Country Strong: A Quick Review

Sometime last year Gwyneth Paltrow and her public relations people decided they were going to make her a singer.  Shortly after seeing her perform "Forget You" on Glee, I was convinced.  Then came the news that she was to star in a movie about a country singer entitled "Country Strong."  The movie seemed strangely like a rip-off of the far superior alcoholic country star movie, "Crazy Heart," from last year.  And that is basically what we get here.  Paltrow is Kelly Canter, a famous country singer, whose alcoholic tendencies are slowly destroying her life.  She and her husband James (Tim McGraw) attempt to put her life together so she can be there for her fans.  Garrett Hedlund and Leighton Meester play fellow country singers, Beau and Chiles, who get involved with a weird love triangle, or square with the aforementioned.  Well, I support Gwyneth Paltrow's singing career.  She handles the country songs extremely well, including the song that gives this mediocre film it's title.  Besides that it is just a rehashed story about an alcoholic country singer, than has been done better before.  The script was weak and the characters were not really developed.  They pretty much sleep around with each other, or consider doing so at some point in the movie and it all gets quite annoying and ridiculous.  By the end I was just waiting for Gwyneth to sing, and actually be sober.  If you like her, then by all means spend a dollar and see it, or if you like country music.  Also, a warning: the ending is a downer and left me depressed and confused.

-Joseph Sbrilli

Bridesmaids

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. Somehow not a single person said this line in a movie titled Bridesmaids. That's okay though, because Kristen Wiig's latest comedy has enough originality and spark that it doesn't need to rely on old cliches.

Annie's (Kristen Wiig) life sucks. She is on the wrong end of middle age with no boyfriend, a job she hates, and twin-British roommates who don't understand the meaning of privacy. Her childhood best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) would probably be in the same position if she weren't marrying rich. But she is, and she asks Annie to be her maid of honor. Annie of course accepts, or else we wouldn't have much of a movie. When Annies meets the rest of the bridesmaids, it is very apparent that Annie is the poor-unhappy one out. One of whom turns into Annie's nemesis. Helen (Rose Byrne) is the wife of Lillian's fiance's boss. She is loaded beyond belief and is doing everything in her power to make Lillian's wedding the best ever. Helen and Annie repeatedly clash over what to do for Lillian's wedding. When Annie's crumbling social life and self esteem start to get in the way of Lillian's happiness, Helen moves in to take over.

Before going to the film I was told Bridesmaids was the female version of The Hangover. That worried me. After seeing it, I think that is an insult to Bridesmaids. Bridesmaids succeeds on every level without traveling to unbelievable land.

Character development is the most important factor of Bridesmaids. The audience spends a considerable amount of time with Kristen Wiig. And even though I hated her in Paul she is wonderful here. She carries the film with subtle, real humor that doesn't require overacting like her many characters on Saturday Night Live. Watching her try to start a relationship with her pig of a bangbuddy (Jon Hamm) is as depressing as a cancer ward. But she does everything with a quirkiness that never lets it get too sad. She weaves her way through relationships, trying to make light of terrible situations and becomes a genuine main character to root for. Only Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph could discuss sex and make it funny for every gender in the audience.

Kristen Wiig is great but Bridesmaids has a whole host of supporting characters that really make the movie enjoyable. Maya Rudolph is always great and I love to pretend that she and Kristen Wiig are best friends in real life just like they are in the movies. They play off each other perfectly, Kristen Wiig: "I bet Helen took you out to get your ***holes bleached!" Rudolph: "She did! AND I LOVE MY NEW ***HOLE." I laughed harder than I'd like to admit.

But Melissa McCarthy steals every single scene she is in. Combining physical comedy and perfect timing make her a female Chris Farley. When the girls get food poisoning inside a really nice wedding dress store (because Annie brought them to a bad restaurant) Melissa runs to the bathroom and finding the toilet taken jumps onto the sink, "It's coming out of me like lava!" It was disgusting but strangely hilarious.

