Looking for a great buddy movie? Don't miss this one!

We got word of the "The Hangover" a few months ago and the release date is fast approaching on this one. If you've been looking for a great buddy comedy movie like "Old School" but felt that while "Wedding Crashers" was good, it just wasn't close enough, this may be your movie.

On June 5th you can bet we'll be in the audience for this one. Feel free to join us, just stay away from the dark corner and the guy in the trench coat.

I'm just saying,

Elijah

Whadd'ya know? It's "That" time of year again.

As you well know, May officially starts the “movie viewing season.” As these movies start to arrive in theaters the public begins to look at the openings and gets excited for favorite franchise releases or an adaptation that they’ve been waiting years to see transformed to a movie.

It’s around this time of year that we see our influence wane a bit as you pick the movies you’re going to see. The fact of the matter is, you’ve picked your movies to see back in January or February, and you’ve been gearing up to finally see them for months.

For this reason we’re going to scale back our reviews on the big movies. Last year we disappeared until the season was over. We’re not going full radio silent this year; we’ll just give a few quick paragraphs and our overall ratings. These movies and their subsequent water cooler talk have the potential to get peoples blood to boil, so we are looking forward to commentary.

Our true strength lies in taking a look at films that are just off the radar, or maybe you wouldn’t normally make time to catch that unfamiliar title. We’re going to stick with those movies that interest us but may escape your attention.

Look for smaller posts from us in the next few months before the September/October dramas begin again, but always look here for the sneaker film that you may have missed.

I’m just saying,

Elijah

Star Trek: The New, New Generation

Blockbuster season may have began with "Wolverine" last weekend, but it got off to a roaring start this weekend with the reimagining of Star Trek. I saw this film on opening day, and immediately knew this was a winner, but I had know idea if word of mouth would carry this movie to the success it probably deserved.


Then I came to work on Monday. While waiting for an elevator at about midday, I happened to overhear 4 ladies from one of the law firms in our building having a lively discussion of the film. Now, these women looked like any other women you'd run into in an office building. I didn't notice any of them wearing fake pointy ears or a Klingon headpiece, so I assume that they were dragged to this film by a significant other. Not a one of them said a bad word while I waited and consequently rode the elevator down with them. That's when I realized that this movie may have some serious crossover and even better staying power through this week and into the coming weekend. At least until "Terminator: Salvation" hits on the 21st.

Personally, I found Star Trek to be a fun and exciting Sci-Fi adventure flick. Did it have it's plot holes? Sure, plenty of them, but not enough to distract the viewing at the time. The movie is a mile-a-minute romp and only slows down to throw a little levity at you. I caught so many nods to the past iterations of the series that it blew my mind. I wonder how many I didn't catch as I now know for certain that there was a tribble in there that I didn't see!

As for the new cast members, I loved the fit for many of them. Oddly, the two new actors I didn't immediately warm too were the Kirk and Spock actors, Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto respectively. Chris Pine makes a fine, brash, young James T. Kirk with just enough desire to get himself into all kinds of trouble. The thing that creeped up on me about him was this little twang in his voice that reminded me of Christian Slater and kept taking me out of the movie. Side note: Slater is a trek fan and was given a cameo in Star Trek VI. Quinto on the other hand looks so much the part that it's nearly impossible to separate him from the role. For me the only problem was the fact that it wasn't Leonard Nimoy. I think that was compounded by the fact that Nimoy makes an appearance in this film.


The two that stood out the most for me were Dr. McCoy and Scottie. With very little screen time dedicated to those characters, Karl Urban and Simon Pegg made a big impression. Hilarious, and absolutely spot on. I can only hope that future sequels will highlight those two a bit more.


The Star Trek reboot gets 4 Green Chicks in Lingerie out of a possible 5 Green Chicks in Lingerie. For pure fun and adrenaline, this movie should be seen if you like science-fiction at all. Of course, there are some big plot holes, but if you're going to this movie and letting that trouble you, then why bother seeing it at all? But if there is one thing that you shake your head at and it just seems like pandering to "Star Wars" fans, well, I'll let that go. I'm looking at you, giant ice planet creatures.


I'm just saying,


Elijah

X-men Origins: Wolverine. A Wolverine for a kinder, more emotional generation.

Why, you ask, do we head the post with a picture not of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine character? Rather, we are showing you someone who the comic book geeks (I include myself) will instantly recognize, but a person whom the public in general would scratch their collective heads at? Even after watching, they're still saying, "Who?"

The point is to illustrate the reason why this film is going to be watched despite the horrible reviews it received from the critics. There are two reasons, really. One, it's the first real "blockbuster" film to be released of the season. Secondly and more importantly, this film has the promise of showing a huge amount of never-before-seen reader favorites. That's right. The people who are going to put this film into the right money range are the people who have every hope that their favorite mutant from their childhood will make an appearance. Maybe not even childhood, maybe they are in their 30's and they have the coveted "disposable income." Geeks. God love us.

X-men Origins is the film version of the popular Marvel comic book that does just what the title suggests: it fills in the background we and indeed, he, himself never knew before Wolverine sauntered on to the screen 9 years ago, chomping a cigar with amnesia fully intact.

Hugh Jackman hits the sound stage for his 4th turn as the antihero Logan, codename: Wolverine. At this point is there a person alive who thinks anybody else could do a better job than Hugh Jackman in this role? It's gotten to the point for this reviewer, that when I see any other film starring Mr. Jackman, I can't help but think, "Hey, Wolverine is a magician too!" or "Hey, Wolverine kills vampires too!" In my opinion, Jackman is infallible in this role/film as an actor. He inhabits the role and we have no idea what else could be done because he has convinced us that this is Wolverine, take or leave it. Much like the people who refuse to acknowledge anyone other than Sean Connery as "Bond," no one could come in and change Wolverine. The public wouldn't allow it.

