Movies

When going in, my expectations were neither high nor low. I guess I figured that, to use Will Ferrell movies as my metrics, it could not possibly be as good as Anchorman but it had to be better than Talladega Nights (Yes, Talladega Nights was THAT bad).

Sidenote: It's true. I basically set two extremes and figured it would fall in between. If you didn't happen to catch my common sense approach and think me a genius, you have fantastic taste in geniuses.

Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder) is the by-the-book, media-darling for the sport of figure skating. Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) is the exact opposite, though his bad-boy, sex-object image still allows him to post scores comparable to those of MacElroy. One day they end up in a fight that gets them banned from competition until they come across a loophole. They can compete again, but under the circumstances they must compete in pairs...together. Basically, like Napoleon Dynamite, if you are looking for a plot to this movie you'll never find one. If you want a movie with a decent balance of physical comedy and Will Ferrell making crude jokes, Blades of Glory may surprise you.

As long as you take the movie at face value and remember that you are not seeing a movie that is geared towards providing any entertainment other than cheap laughs for dirty jokes, this is a movie you should enjoy. Any time you try to go beyond that and search for something more you will be disappointed.

If I may be so bold, it might have been the worst career move ever for Jon Heder to use his own voice in his role as the title character in the love-it-or-hate-it comedy Napoleon Dynamite. The popularity he gained by his part in that movie has given him new opportunities, but they have been small parts because, well, when Jon Heder is in a movie, you have Napoleon Dynamite in that movie. He may continue to fight the up-hill battle of shrugging that stigma, or he can accept his fate. Blades of Glory may have been the first step towards that acceptance. Rather than trying to play support in a cheesy RomCom, he took a "starring" role as the patsy in a slapstick comedy. I can describe his character by saying that he is a tortured soul who was adopted by a billionnaire sports fan who gives him every advantage to succeed in the sport of figure skating, but it is probably easier to put it in terms which are a little easier to understand: In Blades of Glory, Jon Heder is the butt of just about every joke. As that guy, Heder succeeds.

I never got hooked on "Arrested Development," but since its demise Will Arnett's name has popped up more and more. I expected that his part in Blades of Glory would be bigger than it was, but it was certainly big enough to see why his popularity is rising.

As long as Will Ferrell makes a movie like this every few years, I will forgive him for however many attempts he wants to make to break into "serious" roles. A few of his comedic roles since Anchorman have seemed forced. In Blades of Glory, like in Anchorman, Ferrell seemed really at home in the character. It was a part that just let him do what he does best. Maybe what I am saying is that when Will Ferrell is womanizing, it makes me laugh hysterically. There. I broke it down to the common denomenator.

p.s. Jenna Fischer is fun to look at.

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1. Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

2. Trainspotting

3. Half Baked

4. Layer Cake

5. Requiem for a Dream

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Bruce Banner: But you know what scares me the most? When I can't fight it anymore, when it takes over, when I totally lose control...I like it.

Academy Award Winner, Anthony Hopkins stars as Burt Munro, a man who never let the dreams of youth fade.

In the late 1960's, after a lifetime of perfecting his classic INDIAN MOTORCYCLE, Burt sets off from the bottom of the world, Invercargill, New Zealand, to clock his bike at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. With all odds against him, Burt puts his irresponsible "kiwi" spirit to the test, braving the New World on a shoestring budget. Burt's quest culminates in an unlikely conclusion and remains legendary within the motorcycle community to this day.

I consistently enjoy Anthony Hopkins's work; he is one of however few actors today who is a box-office draw for me. I admittedly have not made the decision to familiarize myself with his entire body of work. I haven't necessarily enjoyed his movies as much as him IN them. The World's Fastest Indian is one of the instances where I definitely enjoyed the performance put on by Mr. Hopkins and the movie as well, though it was largely because of him that I liked the movie so much (if that makes sense).

This is at least a semi-factual recounting of a stubborn old man who refuses to take "no" for an answer. He shrugs off criticism and he fights for his dream. One day he is given a chance and proves everyone wrong when he breaks a land-speed record, which still stands today.

I normally shy away from biopics to avoid any cheap excuses to not enjoy a movie, but I felt compelled to see The World's Fastest Indian. I know many people like to see accuracy in biopics, but I cannot speak to how well Hopkins portrayed Munro. That is probably one of the reasons I even watched this movie.

And if I did not see it, I probably would have never heard the story of Burt Munro. In the annals of history, Munro will not be listed amongst the most influential or the most powerful, but his story is an endearing and inspirational one. And that is what you can expect from The World's Fastest Indian.

I understand and respect your reservations about watching a movie based on a legend in the world of motorcycles. If, however, you are able to see that the movie is about the man, and not his motorcycle, maybe you will give it a try and find the heart-warming story about a man who never gave up.

I had never heard of Burt Munro. I wondered, "What makes him so special? Why is there a movie based on his life rather than that of someone else who may have done something extraordinary?" Those are questions that I cannot necessarily answer, but I no longer wonder. I learned about Burt Munro, I felt for him, and I enjoyed the movie.

This is a good movie to watch with people you care about. You don't have to, of course, but you can cozy up to the story of Burt Munro together. I really liked The World's Fastest Indian (even though I watched it alone).

