50/50 tells the story of Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a 27 year old non-smoking, athletic, teetotaler. He seemingly has nothing to worry about. He follows all the rules, and he doesn’t even drive because statistically it’s so dangerous. The only problem in his life, other than a girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard) who is kind of a bitch, is that his lower back has been out of whack for a while. Upon finally having a doctor check on it, he discovers that the pain is tied directly to a huge spinal tumor.

From this point on, Adam goes through the trials and tribulations of having a disease that may, in fact, kill him. His friend, Kyle (Seth Rogan), does his best to take his mind off of the disease the only way that Seth Rogan can in a film: with drugs and wanton sex. Fortunately, these two things are not the focus of the film like they are in something like Pineapple Express, so they don’t become annoying. In addition to Kyle, Adam goes to a therapist (Anna Kendrick) as the disease progresses. Katherine, the therapist, is very early on in her career, and her inexperience at being a doctor mirrors his understandable inexperience with cancer.

Director Jonathan Levine does a great job with this film and its cast. For such a heavy topic, it’s handled with grace and care. JGL nails it, as usual, and Anna Kendrick is so damned adorable I should probably marry her soon. It’s interesting that Seth Rogan is in this film, because I kept thinking about how 50/50 is how I thought Funny People might play out emotionally but didn’t. Where Funny People falls flat in the third act, 50/50 goes strong throughout, and it has one of the best “your friend caught your girlfriend being a bitch” scenes ever.

As far as recent comedies that involve terminal illnesses go, 50/50 is certainly the best of the bunch. Don’t be surprised to be in a theater full of both laughs and sobs, and don’t be surprised if you contribute. Check it out.

I saw this film last night at midnight and am here to tell you that it is as awesome as you could possibly hope for. Read on for a more in-depth take on this film, or just sit there and look at the image above.

In case you have been living under a rock until recently, here is the trailer:

That pretty much tells you all you need to know plot wise, so I won’t waste your time. What I will say is this film doesn’t mess around. It is fun and exciting, just like an action-adventure movie is supposed to be. The acting is top-notch, for those that are concerned about those things, and the effects are really awesome, especially when you consider that the main character is CGI from the neck down for the first 40 minutes or so.

A good deal of people have been complaining about how simplistic it all seems, and that, I think is what made this as enjoyable as it was. It doesn’t try to over complicate Captain America with all sorts of guilt and grief. That is not who he is; he never was meant to be this angsty dude. He is the personification of America in the strictest 1940s propaganda sense. When taken this way, it really shines.

With this tale now told we can begin to eagerly anticipate The Avengers, for which there is a sweet teaser after the credits, so make sure you don’t go anywhere once the movie is over.

If you are looking for fun and excitement with just the right amount of peril, this is the movie for you. Do yourself a favor and and go see it!

For those that don’t remember, I posted the trailer for this a while back. It opened here in OKC this past weekend and I went to see it so that I could share its splendor with you. Read on for my insightful review.

This is one of the few occurrences of late where the trailer really showed what the viewer was in for when they got the theatre. This film is at turns light, funny, sad, and heavy, all of which I think can be picked up in the trailer. For those that are not aware, Beginners is the story of a man (Ewan McGreggor) and his attempts to connect romantically with a woman (Melanie Laurent) he meets at a party. Interspersed in this tale are flashbacks to the last years of his father’s life. Christopher Plummer plays the father and, man, does he deliver. All the performances are great, but his was the most heartfelt, the most real. You see, the catch in all of this is the father is gay, but didn’t come out of the closet until his wife had passed, which understandably throws his son’s life off kilter.

Without going into specifics, it should be clear how this film packs its punch. It is a really interesting story, told well. That said, the film does not rest on its laurels, having a dog talk with its master through subtitles, and with some very interesting slide montages that show the history of this family through time.

This film could have easily turned into a huge indie clusterdoushe, but it never does thanks to its strong performances and the true spirit of its writing and direction. If you have the opportunity to see this film, I highly recommend you do so. It is one of the best films out right now and it will not make you scratch your head the entire way through. This I can promise.

As I said in the title there, I was able to see an early screening of Winnie the Pooh, which opens on the 15th, the same day some boy wizard becomes a man(or some shit like that). It is great, as if you could think otherwise, but if you would like a bit more than that, read on!

