the movieGOOMBA

4.5 GOOMBAS

5 GOOMBAS

I think we can all agree that most Disney films of the past decade are horrific and I have, on more than one occasion, shouted "blasphemy!" at the latest Disney movie trailer. What Lion King are we on now? Lion King 50, Simbas' Adventures in the Underworld? What was their latest remake? The Swiss Family Robinson In Space? Pollyanna: The Pop Star? ::sigh:: Though a complete sell out to consumerism, Disney has had some successful ventures. Their latest - probably the acquisition of Pixar Studios. And as usual, the always innovative Pixar, has stepped it up a notch in this newly animated film Wall-E.

Wall-E is the last remaining robot on Earth. After 700 years, his counterparts have gone kaput, and he's left alone to complete the job of cleaning up the gargantuan mess humans have left for him; all the while, the rest of mankind grows fat on a cruise ship in outer space. Wall-E is curious, smart, and naive, and as he picks through 700 years worth of junk, he weeds out the last treasured remnants of human civilization and reminisces on the beauties of being a person.

Reasons why Wall-E is good:
- The characters. Wall-E's reminds me simultaneously of a tired, lonely old man and a klutzy, eager 5-year-old. Absolutely adorable, earnest, and stouthearted, Wall-E is a character that you can't help but like. Not to mention the clean freak, M-O, and Eve, the sleek bot with an anger problem.

- The CG. The computer animation is phenomenal; as can be expected from this studio. Pixar's ability to show Wall-E's emotions through his eyes and without using any dialog is nothing short of amazing. Wall-E's ability to bring back the meaning of human interaction and to cross communicational barriers without the use of words is both meaningful and impressive.

-The story. The plot is one of the best I've seen. It is modestly about a girl probe, Eve, who is out of Wall-E's league (in every way) and Wall-E's quest for her heart. Yet aside from being cute, the film is completely hysterical. I just about died every time Eve busted out her "hand gun." It is sad, funny, and sweet; all in one movie!

-The message. The plot is simple yet complex and it spoke to me on so many different levels. There are themes that were readily apparent, but commentary on the human condition not blatant, but to the point.

-The details. The attention to detail blew my mind. My friend Jason (and maybe you) will pick up on the lack of sound during the space scenes. Why? There's no sound in outer space, silly! I also enjoyed the motif for the ending credits, which shows the progression of humanity rebuilding their home on Earth, but illustrated in the progressive styles in art; first starting with cave drawing and ending with van Gough.

Wall-E is a must see. It's visually spectacular, emotionally intriguing, and thoughtfully complex. I don't think I've seen many that are better.

5 GOOMBAS

This movie was sitting in front of my DVD player for a month before I got around to watching it. No, I take that back. It sat around my house for a month in the red envelope, and I finally sent it back because I decided I wasn't going to watch it. Then, it was nominated for an Academy Award, and because I promised my Number 1 Fan that I would do my Oscar picks for 2008, I had to re-request it from Netflix. Then it lay on my floor for two weeks; intermittently placed in the actually DVD slot and then taken out again after deciding that I actually wanted to watch something else. If I had known what a perfect movie this was going to be, two months earlier, my life would have been just a little bit better.

Described as a contemporary musical, Once isn't of the traditional genre where the actors spontaneously break out into song and dance. Its a story of a lonely street performer who meets a girl as she sells flowers on the street. Within a week, they casually begin writing and composing music together, and though brief, their encounter leads to an intense connection grounded in music.

This film is so simple, in both its story and its characters, but the anonymity and relatability of the their relationship, with each other and the audience, highlights their passion and makes this film and their love story great. Shot on the streets of Dublin, and filmed on hand held cameras, Once left a huge lump in the deepest part of my throat. Along the sames lines as Before Sunrise (and the sequel, Before Sunset), Once is about more than what's just what's on the screen. The longing and hope that's present in the music and in the characters is subtle and stylistically raw at first, and then it gradually builds to something elegant and beautiful; a kind of tragic optomism. Their encounter is short but meaningful, and meeting for mere moments, changed them forever.

Once is a film for the refined palate, but I could be wrong. This film is pretty powerful. The romantics and audiophiles will see past its rough cinèma vèritè style and the dragging sort of plot, and others will see themselves in these characters. Either way, its definitely worth a watch, even if you end up hating it (though that would break my heart). I still stand by my 5 GOOMBAS; you're deprived if you don't see it just once.

