Charlie Bartlett

Typically when a movie is pushed back from August of 2007 to September of 2007 to November of 2007 to January of 2008 to February 2008 it is a very very bad sign. It means something is consistently wrong with the movie and the studio is not quite sure what to do with such a movie. However, at first that was not the case with this movie. It was originally moved because of the buzz created by Robert Downey Jr.'s performance so they wanted it closer to Oscar time, but the buzz died and the film died essentially. I always just assumed I would end up having to rent it, but was happy to see it opening in Davis over the weekend. Sadly, only 5 or 6 other people were as excited and the weekend totals proved that maybe it should have gone to DVD.

Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin) is the new age high school slacker. He is Ferris Bueller if Bueller had daddy issues and didn't have a sense of innocent fun. He has been kicked out of every private school due to all kinds of shenanigans and his alcoholic, loopy, I-want-to-be-friends-with-my-son, mother (Hope Davis)just plops him into a public school. Bartlett is not afraid of annoyed by going to public school because he is such a happy-go-lucky seeming kid. On day one he meets smug hottie Susan Gardner (Kat Dennings) and runs into the stereotypical drug peddling bully, Murphy Bivens (Singer Tyler Hilton)and Bartlett is left to wish what it would be like to be popular. Never fear because soon he knows exactly how to be popular: Give the kids drugs!! Well he sells the kids all kinds of pills that he gets by going to all different shrinks with different symptoms. He also sits and listens to the problems of his fellow students and offers help. This entire thing does not go unnoticed by principal Gardner (Downy Jr.). Gardner is an alcoholic and he has lost control of his school and he blames Barlett. What happens next is a tug-of-war between Bartlett and his principal and control of the school and the affection of Susan.

With the exception of an ending I found too disappointing I loved, loved, loved this movie. I was concerned off the bat because it was a little silly showing Bartlett under the influence of Ritalin because the rest of the movie did not feel so offer the top, but once the movie really got to meat of the story, I was totally won over by Yelchin and his incredibly charming off putting nature that embodied his Bartlett. There are of course a few great themes about popularity and the addiction that comes with it. Also, addiction in many forms, plays big here in Downey Jr. Downey Jr. brings every ounce of life experience as a former addict and he just nails every scene he is in. He is funny, charming, depressing, villainous, pained and in moments incredibly fatherly. He really helps elevates everyone in Charlie Bartlett. Yelchin really deserves a lot of credit though because he appears in about 90 percent of the scenes and he really carries the movie. We believe an entire school could get behind him.

Don't worry either, this is not a movie promoting drugs. In fact, one depressed student tries to commit suicide with the drugs he bought from Bartlett and when Principal Gardner says in one of the best moments in the film "It isn't about being popular, it is about what you do with that popularity." Therein lies the real theme of this movie. What do you do when you have a whole group of people following you? Do you continue to lead them astray and help cause more problems or do you use your power for good. In the immortal words of Ben Parker "With great Power comes great responsibility." But, I don't want to be downer because this is a comedy after all. And as a comedy it really packs a nice comic punch. The dialog is fresh and funny and it rarely, if ever, relies on any sort of bathroom humor. Of course, it does not have the kind hearted spirit of its obvious predecessor, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, but does any movie ever really capture that spirit? I do hope you will all give this a shot, at least on DVD. It deserves to be seen and enjoyed.

Final Grade: A-

Vantage Point

This is a movie that owes everything to the trailer. You know the trailer; the one that has been airing for about a year now as this movie toiled in release date hell. The trailer with all kinds of action and speedy action sequences. The trailer that made this movie appear to be one high octane action thriller. The trailer that probably showed too much because how much cooler would it have been if we didn't know it was a fake President who was killed. Anyway, I went to see this movie based on the strong trailer and the pretty strong cast, but I was not sure exactly how I would feel about it.

The story itself is very straight forward- The President of the United States is in Spain for an Anti-Terrorism convention thing and he is assassinated. That is the movie in a nutshell. The movie is essentially the same scene told 8 different times before revving up to an unbelievably convenient and highly coincidental climax. The first "Vantage Point" (known from now on as VP)takes place in a news van as a Global News Network covers the Presidential address. Sigourney Weaver is the head newswoman and we merely see what we would see if we were watching this event on television. The second VP is Dennis Quaid's Secret Service officer serving his first mission since taking a bullet for The President 6 months ago. We see him in the before the gun shots and briefly after. The third VP is The President; the Fourth is Forrest Whitaker who is a random American tourist and the final VP follows the 4 or 5 terrorists responsible for the assassination.

