011. Bowling for Columbine

You can watch the trailer here

Should a documentary have an opinion? Or should it just showcase facts? I've never actually taken a film studies course and I majored in biochemistry before studying Journalism, so I will admit that I do not know the answer. From what I have learned in Journalism classes, there is no way anything can be unbiased. The best you can be hope for is to be as close to the truth as possible.

That being said, I don't think Michael Moore every loses sleep over the fact that his portrayal of the story may be considered biased or slanted. In fact, I think he enjoys that. The sort of smug sarcastic way in which he phrases his (open ended!) questions comes across–at least to me–as soaked in Moore's feeling of superiority to the "blue collar." I guess he probably is smarter than a lot of them, but I've never been a fan of people talking down to others. How does he get these people to talk to him? It just seems unnecessarily rude.

An interesting characteristic of Moore's Bowling for Columbine is that he makes the story very personal. He mentions when talking about Charlton Heston, that they grew up in neighbour towns. When interviewing acquitted terrorist James Nichols, he points out that they graduated the same day. From all the pictures and video footage he shows in the beginning of himself as a child using guns, it is clear that the story is very close to his heart. Perhaps it's that honesty and authenticity that makes this Moore documentary a lot more tolerable than his other efforts. It's actually a bit sad that I dislike this man so much, when I agree with almost everything he's trying to say. The medium is just the message sometimes. Good ol' McLuhan.

Watching it today (as in recently and not actually today), also gives it some more depth and gravitas considering what just happened in Arkansas with Gabrielle Gifford. In fact, since the midterm elections Rachel Maddow has been trying to highlight this weird crazy attitude some tea party candidates have been preaching. They all bring up the second amendment and the right to arms as some sort of way to force your way when democracy doesn't seem to work. Force instead of reason? Didn't the US just bomb Iraq for that? In any case, it's a theme that is repeated often, and how could it not be when gun control laws are the main focus point. As Nichols puts it when asked about his weapons: "When the government turns tyrannical, it is your duty to overthrow it." I guess the problem is always tyrannical according to whom?

Columbine does have some very strong moments, of course. Particularly, when Moore heads to one of the Columbine shooters' hometown and meets two of the local youth: Brent and DJ. After Columbine, DJ was put on a list of people suspected to be dangerous. The weird part is that what offends him is that he only made number 2. An expert at cooking up bombs using the (now) famous Anarchist Cookbook, DJ wants to be number 1. I guess the part that struck me as sad was when he mentioned that he wants to be number 1 at something. That's the problem with small towns. There are not a lot of opportunities out there. I hope that is something that people that live in bigger places never take for granted.

Another moment that stood out for me was when they interviewed Marylin Manson and South Park's Matt Stone. I wasn't surprised in the slightest but both of them came across as smart, kind and compassionate. Probably not something that is always assumed of them. I'm glad Moore decided to give them screen time.

Does Columbine really achieve anything? I don't think so. I think Moore is so abrasive with his opinion that the only ones that could sit through his documentaries are those that agree with him in the first place. Which is fine and dandy, except who is he really informing then?

Should guns be controlled? Of course. It's just as Nichols says (talking about nuclear arms, but it still applies!):

Moore: "Should you have the right to have it?"

Nichols: "That should be restricted. There are wackos out there."

Not recommended, unless you really like Moore.

010. Ratatouille

Ab 3, Oktober! I'm guessing that's a day

before my birthday. Cool international posters.

Watch the trailer here

Ok, ok. I have been slacking. I apologize. I am trying to actually get this going again. Granted, it will require a lot of work and effort on my part. I have watched ten movies from the list since I started this project half a year ago. If my math is correct (and thanks to some hardcore math-loving asian genes in my genome, it usually is) that means I have to watch one hundred and seventy-ish movies in the remaining half of the year. Sounds possible! I like challenges, anyway.

