Lightening round: EPIC FAILURE

So! Readers!

Yeaaahh, the other night i had the FANTASTICEPIC idea to do a lightening round of reviews... aka like 3. 

Of course, if'n you are reading this, I epic failed miserably. So, tonight, I will continue normally with my reviews in a normal, NORUSH manor.

OH, and random note that has nothing to do with movies at all: The Flaming Lips are epic live. Go if you get a chance!

alright, let's get this show on the road :D

Quick Note: Sam Rockwell

Well, blog, before we get too far, you gotta understand something:

After I saw "Moon," I fell in love with Sam Rockwell. Well, actually, hold on a sec. I really loved him in "Galaxy Quest"... also in the preview for "Choke" I literally almost choked on my drink when I saw him. mmmm..... rockwell.....mmmm.... SORRY

anyways, I've been doing research on his films and stuff, and I found this article about the 10 most fascinating movie characters in 2009. Adam Raki (from Adam. Played by Hugh Dancy) ranked number 6, while the lovely Sam Bell (from Moon. Played multiple times by Sam Rockwell) was ranked 3! WHOOT!

anyways, I found a cool article about Moon that you might wanna check out: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105294494

he's wonderful. and knowing he plays a villain in Iron Man 2 makes me very excited. TEAM ROCKWELL OUT

LIGHTENING ROUND 1: Adam (2009)

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9.5 out of 10: Must See!!!

Director: Max Mayer

Stars: Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrn

Adam is a love-struck drama of an unlikely couple. Adam (Hugh Dancy) is just an odd guy who obsesses over space and it's history and physics. When Beth (Rose Byrn), a cute girl, moves into his apartment building, both find love in each other. But when Adam reveals the secret to his awkwardness, the relationship becomes a little more complicated than they imagined.

WARNING: the following contains spoilers: please don't read this if you don't want it to be spoiled!!!

So, yes. I did give this movie a 9.5 out of 10. Seriously. And yes again. This movie deserves it's grade.

So let's get started with the actors and actresses.

I want to start with Rose Byrn. So, the first time I saw her act was in the sci-fi horror "28 Weeks Later." I thought she was very pretty, and a surprisingly okay actress. Not the best, but average. Next, she was the female interest in the sci-fi drama "Sunshine" (directed by the fabulous Danny Boyle)... she was fantastic! So good in a fantastic movie. The only other movie I know people might recognize her from was the sci-fi horror movie "Knowing" (acting alongside Nicholas "i'm terrifying" Cage). Do you catch the grift....? If you're tired, or just not so much of a sharp tool (like I often am), Rose Byrn is not really a romantic-drama actress, but more of a creepy movie scifi thriller actress. with a cute face.

But in this movie, she plays an only child, working for a school to help her write her first children's book. And surprisingly, with a girl who has a VERY tough relationship in this movie, she plays the most incredibly common-female: something that is VERY RARELY touched on in movies now-a-days. Now, it's all Big-tits, hot ass (coughMEGANFOXcoughcough). Girls that would never hook up with the guys they chase after. But with Rose, she is average looking, very normal, and actually responds in a true way. For example, after meeting Adam in her apartment, she doesn't just bust in and make out with him (like megan fox would. or would she just shake her ass in his face? i dunno, i never saw transformers). Rose has a conversation with her father which includes, and I quote, "this really cute guy lives in my apartment building." How many times have you heard that in a movie? Like none, right? Yeah, but it's something that pretty much every girl says! Kudos for the realism!!! And nothing is more adorable than her relationship with Adam. She is really nervous, but understanding when she first finds out about his syndrome, and then she begins to tire from it and kind of let her guard down when he can't have that. Very real situations. I really thought that they couldn't have picked a better female for this part. And she was so wonderful!

Now for Hugh Dancy. I will admit that I went to see the movie not only because of its story, but because of the most-hottest Hugh Dancy. Known for playing pretty-boy in romantic comedies: Ella Enchanted, and the recent Confessions Of A Shopaholic, Hugh Dancy is the dreamboat of this year. And let me tell you something, he is pretty much the most amazing actor ever after watching this movie!!!

So first off, he plays Adam. Yes, titled-after-main-character Adam. He's the space-obsessed neighbor who is just too loveable to be normal. However, here's the huge spoiler, there's something about Adam that makes him so special: He has Asperger's Syndrome. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a form of autism that expresses a significant difficulty in social interaction, thought process, and difference in patterns. Hugh Dancy, the pretty boy, now plays an autistic adult, and he is wonderful. Incessintly going on and on and on about space, Adam tends to inform everyone about everything he knows without a filter. And it's difficult in this relationship because, as he describes, he cannot understand what people are thinking. A huge issue that comes up in this relationship is that Beth is worried she'll never feel love because he can never look in her eyes and feel the way she does about him. He'd never understand. And Hugh Dancy is so believable that I almost never want to see him in another role. That's how fantastic it was!