I probably make it sound like I did not enjoy this movie, but I did. I found it to be fast paced and action packed if incredibly ill conceived and ridiculously impossible. The plot holes are massively big and at times I found myself trying to re-write the script to it would make sense in my brain that I was actually enjoying the film. I enjoyed the gimmick of showing the same set of events 5 or 6 different ways as each VP gave us a little more insight to the bigger picture and I liked that most of the VPs ended in the same area so when the action picked up it was a non stop thrill ride until the end. Matthew Fox continues to prove that he is at his best on television because he is out of his league against the everyman Quaid and of course Forrest Whitaker is one of those actors who fully inhabits a role to the point where you almost forget you are watching Forrest Whitaker. But, I could not stop wondering how all of these talented actors ended up in a movie that was probably going to be a direct-to-video release without the stars.

Another item in the plus column is that the action really starts in the first five minutes with the President being killed, then we hear a bomb go off and a minute later we see another bomb go off and from there we get to see see and hear all of those things again and again. Watching the same bomb go off 5 times has never been so much fun! There is a nice car chase that ends in a fun collision and ends with Quaid's car being squished but leaves his suit in perfect condition! However, if anyone deserves to have a suit not get ruffled it is Dennis Quaid! Ultimately I felt the action and the thrills in the movie override the sheer stupidity of the plot holes and the silliness of the goofs. Also, the movie is almost derailed by the most absurd twist. The editor deserves some recognition so I am going to say that Stuart Baird is a wonderful film editor.

Final Grade: B-

Definitely, Maybe

This movie could be filed under the heading "Movies I would never think to see if I didn't get in them free." That is quite a heading I know, but it is true. Romantic comedies don't typically make for must see viewing for me, but when you have two hours to kill before work and the opportunity to see a free movie, you take it. I like Ryan Reynolds a lot; He is a funny actor who has taken to taking a wide variety of movie roles, but romantic lead was not one I thought I'd seem him do. Having seen a romantic comedy in December, I wasn't sure I really needed another one so soon, but I saw it anyway.

Will Hayes (Reynolds) works in advertising and is about to get a divorce. His daughter, Mia (Abagail Breslin) sees how unhappy he is and wants to know what happened so she asks her dad to tell her the true story of how he met her mother. She wants more than "We met, fell in love and had you." Hayes is reluctant but eventually agrees under the condition that he will tell her the story of the 3 women of his life and she will have to guess who is who. The story then shoots back to 1990 where Hayes is about to move to New York to work on the Bill Clinton campaign. Emily (Elizabeth Banks) is his college love and she is worried about what will happen to them. In New York Will meets two women, Summer Hartley (Rachel Weisz and April (Isla Fisher). April and Will become fast friends. There doesn't appear to be any romantic spark between them, but Summer is a different story. When things don't work out with Emily, Summer and Will start dating. The story moves through the Clinton presidency and Will now runs his own business running political campaigns, but Summer writes for a magazine looking for dirt on candidates so the conflict of interest gets in the way. Will realizes he loves April but April has moved on. Back in the present, Mia is starting to realize life and love are very complicated, but she just wants her dad to be happy.

There isn't anything too terribly original in the story , except trying to figure out all of the pieces, but at some point it seem obvious who is who in the story, but that didn't matter to me. I do not know if my love for Ryan Reynolds overshadowed any flaws, or if this movie caught me on a day when I was feeling a sense of romance, or maybe, just maybe, it is actually a good movie, but I was buying everything this movie was selling. Reynolds has an absolute command of the screen and his chemistry with all four females in this movie was outstanding. You could feel how much he cared about his daughter and how in love he was with each of the three women. He was probably the best with Rachel Weisz because Rachel is just so good and effortlessly moved through the movie as a career woman who essentially chewed and spit people out. Fisher and Reynolds probably have the most fun chemistry and their flirtatiousness was very adorable and actually quite funny. In fact, a lot of the things in this movie were very funny. All of the stuff in Will's work life was funny, especially his first few days as a Clinton staffer. Watching the Clinton scandals unfold as Will’s life spun further out of control was an interesting parallel to watch as it became an ongoing theme throughout.