On the other hand, Liev Schreiber comes in and takes over the role of Victor Creed, a.k.a. Sabretooth. The original X-Men movie provided our first glimpse of the hulking Sabretooth, though that was a much more beastly, growling version played by wrestler turned actor Tyler Mane. Here we have a much more fleshed out Victor. In discovering the background of the most popular mutant, we also learn the influences and history of his arch nemesis. The reason for the differences in their personalities and what ultimately drives them. Schreiber is wonderful here and makes this character his own as well. His Sabretooth is much more evil and malevolent in intent; you feel that he could really be the death threat that you never saw in the hulked up, dumbed down version we saw previously. Liev Schrieber is a wonderfully capable actor and was the perfect choice to help hold this film together along side Jackman.

Like all summer popcorn films, there are problems with a couple plot holes and dialog for the sake of trying to be funny or witty. I always used to turn a blind eye to these moments in films; now that I write about them I find myself wincing when it occurs. I know I'm going to have to allude to them at some point. The fact of the matter is, these movies try to be fun and exciting. In doing so, sometimes the cheap lines are the easiest to go with, I acknowledge that. I don't always like it, but I understand. What really gets me though, is action for no conceivable reason. There is an action taken by one of the most anticipated characters that just begs for an explanation. We don't and won't get one. It is now three days later and it's still driving me insane. One inserted line of dialog could have changed my feelings, but they let it go. I know the real reason (the writers had painted themselves in a corner during a fight scene and needed a way out), but it is so suddenly inexplicable that I honestly dropped my popcorn on the floor when it happened.

As I said in my opening points, the factor that is going to bring the fans back to the theater for a second showing is the possibility of seeing their favorite mutant. This movie is just as full of them as the last entry in the franchise. Click on the links to see who played each. For me personally, seeing Emma Frost on the screen was enough to bring me to the theater. But how about some of the others that you readers may remember from your childhood? Silverfox? Yeah. Kestrel? Oh yeah. True fan favorites, Deadpool and Gambit? You better believe it! What about Bolt, The Blob, Zero, Cyclops? All there! Even Weapon XI, though with a different twist then in the books, but still fairly cool.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine garners 3.5 diamond hardened bodies out of a possible 5 diamond hardened bodies from me. Sure it's got it's weak points, but that's no reason to miss a fun, adventurous popcorn flick that just might take you back to your childhood again. Besides, did I mention Emma Frost?

I'm just saying,

Elijah

Monsters vs. Aliens. I have a feeling this was a really fun movie...

Yep, you read that correctly. I honestly believe that had I been able to see the complete movie, I would have loved it.

Here is the synopsis for "Monsters vs. Aliens," provided by IMDB.com: When a meteorite from outer space hits a young lady and turns her into a giant monster, she is taken to a secret government compound where she meets a ragtag group of monsters also rounded up over the years.

First, I'm a sucker for animated movies. I love them. My oldest daughter and I go to every one. More on that later. Throw in the 3-d and we are excited to get there. This also happens to be one of the few times that I head straight for the concessions, you can't not get the popcorn for the kiddies, right?

This flick starts off with the classic "Attack of the 50 ft. woman" premise. You've got to love the classic references! At this point I started to see the signs that this might not be going well for the 6 year old though. Something about a meteorite landing on a girl might have put a little tremor in the kid.

Next we get the inevitable military interference. Capture the 50 ft. woman and secure her back to the secret military installation! Now my darling child is sitting on my lap holding MY arms around her, but I'm definitely digging this flick as we get the comedy sequences that introduce us to the supporting cast of monsters. She buries her face in my chest.

Third we have the introduction of the Alien antagonists who launch a giant robot probe to track down the landing of the meteorite and acquire the precious mineral inside. Off come the 3-d glasses; she's now staring at a blurry screen. Honestly, I'm kind of digging the design and intro to our space enemies.

Finally, we have what I "assume" is the first battle of "Monsters vs. Aliens." This was filled with great comedy pieces, spectacular graphics and wondrous 3-d effects. The monsters are getting their asses handed to them, but we're starting to see a turn-around in the battle...and we're leaving. My daughter is seconds away from crying, I'm out $60 total. Screw those recycling boxes for the glasses; I'm getting something out of this. Even if I can't use them anywhere else.

Based on what I saw of "Monsters vs. Aliens," I'm giving this film 4.5 emotionally scarred little girls out of a possible 5 emotionally scarred little girls. So, when the dvd comes out in 6 months, I'll finally get to see the film and hope that I don't have to eat my words.

For those of you wondering how the kid made out, I leave you with this: after leaving the theater we promptly went across the street to the bookstore to pick out somethings to calm the nerves and return to a happy place. We enter the kids' section and the first thing my child sees is the book version of "Monsters vs. Aliens." At least I have that book to read to my child before bedtime for the next six months while I wait for the dvd.

I'm just saying,

Elijah

Sunshine Cleaning. I think you missed a spot.

Remember "Little Miss Sunshine?" It was the little independent comedy that carried Alan Arkin to the promised land of Oscar winners. The people responsible for that surprise hit are back with another serving and they've brought Mr. Arkin with them.

As not to spoil the overall story, here is a brief synopsis from IMDB.com: In order to raise the tuition to send her young son to private school, a mom starts an unusual business -- a bio hazard removal/crime scene clean-up service -- with her unreliable sister.

The potential in this movie for hilarity is off the charts...but if you've seen the previously referenced "Little Miss Sunshine," then you know that the humor will be inferred or the predicament itself will be inherently funny. In fact, this film plumbs the same depths and emotions but fails to deliver where the little differences occur.

I may be the worst person to review "Sunshine Cleaning" for the simple fact that the two movies are so alike in structure and circumstance, I can't separate one from the other.