Bridesmaids is incredibly rude and crude. Apatow comedy isn't scared to bend the limits of good taste, but thanks to wonderful performances and character depth in every scene, Bridesmaids distinguishes itself as a great comedy. And after seeing Hangover 2 reviews, I would suggest seeing Bridesmaids instead.

3 1/2 out of 4 stars

-Christopher O'Connell

Rio 3-D

Animated movies used to be the laughing stock of the movie world. Every once in a while Disney would put out something great but on the whole animated films were mostly for kids. This decade we have seen a surge of animated films that not only kids enjoy but adults enjoy as well. I think that this is a sign of an industry that is more worried about quality than quantity. This has almost nothing to do with Rio but I just wanted to say it anyways. I guess I am super excited for Cars 2.

Rio is the story of Blu (Jesse Eisenberg). A blue (get it?) Macaw from South America that was kidnapped by some mean poachers. He somehow ended up in Minnesota of all places. After his box falls off a very distracted drivers truck (you are carrying exotic animals, learn to drive) Blu is found by Linda (Leslie Mann) a young Minnesotan girl who devotes her life to taking care of Blu. They grow up, start a book store together and are generally inseparable. But there's a catch, Blu is the only remaining male blue macaw on Earth. So after some convincing by a Brazilian bird scientist, Leslie brings Blu to Brazil to mate with the only remaining female blue macaw named Jewel (Anne Hathaway). OF course it wouldn't be a full movie if that's all they did, they both get kidnapped by bird poachers. Linda runs around Brazil trying to find them, while both macaws do their best to escape the bad guys. Oh and there's one catch, Jewel and Blu are chained together at their feet and Blu can't fly.

First off I would like to say that 3-D sucks. It has almost no point except to drain my wallet. It doesn't add anything except a little depth and it certainly isn't worth it. 3-D needs to 3-Die. Secondly, the creators of Rio animated the cutest baby bird I have ever seen in my entire life. I don't care if it wasn't real, my heart melted seeing baby Blu whimper softly in the cold Minnesotan winter. So cute.

Anyways, Rio has one very strong strength. It has an incredibly voice cast. Jamie Foxx, Will.i.am., George Lopez, Leslie Mann, Tracy Morgan, and especially Jemaine Clement show great voice over work. Jemaine Clement as the evil bird Nigel is fantastic. He never ceases to amaze me with his ability to make me laugh. Unfortunately, this is also Rio's weakness, mostly in the form of Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway. Jesse just did not seem the right fit for Blu and it was hard to empathize with the character. Every time he talked I just wanted to leave. Anne Hathaway adds nothing special either, the supporting cast does all the work.

Rio is as predictable as they come, but it is beautifully animated and has a very good supporting cast. Not a franchise starter but a decent matinee for the young ones. Just don't see it in 3-D.

2 1/2 stars out of 4

-Christopher O'Connell

Inside Job: A Quick Review

Does everyone remember how a while back the entire U.S. economy collapsed and lots of people lost all their money and even more lost their jobs? I believe they called it The Great Depression. So what do they call 2008? The Greater Depression? The Great Depression strikes back? Both depressions suck on a galactic scale but at least only one caused the deaths of thousands of people right? Yeah, but in that one they didn't pay the men responsible billions of dollars to do what they've been doing all along. If moral outrage isn't your thing, I wouldn't see this movie. If you hate wall street and the corrupt bankers who control the flow of cash, I would suggest ordering the special edition of Inside Job, it comes with a stimulus package signed by the president himself.

If you haven't guessed by now, Inside Job is about the 2008 financial collapse of just about every major banking institution in the United States. And of course anything that affects the U.S. affects the rest of the world because we are awesome and all that. The news around the time was kind of vague if I recall correctly; I remember that there was a housing bubble and it crashed because people couldn't pay what they owed on houses. Of course the bankers weren't supposed to be giving them loans in the first place because they weren't properly qualified. This caused the banks to fail because they weren't collecting any money from all the bankrupt house owners and they ran crying to the government complaining about how big they were and if they fail America will fail and boo hoo. So the government gave them so much money it hurts my brain to think about it. But then we discovered that the same banks give out bonuses like its candy to the same people who actually caused the housing bubble and then meltdown. All while taking everyone's tax money and paying almost no taxes themselves.

