Memorial Monday: Lost in Translation

For all new posts regarding older movies will now fall under Memorial Monday's. To start off is Lost in Translation. Enjoy!

Summary: Bob (Bill Murray) is an over the hill actor who goes to Tokyo to do some work for his fading career. Although Bob has a family he feels lost in his life and is suffering from a mid life crisis. At his hotel he meets Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) a newly married woman who spends her days doing nothing while her husband works on photo shoots. The odd couple quickly engages in a friendly relationship and come to find that they have more in common with each other than they do with their significant others. More importantly, they realize they are at the same point in their lives despite their difference in age.

Plot (A): The plot is fairly simplistic and straight forward but it’s the undertone feelings of both characters which really drive the film. Both Bob and Charlotte are lost in their lives and feel that it is escaping them day by day. Rarely are their feelings and thoughts of their own lives clearly stated. They are simply implied by their personalities, lack of energy, and sense of apathy. This movie has always stuck with me for several reasons but I’ll only mention its association to my life at the time. While studying abroad in Rome in 2004, my wife (then my girlfriend) were on spring break in Dublin and decided to see it. I connected with this film immediately because I too was in a different country where I sometimes felt unaccustomed to everyday life. I was a stranger living in a strange land where life was seemingly passing me by. The only difference between me and the characters was that I wasn’t truly alone. I had the loving company of a woman I’m now proud to call my wife.

Action: N/A

Acting & Dialogue (A): What you come to find out about these characters stems from their dialogue with each other and the people surrounding them. In some cases its very moving while at other times its funny. Perhaps the most important lines between Bob and Charlotte are at the end but they are not audible. Bob elegantly whispers into Charlotte’s ear forcing viewers to use their imagination. Typically, as everyone knows, Bill Murray is a comedic actor who brings comedies to another plain of existence. One of the funniest people to grace the silver screen Murray stepped out of his shell and provided an amazing performance worthy of an Oscar. Scarlet Johansson exhibits the same talent in her role. Her character finds comfort and a jolt of life when she’s with Bob. Despite her young age, her level of maturity is higher than her husband’s and peers. One reason such as this is why these characters find comfort in each other.

Sex Appeal (5): Seeing Scarlet Johansson in her panties was delightful treat! Other than that there’s nothing.

Director (A): Sofia Coppola’s second feature length film was an amazing success. Nominated for Best Original Screenplay, Best Picture, and Best Director Coppola left an everlasting impression on the film community that would even make her father Francis proud. Although she didn’t win for Best Picture or Director she did win for Best Original Screenplay, rightfully so. Her story was beautifully written and depicted. It was extremely smart of her to cast the setting of the story in a city that is so different from anything Americans are used to. The language, culture, religion, shit even the driving is nothing like these characters are used to. Coppola created a story where strangers met and formed a unique bond that impacted each other’s life forever.

Overall: A

Kick-Ass

Summary: Dave Lizewski is an average high school student that goes around unnoticed by his peers thus making him and two close friend’s pariahs. Infatuated with comic books and the role of superhero’s Dave is shocked that no one has ever taken up the role. Since he is so disgusted with society’s lack of morals he decides to take things into his own hands and creates a “super-hero” identity known as Kick-Ass.

Plot (B): I found the story to be very light and comical with heavy overtones of kick ass action. The story is more than just the Kick-Ass character itself. It also focuses on fellow crime fighters Big Daddy and Hit Girl and their vendetta against crime boss Frank D’Amico. Instead of commenting on the rest of the plot I’m going to go a different way for minute. After thinking over what Dave said it does puzzle me that in a world where millions read and adore comic books and super-hero’s no one has ever actually done it. While I have seen recent news reports of average people donning costumes to help society it has never been carried through to the max. Not a single person has dedicated their life to fighting for the great good while expecting nothing in return. What does that say about society? I mean there are people out there who do very bad things and get away with it. I know what I’m saying is crazy all together but it’s still food for thought. You can argue that they are law enforcement officials in the world and I’ll agree with you, but even some of them are corrupt. Bad guys don’t fear cops because they work within the law and they know the limits. If someone was to work outside of the law, on the side of good, perhaps things may be a bit different.

