Youth In Revolt (Miguel Arteta) (2010)

First movie from 2010 I am rating and it happens to be a quality movie. I'll say it this is not the best movie obviously or even close to it. What it is though is another quirky movie starring the always awkward Micheal Cera.
This movie at first glance just seems to be another movie that has Micheal Cera smarter than most of his peers therefore cannot get laid. In retrospect this movie was more than that. It was chalk full of some great cinema references and awkward moments that were chalk full of humour.
This movie plays heavily on Micheal Cera being an awkward teenager and for me it works. I still find him as funny as ever and his conversations with the characters in this movie are what make it watchable. His conversations with Leftie and when he is talking about Phil stand out as simply hilarious. for me a lot of the other characters really weren't that great. Justin Long was not funny neither were most of the supporting cast. Sad to say it as much as I love him Steve Buscemi was not at his best in this one, neither was Zach Galifianakis but he can say almost anything and make me chuckle so he is forgiven.
There were some things about the film in general that did not work for me. The cut scenes of clay mation were totally unnecessary and really just bothersome. We get it your trying to make your movie look "indie" but they did not need to be in there. Also I felt that this movie was rushed. It felt it was jumping from place to place and it really fucked with the flow. This lead to a severe lack of character development in some parts. Just how fast it moved from I'm a loser to I have a girlfriend to I am an arsonist for you was just too fast and it somewhat lost me.
The creation of the second persona really worked for me. It was funny and broke Cera out of his little awkward shell even though only for a little bit. This is what I felt made this movie different from all the rest of the awkward teen comedies we have been flooded with since Juno hit it big. Francois does what ever it takes to get Nick laid. In the end we find out that the girl may have been attracted to Francois but she fell in love with Nick(awwwwww)
Gustin Nash, the writer of this movie(well adapter) does another great job writing a quality, quirky little teenage film. Although I would highly recommend tracking down the other movie he wrote Charlie Bartlett as I found it to be of a higher quality and was more cleverly written.
I have not read the book but I have heard from someone who read it that Leftie plays a much bigger role in the book. I would have loved that in the movie too. The conversations between Nick and Leftie were the funniest in the film and to be honest Leftie's character was somewhat underdeveloped and had an immense amount of potential behind it that was left untapped.
I have no idea how much longer Micheal Cera can keep playing the same role and keep it funny but I feel that time may be coming soon. It is a good thing he does not do too many movies a year. To be honest no matter how bad you thought the film was nothing can beat hearing Micheal Cera, with a fake pencil moustache say "I want to tickle your belly button from the inside. "
76/100 B
-Hutz


Youth In Revolt the first movie in 2010 I am reviewing is another movie starring the lovable Michael Cera most like Seth Rogan find him to be used way too much and for the same role. But he does fill the role well. But this movie may have been Cera time to shine but it defiantly was not the best movie starring him.

This movie had a stunning supporting cast but the roles and jokes they laid out often fell flat and just weren't funny. Bushemi looked old and this movie really was not his thing. His character seemed out of place. Zach Galifinakis was not as funny as he normally or should be. He is by far the best stand up comedian going and in this movie it didn't show.Maybe feature films aren't his thing(although I just bought the Visioneers starring him so I'll see if he can truly be the next great comedic film star as many were praising him for in the Hangover). Justin Long was the only supporting actor whose character seemed to work and he fit right in with this movie filled with teenage angst and love. His character was so out there that he was genuinely funny although some of his jokes did fall flat.

Cera character was crafted brilliantly although redundant based on his previous works. He is an awkward teenager who loves Fellini and Sinatra but fot the life of him he can not get laid. His character and his jokes were very self serving as I feel a sort of connection to him and his feelings of out of touchiness's with today's world and customs. But Cera's charcter also felt boring at times and that he was trying far to hard to grasp for a Juno esque comedy of saying things that hipsters would love but awkwardly so everyone thinks it's funny. His character did seem really heartfelt in wanting to be with this girl. He values his friendship with his even weirder friend Leftie more than anything,although if you watch the special features you see a scene where Cera's character(Twisp) beats up his friend for the dog. Thankfully that scene was cut as it would have totally ruined the only thing Cera's character really had going for him in that he was genuinely nice person torn astray by the prospect of love and getting laid.

This movie unlike every other movie Cera has been involved in really had not one else to support him it was truly the Michael Cera show and he did work it. He outplayed Galifinakis, Buschemi and Liotta although all these actors were out of their element. He showed that he can act without the need to be supported by better actors(Page and Bateman) and tighter scripts(Superbad). It will be interesting to see his next few choices for roles. Hopefully he tries a movie outside of his type casted element.


