REVIEW: Pitch Perfect

MOVIE
Pitch Perfect

CAST
Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
September 28, 2012 (LIMITED)
October 5, 2012 (WIDE)

DIRECTOR
Jason Moore

STUDIO(S)
Universal Pictures,
Gold Circle Films

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 52 minutes





STARS
***1/2











REVIEW:

This movie has been advertised as being 'Glee' in college," but that is far from what it really is. 'Pitch Perfect' is the latest musical to come out this year, and just in time for the fall season to kick in. This stars Anna Kendrick, whom teens may know from the 'Twilight' films, but other people may know from '50/50' and from her Oscar nominated role in 'Up in the Air.' In my opinion, she's one of the most talented actresses out there, so one might ask her: "Why Make This Movie?" Nobody asked for this to be made, plus it looks like just any other teen comedy from the trailers. Well it seemed that Universal had hope in the movie by giving audiences to see the film early at "word of mouth" screenings to generate positive buzz for this rather unknown movie. Well there is a reason why Universal wanted to screen this early, and that's because it's a really good movie. No, seriously, this is a really good movie, and I'm not speaking as a 'Glee' fan at all. In fact, this movie can and will be enjoyed by those who like 'Glee' and those who don't. 'Pitch Perfect' is most definitely one of the year's biggest surprises thus far.

Becca is the type of girl who would rather spend her time making mixes to pursue her dream as a DJ rather than go to her College classes and get to know people. However when her father forces her to find an activity to do on the campus to get her away from DJ-ing, but it seems she can't find anything. After a chance encounter in the shower, Becca decides to join the Barton Bellas. The Barton Bellas are one of four singing groups on the college campus; however they have the worst reputation after a stint that made them lose the previous year's national championship. Now the Bellas, which has recruited other new members into the group, including a quiet Asian and a fat Brit, have to find a new strategy to get to the finals, and maybe even win the gold for once.

As crazy as this may sound, there were no weak cast members present throughout the film's duration. Anna Kendrick is good in just about anything, even in the 'Twilight' movies! She had a nice rebellious charm in the film, and she said some pretty great lines. Hell, she even had a surprisingly good singing voice which I found out after the screening was in fact hers. Brittany Snow, who was in films like 'The Pacifier' and 'Hairspray,' was also very likable in the movie. Her character gives some of the cornier lines in the movie, but they are still funny nonetheless. Anna Camp, one of Hilly's friends in 'The Help,' was also really good in the film, playing a villain that she doesn't even notice she was during the first 2/3s of the film. These three leading ladies were good and all, but it was the other members of the Barton Bellas that made this film absolutely hysterical.

Of all of the main supporting players in the film, the most recognizable of them all is British comedian Rebel Wilson. She apparently stole the show in last year's 'Bridesmaids' and has been making her way around the film/TV industry ever since. Her performance in this film, which her character is appropriately named "Fat Amy," without a doubt, stole the show. Wilson has great timing, so it works well from her less than great singing to a scene where she is running "horizontally." Wilson overall just spews out hilarious lines throughout the movie, and has certain situations where she uses great physical humor. Sure she plays the same character in practically everything she's in, but I still laughed a lot at her character, so sue me. Hell, seeing my sister laugh at Fat Amy alone made her my favorite character in the film.

There's also great work from the rest of the Bellas, including a sexually addicted girl and a quiet talking Asian, as well as two small but equally funny performances from John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks as the two judges for the Acapella singing competitions. Even the actors from the rival singing group The Treblemakers (get the pun?) get in some funny moments. However it is clear from the start of the film that the girls are the main comedy points of the film. However one star that shouldn't be left out is the person who wrote the screenplay. Her name is Kay Cannon, and she has written a really good script.

