Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises

Pictured: two good actors.

The Dark Knight Rises was not at all what I was expecting, but neither was I at any point surprised while watching it. In short, The Dark Knight Rises was really just another superhero movie, despite all the hype. Many have gushed over the ostensibly intellectual nature of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, but The Dark Knight Rises is not a superhero movie for the thinking man. It is, however, a great superhero movie.

Of course, spoilers ahead.

Amazing Spider-man Review

A Stellar Reboot, With Few Things Lacking *Updated*

GO SEE IT NOW

After seeing The Amazing Spider-man, I can rest easy knowing that my favorite superhero is in good hands. I was unsure about a few things, after hearing certain plot details and seeing certain reviews, so I figured I'd just have to see what I thought for myself. In short: Marc Webb and his fantastic cast and crew made a reboot that will make me never want to watch the previous Spider-man movies again.

Movie Review: Brave

The two main characters of the movie: Merida and her hair. 

Everyone knows Pixar is good. Their newest film, Brave, certainly doesn’t disappoint, although neither will it blow anyone’s mind. Another excellent addition to their store of heart-warming tales about adolescence, Brave is a beautifully animated film that manages to tell a story that is actually occasionally original. In other words, it’s a Pixar movie.

Like all Pixar movies, the main character is the animation, which is incredible. The main character’s hair is a work of art in its own right, taking Pixar’s top animators nearly three years to perfect, the first six months of which were spent figuring whether realistic curly hair was even possible. The new computer program was named Taz, after the Tasmanian Devil cartoon character, and was immediately used for most of the rest of the hair in the film.

Add to this the phenomenal landscape shots, and the human characters almost take second stage to the amazing animated world they inhabit. The movie certainly delights in having its characters romp through the forests, mountains, and glens of the Scottish landscape that the movie attempts to capture. Scenes at the beginning of the movie include the young heroine Merida (Kelly Macdonald) riding, practicing her archery and horseback riding at the same time, and finishing by climbing a rocky cliff near a waterfall, and the animation in all of them is almost as breathtaking as the scenes would look in real life.

The Avengers Review: Updated Box Office

Step aside, Christopher Nolan

Earth's Mightiest Heroes: And the theater collapsed under the weight of their awesomeness, but then they saved everyone, and were amazing whilst doing it

After getting home, taking off my Spidey costume, and relaxing, I sat down to write this, and after going through a few drafts, still am not quite sure how to put everything I just saw into words.  I've read so many of the reviews, and I agree with all the good stuff, and disagree with all the bad stuff.  Some people say it feels like a TV movie, but it doesn't at all.  People say that a certain character stands out above the rest, but no one does.  Everyone gets their time in the sun.  This review will be (mostly) spoiler-free, but if you want to save yourself a few minutes of reading, just don't even read this.  Instead go to a theater now, and watch The Avengers.

Movie Review: No Strings Attached

. . . not this.

Well, it’s official. I’m a girl. There are some movies that make me think, some that entertain me, and some that make me laugh. No Strings Attached, well, I guess you could call it laughing. Don’t get me wrong, I thought No Strings Attached was a horribly clichéd movie with no original thoughts whatsoever and a plotline that perpetuates all the typical myths about love you always hear (especially today on Valentine’s Day). But, oh man, this movie was so funny I didn’t even care.

Movie Review: Black Swan

Don't bring this guy, no matter how suave and worldly he may seem.

Black Swan is, without a doubt, the scariest movie I’ve ever seen. Admittedly, I haven’t seen any good horror movies (or any horror movies, for that matter), but even if I had, Black Swan would blow them all away. However, it’s a different kind of scary, one that makes it hard to place genre-wise. “Psychological thriller” is the term being bandied around to describe it, and that’s roughly accurate, but doesn’t quite capture the depth of it. Straight-up warning: Black Swan is definitely not for younger viewers.

Movie Review: The Fighter

There are some stories which are told over and over again and never really get old. Of these, one of the most perennial in film is the underdog sports story, or, more specifically, the boxing drama. The Fighter, the latest entry in the genre, tells a tale which, although predictable and not particularly original, as a whole works quite nicely.

The story revolves around the boxer Mickey Ward during the years 1993-2000. Focusing on this time in Ward’s life was an interesting choice for director David Russell to make; in real life, Ward’s greatest and most famous fight took place as a three-part match up with Arturo Gatti some time after the events of The Fighter. Russell’s decision to cut this episode demonstrates his desire to make The Fighter more about the boxer than the boxing. It was a good decision, as Ward’s life outside the ring is far more interesting than his life in it.

Movie Review: Tangled

They never do get his nose right.

