Movies

Jeff, Who Lives at Home Film Review

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Netflix is typically right when it comes to recommending titles that I may possibly enjoy. With a suggested rating of 4.1 stars, I decided to give Jeff, Who Lives at Home a watch. About mid-way through my viewing, I had a strong feeling that this recommendation was wrong. I tried to keep an open mind while watching the film, but I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters.

Unlike the name of the film implies, there is actually very little screen time showing Jeff living at home. At the start of the movie, Jeff is seen in his bathroom, rambling into an audio recorder about his most recent viewing of Signs. He appears to be obsessed with Signs and makes references to it multiple times throughout the film. Immediately, something feels odd about Jeff and it just gets worse as he gets a phone call from his mother who threatens to kick Jeff out if he does not buy the wood glue she asked for. It seems weird that Jeff’s mother would be upset about something as trivial as wood glue. Clearly, she is unhappy with Jeff still living with her, which just made me wonder why she even let it go on for this long in the first place.

The movie just gets stranger from there. His quest for wood glue keeps being put on hold as Jeff becomes distracted with people named Kevin. Eventually, he runs into his brother Pat, played by Ed Helms, and a second plot is created. Pat is concerned that his relationship is falling apart and uses Jeff to help spy on his wife. Nothing is special about this and it is not remotely funny. Another unfunny storyline is created with Jeff’s mother, Sharon, and her secret admirer at work. Sharon talks to her secret admirer using AIM. By this point, the film had lost all credibility to me. The movie tries to unite all of these stories with one of the most forced endings I have witnessed.

Maybe the ending was supposed to be some sort of joke. I guess the comedy just went right over my head. The movie failed to make me laugh. The idea the Jeff, Who Lives at Home is trying to impose, that everything it connected, is made all too clear. The characters were unlikable which in turn made the plot uninteresting. Jeff, who lives at home, should have stayed at home.

 

Jobs Film Review

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“Jobs” feels like an incomplete movie. Maybe wanting to see Steve Jobs’ life up until his death was a bit much to ask for from a biographical film about Steve Jobs. By the end of the film I was left puzzled at what it was trying to accomplish. What did “Jobs” do that “Pirates of Silicon Valley” did not already cover much more accurately 13 years ago?

“Pirates of Silicon Valley” is a captivating movie that managed to explain the creation of both Apple and Microsoft and the fierce rivalry that sparked between them in a span of 90 minutes. A two hour theatrical film only focusing on Steve Jobs should be able to cover more history than a made for TV movie. Microsoft is only mentioned once in a scene where Steve is threatening to sue Bill Gates for copying his idea. The historical accuracy of the film is questionable as both companies were actually stealing ideas from Xerox, a company that was not mentioned at all. If “Jobs” is not going to be more historically accurate or expand upon what Steve Jobs did after his return to Apple then it does not really have a reason to exist.

At its very best, viewers will be able to stare at Ashton Kutcher’s amazing hair. Casting Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs is a much better decision than casting Topher Grace as Venom in Spider-Man 3. Admittedly, I despise most of Apple’s products, but that should not stop me from enjoying a movie about the company and its creator. It is just that the concept has already been done.

Matilda Film Review

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In a twisted world without child protection services and despicable parenting, Matilda is desperate to get revenge on everyone who has wronged her. Well, maybe the story is not that dark. “Matilda” is yet another movie based off a Roald Dahl children’s book. It is a lighthearted book about a girl with a passion for books who is neglected by her parents and abused by her headmistress, Miss Trunchbull at school. The only person to truly recognize Matilda’s special gifts is her teacher, Miss Honey. The film is a bit darker than the book but does a great job of capturing the story.

If there is one thing that the film succeeds at is that it completely captures how intolerable Matilda’s parents and Miss Trunchbull are. The performances are rage-inducing and show how innocent Matilda is. The camera angles are dizzying at times, but give the film a surreal quality, making everything feel like an exaggeration. Every character is over-the-top, especially Miss Trunchbull who tosses a girl by her hair, nearly hits people with darts and even locks Matilda in the “Chokey”, a closet surrounded in nails. At times it is easy to wonder how much further the torture could have gone if the primary audience was not children.

