Guardians of the Galaxy

It’s very difficult to pinpoint what made Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel’s

newest addition to its ever-expanding film universe, so universally appealing. I

haven’t talked to a single person that did not like it. How is it that I, a college-age

girl, find the same enjoyment in a movie as my eight year-old brother does? Marvel

has been successful in creating these movies, contributing to its dominance over DC

Comics and their movies.

If I were to explain the premise of this movie to someone who knew nothing

about it, it would sound ridiculous: a guy from earth, a green girl, a walking tree, a

talking raccoon, and a crazy tattooed man fly around in space attempting to defeat a

genocidal blue dude. Something about the mix of characters I just crudely described

is part of what makes GotG the wonderful story that it is. It is fun to root for a ragtag

group of heroes coming together to save the day. Look at The Avengers. In their own

movies, each of the heroes (I would say heroine, but for some absurd reason, Black

Widow has not been given her own movie yet) faces their own demons, external and

internal, but when they come together, they have to get over his or her personal

obstacles and work together to save the world.

Director and co-writer of GotG, James Gunn, manages to create likeable

characters almost as much as Joss Whedon did in Avengers. Unfortunately, where he

fell short was the character I went in hoping to root for, Gamora. She kicked ass as

much as I hoped she would, but in the end, she served as a motivator for Peter Quill

(you may know him by another name: Star-Lord). There was so much potential with

her crazy adopted sister, Nebula, and father, Thanos, so I’m hoping they’ll do more

with her unfortunate upbringing in future films because there was potential for

greater character development and depth.

 I walked in excited about Gamora, but walked out in love with Groot. I

thought Groot, voiced by Vin Diesel, and Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper, were

going to be the comic relief that my brother laughed hysterically at while I rolled my

eyes, but they both became poignant characters through their backstories. Groot

only says four words the entire movie and, yet, he’s still this amateur film critic’s

favorite.

James Gunn also almost perfectly struck the balance between humor and

seriousness, which is, in my opinion, very important for superhero movies. The

funny moments make the sober ones much more touching. Characters that can joke

about themselves and their obstacles are much more relatable. I laughed

hysterically in this movie all three times I’ve seen it so far, but I’ve also teared up

each time. Few movies have that power. I don’t think I came close to shedding tears

in Avengers, even when Loki (only kind of) killed Coulson (if that’s a spoiler to you,

go watch the movie- it’s on Netflix so you have no excuse). Yet even in the climactic

scene of GotG, as the heroes band together to save an entire civilization, Peter Quill

maintains refreshing levity as he delivers one of the most memorable lines of the

film (I won't give that one away). Clearly, James Gunn has a bright future ahead of

him, with few other generally recognizable films under his belt as a writer and none

as a director.

The whipped cream on top of the delicious ice cream sundae that was

Guardians of the Galaxy is the soundtrack. I, like Peter Quill, grew up with oldies. I

remember listening to the Top 40 radio station for the first time in fifth grade and

not understanding what I was hearing. The 60s and 70s songs throughout the film

underscore each action-packed moment with warm nostalgia, even if the songs

weren't a part of your childhood.. The album goes on repeat for a week after each

additional time I see the movie, it’s just so fun. The cherry on top of the wonderful

whipped cream is that the soundtrack advances the plot rather than just simply

adding style. We hear what Peter hears and the songs come to mean something to us

as they did to his mom and for him. I never thought “Aint No Mountain High

Enough” could make me tear up, but it did.

I do my ratings on a ten-point scale, because I’m too picky to just use four or

five stars. I’m giving Guardians of the Galaxy a 9 out of 10- it’s the redemption that

this lack luster summer needed and very much deserved.

