Nobody's Funnier Than the Marx Brothers!

How true, how true. Originally, I was going to do a review of the movie I watched in my Billy Wilder class, "Ninotchka," but it reminded me of the Marx Brothers, which caused me to crave their humor. So, an hour before the library closed, I took the shuttle down and rented two Marx Brothers movies. No matter how many times I watch them, the jokes never get old, and I've been watching them since I was about five years old. I loved the Marx Brothers when I was little, especially Harpo. His unique form of comedy, a blend of charades and slapstick (with a lot of wordplay thrown in), mixed with the fact that he was always the underdog made me grow to love him, so much that for a while I had an invisible friend named "Harpo."

The reason Harpo appealed to me as a child was that he was funny but intelligent. I never watched the Three Stooges, and once I finally saw one of their movies, I found them to be dull and repetitive. They were nothing compared to the Marx Brothers. The reason I compare them to Harpo is that out of the three brothers, his humor was the most stoogelike. There was slapstick and people getting hit over the head with hammers and all of that, but it was used in moderation and was mixed with a highly intelligent miming act that involved a lot of wordplay (example: he mimed the words "Bee" and "Twist" to communicate the name "Beatrice" to his brother, Chico). This was appealing to the my younger self because I could understand it. Most of Groucho's jokes went over my head, and Chico mostly interacts with the other two. His comedy comes from his interaction with other people rather than a solo act like his brothers. Granted, none of them would be as funny without the other two, but since Chico is a fast talker, he needs someone to play off of.

I think it is sad how few people these days have even heard of the Marx Brothers, specifically people in my generation. They were comic geniuses. They had trademark gags that were used in every movie, but their jokes were fresh and never got old. It wasn't like they did the same thing over and over again. Sure, the storylines of their movies were pretty formulaic, but the story wasn't the part that mattered. What mattered was the humor that the brothers brought to the film. So much in our culture has been affected by the Marx Brothers, and very few youngsters know the origins. For example, those plastic Groucho glasses, with the giant nose and the thick black eyebrows and moustache. Every child and young adult has seen them used somewhere, but none of them know who Groucho is. Or how about some of those famous Groucho quotes? "Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana." "One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know." Classics! Many people know these quotes, but a lot of them couldn't tell you where they're from. Or what about that classic scene from "A Night at the Opera"? You know the one I'm talking about. Chico, Harpo, and Allan Jones have stowed away in Groucho's suitcase, and his tiny room is very crowded. Suddenly, there's a knock on the door. The engineer comes in. More and more people knock on the door, and the tiny room is soon full of crew members, manicure ladies, waiters bearing food, housekeepers, etc. The boat is rocking back and forth, and everyone is being thrown from side to side. Harpo is, of course, managing to use this to climb all over the women. This scene has been imitated in many other films and tv shows. One day I was watching "The Disney Channel" and saw a parody of it on "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody." How much would you bet that none of the young actors had any idea what they were imitating?

One of the wonderful things about the Marx Brothers is that they are timeless. Very few of their jokes are dated. Audiences today find them just as funny as audiences in the 1930s (if they're actually taking the time to watch their movies). Although we've heard similar humor in other things, it's never quite the same. After all, to quote the Aaron Sorkin show "Studio 60", "Nobody's funnier than the Marx Brothers." It's true. No matter how much people try, they cannot capture the quirky charm that those men had. You can repeat their jokes, but they're not quite as funny without the personalities, are they?

The other thing that I love about Marx Brothers movies is that they truly are great family films. My parents were very wise in showing those films to me as I was growing up. Now, when I say that they're family films, I'm not referring to the bright, sugar-coated "family films" that you see today. Those are children's films, and are very rarely engaging to the parents. No, the Marx Brothers are true family films, meaning they appeal to people of all ages. Adults can enjoy Groucho's wit, sarcasm, and innuendo while their children laugh at the antics of Harpo and Chico. The best part is that Groucho's jokes, while adult, are subtle enough to go right over the children's heads. So while the meaning of the joke may be inappropriate for young people, it is so veiled in innuendo that there is no way that they will figure it out. This way, parents can enjoy side splitting adult humor without having to struggle to find a time when the kids are in bed. How often do you find a movie like that?