Action (A-): My youngest brother told me before I saw the movie that Kick-Ass is more of action than comedy. He was right. Watching Kick-Ass get his skull beaten in several times was very entertaining and comical….what can I say I’m a Jackass fan I like watching people get hurt. Kick-Ass shows all the signs of an amateur at work with no style or grace. However, the father and daughter team he works with, Big Daddy and Hit-Girl have all the right moves and are highly trained in various forms of combat. It’s slightly weird though watching an 11 year old girl butcher a room of grown men, even if it is a movie.

Acting and Dialogue (B+): I’m a big fan of narrated movies. I feel that they pull the viewers into the story even more and allow you to establish a relationship with the narrator/main character. Aaron Johnson, who played the title role, did a very good job. Before his character became Kick-Ass he portrayed Dave as the typical teenage boy who stutters when a hot girl looks at him and who is so horny all he can do is constantly jerk off (now that’s very typical). Afterwards, the confidence he exudes provides good character development. Do you remember what I wrote about Nicholas Cage and how he sometimes has it and other times doesn’t? Well, in Kick-Ass he’s fucking on it. While his performance doesn’t have a bulk load of screen time it’ still very good. Since his character was a former cop he raised his daughter to love guns, knives, explosives, etc. but speaks to her with such innocence and love you can’t help but laugh. What’s even better is that when Cage is Big Daddy he talks almost like a robot. I guess that’s a spoof on Christian Bale from The Dark Knight. Chloe Moretz, who plays Hit-Girl is also very good and made a strong impression and is definitely the star of the film. She speaks, acts, and kick’s ass like an adult but she’s 11. Mark Strong was very good as usual and is doing a good job making a name for himself. Finally, there’s Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin), plays Red Mist (worst name ever) who isn’t as funny in this movie and I feel he’s being type-casted with these nerdy roles.

Sex Appeal (7): There were two parts where I thought I was going to see boob action but it didn’t happen. However, there was some nice side boob and cleavage shots .

Director (B+): This is Matthew Vaughn’s third film as a director and this guy seems to know what he’s doing. His first film was Layer Cake (2004) with Daniel Craig, which I haven’t seen but I hear it’s very good. He also directed Stardust (2007), which looks very cheesy but according to IMDB it’s a good movie. I’m going to chalk that up to Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer’s performances though. Vaughn kept the pace of the movie moving. When the film did start to slow down an action scene immediately brought things back up to speed. With all the other characters within the story he never lost sight of Dave and his quest for justice.

Overall: B+

Top 15 Comic Book Movies-Part 3

5. Batman (1989) – How appropriate that the Batman franchise started with Tim Burton and his dark portrayal of the Caped Crusader. At the time of its release the Superman franchise was the only DC Comic character to have a major motion picture and so this was a great addition. Since this was the first installment you really have to admire Burton's vision. He created a Gotham City that was dark, chaotic, and in desperate need of help. I will say that Nolan's Gotham City wasn’t as dark and gritty as his predecessor’s so I have to give it to Burton in that aspect. Michael Keaton was very good in this movie especially as the Batman character. Keaton really captured and displayed the dark tortured soul that is the true Bruce Wayne and Batman. However, his public Bruce Wayne character could have had more life. Furthermore, Keaton never had the height or the actual physical stature which Bale has given to the character. Don’t get me wrong I’m not hating on Keaton I’m just stating the differences between the actor and character. With all that said let us not forget the great Jack Nicholson as The Joker. Here was our first real glimpse into the mind of psychopath. Nicholson’s Joker is very different then Ledger’s. Nicholson allowed viewers to get up close and personal with The Joker. He did so almost to a point that you could be slightly comfortable being in a room with him.

4. Superman (1978) – The first major super-hero movie created and a personal favorite of mine, both the character and film. While The Dark Knight is the template for comic movies today Superman was the first to correctly illustrate what an origin movie should look like. Even though CGI was still in its infancy the live action shots established an authentic tone to the story. From the falling helicopter to the breaking of the Hoover Dam it brings me back to simpler time. This is the role that made Christopher Reeves career and immortalized him as the Man of Steel. And who better to play Jor-El, the father of Kal-El (Superman), than the legend himself Marlon Brando. His sacrificial words at the start of the film accompanied by that iconic theme music gives me chills every time. While Gene Hackman played a great Lex Luthor and a formidable villain the true fight for Superman in this film is that he has to be everywhere at once.

