another fun weekend (and week) was had in the city

Oh, to be back in High School

The weekend started with the roommate and I watching the hilarious and enjoyable HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2. It is hard to explain why these films are so much fun. The thing is, they are young, fresh, easy to make fun of, but ultimately have a good heart. Is it my favorite movie musical ever? Hex, no….but it is good fun, and they had a sing-a-long version which was oodles of dorky fun. I do have to mention Zac Efron. Of course, he is adorable…everything a teeny-bopper heart-throb should be. However, he is also weirdly Marlon Brando intense as an actor…and it is bizarre, yet fascinating to watch. There is one scene when he comes upon his girlfriend dancing with a seemingly-gay character. They are laughing and have their arms around one another….anyway, Zac looks like he was just told that the world is going to end in a moment, it was his fault, and his mother wasn’t really his mother. I mean, as an actor, you are told to ratchet up the stakes in a situation, and he just takes it to a whole new level. It is as if he is playing Hamlet instead of Troy in HSM2.

Final thoughts: Grab some popcorn, get ready to mock, and bop to the teeny-bopper music.

Photo credit: www.imdb.com

SUPERBAD is super good

I have such happiness in my soul when the refugees from ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT pop up in different projects. There was a party in my soul to see the funny Michael Cera take the movie scene by storm. I am the wrong demographic for SUPERBAD. Getting that out of the way, this movie was hilarious. Dirty, funny, and sweet, this is a movie about teenage boys….what they want….the unspoken fears they have….and the trauma it is to not be the captain of the football team. Both Cera and comrade Jonah Hill bring a surprising depth to what could be a throwaway teen-sex movie. Instead with humor and moments of sweetness, they can have you laughing, cringing, and sighing within moments. Kudos to Judd Apatow for bringing us yet another grown-up and unapologetic comedy to the masses.

Final thoughts: Too funny….and Michael Cera is in it. How does this movie not rock?

Photo credit: http://www.movieweb.com/

Matt Damon!

Finally, a trilogy that doesn’t utterly and completely drop the ball on the third film! After the train wrecks that were SPIDERMAN and PIRATES, I was ready to have a fit of epic proportions if someone didn’t do this right. Yeah for Matt Damon! BOURNE ULTIMATUM is a gritty thriller, and is well worth the price of admission. The pieces are starting to come together, and Bourne is turning into a larger and larger liability for the government. David Strathairn is a great villain, and Joan Allen is back with her diplomacy in place. With a hand-held camera, director Paul Greengrass thrusts the audience into the action, and is relentless in the violent realism of the film’s action sequences. You can’t help but root for Bourne as he works to uncover his past.

Final thoughts: Great action, well directed, and a great ending to the Bourne legacy.

Photo credit: http://www.movieweb.com/

STARDUST dreams

I am, of course, a hopeless romantic at heart, and therefore, love a grand, epic, love story adventure. STARDUST manages to be funny, swashbuckling, and sweet, and a fun time at the movies. Claire Danes is a falling star. Charlie Cox decides to go through the wall of his village to the magical land beyond to collect the star for his true love Sienna Miller. Adventure ensues. Michelle Pfeiffer is delicious as a witch who wants the star to reclaim her youth, and Robert DeNiro plays a gay pirate. Seriously. I giggled like a kid, and got lost in the magical land beyond the wall. Although this isn’t really a kid’s movie….you can still embrace being a kid-at-heart, and enjoy rooting for the good guy, booing the bad guy, and getting lost in the adventures.

Final thoughts: Grab some popcorn, and enjoy the adventure!

Photo credit: www.movieweb.com