This is Kay Cannon's first screenplay due to her only other work prior was being a writer on the hit NBC series '30 Rock.'  This is definitely different than the Emmy winning TV comedy, but nevertheless it is a well written film. There are jokes in here that just hit hard, and personally made me laughing out loud quite a bit. Sure this film is formalized and predictable, but the amount of retro/1980s references makes this movie unique from any other teen comedy out there. Cannon even incorporates John Hughes' classic teen film 'The Breakfast Club' in such a way that it made me stand up and cheer, because not many teen movies bring John Hughes into their film and use it as a main plot point. Unfortunately the ending of the film was rushed, but that could have been an editing problem rather than the writer's fault. Either way, this film possesses a funny, sweet, unique, and retro script that shows that it wants to be different from all other modern teen comedies.

Like I said in the opening paragraph, this is not a 'Glee' knockoff by any means. The trailers just make it out to be. 'Pitch Perfect' is actually better than 'Glee' in some standards, because it dares to go out of boundaries and covers some fresh territory. The film is hilarious, sweet, and fresh. Every member in the cast is great, with each getting their own moment to shine. The script is funny and well written, which is something to say comparing this to other teen films out there. The film is also well directed for a first time director that's only worked on Broadway prior to this. Sure the film is formulaic and the ending of the film is rushed very quickly, 'Pitch Perfect' is a musical comedy that one might not want to miss. Get ready to get Pitch-Slapped, because this movie will surprise the Aca-shizz out of you.

REVIEW: Trouble With The Curve

MOVIE
Trouble With The Curve

CAST
Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams,
Justin Timberlake

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
September 21, 2012

DIRECTOR
Robert Lorenz

STUDIO
Warner Bros. Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 51 minutes







STARS
**1/2










REVIEW:

Clint Eastwood has been more behind the camera recently rather than in front of one. His last two movies, 'Invictus' and 'J. Edgar' didn't fare well with audiences, so something had to be done. After several years of focusing solely on directing, Eastwood is back to acting in a new baseball movie called 'Trouble With The Curve.' The reason why this movie is getting some early Oscar buzz so much is that this is his first acting role in a movie he didn't write or direct since 1993's 'In the Line of Fire,' which was highly praised when it first came out. Unfortunately, this movie isn't the Oscar film many have dreamed for. This is a movie that we've all seen before at some point in our lives. Sure it has a decent narrative and Eastwood gives a good performance, everything else is just one cliché and one old man joke after another. 'Trouble With The Curve' is a disappointing baseball film, but families and audiences will probably eat this movie up.

Gus Lobel used to be one of the best baseball scouts there. As an old man, he is currently losing his sight and refuses to get medical help. He's given one last chance by the Atlanta Braves to prove himself before he gets fired, so one of Gus's long time friends gets him a little bit of help from the last person he'd ever want to talk to: his lawyer daughter whom he abandoned as a young girl. Together they scout a player who's considered to be the latest baseball prodigy, as well as get to know an old scout of Gus's who happens to be scouting for a rival team.

Eastwood is giving it all he's got in this movie, and it really shows. He can pull of a believable crying scene very well, plus deliver many of his lines pretty well. However it just seemed that he was here to simply make old man jokes and stuff like that. It was actually kind of sad to see him be put down this low in his career, since many know that he is better than these types of generic movies. Sure he's good in the movie, but Eastwood could have chosen something else to mark his return to acting in a film not directed by him. The same unfortunately goes with his two talented co-stars, Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake.

Amy Adams is a really good actress overall. She can be a clumsy damsel in kid’s films like 'Enchanted,' and she can be a potty-mouthed bartender in awards movies like 'The Fighter.' It felt like her talent was wasted in this film, just like how Eastwood was. Sure she is fine in the film, but it just felt that her presence could have been used in a film far superior to this. Same happens with Justin Timberlake, who has proved his dramatic acting chops in 'The Social Network' and his comedic chops in 'Friends with Benefits.' He's good in the film, but it just seems that his only purpose is to add on to Eastwood's jokes throughout the movie, as well as be the romantic interest for Adams. The romantic part of the film is decent, but it's really unnecessary to the story. The studio probably just added it for the sake of drawing in a female demographic. The subplot of this film, however, was highly unnecessary except for the fact that it's the basis of the film's title.