So let's get a little deeper. The whole story is this: Adam's father has just died. And now he has to rely on his father's old war buddy to help him cope in society, which is just not close enough for comfort. So when he meets Beth, who is having troubles of her own, he sees a caretaker that is beautiful and in love with him. But doesn't understand what is going on in her life. See, her father was accused of doing something very bad in his company and was approaching a trial and possible jail-date. So Beth's stress is not only based on her father's issues, but on the difficulty of the relationship between Adam and her. As Adam gets a new job, and true, hard facts come out about her father, Beth questions what she should do with her future: be there for her mother, or be there for Adam.

This movie is very complicated, but is so sweet and sad that it keeps you hooked. To be honest, I was tearing up pretty much the entire movie for so many scenes that I can't even imagine how I didn't cry!!! Specifically one scene hit me pretty hard. So, Adam just lost his job, and he is uncomfortable going out with Beth (by the way, this is pre-relationship). He ends up going out to a party with her because she wants him to eat more than macaroni-and-cheese. Seeing he's obviously uncomfortable, she orders the nice dinner to go and takes him to his favorite place: central park. As they sit on the lawn, he opens his fancy food and realizes that "penne with fettecini and melted cheese" is basically fancy macaroni-and-cheese, he's already gleeful. She watches him carefully and then finally gives him a book. He opens it and reads the title: "How to get a job with asperger's syndrome." That look he gives makes the audience uncomfortable, like he's offended, and so does Beth. She feels sad, like she totally offended him, until he leans over and kisses her right on the lips. "Thank you" he stutters, and I could practically feel the audience begin to cry. SO CUTE!

And that's just one example! Wait until you get to the part where he reads her book! I seriously don't know how I kept my composure! The movie was emotional, beautiful, and just plain wonderful.

I would also suggest getting the soundtrack. Full of alternative, acoustic goodness, it could put you to sleep at night!

Overall, this movie can easily be rated top three best of movies of the year, and I hope that people see it.... even if it's MY movie :D (and T... SORRY. COULDN'T HELP IT. IT HURT TO KEEP THIS IN!!!)

3 blog extravaganza!!!

Hey movie-goers!

sorry i haven't updated the blog in like a week. As you've probably guessed, I've been busy with my movie-theater job and things. SOoooo, I figured it'd be time tonight to do a LIGHTENING ROUND of movie reviews!!!

So following are the three movies I've seen since wednesday (sadly, I've gone to the movies five times, but i saw two of these movies twice).

SO LET'S GET THIS BLOGGIN' STARTED!!!!

G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra (2009)

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4 out of 10: Rental

Director: Stephen Sommers

Stars: Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Christopher Eccleston, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt

G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra follows both good guys (the "Joes" compiled from different countries around the world... specifically based in America) and bad guys (complete with submarines, missiles, and evil dictators. Oh and mad scientists) as they struggle against the power of love, nano-missiles, and COBRA!

WARNING: This part contains spoilers!!!! Please do not read if you don't want parts of the movie to be spoiled for you!!!

ALRIGHT. Let's get started! (muahahaha)

So, first of all, let me just say that this movie is disastrous. This is not a masterpiece; this is a masterpiece-of-crap. Seriously. Do not go into this movie with a serious attitude, because it is not serious at all. 

Yes, you heard me. Those of you who don't believe me, I have a question for you: did you even watch the preview? I mean.... wow. The previews got worse the closer it came to coming out. So, I fully intended to waltz into the theater with the most horrible idea of what this movie was about. And most of what I thought was true.

Let's talk about the actors, starting with the good guys. First of all, the main man Channing Tatum. Pretty boy. Hunky Monkey. Monotone. Oh, and let's not forget the wimpiest "Ten Hut" in his first three lines of the movie. What am I trying to say here...... Oh yeah! Tatum is a pretty face but an ugly actor. Through the whole movie, it was like he wasn't even there. Seriously, I really could not recall any of his lines (except for that horrible excuse for a military term)... although there were random bod-shots. Too bad I'm not even that interested in him in the first place. Next, there's Marlon Wayans. And to be honest, he was probably my favorite of all the good guys, regardless of how horrible the majority of his lines were. He was the comic relief in most scenes (apart from Dennis Quaid... but that's in a minute), but he said things that any average person would say. I'm sad to admit this, but the comic relief wasn't as much comic as he was relief. Now, onto the other "Joes:" There was Snake Eyes (the awesome, non-asian ninja that just happened to be in japan as a street urchin at the age of 8. Also, his badass black outfit rocked the movie!), Heavy Duty (the lovely, english, tough guy that kicked some major ass), Breaker (badass moroccan who is a little slow on the job but talented), and Scarlet (the other female. Note on her: she was badass, had this awesome gun, but of everyone in the movie, she was the WORST actress. failure. epic epic failure). But Dennis Quaid stole the scene repeatedly with his awesome lines.... specifically "Because knowing is half the battle!" Just. Wow.