Literally the scariest movie I have ever seen. It really is unbelievable how much they got away with. Matt Damon narrates a slew of interviews between the director and wall street executives who fumble with answers and basically show how much of a douchebag they really are. And then we get to watch congress completely foul up an investigation into the biggest crime of the century. I almost punched my TV in annoyance. Don't worry, there's lots of fun infographics that show how they took your money and spent it on hookers, crack and a new mansion.

Like any great documentary, Inside Job provides a solution: prosecution. We can't get the money back but we can send the bastards to jail. I know of one big recent indictment of an executive but there are many more who blatantly disregarded any and all laws that would send normal men to jail. A well-deserved best documentary Oscar, Inside Job is a movie you won't forget. It's also my first 4 out of 4 stars, but I don't really count that since it's a documentary and not an entertainment flick. Maybe someday some movie will impress me enough to win that coveted award.

4 out of 4 stars

-Christopher O'Connell

Waiting For Superman: A Quick Review

This was the year of documentaries for me. Which is unlike me, because I don't usually wake up and say, "Hey! I want to watch something that will make me super depressed for the rest of the week." I assume most Americans don't do this either. But sometimes we have to because documentaries are amazing examples of how film can change public perception.

Waiting For Superman isn't about superman. Sorry everybody. It is actually about the public school system in America. Which if you haven't figured out by now isn't too great. Especially in urban areas. Waiting For Superman follows the stories of (I think) 5 kids as their parents try to get them out of their public school system and into a charter school. It has been a while since I actually saw the film but I remember it explained very well why the public schools are failing the kids and it had a lot to do with teachers unions and the affect of tenure and even more jazz I forget about. I just remember that it made me angry that the kids had to suffer.

Despite my failing memory, I do know that Waiting For Superman is a very good film. It was well-paced, kept me riveted with the story and the eventual fates of the kids. I also learned a lot (even if I forgot all of it now). The thing about documentaries of this nature is that they need to offer a solution to the problem they present. And I know the solution isn't "send your kids to a charter school" because not everyone can do that and charter schools would just become the new public school system. Just saying we need to reform the public school system isn't much of a fix.

Now I'm rambling. Wonderful documentary that provides a great look into what should be the best school system in the world, but ranks very low on almost every scale compared to other developed countries.

3 1/2 out of 4 stars

-Christopher O'Connell

P.S. for those who have seen the movies. Really? The rich white girl is the only one (initially) who gets into the charter school? I know it was completely random but god what are the odds?

My Left Foot: A Quick Review

I want you to picture the saddest moment in your life. Something that made you weep. Not just cry, but weep. Now, take that sad moment and shove it because nothing you ever experienced is as hard as Christy Brown's life.

Christy Brown (Daniel Day-Lewis) has cerebral palsy. A nuerological disorder that gets its kicks by messing with your brain. Christy was born with very little function in most of his body. He has no control over any of his limbs except for his left foot. This also makes it very hard for him to speak or learn, mostly because everyone assumed that he was retarted. But despite it all Christy learns how to write with his left foot and do things like write a best selling book.

This movie is incredibly sad, and incredibly uplifting at points. It goes without saying that Daniel Day-Lewis is amazing in this role. He puts it all in and it paid off with a well-deserved oscar. I heard he was an absolute terror to work with on this film (and people who actually have cerebral palsy were mad that a mentally challenged actor wasn't given the role) but it doesn't matter because this is acting gold. Unfortunately, he is surrounded by okay or just subpar actors. The only other character who does as well as Lewis is the actor who plays the young Christy Brown.

Incredibly moving and stunningly acted, My Left Foot deserves a viewing. If you don't you might be a horrible person.

