August Rush

August Rush was simply amazing. At the end of the film I was sad that it was over; I wanted to follow "August" throughout the course of his life. To me that is the mark of a good film - when you can invest so much into the main character. "August Rush" is a movie about a young boy who was orphaned at birth because his grandfather thought that his existence would ruin the life and career of his daughter. The young boy grows up and is soon discovered to be a musical prodigy, but not after a lot of hardships and heartache. The end of the film was lovely, but I would have liked a little bit more. Over all I'd say the movie was great. It was weird seeing Robin Williams play an unlikable character, I usually associate him with laughter and happiness.

This is a good movie to go and see with your whole family. I wouldn't recommend it to those who are overly weepy, I nearly cried three or four times. Some people don't like to feel sad at movies, even when the end is uplifting. If you are one of those people, you don't really want to catch this movie

Spoiler for "Enchanted"

I forgot to mention this in my last post....What is it with James Marsden? He NEVER gets the girl - ever. As a matter of fact he's always loosing his girl to another man. In "X-Men" Jean Grey wolfed it out, in The Notebook" Rachel McAdams totally chose Ryan Gosling over him, in "Superman Returns" His girlfriend is in love with Superman, and even in his latest flick "Enchanted", he is a handsome prince, yet his princess Falls in love with Joe blow the divorce attorney. I just don't get it, he's such a handsome guy, yet he never ever gets the girl. That's an odd sort of type casting, don't you think?

Disney Magic!

"Right up our cheesy alley," is what my mom said as the credits were rolling for "Enchanted." The very beginning of the film is all animated, when suddenly the main character "Giselle" was thrust into the real world. The animated portion of the film seemed a lot like Disney was poking fun at itself; it felt very much like a parody of all of the classic Disney fairytale princess films. It seems to me like Disney is very much trying to break out of the demure princess stories. The newer Disney films always feature empowered female characters. In "Cinderella III: A Twist in Time" Cinderella is nothing like the original character, she ends up being more of a heroine than a damsel in distress - Enchanted is certainly no different. Giselle starts off being like a mix of Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora. By the end of the movie she's throwing swords and saving her prince from the wicked step mother.

If you pay close attention to the movie, you'll often hear a Disney song thrown in there some where in the background. There's a part where you can clearly hear "Part of your world" from "The Little Mermaid."

Overall I'd have to say my mother was right...This movie was right up my cheesy alley. I enjoy Disney movies and Cheesy happily-ever-after stories. If you enjoy those things, chances are you'll love "Enchanted" as much as I did.

Chuck!

Chuck!

I know this blog is supposed to be about movies, but lately I've been obsessed with this new T.V. show called Chuck ...So I've extended this to everything that relates to televised entertainment. Chuck is a show based on a young man who has had the unfortunate experience of having all of the government's secrets downloaded into his brain.

Now, I have to warn you ... If you're a cynic and you can't suspend reality for five seconds, then this isn't the show for you. This T.V. show is about the C.I.A. and the N.S.A. but I highly doubt that it's even remotely true to life. Initially it seems the show is some kind of suspense-Drama, but in reality it's a comedy. Chuck is unrealistic and hilarious.

Chuck is a computer geek who used to attend Stanford University. While he was attending school there Chuck was in a fraternity where he roomed with a man named Bryce Larkin. Bryce Larkin stole Chuck's girlfriend and then got him kicked out of school his senior year for cheating on a test. We later find out that Bryce is a rogue CIA agent who steals all the intel from both the CIA and NSA. He sends the encrypted images to Chuck and then destroys the computer they were stored on, so now Chuck is the CIA/NSA's human cross-reference.

My uncle recommended this show to me, and I was a little doubtful at first. It took me a couple of episodes to really fall in love with it, but now I'm hooked. Chuck airs Monday nights at 8:00 pm on NBC before Heroes (another great show).

Welcome Message/American Beauty...

I started this blog in order to write movie reviews for the average person. It is my belief that most reviews out there are mostly aimed to please other movie critics, directors, or newspaper editors. In short, I'll simply be putting my thoughts out there for whoever wants an honest opinion about movies.

The first movie I chose to review for this blog is called American Beauty. I chose this movie because the film was new to me. I was recently given quite a few DVDs by my father (whose taste differs greatly from my own), so I wanted to watch a few of them whenever I got the chance.

Starring in the film: Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning, and Thora Birch.
Rating: R

American Beauty is basically a film all about the desperately mundane life of an average middle-aged man. I am generally reluctant to watch those artsy, five-time academy award winning films because they're usually hard to follow. Movies like this are often so cutting edge and "brilliant" that they fail to entertain. This movie, however, surprised me. I found that there's a lot going on in it that the average person can relate to. Middle-aged man, or not, everyone can identify with the drudgery of every-day life. Although this movie takes some crazy turns, it's refreshingly honest. It presents people as they actually are. Most movies are about characters who have a few major flaws; this movie is all about characters who are driven by their flaws. The people in this film are often possessed by their impulses and insecurities. Something I loved about the movie is the fact that they made oddness seem beautiful. The writer presented the idea in the film that the world is full of beauty that most people just fail to notice.

One thing I didn't like about the film was the fact that at times it was a bit of a stretch. No matter how much Kevin spacey ran around the block, there is no way that his daughter's friend was ever going to sleep with him. Another thing was a particular scene in which Thora Birch and her neighbor sit there watching a video of a plastic bag blowing in the wind. It may be mildly entertaining for a couple of minutes, but I fail to see the beauty in litter. Maybe this just means I'm devoid of profound thought, who knows. Which brings me to my next topic...

People who won't like this film:
This film is not for everyone. This movie was directed by a man named Sam Mendez who comes from a theater background; his prior experience with stage direction has hugely affected the way this film was shot. Some people may find the visual techniques he uses a little strange and distracting.

This is not a movie to watch with the kids. There are many adult themes that some people would find offensive. There's nudity and some of the more shocking themes include: adultery, drug-use, and under-aged sex.

People who would enjoy this film:
People who enjoy characterization or the subtle nuances of human nature would definitely enjoy this film (as this film is basically the character study of an average middle-aged man).