Deliverance (1972) | Spoiler Review

First and foremost, thank you to Archer creator Adam Reed, and his writers and directors on the show, for potentially introducing people to this film. Second, I'm not very knowledgable about the subject matter explored in this film, but I felt like it's not brought up as often as it should be.

Some films are timeless, like Heathers and Natural Born Killers, and the themes they depict will never change. Some are dated, like bad kids movies that rely too heavily on pop-culture and slang from the year they're made. And some films, like Deliverance, have to be re-examined and re-interpreted every five to ten years to see how society has changed.

Deliverance is about a canoeing trip four friends take on the Chattooga River (or at least that's the river they filmed) that turns into short bout for survival when two locals decide to threaten and sexually assault two of the friends. What's unexpected about this film is the assault occurs and is handled as you would expect, especially for 1972. Ed (Jon Voight) is bound to a tree and forced to watch Bobby's (Ned Beatty) attack. The violence of the scene is nothing compared to the psychological trauma shown by the actors and imagined by the audience. However, we're given some insight when the four decide that the best way to handle things after killing the two locals in self-defense is to bury the bodies and never speak of what happened again. There's an instant belief and acceptance that the police would never buy their story, and while we've made significant progress since then, as far as the police being able to gather evidence and piece together an accurate narrative, that belief and stigma still lingers.

So, the question is can men who have suffered similar trauma talk about it more openly today? Well, forty-four years later, things have gotten better, but not everyone is aware of that. We talk a lot about feminism and equal representation for women in media because they're still fighting for what they deserve, but what about equal representation for every kind of man? Basically for all the progress that's been made, all the extremes have gotten more divided, and that's because not everyone is aware of a situation like what's depicted in Deliverance or that a piece of popular fiction even tried to educate people on male rape and the worst way to handle it. According to Tony Porter, who works with men on issues of, basically, what it means to be a man, the best way to tackle this issue is to teach men how to express themselves constructively after a traumatic experience. In the age of social justice, not every group that needs help is getting it, and it's partly because of a lack of popular representation in the media, so can we change that?

Getting back to the film itself, it's incredible. It's well-acted, beautifully shot, and the characters are, unfortunately because of what happens to them, a breath of fresh air from the usual stock characters who would normally be in a movie like this. They're incredibly well-rounded individuals, even though they basically all hold the same beliefs on what masculinity is. If you can put yourself through Deliverance, I highly recommend you watch it.

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Heavy Metal (1981)

Within ten minutes of watching it, I knew I had a lot to say about Heavy Metal. Mostly, questions about the production and the art style that I've seen before in other 70s-80s non-children's animated films. So, I pressed on and tried to learn more about the actual content of this movie.

Heavy Metal story of The Loc-Nar, a green glowing orb that has the power to corrupt, and destroy, the incorruptible across multiple galaxies and dimensions. In eight-ish stories, we see it exercise that power. It would take too much time and space to go over each story, plus it's better to go into the movie pretty blind. Don't worry, I believe I can still find things to talk about.

Heavy Metal's strength lies in it's art-style. It's something I've seen before in Ralph Bakshi movies, and I don't know if it has a definite name. Basically, the inkers are the stars of the show. Textures really pop, and not just in the background art.

Heavy Metal's stories overall cover everything from mixed marriages, to multiple apocalyptic societies, to an original take on cocaine-snorting that still puts The Wolf of Wall Street to shame. One of my favorite stories is the second major one, where a king or god similar to Watchmen's Adrian Veitd, except without the questionable, or any, morals and beliefs, asks someone to steal the Loc-Nar for him, so he can unlock its power through a ritualistic, human sacrifice. There are many references to past and future material that people can imply or infer about sections of this movie, and that's what I really love about it. It's a movie where you get out what you put into it, so, knowing and/or seeing a certain homage to Heavy Metal, that was made in 2008, can cloud that a little.

My two major issues with the film are that homage feels more like a parody now, although I completely understand why it does, and The Loc-Nar's powers. The Loc-Nar's powers are not clear and sometimes feel contradictory. It's kinda whatever the writers need it to be. On the one hand, it gives the writers freedom to tell their stories, but on the other, it leads to some characters doing some stupid things, and wrapping up some of the stories a little too quickly and neatly. A few seconds of explanation maybe could've fixed this, but really this is just nit-picking.

I hope to expand on this review on the future, but for now, if you love animated anthologies, you'll love this. Just one warning, for those who don't know about the homage, this is rated "R" for violence and nudity.

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Horns (2013)

Alexandre Aja's film, based on a novel by Joe Hill, is an acquired taste. From Daniel Radcliffe's very good, but constraining, American accent, to figuring out the rules of Hill and Aja's universe, liking Horns initially seemed like an uphill battle. In the end though, with some manipulative, but circumstantial, moments I was sucked into the universe and was won over.

