I know it’s been a while since I have written a review (truthfully, it had been a while since I had seen a movie in theaters), but I’m coming back with a vengeance just like Jurassic Park.
Having been born in 1991, Jurassic Park released in 1993, I wasn’t able to attend the original release of the film. So when I saw that it was getting re-mastered and put into 3-D, I jumped at the opportunity to see a childhood favorite. Let me tell you: this film did not disappoint. [Read more...]
The moment I found out that Joss Whedon was writing and directing The Avengers, I nearly burst into tears. To be completely honest—until the fateful night of the midnight premiere—my favorite superhero franchise was Christopher Nolan’s Batman (the third installment of which, I am very excited for). Christopher Nolan may have to step down because Whedon reminded me of why I love going to the movies. The Avengers is a non-stop thrill ride with action, humor and a whole lot of heart. The chemistry within the cast was incredibly well-balanced, and it was apparent that the actors were very in tune with characters they were playing. No one outshined the other. They truly were a team.
Robert Downey, Jr. (Tropic Thunder, Sherlock Holmes) did a wonderful job playing Iron Man, as expected. Aussie-native, Chris Hemsworth (The Cabin in the Woods) did a great job with his second cinematic venture playing the incredibly handsome Norse god, Thor. Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction) lead again as the completely badass Nick Fury. Scarlett Johansson (The Island, The Prestige) did a phenomenal job playing the devilishly sexy Black Widow. And having only seen him in Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol, Jeremy Renner did an equally applauding job portraying the remarkable bow-wielding marksman, Hawkeye.
It would appear that we are in a new age of romantic comedy—that really just feels more like comedy with a dash of romance and whole dollop of comedic nudity and sex. I first started noticing this boyfriend-friendly trend with Roger Kumble’s, PG-13, Just Friends (2005) and Nicholas Stoller’s, R-rated, Forgetting Sarah Marshall of 2008. I was sure about the new norm when Will Gluck’s Friends with Benefits rocked my world in 2011. And here we are, a year later, with Nicholas Stoller’s The Five-Year Engagement.
The movie chronicles the trials and comedic tribulations of a newly engaged San Francisco couple: Violet Barnes, played by Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada and The Adjustment Bureau), and Tom Solomon, played by Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother and Forgetting Sarah Marshall). Violet receives the opportunity of a lifetime to join a psychological research department at the University of Michigan. In his best attempt at being a good fiancé, Tom agrees to uproot his just blossoming culinary arts career in San Francisco and move to Michigan to support her. And so, their problems begin. [Read more...]
For those of you who have never heard of Joss Whedon, here are a couple of options: go back and sleep under that rock that you’ve been under for these past 20 years or so, or get a Netflix account and watch Firefly, Dollhouse, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer until your eyes burn with tears of joy from the greatness you’ve just witnessed. Joss Whedon, simply put, is one of the best science-fiction television creative minds to ever walk this planet. He created all of the cult classic series mentioned above, which earned a rapid, loyal fan base, with Whedon also making a film that served as a spin-off for Firefly: Serenity. Whedon has always had a knack for creating shows and films that take concepts that we, as the audience, feel some familiarity and deep comprehension and takes a spin on these concepts, producing something that will both surprise and wow us. And, he has done it again with The Cabin in the Woods.
Since 2008, my father and I have trekked out to the Fashion Institute of Design
and Merchandising in downtown Los Angeles for its Annual Art of Motion Picture
Costume Design exhibition on South Grand Avenue. In the past, I have had the
chance to observe costumes from movies like Blades of Glory, Marie Antoinette, and
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Highlighted in each exhibition are costumes
from selected 2011 films, in addition to the Academy Award Winner for Costume
Design the previous year. [Read more...]
