I'm Not There

It's a little difficult for me to explain myself or my standpoint on this movie. For starters I guess I should say that I absolutely loved it...but I can't put my finger on quite why. I have always had an interest in what some people might today call "classic rock" it's musicians. This bioptic of Bob Dylan's life is centered around Dylan as a folk singer and someone I have always considered one of the primary protest voices of the 1960's. His style of song and his poetic lyrics have always struck me as very unique (as I'm sure it did with everyone else) and quite touching. I know some people who think Dylan's voice is like cats claws on a chalkboard and others who worship it, but one thing is for certain: his voice is one of the most distinguishable voices of this century.

As far as the film itself, this was pretty amazing and a very creative presentation of Mr. Bob Dylan. I have to admit I was a little confused, mainly due to the fact that they cast 6 different people to play Dylan during different parts of his life. The young version was played by an African American kid named Marcus Carl Franklin. I was absolutely blown away by this boys performance. I mean, wow. He had some kind of charisma that was pretty awesome to watch on the screen. Other "versions" of Dylan were played by some pretty heavy hitters like Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Cate Blanchett, and Ben Whishaw. Blanchett got an Oscar nomination for this role, which I completely agree with. She was absolutely phenomenal, particularly in a final scene in which she had a monologue explaining Dylan's music and standpoints on several issues.

Accompanied by gorgeous scenery, scenes of the turbulent 1960's, and of course Bob Dylan's incredibly poetic music- this movie is a must see for anyone interested in the voices that lead change and the stories behind them.

There Will Be Blood

This movie is intense. And I've got to say, I have pretty mixed emotions about it. One the one hand, Daniel Day Lewis was absolutely phenomenal (obviously, he DID win an Academy Award). Oh! And Paul Dano was absolutely amazing. This guy has been in several movies, including Little Miss Sunshine and The Girl Next Door. The Girl Next Door was kind of a teeny bopper movie, but he was breathtaking in Little Miss Sunshine and I didn't even like that movie all that much. Dano shows some serious acting chops in this movie and I expect that we will be seeing a lot more of his name on the big screen.
While the cast was great, I couldn't help feeling like some things about this movie were just kind of... off. Mainly the score. It would have some crazy dramatic music when someone was swimming in the ocean or something. Kind of weird. Usually a score indicates something happening in the movie, like the peaks in the notes will hit right as someone is getting sneaked up on. But the music on this would peak, with nothing happening on screen. I don't know it was just weird.
And maybe it's just me but there were a lot of weird, pointless transitions in this. For example: they show a scene where Daniel Day Lewis' son lights a bed on fire. It's sort of showing the boy's frustration with his situation, but overall I just don't see why it was necessary. There were a lot of scenes like that. It was almost as if the director slowed down during inappropriate parts like that and sped up through monumental ones, like the son growing up. One scene he is about 12, and the next scene he is marrying his childhood sweetheart. What about the past 6 or 7 years? Then the movie has an incredibly climactic final scene, and ends rather abruptly. I don't like movies that end like that. It's like I get the whole "thought-provoking" idea of it, but there is a difference between thought-provoking and confusion.
Overall this was a great movie and I think it deserved the Academy's recognition, but I don't think I would buy it or watch it again. It was very long (about 2.5 hours) and moved at a very slow pace. Definitely a movie to watch alone when you are feeling introspective. Oh and a glass of wine helps too.
**Fun fact: Paul Dano is in a movie adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are coming out 2009. I can hardly wait.

Tropic Thunder

Well, I tend to have a hard time knowing where to start on movies I like a lot. I have a hard time figuring out where to start on this one for a totally different reason. It takes a lot for me to get up and walk out of a movie theater in the middle of a movie, and I was thisclose to doing just that for this one. I was really bummed out, too, because I adore Ben Stiller, I love Jack Black, and I think Robert Downey Jr. is brilliant. But this movie was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. You know what's going to happen next, and you wish it didn't, but you just sit there and watch as disaster strikes.
It was a classic Ben Stiller movie, with lots of cameos (Tom Cruise, Stiller's wife Christine Taylor, Mathew McConaughey, Jennifer Love Hewitt...) and lots of over-the-top humor. And Im not totally sure what it was that made this movie worse than, say, Zoolander. I guess it was the long sequences where they tried to be funny and failed miserably. The one funny part was the scene when Jack Black was tied to a tree. Not even Robert Downey Jr. dressed as an African American could save this one.
I will say this for innovation's sake: The first 5 minutes of the movie is filled with previews that are actually part of the movie, it's the actor's movies from before they started filming Tropic Thunder. I thought that was brilliant. Hell, the previews were even funny (why that didn't pass on into the main part of the movie remains a mystery). So I applaud Ben Stiller for that. Otherwise, though, this was a total flop as far as Im concerned.

Step Brothers

I can not get enough of this movie! I have already seen it twice, which is rare for comedies but I seriously laughed so hard I practically peed my pants.
Will Ferrell is one of my favorite actors. I don't know what it is about him but he has the ability to be SO funny in almost any role he is in, even if the movie kind of sucks. John C. Reily isn't one of my favorite actors, but he was pretty awesome in this movie as well. There isn't a whole lot one can say about this kind of movie, just that it was hilarious and creative and I HIGHLY recommend it. Here are some clips from the movie for your viewing pleasure:






This one is a terrible copy but it's one of the funniest parts of the movie:

Who missed me??