In Horns, Iggy Perrish (Radcliffe) is suspected of killing his longtime girlfriend, Merrin Williams (Juno Temple). Shortly after her death, he wakes up with horns poking out of his head. These horns, which are seamlessly attached to Radcliffe, may be a gift from the devil himself, but also may be the key to his salvation.

Horns is a mixed bag of good, bad, and great scenes. Absolutely none of them are terrible, but some probably could have been cut for time. Parts, of this two-hour movie, seem to drag during the middle and toward the end. The script has good, the dialogue is well-written, but some characters themselves seem less real than they should. Iggy's parents (James Remar and Kathleen Quinlan), are, at times, the standouts. On the other hand, some are very real, like local reporters who hound Iggy for an exclusive. As a fan of Heathers and Natural Born Killers, his treatment of them is one of my favorite moments in the film.

As the mystery unravels, the movie, as a whole, gets better. It really builds itself up for its final moments, but ultimately Horns is not the sum of its parts, even though many of those parts (great performances, effects, makeup, cinematography) aren't interchangeable. Horns can go from dark, to funny, to sad, successfully, at the drop of a hat. In the end, all I want to do now is see how much better the book is.

Update: The breakup scene is perfect. The fact that I recalled it when..."needed," even though I've only seen the movie like once, boosts Horns up.

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Cabin in the Woods (2012)

The universe created for a movie is never really self-contained. We're just seeing one side, or with sequels a few sides, of a much larger story. What Drew Goddard and co-writer/producer Joss Whedon give us is the side of their story that's a little bit of everything, horror, comedy, a bit of existential drama, and bureaucracy. I wish I could know more about its inner-workings, but I'll have to settle for great acting, scares, laughs, and the best critique of the horror genre since the Scream series.

In Cabin in the Woods, five friends: Dana (Kristen Connolly),  Curt (Chris Hemsworth), Jules (Anna Hutchison), Marty (Fran Kranz), and Holden (Jesse Williams) vacation at, obviously, a Cabin in the Woods. When the discover a basement cellar with all kinds of old knick-knacks, stuff starts getting weird. As they get picked off one by one, a conspiracy as old as time is unraveled.

The strength in this movie comes from cutting between the conspiracy and the, at first, standard hacking-and-slashing. Two of our big masterminds, played by Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins, give great, funny performances as they and their crew revel in everything they see happen to their victims. The strings they pull bring out the Scream-ness of the movie, as cliches are questioned, explained, or sometimes avoided. It's refreshing to watch after remembering that the only reasons I watched the last two Krueger movies is because those cliches were still relatively new to me.

Unfortunately, the conspiracy angle is where the problem is too, as I always wanted more from the mastermind side of things than what I saw. Some things like how the masterminds developed this world around a cabin Curt's heard of before is open to interpretation. Nothing too outlandish there, it just raises some questions.

To get my fix, I'll have to turn to fan fiction. Getting over that, what's left is a very enjoyable movie. The cast assembled is one of the best for a movie in this genre. Don't set your standards too low for the performances just because of the movie's title, since everyone here delivers. The writing and directing are fairly tight, as there's never a dull moment and jump scares are kept at an absolute minimum. They're not what this movie is about. And finally, the only thing left to say is that when it hits the fan, and the monsters are unleashed, this film will satisfy anyone who enjoys a drippy, red, horror movie set, and great creature design.

If you've read it here, you've probably read it everywhere else: this is not your typical horror movie. I was skeptical at first, mainly because I don't like the crap scared out of me, but I'm glad my sister badgered me into seeing this one.

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Harvey (1950)

Harvey says a lot about filmmaking, and possibly only in retrospect after 64 years of the business and art continuing to change. Whether it's evolution or not depends on who is asking, but most people who watch Harvey will be able to explain why it's a great movie. Harvey began as a play by Mary Chase. The play itself, in print, I'd like to believe would be as in-demand as Shakespeare is in print.

That's why the movie works. It begins with a strong script (written by Chase and Oscar Brodney), and ends with an amazing performance by James Stewart that I believe redefines what it means to be a comedic actor. In the middle of all that are amazing performances by, among others, Josephine Hull (who won an Oscar for her role as Stewart's sister), Peggy Dow, and Charles Drake, and great direction by Henry Coster.

Now, I never said it's a perfect script. Harvey, unfortunately suffers from being a product of its time, and there are some jabs at women here and there. There's much worse in some shows and movies today, but it's especially noticeable in a black-and-white movie. There was also a very subtle remark that points to some racism, but, like before, today we still have things like that in today's media. The other problem with the film is Harvey's existence isn't always clearly defined and I thought there may have been some contradictions to how he's "on screen." It's cleared up in the end, and I'm sure re-watching the film will help me fill in some of these contradictions, but they did take me out of the moment once or twice. The good thing is that these contradictions are so rare because this movie is much more than its initial hook.