Another thing I want to mention is how perfect the opening credits were as a seeming love letter to New York. Will puts on his iPod and Sly and the Family Stone's "Everyday People" comes blaring through his speakers and we see him walking to pick up his daughter and while he probably passes more New York monuments than are necessary, it is very effective in setting the stage as New York as a reactive character in the narrative. It also makes New York feel normal; it feels like any city U.S.A. It gives the story a very personal feel which makes us feel more invested in the story as a whole. I am not saying this movie is for anyone looking for some new wrinkle in the Rom-Com format, but I was laughing when it was funny and I was touched when I was supposed to be touched. I also longed for romance as Will longed for romance and I can not ask much more than that from a movie, can I?

The Spiderwick Chronicles

In the age of Harry Potter, most young adult books turned into movies involve young kids who have powers; unlike Potter, they don't usually transfer well because they aren't as strong as that little em wizard boy. When I first saw a trailer for Spiderwick, I was more reminded of The Neverending Story than I was of the Potter franchise. It made me a bit excited. I know absolutely nothing about the books and normally nickelodeon movies don't make me want to run out see a movie, but I was there on the opening weekend to watch this one.

Jared Grace (Freddy Highmore) is a young boy unhappy with the impending divorce of his parents. He has moved to a giant creepy house in the middle of nowhere with his twin brother Simon (also Highmore), his sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger) and their mother Helen (The simply gorgeous Mary Louise Parker). When things begin to go missing in this giant house, Jared is the assumed culprit because he tends to lash out when angry and he is angry a lot. During one of his outbursts he starts bashing at the wall with a broom because he thinks he hears something in the walls. He comes across a secret little dumbwaiter and goes up to the top of the house where he discovers a secret book with a warning not to open it. He opens it and all of a sudden all hell breaks loose. A little honey loving creature named Thimbletack (voiced by Martin Short) comes out and explains what is going on. Jared's Great Grand Uncle, Arthur (David Straithairn) discovered a magical world hidden within ours and compiled a book featuring all of the secrets of this world. Unfortunately a nasty Ogre wants his hands on so he can crush the entire world. The book must stay inside the protective circle, around the house, in order to remain out of the hands of the Ogre. Jared cannot seem to grasp this concept and he takes the book out, often and little trolls start to cause drama and pain.

Visually The Spiderwick Chronicles is quite stunning, especially the little flower creatures that we don't see nearly enough. The house, which is sort of a character in its own right, is a big gorgeous set piece. The trolls have a nice distinct look and their captain provides a few nice slapstick moments. I was a bit disappointed in the lack of the Ogre. He can take any form he wants but we only see 4 forms- a raven, a human in the form of Nick Nolte, a snake and his true Ogre self. Oh wait, we get five because he shows up once as Jared's Dad and Jared's dad looks an awful lot like Andrew McCarthy, yes that Andrew McCarthy! As twins, Jared and Simon, Freddy Highmore proves that he can be the real deal in young acting. He seems to be perpetually going through puberty though, unless that is just how his voice is going to sound. He does a good job of creating two very different characters- the wild obnoxious Jared and the borderline boring Simon. As Jared he really drives the action, giving a performance that suits this film perfectly. He acts opposite creatures that are not really there quite well, which is not always easy.

The movie is almost too short, though. The climax felt rushed because they were worried kids would get restless and so things feel unfinished. I am not sure if this is the first book in a series, or if it includes the entire series, but things felt left undone. I also kind of wish we could have spent more time getting to know the various creatures of this world. We are only introduced to maybe 7 or 8, but the book has hundreds of pages. Seth Rogen provides some great laughs as a pig like creature that eats birds and has a deep desire for killing, if he wasn't so afraid of everything. I certainly prefer this movie to The Seeker, The Golden Compass and other Harry Potter light types of movies. Hell, I preferred this to Harry Potter 5. And while it is not perfect, it is a visually interesting, and it is fast moving enough that any short comings can easily be forgiven.