So, back to the movie. It's hard to review a Pixar animated movie. Not because it's particularly challenging to watch, but the idea of coming up with something insightful or novel (especially when you are reviewing a movie that is close to 4 years old) seems a bit ludicrous to me. Everyone knows that it was a good movie. Even those weird people that don't like Pixar movies and would rather watch Bee Movie or Over the Hedge. I mostly mean my friend Jayme. In any case, Ratatouille is (you guessed it!) awesome.

One thing that detracts from the movie is the plot. Ratatouille tells the story of a young rat named Remy that embraces being different and being special, as opposed to being one more of the pack. Not that it is a bad idea, or sends a bad message but it's been done before, no? If I'm not mistaken it's the exact same plot of Jonathan Livingston Seagull-- or Juan Salvador Gaviota, as it was known to me. Weirdly enough, I once read a book that was also a rehash of JLS but with dolphins. I'm not entirely sure how that got published. Anyway going back to Ratatouille, it's definitely a plot that's used often because the message is important and rather timeless. Be yourself. Be great. As Dr Seuss would say "Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive that is youer than you." I guess I just think that when compared to Up or Wall-E, it falls a little short. To be fair, I'm probably doing it a huge disservice by watched it after Pixar's latest hits. It was made before those movies and they have probably grown since then.

On a completely illogical level, another minor gripe I had with this movie is Patton Oswalt. I'm sure he has his fans and some people find him funny. To me he is and will always be that small guy from King of Queens. I'm not much of a Kevin James fan and anything related to him, automatically (and unfairly) loses points.

Don't get me wrong, there is still plenty of excellence in this movie. The animation is spectacular from the facial expressions on the rodents to the beautiful Parisian background that is peppered throughout the movie. It really is awe-inspiring to see how much animation has developed in recent years; Pixar, of course, being at the forefront of that pioneering.

It had cute little strokes of genius here and there, like having Remy control his human friend Linguini by pulling his hair. The man is now the horse and the little rat is the jockey. The scene where Remy's family of rats fall from an attic is both the most disgusting and the most exciting scene I've seen in a while. It's rather eerie how real it feels to see a bunch of animated rats fall from the roof.

Overall, it is a very strong effort by Pixar. It won't ever be remembered as their best movie, but it's hard to imagine someone not liking this little gem.

Recommended, unless you are grossed out by rats.

In Theatres Now...

1. The Social Network. Very good movie, the script is some of Sorkin's best work since the West Wing. Eisenberg and Garfield do an excellent job. 5 out of 5.

2. It's Kind of a Funny Story Cute and relatable. Zach Galifianakis deserves to be a much bigger movie star than he is now. Its rare when fat comedy guys can actually pull off the dramatic. 4 out of 5.

3. Easy A Not the next Mean Girls. Luckily not the next [insert almost any other teen comedy], either. Emma Stone is funny and not afraid of looking like an idiot. Funny moments here and there, entertaining throughout. 3.5 out of 5

4. The Town Ben Affleck's best acting since Daredevil. Jokes. He is good in this movie though, as is the rest of the cast. Except beautiful Blake Lively. Her acting is fine, her accent is distracting, her tits are glorious. 4.5 out of 5

5. Legend of the Guardians:  The Owls of Ga'hoole It's for kids. It is not a complicated story and has plot holes here and there, but the 3D is beautiful and the owls are cute. Jim Sturgess has a very nice voice and owls being british just seems right for some reason. A little too simple though. 2.5 out of 5.

009. The Blind Side

Watch Academy Award winning actor Sandra Bullock here

So I'm sure most of you have at least heard of this movie considering it just won Sandra Bullock (Miss Congeniality, Speed 2: Cruise Control, Gigli ok maybe not that last one but she might as well have!) an Academy Award. If you live in a cave and have not heard of this scintillating tale of white saves black, here it is in a nutshell: generous christian white woman saves poor black boy's life. There was no sarcasm in that sentence. I'm not the biggest fan of organized religion. I blame it for basically everything that is wrong in the world. It is made up of corrupt people taking advantage of naive lost followers who want an explanation or guide map to life. Women like Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock's character) are the very refreshing exceptions. She is a woman who is probably much more "Jesus"-like than the pope or anyone else with more power. She sees this tall imposing man and doesn't hesitate for once second to give him a bed.

