Review: Up In The Air

Grade: A+

Up In The Air is about a man, Ryan Bingham, whose job is a corporate downsizer, in other words he fires people for a living. Having to deal with letting people go and dealing with their anguish, hostility and despair has left Ryan, for lack of a better word, distant. He refuses to make close personal connections to anyone, including his own family, even giving seminars about doing just that. Ryan is on the road, flying from city to city for 320 days a year, he lives out of a finely packed suitcase and loves every minute of it. When his company hires young determined Natalie who comes up with a new way of firing people that will take him off the road, forcing him to settle down and live in his small one bedroom apartment, he becomes determined to show her the error of her logic and takes her across the country to help him fire people in person. Along the way Natalie begins to discover the depressing and disheartening reality of her profession and Ryan begins to see the errors of his own way of life and realizes that connections are important.

This movie was absolutely brilliant. Jason Reitman (Juno, Thank You For Smoking) directs his best movie yet. Up In The Air is a beautifully shot movie thanks to Reitman. He was just nominated for a Golden Globe for best director for this movie and it is very easy to understand why. The writing for the movie was fantastic as well. This movie really covers the emotional spectrum from happiness to depression to excitement to dread, it was all shown so beautifully through the writing and direction of it all.

George Clooney (Burn After Reading, Michael Clayton) plays the lead role of Ryan Bingham. I believe this is George Clooney' best performance to date. He does an amazing job of showing Ryan's emotional distance and his vulnerabilities. Clooney has been nominated for a Golden Globe for this performance and I believe he will be nominated for an Oscar as well. Vera Farmiga (Orphan, The Departed) plays Alex, a fellow frequent traveler whom Ryan meets and starts to become attached to. Vera does a wonderful job with this role, she is smart and witty and inspirational at times. Relative new comer Anna Kendrick plays the role of Natalie Keener, a young determined woman who came up with the idea of firing people over webcam. Anna Kendrick was spectacular in this movie, she showed true promise of a great career to come. She did a great job showing how strong her character showed she was but how helpless at times she really felt. I hope great things come to her after this role. The movie also features great appearances by Jason Bateman, Melanie Lynskey, Danny McBride, Sam Elliot, J.K. Simmons and Zack Galifianakis.

The title of this movie has a double meaning that says it all, sometimes it feel like everything we thought we knew is Up In The Air. What you thought was one thing could turn out be something completely different. This movie is wonderful and a must see for 2009. I rank it as one of the best movie of 2009, simply great movie going experience. I strongly encourage everybody to so see this movie as soon as they can.

Great quote: "Some animals were meant to carry each other to live symbiotically over a lifetime. Star crossed lovers, monogamous swans. We are not swans. We are sharks."

Review: A Christmas Carol

Grade: A-

Disney's A Christmas Carol is the latest movie adaptation of Charles Dickens famous story. It tells the story of a lonely rich man, Ebenezer Scrooge, who only looks out for himself and holds everything that embodies the joy and spirit of Christmas in contempt. One Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner who pleads with Scrooge to change his life before it's too late. That night Scrooge is visited by three ghosts who take him on a journey of self-exploration and self-redemption.

This version of A Christmas Carol is adapted and directed by Robert Zemeckis (Beowulf, Forrest Gump) who uses the same motion capture technique he used in Beowulf and The Polar Express to create the best adaptation of the story I've ever seen. Thanks to the animation style, the actors are able to portray multiple characters which is very necessary in this story in my opinion. As I mentioned, this is a very accurate representation of the original story, so even though it's animated and is rated PG, I would not consider this a kids movie. Pretty much the entire movie, except the last 10-15 minutes, is very dark and very scary at times. For instance, as we all know, the third ghost is Death, there is a part of the movie where Scrooge is being chased by a carriage driven by Death being pulled by two demon horses that look just like the demon horse standing outside DIA.

Jim Carrey (Yes Man, Horton Hears A Who) really does most of the voices in the movie. He voices not only Ebenezer Scrooge in all ages that they show him but also the Ghost of Christmas Past, Ghost of Christmas Present and Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come. This is the part of this movie I really liked, reading the story I always felt it was implied that the three ghosts were, in essence, parts of Ebenezer's soul. Jim Carrey did a fantastic job with all aspects of his roles. The movie also features the voices of Gary Oldman, Bob Hoskins, Cary Elwes, Colin Firth and Robin Wright Penn who all did a wonderful job as well with their roles.

