Review: Never Say Never

I've always appreciated Justin Bieber, I wasn't really sure why until I saw this movie. When you don't know a lot about Justin, you have to choose which side you're on and believe it or not, there are a lot of Bieber haters out there. I chose the opposite side but I wasn't enough of a fanatic to go see this movie opening night.. in fact, I waited until this was in the cheap theaters to see it. And now that I have seen it, I kind of wish I hadn't have waited. I may have caught a little bit of Bieber Black Lung.. or is it fever?

Never Say Never follows the story of Justin Bieber from his humble roots in Canada to his recent super super stardom; which is intertwined with his sold out MSG performance. First of all, let's get something straight, Bieber is incredibly talented. I feel okay with using the word prodigy to describe him. Home videos on this movie show Justin jamming out on drums when he was 8 and keeping beats much younger than that. He can sing, dance, play piano, play guitar and more. He deserves his stardom. And coolest thing about learning all this, it screams a giant "EFF YOU!" to Disney and Nickelodeon stars; Justin doesn't need Disney or Nickelodeon to get famous, he did it on his own - even if he had to work his butt off to get there. Way to stick it to the man.

The documentary is well shot and seeing Bieber fans cry over him never gets old. The most interesting part of the show is seeing Justin struggle with being a teenager and his crazy crazy lifestyle. I wish the movie would have explored this idea a little bit more, but it really shines when it does. This isn't a movie just for crazy fans, it is a very inspiring story and if you walk out of the theatre not appreciating JB, there is something wrong with you. It's refreshing to see him behind the scenes as kind of a punk-kid-teen as we were all punk teeners at one point. He has something special going on here and I hope that he is able to stay stable in the future and not pull a Charlie Sheen. I don't think he will, but his career will be interesting to follow because for now, he is a bright star with an inspiring story that works well as a documentary.

This blog will probably not get too popular but... Never Say Never.

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Review: Sucker Punch

First off, Let me answer some questions about this movie.

1. Does it have robot samurais? Yes.

2. Do these robot samurais wield swords, guns, or bazookas? All of the above.

3. Are there any zombies in this movie? If so, which regime do they align themselves with? Yes, and the Nazi regime.

4. Is this enough to make me want to see this movie? Should be!

Wow, I honestly have never been so amazed while watching a movie. I was amazed at the ridiculous action sequences (take the things mentioned above, and add a girl with a samurai sword and a gun fighting them, and that doesn't even explain half of them). I was amazed that any production company was okay with making this into a movie because how amazingly ridiculous of an idea it is. In short, I was amazed. Now does that make it a good movie? I feel like I generally have a good taste in movies, but this one splits my heart right down the middle... yes, by a samurai sword.

Okay, so this is the first movie actually written and directed by Zack Snyder. Zack Snyder directed 300 and Watchmen. Both of these movies are beyond pleasing to the eyes, he has a way of making things look cool, especially action. Slow motion is used as much as possible here to create many, many "WOW" moments. Where Zack Snyder movies tend to struggle is in the storytelling. With 300 and Watchmen, Zack already had two really good stories to work with and even then they felt a little hollow. With Zack writing and then trying to tell Sucker Punch, it leaves a lot to be desired. The story is basically of a girl who gets wrongfully put into an insane asylum, and in order to deal with the terrible things happening to her - her brain goes into these alternate, video game-esque, realities. These realities create a reason to see this movie, I promise you have never seen anything on screen like this.

Okay, so the final verdict - this movie is amazingly stylish, action packed, and jaw droppingly cool when it comes to the action. Everything else (story, acting, purpose) leaves you feeling a little empty - apart from a particularly moving opening scene which features a dark, new version of the song "Sweet Dreams" (which is really cool). The good thing is that most of the movie is the action so you don't have to endure a whole lot of dialogue or bad acting. I can promise you will come away from Sucker Punch feeling that you just saw something completely unique. I can't really promise that you will enjoy it as much as I did. Video game and action fans should see this movie.

Oh, one last question.

Does this movie feature a really emo/depressing version of the Pixies' song, "Where Is My Mind?"

Oh yes.

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Review: Paul

What happens when you take ET and mix it with Superbad and Shaun of the Dead? Well, you get Paul. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost play two british comic book nerds that go America for a comic book convention and also to see famous UFO sites. Along their travels they come across Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), an alien who has escaped from Area 51 and is trying to get home. Pegg and Frost must help him get to his space ship before the FBI catches him.

Like Superbad and Shaun of the Dead, Paul has lots of crude humor and cursing (which is all pretty funny, especially when it is coming out of an alien's mouth). Jason Bateman is very funny as the FBI agent trying to get Paul back. Along the journey there are many very satisfying cameos (Jeffrey Tambor and Jane Lynch to name a couple) - and a very hilarious cameo at the very end which I won't spoil for you. Kristen Wiig also has a funny role as a hardcore Christian who's t-shirt shirt may be one of the more offensive things I've seen in a movie (hilarious, though). The comedy is where this movie capitalizes and the biggest laughs come from Paul himself.

What made Superbad and even Shaun of the Dead good was that they were able to have some truly touching moments among the comedy. Paul tries to do this with it's characters, but it feels like there is just too much going on for there to be anything that truly tugs at your heart strings.

Paul has enough laughs and action to keep you entertained. Sci-Fi enthusiasts will enjoy all of the references and jokes made here. Science Fiction is a tough genre of movie to make, and although this is somewhat of a parody - Paul is one of the better Science Fiction movies I've seen in a while.

