"I blame the fish-people."

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, 2007. Two and a Half Stars.

Meh, kind of stopped caring about this franchise after the first movie. But whatever, it was entertaining.

I did like the whole "Island of Jack Sparrows" thing, and having to flip the boat upside down.

Kiera Knightley is pretty bad ass, per usual. And you can never go wrong with Bill Nighy!

I played a Dancing Pirate Girl in the Wollaston Elementary School's 5th grade rendition of "Peter Pan," and we danced to "A Pirate's Life For Me." It's a fun song to dance to, but pretty dumb to make a movie about!

"Time for lunch... in a cup!"

Wall-E, 2008. Three and a Half Stars.

Friends that have seen this movie looooooooved it! One went so far as to say it was his favorite Pixar movie ever. (Mine's still The Incredibles!)

My grandmother, on the other hand, hated it. She took my little cousin to see it, and said it was boring and not a very good kids movie. Also, as an avid recycler, she didn't appreciate being preached to. After the first half hour, my cousin, who was also bored, asked if they could leave. So, yeah, my gramma and cousin walked out on Wall-E!

I went to see it, and I enjoyed it. The characterizations of all of the robots, and the non-traditional storytelling (there was no dialogue in the first half of the movie, but it totally held my attention), was pretty amazing!! And I thought all the goo-shaped humans in hover chairs and sipping meals out of cups was right on and funny. Plus it had a happy ending, which always melts my heart!

But after hearing how my gramma reacted, I think I need to see this movie again. I liked it, but I'm 26. Buddies of mine that liked it are around my age or older, but not as old as my gramma. Maybe a second viewing would help me see if this is actually a successful kids movie or not. Because if grandmothers and little kids are walking out of this movie, maybe Pixar needs to reconsider who their audience is.

"You don't like Creedence?" "This is like having a pine cone shoved in my ass."

Live Free or Die Hard, 2007. Three stars.

I could probably say a lot about this movie, but I think the only important thing to say is: It's no way near as cool as the first one (WHICH ROCKS!!!), but it's one of the better sequels.

And The Mac Guy wasn't as annoying as I expected.

Also, someone should have told the writers that the internet doesn't work like magic.

Aaaaaaand, I first knew Kevin Smith as Silent Bob, so I still get stoked when he talks in movies!

"He must have had on some really nice pants."

The Pursuit of Happyness, 2006. Four Stars.

How can such an inspirational and uplifting movie NOT get Four Stars?? Well, I guess if the movie sucked, it wouldn't get Four Stars. But this movie didn't suck!

Before seeing it, I knew this was going to be a "trials & tribulations" story, but with an extremely happy ending. I looooooove happy endings (especially those inspired by true events), but I just wasn't sure how difficult it would be to get through the "trials & tribulations" part. I get pretty emotionally involved in movies. Consider yourself lucky if you've never had to experience watching a movie with me.

But the difficult parts of this movie weren't that difficult to watch. This is partially because it's so amazing to see all the crap that the main character goes through, and how his unflappable spirit, brilliant problem-solving skills, and awesome ability to think on his feet helps him beat it and get what he's worked hard for. My jaw dropped many times during this film. This dude rocks.

If you've avoided this movie because you think it'll be sappy-sweet and stupid to watch, drop that notion and go watch this sometime.

Fun fact about Will Smith that I picked up on imdb.com: Once stated that in his whole career, he most regrets turning down the part of "Neo" in The Matrix (1999) and the film that he most regrets making was Wild Wild West (1999). If I were him, I'd feel the same way!!

"Shit just got real!"

Hot Fuzz, 2007. Four Stars.

I'd seen this in the theatre when it first came out, and I really liked it. Saw it again recently, and realized: THIS IS THE BEST COP MOVIE EVER.

Firstly, who'd heard of a British cop movie? So, really, to finally make one's brilliant on it's own. Secondly, this movie just kicks so much butt!! Lots of explosions and violence towards the end. And lots of fun cop movie references. Very self-aware of it though, which I'm always a fan of. Just really kicks butt.

And there's the whole eerie townspeople aspect of it too, which lends a sort of supernatural quality for awhile. It's a big ol' mystery-thriller-action movie. Which is awesome!!

Another cool thing? The soundtrack, of course. And, yes, that is a Jon Spencer song used for when everyone's getting booked! It RULES.

And, yeah, obviously this movie's really funny!!!

I'm not sure this needs to be said now, but it did kind of needed to be a reminder when it was first released: You'll be disappointed if you're expecting Shaun of the Dead Part II. This is a completely different movie! And Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost have done a heck of a job with this flick.

"Someone is either a smoker or a nonsmoker. There's no in-between. The trick is to find out which one you are, and be that."

Dead Again, 1991. Three Stars.