End(er's) Game

College has unfortunately kept me from posting on here very often, as well as preventing me from seeing very many movies. Tonight I went to see Ender's Game at a special eight o'clock showing in Harrisonburg (the closest actual town to where I go to school) with a few friends from my cross country team. Remember that boy I told you about in my 42 review? No, not the one I wanted to ask me to prom, the other one. Well we dated over the summer and, being the giant nerd that he is, made me read this book (I didn't put up much of a fight). After reading it, it's easy to see why generation after generation of nerds are attracted to this book. It's a story of an incredibly smart boy who is isolated because of his genius. What geek wouldn't relate? The ratio of girls to guys in the theater blew my mind. My friends and I were the only girls there that weren't with their boyfriend. In general, I would guess that boys, more than girls, are reading the book and liking it. What bothered me is that there are very, VERY few female characters. The females that are included are strong, well written characters,but The book is low on description and high on fast-moving plot with just Ender's inner monologue to help the reader follow what's going on. I would still suggest it, but with the warning that some of it may seem ridiculous, but just keep reading.

I haven't reviewed too many movie adaptations, but I'll have you know that I can get rather picky. I think the tone came across very well from the book to the movie. The things that they cut out were the most far-fetched and ruthless parts that gave the book more depth, but would have pushed the audience away from the story. Unless the book was split into multiple movies, I see no way of possibly being able to include all the different things that happen to Ender in battle school, but the audience some of Ender's development into a true leader. I thought the casting was spot on. Making the children a little older than they were in the book didn't bother me at all since it always kind of struck me as odd that the army could train an eight year-old to lead an entire army.

The whole social commentary element carried over, which impressed me. The movie still brought up the questions of whether or not we are forcing our children to grow up too fast and is winning at any cost true victory. The issues were, for the most part, subtly addressed, which was a nice change of pace from other movies that have come out recently that are really in your face with their message. 

Ender's Game was a really good adaptation. It had moments when I got excited because I knew what was coming next and I flipped out because the set design was exactly the way I saw it in my head, which I loved (get it?). I would seriously suggest reading the book before seeing the movie. If your friends label it as a kids movie just because the main characters are children, please correct them, because it really isn't. 

Four out of five buggers

The Polarizing Gatsby

 

I went to see The Great Gatsby the Thursday night before it came out with my best friend. I have just recently read the book, so it was all fresh in my mind. I'm not too worried about spoilers because I'm assuming everyone has been forced to read GG in an English class at some point or another (if you haven't read it, go do so immediately). There were a lot of aspects of this film that I liked very much. They music was perfect. I fell over in my seat and cried a single tear of pure joy when Rhapsody in Blue started to play during the first party scene and there is that perfect moment of discord in the song when DiCaprio raises his glass of champagne. I thought the mix of twenties and modern music was brilliant, and I guess we have Jay-Z to thank for that. The Lana Del Rey song that was used as a them fit wonderfully with the tone of the movie, and even though I'm not a big fan of hers, I do like "Young and Beautiful". Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, and basically the rest of the casting was pretty much perfect too. My only complain is Tobey Maguire, but I'll save my rant on him for another time. let's just say I think he portrayed a weak version of Nick, when Nick is really just easily convinced. There were a few things Luhrmann did that I thought were corny, which brings me to the title of this post. Baz Luhrmann is a very polarizing director. people either love or hat his movies- there is very little in between. Certain aspects of his style fit in perfectly with Fitzgerald's themes, while somethings were overdone. All of the symbolism that is kind of subtle in the book is straight up in your face in the movie. That made me a little sad because the literary masterpiece had to be dumbed down in order for the general public to grasp the meaning. I also didn't like the overlay of words on the screen, I felt like it could have been more voice-over. The last thing I will complain about was the frame that the story was set in. I don't think it was necessary to have the psychiatrist/psychologist frame, but that's just my humble opinion. Overall, it was visually stunning and it was one of the best adaptations of a book I've ever seen, in terms of staying true to the plot.

4 out of 5 Beautiful Shirts

42 Reasons Why Racism is Awful

So today, a much needed Monday off from school, I went to see 42 with two friends, both of whom happen to be huge baseball fans. I felt like the third wheel to their baseball bromance. Don't get me wrong, I love baseball. As soon as my AP exams are over, I will be glued to the couch, watching Nats games, but these guys just know so much more about the sport and its history (they are both former members of the basball team at my school). I just feel like an idiot around them most of the time, but I've accepted this. I've been trying to get one of the fellows to ask me to prom (which is a month and a half away, so I've got time... right?), and the other is supposedly on my side, but it doesn't seem that way sometimes. I also had a movie night with the same boys last night, which was a lot of fun. They both know a lot about movies and I enjoy just soaking in the knowledge. 