3. X2: X-Men United (2003) - Before the release of the two latest Batman movies X2: X-Men United held the number one slot. While others may feel different, X2 took the franchise and Marvel Comics to a whole new level. Yes, X-Men (2000) was good. However, Bryan Singer made a better movie his second time around by introducing new mutants, providing more character development, and incorporating better fight scenes. From the opening scene with Nightcrawler in the White House to climatic ending with Jean Grey, Singer installed faith into the hearts of fans. Moreover, the most important and best thing Singer did was unleash Wolverine. The fan favorite was too reserved in the first movie. So for the second installment Wolverine went on an all out killing spree fucking up people left and right. Only Wolverine can take out a team of special-op soldiers in a matter of minutes with such ferocity and simplicity.

2. Batman Begins (2005) - As a writer and director you got to have a real set of balls to not have Batman show up in costume until an hour into the story. As you saw with Ang Lee’s Hulk it proved to be a shit show. However, with Batman Begins the back story was just as important and interesting. It’s during that specific time you come to understand Bruce Wayne’s pain and determination. Furthermore, there was so much build up that when Bruce Wayne finally donned the cape and cowl for the first time it immediately signaled the rebirth of the Batman franchise. Christian Bale proved to be a great pick as the legendary detective and in my opinion the best Bruce Wayne/Batman. Casting Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth was genius as well although I was always partial to the original Alfred in the four previous films played by Michael Gough. A great movie all together.

1. The Dark Knight (2008) – In my opinion this is the best the comic book movie made to date. Excellent acting and dialogue, a great script, precise sound quality, and a genius director all contributed to one of the highest grossing films. Obviously the unfortunate death of the talented Heath Ledger contributed to the hype of the film. However, dead or alive you can’t deny that was an amazing performance and extremely authentic to The Joker character. What made the film even better was the fact that Nolan never focused on The Joker by himself unlike Tim Burton. In The Dark Knight, The Joker would just show and “dooo things” surprising everyone. By doing so, Nolan and Ledger kept the Joker as a very mysterious character keeping the audience at a distance. At the same time, Ledger still managed to pull everyone in through his intesne performance. My one compliant about this film was Christian Bale’s voice as Batman. It was over the top and got worse as the movie went on. It wasn’t like that in the first film. With that said, The Dark Knight is the archetype for all future comic book movies.

So that's it. I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you thought about the list. Did I leave something out which should be on there? Any honorable mention(s)?

If you want the bull, you're gonna get the horns!

She looks like a bull in the process of charging a matador. Via con Dios el matador!

Top 15 Comic Book Movies-Part 2

10. Watchmen (2009) - If you can get past looking at a big blue cock for half the movie this film is awesome. The comic book has a huge following and I was happy that they stayed true to the story. Much different than the other comics on this list because it touched upon a real issue…The Cold War and the paranoia it created in the world. This is just an all around good movie that has great CGI, excellent dialogue, and very good actors. Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach was definitely the best part of this movie. Although Rorschach does suffer from some sort of mental disorder his sense of justice is extremely accurate. Even though these super heroes were regular people without powers, with the exception of Dr. Manhattan, they were extremely badass and ruthless. They saw no problems breaking a man’s arm or leg just to make a point. Dr. Manhattan’s continuous disconnection to humans was also very intriguing. Here is a regular man who suffers a science accident and then is given the powers of a god. However, he feels nothing for humanity. This is clearly represented when he watches his fellow crime fighter, The Comedian, blow away his own Vietnamese baby mama in bar.

9. The Punisher (2004) - Forget the 1980’s Dolph Lundgren version. The 2004 remake with Thomas Jane and John Travolta was one of the best Marvel movies created. It was true to the comic. It had vicious death scenes carried out by the killing machine known as Frank Castle aka The Punisher. Many critics and Hollywood executives consider this movie a flop because it didn’t do well in the box office. While that may be true I don’t consider if a movie is bad or good by the amount of money it makes. The script was very good, the story was depressing (which it should be), the acting was strong, and there was a lot of live action instead of CGI. This film is underrated. Talk to any true comic fan and they’ll tell you the same. My best guess for why this film didn’t do well in the box office was because it was rated R. Therefore, the movie isn’t going to attract the younger crowd as a PG-13 comic book movie would. Also, the studio did not put that much work into promoting it.