3 1/2 out of 4 stars
-Christopher O'Connell

Thor

Disclaimer:  I may unintentionally spoil plot points of this movie, so keep that in mind if you are considering reading this review.

"Thor" was directed by Kenneth Branagh.  It stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, et al.

Thor (Hemsworth) is destined to be the new king of Asgard, after his father Odin (Hopkins).  Things do not go as planned though because as it turns out Thor is too full of himself.  Odin decides this after a skirmish with some Frost Giants.  He sends Thor to Earth, without his godly powers, and sends his powerful hammer there as well.  Only the one capable of handling the power of the hammer will be able to take it.  Jane Foster, a scientist (Portman) finds Thor after he crash lands in the New Mexico desert and is hit by her van.  Naturally, she develops a gigantic crush on Thor, because who doesn't love a little romance in a comic book movie?  I won't spoil the rest of this, but gradually Thor turns from a god into a superhero, which I assume most of you already assumed.

Phenomenal acting really isn't a requirement for comic book movies such as this.  Luckily, "Thor" isn't too shabby in the acting department.  Naturally, the most talented man on the screen the entire movie is Sir Anthony Hopkins.  He is incredibly talented, English, and wonderful, and within moments of being on screen people should accept him as a Norse god.  Then again I am willing to believe him in any male role, up to a point.  Then you have Chris Hemsworth who worked out quite a lot for this movie, and it really paid off.  He's got the physical presence needed for such a Marvel superhero.  Also, on a non-superficial level, he's not a bad actor.  I guess that Australian soap opera taught him well.  Finally, Natalie Portman.  After, "Black Swan," I feel like "Thor" didn't really involve a great deal of intricate acting.  I love her anyone though and was happy to see her in this movie.  I could comment on every single actor, but that would be obnoxious and my memory isn't that good.

The cinematography (excluding some semi-cheesy looking special effects) was nice looking in this movie.  If you ever wanted to know what a movie would look like if it was directed by a man who is known for his adaptations of Shakespeare's plays, then this is they movie for you.  There's some vast shots of the New Mexico desert. Also, there are a couple of fight sequences, between semi strange villains, such as the Frost Giants.  Overall, the film is action packed and usually entertaining to look at.

Finally, there's some good comic relief in the film.  Much of this comes from the ever popular "fish out of water" scenario with Thor trying to function with mortals.

Some of the effects looked a little cheesy to me.  This was especially obvious in one of the final scenes, including Thor and his fake brother.  It's hard to explain, but you will surely recognize it, unless you are just easy to please.  I don't really know why this is, since the budget was quite large.  They may have been going for a certain look that I just don't appreciate, but after the "Iron Man" films I have certain standards for visual effects in movies set in the same universe.

Overall, this was everything you could ask for in a summer movie.  Big budget, big stars, plenty of action, lots of fun, and Michael Bay is nowhere to be seen.

"The Dark Knight" really spoiled me as far as comic book movies go.  However, that is a DC Comics property, not Marvel, so I will talk about "Iron Man."  I'm pretty sure I liked "Iron Man" a little better, which isn't to say that "Thor" isn't a worthy inclusion in the Marvel series of films.  I am thoroughly looking forward to "The Avengers" next May, with all sorts of superheroes popping in.  If you don't enjoy "Thor" a little bit, then you just might not be a fun person.  It's not even that long, so the pacing made me happy.

Note: Do not see it in 3-D.  It is expensive and doesn't add anything to the movie.  Also, according to Wikipedia it wasn't even filmed in 3-D.  It was converted.

Note #2: I did not see "Thor" in 3-D.  So the previous statements were not based on my personally experience.

Note #3: Stay for the entire credits.  Thousands of people put blood sweat and tears, so that you can watch a summer movie featuring various Englishmen.  Also, there is a short scene at the end, that I assume many would like to see.

3 out of 4 stars.