4.5 GOOMBAS

Pregnancy is in. I’d argue that it started with Lucille Ball, but I think it really started with Apple, Coco, Shilo, and Suri, the burgeoning generation of the children of celebrities. Jessica Alba and JLo are a-baking, Christina and Nicole Richie just spawned. Women are just sprouting babies everywhere. Maybe it’s because we can actually say “pregnant” instead of “with child” on TV, but either way, gestation is in.

Relatively unrecognized actress Ellen Paige stars in this coming of age comedy, Juno. “It started with a chair,” and then sixteen-year-old Juno MacGuff was pregnant. This is the story of how Juno deals with life in her unconventional and spunky way, and unknowingly teaches everyone around her a lesson in perseverance.

The dialogue in this film is smart and hilariously facetious, with just the right amount of sarcasm and zip. The writers deserve props, but so do the actors for their meticulous delivery of such perfect one-liners; “As far as boyfriends go, Paulie Bleeker is totally boss. He is the cheese to my macaroni.”

Juno MacGuff is one of the best characters I’ve seen in a very long time. She has attitude, she’s articulate in a slang-ish kind of way, and she’s bluntly honest. She has integrity and a firm understanding of her capability and her limits. As immature as she is in regard to her taste in funky clothing, blue frozen drinks, and choice of room décor (a hamburger phone, come on now), she takes her current situation and addresses it with ration and frankness. Her atypical candor while checking her pregnancy is already a testament to her independent, logical manner; all a typical day’s drama for this teen freak.

I hesitate to even comment on Juno’s “puffy” situation because really, the pregnancy’s a gimmick. The movie may use it to offer an interesting twist to a teenager’s life, but in all seriousness, it’s not about the sea monkey growing in her stomach. I never felt like her pregnancy was represented as a mistake. I don’t know what that says about society, but to me, the film’s non-judgmental tone is liberating. In a world so full of hate and narrow-minded sense, Juno makes a definite and defining decision, follows through with it, and moves on.

Juno is awesome. As funny and different as this film is, it really spoke to me on a different level. A movie with a combo like that is like, dude, one wicked baby big head out of a million food babies.

4.5 GOOMBAS

Realness is easy to take for granted. One thinks it's just common sense, but what really makes something "real." Does it have to be tangible? Do you have to see it to believe it; to believe in it? The thing I love the most in this whole wide world is my Cabbage Patch Kid doll, Fifi. I don't talk about her much, but she's quietly sat on my bed for my entire life. I love her like I love nothing else. She's the first thing I reach for when I have a bad day, and the last thing I kiss before I got so sleep. I don't know what compels my fondness for her, and I don't expect anyone to understand. She may not have "life," but she's in my life. So even though she's not real to you, it doesn't matter. She's real to me, and that is what makes something real.

Lars And The Real Girl creatively explores this same concept of love for an inanimate object. A grown man, Lars is an obliviously awkward recluse, yet he is sweet, thoughtful, and kind. He diligently goes to work each morning, and devotedly attends service every Sunday. He is refreshingly naive but has the depth of a thousand year old man. Completely incapable of handling the most simple human interaction, Lars orders an anatomically correct, life-size doll, Bianca; not for sex, but for companionship (both are waiting for marriage). All of sudden, Lars is a new person. He attends parties, makes new friends, and he's the happiest he's ever been. This is what every healthy relationship should do to a person . . . except his girlfriend's a doll.

"How is this movie even watchable?" you ask. Well, obviously Lars is delusional, but that's about all that's wrong with his character. And its heartwarming to see a town that loves Lars so much that its people go out of its way to humor him. Through the duration of the film, Bianca is never shown in the nude, and she is never cast aside like a "thing" that was born from a box. She's treated with respect and decency; just like a person. Because of Lars' love for Bianca, and the town's love for Lars, the rigid, silicone Bianca is full of life and personality. The dry, situational humor makes the pathos of this film bearable, and Ryan Gosling's exceptional acting compels empathy from an audience that may balk at the idea of making room in its heart for loony Lars and his doll.

This movie sends an interesting message about the things we need to do to work out our feelings, and it has so much optimism about people and their ability to embrace and understand the differences in others. This is a good movie. Don't judge it before you see it.