Alright kids- so rather than get overwhelmed by the number of movies I have seen and neglected to blog about I have decided to start small (and, well, big at the same time!) by working on one at a time. So here is the big one: The Dark Knight.Seriously- this is one of the best action/comic book/eye candy movies I have seen in a long time. And you can just let the reviews around the world, as well as the astronomical ticket sales speak for themselves. This movie is breaking records and taking names all over the place, out-selling pretty much every other movie known to man. They are talking Oscar nominations for Heath Ledger, as well as, I'm sure, all kinds of awards for the behind the scenes as well. Oh and didn't you hear? Christian Bale got so stoked on this film he cussed out his mom and went to jail for it! Wait- that's not why he did that. Sorry, my bad.

There are tons of things to talk about in this one. Lets start with the cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman. Wow. To steal the exact phrase from someone else- every single one of the actors in this brought their A game to the screen. I have heard stories that Heath Ledger even secluded himself in a hotel room for a week or two so that he could nail The Joker's character and the insanity that he possessed. Without giving too much focus on Ledger because I don't want him to steal the show, er, blog- he was PHENOMENAL. To be able to get inside the mind of a character like that is a pretty big feat and he literally owned that role. I don't think there has nor will there ever be anyone who can play the sh!t out of that role the way he did. Christian Bale has been and is my favorite Batman. He has that somber and lonely, yet playboy rich-man thing nailed. Oh, and um... yea he's gorgeous. I've heard that when he does interviews regarding Batman he talks in his impression of an American accent because he doesn't want to confuse viewers. Pure class. Aaron Eckhart was great as Gotham's White Knight Harvey Dent, my only complaint was that he didn't get to play Two-Face for a long period of time in the film. But truth be told I liked him much more as Dent anyways. Eckhart is just such a clean, charismatic guy that you can't help but like him. He was perfect to play Harvey Dent- with his surfer blond hair and trustworthy eyes. I enjoyed him on screen a lot- and not just because he is good looking but because he was believable.

One of the best things about all of these superhero movies coming out now is the ability to have such awesome stunts and gadgets. I mean, the things Batman can do now are a far cry from a bogus punch to the chest and a big *POW* exclamation that fills the screen. What an exciting time to go to the movies, don't you think? The Batpod was introduced in this movie, which lets just say is effing awesome. This movie sort of came out as a mix of James Bond, Silence of the Lambs, and The Italian Job (whatwith the heists and all). I'm sure there are a ton of other things I am forgetting to add to that list, but oh well I can't win 'em all.

To satisfy your sweet tooth in some and your sheer, morbid curiosity in the others: Here are some stills from the movie for you! Enjoy.

To the former Harvey girls

I don't know what it is but lately movies are the last things I feel in the mood to blog about. CREEPY. I seriously do not like that AT ALL. But here I am, still blogging, so I suppose that's still something, right?

Today I want to talk about two people that I love more than anything in this world. And while I love quite a few people, these two stand out for obvious reasons.

When I look around at all the people in this world, I see smart ones, stupid ones, funny ones, and mean ones... I see all walks of life. So how is it that I, who really haven't done very much to deserve something out-of-control-special, ended up with two of the coolest and most admirable women I know as my sisters? It really blows my mind.

Starting with Charity (because she is the oldest, not out of preference)... she is just plain COOL. Like here is this sister who has never had any problems speaking her mind, she's incredibly business savvy, has 3 sons and a husband who are naturally good at everything and some of the funnest people I know, owns a skate shop in Parker, Colorado and is cool enough to hang out with the teenagers who come in there (which, trust me because I remember being a teenager and it's like an unsaid rule that you have to HATE adults)... she is just plain awesome. Whenever I get the chance to hang out with her I have so much fun and laugh so hard I am almost in tears. I LOVE my sister.

And for Jill- she is one of my best friends. Compassionate, loving, funny, smart, and talented... there are very few people in this world who do not think Jill is amazing. If I ever have a problem, I call Jill for advice (poor Jill) because she is a voice of reason and always has good input that I probably didn't think of. She is patient with me and with all the people in her life- a quality I, myself, have little of. She always seems to have good things come her way, some might say it's luck, but you can never begrudge her for it because when someone so good gets things handed to them, it almost seems like a balance of things.

As luck would have it, both of these awesome women live in another state now, which makes me sad, but it doesn't change my admiration for them. How did I get SO LUCKY? I have no clue. But I am grateful every day that I get to have two of the people in this world that I consider to be my biggest role models as family.

I love you guys.

Missing blogs...

Wow, it's been a pretty crazy month for me, personally. I haven't been very good about blogging but I've been busy so don't get too mad (As if there were a bunch of people getting angry about the fact that I haven't updated my movie blog!) The following blogs are coming soon (and anyone who can think of anything else I may have seen with them and forgot to blog about, feel free to remind me!)

*Wall-E

*Rambo (2008)

*Wanted

*Kung Fu Panda

*Lars and The Real Girl

*P.S., I Love You

*Hellboy