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Review: Limitless

Here we have a movie about drugs. Bradley Cooper plays Eddie Morra, a writer with serious writer's block - he luckily runs into his ex-brother-in-law who offers him a drug that will open up his mind and make his possibilities truly Limitless. Now let's get something straight, this movie is NOT Requiem for a Dream. Drugs look pretty dang cool for most of this movie and even by the end of the movie there aren't any real ramifications for Eddie's drug abuse. So maybe this movie doesn't teach the greatest lessons, but it still is pretty fun.

Limitless has some interesting special effects that make the audience feel like they're doing drugs along with Eddie. You'll find yourself endlessly flying through New York City on a few occasions that can make you feel a little sick.. which could be deliberate. Bradley Cooper is emerging as a pretty good actor and he is exciting and believable in this movie. There are a lot of laughs and some exciting action sequences to be had in this movie. You can tell director Neil Burger wanted to have this movie be a rush similar to the rush that Eddie has when he takes the drug. He succeeds.

Where the movie struggles is in its story. It's erratic and sometimes doesn't make a whole lot of sense - You'll find yourself wondering "Well if Eddie's so smart on this drug, shouldn't he have seen this coming?". And as I mentioned before, the only conclusion you can draw from this movie is that this drug really rules - I was hoping for something a little more inspirational. Robert De Niro has a small and forgettable role in this movie, he seemed to be going through the motions, but no doubt that his presence in this movie will help it earn money.

You shouldn't do drugs; this movie is ok to see though.

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New to DVD: The Tourist

Please do not see this movie. If you have any respect for yourself as a human being, stay as far away from this film as you can.

Do not buy it.

Do not rent it from Blockbuster.

Do not redbox it.

Do not watch it streaming on Netflix.

Do not support people who plan to watch it.

Should you even suggest it to your friend as a joke? No.

This movie is awful. It is honestly one of the worst movies I have seen in a long time. I wasted $8.50 and 103 excruciating minutes of my life to see this in theaters.

What makes it even worse is that this movie should be good. I'm a fan of both Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp and it seems like an interesting enough concept for a movie. Angelina plays a secret agent who is tricking Johnny Depp into being someone or something like that.. The plot never really matters and you will NEVER guess the twist at the end. You will seriously never guess it. Not because it's shocking, but because it is so ridiculous and makes very little sense.

Johnny Depp's character is supposed to be a boring teacher from the United States. First of all, why would you ever cast Johnny Depp for this role? He thrives on crazy, quick-witted roles! So he is supposed to be boring.. and he nails it. Super boring. Angelina Jolie is covered in far too much makeup for her own good, she walks like she is on a runway the entire film. It's painful. Please understand how painful this movie is.

I hope this review saves someone's soul.

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Review: The Lincoln Lawyer

I love myself a good courtroom drama. When I was in elementary school, I'd be anxious for every Sunday night to watch the latest episode of The Practice with my mom. I dont know what it is, maybe I just have a hankering for justice. Since that show ended, I haven't found a courtroom drama (movie or TV show) that captured my enthusiasm the same way since. That is until, last night, I saw The Lincoln Lawyer.

This is possibly the best I have ever seen Matthew McConaughey. He plays the bad-A, quick witted, defense attorney - Mick Haller, who finds himself defending a playboy, Lous Roulet (Ryan Phillipe), who is accused of beating up and trying to rape a prostitute. Mick believes that he innocent at the beginning, until he comes across interesting evidence that links him to another murder. Mick finds himself at a moral crossroad between doing his job and bringing someone to justice. It gets intense when Roulet finds out what Mick has been learning...

The movie's high points are scenes when McConaughey is getting into it. The courtroom scenes are wonderful with some really thrilling performances. William Macey has a very small but likable role in this movie as well. The plot is exciting but McConaughey is the reason to see this movie (he even has his expected shirtless scene). There is one twist at the very end which is kind of silly, but it doesn't hurt the movie too much. (It's at least more plausible than Ghosts of Girlfriends Past).

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New to DVD: The Fighter

I'm not sure what it is about boxing movies, but they almost always seem to make a good movie. There were the Rocky movies in the 70's and 80's (although let's please forget Rocky V) and more recently there has been Cinderella Man and Million Dollar Baby - even the latest Rocky Balboa wasn't a half bad movie.

I think what helps Boxing movies is that they're very personal - you don't have to follow a story about a whole team, you can focus on one player and really get into the problems he has to overcome to become a great fighter. So comes the true story of Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his very dysfunctional family. Micky is being trained by his brother, Dicky (Christian Bale) who is a local legend because he won a pretty big fight on HBO once - but now Dicky is doing crack and holding Micky back (rhyme not intended).

Christian provides a bright spot for this movie that may have been a little too formulaic for it's own good (it follows the basic outline for any boxing/sports movie). His ability to become a character is uncanny - he plays a very believable crack addict that will leave you wondering: Wasn't this guy Batman? Along with Christian Bale, Amy Adams (Micky's girlfriend) and Melissa Leo (Micky's mom) give great performances. Micky has about 6 or 7 sisters that provide some violent and sassy laughs for the movie - even if you feel bad for how dysfunctional they are, they will still put a smile on your face.

The movie may be a little predictable, but the performances are what make this movie worth seeing. The grittiness separates Fighter from being a Rocky clone and lastly, one of my favorite all-time quotes comes from this movie:

I'm the fighter here. Not you, not you, not you.... not you.... NOT YOU.... and not you.

(Ok, I exaggerated that a little bit)

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