Nick Twisp's alter ego Francois ala Breathless(Sheeni's name for her furure husband) is a brilliant example of what Cera would be if he was a badass. But Francois is chalk full of humor that too relies to heavily on you knowing Cera's regularities instead of just being regularly funny. But there is a certain way he says " I want to tickle your belly button from the inside" that would make any conservative die laughing. The humor in showing the conversations between Twisp and his alter ego Francois are what really save this movie from being the next typical teenage movie looking to capitalize on Juno success ie Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist

The clay scenes intertwined in this were very neat and an interesting choice. I thought it was even cooler to wrap up the story in clay credits. Also the scene where Twisp is on shrooms was really cool and funny Nice work.


The plot of the movie was clear and precise. You knew exactly that Twisp was gong to get the girl. That the mom's boyfriend was going to leave her and have Twisp arrested. But through all the predictability it was very funny and you were rooting fro Cera all the way. I can't wait to see what next movie Nash is to do as he has become quite good on capitalizing on the teenage hipster/awkward comedy movement(he directed Charlie Bartlett which is a far better movie). Overall a sort of meh film which deserves to be put back in to obscurity for angsty teenagers of a next generation to hail as a great movie. Cera has certainly will and can do better
70/100 C++
-Mcclure

Zach and Miri Make A Porno (Kevin Smith) (2008)

The director/writer behind movies Dogma and the Clerks one and two wrote/directed this one and you can certainly tell. It is vulgar and all that fun stuff but it is not completely retarded.

This movie can really be split into two of Kevin Smith's comedy choices, raunchy humour a la Clerks in the beginning and romantic comedy a la Chasing Amy in the ending. It works well enough. Although I do find the plot incredibly flimsy. Back and forth, back and forth does she love me? Does she hate me? The ending was so predictable it seemed like the person who wrote Legion wrote it (haha ba-zing). We have come to expect that from raunchy teen humour though
haven't we?

The humour of this movie work insanely well. It is so down too Earth and realistic. Although it is mostly dirty jokes and the like but c'mon how many of us haven't cracked jokes involving sexuality(in a way that is not homophobic), vaginas and transforming your fave movie titles into porn movies because I for one have done that. That is the movies sparkling light. The characters feel real and likable and of course you want the two main leads to get together because they are just meant to be and everything will be sunshine, lollipops and rainbows.

This movie has a phenomenal cast of regulars who have been in the shadows of their movies and television shows(Craig Robinson and Justin Long) and the spotlight(Seth Rogen). They all work really well together and bounce off each other well. There was a couple of really flat stale characters though such as Delaney's wife. She is a mean black wife who controls her husband ahahha boo-urns. For the most part though they work well. Also some of the guys in the porno are terrible actors, can't remember their names but they shouldn't be in movies.

overall a movie that will most likely be forgotten(unless it manages to be kept in people's minds for pushing it's R rating) because it is just another raunchy teen movies the last decade has been come to be known for in comedies. This movie was a nice little romp good for watching with a bunch of friends and wasn't to take a load off and laugh.
-73 B
-hutz


A very underrated comedy especially in the wake of comedies that Apatow and company have been releasing(it seems like 10 a month). But that is usually Writer/Director Kevin Smith's thing his movies are either highly overrated(Clerks) or very underrated(this one and Chasing Amy).

Just like in many of Rogen movies he seems very realistic and although most people dislike him I find him very down to earth and a perfect match to his counter part(Elizabeth Banks). The regulars of the comedy movie circuit really put this one into the next level especially Justin Long and Craig Robinson. The characters in the porn movie were also very believable being that they were lunk headed and brawn over brains etc. The touching emotional realm that Zach and Miri hit was also believable as a pair that had been through everything and there was tons of references in the movie showcasing how badly they wanted to be a couple an aspect very believable in our culture where people are often afraid to make the first move and step against commonality.

The plot was pretty thin but was layered nicely with some hilarious raunchy humor without being in the boundary of hurtful toward a sexual choice etc some may have viewed Long's character as cheap way for homophobic laughs but I felt the true purpose of this one to one make fun of Miri in the begging and to show that it doesn't matter what sexuality etc you are people are still afraid to push over the status quo. The porn titles were hilarious and an activity Hutz and I often did when bored(once again a relatable aspect)

So in the world where a stupid R rated raunchy comedy gets released weekly(The Goods) this one truly stands out and can hold its own against good R rated comedies (Superbad/Knocked Up) hopefully it is not just remembered for the stir it caused about it maybe getting the X rating and unlike most people I enjoyed this the whole way through. I just wished I would've seen this in theaters.

