Movie #003: The Time traveler's wife (2009)

Tuesday January 3rd: Romcom or Romance

       Wow. I wanted to ease myself into the Romance day so I opted for the one movie that sounded like a science fiction title. Then I saw the box art and was immediately prepared for the worse. The story revolves around Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana) who, during the opening scene car crash, discovers that he is a time traveler. His 6 year old self is immediately confronted by his older self from the future, and then we're on our way. Henry is now an adult working in a library, where he meets Clare (Rachel McAdams) who knows everything about him. He agrees to have dinner with her and she explains that she has know him since she was a little girl. From here we follow the couple as they get married and prepare to start a family, we also see the story of how they met, and just when you think that you see where the story is going, they throw a curve ball at you. One that's so devastating that I had to pause the movie. I'm not going to spoil it, but when you see it the movie will take a drastic turn, as the film becomes something more than you ever expected. It takes a life of it's own and transcends any misconceived notions that I had going into this movie. It's the little things in the movie that at first glance seem insignificant until one looks deeper. One of Bana's last lines in the film "I can't sing", is delivered almost as if it's a statement of fact, but it spoke louder than some movies in their entirety. Echoing the opening scene with his mom this quote stayed with me long after the credits had stopped rolling. One of the best films so far.

The Good: Very compelling story. Every scene with Bana and his dad.

The Bad: Waaaaay to much man ass.

The WHAT THE HELL?!?!: The time traveling womb baby.

What I learned: Never judge a film by it's box art.

well...try not to.

Final rating: 8 out of 10

Xavier

Movie #002: Sunshine (2007)

Monday January 2nd: Action

       I can't believe I've never heard of this movie. Borrowed from a roomate, Sunshine is the story of a group of astronauts burdened with the task of re-starting earths sun. Set 57 years into the future, the crew of the Icarus II armed with a weapon designed to create a supernova in the sun, embark on this impossible journey.  Along the way we learn who they are, and we learn about the Icarus I (the original ship sent out 7 years prior) and why it disappeared without a trace. This is a great example of character development, and pacing. The story never feels rushed or staggered. The characters look and act like real people, and every single death scene left me saddened. It's hard to write character death AND have it MEAN something. Plus not a single scene is wasted, and every character has his chance to shine. This was a pleasant surprise seeing as how there are a lot of big actors in this one. No one really struggles to share the screen at all. The only speed bump the film has is about 3/4 of the way through when we get our "villain". He is a mystery and his motives, and backstory are pretty much left for the viewer to interpret. He's only half explained, and he's never really seen. All in all a great film with minor flaws, 2nd movie down and I'm still happy. :)

The Good: The special effects. Some really good stuff here.

The Bad: Jerky camera work in some scenes, and we never get a good look at Pinbacker. Ever.

The WHAT THE HELL?!?!: Pinbacker...almost everything about him.

What I learned: Space is dangerous, and the sun is really, really hot.

Final rating: 8 out of 10

Xavier

Sorry for late uploading.

Internet has been down. Working on an alternative. However, I'm still watching my films and uploading in bulk.


Thanks,
Xavier

Movie #001: Spork (2010)

Sunday January 1st: Comedy

       At first glance I thought this was some lost movie from the 80's that just flew under my radar. However, after a few moments and a quick glance at the release date I realized how wrong I was. So cudos to director J.B. Ghuman Jr. for a job well done, Spork looks and feels like an 80's movie (even given the obvious references to modern day topics). That's not where the surprises end though, while the movie feels like your average coming of age movie, all of those thoughts are shot down when the main character Spork (Savannah Stehlin) explains that she is a 14 year old intersex-girl. A plot point that I didn't see coming. Constantly ridiculed, pushed around, and basically treated badly because she is "different" is everything I expected in you're average coming of age story. Even the point where her best friend Tootsie Roll (Sydney Park) injures herself, and Spork has to compete in the school dance, against the blonde girls who hate her, is pretty predictable. Where Spork differs is in the direction, and the soundtrack. The world of Spork must take place on a planet that was ruled by Nintendo, the score is full of 8-Bit sounds and the backgrounds are neon colored, it's such a colorful music filled paradise. My eyes darted around the screen to capture all of the awesome, and at one point the sun is a crayon colored drawing. These aspects more than make up for the predictability of the script. I couldn't stop smiling from beginning  to end. A feel good movie, I'm glad I started with this one.

The Good: Stay till the end of the credits...best. Thing. Ever. Plus, the only way to end this movie.

The Bad: Heavy stereotypes run rampant through this movie.

The WHAT THE HELL?!?!: Her brothers use of the word "coal mining"

What I learned: Twister is more fun than I have ever given it credit for.

Final rating: 7 out of 10

Xavier