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Laura e. Crook

~ writer by day, batgirl wannabe by night

Laura e. Crook

Tag Archives: reviews: film

Five Things Friday: Five Reasons I Hope “Brave” Is a New Breed of Disney Film

06 Friday Jul 2012

Posted by Laura Crook in Blog, Reviews

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disney, Five Things Friday, reviews: film

Brave, in my opinion, takes the best parts of Disney and the best parts of Pixar and combines them into one amazing achievement of animation. Disney and Pixar have been united since 2006, but this is the first “princess” movie that involves both Disney and Pixar (Tangled and Princess and the Frog were entirely Disney produced and distributed). I hope that the themes explored in Brave will carry through to the future Disney Princess films, for five very simple reasons.

(There are minor spoilers for the film in general, but not for the plot or ending specifically. Read at your own risk!)

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The Avengers: Just as awesome as you hoped

04 Friday May 2012

Posted by Laura Crook in Reviews

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adaptations, film: the avengers, joss whedon, reviews: film

After watching Cabin in the Woods, someone on tumblr commented “if this is what happens when we give Joss Whedon money, then we need to give him all the money.”

Random person on tumblr: I see your Cabin in the Woods and I raise you The Avengers. Because that was one of the most flawless superhero movies I’ve ever seen.

Several weeks ago a friend asked me which I was looking forward to more: The Avengers or The Dark Knight Rises. I told him that I was looking forward to both for very different reasons, because (despite both being superhero movies) they’re very different films. Dark Knight Rises is the gritty conclusion to the Batman film reboot and The Avengers is a fun-but-serious, campy installation in a series of canonically linked films. And while I love me some gritty films (Hard Candy and The Town were both on my list of ten movies that define my character, after all), I have started to prefer the campy remakes over the gritty, for one very simple reason:

Comics are ridiculous.

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10 movies my friends should have seen by now

05 Thursday Apr 2012

Posted by Laura Crook in Blog

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book: harry potter, movie spotlight, reviews: film

(Or should see in the near future).

When Busy Bee Lauren posted about the 10 Movies Required For Her Friendship, it reminded me of the tried-and-true litmus test my father used on one of my ex-boyfriends: The Princess Bride. When I learned that he had gone through 25 years of life without ever watching this amazing movie, I had to rectify it! Luckily, he loved the film (thus passing my dad’s test), and even though I’m no longer dating this guy, I like to remember that at least I made him expand his cinematic horizons and watch The Princess Bride.

Lauren’s post got me thinking… what other movies are so important, so vital to my very personality that they should be required viewing upon initial friendship? Maybe someday I’ll do a list of television shows all my friends should have seen by now, but for today movies are enough.

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The Fighter (2010)

05 Wednesday Jan 2011

Posted by Laura Crook in Reviews

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I’m a Boston girl, born and raised, so I think I was genetically predisposed to love “The Fighter.” The film, set and filmed in Lowell MA and the surrounding area, chronicles the true story of two boxing brothers and one man’s quest to win the World Championship. It sounds corny, I know, but take a peek at the cast list: Mark Wahlberg plays boxer Micky Ward while Christian Bale tackles the role of Micky’s junky, washed-up older brother, Dicky Eklund. Amy Adams portrays Charlene, Micky’s tough-as-nails girlfriend.
Director David O. Russell used tight shots and a largely hand-held camera to achieve a close, intimate feel throughout most of the movie. During the major fights, however, the lighting and the camera moves were plucked from the style used by actual televised boxing. The harsh, bright light is unflattering and real–just like the sport itself.

Good directing can only make a movie so far–the rest has to be carried by the writing and the acting. The dialogue was quick, and the characters talked over each other and shouted more often than not. The language was foul, but not out of the realm of imagination for a film set in Lowell in the early to mid ‘90s.

Christian Bale portrayed Micky’s crack-addicted brother, Dicky, with an air of pathetic earnestness. He started off the film skin and bones, only to gain back the weight in muscle during the character’s time in prison, from where he emerges clean and sober. Dicky comes across as jumpy, full of beans and energy, but beneath the junky exterior you can see where he was once a quick and nimble boxer.

