Reviews

"Move it football head!"

Arnold still kind of reminds me of myself. He's very chill and shy at times, but can be quite overzealous about the littlest things. Plus, he always wore a hat, and so did I (except in school, which was dumb).

Having various attributes that resembled New York City and Seattle, this childhood cartoon revolved around the lives of Arnold (who's last name was never discovered) and Helga Pataki, ironically both Arnold's secret admirer and nemesis. Hey Arnold! was like any other kid's show by trying to be a platform for life lessons; like bullies, love, leadership, and friendships. I thought these lessons were portrayed quite maturely given being a kid's show. However, my favorite aspect was the setting of the show.

Network: Nickelodeon

Original Air Years: 1996-2004

Hey Arnold! was one of the only cartoon shows to depict life in a dense urban environment. Even the show's music director, Jim Lang, used jazz as the primary theme music for Hey Arnold!. Very classy. Arnold utilized all forms of public transportation and most things were walking distance.

I can distinctly remember episodes being revolved around organizing a sporting event. There was an episode where Arnold and all his friends restored an area to play baseball, and another episode that took place in the winter and the Grandpa made ice sports possible. It was just fun to imagine doing all these things as a kid. I hope it inspired most to go outdoors.

8/10 Stars

In the opening weekend, The Help sat at number 2 in the box office, the next three weekends after that it sat at number 1. I saw it this last weekend and it ended as number 2 again.

Based on a book of the same name, The Help follows the lives of African- American maids in the South during the 1960s. Issues like racism and civil rights are obviously apparent here.

The film has grossed over $141 million with a budget of only $25 million. Quite a theatrical film feat if ya ask me.

The main focus of the story is obviously on "The Help" book and the character that wrote it. Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, portrayed so elegantly by Emma Stone, is the author of said book. After coming back home from graduating at University of Mississippi, she finds that her childhood maid, Constantine, had quit. To Skeeter this doesn't add up as her maid was beloved.

Seeing Emma Stone in such a serious drama like this one gave her a lot more respect. I've only known Emma as a comedic girly actor in films like Superbad, Zombieland, Easy A, and Crazy, Stupid, Love. Aforementioned comedies like those didn't present her true acting potential. This has to be Emma's best acting so far! I thought her popularity was over exaggerated this year, but I was wrong. It'll be interesting to see how she plays Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man.

Other honorable mentions would have to be Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, who played the two main maid characters in Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson. The two combined presented most of the dramatic and comedic aspects of the film. I really enjoyed their performance. Truly were devoted to their characters. Well done!

Everything about this movie was well done. The acting was great all around, the sets were visually appealing, the music flowed, the direction was there, and the story was great. It's hard to pick out something bad.

9/10 Stars.

I will admit that my hopes were quite high for this flick. No pun intended. Like most, Paul Rudd is a favorite comedic actor of mine. As I expected, he did a splendid job with this flick. The supporting cast also seemed to be quite good. Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer, and Zooey Deschanel played the three sisters of Rudd's character. Hence the title of the movie.

The story starts out with one idiotic move by Ned, portrayed by Paul Rudd. Ned is a biodynamic farmer and happens to be selling his crops at a local market. A police officer approaches him and asks for some "green." After Ned insists that he takes the marijuana for free, he is arrested.

The character development in this movie was probably my favorite part. Although frustrating at times, all the characters had that little something about them that was genuine and unique. In addition to learning a lot about Ned (like how he doesn't cheat or lie and trusts others too much), we also witness quite a bit from his sisters too. I really think if we saw the sisters together more often, then I'd laugh a bit more. Although Our Idiot Brother was funny at times, it wasn't the comedy film I was hoping for. I really thought that I'd be laughing more. Perhaps another viewing at another time will perspire such laughter, but I digress.

As alluded to earlier, Ned has three sisters. Miranda (Elizabeth Banks), Liz (Emily Mortimer), and Natalie (Zoeey Deschanel). After he's out of jail, Ned tries to live with his mom (Shirley Knight), but that doesn't work out so he looks to his three sisters.

From there the plot begins to unfold. It's hard to discuss it without giving away spoilers. You'll just have to see for yourself.

Also, Adam Scott, Steve Coogan, and Rashida Jones all have an active role in the film. Very fun.

It's also worth noting that part of the filming took place at the historic Hotel Chelsea. I've only been to New York City once and that's the place I stayed. This film really gave me the urge to want to be back in NYC!

Although not the movie that I wanted, it was pleasantly likable and worth a watch.

7/10 Stars.

If there was one show that I could relate with the most. If there was one show that I could laugh at the most. If there was one show that made me smile the most. This was it.

Doug wasn't just another cartoon show on Nickelodeon, it was a formula for kids on how to live their lives or a comparative narrative for said kids. Well, up until the The Walt Disney Company merely ruined it.

Network: Nickelodeon, ABC

Original Air Years: 1991-1994, 1996-1999

"Dear Journal, hi! it's me, Doug."

The main character is obviously a boy named Doug. He's 11 and keeps a diary of his daily activities. Excuse me!.. his journal. C'mon everyone, let's admit it, we all at one point kept some sort of diary or journal. I know I did. It was quite short up until I discovered that old social networking website known as Xanga.

So, Douglas Yancy Funnie was his full name. No, I don't think that was a coincidence. He was definitely funny. Both intentionally and purposefully. He was a shy kid that just recently moved from the fictitious town of Bloatsburg to Bluffington. The show is primarily based on the lives of Doug and his best-friend Skeeter. Doug tries to not act like a loser in front of the kids at Bluffington Elementary, and Skeeter helps him. Doug also had a frequent love interest that he attempts to pursue: Patti Mayonnaise. I know we all had that growing up. The show was simply an average day for a kid growing up in suburbia. The show attempted to both make fun of and glorify the suburban lifestyle of children.

