Away We Go

I saw a preview for this movie when i went to the movie Adventureland. Its release date is June 19th. The movie was about a young couple that was about to have a baby. They travel the U.S. to find the perfect home and along the way they revive their relationship and see different family members and friends. The genre is a comedy slash drama. I am very excited to go see this movie.
Directed by Sam Mendes who won an Academy Award for American Beauty.

Once

Once is an Irish musical film that takes place in Dublin. It got great reviews and won some awards including best foreign film. This movie is a love story different from most.

The two main characters are an Irish man who performs his music on the streets of Dublin and a Czech immigrant who sells flowers on the streets of Dublin. Neither of them are named in this film, in the credits they are listed as "Guy" and "Girl". The girl is lured in by the guys music and despite his withdrawal she persists with questions about his music. Eventually she finds out that he fixes vacuum cleaners and says hers needs to be fixed. The next day she comes to his spot with her broken vacuum cleaner.

They go to lunch and she tells him that she too is a musician. They go to the local music store and she plays piano for him. They sing and play a song together and it's perfect. (The sound track to this movie is amazing.) After more getting to know each other she takes him to her apartment where he finds out she had has a toddler and lives with her mom. She also has a husband who lives back in Czech Republic, who she seems to dislike. While the guy has a girlfriend who left him and moved to England. They record an album together because the girl wants him to move to London and promote his music. The story ends with all of these things fighting against them being together.

Burn After Reading

A movie by the Coen Brothers. Enough said.

Burn After Reading is a movie that is more and more shocking every step of the way. The whole movie is the climax. Frances McDormand plays Linda Litzki,a recurring character in Coen Brother movies, for good reason. Osbourn Cox gets fired from the CIA and decided to write a memoir. He leaves the CD that his it is saved on at the fitness club where Linda Litzki and Chad (Brad Pitt) work. They find the CD and decide to turn it into cash. These leads to an unbelievable series of events.

The movie has similar plot twists and themes as Fargo and The Big Lebowski, also written by the Coen Brothers. It is really fun to watch all three of these movies and to point out the similarities. They have some of the same actors which is interesting to see them in different roles. These movies take you on a chaotic adventure that you end up feeling apart of. You want to goofy characters to succeed and get out of their predicament.

I really liked this movie but there are some people who hated it. My advice would be if you are going to watch it go into it with an open mind. In Coen Brother movies anything could happen.

Adventurland

Jesse Eisenberg plays James Brennan beautifully in the movie Adventurland depicting a college graduate broke and living at home. To save money for grad school he gets a job at the local theme park, Adventureland, where he meets Arlene, played by Kelsey Ford. James is an innocent kid who thought his two week relationship with a girl was true love, while Arlene far from innocent. The movie follows them through a rough but hilarious scenario that seems corny but still heart warming.

The movie has sort of a Juno feel where the characters are much older then they look. They look like they are in high school but through out the move they drink at bars and smoke weed, to add to the roller coaster of events of course. I don't know if this was intentional, the young looking characters or not. It kind of confused me in Juno also. I wish Ellen Paige was in the movie though that would have been great. Way off track here but overall the movie was very satisfactory.

My two favorite side characters were definitely the theme park managers. They add to the comedic atmosphere in every scene they are in.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

This movie is about relationships. Almost everyone has went through the misery of a breakup and that is what the idea of this movie is based on. Breakups can be a really hard part in a persons life and they usually always are accompanied by drama, broken hearts, and sad memories. In this movie they invented a way to erase the memories from your brain. They erase all of the memories that have to do with the person that you broke up with. You won't remember them at all, not even meeting them. This is a very interesting concept.

At the beginning of the movie Joel and Clementine meet each other on a train. Joel is shy and sad while Clementine is friendly talkative. They end up liking each other but they don't know that they both have a forgotten past. The movie flashes back and forth between their old relationship and new one while in the process of telling the story of Joel getting Clementine erased from his memory. All of this is confusing at first but the cool part is it's all intricately and thoughtfully interwoven into a story that you'll never forget.

While Joel is getting his memory erased he somehow is conscious of what is going on and wants it to stop. He changed is mind while his brain was flashing back to all of this old memories. This movie is definitely interesting and worth watching.

Actors etc.

Requiem For a Dream

Requiem For a Dream is a movie infused with addiction and self illusion, drugs and prescription pills, and lives all headed on a downward spiral. The movie follows a mother, her son, his drug dealer and his girlfriend through their chaotic and dreadful lives. The movie depicts these four people caught in the cycle and exposes the means that people go through to feed their habit.

Ellen Burstyn plays the lonely mom who lives alone in her apartment. She is mesmerized by television and watches the same infomercial over and over. When she gets a call saying she will be on television she becomes excited and it gives her a reason to wake up in the morning. She decides she wants to lose weight so she can fit in the same red dress she wore to her son's graduation. She goes to the doctor and gets prescription diet pills which she becomes addicted to. Her life gets consumed by this medication and she becomes one of many addicts.