Okay. Deep Breath. Now it's time to get into the villains.

Alright, I'll admit, I was a little biased going into this movie because I love Christopher Eccleston. But it was slightly depressing to see him go from being the lovely Doctor Who (from the first season of the newer series. yes, there was a doctor before David Tennant) to the horrible James McCullen. I mean, it's the doctor! He's so wonderful! And then he turns into man-whore, I-stick-fingers-into-the-mouth's-of-females-much-younger-than-me-then-kiss-her-later. It was hard, plus his accent was quite thick. But I still love him, and he made a pretty good menacing villain. Next, Sienna Miller. Where the hell did she even come from? First, she's like model, then she's like badass-in-charge! Seriously! Even I thought she was a babe, and I'm totally straight! She was pretty great, even for being in a pretty bad movie. Although, her vulnerability (specifically at the end) really became an out of character move. This was not her fault, however, so I don't blame her. Next comes Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Looking past his sporadic hand movements and body movements (which was very difficult since it was so ridiculous), Gordon-Levitt was definitely not a bad villain like I thought he'd be. However, his decent into evil and his final stages of taking over.... well, let's just say you could have seen that coming from a mile away. I mean duh, what the hell is the name of the movie? "Rise of COBRA" .... what do you think happens?

Speaking of predictable, this movie was so shockingly predictable that I think a 2 year old could even see what was coming. The ending.... well, both of the so-called "shocking twists" at the ending were so obvious that I could have summarized the movie in WAY less time than it took to actually get there. And the entire Paris scene, don't even get me started. Thanks to the lovely preview, of course, that entire scene went on for about 10 minutes longer than it should've. While the audience eagerly awaited the destruction of the Eiffel Tower, the characters still had no idea. For like 10 minutes. I was beginning to grow weary of these scenes.

And then, out of no where, the director just threw in the most random of things possible. For example, Brennan Fraiser. Yes, the big BF. Just because he was in the Mummy doesn't mean he has to be in everyone of those movies. And what did he do in this movie? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. He stood in the middle of a fight and declared it. Only a mere light assistant trainer. WHAT IS THE POINT?! At least that guy who played Imhotep actually had a legit part in the movie. Wait, what? He was in it too? Yep. He was that one guy, with the shapeshifting face. Oh yeah.

You're probably thinking now, as you're reading this, "why then, margasaur, did you give this movie a 4 instead of like a 2 or a 1 even?" To be honest, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Not because of its excellence or hot guys but because it was the most fun coming up with horrible jokes, puns, and all around riffing in my head during it. I would rent this movie... no wait, scratch that... I would BUY this movie to make fun of it! It's just that purely terrible and epic!

Hopefully you are not turned off to watch this movie... because in all honesty it was a fun movie to just shut off your mind's thinking powers and watch. But be forwarded... i put this information for you to know before getting into that theater.... and to quote Hawk: Knowing Is Half The Battle!

Julie & Julia (2009)

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8 out of 10: Must See!

Director: Nora Ephron

Stars: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, and Chris Messina

Julie & Julia, based on the popular book by Julie Powell, is the story of two people: Julia Child, the famous American Chef who specialized in French cuisine, and Julie Powell, the woman who decided to cook her way through Julia Child's cookbook. The movie splits into two different parts as it tells the two different stories; one story is about Julia Child's cooking career, and the other is about Julie Powell's blogging experiment to better help her life. As the stories unfold, both lives are effected by food.

WARNING: Contains Spoilers!! Seriously! The following is spoiled. So please don't read if you don't want to be angry!!!

Alright, let's get into this review, shall we? 

First word of warning: THIS MOVIE WILL MAKE YOU VERY VERY HUNGRY. Both times I saw it (yes, both times), I had to stop back into the concession stand to order food because I was so hungry. I also almost stopped at Borders to pick up my own copy of "Mastering the Art Of French Cuisine" by Julia Child. 