I will say that the acting in this film is very good! The main cast all shine in their respective roles. Amy Adams continues her successful string of good roles here as the main character, "Rose." You can sense her desperately searching for a foothold throughout the film; a way to regain past glory, to be the good parent, to keep the family afloat. All the while, life gets in the way. What can happen, does happen. Unfortunately, everything is so telegraphed that you know it's inevitable and there is no way for the audience to jump into the screen and stop just one little event from befalling our champion. The spectacular thing about Amy Adams is the way her acting helps you to feel every emotion her characters encounter. Whether it's glee, embarrassment, jealousy, disgust or just plain sadness, you absolutely know and feel what the character is feeling. That's a direct credit to the actress.

Emily Blunt turns in the equally fun and self-destructive little sister, Norah. We learn so much as her story unfolds throughout the film. We learn not just about why this woman is the way she is, but why the family in it's entirety is in fervent need of a caretaker. Older siblings everywhere will quickly identify the slightly off younger sibling, that can't seem to get it together as a lack of common sense and perpetual bad luck go hand-in-hand. Her journey seems so disjointed, until we see the answers slowly unfold in a series of flashbacks as the movie progresses. It's through these interludes that we begin to see insight into everything that this family does; a brief glimpse into the missing heart, if you will. Emily Blunt's turn here is so far from her role in "The Devil wore Prada," that I had a hard time seeing the actress at all. That is an accomplishment.

Alan Arkin virtually reprises the role that won him an Oscar just two years ago. He's good. I won't say he's not. This time the quirks are taken up a notch, but this is where the film loses it's appeal. He isn't given a cute little girl as his "straight man." The entire reason the last film held together so well, was the connection between Arkin and Abigail Breslin. This time around, the child in the film is his grandson, Oscar. Jason Spevack steps in to fill the role as Amy Adams son here, but the character is written as a equally quirky boy, perhaps too smart for everyone around him, but unrecognized for a dolt. Frankly, where the story of a little girl's adorable relationship with her grandfather and pursuit of a dream carried the last movie, the loss of that connection hurts here. We are left with only despair, loss and craziness. There's no occasional respite; the actual laughs are few and far between.

The one shining knight in the film comes from an unlikely source in the form of a store owner. Clifton Collins, Jr. plays Winston, the one person who goes out of his way to offer assistance to our heroines, whether he likes it or not. Steve Zahn makes an appearance in the film and turns in another solid performance. That is what Mr. Zahn does; shows up and does the work.

To sum up: "Sunshine Cleaning" had the potential to match the success of "Little Miss Sunshine." In order to do that it had to replicate the lovable draw between Grandfather and Grandson, but that attempt ended up in a disjointed mish-mash. Further, had that succeeded then it would have just been a remake of the previous film (and let's face it, it pretty much is anyway).

I'm giving "Sunshine Cleaning" 2 Trunks full of Bay Shrimp out of a possible 5 Trunks full of Bay Shrimp. Despite the desperate attempt at the end of the movie to pull me out of the depression it had actually inflicted on me, I just couldn't walk away from this film without wishing that I had just rewatched "Little Miss Sunshine."

I'm just saying,

Elijah

In search of companionship, Jake takes on "I Love You Man."

It’s Friday night and I am single. Both of my roommates, one male (my best friend), and one female, have to work in the morning and are refusing the mighty sword of peer pressure to drink. My other good friend is about to be a baby daddy, which has changed his social drinking habits considerably. Sometimes I wish that I knew how to push through the wall of embarrassment and drink alone, but I can’t. I have too much self-respect. Though, I hear Elijah has no self-respect and consequently, no problem drinking alone.

(Editor’s note: This is true; no problem, but I prefer to think of it as being self-assured.)

I need a new wingman, a drinking buddy, someone to shoot the sh*t with, to check out and hit on women with reckless abandon, a friend. This is a massive dilemma for any straight man: How to find and audition a new friend without coming across as gay. My solution was to ditch the idea of drinks at the door, skip the concessions and find out how Peter Klaven, the main character in "I Love You Man," found his best man.

To be honest, I was a little skeptical when I first started entertaining the notion of meeting up with Peter and "I Love You Man." The cast of characters that he rolled with were primarily part of Judd Apatow’s crew, whom I have a deep comedic respect for, but his name was no where to be found. Comedy is a strange beast. Either you have the ability to write it or you don’t. Before I dropped my $10.50 for a first-runner, I needed to know what kind of relationship I was getting myself into. Three or four clicks later, I was staring at John Hamburg’s IMDB page. I knew at that moment that for this night and the next two hours, I was going to be in good hands. Back in 2001, Hamburg had written one of my favorite movies of all time. Based on my previous posts, you will never guess, so, I’ll just tell you. It was "Zoolander." I’ve watched it at least a half dozen times. It’s one of those once-a-year flicks that won’t get old.

Peter Klaven, embodied by Paul Rudd, is a real-estate developer in L.A. who has just proposed to his girlfriend Zooey, played by Rashida Jones. Zooey has a wide circle of friends (including Jaime Pressly and Sarah Burns) who she hangs out with and over-shares relationship details on a regular basis. Peter has a circle of none. After overhearing a conversation between Zooey and her friends about how men with few friends can become clingy, Peter embarks on a journey to find a best friend. He enlists the help of his younger, gay brother Robbie, played by SNL’s Andy Sandberg, to set up man-dates with straight men. After going through a series of comedic failures, Pistol-Pete stumbles upon Sydney Fife, played by Apatow stalwart Jason Segel, at an open-house for Lou Ferrigno. The two have an instant chemistry and the rest of the movie becomes a delightful balancing act between maintaining his relationship with his fiancée and building a man bond with Syd.

While Apatow and Hamburg both write in the same vein of comedy, Apatow’s aorta is intelligent d*ck-and-fart jokes and Hamburg’s is quirky character work. Peter is well written and well acted. Rudd is in his zone playing the challenged lover and Segel is solid. I felt that Sydney, as a character, had a lot more to offer than what was given in the editing room or from a directorial standpoint. He had a lot of baggage that was only hinted at during the film. Yet, this is a light-hearted comedy and Syd’s darkness would not have had the mass appeal. I am just a sadist and like the deep end of the pool.