With simplistic stories that were nearly melodramatically portrayed, this show brought laughs to children all around.

I can remember discussions about last night's Doug episode at the lunch table.

On an animation standpoint, this show was superb. Quite the originalism.

As I alluded to a little earlier, Disney bought Doug in 1996. The creator, Jim Jinkins, sold off his animation studio. Yet another sell out for our sad superficial business world. Nickelodeon's Doug had eight hairs and Disney's had nine, an outrage!! But seriously, too many changes made the show feel weird.

Disney actually made Doug into a movie in 1999, Doug's 1st Movie. Haha, with poor reception it was also his last.

9/10 Stars.

And…

"Remember kids, the Quail-call is NOT a toy!"

Some might call it child propaganda. I call it child genius. How is recycling and helping our environment not at all a good thing? Even if one doesn't believe in climate change, then they should still care about other animals (besides humans) sharing this Earth with us. It just seems to be inherently humane.

I remember as a little kid I had ALL of the Captain Planet action figures: Kwane, from Africa, possesses the power of Earth; Wheeler, from North America, controls the power of fire; Linka, from the Soviet Union, has the power of wind; Gi, hailing from China, controls the power of water; and Ma-Ti, from the Amazon in Brazil, utilizes the power of Heart to create a sense of passion and care for the planet. I also had actually rings for each character. And, obviously.. "Let our powers combine," I had the Captain Planet action figure. "Go Planet!"

Network: TBS

Original Air Years: 1990-1996

As cheesy as this show was, it had a great underlying message of peace and happiness for our planet. It gave kids hope for the future. Not only did it encourage them to recycle and maintain a healthy planet, but it showed that individuals from all over the world could come together and conquer evil doers. Perhaps a superficial superhero would appear too.

The story is quite simple. Gaia, the spirit of Earth, has awakened from a long slumber by human activity threatening the ecosystems. She realizes the planet needs help and sends five magic rings, each with a specific elemental power (described above after each characters' name). They will encounter foes like that of Sly Sludge, Looten Plunder, and Hoggish Greedly.

It's equally worthy to duly note that the Captain Planet Foundation still exists to this day (what Captain Planet would tell kids to visit at the end of each show). Check it out at CaptainPlanetFoundation.org.

Also, note that in late 2007, Ted Turner was in talks of a movie. In early 2008 Warner Bros. denied said movie. On July 19, 2011, the announcement was made that Cartoon Network and producers of the Transformers films are developing a live-action film based on the series. Should be interesting. And, not a bad idea given the success of Transformers and the new Smurf film. Also, those pitiful Alvin and the Chipmunks movies made some cash.

Say what you will about Captain Planet, it will still always be a favorite show of mine; if not for the cheesy animation, sounds, and story-lines, then just purely from the message itself.

No, not those crazy Michael Bay films. Although I enjoyed the first one at the theater, the second two I despised. Not a fan. Too many explosions and the story was driven by a human character and not the actually Autobots themselves.

Network: Syndicated

Original Air Years: 1984-1987

I wasn't even born before those original air dates, so like most of my cartoon shows, I saw them as re-runs. Cartoon Network was my channel of choice for this show.

Transformers was nowhere near to having a solid plot-line, which I suppose does give justice to the lack of story in the real-life films. Nevertheless, this cartoon show emphasized the show part. Being based on Hasbro toys that had been around for about 23 years before it's debut, makers of this American show saw exuberant excitement in boys of every nationality, creed, and race. What boy doesn't wanna see ordinary objects that transform into man-like battling robots? I know I sure did!

With so many toys like this one, The Transformers truly dominated this niche!

"We are pioneers. And, trailblazers. We fight for freedom. We transform our dreams into the truth. Our struggles will become a nation."

That is the quote that narrator Liev Schreiber uses to open up each episode of this six-part 12-hour miniseries from the History (formerly known as The History Channel). I watched it on Netflix, so my miniseries was split up into 12 40-some minute episodes. I'm not too sure if I could bare watching it with about 15 minutes of added corporate advertising.

I will admit that I was not one of those kids to pay close attention in my American History classes growing up. Sure, I did well with my grades, but that was only the result of general knowledge for the history of America. I can tell you right now that someone with a more sophisticated intelligence towards our country's history (i.e. a American History major) would most likely turn this off in a heartbeat. Or, perhaps they'd leave it on just to kill time or to play a drinking game with. So, with all that being said, I am no where near knowledgeable enough to critique the information in this documentary. Although intensely simplistic, I actually did learn a few things here and there (e.g. Hollywood use to be called Hollywoodland and the Statue of Liberty's construction). Having the knowledge of most of the facts already only strengthened my reasoning behind why certain things happened and almost gave me thought of gratefulness for those Americans that took risks.

I do hope people take this documentary with a grain of salt. Regardless to the accuracy of the events and dates that took place (which I assume are completely accurate), this documentary seemed to have a social and political rhetoric towards the corporation. I'd hope that a complete history of America in a documentary would be nonpartisan. A documentary that tries too hard to entertain with low-budget CGI, like this one, doesn't work. A documentary that utilizes the input of celebrities, professional athletes, political pundits, and television personalities doesn't generate much credibility, but instead conjures it. Besides the duration of the series, if this was a true historical documentary on the complete history of America, then it would have the input of professional historians and not celebrity figures. It's the exact same phenomenon as celebrity endorsement in advertising.