Pretty cool movie! Caught it by accident: was once again going through the TV guide, was interested in the title of this movie, read the description, and decided to record it on the ol' DVR.

So it's like a love story that spans past and present, between two couples, but, they're the same couple... Pretty darn stylish and, as other reviewers have said, "noir-y." The ending was pretty surprising! At least, it was for me.

I HATED Kenneth Branagh's 90's hair, but I LOVE his 40's hair! For awhile I actually couldn't tell that these two character were played by the same guy, I kept thinking to myself, "So, where's Kenneth Branagh in the 40's?? He's starring opposite Emma Thompson, so he has to be here somewhere." That's my only real gripe about this movie: that I got confused by Kenneth Branagh's hair. But really, if the point of this story is that the couples are the same in the past and in the present, wouldn't you want to make it obvious that the couples were the same, hence making the similarities between the two couples undeniable? It was easy to spot Emma's characters, why not do the same for Kenneth?

Oh, and by the way, totally dug Robin Williams in this movie! I'm sick of his crazy/wacky/loud RobonWilliams-esque characters. I like when he strays from that comfort zone. Like he was so good in One Hour Photo. Same with Jim Carrey in The Cable Guy, which is a terribly underrated movie!

Your name is dumb bitch TOO? No wonder I keep getting all of your mail! You know, we could be related. There are a lot of us dumb bitches here in LA.

The Truth About Cats & Dogs, 1996. Three Stars.

I was hanging out at my friend Captain's one night, and I saw she had a copy of The Truth About Cats & Dogs next to her TV. I think I joked about it, because I'd heard it was such a chick-flick and was kind of lame. And I thought she started joking back about how it was her favorite movie and she could watch it all the time. Except, she wasn't joking! She really liked it, so we decided to watch it.

She's right: this is a great movie! It's fun, it has animals in it, the cast is cute-as-buttons, and the story is very sweet. Janeane Garofalo is absolutely adorable, more adorable than usual. I always think Uma's a hottie, but it was cool to see her play a fragile person. I don't really know who Ben Chaplin is, but, he's kind of charming in this.

And, though there's an obvious message, it's also a true one that's good to remember: a smokin' hottie on the outside might not necessarily be so great on the inside, and someone who you'd normally not cast a second look at could be the coolest person you'd ever meet.

"I love you!... I mean, I think we should hang out socially... I have a new ping pong table."

Evan Almighty, 2007. Three Stars.

Yeah, this movie wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be! Though I need to mention that I saw this on an 8-hour flight from Chicago to Hololulu, so I'm keeping in mind that viewing conditions weren't the best, and it was also edited.

But, I dunno, it was funny! Definitely geared toward little kids, so some of the gags were obvious and kept repeating themselves, but there were some genuinely comedic things happening in this flick. I laughed more than I expected to. Me and the 10-year-old girl sitting in front of me were having a ball watching it, haha!

And the story was, like, better than I'd expected. It was heart-warming and, like, actually made sense. And the bad guy got his in the end. And I liked the message from God:

"Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?"

...Awwwwww!

"Well if they weren't you could kiss my rebel coochie, faggot."

Black Snake Moan, 2006. Three and a Half Stars.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie; the descriptions and ads made it seem like some heavy, uncomfortable shit was going to happen, particularly between Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci. I braced myself for the worst.

But, nothing awful happened! In fact, this was a really good movie! The story was unexpected, the characters were amazing, and the acting? Of course Jackson and Ricci were awesome, but, so was... JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE!! I kept going back and forth between if it was really him or not. It sure was. Hot Damn.

AND Reba the Mail Lady was in it too!

Music's a key part of the storytelling in this flick, I say. It was great. Go Samuel. Go blues guys.

A couple of parts in this movie were a bit much, but it's not bothersome. I'm actually surprised at how much I ended up liking this movie.

"Whether Andromeda is the newspaper, or it's the delivery boy who is dropping it off, the message is loud and clear: Drop Dead."

The Andromeda Strain, 2008. One Star.

This made-for-TV miniseries was awful. Except that Daniel Dae Kim was in it. But his character's death had absolutely no cause, which was really dumb! Ricky Schroder was pretty good in this too. But this movie is so boring and pointless, don't waste your time.

"We know now we can't beat their machines. We've got to beat THEM."

War of the Worlds, 1953. Three Stars.

Good fun, including all the 50's sci-fi ridiculousness! The RGB alien lenses were great. I don't know what else to say about this movie. Everyone's probably seen it already, right? It's better than the Tom Cruise version, where everyone in Boston is miraculously safe. Go Beacon Hill!!

I only now get that Dr. Clayton Forrester from MST3K was named after the main character in this movie! That's awesome!

"We were younger." "We had guns!"

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, 2008. Four Stars.