Harvey has multiple storylines to take the focus away from its main characters (Harvey and his friend Elwood P. Dowd, who's played by Stewart). Also, Harvey and Elwood aren't always hanging out together, which allows some breathing room for the actors and audience to also focus on who their characters are. This works especially well for Stewart as Elwood because Elwood is a remarkable man.

I seriously need to see more of Stewart's movies...Patrick Stewart, too, but that's another story | Copyright 1950 Universal Pictures

When I think of comedic actors, I usually think of people who go for the punchline, one-line, or slap in the face. They are trying to be funny, and usually they are. Stewart, on the other hand, just plays Elwood as the most regular guy in the world, but occasionally he'll have these moments that are just soul-searching. In the context of Harvey, it's kind of funny. More importantly, it's dramatic. I think Stewart played Elwood P. Dowd like he was in a more dramatic role, and more of a side character (if that makes sense). He's just in this world where he talks to a rabbit that's over 6' tall, and lives his kind of bland life. In fact, Harvey is one of the few things that livens it up. Stewart becomes a bystander in this movie, and he does more than play it straight. He plays it straight with (occasionally) no one crazy to react to since Harvey is a pretty calm character himself.

The rest of the film is rounded out by that excellent cast mentioned above, as they try to figure out how crazy Dowd is, and figure out their own problems. It's mostly love-life stuff, and thankfully it's not overly mushy (I think that was also a product of the times, but I'm not sure.)

I don't want to give anything away, but I'll leave by saying that this film is one of the best escapist movies. Just forget your problems for a while and watch it because Harvey shows that sometimes that's the best use of your time.

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Her (2013) | Short Review

This isn't a review, but I couldn't post nothing about this movie.

The more people talk to each other,  the better the world can become. That's what Spike Jonze's movie Her effortlessly points to, in a time when people are able to easily isolate themselves wherever they are.  The problem with writing a real review is there's a lot to discuss, and almost all of it is better suited to research papers, debates, and editorials, among other places. What can be said in this blog is that Her is amazing.

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We're The Millers (2013)

We're The Millers starts out pretty strong and then _____. It flattens out. A good cast, trying their best, can't make up for a script that begins to die the minute the premise (that thing the trailer uses to get people to see the movie) starts in the second act. What's left is a disappointment.

Jason Sudeikis is David, a drug dealer who is robbed of cash he needs to pay off his supplier (Ed Helms). To erase the debt, Helms arranges for Sudeikis to go to Mexico, and come back with a "smidge, smidge and a half" of marijuana. To cross the border inconspicuously Sudeikis decides to have two of his neighbors, a stripper played by Jennifer Aniston and an eighteen-year-old kid played by Will Poulter, and a homeless girl played by Emma Roberts, pose as a typical American family.

Once they get into Mexico, the terms of the deal become apparent. According to Helms a smidge is roughly a couple hundred bags of weed, enough to fill every hiding spot on a giant RV. Of course, nothing goes as planned and things get complicated when the family runs into a DEA agent, his wife, and their eighteen-year-old daughter (Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, and Molly Quinn, respectively). They also run into other drug dealers who have a problem with the arrangement.

Focus on Molly Quinn and the problems with the movie become clear. It's half-baked. Her role in the film is strictly to hook up with Poulter's character. We know almost nothing about her outside of what her parents are like, the two of them have virtually no scenes together, and in the end Poulter wins her over because that's his major arc in the film. She doesn't get an arc in this movie, but she's used to make Poulter look like a nerd, a freak, and in the end a hero.

The rest of the movie has the "family" getting to know each other in some admittedly sweet scenes, and getting out of a few ridiculous jams. Unfortunately, this doesn't make up for when characters, mainly Sudeikis, have to behave like assholes just because the screenwriters throw another curveball to pad the movie.

In the end, the performances do save this movie. I believed all the actors involved liked working with each other, which is the only reason why this movie may be worth watching. They're all funny in it, but they have only themselves to thank for that.

But creating a meme template earns it another 

I'm keeping a copy right here for convenience.

The staying power of We're The Millers | Copyright 2013 Warner Brothers

Update: Also, this isn't Sudeikis at his toxic best. That's Colossal. His performance, and the writing around it, are phenomenal. 

We're The Millers is a Warner Brothers film directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber

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Iron Man 3 (2013) | Spoiler-Free

How do you successfully follow up The Avengers? That's is:
A) An obvious question Marvel Studios asked themselves
B) An obvious opening to this review
C) Scale back
D) All of the above

D is the answer.

Marvel did what they do best by bringing in the right people and changing the formula a bit from the previous films. This feels like a different Iron Man film than the others because it tries to bring certain elements full circle, even though the end of the era isn't until Avengers 2 (at least). Downey's role mostly remains the same (in quantity and quality), but Paltrow, Favreau, and Cheadle are all given a chance to do more than just act as Stark's foil this time.

