The House Bunny

So what is this one about?
Netflix explains the simple plot as,

When Playboy bunny Shelley Darlington (Anna Faris) gets evicted from the mansion, she is a woman without a country -- that is, until she meets the sisters of Zeta Alpha Zeta, a sorority on the brink of losing its campus chapter. The Zetas need Shelley's makeover expertise so they can attract a new pledge class -- otherwise, their house goes to rivals Phi Iota Mu. But the Zetas have something Shelly needs, too: the confidence to be herself.

oh yes. Very deep and complex.

And how much did I pay to watch?
Well, I watched it at Cinema De Lux, at night. So I think it was $11.

And what did I think?
Going into a movie like this one, well, you pretty much know it isn't going to be amazing. You don't expect much. Oddly enough, I saw some previews for this movie in May that made it look really awesome, and then I saw some previews in July and August that made it look like every brain-dead, basic, stupid comedy. I gave this the benefit of the doubt and went and saw it...all while dragging a friend along (oh he is so nice for putting up with the shit movies I drag him to), and I am going to be honest, it wasn't all that bad.

Sometimes I love to watch a normal movie. Between grad school concerns of democratizing or totalitarianizing countries, between the nightly news that is never good, and between figuring out what I am going to do with my life, it is nice to watch a movie or read a book or watch a tv show that isn't so heavy. Isn't so complex. Doesn't require much brain power. It is just a fun addition when it isn't the worst thing ever.

God, there was one part in this movie that was so funny I was actually laughing so hard I was crying. I mean, tears streaming down my face. Good god it was funny. I attribute that to Anna Farris. She really is quite funny. Oh yeah, and she has a killer body too. Who knew?

I also really liked the girl from Superbad who was the main Zeta girl. She was pretty funny too. Did you know Bruce Willis and Demi Moore's daughter was in this movie? Well, she was. Also, some girl from American Idol (I read it somewhere, because I do not watch that show). Oh yeah, also Beverly DeAngelo was in it.

So what is the rating? (out of 10)
It was pretty funny. Moderately predictable but not that bad. An entertaining movie that made me stop thinking as much as I usually do. So, kudos for that.

I'd rate it a 5 because it was pretty average, but I'm gonna give it a 6, because I haven't cried from laughing in forever.

Superbad

So what is this one about?
My beloved tells us,

40-Year-Old Virgin veterans Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen team up again as producer and co-star/co-writer (respectively) of this high school comedy starring Jonah Hill and Michael Cera as best buddies facing separation anxiety as they prepare to go off to college. Attempting to score alcohol for a party (believing that the babes will follow), the boys' evening quickly dissolves into chaos. Bill Hader ("Saturday Night Live") co-stars.

holler!

And how much did I pay to watch?
Nothing, because I own that shit. However, when I saw it the first time I was in Hungary. Man, that was awesome!! Watching it with an audience (half of which were native english speakers, half of which were reading the Hungarian subtitles...)

And what did I think?
Man, this movie is so awesome! It really is hilarious and smart, which is so unusual for a mainstream comedy that I like. Another one that I find similar to Superbad is Super Troopers (maybe the "super" part is what makes them...well, super)

Anyway, there are so many parts of this movie that actually make me laugh out loud. Not lol, mind you. But actually, vocally, laughing out loud. This is incredibly unusual for me. The scene where the three boys are talking about the fake id...jesus. That is funny. ass. shit. I feel like this movie deserves massive credit for making me really laugh.

I think the boys are adorable. The actors manage to exactly capture the fear of a senior in high school about to leave everything they know in order to go to college. And god, the fact that they are such good friends is so precious. It reminds me so much of me and my best friend in highschool...god, we were attached at the hip! I think the two actors capture so well the emotional heaviness of that period in a young person's life while still completely being accurate about how awkward high schoolers are. God, I mean, all the teen actors did an amazing job at capturing how awkward teenagers are while still making them wildly endearing characters!

Watching the movie for the first time in Hungarian was also hilarious and demonstrated the subtlety of the film. For some reason it seemed like there were some kids who were native english speakers because they were sons and daughters of people who worked for the English embassy. Those three and me and my roommate. Then there were some Hungarians. And the native english speakers laughed at all the funny parts and the Hungarian speakers laughed at the bawdy sex jokes (incidentally, sex, or secks po-ungarische, was used throughout the translation despite the meaning of the phrase...so "making love" was "sex", "fucking" was "sex", "donkey punch" was "sex", etc...). It was quite an interesting exercise in how differently abled speakers understand the same thing. ...Wow, that was way off topic. But interesting nonetheless, I think.