I so enjoyed this movie! More so than the people I saw it with. The "Indy" character stayed true, the action was fun and ridiculous (like all Indiana Jones movies!), and I didn't even mind "Mutt" or that Indy and Mary got married at the end. All good fun. I've overheard complaints about how the whole "aliens" thing was "unbelievable." IT'S AN INDIANA JONES MOVIE. It fits right in, plus gives the whole "50's sci-fi" feel that was accurate to the time period. I've also heard that the "bad guy" wasn't "bad" enough. Though I agree a little bit, I don't think that's a negative thing, just interesting.

Can't say it enough: I really enjoyed this movie!!

"Sir, I think I speak for everyone when I say: To hell with our orders."

Star Trek: First Contact, 1996. Four Stars.

In case you're not familiar with my Star Trek experience, it's kind of explained in my Insurrection review!

So, this movie kicked butt!! It was so great! I'd never been that familiar with The Borg, so this was really cool. They looked phenomenal, especially for mid-90's special effects!! They were really scary. And the thing with how Earth makes First Contact, and how The Borg were going to destroy it, and the thing with Data, and everything... was so COOL!!

A+ movie!!!


FYI: I found this website while looking up The Borg. What??

"You may be *a* Doctor, but I'm *the* Doctor. The definite article, you might say."

"Doctor Who: Robot (Parts 1 - 4)", 1974 - 1975. Two and a Half Stars.

I am an UNBELIEVABLY HUGE fan of the new "Doctor Who" series!! Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant have both been amazing and hottie Doctors, and their differences in character only add to the deliciousness of The Doctor.

Despite my fanaticism toward the current series, I had never seen any of the previous series. My boyfriend Tim (my parter-in-Nerdism) read up on the Doctor Who universe (he's like a handsome encyclopedia of interesting nerdy things!), and came to the consensus that Tom Baker seems to be the most favored "Doctor," so let's give his first episodes a go. Hence, we watched "Robot."

Erm, couldn't really get into it. I appreciate the camp value, and that the special effects were from a 70's British TV show. And I'm sure that Tom Baker's character was a breath of fresh air for the fans. Heck, if you get past his annoying spaciness, he's a little charming.

It seems like the earlier series of "Doctor Who" were more geared toward children (I've heard people say how much these "Robot" episodes scared the daylights out of 'em when they were kids!), whereas the new episodes seem to be appropriate for adults... like, say, the kids who watched it when they were young except they're grown up now. I know, I'm so philosophical. Haha!

So, I couldn't get into these episodes. I'll definitely still check out more of the older series, either I'll start liking it more or at least I'll be paying some sort of respect to the history of the show I love so much now.



Fun Fact: I love making paper toys! This is the latest design I downloaded and made: http://cubeecraft.com/character085.html!

"God didn't make Rambo. I made him!"

First Blood, 1982. Three and a Half Stars.

My childhood had been filled with lots of Rambo references, so I'm sure I'd seen this movie at some point a long time ago. Couldn't have told you a thing about it, though; the only thing I remembered is my sister Sara's Rambo weeble-esque punching bag and toy machine gun, and the spoof with Weird Al Yankovic in UHF. So... nothing about the actual movie.

Yet, in my heart, when thinking about revisiting this movie, I'd get all fidgety. I have an awful memory, and I tend to only remember my emotions and reactions to things rather than the actual things. And my infant brain apparently only remembers the tedious parts of movies. For example, before re-watching these movies when I was older, this is all I had recalled from Baby Chrissy's memories:

- Big Trouble in Little China: Kurt Russell got lipsticked from kissing a girl, and he and friends are walking in a mucky tunnel. And that lightning guy!
- The Abyss: Water and lights.
- Poltergeist: That the little girl died from the flu and the girl at the end of the movie was a double. Yeah I know that happened in the third one but that's all I could remember about any of the Poltergeist movies.
- Dirty Dancing: That bitchin' song during that final dance (I really really liked that part of the movie; actually I haven't watched it in ages, I don't know what happens in this movie!!).

So, I think for First Blood, I know there was supposed to be a lot of kick ass-edry, but all I remembered was a guy in a forest and me being bored watching that, so thinking about re-watching it made me think about being fidgety.

But I worked through it and indeed watched it again. (In fact, I rented it from my sister Sara!) It was not what I expected. It WAS full of kick ass-edry, but I felt really bad for Rambo. Really, those numbnuts called the cavalry on a dude who fought for their country and now has nowhere to go so he gets charged with vagrancy? And they chase him all around trying to kill him and people die? It was ridiculous. But I still enjoyed it, especially the whole psychology part!

I should probably watch all the other ones. I hear the fourth one actually isn't half bad!!

"That's wonderfully sensitive... especially from a man who wears such tight pants." "It forces all the blood to my heart."

Music and Lyrics, 2007. Three and a Half Stars.

