" film? DOWNHILL: "The Village" = Mediocre. "Lady in the Water" = Nothing Good to Say. "The Happening" = WORST FILM I've seen in a long time, and my new mission to RUIN the film. RUIN.

You're going to wish you listened to me...

"Green Street Hooligans" Review

This film is one that I wanted to see a long time ago. For some reason, I think Justin owns it, but I never borrow it from him. I should have. Because, I really enjoyed the flick.

It's got two things that I'm really interested in: Football (Soccer) and London.

The flick opens with Elijah Wood's character, Matt, getting kicked out of Harvard. He took the fall for his roommate, to save him from getting expelled - because his roommate's father is in politics.

Matt then heads over to London to meet up with his sister - played by the beautiful Claire Forlani, and he meets his brother-in-law, Steve, for the first time. Not long after he arrives, he's hanging out with Steve's brother, Pete. Pete quickly introduces him to his world of Football.

Here's the thing about Pete: From the first time I saw him, I swore I know the actor - but I couldn't figure out who it was. Halfway through the flick I had to look it up, because it was bothering me so badly. It turns out the he's played by Charlie Hunnam - who played Jay Baruchel's British Thespian Roommate Lloyd, on "Undeclared". I didn't recognize him with his head shaved in this film, but I knew I knew the actor - and I was right. So, that was a pretty cool added bonus to the film.

So, the flick starts off as a Football Film. The first 30 minutes or so are really about this group of guys and their love for West Ham United, it follows them from the pub to the stadium. Following his first game, Matt gets involved in his first fight. And then the film strays away from it's focus on football, and transfers to this group of guys and their loyalties.

Despite his being a "Yank", Matt quickly earns credit within the group of men. There's some pretty typical dramatic moments in the film, and it has a couple of small twists, but nothing that's outrageous. And one of them I feel pretty stupid for not putting together on my own.

Near the end, it does a good job of testing character's loyalties and their promises they've made. And when some of the main characters have to make choices, it's done in a very dramatic fashion that comes off sincere.

I really enjoyed the film, and I thought the acting was pretty good for what it was. It's not an overly dramatic film, and there's not really any seriously dramatic scenes that required exquisite top-notch acting. So, the story itself did a pretty good job of keeping me entertained, and I was never bored.

4 Stars out of 5.

"Reservation Road" Review

Okay, I'll be honest - the only reason I added this flick to my Netflix Queue was because of the cast. I didn't think it sounded super interesting, but it had three actors that I REALLY like in it, so I thought I would give it a shot.

Joaquin Phoenix ("Return to Paradise") and Jennifer Connelly ("The Rocketeer") star as a couple who have a son that is killed in a hit and run accident. Mark Ruffalo ("You Can Count on Me") stars as the man who drove the car that killed their son.

The acting is AMAZING. Really. Joaquin appears completely different, with a beard, and plays the upset and confused father role to perfection. His obsessive nature begins to cause turmoil with his wife, and they have some amazing scenes together - arguing over how each one of them is grieving. It's some powerful stuff.

Mark Ruffalo does an amazing job of playing a man burdened by guilt, and is constantly attempting to convince himself to do the right thing. He too does a really good job.

My biggest issue with the film is that it relies too much on the "small town" aspect of things to get the story moving. There are too many characters that intertwine into the lives of the two main groups of people, and too many things are left to chance. Needless to say, I know this type of thing must happen everyday in America, and 99% of the time its never resolved - but maybe this script focuses on one of those small towns in the Northeast (where everyone is a Red Sox fan!) and its a place where you can constantly interact with someone who killed your son, and not even know it. I don't know. I just didn't buy the believability of that aspect of the story.

It's also a SLOW film. It's very emotion-driven. And to be honest, it's a good thing I watched it at work, where I had nothing else to do. Because if i were at home with all of the distractions of home - then I may never have gotten through the entire film, or if I did - I wouldn't have paid attention to half of it.

And the worst part is the anti-climactic ending. It really falls short of delivering me any kind of "pay off" for watching the first hour and a half. Aside from the character study - that is the middle of the film - there's really not much else to watch in this one. Just some amazing performances, ruined by a bleak story that is about as interesting as a heart monitor on a dead person.

Result: 2 1/2 Stars out of 5.

Two Quick Documentary Reviews

Tonight - at work - I utilized Netflix's powers of watching films online, to watch two documentaries.