This film marks the first time in quite a while that Disney has taken the time to hand draw all of the animation for one of its films, and it is nice to see something so smooth as this production. It does my ols soul good to see that there are still some people that understand where they came from and are willing to take the time to do the job right. Of course, since it is all hand drawn, it is not that long, but don’t despair. The story does not feel rushed and there is a rather nice short film before Pooh’s antics start, so you still get about and hour and a half of entertainment for your money.

As for the story itself, it is pretty basic Winnie the Pooh stuff. The bulk of the movie is wrapped up with trying to save Christopher Robin from the Backson, a creature that is supposedly deadly and mean. The whole crew is back for this, and while they are all being voiced by new talent, on account of the fact that the old voice talent are all dead, the performances all hit you in the heart, right where they should. The nostalgia this movie manages to infuse into its short running time is astounding, and will delight new and old viewers alike.

What confounds me is the decision to bury this wonderful film on a summer weekend with Harry Potter opening against it. I fear that few will see this film, a real disgrace since this is a real opportunity to see what animation is capable of and show that Disney can still delight people when they want to and not steal your money for the fun of it.

At the end of the day, I must say you would be a fool to miss out on this experience. Harry Potter is not going anywhere, and since you all have probably already read the books, you know how it ends. Take a chance and see a movie that will delight, and I think you will be better for it.

I dislike sitting here up on my high-horse pretending that I am in any way better than people that make films. I don’t make films, and I probably never will on the scale that we see in theaters. That’s fine with me. It takes a tremendous effort to make a feature film, and I don’t snub my nose at that. But I must say that I am very pleased to hear that Cars 2 is getting poor reviews.

Having been pretty vocal – at least to those around me – about my distaste for Cars, it always struck me as odd that it would get a sequel. Then I heard from all the people who told me how much their kid LOVED Cars, and how much they played with the toys. “Oh, merchandising,” I thought. That has to be it. Turns out that might be right.

Rotton Tomatoes, the internet’s place of judgment for films, currently has Cars 2 resting at 33% with 89 “rotton” tallies. Let’s look at what people are saying.

James Berardinelli – ReelViews
Although it would be unfair to label Cars 2 as unwatchable, it is surprisingly tedious in parts and not as satisfying as one might expect.

Diana Saenger – ReviewExpress.com
It took real willpower to sit through this entire mess, and even my granddaughter (10) said “That was a terrible movie, Grandma; I didn’t like it.”

Glenn Dunks – Trespass
There is nothing here to justify a sequel, other than the merchandising revenue. What they have given us is a limp, over-stuffed film that lacks class.

Sure, that’s just a few excerpts from larger reviews (a ton more can be found here), but that seems to be the general consensus.

The reason why I say I am glad it’s getting poor reviews is not to damn Pixar, necessarily, but hopefully when the Disney overlords tell Pixar to make Cars 3, they will say, “No. Let us make something cool.” Cars 2 will surely make a bajillion dollars, though, so that statement might be tough when push comes to shove.

Speaking of “something cool,” take a look at this first shot of Pixar’s next film, Brave:

This is kind of thing that needs to be made.

In the end, I will reserve full judgement myself until I see Cars 2, but I will tell you right now that I will not spend good money to see it.

(If I had photo shop, you can bet there’d be a fart cloud or a butt in that poster)

So the guys put up the latest episode for the show (which is sadly lacking my shaky cam), and the movie reviewed is Super 8. I didn’t feel quite what the guys felt but I still had a pretty good time. (Hit more for a review sorts. Come on, daddy needs them clicks.)

So I went into the movie expecting a sort of Predator meets Goonies meets ET vibe with sweet cinematography and lens flares out the ass. The movie delivered on all of these points, and I enjoyed it for what it was. My problems, though, began to rise when the audience would laugh at something, or be scared by something and I couldn’t really figure out why. I felt emotionally disconnected from the entire experience.

The film opens up with these kids who, you just know, get relegated down to a specified stereotypical role within the group. There’s the pyro, the bossy kid, the wuss, the geek, and then the everyman (or kid really) who has to be sensitive because of his mom’s death, and the girl who’s damaged goods and can’t help falling for sensitive kid. The movie plays out and none of these characters ever really evolve, they stay pretty flat throughout the entire movie. The only thing that changes amongst them is bossy kid learns he’s a bit of jerk and sensitive kid starts to take charge and becomes their leader.