So what is the rating? (out of 10)
Hah, what is the rating? Obviously a 10! I loved this one, it is so funny and heartfelt at the same time. I mean, how could you not love it?

Automaton Transfusion

So what is this one about?
Netflix tells us,

In director Steven C. Miller's indie scarefest about science gone awry, a U.S. Army experiment to turn corpses into a military fighting force unleashes bloody hell on a small Florida community. As the rampaging undead begin to terrorize the town, a trio of resourceful high schoolers takes it upon themselves to end the carnage once and for all. Garrett Jones, Juliet Reeves and Joel Hebner head the cast.

ok. fair enough.

And how much did I pay to watch?
Since I got this one on Netflix this month, it cos $1.54 also.

And what did I think?
Well, I'm gonna tell you...that movie poster is FULL. OF. LIES! One of the best zombie films in decades? No. Not at all. But, the zombie aspect was quite innovative as far as zombiefication goes.

I completely forget how I heard about this one...maybe something when I was in Toronto or something. But I added it to my netflix queue because I was unable to see it in the theatre when I initially saw that the film existed. However, maybe a year later, otherwise measured as about three weeks ago, I learned that someone I went to elementary, middle, and high school with was in the movie. (If you went to any of those things with me...ask me who it is) Turns out he is a model for a 'non-typical' modeling agency, called, and I'm not joking, UglyNY. hahaha. Anyway, I learned that he was in the movie so I decided it was about time to move the movie up the queue. Well, he is totally visible in at least 4 scenes...so I guess its pretty cool what happens to us once we leave school.

I have digressed. The movie really did seem like a student film. I think it was, so I guess that is what happened. For making this movie for $30k I was pretty impressed about its production values. One thing that was an interesting technique they used in order to make it seem like there were more extras (so, to mask a failing in their film) which made the camera jolt around. It made it seem like the camera was being held by someone who was running. As an audience member it was hard to quickly look at what was going on before the shot changed. I thought that was pretty cool.

The special effects were pretty good. The blood looked really good. The bites and other things (including a zombie grabbing a fetus out of a pregnant teenager and eating it) were a little student film-y. And for a zombie aficionado like myself, that was no good.

And man. The acting. wow. It was really bad. I mean, if the movie was a student film, then the actors were just student actors, but I mean, come on. I acted in highschool and I think there were people I knew who could have sold being-chased-by-zombies much better than these guys.

The plot was interesting enough. The zombies were, get this, a creation by the US government as a way to create a super soldier. I've never heard of something like this before, so it was interesting.

The end was bad, because instead of having the zombies eat the characters who were clearly trapped the film makers decided to go with a "to be continued"

If that isn't the biggest storytelling cop out, then I don't know what is.

So what is the rating? (out of 10)
OK. I feel a bit like an asshole because I am critiquing a movie made by some young filmmakers. I mean, I watch a lot of movies but I have no idea if I could ever make one. I'd like to...but if I could, that actually remains to be seen. But, what I do know is that bad acting makes any horror movie especially atrocious.

Then, as a zombie purist I know that it is mental to try and act like the government would willingly create a special, hard to kill, breed of Z. Shoot, zombie invasion is the biggest nightmare of the US government!! They would never create them.

I do have to give the filmmakers credit though, for being inventive.

Overall I would say this movie shouldn't break a 5. So, I will give it a 4 (I can't start being soft with my ratings...) with my apologies because I don't know that I could do any better. Well, I mean, I could make a more convincing story line.

(UNRELATED. World War Z is being made into a movie by Brad Pitt's production company.
AMAZING!!!!!)

Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq

So what is this one about?
Maybe one day I will pay for cable and get HBO. Everything they produce is fabulous, and they are so helpful with descriptions on their website. Thanks HBO!

In a war that has left more than 25,000 wounded, ALIVE DAY MEMORIES: HOME FROM IRAQ looks at a new generation of veterans. Executive Producer James Gandolfini interviews ten Soldiers and Marines who reveal their feelings on their future, their severe disabilities and their devotion to America. The documentary surveys the physical and emotional cost of war through memories of their "alive day," the day they narrowly escaped death in Iraq.

And how much did I pay to watch?
Well, I've been pretty busy lately. I haven't been able to dedicate as much time towards watching movies because I've been traveling, hosting guests, working on my thesis paper (which is done....YAY!), and redoing my room. I have only gotten 11 movies from Netflix in the past 30 days, which puts the price of the disc at $1.54. (still pretty cheap though, right?)