I remember having no desire to see this movie when it came out in theatres. But I'd randomly found it on the TV guide one day, and decided to set up a recording for it on my DVR. Then finally one day I watched it.

This movie is surprisingly fun! Lots of great satire about the pop music biz. And the original music in this is pretty good! The movie opens with Hugh Grant's former band's video, which is hilarious, but also catchy!! All his "has-been" music is great, and the new pop diva that he's writing music for is so ridiculous, but also in a hilarious way.

Hugh Grant, who I'm usually not as charmed by as everyone else seems to me, was INCREDIBLY charming and handsome! Drew Barrymore is also sweet and adorable. They have a quirky kind of chemistry in this movie, which was shockingly likeable.

This is a very cute movie, totally turn it on one night if you're in the mood for something light and cheery!

"It's time to pay the piper. He's gonna reap what he sowed, and it sure ain't corn. Or wheat."

Eagle vs Shark, 2007. Two Stars.

I was sooooooooooooo disappointed in this movie! Firstly, I am a HUGE fan of Flight of the Conchords, which I should probably do a review about some time soon. Secondly and consequently, I love everything about Jemaine Clements. He's hysterical on FotC, and he's also an amazing musician. And he's sexy. AND he was the balls in Tongan Ninja, which could very well be one of my favorite movies and I should also review it sometime soon as well. I also love the episodes of FotC that Taika Waititi directed and wrote, they're one of the funniest/most bizarre ones!

While looking up info on the internet about these two guys one night, I stumbled upon an incredible (and stuff-heavy) website about this movie they did called Eagle vs Shark (I don't think this is the same website I'd found, but it's pretty close!). It looked kooky and adorable and fun, which are all things I dig. I'd looked at an old newspaper and found out that I just missed it at one of the local indie cinemas. Blast it! And it looked like it wasn't playing anywhere else near where I lived, and the DVD release date was uncertain. Double Blast!!

But, it finally came out on DVD, and I rented it with my friend Captain. So, this movie was advertised as like a quirky comedy about a weird couple of social outcasts. My kind of flick, right? Turns out a lot of it is really sad. Jemaine's character is really mean to his love interest, and turns out he has a little girl who lives with his family and he's pretty apathetic toward her. WHAT?! The whole thing with his brother Gordon (played by Taika) was pretty rad, and the dad's kind of funny, and Jemaine and Loren's characters are so cute in their painfully awkward way (well, sometimes for Jemaine's character). And the relationship between Loren's character and her brother is interesting because it's very precious.

But, I still can't get over all the weird mean stuff in this movie. This definitely wasn't the light-hearted romp that I was expecting. It was pretty darn heavy, in fact! I appreciate the movie for what it is, but I would have liked it a whole lot better if I'd been expecting something so heavy. The light-hearted PR misled me, and it ruined it for me.

Unrelated: I must also mention that I'm also crazy about Bret McKenzie, the second part of the duo that makes up Flight of the Conchords. Mostly for some of the reasons I like Jemaine, but also more specifically because he was some killer dance moves!!

"He's a killer, Daniel." "Then someone ought to have the decency to bring him to justice."

3:10 to Yuma, 2007. Three and a Half Stars.

I'm a fan of this movie! And I normally don't like Westerns. But I don't think this really counts as one. It's more of an actiony-thriller in my book.

The action's good, the characters are great, and I think the acting and story-telling is awesome. There's a lot of focus on character development, which I love in general, but it's particularly neat-o in this movie. Christian Bale is one of my fave actors, and he's fabulous in this. Plus Wash and That Crazy Guy is in it!

"Frank, this is Albert Einstein, the smartest man in the world." "How they hanging?"

I.Q., 1994. Three Stars.

I happened to catch a description of this movie on the TV guide, and it sounded so crazy and cute that I immediately set up a recording for it on my DVR!

Walter Matthau plays Albert Einstein, and he helps Tim Robbins, who plays a mechanic, win the affection of his niece, who is played by Meg Ryan, and who also is the object of Tim Robbins's love. How adorably random is that? VERY!

This indeed ended up being a charming story with a great cast. I see that it was released on Christmas Day, which seems about right for a movie like this. If you're not in the mood for a sugary-sweet historically-fakey-in-the-name-of-feelgood-romanticcomedyry, or if your bag is only depresso intellectual abstract flicks, then this movie will bore you. But check it out if you feel like watching something you don't have to be too emotionally invested in and want to see A Grumpy Old Man act like A Crazy Einstein. Plus Stephen Fry plays the snotty guy, which is always fun, and Tony Shalhoub is in it too, which is pretty rad!

FYI, I can't remember where I wrote down the quote from this movie that I wanted to use for the title of this review, so I just looked at the quotes on imdb.com and picked the most random-sounding one.

"I'm sorry. This is the fun-vee. The hum-drum-vee is back there."