I know that this story has been turned into so many different movies and TV programs so many people are turned off by yet another adaptation. I must say though that this one is well worth checking out as I believe it is the best and most honest adaptation of the original story I have seen yet, trust me.

Great quote: "Being haunted by three ghosts is my one chance at redemption… I'd rather not."

Review: Ninja Assassin

Grade: C

Ninja Assassin is about a secret clan that, starting at early childhood, trains people to be stealth ninja assassins. One young assassin, Raizo, falls in love with a girl during their training but the clan kills her for trying to escape the village. Raizo shortly after decides to defy the clan himself and wishes to seek revenge for her death. Also, a Europol investigator has stumbled across a secret, that many assassinations over the last couple centuries can be traced back to a possible secret ninja clan. This agent finds Razio and they team up together to destroy the ninja clan.

This movie was pretty fun and entertaining. The action was great and the fight scenes were very exciting. It is a very bloody and gory movie. However, the dialogue is pretty terrible and overall the movie is very cheesy. Pretty much every cliché thing you can think of in terms of ninjas is put into this movie. Also, when they are being surrounded by ninjas the ninjas would whisper a lot like "the others" in TV's Lost, pretty ridiculous and corny.

Korean popstar/actor Rain (Speed Racer, plays the main role of Raizo. Rain definitely has the look for the part (extremely fit) but he is not that great of an actor, very bland and monotone, granted that did kind of help at points for the character. Naomie Harris (Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3, Street Kings) plays the role of Europol investigator Mika. Harris' job with this role was alright, she seemed pretty naïve at times but again, it all kind of worked out.

If you want a mindless movie about ninja assassins fighting other ninja assassins than Ninja Assassin is just the movie for you. But if you are looking for substance and plot, don't go anywhere near this movie.

Review: 2012

Grade: B+

2012 is the latest effort by director Roland Emerich (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow). It is a big budget end of the world movie. In the movie in 2009 a scientist discovers that the Earth's core and sub-crust are heating up and in a couple of years a major natural disaster will occur that will that will destroy most of the world. The government starts making preparations for this event and decides to keep the event a secret from the general public. In 2012, in accordance with the Mayan calendar, the world literally starts to come apart. The movie mostly follows a writer who is trying to save his family and get to some giant arcs in China that he found out about from a crazy conspiracy theorist, who happens to be right this one time.

If that sounded sarcastic I'm sorry, as much as I did enjoy this movie it is a little ridiculous at times. This movie was very visually stunning. The massive amounts of special effects were great. This is by far the most destructive end of the world movie ever. In 2012 you watch Los Angeles, Las Vegas and the Vatican crumble and collapse under the force of massive earthquakes that create huge new canyons and most of LA sinks into the ocean, you watch Yellowstone explode with the force of a nuclear blast and turn into the largest volcano ever, you see Washington, India and several other locations get slammed by tidal waves that rise thousands of meters in the air, Hawaii is completely destroyed by it's volcanoes. This is all just simply fun to watch if you like apocalyptic movies, which I do.

Emerich's pacing gets better with this movie. Despite the movie's 160 minute runtime, it goes by pretty quickly. Unlike some of his past movies, Godzilla and Independence Day were the biggest offenders, where there is a little bit of action at the beginning then nothing but mushy plot for two hours then a bit of action at the end, this movie had the action nicely spaced out in between the mushy plot. Even though I don't think he'll ever make a movie as good as Stargate again, this movie shows improvement in his story telling and that his movies are getting better again after the horrendous 10,000 B.C.

