Title: Role Models

Starring Actor(s)/Actress(es): Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bobb’e J. Thompson

Genre: Comedy

Status: In Theaters

Release Date: November 7th, 2008

Plot Summary: After a small mental breakdown Danny and Wheeler (Rudd and Scott) are forced to do 150 hours of community service at a mentor program called Sturdy Wings.

Review: One of the best comedies of the year for sure! Practically everyone in this movie is hilarious. Rudd and Scott are great, as they have been in the past (it is nice to see Scott get out of the rut he’s been in lately), and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (aka McLovin) did a great job as the nerdy kid, just like everyone expected he would. Then we get to Bobb’e, the little black kid. His language is far more profane than most adult actors, but I think that’s what made most of it funny. There really wasn’t a whole lot of scenes that I didn’t laugh at. There is the love story that every comedy needs (apparently), which brought the movie down a few times, but even those scenes weren’t entirely boring. While the story isn’t too terribly complex, it is a good one and makes for some really great scenarios.

Overall, this movie is just flat out good. It’s got great jokes, a good story and a very well put together cast. There’s not a lot more you could ask for a comedy. It’s definitely up there in the ranks of good movies of 2008.

Rating: 4.75/5

Bands: 3OH!3, Innerpartysystem, & Chaingang of 1974

Date/Time: November 5 @ 6:00

Venue: Station 4, St. Paul, MN

Genre(s): Dance/Electronic

Review:
I’m not a fan of dance parties, and I never really go to any clubs, but this kind of stuff is really fun to see live. All the bands had their style and it was a really fun time.

Chaingang of 1974: I’ve never heard of this group, but they were pretty good. We got there just in time to see these guys start. They have a nice mix of dance music, with some guitar and a nice rock feeling. It’s a little hard to get into a band that you don’t know, but it’s especially hard when it’s a genre you’re not to familiar with. They’re a good band, I just wasn’t feelin it at the time.

Innerpartysystem: These guys were really cool. It was more dance music, but it was a full band with keyboards and drums. Kind of like the first band, but a bigger group. The really cool thing about these guys though was the fact that they set up a bunch of lights behind them so for their entire set you couldn’t really see their faces. They were just silhouettes on really vibrant backgrounds. Their music was really fun to listen to, and I think I loosened up a little. I’m going to try to look into these guys now.

3OH!3: I was incredibly excited that 3OH!3 was coming back. I saw them at Warped tour and I really had fun there. They’re on-stage show just makes the whole experience that much more fun. The whole crowd got kind of crazy for this part and I actually had to step out for some air about halfway through, or I wouldn’t have made it. I’ve never been so exhausted after a concert.

I knew that 3OH!3 would bring in a big crowd. They’ve grown since the summer and it definitely showed last night. I bought a couple tickets a week or two ago and I’m really happy I did because the show was completely sold out! The range of genres that I see live is kinda weird, but the whole show was great and I had a really good time. I’ll surely try to see them again whenever I get the chance.

Title: Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Starring Actor(s)/Actress(es): Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Jason Mewes, Craig Robinson, Traci Lords

Genre: ‘Bromantic’ Comedy

Status: In Theaters

Release Date: October 31st, 2008

Plot Summary: Behind in their bills, best friends Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Banks) decide to produce a pornographic movie to make money.

Review: Seeing this movie four days after it came out is incredibly late for me. I’ve been excited for this movie since they started filming at the beginning of the year. The cast was amazing. Seth Rogen has been pretty much golden lately, and mixing his acting with Kevin Smith’s writing is perfect (although I think that they have similar styles). Elizabeth Banks has had a slew of big roles lately, and did very well in this one. The supporting cast was good too. Mewes and Robinson were hilarious, and the porn stars didn’t do so bad either. The story wasn’t really anything special, but it was enjoyable. Also, the main things to look for in Smith’s work are the dialog and the jokes, and both were good and plentiful. The story seems to end a bit prematurely, but if you stick around it all wraps itself up.

In the end, I think it’s safe to say, that his is not Smith’s best movie, but it’s a great addition. Now some people, especially fans of his previous work, will say that it has a lot to do with the lack of Jay and Silent Bob (as well as the other ‘View Askewniverse’ characters), but I don’t think that it really matters. I would have liked to see him make some version of a cameo, but there’s enough Mewes in the movie to make up for it. Also, there not being any recurring characters leaves this open for more people to become fans. It’s a solid comedy and a great movie.

Rating: 4.75/5

November 7th:
Soul Men:
Cast: Bernie Mac, Samuel L. Jackson

Plot: Though it’s been some twenty years since they have spoken with one another, two estranged soul-singing legends agree to participate in a reunion performance at the Apollo Theater to honor their recently deceased band leader.