-McClure 84/100

Legion(Scott Stewart) (2010)

I knew I should've never let my my mom talk me into watching this movie. Holy shit if you've got 2 hours of your life to FUCKING waste please don't even watch this movie.
I never got the fascination people have with movies like these. It truly does boggle my mind. The sad thing is though there might even be people out there that enjoyed this movie.
I am not going to go on about this movie because frankly I feel bad wasting the electricity it takes to run my computer to type about this movie. The pacing was terrible, the action was subpar and the plot was bland and stale. It is so filled with holes it looks like a block of swiss cheese.
35/100 F
-Hutz

The Simpsons A Year In Review (2010)

While my douche counter part was reviewing some book nobody cares about. Just kidding book is rad. I'll review something everyone cares about or at least they would've cared about had this been 1994. A Simpson's year in review I only missed 3 episodes this season and will update when I eventually see them during the summer. This season had about 3 good episodes and the rest were lackluster with it in 3rd place for worst season behind seasons 20 and 18.

Homer The Whopper:B-
Bart Gets A Z:C
Great Wife Of Hope:C+
THOH XX:C+
The Devil Wears Nada:C
Rednecks And Broomsticks:C
Oh Brother Where Bart Thou?:C
Thursdays With Abie:C+
Once Upon A Time In Springfield:C+
Million Dollar Maybe:C
Boy Meets Curl:C-
The Color Yellow:C+
Postcards From The Wedge:Not Yet Rated
Stealing First Base:D
Greatest Story Ever Doh'd:C+
American History X-Cellent:C
Squirt And The Whale:Not Yet Rated
Chief Of Hearts:B
To Surveil With Love:B
Moe Letter Blues:C+
Bob Next Door:C+
Judge Me Tender:Not Yet Rated

Best Episode Of The Season:To Surveil With Love
Worst Episode Of The Season:Stealing First Base
Most Overrated Episode:The Color Yellow
Most Underrated Episode:Once Upon A Time In Springfield or Homer The Whopper
Biggest Let Down:American History X-Cellent
Biggest Surprise:Once Upon A Time In Springfield
Best Guest Star:Seth Rogen

See you all next season. I hope it gets better although I doubt it will. But new Futurama is on the horizon so lets hope it turns out well and doesn't turn into another Frankenstein a la Family Guy :)

-Mcclure

Naked Lunch(William Burroughs) (1959)

Please note this is a review based on the novel by Burroughs not the film by David Cronenberg which I hear is simply mind bending and splendid :)

This novel was one of the biggest mind fucks I have ever had. Before I even finished reading the book I found myself re-reading passages and certain chapters just trying to get a grip on what was going on and in the end I'm not even sure if I got the final message correctly.

The Beat writers have been a fascination for me for the last couple months and I find Burroughs to be the most fascinating of the bunch. Sure some may say that Kerouac and Ginsberg can write better, with a more jointed story but I'd put Naked Lunch up against any of their best works.
The stream of conscience that this novel is written in makes it difficult for some people to digest put I find it works extremely well for a book of this manner. It allows us only to see what Burroughs wants us to see. This makes me feel disjointed but intrigued.

William Lee starts this novel off with a weird journey in search of his next fix. He eventually makes his way to Mexico where he is assigned to Dr. Benway where Benway tells him of all his previous works in Annexia. Dr. Benway is one of the most fascinating characters in literature. He is a man with no conscience only looking to advance his performance instead of caring for his patients. This is a great parody of the medical field in general that is so open to experimenting on their patients to advance their performance.(An interesting fact: Dr. Benway was the first ever online persona ever recognized. In real life!)


It then moves to a place called The Interzone. This place is a wasteland devoid of any decency. In fact the first glimpse we get of the Interzone is the charcter Hassan throwing an orgy that has been wrecked by a character named AJ who is decapitating people. This Interzone is used to satirize everything from decency , what we truly find decent. Many people hold relatively liberal views but when faced with a situation like this we are absolutely disgusting we soon forget our "we should be free to do what we feel" mantra. It also satirizes politics but making all the parties n the Interzone seem ridiculous. I also believe it is used to satirize higher education as shown by the mocking of the university professors and students.


The book then shifts back to William Lee who is finally caught but he kills the two police officers after him and is on the run again. When he calls the Narcotics squad though there is no one by the names of the two officers making it seem like a drug induced dream of Lee's.