Iron Man, 2008. Four stars.

That's right, FOUR STARS!!

I'd heard that the Iron Man costume and stuff was all CGI, which I thought was really stupid and would look bad and ruin the movie for me. But I decided to suck it up and see it in the cinema with some of my friends. And, the CGI didn't bother me a bit! I actually almost forgot all about it.

The writing was really well done, it was like a real movie rather than a summer blockbuster with pretty special effects. It caught me off-guard. And the acting is great. Everything about it grabbed my attention. Plus, S.H.I.E.L.D.! Samuel L. Jackson is Nick Fury. That's something to look forward to!

I'd not really followed any of the Iron Man comics, I'm only familiar with The Ultimates. But, from what little I previously knew about him, I could tell that Robert Downey Jr. IS Tony Stark! He's magnificent!! I love that guy in movies.

Gwyneth Paltrow, who I think has the nicest name ever, was sooooooooooo cute in this movie.

And, Jon Favreau directed this? Way to go, dude!

"I bet it was that mouth that got you that nose."

Lucky Number Slevin, 2006. Three and a Half Stars.

This was really fun to watch! It's fast-paced with great dialog, and has an amazing star-studded cast. And I have to say, I actually wasn't expecting the ending. I loved it. Revenge kicks butt!

Yeah, so Lucy Liu is capable of playing cutesy, quirky characters. Who knew?? Way to round out your cv, girl! And Josh Hartnett: talk about charming and just plain CUTE. Much like with Ryan Gosling, I can't believe I'm starting to like him in movies nowadays.

Well I guess there is nothing more I can say about this, except to emphasize that I just really really enjoyed this flick.

"Ever since I was a child, folks have thought they had me pegged, because of the way I am, the way I talk. And they're always wrong."

Capote, 2005. Three and a Half Stars.

I didn't know anything about Truman Capote when I saw this movie. I still don't really. So I'm not able to discuss whether the movie was true to his character, or history, or anything else.

This movie as a movie, however, was REALLY GOOD! Written well, excellent acting, just very interesting. And I thought the time period was well-captured too.

For being a man of a very particular physique, Philip Seymour Hoffman is an e-x-t-r-a-o-r-d-i-n-a-r-y character actor. I first really took notice of him as "Rusty" in Flawless, and I've been flabbergasted by him ever since. Whether playing a not-so-leading role to being a main character, he's always appropriate and spot-on.

So, like I said, I didn't know much about Truman Capote, but Philip Seymour Hoffman owned that character in this movie. I felt like I wasn't watching an actor. And his performance sparked my curiosity about the real man, and to learn about him and his work (which I kind of haven't done yet, BUT STILL).

And Catherine Keener, who I also love in movies, did a phenomenal job as well. I also don't know much about Nelle Harper Lee, but the way Keener played her actually helped the audience to better understand Capote's character: she was the antithesis of Capote, which completely complemented him.

BTW, I love the quote that I used for the title of this review. It would be so rad if this is something he actually said.

"Larousse ran gun for the Resistance." "Which resistance?" "He won't say. Apparently, they didn't win."

Ratatouille, 2007. Three and a Half Stars.

When a movie comes out in theaters, I try not to learn too much about it or read any reviews. Usually any hint of expectation ruins my full enjoyment of a movie.

When I started seeing ads for this movie, instead of paying attention to what it was about, I just thought to myself, "What does a rat have to do with cooking pasta? Pixar's really reaching for story lines now. I do not want to see this movie." At the time, I thought ratatouille was pasta-related.

Later on, I'd started to hear that Ratatouille was actually good! Being the stubborn person I am, instead of taking people's reviews into consideration and actually seeing this movie, I just thought people were crazy and didn't know what they were talking about.

Finally, my boyfriend Tim and I decided to take the plunge and check it out (it was on TV). And... it was good! Amazing animation, original plot, funnyness in forms of witt-ery and slapstick-ery, fun attention to details...

If you need some advice: Don't ever be a stubborn butthead when it comes to seeing movies. Also, have you ever seen a bad Pixar movie?

"What style would you say this is?" "Oh... I'd say homicidal modern."

Fracture, 2007. Three Stars.

This movie was pretty good! And, unlike some people's preconceptions, not at all like Silence of the Lambs! It was so engrossing to see the way that Anthony Hopkins's character kept dicking over Ryan Gosling's character's prosecution. But don't worry, Ryan Gosling got him in the end. Pretty smooth moves.

And here's something surprising: I'm starting to like Ryan Gosling in movies! Way to go, dude!

I'm a sucker for a good thriller, so if you are too, why not check out this movie?

"What would you call this place? Fun-o-rama?"

The Haunting, 1963. Three and a Half Stars.

My friend Tim M. let me borrow this. At first I wasn't sure if I was going to like it nearly as much as he does.