Preview: Samuel L. Jackson and, the late, Bernie Mac in a movie about a washed-up soul group. Looks like it could be funny based on the R-rated clip, but not funny enough to see. Just not my cup o’ tea.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa:
Cast: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer

Plot: In the sequel to Madagascar, Alex the lion and his friends board an NYC-bound plane (that’s been “repaired” by their penguin pals), only to find themselves touching down in the African plains. It’s an opportunity for the animals to encounter their own kind for the very first time, and to discover, while various plots play out, what “home” truly means to each of them.

Preview: The sequel to the successful animated movie a few years ago. Probably pretty cute, but it’s not my thing.

Repo! The Genetic Opera:
Cast: Paul Sorvino, Anthony Head, Alexa Vega, Paris Hilton

Plot: A worldwide epidemic encourages a biotech company to launch an organ-financing program similar in nature to a standard car loan. Too bad the repossession clause is a killer …

Preview: I don’t really know anything about this movie other than what I saw in the trailer. It’s like a modern-day Rocky Horror Pictureshow-esque film. Aimed for the cult-underground music scene (I guess), but I don’t think I’m gonna see it.

Role Models:
Cast: Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bobb’e J. Thompson

Plot: Unsavory behavior forces a pair of energy-drink reps (Rudd and Scott) to enroll in a Big Brother program, where the duo learn, however reluctantly, to bond with their assigned kids.

Preview: This looks pretty great. Paul Rudd is funny as hell and Seann William Scott needs a good movie (he’s in a bit of a rutt). The whole cast just seems great. Definitely seeing this.
House - Another one that snuck up on me. It looks like a legit haunted house flick. It’s one of those horror movies that either are pretty good or just flat-out suck. Probably bypass this one as well.

House:
Cast: Allana Bale, J.P. Davis, Jeffrey de Graft-Johnson

Plot: A freak accident strands a couple on a deserted back road in Alabama. Happening upon the Wayside Inn, they meet another couple — victims of a similar accident — and thus begins a game enacted by a killer known as the Tin Man. Can the couples survive the night, knowing the only “safe” way out of the inn is to kill one of the four of them?

Preview: This is another one I don’t know too much about. Just from looking at the trailer, it looks like this could be a good horror movie. But, it is one of those horror movies that could either be good, or really really terrible. It seems like a legit haunted house movie, but I think I’ll wait for the DVD.

November 14th
Quantum of Solace:
Cast: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric

Plot: Picking up where Casino Royale left off, James Bond sets his sights on the organization behind Vesper Lynd’s betrayal. The mission puts him on a collision course with Dominic Greene, a ruthless businessman who, Bond soon learns, is brokering a deal to take total control of one of the world’s most precious resources. Relying on allies new and old — including Camille, a beautiful woman with her own agenda — Agent 007 looks to bring down Greene and his conspirators.

Preview: I kind of gave up on the James Bond series when I was younger. I’ve heard good things about the last one, plus the trailer looks pretty intense. I might see this one, but it’s a maybe.

November 21st
Bolt:
Cast: John Travolta, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Miley Cyrus

Plot: Bolt is a celebrity dog and the star of a hit TV show where his amazing feats and powers draw big ratings. But when a mail-room mix-up finds him roaming free on the streets of New York City, the wonder dog will have to learn to rely on his actual strengths — as well as his new friends, an abandoned housecat and a starry-eyed hamster — in order to find his way back home.

Preview: Another fun-looking animated movie. Again, it seems pretty good, but not my kind of movie.

Twilight:
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke

Plot: In her new town of Forks, Washington, misfit teenager Bella Swan falls for her alluring and mysterious classmate, Edward Cullen. As it turns out, Edward belongs to a lineage of vampires, although he doesn’t fit the typical vampire mold. As their passion reaches dizzying heights, can Edward resist his natural urges, and will he be able to defend Bella from his family members who have come for her?

Preview: Now I’m a fan of the vampire, werewolf, sci-fi movie genre, but this one is that plus girly romance. I have heard good things about the book, but this is not a movie that I plan on seeing on my own terms. I might, but it probably won’t be my choice.

November 26th
Transporter 3:
Cast: Jason Statham, Robert Knepper, Katia Tchenko

Plot: Frank Martin is back for another job. This time, however, he can’t get any more than 75 feet away from the car.

Preview: Ever since the movie Crank (maybe before, I don’t really know) I lost faith in Jason Statham as an actor. This movie looks a lot like Crank (and it’s eventual sequel…). An interesting story, probably some sold action, but then a lot of bad acting and actions sequences that are too over-the-top. I highly, highly doubt that I’ll be seeing this one.

