Sunday, May 11, 2008

Little Miss Sunshine (R)

So I figure after the last two posts where I didn't really care for the movie, I would do better to post about a movie that I did enjoy. Little Miss Sunshine is one of those movies that when it came out, people were quietly talking about, but nobody in the mass media was talking about it at all.

I feel like I heard very little about this movie, but it had this underground buzz about it, which made me tape it and want to watch it. I was certainly very pleasantly surprised by the movie. In the few previews I did see, its seemed as is the preview makers were trying their best to capitalize off of the presence and screen power of Steve Carell. While he's in the movie, he's certainly not the only thing worth watching.

The story in brief is that a little girl gets to participate in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant, and the trip that her family makes to get her there. Of course, there are bumps along the way, and other such hardships. But eventually she makes it to the show, and does her own unique performance (that she's been practicing with grandpa).

For me, what really made this movie so enjoyable was the dialog, and the character development. The movie was easy going, but at the same time was able to convey the realism of life, in that just because you want to do something, to get there can be very difficult and hard sometimes. Carell is wonderful in the movie, but I think the real star is the little girl Abigail Breslin who is basically the lead. She is wonderful and very lovable in a quirky girl kinda way.

My final recommendation - definitely worth watching. At this point you'll probably have to rent it, but if you wait another 6-12 months it will probably be on cable!

Friday, May 9, 2008

28 Weeks Later (R)

This movie was much better than its predecessor. The things that made it better are actually pretty simple, better action and more/better dialog.

This movie is set 4 months after the outbreak of a zombie creating pandemic across England (maybe farther reaching, but its hard to determine based on the two movies). The U.S. military has stepped in and his helped to rebuild a community in London. People are checked for infection prior to being allowed in and then remain to repopulate. However, just as you'd expect, someone gets through, makes one dude get infected, and then BAM! plague all over again!

This movie had some really good action/gory blood zombie eating scenes which for me made the movie much better than the previous movie. In one shot that I thought was really cool, there is a man driving a helicopter attempting to pick up the few non-infected people running for their lives, and to stave them off while the others run, he uses the helicopter blades to chop up the zombies as they continuously run into it. Awesome scene!

As for movie quality, its not the greatest. But its certainly better than 28 Weeks Later. If you're into zombie flicks or gory movies, then its work checking out, otherwise I wouldn't bother. I watched both this and 28 Weeks Later upon the recommendation of my co-workers. I'd say that unless you're in a similar situation, just stay away.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

28 Days Later (R)

Awful. This movie stunk. Boring, uninteresting movie. Thats the best way I could describe this movie.

Why was it so bad? For those that don't know the story, basically a dude wakes up in a hospital 28 days after a pandemic has broken out in England. There really isn't anyone left, and so he sets out from the hospital. Along the way he finds two people who take him in and help him. Then those three become two (one dies) and they move on to find a dad and daughter hold up in building. Once together, they move on to a compound of military people keeping out the infected. I'll stop the story there, as to not ruin it.

What made it so bad is that it was slow. There wasn't much dialog, and when there was dialog I just didn't care for it. My co-workers slam me because I don't hate on "I Am Legend" even though its basically the same movie, with even less dialog. However you can look for that review later. To sum up this junk fest, its a zombie movie, but horribly boring and slow. It is somewhat artsy if you're into that kind of thing. I will say however that the sequel "28 Weeks Later" was much better, and you can read that review in the near future.

My final recommendation - don't watch this movie!

Monday, May 5, 2008

Iron Man (PG-13)

This movie was amazing. Wonderful! Excellent. When I walked out of the movie, I told Jenn that for me its a 9/10 right now, and if I can't find anything wrong with it, then its gonna be a 10. Well I haven't been able to figure anything out, therefore, its a 10!

I wasn't one of the fanboys going to see this movie. Iron Man was never one of my favorite comics, or superheroes growing up (that was typically X-Men). But the hype around the movie, and my love of summer blockbusters meant I had to get out and see this, and I'm glad I did.

The action was well done, the acting, which many thought Robert Downey Jr. would not do well, was on point. I think he fits the role of the character very well, and brings a large sense of realism to the screen. Iron Man for me, feels like the same kind of superhero as Batman. A man with to much money and time on his hands, and a newfound grudge against the evils of society. And the CGI, incredible. I had read about the blending of live action with the CGI, and it really was well done.

And for those that don't know any of the storyline, but want to know something going in (because after my recommendation, who wouldn't see this movie :) ) - the basic premise is that Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) is captured in Afghanistan and to escape creates the Iron Man suit. Upon escape he perfects his creation, but as with any superhero there are always people that don't see eye to eye with their plans. I don't want to give away to much, so thats where I'll stop this.

My final recommendation, go see this movie. Its definitely no fluke that it make 100.7 million this weekend here in the U.S. Fantastic movie!