Some of you seem to be under the impression that I hate joy, due to such articles as this, and that disappoints and saddens me. A little. I do not, in fact, hate joy (well, not always). Actually, there are occasions where I can get in touch with my inner child, and watching Tangled was one of those times. Tangled was a Disney movie that managed to actually pull off the hardest kind of movie to do well: a children’s movie.

Now, that being said, this is still a Disney movie, and you have to know what you’re getting into. The movie’s humor can get a little silly, in an animals-act-like-people kind of way. It stays away from cheap or immature laughs, but the funniest scenes involve Maximus, a horse with a clear sense of justice who will stop at nothing to hunt down main character Flynn Rider, or else a band of ruffians with mysteriously golden hearts. Reality is rarely ever flirted with, but that seems fair from a movie based on a fairy tale, and the tale of Tangled still manages to be delightful even with the fairy aspects.

Movie Review: The Social Network

Yes, we're here for our Oscar nomination, please?

As I write this, I am also on my email, listening to music (Buffy the Vampire Slayer music) on iTunes, and of course on Facebook. Of course when I say The Social Network, the first thing most people think is “oh yeah, that one movie about Facebook, right?” Well, yes and no. Technically it’s about the guy who invented Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg), and the two lawsuits he went through over the invention (discovery? creation?) of Facebook. But of course, just like Facebook, there’s way more than just that. In fact, the movie is about Facebook, despite the fact that the only time Facebook is actually shown is the exceedingly old main page, and Mark’s own Facebook page right at the end. The Social Network ends up being a comprehensive, lovingly crafted yet critical view of modern culture in general, as exemplified by Facebook.

Totes OMG ROFL! It's a Review of The Social Network

To quote YAMB’s very own Blackthorne Esquire: “David Fincher remains the most underrated filmmaker in Hollywood.” (check it out: here) Hopefully with the release of The Social Network Fincher will finally win the Oscar he most definitely deserves. His latest film centers on the character of Mark Zuckerberg, who as most everyone now knows founded the iconic website facebook.com. Rather than being little more than a semi-interesting if not all that memorable biopic though, The Social Network instead give it’s viewers a fascinating look at modern society.

A True Gift: A Review of Spirited Away

Mr. Miyazaki. Yeah. 

Director Hiyao Miyazaki, as you may know is a genius. Actually, you probably don’t know that. While he is considered the “Walt Disney of Japan” and has created many classic, box office smashing animated films (Spirited Away holds the record as highest-grossing film ever released in Japan after beating out it’s predecessor Princess Mononoke and by 2002 nearly one sixth of the population had seen it), Miyazaki has not received as much recognition in the US as he deserves. Spirited Away is proof that both Miyazaki’s creations and anime must be taken seriously and embraced to a greater extent than they are currently. This beautiful retelling of the traditional coming-of-age tale maintains the ability to touch people both young and old and give each individual something to take away from it. 

The focus in the story is specifically on the ten year old girl Chihiro. She’s a nervous little thing at first, always scared and timid and sullen. When her parents inform her that they are moving away from their old town to a different neighborhood, Chihiro whines about the prospect of adjusting to a new life outside of what she’s already known. Chihiro is similarly glum when her parents spot what appears to be an abandoned amusement park and decide to explore the area. Little do they know, this so called amusement park is actually a bathhouse for spirits, and Chihiro’s parents are turned into pigs. 

Yet Another Movie Review: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

"Remind me why I'm interested in you?" "My pink hair."

Some movies are what I like to call “lukewarm:” a movie that just can’t decide what it is. Whether it’s a serious-but-silly comedy, or an action flick with almost political overtones, this is a movie that would be better off picking one thing or the other and sticking with it. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, whatever its flaws, is not lukewarm. From the get-go, this movie only tries to do one thing, entertain, and it does that one thing excellently. From over-the-top fight scenes, to wacky comic-book-style visuals, to a host of amusing characters, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World keeps you laughing all the way through.

Think Super Mario on Caffeine Only Better: A Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Review

Who needs a lightsaber when you can have the Power of Love?
And yes, the Power of Love is a sword. In case you were wondering.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World acts quite similar to the video games which it constantly references. A nonstop thrill ride shot at a downright frenetic pace, director Edgar Wright’s latest delivers the most sheer entertainment to hit theaters in a long time.

Michael Cera is the leader of said ride as a hero taking on the world (or perhaps more accurately, defeating his new girlfriend Ramona Flowers’ seven evil exes). Cera here does nothing anyone hasn't seen before: playing the endearing dorky and borderline girly wimp with a heart of gold and strange sense of humor, which he has repeated in nearly all of his roles. While this may throw off some, I was never particularly bothered by it. Cera does what he does best and has never done it better than in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Besides, the world Cera inhabits remains the true appeal.