The cast of the movie was great. John Cusack (High Fidelity, War Inc.) plays Jackson Curtis, a writer whom the movie mostly centers around. Cusack is great and I'll watch anything he does. Amanda Peet (Whole Nine Yards, Martian Child) plays Kate Curtis, Jackson's ex-wife. Peet did a good job even though I still feel like she didn't do much in it. Chiwetel Ejiofor (American Gangster, Children of Men) plays Adrian Helmsley, a scientist who helped discover the phenomenon that was about to occur. Ejiofor was great in this role, very passionate, and he did a great job showing how his character felt they should save as many people as possible. Oliver Platt (Year One, Frost/Nixon) plays Carl Anheuser, an aid to the president who helps come up with the plan to build the arcs. Platt did a great job showing his characters greed. Danny Glover (Be Kind Rewind, Lethal Weapon) plays president Thomas Wilson. Glover did a really good job with this role. The movie also features Thandi Newton as the president's daughter and Woody Harrelson as a crazy conspiracy theorist.

This movie was just plain fun to watch and if you are a fan of Emerich's or a fan of disaster movies, this is an absolute must see. As I mentioned before, so very much destruction, it can be so much fun to watch. Best part of this movie, in the end it is a utopia because the twilight movies were destroyed, haha, sorry had to say it.

Great quote: "When they tell you not to panic, that's when you run."

Review: The Men Who Stare At Goats

Grade: A

The Men Who Stare At Goats is a movie based on a story so incredibly bizarre that it has to be true. It is based around a small town Michigan newspaper reporter, Bob Wilton. Bob has realized that he has played it safe his whole life and that hasn't exactly been a good thing as his wife is now getting ready to leave him for not being adventurous enough. So Bob decides to try to go report on the war in Iraq. On his way to Iraq he meets a man by the name of Lyn Cassady who apparently used to be a psychic spy for the U.S. government. Lyn then begins to slowly tell Bob the incredible story behind the "Jedi Warriors" of the U.S. Army, a secret unit of the military that has been trying to find new ways to fight, or end, wars as we know it.

This movie was absolutely brilliant, I could not get enough of it. The great opening credit "more of this is true than you would ever believe" is a perfect way to start it all off. The movie itself is contemptuous, sarcastic and funny beyond belief at times. It is wonderful how they have Bob tagging along with Lyn as Lyn tells him about how it all started. In flashbacks we learn that Bill Django, a military man, left shortly after Vietnam and became a part of the New Age movement. After a while he returned to the military and convinced the powers that be that he could train soldiers to hone psychic abilities and create super soldiers. The story and plot are outrageous and the movie moves along pretty smoothly and quickly because of it.

Ewan McGregor (Angels and Demons, Star Wars Episodes I-III) plays the role of Bob Wilton, a reporter who got a little more than he asked for while looking for adventure in Iraq. McGregor is great and he really pulls off this role well and really helped make this movie so enjoyable. George Clooney (Burn After Reading, Michael Clayton) plays the role of Lyn Cassady, the former psychic spy. Clooney is always brilliant in his roles and this movie was no exception. Clooney's take on Cassady and psychic spies is great and hilarious. I will watch almost anything with him in it. Jeff Bridges (Iron Man, The Big Lebowski) plays Bill Django, the founder and trainer of the New World Army. Bridges is great and he has played a one of the best hippie-esque stoners in the past so this role was nothing he couldn't handle. Bridges is very funny and keeps the movie going. Kevin Spacey (21, Superman Returns) plays Larry Hooper, a fellow psychic soldier who is jealous of Lyn's abilities and ultimately leads to the end of Jedi Warriors. Spacey is great as always in this movie. The cast also features Stephen Lang, Robert Patrick and Stephen Root.

The Men Who Stare At Goats is a brilliant and funny movie with one of the best casts of the year to make it even better. I really enjoyed this movie from start to finish and would encourage everybody to go see it.

Great quote: "More of the is true than you would ever believe."

Review: Bronson

Grade: A

Bronson is a movie based on the true story of Britain's self proclaimed most violent criminal, Charles Bronson. Charles Bronson was actually born Michael Peterson. While he was still a young man, Michael decided he wanted to be famous in a very unusual way, so he decided to hold up a post office. Michael was sentenced to seven years in prison, he has now been in prison for 34 years, 30 of which have been spent in solitary confinement. During his stay in prison, the boy Michael Peterson seemed to slowly disappear as his alter ego, Charles Bronson, took center stage. All Charles Bronson wants: to be known as Britain's most famous and violent criminal.