Outside of Rudd, Segel and Jones, all of the characters in this film were well written character archetypes; nothing serious, just funny interludes to move the plot along and add depth to the film. There were one or two of Peter’s man-dates that I thought were caricatures but they didn’t bother me.

When you have a good script and good actors, your job as a director is to not f*ck it up by pulling it with a heavy hand. It doesn’t need to be stylized. It doesn’t need to be overly dramatic. It doesn’t need anything accept to flow its natural course. As the writer and director, Hamburg knew what he had and checked all of those boxes, nurtured what was already there and brought to life a very entertaining film.

The heart of this movie is in Peter’s journey. Awkwardness around new people, love and relationships and the desire to be successful are universal themes that one can easily relate to. The real genius behind good comedy is the ability to write outlandish characters and ground them in real human emotion. "I Love You Man" was a resounding success in my mind. I am actually surprised that this movie hasn’t had more pre-open promotion. I am guessing that the studio thought that the list of stars gracing the silver-screen would be able to attract the masses in short order. I was at a 10:20pm showing and the theater was packed. I guess that means they succeeded too.

My rating for this movie is 4 man-dates out of 5 man-dates. It was no "Zoolander," but it was right on par with "Knocked Up," "Super Bad," "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "40-year Old Virgin." It was worth every bit of the $10.50 for the ticket and the $3.50 for the Reece’s Pieces. So I lied earlier about the concessions. So what? But, I still didn’t find a new friend. In the words of Fred Rogers, “Won’t you be mine?”

Jake

Who's on your list?

Recently, I was watching the movie "Definitely, Maybe" again (review here) and it reminded me why I entered Isla Fisher on my "List of 5."

Then I started thinking, "We've mentioned our 'lists' in some of our reviews, but have we ever applied pen to paper?"

What I'm saying is this: in your group of friends, haven't you had this conversation? Maybe it's a conversation that guys have more than girls, but ever since that episode it's much more common. People have always fantasized about celebrities, but that Friends episode made it funny and socially acceptable to talk about hooking up with a highly improbable partner and suffering no repercussions from your spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend. That would work in real life, right?

Well, this thought led me to ask Jake and one of our long time woman readers to put THEIR list of 5 together. Together with my list, we're going to put them up for your scrutiny, approval and bewilderment.

Then we're going to ask you, who's on your list? You can email it to us at the link on the top left, or enter it in the comments at the bottom of this link. Additionally, if you know where you can find Jake or myself in real life, email us at those spots or on Facebook. We'd love to put an article together with every one's various picks, then rank the most popular.

Without further ado, here's Jake's:

1. Jennifer Connelly - film actress

2. Evangeline Lilly - Lost

3. Kate Beckinsale - film actress

4. Rosario Dawson - film actress

5. Carla Gugino - Film actress

Our Reader's picks, we'll call her Mac:

1. Eddie Veder - Pearl Jam

2. Matt Damon - film actor

3. Ryan Reynolds - t.v./film actor

4. Daniel Craig - film actor

5. Denzel Washington - film actor

Finally, Elijah's unlaminated list of 5:

1. Isla Fisher - t.v./film actress

2. Sara Evans - Country singer

3. Julianne Moore - film actress

4. Emma Stone - film actress

5. Lindy Booth - Canadian t.v./film actress

What can I say? I like the redheads...

So Who's on your list?

Elijah

Who's watching the Watchmen? Me and every other geek in America; sadly not many others.

The most anticipated comic book adaptation this side of "The Dark Knight" took place this weekend. I was there in all my geek glory, not the midnight Thursday show mind you. There was no way I was going to miss the Friday show though. So, was I disappointed, content or exuberant? We'll get into that in a moment...

For those of you uninitiated in Watchmen lore, here is your brief synopsis from IMDB.com: "Watchmen" is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the "Doomsday Clock" - which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet Union - is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes.

After directing 2006's surprise hit "300", Zach Snyder was given the opportunity to tackle another Alan Moore story. The good news about that fact is that this man is dedicated to bringing the pages and panels to life on the screen. Viewers familiar with the graphic novel will see the main focus of the story practically painted on the screen as if a panel from the book. That geeks me out the most. The level of dedication to the source is absolutely amazing. I don't know if it's a detriment that he sticks so faithfully, it is a bit hard for me to step back and look at it from a newbies perspective.

The world that is created for the movie is a grey, brink of war place. As it should be. This is not a light hearted movie. The blood and gore is there for all to see. It is a gritty, rainy, end of world time and the various flash backs bring us up-to-date as the current mystery unravels before us. I was worried that it would all be very overwhelming and hard to follow, but it was done masterfully through each characters perspective. It was very easy to follow the plot lines as they unraveled to the conclusion, something I feared layman's might not catch easily. Well, fear not reader, you may not catch every nuance that a fan of the book may pick up on, but you certainly won't be foundering in a sea of incomprehensible material.

The main cast of characters is extensive, so I'll just list the main actors here:

The Comedian - Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Rorschach - Jackie Earle Haley

Dr. Manhattan - Billy Crudup

Silk Spectre II - Malin Ackerman

Nite Owl II - Patrick Wilson

Adrian Veidt - Matthew Goode

Sally Jupiter - Carla Gugino

When we get into the acting performances, I see an average score across the board when you lump the performances together. Of course, every group has it's standouts and laggards so let's start with Jackie Earle Haley. Rorschach is the standout character of the book and it's no less evident in the movie. Haley turns in an outstanding performance with the mask on, but somehow manages to take it to the next level when the mask is removed. Carla Gugino as the first Silk Spectre, Sally Jupiter, gives a campy performance but I'm convinced that she was directed to be over the top and living as close to the line as possible without falling over the edge. Lastly, I'll point out Malin Ackerman's turn as the Silk Spectre 2. Her lines fall a little flat during scenes you would expect to be a bit more emotional. Then again, perhaps it's directed that way to reflect the personality of her counterpart in Dr. Manhattan, maybe to show that she's given up a little inside. When we see her step up to the plate and enter the fray that's when we begin to see the fighter inside.