I'm almost done, but I'd just like to mention something about the music. As I said, Marx Brothers movies are intelligent. They always involve some sort of musical number, often sung by the male romantic lead, but there is always that part of the movie where Chico plays the piano and Harpo plays the harp. Now, when Chico plays, it is fun and energetic. He never took piano lessons seriously, so while he is incredibly talented, playing piano is something of a joke to him. His form is terrible but very fun to watch, and it is more of a spectacle than a showcase of an amazing piano piece. My favorite part, though, is when Harpo sits down to play the harp. Even as a child, I loved this part. I think it's because Harpo is such a clownish character that it's nice to see him being serious for a few minutes. It grounds him in reality and shows the viewers his humanity. You see, Harpo was always the music lover of the family, but Chico was the one who got to take piano lessons. So Harpo taught himself to play the harp and became incredibly good at it. Whereas Chico's piano playing is sort of a continuation of the humor in the film, Harpo's harp solos are beautiful and moving. He is concentrating intently, and you can see in his face how much he loves playing. It's enough to bring tears to your eyes, and it's a nice little break from laughing so much. A Marx Brothers movie without Harpo playing the harp is no good. (As a side note, never watch "Room Service." I thought it would be good because it was a Marx Brothers movie with Lucille Ball, but it was terrible. She wasn't given any funny lines, and none of the Marx Brothers' regular gags were used in the movie. They didn't even play any music!!)

So if you want a good, family friendly laugh, go rent a Marx Brothers' movie. I would especially recommend "A Night at the Opera", "A Day at the Races", and "Horse Feathers." Also, if you want a really funny one with almost no plot but a lot of great jokes, watch "Monkey Business." It'll crack you up.

Movie Review: The Core

I'm pretty sure the only thing that I can say about this movie is "WTF?!" It's a sci-fi movie about a fictional scenario where the outer core of the earth stops spinning threatening our very existence and a team of scientists and astronauts has to build a ship to go in and restart the core. All the science in it is completely faked and there are so many errors that it's not even funny. Well, actually, it's completely and utterly hilarious. The movie stars Hilary Swank and Aaron Eckhart, and the acting is absolutely horrendous. You could basically boil it down to people looking serious and occasionally screaming, "I'M IN EMOTIONAL PAIN!" Well, not really, but that's how it comes across. Also, the errors are just hilarious because they're really basic things that could be fixed simply by looking the information up on Google, such as listing incorrect latitude and longitude coordinates for the United Nations, placing it in Belize City, Belize, or informing the audience that the Marianas Trench is located in the South Pacific rather than the North Pacific. I have to say, though, my favorite goof is this:

"At about 9 minutes into the film, when the pigeons are all dying, the people run from Trafalgar Square into a building with large windows at the front. Moments later, we see several birds striking and breaking the windows. If you watch carefully, you will see that at least two of the birds that hit the window are, in fact, fish."

That's right, folks. They threw fish at the window and tried to pass them off as birds. I mean, HONESTLY. This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen, but it's worth watching if you want some good laughs.

For more goofs, check out imdb. They're pretty funny.

Golden Globes Cancelled!!!

That's right, the Golden Globes have been cancelled. Rather than having a huge banquet and ceremony, they will be announcing the winners at a press conference on January 13th. I believe that this has something to do with the writer's strike, although I will have to do more research to confirm that. I only just read it on their site a few minutes ago. I have to say that I am very disappointed. I'm one of those weirdoes who actually enjoys watching awards shows and will sit down and watch them straight through. I was really looking forward to the Golden Globes, and it was a blow when I found out that they had been cancelled. I still support the writers, though, and feel that my disappointment is a small price to pay for their cause. However, I am really hoping that the Oscars will not be affected. I wait all year for them and will be incredibly unhappy if they are cancelled as well.

For more information, check out the official Golden Globes website.

Movie Review: I Am Legend

I'm not a huge fan of the zombie movie genre, but I watched "I Am Legend" tonight, and I have to say that I was impressed. It wasn't so much a movie about zombies as a movie about the survival of Dr. Robert Neville and his struggle to find a cure to the terrible disease that caused people to begin behaving that way. Zombies isn't even the right term for them, actually. Rather than being the living dead, they are people who have been infected by a mutated measles virus and turned into vicious creatures who can only come out at night. Despite the fact that this premise comes across as a horror movie, it was a very emotional film. It was engaging and suspenseful, and there were several times that it nearly brought tears to my eyes. Overall, I thought it was a fantastic movie. I would not recommend it for children or people who are easily disturbed, however. It contains some fairly horrific themes and parts that are difficult to watch. Still, I enjoyed it immensely.

