The Gray Report

This movie was actually really good. I was not too happy with RottenTomatoes on this one. Some of the critics were so off that it seemed like they had watched a completely different film. I have wondered since how one qualifies to be a critic. Do they just have to watch tons of movies? Be good at ripping things a part? It makes me think about what the scary critic in Ratatouille said near the end of the film which I found to be quite profound. " In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new tale...

Hit "Play" and listen while you read :) So It is all over I reckon. It is sort of hard to believe but not really. I felt like when I finished reading book 7 back in 2007 that that was really the end. The movies have been fun and I have enjoyed observing how the filmmakers interpreted JK's world, but really the book was what connected me to the characters. I loved this film because it seemed like there was some true acting, scripting, directing, and real emotion in this one. It was trying. This story really is all about family and the people that matter the most, in the end things like the Elder Wand and so forth fade because that is not important. These items that gave Voldy the false sense of security that he could live forever are similar to villians of today who have distanced themselves so much from the love and warmth of human relationships that they must turn to substances and treatments to find hope and strength when looking forward to tomorrow. Whether i...

I have been humming/singing the theme to this movie for almost as long as I can remember. I watched about a fourth of it once on TV, and now I have finally seen it. Some film people tend to not talk about, or maybe even think less of the films like this one that the broad population considers "classic" or monumental in the progression of filmmaking. I often feel like these people have a problem with feeling some sort of elite sense of I'm-smarter-than-you ness that is simply regressive and childish. This film, regardless of how many people liked it, praised it, or shrugged it off, is a profound example of what the motion picture can capture and communicate. I was moved to be better, and my perspective on life has changed because of my experience with this film. I could go on about Liam Neeson and Ben Kingsley's performances, but that has been done countless times for the last decade and a half. For me this film was powerful because of the personal element communicate...

Dad and I decided to go see Rango on the day when the hordes were off for HP. We hit the dollar theater at 1 pm, and part of the humor of the film I think was hearing Dad and me laughing hard in the almost empty theater. It seems not another soul made a squeak. The film was pretty amazing visually - and I highly enjoyed all the western themes that were alluded to. Perhaps that is what made it so funny for me was that I have seen a fair amount of westerns and so the cliches that I love and the characters that are so recognizable were just a delight to watch in this creative fashion. Everything was there for the story to be complete in terms of the Hero's journey. The wise old latin armadillo, the tests and allies and reluctance to the call. The threshold and the belly of the beast were there to. It worked according to the formula and that made it all the more enjoyable for me. The music and the great montage scenes were very fun and I just never got sick of the innov...

So I finally watched it. Being somewhat skeptical I didn't think I would swayed much by the film. However, Gore presented tons of facts and it seemed to be very true. I am easily persuaded by media and the like so was sure to watch it with Kassie (who majored in Biology and somehow seems to remember everything from all her classes!) so she could keep things real. When it was over she told me that pretty much everything seemed to be true, except perhaps a few connections between hurricanes and warming and other things. What was cool is 19 scientists came to that same conclusion. After the release of the film, the associated press went and questioned these scientists about the truthfulness of what was presented. You can read about that here . My only real exposure to the issue was from Glenn Beck's book called "An Inconvenient Book" which really raked over the film and its message. This clip illustrates his perspective at the time the book came out (2007 ish). However,...

I have enjoyed the previous X men films to a certain extent. The constant theme that his hit each time is one that I think is important for today. The idea of "mutants" and how some folks just aren't like others has always been true, and I think there is some great potential for a paper on the connections between X-men and illegal immigrants. The series also offers some interesting looks into human nature through the microcosm of the few characters we are introduced to, and asks questions of us about how we are using our talents and so forth. Beyond these good themes and discussions, however, lies a deep immoral violence that really surprised me. Kassie and I saw this film in the "big boy" theaters. It was full of spectacle, mutant changing creatures, computer effects, and practically naked women. I was amazed at the amounts of un-called for violence. The brutality was useless. Sure I know Eric hurts from his past, but the manner in which he shows it and the...

I wanted to watch this film because I love westerns and they really haven't been much in production since the 50's, and I admit that Brad Pitt is perhaps one of my favorite actors. The film is really long (nearly 3 hours) and actually has the same violence rating as films such as Lord of the Rings and other PG-13 action movies on "Kids-in-mind.com" though it was given an R rating. It was interesting to think about this phenomenon in light of a comment a peer of mine made in one of the last days of the term this Spring. He mentioned that he has actually walked out of many PG-13 films because of the use of violence is so immoral. That might sound sort of weird, but in thinking about it it made a lot of sense. To show tons of violence just because it is "cool" or "fun" or makes you want the bad guy to get demolished is frankly not right. On the other hand, some filmmakers use violence merely to show how things really are/were and not necessarily for...

I didn't really know what to expect going into this movie. Kassie had told me the basic plot, but I was a little hesitant about seeing Legolas and MJ in a chick flick. As it turns out, it wasn't as much of a chick flick as I thought. How would one define a chick flick? Well, next semester in theory I am sure I could tell you in a more professional way but I think it goes something like. Character A wants a boy/girl. A meets B. B and A have a series of growing relationship building experiences. A finds out some horrible thing about B (or somehow there is a falling out of sorts). A finds out that that horrible thing is not true, or they get over it, and it is resolved. In the end A gets B and they get married, or are re-united. I can say this, because I have seen this pattern multiple times (Pride and Prejudice, Hitch, 10 things I hate about you, Win a Date With Tad Hamilton, Shallow Hal, Notting Hill, etc etc etc). I am not saying it is bad per se, because the movies I really l...