8. Blade (1998) - A lesser known comic book character by the general public but definitely not among fans. Blade brings us into the world of vampires and the title characters mission to vanquish them. Half-human and half vampire Blade possesses all the strengths of a vampire but has none of their weaknesses. Nicknamed the Daywalker, Blade is not a person to fuck with whether you’re human or vampire. Wesley Snipes was the perfect match for this character. His attitude was intense and dark, his martial arts were on point (Snipes is a black belt), and his delivery was authentic. A surprising performance did not come from Snipes or the bad guy played by Stephen Dorff actually. Instead it came from country /folk singer Kris Kristofferson. His character was raw, unpolished, and cursed like a trucker. I really like the realness that Kristofferson protrayed in the character. Finally, Blade is a great movie because it shows vampires for what they really…blood sucking fiends who will kill anyone whether it’s for food or fun . This is unlike the pussies in Twatlight….no I didn’t mistakenly misspell it.

7. Superman II (1980) - This where they should have went with Superman Returns. I don’t necessarily mean the same villain but an adversary that gives Superman a real challenge. This film is unique because it started with one director Richard Donner, who directed the first one and 75% of the second, and ended with Richard Lester. While the reasons are not that important for this post Superman II is definitely a worthy sequel. You see Superman battle several obstacles in this film: foes from his home planet who have the same powers, sacrificing his own powers to be with Lois Lane who now knows the truth, and this is all coupled with the fact that he abandoned his responsibilities as Earth greatest protector. To atone for his sin and save Earth from destruction we finally see Superman kick some Kryptonion whoop-ass, however it’s his intellect and wit that seals victory.

6. Spider-Man (2002)- Spider-Man was the second Marvel storyline to be released and this film came to have a huge impact on comic book fans and the general audience alike. True to the comic in almost every way Spider-Man captured the attention and wallets of everyone. The well written script and direction under Sam Raimi allowed the movie to progress smoothly. The love story between Peter and Mary-Jane made it acceptable for female non-comic book fans to enjoy the movie. The flawless special effects mixed with live action stunts provided great entertainment for all. As you watch Spider-Man web-sling through New York City you’re able to see what he sees due to the intense CGI. At its core Spider-Man is about a teenage boy who obtains spider powers which force him to become a man in a short period of time. Simultaneously both of his identities must deal with numerous issues thus testing his own character.

To Be Concluded...

Brothers

Summary: Marine Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey McGuire) is a loving father of two girls and a devoted husband to Grace Cahill (Natalie Portman). He possesses all the noble qualities of man in the Marine Corp. and is the shining star of the family. However, since he is an active solider he must go back to the war in Afghanistan. Days before departing he picks up his underachiever younger brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) from prison and brings him back home. We soon find that he has a strenuous relationship with his father and isn’t liked by Grace. When Sam is off at war his helicopter crashes leaving everyone to presume he is dead. As a result, Tommy becomes a responsible man by taking care of his brother’s devastated family. Both Tommy and Grace find comfort and support within each other as a way to cope with Sam’s death. As this is going on, we see that Capt. Cahill is actually alive and is now POW along with a subordinate Marine. Months of torture tore down their psyches and cause Sam to commit an unspeakable act. Soon after Sam is rescued and taken home but he is now a changed man. He can’t seem to get over what happened. Sam quickly descends into fits of irrational madness and rage questioning his wife’s loyalty.

Plot (B+): Brothers is a remake of the 2004 Danish film Brodre and although I didn’t see the original I hear it was very good as well. From the trailers I was expecting something a little bit different but was pleasantly and disturbingly surprised due to the major twist in the story. This story can touch the hearts of anyone because you see what it’s like when you lose a loved one. The absolute devastation it causes an entire family is extremely emotional and at times hard to watch. Luckily, we don’t see every bit of pain Natalie Portman’s character endures, which allows a good break for viewers. This film is very good and definitely one of the best ten films of 2009 according to major movie critics as well as me.