Mark Wahlberg was excellent, but to be completely honest he didn’t do anything risky or exciting in this movie (except look wonderful without a shirt). I definitely prefer him in “The Departed.” That being said, Wahlberg gave a solidly good performance. He was earnest, sweet and kind, even as he pummeled the crap out of his boxing opponents. He never truly seemed to lose his confidence, even when everyone in Lowell called him a stepping stone–the boxer that’s put into the right to allow the other boxers to move ahead.

As Charlene, Adams has moved away from sugary-sweet roles like “Enchanted.” One of her more charming lines in the film is along the lines of “I will tear your disgusting hair out of your head.” Coming out of the mouths of any other actress, this line could have seemed grotesquely low-rent, or just fake. Amy Adams, however, gave it just enough heat and intensity to sell her character.

This film is not for the faint of heart (or of stomach). The world of boxing and of early 90s Lowell is gritty and violent. That being said, this isn’t really a movie about boxing; it’s movie about brothers and it’s a movie about triumph. Sure, it speaks to me because I’m from Boston–but there’s so much more to it than that. Do yourself a favor: go see “The Fighter.”

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Five Christmas Movies To Avoid Like The Plague

23 Thursday Dec 2010

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It’s the Christmas season once again, which means you will be inundated with Christmas movies of all shapes and sizes. Some are funny, some are classics, some are heartfelt and some are just awful. Never fear! I have compiled a list of Christmas movies to avoid like the plague. Overdose on “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Story” if you want, but stay away from these duds.

5. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Let me begin by admitting that there’s nothing inherently wrong with this movie. I enjoy Jim Carey as much as the next person who prefers drama over comedy. My one problem with this movie is that if you’re going to watch “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” why not watch the original classic? My roommate feels the same way about “A Christmas Carol.” In her mind, the only version that exists is “A Muppet Christmas Carol,” and rightly so, because it’s awesome.

There are three reasons why the 1966 version is better than the 2000 version:
– Boris Karloff (the original Frankenstein) is the narrator and the voice of the Grinch.
– The music is as classically Christmas you can get without breaking out a hymnal. “Christmas, Why Can’t I Find You?” is sweet and all, but nothing beats “You’re a Mean One, Mister Grinch” in my book.
– It’s animated! I’ve never been a huge fan of live-action versions of Dr. Seuss’ works (did you see “Cat in the Hat”?). Dr. Seuss’ characters are illustrated, after all, so it stands to reason that the best films of his work will be animated.

So instead of watching Jim Carey prance around in an Academy Award nominated make-up job, tune in to the 30 minute animated version. And with all the time you’ve saved, you can watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” too!

4. Jack Frost (1998)
“Jack Frost” was Michael Keaton’s desperate attempt to resurrect some form of a career after “Batman.” Given the fact that this movie holds an 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I think it’s safe to say that he gambled and lost.

Michael Keaton plays Jack Frost, the lead singer in a blues band that performs covers of children’s Christmas songs. Stop right there and read that sentence again. Blues covers. Children’s Christmas songs. I know it sounds like the recipe for the best movie ever, but it’s actually not. Like every leading character on this list, Jack Frost is a neglectful family man who spends way too much time focused on his work. Jack misses a family trip in favor of a really important gig. On his way there, however, he gets into a car crash and dies. I’m pretty sure that if Disney created a Christmas movie, it would be “Jack Frost.”

Flash forward one year later: Jack’s son makes a snowman that comes to life with his father’s personality! It is at this point in the movie when I wonder why this movie isn’t called “Frosty the Snowman.”

Jack and Charlie do some bonding, scare some bullies, and Jack uses his time to impart important father-son lessons that he never got to impart while he was busy being a Christmas blues cover artist. In the end, Jack magically melts (kind of like those snowmen in the Campbell’s soup commercials) and becomes Michael Keaton again. Then they all live happily ever after.