This documentary could also be called "The Rise of American Capitalism." It's truly a bittersweet economic system that has both fueled and hurt our American ways. The Story of Us seemingly concentrates on the entrepreneurial and private wealth. And, as the documentary concluded, we have only just begun. Besides the hippy Baby Boomers, not enough mention of the collective struggle for social justice as a whole is present. Although highly important, just the mention of the Civil War and the abolishment of slavery is all the social justice we get. The Story of Us suggests that the Revolutionary War was won because of great generals and clever military tactics alone. The idea of anti-taxation, along with the right to bear arms, are presented as at the heart of the revolution. Thomas Jefferson's role in writing the Declaration of Independence is skipped and Thomas Paine is barely mentioned. Not even the struggle to create American Constitution is completely talked about. Just a few historical points that even I can point out.

I was also simply annoyed by the repetition of events mentioned after they had already been explained. Especially later on in the series did this occur. The documentary forcefully compared the innovation of the first settlers to those of today.

After I found out that schools can obtain a copy for free, I still can't decide if I'd want this to be shown to school children. I do think they'll learn something and generate some opinion of their own though. It's a tough call. I'm going democratic on this by deeming it necessary that the school board decides. Or, perhaps, even the teacher him or herself could. Also, note that this documentary does include some graphic material that could be inappropriate for real young children.

With all the criticism being said, I still do wish that EVERY American watches this series. That couldn't hurt. Some still think we have 48 states or other crazy ignorant statements like that.

But, like with everything, please do keep an open-mind.

I suppose I should stop complaining and just look up some books by historian authors to read. I will also be looking to PBS for some real American history documentaries real soon.

3/10 Stars.

Woody Allen is really one of those film guys that you either leave or take, hate or like. And, Midnight in Paris follows that exact same proposed formula. Here's a romantic-comedy that questions love and belonging with a bit of fantasy involved.

Both written and directed by Woody Allen, this is a film that really engages his ideas and thoughts. We see some political talk, some romantic babble, and philosophical reasoning for belonging.

I haven't seen much of any Woody Allen films (which will change!) so it's hard for me to do a comparison. But, I have seen selected clips, heard about the guy, and kind of familiar with his work. With that being said, I'm sure that Owen Wilson will remind viewers of Wood Allen to some sort of degree; I'm unsure how extreme it truly is.

The comedy aspect of this film truly comes from the character development and interactions of Owen Wilson's character, Gil. Wilson fans and even those non-Wilson fans alike should enjoy. I hope.

Perhaps the only problem I had with this film was the question of how Owen Wilson's character, Gil, travels in time. At first it seems to be a hallucination. But, if that's the only problem you have, just ignore it and take it for what it is.

This feature is an English major's dream, especially those concentrating on American Lit.

Although successful, Hollywood hack writer Gil (Owen Wilson) is on a vacation with his lovely fiancé Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her parents (Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy). Before we see them, a wonderful opening montage scene of Paris, France is shown to the audience. It was quite pleasant right after the opening credits. It really set the tone for the movie. Beautiful scenery and music. We then hear Gil's voice accentuating the praise for Paris by quoting something regarding how the 1920s and the rain really bring up it's beauty. Inez is not pleased.

Side note: Gil kind of reminded me of a more reserved Hank Moody (David Duchovny) from Showtime's Californication.

We see from the very start of the film that Inez and Gil seem to be deeply in love, but perhaps Gil loves something else entirely: Paris. Inez plans on living the American Dream in Malibu, California with hopes that Gil will continue to be a successful Hollywood screenwriter. Gil disapproves of this and dreams of settling down in Paris to write his books.

****This is where the spoilers may start, so continue at your own risk.***

Gil and Inez go out to a wine tasting with Inez's friends, Paul (Michael Sheen) and Carol (Nina Arianda). To Gil's dismay and Inez's pleasure, Paul invites them to go dancing for the evening. While Inez accepts, Gil denies, and the two split off for the rest of the night. It's obvious that Gil is frustrated by Paul's inaccurate knowledge of Paris. Gil decides to head back to the hotel, but eventually finds himself lost in an alley. Then, an old looking vehicle of some kind pulls up and insists that he joins them. He then meets those that he deems to be idols like, Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll), Cole Porter (Yves Heck), Joesphine Barker (Sonia Rolland), F. Scott Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston), Zelda Fitzgerald (Alison Pill), and later on Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates), Pablo Picasso (Marcial Di Fonzo Bo), and Picasso's mistress Adriana (Marion Cotillard)(more on her later). You can see why an American Lit enthusiast would be overly joyous. All the aforementioned actors did a great job, with the chief mention going to Bate's portrayal of Stein. You'll see many other '1920ers' in the film too and perhaps even some famous individuals from an even earlier time.

Then one night, with such exuberant excitement and by the reluctance of his fiancé, Gil urges her to join him the next time he goes "back in time" in the alley. Gil has told Inez that he has been inspired by late night walks around Paris. Inez leaves before the bells strike midnight and Inez's frustration is fueled even further. Her conservative parents are also annoyed by Gil.

Gil continues to ride the old '20s vehicle every night and finds his current novel is well liked during that time. It treats him like a drug.

Perhaps Gil found love in someone other than his fiancé and Paris. Adriana and Gil have an ongoing conversation throughout the film about how each of them wishes to live in a "simpler time." Being the 1920s for Gil and the late-1800s for Adriana. They come to the conclusion that nobody will ever be able to live in a time before their own. At this point in the movie I could sympathize with the main message of Woody Allen, since I too would want to have grown up in the 1980s or possibly 1990s. A time when jobs were flourishing and the radio was acceptable and when people didn't text during a personal oral conversation. I really enjoyed this message of mystery brings enlightenment by Allen.