The plot of the film is based on The Extremist storyline and the villains are The Mandarin and Aldrich Killian. These men are terrorists, who just want to wreak havoc on Tony and the world. To beef themselves up, Extremist is used to give Killian an edge against Tony's suits. This is one of the best parts of the film, as this movie has the best fight scenes of the stand-alone Iron Man films, people are actually able to physically threaten Tony, whether he has the suit or not.

Balancing out the action is a heavy dose of comedy, and some nice drama. Since this film is directed by Shane Black (who directed Downey in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang), the banter, comebacks, and general a-hole-ness of Tony Stark is better than ever. Luckily, it's consistently funny, but not constantly present.

Since Shane Black is the director, it's also a Christmas movie | Copyright 2013 Marvel/Disney

A major focus is put on what happens to Tony after The Avengers. He's on put on edge after the experience and worries about the safety of himself, Pepper, and Rhodey. The scenes come through at a moment's notice, and to his credit, Downey transitions between everything thrown at him seamlessly. In doesn't matter if someone's wearing a super-suit and in the middle of a fight, or just relaxing on a couch because everything fits together perfectly in this film, and I'm probably going to look back and call it the best film of the summer.

Note: I recently revisited the movie and created a TV spot for it. It can be found here.

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Rise of the Guardians (2012)

Going against other big-name films at the box-office is always risky. There's a chance that each new film released will reach its own large demographic and everyone wins regardless of the final rankings, but there's also a chance that everyone will see that one franchise film-and who can blame them. Sadly, that happened to DreamWorks Animation's Rise of the Guardians. Years from now, it will be looked back on as that film people should have seen on the big screen and a holiday classic.

Rise of the Guardians is about the eternal battle between good and evil, and the soldiers in this battle are Santa, The Tooth Fairy, The Sandman, The Easter Bunny, and their new recruit Jack Frost, against Pitch Black: Creator of Nightmares. Both sides need the belief of children to exist and do their jobs, so both sides fight to make sure kids believe in them. That belief comes with its own reward as it allows The Guardians and Pitch to spread either joy or fear in fantastic ways.

This film tries to go deep into what it means to be one of these landmark figures that kids idolize, but only scratches the surface of what that means, leaving the rest up to the interpretation of kids watching the movie.

There aren't many characters in this film, and that's the way it should be. When dealing with all of the holidays coming together it's easy for small cameos to come up, and quickly become overwhelming. Instead, we are treated to a lot of great one-on-one moments with the people we've been introduced to. So, in a couple of ways, this is kind of like DreamWorks's Avengers.

Rise of the Guardians focuses on Jack Frost (Chris Pine), a mischievous little trouble maker who just likes to have fun. The role of being a guardian is thrust upon him without warning, but he ends up being a fast learner. Jack gets the most screen time and has a lot of great moments with each Guardian. I'm almost certain that all of the actors in this film recorded their lines together because the chemistry between everyone is phenomenal.

Since this is a DreamWorks film, people can expect nothing less than stunning visuals. Stunning action, set pieces, scenery, character design, the standard of Hollywood CGI films. Honestly though, that standard is really only guaranteed by the computer. Without designers coming up with this stuff, this film could have looked like a glossy video game-repetitive environments, characters, and everything else. Instead, any number of details could pop out to someone during any scene.

Two of my favorite scenes in this film involve how the Easter Bunny gets all of his eggs painted for easter, and a contest of who can collect the most teeth for The Tooth Fairy. Both scenes show how much fun these filmmakers wanted Rise of the Guardians to be, as the character's are constantly, comedically bouncing off each other while doing their tasks.

My only problem with this film is there may be one or two loose ends story-wise, and on the surface it is a real basic story. And what I mean by that is that the trailers (and this review) make it look like a lot less than it really is, so please check it out for yourselves.

Rise of the Guardians is a DreamWorks Animation film that stars Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher, and Jude Law. It was directed by Peter Ramsey, adapted by David Lindsay-Abaire, and produced by Guillermo del Toro.

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The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

I will always say this movie came out too soon (it's been almost five years and two months to the day that the Raimi trilogy came to a screeching halt). I will always compare this film to that entire trilogy, as well as the comics and tv-shows, and I will always say this is one of the best reboots since Batman Begins.

Marc Webb's Spider-Man does everything it can to both differentiate itself from and pay homage to the Spider-Man stories that came before it, to great effect. The origin story many of us can recite in our sleep has been given some flexibility and is actually able to start, and keep, the film going at a brisk pace. In this universe Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) has not gone to college yet, has not met Mary-Jane Watson, and is still reeling from the disappearance of his parents. Also, he has to fight a very large Lizard...finally.