Guest Writer Review: Law Abiding Citizen

Congratulations to Mark Bykerk! First Guest Writer on Yet Another Movie Blog.

This should have been the promotion poster.

Law Abiding Citizen focuses on one man's view of the criminal justice system. Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is this man. Witnessing the rape and murder of both his wife and five year old daughter, he wants full retribution on the attackers. He hires one of Philadelphia's top prosecution lawyers, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), who has a firm 96% conviction rate. Not wanting to ruin this percentage, Rice decides to make a deal with Clarence J. Darby (Christian Stolte), the rapist and murderer. As long as Darby pleads guilty to the third degree murder and provides testimony that will send his accomplice, Rupert Ames (Josh Stewart), to death row, he will receive little jail time. Shelton feels betrayed by this, but since he cannot change Rice’s mind, he decides to take justice into his own hands.

Movie Review: The Ghost Writer

I couldn't find a picture without food.

It started out with a phone call:

-Hey Libby, you wanna watch Ghost Rider

-Absolutely not.

-Why Not?

-Well. There are two reasons: Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendez.

-What? No. Ghost WRITER.

-Oh… okay… what’s that about?

Out of this world: Moon

Gerty, is there someone else in the room? 

- Sam Bell

I will admit that when I first heard the premise of Duncan Jones' Moon, I was less than overwhelmed. One guy in a space (moon) station with only a deep-voiced robot to keep him company. You see, there's this film 2001: A Space Odyssey, and even if you haven't seen it you know that Hal can't let Dave do that. The raucous praise given it was enough, however, to get me past my trepidations and see this film. I was not disappointed. 

Glorious: A Review of Inglourious Basterds

Hans Landa with his ridiculously awesome pipe.

Take a moment and watch the trailer for Inglourious Basterds. No, really. I'll wait.

Done? Alright, now believe me when I tell you that the ratio of badassery to talking is about 50 times higher in that trailer than in the actual movie. Now, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Inglourious Basterds takes the fall of Hitler’s Third Reich in an entirely new (and factually incorrect) direction, and does it in the best possible way. From Lt. Aldo Raine’s (Brad Pitt) hilarious Southern drawl and murderous tendencies to the obscenely evil dealings of the oddly comical SS Colonel Hans Landa (Christopher Waltz) to the vengeful plots of Shosanna LaPadite (Mélanie Laurent), Inglourious Basterds is entertaining, terrifying, and engaging all the way through.

Movie Review: How to Train Your Dragon

Go ahead. Pretend this isn't the cutest thing ever.

How to Train Your Dragon, an animated film loosely based on the children’s book of the same name by Cressida Cowell, tells a story told countless times before. An unappreciated protagonist (Hiccup, voiced by Jay Baruchel) goes on an adventure of sorts that, by the time the movie is over, changes him in such a way that everyone begins to appreciate him. There’s an overbearing father (Stoick, voiced by Gerard Butler), a romantic interest that doesn’t share the feelings (Astrid, voiced by America Ferrera), and a rather odd group of friends. The thing is, you don’t care that you pretty much know how everything is going to turn out. Even though you’ve certainly seen the same story over and over again throughout the years, it doesn’t matter; How to Train Your Dragon keeps you captivated from beginning to end.

Movie Review: (500) Days of Summer

The whole movie is like this.

Expectations, as we all know, have a tendency to be significantly different than reality. So I need to be careful what I say, because about this movie, I might have a tendency to set up the expectations of you, dear reader, to unrealistic heights. (500) Days of Summer is one of the best-made, most entertaining movies I’ve seen in my entire life (and I’m not just saying that because I’m obsessed with Zooey Deschanel (no, really)). Not only was it an excellent movie, but it was that rare exotic artifact quickly disappearing from movie-making: an original, hard-to-define movie. (500) Days of Summer just never does exactly meet expectations, no matter what you’re expecting.

Tragic and Phenomenal: Up in the Air Review

A truly wonderful acting trio.

When most people think of airports, it isn’t a particularly pleasant thought; germs, crowds, weather delays, artificial…. everything. That isn’t the case for Up in the Air’s Ryan Bingham (George Clooney). To him, the airport is home. As he says in his opening monologue, ”To know me is to fly with me.” Bingham works for a company that gets hired by other companies to do layoffs, and is constantly flying all across the country to do so. Up in the Air is more than just a commentary on America’s current economic standing, though. It can be classified as neither a tragedy nor a comedy, but is filled with both. The film criticizes big business, emphasizes the importance of individual relationships, and highlights our country’s declining economy; and it does it all with a smile.