At the end of the film we see Gil walk off with a street market vendor he met earlier, Gabrielle (Léa Seydoux). They walk off in the rain and seem to spark a relationship.

Woody Allen did an all-around phenomenal job with this film. I'm glad to see that he's still got it.

I highly recommend you take your significant other to go and see it. Have an open-mind and enjoy some great cinema.

9/10 Stars.

I really enjoy these action-comedy hybrid types. Very fun. With that being said, I will admit that I am certainly within the demographic of the target audience for this film. That demographic being high school boys, college dudes, and young men in their 20s. Perhaps even some in their 30s and possibly 40s could enjoy it too. But, mainly those ages 17 to 28 will especially enjoy this entertaining "dude flick." So, with all of that in mind, I may seem a little bias towards this particular type of film since I am in fact in my 20s. I will try my best to criticize as I see fit. And, let me just reiterate by saying that this movie is definitely not for everyone and may get a bad rap with all those older professional film critics out there.

On to the review.

Set in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 30 Minutes or Less begins with the driving montage of a pizza delivery man named Nick, portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg. The song featured in the montage was Tick Tick Boom, by The Hives. Being a Hives fan I enjoyed it immensely. Ya see.. Nick works for a man that resembles the private parts of a grown man, and he has to deliver the pizza under 30 minutes, otherwise it's free of charge and it's taken out of his paycheck. It becomes tricky when the orders are placed outside of the proper delivery radius. His boss doesn't care, and even though Nick has a junker Ford Mustang, his insane driving skills make it all possible. Great set-up for what is about to unfold in the next about 80 gut-wrenching minutes, okay.. maybe not gut-wrenching, but you'll definitely feel something if you laugh like I did.

We all know Eisenberg made a brilliant performance in The Social Network, but I enjoy the other characters he can play too. He can do the smart-slacker or the smart-achiever or a mixture of the two, while simultaneously being funny. Not many actors can play multiple attributes so opposite of each other in completely different genres. And, for the ones that can do that, they are the best of the best and the most famous. I look forward to Jesse's career.

If you at all enjoyed the director's other action-comedy Zombieland, then this one is for you too. Both will keep you laughing hysterically, while grabbing your attention with somewhat of a sympathetic appeal. I look forward to more of Ruben Fleischer's films, even if they don't all end up being comedies. He can really entertain on screen with a simplistic approach. I like that. The idea of his films are over the top, but the cinematic approach is not. His next project is in pre- production and scheduled for 2013, The Gangster Squad. Also, for those of you whom are Pineapple Express fans, you will most certainly enjoy 30 Minutes or Less.

The plot of the film is seemingly as simple as they come, but still works well for a movie like this. The idiotic duo of Dwayne and Travis, played by Danny McBride and Nick Swardson in that order, make it all that much more entertaining. They are tired of being poor losers and want something bigger for themselves. With the help of Travis' unexpected pyrotechnic understanding and Dwayne's insanely (what he believes to be smart) entrepreneurial mind, the two are able to come up with a Dastardly plan to acquire enough cash to hire an assassin (Michael Peña) to kill Dwayne's dad, The Major, portrayed by Fred Ward. Side note: I found it interesting that Danny McBride's character is always having daddy issues (i.e. the TV show Eastbound & Down); well, I guess that's the only other role I can think of, but still funny.

Obviously the plan that Dwayne comes up with entails the hostage use of Nick. Nick then convinces his best-friend Chet, Aziz Ansari, to get involved with this life or death situation. Along with Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz is definitely becoming one of my favorite comedic actors. Most notably known for his role as the character Tom Haverford in NBC's Parks and Recreation, he always gives my cheek and abdominal muscles a workout.

Without giving away too much of the simplistic plot, it's obvious what happens here just by watching the trailer for this movie.

So, throughout the film Nick is caught up with his romantic interest Kate, Dilshad Vadsaria; and although attractive, she doesn't really add anything to the film. As sappyily annoying as it was, they should have just stuck with a strict bromance.

The car chasing was appealingly entertaining, but with the CGI so common these days it was nothing that I haven't seen before and before again. I just thought they could have done something more insane during those scenes.

Although not for everyone, if you agree with most of what I have just wrote about this action-comedy flick, then I would highly recommend you go check it out with all your buddies. This may be a movie to take your significant other to as well, but I'd leave it to the platonic guys night out. If you are hesitant to pay the $8+, then I'd wait for the DVD availability. Enjoy it with a case of beer.

8/10 Stars.

In spirit of the new reboot Spidey coming out next year, The Amazing Spider-Man, I just thought I'd re-watch the original trilogy. Here's just my thoughts on the third movie.

Having liked the first two Spidey films, I still cannot decide if having a third Spider-Man was the wrong decision or if this was just poorly made all around. I'm leaning more towards my second thought. The movie seemingly picks up right where the second one left off, but then it just gets weirder and plain weird. The whole emo-Spidey was just bizarre and didn't work in any capacity. I'd rather have him just kill some people to show off his evil side once the symbiote entered his body. I enjoyed the Sandman as a villain, played by Thomas Haden Church. I did not enjoy the 20 or 30 minutes of Venom. I'm sorry, actually I'm not, but Topher Grace does not appear to be a Venom-type actor. Horrible casting on their part. Perhaps if Venom had a bigger role in the film or if they had redone their cast to not feature Topher for the part.

