Juno

"Oh you think your hot shit 'cause you get to sit over there and play pictionary, well guess what? My five year old daughter can do that and let me tell you, she's not the brightest bulb in the tanning bed. So until you have your own kid, why don't you just go back to nightschool in Manteno and get a real job."

4 Stars

Though the hype on this movie has really died down, I saw it when it was really at a frenzy. During the opening credits, I could feel my eyes rolling a bit, cause it all ready felt like I'd seen this before. But I let it go, took a deep breath, and decided to simply watch the movie. This is a skill I'm trying my best to master.

This movie is the definition of charm. A dry and witty teenage girl, Juno, gets pregnant by her equally cute boyfriend played by Micheal Cena (Superbad). She chooses to give the baby up for adoption, but wants to make sure it will have the best parents she can find.

Ellen Page who plays Juno, has the best delivery which is really what makes the writting shine.
Speaking of writting, the screenplay was written by a first time screenwriter Diablo Cody who began writing Juno on her down time from stripping. (I know, right?!)
Micheal Cena is as cute as ever, but I am concerned that he may be pidgeonholed into the akward teen role much like John Heder of Nepolean Dynamite fame. He should stay away from comedy for a while and wiggle his way into a good drama. Oh oh, and no thrillers either!

Yeah this movie is cute and funny, but it really gave me some thoughts on teen pregnancy. Teens just aren't meant to have babies. As Juno put it she's "dealing with situations beyond [her] copasoty".
Juno really felt she was doing the right thing, and she was. It was just heartbreaking to watch her find out that her chosen parents weren't as perfect as she thought. I remeber being young an thinking, why don't people just do one thing, or stop doing another. It should just be that simple. Since I've gotten a little older I've found that the most simple issue can become really complicated. A lesson that teens who are faced with parental responsiblilty are forced to learn very fast.

When I left the theater I wanted Juno (the movie) to be a little tshatshke that I would put on a shelf. I would look at it and feel a little gooffy for liking it, but it would make me smile. Maybe I would make it in the form of a cheeseburger. Cause there's nothing like calling your best friend on your cheeseburger phone to tell her your pregnant, and need an abortion.
See? Charming.

There Will Be Blood

"Give me the blood,
so I can get out of here!"

5 Stars

Okay, when I first walked out of the theater I was very impressed with Daniel Day-Lewis' performance, and wasn't too thrilled with the movie as a whole telling my boyfriend "It' wasn't the best movie I've ever seen."
(It has been hyped a whole lot.)
But as the days pass since I've seen it, I am more and more interested, intrigued, and excited about this movie.

On the radio I heard a reviewer say, "that you wouldn't think a movie about the oil industry in the early 1900's would be interesting." He felt it was more about a father and a son. To some extent I would agree, but there are for me so many facets that are close to home.

Daniel Plainview (Day-Lewis) is an oil prospector finding new oil lands and buying them up with this young son H.W. at his side.
As some of you may know, I work at my families pawnshop founded by my grandfather, ran by my mother, and sees me as VP. Just as H.W. cooed in his basket at the oil drill as a baby, I was taking naps between the VCRs that were in loan as a kid. And little is different for my mother as well. I know what it feels like to see business go on around you with youthful eyes. I may not have known exactly what was going on, but I knew it was real, and it was important.
Love a scene where Daniel tells H.W. about his plans for a pipeline. I know the feeling of having the business click for me as it did for H.W. right then.
"So we can save on shipping costs."

When Daniel decides to buy some profitable land he has to oblige the locals. He ends up butting heads with a preacher named Paul Sunday, played by Paul Dano from Little Miss Sunshine fame. When I saw him in that I looked up all I could on him, and knew he had it in him to be a good actor. Even though The King sucked, Dano was great in that too.
Come to think of it, he played a religious freak in that one too! Hmmm.
I felt the Paul Sunday character wanted to be a star, and used the stage of the church as his theater. He starts to act like a bratty celebretard too, until Daniel put him in his place.
One thing's for shure, that kid can play car-azy!

Now lets talk about the man. Daniel Day-Lewis is.. man, I'm trying to think of a way to say it without sounding like a movie poster! "Phenomenal. Chilling. Powerful. Astonishing."
As I was watching this I was genuinely concerned for the actor opposite Day-Lewis. I just kept thinking if that were me I would be Frightened to hear these words, with that much power, with that much intensity looking right into my eyes!
I think I might pee a little.

This movie totally stimulated my love for everything turn of the 20th century.
The costumes, the very dangerous working and living conditions, and most importantly the teeth!! No pearly whites in this one, A+. Not mention the best hangover scene. Ever.

Yup, Biggy was right. "Mo money, mo problems."

Hostel : Part II

"What's the code?!"

"Fuck! You!"

3 Stars

Awe man, that line killed me!!
I was hecka laughing, to hear it is
just so funny.
Even though this is a horror movie,
I found I laughed a whole lot. I watched it with my boyfriend and a couple other friends, and really, that's the way to watch it. Otherwise I would have gotten really fed up and turned it off halfway through.

I did see the first one. I liked it. I thought it was a well rounded horror flick, and it felt new. Quentin Tarantino backing it didn't hurt either, and he's behind this one too.

