Three Quick Movie Reviews

Okay, so part of my postings here will be reviews of media forms; books and movies, most notably. I do this for a couple of reasons:

1) It serves as a sort of cultural education making you, the reader, more aware of the goings-on of our present day culture.

2) My offerings will serve either to warn you of the bad stuff or turn you on to the good stuff.

With that in mind, I saw three movies this past week:

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

If you have not seen either of the first two Underworld movies, the basic premise is that vampires and lycans, or, as they are more commonly known, werewolves, are at war with one another. This movie served as a prequel - effectively answering the big question: Why are the vampires and the werewolves hating on one another?

Personally, I found this installment to be the best of the three, but take this with a pinch of salt, for it is most certainly not a movie for children or those who cannot stand the sight of violence. The story is well-told, but the cinematics make it difficult to recommend.

Twilight

I finally broke down and saw this one. I had promised myself I wouldnt get sucked into the next teeny-bopper craze, but my friend Jason and I caved because it was the only movie showing during the time frame in which we were looking to watch one. If you arent aware, the movie is based off of a series of books by author Stephenie Meyer named Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.

The movie wasnt bad and comes with a PG-13 rating for mild violence and what is called "sensuality" by IMDB. Basically what that means is that there is a lot of tension between the two characters in the film that are romantically interested in one another. Too much for this guy.

The movie completely messed with the traditional vampire characteristics, and that bothered me. For instance: Vampire lore dictates that they cant be seen in mirrors and that is clearly not the case in the film. And according to mythos, they cant encounter sunlight without essentially turning to ash. In the movie, when they are exposed to direct sunlight, they dont burn...they dont even sizzle a little. Instead, they sparkle. Yeah, SPARKLE. As if they had been rubbed down in body glitter. Lame.

Some of the special effects were cheesy, too. Like blurring when the vampires jump or fall. Yeah, somehow vampires defy physics in such a way that gravity, itself, somehow exercises its forces on them more intensely - causing them to fall so fast they blur. Also lame.

The story wasnt bad - as I said: a little too creepily seductive. Best part of the film is watching the vampire family interact. Funny if you think about it. The part of Edward Cullin was played well by an unknown by the name of Robert Pattinson who made Edward extremely creepy and just enough unlikeable to give his character some dramatic depth.

Recommended? If you read the books, sure. Otherwise, pass.

I Love You, Man

I must preface this review with a very necessary warning: This movie is not for kids. Its rated R for a host of good reasons.

That aside, for what it is - an adult-oriented comedy - this movie is fantastic. It mixes outright humor with more subtle humor and keeps you laughing throughout. Basic premise is that a guy is going to get married and realizes that he doesnt have any male friends to fill out his side of the wedding party, so he starts going on "man-dates" to try and meet his potential Best Man. He inadvertently meets a guy by the name of Sydney, they hit it off, and onward goeth the plot.

Most of the humor in the movie is harmless, but when it does get into the PG-13/R range with the humor, it goes all in. Language is also an issue in it, with curse-words being uttered, it would be safe to guess, in every scene.

The movie did a great job of getting you to fall in love with the characters and making you pull for them 100%. When the times are good, you are happy. When they get a little rocky, you hope to see a quick return to the good times. You dont see that dynamic too often in comedies.

I dont hesitate to say that I believe this movie was made for my age range (the 18-25 range). Everyone will laugh during the film, but that doesnt mean it is a recommendation for all.

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I usually will talk about some sort of teachable moment from the movies I watch, as well, but opted out to keep things shorter this go around. I dont usually see three movies at a time! Oh, and if you are curious about a movie (whether it be for your sake or you are wondering whether or not to let your children go see it in the theaters), shoot me a line and I will scope things out for you and let you know.

Hasta.