Jared Leto plays her son who is addicted to heroin and his girlfriend is addicted to cocaine along with his best Friend. All of these characters live the most horrible lives. Everything is centered around when they will shoot up next and who they will buy their next sack from. The movie shows all these character's lives on a downward spiral as a result of their addiction

An intense(like the circus) part of the movie is at the end when all the characters seem to hit their low point at the same time. They flash from scene to scene showing the dramatic affects the drugs are having on their lives and what it has lead them to. This part of the movie makes you sick but you can't stop watching in horror. The ending brings the whole movie together and really gets the point across. This movie is a great movie portraying how addicts really live, even though people might not know about it.

Overview

The Wackness

This is a Drama film that is about a drug dealing teenager who is socially outcasted and lacking in confidence. The unique part about this movie is that it was made in 2008 but it takes place in 1994. Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) roams the streets of new york, streaming with Hip Hop, selling marijuana from an ice cream cart. He exchanges drugs for therapy session with Dr. Squires (Ben Kingsley) who is a therapist who seems to have more problems of his own then his patients.

Luke thinks he is depressed and asks Dr. Squires to prescibe him antidepressants. He tells Luke that it's because of his lack of relationships and he needs to "get with" a girl. Luke has never had a girlfriend until, he developes a crush on Dr. Squires step daughter. They spend the whole summer together because all of her friends are out of town. Stephanie tells Luke that he is depressed because he looks at the "wackness" in life while she looks at the "dopeness". Luke tells her that he loves her and then she leaves him.

Now he is even more depressed and Dr. Squires and him become closer friends. They start hanging out and going to bars together. They teach each other things and loath in their own misery together. The ending is a great way to conclude the movie and leaves the viewer feeling full filled.

Whenever i mentioned this movie to my friends they always look at me funny because of the title. However, The Wackness is the perfect title for this movie. It accentuates it's vintage aspects and the theme the movie follows. You can't judge a book by its cover. This movie has been very successful with viewers and won the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival.

Overview

Feast of Love

This movie is about the almost mystical, enthralling, and sometimes painful aspects of Love. It captures the marval exchanges that take place between two people truely in love, that nobody really notices, and puts it on display. This movie will make you take a look at your own life and wonder...

Morgan Freeman plays an astute old man who knows exactly what is happening underneath the surface and just lets it all unfold. Greg Kinnear plays a conventionally mindless man who thinks he is in love but really has no clue. His wife, played by Selma Blair, doesn't relize her disinterest toward her husband untill she discovers her true love. However, he is so unobservant he doesn't even know what is going on right in front of his face. The movie include alot of intertwined love stories that all seem to connect in an intricate way.

The movie looks at love as it is simply an aspect of life. All of the relationships in this movie are affected in numerous ways and the reactions follow. Harry (Morgan Freeman) has been married to his wife for many years but their son dies and they have to cope with a different type of love lost. Bradley (Greg Kinnear) beleives in the power of beauty and true love. He is good at falling in love, but usually with the wrong women. Chloe and Oscar fall in love at first sight but have to deal with circumstances that are fighting against them.

The movie sound very dramatic and soap opera ish but it is much, much more. The forshadowing helps bring out the reality of the movie and shows the aspects of life that most people just look over. This movie brings these aspects out in the open for everyone to notice and think about.

Step Brtohers

Will Ferrell and and John C. Reilly team up to be a hilarious duo. They worked together in the movie Talladega Nights, which i wouldn't give as positive of a review however Step Brothers seems to be different. Step Brothers is a hilarious comedy that i was surprised to actually like. Usually i don't go for the dumb witted comic like movies that our society thrives on. However, this one seems to be different, it's just too funny to dislike.
The thing i like most about this movie, sadly, is their wardrobe. Every single shirt that they are wearing is hilarious and great. i honestly want to buy every single one of them.
This movie is about a thirty-nine year old and a forty year old who still live with their parents, who just happen to fall in love. Now these two men have to live together and go through comedic tales that make you laugh out loud. The two eventually learn a lesson from each other and figure out that they have to actually grow up. Of course this lesson can't be learned without many attempts to sabotage their parents wedding.
This is the kind of movie you watch if you want a good laugh but not if you are in serious movie watching mode. Like if you want to grovel at the amazing quality of a movie and how intricately it was made, then don't watch this one. It's definitely a circumstantial movie, that you have to be in the mood to for. It's not one of my top favorites but it's still a funny movie.

Matchstick Men

Starring Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, and Alison Lohman Matchstick Men is an ingenious film. This 2003 movie has you thinking that you have everything all figured out, but you don't. It's filled with suspense and thrilling twists you never see coming.
The movie is about two con men who work as partners. Roy, one of the con men, is genius at crime but failing at life due to his agoraphobe which is the fear of open places and he's a germaphobe. Also after going to a phyciatrist he discovers he has a 14 year old daughter. Being a parents helps him cope with his phobias and makes him want to be a better person. His daughter played by Alison Lohman quickly becomes a special part of Roy's life.

The ending of this movie is something you would never expect. It keeps you thinking long after it is over and makes you want to watch it over and over. It is truly a very mind blowing and crazy film. It's very memorable and worth watching.
I thinks a vital part in making a good film or writing a good book is to have very interesting characters; ones that are memorable and complex. This film was derived from the novel also called Matchstick Men which was written by Eric Garcia.

