State of Play

4/19/09

State of Play is a pretty good movie about a newspaper reporter (Russell Crowe) and his blogging apprentice (Rachel McAdams) who are trying to solve the mystery behind the death of an intern of a United States Senator (Ben Affleck). A dying breed in the real world giving way to Internet bloggers and online papers, this may very well be a sign off tribute to the established newspaper reporter. Russell Crowe is good in this film as he often is, but nothing really stood out to me during this film. A little bit of originality with a C plus twist at the end. Watch this movie when it comes to cable.

4/17/09

Thriller in Manilla is a very good documentary of the events leading up to and the events directly after a boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Once great friends, these two champions split apart after several different events throughout their careers. As a person who was not around as these fighters were in their prime, I really enjoyed the depth of information given to the audience in this film. Consequently, as as a person who was not around as the fighters were in their prime, I have nothing to go on as far as truths and agenda until I do my own research. That being said, this documentary seemed to be very one-sided with regard to Joe Frazier and his camp. The only pro-Ali person interviewed seemed to me, half crazy. Having said that, maybe this was a good representation of the times. It has certainly intrigued me enough to do my own research and find out more about these two fascinating fighters and this historical event that took place in Africa. A certain recommendation.

I Love You, Man

4/3/2009

I Love You, Man, is set in the mold of these new genre of rated R comedies: bold and sometimes shocking lines. It's hard to believe that Cher Horowitz's older brother, Paul Rudd has become this genius comedic actor. Rudd plays the part of a real estate agent who has been such a dedicated boyfriend over the years, he has no guy friends to speak of. A semi-nerd ladies man (and let me tell you, Rudd plays this part to a tee), Rudd sets out on several man dates after overhearing his wife and her girlfriends worrying that Peter (Rudd) hovers too much. The movie takes off when Rudd meets Sydney Fife, played by Jason Segel, who seems to have everything figured out...as a single male. This movie is full of several great comedic characters that really makes multiple scenes laughable, and any movie with Jon Favreau scenes are typical great and he doesn't disappoint here. I definitely give this movie a "go watch," anytime you are in need of a couple hours of laughs.

The 2 Bobs

4/2/09

The 2 bobs was the last movie that I saw at the AFI Dallas Film Festival. This was an independent, low budget movie, filmed with borrowed equipment in about twenty (20) days from start to finish. The jist of this film is about two techno-nerds who eventually strike it very rich, though still at very young ages, as computer game programmers. The problem begins when just before the launch of their latest anticipated smash hit, their office gets robbed and all of the original software is stolen. I thought this movie was very funny at times, but felt like the acting was about a C to C minus, throughout. In other words, the scenes and the premise of the scenes were entertaining, I just wasn't entertained by the actors playing the roles. Stick Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse in this film, add a little improvision to the scenes and it might have been gold. As it is, I would have to give it a C plus in comparison to today's hardcore comedies.

Big Fan

3/31/09

Saw an early showing of Big Fan at the Dallas AFI Film Festival and really enjoyed this movie. As you can see there isn't even a movie poster for this film yet, but it is due to release sometime in the early Fall 2009. This is another sports genre movie written by Robert Siegel (The Wrestler), but this one is about sports fandom dealing with a hardcore New York Giants fan that works in a parking garage toll booth. This story takes off when Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt) has a chance encounter with his hero, a great New York Giants linebacker. Paul's world is turned upside down through a series of events that truly tests the will and dedication of a true fan. Not wanting to be known as a comedy, Big Fan does have some humorous scenes, but all in all is a good sports movie that is certainly not in the typical Hollywood mold.

Adam Resurrected

3/30/09

Was lucky to see a showing of this film at the AFI Dallas Film Festival as it will probably be getting a lot of buzz when it is released later in the year. Adam Resurrected is a drama about a man that survived during the Holocaust by performing and entertaining Nazi's. Ultimately it drives him insane and he visits an insane asylum to try and get cured. Jeff Goldblum as Adam, is very very good in this movie that was difficult to watch at times due to certain subject matters. I wouldn't be suprised to see Goldblum's name mentioned at the end of the year as best actor nominee as it was quick an amazing performance. The movie as a whole, was not my cup of tea, but a very solid film for sure.

Zombie Girl: The Movie

3/28/2009

Zombie Girl: The Movie is a documentary about a little 12 year-old girl that is obsessed with making movies. Infatuated with zombie and horror movies, Emily Hagins chooses this genre and sets out to make her full length movie with the help of her mother. It documents the many many trying times and all of the ups and downs of a very young unexperienced movie creator. The documentary is entertaining but I often found myself wanting to actually see how Emily's zombie movie turned out rather than watching the film about the making of her movie. An inspiration to all young aspiring writers and directors, Zombie Girl: The Movie is a must watch for anyone with an idea of investing into the business.