The one idea I want to convey in regards to the casting is, that every actor/actress filled the role well. There wasn't one instance that brought a feeling of regret as to the assigned job. As a fan, that adds something to the overall film.

I don't want to sugar-coat the story in anyway. I stated above that the story is focused on nuclear armageddon and the brinkmanship between the two great superpowers of the age, but it's also centered on a brutal murder that gets the ball rolling. This is an "R" rated movie, with plenty of blood, gore, nudity, sex and more blood. The story takes us to all corners of the world and time to bring us a murder mystery that may in fact harbor the very answer to survival. It's arguably the most celebrated comic of all time, so if you're not too squeamish and you want a little escapism, go spend three hours at your local theater. Enjoy some popcorn, because that's what this movie is all about.

Let's see if you can follow this: "Watchmen" gets 4 genetically altered blue tigers out of a possible 5 genetically altered blue tigers. We started with 4.5 but had to take away .5 for removing the giant squid storyline and .5 for removing "Tales of the Black Freighter." Then we added .5 back for maintaining Rorschach as the coolest vigilante superhero of all time and showing us what The Joker would be like if he were on the other side.

I'm just saying,

Elijah

P.S. Look for an animated DVD of "Tales of the Black Freighter" to be released in the next two weeks.

Laurel Canyon: Jake reviews his latest Netflix find!

Where do love..sex..music..sex and temptation come together? Laurel Canyon.

Obviously! I know, I was thinking my bedroom too. Lisa Cholodenko, who wrote and directed this gripping, heartfelt drama, must have been my personal voyeur while I was attending college and put it on film…all the way back in 2002. I am currently on a bit of a Christian Bale binge on Netflix and I thought that I might share this one with you. Elijah goes for the bigger picture; I like to focus on the details, i.e. the Indies.

The story follows Sam, a new resident at an L.A. hospital played by Mr. Bale, and Alex, his lover and medical student writing her dissertation played by Kate Beckinsale. Having left their East-coast med-school lives behind without having found housing in L.A., the couple is forced to move back into Sam’s mother’s home in Laurel Canyon. Sam’s mother, played by Frances McDormand, happens to be a successful record producer who had just broken up with a long-term boyfriend, gave him the beach house and moved back into her Laurel Canyon home. Sam, expecting the house to be an empty, quiet spot for Alex to finish her paper, is confronted with the very same world of drugs, music and compromised morals that he had purposefully left behind. While Sam struggles to cope with the realities of his mother’s twisted world and its affect on Alex at home, his hospital residency provides an equally tempting situation in the form of a sultry and innocent second year resident name Sara, played by “Californication” star Natascha McElhone.

I hope that I didn’t go too far with the plot synopsis. It’s juicy and I didn’t want to squeeze it all out but I still had to get at some of the pulp because I liked the story that much. The rest is for you to drink up.

As a writer and director, the success or failure of a movie is really in your hands. That can be stressful. For the most part, Cholodenko pulled it off and I applaud her for that. However, at the climax of this movie she took a potentially fierce scene, two strong actors and made “poop.” Sometimes it just happens; at least that is what they said in “Forrest Gump.” She did, in general, get a lot out of her actors and the cream did rise to the top. Bale and McDormand were fantastic, as I expected coming in. I was not disappointed. Beckinsale is in my guilt-free Top 5 and definitely looks great on camera, but she didn’t deliver the performance I was hoping for. Her journey is a long one but the internal conflict that had to have been boiling just didn’t translate. I wanted more.

To be brutally honest, Frances McDormand, in my opinion, may be one of the most asexual leading ladies in Hollywood but I found her strangely attractive in this movie. Her character, Jane, had this Sheryl Crow vibe going on and it worked well. It could just be that everyone loves the rock star syndrome. The real rock star in the movie is Ian McKnight, a Brit pop-rocker and Jane’s current love interest, played brilliantly by the talented character actor Alessandro Nivola.

In the end…Bale and McDormand stole the show and it made for a good if not great rental. The movie is in the same vein as “Almost Famous” with the rigid world of the collegiate professor or medical practitioner juxtaposed with the loose, free-love and zero consequences of rock-and-mother-f*n-rollers. For a rating, I’m strumming this film with 3.5 Stratocasters out of 5 Stratocasters. Whatever happened to zero-consequences and free popcorn? Oh yeah, we skipped the concessions. I forgot.

Jake

2009 Oscars: Change was in the air, but no surprises among the winners.

Ben Stiller's lampoon of Joaquin Phoenix was, for me, the best and funniest moment of the night. Anyone who's seen the actual Letterman interview would surely agree that was strange moment and Stiller's take on stage brought down the house.

With new producers, we saw a new format for the show. A great many set changes were interesting and the seating in a semi-circle around the stage was an interesting way to involve the audience. My favorite change to the program was the introduction of the acting categories which saw 5 previous winners come to the stage and introduce each nominee. It was a fantastically personal touch that everyone enjoyed, particularly as in almost every case it was a hardened veteran or legend that spoke to a younger generation. Of course each group of 5 included the previous years winner, so keeping that tradition alive was good to see.

As I stated in the title, the actual winners of the Oscars were largely expected. So no real surprises anywhere. I managed to get 78% of the winners correct but Jake squeaked out the win by picking up one more win for 83% on the night. Penelope Cruz's win for Supporting Actress was his ace in the hole. In my defence, I had picked her as my sneaker win.