4.5 GOOMBAS

I remember feeling really uncomfortable watching 40 Year Old Virgin. I insisted that the movie was basically a misogynistic, derogatory commentary on the female gender, so imagine what I felt like sitting through Superbad. However, after putting my 'reviewer' cap on, I found that Superbad wasn't like 40 Year Old Virgin at all. It was on a completely different level of smart. Smarter than 80% of the movies out there, but I had to give up being a prude for 2 hours in order to see it.

Like others in the teen sex comedy genre, Superbad pays no attention to the rules of a civilized culture. It's ruthlessly crass, the language is something out of the sewer, and there are way too many penises. Not real ones, mind you. Just some disturbing, creative illustrations. And despite relying on sick, cheap humor it had quality. In the end, it wasn't about the teenage partying, the girls, or the sex. It was about two incredibly dorky best friends who come to the realization that its time to grow up, and nothing can stop it. It's straight out of a coming of age tale camouflaged by terrible potty mouth.

Its the end of their senior year in high school, and best friends, Seth and Evan, still haven't gotten with the girls of their dreams. In an effort to impress their girls, Seth and Evan offer to get the alcohol for a huge house party, and the girls accept. From there, hang on for the ride because in one night, Seth and Evan, along with fellow dork, Fogell (AKA McLovin), manage to get hit by a car, twice; dance with a period stainer; sing to a bunch of crackheads; befriend some crazy ass cops; and all the while become the hit of the party.

There are some interesting points I'd like to bring up about this film:

1. There are no boobies in this film - None at all; surprising for such a raunchy film
2. Becca, Jules and G String Girl are actually complete opposites of what the Superbadies thought they would be . . . except for maybe G String Girl - these girls were actually real characters, not just props with boobs.
3. It ends in a mall - such a great homage to the teen flicks of the 80's and 90's
4. Seth and Evan are neither uber nerdy or super hot; they're awkward and embarrassing, much like I remember 95% of the boys in high school.
5. The dialog, though filthy, is amazingly clever and well written; not to mention well delivered by the young actors.

4.5 GOOMBAS

4.5 GOOMBAS

Okay, in case you're thinking "Dang, this girl gives out 4 GOOMBAS like water," it's not true! I'm actually a pretty harsh rater, but all the Oscar movies are coming to DVD now, so it's only natural that those would be better. Plus it might just be because there were so many terrible movies that came out in 2004 and 2005 that all the good ones are coming out now. But don't worry! I'll be sure to rate some more crummy movies like Because I Said So and Snakes on A Plane soon!

On to more serious things. Set in fascist Spain during World War II, Pan's Labyrinth is about Ofelia, a young girl who loves to read. In the 'real world,' Ofelia's mother takes Ofelia and her unborn half brother to live with her new husband, the Captain. The Captain is an evil man who only cares about power and his legacy. He has no love for his new wife or his new stepdaughter, and it is because of him that Ofelia's seeks sanctuary in a different world. She meets a faun who tells her that she is the reincarnated princess of the underworld, but in order to live her life as the princess along with her father, the King, she must complete three tasks to prove that she has not become a mortal.

Enigmatic, ominous, and extraordinary, Pan's Labyrinth is a film that feels heavily influenced by German Expressionism. The dark, almost foreboding feel in many of the fantasy scenes creates a world that is not your average fairy tale land, and I must warn that this film is not for the squirely. Its pretty damn intense.

The film begins in a lighter yet very serious tone, but as Ofelia delves deeper into the world that she believes she is a part of, the atmosphere begins taking a turn. In both worlds, things get more dark and sinister, and the need for Ofelia to complete her tasks becomes more urgent. This perfectly auteur-ed piece mixes fantasy with reality, and by the end of the film, both are so intricately woven that you wonder if it was real or if it was all Ofelia's imagination.

If it was Ofelia's imagination, is the whole movie just a tall tale; a commentary on life's despair and the longing for escape? Or is it something more than that? Is it the idea of a better place? With a Father who will wait for your return? And maybe you will get there, especially if you believe.

