Irony is defined in my trusty Webster’s New World Dictionary as an event or result that is the opposite of what is expected.  It follows, logically, that ironic is opposite to what is or might be expected.  So, by definition, it’s incredibly ironic that my movie viewing has decreased since I got this whole movie review blog gig.

There might be extenuating circumstances, i.e. going through an existential crisis that makes one question the last 2, possibly 3, years of one’s life, but that’s a different blog for a different website.  Even if there is some sort of existential crisis, one would think that I would use movies to escape, and, therefore, have ample fodder from which to blog.  On the contrary, I can’t seem to motivate myself to devote the 2 to 2.5 hours required for a movie. It’s much easier to turn on the equally trusty DVR and lose myself in a pointless, thoughtless hour long drama in which nothing of consequence really happens.

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Popularity: 11% [?]

Seeing how I am a self-professed comic geek, I am generally my friends’ go-to source for any and everything comic book related. Currently, the most often asked question that I am getting is: “Why did they make another Incredible Hulk movie? Didn’t they just make one a couple of years ago?”

To answer that question, Marvel (comics) is taking a new direction with their movies. They will not be auctioning off licensing to the highest bidder as was done with Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, and Hulk. In doing so, we were subjected Spider-Man with organic webbing, The FF looking like a 2 hour commercial for toys, and the Hulk trying to be cerebral and romantic – Ang Lee style. Also with different studios owning the movies, the fans were never going to see crossover cameos like Tony Stark made in the Incredible Hulk.

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Popularity: 20% [?]

Music is a very important and evident aspect of film.

Musical cues in films help the audience to feel a certain way, whether it is happy or sad with sappy violins or pianos, alerts of upcoming danger with sharp and eerie notes, or signals the end of a film by playing upbeat Top 40 songs.

I just finished watching Jurassic Park, and the musical cues in this film are very evident. The main theme for the film plays throughout the film and becomes very familiar and very comforting. The composer for the film created wonderful scores; most that made me feel for the characters, but more importantly, the dinosaurs. The music within the film is definitely one of a kind and still to this day, is easily recognized, much among the ranks of the music from Jaws.
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Popularity: 18% [?]

After spending most of my weekend watching “chick flicks’, I began to think about the pros and cons of the genre as a whole. Now I love a good girly movie, as they usually involve good looking men, some of my favorite female actresses and a fairy tale ending so what’s not to love. However as a single woman, it is possible that the common romantic comedy is indeed the bane of my existence.

On one hand the story presented on screen in such a way that women might have a “maybe this could happen to me” moment, so one might argue romantic comedies are hopeful and inspirational to singles everywhere. You might find yourself trying the personals or online dating sites because it worked in “You’ve Got Mail” and “Must love dogs” or maybe you start planning a vacation, because women in the movies always meet the love of their life on vacation, right? Continue Reading

Popularity: 10% [?]

If you are like me, then you recognize the title of this article from The Sandlot and if not, you just think I’m an idiot. A friend pointed out that I use quite a bit of “movie speak” in everyday conversations, mostly because she had no idea why I felt the need to say “Alright, alright, alright” when apparently, to her, one “Alright” would have sufficed. Anyone who has ever seen Mr. McConaughey in his pink pants knows what I’m talking about. After some deliberation I realized how often I use movie quotes, and I am hoping I’m not alone. So this is part blog/part poll to see who shares my apparent love of “movie speak”. I give you my Top 5 most often quoted movies:

Not only can I quote the entire movie, but I have been known to throw out “You gotta keep livin’ man, L-I-V-I-N” just because I can. I also find that “It's what everybody in this car needs is some good ol' worthwhile visceral experience” comes in handy as a road trip begins. Dazed is a cult classic, and for good reason, so please tell me I’m not the only one adores this cinematic gem.  

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Popularity: 12% [?]

Writing these blogs has made me realize that almost every movie I see is in some way a chick flick.  Sure there are the outliers like There Will Be Blood or Michael Clayton that I really enjoy, but by and large, it’s a pretty safe bet that I’m going to blog about something girly.  And this one’s no different.

I did actually plan to NOT see Made of Honor.  I do enjoy Patrick Dempsey’s role as Dr. Derek Shepherd, the sexy neurosurgeon who more than lives up to his McDreamy moniker on Grey’s Anatomy, but something about the little trailers that I saw for Made of Honor on my MySpace homepage just rubbed me the wrong way.  Then one day I went to Yahoo, and I saw a blurb that said that Made of Honor had more going for it than TV’s sexiest doctor, and I got sucked in.  I just couldn’t help it.  I had resisted fate as long as I could.

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Popularity: 10% [?]

I want to make a movie. Better yet I want to make an 1980's movie. Why? Mostly because the majority of today's movies are bad remakes of classic 80's cheese. Now I'm sure most 80's movies were probably remakes of other inherently bad movies, but I didn't see those so they don't count. Now making an 80's movie has a recipe to follow, as there is an exact science to hitting cult status.

Creating a piece of cinema that people will quote for the next 30 years requires intense research. Personally my VHS collection alone is enough to make most people roll their eyes at things I actually spent money obtaining while others simply shake their heads and tell me they haven't even heard of most of them; which either way is fine by me.

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Popularity: 8% [?]

A California comedy with a heart.

Michael Douglas is “Charlie,” a jazz base player, a dreamer, and a loser who spends a few years in a mental institution for a tune-up from the neck-up.

His sixteen year old daughter Miranda ( Evan Rachel Wood) has lost half of her heart when her mom left the house years ago but she managed to learn how to take care of herself.

In a sense, father and daughter switched Emotional IQs over the intervening years – he became the child while she grew into what he should've been; the responsible one.

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Popularity: 5% [?]

3:10 to Yuma tries to break the traditional Western-movie mold like Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven (1992) did. But at the end, 3:10 fails to solve one of the equations that it sets for itself in Act 1.

Basically this is another "delivering the criminal to justice" story with a "morality play" at its core.

Protagonist Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is a crippled Civil War veteran and loser of a farmer who cannot even command his own son’s respect.

He emerges as an unlikely hero turning down all incentives to betray himself. He resists the easy way out and sticks with a higher principle until the bitter end.

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Popularity: 5% [?]

I’ve been renting DVDs online for quite a long while. Here is my take on how the top 4 rental options compare.

1) NETFLIX

Two words: “Forget it!”

I know how hyped up an operation Netflix is. I forgot the number of times I had to close a Netflix under-pop ad when I visit a web site. It’s been advertised and marketed like crazy. But I really think it sucks for a reason that IMHO borders on “consumer abuse” and “misrepresentation.”

Netflix promises “unlimited rentals” for the subscription category you sign up for, right? Well, think again…

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Popularity: 47% [?]

At the most fundamental level, a movie has to decide whether it’s a documentary or a dramatic work. We also have to decide whether we want to watch an educational, didactic film or a work of dramatic fiction.

Lions for Lambs fails on both levels. It’s neither one nor the other. It lectures through drama, but without teaching anything new.

Despite strong writing, directing and brilliant acting, it maintains a split-personality. It’s a film about war on terror that might have served its purpose better if delivered as a Political Science paper or a New York Times Magazine cover story.

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Popularity: 4% [?]