District 9

Being a lover of Sci-Fi, I loved this movie. It was well done, interesting, and seemed to be telling us something about being a human being.

The movie is set in South Africa, which is interesting in-itself, because not too many movies are set in South Africa. Also, the movie is filmed in a documentary style, which is also interesting, similar to Cloverfield, but District 9 is a more serious film. I am really surprised that it had such a wide release. I knew the film might be interesting when I saw the marketing posters on restroom doors stating that aliens were not allowed, similar to Jim Crow signs in the US. Also that it seems to be a South African film about South African issues, but prejudice is everywhere and a universal issue.

The South African setting brought up thoughts of Apartheid. A major part of the movie is that the aliens have been allowed to only live in a certain area, an alien ghetto, that looks very similar to images that I have seen of Soweto in South Africa. The story's starting point is the eviction of the aliens to move them into a different, newer ghetto that has been built for the aliens. So, you have this somewhat likable guy being charged with evicting the aliens. They did and excellent job of building this guys character. He's likable, but what he is doing is despicable, and the way he talks about the aliens, using various terms for them, is certainly reminiscent of what is still happening all over the world when people are dealing with a different culture than their own.

One of the best things about science fiction is that it can be thought provoking and critical about society without coming right out and shoving your face in it. This movie does that very well.

Funny People

This was a good movie. Adam Sandler plays a terminally ill comic that has had huge success similar to his own career. His character lives in a huge mansion alone. The other main characters are Seth Rogan, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman, and Eric Bana.

Sandler's character George Simmons hires Seth Rogan's character Ira to be his personal assistant and write jokes for him, he also tells him that he is terminally ill. We watch George perform stand-up and Ira as well. Simmons starts getting in touch with people in his life to tell them he is ill. So there are tons of cameos of pretty famous comedians, which is pretty cool. One of the people he gets in touch with is the love of his life who is married and has two kids, and an Australian husband played very well by Eric Bana. Bana is actually from Australia, so it was cool to here him actually speaking like an Australian, and his character is all excited about Australian rules football.

One of the cool parts of the movie was Ira's friends played by Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman. Schwartzman is one of my favorite comedic actors ever since Rushmore, and Slackers. There are some pretty funny interactions between the three.

Simmons and Ira end up going to the Bay area, after Simmons finds out he is disease free, where Simmons's love of his life lives with her husband and two kids. Here, the movie's romantic part builds up, and falls apart in a very short period of time. Simmons and Ira end up getting into a fight, Simmons and Bana's character too. Simmons kind of ends all his relationships at once with a huge melt-down. Simmons also appears as kind of scumbag Hollywood type that is wheeling and dealing all the time and he cannot relate to his true love's home movies of her kid. Ira kind of lets Simmons have it on the ride home and gives him some honesty. Simmons fires Ira, Ira returns to work at Otto's, a grocery store he was working at prior to being hired by Simmons. Simmons character shows up at Ira's work and helps him with some jokes.

This was a pretty cool movie. Adam Sandler plays a character that is similar to himself, probably not personality-wise, but similar fame. And the interactions between Seth Rogan, Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman are priceless. Ira has a romantic interest too, played by Aubrey Plaza. Her character is a nerdy stand-up comic, that is funny and sexy too.

The Ugly Truth

This was pretty bad. That chick from Grey's Anatomy was in it, you know, the one that is dying and just got married, had visions etc. I am so annoyed by that show and her character, that her name escapes me. Also, that guy who was in PS I love You, but also in Rocknrolla, so he's an action and comedic actor, Gerard Butler.

There have been movies like this before, He Said, She Said comes to mind with Kevin Bacon and Liz Perkins. But in comparison, this was a poorer version. What was bad about it? Pretty much too little character development. You are just supposed to accept these two, one a high powered knock-out female that cannot get a date (yeah right), the other a rough-hewn chauvinistic guy that tells it like it is when it comes to relationship, but he's all broken inside like a little girl. Give me a fucking break. She's a pretty attractive woman, and she can't get a date, except via on-line? Unbelievable. He lives with his sister and her kid and treats woman like trash, maybe, but unlikely. His sister would've straightened him out prior.

All of this wretchedness is set in a TV studio with the female playing a high powered news show producer, with an annoying assistant who actually says she is living vicariously through the dateless producer, and of course the assistant is pretty hot too, so we are to believe she can't get a date either, give me a fucking break. Butler's character is hired to bring up the ratings with his raw public access dating advice show, which becomes a segment on the news show. So, Gray girl is so powerful and successful that she has to have help with her horrible ratings? These two horrible characters come together and hate each other at first, then they fall in love. She's in his ear while producing the show, he's in her ear when she's on dates with this perfect doctor guy she meets.

One scene was pretty much over the top. Barbarian man gives annoying Gray's anatomy star a pair of vibrating panties that she puts on. Then suddenly out of nowhere she has to go to dinner with Barbarian, and the big wigs at the main station in New York or LA or some crap like that. The remote falls out of vibrating panties purse, and low and behold a kid at the next table picks it up and starts jerking terminally ill grey star's clitoris. How did this make it anywhere off the cutting room floor. I thought it was kind of funny though with her blowing her load to a child's remote hand. How is this not kiddie porn? Because the midget is unaware that he's jerking her off? Pretty tasteless though. I guess everyone wants to do Harry Met Sally, but this is just too far I think. It would've been incredibly tasteless, but more funny if the person that picked it up was a nun or retarded, or say the waitress, and she tries to use it on the TV, but just makes Gray girl cum. But a kid?

Of course this piece of crap ends with Gray girl and rough man kissing on a balloon ride. She said, "I thought you didn't like me, but I love you. that doctor guy with the perfect abs was such a dick, that I couldn't suck his." He said, "I thought you were banging the doctor guy, but you were pining for me all along? oh, lets kiss on this balloon, and finally fuck each other because we are perfect for each other, how fucking romantic." Of course, happily ever after, the end. I go to too many movies.

GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra

Good lord, what a piece of crap. There were some pretty good special effects here and there, but good lord, the acting was pretty terrible. I think one of the characters was a Wayans brother. Ouch, he should've not taken this role, but you can't blame him for wanting to get paid.

It pretty much was a vehicle, I am assuming, to market GI Joe action figures and toys. But I would not want to take my kids to this movie, if I had kids, it was too violent. I would stay away from this movie.