Instead of watching this weird, sappy movie, just watch “It’s a Wonderful Life.” You can excuse the sappiness in that film because it’s Jimmy Stewart. Plus it has some of the same themes without forcing me to type the words “Christmas blues cover artist.”

3. Santa Baby (2006)
“Santa Baby” is like “Fred Claus,” except the only funny parts are unintentional and it stars Jenny McCarthy instead of Paul Giamatti and Vince Vaughn. Also it’s a waste of time. Jenny McCarthy’s character is a work-a-holic high powered businesswoman. The only problem is that she’s Santa’s daughter and he’s ill! Oh no! So Mary goes to the North Pole to help mummy and daddy with Christmas. But she butts heads with the elves, who weren’t exactly blessed with an abundance of brains.

Will Mary’s hard-core business ethic help her save Christmas? Will she win back her true love? Will Santa be all right? Who cares? Go watch “Fred Claus” instead.

2. The Christmas Shoes (2002)
“The Christmas Shoes” was probably meant to be a poignant cinematic adaptation of a poignant Christmas song. Instead it’s so depressing that you might actually believe that urban legend that more suicides occur during the holiday season.

Just to prepare you for the utter despair that is created by this film, here are the lyrics to the song’s chorus:

Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please
It’s Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there’s not much time
You see she’s been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight.

So the singer buys the shoes for the little boy and learns the true meaning of Christmas. It’s sweet, it’s sad, and the movie is about 75% lamer.

“The Christmas Shoes” follows two main characters and their families. One guy, Robert Layton (played by Rob Lowe) is a work-a-holic who neglects his family (a Christmas movie staple). Maggie (played by Kimberly Williams) is an ill young mother with a son.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out how this movie goes: Robert’s mother dies before Robert can reconcile with her; Maggie’s son fundraises to buy his mother shoes before she dies; Robert helps Maggie’s son buy the shoes and Maggie dies. This is exactly the sort of movie you never, ever want to watch, let alone on Christmas. Instead, consider watching “A Christmas Story.” It’s funny, cute, and not at all depressing. Plus, it’s hard to go wrong with anything written by Jean Shepherd.

1. Borrowed Hearts (1997)
Lifetime and the Hallmark Channel get a lot of flack for cranking out lame made-for-TV-movies. However, right around the holiday season, CBS takes the cake for lame made-for-TV-movies about the holidays. “The Christmas Shoes” was on CBS, as was the sequel, “The Christmas Blessing.” However the number one movie on my don’t-watch list was also on CBS: “Borrowed Hearts.”

“Borrowed Hearts” stars Eric McCormack (Will from “Will and Grace”) and Roma Downey, who you may remember as Monica, the titular angel in “Touched By An Angel.” Borrowed Hearts, like several of the films on this list, took a classic, well-loved story and compressed it into 91 laughable minutes. “Which well-loved story,” you ask? Read my synopsis and maybe you’ll be able to guess.

It starts with a classic holiday character trope: the wizened-hearted single (yet attractive) businessman that is inches (inches!) away from landing the biggest deal of his career. Sound familiar? I’m not surprised. His business associate tells him that the guy in charge of saying yes to this vague deal (I’m not even sure I know what this wizened-hearted attractive businessman does except being attractive while having a wizened-heart) is impressed by family men.

So Attractive Businessman hires Attractive Single Mother and her Adorable Daughter to be his family. Combined with a guardian angel type character played by Hector Elizondo and CBS gave us “Pretty Woman.”The only difference? They set it during Christmas, subtracted a hooker and added a daughter. They even reused Hector Elizondo as the helpful watching angel! Sloppy, CBS, very sloppy.

Instead of watching “Borrowed Hearts” or any of the other Hallmark/Lifetime made-for-TV movies, just watch “Pretty Woman.” It’s not a Christmas movie, sure, but you can watch the scene where Vivian gives the snobby sales lady who works on commission a what for.

Needless to say, watching any of the movies on this list would be a big mistake. Big. Huge. (That’s right, I went there).