The first was "Girl 27" and it was pretty interesting and informational at first, but the second half of the film was kind of flat. It revolves around a Day Player in Hollywood in the 1930s. She went to what she thought was a casting call, and later found out she was being used as "entertainment" for an MGM Salesman. That night, she was raped. The most interesting parts of the documentary are those that reveal how much Los Angeles was under the control of film studios - especially MGM - and how they stone-walled the investigation and the trial. Serious conspiracy theory stuff, and it was interesting. But, like I said, the second half just seems to drag on.

Secondly, I watched "Deliver Us From Evil" and it was a very disturbing documentary that involves a Catholic Priest, who admits to many cases of sexual assault on children. Hearing the interviews of various people (the children, now grown up) who were assaulted by this man, are pretty freaky. There are interviews with their parents, and descriptions of how this man - Oliver O'Grady - was able to manipulate families and work his way into taking advantage of these children. The hardest to watch was the boy, who finally admitted to what was done to him, and the fact that this Priest was also having a sexual relation with his married mother - at the same time - in order to keep her quiet about what he was doing to her son. It's insane! Crazy, and it often made me squirm, thinking about what this man did for roughly 20 years. CRAZY!

The films ends with a number of "facts". The one I found most disturbing was:

In 2005, George W. Bush granted immunity to Pope Benedict XVI, from a lawsuit filed against him, claiming that he helped with the cover-up of sexual assault on young boys. HERE is an article from the First Amendment Center. Crazy, crazy, crazy...

The documentary was kind of tough to watch. But, pretty interesting at the same time. Especially with the large number of interviews from Father O'Grady, and his attitudes towards what he did. There are lots of deposition interviews included in the documentary.

I give both of them 3 out of 5 Stars.

"Redbelt" Review

After I took Amanda home, I was up in Noblesville and Phil mentioned that we was thinking about watching "Speed Racer" last night. So, I called him to see if he was still going to, and he told me that the earliest we could watch it was 11:35pm, but if I wanted to - he would run the print. So, I told him I would come up and hang out with him until then (since I was already all the way up in Noblesville anyways...). So, I get to Phil's theatre, we hang out a little bit and then I realize that his theatre is playing "Redbelt". It's a film I was really interested in watching, and thought I was going to have to find the time to go to Landmark to watch it. As fate would have it, "Redbelt" started two minutes after I arrived, and it got over at 11:40pm. Phil said he'd have "Speed Racer" ready when I was done - so I was off to a second movie.

"Redbelt" is a David Mamet film, and I think it's better to let people know that before they go into the film. I'm the ONLY person I know who liked the film "Spartan". Although, I know a number of people who enjoyed "State and Main". The film I consider him most appealing was "Glengarry Glen Ross", which he only wrote. Although, I suppose more people are probably familiar with "Ronin", yet another good film he wrote.

The biggest complaint about Mamet films are the lack of diversity in his characters. Many of them use the same types of language and idioms, and almost all sound like clones of one another. Some might say that its due to the fact that Mamet attempts to give us one small niche, and not a broad picture. In his small niches of characters, they are people who all do talk and act the same, because they have grown up together in the same neighborhood and spent the lives working together. I can buy that, and that's good - because many of the characters in "Redbelt" seem to talk and act like they've all lived on the same block for 30 years, even the Hollywood Actor.

I'm a big fan of Chiwetel Ejiofor, basically the first time I remember seeing him was "Love Actually". Then he popped up in "Four Brothers" and "Serenity". Especially after "Serenity", I decided I wanted to keep an eye on this dude, because of his wide variety of character portrayals. I liked him in "Inside Man", but missed him in "American Gangster" - Note to self: Add that to your NetFlix. I do have "Dirty Pretty Things" in my NetFlix, which I hear is a GREAT flick, I should probably move it up...

Now, back to Chewie. He's amazing in this film as Mike Terry, the protagonist who teaches Jujitsu. His attitude and demeanor are perfect, and he plays a man who knows all the angles to everything. "There is no situation that you can not escape from" is the mantra he preaches throughout the film. And his character does an amazing job of sticking to his beliefs, all the way to the end - no matter how hard things get for him.

Much like "Spartan", the film just throws us into the action, without very much set up. We are introduced to Mike Terry teaching his class, and following his class we introduced to what seems to be a completely random woman, who would later become very pivotal in many of the events to come.

