I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to post a new review! I've been very busy, and since I like to dedicate the most time possible to writing a review (and do not like to post it if I feel it is not good enough) it sometimes take a while to actually get out something besides General Maintenance. So, on that note, I just want to give a heads up that the reviews for O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) and Hair (1979) are currently in the works. If all goes well, you should see at least one of them before the weekend is out! Thanks for your patience :)
2 votes-- Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)
1 vote-- Vampires Suck (2010)
2 votes-- Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
1 vote-- The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
So, I'm going to post the schedule for the next few months.....
March: Juno (2007)
April: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)
May: Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
June: Vampires Suck (2010)
July: The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
As promised (although a bit later than I had hoped), the survey for the May blog header is now online. It's at the top of the page, right under the header, and for some odd reason, the title of the survey does not show up on the page... :S
All you have to do is select the movie you'd like to see as the blog header for May. If the movie you wanted is not listed in the poll, then just email it to me as a suggestion or include it as a comment to this post. PLEASE: Only include movies that have already been reviewed on this blog so far!
Starring: Jenn Proske, Matt Lanter, Diedrich Bader
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 82 minutes
I’m sure all of you have heard about the Twilight series in one way or another.Either you watch the movies; read the books; obsess about sparkly vampires and hot, shirtless werewolves; or you have a sister, aunt, mother, or girlfriend who does.Either way, terms like Team Edward and the Cullens have become pretty engrained in all of our minds.And, for many of us, the Twilight craze is becoming a little too much.(I sincerely apologize to all the Twi-hards (oh god I just said it!) that I have offended with that last statement).So, if you’re a real hard-core fan of Twilight, you might want to look for a different movie.This does not glamorize the image of a sexy vampire and a too-hot-to-touch werewolf.In fact, I’d say that it fairly rips the film apart.
Becca Crane (Proske) is a sullen teenager who is sent to live with her father, Frank (Bader) up in Sporks, Washington, after a long absence.Once there, she finds herself entrenched in a world of vampires, but, oblivious as she is, cannot figure out what is so unusual about the town.She falls for the handsome but brooding Edward Sullen (Lanter), a vampire who is afraid he won’t be able to control his urges to kill her (which of course does nothing to prevent him from creeping around her house at night).At the same time, Becca finds herself the love interest of Jacob White (Chris Riggi), who claims that ever since puberty set in, he’s been feeling a bit different (which might account for all the excessive body hair, tail, and sudden urges to chase cats).As she struggles to win Edward’s heart and friend-zone Jacob, Becca must also fight to stay alive as she’s pursued by three other vampires who want to eat her.Things all come to a head at her vampire-themed prom (yeah, I know).
Most of the time, these spoof movies are often looked at as B-grade crap.However, I thought that Vampires Suck was tremendously funny, leaving me belly-laughing so badly that I could barely breath.Diedrich Bader is hilarious as Becca’s dad Frank.His misplaced concern and screwed up priorities could only be humorous in the venue of the film spoof, but are nevertheless more than enjoyable to watch.After having seen Bader in Meet the Spartans (2008), I was expecting something pretty sweet from him in this film, and was not disappointed.In fact, I think he made me laugh in every scene he appeared in!
Matt Lanter and Chris Riggi managed to pull off the difficult task of being both funny and adorable at the same time.No offense to Twilight fangirls, but Pattinson and Lautner just do not compare!Lanter and Riggi, on the other hand, had me and my gal pals not only laughing until our sides hurt, but also fantasizing about these two adorable young men.They were wonderful!Co-star Jenn Proske also managed to bring a certain depth to her character that was not found in Kristen Stewart’s Bella Swan.This actress can actually act, and she’s funny!A star cast all around!
Vampires Suck is a great film for anyone who is sick to death of the whole Twilight craze, anyone who has enjoyed past spoofs from Friedburg and Seltzer such as Scary Movie (2000), Disaster Movie (2008), Meet the Spartans (2008), and Epic Movie (2007).Also, if you’re just looking for a good, side-splitting comedy that doesn’t require you to think too hard, then this is just what you’re looking for!(Perfect for unwinding with some friends after a long, stressful week).
Sorry this is a little bit late....I've been very busy, and as a result, have not had the chance to change the blog theme for March. Today, I was able to put up the header, but still have to put up the character list and the quote for the bottom of the page. Hopefully, I'll have those up by Monday. Thanks for being so patient :)
And don't forget; the April blog theme is going to be Hello Dolly. I'll be posting a survey on the blog for anyone who wants to help choose the next header for May. It won't list all the movies on the blog (even though the first one did), so if you have a particular movie that you want to have featured (please only select from the ones I have reviewed), you can either email it me at cinema.sweetheart@gmail.com or add it as a comment to this post. Either way, I'll be sure to include it on the poll. This should also be up by Monday, so please get your suggestions in quickly. N.B. I will not be reusing blog themes at this time, so please do not ask for blog themes from The Phantom of the Paradise (1974) or Ace of Hearts (1921).
Napoleon Dynamite is one of those films that’s destined to be a cult classic for this generation…and it’s going to leave a lot of people scratching their heads, saying “What the heck is this??”Napoleon Dynamite is a story without a really discernable plot.Stuff happens, but a lot of nothing happens, too.Sounds boring?No, really; it’s actually amazingly funny.Trust me on this.