This is where my issues arise: who’s really the protagonist in this story? Is it the sensitive kid? He has the most scenes and has the most relevant plot points. All of the major act changes revolve around him so it has to be him. But his character evolution is minute. He goes from being mildly softspoken to a take charge kind of guy.

Maybe it’s just me. Maybe it was because I had a shitty seat in the front row and the people behind me were talking through the whole thing while the people in front and to the side were smelly stoner douches. Maybe that’s why I feel the need to take a dump on this movie.

I won’t lie though; I did enjoy it. It was fun. The explosions were loud, and Elle Fanning did a good job despite what she was given. But, at the end of the film, I couldn’t get why everyone was going apeshit over the thing. To me, it felt like Abrams and Spielberg couldn’t come to a head on the exact kind of movie they wanted to make. Abrams’ style would lead me to believe he wanted to make a tense sci-fi thriller (every scene with the dad is filled with tension up until the last 5 minutes or so. Also why did the alien kidnap all those people? #LOSTquesitons), whereas Spielberg wanted to lean more on the heartfelt evolution of a child coming to grips with losing his mom and reconciling with his dad. It just didn’t feel like they could completely agree on how the story should develop.

Maybe I’m wrong and too much of a cynic. I had fun, so I can’t bitch too much. What are your thoughts?

One thing before discussing the movie proper: who ever made the Bluray version of this film deserves an award. Why? Because this is one of the few films that has absolutely no adverts or menus before you get to watch. You put the disc in, and you are starting the film. This is how everything should be. I am pretty sure we can all agree on this.

Now, The Green Mile. Where to begin? Released in 1999 and directed by Frank Darabont, The Green Mile stars Tom Hanks (Hanx), Michael Clarke Duncan, Sam Rockwell, and James Cromwell, with special mention of Michael Jeter, David Morse, Doug Hutchison, and Barry Pepper. Set primarily in 1935, the story follows Paul Edgecomb (Hanx), an officer overseeing the titular “green mile,” a room that houses death row inmates. Along with Brutus Howell (Morse), Dean Stanton (Pepper), and Percy Whitmore (Hutchison), Paul not only looks over these inmates but manages their executions.

Already incarcerated at the beginning of the film is Eduard Delacroix (Jeter) and Arlen Bitterbuck (Graham Greene), two obviously bad people at one time or another that have for the most part repented their past transgressions and are awaiting their fateful days with the least amount of turbulence as possible. Soon enough they are joined by John Coffey (Duncan) who has been charged with the rape and murder of two young girls. Due to his size, Coffey initially puts everyone on edge, but the officers – for the most part – soon realize that despite his enormity he commands a gentle soul.

Established from the beginning of the film, Edgecomb has been suffering with a problem urinating. The mere act causes him a great deal of pain for very little results, ending up in embarrassment and consternation. When Coffey pulls Edgecomb close to the bars one day and places his hand on the affected area, curing him in the process, Edgecomb begins the process of wondering who and what Coffey is and whether or not Coffey really did commit the crime he was accused of. And does Edgecomb go with the state or his personal feelings as time steps closer to Coffey’s execution?

That brief synopses really doesn’t do the three hour film much justice, as it fully establishes and fleshes out most of the characters it presents. Delecroix, for example, befriends a mouse that shows up one day on the mile, and this plot device helps bring out Officer Whitmore’s evil tendencies. Sam Rockwell’s character emerges about a third of the way through the film, and his background definitely proves to be his undoing, regardless of any sentencing. James Cromwell’s character is having issues with his wife’s health. All of these component parts play off of each other well, creating a great foundation that builds on itself.

Visually the film settles with a mostly reserved pallet that reflects what one might think of the depression era. Not to the degree of, say, The Changeling, but things are slightly muted, at least in and around the prison. There are few colors that really “pop,” but when they do they stand out. The green mile, as you might expect, is one of the most vivid things in the film, always present and connected to everyone in the room. Even still, its color is not necessarily a sharp contrast to everything else. You mostly feel the colors rather than see them.

As the title of this post suggests, I throughly enjoyed The Green Mile. I think knowing that it was three hours long put me off from watching it for this long while, but at no time did I feel bored. I didn’t “feel” the length at all. Interestingly enough, at times it feels like a cast party among those in Saving Private Ryan and Forrest Gump because of Barry Pepper (the sniper in Ryan) and Gary Sinise (who makes an appearance). I suppose that’s less of a party and more of a “saw them at the grocery store” type of thing, but yeah. So that’s fun too. All in all, do yourself a favor and watch this film if you are like me and have been totally lame for twelve years.