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Five Non-Traditional Christmas Movies

16 Thursday Dec 2010

Posted by Laura Crook in Reviews

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Every Christmas I face the same question: how many times can I watch the same old batch of Christmas movies before I get tired of them? Answer: three. To that end, I’ve compiled a list of five non-traditional Christmas movies for you to turn to when you get tired of TBS’s 24-hour marathon of “A Christmas Story.”

5 – Die Hard (1988)
Outside of “A Christmas Story,” “Die Hard” is my go-to Christmas movie. “But ‘Die Hard’ is an action movie!” you might say, and you’d be correct. But “Die Hard” is special, because it’s an action movie set during Christmas. “Die Hard,” starring Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman, follows a New York City cop named John McClane who travels to LA to spend Christmas with his estranged wife, Holly. Since McClane is played by Bruce Willis, predictably he gets caught up in a terrorist attack on the office building where McClane’s wife works.

McClane, who is a colossal bad-ass, proceeds to take down the terrorists with minimal help (and a lot of moral support) from an LA cop named Al Powell (played by Reginald VelJohnson, also known as the dad from “Family Matters”). The movie ends the way all Christmas movies should end: with a kiss. Holly and McClane drive off into the city, having rediscovered their love for one another. As long as you don’t watch Die Hard 4, you can imagine that they’ll never break up. Everyone together? “Awwwww.”

4 – Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Tim Burton’s masterpiece is normally watched during the Halloween season, and rightly so, because it follows the residents of Halloweentown as they attempt to organize and celebrate Christmas. The songs are creepy and the characters are more at home during the end of October than the end of December, but Nightmare Before Christmas is, at its heart, a Halloween/Christmas cross-over. Santa makes a brief appearance (when he’s kidnapped by the Oogie Boogie Man), but he is replaced by tall, bony Jack Skellington. There’s even a Rudolph character; Jack’s ghost dog, Zero, and his shining red nose.

Like all Christmas movies (traditional and non-traditional), “Nightmare Before Christmas” sends wholesome Christmas-y messages. Unlike all Christmas movies, these messages are communicated through the lens of monsters, corpses and skeletons. Some of the messages Tim Burton sends to his viewers are… don’t kidnap Santa Claus, listen to your rag-doll friend when she has premonitions, shrunken heads don’t make good Christmas gifts for children, and, perhaps the most important lesson of all: never give up on your dreams.

3 – Gremlins (1984)
Everyone knows the three rules: keep them out of the light, don’t get them wet and don’t feed them after midnight. But how many people realize that “Gremlins,” the Steven Spielberg produced cult-classic is set during Christmas?

“Gremlins” is about a struggling family in a struggling town where the reigns are held by one greedy bank and one greedy bank manager. An aspiring inventor buys a “mogwai” from an admittedly shady store in Chinatown and gives it to his son, Billy, for Christmas. The characters proceed to break all three rules regarding the gremlins, and predictably all hell breaks loose.

In the background of this movie is a simple message: greed is bad. Using water, Billy’s father makes more and more gremlins so he can sell them as pets. When Billy accidentally feeds these gremlins after midnight, they turn on the family and Gizmo–the original mogwai that gave them life. Even The greedy bank manager (presented as a Mrs. Gulch from the Wizard of Oz character) gets her just desserts (spoiler alert: she gets killed by the gremlins).

“Gremlins” isn’t little kid friendly (the little monsters are pretty scary after they transform!), but it’s a great slightly-older family film nonetheless.

2 – About A Boy (2002)
Written and directed by Chris and Paul Weitz, “About A Boy” is a classic kind-of-Christmas movie. Set in and around Christmas, “About A Boy” tells the story of aimless womanizer Will (Hugh Grant) and his strange, surrogate, father-son relationship with 12-year-old Marcus (Nicholas Hoult). Will’s entire income is based on a song his father wrote when he was a child, called “Santa’s Super Sleigh.” The royalties provided by this song ensure that Will can spend his life doing absolutely nothing.