I'm still not sure if I like it as much as he does, but, I really like it! The first thing that got my attention was the title graphic. The effect was used at the end too. Nice!

Also, another thing I thought was cool was to see bits of Boston, MA in the 60's. Cool signage. Though that only counts if they actually shot on location.

And I like the whole thing with the statue.

This movie does a good job of being scary through sounds, music, lighting, and good old-fashioned suspense. I love suspense! The character Eleanor ("Nell") was a little bit annoying because she was such a push-over. But it was rad how the house accepted her as a substitute for Mrs. Markway. Even though Mrs. Markway's skepticism was also very annoying, and it almost got her killed!

The relationship between Nell and Theo was confusing. Theo was all hot-and-cold; I just thought she was constantly annoyed with Nell but was still trying to be friends with her. But I recently read somewhere that the actress that played Theo was, like, interested in playing this role, which is a role of a woman attracted to another woman. So, maybe that's the 60's way of showing that you're a hot lady who's hot for a flighty pushover chick?

This movie is pretty spooky and very enjoyable. You should see it!

"I'm not against technology, doctor. I'm against the men who deify it at the expense of human truth."

Contact, 1997. Three Stars.

I could barely watch the beginning of this movie. I was bored!! I think it was the now-outdated mid-90's clothes and technology. With the exception being the very beginning with young Ellie and her dad: it was cool to see a little girl in a Hollywood movie nerd out about space, communications, and electronics. And the impact her dad's death had on her and how it kind of shaped her career-to-be.

Things picked up when they decode the alien message. That whole thing was pretty darn neat.

All the technology and space travel stuff is so COOL. The special effects in the space traveling machine and the encounter with the aliens is pretty and mesmerizing. And the whole "man is only beginning to begin to start comprehending life on other planets so you have to take it slow or your minds will melt" thing is very interesting. And you know, that whole "18 hours of static on tape" at the end... Eep!

I really wanted Matthew McConaughey to succeed in pulling off the cute-and-charming character in this movie, but his obvious dick-ittude always oozes out no matter what. This is the problem with Matthew McConaughey in movies!

I feel like mostly everyone saw this movie when it first came out. If you haven't, well if you ended up seeing this movie, your time would not be terribly wasted. The ending was really cool.

David Morse makes me so happy, I don't know why, but partly it could be the awesome range of characters he has played, and also his handsomeness. I also totally dig Jodie Foster.

"He's a dirty trash can full of poop."

Surf's Up, 2007. Four Stars.

My boyfriend Tim and I happened to randomly catch this movie on TV. I really enjoyed it!! Touching storyline. Gorgeous animation. Mostly really funny parts, peppered with some heart-warming bits. I recommend this to everyone. I know I tend to over use this word, but, it's: ADORABLE.

"What the hell are you doing out here, Fred? Fred, if you're real, you better tell me right now!"

I Am Legend, 2007. Three Stars.

I don't know why I was expecting to be floored by this movie. It was all right though.

So to recap: I watched The Last Man on Earth and The Omega Man before seeing this movie so I can compare all three. In this one, I thought it was cool that Robert Neville was driving through the city hunting animals for food. I liked that more than Robert Neville in The Omega Man just shooting up bad guys and looking cool, and Robert Morgan in The Last Man on Earth just going down to the store to get his groceries.

I've noticed that in all three of these movies, the reason for this crazy-ass virus that turns people into living dead-ish creatures has been changed to fit in with the time period the movie's made in. So in I Am Legend, it's The Cure For Cancer that goes awry and kills off humanity. I thought that was kind of stupid.

The character study of Robert Neville is really great, and I like how the issues of depression and loneliness were portrayed. And the doggie is cute! I'm so happy that he had a friend, and I think having a little "sidekick" to be able to talk to is a more interesting way to understand the main character's thoughts and feelings, rather than having a forced dialog among inanimate objects (a la The Omega Man), though I still also like the inner dialog in The Last Man on Earth.

I HATED the CGI in this movie. The undead former humans looked very crappy. It's so distracting and it almost ruins the movie. I liked the baddies in The Omega Man much more, and I wish the creators of this movies followed in their footsteps by using real actors and makeup. It would have been cooler to watch and potentially much scarier.

Also, apparently bad things never happen in Vermont, so if there's ever a world-wide catastrophe, head there.

Will Smith is so excellent in this. I love that he is in so many sci-fi movies. Yeah some of them haven't been that great, but it's still awesome that he's a little contemporarily prevalent in a movie genre that I'm crazy about. I grew up with him on TV as "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"; his bright clothes, funky music, and sassafrass can-do attitude was very attractive and inspirational to bored middle class white female 2nd grader Chrissy. I bought the "Homebase" tape and listened to it endlessly (I was particularly partial to their version of "Ring My Bell"). But then he grew up and made music that I just couldn't stand. But when he started acting in movies (let's forget about the songs he did for some of them, even though I must admit I unfortunately get "Men in Black" stuck in my head sometimes. Why oh why??), he started getting kind of cool again. Way to go, Will!

