Garden State

coming SOON

Jesus Camp

I really liked the movie Saved! It was a movie on religious tolerance in the disguise of a ditzy teen movie. It was about this girl who goes to a Christian school with very Christian people...people who "are down with G.O.D.!!" I found it amusing...and thought that all of the extreme religious behavior was there for comic value; something exaggerated by the scriptwriters just to spice things up.

And then came Jesus Camp.

I've never seen a scarier movie. Ever. Watching these kids have a connection with God that involves endless tears, speaking in tongues, and falling to the ground in spasms. Watching Harry Potter be demonized. Seeing the narrow-mindedness that has been instilled into the impressionable minds of very young children. And thing that makes it scary is that it's all real.

Some may think that the documentary is a bit skewed, but I don't agree with that. There is actually no commentary whatsoever by the filmmakers, just the occasional fun fact that appears on the screen a handful of times throughout the film. Evangelicals who see this film see it in a positive light. Those who are not as fervent think it's frightening. All the film really does is observe Pentecostal pastor Becky Fischer, a handful of children, a handful of adults, not much else.

Aside from that, I don't know what to say. For me it was an eye-opener (I'm a bit sheltered). I'm glad I saw it.

Children of Men

One of my favorite movies of 2006 (and I saw many movies, both in theaters and on DVD in 2006), this movie had a elements of things I enjoy for both a thought-provoking movie (i.e. a flick that you watch and think about and talk about afterwards) and one that is fun to watch.

Start with direction and actors. Tons of actors that I enjoy watching: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor (Serenity)... The dirctor of Y tu mamá también. End with a script that was based on a novel (which I have not read) and cinematography that just completely blew me away.

There are a few notable instances of long, extremely long, shots (with a hand-held camera, I read later). These sequences are amazing, and well - breathtaking. Because you won't have time to breathe. And I'm not sure how the camera-man, director, nor actors did either. You have to see the scenes to believe them, and I'm hoping they are just as amazing on home theater.

In any case, I enjoyed all aspects of this movie; it has a little bit of everything. A little bit of love, a little bit of politics, a little bit of sci-fi, a little bit of action, etc. I've read other people disparaging some of the script and dialogue, but honestly, I can overlook moments of "hollywood magic" if I am completely immersed in the movie.

And in this case, I was - the world is a quasi-apocalyptic near-future and the sets are completely immersive. The plot, while it may stretch believability, never had me ask whether the ideas were plausible or not. It is all good science-fiction to me, and the director / script-writer / set-design / cinematographer made a grand enough movie that I didn't have time to question whether the events could happen. They made it happen.

Casino Royale

My first Bond movie ever, believe it or not! I guess it's not so bad since I suppose this movie is supposed to be about his early days as 007.

Pretty decent storyline and dialogue that was good enough to keep me engaged. I wouldn't mind watching more Bond, so I guess that means the movie was good?

300

So I saw 300.

It was okay. I liked the cinematography, but aside from that I don't think it was anything too remarkable.

While I don't recommend everyone go out and see it, I don't recommend everyone to not see it either...unless you get a bit squeamish at the sight of blood and gore. It is a war movie, after all.

BUT.

Boobies and lesbianish action and fighting for the guys, and really ripped, half-naked men for the girls.

Secretary

Opening scene: Maggie Gyllenhaal with her arms and neck affixed to a black metal bar going about her business and looking like walking sex. Hot hot HOT.

I don't even find Gyllenhaal that attractive...and I'm not into BDSM. Actually, the idea of being chained to a metal bar is enough to bring me to tears (I have a fear of being constrained) but for some reason it totally worked.

Another twisted movie that is more funny than anything else. I like it.

Stay

Did anyone else notice all the yellow that started to appear towards the end of the movie? And not just Ewan McGregor's pants. I mean, there was a LOT of yellow. I have no idea what it might mean, though.

Soap Girl

So I watched Soap Girl about a billion years ago (well, a few months).

In short? WORST MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN.

There was this "fight scene". Gratuitous. Two asian girls in a catfight set to the cheesiest music imaginable. I was so embarassed for anyone involved in that scene that I had trouble sitting through the whole fight. Acting was terrible througout the movie. Script was embarassingly bad. And Luciano Saber needs to crawl into a hole and never come out again. I actually watched some of the "behind-the-scenes" stuff on the dvd and it looked like he was supercocky. It also seemed like he couldn't remember the lead actress's name when asked about her.

Ugh. Don't ever watch this film. Seriously.

Letters from Iwo Jima

I keep seeing these whacked out threads on IMDB on the boards for Letters about how it was inaccurate because the Japanese are monsters or that Clint Eastwood pulled the story out of his ass and that the movie sucked because it wasn't completely historically accurate or that American soldiers were not portrayed correctly (i.e. portrayed as saints) or that Clint Eastwood is being unpatriotic by making this movie blah blah blah blah BLAH and all I have to say is DUDE. You are all missing the point of the movie. The whole point of the film was to humanize war, and what better way is there than showing war from the enemy side?

This is a war movie, but it's not about a war so much as it is about war in general and the people involved in it. I liked the movie. And I still need to see Flags of our Fathers.

Hard Candy

"I fucking hate Goldfrapp"

I think it's probably the most well known quote from the movie. Did anyone else see the significance behind the choice of band? As anyone who has heard anything about the movie knows, the film is about a young girl who more or less lures a pedophile into a trap and turns the table on him. They initially bond over a shared love of Goldfrapp, a duo characterized by it's "glam-sex decadance" (Put your dirty angel face/Between my legs/And knicker lace). The moment she reveals her distaste for Goldfrapp is right around the same time that her intentions for their meeting becomes clear.

Coincidence? I think not. I haven't found anyone else on the internet who supports my theory, though =\ At least not yet!