His philosophy is interrupted when Marcus crosses his path, and Will discovers what can be gained by giving your heart to a child. “About A Boy” uses Christmas as a book end to allow the audience to gauge Will’s growth as a character. The film starts at Christmas, as Will chases women and fabricates a child to date single mothers–happily living his life as an “island.” The ending of the movie drops us off at the following Christmas, where Will is surrounded by friends and has discovered that, while men can be islands, some of them are part of larger chains of islands.

“About A Boy,” like any Hugh Grant movie, is good for a laugh, and it has good, Christmas-y messages, like “family is important” and “don’t scam on single mothers.” Though I suppose that last one isn’t really specific to Christmas.

1 – Home Alone (1990)
Do I even need to recount the plot of “Home Alone”? Macaulay Culkin plays Kevin, the youngest child in a huge family. The night before his entire family hops on a plane for Paris, Kevin is sent to his room for causing trouble. Kevin’s life is kind of sad–his siblings and cousins love to say things like “Kevin, you’re such a disease,” and “Kevin, I’m going to feed you to my tarantula.” After some crazy random happenstances, Kevin’s family sleeps in, accidentally count a neighbor instead of Kevin, and leave him in Chicago while they fly off to Paris. Predictably, hijinks ensue.

The best part of this movie is definitely the burglars that go head-to-head against eight-year-old Kevin, and eventually lose. Kevin also has to come to terms with his fear of the “Shovel Killer” (who is, in reality, just a nice old man who wants to be with his estranged family) as well overcome his belief that his family hates him.

While Kevin is initially happy that he “made his family disappear,” in the end he realizes that… he misses them, and wants to spend Christmas with them. At the end of the film, Kevin’s mother flies back to him and Kevin realizes that his family does love him, even if it’s difficult to imagine sometimes.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One (2010)

17 Wednesday Nov 2010

Posted by Laura Crook in Reviews

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Like any huge Harry Potter fan, I’ve been pretty disappointed with the films. Some things just won’t live up to your expectations and to some degree this is true of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. However, with that little disclaimer, if you’re not psyched for the second to last installment of Harry’s adventures, you should be, because it is epic. And awesome. And excellent. And brilliant. And about fifty other adjectives.

From the opening sequence, this film was absolutely riveting and I had an emotional investment from the get-go. Out of all its predecessors, this film was the most faithful to the books. Writer Steve Kloves did omit several scenes that disappointed me, such as a very pivotal scene between werewolf Remus Lupin and Harry. But after his miniscule role in the sixth movie, I’m used to my favorite werewolf getting the shaft.

The special effects were breathtaking. I had forgotten how amazing it is to watch a group of wizards duel in the middle of downtown London—narrowly escaping double-decker buses and nearly falling out of their flying motorcycles. There is one scene—the scene where Hermione tells the story of The Three Brothers, a fairy tale about three mystical objects called the Deathly Hallows—that took my breath away. I can’t tell you more than that without giving anything away, but trust me: when you see this scene, you’ll understand.

The acting was also quite excellent. Jason Isaacs usually plays Death Eater Lucius Malfoy with a sneer, but in this film we can see just how frightened he is of his master, Lord Voldemort. And speaking of the Big Bad himself, Ralph Fiennes pulls off some serious make-up and prosthetic work to give the entire audience chills. The adult characters have always stolen the show from the teen actors, but in this movie Rupert Grint, the actor playing Ron Weasely, stole the show right back.

Honestly, with the exception of the special effects, the beauty of this movie lies in the simplicity and subtlety of the details, like two characters falling asleep holding hands, a joke shared between twins, a summer wedding or a stolen kiss goodbye.

I know that the first six Harry Potter films have escaped any Oscar buzz, but I think that this is the film to generate it. I predict at least three Oscar noms: one for best original score, one for cinematography and one for directing. The music, composed by Oscar nominee Alexandre Desplat, for his work on Benjamin Button, gave me chills. Director David Yates brings out the best of both the actors and the sets–he used the rolling English countryside with breathtaking precision. Cinematographer Eduardo Serra previously received two Oscar noms–one for his work on 2003’s “Girl With a Pearl Earring,” and a second for 1997’s “The Wings of the Dove.” As a college student, it is my highly professional opinion that another Oscar nomination is in Serra’s future.