5/10 Stars.

I can't even remember the last time Steve Carell was actually in a good movie. In the past decade he's been in a lot of "hit or miss" type flicks. Emphasis on the "miss" with movies like Dinner for Schmucks, Date Night, Get Smart, Dan in Real Life, and especially Evan Almighty. Don't get me wrong, I still laughed, just didn't enjoy the cinema. The 40 Year Old Virgin and Little Miss Sunshine were the only true Carell flicks that I enjoyed in roundabout way.

With that being said, 2011 brings us Crazy, Stupid, Love. A quaint little rom-com flick under the direction of duo Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who came together once again after their tag team direction of R- rated rom-com I Love You Phillip Morris. Being released two years apart, their movie direction definitely improved.

On to the movie review itself.

Crazy, Stupid, Love begins with the divorce dinner of two of the main characters, Steve Carell's Cal and Julianne Moore's Emily. Cal is immediately deemed by the audience be the "loser" or "40 Year Old Virgin" type character he does so well. Even a little bit of Michael Scott from NBC's The Office can be felt. I was definitely excited at this point and the movie just started!

The next scene introduces us to Cal's 13-year-old son, Robbie, played by Jonah Bobo. For being only an age older in real life, I thought little Jonah Bobo did a spectacular job. Immediately we see that he is madly in love with his 17-year-old babysitter, Jessica, played by Analeigh Tipton. This situation alone fuels some of the comedy.

The casting really does add so much more appeal to this film. Details ahead. I was also surprised to witness how funny a PG-13 rated movie really could be, while maintaining a classy feel. No raunchy comedy here. No "F-bombs" here. No slap-stick. Sure, the characters cheat and seem to be angry at times, but they understand their mistakes.

We figure out that Emily is fooling around with a guy at work played by Kevin Bacon. Interestingly funny is Bacon.

After Cal finds himself completely depressed by the thought of his divorce, he sobs at a local cocktail bar. Here he overhears, thus finding Ryan Gosling's character, Jacob, who is undoubtedly the complete ladies' man. Even actor Ryan Reynolds admits his abs to be more superior than his own. Ryan Gosling is the superior actor as well. Really enjoyed his performance.

From here Jacob agrees to help Cal make the most of himself and teaches him the way of the "Ladies' Man." That's when the movie really begins. The humor that perspires from the interaction of Cal and the women at the bar was delightful.

The movie does slow down towards the middle with cliché montages, but seemingly picks itself up.

Eventually Cal finds himself a real catch in the form of Marisa Tomei's character named Kate. While this is going on, Jacob, the man who taught Cal how to score all those girls, falls in love with Emma Stone's character, Hannah. Cal is not happy about that.

Without giving away too much of the plot, I will say that I really enjoyed all of the O-M-G worthy plot-twists that took place. You'll just have to see for yourself. Take a date.

8/10 Stars.

Based on the comic book of the same name, by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, Cowboys & Aliens is an exciting adventure for sci-fi and western fans alike.

The storyline for this movie was expectantly simplistic. The time and place is in the late 1800s of Arizona, and the aliens come down to try to conquer Earth.

To the best of my knowledge, an alien and cowboy confrontation has never been seen before in the cinema. Surely we have seen sort of a hybrid with Star Wars, Serenity, and Star Trek. But, never actually cowboys mixed in with alien lifeforms.

I can totally see the merit in why some critics were displeased by this sci-fi/western. Even with such a robust cast like that of Daniel Craig (James Bond), Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones/Han Solo), Olivia Wilde, and Sam Rockwell, the plot is left open with too many holes. Plot holes occasionally work in films, but this one was just blatantly annoying. You'll know exactly what I mean if you see this movie. And if you're able to ignore those open-ended questions, the movie is surprisingly enjoyable.

Yet another midnight feature for me this summer and the audience is yet again the same! We hear a lot of laughter at the dialogue and Harrison Ford received a tremendous applause upon his character's first appearance. I was in complete agreement with the consensus of the audience.

Harrison Ford reminded me of Han Solo so much. I loved it. I'm a much bigger Star Wars fan than Indiana Jones, so in turn didn't see much of Jones; but I know he was in there somewhere. And, obviously Daniel Craig was your James Bond figure with a Western-twist. Both actors did a splendid job. Olivia Wilde was a delight too. The iconicity of both Ford and Craig was uncanny.

The director was Jon Favreau (Iron Man 1 & 2, actor in Swingers), and I thought he did a valiant job once again. I enjoyed how he approached the physicality of battle between the aliens, American Indians, and cowboys. With the thought of never seeing it done before, it was all very plausible. We usually see confrontation displayed beside abundant amounts of CGI-generated special effects, and for the characters in Cowboys & Aliens, it was not the case.

I was also highly pleased before this movie that it would not be shown in 3-D. Favreau was very specific about how Western films are not meant for 3-D. So awesome! "That would be like filming in black and white and colorizing it" ~Jon Favreau.

I will say that I was hoping for more aliens in this flick. It's about 70% Western and 30% Sci-Fi.

7/10 Stars. (It's 8 Stars if ya completely ignore the plot.)

I actually wrote this review right after I saw the movie in theaters. Maybe like the second or third day it was out. I never knew that a movie about Facebook could be so amazing. I had low expectations and they were in fact superseded times a hundred. Since this review I have seen the movie at least one more time in theaters and about four or five times on DVD with different people or by myself.

