For The Fanboy In All Of Us

I can admit it. I'm a fanboy. The Star Wars movies were a huge influence on me as a kid as to this day have affected everything from my behavior, my speech, my morals and values, action figures, comic books, novels, tee shirts, Halloween costumes, home furnishings, fan fiction and once, quite unfortunately, my haircut for a summer. As a kid, I dreamed about going into space, wooing princesses and defeating bad guys. While I have remained Earth bound for my life, I have been able to do some rather amazing things in the fashion of a Han Solo or a Lando Calrissian. Now that I am all grown up, I have embraced my inner geekdom and proudly fly my fanboy flag and could not wait to see Fanboys.

The story in the movie is as interesting as the story of making the movie. There are websites dedicated to the battle against Harvey Weinstein, who was determined to cut out the emotional core of the story and the characters motivation for their adventure. In 1998, four friends countdown the days until the release of Phantom Menace. But, they decide to travel from Ohio to Skywalker Ranch in California in order to see the movie. I won't give away too much, but while some may have thought the side plot was "too depressing" for audiences, without it, the story would have been useless and really, it stays in the background for most of the movie. The movie is really a love letter to both Star Wars as a trilogy and a culture. It's filled with verbal, visual and audio callbacks to the original films and cameos from original Star Wars cast members and famous Star Wars fans (Kev Smith, Danny McBride and Seth Rogen in a Peter Sellers-like three role turn). Moreover than a movie like Mallrats, it's made by and for true fans of movies and comics and video games and, by being set ten years, perfectly captures the time of my high school years. The movie is equal parts teen comedy, road movie, genre spoof and almost a coming of age story. I finally got to see it in theaters upon it's release, but now that it's on DVD, everybody should check it out, if you like Star Wars or not. And if you're not, why are you reading this?




The best part of the movie is Dan Fogler. He steals every scene with his Billy Dee impressions. constant humping, Jedi mind tricks and faux tough guy routine. Dude was worth the ticket price alone.




Also, loved Kristen Bell. She made this movie while doing Veronica Mars and before Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but she lovingly fills the role of the fangirl to perfection. For all of you men who are lucky enough to have a woman who quotes her favorite SNL sketches, borrows your graphic novels and never returns them or just wants to go see a movie at midnight with you, maybe someday you'll be able to talk her into an outfit like this.

Terminator 4 - The Voyage Home

I have written before about my love of the Terminator franchise, even writing about the series, Sarah Connor Chronicles. I have looked forward to Salvation for quite some time and despite the negative vibes and BECAUSE of Bale's on-set outbursts, I could not wait to catch it this summer. Let me just say for the record, that having worked on a number of professional studio productions, all of them with LESS money and hype behind it than this film, IF what Bale said was true and it was NOT the first time such an incident occurred, then Bale was completely justified in his complaint. Did he have to apologize? Of course he did. Should he have? Nah.

But, that intensity is on display in the film. I love Bale and find myself afraid of him falling into the same trap as Daniel Day-Lewis, where if every performance is AMAZING, then what is the point? Bale can be Batman, John Connor, Melvin Purvis, Patrick Bateman, anything. The film does something different by having Connor not be the leader of the the Resistance and showing him instead as a prophet leading a Resistance within the Resistance. Instead of simply being the savior of mankind, the movie shows his journey and struggle to fulfill his destiny. I liked that while he knew of the future, there were still moments of very human uncertainty that made him more relatable than an all knowing deity. Connor knows that he must save his father, even though he is not sure how, nor does he have the means to send him back in time to actually become his father.

The other side of the movie is Sam Worthington who practically takes it away from Bale as Marcus Wright, a new Terminator who doesn't know that he is a machine. His story parallels Connor's with his conflict between who he is and what he has to do. As great as he was in the film, it was really brought home for me with Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese. He brings to the film what Edward Furlong brought to Judgment Day, a character you can identify with. His Kyle Reese is neither savior nor machine, but a kid trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles. Isn't that all of our dreams come true? He's outsmarting Terminators, rigging booby traps and believes, like we do, in John Connor and the Resistance. And it really payed off for me when Connor and Reese finally meet and fight side by side. To see to two of them marvel at the other without ever really knowing the full extent of how much the other will matter in their own life was admirable played by both actors.

I'll take all the heat on this one and say that I really liked this movie. It was not without it's flaws as there were certainly parts of the film that felt, a little, common. But, I was with the story, even if the last ten minutes were predictable and I loved all the callbacks to the first two films, both verbal and visual. I might even say that Salvation is the second best Terminator movie in the franchise. I'm looking forward to seeing more movies like this, yes, even with McG behind the helm.

The Final Frontier

I thought that my first blog back should have some sort of profound meaning and indeed, it might.  You see, I have never seen a Star Trek movie before.  Ever.  Not a single one.  Never watched the original show, Next Generation, nothing.  Honestly, I have been anti-Trek since I was a kid.  I'm Star Wars all the way.  And amongst my other Trekkers fans, I was the most excited to see Star Trek this summer.  I believed that J.J. Abrams was going to make an amazing movie that would completely re-invent the franchise while maintaining the spirit of the original.  You know how I knew that?  Not by watching Alias or Lost, because I don't watch those shows.  I guess I just took it on faith.  And I was not disappointed.