The movie itself seems a bit self-gratifying. It is very possible that the events happened as is and I'm just being cynical but the truth is that it seems so embellished at times. Tuohy threatening a drug dealer and the drug dealer actually backing down? Yeah ok, unless Tuohy had a police badge attached to her ass, I see no reason why the drug dealer would look at her nervously as she walked away. There are other little scenes here and there that sort of reek of idyllic history-rewriting. It seems like its unavoidable when it comes to Hollywood, but frankly in this movie (probably more than most) it was completely unnecessary. This story is interesting enough as is. Even as I write this last sentence I fail to see its purpose. Do I imagine some young hollywood exec is going to read this blog and think "Gosh darn it, he's right! Let's stop this trend." If anything I entirely expect some young exec to read this blog and think "Hmm, clearly he means he wants this movie remade in 3D."

So is the movie worth all the hype? Honestly, no. Sandra Bullock's performance is no Meryl Streep or Cate Blanchett. This isn't a movie that we will all be replaying for years to come. The only reason Bullock's performance is note-worthy is because we're used to her looking like an idiot on screen, babbling like a babboon, exposing absolutely every flaw of movies relying on slapstick comedy. She is the female Kevin James. Or was, rather. She does a decent enough job with this role but her Academy Award suddenly seems very Tomei-esque.

One of these things is not like the others...

What's worse is that she's not alone in the subpar acting. Quinton Aaron (the other leading actor) is not very exceptional. This, however, is much more understandable. I don't think the Hollywood acting pool is exactly overflowing with large black men, so I can give them a pass for this one. Tim McGraw as the dad though? What were they thinking? No. Just kidding. As much as I want to bash the guy, he did a good job. He was totally believable. Absolutely no complaints. I mean, not many praises either but his role was minimal. He did a good job at not annoying me. You know who didn't do a good job? The annoying child actor whose name I refuse to learn. I hate child actors. They are not "cute" or "funny" or any of that stuff, and yet they are always supposed to be the "scene-stealers". This kid almost ruined an otherwise good movie for me.

All in all, this movie is ok. It's above average but it is not one of the best movies of all time. Sandra Bullock's performance is not better than anyone else she was up against. The best thing it has going for it is that it is based on a true story, which makes Tuohy's actions that much more admirable. Good for her, and people like her, for giving organized religion a good name. May her god bless her with good fortune. As for the movie? Solid, not breathtaking.

Recommended. Especially if you're a lot more forgiving of sappy utopian stories than I am.

No longer cuttin' mah veins in the dark, listening to evanescence, playing kingdom hearts.

I didn't want to stare at that super dark blog no' mo'. Also I'm watching a movie as we speak so there will be a new review up soon! Meanwhile stare at a cute puppy:

Super cute puppy

008. Dreamgirls

I just had to use this poster that managed to pull a real life Effie on poor Jhud.

Watch and sing along to the trailer here.

Dreamgirls, also known as "Beyonce: The Musical", is about the struggles of Effie "And I am telling you" White as she goes from back up singer to Donkey from Shrek to back up singer to Beyonce to being totally ousted from her group, all of this while never giving up her dream of making it big. Truly inspirational.

 Despite the snark, I actually enjoyed this movie a lot. It's probably a fictitious take on the life of the Supremes and Motown but it's still interesting to imagine things going on similarly in real life. Jennifer Hudson does a good job as Effie White. Yeah, she's super annoying at times but I don't really think thats Hudson's fault, Effie is meant to be a larger than life diva.

 The pacing in the beginning was a bit slow but that's about my only complaint about this movie. The acting was pretty solid and Hudson is more than competent enough to handle this role, I clearly underestimated her. Beyonce herself is actually a surprisingly good "singer-actress". Eddie Murphy was as close as he'll ever be to creating a character that can compare to Donkey but sadly he fell a little short. Good stuff all around. The music is really good and I even preferred Beyonce's Listen to Effie's  (overplayed) signature song  (in the context of the movie, I mean).

