Movie Minute: It was a big weekend...

Whoah boy do I have a lot to tell you! I guess I've just got a lot of 'movie stuff' swilling around up there so I better regurgitate it!

I chatted to the editor of Empire Magazine last week about the new issue, which has an amazing horror feature. You get an inside peek at Will Smith's I Am Legend and there is an evaluation of all Stephen King's paper to cinema concoctions. Absolutely brilliant. Go buy it now!

No seriously man, the green pants...HAWT.

So I'll start with the DVD I rented. I've been wanting to see Invincible for a while but it seems as though every time I go to the video store, whoever I'm with is not so keen. I love sports movies and I really like Mark Wahlberg so I was intrigued to see how he'd do in one of those "based on a true story" Disney tales. It's about Vince Papali who was a nobody that took advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime chance and it panned out. (Don't they always???) Basically he was a decent guy who ended up living a dream. Nothing about this flick is extraordinary except the man the story was based on. Movies like this always make me feel great, and with Mark Wahlberg and the lovely Elizabeth Banks (Slither, Spider-Man) it was EVEN better than I expected. I shed a tear and felt all warm and fuzzy inside. Job well done again Mr. Disney! (3/5 Pigskin Stars)

"So, you're sure that chicks love beards, 'cause this thing is pretty itchy".

I also took in a double feature today with my fellow movie crazed friend Megan. I saw a few trailers that affected me, one to the point where I squeezed out a single tear. The first one was Rescue Dawn, another true story about a prisoner of war in Vietnam played by Christian Bale. It looked AH-mazing. There hasn't been a 'Nam flick for a while, and I always like those. The other one is Rendition with Reese Witherspoon which is about the US govt abducting a suspected terrorist and the special agent (played by Jake 'give me any part and I'll do it ...well' Gyllenhaal) who questions his own actions. When I read the synopsis for this I thought "Boooooooring" but the bit at the end of the trailer where Reese Witherspoon screams "Tell me where he is" or something like that, I basically got chills. Now we're up to the one which made me tear up...it's A Mighty Heart with Angelina Jolie. ANOTHER true story based on the love of one woman for her husband, a journalist who is captured by terrorists. These are all heavy hitting dramas, not my usual 'must see' films. I tend to avoid those heart wrenching ones because I know I'll be depressed for hours afterwards, especially during the 'true stories'. In these cases though, I cannot wait to be depressed!

'Maybe Brad was right, the perm is out'.

I love watching double features, especially on the weekend during the day. USUALLY the cinema is empty, as was in the case of my second screening (The Brave One). However, the first film I saw, Death at a Funeral, was packed...with grey haired old ladies! I swear, it looked like Sacred Heart Home for the Elderly had a field trip day to the movies. I was really surprised! I must admit it was nice watching a racy comedy in a room full of oldies who chuckled everytime someone uttered the "F Word". It was like being a kid again.

Tudyk never got over the death of Wash.

Death at a Funeral stars lots of British people, a midget and a dead guy. It was directed by Frank Oz (yes, Yoda). The basic idea is that funerals are funny. It also examines the idea that we don't really know someone sometimes, until it's too late. This black comedy is being hailed by critics, but I actually found it a bit boring with recycled jokes and the annoying use of a midget (or little person...height impaired???) for chuckles. Not only is he a midget but a damn good actor who played an amazing character in the Station Agent. While it was clear they weren't making fun of little people, it was still annoying. I did enjoy Death at a Funeral but I've seen much better British films. I was expecting more. The best part was Alan Tudyk naked on a roof, off his rocker on acid. Yes, I watched this movie with little old ladies and little old men. Yeesh. (2.5/5 Little Stars)

Well you see, there was this one armed man and...

The second film I saw (after a much needed break which included a delicious salad and a Starbucks hot chocolate) was The Brave One starring Jodie Foster and (mama mia) Terrence Howard. Foster and the dude from Lost are a couple and they get bashed in NYC while out walking their dog. The losers end up killing the Lost dude and leaving Foster near death...oh and they steal the dog. Foster becomes a vigilante killer, offing bad guys left and right. Howard plays her friend who starts to suspect something is a little off. I couldn't help but cheering with each murderer, gangsta and pervert she blasted. The ending surprised me but it was realistic. The whole movie could have been based on a graphic novel and I was quite surprised it wasn't. It was like a more enjoyable 'A History of Violence'. I have to say it was my pick out of the two today and not once did I get the feeling she was some man-hater. (4/5 9mm Stars)

So it was a great weekend for watching movies. It pretty much always is.

Until next time, see you in the dark!