On the opposite side of the spectrum are Matilda and Miss Honey who are the only characters that provide hope. Hope that things can change and that something positive can happen in a truly negative world.

Iron Man 3 Review

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The trailers for Iron Man 3 looked fantastic. Then again, I remember having the same excitement for X-Men: The Last Stand. While that movie wasn’t terrible, there were certain aspects that left me disappointed. Still it was a decent way to end the X-Men trilogy. A year later Marvel created even more hype with Spider-Man 3. I absolutely loved the first two films, but this. This was an abomination, a complete disgrace to the Spider-Man trilogy. So I watched Iron Man 3, fearing that it would be another Spider-Man 3 scenario and ended up leaving the theater pleasantly surprised.
I won’t go into detail about the plot but Robert Downey Jr. gives another solid performance as Tony Stark and the action is satisfying to watch. There are a couple of quirks that I noticed during the movie however, but most of them were trivial. There is a critical scene where Tony is confronted by the press but all of my attention was focused on this one reporter who was recording vertical video on a phone. Tony confronts this reporter and destroys the phone. While he ends up destroying the phone for a completely different reason it felt like justice was served. No one, not even journalists have the right to record vertical videos.

Another quirk and my biggest complaint about Iron Man 3: Why is it a summer blockbuster? Money I suppose, but it would have made much more sense to release it during November. The movie makes it quite clear, multiple times, that it takes place during Christmas. Maybe I’m just being nitpicky.

As a Christmas film, Iron Man 3 is one of the best. Although it is not perfect it does its part in creating an exciting trilogy.

Pitch Perfect Movie Review

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Well, I finally got around to watching Pitch Perfect. Maybe it is a movie that gets better with repeated viewings, but I do not see what is so special about it. The characters were unlikable and Aubrey, the leader of this supposed aca-mazing group holds the entire movie back, forcing the audience to sit through a horrid arrangement of songs featuring such classic hits as “The Sign” and “Turn the Beat Around”. It just brings back thoughts of a mediocre episode of Full House and an I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter commercial. This is rather disappointing when the cast is so talented and this talent is only showcased for just a few short moments towards the end of the film when it finally attempts an original remix. Pitch Perfect just left me wanting to watch the Breakfast Club. Actually, do that, watch the Breakfast Club instead.

Django Unchained Impressions

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Going to the theater was something I expected to do while I was on holiday. I was hoping to finally watch “Wreck-It Ralph”, but at this point, I will just wait for the Blu-ray release. I was highly considering watching “Monsters, Inc. 3D”. As it turns out, I ended up watching “Django Unchained”, pretty much the polar opposite of the films I intended on viewing.

“Django Unchained” is one of the best comedies I have ever seen. It was hilarious, twisted and bloody. Some people may find the film too dark and others may just find it to be offensive, but I find it to be excellently crafted. By the time it was over, it really did not feel like three hours. Oh, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s hair, simply stunning.

The soundtrack consists of fitting Western themed tracks. I think it could have benefited from the inclusion of Dubstep and having the drop rhythmically timed to the splattering of blood or the clacking of horse hooves.

Overall it was an entertaining film and a fantastic black comedy.

Tapped Film Review

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A documentary about bottled water, it sounds simple enough.  Then you realize there are more issues with these bottles than just recycling.  You will quickly become thirsty, and have second thoughts about reaching over for your bottle of water.  Is this documentary convincing enough to stop you from using water bottles?  Maybe, but the information presented here is interesting, and at the very least you will learn how most companies get the water required to fill all of the bottles.
The effects used to present maps and statistics are nice.  With a movie about water, I would have expected the color scheme of these parts of the documentary to be in various shades of blue instead of relying on oranges and yellows.
The documentary mentions that if consumer habits continue the way they are today, then our water supply will be depleted.  It is not a stretch to say that this will happen.  The problem lies with how this idea is expressed, which is by mentioning droughts throughout the United States.  While it is a problem, it would have been interesting to see how our water usage affects the entire world, especially in locations which do not have easy access to clean sources of water.