ANYWAY (sorry about the tangent). I won't give anything away, though the plot is common knowledge to any baseball fan. I was surprised at the lack of character development. there were moments when I was given a bit of a new perspective, but Jackie's character in particular was not particularly dynamic. I wasn't rooting for Jackie, I was rooting against the racists. I was much more attached to Harrison Ford's character. The ending was oddly not very climactic, and if the score hadn't been so loud and over-bearing, I might not have even realized that it was the end of the movie. At times, the subject matter was very serious, and as one of my friends pointed out, the movie could have used a bit more humor to balance it out. 

All in all, it was a solid biopic. I wasn't impressed, but it was a good movie. I really liked all of the casting choices they made, though Alan Tudyk's role caught me off guard, he was quite something in it. I think I'll have to watch it again, and maybe I'll be able to focus more on what;s going on that finding a way to sit more attractively or get my hand up on the armrest. 

3 and 1/2 baseball bats

Update 3/3/13

     Hello many readers of this blog! just wanted to update you on a couple of movies I've watched recently. I don't really have time to write full review, but I have seen some that were good.

Die Hard - Action classic, duh. No one told me that Snape was the villain, though! In my head, after he would gun someone down, he would say" I told you to turn to page three-hundred and ninety-four." The underlying tale of marital struggle was woven in quite nicely, only popping up at appropriate moments. 4 out of 5 shard of glass

Charade - I watched this one at a film club meeting on a Friday afternoon. It was just my friend and I who showed up. Though I like Cary grant and Audrey Hepburn very much, their age gap bothered me to no end. I hate that Hollywood just thinks it is okay to pair up an old dude with a young beauty. Not okay. I really wanted to know who had the money, which kept me interested, There were a lot of things I actually didn't see coming and that redeemed it a bit. 2 and a 1/2 out of 5 stamps

Little Big Man - This movie was just too long, I'm sorry. Can't get into all the things that bothered me in detail, but it made me laugh a few times so... 2 out of 5 scalps

The Social Network - My best friend has been bothering me to watch this for a while, and I finally did. I really liked the way that it isn't clear who is right and who is wrong. I never completely liked Jesse Eisenberg's Mark Zuckerberg either. Not too many movies these days will risk not having the audience be completely on the protagonists side. I felt really bad for Andrew Garfield's character, Eduardo Saverin. it didn't seem like he had done anything wrong. I didn't think this was possible, but I actually disliked Justin Timberlake for a few days after watching it. Great characters, cool interpretation of real event. And the Winklevoss twins were played by one actor! How crazy is that? 4 out of 5 socially awkward nerd-geniuses

The Bourne Identity - I liked this movie a lot. It was complicated enough to keep me interested, but not enough to make me confused, and eventually angry. Nothing spectacular, though. Solid 3 out of 5 secret government agencies

     I watched the Oscars in their entirety last Sunday night. I thought that Life of Pi should have been classified as an animated movie and that Skyfall should have won for cinematography. But things don't always go my way. Jennifer Lawrence is basically my favorite person and I'm desperately trying to find a way to be her best friend, so I'm very glad she won for her amazing job in Silver Linings Playbook. If you're looking for a giggle, go watch some of the footage of J. Law on the red carpet because she is just too precious.

     I am currently reading Let the Right One In in preparation for a double feature of both the Sweedish and the American film versions of the book. Hopefully I can find someone to watch them with me, because goodness knows I will have a hard time watching them alone.

My Watchlist:
Argo (no I haven't seen it YET)
Django Unchained (I promised my best friend we would watch it together because it would be weird to watch it with anyone else)
Lincoln (basically, I haven't seen any of the Oscar nominated films)
Day of the Jackal (a movie enthusiast friend suggested this one)

Silver Linings Playbook

     Sorry guys, I couldn't come up with a clever title for this one.