The subplot in this film involves an obnoxious baseball player that Eastwood's character is trying to recruit into MLB. This plot also includes a Latino peanut boy who may have talent that nobody has seen before. From the moment the obnoxious player started talking on screen, my mind instantly drew back to one of Warner Bros. other stinkers during this year, 'Joyful Noise.' Like 'Noise,' this film has several subplots too many, and all of them come out the same way in the end: unnecessary. Can't Warner Bros. just make films with one storyline throughout, and nothing like that. Even 'The Dark Knight Rises,' a film I really love, had subplots that weren't needed at all.

Overall, 'Trouble With The Curve' lives up to its name. It might have decent acting and a couple of funny moments, but the script is just so messy and clichéd that it makes the film feel disappointing and unrewarding. Eastwood is a good actor by all means, but he should just stick to directing from now on. Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake deserve much more, despite the solid performances. This is the type of film where critics will dislike it but audiences will eat it up like chocolate cake. Good for them, but this is just a film where I didn't hate it, but I will probably never see it again. Hopefully everyone involved with this movie chooses a better project to be a part of next time. This movie had the potential to be a home run, but instead it ended up being a foul ball.

REVIEW: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

MOVIE
The Perks of Being a Wallflower

CAST
Logan Lerman, Emma Watson,
Ezra Miller

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
September 21, 2012 (NY/LA)
September 28, 2012 (WIDE)

DIRECTOR
Stephen Chbosky

STUDIO
Summit Entertainment (Lionsgate)

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 43 minutes







STARS
****











REVIEW:

Everyone is or has been nervous about starting up their first year in high school. Friends you had in middle school don't talk to you, it's a bigger environment, and you're surrounded by sex, drugs, language, and older kids on a constant basis. Being the new kid in school can be terrible, but as Paul Rudd's character says in 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower,' "If you make at least one friend on your first day then you're doing OK." Well, not everyone makes new friends on the first day of school, including the main protagonist in the movie named Charlie. Charlie is like any teenager going into high school for the first time: scared and nervous. Once he finds friends that let him in, life becomes easier for him. This is a film that, while it takes place in the 90s, can relate to any teenager of this generation. As bold as this may sound, it's going to be put out there any way: 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' is the first film of the new decade to defy this generation, along with the last few as well. Not only that, but this dark, relatable, and sweet movie is one of the best to come out this year.

Charlie is about to start his freshman year of high school with some history behind him. He's had a rough past, and due to this nobody wants to hang out with him. Nobody, other than the teachers, will even talk to him or recognize that he's in their presence. He is the outcast that nobody wants to be. Then he stumbles into the lives of Sam and Patrick. Patrick is an outgoing person who wants everyone to just feel comfortable and with the crowd. His strangeness makes him the friend everyone would want to have. Sam is his step-sister who, like Patrick, wants to help everyone fit in. Both of these seniors have dark secrets lying inside of them, but that's all unfolded throughout Charlie's freshman year.

It was an interesting choice to have Stephen Chbosky not only direct this film, but write it too. People will probably ask: Who is Stephen Chbosky? The reason why he's an interesting choice to practically bring the movie to life is because he wrote the book for which the movie is based on. Rarely is that ever done in movies anymore, but when it's done it can be done brilliantly. Chbosky is a first time director, but clearly it shows that he knew what he was doing in every single frame of the movie. It's even shocking, maybe even frightening, in his screenplay of how relatable the film is to our everyday lives. There is a lot of clever and funny dialogue presented in here, but there's also some dark and really powerful material as well here. If the year can't find anymore great screenplays like this, or even have one remaining spot open, Chbosky hands down deserves a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination at this year’s Oscars. He truly is the star of the movie, other than the actors who play the characters he created.