As a side not I want to mention that this could just as easily be reinterpreted as Beyonce's life story. I can imagine the people in charge of casting had themselves a laugh when they decided to cast "Singer clawing her way to the top while receiving preferential treatment among the girls" Deena. They probably looked far and wide before settling for "Singer clawing her way to the top while receiving preferential treatment among the girls" Beyonce. Then they cast Kelly Rowland-esque secondary character Lorell with some chick who often looks like Kelly Rowland. At this point they decided to fuse LeToya and LaTavia into one character (not personality wise, just mass) and bam, you got the Effie character. Effie is later replaced by some character no one remembers (the parallel to that Destiny's Child member no one remembers). While I am aware that this is movie is not about Beyonce and her climb to the top (even going so far as taking time away from Taylor Swift) but rather a fictional take on Diana Ross and the Supremes the similarities are undeniable.

In any case, recommended. If you're a fan of good movies, musicals or both this movie is for you. If you hate musicals on the other hand go watch Kramer vs. Kramer or Austin Powers Goldmember  in case you are jonesing for something good or something Beyonce and can't get your fix from Dreamgirls.

Journalism Week 1 is over.

My first week as a Journalism student is over! Okay maybe not really since I had no Monday class this week but it feels like it so I decided to blog. So far my classes and instructors seem pretty cool.

Canadian History is definitely promising to be the least interesting but to be fair there is only so much you can do with a history that was based on signing a bunch of treaties . At least Mike Walsh, my instructor who constantly refers to himself as a dinosaur but drops more Jersey Shore references than anyone I know, has a fun sense of humour and has structured the classes  in a very engaging way. Today we discussed the burning of the qur'an, Canada's freedom of speech and enlisting in wars.

My other class today, Writing for Newspapers, was just an in class assignment that was actually more fun than I expected it to be, even though I still found it a bit challenging. Kathy, our instructor, seems to really know a lot but for some reason I can't exactly pin down yet, I'm frightened of her. I think it has to do with the fact that I don't feel my English is at the same level of everyone else's and it just makes me super paranoid.

Regarding my other classes I really don't have much to say. Design for Print seems fun and unlike anything I have ever done before. Also this is my teacher. Yup. Part time wise newspaper man, part time cool punk rocker in a band called Jam Toast. Go, him!

Intro to Desktop Publishing reminded me a lot of high school computing class except you know, programs people in the biz actually use. We didn't get too into it (most of the class consisted of us taking mugshot pictures so our instructor can remember our names...what did people do before computers?) but the little she did talk about promises great things for my life. Soon your eyes won't be offended by the awful blog design I stole from someone else. Before you know it, employers won't glance over my boring resume thinking I'm just one more of a bunch (unless the rest are also indesign-knowledgable people in which case I'm screwed).

And finally there is Research Techniques. From what I heard through the grapevine it was one of the least liked class by my fellow journalism students but I loved it. Andrew clearly knows a lot about his field and his documentary really reassured me I was in the right field. Its the sort of thing I want to be doing some point in the future. Fingers crossed.

Technically I have one more class on monday but its History of Journalism so I'm not exactly expecting great things from a history class.

Regarding my movie project I'll probably get back on schedule sooner or later. Currently I'm battling a deadly case of common cold and I am too weak to piratebay search the next movie. I have (black) musical Dreamgirls which seems like a good movie so I'll watch that and a couple more over my long weekend and I should be good. Plus we all know black musicals are the best kind of musicals because they deal with real things (I still have my fingers crossed for Precious!: Based on the Film Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, the musical about a fat black girl who is precious inside and out. She will be played by Kelly Clarkson in blackface).

All in all, life is good and is best expressed by a chibi peace sign which I googled and instead found this chibi effeminate Link from The Legend of Zelda. You're a beautiful girl, Link. Date me.