For those of you who didn't watch or didn't catch all the categories, here is your complete list of winners:

Original Screenplay: Milk

Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire

Sound Editing: The Dark Knight

Original Song: "Jai Ho" - Slumdog Millionaire

Original Score: Slumdog Millionaire

Make-up: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Editing: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Director: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

Costume Design: The Duchess

Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire

Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Animated Film: Wall-E

Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Actress: Kate Winslet - The Reader

Actor: Sean Penn - Milk

Best Motion Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

Lastly, the acceptance of supporting actor by the Ledger family was short and sweet and while the win was practically a foregone conclusion, it's nice to see the academy get it right. It will always be debated if it was the performance or the emotion that garnered the win. For my money, his work in The Dark Knight was one of the most unexpected and inspired pieces of acting I saw in 2008. Frankly, he deserved it.

I'm just saying,

Elijah

2009 Oscar Predictions

We are coming up on the 81st Academy Awards this Sunday and like last year I'm throwing my predictions in the ring for your perusal or debate if you so choose. I'm throwing out the Documentary, Short, and Foreign film categories this year because frankly, I didn't see any of them. Feel free to comment by clicking the button at the bottom of the post or sending an email from the link on the top right above the video bar. If you'd like to follow along or challenge me, you can get a nominations sheet here.

Jake's picks are in blue.

To quote a line from one of this years Supporting Actor Nominees, "Here we go..."

Original Screenplay:

Want to win: Don't care

Will win: Milk

Might sneak in: Wall-E or Happy-Go-Lucky

Want to win: In Bruges

Will win: Milk

Might sneak in: In Bruges or Wall-E

Adapted Screenplay:

Want to win: Frost/Nixon or The Reader

Will win: Slumdog Millionaire

Might sneak in: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Want to win: Don't care

Will win: Slumdog Millionaire

Might sneak in: Frost/Nixon

Visual Effects:

Want to win: The Dark Knight

Will win: Iron Man

Might sneak in: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Want to win: The Dark Knight

Will win: The Dark Knight

Might sneak in: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Sound Editing:

Want to win: The Dark Knight

Will win: The Dark Knight

Might sneak in: Iron Man

Want to win: The Dark Knight

Will win: The Dark Knight

Might sneak in: Iron Man

Original Song:

Want to win: Don't care

Will win: Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire

Might sneak in: Down to Earth - Wall-E

Want to win: Don't care

Will win: Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire

Might sneak in: Down to Earth - Wall-E

Original Score:

Want to win: Don't care

Will win: Slumdog Millionaire

Might sneak in: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Want to win: Slumdog Millionaire

Will win: Slumdog Millionaire

Might sneak in: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Makeup:

Want to win: The Dark Knight

Will win: The Dark Knight

Might sneak in: Hellboy 2

Want to win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Will win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Might sneak in: The Dark Knight

Film Editing:

Want to win: The Dark Knight

Will win: Slumdog Millionaire

Might sneak in: Frost/Nixon

Want to win: The Dark Knight

Will win: Slumdog Millionaire

Might sneak in: Frost/Nixon

Director:

Want to win: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

Will win: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

Might sneak in: Stephen Daldry - The Reader

Want to win: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

Will win: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

Might sneak in: Gus Van Sant - Milk

Costume Design:

Want to win: Don't care

Will win: The Duchess

Might sneak in: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Want to win: Don't care

Will win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Might sneak in: The Duchess

Cinematography:

Want to win: The Reader

Will win: Slumdog Millionaire

Might sneak in: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Want to win: Slumdog Millionaire

Will win: Slumdog Millionaire

Might sneak in: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Art Direction:

Want to win: Don't care

Will win: The Duchess

Might sneak in: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Want to win: Don't Care

Will win: The Duchess

Might sneak in: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Animated Feature:

Want to win: Kung-Fu Panda

Will win: Wall-E

Might sneak in: No chance, Wall-E a lock.

Want to win: Wall-E

Will win: Wall-E

Might sneak in: No chance, Wall-E a lock.

Supporting Actress:

Want to win: Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Will win: Viola Davis - Doubt

Might sneak in: Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Want to win: Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Will win: Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Might sneak in: Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

Supporting Actor:

Want to win: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Will win: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Might sneak in: Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt

Want to win: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Will win: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Might sneak in: Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt

Actress:

Want to win: Kate Winslet - The Reader

Will win: Kate Winslet - The Reader

Might sneak in: Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married

Want to win: Kate Winslet - The Reader

Will win: Kate Winslet - The Reader

Might sneak in: Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married

Actor:

Want to win: Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon

Will win: Sean Penn - Milk

Might sneak in: Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Want to win: Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Will win: Sean Penn - Milk

Might sneak in: Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon

Best Picture:

Want to win: Frost/Nixon

Will win: Slumdog Millionaire

Might sneak in: The Reader

Want to win: Wall-E (political statement, not eligible) or The Wrestler

Will win: Slumdog Millionaire

Might sneak in: The Reader

There you have it kids. Now, what do you think?

Elijah and Jake

Slumdog Millionaire. A 2 hour tutorial on the caste system.

Here we are. We've reached the last of the Best Picture nominees and the odds on favorite to win the Oscar. "Slumdog Millionaire" has basically swept the top spot in nearly every awards program this season and all of it leads to this Saturday night where the film is poised to walk away with the little, gold, bald man. Let's take a look at the film and discover why this particular Bollywood production has been able to climb the mountain and plant it's flag at the top.

From IMDB.com, a brief synopsis: A Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums, becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is arrested under suspicion of cheating, and while being interrogated, events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers.

The above entry is the basic outline of the film and we end up following the main character Jamal Malik from early childhood to early manhood. Throughout each flashback montage Jamal is joined by his older brother Salim who wishes to take care of his wiser younger brother in any manner, but is pushed farther to the dark side as he realizes that though he needs this self-validation, his brother may not need his help to survive.

The drive of the film is centered around a young girl named Latika that survived the slums with Jamal and Salim. It is the obsession Jamal feels to keep the group together that leads the boys into each adventure. As each flashback is told, we get closer to real-time events where Jamal is being interrogated in one scene and in another participating in the game show. Eventually, we reach the convergence of flashbacks and real-time that propels the story to it's climax: can and more importantly how will Jamal find Latika, is it possible for Salim to turn from the dark side in redemption, has Latika resigned to her fate or will she seek the sun and Jamal?