The film sets itself apart by trying to reinterpret every familiar moment in past stories, and creating new scenarios or ways to put that moment on screen. It all works well because it does maintain a very fresh feel to it. The performances behind the film are also fresh, and pretty wonderful all around. Andrew Garfield has made Peter and Spider-Man his own by stripping away some of the confidence the spider bite should have given him, and replacing it with the feeling that not much has really changed for the newfound superhero, and I mean all that in the best possible way. Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy is a great foil for Garfield as they have great chemistry together, and Stone is put through the ringer as Stacy goes through her own significant changes throughout the film.

Finally, Rhys Ifans Dr. Conners/Lizard is very different than any of the Lizards before him. He's not a family man, he seems pretty far from being in his late 30s or early 40s, and he's very much in control of his actions. Instead of being a mindless monster, which could have easily happened, the Lizard is a very strong, very smart mastermind. And the only thing I found weird about him is that he didn't have the elongated jaw The Lizard is known for.

This was my desktop image at one point. If I could have one high-quality Spider-Man costume, it'd be this one | Copyright 2012 Sony

Visually this film is the definition of the word eye-candy with great moments Spider-Man swinging through New York in first and third-person views. Everything is done very quickly, but very smoothly too as you can see every impossible feat of acrobatics in full view.

I couldn't find any real faults with the film other than some of the romantic elements between Peter and Gwen could have been played a little faster, and a few questions have been left for the sequel, guaranteeing that I'll come back for more.

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Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Snow White and the Huntsman is the second film this year to turn the fairytale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on its head, and the first one I've seen, since I missed Mirror, Mirror. So while I am missing one basis of comparison, I think I've seen enough other films I can use to draw comparisons, as Snow White and the Huntsman doesn't offer a lot of new things. What it does offer is great performances by two of three major stars, Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman and Charlize Theron as the evil queen Ravenna, and a good performance by Kristen Stewart as Snow White. These performances don't make up for a film that typically feels jumbled, senseless, and long and boring.

Snow White and the Huntsman is about how Snow White escapes from prison and is then hunted by the queen and her army because taking her heart (the same way Mola Ram takes hearts) will grant the queen eternal life, youth, and power. She employs the huntsman, who quickly joins Snow White anyway, and they trek back to the kingdom and meet a lot of weird creatures, like a troll, ravens, a stag, and a few dwarfs, along the way.

To fill the unnecessary two-hour runtime, the journey is full of several set-pieces and scenes that range from great and short (such as the troll scene) to just filler (the scene with the stag, which features a sour ending). A few puzzling moments are why did the queen let Snow White live in the first place, when she is clearly cold-hearted enough to kill her as a child? Why is a horse conveniently available when needed? Why can't I remember key scenes in this film? There aren't many. Honestly, the film started out strong and I wanted to see it in the first place, and it's not as jumbled as you may think it is. But the more it went on the more disappointed I got. I kept analyzing it, and not in the way I like to. It wasn't, "what's going on in this scene and these characters?" It was, "what the hell am I watching, this is weird." My main problem is all the characters and situations were underwritten (by Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, and Hossein Amini), except for Hemsworth and Theron, so I didn't give a damn what happened.

The production value, effects, and behind the scenes work on this film all looked great to me, but it's all wasted on a weak script and weak film. Other than that if you still see it, enjoy the fight scenes, it's all there really is.

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Primal Fear (1996)

This 1996 film, directed by Gregory Hoblit, is about the defense of an alleged murderer and the trial he and his defense attorney face. The defendant, Aaron Stampler, is played by Edward Norton (in his stunning debut). His lawyer is Martin Vain, played by Richard Gere. Also included in this film, written by Steve Shagan and Ann Biderman (based on the book by William Diehl), are Laura Linney, as the prosecutor Janet Venable, and Frances McDormand, as psychiatrist Dr. Molly Arrington. And while all of these performances, as well as the writing, are strong, they are brought down by several filmmaking quirks and bad choices.

Norton and Gere are the standouts in this film as they bounce off of each other very well. You can sense a relationship developing between them that assists in twisting the story in the right direction. Gere truly believes the innocence of all of his clients and goes above and beyond for them. Whenever he thinks he's being lied to or misled, he's very quick to take it personally and remind his clients what is at risk.

Norton goes deep into character as the alleged killer. He plays Aaron as a scared man who has just kind of whirl winded himself into the worst possible situation. He's been accused of murdering a priest, a man who had saved his life, and his only life-lines are Gere and McDormand.

The problem with the film is it is shot as a film. What I mean is there are some unnecessary camera angles and music cues. This isn't a frequent problem, but a critical one, as these things happen during critical moments of the film (thankfully not the most critical moments).

As a Law & Order devotee, seeing what can basically be considered long-form episodes,
with a lot of leash to breathe and potentially demand more from viewers, is a lot of fun

Copyright 1996 Paramount Pictures

Other than that there is still the story. The time spent leading up to the trial is very well done as you try to piece together what has happened yourself. There are ideas of conspiracy and unethical business practices to take into account, and it ties into the murder itself very nicely and seamlessly. This is the prime reason the film will keep you guessing because you will doubt yourself repeatedly, and I loved that about this film. 