And what did I think?
Well, I was very interested in watching this when everyone in the news world (Brian Williams) was talking about this new documentary by James Gandolfini. And kudos to HBO for getting it on dvd so quickly.

It was an interesting film which told ten different and interesting stories. It was a good film that would demonstrate to citizens the cost of war. A cost that likely they don't see. The idea that 25,000 soldiers have been wounded is kind of shocking.

However, though the film tries to demonstrate the human cost of war I never got an "anti-war" vibe from the film. Rather, Gandolfini did an excellent job of laying out a narrative that could let the audience decide for themselves what they think of war. I think this is hard to do in a war time documentary, but this one managed to stay pretty unbiased.

I also thought it was important that Gandolfini used two female veterans. Many war films or documentaries seem to only focus on the male soldiers, and this does a disservice to the female soldiers.

Last, one of the soldiers (I think he was second)has been covered on Nightly News. It was a few weeks ago, in a story that told about New York firefighters help him with this physical therapy at home because he couldn't (as in didn't want to, not as in wasn't able to) stay in the military hospitals anymore. And compared to what we saw in the film, he is doing much better now. That was a nice part of the story.

So what is the rating? (out of 10)
Rating movies is sort of odd, because it is impossible (probably) to separate my feelings about a film from the actual goodness of the film in terms of film. If that made any sense. I think what I would change about this film was its length. It was only an hour long. I would have liked to see more.

Other than that it was pretty interesting. I give in an 8.

Atonement

So what is this one about?
Netflix tells us,

In this drama based on the critically acclaimed novel by Ian McEwan, a childhood lie irrevocably changes the lives of several people forever. When 13-year-old Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) misinterprets a moment of flirtation between her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and a servant's son, Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), her confusion causes her to finger Robbie as the perpetrator of a crime. Brenda Blethyn and Vanessa Redgrave co-star in this Oscar nominee for Best Picture.

And how much did I pay to watch?
Nothing, because I got this dvd as a gift for my last birthday (5 months ago).

And what did I think?
Good god almighty. I have waited five months to watch this movie because I wanted to put it off. You know like when you're reading a really good book (World War Z) and you want to read it slowly because you don't want it to be over? That how I was with Atonment. I read the book in November when I was in Norway and I loved it. I mean, I loved it loved it. I think it was my favorite book of the year. Unquestioned. (I mean, I did pretty much only read all the Harry Potter books and Atonement, so I dunno that it was a fair contest.) So I've put off watching it because I've been afraid...the book was so amazing I knew the movie probably couldn't live up to it. I wanted to keep the book in my mind for as long as possible, for fear that the movie would ruin it.

Turns out, big surprise, the movie wasn't as good as the book. But, the movie didn't ruin the book. In fact, I went and ordered the book online so I could read it again. The movie was better than the book in that it had two incredibly sexy actors who had amazing, off the screen smoking hot, chemistry with each other. It almost broke my heart to watch them together (god, I'm such a soft hearted tragic romantic), god there were times that weren't sad or tragic during the movie when some sort of water started coming out of my eyes. I mean, I guess it was a little dusty ;)

Unfortunately, where the film failed compared to the book was the density of the story. The book had 300 pages to build background and fill out the plot so it was flawless. The movie had to severely abridge the content of the book to fit into a reasonable, and workable, film. Whereas in a book you can use a narrator, in a movie it doesn't work as well if the narrator isn't a character.

There was an interesting method that the film makers used to capture a bit of the essence of the book. Throughout the book the author used different narrator's points of view to show how the same event could be interpreted in different ways. The movie used this method, but I don't know that it was entirely effective.

The first part of the movie was amazing, I think it was truest to the book. However, the second and third part seemed awful thin. Perhaps because I've read the book and understand everything that happened in the story it seemed like the film didn't do a good enough job of explaining what was going on. It is hard for me to tell if a movie made based on a book explains enough to make sense to someone who didn't read the book.

I also think the end came too quickly and didn't stick enough to the book. In the novel the build up made the reader think that things would work out well. The slow unraveling made it more poignant for the reader. In the film the ending came so quickly that there wasn't the same emotional build and connection for the audience.

So what is the rating? (out of 10)
Man. As I've already alluded to, it is difficult for me to separate the book from the film. The book had amazing advantages that the film didn't have. But the film had an advantage of two gorgeous and sickeningly sexy actors who had amazing chemistry that just ripped my heart out. To see the story on the screen rather than in my imagination was quite a delight.

I can't really rate how good this movie was because reading the book makes it impossible for me to judge the two things separately. As a movie it doesn't get a 10. I guess probably an 8 or a 9 would be reasonable. So, I'll give it an 8.5.