Final Grade: B-

Jumper

Well all know I love Superhero comics and that I love Superhero comic adaptations, well for the most part. And while I knew the day would come when Superhero stories would originate in T.V (Heroes) and movies, I wasn’t sure how I would react to them. Heroes is fine when it is good and absolutely bland when it is having a bad week. Then I saw a trailer for a movie called Jumper. I found out it was based on a novel which I have not read, but it took the idea of Nightcrawler’s teleportation and created its own little mythology. The trailer looks fun and the director, Doug Liman, is always good for some cool action- see The Bourne Identity and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Plus, February is always a nice time for some fun action coming off the heavy Oscar season and the typically terrible January releases.

David Rice (Hayden Christensen) appears to have the perfect life. He is a rich man living in New York who has the ability to be anywhere in a split second due to his special teleporting abilities. Utilizing a voice over and a flashback we see the day he first realized this gift and we see how a 15 year old boy would use these powers; he robs banks. Of course, he doesn’t stop robbing banks at 15 and it seems like he has robbed banks all over the world as he opens a room with currency from all over the globe. Rice looks cool, dresses cool and is smooth enough to get whatever he wants. He also has a nasty group of people on his ass wanting to kill him because of his gifts. These people, led by a white haired Roland (Samuel L. Jackson), have these nifty little weapons that shoot massive volts of electricity that ground the Jumpers so they can kill them. They want nothing more than to rid the world of the jumpers. After all, “Only God should be able to everywhere at one time.” Yes, they are religious fanatics who were behind the Salem witch trials and many other events throughout history, according to fellow Jumper and resident exposition spewing crazy man, Griffin (Jamie Bell). Griffin has been tracking these religious fanatics and kills as many as he can. Together, Rice and Griffin try to save the cute as a button Millie (Rachel Bilson).

Clocking in at a brisk 90 minutes, Jumper does not bother with really creating a deep nice mythology, but it does manage to entertain and excite for a majority of the time. We don’t learn much about the Jumpers except it seems to start when they turn 5 years old and we know even less about the religious fanatic group. In fact, I cannot even remember the name they were given (The Patrons, I think), but I do remember the slick, fast paced action sequences that presumably take place all over the globe in the span of 3 minutes. The fight between Rice and Griffin is an awesome experiment in special effects. There are some odd little logical issues with the movie but about 25 minutes in I totally forgot them because it was such a fun ride. Christensen and Bilson make a very attractive couple and their time together is fairly scorching for a pg-13 movie. Honestly though, this movie belongs to the effects of the quick disappearances and reappearances of the Jumpers. A lot of it is flawlessly done and I actually like the harshness of the first few jumps. I like that it seems like something Rice has to adjust to, like Wolverine’s Adamantium claws, it hurts the first few times. I like how disorienting the camera looks after Bilson gets jumped the first time.

In terms of a Superhero movie, this is fairly small scale because it is a personal story about a guy coping with his gifts and not using them for grand ideals like saving cities or worlds. I enjoyed the personal aspect of it, but was still left curious as to the background of the of the Jumper community. I am sure there will be a sequel if this turns out to be the money maker it is expected to be and it could turn into a nice little franchise and maybe then I will get the answers to the questions that lingered beneath the surface of this ultimately fun, fast and highly entertaining action movie.

Final Grade: B

My top ten Romantic Comedies

I think the hardest thing about a list like this is defining what exactly a romantic comedy is, because most movies, including comedies are driven by a sense of love. Therefore most comedic movies have a sense of romantic comedy in them. Wedding Crashers is driven by the potential love of Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams but is it really a romantic comedy? I wouldn't say it is. Also, so many of the teen comedies starring Freddie Prinze Jr. have elements of romantic comedy, but is She's all that a romantic comedy? Again, I don't think. So I have accumulated a list of movies I truly believe to be romantic comedies at their core.

10. 10 things I hate about you- I think this list needs to include the idea of teenage love and this is my favorite of the teen comedies. The plot is familiar- a guy is paid to date a girl' she finds out gets mad, but they end up happy. Heath Ledger made his American debut here and scored high marks for a pretty earnest portrayal of guy falling in love and Julia Stiles is her usual solid self in this re-envisioning of The Taming of the Shrew. The sappy poem Stiles reads at the end is a bit cringe worthy, but she sells it well enough so we feel that maybe true teenage love is possible. Plus, who doesn't want to watch Heath Ledger butchering "can't take my eyes off of you" while dodging security guards?