This movie was absolutely brilliant. I can't get over how good and dare I say, mind expanding this movie can be. It truly is A Clockwork Orange for the 21st century. The direction was superb as the director seemed to take a lot of his cues from Kubrick himself. This movie delves into the mind of a man who is convinced that if he goes to prison and causes enough trouble, that he will become not just famous but rather infamous and have his name live on forever. This movie is smart and funny dark comedy. It is a little slow at the beginning of the movie, but once it gets started it is a great ride that is well worth taking. This movie often comes off as a brilliant one man show as told by Charles Bronson.

Tom Hardy (RockNrolla, Star Trek: Nemesis) plays the titular role of Charles Bronson. Hardy did a fantastic job with this role as he showed Bronson's many ticks and mannerisms. I could hardly recognize Hardy at first as he put on a lot of weight, all in muscle mind you, for this role. Hardy also does spend a good portion of this movie completely naked and as a warning to some, you can see everything as he is fighting off guards and yelling at a hostage to help butter him down as he waits for coming battle. As this movie really does completely revolve around Bronson, Tom Hardy had to basically carry the whole movie, and he pulled that off so well. This movie proves even further the star power and acting talent that Tom Hardy possesses and in my opinion should help launch his career to much bigger and better things.

This movie was really great and fun and one of the best movies that I've seen this year. If you are a fan of movies like Clockwork Orange go see this, it is amazing. This movie really did not disappoint, it is fun, witty, charismatic and completely psychotic. The only thing I felt this movie lacked was a better soundtrack but that really didn't hinder this movie either. It is currently playing at the Chez Artiste, go and check it out before it's gone.

Great Quote: "I was Britain's most expensive criminal, not quite the moniker I was going for."

Review: Law Abiding Citizen

Grade: B+

Law Abiding Citizen is a thriller about a man, Clyde Shelton, who's wife and daughter are brutally murderer one night right in front of him. The two killer's are caught and put on trial but one of them cracks a deal with an up and coming DA, Nick Rice, who just wants to protect his high conviction rate. That killer only goes to jail for five years. Ten years later the man who murdered Clyde's family is kidnapped and taken to a warehouse where he is brutally murdered by Clyde himself. Clyde is caught by the same DA that made the deal with this murderer and thrown in jail. However, somehow from jail it appears that Clyde is quickly picking off anybody and everybody who had to do with the trial and conviction of his family's murderers. As Clyde tries to teach Nick a lesson about what Clyde sees as a corrupt justice system, Nick must try to find out how Clyde is doing it and stop him before he kills anybody else.

This movie was fun and exciting. Throughout the whole movie you really have no idea how Clyde is pulling off all these murders from his jail cell. The action is great and the suspense is very exciting. I really enjoyed this movie and part of that was because it was a very nice commentary on how our justice system is, maybe not broken, but very flawed. Clyde's frustration over seeing his family's murderer get off so lightly because a DA doesn't want to risk trying him at the slight possibility that it might affect his conviction rate seems very real and can be relatable to some people.

Gerard Butler (Gamer, 300) plays Clyde Shelton, a techie who's family is brutally murdered. Butler's performance was very realistic and great, I really hope he keeps this up, I really enjoy most of Butler's movies. Jamie Foxx (Ray, The Soloist) plays Nick Rice, a district attorney who is only out for self gain, even if that means letting a murderer go free if it won't affect his conviction rate. Foxx's performance was pretty good, showing that his character does truly believe that the justice system works, but can admit it has some flaws. The movie is mostly based around these two characters as they play an interesting game of cat and mouse.

I highly recommend this movie to anybody who is a fan of revenge type movies. It was very entertaining and as I mentioned, a great commentary on our flawed justice system. The movie had high energy throughout although the ending was a little soft it was still overall a great movie well worth seeing.

Great quote: " You're the one who makes deals with murders yea? Well I've come to make mine."