Frightening statistics about the amount of plastic in samples of ocean water show the damaging effects that bottled water have for our health.  As one of the major issues being addressed in this documentary, a thorough job was done showing the various aspects that water bottles have on people’s health.  
Did this documentary make me change my water drinking habits?  No, they are too convenient.  Would I consider using a reusable bottle?  Perhaps, but that would assume I want to drink water at any moment of the day.  It was interesting, even if it was a bit more serious than I was expecting.  It only begs to ask what other common everyday items have such a huge impact on environmental health.

Resident Evil: Retribution Impressions

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I was hesitant in writing a complete review for Resident Evil: Retribution as I had not seen any of the other movies in the series.  It was completely unexpected that I watched it on its opening day.  I would have chosen Finding Nemo instead, but the person I went to the theater with was a huge Resident Evil fan.  I will just go over my impressions of the film.
Along with never watching the movies, I have not taken the time to do a full play through of any of the games.  One day I will play through Resident Evil 4 which I hear is brilliant.  I have a small understanding of RE lore and was concerned that the plot for Retribution would have been convoluted.  Oddly enough, almost the first five minutes of the film are spent recapping all of the major events in the previous movies.  I had never seen a movie do this before.  It was useful, but it did not feel like all of the background information was needed.  The plot was very easy to follow and was just showing an execution of an escape plan.
The length of the film is what bothered me the most.  I think I have just gotten used to long movies but 96 minutes felt short, especially when you take into account the giant cliffhanger ending.  It felt like they accidentally a second half (Yes, accidentally a second half).  A lot of scenes were done in slow motion.  It really makes me wonder how much actual content they had.
In the end there were some satisfying kills, but there really was not anything special about it.  Wesker did not look like a real person.  The dubstep that was played at the end bothered me; at least it had the wobble bass.  I find it hard to recommend to a person who is not familiar with the other movies.  Now I have to watch the next one just to see what happens.

On a semi-related note, the theater was completely empty by the time the movie finished.  Not a single employee in sight.  It was creepy.  It felt like a zombie apocalypse was about to happen.

Battleship Film Review

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When suddenly, aliens. Then bursts of fiery explosions. BOOM. Insert a bad joke here, and repeat more explosions.

There is nothing more to be had with Battleship. It is all flash, no substance. The plot is absurd. If there is anything that comes to my mind when I think of the board game Battleship, it is anything but aliens. Uninspired acting prevents this film from conveying any sense of 

urgency that the world is about to be destroyed. At times I had trouble determining if it was trying to be a comedy or an action movie. Battleship tries to develop the protagonist, but even at the end of the movie he comes across as shallow.

Glancing over the absurd plot, the next evident problem is the pacing. Once the aliens begin to invade Earth, the action begins. Normally a movie of this nature will have some smaller fights in the beginning leading to the grand finale, but here the movie is just one giant battle. It is a spectacle to watch and the effects are well done. Maybe it is the inconsistency in the soundtrack with the use of modern pop songs and an original score being used together, but it did not feel as exciting as it could have been. Not that this film had much potential anyways.

Battleship would have been much better if it was not a movie based off of the classic board game and did not look so similar to Transformers. If the producers were going to use anything else but other ships as the enemy they should have went with something crazier such as apocalyptic whales. Nuke the whales, because you have to nuke something.

Airplane! Film Review

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Have you ever been so bored that you wanted to kill yourself?  I guarantee you will not feel this way when watching Airplane!.  It is essentially like watching a live-action cartoon with the way background characters behave and the physics of the plane itself.  Plenty of well timed over-exaggerations are to be found here.  This film has no problem making fun of itself.  Combine the humor with the outrageous plot of war veteran Ted Striker having to land a plane due to a mysterious outbreak of food poisoning and you have a complete package of comedic gold.  Surely, I can’t be serious, but I am.  This film literally has everything, jokes, innuendos, romance, war flashbacks and even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  His appearance should be a solid reason alone to see this film.  Over thirty years later, Airplane! is funny and is an excellent example of just how much movies with a PG rating could get away with back then.