9. Say Anything- John Cusak was an emo hero long before emo was cool. He was a charming slacker long before the grunge of the nineties made it cool to be so. And no movie better encapsulates those ideals quite like this movie. This is a movie for any guy who goes for the girl everyone tells him he cannot have. This is a movie for any guy willing to make that insane grand gesture of love (Stand holding a boombox outside of a window). Cameron Crowe's rapid fire dialog seems perfect for Cusak to be speaking and there is never a time when we are not rooting for success from our slacker hero.

8. The 40 yr. Old Virgin- I was hesitant to put this on the list because I am not sure it really can be called a romantic comedy, but in the end, because the Steve Carrell character really wants no one but the Catherine Keener, I decided to include it. It is the crudest movie of the bunch but there is a sense of realism to the complications of love and sex and that deserves merit. The comedy is fast and furious and at times a little more disgusting than I needed, but Carrell makes such an unlikely romantic hero it was fun to watch and root for him to overcome the stupid advice of his friends and his own insecurities.

7. While you were Sleeping- You cannot make a list like this without including at least one Sandra Bullock movie and this is my favorite. The entire movie is based on a lie which sets up all kinds of awkwardly funny moments and Bill Pullman proves to be a pretty good romantic lead. Granted I have not seen this movie since it was in theaters, but I remember being drawn into Bullock's 1990's persona of the kind of cute, a bit dorky and ultimately charming girl next door.

6. the Holiday- I am not sure if this movie is truly a romantic comedy because it is probably a lot more dramatic than anything else on this list, but it is also too funny to be a high romantic drama like the Notebook. Kate Winlsett is my favorite actress and the romance that blossoms between her and Jack Black is fun and feels natural. It actually felt like it would be the way I would fall in love. The side story of Cameron Diaz and Jude Law is more slap-stickish, but it has some real laughs as well. I really enjoyed every aspect of this movie and it proved to me that Jack Black doesn't always have to be annoying.

5. The Wedding Singer- This is probably the most quotable movie of the bunch and like The 40 yr old Virgin, an unlikely romantic comedy. Sandler and Barrymore have a very nice cutesy chemistry and the 80's references are all kinds of funny and random. The soundtrack is a classic and it is a movie that really believes in the ideals of love and marriage, even if it takes a while for the leads to realize it. The song at the end of the movie is perfectly romantic but corny enough to not be taken overly serious, just what we would want from a romantic comedy from Adam Sandler.

4. Hitch- I know a lot of people who hate this movie, but I absolutely love it. I love the lines like "Always remember, life is not how many breaths you take, it's how many moments take your breath away" and the idea of a Date Doctor kind of makes me giggle. Of course, it is not far from possible because of how desperate people are to fall in love in this day and age. Will Smith is perfectly charming and Eva Mendes appears up the challenge and I can relate because of how Hitch gets very clumsy around the girl he likes. There are all kinds of other great hyperbolic statements of love that make a romantic comedy great featured int his movie but none of them beat the climatic declaration of love from Will to Eva. It is romantic comedy gold.

3. Sleepless in Seattle- Really how could I do this list without a Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie, and they do not get better than this one. It is funny, a bit sad, but it always believes in the power of love. It is amazing to think of how good the chemistry is between the two leads considering they are almost never on screen together. There are a ton of great references to other movies and Hanks is doing what he does best- playing the everyman. We all know him and we all have this person in our life. Ryan- in pre-cosmetic surgery form- is classically adorable and seems a perfect fit to join the family of Hanks and son. This is a classic romantic comedy in every sense of the word. It is safe sure, but when you want to watch people fall in love, safe is okay.

2. My Best Friend's Wedding- This is an unconventional romantic comedy because e aren't always rooting for the female lead. Julia Roberts' character is actually kind of nasty and the Cameron Diaz character is so perfect, we are never quite sure what is going on. This movie also ushered in a new staple of romantic comedies- The Gay best friend- and Rupert Evert is so perfect he practically steals the movie. I liked that this was sort of a mini musicals before making musicals became cool again. I cannot say enough good things about this movie because I really enjoyed it and still do whenever it is on t.v.