Review: The Invention Of Lying

Grade: B-

The Invention Of Lying is a comedy about a world where nobody can lie. It is a very interesting world where people say exactly what's on their mind no matter how harsh it can be. It is a world where the blockbuster movies are just a guy sitting in a chair reading a "script" about certain historical events. The movie follows a man, Mark, who is a screenwriter for just such films. Mark appears to be a sad pathetic little man. He is unlucky at love and it seems everybody at his work hates him. One day, as he's about to be evicted from his apartment, he discovers that he can lie. He then starts to use this ability for his own personal gain. One day, while his mother is dieing, he tells her that there is an afterlife and that she has nothing to fear. Word of this gets out and things quickly get out of hand as he makes bigger and bigger lies to calm the public.

This movie was pretty funny but I have to admit, I think it would work better as a skit on SNL rather than a full length movie. The brutal honesty of people was funny at first but got old after a while. It was entertaining and funny after Mark first realizes that he can lie and he's trying to tell his friends about it but every lie he tells they just believe. One of the funniest parts of the movie to me were the advertisements. For instance; Coke: We're very famous. And my personal favorite; Pepsi: for when they don't have Coke. The movie does get interesting when he starts making lies about "the invisible man in the sky" and basically invents religion. Some people will probably take offense to that part of the movie but I thought it was great.

Ricky Gervais (Ghost Town, Stardust) plays the lead role of Mark. I've always liked Gervais, I feel that he has perfect delivery and timing and this movie was no exception, his character was very funny. Jennifer Garner (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Catch and Release) plays Anna, a girl mark has had a crush on and is trying to get into a relationship with. I don't care much for Garner but she worked for this role and she had her moments where she was pretty funny. Rob Lowe (Wayne's World, TV's The West Wing) makes a bit of a comeback in this movie. Lowe has always been pretty funny and does great with these comedy bad guys, I really enjoyed his role. Louis C.K. plays Marks best friend and he is surprisingly unfunny in this movie. Tina Fey is in it for a little bit and she was pretty funny. This movie also featured some seemingly random, and rather small, appearances by Jeffrey Tambor, Jason Bateman, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Edward Norton.

Overall, this movie was pretty funny and worth watching but I might have to recommend waiting to rent it on DVD because it really just wasn't all that great.

Great quote: "Our children will be fat and have stubby little noses."

Review: Whip It

Grade: A

Whip It is a movie about a girl, Bliss, who lives a somewhat typical ordinary life in Bodeen Texas. Her mother, Brooke, is constantly putting her in beauty pageants that she just doesn't quite seem to fit into. Bliss and her best friend, Pash, dream of leaving Bodeen as soon as they can after they graduate high school. One day while in Austin shopping with her mom, Bliss finds a flier about a roller derby. Bliss and Pash decide to go watch the derby one night. While there Bliss tells one of the derby girls that they are her new hero. The derby girl convinces her to try out later that week. Bliss, hesitant at first, tries out and it turns out she's a natural talent. She quickly bonds with her teammates and they become her second family. Bliss discovers that the roller derby and the other girls makes her very happy and helps her deal with small town life and her over bearing mother by sneaking away a couple nights a week to practice and compete.

Whip It is the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore and I have to admit, she did a great job. I found Whip It to be amazing, heart warming and funny. The movie looked great and the roller derby scenes were fantastic. It all was set to a fantastic soundtrack. Simply put, this movie was great and well worth watching, one of the best movies of the year.

Ellen Page (Juno, Hard Candy) plays the lead role, Bliss. Page is, in my opinion, well on her way to being one of the best actresses of my generation. She was superb in this role, I loved every second of her performance. Alia Shawkat (TV's Arrested Development) plays Bliss' best friend Pash. She did a pretty good job as well with this role. Marcia Gay Harden (Into The Wild, American Dreamz) plays Bliss' mother, Brooke. She did a wonderful job playing an ex-beauty pageant contestant who seems to desperatly miss her past sometimes, great performance. Kristen Wiig (TV's Saturday Night Live, Extract) plays Maggie Mayhem, the person whom Bliss seems to bond with the most on the team. Wiig was great and very funny as usual. Juliette Lewis (Catch and Release, Christmas Vacation) plays Iron Maven, the leader of the Hurl Scouts rival team, the Holly Rollers, and Bliss' own nemesis. Lewis does a great job with the role of the cruel Maven. The movie also features great performance by the rest of the amazing cast which includes, Drew Barrymore, Zoe Bell, Eve, Ari Graynor and Jimmy Fallon.