     Over a four-day weekend recently, my boyfriend and I met up in Pennsylvania for a few days as a birthday present from my family (he goes to college in Massachusetts and I am still attending high school in Virginia). I had been wanting to see "Silver Linings Playbook" since it had come put and especially since it has been nominated for some Oscars. So we picked a theater, somehow navigated our way over there, and went to see it. A friend had warned me that it wasn't a rom-com by any standards, but that she thought I would still like it. I was optimistic, and it was rewarded.

     "Silver Linings Playbook" is one of the best movies I have seen in years. It was everything a movie should be. Every single character was believable and the story line was incredibly unique. It wasn't an artsy movie, there weren't any dutch tilts or other fancy angles, but it was well made. Since the movie was plot-driven, those things didn't matter much. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence played crazy so well, I kind of thought they might actually have the disorders their characters had. I don't know if I have any other words to describe how beautiful this movie was. It made me laugh. It made me uncomfortable to the point that I was burying my face into my boyfriend's shoulder, begging him to "make the awkward stop." I'm pretty sure I was crying at the end, it was so perfect. If this movie is no longer in theaters near you, I implore you to watch it when it comes out on DVD. I didn't think Hollywood could make movies this good anymore, I had lost hope. But it has been restored, all thanks to this wonderful film.

5 out of 5 jujus

Just by the way, while looking for the poster to put in this post, I realised that this movie was a book first...

SEEKING A STUPID MOVIE FOR A THURSDAY NIGHT

I was trying to find a movie to watch with my friend (Jessica), who doesn't have the same taste in movies as I do. So we picked Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. There were some funny moments and some touching moments. The asteroid that is the cause of the apocalypse is named Matilda. Fun fact: there actually IS a asteroid named Matilda, but it will never come even close to hitting our Earth. Yay! But I'd like to take a moment here, while I have your attention, for a little rant. It will ruin the ending, but that's okay because you're not ever going to watch it. Hollywood really needs to stop having young girls fall for old dudes. Keria Knightley is twenty-seven years old. Steve Carell is fifty. THAT'S A GAP OF OVER TWENTY YEARS. Sure, Mr. Carell's character certainly didn't look fifty, but he was considerably older than Keira Knightley, who was playing a younger woman. This trend first started to bother me when I first watched My Fair Lady, one of my favorite musicals. I won't give you a plot summary, but once again a young, pretty woman ends up with the older guy. Switched around, people would be calling the woman a cougar, but there are no nicknames of that sort for men who date/marry much younger women. I hate it. Not that I plan on marrying a considerably younger man, but I'd prefer not to be prescribed a label if I chose to. I don't know how to fix this problem. The movies Hollywood produces are (usually) just a reflection of what our society values and our general values. There isn't a solution. I'll just go sit in my pretending-the-world-doesn't-exist corner and do just that. You may join me if you'd like. We can make fun of people together. 

2 out of 5 asteriods

 (this is how I felt at the end of the movie)

NOT QUITE PUNCTUAL

“In Time” was not quite true to the title. Drawn out and low in substance, the latest from Andrew Niccol, lacked tension, but had a very interesting premise. Though the plot was far-fetched, it created an insightful mirror for our society, which isn’t surprising seeing as Niccol’s other films including the also disguisedly pensive “The Truman Show”. The slow tempo made the film so much longer than it needed to be. 


The film starts out with a flimsy explanation of how time became currency and for being what the entire film’s plot is based; it doesn’t really create a solid foundation for the plot of the movie. Will Salas, played by Justin Timberlake (who is unfortunately not as good of an actor as he is a singer) is your everyman, making just barely enough to scrape by. When Will comes into some time from a random wealthy man who has lost the will to live after a century, he crosses from the ghetto into the classier side of town (New Greenwich). This introduces us to the pampered daddy’s girl seeking adventure, Sylvia Weis (played by Amanda Seyfried) and they go on a wild romp, trying to bring some sort of fairness to their top-heavy society where the rich can live forever but the poor live day to day (literally). One of the things I thought the film did well was use contrasting colors to offset the two different worlds- the ghetto and the rich neighborhood. The ghetto had some color, but was mostly grayscale. The rich and wealthy scenes had very stark and edgy colors. Another cool aspect of the film was the watches that everyone had on their arms. When a person in this dystopian future turned twenty-five, their clock started, counting down one year. If they just let it run, they would “time out” when the clock hit zero. Things are paid for in minutes and hours and transfers of time-money are made by locking arms… it got weird, let’s leave it at that. The green clocks were a constant reminder of the status of the character but the constant cuts to people’s arms got annoying after a while. I kept thinking, We get it, they are running out of time! Unfortunately, the ticking arm-clocks were not enough to drive the pace of the film. It seriously lagged in the parts between the sparse dialogue. There was a cool speech given by a Time Keeper (a policeman), however, about how corrupt their society is.