Star Trek grabs you with a great opening sequence and does not slow down.  This is Abrams' Trek, straight up and down.  Space battles, giant monsters, time travel and lots of fights serve to make it feel like a real science fiction/action movie set in the world of Star Trek.  It is a reboot of a franchise along the lines of Casino Royale more than Batman Begins.  But, of course the main core of the film is the cast.  To re-cast actors in roles that have been iconic for more than forty years was quite a task, but everyone in the film performs admirably.   Pine and Quinto are big studs, man and they both carry the film.  Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Karl Urban and Simon Pegg make their characters unique yet familiar, recognizable yet distinct.  (I know that I am speaking as if I am more than knowledgeable on Trek, but let's be honest.  Hasn't it been parodied to the point where even if you've never seen it, you've already seen it?)  And Zoe Saldana is pretty hot too, even when competing with green chicks and Winona Ryder.  But, Pine makes the movie for me.  He comes out of nowhere to completely steal the show.  I've been looking forward to his performance since I first saw the trailer in front of Quantum of Solace.  My friends and I attended at double bill of Casino Royale and Quantum at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood and as we stood in line, we noticed this pretty boy with his chick standing in front of the door.  They didn't appear to have a ticket because they weren't going in, but was dressed so trendy that we couldn't help but laugh and refer to him as "Jim Bond".  It wasn't until after we watched the Star Trek trailer and our shouting subsided that we realized, "Hey, that was Captain Kirk outside."  I hope he was happy with our response because we felt guilty for making fun of him earlier.  And after watching the film twice, I feel real bad about it.

As I mentioned, I have never seen a Trek movie before, but after walking out of the theatre, I told my friend that I hope they make fourTEEN more Star Trek movies like this.

Where Does The Time Go?

If you're reading this, and I know that's a mighty big if, then either you have stumbled across my blog accidentally or else you have been checking in on me periodically, awaiting something new to come across this screen whenever you click on it.  So, if you're the latter, all I can say is thanks for hanging around and I hope I'll be worth it.

See, a lot has happened since last we conversed.  Aside from the obvious problems I was having with my laptop, other things in my life began to pull me away from writing.  Writing this blog last summer was very motivational for me and I looked forward to being able to interact with my readers.  Without it, I went through a rather cold, dark winter.  And movies like Gran Torino, The Reader and Revolutionary Road did not really do much to cheer me up. 

Now, things are better for me.  I just bought a brand new MacBook, I got promoted at work and I'm seeing a nice lady who works the unmentionables counter at Macy's.  And by the time you read this, it will have been two years since I've had a drink.  I'm happy with my life again and cannot wait to dive back into blogging.  

So, like I said, I hope I can make it worth your while.  I still got last year's reviews and annual wrap up to finish, plenty of movies coming out this summer as well as a few things that I've always planned but never managed to get around to.  Thanks again for reading and we'll talk soon.

Revolutionary Picture

Revolutionary Road is a film that punched me in the gut and stayed with me long after I walked out of the theatre, deeply moved by it.



Based on the Richard Yates novel of the same name, the film tells the story of Frank and April Wheeler, a married couple with children in the mid Fifties who find themselves questioning what to make of their lives up to this point. As April struggles to break from the banality of suburbia, Frank begins to find value in his mundane career and their lifestyle.


Within the first twenty minutes of the film, I was engrossed in it and when Frank uttered the line, "I'm a thirty year old Knox man," I felt as if I had been knocked back into my seat. Amongst all of the film's emotional pulls, I immediately identified with Frank's slightly sorrowful acceptance of what his life had turned out to be. But, later, when he is finally recognized for his work and begins to achieve a sense of validation at the office, he begins to wonder if a life as a supportive husband and father is enough for him. It is a struggle many people must face in life, but Leonardo DiCaprio brings Frank's confusion and frustration to life so vividly, I felt as the film were made just for me.


It was difficult to watch a seemingly loving couple get out of their car to argue on the side on the road. It was uncomfortable to hear try to talk his way out of a secretary's bedroom and back home on his birthday. It was upsetting to watch Frank recall his days as a veteran as a time when he felt alive. And it was heart breaking to watch him try to sustain a dialogue and a relationship with his wife who just tunes him out.


For although the novel is told from Frank's point of view, the movie practically belongs to Kate Winslet. As April, she is never as explosive as Frank, but instead allows her feelings to remain subdued and beneath the surface until she is pushed over the edge by Frank's earnestness and inability to effectively communicate with her. Whether as the beautiful girl meeting eyes across the room at a party, the wife and doting mother or the woman who finally cuts herself off emotionally from everyone around her, Winslet is amazing at making you simultaneously pity her and scorn her. She becomes in front of our eyes, every person you have ever loved that didn't quite turn out to be the same person you fell in love with. Some will say she is selfish, some will say she is honest, but she is a real character with very real human emotions and flaws.


The film itself however, is flawless. Directed by Sam Mendes, it is better than American Beauty and shot beautifully by Roger Deakins, it has the unique quality of making you nostalgic for a time period you did not live in. Although I cannot say it is my favorite movie of the year, I can say that Revolutionary Road is the best film of the year.


I talked about it all night with my friend. We asked ourselves what the other would do in the same circumstances, why had these characters made these choices, what choices would we have made instead. Even now as I write this, I can see Frank in my head and myself in Frank. I can see his struggle as my own and the film makes me wants to try to lead a better life for myself. But, it has not told me which life is better. It has left me to discover it on my own.