Whip It was a truly great movie and a very enjoyable watch. I highly recommend going gout to see this movie. It was original but predictable, still wonderful though.

Great quote: "Go ask him if he wants a Squealer."

Review: Zombieland

Grade: A

Zombieland is a new comedy/horror out that takes an old story line, zombies, and puts a new and interesting twist on it. The movie opens with the line "Welcome to the United States of Zombieland" and sets up the movie. For once we have a zombie movie that doesn't take place at the beginning of the outbreak but rather at a time after the outbreak has taken over all of humanity and there are extremely few people still alive who aren't zombies. The main character who narrates the story is known only as Columbus. He is very paranoid but it helps him to survive. He has a list that he follows very closely to help him survive. Stuff like rule #1: Cardio, because the first people to go were fatties apparently. Columbus eventually meets Tallahassee and they decide to team up at least for a little bit. The two eventually encounter Wichita and Little Rock, two youngish girls who manage to swindle and rob the guys not once but twice. After the second time they are convinced to actually stay with Columbus and Tallahassee to try to increase their chance of survival as they go west to LA to go to an amusement park, so Little Rock can actually be a kid for once.

This movie was brilliant, from start to finish. It kept me interested and laughing the whole way through. Columbus's list of survival tips are great and I love that they pop up in the background somewhere whenever they are utilizing one of them, Limber Up, Check the backseat, enjoy the little things. It was all just so perfect and genius. Tallahassee's quirks were fantastic. The man is on a quest to find a twinkie to start. On top of that he feels that you need to let loose every once in a while in Zombieland or you'll go insane. So randomly throughout the movie, Tallahassee will pick up a bat or a pipe or something and just destroy whatever is near him. The bond between Wichita and Little Rock is great, they are sisters and you can really tell that they care about each other. To top it all off, this movie has the best zombie killing scenes I have ever seen in my life. Simply an amazing movie.

The cast for this movie was perfect. Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland, The Education of Charlie Banks) Was perfect for the main role of the neurotic Columbus. Columbus used to be a shut in and never really had a girlfriend. The first close experience he really seemed to have with a girl, she turned into a zombie shortly after. I really like Eisenberg and he shines in this movie. Emma Stone (Superbad, Ghost of Girlfriends Past) played Wichita. Emma Stone is becoming a better and better actress every time I see her and she was great in this movie, her performance was very believable. Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine, Nim's Island) plays Little Rock. Abigail Breslin is a fantastic actress, especially for her age, and she did great in this movie, I hav high hopes for her. To top off this fantastic cast is Woody Harrelson (Semi-Pro, No Country For Old Men) playing the seemingly insane Tallahassee. I have always liked Harrelson and he just keeps getting funnier and funnier and he was excellent in this movie, really kept me laughing the whole way through. The movie also has brief appearances by Mike White and Amber Heard and the best cameo I have ever seen with Bill Murray. That is the entire cast of the movie aside from the tons of extras who played the zombies.

The movie did have one key flaw: The characters in the movie rely too heavily on guns as a means of survival. As we all know, guns would not be the most efficient weapon to have on hand during the zombie apocalypse, especially something like a double barrel shotgun. Guns require bullets, what happens when your being chased and you run out of bullets or you need to reload? You get eaten, that's what. That's why you should rely on things like crowbars, swords and other blunt and/or sharp objects. A lead pipe doesn't need bullets, a 4x4 doesn't need to be reloaded. At one point in the movie Tallahassee uses a banjo and a baseball bat once then throws them away, that is just wrong.

I really cannot recommend this movie enough. If you love comedies, you'll enjoy this movie. If you love zombies, you'll enjoy this movie. If you love both and love movies like Shaun of the Dead, you are going to absolutely love this movie. the writing and the acting were all amazing and this movie really more than surpassed my expectations. One of the best comedies of the year. I will give fair warning, there is a bit of gore in this movie. Go see this as soon as you can.

Great quote: "Some one's in danger of having their hair brushed over their ear."