Action: N/A

Acting & Dialogue (A-): Each of the three main characters are good examples of quality acting. Above all, Natalie Portman performance stands out the most because we witness her world come crashing down instantly. When she is not overrun with tears and grief her face radiates beauty. When Portman is at her weakest we see the level of her focus and deep talent. Tobey McGuire’s character transformation was definitely worthy of his 2010 Golden Globe nomination. Before he left, McGuire’s Cahill was sweet, loving, and affectionate. When he returned, McGuire exuded a disconnection from his entire family and bordered on being mentally ill. At times McGuire’s character seemed level headed and was okay with the fact that Tommy and Grace’s despair brought them closer. Other times he couldn’t handle his guilt and would violently lash out. Jake Gyllenhaal played his role as the degenerate younger brother effortlessly. The constant tension between him and their father was very believable and can be felt by the viewers. Gyllenhaal brought a strong sense of balance to the film. While the other two actors displayed high levels of trauma he provided a balance that was needed in the story.

Sex Appeal (7): No, there are not any nude or sex scenes in the film. However, Natalie Portman is so damn beautiful that it’s worth giving praise.

Director (B+): When researched Jim Sheridan’s name I was surprised to find a small resume that consisted of highly reputable films. Sheridan only has seven films under his belt. Three of the first four films starred Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989), In The Name of the Father (1993), and The Boxer (1997). Both of the first two films received Oscar nominations in several categories. However, it was only Daniel Day-Lewis who took home a Best Actor Oscar for his STUNNING performance as cerebral palsy painter/writer Christy Brown in My Left Foot. Sheridan has also directed In America (2002), an under the radar film about an Irish immigrant family adapting to life in New York City. Oddly, Sheirdan’s random black sheep of the list is…wait for this you’ll never believe this shit…Get Rich or Die Tryin’ starring 50 Cent. Hahahaha! What the hell happened there buddy? You created some quality films in your day with great actors. What possible made you think that working with a rapper who refers to himself as an American currency was a going to work out in your favor? But hey, shit happens. You get a pass on that especially after directing Brothers as the follow up.

Overall: B+

The Other Guys Trailer

Check out this new movie starring Will Ferrell and Mark Walhberg. This looks pretty damn funny!

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Summary: In post Katrina New Orleans Terence McDonagh (Nicholas Cage) is a lieutenant detective who doesn’t live the life of a typical cop. Addicted to drugs and gambling McDonagh can’t help himself from finding his next score or waging his next bet. Even though McDonagh loves to live life on the edge he is in fact the best detective on the force. Due to this he is put in charge of solving a drug related mass murder. When McDonagh discovers the culprit he decides to befriend the drug lord, played by Xzibit, in order to continue his habit and pay off debt. This film is an update version of the 1992 Bad Lieutenant starring Harvey Keitel.

Plot (B): There's nothing better than seeing a cop break EVERY SINGLE rule in the book. Even though this is an updated version I have to say this movie was good, but a little drawn out at times. Usually, I don’t care about that however there was about seven different times when I thought the movie was over and it wasn’t. What I find to be very intriguing was the hypocrisy. McDonagh showed apathy for his own health and the rules of the law but he still maintained a moral code. He saw no problem in staking out night clubs and ripping off exiting pedestrians for drugs. He maintained a pimp/boyfriend like relationship with a hooker played by Eva Mendes. These actions among several others clearly depict the characters flaws and his desperation to get high.

Action (B-): Believe it or not there is not that much action in this movie. This story is more about the situations McDonagh gets in due to his current status.

Acting & Dialogue (A): Do you remember the time when Nicholas Cage was a very good actor and didn’t take on shitty ass roles like today? I do and they were glorious. As you watch Bad Lieutenant you are reminded of the talent Cage has but chooses not to display. I honestly don’t think this film would have been as good if Cage didn’t star in it. In the beginning of the film Cage’s character hurts his back, which is the catalyst for his future behavior. Therefore, for the entire movie Cage walks very slowly with one shoulder raised and the other lowered. I haven’t seen dedication like this from him since Leaving Las Vegas. Cage is so good that he forces viewers to question his character’s motives. Does Lt. McDonagh continue to do his job because he loves it and he’s very good at it? Or does he do it just to sustain his habit? Luckily, that question does get answered. Eva Mendes, Xzibit, and Val Kilmer are also in the film and provide a decent supporting cast. However their roles are greatly over shadowed by Cage’s performance.