And I'm very upset that I have to give the VHS back to the library-- two days late. 

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Family Guy: "Forget-Me-Not" (2012)

Family Guy has been in a decline for the last couple of years. The problem is that for every original or surprisingly intelligent joke, there are several instances of them going back to the recycle bin in the worst possible way. Those ways are, at the very least, animating blood because the writers think innocent dead things are funny, and the increasing stupidity of Chris and Peter. This episode featured a mix of the good and the bad, as Peter, Joe, Quagmire, and Brian wake up, with amnesia, in a deserted Quahog.

The stupidest thing about this show right now is the plot holes because even for a show like Family Guy there is a limit to how dumb is too dumb, such as the gang not figuring out who they based on reading tweets, and no one figuring out that Peter's newspaper picture was a prop. In real life, or a better cartoon, these issues wouldn't have even been issues.

The other problem is the lack of character development. Is it wrong to want character development from a show like this? I remember the episode after Peter said he would cut back on drinking, he came out of the Clam hammered, it's ridiculous. This time we get what should be something of an important moment between Peter and Brian, but next week I'm sure Peter will kick Brian's ass in a non-cutaway. It's just a problem the writers and producers should worry about if they want to attempt to hit the 500+ episodes of "The Simpsons," or just not make people angry they decided to watch Fox on Sunday.

What didn't save this episode, but helped, was the fact that a lot of the jokes were good this week. My favorites were the return of "Surfin' Bird" and "Who Else but Quagmire," the tour of Quagmire's house, and Joe thinking he's a stripper. Other great jokes were Stewie's cutaway about the girl's best friend and the final moments of the episode after the amnesia is explained.

In all, this episode is at least worth re-watching if you can ignore the worst of what Family Guy has become. The whole series isn't terrible yet, and hopefully, before it's booed off the air, things can magically turn around for the series.

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The League and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (2011)

The FX Network is known for the slogan "FX has the movies." Well, if FX just ran their original shows, I'd be happy enough because tonight was great.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

The Always Sunny episode "Thunder Gun Express" was all about the gang trying to make the showtime of a new movie called Thunder Gun. Unfortunately, they are caught in a traffic jam and must go their separate ways to get there. Dennis gets left with the car, Charlie and Dee take advantage of Charlie's knowledge of the sewers, Mac attempts to use a motorcycle, and Frank steals a tour boat full of tourists.
Each segment is full of great moments, but I'd have to say my favorites were Frank telling tourists about some of the adventures he and the gang have been on (all from past episodes), Charlie's use of Thunder Gun as a verb, and the realization that Dennis is absolutely a sick man. I just have to expand on that for another minute. Dennis does have limits (no one under 18), but that's it. He is still clearly a rapist in nearly every sense of the word, except, strangely, the word itself. It just seems a little too far for comedy sometimes. In the end, the gang naturally gets screwed. What's surprising is how, and I didn't really catch it until I re-watched the episode. If you're looking for an episode that parodies 24, without actually parodying it, watch "Thunder Gun Express."

The League
Now, I don't watch The League a lot, but I should. When it's on, I'll keep it on, and I have a firm enough grasp on the characters, definitely better than my grasp of football (outside of The Jets). In this episode, "The Out of Towner," the league decides to attend a cocktail party hosted by Andre, to welcome back one of their friends Chuck, Will Forte, who has recently decided to lead a life of sobriety. Before the day of the party Jenny and Kevin decide to spend the night in to get baked, Ruxin pulls his hamstring, and Taco faces eviction. All of these stories mesh perfectly and cause a lot of laughs in the process. My favorite moments include Ruxin stealing Andre's prescription pad to get stoned, and then acting as Taco's lawyer to handle his oncoming eviction. The only problem with the episode was I had to watch it twice because there were a lot of details I seemed to have missed the first time around. I think that's due to not watching this show a lot, but I won't be making that mistake again.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and The League are on FX at 10:00 and 10:30, respectively, on the east coast.

Update: And now with widespread streaming, they shouldn't be too hard to find. Try Hulu, to start.

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Pulp Fiction (1994)

I almost bought Pulp Fiction this week. I have one space left on my shelf, and I'm trying to keep it reserved for 50/50, but it's a tough thing to do. I lucked out though, I found Pulp Fiction on a premium channel. I made sure I wouldn't miss my first real chance to see it, and it was great.

Pulp Fiction follows the stories of several different people over about 2-3 days, and it's about all the unfortunate situations these people find themselves in. Characters are played by an ensemble cast featuring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Quentin Tarantino, and Peter Greene. And everyone here is just fighting to survive in a world full of underworld type activities: fixed fights, drugs, sadism, and lots of killing. Pulp Fiction is told in a, according to my father, "disjointed" fashion. I think it works, he doesn't, but that's just a difference of opinion. The dialogue and cinematography are really where this movie shine.