Here is the review:

Music. Besides film and sports, my favorite thing ever is music. Although I do not enjoy all types of music, I do try to respect them. Although, nowadays it's hard to. Music is constantly changing with the people. Unknown to me, two musical composers, one from England (Atticus Ross) and another America (Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails), teamed up to create The Social Network's soundtrack; its kind of a post- industrial, experimental, ambient sound. I must say that it's amazing. I downloaded it the night I came back from seeing Social Network. It's hard to find such a solid soundtrack these days. Always using the mainstream music. That was nice to hear.

Also, the whole story of The Social Network is so intriguing and awe- spelling. How Facebook came to be is such an interesting process and story told. It's also one that only Mark Zuckerberg can understand, played by Jesse Eisenberg, whom is great per usual. He really knows how to play that nerd well.

The writing is so smart, quick, and witty too. The screenplay was done by Aaron Sorkin , he also did the popular television show entitled The West Wing. I'm definitely going to have to see this movie several more times to not even come close to comprehending it all. The general gist is there, but I feel like something will always be missing. The whole idea of the internet leading to all this social networking is changing our world as we know it and how we live, hopefully its for the better and not worse. As a marketing major, it was also interesting to see this movie from that perspective. Its making our advertising much more integrated in the social experience.

We also got to see the new Spiderman in this movie, Andrew Garfield. I thought him and the majority of the cast did a job well done. Everything in this movie was superb. I can't wait to see it again.

"Insanely good. Way better than the actually Facebook online." ~The Nuz Journal

9/10 Stars.

I couldn't even tell you the last time I went to a midnight movie showing. My guess is last summer, but cannot recall the title of the featured film.

First of all, I just want to get the whole 3-D jabber out of the way. If you have read any of my other reviews, you know I am not a fan of the 3- D film movement. It's just not perfected yet to have a greater impact on the entertaining outcome of the film. It hurts my eyes, it's too dim, and sometimes I get a headache afterwards. My knees hurt enough as it is to sit in a theater for 2-and-some hours. Captain America is no different. The only thing cool to see in 3-D for this movie would be when Mr. America throws his shield as a weapon. That's pretty much it. I'm so glad I saw it in 2-D. Save the four bucks.

It's hard to top X-Men: First Class. And, Thor was better by a little bit.

On to the actually movie itself.

Captain America: The First Avenger is seemingly mediocre as far as a movie goes cinematically, but I did enjoy it and recommend seeing it. If nothing else, view it as a predecessor for The Avengers, which I have high hopes for. Hopefully there will be even more action than Captain America, which could have easily had more; assuming he's part of the military I thought there would be. So the Avengers are a group of Marvel characters such as: Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo, voiced by Lou Ferrigno). They are brought together by the leader of S.H.E.I.L.D., Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), to protect and serve the peace of the world. Only one world describes that situation if ya ask me: epic. The release date is May 4th of 2012.

So as you can obviously figure out merely from the title of the movie, Captain America is the first Avenger.

Being somewhat of a Marvel Universe nerd, I was a big fan of just the story about Captain America. Before this movie I hadn't had any prior knowledge to the genesis of the Captain America character, except that he was apart of the military during World War II and up against Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. Most of this movie took place in the Marvel Universe-alternative 1940s, which was pretty cool. Reminded me of the setting and situation in Watchmen.

What's up with villains in some of these sci-fi/action flicks? If you read my recent I Am Number Four review, then you'll be able to sympathize with me on that question. In Captain America we see the antagonist known as Johann Schmidt or the Red Skull (played by Agent Smith from The Matrix movies, a.k.a actor Hugo Weaving) with a horrible make-up job. Red Skull works for Hitler as the head of advanced weaponry. They really should have made him look better; perhaps by adding more of a skull image with maybe some black like in the comics. It annoyed me. He looked like an even worse version of Hellboy from Hellboy. Also, Red Skull's minions, the HYRDA, reminded me way too much of Storm Troopers from Star Wars. In the comic they are green and yellow, not black. Oh well.

I thought actor Chris Evans did a pretty good job portraying Captain America. He really became the small-boy Steve Rogers character form Brooklyn that never gave up to one day ultimately become Captain America.

Actress Hayley Atwell also did a fine job with her character of Peggy Carter, an officer of the Scientific Reserve and love interest of Captain America.

I'm still not sure if it was intentional or not, but Tommy Lee Jones was hilarious as Colonel Chester Phillips. I still can't decide if it was his dialogue that was funny or the way that he said it.

Overall, if you enjoy comic book movies at all then I'd go see this in 2-D. That's just my opinion.

8/10 Stars (probably would have been 7 if I saw the 3-D version).

It's weird to think that there will not be another Harry Potter movie. I've spent the last decade waiting for the next one in either a year or two later. I've never read the books and hear they leave out so much in the movies, so that is definitely my next Harry Potter adventure. With that in mind, let me continue on to the review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

Nothing to really complain about with this Harry Potter conclusion. That's a great thing to write for a movie review.

Having not read the Harry Potter books I particularly enjoyed the story above anything else. I realize there's so much left out in the movies from the book, but I had so many of my "Potter questions" finally answered.

Part 2 picks up right where Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 left off. I hate to be a spoiler so I won't go much into the plot. But for those of you who forget, "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" finally has the power to kill Harry Potter. Both movies focus on Harry, Ron, and Hermione trying to hunt and destroy all of the Horcruxes. What will happen to Harry? Will the three get all of the Horcruxes before it's too late?

We also see the huge cave underneath Gringotts Bank in Diagon Alley. That was visually one of my favorite scenes! Blew me away. Bloody brilliant.