Let me start the performance section by saying that the best acting in this movie comes from the boys who portray Jamal and Salim at the various ages. Everyone of these young actors pulls off great performances. Obviously, natural talent has much to do with this, but I would also heap a lot of credit on director Danny Boyle for getting the right emotions and actions out of his actors. Thankfully, the majority of this film is spent watching these children grow up.

The last third is where I find the performances slump as we encounter the three leads on the verge of adulthood. Dev Patel has been garnering much attention as the older version of Jamal, and I confess that his performance during the torture and interrogation scenes are well done, but he is little more than a slack-jawed boy during the rest of his scenes. I found myself staring at him during the game show scenes wanting to yell at the screen to "DO SOMETHING!" That for me brought the whole thing down a notch. How can you believe the emotion of the story if your lead actor doesn't know how to show little more than sarcasm and a constant look of being dumbfound?

The elder actors playing Salim and Latika, Mudhar Mittal and Freida Pinto respectively, do a slightly better job but still don't rise to the level that their younger counterparts show us. Mittal as Salim reminds me vaguely of Al Pacino's character in "Scarface." That's obviously a stretch, but it may have been character arc and a more visual aspect than anything else. Freida Pinto's screen time is spent largely in a frightened state and to the actress' credit we do feel her peril as we watch events unfold. The problem is, the other emotion she's supposed to feel. I'll get into that little later, but my main concern is this: where is it coming from? I believe it's false and I'll speak to that at the end.

The supporting actors are strong in their roles here. We have Iirfan Khan as the police inspector who turns in a convincing role akin to his counterpart in the movie "The Usual Suspects." A slumlord mobster invoking "Miami Vice" played by Mahesh Manjrekar is a convincing dirtbag and Ankur Vikal turns in a diabolical role as king of the beggars completely channeling classic Dickens character Fagin. Finally, we have Anil Kapoor in the role of Prem, the host of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." I swear to you, dear reader, there was actual cheese flowing from the screen. I had to physically pick my feet from the floor as not to mess my shoes. The supporting cast in general fulfilled their role nicely and the only thing I would tell you is to watch for outward changes in attitude as the story evolves.

In the end, the story is fantastic and the framing of the narrative is great with the interrogation and game show scenes. Given that alone, I understand every award win and know that the Academy will award this film with a Best Picture Oscar. Now I'll tell you why I can't give this film a full score. Love. Love is given as the driving feeling for Jamal to pursue Latika throughout this picture. How can that be? We are never given any scenes where this is shown to bud. Love must be alluded to at least in a film, realized, nurtured, longed for. How can you love someone when you've spent your entire life trying to find them? I couldn't buy it in the end. Loyalty I would understand. A kinship certainly. Lust even. "Slumdog Millionaire" receives 4.5 lifelines out of a possible 5 lifelines from this reviewer. If this were California they'd be divorced in three years, he'd be splitting any winnings and kicked out of the house.

I'm not even going to go into the spectacle of the "Thrilleresque" song and dance routine at the end.

I'm just saying,

Elijah

Towelhead. Jake's latest dvd review, please don't drip on the floor.

I’m dipping into the DVD vault for "Towelhead," an independent film chronicling the coming-of-age story of a Lebanese-American girl living in Texas during the first Gulf War. It premiered in September at the Toronto Film Festival but failed to make it to the major cineplexes. The film raked in a whopping $371,000 at the box office, but not because the movie is bad. Much like everyone’s early teen years and their own battle with the puberty monster, this film is just awkward. If it were truly a bad movie, I wouldn’t review it.

The title of the movie is somewhat misleading. “Towelhead” invokes a racist undertone that would suggest that the movie is about the difficulties of a multi-race girl in an unforgiving and racist backdrop of the American South. It isn’t. Sorry to burst your, “I want to hate Texas even more” bubble, and I’m sorry to all you Texas readers (if there are any) to whom I have just alienated. If you notice, the IMDB title has been changed for just that reason.

If you are familiar with Alan Ball’s work as a writer, director and producer, you know that he is sexually driven; sometimes in a tantalizingly good way and other times, abrasive. I really enjoyed the first season of his new HBO series “True Blood” but that is a story for a blog of another color. The story, based on Alicia Erian's novel of the same name, follows Jasira, a thirteen-year-old who is the daughter of a broken home. Living with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, she is sent to live with her father in Houston, Texas after the boyfriend makes a sexual advance. After the move she is confronted with an emotionally abusive father, a sexually-frustrated-middle-aged-redneck neighbor, her own internal identity battle and desperate attempts at real love.

Sounds like a lot to tackle. It was and that’s why this film failed. There is beauty in simplicity. There was just too much going on in this film that it couldn’t get out of its own way. There were moments of brilliance and there were moments that were flat. It was like a 2,000 piece jigsaw puzzle that sounds so enticing that you actually start it, get the edges finished, decide to come back tomorrow, but it never gets finished because you can never get all the sky pieces to fit together.

The two redeeming elements of this film were Summer Bishil and Aaron Eckhart, who played Jasira and the middle-aged neighbor, respectively. As if you needed that; although Eckhart as a 13-year-old half Lebanese girl might be funny. Bishil gives a solid performance and conveys the confusion of an unguided kitten quite charmingly. She is an up-and-coming actress that I would keep an eye on. However, the fact that she was 18/19 during the production eroded some of the innocence that I would have liked to have seen in the earlier scenes of the movie.

Eckhart, God save him, played the creepy guy roll to a “T”. The fact that this movie didn’t go mainstream was probably good for Eckhart’s career. He has made a nice name for himself over the past few years and this character would definitely jar loose his position in many moviegoers’ hearts. There were a few scenes between Bishil and Eckhart that I felt uncomfortable watching, which is likely what the director was aiming at, but no one likes to hear nails on a chalkboard.