One of my favorite exchanges in the movie is an early one. Travolta and Jackson are making small talk about drugs and television, and it's small stuff I found pretty interesting by itself. Then the dialogue just smoothly transitions into the story and other characters. I'm just as interested then as I was a few minutes ago, maybe more, and it's one of those things that carries me through the 150 minutes of the film. The dialogue in this film never disappoints, but it's only being captured because the camera is never in the wrong place.

I remember reading once that one team of writers/directors will storyboard their entire film first, even if it's live-action. I can definitely see Tarantino doing this. Every shot was amazing, every camera technique well used, and it makes the film that much better. This leads to wonderfully shot death scenes, and that's another issue for me. I'm guessing Pulp Fiction pushed the R-Rating at the time of its release, and I know it pushed my limits as far as tension. I just want to say that you should know what you're getting yourself into and keep children as far away as possible. This movie would scare a kid the same way Freddy Kruger or Jack Nicholson would, and I mean Nicholson in a horror movie or just walking around town because he's a scary guy.

Beyond all that Pulp Fiction seems to be the ultimate blend of a mainstream and cult film, and I can't wait to see it again.

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Super 8 (2011)

I had a tiny realization tonight. I haven't done anything on the films of this summer. That's amazing to me because this season is like a four-month-long Christmas thanks to all of the movies I see in theaters every year. The last thing I saw in theaters is Super 8, and it was actually the second time I've seen it. It's still great. 

Super 8 tells the story of a group of young teens making a movie, using an old"Super 8" camera, to compete in a local film festival. While filming, these kids witness a devastating, and amazingly shot, train crash. Less than a day after the crash, weird things start happening in the town (Lillian, Ohio). Dogs are escaping in every direction, cars are being salvaged for parts, and the electricity is going out every once in a while. What unfolds is a mystery until the very end. 

To some viewers, all of this, at times, is just the background to the character-driven story of two of the kids. Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) has recently lost his mother. He, and his father, Deputy Jackson Lamb (Kyle Chandler), are still coping. They have lost any real connection they may have had with each other.   While filming the movie, Joe meets Alice Dainard, who is not so different from himself. The cast is filled out with Alice and Joe's friends and fellow filmmakers. All of these kids are given at least one major moment, but even when they're not doing anything important, they are still enjoyable to watch with the rest of the cast. 

 

A little lens flare never hurt anyone | Copyright 2011 Paramount Pictures

This film's viral campaign is dependent on not revealing much more of what happens. The trailers for this film were amazing; they gave away nothing and kept me very interested, months before the movie's release. J.J Abrams and Spielberg work great together, and it makes me wish I saw Star Trek, Close Encounters, and other features by each of them. To some, that's the problem. The bare-bones plot of this movie is like E.T, and a lot of people say this movie is too much like it and other Spielberg movies I actually haven't seen. But, I still wouldn't have cared about that, even if I saw the other Spielberg films. This film is just great, it has great acting, directing, writing. It has tension, mystery, suspense, romance, humor.

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(500) Days of Summer (2009)

From When Harry Met Sally... to (500) Days of Summer, I seem to be finding the best romantic comedies. Just as a side-note The Breakup wasn't terrible either, but I don't feel like writing about it. Over 20 years between the two movies, and countless terrible movies between them, it shows that the genre isn't dead. Romantic Comedies just need two things: the courage to go off-formula and good performances.

(500) Days of Summer shows the turbulent relationship between Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel) from when they meet until their relationship ends. In case you're wondering, I did not spoil the ending. Most people know, or figure out, going into the film that it ends that way. This hour and a half is all about seeing how it all happens from day one to 500, skipping a few days here and there, and backtracking every once in a while.

  

The most interesting aspect of the film is the backtracking and non-linear storyline. Almost every day is labeled before the scene and you can tell if it's going to be a good day or bad day. The movie will shift from a good day (when the movie is very funny) to a bad day (when the movie is still very interesting), and back, as a way to see the relationship deteriorates. The one problem with this is you can lose track of which day you're currently watching. It doesn't cause a lot of problems with the progress of the movie, but it can take you out of it once or twice. That's not the only thing interesting to this film, it loves to utilize a great narrator (Richard McGonagle) and split-screen to great effect.
  

The performances by the cast are phenomenal, and one thing I'm wondering about the filming is did they film the good days and bad days separately? I need to single out Gordon-Levitt. Tom is the major character of the movie. We almost only see his point of view on the ups and downs of the relationship, so I feel he had to bring a little more to each scene. One major member of the supporting cast, that stood out to me, is Chloë Moretz in a pre-Kick Ass role. She plays Tom's sister Rachel and seems to be the only person that can get through to him in times of crisis. Marc Webb directed this film amazingly, and I now have some real hope for the new Spider-Man movie. 