My recommendation is to see this movie if the opportunity comes up, but don't go out of your way.

"I'm Gonna Git That Bastard, Johnny Bob. Right Now."

Starman, 1984. Three Stars.

I had no idea that this movie existed! It's so cute! Jeff Bridges is stellar (har har) as the alien dude. Also, he is YOUNG and ADORABLE! I had only really known him as The Dude! I would make out with alien Jeff Bridges! That's as far as I would go; I don't want no alien baby business!!!

So, this was enjoyable to watch. I don't really have anything special to say about it.

Though I was a little disappointed in that the TV guide said that the alien "borrows" a guy's body, so I thought there would be some gory slaying happening here. Turns out it's the good old-fashioned "Your husband's dead, and I'm going to take on his familiar shape so you will hopefully not fear me." Which, ultimately, I'm okay with.

"They Call Me Sensitive. Am I Too Sensitive?"

Autism: The Musical, 2007. Four Stars.

A very fun presentation, which makes it easier to watch something about such a devastating topic. The opening credits is adorable, and it's the best use of The Go! Team ever!

Elaine Hall is amazingly magnificent for her compassionate involvement with her son Neal's life, and for coming up with the Miracle Project. Basically, her son is autistic; she noticed that her son's therapists were having a difficult time understanding his unusual behavior, so she brought in a bunch of actors. The actors accepted and immediately joined in with his unusual behaviors, which brought them into his world. I think this was probably her main inspiration for putting on a musical with autistic kids.

One of the coolest things about this movie for me was seeing how this Jewish family celebrated some of their Jewish traditions. I'm not Jewish, and unfortunately I've never witnessed nor been involved in any of my Jewish friends' traditions, so this was interesting!

I loved seeing the process of how this play was put together, and the different involvement and strengths from each kid, and their interaction with "Coach E" and the other helpers.

Also, I learned so much about autism. It was heartbreaking to see how it can affect not only the kids who have it, but also how it changes their relationships with the people around them, and how it even affects the people around them's relationship with each other. There's a lot of heavy stuff to think about after seeing this movie, but there is a main message of hope, and fun, and love, which is awesome.

"Hi, Big Brother. How's Your Ass?"

The Omega Man, 1971. Three Stars.

To recap: I had watched The Last Man on Earth (click here for my review!), and now I have just seen The Omega Man. Next on my Netflix list is I Am Legend. Then, to finish my completist's journey, I will read the novel!

I liked The Omega Man, though I happened to enjoy The Last Man on Earth a little more, I'm not sure why. I think I was a little confused by Robert Neville's "humorous" monologues, they just seemed a little forced to me. I tried to keep the particular decade in mind while I was watching this, which helped in general.

My favorite scene is when he's in the movie theatre watching a movie about Woodstock. Very adorable and poignant!

I appreciate that this virus was spread by bio weapons, but I happen to like the mysteriousness of it's origins in The Last Man on Earth better. The "mutants" were cool though, I liked that they were actually pretty human and could speak and think and stuff!

"Have the Chef Whip Up a Light Balsamic Vinaigrette. Something that Goes Well with Chrysanthemums."

Star Trek: Insurrection, 1999. Three Stars.

I've been obsessed with watching Star Trek movies! After watching all of the recommended movies with the characters from the original series, I've been impatiently waiting on a few people to let me borrow their copy of Star Trek: First Contact.

I recorded Insurrection on my DVR, so I decided to watch it to tide me over until I get to see First Contact. I enjoyed Insurrection!!

Though I must stress that I am not a Trekkie, and currently I'm not nearly as familiar with the Star Trek universe as I'd like to be. I used to watch The Next Generation when I was a young'un. I totally thought Commander Riker was a hottie, and Data was really interesting (and kind of cute, I have to admit!!), and I thought Dr. Crusher was super cool, and I always wore my headband over my eyes so I could be like Geordi. Though, if I had known that Geordi was on Reading Rainbow, I probably would've stopped watching TNG; I had strong negative feelings toward Reading Rainbow, it was SO BORING, but I think it was mostly the wussy theme song that put me off. I know, I'm a jerk. :(

I also watched a bit of Deep Space Nine, and I'm also a fan of Enterprise. Fun fact: Pre-Pubescent Chrissy also had a crush on Scott Bakula in Quantum Leap. I love me my sci-fi guys!!

"I'm Not From Here! I Have My Own Customs! Look at My Crazy Passport!"

Futurama, 1999–2003, 2008–Present? Three and a Half Stars.