Billy Wilder

So one of the classes that I'm taking this semester is a class examining the works of film director Billy Wilder. Now, when I signed up for the class, I had no idea who Billy Wilder was. It just sounded like an interesting class. When I told my mom, though, she said, "Isn't he the guy who directed Some Like It Hot?" THAT got me even more excited. I watched Some Like It Hot with my best friend several years ago because I'm a Jack Lemmon fan, and I thought it was hilarious. In fact, according to the American Film Institute, it's the #1 comedy of all time. Billy Wilder is incredibly good at writing witty dialogue.

Not only is his writing funny, though, he himself was very funny in person. We watched a film called "Billy Wilder Speaks," where his friend and fellow director Volker Schlöndorff set up a camera and interviewed him at his office for two weeks. It's not a very professional interview, which in a way is good because it gives you an idea of what he was really like. In the video, he was very honest and relaxed, never too insulting about the actors he worked with, but also never patronizing. I wish I'd had the sense to copy down some of the things he said, because he made me laugh pretty hard. However, I do have some quotes from imdb, so here they are. Enjoy! (and check out his movies).

"Anyone who doesn't believe in miracles isn't a realist."

"It was a very tiny little thing. All of his theories were based on the analysis of very short people!" (Upon seeing Sigmund Freud's therapy couch)

"They say Wilder is out of touch with his times. Frankly, I regard it as a compliment. Who the hell wants to be in touch with these times?"

"A director must be a policeman, a midwife, a psychoanalyst, a sycophant, and a bastard."

"Breasts like granite and a brain like swiss cheese." (On Marilyn Monroe)

"Trust your own instinct. Your mistakes might as well be your own, instead of someone else's."

"France is the only country where the money falls apart and you can't tear the toilet paper."

Hooray for Viggo Mortenson!

Being a huge Lord of the Rings geek, I have had a soft spot for Viggo Mortenson since the movies came out. He's a fantastic actor who completely dedicated himself to the role of Aragorn. Talent aside, I often find myself disappointed in actors. They have so much money and influence in this country, yet so few of them use it well. In my mind, actors have an obligation to use the resources that the rest of us lack to really make a change. Rather than simply donating to charities or saying that, yes, this is an issue that needs to be dealt with, why don't they step up and take some more action? It's not like they lack the funds. However, from the very beginning of his stardom, Viggo Mortenson has been the exception. When the U.S. went into Iraq, he was one of the most vocal celebrities, using his Lord of the Rings press conferences to express his views on the situation and signing the Not In Our Name petition. A couple of years later, he joined Cindy Sheehan in Texas as she camped outside Bush's ranch for a month in protest of the war. Now, he is fighting the corruption and injustice in our election system, protesting the fact that Dennis Kucinich was kept out of the last democratic debate, and throwing his weight behind the movement to impeach Dick Cheney. He gained my respect years ago, but it has increased immensely with this latest act. He is a truly inspirational person, and I hope I get the chance to meet him and tell him so someday. I also hope that other actors follow his lead and begin fighting for what they believe in.

Here is the article on his latest activism, if you have any interest in reading it.

I'm Back!

Sorry I haven't written in a while. Things have been very busy. They're still busy, in fact, so to tide people over, I'd like to post another review of "The Golden Compass," which I saw again last night. I got many positive comments in response to my review, so I'd like to direct people to another review that I found to be spot on. This is a review from a paper in Madison, WI, that I found online. It pretty much captures how I felt about the movie and does it very eloquently. Enjoy!

Let's play tag!

I've been tagged for a meme by my dad, so here are 5 Little Known Facts About Me.

1. Strangely, like my dad, I ALSO have a group of freckles shaped like the Big Dipper (missing 1 or 2 of the stars). Mine is on my left shoulder, though.