Return to the place where all your nightmares come true in this sequel the the hit gore fest. When three young American take a break from their international studies and check in to a Slovakian hostel, they have no idea they've walked into a chamber of horrors, where, for a price, wealthy psychopaths can live out their most gruesome fantasies by torturing and murdering visitors.

What was really fun was to see Heather Matarazzo (Welcome to The Dollhouse) all grown up. She does some frontal nudity too. In the first Hostel there were boobs left and right, geeze. So in this one Eli Roth gives us some male frontal. Ooo la la.

There's really not much else to say about this movie. It's horror, it's fun, and I highly recommend watching it with friends. If you do, having one person around whose particularly squeamish makes the movie that much better.

Perfume

"That's a really good perfume."



3 Stars

(He's so cute when he says that!) But besides that, what was up with this movie?
The first three quarters are great! The passion, the curiosity, the transcendental emotions of scent... awesome. But WTF was that ending about?

When I first saw the preview of this I was in. As it played in theaters I heard some terrible reviews on it.
I still gave it a chance, and wow, it was beautiful.
The period was great (some real grit just how I like it), and this boy's passion, and extraordinary gift of scent that drives him mad. Sounds good...
But would you really attach the term "orgy" to that?
Yeah. Not to be a spoiler, but the end is a huge mess of an orgy! What?! I just felt that it was so gratuitous, and very very unnecessary. It's like they took a perfectly good movie, and wrecked it with nonsense. I understand it was based on a novel, and maybe the written word explains it better, or sensual, or... something. Ugh.
Apart from Dustin Hoffman's performance, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
Pah-leez.

Pirates of the Caribbean : At Worlds End

"You give an agreeable macabre to any delirium."

4 Stars

First of all, are you sure this movie is for kids? Geeze, the first thing you watch is a massive hanging of people, including a kid!
I tend to have a hard time watching Johnny Depp doing his shtick in each of these movies. If I don't just relax and just watch it, I feel embarrassed for him at times. Is that just me? I guess he's the only kid friendly element. Well, there is that funny monkey though...

One thing is for sure. If it's a Disney movie, it's going to be quality.
They know how to put on a show. I see the Disney logo, and I know I'm in good hands. The special effects are flawless. I really liked the score too! It kept the pulse of an epic adventure and blended Asian influence smoothly. The costumes are beautiful!
Details, details, details. The one in particular I just loved was Keira's Asian inspired captain's costume.
I'm telling you, man... Disney.

This cast is great! I love Jeffery Rush in this role. That man can deliver a line, and has perfect comedic timing. I have a love/hate thing with Orlando Bloom. I liked him in this one, probably because I'm a sucker for proposals, and this had to be by far, the best proposal/wedding scene ever!
Keira Knightley. The whole time I can't stop thinking that she is so Mr. Depp's type of girl, and I'm positive he flirts with her constantly on set. He is a Gemini after all.
I'm always looking for it on screen.
And I was really excited to see Chow Yun-Fat, another fine actor. I would love to see more Asian actors of his caliber. Or just more Asian actors for that matter.

It took me a while to get the plot down. I just figured it would all explain it's self through the course of the film, which it did. It was good fun, just like the last two.
A quality, quality series. The ships, the lore, the bad teeth (love the teeth), and the action make for yet another Disney classic.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters : Haiku Movie Review

"I'll workout on your face!"

5 Stars


This movie was made for me.

I can't stop quoting this toon!

M. Shake. I love you.

The Proposition

"'Is that what we are? Misanthropes.'
'Lord no. We're a family.'"

4 Stars

First things first. I was already a player for this movie. Ausi western, okay. But then in the beginning credits I see that the music is by Nick Cave, of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. Awesome. Then I see that the screenplay is by Nick as well! Extra awesome!
Who knew?
After watching the behind the scenes feature, turns out the director, John Hillcoat, is a close friend of Nick. After a camping trip in the Australian dessert (I know right?) John knew he had to make a movie, any movie using this beautiful land.
He first asked Cave to score the music, then asked him to write a screenplay. He says he's always loved Cave's storytelling in his music and knew he could do it for film, and wow, he was right.

Set in the late nineteenth century on rural Australian land, two brothers are captured and questioned on the whereabouts of their eldest brother, Arthur Burns. After a brutal attack of the Hopkins farm, and rape of the pregnant Mrs. Hopkins by Arthur and his gang, the town needs justice. If they can't have Arthur they will have his younger brother Mark instead. The proposition being, middle brother Charlie must find his brother Arthur in nine days, or his younger brother will hang in his place.

Throughout the film I just felt Charlies weight of having to choose one brother's life over the other. What a terrible problem to solve. What he did was right, blood or not.

I really liked the pace of this movie. It had a good rhythm like a metronome. Cave said he'd hoped the film "would generate periods of intense violence followed by periods of intense sadness and loneliness." Perfectly put.

Also a great cast. Guy Pearce, Emily Watson, John Hurt who is one of the greatest character actors around. And Danny Houston son of John and half brother to Anjelica.
I've seen him in so many roles and I really like him, he's a great actor.

This movie has gore and grit, and one of my favorite elements to a good period piece,
bad teeth!!
When I'm watching a real gritty movie and I see the actors with these bright flossed and polished teeth, it pulls me right out of the film.
Thanks for the detail.