I didn't get to watch a lot of Futurama when it was originally aired, but Comedy Central has been re-airing old episodes. Even though I only seem to catch the same few episodes over and over... they're pretty darn funny! This was a good show!

So, following in the footsteps of Family Guy and Jericho (well, not any more), Futurama is apparently back on the air. Huzzah! Last weekend the two-hour season premiere, Bender's Big Score, aired. It was hilarious! But when I tried to find out about this show online, I guess this was considered a movie? Click on that last link; what?? I just can't believe that I hadn't known that there was a Futurama movie.

I set up a series recording on my DVR to record all the Futurama repeats, and now I'm seeing lots of episodes I didn't even knew existed previously. This post's title is a quote from one of my favorite episodes, "Raging Bender" (I don't care what that reviewer wrote, I still think it's a wicked funny episode).

Also, I always loved the title "Futurama," it's hysterical and ridiculous and totally up my alley!

"We're in the Bitch's Back Yard!"

Stay Alive, 2006. One Star.

Elizabeth Bathory creates a videogame that allows her to kill people in the 21st century. Bwa ha ha ha ha!

Actually, this sounds pretty awesome! But unfortunately, the movie is not awesome. Much potential for ridiculous funtimes, but instead, it's just... icky and obnoxious. I hope that someone someday remakes this into something spectacular. At least Peter Petrelli shows up in the beginning, he's a cutie.

BTW, Frankie Muniz inexplicably lives at the end. Which I'm okay with, because I liked him in Malcom in the Middle.

"I Am a Man... THE LAST MAN."

The Last Man on Earth, 1964. Three Stars.

I really want to see I Am Legend, but first I want to see the previous versions of this story and how it all adds up to and compares to the, well, current "remake" (Isn't this supposed to be an awesome, more accurate telling of the novel, as opposed to the previous movies? So, is it actually a "remake"?). So the plan is to watch The Last Man on Earth, then Omega Man, then I Am Legend. Then read the novel I Am Legend (click on the link; I am hoping to get my mitts on that fabulous old copy!!).

Effective use of narration; I like narrated movies, and this was especially great, because... he had no one to talk to! He was The Last Man! So how else would you know what he was thinking? And it was great that the story started when the shit had been hitting the fan for three years, then explained things in flashbacks (I like non-linear storytelling). The acting was pretty terrible, and the sound / dubbing was pretty annoying. But it is what it is, and I quite enjoy what it is.

It's cool that the vampires are also like zombies and that it's caused by a virus. It's like the best of the coolest kind of well-known horror monsters.

The lady that he meets up on the hill, Ruth, first reminded me of that annoying little boy in Six-String Samurai. I am so glad that she actually speaks fluently!

I watched the Special Feature on this DVD: It's a little sad that the guy who wrote this book, Richard Matheson, was so disappointed by the movie that he used a fake name in the credits. But this means that I have so much to look forward to for the other movies, and I can't wait to read the novel!

P.S. The reason I watched Panic in Year Zero! (see preceding post) in the first place was because it was also included with the DVD of The Last Man on Earth that I rented. Double Feature of Terror!!!

"They Came from the Hills, No Radiation Sickness." "Yep, Five More Good Ones."

Panic in Year Zero!, 1962. Three Stars.

I am crazy for sci-fi movies, and I am especially mad for apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic themes. I totally dug this movie!

Firstly, I love the use of Agency Open in the title screen! (I'm a graphic designer, and I am really into typefaces, and I currently have a crush on Agency, and particularly Agency Open!!). And I love the jazzy music used in the movie. The story line was interesting to me (of course), even though the execution wasn't the best. I like watching old sci-fi movies to see how the concepts and themes that are around today first originated, so I don't care if technology, special effects, script-writing abilities, acting talent, or visualization in general back then wasn't so hot. It's still cool!

The acting in this isn't very stellar. The character of the teenage girl, Karen, is tragically underwritten (but I like that she refers to the end of the civilization is "a drag," haha!), and the father character, Harry, is almost annoyingly excitable. I only realized that Frankie Avalon was in the movie once the credits rolled. The only thing I remember him in is Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special! I grew up in the 80's. My fam still gets together to watch is at least once a year, it rules!

So, I still enjoyed this movie. I might even watch it again at some point in my life. Very worth it for peeps who like the end-of-the-world genre to check it out.

An important thing I almost forgot to mention: The title of this movie is so cool!! Even though in the movie, the governments of the world seem to arbitrarily call their situation "Year Zero." But they probably realized how cool "Year Zero" sounds, and who can blame them for having similar logic as me, haha! Fun fact: Since watching this movie earlier today, I've had "Panic in Detroit" by David Bowie stuck in my head... Because the song and movie have almost the same titles and because I'm a nerd like that.

Get to the Point

I am considering posting my ridiculously subjective movie reviews. ...To be continued!!