2. I have a massive scar on my stomach from spilling boiling water down my front last year. It was the last day of winter break, and I was stressing out about calculus. As a result, I wasn't paying as much attention I should have, and the pot that I was pouring the water out of slipped and splashed the water all down my front. I got my shirt up off my stomach, so the burn wasn't as bad as it could've been, but the waistband of my jeans got completely soaked and my stomach was burned pretty badly. It's not really noticeable now, but I still think it looks horrible.

3. I am a jigsaw puzzle master.

4. I played Princesses in my neighbors' backyards until I was 13. We still have lots of inside jokes from back then.

5. I played Templeton the rat in my high school's play of Charlotte's Web last spring. It was really fun.

I tag Crayons and PoodleDoc.

Movie Review: The Golden Compass (SPOILER ALERT!!)

Sorry, but I can't write this review without some spoilers. Stop reading now if you don't want to know anything about the movie. So, first of all, I have to say that I had very low expectations for this movie. I love love love the book, and what with all the disappointing movie adaptations that I've seen over the years, I didn't expect this one to be any good. Not only that, but the trailers made it seem like they had completely changed the theme of the story, which really bugged me.

That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. It followed the plot of the book pretty well, and Dakota Blue Richards was a much better Lyra than I expected. Also, the clips of the scenery that they showed in the trailers were somewhat misleading. For the most part, I really enjoyed this movie, and I think that everyone should go see it (ignore the reviews, they're never right about movies anyway).

There were a couple things that bugged me. For one thing, the movie seemed a little rushed. Not just to me, but to my friends as well. I think this was because they were trying to fit as much into the movie as possible. I think I'll have to see it a second time to see how it sits with me, but I did like that they didn't cut out too much from the books. Another thing that bugged me was that they changed a couple of the characters around. It's not that big of a deal, and I can't say who it was without giving away the movie, but let's just say that in the book, Billy Costa's daemon isn't named Ratter. Ratter meets the same fate in the book and the movie, but he has no relation to Billy Costa at all. The third thing that bugged me was that everything seemed a little...cartoonish. It was too bright of a movie for my liking, and I felt that it should have been darker and dirtier, especially in the city. Also, they changed Iofur Raknison's name to Ragnar Sturlusson, but I think that was so people who hadn't read the book didn't confuse him with Iorek Byrnison.

The cast, I thought, was phenomenal. It included a lot of very well known people, such as Ian McKellan, Christopher Lee, Nicole Kidman, and Daniel Craig, as well as newcomer Dakota Blue Richards who, as I mentioned before, did a really good job. However, I didn't feel like there was enough character development in the movie. Because they didn't cut much out, everything went so fast that there wasn't really time for the audience to develop an emotional connection with the characters. Also, everything was told rather than shown, which is something that really shouldn't be done in filmmaking or writing. The dialogue is important, but if they tell you everything, it just doesn't work out. As a result, I felt like a non-reader wouldn't quite grasp the concept of things like daemons and Dust. I mean, they tell you what it is, but you don't really GET it, if you know what I mean.

Now, I know I said they followed the book faithfully. This is true up to a point. However, the entire ending was cut off, which really pissed me off. I've been reading reviews on imdb, and other fans, it seems, feel exactly the same way. It would appear that the common audience reaction is, "WHAT THE HELL?! THEY CAN'T END IT THERE!" According to interviews with both Philip Pullman (the author), and Chris Weitz (the director), they changed the ending because they felt that it would make more sense if they put that part at the beginning of the second movie (if they make a sequel. It all depends on how much money this one makes). I disagree, however. I think that ending the movie where the book ends is crucial to the development of the characters of Lyra, Ms. Coulter, and Lord Asriel. I also think that if they're trying to follow the books as precisely as they did in the first movie, they're going to run out of time because now they are going to have to put in this huge, important event from the first movie as well as the entire second book. It's just very very frustrating. Also, it makes the ending of the movie all sugary sweet and happy, which really doesn't fit with the books at all. The books are super dark, and the movie was pretty bright and cheery.

All in all, the movie was better than I expected, but I wish that they had taken their time more. I feel like if they had cut out some less important stuff and taken their time with the more important stuff. Show, don't tell, would have been a good rule for them to follow. I also wish the movie were darker. Since I went with low expectations, I liked the movie more than I expected. However, it seemed kind of like they were trying to recreate the feel of LOTR, even to the point of having similar cinematography. Too bad Chris Weitz couldn't recreate Peter Jackson's understanding of good storytelling. "The Golden Compass" was better than most movie adaptations, but it could have been a lot better. I still recommend that you see it, though, if only so they have enough money to make a sequel. If I don't get to see Will and the Mulefa and the end of this trilogy, I will be very upset.