Through a series of events, Mike finds himself at the same bar as an Actor, Chet Frank - played by Tim Allen - and when Allen's character is attached Mike rescues him. This begins a "friendship" between the two men. A "friendship" that is not at all as it seems.

As the film progress, and Mike gets involved as a producer on Chet's current film, Mike meets more and more people and believes he is networking with them, only to be cold-shouldered and learn that everything he was helping with on the film has been stolen from him, and in turn used to create a new style of Mixed-Martial Arts fighting.

Every character in the film does an amazing job of two-facing themselves. The actors were perfect. And the as the plot continues to unfold, you get to see - as Mike does - the evil nature of people, as they all continue to stab him in the back. And when it's all said and done, and Mike's got nowhere left to turn, and it looks like he has lost everything, his character makes a choice the goes against his entire teaching philosophy, and he is forced to fight in the MMA Event. It's an amazing character struggle, and watching Mike constantly hope and believe that he can make things better is amazing to watch. He's struggling with so many different things, and everything continues to snowball down on top of him, and he is finally forced to make move that he considers defaming to his character, but it is the only move he has to "escape".

About the only complaint I have about the film is this: I like ambiguous endings, but this one might have been a little too much, even for me. I like how it ended, but I didn't like the number of questions that are still left unanswered when the credits begin to roll. Too many things are brought up during the climax - and then there is basically zero falling action or resolution. I'm not saying it ruined the film, but it's the only thing I didn't really like about it.

Overall, I think its one of the best concepts I've seen recently - I'm TIRED of sequels and remakes!!! And I think all of the acting is top-notch quality. I highly recommend the flick, I think its a good example of original and intriguing filmmaking.

"What Happens in Vegas" Review

I'll be honest, I had absolutely no desire to see "What Happens in Vegas" at all. The preview really didn't look very good, and I wasn't going to waste my time.

Then, I was hanging out with my friend Amanda last night, and it was the last time I'll get to see her for a while - because right now she's waiting in Charlotte to catch a plane to Athens and then she'll be in Jordan for three weeks after that. We decided to hang out last night and I decided to let her pick the movie we were going to watch. So, I ended up seeing a movie I didn't have any intention of seeing.

Now, the good part was this: My intentions were so low, and I was expecting such a horrible film - that I actually enjoyed it for the most part. The storyline was nothing new or mind-bending. From the preview, you knew exactly what you were getting into, and you knew that even when things were looking good - they were going to turn bad, but then they would somehow all work out in the end. No big surprises, but that was fine.

The emotions that are tackled in this flick are actually pretty interesting. After the drunken "marriage" in Vegas - and the winning of $3 Million - Kuthcer and Diaz's characters have A LOT of baggage that ends up being addressed throughout the film. From the emotions of being dumped by someone, to the hope of reconciliation, to not living up to your parent's expectations, it was a lot to handle, and I felt like they handled it well.

I laughed a lot during the movie, I laughed A LOT more than I thought I was going to. Some running gags, some witty comments, it was a lot better than I thought. Although, I do ask myself this question: "Would I have laughed so much, if I was just watching it with a small group of people?" See, we went and watched the film in an almost sold-out auditorium at Castleton - and it's been a long-standing theory of mine, that when I see films in larger groups, I laugh more than when I just screen the films with small groups of friends. I'm going to continue to allow myself to believe that I did just enjoy the film for what it was: Entertainment, and nothing more. I don't think it was anything special cinematically, and I don't think it's the smartest thing ever written. But, for last night, it was what we were looking for. So, I'll just keep telling myself that I enjoyed it, despite the fact that I didn't want to.

"What Love Is" Review

This was the poster for the film when I was supposed to see it last March in Boston:
This is the DVD Cover for the film, when I finally got to see it on Friday:
"What Love Is" is the third film from Mars Callahan, who I began to admire when Zach and I went to Chicago to see his film "Poolhall Junkies" in February of 2002.

"What Love Is" is basically the epitome of a Guy's Break Up Movie. The entire film occurs in one night, and it just happens to be Valentine's Day. Tom - Cuba Gooding, Jr. finally in a good film - plays the main character, who comes home to find out that his girlfriend of 3 years has packed her bags and is moving out. She leaves him a letter, and the conveniently calls him after he reads it. She tells him that she's on her way to pick up her last bags. The bad news for Tom is that he's invited all of his friends over to hang out and celebrate Valentine's Day with them.