Edit: Oh yeah, the book that this film was based on was written by Steven King. I don’t know how I forgot that one, but NOW YOU KNOW THIS EASY TRIVIA QUESTION.

Let’s look at a movie I recently watched for the first time. It seems like everyone else I know has already seen Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon, but it was new to me. Here, you’ll get the pristine reactions of my first viewing, fresh as the plastic film in one of Garret’s unboxing videos.

Normally, I wouldn’t write about this flick because it isn’t a kung fu movie. This is an exception, though, because it tries so hard to be a kung fu movie. It’s evident just from the opening sequence that the powers in charge of this movie (presumably Berry Gordy?) were big fans of the old Shaw Bros. classics. During the opening credits, we see our main character doing shirtless punches and kicks, a la Gordon Liu in The 36th Chamber and most of his other films. If you look closely, though, you’ll observe that occasionally our star glows with yellow video effects. If I stopped here, you would already have the flavor of this peculiar cinematic experience.

Some of our stars, in order of current Hollywood recognition, are:

• William H. Macy (Yes, that William H. Macy, though he only gets a cameo.)
• Julius Carry (I hope you remember him from The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.)
• Vanity (Prince was apparently her mentor. Anyway, she was in Action Jackson and an episode of Highlander.)
• Taimak (You might remember him from not a damn thing else. He’s our eponymous hero.)

Essentially, Taimak plays a kung fu enthusiast nicknamed Bruce Leroy. He seeks the final teaching that will make him a great kung fu master. He has hardworking parents and a streetwise, smart aleck younger brother. He gets teased because he’s a weirdo who dresses like this and who wears one of those conical, Chinese straw hats. He gets challenged by Sho’nuff the Shogun of Harlem, played by Carry. Sho’nuff is the real star, as far as I’m concerned. Anyone who can simultaneous sport an afro and a samurai topknot while looking that good has my respect.  (See above picture.)

In between silly fight sequences, there is a romance between Taimak and Vanity. I forget what her character’s name is. It really isn’t important. We also get to see a music video for DeBarge’s “Rhythm of the Night.” Most of the other music is themed to help tell the story in very explicit ways. For instance, when the singer starts talking about the “power of the glow,” people start glowing.

Still, there is one pretty good scene. In a surprising moment of what I think is pretty reasonable acting, Faith Prince tells off her crook boyfriend. It’s a big scene. They talk about her tits. You can’t miss it.

This flick is a really nice illustration of the way people used to get confused about martial arts. Bruce Leroy’s students practice “Chinese goju-ryu,” which is odd because goju-ryu isn’t Chinese. Sho’nuff uses a Japanese title and quasi-Japanese outfits, but claims to do kung fu. Doing martial arts enough seems to give people magic powers. Nowadays, martial arts in pop culture is all MMA and UFC stuff. Back before Helio Gracie and Dana White got big, though, people thought karate could make you dodge bullets and shoot lightning from your fingers. It was a simpler, stupider time.

Anyway, that’s a rant for a different blog. If you enjoy cultural experiences similar to Troll 2, Blank Man, or any of the Karate Kid sequels, you’ll happily laugh your way through this one.

Let’s talk about a wicked kung fu movie, shall we?  I’ve done a few reviews here that feature the legendary Wong Fei Hung, but it’s time for a slightly more recent bad ass to take the stage.  This post’s movie is Ip Man, a biopic about Yip Man (just an alternate Anglicization), the great 20th century Wing Chun master.  There is honor.  There is sadness.  It’s kung fu during World War II.  What more could you want?

The basic story is this: Ip Man is a martial artist and member of the idle rich in Canton Province who does not like fighting but ends up doing so repeatedly, especially after Japan invades the region in the late 1930s.  The story isn’t strictly true to life, but the general themes are right.  Yip Man really was a martial artist from Foshan who did not take a large number of students.  He was rich, but he also worked as a cop. (Oh, and if you watched the metacafe clip linked above, you should know that he really was Bruce Lee’s teacher.)

