Bee Movie (not to be confused with 70's horror movies with bad acting and terrible fx).

Let me guess, you saw the picture above and thought to yourself, "Bee Movie? I forgot that was even out." Well, that's kinda how I felt. It was so forgettable that I even forgot to write the review. So days later, here I am.

When I go to see animated movies I always hope to leave thinking that the movie could have easily been marketed to adults only. I love when there is enough subtle adult/intelligent humor that it's easy to enjoy and get a few laughs out myself. This movie was the complete opposite. I left the theatre and immediately forgot I had seen it. Actually, I felt like I hadn't even seen it at all.

I think it was a mixture of to many side stories, no character development, a plot that was shortchanged and no background on these Bees that made it so hard to get involved in the movie. Now, I understand that this type of movie was made for kids and I'm sure they will love it. But what happened to movies like Toy Story? That was a good animated film.

This film climaxed when it's trailers where still being played before movies. It was a good idea that but a terrible follow through.

We waited three years for this?

Southland Tales is the long awaited and continuously delayed second feature for Richard Kelly. This is the same man who connected with a generation full of maladjusted and disinterested teens with his first film, Donnie Darko. After a disastrous Medellin like run at Cannes, Mr. Kelly decided to make some cuts to the film, as it was shortened from almost three hours to two hours and 24 minutes. After watching this contrived and disaster of a movie, I am absolutely terrified of seeing of what Mr. Kelly felt not worthy of or necessary for this film.

Southland Tales is full of ineffectively bizarre moments and story so gratuitously complex that after a while you become bored with even trying to follow along. The film deals with WWIII, time travel, a government conspiracy to control an upcoming election, a neo-Marxist movement helped run by a porno director and assisted by a porn star, the apocalypse, and all of this is connected to a action film star with amnesia and disgraced police office with a twin brother. In between trying to connect all the unnecessary dots, there are plenty of weird moments that add nothing to the plot, only to the confusion of the viewer. The scene where the film’s hero is reunited with his wife is clearly going for an over the top soap opera feel, which it achieves. But what is the point? The scene is just another pointlessly silly moment that doesn’t add any real content or drama to the film. (more...)

Cholera:
An infectious bacterial disease of the small intestine.

Love:
An intense feeling of deep affection.

Javier Bardem:
An air compressor wielding psycho murderer.

Mike Newell:
The Awakening, Donnie Brasco, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Love in the Time of Cholera directed by Mike Newell and starring Javier Bardem:
An epic love story.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first walked into this movie. I had just finished seeing No Country For Old Men (also starring Javier Bardem as a crazy murder) so I was really interested in seeing him portray a character that was 180 degree turn from his last role.
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The National is a unique band to follow.  Rarely can the listener trace a band as they develop and hear them trying to find their voice.  These guys are with out a doubt one of the hardest working groups out right now.  From less than thrilling record sales and concert attendance to no quite developing a sound that clicked as a whole, The Nationals' career so far has not been one to envy.  

Around 2005, they started to get more attention with the album, Alligator, and the song that brought them some attention, Mr. November.  This song is a glimpse to where they were going as far as a signature sound was concerned.  New York appeared to be wanting to keep The National a secret that only the locals and adventurous music enthusiasts knew about until Clap Your Hands Say Yeah came around and challenged the nations' art center.  
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James Murphy is one busy man. He co-manages one of the biggest indie record labels (DFA Records), creates successful music, remixes tracks for some of the best talent in the industry and still makes time to play at parties. With that, one could only ask, "What else can this guy get himself into?" Answer: tap into the mainstream circuit.

Last year, LCD Soundsystem buddied up with Nike (don't call them a sell out when you are reading this in your Dunks) and made one of the coolest mix tapes to date. 45:33 is exactly how it sounds, only running twenty seconds longer . Nike worked out a deal with doctors to enhance the vibrations of the sounds so when it hits the inner core of your ear, it triggers your muscle tissues to bounce, making you want to move. Just kidding. But it was created and tested to enhance your jogging experience.

