Thursday, February 23, 2012

A movie that disappointed you

9 (2009)

9

“Disappointment” is a good word for this movie. It sounds kinda harsh but it’s true, I was sorely disappointed. The trailer was excellent. Energizing, intriguing, it made me want to see the movie. I’d also seen the short film the movie was inspired by, so I thought it would be clever too.

Unfortunately it wasn’t. This movie is one missed opportunity after another. Such a rich and intriguing world and I never felt like it was exploited. The story was dry and predictable and the dialogue equally as much. What got me visually was that the textures didn’t hold up on closeups. When they did an over the shoulder shot, the weaving on their body looked like a low-res image, which I bet it was.

If only they’d spent more time figuring out what they wanted to say. The movie would have been great if it had a point.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Great performance in a film

Al Pacino as Sonny Wortzik in Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Al Pacino

This is the movie that made me fall madly in love with Al Pacino. I seriously can’t get enough of this guy. He’s energetic, he’s confrontational, he a smooth-operator, he’s a bad guy. Al Pacino is everything bad for you that’s oh so good.

The character Sonny is a bit neurotic but intelligent. I spent the whole movie flip-flopping if I liked him or not (rather, if I should be rooting for him or not.) Regardless if you want him to win or not, he’s the star of this show and I guarantee you’ll have a blast as you slowly uncover his motives.

Friday, February 10, 2012

I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)

I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)
Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Writers: John Requa, Glenn Ficarra
Stars: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor and Leslie Mann
Rated: R
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance

Steven Russell is happily married to Debbie, and a member of the local police force when a car accident provokes a dramatic reassessment of his life. Steven becomes open about his homosexuality and decides to live life to the fullest - even if it means breaking the law. Steven's new, extravagant lifestyle involves cons and fraud and, eventually, a stay in the State Penitentiary where he meets sensitive, soft-spoken Phillip Morris. His devotion to freeing Phillip from jail and building the perfect life together prompts Steven to attempt and often succeed at one impossible con after another.

My Rating: 2 of 5 "It was okay"

This movie suffers from Jim Carrey. Sorry, I'm not a Jim Carrey fan, and I'm pretty much certain that this film would have been twenty times better without him (though that's my opinion on all Jim Carrey films.) I thought the movie was interesting to a point, but I probably wouldn't have bothered with it if I wasn't watching it with friends.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Cherry (2010)

Cherry (2010)
Director: Jeffrey Fine
Writer: Jeffrey Fine
Stars: Kyle Gallner, Laura Allen, Britt Robertson
Genre: Comedy/Drama

An Ivy League freshman gets an unexpected education when he falls for an older woman and her 14 year-old daughter develops a crush on him.

My Rating: 4/5 "Really Liked It"

What I loved most about this movie was the characters. Not only are the main characters entertaining and interesting, but all of the surrounding characters have depth as well. This movie is a really good "dramedy" because the situations are so absurd that you have to either laugh or cry, and it's got just the right amount of humor to make you laugh instead. It's well worth a watch.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

AAAAAAAH OLD STUFF

Wow, this is kinda adorable. Brought to you by Past Jill, straight out of 2006, I have the honor of presenting to you the first layout for American Sake apartments:


Check that out, I even wrote down where the characters sleep at night. Please note that half of them bum on each other's living room couches, haha. Man, everything is so out of proportion. Look at the tubs that are the same size as the sinks hahahaha. Oh well, I guess everyone starts somewhere~

Friday, February 3, 2012