In the movie, a group comes to Foshan from the northern provinces and tries to establish itself as a kung fu school.  They do this by the old rules, which means their master starts kicking the crap out of every other sifu he can find.  His hope is to beat them all and quickly advertise his kung fu as the strongest in Canton.  Now, these northern boys are doing something that looks like Long Fist, which means their master kicks ass and looks great doing it.  There are flips, kicks, jumps, and all manner of flashiness happening in the streets of Foshan, and the local sifus are all losing face.  Eventually, the northern master asks if anyone in this town can fight at all.  The local sifus, distraught over losing students and teeth, beg Ip Man to stand up for them.  It is up to him to prove that the kung fu in Canton is just as strong as it was in the days of Wong Fei Hung.

The northern master comes to Ip Man’s home with a huge crowd.  In a gesture of respect toward his wife, Ip Man politely refuses.  She has asked him to stop sparring, and so he forebears.  However, the northern master is extremely rude.  He insults Ip Man and his kung fu.  He says that Wing Chun was started by a woman, which it was, and is only good for women and subservient men.  After that, his wife gives her blessing to the fight (“Go ahead, but don’t make a mess”).  Ip Man and the challenger fight right there, in the main hall of his family’s home.  Long Fist blows rain down and are parried left and right.  Ip Man fights defensively but stops the action whenever the challenger breaks a vase or other decoration in the house. The fight resumes only when the challenger shouts, “I’ll pay for it!”  Eventually, Ip Man’s son appears and says, “Mother says that if you don’t start attacking, this bumpkin will break everything in the house.”  He attacks, and soon the northern master pulls out a sword.  Ip Man is forced to defeat him with the handle of a feather duster.

This fight happens in about the first half hour of the story.  When the Japanese invade, we see the wealthy reduced to poverty.  Kung fu masters have no recourse but to work in coal mines.  Thousands of people die.  What I’m saying is that it’s very sad and poignant.

Then, Ip Man fights a Japanese Colonel who does Karate!

OK, so I’m being a little silly.  The long and short of it is this: this flick has great fights, a touching story, and what I think is some nice acting.  Donnie Yen plays the title role, and Sammo Hung choreographs.  How can you lose?  You also get to see some cool action on the wooden dummy.  If you like Wing Chun and haven’t seen this movie, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up.

No list of great kung fu movies is complete without The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. Seriously, right on the front of the DVD box, you can see a quote from the New York Times referring to it as, “the greatest kung fu flick of all time.” If you haven’t seen it yet, please just go rent it or something. Hell, call me, and I’ll lend you my copy. If it helps, the star of this movie also played Pai Mei and the leader of the Crazy 88s in the Kill Bill movies.

The story is simple and timeless. Frankly, it’s one we’ve all lived through. Invaders descend upon a small village. They kill everyone they find. One young man escapes. He joins the Shaolin monks for some intensive martial arts training. He brutally murders his enemies. (We’ve all been there, right?)

Actually, the story is much deeper than that. The main character, San Te, played by our lord and savior Gordon Liu, is participating in an uprising against the reigning Manchu government. This is the real reason they attack his village and kill all his friends; although, they don’t really need a reason in the movie. They’re Manchu. They’re evil. At least, they are in this story. Still, the real meat of the film isn’t the political subterfuge. The good bits come during his training, which takes up most of the film’s two-hour running time. San Te’s personal growth, from revenge-crazed would-be vigilante to altruistic and highly trained vigilante, is the driving force of the story.

As he progresses through the Shaolin monastery’s thirty-five chambers of conditioning, he develops specific skills, strengths, and reflexes. He learns to use various weapons. He does a lot of laundry and cooks a lot of soup. Along the way, he tests his skills against elder monks and repeatedly gets beaten to a pulp in front of his peers. Then, when he finally leaves the monastery and reenters the world, his gift to the people is not his ability to beat up the police and subvert the government. (Even though he does do this. His does this very well, thank you.) When he leaves the monastery, he begins teaching his kung fu to laymen, a practice frowned upon by the monks early on in the film. His students become stronger both physically and spiritually, and by the time he returns to the temple, the elder monks are receptive to his practice. They allow him to create the 36th chamber of Shaolin training, a chamber specifically for laymen who need kung fu but who cannot become monks.

Now, I know it seems like I’ve just told you the whole story, but that just isn’t the point of this one. Some movies are enjoyable for the story and the twists and the turns and the whodunit sort of excitement you get from an Agatha Christy novel. Then, some movies are great because you know how it’s going to end and watching the plot unfold in a beautiful way is fulfilling. The 36th Chamber is one of those movies. From the first moment, it’s obvious that he will have his revenge. Watching him get there is just so damned fun.