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October '08
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August '08
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Sponsors
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Movies
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Forget Sarah
By Aaron 4/22/2008
Peter Bretter (Jason Segal) is a lazy music composer whose only work is on his girlfriend Sarah Marshall’s (Kristen  Bell) crime-drama TV show. Peter’s whole life revolves around his music, and Sarah – but mostly Sarah. So his life goes into crisis mode when Sarah unexpectedly dumps him and tells him there’s someone else. Completely devastated and unable to function, Peter decided to go on vacation to escape all the things that remind him of Sarah – only to run into her and her new boyfriend at the same Hawaiian resort. The only thing keeping Peter from ending himself is the cute girl, Rachel (Mila Kunis), from the front desk who saves him from some embarrassing Sarah situations. As much as Apatow productions are supposed to be “original” and “push the envelope” you can guess most of the rest of the typical rom-com fare: having to choose which girl he wants to end up with, the usual screw up with the one he wants and the protracted win-her-back effort and of course the happy ending.
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 The Cast Next Door
By Aaron 1/28/2008
Bob wrote an interesting article last week about young actors, and two of the five were in one of my favorite teen comedies, The Girl Next Door. It got me thinking, how good was that cast? Dano and Hirsch have already had large roles in Oscar caliber fare, but what about “the others?”
Continue reading here.
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Cloverfield Lives up to Expectations
By Peter* 1/19/2008
 In a film that is hauntingly reminiscent of 9/11, Cloverfield pulls the audience into the story and delivers an experience like nothing they have experienced before. From its unique perspective to its hand held camera filming style, this film feels more like an amusement park thrill ride. I was one of those viral groupies for this film since I saw the first trailer before Transformers. Ever since then, I have been scouring the internet for secret and fake websites set up for the film to provide insight into the plot and monster as well as build hype. Let me just preface this review by saying that the film most definitely lives up to all its hype and though the viral marketing provided a little more back story as well as a more rewarding viewing experience, it was not necessary in order to enjoy this movie.
Continue the Review Here
There Will Be Excellence
By Bob 1/8/2008
Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood was simply put, one of the most amazing works I have seen this year, or any year for that matter. It was unquestionably a classic, and might go down as one of the greatest films of all time thanks to the performance of its lead actor: Daniel Day-Lewis.
Day-Lewis was hauntingly thorough, and his speech impeccable. Not only did he deliver his lines with incredible gravitas, but he was able to carry an already excellent film to an entirely new level. I would say that this performance might possibly be the best I have ever seen, and it is certainly the most outstanding performance of the past decade.
Continue the Review Here
Okay Debaters
By Aaron 12/26/2007
The Great Debaters is based on the true story of Wiley College Texas’ 1935 National Championship debate team. Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington, who also directs) picks an unusual team of Henry Lowe (Nate Parker), Samantha Brooke (Jurnee Smollett), James Farmer Jr. (Denzel Whitaker, not Forest’s son), and Hamilton Burgess (Jermaine Williams). Tolson whips the team into shape and leads them through an undefeated tear of all the major African American Colleges of the 30’s. The last remaining challenge, and Tolson’s goal, is the white colleges and universities. Will they succeed at the Oklahoma State University? Will that punch their ticket to Cambridge to challenge Harvard? Perhaps I gave the movie away, but come on, most of the papers already told you that much. And Oprah produced the movie, so you can better believe you’re going to get a happy ending.
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Depp and Burton: Bloody Brilliant
By Aaron 12/26/2007
 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Tim Burton’s latest movie, follows Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) a.k.a Benjamin Barker, as he sets out to take revenge on those who wronged him. Think, a musical Count of Monte Cristo except with a razor instead of a sword. Todd returns to London after being sent away by the jealous Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) who coveted Barker’s beautiful young wife and has now taken Todd’s daughter, Johanna (Jayne Wisener), as his ward/prisoner. Todd opens a barbershop above Mrs. Lovett's (Helena Bonham Carter) Meat Pie Shop, on Fleet Street, where Todd lived with his family. With the help of Mrs. Lovett, Todd tries to kill all those who have ever done him wrong. Continue the Article Here
Something to Atone For
By Aaron 12/20/2007
It is hard to explain the plot of Atonement without giving away what makes the movie great. If you have seen the preview, it is easy to describe the premise of the movie without giving it away. On the eve of World War II, an upper class family plans a dinner for their son’s guest and invites a friend of the family, their maid’s son (James McAvoy) to the dinner. He is in love with their daughter (Keira Knightley), who also loves him. But when they get carried away and Keira’s sister (Saoirse Ronan) walks in on them, misinterpreting what her innocent eyes had never seen, she accuses McAvoy of raping her sister and another girl, and McAvoy is promptly taken away and locked up. When World War II breaks out the prisoners are given the opportunity to fight for their freedom. Will he live to get back to her? Will he ever escape the weight that hangs over him from that one night?