Logan Lerman plays possibly the most relatable character of the year thus far, and his name is Charlie. Charlie is a character that’s had a lot of bad stuff happens to him between his childhood and his current state for which the audience meets him in. Lerman flat out is terrific in this movie, giving the best performance of his career by far.  The character of Charlie almost reminded me of Adam Sanlder's character in the film 'Punch Drunk Love.'  Both performances are subtle through most of the movie, but their emotions sometimes get the best of them, which leads into some crazy situations.  What makes the performance and the character so interesting is how powerful and relatable they feel to the audience.

It's almost frightening in some ways of how Charlie can relate to everyone who sees (or reads if one read the book) his character and how he reacts to certain things. Having gone through emotional pain myself, I can say that Charlie is the type of person whom I would actually want to be friends with, had he existed in the real world.  I have felt like I wasn't meant to be here in my hometown before when my friends sort of ignore me.  It's a terrible feeling to have, so that's why it felt so good to me when Sam and Patrick bring this lonely character into their lives.  It just makes the audience feel warm inside, and for the lonely people in the world, as if they have something to live for.  This feeling couldn't have been achieved so well without the equally as brilliant supporting work from Emma Watson and Ezra Miller.

For Watson, this is her first major role outside of the widely successful 'Harry Potter' franchise, and the first time she's using an American accent on film. She gives the least impressive performance of the three leads, but that isn't a bad thing by any means. Watson also gives a stellar performance as Sam, the girl best friend of Charlie. Her performance is subtle, but effective as well. Just her reactions when Charlie tells her something drastic are great and feel real. However, Watson does need to work on her American Accent a little more. A couple of times her British accent peaked out to say "hello," but that's only a minor complaint. Watson was good indeed, but like I said before, she was the weakest of the three leads. While Lerman was also great, it was Ezra Miller who stole the show for me.

Ezra Miller gives a standout performance as Patrick. He's the basic comedic relief in the film, but the best thing about him is that he doesn't use profanity or sex jokes to get a good laugh. The comedy feels genuine, and he brings it hard. When his character goes through much more emotional stuff, Miller pulls that out of the park and makes the audience happily sympathize with this confused high school senior. I haven't seen 'We Need to Talk about Kevin,' but what I have seen is how talented this actor is, and how he deserves more work after this. Hell, all three of the leads deserve more dramatic roles after this movie. The other supporting actors, including Johnny Simmons and Paul Rudd, are also very good in the movie, helping bring the emotional punch to the story when the time calls for it. However they don't even match the quality of star-power performances given by Lerman, Watson, and Miller. Just simply brilliant.

'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' doesn't feel like a movie while watching it. Instead it feels like an alternate version of your life, for the better and for the worse. It's superbly acted by its three main leads, which make their performances feel both real and genuine. The story knows when to be light-hearted and when to be really serious, sometimes shockingly dark. Writer/Director Stephen Chbosky is the true star of this movie, giving the world a true work of modern art, possibly earning him at least a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination when awards season comes to say hi. For all of those who felt like they were outsiders at any time in their lives, they will watch this movie and feel like they're in a warm blanket at home because of how inviting these characters and this story are. In short, I freaking love this movie. It's one of the best movies of the year, and the best dramatic coming of age story since 'The Breakfast Club.'  That might be a bold as hell statement, but those are the best words I could use to describe this feeling of infinity.

REVIEW: Finding Nemo 3D

MOVIE
Finding Nemo

CAST
Albert Brooks, Ellen Degeneres

RATING
G

RELEASE
May 30, 2003 (Original)
September 14, 2012 (3D)

DIRECTOR
Andrew Stanton

STUDIO(S)
Disney·Pixar

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 40 Minutes





STARS
***1/2









REVIEW:

Back when 'Toy Story 3' was coming out, I made a top ten list of all of the Pixar movies and published my thoughts on each one from worst to best in anticipation of what was then a new movie. I put 'Finding Nemo,' Pixar's highest grossing movie, in my #4 slot. In that posting, I said that 'Nemo' was a Pixar movie that was meant to be re-released in the 3D format because of how the fish would pop out of the screen. Pixar must have somebody who saw my idea (I know I'm being pretentious) because two years after my original posting, 'Finding Nemo' is back in 3D. While the 3D is great, I felt the movie lost a little bit of the magic it had when I last saw the film. 'Finding Nemo' is a great movie, but I have lost a little of the love I had for it seeing it again.