Sex Appeal (6): No boobs in this film unfortunately. But there is a nice ass shot of a girl who McDonagh smoke’s crack with and then starts to semi-fuck her in front of her boyfriend. Priceless. Thankfully, there is not a nude scene of Cage slowly dancing around all fucked up, like there was in Harvey Keitel’s version. That wasn’t right!

Director (B): German born director Werner Herzog is the man responsible for resuscitating Cage’s creativity in Bad Lieutenant. Herzog has primarily created movies in his native Germany and few American films, which are lesser known. Of those American movies the one that stands out the best is Rescue Dawn starring Christian Bale, which is a true story of Vietnam POW pilot…great movie. Herzog used all the right elements when shooting this film. Setting the story in post Katrina New Orleans was an excellent idea because the broken down city foreshadows Cage’s character and his inner struggle for survival.

Overall: B

Sorry!

Followers I would like to apologize to you. When I create a new post I always double space between each new paragraph. It's cleaner and easier to read. However, this fucking piece of shit program finds it necessary to change it back making everything look like one continous paragraph. This is something I battle with every time I post. So, again I apologize.

Top 15 Comic Book Movies-Part 1

After much work and consulting with some comic book friends I have come up with the Top 15 Comic Book Movies. If you're wondering why I chose 15 instead of 10 it's relatively simple. When I first sat down and listed all the comic movies I realized there was more than 10 which were very good. Therefore, instead of cutting some out I decided to change this list to 15. I'll probably only do it for this list. Furthermore, since the list is very long I will only post five at a time. That way there is less to read at once. As for when I release Parts 2 & 3...well you'll just have to keep coming back to see. Enjoy for now!

15. Spider-Man 2 (2004) – A good sequel that lived up to the first installment. The script was well written and showed the proper evolution of Peter Parker/ Spider-Man. In Spider-man 2 Parker’s love for Mary Jane still continues to haunt him. Although he wants to give into his heart’s desire Parker knows he can’t because he’ll bring her into his world of danger. Casting Alfred Molina as Doc Ock was extremely fitting due to the similar physical traits and intellectual superiority the character called for. Like the first Spider-Man the CGI was flawless. Director Sam Raimi especially did a very good job balancing between the real life tentacles for up close and personal moments with Doc Ock and the computer generated ones during action scenes.

14. The Incredible Hulk (2008) – Along with Wolverine, The Incredible Hulk is one of my favorite Marvel characters. As I wrote previously, the Hulk franchise needed to get rebooted. While certain comic book movies lack effort such as the Fantastic Four, the 2003 Hulk had too much effort. Ed Norton correctly displayed the true Bruce Banner: determined, focused, brilliant, but in a constant state of torture and uneasiness. This is all correctly displayed by the struggle to find himself a cure. We barely saw that in 2003. The incorporation of the “Days Without Incident” number in the lower parts of the screen was a nice touch to signify Banner’s determination not to lose control. Liv Tyler’s take on Betty Ross was much more believable and less painful than Jennifer Connelly’s. William Hurt was also better in the role of Gen. Ross than Sam Elliot who finds it difficult not to speak with drawn out western accent. The Hulk himself was 1000 times better with his traditional long hair, chiseled physique, and the ability to speak. I certainly hope for a sequel.

13. Blade II (2002) - Welcome to the twisted and eccentric mind of writer/director Guillermo del Toro. Del Toro is the best thing to happen to comic/fantasy movies. Not only does del Toro know how to tell a story but his passion for aesthetics is unrivaled. The make-up is so detailed in this film, or in any film he directs for that matter, that it’s worth seeing just for that. Blade II was a very good sequel and picked up right where the first left off. Only this time he must battle a different type of vampire, one who prefers to feed off vampires instead of humans.