Napoleon (Heder) is a socially awkward high school student living with his grandmother and older brother Kip (Aaron Ruell) in a small-town community where nothing really happens.Then, things start to get interesting.First, Grandma breaks her coccyx and Napoleon’s Uncle Rico (Gries) comes to stay with him and Kip.A new student, Pedro (Ramirez) comes to the high school and decides to run for class president.Kip, who spends his entire day “chatting online with babes” meets a girl in a chat room and things start getting “pretty serious”.And Napoleon?Well, he’s just caught up in it all.
This is one of those movies you have to see at least once in your life...And, then you have to see it again.And again.And again.Because there is no way that you can do this movie justice on the first viewing.Every time I see it, I find something new that I missed.One thing to keep in mind is that this movie is incredibly dumb.And that’s on purpose.It’s supposed to be pointless.But, even though it’s pointless, it’s still funny.There’s something inherently amusing about Napoleon calling his grandma to pick him up from school because his lips are chapped, or the classic episode with the “tots,” or Napoleon’s favorite animal: the liger “It's pretty much my favorite animal. It's like a lion and a tiger mixed... bred for its skills in magic.”This is an incredibly quotable movie, and one filled with such stupid situations and interesting characters.
I have to say that the characters are by far the best part of this film (perhaps because there is minimal plot, but most likely because they’re just so darn fascinating.First, you have Napoleon, the freakishly awkward teenager.There is so much that can be said about him, but I’d say “strange” about sums him up.What makes him funny is that he is completely oblivious to just how weird he really is.He seems himself as this awesome ninja warrior or something of the sort, when in reality, he’s an incredibly unusual breed of nerd.Older brother Kip has no social life, and spends all his time on the computer talking to women.Uncle Rico is living in the past, convinced that he would be the most awesome football player the world has ever know.Pedro, the quiet transfer student decides to run for class president against the most popular girl in school.Painfully shy Deb (Tina Majorino) is selling key chains to pay for college.Grandma lives a double life as a crazy extreme sports woman on the dunes.
Sadly, writing about this in a blog post does not do it justice; this is just one of those movies that has to be seen to be fully appreciated.
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Action, Drama, Crime
Runtime: 140 minutes
Sequel: The Dark Knight (2008)
There is nothing like a good superhero action movie! And as a Marvel girl, I would normally satisfy my superhero fascinations with Spider-Man or the Fantastic Four.DC Comics and Batman?Not really my cup of tea.Well, that’s what I thought until the Esteemed Film Critic loaned me his copy of Batman Begins and suggested I check it out.Would it betray my Marvel sympathies to say that I absolutely loved it?Batman Begins is a wonderful introduction into the world of Bruce Wayne, the dark avenger who cleans up the street by turning criminals’ fear against them.
After witnessing the death of his parents and seeing their killer released from prison, Bruce Wayne (Bale) travels to Asia and falls in with the lowest of the low in an attempt to figure out what it takes to drive a man to crime.While there, he becomes the pupil of Henri Ducard (Neeson) and Ra’s Al Ghul (Ken Watanabe), members of a dark organization bent on wiping out evil and corruption by any means necessary; and their next target is Gotham.As his image of his mentors is shattered, Bruce finds himself in direct conflict with those who once trained him.While trying to overcome his own demons, Bruce Wayne takes on the identity of the Batman, and sets out to turn the fear that criminals inflict on others back on themselves; fighting fear with fear.Meanwhile, in Gotham, a new villain is on the rise: the Scarecrow, who uses a panic-inducing neurotoxin and a burlap scarecrow mask to strike terror into the hearts of his victims.Will Batman be able to stop him?
As I said before, I’m normally not a DC Comics fan.More often than not, I find the plots and characters to be too dark for my tastes.While it is true that Batman Begins is a very dark film, I would have to say that I had no real qualms about it.In fact, I enjoyed it tremendously.Christian Bale brought so many dimensions to the role!Bruce Wayne was a wonderful character; dark, troubled, and although rich, influential, handsome, and strong, also so very, very human.
Not going to lie: I was surprised to hear Batman speak.I had been expecting the guttural, almost animalistic grunting that has come to be associated with Christian Bale’s interpretation of the character from The Dark Knight.Not to say that I was disappointed, of course, just surprised.
A couple other things caught my attention.First, I was thrilled with the cast!Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Gary Oldman are three actors I have loved in every movie I’ve seen them in; and while I’ve not seen enough of their movies to say that they are my favorite actors, I’ve always loved them.So, of course, having all three in one movie was awesome!Gary Oldman surprised me the most, though.My usual image of him is the innocent and adorable Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.Seeing Oldman as an American Officer Gordon was a surprise to be sure!But, I believe this just goes to show his versatility as an actor.
This is a film I would recommend very strongly, but only if you were interested in the action/drama/superhero genres.If you are opposed to violence and intense action scenes, than this is not the film for you.However, if you enjoy a good superhero film or are a Batman fan, then you must check this out!This has most definitely propelled me to look more into the Batman series, although, not going to lie: at heart, I’ll always be a Spider-Man fan-girl :P