"A long time ago, in the underground realm, where there are no lies or pain, there lived a Princess who dreamed of the human world. She dreamed of blue skies, soft breeze, and sunshine. One day, eluding her keepers, the Princess escaped. Once outside, the brightness blinded her and erased every trace of the past from her memory. She forgot who she was and where she came from. Her body suffered cold, sickness, and pain. Eventually, she died. However, her father, the King, always knew that the Princess' soul would return, perhaps in another body, in another place, at another time. And he would wait for her, until he drew his last breath, until the world stopped turning..."

5 GOOMBAS

4.5 GOOMBAS

The 'chick flick' recipe was correct and uninteresting. Sweet girl from 'the sticks' is introduced to new, fast paced, cut throat life. She doesn't fit in. She gets a make over. She does fit in. She changes into a selfish, shallow person. Friends and family are concerned. Boyfriend breaks up with her. She sleeps with new, equally selfish pretty boy. She realizes the wrong of her new ways. She goes back to her old way of life . . . except more stylish and independent.
Sounds pretty boring, but what makes this movie so good is the acting. It transforms this homemade bunt cake recipe into creme brulee.

Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep star as Andy Sachs and Miranda Priestly, but it was Streep who really captivates the movie. Her performance was brilliant. Her role was to be a bitchy demanding boss, but Streep's contribution gave this character depth and dimension. Priestly was a woman demanding and superior with just the right hint of indifference toward those around her, yet so passive aggressive and private. Unlike most antagonists, the viewer doesn't hate her, even though Priestly expects Andy to drop all of her personal plans to bring her the dry cleaning; even though Priestly belittles Andy's clothes, hair, and shoes; even though Priestly expects Andy to find the unpublished copy of Harry Potter or be fired. There's a quality in Streep's portrayal that keeps the audience on the ride with Andy; a kind of sadness in her that only Andy and the audience sees. And for that reason, we do not hate 'the devil' on heels.

Aside from that, if you just want to pop in a movie to look at pretty people, this is the movie for you. The fashion is ridiculously gorgeous. But if you're looking for something with a little more depth, you may be surprised to find that here too.

4.5 GOOMBAS

I don't understand why people insist on comparing The Illusionist with The Prestige. Yes, both films are about magicians, and yes, both endings have some sort of 'twist' involved; however as far a basis for comparison, that's about it.

The Illusionist, at its core, is about love. Actually, its about the purest kind of love, childhood love. As a working class young boy, Eisenheim, played by Edward Norton, fell in love with aristocrat, Sophie in early 20th century Vienna. They are of course separated, and Eisenheim goes off to become a great illusionist. Sophie and Eisenheim are reunited as adults, but Sophie is engaged to Prince Leopold. It doesn't help that Leopold's tragic flaw is rationalism, and decides that its his purpose in life to prove to everyone that illusions are child's play. In a little boy attempt to prove whose is bigger, Leopold attempts to unravel Eisenheim's illusions with no luck. This only makes him more aggravated. Imagine what happened when he found out Sophie was leaving him for Eisenheim, the bane of Leopold's existence.

Now this movie may sound like every other romance you've seen, but one of the reasons why this film is so good is because you aren't even aware that you are watching a romance film until you consciously think about placing it in a genre.

But not only is the story wonderful, but the visual 'effects' are gracefully artistic. Out of focus starts to scenes, a rather sexy montage of Sophie and Eisneheims' reacquaintence, and a beautiful tinge of sepia really make the film.

The Illusionist has the perfect balance of suspense and goodies, but I can't forget to mention that 'the twist' makes the movie even better!

5 GOOMBAS

Say Anything. Quite the appropriate title for my first blog, which also just happens to be my favorite film of all time.

But can one really say anything? Diane Court says to her father during the climatic scene,"no, I don't want to leave anything out because I know I can say anything to you." Can a person really say anything?

Can I tell self-inflicting martyrs to suck it up and quit complaining? Can I tell the snide commenter that he/she needs to get some self confidence? Can I tell the stupid woman/man to quit saying things like "Ghiradelli" in a weird, French accent in an attempt to sound sophisticated? You sound even more stupid than you really [hopefully] are, considering that Gear-ar-deli is Italian. I suppose I could say all these things, but I don't.

Roger Elbert said that Say Anything is about honesty, and there is such a thing as being too honest. I don't want to hurt people's feelings.

But here, in the world we live in, there exists such a wondrous thing as the Internet, and here I can say anything. Welcome to my blog.