Since this movie has been post converted to 3D, let's discuss that first. Having always imagined this film in 3D, I can honestly say that Pixar did a great job adding the extra dimension to the film. The depth of field between the characters and the background looks so realistic and such. Sure the goggle glasses they gave us exclusively for this movie were a little uncomfortable, but nevertheless once the film starts, the audience is in for one fun ride. It's not even just the background and the main fish that look 3D. Pixar was smart enough to make every tiny detail pop out in 3D in some way.

I can't compare this to other 3D conversions from this year since I didn't get to see them, ('Beauty and the Beast,' 'Titanic,' etc.) but the depth of field on each character made it sort of feel like one was looking through a window and into this fishy world. As good as the 3D was here, this is a movie that really doesn't need to be seen again on the big screen. In fact, it's a much more comfortable experience sitting at home watching it on DVD rather than shelling out $40 to see it in 3D. But if there's nothing else to do with the kids, and they want to see a movie, then it wouldn't be a bad choice going to this. It is better than some of the kids movies that came out this summer without a doubt.

'Finding Nemo' is a great movie by all means. The movie does feel slower after seeing it for the umpteenth time, but it is a smart, heartfelt, and funny family movie with some great animation and awesome voice roles. Having said that, families can do something better than pay to see something that they may already own on DVD. This 3D release was merely a cash grab, despite the conversion being quite good. If families want to see something on a big screen, I guess this wouldn't be an awful choice. However if you already own it on DVD, then get some microwave popcorn, plop the kids on the couch, and watch the film at the convenience of your home. Overall, 'Finding Nemo' is a must see movie for all ages, but it might be best if they should see it at home rather than shell out $15 a ticket to see it in 3D on a huge screen.

*By the way, a new Toy Story short is playing on this movie; if you do go out to see this, you will enjoy 'Partysaurus Rex*

PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Wreck-It Ralph


Monsters, Inc. 3D












*ORIGINAL PIXAR TOP 10 ARTICLE*
No wonder this is the most successful PIXAR movie of all time, It's So Darn Good! Finding Nemo tells the tale of a father and a son, who both happen to be fish in the near coast of Australia, Mate. Nemo, who's the only son of Marlin, a clown fish who lost all but Nemo to a barracuda. Nemo wants to go to school, but Marlin's to scared of losing Nemo like how he lost the rest of their family. But when Nemo goes, he is kidnapped by a bunch of scuba divers who work at a dentist office. So now Marlin, with the help of Dory, a bumbling blue tang fish with short term memory loss will journey to the ends of the ocean to save a little fish in peril. Who can deny this movies top of the notch sense of humor, including John Ratzenberger's cameo as the school of fish mocking Marlin when he's asking for directions.

Ellen DeGeneres also is probably the funniest character in the movie as Dory, who always has the movie's main laughing moments. Plus, this movie might have the second most memorable message, "Even if hope is lost, you should always go for your goals." I do also want to say to any PIXAR staff who are reading this that, if you have time, make either a Finding Nemo 2, or rerelease this movie in 3D. I know alot of people would probably say that, but this movie looks as if it was made for 3D, especially if fish are the main characters. So, if you want an animated beauty that really deserved its Acadamy Award for Best Animated Feature, then plop your toocheses on the couch, pop some corn, and learn a lesson as you will be Finding Nemo.