This begins a parade of characters entering Tom's townhouse - where the majority of the film takes place. It begins with one of my favorite actors, Matthew Lillard from "Scream" fame. Lillard plays Sal, who is a womanizing-fast-talking idealist, who has stern beliefs on a number of topics, and later in the film when he goes on an anti-gay tirade, it's some of the best handled dialogue I've ever heard. At first, I couldn't believe that GLAAD allowed this kind of dialogue, however throughout the scene, I think they allowed it because of the amazing retort by the gay friend, Wayne. Lillard does an amazing job, and I really like his charisma throughout the film. He's got an ego and an attitude, and he does a pretty amazing job with both of them.

Next up is the man himself: Mars Callahan who plays Ken, the married man, who sneaks out at night (he lives above Tom) to hang out with his friends. I kid you not: The dialogue between Sal and Ken is almost verbatim dialogue that Jason and I have had together. I believe that their dialogue is much more anger-filled than any time Jason and I have ever had it - but it is a very serious discussing about how truly successful married men will always pick their wives over their friends, and how they don't see that as a burden, but as an blessing. Seriously, my jaw dropped during the scene, thinking that Callahan had somehow been hiding in the back seat of Jason's car a year ago when I remember having the conversation while driving back to Boston from New York City. Ken is a really good character, who often plays devil's advocate to Sal's outrageously wild philosophies.

As I mentioned before, there is a gay character named Wayne, who came over to announce to everyone that he is running off to Hawaii with his new man to get married - and he wants Tom to come be his best man. Wayne is a very strong character, and doesn't allow Sal's belittling to effect him, instead he attacks Sal's lifestyle right back, and has some wonderful dialogue himself.

The final male character is played by Sean Astin, who really just serves as another voice to interject more opinions and points of view on various topics.

About halfway through the film, it shifts to a woman's perspective as a group of women, that Sal met at the bar, show up to party with the guys. The film temporarily shifts into the bathroom, as the women "freshen up". Honestly, I'm going to say that the dialogue is written as what men THINK women say in the bathroom. I'd like to believe that they act this way, and talk this way, and maybe some do, but I don't think the female dialogue is the most realistic. I have to believe its just a stereotypical male writing of females talking. The dialogue is quirky and interesting, and well delivered by the actresses, but I don't know if I can completely consider it realistic.

Then, the two group merge and play out the rest of film, as various men and women interact and openly discuss a variety of relationship and sexual topics.

I enjoyed the film, because it's written in a way that you know is not real. NO ONE talks the way these characters do. We all WISH we talked this way, we all WISHED we had these amazingly well-thought out discussions with our friends, when we don't. With the ranting and playful argumentative nature of the dialogue, we all wish we talked this way. It's the same thing with "Clerks", "Mallrats", "Chasing Amy", etc... NO ONE talks like the characters in a Kevin Smith movie, but we all wish that we did.

I don't think there's a middle ground to this film. Either you're going to love it, or you're going to hate it. I believe it's an acquired taste, much like many independently financed and produced films, and much like "Poolhall Junkies". If you don't care about pool, you're more than likely not going to be interested in a film about a fast-talking pool hustler., no matter how good the dialogue and story are: you're not going to care. I believe many of my friends would enjoy the flick, and those are the people I care about the most. Because those are the people that I associate with the film, and the people that I believe I talk to like the characters in the film.

I originally got the film via NetFlix, just in case it sucked. But, after I watched it - I went out and bought it the same day. I thought it was that enjoyable.

"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" Review

I saw the flick on Thursday night, and meant to write a review before now - but I didn't make the time this weekend. Then, I went and saw the flick again last night, so I decided that it did deserve my time to finally write the review.

First up, after watching the film - I do not understand the marketing campaign for the flick. "You Suck Sarah Marshall" and "I Hate You Sarah Marshall" just DO NOT go well with the film. While they do make for a funny marketing campaign, at no point in the film does the main character have this kind of attitude at all. Instead, Jason Segel as Peter spends the majority of the movie lamenting over his break-up, not reacting with anger towards Sarah Marshall. Before the film, the marketing campaign built my expectations up in one direction, while the film went in almost the polar opposite of where I thought it was going to go.

Just like last summer's "Superbad", this Apatow-produced film, written and starring Jason Segal of "Freaks and Geeks" does a great job of bringing REAL life attitudes and emotions to the screen. Much like previous Apatow-produced comedies "40-Year Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up", it's a romantic comedy from the male perspective - which is probably the exact reason who I enjoy it so much. Things don't have to turn out perfectly and every scene isn't a woman complaining about men, and our habits. Instead, it shows how we address emotions and relationships, and how we react. Granted, this is a much more comedic-than-reality kind of way, but that's what makes the films so enjoyable.