1. When Harry Met Sally- I know this is not a shocking number 1 by any stretch of the imagination but this is the ultimate romantic comedy. It is often times hilarious, often times sweet and always interesting. It takes the age old question of whether men and women can be friends and toys with us for nearly 2 hrs. We all think we know for sure what will happen in the end, but everyone involved does a great job of making us think maybe it won't happen and when it does, the confession of love monologue is by far the best written in the genre. It was "you complete me" before "you complete me" ever thought of existing. Billy Crystal gives the best performance of his acting career and Meg Ryan is the perfect foil for his random hilarity. This movie takes its time to allow us to really get to know the two characters and so when the romance finally happens we are overwhelmingly happy!

So there you have it, my list of the top 10 romantic comedies. Feel free to add any of your own as I am not well versed in this genre and could be missing some good ones. Also, I didn't include any older ones because I can't say I have seen too many, if any.

Oh and I want to give a special mention to the movie least deserving of the title of romantic comedy:

The Break up- This is not a romantic comedy in any way shape or form. It is a mean cruel intentioned movie and I love it for that fact, but I have never seen a romantic comedy so ill intentioned. It is not romantic and it is barely a comedy. It is just a mean bitter movie about breaking up. It is mean and bitter the way real break ups are mean and bitter.

A review of The Varsity Theater

A few months ago someone asked me if I had ever considered doing reviews of actual movie theaters, seeing as how I spend so much time inside of them and that I have been to all of the ones in our area. I was not sure how exactly to do it, but I liked the idea. Of course, I would have to eliminate the Woodland theaters because I have a bias, but that still leaves about 10 theaters in the area I could review. This is going to be my first attempt at such a review. I may tweak this type of review in the future but for now I think I will break things down into categories and give each category a separate grade and then do an overall grade at the end. If people reading this find it to be too confusing or lame, please tell me so I can stop and not look lame, thanks!

The Varsity Theater, located in downtown Davis, has only been a movie theater for two years now. Well it was a movie theater when I first moved tot eh area in 1990, but then it became an all purpose theater. Now it is back in its rightful place as a movie theater.

Appearance: The exterior is as ugly and dirty as ever, with a confusing marquee and you purchase tickets outside, which causes issues if there is a line longer than four people because it leaves it up to the person number 5 which way the line will bend so as not to go into the street. Yet, when you go inside the place actually looks nice. The snack bar is small and simple, but again, if it is busy it can be crowded. The restrooms have been renovated and look much nicer than before, but the real beauty of this place happens once you get inside the auditorium. The auditorium is gorgeously spacious with seats big enough for people of any size and plenty of leg room as well. The stadium seating also looks nice and makes it easy to see everything.

Appearance grade: B

Taste: When I refer to taste I want to make clear that this encompasses food taste as well as movie choices. It is a one screen theater, so they do not offer options really. However, as an independent theater in a town dominated by the Regal Machine, The Varsity gets the smaller, independent films. Oscar films, foreign films and documentaries dominate the year, but in the summer when options are limited they sometimes hold onto a film for far too long which limits how often I attend this theater. The popcorn is pretty good, but I recommend asking for light butter because they really soak their popcorn and it can ruin the taste. They don’t offer nachos or hot dogs or any meal type food, but they have a little coffee window which is very nice for most patrons. I honestly don’t usually buy anything here. Also, in a town like Davis one would think they would have fun midnight movies on Thursdays or Fridays but no such luck because the guy running it isn’t really a movie guy.

Taste grade: B

Affordability/convenience: During the week hey only run 1 afternoon show and 1 evening show, and if the movie is long they only play 3 on the weekend, which makes little sense in a college town and it cuts down on the times you can attend. Plus, you are limited to on the street parking in downtown (read busy) Davis or the shared Parking garage with another theater. It can make you late if you do not plan on having to search a bit for parking which makes the whole thing a bit inconvenient. The prices are expensive to keep up with the growing minimum wages but they stay about a dollar cheaper than the other theaters in the area, so it feels like a deal. Also, Tuesdays are $7.00 all day, which turns out to be a nice little discount. The concession prices are too high for what you get, but that is the norm these days and at least it doesn’t taste bad!