One of the major themes though I find is how Burroughs is trying to tackle mind control devices. Whether it being government. medicine or sexuality(Benway tells us how in Amnesia there was no homosexuality because there was no deviancy.) He also explains how he could control people sexually(He would train men to shit on the sight of him and after he would eat their assholes out while the man crying still ejaculated. He describes it as "tasty"


Finally This one was of the greatest novels ever written by a man who obviously had a very unique view on the world and gladly shared it with us through his ironic, post modern satire and truly mind bending prose.
P.S. Any hipsters out there this would look great in your back pocket.
91/100 A
-Hutz

The Road (John Hill Coat) (2009)

For our first blog post Mr. Mcclure and I decided to review The Road a film that left us with two varying opinions.




This movie was based of the beautifully written novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. Maybe this is why I felt so disconnected during this film. The novel was for me at least one of the best of the novels written in the last ten years (if not the best) and the film was somewhat of a disappointment because I had such high hopes for it. I mean I know movies are seldom as good as the books but I was just expecting more I guess.
This movie was acted well by Viggo. He handled the role of a father trying to keep his son alive in a post apocalyptic world well. He was filled with the right amount of emotion and really I don't think there's an actor who could've done better in the role. Also Robert Duvall was a nice touch as Eli.
The music for this made by Nick Cave who is a great musician I know but the music did not fit this movie at all. The over the top symphonics of some of the scenes totally ruined some of the more "heart wrenching" and "suspenseful" . There is scenes where the music is blaring when really all I wanted was silence. Scenes don't need over the top music to move you into feeling for the characters. It was an obvious aim for a larger audience who only feel emotion when the music tells them to.
There was some great scenes in this movie though. When the Man is talking with Eli was the best scene of the whole movie. The shots were extremely long and you could really feel struggle and emotion felt by the two men(maybe because there was no music getting in the way!) I absolutely loved the the long shot of just the gun when the Man asks "do you ever think of killing yourself?" and Eli replies " I couldn't ask for such luxuries in these hard times." This is a scene that I felt came straight out of the beautiful prose of McCarthy's book.
There was a lot of scene that fell flat though. One that stands out the most is the scenes when they discovered the half eaten people in the cellar. This was one of the most suspenseful scenes in the book because it was described so well by McCarthy but in the movie it just felt rushed and packed with adrenaline.
I can make connections with how the prose of this novel was handled with how Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men was handled. Both were beautifully written filled with great descriptions of the heartbreak and harrowing losses. Their film counterparts on the other hand were good for what they were but just couldn't pull off what the two great novels of their time achieved. I must point out though that The Road was a way better adaptation though. Grade:68/100 C+
-Hutz


The Film The Road based on the brilliant novel By Cormac Mccarthy is one one that went vastly unnoticed at awards time(Oscars etc.) and it really shouldn't have. As with most of Mccarthy's books the adaptation of this one was brilliant. This one was placed in the hands of John Hill Coat and for a director making his virtual full movie debut he handled it very well. As good as Mccarthy's prose is it was matched pretty well in this adaptation as this film was suspenseful and insightful.

The choice of actors in the film was perfect as Viggo was the man I had pictured when I was reading the novel when it first came out. He was pefectly in tune with his charater with just the right ammount of emotion and strength. The choice of Mcphee was great as he filled the role of the innocent yet weirdly wise child portrayed in Mccarthy's novel. The choice of Robert Duvall as Eli was great and really unexpected but it worked really well and the scenes involving him really carried the movie.

The movie was really caried through insightful dialouge between the man and boy just like in Mccarthy's novel and many of scene capture the suspense that Mccarty was going for in the novel. The scene that really sticks out to me is the scene where they're in the house with the cannibals harvesting people for food and the boy and the man almost get caught in the basement. The next scene is also filled with suspense wit the man placing the revolver on the boys head so that he wouldn't have to be eaten by the cannibals. But luckily they make their escape.

The emotion truly runs high in this film as well especially at the end when the man and the boy reach the coast where they're expecting things to be better. But things aren't better on the coast and the man can truly see it and still wants/needs to be their for his son. But the pair are soon robbed of everything. They do manage to find the robber only to leave him with nothing as they take everything. The boy then finds it hard to belive that him and his dad are the good guys. But the dad fully belives he is teaching the boy to be self suffecient as he knows he will soon die. After the father's emotion filled death the boy is picked up by a family and although his father told him not to take any risks he goes with the family (the family does have the fire inside though) and the film ends.

In closing a great movie adaptation of a more brilliant novel. It can and does teach us a valuable lesson about our planet and its environment. The movie may have even worked better in the reigns of a director like the Coen Brothers but Hill Coat did a brilliant job directing this film.

Grade: 78/100 B
-Mcclure