The way in which their society mimics and exaggerates ours resonates deeply, especially with the Occupy Wall Street protests with their “We are the 99%” chants. The line repeated several times that harkens back to that is “For few to be immortal, many must die”. This attitude is much like the one shared by America’s wealthy and Niccol is trying to get this audience to see this. I think this movie’s release date worked very well for it.





2 1/2 out of 5 minutes

SUPA DUPA EIGHT

Have you ever seen E.T.? it's a cute movie about an alien trying to get home. Well, Super 8 is the same story except imagine that E.T. resembled a giant spider and ate people.  Mix that with a coming of age story and a tale of coming to terms with grief. and you've got yourself a Super 8. All of the thrills and scares were predictable and expected, but they packed a punch all the same.  I would say the best thing that they did with the movie was that, even though the alien murdered people throughout the entire movie, somehow the audience (or maybe it was just me) didn't hate the thing. The more you found out about the monster, the more you came to feel sorry for it.  All of the actors and actresses involved did an amazing job.


And by the way, LOVED the little zombie movie they were filming the whole time.  It was a really cool touch.




4 1/2 lockets

THE CLASSIEST OF ORIGINS

     I won't call myself a X-Men officiando. I've seen some of the movies before this one and enjoyed the fairly recent Wolverine origins movie. But I have an issue with origin movies. I know how they end. The same could be said for most movies, since the good guys usually win, but that is the only thing you can almost totally expect going into a movie. With origins or prequels, a viewer who has seen other movies in the franchise knows exactly what state the characters will end the movie in. It's like going to see Romeo and Juliet. Everyone knows they die in the end, but yet we still watch it. We watch movies (and plays) where we know the outcome because it's how the movie gets to the known ending, not the finale itself. If you have seen any of the previous X-Men movies, (spoiler alert) you most likely know that Charles Xavier ends up in a wheel chair. I certainly didn't know HOW he ended up in one, but now I do, thanks to X-Men First Class.

     Overall, it was an enjoyable movie.It was fun sitting in the theater trying to put the pieces of the character's past together.  The actors who played Erik/Magneto and Charles/Professor X did a REALLY good job.  Especially Michael Fassbender, who played the deeply angry Holocaust survivor, Erik. He was the best actor in the movie by far. Kevin Bacon was a very poor choice for the villain.  He did all of this really evil stuff, but all he seemed to be was power hungry (literally and figuratively). TO get away from the negative, there was that moment when the good guys did something clever/unexpected to win a battle, which, along with some humor sprinkled within the serious plot line, made the movie fun. I recommend it to anyone who likes morals mixed in with their mutants.

     The X-Men are different from your average superhero because, instead of just one man or woman living a double life with secret identities and the rest, it's hundreds of people trying to blend in with society despite their obvious differences from the average joe. Every character already has issues because of their misfit status. Which gets boring. Not everyone has to be troubled, ya know. Which brings me to my next point. Of the x-men, very few have strong personalities. You've got Professor X and Magneto (and Wolverine, who wasn't featured in this film) and that's about it. The rest are just angsty for various reasons ALL. THE. TIME. This is because their mutations/superpowers have become their personalities(and to be truthful, some of the mutations are REALLY LAME- just sayin). Flaws with the franchise and prequels aside, X-Men First Class may not be your average superhero movie, but it is an enjoyable one. 

PS- there is nothing at the very end of the credits. 