This mix was a gift to Nike + owners, and could only be bought on iTunes until now. DFA has finally released this on their label, giving us a few extra remixes and treats like "Freak Out / Starry Eyes," which sounds like it could fit well into an old school Kung Fu film.

With original tracks and an extended version of Someone Great, 45:33 is the only thing you need to hear while you are hitting that treadmill or trying to ignore the grunts of over-beefed dudes trying to out bench one another. I know it has helped me through those difficult times. Trust me, I'm no runner, but this gets me moving.

Hey Vince Vaughn, stick to rated R stuff with lots of cussing and sexual innuendos. This movie is full of bad CGI and is not worth writing about.

Synopsis:

Josh Brolin stars as Llewelyn Moss, a hunter who stumbles upon money, heroin, and lots of trouble. Killing and violence ensues.

Chase thinks!:

When Javier Bardem flips his coin and asks his future friend or foe to "call it," it makes me wonder if he did just that when agreeing to star in this film.

I have never felt so insulted and pissed off after leaving a film. The first half of the movie was fun, entertaining, and pretty intense. It looked like it was heading in a very good direction considering all the reviews I had read, but the second half of this film felt flat fast. I counted at least six plot holes, one after another becoming more annoying than the last.

Also, there were so many unmarked characters in this, I had no idea who was who. “Hey, who is that guy? Oh it doesn't matter, he just got killed. But who is that guy? What’s his role in this movie? Still doesn't matter because he too just got killed.”

This garbage of a would be solid film gets a six for two reasons, and two reasons only. One, the performances of Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem were on point. Josh perfected a Southern boy hell bent on keeping this money, and Javier perfected a mysterious killer hell bent on getting his money back. He scared the hell out of me, and I would not like to run into this guy when he's having a bad day. Sorry, but Tommy Lee Jones will not be added in this because I have seen him play a sheriff in three movies already and the only performance he has ever done that stands out in my head is his role in Under Siege.

Second, I am not sure how many people noticed this, but Kelly McDonalds (Trainspotting anyone?) Southern belle accent was perfect considering the fact that she is from the UK. Let's not forget Don Cheadles attempt in Oceans 11. Sorry Don, you are still a badass in my book.

Everybody is excited about the Coen Brothers since they directed cult hit movies like The Big Lebowski and Raising Arizona, but let’s not forget about the ones they want slid under the matt, i.e. The Ladykillers. That movie looked like it would suck and it did. This movie, however, has it's own category of "this movie will not suck, but guess what? It did." genre.

Yes, I get it: "We have made successful films off 'not giving a shit' principles, so we do what we want." This proved that doesn't work every time. This film was a mess.

Starring Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.
Directed by Robert Redford.

Lions for Lambs is a movie about... War? Peace? Motivation? Laziness? I'm not too sure. Watch the movie trailer and maybe that will help.

The running time of the movie was around 80 minutes. I felt like I was watching an extended short film that would never end. Actually, it did end, but without an ending. Confused? So was I.

The movie basically evolves around 3 different stories: A political science professor who is adamantly trying to motive his apathetic, "has potential" student. A journalist who is covering the "war on terror" and being pushed by a Senator to "tell the truth." And two former college students who enlisted and are wounded and trapped in the middle of a snowy valley while the enemy closes in.

The actors did a decent job of portraying their characters and, on several occasions, convinced me that what I was watching was something bigger than it turned out to be. I felt that the film's story was lacking and that everything it had to offer was lost in the compressed/dialogue-dense mess.

After the film, the audience had a chance to respond and this is what some of them had to say:

"The characters all seemed like stick figures with agendas."

"I felt like I was reading a newspaper article on war."

"Tom Cruise is bullshit."

In the end, I don't really recommend this movie. I hate having to say that, but it's true. I wish there was something I could do to make it better, but there isn't.