Children of Men

I’m a Sci-Fi buff, so bear with me, but this movie is very good. It illustrates a chilling, not to distant future in which the human race loses the ability to reproduce. It’s incredibly real and terrifying, and the film does a good job exploring the possible social and cultural breakdowns that could occur under such circumstances. Don’t get me wrong, it has some cheesy moments (parts of the end are a bit on the contrived side), but they are very few and far between. The movie is also extremely violent, which didn’t at all bother me, but be warned. The performances are pretty good. Michael Caine is terrific, playing a character well outside his typical upper-class, elitist Englishman comfort zone. Clive Owen is good as usual, though he seems to play the same character in everything I see him in: sort of a dreary, dark, almost mopey intellectual who stands in between the fringe and mainstream of society. Regardless, he always pulls it off and makes it interesting, and this film is no exception. Obviously, this one isn’t in theatres anymore, but I recommend checking it out via NetFlix or OnDemand. It’s pretty hardcore, but intellectually compelling and frightening…very intense.

Across the Universe

This movie sucks big donkey balls. It’s nothing more than a contrived vehicle to get from one Beatles song to the next. They even named the main characters Jude and Lucy!! Gimme a break. What’s worse is that the performers CAN’T EVEN SING!!! They’re off pitch and seem to miss notes…frequently. Moreover, the producers got the bright idea of changing the songs to make them, perhaps, more contemporary friendly. Look, I’m more of a Stones fan, but even I know that you just don’t mess with the Beatles. I don’t particularly like musicals to begin with, but this one is just a disaster. The visuals aren’t even that compelling, which is apparently what they tried to market it on (since they ruined the songs, botched the writing, and hired actors who look better than they can sing, which, believe me, says a lot!). CRAP, CRAP, CRAP. Do not rent it, NetFlix it, OnDemand it or even watch it if it happens to be on cable. You’re better off with reruns of Full House. The wife and I watched it On Demand, and both really wanted to blow our brains out after ten minutes.

500 Days of Summer

Believe it or not this is a guy’s movie. By that I mean that it is told from the perspective of a head-over-heels, “I’ll do anything for you” sensitive dude who just wants his would be girlfriend to love him as much as he loves her. Being kind of a softie myself, I liked it…a lot. This is a movie that very easily could have become a cheesy, boring, cliché romantic comedy (see my forthcoming The Proposal review), but intentionally and successfully averts that tragic downfall becoming of most “relationship movies.” Rather, it’s smart, funny, and a very real and honest comedy about boy meets girl…and gets shredded in the process. The performances are good, it’s very well written—the dialogue is witty and real—and the music is great, much of the soundtrack is some of the lesser played indie rock stuff that you’re more likely to find on XM than most of the dumpy FM stations that remain today. I watched this one at the Angelika, my second time to go there in a month. Starting to really like this movie theatre: it’s intimate, but still has stadium seating! Anyway, I digress. Go see this movie. It’s well done, and women seem to like it too, which makes for a decent date movie, though the post-movie conversation may be a bit awkward if you’re not in a seasoned relationship.