Four Christmases:
Cast: Vince Vaugh, Reese Witherspoon, Jon Favreau, Jon Voight, Robert Duvall

Plot: A comedy about a married couple from two divorced families who are tasked with attending four Christmas Day celebrations.

Preview:This looks like a movie that my mom, or people of that demographic, would be interested in seeing. Vince Vaughn is a funny guy. He’s really the only reason this movie would be tolerable, but not that tolerable.

Australia:
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman

Plot: Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot. As the pair drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape, they experience the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by Japanese forces firsthand.

Preview: This seems like a really serious love story. One that I will definitely pass.

Milk:
Cast: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, James Franco

Plot: A chronicle of Harvey Milk’s ascent to become San Francisco’s first openly gay city supervisor in 1977, and the political fallout that led to his assassination, as well as Mayor George Moscone’s, the following year.

Preview: This looks like a really serious drama. It seems like a good story, great cast and a talented director. I don’t think I’ll see this is theaters, but it might be a good rent.

All plots, except Transporter 3, courtesy of IMDb.

Title: Sex Drive

Starring Actor(s)/Actress(es): Josh Zuckerman, Amanda Crew, James Marsden, Clark Duke, Seth Green

Genre: Comedy

Status: In Theaters

Release Date: October 17th, 2008

Plot Summary: Ian, the stereotypical highschool nerd, sets off on a cross-country road trip with some
of his best friends to lose his virginity to a girl he met online.

Review: This movie snuck up on me a little. Not recently (as it has been whored like hell on tv in the past few weeks), but I usually am a few months ahead of the movies that I want to see, and I was unaware of this one until about a month ago. To be brutally honest, there really isn’t a whole lot that differentiates this movie from any other teen comedy. The story is pretty basic and quite predictable, the acting is very mediocre and the use of language and nudity is obviously evident. Like many of the teen movies I’ve seen (too numerous to link to), this movie is full of many things that (probably) won’t ever happen to anyone reading this. That being said, it was still a pretty enjoyable movie. It’s a bit of the same thing, for me, as action movies. I’m not too hung up on the details, but if the jokes (in this situation) are good enough I can still enjoy what I’m seeing. There were some great scenes though. Seth Green really stole every scene he was in throughout the entire thing. Also, I’ve never seen Clark Duke in anything prior to this movie, and he did pretty well in his break-out role.

Overall, this is a pretty solid movie if you’re in the mood for some immature, fun comedy. If you’re going to the movies for some Oscar-nominated acting, I would definitely suggest something else.

On a side note: The TV/Internet age is really making the event of seeing a movie less and less enjoyable. There were many parts of this movie that I really thought were funny but, thanks to the numerous trailers I’ve seen on TV, they weren’t so great because I’d seen them so many times before. So my tip for all of you: If you want to see a movie really badly, try to watch the trailers as little as possible,

Rating: 3.75/5

So, as another attempt to conquer my chronic boredom, the category of Movie Previews will be up and running within a week or so.

In this category I will be looking to the month ahead for what movies will be coming out that month. Then I will give my thoughts of what this movie will be like, along with whether or not I plan on seeing it. If you see a movie on my list that has a preview that you disagree with, let me know and maybe I’ll change my mind. This is just another way for you to know what’s coming out, and for me to look back and see if I think the same way about it after I see it.

Thanks for reading, and be on the lookout for November’s list soon.

Title: Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist

Starring Actor(s)/Actress(es): Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, Ari Graynor, Alexis Dziena, Aaron Yoo

Genre: Comedy / Romance

Status: In Theaters

Release Date: October 3rd, 2008

Plot Summary: Complete strangers Nick and Norah (Cera and Dennings) meet up at one of Nick’s band’s shows in a moment of spontaneity, thus beginning a crazy night of running around NYC.

Review: I’m not going to lie, I was excited for this movie for a long while. It’s another movie of stuff that will never happen to you, but it was still fun to watch. The acting, while it wasn’t amazing, did seem to be more normal. It’s a movie that includes situations that are a little far-fetched, but the dialog is very simple and it really grounds the movie. Like the dialog, the actors are looking a little more realistic these days. They aren’t casting people that could easily pass for a 25-year-old as high school seniors anymore, which makes the movie a little easier to relate to. The story to the movie was quite predictable, but it definitely had it’s share of laughs. Michael Cera has his brand of humor (awkwardness basically) down pat and it’s always enjoyable. It did turn into a teenage love story at the end of the movie, so the last 20 minutes or so were pretty sappy, but it did give the story closure and it did it well.