GRADE
A+









CHECK BACK NEXT WEEK FOR #3 IN THE TOP 10 PIXAR FILMS SERIES
*END OF ORIGINAL ARTICLE, ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON 5/28/10*

REVIEW: The Cold Light of Day

MOVIE
The Cold Light of Day

CAST
Henry Cavill, Sigourney Weaver

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
September 7, 2012

DIRECTOR
Mabrouk El Mechri

STUDIO
Summit Entertainment

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 33 minutes







STARS
*1/2







REVIEW:

Say hello to a really pointless action thriller.  It's name is 'The Cold Light of Day,' and the reason why you've probably never heard of it is that it was supposed to come out back in April before getting delayed to September for some reason.  Summit Entertainment, the studio behind this film, has made no attempt to market this movie with anything other than a trailer released in late January for the alleged April release.  It's not much of a surprise after seeing the film that Summit, now owned by Lionsgate, wants to shove this into a limited release and forget this ever existed, because this film isn't good by any means.  In fact, this movie is pretty horrible.  This is the type of movie that would be on some TV channel and one would watch it to fall asleep to.  There's nothing original to this movie at all.  Nothing is brought to the table.  Sure it could keep the viewer's attention throughout, but that's beside the point.  'The Cold Light of Day' is a sloppy, generic, and bland action film that nobody will even remember when the year comes to an end.

Will hasn't seen his family in a long time, so when the time comes for him to be with his family for the first time in years, he's pre-occupied with his work instead.  He goes to shore to get his phone replaced after an accident with his father, along with other necessities for his family.  When he returns, everyone is gone from the boat.  Will goes to tell the police about his supposedly kidnapped family when he's attacked by people who know his father.  Will's father then comes for the rescue and explains to Will that he's an undercover agent who's been targeted for a job he did a while back.  Will now has to inherit his father's CIA routes and attempt to save his family from terrorists.

If Henry Cavill was trying to make a name for himself before he became Superman in next year's 'Man of Steel,' then this was probably not the best choice for him.  His acting is pretty atrocious at times, and it seemed as if he was trying to force his emotions out in certain scenes.  Having heard from others that Cavill's not that bad of an actor, I assume it was more of the director's fault for his mediocre performance.  Sigourney Weaver is here just playing the typical action film villain, and she's ok.  She's not awful in the movie, but she could have been a lot better.  Bruce Willis can't even be critiqued because his role in the movie is more of a big cameo so to speak.  Let's just say that the writers of the movie decided to get rid of Willis' character pretty quickly, which is odd considering how big of a star he is.  I guess he was good for the time he was in the movie, but he didn't give a standout performance by any means.  The actors really can't be blamed for the quality of the movie.  Rather, the fault is more in the hands of the film's screenwriters.

To say this is a well written movie is like saying that pigs can fly.  The script is not only sloppy, but was also really predictable and unoriginal.  The transitions between certain things are both abrupt and jaw-dropping.  There was one little twist in the movie that I did like because it was something different, but that was the only thing that made this movie stand out against other generic action movies.  The three (yes, three) writers on this movie all had different ideas on how to make this a different action movie.  Unfortunately their ideas all crashed into each other and made the movie incredibly generic with one interesting twist.  If this had been a better script, then chances are this would have been a better movie.  A much better movie if more effort was put into it.

'The Cold Light of Day' will most likely be forgotten by the end of the year, but that's the way it should be.  The acting is disappointing to a fault, especially from the big name actors like Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver.  The direction is pretty bad as well.  The director of this movie shouldn't be blamed for this, because the fault was mostly from the screenplay.  The screenplay is sloppy, poorly written, and choppy at times.  It's no shock that Summit wanted to get this into theaters as quickly as possible.  It's highly doubtful that this is gonna make money due to the lack of marketing that was put into the movie.  This film will most likely find a home on a late night movie channel, but that's really where its only audience is.  'The Cold Light of Day' didn't need to be made, but alas it was.  Too bad it was a piece of trash.