I'm still not anywhere close to being sold on the whole 3-D film movement. I am, however, bought on the quality of sound and digital picturing that can be seen at IMAX and it's new competitor RPX at Regal Cinemas. For a few bucks more I can experience the movie with a bigger digital picture and hear the uncompressed surround sound that comes with it at my local Regal. IMAX is obviously better than RPX, but it's much further away and holds a smaller capacity of seats.

With all that theater quality mumbo jumbo out of the way, let me express my opinion on Harry Potter's picture quality. Truly the CGI was spectacular and this was my favorite 3-D movie that wasn't only good due to the 3-D (i.e. Avatar). TRON: Legacy is a close second with the amazing Daft Punk soundtrack. Still the picture is a lot brighter if I took my glasses off, but this Harry Potter finale does a fine job. Personally, the 3-D film experience won't be perfected until it doesn't require the glasses.

Back to the film itself.

I was so pleased to have director David Yates back yet again. Yates directed the three Potter movies before this one as well. The Harry Potter series only got better as it went on and this final installment proves it. He does such a great job working with the talent to portray their characters. Thank you, David Yates!

This movie is both literally and narratively dark. And, I've heard the final book is even more so. With that being said, I exuberantly enjoyed the added laughter to the movie. Mainly by interaction between Ron and Hermione, but also else where along the way; it's that old school Harry Potter fun.

You probably notice that I didn't mention any of the actors' and actresses' performances. Well, let me assure you that all of them did a phenomenal job. There, I said it.

I couldn't have asked for a better film to end this series.

10/10 Star Rating!

Based on the young adult science fiction novel by Pittacus Lore, I Am Number Four keeps the same name as it's published counterpart. The book came out on August 3rd in 2010 and spent about seven straight weeks at number one on the children's portion of The New York Times Best Seller list. This is the first of six proposed novels by Lore. A sequel movie is not definite, but possible.

Producer and director Michael "Big Explosion" Bay (ya know… the guy that did the Transformers movies) presented the book to DreamWorks and a bidding war began. One of my favorite director/producers, J.J. Abrams (TV shows: Lost and Fringe, Films: Star Trek, Super 8), also wanted the movie project, but ultimately DreamWorks won the bidding. A real shame in my opinion.

I thought I Am Number Four was entertaining, but had definite room for improvement. Let me outline the big pros and cons with one of those "Pros and Cons lists." I think that's the best way to go about this. Something different.

Pros

-The CGI was cool sometimes. Mainly just the light form his hands.

-The visuals of the picture quality were spectacular; I really enjoyed the quality and magnitude of the coloring.

-Eye-candy actress Dianna Agron. Apparently she's a singer and part of that cast from FOX's Glee. Yeah, I'll be brutally honest and admit I watched the first half of the first season when it premiered. I like singing. It's way too much now though.

-Actor Timothy Olyphant, whom I know best from the video game-based Hit-man. It was actually a really good movie; especially for someone who has played the games, like myself. You may know him best from movies like The Crazies, The Girl Next Door, and Live Free or Die Hard. He also stars in two great TV shows that I have been meaning to watch for awhile: HBO's Deadwood and FX's Justified. He is also a producer of Justified.

-Lead actor Alex Pettyfer. Given the lack of titles on his IMDb page, I think he did an excellent job with this role. Great casting.

-Oh, and Teresa Palmer (played Number 6) was pretty bad-ass.

Cons

-I don't know if they couldn't act or if it was their appearance, but the villains in this movie were awful.

-Director D.J Caruso. Since he also directed the movie Disturbia, I thought this could have been under better direction.

-Teen romance. I expected it to be a little mushy given the movie is based on a young adult/teen book, but c'mon…

-A slow beginning. The second half of the film was better.

So, there ya have it. The Nuz Journal's first Pros & Cons list for a movie review. Overall this movie was entertaining, just pretend you are a teenager.

6/10 Stars.

I remember when I first saw the trailer for this teen comedy flick a couple years ago I thought I'd never ever watch it in my life. Little did I know it was actually quite entertaining and funny. The TV spots were even more disadvantageous to my cinematic tastes. Even so, it was recommended to me by a fellow movie buff, so I gave it a peek.

Fired Up! starts out at a fictitious high school in Illinois. Ironically the mascot for the team is the same as my high school alma mater, the Tigers. Although it didn't take place at the same high school in Illinois, the field and school logo resembled some nostalgia. This film is basically about two popular high school football players that have the bright idea to attend cheerleader camp. "2 guys. 300 girls. You do the math." Not knowing what they're in for, they actually end up having feelings for two of the cheerleaders and enjoy cheering. I know, it sounds kinda like a romantic comedy at this point, but it's really not. Throughout the movie the two jocks crack jokes and seduce girls at an alarming rate. It's quite entertaining really.

Nicholas D'Agosto plays the dark-haired fellow named Shawn Colfax. He's appeared in several small TV roles and more recently in movies. I'm most familiar with him being Hunter from NBC's The Office, who is Jan's receptionist (Michael Scott's boss at the time). Haha that musical CD his character had during the Dinner Party episode was hilarious. D'Agosto will also be appearing in Final Destination 5 this August. The trailer looks pretty cool. I thought D'Agosto did a fine job in Fired Up!.

The other blonde-haired jock is played by Eric Christian Olsen, his character's name is Nick Brady. He's most notably from 2001′s Not Another Teen Movie where he plays "The Cocky Blonde Guy." Makes sense.

The director of Fired Up! is Will Gluck. Although I have never seen it and probably should (probably cause it's a rom-com), he directed Easy A, starring Emma Stone. He also directed Friends With Benefits, starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, which comes out next Friday, July 22nd.