And now for the big question: is this movie worth the price of admission? Uh, yeah. Yeah it is. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is worth the price of at least two IMAX tickets. Trust me when I say this is a movie that you do NOT want to wait to see.

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Secretariat (2010)

04 Thursday Nov 2010

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It’s easy to look at Secretariat as just another movie about a horse. And it’s easy to make fun of it for being just another movie about a horse. But believe me when I say that Secretariat is so much better than just another movie about a horse. Seriously. Blew my mind. Maybe it’s because the characters are based on real people or maybe it’s because it’s a movie about the best racehorse in the history of racehorses.

Secretariat packs some serious star power. Diane Lane (Under the Tuscan Sun and Unfaithful) plays Penny Chenery, Secretariat’s owner, and John Malcovich (Burn After Reading) stars as the horse’s trainer, Lucian Laurin. It was directed by Randall Wallace, the writer behind Braveheart and the director of The Man in the Iron Mask).

True to the subject matter, the pace is quick and urgent. The first two years of Secretariat’s life pass in a five minute montage and we are pushed into the high stakes world of horse racing. For a story with a relatively well known ending (spoiler alert! Secretariat is really fast), I was on the edge of my seat for each racing scene.

John Malcovich and Diane Lane are the highlights of this film. Malcovich brought a colorful character to life. And I mean literally colorful. His first outfit was a hot pink shirt paired with equally loud plaid Bermuda shorts. But Diane Lane doesn’t allow herself to be upstaged by a man in pink clothes. Pardon my white-ness, but girlfriend is fierce.

There was a lot of hype about how Diane Lane’s character was a woman in a male-dominated industry, and I have to be honest: I was worried that the film would take a half-hearted stab at making her a strong woman and leave it at that. But rest assured! Penny Chenery kicks butt and takes names, from the moment she strolled into a gentleman’s club to take a meeting to the final press conference when she took a quip about being a housewife with grace and pride. In short, Penny Chenery is my new hero.

Secretariat is a Disney movie, so the film is scattered with trite lessons like “be yourself” and “always follow your dreams.” The soundtrack was also inexplicably filled with old school spirituals and hymns, but this doesn’t detract from the story.

This movie should be required viewing for any girl under 10. Not only will they be psyched about the fact that it’s a movie about a horse, but they’ll also see a hard-core woman being hard-core. In addition to being a great family film, this is a good, solid rainy day movie. Is it worth the outrageous amount of money movie theaters charge? I would say yes. There’s nothing quite like watching a horse thunder across a huge screen to win the Kentucky Derby. Trust me: this is worth the price of admission.

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Inception (2010)

04 Thursday Nov 2010

Posted by Laura Crook in Reviews

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There are only five things you need to know about Inception. Ready? Here goes: right off the bat I should say that it’s not a re-make, a re-do, a re-imagining or an adaptation. Of all the movies that came out this year I can count on one hand how many originals there are. There’s Inception, and there’s… um… moving on!

Number two is the cast list. Like all little girls from the 90’s, I loved Leonardo DiCaprio since he set foot on the Titanic, so if I have to give you his filmography, we are no longer friends. Ellen Page rocked pregnancy in Juno, made everyone wish they had a pair of roller skates in Whip It, and… well, she did the best with what she was given in X-Men 3. Joseph Gordon-Levitt starred in 3rd Rock From the Sun and !0 Things I Hate About You, took ten years off and returned with a bang for (500) Days of Summer and Inception, impressing everyone with how foxy he looks in three-piece suits and showcasing his ability to finally choose a movie without a number in the title.