Smart People

Tagline: Sometimes the smartest people have the most to learn.

This is an independent film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008 where the rights were acquired by Miramax Films. The main characters are played by Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ellen Page (!), and Thomas Haden Church. I picked this movie up on a whim hoping it would be watchable. It turned out to be amazing.

This movie is about a professor who is a witty pompous widower and his journey to become more...sociable. His daughter, played by Ellen Page is a senior in High School and got accepted to Harvard. She is very found of her father and he is her role model, she doesn't have any friends, except for her step uncle who paid a surprise visit and is not living with them. Lawrence, the professor, meets a former student and starts to fall for her. His personality causes a lot of ups and downs in their relationship. In the end he learns a lesson and everyone is happy.

I liked this movie because i felt smart while i was watching it (haha). All of the large vocab words and grammatically correct speaking gives me a sense of hope for quote unquote normal people. The plot was simple but still interesting because of the script and intricate characters. My favorite was either Vanessa Wetherhold (Ellen Page, the daughter) or James Wetherhold (Ashton Holmes, the step brother). This movie may never be as popular as some but it is still worth watching.













Favorite Quote: Vanessa Wetherhold: Theresa Sternbridge practically runs a soup kitchen and she's always seen posing in photos with crack babies and dying, old, crusty ladies. And do you know why? She scored in the 45th percentile on her SAT. People like you and me don't need to compensate.

Good Will Hunting

The writers of Good Will Hunting were Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, two of the main characters. It started out as an action-thriller movie, which is definitely not how we know it today. After considerable revision and suggestions the movie turned into the award winning film we all love.

Good Will Hunting is about a poor self taught genius from South Boston who has emotional problems bottled up from his childhood abuse(Matt Damon). He works as a Janitor at MIT and gets discovered by a math professor who takes him under his wing. Will gets forced to go to therapy and develops a very good relationship with his therapist(Robin Williams). He ends up finding a girlfriend, who he pushes away in fear of getting to attached. In the end everything always seems to work itself out.

This is such a good movie because even though it has a basic story line there are a lot of extra memorable moments that happen along the way. It is so interesting because you get to watch Will unfold throughout these therapy sessions that reveal more and more about him each time. I can't help but cry every time during the last therapy session. This movie is just a classic that everyone must see.

Fargo

The only thing i have to say about this movie is that it was produced by the Coen Brothers. They are famous for movies overloaded with plays on stereotypes and over the top movie conventions. Fargo is no exception, this true story comes to life on the screen and it seem to pull you right into the movie.
Fargo is about a car dealer, Jerry, who gets himself into a bit of financial troubles. Jerry comes up with the plan to have his wife kidnapped and held for ransom to be paid by his wealthy father-in-law. The kidnapping doesn't exactly go as planned to say the least and Jerry has to sit back and watch everything happen.

To say the least their are a few murders and allot of blood shed. The genre is kind of a blur between a few things: crime, drama, thriller, and I'm sure a couple more.
My favorite character is Marge Gunderson, who is the pregnant cop sent to investigate the first round of murderers. Her character brings this whole movie together and plays a key role in the plot. She is played by Francis McDormand who is an academy award winning actress.

Hot Rod

This is a film that will definitely never fail to produce a good laugh. Hot Rod is about Rod Kimble, a teenager who has never really grown up, and is aspiring to be a stunt man. He is played beautifully by Andy Samberg, an American stand-up comedian.

The plot consists of Rod trying to raise money for his dying step dad. However, he wants to save his life not to be a good son, but because he wants to someday win their never ending battle of beating each other up. Rod uses his stunt man abilities to raise the money, the only problem is, Rod doesn't really have any stunt man abilities. To make things worse he finds out his dead dad was never really a stunt man, which has been his inspiration for everything his life revolves around.



This movie is full of laughs and enjoyment. It is the kind of movie you can watch over and over and fall in love with it more each time. If i could memorize everyline to this movie then my life would be complete.

Rico: I'm freakin pumped! I've been drinking green tea all goddamn day!

Religulous

Religulous is a documentary written by and starring Bill Maher. The title is a mix of religious and ridiculous because that is what the documentary emphasizes, the irrational thinking related with religion. Bill, a political comedian, goes around the United States and interviews people about their religious beliefs. In the documentary he is trying to find out how people can be so critical and rational about their everyday lives but still believe in these religions that are not rational, that are negotiable about their factuality. Most people won't believe something unless you can proof it is 100% true. In a court trial the jury has to be sure beyond a reasonable doubt in order to convict the defendant. This definitely doesn't apply to the juries religious beliefs. They believe in talking snakes and dead people coming back to life.

When i was watching this movie i was in amazement. Everything that i had ever thought about religion i could not put into words that made sense and that expressed what i really thought. Bill Maher did this perfectly. He took all of my thoughts and beliefs and backed them up with intelligent information and arguments that made sense. I loved this movie and i think it was put together perfectly. He definitely makes his point, i would recommend everyone to go see it.