Gravy and Biscuits

I’ve watched a few DVD’s recently, and instead of trying to come up with a hundred different synonyms for “excellent” or “terrific” or “spatula,” I’m putting a few together in one article. Let’s start off with the one everyone’s probably seen unless you were as apprehensive as I was about the feel of the advertising.

Juno was a movie that, based on advertising, I probably would not have seen. I don’t usually watch cute little teen movies that look too trendy for my own good. I’m a cult classic man. I like to think that I will start to help in the making of cult classics, but this film did not look like one of them. The cute stencil lettering on everything and a story about teen pregnancy. No thank you, I’ll go watch Evil Dead again. Then, one of my good friends and movie soulmate told me that it rocked. So I gave it a chance. She didn’t let me down.

Jason Reitman did a great job with this movie. I knew from his last movie, Thank you for Smoking, that he could put together a good movie. He really captured the character’s human nature and didn’t turn this into a movie about a pregnancy. It’s a movie about a girl and her life, who just happens to be pregnant. Both Ellen Page and Michael Cera do a great job with portraying teens that are outside the popular cliques, and they do it with such poise and realism that you could see how not being “cool” in high school could still be perfectly normal. Like I said, quick reviews, so this movie is well worth owning and will leave you laughing at it even after many viewings.

Next up is Sweeney Todd. I know about the musical before they decided to start this, so I was amped up for the premiere, even though no one else appeared to be. Most people that would normally see a movie with Johnny Depp in it were frightened off by the musical aspect, while most who would see a musical wouldn’t see a dark movie like this. I finally saw this in theaters and absolutely loved it. Tim Burton really surprised me by putting together a wonderful and entrancing musical, and yet finding one that fits his unique style. The musical numbers were very well put together and, to my surprise again, all actors and actresses performed well beyond their expectations. There is violence in this movie, but no more than would be expected if you researched the original. Out of all the movies that have come out recently with tragic endings, this one takes the cake. The last 15 minutes will leave you heartbroken no matter how tough you are. You take the journey with Sweeney and feel horrified at the revelations in the end. No matter how much the ending upsets you, this movie lets all it stars shine and will be watched again and again in my house.

Well, there are the short movie reviews. I’m going to try and start reviewing some older cult movies, so if you have any that you want an honest, spoiler-free review on, just let us know.

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Second movie review and it’s a big one. Iron Man. The whole concept was brilliant to being with. Back in the sixties when the comic idea was thought of, Marvel was at its golden age. The company could do no wrong. The combination of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby along with several other very talented people kept churning out one icon after another. Jack Kirby was the artist who created the Iron Man costume, but Don Heck was the actual artist of the comic. The original idea for the comics was Tony captured in Vietnam by the communists, and his heart was kept running with a pacemaker.

Sorry for the comic history lesson, but you’ll hear it from some nerd out there, so why not me? Iron Man is the story of billionaire playboy Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), and his change from weapons manufacturer into superhero. As with most origin stories, this movie spends more time setting up the characters and the journey rather than rampant violence. Most of the time, this process can drag on and slowly bore the audience, but Downey’s smug and sarcastic acting moved the storyline along rather well. His portrayal of Tony Stark was witty and cocky, while showing small glimpses into his real passion and heart. Continue Reading »

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It’s that time of year again!! The days are longer, warmer, and filled will pollen. It’s spring!!! I know I’m supposed to be a movie critic and such, but really, who can watch a movie when the weather is as beautiful as it has been? That’s what midnight showings are for. You see, this time of year celebrates my normal routine of planning ahead to the summer blockbusters and their ever-tiring schedule of midnight and early screenings. I thought that it would be nice to go ahead and write mine out and see if everyone agrees or disagrees on my choices.

First off this year will be Iron Man. The movie just screams great summer blockbuster. I mean, look at it. Millionaire playboy dresses up and fights evil…this sounds a little familiar. I wonder why Marvel chose to put this movie out this year…possibly The Dark Knight!!! Not second in release order, but certainly first on my list. This movie will do what The Crow should have done with Brandon Lee. This movie will be seen by everyone not only for the fact that it is the second in one of the best comic book adaptations seen yet, but people who have no desire will see this just to see what kind of a character the late Heath Ledger played. It will be brilliant, no matter what, but you just know people will have something to say about it. In keeping with comic book movies, The Incredible Hulk, and Hellboy II:The Golden Army are also on the list. For those who haven’t seen the straight-from-the-comic-book styled distasterpiece that was The Hulk, be gracious. For those who have, don’t judge a franchise by its first attempt. The brilliant minds at Marvel decided to scrap the first movie in continuity (since they purchased back the movie rights) and start over with this one. And who wouldn’t want to start over, when you have someone like Edward Norton co-writing the screenplay and starring in the thing!!! This is shaping up to be a great movie, and I hope it lives up the expectations. Hellboy II will continue the saga of Hellboy. I loved the comic and the first movie, so of course I will be in line to see this one. They have already started viral sites to promote the movie. These viral sites are fakes websites to get into the movies’ world. The Dark Knight has about a half dozen of these. Continue Reading »

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I’m not really sure what to put in a movie review, so here goes.

I just finished watching There Will Be Blood. This movie is about a prospector named Daniel Plainview, whose prospects for digging lead him to become an “oilman” in the early 20th century. He eventually finds his way to a small town sitting on a vast oil deposit, and ends up butting heads with the local church and their preacher.

The movie was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and stars Daniel Day-Lewis. At first, when I saw the previews for this movie, I figured it would put me to sleep. The more I saw of the hype, I knew I would have to watch it and finally started to look forward to it. Due to someone controlling my financial resources, I had to wait until it came out on DVD to see it. The hype is well deserved and well worth the wait. Continue Reading »

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