Second word of warning: YOU WILL WANT TO MOVE TO PARIS. After watching the movie, I was just as desperate to move to Paris as Julia was in the movie. I wanted to walk down those streets, buying all the best food and meeting all the best people. It just looked so fantastic.

But I digress...

The movie itself was very good. Meryl Streep, but of course, plays the boistrous Julia Child. She puts so much character into the, well, character that the audience (at least I did) feel like I knew her personally. She was so fun, loud, proud, and adorable... I just wanted to be around her all the time. And Amy Adams! Normally, it takes a while for me to get used to her acting. In all of her previous movies she seems to overact everything. But in this, she had a chance to play a normal woman. A normal thirty-year old woman. A woman who has pretty much the worst job in the world, but the best-looking husband ever (I'll get into that in a second). And she was so fantastic in it! I mean, after all, I wanted to be her in the entire movie.... only because she was so fantastic.

The side characters (Stanley Tucci playing Paul Child, Chris Messina playing Eric Powell) were also show stoppers. The lovable Tucci was so wonderful as Paul Child.... and as he stays mostly silent, he is still just an adorable character and a fantastic addition to the cast (Best line: "Fuck them!"). And Chris Messina..... oh my! Talk about (eye) candy!!! I would NEVER mind having him as a husband.... or playing his wife in a movie. Half the time he was on the screen, I couldn't help but think that he should be getting some (if'n you know what I mean). But, as he plays the fantastic husband, he still is downplayed enough to be lovable as well. And like I said, it's not so bad watching him pop up on the screen every twenty minutes or so.

As for the movie itself, the transitions were smooth and easy. Instead of doing something like a black screen that says "Julie" or "Julia", each scene sort of meshed together. The movie opens with Julia and Paul moving to France, and then the next scene is Julie and Eric moving into Queens, New York. As Julie is about to meet someone famous, Julia meets someone famous. So on and so forth. Each scene seemed to copy each other, but they were different enough to keep the audience interested in what was going on. 

But, my favorite part of the movie was the balance of Julie and Julia. When I first saw the preview, I felt that the Amy Adams part of the story would completely overpower the story of Julia Child. In fact, the preview was almost a deal-breaker for me... however, I stuck through and decided to go and see it. Boy was I surprised to find out that basically both sides of the story were equally spread. Just when you think the Amy Adams side of the story is taking over, a very long Julia Child scene triumphs and cancels out. I was so happy to see both sides equally because I felt like I wasn't missing anything at all. It gave me enough time to be emotionally linked with all the characters, which is always important in a chick flick-ish type movie.

And by the time it was over, I was tearing up. Any movie that makes me wanna cry tears of joy/sadness is always a good movie. And this movie provides the emotion in a good way. You watch Julie set a giant stick of butter beneath a picture of Julia Child and say "I love you, Julia," before walking away (always significant because of the previous meltdown where she heard that Julia did not like her blog). Then, a nice timeline shot of the kitchen transitions the stories back to Julia, as she cooks her meal in her kitchen. Paul sits down at the table and hands her a package obviously containing the newly published cook book. And as Julia gets so emotional over this momentous moment, the camera freezes and fades away, leaving the audience with a tear in their eye and a smile on their face.

Overall, this movie was adorable. From Meryl Streep's timeless performance, to Stanley Tucci's just wonderful character, from Amy Adams meltdowns and smiles, to Chris Messina's just all around hot, well, self. This movie is definitely one to see, and I would go again in a heartbeat. So get out there and Bon Appetit!

My Elaborate Rating System

Hello again!

So, I've been looking at magazines and review websites since I was a little kid. Over the years, I have seen what works best and what looks best for a review system. Considering that this is my blog and I can have fun with it, I have decided to come up with my own awesome system! Following this is a way to understand my reviews just a little better.

First of all, the title of the movie will always be in the subject.

Then, in addition, I will post icons that help you understand what the movies are about:

Horror: 

Adult: 

Kid: 

Comedy: 

Romance: 

Sci-fi: 

Drama: 

Action: 

Odd: 

Iconic: 

Superhero: 

One or more of the above icons will be used.

Then, I will rate the movie on a 1-10 scale. And, based on that scale, it can fall into one of the four categories: Must See! (8-10), Worth The Money (6-8), Rental (4-6), Miss It (3 or below)

I will include a short description of the plot (without spoilers), the director, and the main actors & actresses

From that point on, i will warn if it contains spoilers with big bold letters. As I am new to blogger, and I don't know how to show/hide things yet, so for now: big bold letters.

 I will describe the movie (what I liked, what I didn't like) and just basic information.

that pretty much sums it up there. If you have any comments or questions about the review, feel free to comment in the section or email me at margasaur@live.com

sweet beans!