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