Oh, I forgot to mention, they handled the problem of the Church and the supposed "anti-Christian" messages really well. Philip Pullman isn't anti-religion, he's just against the problems caused by organized religion. We all know the church has gotten away with some pretty brutal stuff in the past. As for the movie, they just called the Church "the Magesterium" for the entire movie and referred to Adam and Eve as "Our Ancestors." It was a very masterful manipulation of language, although I wonder if the non-readers have any idea what is going on.
Anyway, check out "The Golden Compass." Okay, I'm done now.

Movie Review: Meet the Robinsons

Okay, I know what you're thinking. "Not another cutsie animated movie." I have to admit, I didn't expect much from this movie. I mean, I ENJOY cutsie animated movies, but the plot lines and gags get a bit old after a while. However, this movie was much better than I expected. The jokes were fresh, and the message was very sweet. I mean, yeah, it was kind of predictable, but it was also sweet and highly entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now, if you're a die-hard animated movie hater (like certain PARENTS I could mention), you probably won't like it, but if you occasionally enjoy a cute, animated film, I would strongly recommend this one.

Back to Work

So Thanksgiving is over, and now it's back to school for me. Not much has changed in the past week. My roommate downloaded new music but since she only listens to R&B, it all basically sounds exactly the same as the music that she listened to before. Luckily I got a new pair of headphones which are louder than my old pair, so I am successfully drowning out her music with my own. I got new music as well, NOT in the same genre that I had before...er...well, since I listen to many genres of music, that's not exactly true. Let's just say that it doesn't all sound the same. I got some new Enter the Haggis (or older ETH, I should say), which is exciting. They are definitely one of my favorite bands of all time. I also followed Brian's advice and downloaded some Radiohead and Leonard Cohen. Can you tell I'm a fan? :-P Other than that, my week at home was pretty uneventful. We have a new dog, Molly, and she's a sweetheart, if a little high strung. It's nice to be back at school in my regular routine, but I'm not looking forward to the school work. It was nice to have a break.

Home for the Holidays!

Tonight I'm going to get on a train, and I will get home tomorrow afternoon. Yay! I am looking forward to eating a home cooked meal (mac & cheese, mommy?), seeing my friends and family, getting my Enter the Haggis tshirt from my dad (signed by the band!), and, most of all, NOT HAVING TO LISTEN TO MY ROOMMATE'S MUSIC FOR A WEEK! I am so sick of R&B, it's not even funny. Finally, some music variation (you see, even if I put on my headphones and listen to my music, I can still hear hers, and it ruins it). Other than that, we get along quite well, but I'm seriously hoping that she's going to get some new music over break. If I have to hear her 20 favorite songs ever again, I'm going to go crazy. Okay, my rant is done now.

Pushing Daisies

Possibly the cutest, wittiest show on television right now, "Pushing Daisies" is a must see. It's playing on ABC and stars Lee Pace, Anna Friel ("Goal!"), Kristin Chenowith ("Wicked"), and Ellen Greene ("Little Shop of Horrors"). The basic idea is that Ned can touch dead people and bring them back to life, but if he leaves them alive for more than a minute something else has to die to take their place. Also, if he touches them again, they are dead forever and nothing can bring them back. Ned works with Private Investigator Emerson Cod to solve murders (by asking the victims who killed them) and collect the reward. One of the murders Ned has to solve is the murder of his childhood sweetheart, but once he wakes her up, he can't bring himself to make her dead again. Although they are in love, he is unable to touch her or she will be dead forever, which causes some complications in their relationship. This may sound lame or somewhat morbid, but it is actually a very clever show. The dialogue is made up of silly and witty banter, and there are many little digs at society (such as the designer of a new, eco-friendly car who drives a Hummer). Not only that, but the ridiculous coincidences, bright colors, and clever jokes keep the show from turning into a morbid and horrifying crime show. I would strongly recommend checking it out, even if you think that you won't like it. One of my friends was skeptical, but now she's hooked. Go figure. It's even child friendly.