-Joseph Sbrilli

Father of the Bride: A Quick Review

Father of the Bride stars Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, and several other people that I don't care to mention.  I'm assuming the majority of people saw this movie long before I did and thus know the plot well, so I will just give the synopsis in a run-on sentence.  George and Nina Banks' (Martin and Keaton) daughter, Annie is getting married and Nina is happy for her, but it takes George a little bit longer to get to this point, since he feels like he's losing his daughter forever (which he sort of is), but of course this leads to comedy galore, and naturally a sequel, which I haven't seen yet.  I really like Steve Martin and Diane Keaton.  They are talented and funny and worked well as a married couple.  Unfortunately, watching many of their movies from the past several years should be considered a punishment, because they are usually travesties like Cheaper by the Dozen, which literally still gives me nightmares and terrible images that will never leave my mind.  Anyways, 20 years ago these two were still great.  Overall, the movie was funny I thought.  I was glad there wasn't really any dumb humor, where they are either trying to hard, being gross, or merely being horrible in place of being funny.  Father of the Bride had some good comedy from Steven Martin, since that is his job, including hilarious facial expressions/reactions to his daughter's quick engagement and the wedding planning, which nicely culminates with him going crazy in a supermarket, trying to avoid paying for hot dog buns he won't use.  Then you have some flamboyant wedding decorators that are always good for laughs...Finally, the music in the film was well done and I loved having the majority of the movie be a flashback.  An introduction and some narration by Steve Martin's character suited the film well.  Basically, likable, talented cast, led to a funny and charming movie that doesn't try to hard to get laughs.

-Joseph Sbrilli

Fast Five

Just to be clear, I love action movies and so naturally I was extremely excited to see Fast Five. In fact, I watched the previous four movies in preparation for watching it, which I would actually recommend because it is absolutely hilarious but don’t worry, its not necessary for understanding the fifth film. Anyways, the film begins with a recap of the ending of the fourth movie where Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) is sentenced 25 to life in a maximum security prison and then is in the prison bus heading to jail when Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) and others surround the bus in their fast cars and quirky smiles. Naturally they flip the bus with impossible car moves and no one gets hurt but Dom is able to escape with the others, making them all fugitives. I’m not going to recap the whole movie because its kind of complicated and long but altogether, the whole gang from all of the previous movies (except for Sean Boswell from Tokyo Drift, thank god) comes together to help Dom and others pull “one last job” in order to get a lot of money so that they can “be free” and disappear forever, but then their plans are made much more complicated by a corrupt politician, Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida) and crazy federal agent, Luke Hobbes (Dwayne Johnson) who is determined to bring them back to America and to justice.


Anyways, as an action movie junkie this movie was really enjoyable and had some very surprising positives such as there were some actual deep moments in the movie that weren’t painful to watch, all of the characters had really good chemistry and for once, and the police didn’t just randomly forgive Paul Walker and promote him like they do EVERY MOVIE. However, this movie is part of the Fast and the Furious franchise so you have to take it with a grain of salt. Yes they constantly make extremely sexist comments and most of the shots of women only include their butts, and yes, most of the action scenes are completely ridiculous (jumping off a cliff and surviving, Vin Diesel breaking through solid concrete, cars never run out of gas or kill innocent pedestrians... I could go on), and yes the plot makes absolutely no sense, and yes Dwayne Johnson’s beard looks like pubic hair, but they come together to make an action packed movie that is extremely entertaining.

So here it is, do not see this movie if you are looking for a quality plot with character development, but if you are looking for an entertaining movie, or if you just want to see a fight between Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson (I swear they just gave Dwayne Johnson a beard so you could tell them apart) I would highly recommend this film. Just remember, don’t take anything too seriously, sit back, relax and remember to laugh during Vin Diesels dramatic stares, they’re priceless.

- Alexis Cupp

Since I am blinded by my love of dumb action movies, I let my roommate rate it, who usually doesn’t like action movies, and she gave it 3 out of 4 stars because she found it, “really funny” so there you go, take that as you will.