REVIEW: The Words

MOVIE
The Words

CAST
Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
September 7, 2012

DIRECTOR(S)
Brian Klugman, Lee Sternthal

STUDIO
CBS Films

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 32 minutes






STARS
***1/4







REVIEW:

The interesting about 'The Words' is that it is a very hard movie to process at first. The best way I can describe this movie is like so: if the feeling of not knowing what to think of it at first from 'The Cabin in the Woods' was in a drama about literature, then it would probably be this film. The trailer for this film is misleading in many ways, the first being that this movie has two stories going on at once, while a third story, which is told over the course of 15-20 minutes, is added in order to shed some background on a certain character. The second reason is that it makes the film look a lot simpler than it really is.

This is a movie for the intellectual mind rather than the simplest audience member going to see this because they like Bradley Cooper. However if one possesses a large mind and wants to be challenged a bit, then this is the perfect movie to go see. Having seen the film nearly a month ago, I must say that the more I thought about it, the more I like it. 'The Words' will be hard to process at first, but if one gives this film some time to sink in, then it will definitely feel like a satisfying experience in the end.

The main story of the film revolves around Rory Jenson. He is a struggling writer with a loving wife and not a lot of money. In a flashback, the audience sees Rory and his wife on their honeymoon in France, where he stumbles upon an old bag that could be useful to carry his stuff around. Rory then goes to inspect the bag, and in a secret compartment he finds a story about a man during the war and falling in love with a French woman. In love with the story so much, Rory types up the whole thing on his computer for the heck of it. When his wife finds the story on his computer, he sees the joy that he's always wanted to see from her in his writing, but he can't tell her that the story isn't his. He then publishes it as his own, and the book becomes a national bestseller. It's not until a mysterious old man finds him on a park bench when things get more complicated than Rory ever imagined.

Everyone in the film gave some good performances. Sadly enough, the weakest part of the cast belonged to Bradley Cooper. He was good in the film without a doubt, but he can't quite handle some of the scenes in the film where he's crying to perfection yet. Luckily, he is getting there, and it does show. Zoë Saldaña is good playing the loving and supporting wife of Rory, but it seems that she's not given much to do in the film. She does play the loving wife well, but all she's given to do is support Rory, sleep with Rory, or argue with Rory. It's minor complaint, but still Dennis Quaid and Olivia Wilde have their own storyline in the movie, and their chemistry in it is strong and likable. Separately they are really good in the film, even though their roles are sort of minor and don't really do much other than keep the story moving. However the best performance in the film hands down belongs to Sir Jeremy Irons. Warning: major spoilers to come in the next two paragraphs.

*HEAVY SPOILERS TO COME*
Irons plays the mysterious old man who confronts Rory Jenson on a park bench and tells him a little story he has. In case it's hard to figure out, the old man is the author of the story that Rory stole as his own. As it turns out, the story is based on the old man's life with his soul-mate in Paris, where tragedy and love bloom in the story. This is such an interesting character to inspect, because his short presence in the movie really impacts the feel of the rest of the movie. Irons pulls it out of the park to say the least. He might even be worthy of awards consideration. Sure the performance is small, but Irons just gives it all he has and he is simply terrific in this movie. It kind of makes sense that Irons is such a complicated character, because that's just a taste of what the final 15 minutes of the movie will bring.

The thing about this film that will split the audience's opinion directly down the middle is the ending. It's revealed that Rory Jenson's story was written by Dennis Quaid's character, but it leaves you to think whether the story was based on Quaid's character's life or was just a figment of his imagination. Not only that, but it just ends with a shot of Bradley Cooper and Zoë Saldaña lying on their bed, which is just the picture on the film's poster. The ending is left to many interpretations with a lot of thought put into it, but the initial reaction will overall be "what the hell was that?" You can either be a fan of the ending, or you will go on hating it when thinking of interpretations to come up with. I for one actually enjoyed the ending after some thought, but that was mostly because someone gave me their interpretation after my screening. Either way, people will either like the confusing ending, or hate it to a pulse.
*END OF SPOILERS*

'The Words' is a complex movie to digest on a first viewing. It's kind of a non-sci-fi version of 'Inception' where the audience is supposed to determine what they just saw was real or fiction. This movie will probably be more diverse than 'Inception,' so the reactions will be literally split down the middle. The acting is good, with the standout performance coming from Jeremy Irons. The script is well written and well structured, but again it goes back to that complex ending. This is probably best seen more than once to fully digest everything presented on screen. Despite having seen this film a month ago, I do want to see if I can get anything new out of the movie. The only words that will be spewing out of an audience member's mouth will be "what the hell did I just see," and that could either be a good thing or a bad thing; it depends on the viewer's reaction and how much they think of the movie after.

