Avatar

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Astro Boy

low expectations, wasn't too disappointed.

i've been a fan of astro boy for years now, and when this movie came out i was kinda excited to see the characters come to life. the reviews were poor, and i figured my beloved memories wouldn't be realized in this modern 3d film. i was pretty much right, but it was still enjoyable nonetheless. nicolas cage sucks in general, but he's even worse as a voice over actor. he's HORRIBLE as astro's scientist father. freddie highmore is great as astro however. the plot is fairly predictable, and they use so many cliches from kids movies of old... evil politicians, environmental problems that must be addressed, and friendship... there are many similarities to the film artificial intelligence... so it's obvious that we're not getting originality here. but the action is fun, and astro boy is just awesome in my opinion anyways.

Alice (Neco z Alenky)

jan svankmajer in wonderland

i have always enjoyed stop motion animation, especially when i was young. now i still like and appreciate it, but it isn't as magical and amazing as when i was a kid. alice is a live action/stop motion animation film by jan svankmajer. i'll admit that the only other films of his i've seen was little otik and faust. i've always heard how dark and disturbing his films were, but i didn't get that from them at all, and that disappointed me. alice isn't much different in my opinion. it's mostly just repetative stop motion action set in the small world of alice in wonderland. the film seems so small, like we're stuck in a little house with a few tiny rooms, and hardly anything happens. the film follows the basic story of alice in wonderland and through the looking glass (i believe), and offers little new to the many many versions out there. the stop motion animation is good as usual, but it's almost just a gimmick. like i said, there is a lot of repetition, and little adventure to be had.

Away We Go

don't assume we give a shit

sam mendes and everyone else behind this film assume we like and care about these characters. i know i didn't. that's probably what made me dislike away we go. bert (john kransinski) and verona (maya rudolph) are a young couple who are about to have a baby... they end up searching for the perfect place to raise a family, and through a road trip around america (and montreal canada) they learn about themselves and parenting, etc.
this film, along with so many others these days, gives no real closure. at the end i mostly wondered why i was supposed to care about these people. now i don't have kids, nor do i anticipate having any for a loooong time... so maybe that woulda helped me enjoy their journey. they meet quirky people, most of which are terrible parents that they don't want to emulate. the best of which are maggie gyllenhaal and her husband. the most hippy people ever! i lolled at them quite a bit, so that was nice. otherwise there was a decent blend of comedy and drama. what does bert see in verona anyways? she's nothing special, and i never understood why they cared so much about eachother. sam mendes didn't do that great of job building their relationship in my opinion.
also, alot of the parental advice and conversations seem horribly written. no one talks the way most of the characters did... anyways, other than a few good performances, this is basically a waste.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil

spinal tap, but for realz

the story of anvil is quite a sad and hilarious one. anvil is a big hair 80's metal band that is still together after all these years. their story has ups and downs, but mostly downs, and we get to see it all with plenty of humanity/hilarity. lips (lead singer/guitar) and robb (drums) are the 2 remaining members of the group, and they have been rocking since they were 14. in the 80's they saw some fame, but didn't really go anywhere... even though they were respected by their peers, and had plenty of die hard fans. now, almost 30 years later they are still performing and searching for another big break. they often perform in front of less than 100 people, don't get paid much, and work shit jobs to make ends meet. this film will make you laugh, possibly cry, and certainly cheer. great stuff in this rock documentary.

Adventureland

more drama than hilarity

adventureland is a comedy about growing up, figuring it all out, and the complicated nature of relationships. james is a grad school student who is forced to take a shitty theme park job to pay for his education. there he meets lots of people and has many experiences that shape him, although it is all around horrible. there is a fair amount of drama for this seemingly hilarious film, including a love triangle, a cheating husband, anti-semitism, and other highly volitile material. it works great. bill hader shines as the park manager.