Affordability/convenience grade: B-

The Final review: I love this theater, I really do. It has a throw back 1950’s look on the interior and I like that they get good movies. However, the employees are often rude and none of them are terribly knowledgeable about the current or future movies, which always bugs me. I think it could ultimately be run more efficiently, especially given its location, but I will wait a week to see a movie if I know it will be at the Varsity next week.

Overall Grade: B

Hopefully this becomes something I do semi-regularly and if the label thing works you can click the label and be taken to other movie theater reviews, in the future

Persepolis

My experience with animated foreign films is essentially relegated to two films- The Triplets of Bellville and Spirited away. I hated the former and loved the latter. I am not familiar with the graphic novel on which Persepolis is based, so I was not quite sure what I was getting myself into with this movie. Plus, the second trailer in which the lead girl sings "Eye of the Tiger" was awkward and made the movie look cheap, but the reviews were all pretty stellar. I went back and forth on whether or not to even see it. However, I had not seen a movie in the theater in over two weeks and I was itching for that theater going experience, and while I know that isn't the most ringing endorsement for seeing a movie, it did get me to see it, right?

Persepolis spans a little over a decade worth of time in the life of a French speaking Iranian girl from the late seventies to the late eighties. The Movie is often narrated by various members of the cast, a la, The Laramie Project. The girl, Marjane Satrapi, believes she is going to be a prophet because God speaks to her at night before and during sleep. She has communist parents but this is during the Islamic revolution and when the deeply conservative faction wins out, their city and their lives are changed forever. The women become mere servants in most aspects and Marjane's parents ship her off to England because she is unable to keep her forward thinking mouth shut and her parents feel she will be raped and killed. In England things do not go well for Marjane and she starts to lose her way, forgetting her heritage in favor of fitting in. As she blossoms into a young woman, she falls in and out of love and the trauma of one such love leave her homeless and depressed. She comes home to the more peaceful, yet backward thinking homeland of her youth, but before too long, her family believes she is meant for better things.

Animated in very distinct style, like it was just taken from a Graphic Novel, Persepolis is a truly moving picture that transcends a specific culture. The animation is often gorgeous, although fairly straight forward and simple looking. I think that is part of what makes the whole thing so moving. We feel as if we are witnessing this entire story through the eyes of a girl who starts as a precocious 9 year old and transforms, before our eyes, into a young woman trying to find her way in a world that no longer makes sense to her. She is living with the fact that her family members have been killed because they were political prisoners refusing to go back on what they belief. It is a mostly autobiographical story (I believe) and the style of animation helps with the intimacy. Yet, the simple animation does not keep the movie from being incredibly visually appealing. The director sets up shots beautifully and the panning camera action really adds to the intensity of the darker moments throughout the movie. Persepolis also manages to nicely weave between the absurdly silly (Marjane going through puberty) and the very dark war moments. The laughs never come at the expense of the story telling and all of the jokes add something to underlying themes.

The themes within the movie are plentiful, but Marjane's Grandmother seems to be at the heart of the movie with themes of integrity, humility, forgiveness and love. These are not themes exclusive to any part of the world and are things from which we can all benefit. The Grandmother character is the soul or heart of everything that happens. She provides insight to the craziness of war, she brings a soft sense of humor when things are very bad, but mostly she is not afraid to be honest, when she sees something she doesn't like. When Marjane is recounting a time when she told soldiers a man was hitting on her in order for her to not be arrested for wearing make up and the innocent man gets arrested instead, Grandma lets Marjane know that selfishness has no place in the world and that people are being arrested every day for crimes they did not commit and it is up to people like Marjane to fight for those people. It is one of the strongest moments in the film and really helps personalize the film for anyone watching.

What few complaints I have are that Communism was shown in an only positive light, but it can be forgiven because of how bad the alternative felt. Also, at times the editing seems a bit choppy as scenes sometimes end before they feel finished. That being said, I recommend this movie for anyone who is interested in an alternative to the bad horror movies that dominate the beginning of the year. It is a touching, funny, thoughtful and interesting movie that deserves an audience.