It's all about me

So my mommy tagged me for a Meme. I guess I'm supposed to tell you 10 Random Things About Me. And, honestly, who WOULDN'T want to know more about me? :-P So, here goes:

1. My favorite animal is a raccoon. There was a family living under the deck at my grandparents' old house, and I used to watch them for hours. My grandma fed them, and they would come right up to the glass doors if they didn't know you were watching them. It was so cool.

2. I used to be a huge Lord of the Rings geek (and still am, secretly). I can tell you just about anything about the movies and the books. So, if you have a question about LOTR, you know who to ask. :-)

3. My two favorite places to be are doing theater or at a Quaker Teen Retreat (which I am, sadly, too old for now).

4. I have a major fear of sharks. Seriously, I can't even watch kids movies with underwater attacks without freaking out.

5. I HATE eggs. I think they're the most disgusting food on the planet. I don't mind them as ingredients in cakes and stuff, but any kind of eggy food (scrambled eggs, omelets, quiche, etc.) makes me feel sick. Even the smell of them makes me sick.

6. My guilty pleasure is chick lit/flicks. I love sappy, romantic movies and books, no matter how awful they are. Well... there is such a thing as too awful to stand, but very rarely do I find something like that.

7. I love to sing.

8. I used to want to be a Marine Biologist (what happened, you ask? Well, the shark phobia didn't help. Plus I hated science in high school and realized that the only reason I wanted to be a Marine Biologist was so I could play with dolphins. I'm more of an English/Arts person than a science/math person anyway)

9. I listen to all kinds of music, but I especially like soft rock. You know, stuff I can sing along with.

10. I know just about everything about movies, and if I don't know something, I will be on imdb within 5 minutes to look it up.

Um... I tag... crayons and Dr. Monkey von Monkerstein

Boo sundays!

It's cold, it's rainy, I'm sick, and I have two exams tomorrow. Seriously, Sundays suck. (Alliteration. Go me! :-P) It's probably the most depressing day of the week. I mean, the weekend's over, and it's usually gray come winter time. I don't like Sundays. Nope. Not at all. Especially not when I have a cold. And two tests the next day. :-(

Movie Review: Half Nelson

First off, let me say that THIS IS NOT YOUR ORDINARY TEACHER MOVIE. (You hear that, Mom? :-P) It is not, I repeat, NOT, about a rich white teacher whose revolutionary and controversial teaching style changes the lives of his poor, inner city students. If you want to see a movie like that, go watch "Freedom Writers" or something.
However, if you are looking for a bittersweet movie about real people with real problems and the connections that they develop, then this movie is for you. It's about the relationship that cocaine addict teacher Dan Dunn develops with one of his students and how they take care of one another. It's an amazing movie, and Ryan Gosling definitely deserved the Oscar nomination (although I still maintain that the award was rightfully awarded to Forrest Whittaker). Anyway, this movie is fantastic. The storyline is very realistic and easy to relate to (on some level), and the camera work is PHENOMENAL. I really enjoyed watching it. Plus it has a lot of good political comments in it. Apart from the drug addiction, Ryan Gosling's character reminds me of some of the teachers that I had growing up. My mom has a problem with movies that show how one teacher is going against the grain and teaching students who otherwise didn't want to learn because she says that there are tons of teachers doing that every day. This movie doesn't do that. It's more about how everyone has problems and we need to reach out to one another or we won't survive. I don't want to give anything else away, but you should really go out and rent this movie. Note: It's not appropriate for children.

Movie Review: The Shawshank Redemption

So, it turns out that a couple of my friends have never seen "The Shawshank Redemption." The rest of us were shocked, so we all watched it together last night. What a great movie. This was my second time seeing it, and it was just as good as, if not better than, the first time. Seriously, that movie is made of amazing quotes and wonderful acting. As my friend Zack said, "Morgan Freeman is God." (Get it? :-P) But seriously, he's an amazing actor, as is Tim Robbins. They both did a fantastic job in this movie, and the story itself is just phenomenal. (Why does Stephen King waste his time writing horror stories when he could be writing more stuff like this?) It's a heartbreaking movie, especially the whole thing with Tommy Williams. It makes me want to cry every time. And Brooks? (On a random side note, does anyone else think that Brooks looks a little like Hoggle from "Labyrinth", or is it just me?) Anyway, this is probably one of the best movies I've ever seen, and if you haven't seen it, you are seriously missing out. So go out and rent "The Shawshank Redemption." ...Only maybe don't watch it if you're just in the mood for something light and entertaining. This is for one of those times when you want to see something incredible.

