Summer of Movies (Part 1)

So far I have posted one thing, part one of a story which I will not complete. So, here is my next attempt at a seriel, surely to be infrequent as the next. I have decided, for the sake of myself and my friends, to document all of the movies I see and my reactions to them on a weekly basis. For the sake of myself, because I get to talk and vent about movies. For the sake of my friends, because they don't have to listen to me talk and vent about movies. Get it? Got it? Good.

I began my summer at the exact moment I was handed my diploma-holder and shook my principal's hand. Maybe not. Probably once I got out of the awkward cap and gown for graduation and got into Max Bloodworth's car to venture off to White Castle. The next night ushered in my first movie of the summer and one of the first movies for me in about a month (barring Clerks which I saw for the first time a couple of days earlier). It was:

On a Tuesday, here is the date (5/19/09) Religulous - There is a part of me that loves smartass documentraries with charismatic, liberal-minded commentators who know how to incur both deep thought and a good amount of hilarity. Bill Maher, I believe, is chief among this surprisingly large chunk of documentarians. Religulous is, for those who can't pick up anything from it's title, about religion...and how it is ridiculous. 'nuff said. My only complaint about the movie is that he goes to the fringes of religious society painting an unfair portrait of the religious person, though I totally understand why. But still, nonetheless, I know several Mormons who are not into polygamy. I know Muslims who don't hate you if you say Mohammed. The why is because it is not about the moderate religious people I know. It is about the fringe, and how they pose a threat. Religion is not the problem, it is the people who cannot seperate themselves from being human and being religious. When the Jews for Jesus guy says he would be fine with the onslaught of human suffering and death that would come with "Armegedon," then I cannot help but feel a little frightened that there are many others out there just like him. I worry that someday somebody could believe that somebody else, an "infidel" if you would, wants to "sap and impurify" our "precious bodily fluids." That is what Religulous is about.

(5/20/09) The Breakfast Club - Classic teen movie at its best, without a doubt. My only problem with the film is not with the film itself but with the treatment of poor Anthony Michael Hall. The Jock and the Basketcase hook up. Bender and Claire hook up. The Nerd ends up writing the essay, he is conned by Claire. Everyone gets somebody, he is left all alone. Sound familiar? Yeah, 16 Candles, too. Man, one day Hall will get his revenge.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High - If John Hughes' 80s teen movie were made to actually reflect what teenagers are like, Fast Times would be that movie. It also helps that it came out before any of Hughes' films did, but whatever. I will kick 100% of your ass if you don't see this movie sometime.

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure - Yeah, I had a theme going that day. I'm sick writing about 80s teen movies. Strange things are afoot at the Circle K. Be excellent to everyone. Party on, dude!

(5/21/09) Boondock Saints - Okay, so here is the summation of what I will say from in this review: It is good but not as good as people make it out to be. First, the bad. Here is a sample of dialouge: "Fuck, man, I mean, I was fucking going to, fuck, you know? Fuck. Anyway, yeah, so I was going to fuck him up like some fucking fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck..." The gratuitous use of swearing, particularly "fuck," got super old. It had all of the skill and elegance of an 8th grader who just found out he won't be struck down for saying a cuss word. Other than that, there was the whole contrived ending which actually wasn't explained very well. I wasn't too sure what happened, but I found out what I thought to be true was right. The Tourette's-stricken bartender and Dafoe the gay-detective-who-does-drag seem to be thrown in for laughs but are ultimately taken too seriously to offer much comic relief. They end up seeing awkward and tagged-on. The entire script seems to read like a devoted Tarantino fan's attempt at emulating the man, but ultimately just falling shy. Now the good: It has a compelling story and likable characters, even though there are some faults in the character development and dialouge. The action sequences are pretty badass, and the entire concept is amazing. The story has plenty of room to grow, and unsurprisingly there is going to be a sequel that I anticipate. Let's hope they will have ironed out the problems from the first one when they give us All Saints Day.

(5/22/09) The Lion King - I revisited my old favorite movie from when I was a kid, and I have to say I love it more than I did back then. It perfectly blends humor, music, children's appeal, adult's appeal, and even a little Shakespeare to form one of Disney's best films ever. It is so strange to look back at the movie and pick up on the everything beyond the mind of a child. For example, the hyenas goose-step in a very Expressionistic German-looking elephant graveyard. Scar outright exclaims he will kill people and attempts to do so. Simba nestles underneath his dead father and ends up blaming himself for the death. Ye gods, this is from the company that kept out the first two Little Pigs getting devoured by the Big, Bad Wolf! Nonetheless, it not only entertained me, but it also delivered an epiphany of sorts. Adults and parents freak out over what we show children. When you take out all of the dark tones, harsh truths, and innuendos, you get more than a bored parent, you get a product the child will care very little about returning to when they grow up. Without the adult undertones that have been increasingly yanked out from our children's entertainment, we do not challenge the children in deep and complex ways. Either way, if you have Nazism references, the children won't consider them. They will accept them and only be startled, as I was, 11 years down the road when they revisit the movie.

(5/25/09) American Splendor - I know someone who claims, or at least claimed, that this was his favorite movie. I trust his opinion, because he pretty much just stole his brother's taste in music and movies. So, I finally saw it, and my initial reaction is as follows: Good, not great. Depressing as fuck. Funny, but in a painful way. You have to be in a good mood in order to take on this movie. In the end, you enjoyed the movie, but you will have to be jostled into seeing it again. It can be a tad painful at times. I do love how you get to see the main characters and their real life counterparts. If I have picked up one thing from this movie, it is that I want to read the comics very soon.

Return of the Jedi - This was, oddly enough, on MTV. It was, unforunately, the re-release so not only do you get lame, unnecessary CGI creatures (including the lamening of the pit-creature), but you also have the real Anakin Skywalker getting replaced by lame-ass Hayden Christensen. Ugh. Other than that, though, this movie and The Empire Strikes Back continually fight for my love as best Star Wars movie. It packs a whallop, whether or not you care for Ewoks. I, personally, am fine with them. Sure, they were for the kids and comic relief, but so were R2D2 and C3PO. Anywho, I almost cried watching the final scenes which offer an incredibly complex and terrifying scenario where Darth Vader is torn between his identity as the Emporer's servant and Luke's father, Anakin Skywalker. His selfless sacrifice is probably the most epic of them all and turn Darth Vader into an evil badass to a tormented, highly-layered character that is fleshed out into the Third Dimension. Kudos to Lucas for this film. A tube sock full of frozen oranges to Lucas for making the New Trilogy.

Being John Malkovich - Have I ever mentioned that I have a huge soft-spot for music video directors turned movie directors? Because I do. Mostly because I choose that as my course of life, for the time being. Spike Jonze is second only to the wonderful Michel Gondry, and Charlie Kaufman is probably better than the both. This depressing, real, and off-the-wall amazing and hilarious film will have you saying "Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich!" Not only is it creative and funny, but it also delves into some highly philosophical and interesting concepts. I really won't go into any of it, because if you haven't seen it yet, it will be cooler for the movie to explain itself to you. Trust me, you will like it, if not love it. And you will love John Malkovich all the more. Trust me.

Thank you for reading this, though I doubt anybody has or will. It serves as a nice, public diary of my life, which is simply watching movies. It also seves as a pleasant time-waster. Let's hope I don't buck the trend.