Open Thread!

Hello viewers!

Well, you asked for it, so here it is: The Open Thread of Ideas.

Use it as a place to present us your ideas on where you would like to see this blog head, or use it as a place to tell us about your favorite films you've seen or whatnot.

Think of this as an "Off-Topic" thread, too. Introduce yourself, tell us how your life is going, etc. We take interest in what our viewers are like.

Thank you AND before you comment, please take note of the commenting Rules and Regulations.

Awesome! Comment away!

Movie Review: Despicable Me

This about sums up my feelings towards this movie.

Have you ever seen something that was supposed to be cute, but just ended up being weird, dumb, or outright creepy? Like a clown your parents hired for your birthday that gave you nightmares for years afterwards? Or perhaps a doll your parents gave you when you were three whose eyes follow you around the room? The film Despicable Me is a little like this, only stupider. It’s supposed to be a cute, happy, somewhat silly story about a “villain” who realizes he’s actually a nice person, only absolutely nothing in it is believable, cute, or in any way interesting. Indeed, some parts even manage to be unintentionally creepy, sort of like that clown you have that recurring nightmare about (you guys get that too, right?).

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. 

Comment Rules and Regulations

Hello folks!

So, as you probably know, a new commenting system has been set up. More info here.

Great. Let's not bring that junk back up...

But I thought it would be a nice idea to give you all the "down low" on the commenting rules YAMB would like to set in place.

• Treat each other with respect and dignity. Even though you may not know them, they are, in fact, people like yourself. 
• Treat others as you yourself would like to be treated. Okay, so this one is virtually the same as the first point, but c'mon, while YAMB knows certain people can be quite passionate about their own opinions, please, please, please, do not treat each other with hostility and malice. 
• Stay on Topic. Really. 'Nuff said.
• Remember that this is a MOVIE blog, not a blog to spread your political ideals, religious affiliations, or other things that are OFF TOPIC. See above point. 
•  Keep it relatively clean. While YAMB realizes some people have a "rougher" vernacular, we want this site to be viewed by all audiences and by people of all ages. Please make your comments age appropriate. 
• Please don't start Internet fights. The Internet is an awful platform to start and carry on an argument. So just don't.
• Have fun! This is a site where we like to have fun and obsess over all things cinema! Goofiness is great! 
• And finally, do not, under any conditions, feed the trolls.

There. A quick overview of the rules and regulations that we at YAMB would like to see happen. 

And remember, we have the power to delete your comments at any time. If we think your comment is inappropriate, it will find itself in the trash bin. We also enjoy reading your comments, and we encourage you to comment! We love the compliments, facts, and constructive criticism from our viewers! 

If you have any questions please visit our About YAMB page or the Contact Us page for more information. We use Disqus commenting software, too. More info can be found here.

Thank you!
And we hope you enjoy the site!

Sigh. I never thought it would come to this . . .

....and there goes the Anonymous commenter option...
There was probably an easier way...

Due to the lack of restraint used by some "Anonymous" commenters, I was forced to end the option of allowing "Anonymous commenters" to post here. While I should have gotten rid of the "Anonymous commenter" option before, my blogmates and I thought it would be a good idea if everyone could share their opinion on this site. Well, everyone still can. They just have to log in (via a Disqus, Yahoo, OpenID, Twitter, or Facebook account). This allows us, the B*Team, to monitor our commenters easier, and purge this site of the silly ones. 

I really hoped that this crap and trolling wouldn't happen to us, and that our fans, or "fans," of this site would have better self-control than what has been displayed here, but alas, it was not to be. So... from now on, if you want to comment just log in. Don't get me wrong, everyone here at YAMB wants your professional and constructive criticism because we want to make this site a pleasurable viewing experience for all our followers. 

Thank you!

Nothing Special: A Review of State of Play

Russell Crowe...is that you?

Despite the fact that State of Play is a political thriller about ulterior motives, uncertainty and moral ambiguity, what you see is what you get. Watch it expecting no more and no less than a standard, no frills entry in this cinematic genre. To quote from Casablanca, “all the usual suspects” have been rounded up here. There is Russell Crowe playing the hardened, cynical, cranky, detective-like journalist, Cal MacAffrey. New on the block at the Washington Globe newspaper is the young, ambitious, and idealistic Della Frye as played by Rachel McAdams, a character who eventually will form this movie’s conventionally unconventional partnership with MacAffrey.

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.