Movie Review: The Usual Suspects

Today in my film analysis class, we watched "The Usual Suspects." It's a 1995 crime drama with a twist, starring Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, and Benicio Del Toro. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was hilarious and engaging. The banter and one liners were very witty. I have to say, I was slightly disappointed with the twist, because I called it. Although it made me feel great about myself that I had figured out this supposedly impossibly surprising twist, I felt a little let down. I mean, it's supposed to catch you completely unawares, but I figured it out pretty early on. I won't give anything away, but it's something to keep your eyes open for should you choose to watch it. All in all, it was a great movie. A little bloody, but very entertaining. I highly recommend checking it out.

Whale Rider

Last night I had the sudden urge to watch the movie "Whale Rider" because I hadn't seen it in over a year. It's such a beautiful movie, and I highly recommend that anyone who hasn't seen it go out and rent it. It's worth it. However, I think it's even more important that everyone read the book. It is so much more detailed and beautiful than the movie. That's the nature of these things. You can't fit everything into a movie, so some important things get cut. In this case, it is Kahu's uncle Rawiri's trip to Australia and Papua New Guinea, which opens his eyes to racism and shows him what the world is really like. (For those who have seen the movie, in the book the main character, Paikea, is actually named Kahu. Both Paikea and Kahutia Te Rangi were names for the ancient Whale Rider). The characters are very different in the movie, too. In the book, Nanny Flowers, Kahu's grandmother, is more of a comical character, and Rawiri is the leader of a biker gang. As for Kahu's grandfather, Koro, he is much more indifferent to her in the book. In the movie they excuse his behavior a little bit, but in the book he shows almost no affection to Kahu despite all her efforts to get his attention. It is very sad. All in all, both the book and the movie are very good but, as is often the case, the book is much better. In fact, ever since they made the movie, the book has been permanently added to the curriculum for New Zealand schools. How cool is that? I really want to read the book, but sadly, I don't have a copy here. My mom's best friend's copy is sitting on my bookshelf at home (you should probably give that back to her, mom), and I don't want to bring it here. I found a copy online for $5 which I am considering ordering, but I want to think it over before I buy anything. Money is tight in college, after all. Still, I can spare $5, right? Haha. Now go and read! I command you!

Movie Review: The Hills Have Eyes

So, in the spirit of Halloween, a bunch of people on my floor got together to watch scary movies tonight. Now, I hate scary movies. I've never liked them. I'm a bit of a wimp. Anyway, they told me that they were watching "The Hills Have Eyes" and that I should come and join them. I went with some trepidation (I do not want to have nightmares for the next month), but it turns out they were watching the ORIGINAL movie from 1977. So I decided to sit it out, figuring it couldn't be THAT bad. I was completely right. It was one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. The blood was literally red paint, and the mutant people or whatever they were looked like poor representations of Native Americans. It was quite racist, in fact. Here were these tribal type cannibal crazy people attacking a cute little white family where the children have blond hair and blue eyes. It was pretty ridiculous. Not only that, but the family was soooo dumb. Seriously, they just kept doing one stupid thing after another, and the girl would not shut up. She just screamed and screamed and whimpered and screamed even when she wasn't getting attacked. I mean, okay, yeah, that's pretty emotionally scarring, but do you have to be so loud about it? I'm pretty sure I would just curl up in a corner or something, not scream my lungs out. Especially when there are these mutant people roaming around. I mean, you don't want to give away your location, do you? As I said, the people were really stupid. It was great because the smartest being in the movie was the dog. Seriously, that dog was amazing. It would sneak up behind the mutant people and push them off cliffs and stuff. It even was smart enough to steal one of their massive walkie talkies (yes, the mutants had walkie talkies), and bring it back to the family so they could spy on the mutants. I'm telling you, that was one smart dog. Watching that movie, though, was like watching an episode of Mystery Science Theater or something. It was pretty amazing. The dialog was terrible and the acting was even worse. So, if you want a good laugh, go out and rent this movie. It won't let you down (although it's probably funnier if you watch it with a big group of friends).