Overall, I give this movie 2 1/2 God Bless Texas's out of 5 God Bless Texas's. There was a lot of potential with a cast that includes the aforementioned actors as well as Toni Collette but the plot needed to get hacked into two or three separate movies. It’s worth a watch if you see it on the IFC channel or if you have Netflix but there are better movies to see on DVD before renting this one.

Jake

Frost/Nixon: 70's clothes and hair, couldn't possibly get better than this, right?

How do you make a slam dunk, award nominated film? It can't be easy. Many try and fail every year; people whose names we may never know fail, not for lack of trying.

What if your name is Ron Howard? The world has known your name since you tied up your first sneakers and now they expect great pictures from you time and again. I suspect Mr. Howard would say that he makes pictures that interest him and let's the celluloid fall where it may. I respect that and would wholeheartedly believe that to be a very true statement coming from him.

I have a better route to nomination. Let me throw this on the page and see if you, the reader, agree. Why not take a Tony award winning Broadway play and see if it works on the big screen? It worked tremendously well for "Chicago," not to mention countless others through the decades. It seems to me that you may not get the big box office numbers on a project like this, but the character drama and subject matter alone will garner Academy attention. Now, match top notch director Ron Howard with the one thing he loves in a story: great character drama. The result, I'm happy to say, is an entertaining and gripping film. Gripping.

The brief plot summary of Frost/Nixon brought to us by IMDB.com: For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans. Over the course of their encounter, each man would reveal his own insecurities, ego and reserves of dignity--ultimately setting aside posturing in a stunning display of unvarnished truth.

Perhaps the best move in creating this film started in the casting room: bring in the two lead actors who have made these characters come to life on stage. First, Michael Sheen playing the part of television host David Frost. I have never seen a brighter smile or more natural smarm ooze from a character like I did watching this film. Well, other than myself, at midnight in a pub after more than my share of gin and tonics. Indeed, during the first third of the film I found myself thinking of a slightly reserved Austin Powers. Once we get to the meat of the film we discover that the masked insecurity and self-doubt can only be challenged by the intense desire to reclaim his spot in the world and the respect that he feels he's lost somewhere along the way. Mr. Sheen pulls off this character as if he were born to play it. In facing one of the most infamous world leaders Sheen lets us feel the imposing figure before him. We shrink with him as he sits face to face with cunning skill. Can this be turned around, can he master the challenge? If you know your history, you already know.

Character actor Frank Langella recreates his Broadway turn as Richard Nixon here for our viewing pleasure. My God, what a commanding performance. When the character appears on the screen you cannot take your eyes off him. This may be one of the best jobs of becoming the role that this writer has ever seen. His Nixon is utterly Presidential. This epitomizes the feeling that when a person walks into a room and before saying a single word, that person dominates the attention of all present. Langella shows us the fire of a competitor, the wilyness of a conspiritor, the loss through time and circumstance, and a peek into the soul of someone you might have thought no longer possessed one. Were I in a position to do it, I would have handed the Oscar for best actor to Frank Langella the moment I left the theater.

The supporting cast top off the picture. Each gets to enjoy great scenes and more than one funny line is thrown about to lighten the picture when it needs it. One of my favorite scene stealers shows up here in the form of Oliver Platt. His timing in delivery is fantastic, and we haven't see enough of him in general lately. Sam Rockwell comes aboard to inhabit the form of "hate" that the American public exudes, bringing this picture to your house, where you live, so that you can feel the spirit of the time. Kevin Bacon shows us his tight, authoritative side again as the chief of staff for Nixon. When Bacon is on the screen you know you're going to get tension and he doesn't disappoint here. Finally, one of my favorite British actors, Matthew Macfadyen appears in a strong supporting role alongside the Frost character. Of course, who could forget Clint Howard, who makes his signature appearance in every Ron Howard film.

Frost/Nixon had me skeptically watching in the beginning. Laughing along in the middle. Then finally unable to move from my seat in the last third as we reach the actual interview. This is what every moviegoer wants: an experience at the theater that grabs them and doesn't let go until the credits and perhaps after. I am giving Frost/Nixon 5 italian loafers out of a possible 5. If you're not interested in history or political dramas, this may not be a film for you, but I can find no fault in this movie.

I'm just saying,

Elijah

Coraline! Go see it and support Claire, a LOCAL budding actress.

For those of you not paying attention to the commercials between your kids t.v. programs, "Coraline" is the most hyped stop-motion 3-D movie to come out of Hollywood since "The Nightmare Before Christmas." The good news is that the same director (Henry Selick) of that innovative movie is at the helm of this Neil Gaiman graphic novel, "Coraline." Clocking in at a running time of 1:40, this is also the longest stop-motion film to come out of Hollywood.

The thing is, this film is not being released from there, but rather Portland, Oregon. If you live in the area and have read the business section from any local paper you know that this is the first film to come out of Laika Studios. The company is the brainchild of Travis Knight, but perhaps more importantly is backed by his father Phil Knight of Nike fame.

Generally, when a person hears of an animated or stop-motion movie being released they immediately wonder who provides the leading characters voices. Let me tell you people, the movie-making process on this type of film starts long before you learn the starring voices. From the beginning, one of our own, 14 year old Claire was cast to provide the reference motion and body style of the lead puppet, "Coraline."

The daughter of a friend and coworker with the guys here at Skip the Concessions, Claire already possesses a sparkling singing voice, certain stage presence and the ambition to carry her where ever she decides to go. A veteran of local stage productions already at the age of 14, we here at STC wish continued success and all the FUN in the world for Claire.

When you're looking at the movie listings this weekend or trying to find something to do with the kids, remember the 3-D experience, "Coraline." You'll be supporting not only Claire, but the hundreds of talented artists and film-makers living here in your own backyard.

I'm just saying,

Elijah