Overall I thought this movie was great for our generation of Millennials. As unfortunate as it may be we grew up with MTV and silly slap-stick raunchy comedies. I can totally understand why the critics gave it a bad rap. As reluctant as I am to rate it a "Four Star Rating," it will only be getting a six. The acting was sloppy and the only thing that kept me interested at times was all the cheerleading eye-candy.

6/10 Stars.

This 2005 psychological thriller concentrates on the world of internet confrontations and sexual pedophilia. Hayley, played by EllenPage, is convinced that Jeff, actor Patrick Wilson, is a sexual predator and has what unfolds in this gruesome plot coming. Throughout this movie I found myself going back and forth trying to decide who actually is the protagonist and who is the antagonist. Perhaps that's what writer Brian Nelson wanted, who has done other TV shows. Hard Candy is quite tasteful at asking justifiable questions of the audience, so that must be just another to add to Nelson's list.

Ellen Page is from movies like Inception, Juno, and X-Men 3; I was surprised that I have never seen this indy film before. She's always good in every role she plays. However, her haircut annoyed me in this movie.

Patrick Wilson was the Nite Owl in Watchmen and is scheduled to star in a CBS drama entitled A Gifted Man in this upcoming 2011–12 season. I watched the exclusive preview below and it reminded me a lot of The Mentalist if Patrick Jane worked in a hospital, instead of with the CBI. Surprisingly a lot of familiar faces in this "iffy" preview.

The movie Phone Booth came to mind when I saw Hard Candy. For the most part, both of them have only one setting, be it just in a phone booth or at Jeff's house. And, ironically they both scored a 7.2 User Rating on IMDb.

The cast for the movie was only five people long in the credits. This is probably the first and only time I can list them all without providing a link to the IMDb page. But, what's the point anyways. I did recognize one of the women from the comedy Sideways though.

7/10 Stars.

"A fun little psycho-thriller" ~The Nuz Journal

I will just be completely frank with you, and tell you that this post will be pretty biased since I am a huge fan of the comedy flick. With that being said, tonight I saw Horrible Bosses. A gallow humor about three individuals whom desire to kill their bosses, played by Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis. In case you're not familiar with that comedic term, Merriam-Webster defines it as "humor that makes fun of a life-threatening, disastrous, or terrifying situation." Along with that completely accurate nomenclature to the comedy genre, I could also argue that this flick was a bromance, thriller, crime, and dark comedy. It really did remind me of an I Love You, Man twisted into a Pineapple Express.

The cast for Horrible Bosses was quite superb. Bateman played his typical Arrested Development self, Charlie his high-voiced character from Sunny, and Sudeikis was just ol' SNL-style Sudeikis. They were all great. This was such a good casting for a comedy movie. All the characters seemed so real and meshed so well together to portray the story. It also co-starred Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, and Jamie Foxx, all of which did a fantastic job with their supporting roles. Aniston, the slut. Spacey, the crazy. Foxx, the bad-ass mother-$#!@er. Very comical and entertaining. Additionally, Modern Family's Julie Bowen played the wife of Kevin Spacey's character and did a fine job too. I really hope she appears more often. And, I'm waiting for Phil Dunphy to break out in a comedy film, by which I mean actor Ty Burrell. Anyways, more about the movie itself.

I really enjoyed the pace of this movie. It was non-stop and everything was a twist-and-turn, nothing was expected and surprises were at each and every bend. On top of that, it was a rated-R so it had every word imaginable. As subtle as it seems it still makes it that much more funnier. And, all of the sexual tension was great.

I would definitely recommend seeing this movie before it's out of the theaters. You're diaphragm will thank me.

"2011 Comedy of the Summer" ~The Nuz Journal

8/10 Stars.

Plus, it sure blew The Hangover 2 in creativity out of the water.

David Schwimmer (Ross from the TV show Friends) and Simon Pegg (dude from the Brit-comedies Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) star in a comedic action-thriller-crime British movie. And, yes, you can make out all the words they say; nothing like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (which is an amazing movie by the way). Mr. Pegg definitely put on an American accent for this role, which made sense given the movie setting was in a small town of Oregon. It was seriously every movie of that action-thrill genre kind mixed into one. It had all your typical police mishaps and silly story turns. During the movie they even made a parody bit out of The Matrix; I enjoyed it.

The story was pretty basic. Two guys (David and Simon's characters) are struggling financially and meet at a call-center. Upon not wanting to work there anymore they decide to blackmail somebody. Nothing seems to go right after said "Plan A."

Overall this movie was pretty well done. The acting was pretty decent too. Given that this was the French director's first real flick, guy's name is Jean-Baptiste Andrea, I thought he did a great job. The cut scenes were really cool, reminded me of Shaun of the Dead and Requiem for a Dream. Perhaps Simon helped.

Ironically enough, the one Simon Pegg movie that I have not seen is Run, Fatboy, Run, directed by David Schwimmer. That's pretty cool that a year after Big Nothing that Schwimmer and Pegg decided to act together in a movie of their own.

The movie also co-starred Alice Eve. She was in She's Out of My League, which is one of those movies that I refuse to watch. Eve did a great job in this too. And, she's definitely not rough on the eyes. If you're looking for a fun and quirky comedy, then I'd check out Big Nothing.

Fun fact from the film's Wikipedia page: "Big Nothing was filmed over thirty-two days in January 2006, and had its world premiere at the Cardiff Film Festival on November 18, 2006. Released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on December 1, 2006, the film had its European market release on March 15, 2007, but was never released in cinemas in America. Rather, it was released on DVD on June 12, 2007."