Not to mention Oscar winner Marion Cotillard; my new favorite Irishman, Cillian Murphy and Ken Wanatabe from Batman Begins. Plus, Michael Caine showed up in a couple of scenes, officially making Christopher Nolan the new Tim Burton. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Number three on my extremely official list: the special effects. I don’t want to know how much time it took to produce even half the special effects in this film, because I’m pretty sure my mind would explode. That being said, I have two words for you: Shifting. Gravity. Yeah. Get excited. Not to mention the dream construction that lives in the background of the entire movie. That’s right: Christopher Nolan is so awesome he can have epic special effects and stick them in the background, because that’s not what’s keeping the audience captivated. What’s keeping them captivated is number four: the writing.

So, I’m a writer, and I just have to say it can be really hard to create eight (trust me, I counted) distinct main characters in addition to a ridiculously complicated story-line. I’m talking a story-line so awesome, so complex, that you will literally HAVE to see this movie twice just so that you can remind yourself how spectacular this film is. And the best part is that Nolan was able to do all this and more without confusing me! And I’m the kind of person who mixes up characters if there are too many blondes, so that’s saying something.

So… what kind of movie is Inception? It’s not really a family movie, mostly because of the length and the complexity. It is, however, a good date movie. I suggest catching an early showing and grabbing dinner after instead of before, so you’ll have a captive audience to bounce theories off of. And trust me, you will have theories.

But the real question is, should you pay twelve bucks to see Inception? Am I allowed to say “hell yes” on the air? No? Well then heck yes you should! I would even shell out the fifteen bucks to see it on IMAX. Twice. That’s how amazing this movie is. I haven’t been willing to pay 30 bucks to see a movie since the sixth Harry Potter film. And that wasn’t even because the movie was particularly good! I’m just a Harry Potter junkie.

So turn off the TV, hop the train to the closest movie theater and go see this movie. And don’t forget to join the hordes of people on social networking sites who are gushing about it. Because eighteen status updates about one topic only serves one purpose: to make the people who don’t understand the reference feel like an idiot. And it’s always fun to make someone feel like an idiot.

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The Social Network (2010)

04 Thursday Nov 2010

Posted by Laura Crook in Reviews

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adaptations, reviews: film

When I heard they were making a movie about Facebook, I expected it to be a straight documentary.Happily, it wasn’t.That being said, I had pretty high expectations.“The Social Network,” was written by television powerhouse Aaron Sorkin (“The West Wing” and “Studio 60”), directed by David Fischer (Fight Club, Seven and Benjamin Button) and starred both Justin Timberlake and Jesse Eisenberg, who is like Michael Cera, but more versatile.I expected nothing less than pure, unadulterated genius.

Instead, I received a good, entertaining movie.Maybe it’s my fault.Maybe I expected too much from a movie about a social networking site.To be fair, the acting was very good and the writing was excellent.The movie lags a bit in the beginning–the first 10 minutes are literally two characters sitting in a bar, talking–but once Zuckerberg hits his stride, the film does the same.

But don’t enter the movie theater expecting to like Mark Zuckerberg.Sympathize with him, maybe.Dislike him, probably.In my opinion there was only one likeable character in the entire film, and he was the one who was suing his best friend.“The Social Network” is witty, but not laugh-out-loud hysterical, so if you’re looking for a big laugh, don’t look here.

My favorite part of The Social Network was the writing.It’s classic Aaron Sorkin, which should excite fans of “The West Wing.”Get ready for some mile-a-minute conversations, because Jesse Eisenberg speaks FAST.The premise was simple and Zuckerberg’s motivation was elegantly expressed.

Should you pay 12 bucks to see this movie?It’s not a bad investment.It’s an entertaining and engaging film, but there’s nothing in the film that absolutely needs to be seen on a big screen.If you’re hesitant about paying for a movie theater ticket, then wait until it’s out on DVD and get it from Netflix.The story translates just as well on your little TV screen as it does in the theater.

Needless to say, The Social Network is a good movie for college students.Our lives basically revolve around Facebook, so it’s only natural that we’d want to see a movie about it.At its heart, this film is a commentary on the identity of our generation, and I think it communicates this wonderfully.

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