Update: Webb's Spider-Man movies ended up becoming one of my personal favorites, for better or worse.

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When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

I had wanted to watch this film for a long time. I've been slowly getting into Billy Crystal films, starting with Monsters Inc., and watched one pretty good Meg Ryan movie, You've Got Mail. I have watched almost all of the film in pieces on cable, but I finally found the whole thing on Netflix. I'm glad I finally got a chance to watch a romantic comedy that makes me, as a guy, not want to puke. On the opposite side of that, this is a movie that girls will fall in love with; no gross humor or "unnecessary," to some girls, vulgarity.

The story starts with these two taking an eighteen-hour trip with each other from Chicago to New York City. During the trip, they develop initially rocky chemistry by discussing how men and women can't be just friends because sex gets in the way. This is Harry's belief, and my belief, but not Sally's belief. After the trip they go they're separate ways, only to meet up again five years later, and then meet up again another five years later. This third time they become friends, just friends, and this friendship is explored. Between the ten years, a lot has happened to both of them, and it becomes a contributing factor to the dynamics of their friendship.

When Harry Met Sally's greatest strength is its dialogue and performances. Each line is perfectly sentimental, sharp, or sweet when it needs to be, and none of it feels forced or out of place. The other great thing about this film is it's the format. While we see Harry and Sally explore their relationship we are treated to video interviews of couples talking about their first meetings and relationships.

The film is a joint effort from Nora Ephron (writer) and Rob Reiner (director), and they do great work with Crystal, Ryan, and a great supporting cast that includes Carrie Fisher, as Sally's friend Marie, and Bruno Kirby, as Harry's friend Jess.

I highly recommend this movie to anybody over the age of sixteen. I say that because it's rated "R" for a damn good, funny, reason. Those who know why would agree with me, and those who don't are probably going to be very shocked if they watch this movie with their parents or partner.

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Gangs of New York (2002)

I was watching Gangs of New York with my former roommate, and we just finished the almost three-hour movie. He told me he has a homework assignment involving the film. He just has to write about his thoughts on it. Well, these are my thoughts.

This is definitely a different movie for Martin Scorsese. It takes place in the late 19th century. It takes place in the Civil War era. The story basically a man, Amsterdam Vallon (Leo DiCaprio), returns to NYC, after being in an orphanage, to avenge his father's (Liam Neeson) death. Along the way, he meets people he was forced to leave behind and learns of what's changed in the city. He joins a gang of immigrants and people trying to stay out of the war and avoid the first U.S draft. The leader of the opposing side is, of course, the man, Bill "The Butcher" Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis), that killed his father. This man is a "Native American" with a deep hatred of immigrants and others who aren't White. His main goal is to rise in power through illegal activity and murder. Rounding out the cast is Cameron Diaz as Vallon's love interest. Her name is Jenny Everdeane, and she is a sneaky pickpocket and volatile woman. This is a different role for Diaz, I've only seen her in things like The Mask, The Holiday, and What Happens in Vegas. She, along with the rest of the cast, give great performances.

 

Movie Poster | Copyright Miramax 2002

My roommate was writing down his thoughts while he was watching the movie. He picked up on some things I didn't think too hard about. This movie has a lot of different themes associated with it. All of these themes are seen in various small moments, but they add to the movie as a whole. Gangs of New York keeps people pretty high-strung through the use of knife violence and the anticipation of some slightly gruesome scenes. On-screen knife violence never really agrees with me, it's can just be too much sometimes. It wouldn't seem so overdone after a second viewing, and that's something I would love to check out. 

Overall this is a great movie and it has a pretty amazing final scene that can only be appreciated after sitting through, enjoying it or not, the whole film.

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Duck Dodgers in the 24th1/2 Century (1953)

One cartoon I remember watching several times when I was little was Chuck Jones's Duck Dodgers in the 24th1/2 Century. I hadn't seen it in a while, but I was able to recall several little details when I saw it in class, and again earlier today. 

For me watching these cartoons again after many years is about remembering those little details-the giant eye in the beginning of the film, the disintegration pistol, navigating to planet "X." The navigation scene has a classic facial expression from Daffy at the end. Those are still all my favorite parts of the cartoon, but I picked up on some new stuff-the story around the voyage to the planet is hilarious nonsense, and I was able to read the ultimatum bullets. Last time I saw them I could only read "OUCH!"(I was really young). At least I was able to respond to Daffy getting his face blown up. Daffy and Porky are a classic team, and they're hard to compare to any other classic looney Tunes duo, you can't pick Daffy and Bugs because their relationship is too different. Porky is kind of like the "straight man" and Daffy is just crazy. I can't think of a single moment I didn't enjoy watching this, my only problem is it seems to run short.

Title Card | Copyright 1953 Warner Brothers and AT&T

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