Final Grade: A-

The Boondock Saints (Cult Classic review)

A good definition of a "Cult Classic" is nearly impossible to find. Not everyone agrees on what makes a cult classic. A cult classic can be a great film that was lost on the mainstream or it can be a terrible film that has some redeeming or fun qualities. The one thing that makes a cult classic though is that it is loved by a relatively small, yet rabid, group of people. Movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show or True Romance epitomize the idea of a cult classic. The 1990's brought us two directors who have essentially made a living on cult classics- Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino. Where we see Smith's influence in the movies of Judd Apatow, Tarantino influenced an entire generation of filmmakers. Pulp Fiction is arguably the most influential movie to be released since the mid-nineties (You could argue for The Matrix) and every year there are movies that borrow from elements of Pulp Fiction. In 1999 a movie was released by a writer/director named Troy Duffy and that movie was The Boondock Saints. One of the Weinsteins called Duffy "The next Quentin Tarantino" and an ego was born. The ego blackballed Duffy in Hollywood and we are left with only this movie. The Boondock Saints lives on as a cult classic, probably somewhat due to the director sabotaging his own career, but does it really deserve the title? Did he deserve the title?

Set in Boston, The Boondock Saints follows to brothers, Connor (Sean Patrick Flannery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus) who unexpectedly gain fame when they kill two men in self defense. The two dead men were Russian mobsters and drug dealers who had taken over the Boston streets, much to the chagrin of the citizens of that area. After turning themselves in to the police and an F.B.I agent by the name of Paul Smecker(Willem Dafoe), the brothers are released but praised as saints in the community. With the guns and money from the two dead guys, the brothers bank roll it for more guns, ropes, and assorted weapons and decide it is their calling from God to murder bad guys. F.B.I genius Smecker stays in Boston to solve the cases of all these bad guys being murdered. Of course, it never occurs to him that these brothers can do it because after all, the two brothers don't appear to know how to be skilled assassins. Oh snap, except they somehow are very effective at killing and not getting killed!! Never fear though, I mean they are killing bad guys, so when the F.B.I guy finds out it is them, he thinks they are doing good and decides to help them and his best way to accomplish that is to dress up like a female hooker!! Ending with one of the more ridiculous climaxes I have seen in a movie, The Boondock Saints somehow goes down in cinematic history.

If you refer back to the beginning of this review where I called Pulp Fiction the most influential movie to be released since the nineties, allow me to explain why that is. Movies like The Boondock Saints would not exist if Tarantino had no paved the way. Duffy is so blatantly ripping off Tarantino, Tarantino deserved a writing and directing credit for this movie. We see the crimes in a series of broken down flashbacks in a lame attempt to bend time the way Pulp Fiction did so well. The script is a very low grade, rip off of screenplays like Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and The Usual Suspects. However, Duffy does show some promise in regards to his directorial eye and his way with the camera, especially in the scene that takes place in 3 catholic confessional booths. I enjoyed those overhead shots a lot, but for the most part it really does play like a direct-to-video take on those great crime dramas my generation loves so very much. And maybe that is the problem: Duffy was trying so hard to make a cool movie that it looks like a movie that is trying too hard to be cool. People light up cigarettes at the same time, the slow motion gun battles come off looking cheesy, the dialog trite and even the music is nauseatingly corny. Cool movies just exist; they are supposed to happen by accident almost. The minute you set out to make a cool movie, you have already lost the battle.

The two leads speak in broken now-you-hear-them-now-you-don't Irish accents, but nowhere in the movie did I catch that they were actually from Ireland, just the Irish heavy Boston and last I check not all Irish Catholics from Boston speak in Irish accents. That is just one of the many lame things featured inside Saints. Defoe's gay F.B.I agent often takes to the streets to conduct a full on orchestra as he sweeps crime scenes or relives one of the crimes committed by the boys. I am not sure if this was an attempt at humor or an attempt to be hip and edgy, but either way it falls flat as I was starting to reach for the remote to speed through all of that garbage. Maybe this movie falls into the category of so-bad-its-good, but the rabid cult like fans don't seem to think so. These people really believe it is a great original cinematic work, but when Stephen Dorff even passed on starring in your movie, how good can it really be?