REVIEW: The Expendables 2

MOVIE
The Expendables 2

CAST
Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham

RATING
R

RELEASE
August 17, 2012

DIRECTOR
Simon West

STUDIO(S)
Lionsgate, Millenium Films

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 43 minutes







STARS
***








REVIEW:

For those who enjoy classic action films from the 1980s including 'Die Hard' and 'Rambo,' then this is the must see event for them. People had hoped that the first 'Expendables' movie would be the action film of their dreams. Unfortunately that film was limited on the action, along with being really boring. Screenwriters Richard Wenk and Sylvester Stallone saw the problems that were made with their first attempt at a 80s action orgy, so they tried again with this new movie. Well for starters, they succeeded at what they were trying to make: an action-packed, gory, and cheesy movie filled with many action stars of the 80's and pop culture references. While there are flaws here, 'The Expendables 2' is a fun time at the movies, especially when you understand the references that are spewed out by the actors.

Not much of a plot, other than a bunch of old badasses kicking ass and killing people with stylized action and tons of gore. Now, let's get onto the acting. It's not right to criticize the acting in this movie, because it was intended to be in the style of the acting in a B-movie. It's supposed to be laughable for the majority of the time, especially when the actors are shooting the most ridiculous one liners. That seemed just what the actors intended to be doing. Plus, it seemed like they were having a lot of fun making this movie. However the three actors who seemed to be having the most fun making this were Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terry Crews, and Chuck Norris.

Even though Terry Crews was mostly screaming when shooting people, he still looked like he was enjoying himself and having loads of fun while making this movie. Schwarzenegger has two purposes in this movie: 1.) Killing as many people as possible. 2.) Throwing one liners and references to his other movies. The references are mostly directed from 'The Terminator,' but nevertheless Schwarzenegger's jokes were really funny. However, all of the laughter from Schwarzenegger, Crews, and the other members of the cast don't even measure up to how funny it is when Chuck Norris first arrives on screen.

Not only does Norris kick serious ass playing "The Lone Wolf," but he even has the testosterone and self-pleasure to make a "Chuck Norris joke." When he says it, nothing but laughter can be heard for about 10-20 seconds. Getting Chuck Norris to be in this movie was probably the film's best decision, mainly because that would get a big fan base of his to see him on the big screen once again. Even though he's only in here for 10 minutes, Norris steals the show. Wanna know why? Because he's Chuck Freaking Norris! The cast overall is good and seemed like they were having a crap ton of fun. However the three actors I mentioned seemed to be the ones who knew exactly why they were in this movie: to make the die-hard action fans stand up and cheer.

If someone is looking for a well-developed plot, a well written script, and great acting from the cast, then 'The Expendables 2' is probably not for them. The script is written just for the sake of trying to be a generic action movie with a lot of pop culture references, not that there's anything wrong with that. This is the movie that the kids who grew up in the 80s have been waiting and dreaming for. There are many problems in the film, including the pacing. The pacing goes from being fast to being slow, and it was kind of irritating at times. Also the beginning of the film set the bar high on gore, so when the other action scenes came around, they personally disappointed me. Still though, there may not be another chance to see all of these actors together on the big screen until they make a third 'Expendables' movie, so the time was well spent. 'The Expendables 2' is trying to be nothing but an action lover's wet dream. As a guy who isn't that big a fan of action movies, this is without a doubt a fun two hour ride.




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