Overall, this is one of those movies that I hope my friends see. I do think that these teen comedies are moving good direction. This is a great movie that seems to be a little more mature than recent attempts, but it still has it’s immature humor that everyone loves (even if you don’t admit it).

Rating: 4.5/5

Title: Righteous Kill

Starring Actor(s)/Actress(es): Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Donnie Wahlberg, Carla Gugino, John Leguizamo

Genre: Drama / Action

Status: In Theaters

Release Date: September 12th, 2008

Plot Summary: With a serial killer on the loose, two senior detectives try to solve the case that may have started from their own wrongdoing.

Review: I’m not really a huge fan of these cop/crime dramas, but this one was enjoyable. It’s hard for me to really care, but De Niro and Pacino together in one movie means it’s going to be amazingly badass. That being said, the supporting cast did exceptionally well also. It was a very well cast movie with a great story line. Though the story was interesting and all, the twist at the end was a little foreseen and not much of a twist at all. For a frequent, or even somewhat frequent, moviegoer this movie was pretty easy to figure out. Towards the end of the movie they tried to confuse you a little more, which was fun, but doesn’t excuse the fact that this movie, besides the acting, was pretty straightforward.

Overall, I would suggest this one as a good rent or even download, but there’s really nothing special there. It’s a solid crime drama, with outstanding acting and a fairly well put together story, that lacks the usual twist.

Rating: 3/5

Title: Tropic Thunder

Starring Actor(s)/Actress(es): Ben Stiller, Robert Downey, Jr., Jack Black, Jay Baruchel, Brandon T. Jackson

Genre: Action / Comedy

Status: In Theaters

Release Date: August 13th, 2008

Plot Summary: While making a big-budget war movie, five actors get thrown into a real combat zone and have to take on a real-life rescue mission.

Review: This was an interesting movie. I guess the whole action/comedy genre got a revamp over the last year, and they’re doing pretty well. The main question when it came to seeing this movie was ‘Could all those actors play their parts well enough to make a solid movie.’ and it worked pretty well. From my experience, I thought that Robert Downey, Jr.’s character was quite a scene stealer throughout the entire movie. I guess if this movie had come out, say, two or three years ago I would have been much more satisfied with Stiller or Black’s performance, but their roles seemed to just not be as interesting. Baruchel has become quite a good actor, and he does very good in the comedies I’ve seen him in as of late. The story was pretty straightforward and could easily been determined from the trailer. There was nothing really about this movie that made it stand out that far from other comedies of the summer. That being said, it did have it’s moments. There were quite a few times that I laughed quite hard and out loud, but those moments were few and far between. And the truly sad thing is that the funniest parts were the mock movie trailers at the very beginning of the movie.

Overall, I would say that this was a good effort in terms of comedies. Like I said, there were some really good bits, and the action that was incorporated with the story was fairly interesting. I can definitely see why this movie was the first movie to overthrow the Dark Knight, but it’s probably not a movie that I would watch again any time soon.

Rating: 3.5/5

Title: Traitor

Starring Actor(s)/Actress(es): Don Cheadle, Saïd Taghmaoui, Guy Pearce, Neal McDonough

Genre: Action / Drama

Status: In Theaters

Release Date: August 27th, 2008

Plot Summary: A special operative (Cheadle) working for a renowned terrorist group inadvertently becomes a target of the CIA.

Review: I could easily see how this one would slip by the mainstream (as it would appear from the not so full theater). It’s not the knock-down-drag-out action movies that have been all the rage lately (i.e. Wanted or Death Race). It really had a very sincere plot that made for an interesting movie. It’s very well put together as well. Judging by what I saw in the trailer, I thought I was going to see a movie that fell in along the lines of the Bourne series, but this one took a strange turn from the get go. As much as I will never understand the whole suicide bomber mentality, seeing something from that point of view was quite intriguing. Don Cheadle was, as usual, quite amazing in this movie. His co-star throughout most of the film, Taghmaoui, also did a very good job portraying the sort of middle-man in the organization. That all being said, there were many parts to this movie that seemed to be a little slow. Granted, they did build up to some pretty intense moments, the slowness got a little strung out. I think one of the reasons these kinds of movies seem so appealing is because of the global settings in which they occur. There had to have been eight to ten different city/countries seen throughout the movie, which made for the question of where they would go next, which I love.

Overall, I would say this one is a solid action/drama, with just a bit more emphasis on the drama. It’s definitely not for everyone (in fact it seems to be for more of a middle-aged crowd), and most of my friends wouldn’t find it as intriguing as I did, but it’s definitely a good movie. One of the finer serious action movies (now I mean serious and action-packed, not seriously action-packed) I’ve seen in quite some time.

Rating: 3.75/5