3 and a half out of 5 lame mutations



maid of dishonor

     Bridesmaids was really funny.  I wont lie to you.  But I can't say that I liked this movie.  It was just too raunchy.  As a very Catholic chick, I just can't sit through this kind of thing and say I enjoyed it.  What made this movie so funny was the craziness in which the characters partook.  It wasn't because any of the characters had particularly funny or witty lines.  The humor came from the crazy, raunchy stuff they did.  Like taking a crap in the middle of a street- in a wedding dress.  A girl in one of my classes said that you shouldn't see this movie with your parents.  DEFINITELY DON'T.  The opening scene involves... never mind- I"ll let it be a surprise. The thing is basically a really long SNL skit.  Don't get me wrong- it's really funny.  I'm just trying to impart on you, my readers, what is in store for you when you buy tickets to this naughty comedy, staring many NBC comedy stars, many playing the same character they do on television.  Which I had no problem with because their characters are hilarious.  









                    3 out of 5 gasp-then-laughs

THE GOD OF THUNDER

I went to see Thor on opening night.  The theater was pretty crowded and we (my friend Maggie and I) ended up in the very back row next to these people who talked about nothing of real consequence the ENTIRE MOVIE.  Which was rather angering.  But even their incessant chattering couldn't take away from the awesomeness that Thor was.  It was the perfect opening to the season of summer blockbusters.  It met all the standards of a solid superhero movie, which some of those in Hollywood have been trying to avoid recently (goodness knows why). The main character had issues that which he fixed by the end of the movie (AHEM Iron Man) and I didn't despise any of the characters I was supposed to like (AHEM Spider Man). There was that moment when those watching actually thought Thor was going to die (he didn't of course).  It wasn't anything extraordinary, but it certainly wasn't disappointing. My knowledge of mythology comes in handy here.  Thor is from ancient Norse mythology, and he is indeed the god of thunder.  Thursday (the day of the week) is named for him- it was originally Thor's Day (Friday was originally Freyja's Day).  Thor was the god about whom the majority of myths from old Scandinavia were told, and who functioned as a cosmological protector of man and gods and gods alike. In mythology, he is a ginger, but I am totally okay with the blonde Chris Hemsworth.  I'm pretty sure the actual plot of the movie is taken from the comics and not mythology, but the most of the characters and their personalities are transferred right from those ancient times.  It's interesting that the first summer blockbuster in the year 2011 is derived directly from stories told to explain natural events as early as the 2nd century CE.  

Craziness.

4 out of 5 hammers

why, hello there

I never thought I would do this- start a blog.  I feel so obnoxious.  Recently, the only movie I have seen in theaters is Thor (review coming soon) and if I'm going to take this blog seriously, I should probably go to the theater more often... There is one thing you should now about me.  Actually there are many, but I'll tell you this one up front: I LOVE SUPERHERO MOVIES.  It's awful because I don't read comic books or anything, but I, just like the rest of America, love a good escapist fantasy.  I'm also taking a film studies class in school next year, so I'll keep you updated on that when it rolls around.  I'm also a super nerd when it comes to the music in movies (Michael Giacchino is ma fave). I love musicals, except when they are cheesy (hard to avoid). I watch a lot of tv. And I judge people and things and ideas all. the. time. I came to love film through my father. He is one of the few people who I can talk to about a movie. He got me a book of the top 100 movies ever and I'm slowly making my way through it and it's been interesting watching these classics that p=modern-day movies steal from. I have a background in mythology (we've established I'm a nerd), especially Greek and Roman. This gives me an interesting perspective on the way stories are told and the background as the most basic plot-lines.  Superhero movies also pull heavily from mythology from days of yore. Being a young woman (a teenage girl), I would usually enjoy chick flicks and rom-coms, but I would much rather watch and action movie or pure comedy.  Don't get me wrong, sometimes I fall subject to my girl instincts and watch a chick-flick here and there, but it isn't often. Just to let you know, I'll watch anything with Hugh Dancy or Ryan Reynolds in it. 


All of these factors combined make me not you average critic






And I also love parentheses (best form of punctuation EVER).