12. Hellboy (2004) - I always found this story to be very interesting because it dealt with the devil’s son, Hellboy, who instead of being raised in the hands of evil ended up being raised in the hands of good. Furthermore, the inclusion of the dark and invulnerable Russian Rasputin as the villain increased my interest due to my fascination with Russian history. As for Hellboy himself, played by Ron Pearlman, his character was funny and displayed all the natural qualities of a hero but he was extremely self-conscious. He also desperately wanted to be loved and accepted by people. By incorporating this we see the inner conflict of this hero.

11. Iron Man (2008) – Probably the one of the best castings for a character ever Robert Downey, Jr. is Tony Stark. When I initially heard that they casted him for the part I knew the movie was going to be a success. Only Downey could correctly represent the arrogant, self-centered, narcissist prodigy. As for John Favreau, he is a director dedicated to telling the right kind of story. The Iron Man script allowed Favreau to quickly establish the characters and wasted no time getting the meat of the story much like the first Spider-Man. I thought Terrence Howard was also a good pick for the role of Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Starks military friend. I would rather see him still in the role instead of Don Cheadle for Iron Man 2. My one compliant was the movie didn’t have enough fighting. I know it was the first film and the story needed to be established but I did leave the theater wanting a little bit more. With that said, the action was very good, the graphics were excellent, and Downey was Downey which means he was great.

Clash of the Titans

So, I saw Clash of the Titans and I wasn’t impressed at all. Therefore, I’m not going to write a formal review. I simply can’t. Here are my thoughts instead. Even with all the CGI and 3D-ness these things couldn’t cover up the fact that the movie wasn’t too interesting. Yes, the CGI was very cool but it was a waste to see it in 3D because the quality was not like Avatar. Please understand I’m coming from a different point of view than most people. My father introduced me to the original and it’s a movie that I’ve always been fond of. I am also a huge fan of Greek mythology who always found this story to be particularly interesting. This new version was barely like the original version or they myth itself, which frustrated me to no end. If you have never seen the original and know nothing about the story then you should see it. You may like it. However, if you’re like me I suggest not seeing it because it’ll piss you off. I just don’t understand Hollywood. All they had to do was remake a classic cult movie with up-to-date special effects and everything would have been fine. Instead the writers and director changed certain plotlines and created their own version which completely lacked substance thus ruining the story. What I really didn’t like was that Perseus renounced his divine heritage for half the movie in order to achieve his mission as “a man”. You’re a demi-god moron therefore you can’t fight the inevitable. Plus that’s not even in the myth. By incorporating this it really took away my interest. Furthermore, I felt that Sam Worthington’s performance fell flat. There was no sense of life to his character. He didn’t seem like a man who wanted to prove his self worth like the myth clearly illustrates. Instead, he was just another man hell bent on revenge and how many times have we seen that? Fuck this movie. I’m so angry that these Hollywood shitheads continually fuck up classics.

Actor of the Month: Ed Norton

Why: One of the best actors in the last 20 years hands down. Ed Norton is an actor who is so dedicated to each role he takes on that he brings the films to another level. The character’s he portrays are always drastically different from the previous and his skill allows him to reinvent himself thus bringing the characters to life. Not only is he highly skilled when it comes to acting but he’s also very smart about his selection of roles. This is a good trait to have because one could end up like Ben Affleck after Good Will Hunting who took on every role that came his way. Another factor that makes Norton so good is his diverse experience with the different types of genres: comedy (Death to Smoochy), drama (American History X, 25th Hour, Rounders), action (Fight Club, The Incredible Hulk), thriller (Red Dragon, Primal Fear). Among his entire resume Fight Club, American History X, and Primal Fear stand out the most. His character transformation in American History X is astounding and it’s extremely hard not to feel the pain he endures. In Fight Club, Norton’s character found life boring and repetitive forcing him to question the meaning of everything even his own sanity. As for Primal Fear, we see his ability to fool the other characters and the audience. For parts of the movie he looks so angelic and innocent however this is only done to hide the cunning devil inside.

If I had to choose five current actors whose career I could have Ed Norton’s would definitely be one of them. His dedication to the art of acting is only rivaled by few. Therefore, Ed Norton I award you the Actor of the Month.