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Bob’s October Movie Preview
By Bob 10/2/2008
Now that we have gotten through the sludge of September movies, it’s time for some Oscar contenders, and movies that think they’re good but not. Halloween is also this month so there is bound to be a lot of random horror movies going on and of course a Saw film to soak in. Whatever happens though, I’m gonna guess that at least one of the following gets some nods come Oscar time. With that, my October Movie Preview:
Cops, Robbers, and Blah
10) Pride and Glory: October 24th
From the director of Miracle comes one of the most clichéd trailers of ALL TIME. Edward Norton as A COP. Colin Farrell as HIMSELF. What more could we want from a movie? I don’t know, and I will likely never find out because this is not one flick I will be seeing.
9) Max Payne: October 17th
As I feverishly go through my mind trying to think of a video game adaptation that has actually been a good movie, I’m also reminded of all of the bad movies Marky Mark has made over the past ever (excluding The Departed and Boogie Nights of course). I would be shocked if there is anybody who is actually excited for this, as anybody who actually played the game has probably outgrown the genre.
8) Body of Lies: October 10th
Leonardo Dicaprio. Russell Crowe. Ridley Scott. Something about spies. The trailers really tell us nothing about this film except, “How am I supposed to run an operation when you’re running a side operation.” I don’t really know what that means, but Leo says it in the trailer. This film looks like another lame attempt by Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe to win Oscars. I’m not buying it.
7) Flash of Genius: October 3rd
Greg Kinnear stars as an man who invents the intermittent windshield wiper, and then has it stolen from him buy the major auto manufacturers. This just looks like a boring film that will get a lukewarm response. For some reason, however, it has been getting a huge level of marketing with television and even radio advertisements. I doubt people will buy it.
6) RocknRolla: October 10th
Guy Ritchie is back in the genre he knows best, and this appears to be an English gangster film much in the mold of Lock Stock and Snatch. We’ll see if he still has his stuff, but for now, I’ll just pop in my DVDs of the older films that I can trust, and look to be almost identical in plot to this one.
Movies that Intrigue Me
5) Changeling: October 24th
Angelina Jolie stars in this Clint Eastwood film about a woman whose son goes missing and is returned with something different. Any film that Eastwood directs (that’s not Flags of our Fathers of course) is worth checking out, and this looks to be no different. It got solid reviews with it premiered at Cannes, and Angelina Jolie is ready for a solid role.
4) W.: October 17th
A film that is certain to be the years most controversial, Oliver Stone directs this biopic about our current president. While I am sure Stone will exaggerate many of the details, there is no denying that he has put together an awesome cast including Josh Broling (as Bush), Elizibeth Banks (as First Lady Laura), James Cromwell (as his father H. W.), Richard Dreyfuss (as Cheney), Thadie Newton (as Condoleezza Rice) and others as the rest of his cabinet. Whatever happens in this film, it will certainly be interesting.
3) Synecdoche, New York: October 24th
A film that I have been awaiting since last year, this is Charlie Kauffman’s directorial debut. I have loved the films he has written (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and Adaptation. ) and this should prove to be equally compelling. It stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a playwright who attempts to put on a production in a warehouse that includes a scale model of New York. It will probably boggle our minds, but that is Kauffman, isn’t it?
2) Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist: October 3rd
Michael Cera and Kat Dennings star as the eponymous Nick and Norah who meet each other one night in New York and have adventures. Something about the trailer really brought this movie to my attention, probably the indie style that I love. Cera is always great, and Dennings was really cool in Charlie Bartlett, so I might make my way to a cinema this week to check it out.
1) Zach and Miri Make a Porno: October 31st
Seth Rogen and Elizibeth Banks star as two best friends who decide to make a porno together. This is Kevin Smith’s first film since Clerks 2, and I can only hope that it matches that film in hilarity. The only thing I don’t understand, is why are they releasing this film on Halloween? I guess there is probably a Saw film being released anyways.
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