Now, you've got to be honest with yourself when you see this movie: It would NEVER happen this way. First, the completely random chance that these two characters would end up at the same resort in Hawaii after breaking up: Not likely. Second, the way Peter ends up acquiring his hotel room - wouldn't ever happen. Finally, the fact that one of the two of them wouldn't move to a different resort...? Come on. But, once you suspend the reality of the situations, which are required for the continuation of the plot - it's a pretty enjoyable film. It's a film about discovering who you are, once your heart has been shattered into a million pieces. It's about really people, making (mostly) real decisions, observing other people's relationships, and doing their best to move on in life. It's also about re-discovering yourself, after you've spent so much time in a relationship.

The flick has plenty of Laugh-Out-Loud moments. The dialogue is witty and smart. The story was well constructed, and from some of the articles I've read - Jason Segel used a number of real-life experiences to construct the storyline for this film. If you've liked the previously aforementioned films, I don't see any way you won't enjoy this one too.

And like a typical Apatow-produced flick, it features a number of "regulars". Starting with the star Segel, it also includes Jonah Hill ("Superbad"/"Knocked Up"), Bill Hader ("Superbad"/"Knocked Up"), and Paul Rudd ("Knocked Up"). Just another reason (as I've previously blogged about) that I really enjoy all of these films. Friends making movies with friends - it ROCKS!

"Summer of Fear" Review

It's been #1 in my NetFlix queue for about three weeks - with the message "Very Long Wait". But finally, on Friday, the film "Summer of Fear" showed up in the mailbox.

In 7th Grade English, we read the book "Summer of Fear" by Lois Duncan. She's the same author who is responsible for "I Know What You Did Last Summer" - although the film is NOTHING like the book. That's not true with "Summer of Fear". The film is a REALLY good adaptation of the book. Oddly, I didn't even know this film existed until about 3 years ago. I was perusing the DVD Section of Borders around Halloween, and they had a larger number of Horror films available, and I noticed the title. So, I picked up the DVD and looked more closely and saw that it was directed by Wes Craven. I wanted it, but for whatever reason, I didn't purchase it that day. Over these past three years, I gradually noticed the DVD more and more often, I think Best Buy in Castleton carries the flick now. But, I never purchased it. And on one level, I'm glad I never did.

The flick showed up Friday around 1pm, and I instantly popped it into the DVD Player, so I could watch it before I had to go to work. As I previously stated, the flick was a REALLY good adaptation of the book. Even after I read it for school, I probably read the book another 4 or 5 times, because I really liked it. My brother eventually read it and enjoyed it also. Sadly, the film just feels long, slow, and drawn out. Now, I attempt to take into account that the film was made in 1978, and that it was Made For Television. But, I still think they could have done more with the film. Honestly, while I was watching it - I was thinking that I wish this film would get re-made. I know I'm usually anti-remakes, but I think this one could be done a little bit better. Lee Purcell, who plays the cousin who loses her parents in a car accident, just looks too old for her character. I'm pretty sure that in the book the two main female leads were both teenagers. In this film, they have Julia (the cousin) looking and acting like she's in her early 20s, and not a high schooler. But, perhaps that's the way teenagers behaved in the late 70s, but I don't think so, since it's nothing like the teenagers in "Halloween". Again, just another reason why I believe this film could be re-made and actually improved on. The tension and drama were done pretty well, and the characters were well written to build the tension between the characters as the story advanced.

I don't know if its the genre that's changed, or if it's Wes Craven's directing style, but I'm learning that I'm not a huge fan of the directing in his early works. I really like "Last House on the Left" for its story and for its shocking ending, but the last time I watched the film, I really realized that it's not that good "looking" of a film. It's a little boring and a little simple in its artistic style. The same goes for "The Serpent and the Rainbow" a film that I hunted down the VHS tape in 1999 to watch - and was very disappointed in how much anti-climactic drama there was in the film.

I'm glad that I've seen the film. But, I'm more glad that I waited to get it via NetFlix, and not paid for the DVD, that I probably would only consider watching around Halloween every year, and only if I was hanging out with someone else who was interested in watching it. I think it's worth one viewing just because it is a pretty interesting story. But, rent it - don't buy it!