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Bullitt

His new assignment seems routine: protecting a star witness for an important trial. But before the night is out, the witness lies dying and cool, no-nonsense Detective Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) won't rest until the shooters and the kingpin pulling their strings are nailed. From opening shot to closing shootout, Bullitt crackles with authenticity: San Francisco locations, crisp dialogue and to-the-letter police, hospital and morgue procedures. An Oscar winner for Best Film Editing (1968), this razor-edged thriller features one of cinema history's most memorable car chases. Buckle up and brace for unbeatable action.

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1. The Jackal

2. Last Man Standing

3. Mercury Rising

4. Bandits

5. Lucky Number Slevin

(Honorable Mention: The Fifth Element)

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Frankie Wilde: I can confidently say Ibiza is dot dot dot.

I saw it in IMAX. I had to. And you should see it that way, too, if you have the chance. If not, watch it at your friend's house - the one with the awesome home theater system. You might wonder why seeing it in IMAX was such a big deal when there were intentional cinematic techniques used to blur the screen - why do we need to see that more clearly in IMAX? You don't. But IMAX also offers superior sound. And if you really want to experience this movie, you need to be able to get lost in the sound.

As far as epic war-movies are concerned, this is not the most original. If you try to make the comparisons to the great movies in this genre, you will be off base. 300 was not made to compete with the storylines of Braveheart or Gladiator. There were even many things borrowed from those two movies. Ignore that. 300 was a set of books, well a set of graphic novels (there is an important distinction), by Frank Miller which he wrote as his adaptation of the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BC. His adaptation. That means if you try to analyze the movie from a historical standpoint...again, you've missed the mark.

Frank Miller's Sin City was popular enough that it would seem movie makers became interested in his other work. And comic book movies have been so popular lately, why not try graphic novels?

Here is where I draw the line between comic books and graphic novels: In comic books, people die. In graphic novels, often times you watch it happen. The word "graphic" was not chosen by accident. I am generalizing, but I think my point can be summed up that way. And it is not always violence, but there is a greater degree of grown-up content. If comic books are PG or even PG-13, Graphic Novels are R or sometimes NC-17.

Without that understanding, more people will want to see 300 than maybe should - ladies, I'm looking in your direction (and again, I am generalizing). It looks like an exciting movie about a few battles with 300 men in peak physical condition. Oh, and there is an incredible amount of (computer-generated) blood shed.

There was a lot of shouting and Spartan pride. Some people feel that this was overly repetative and glossed over the genius of the movie, but many times I even found myself laughing slightly maniacally (out loud) at different action sequences and taunting comments made by the 300.

I could not help the feeling of primitive energy that coursed through my body. Don't blame me. Blame 300. Or better yet, celebrate 300. Go see it and enjoy it as much as I did.

Back when I played high school football, the night before gameday we would meet at one kid's house and either watch the end of Braveheart or The Program to spike our adrenaline. If only 300 had been available then...

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Katsumoto: You believe a man can change his destiny? Algren: I think a man does what he can, until his destiny is revealed.

Comedy superstar Robin Williams (RV, The Birdcage, Mrs. Doubtfire) plays Tom Dobbs, a comedian who made it to the top by telling it like it is. When he decides to run for president to unleash his trademark comic rants on the powers that be, something extraordinary happens -- he wins! From the director of Good Morning, Vietnam and Wag the Dog comes an irreverant comedy hit with a hilarious all-star cast that is sure to win your vote for best comedy of the year!

I really liked the story line of this movie. Well, up to a point anyway. Tom Dobbs is a national television-icon -- imagine if Oprah moved to a prime-time slot and started telling hilarious jokes. A suggestion from an audience member to announce his candidacy for president seemed like a great publicity stunt and next thing Dobbs knew, he was the President Elect.

So far so good.

And then a lonely, out-of-work character played so adorably by Laura Linney comes into his life and we have feelings reminiscent of Michael Douglas and Annette Bening in The American President. Sure the feelings were as much cliché as they were warm and fuzzy, but it was nice.

And then it happened.

Gone were the shadows of Douglas and Bening as the movie began to borrow pages from, of all things, a Ryan Phillippe movie - that I do not recommend to anyone (Antitrust). For awhile I sincerely thought that the story was ruined and there was no hope left, but they surprised me with how well the movie ended.

For as crass and aggressive as Robin Williams has been as a stand-up comedian, he has played some incredibly profound and likeable characters. This role, like many others, really showed how talented he is. I thought he was great, even though the movie was a little less about him and more about the situation in which he finds himself. I would have loved more story about who Tom Dobbs actually was rather than the ridiculous plot turns that the movie featured instead. Let's put it this way, would you rather watch more Robin Williams or some silly side story involving Jeff Goldblum?

Jokes about Jeff Goldblum aside, the movie really had a great cast. Man of the Year starred Robin Williams, Laura Linney, Christopher Walken and Lewis Black. Christopher Walken was Tom Dobbs's manager and he, as always, was wildly entertaining. And Lewis Black was surprisingly subdued, which is a little uncharacteristic for him, but he did very well.

If I could miraculously remove the part of the movie which reminded me of Punch Drunk Love in a way - where the attempt to show true true human tenderness is almost eclipsed by the disturbed nature of the plot and characters - I would recommend this movie to everyone. As it stands, I can only say that the movie certainly has the merit to deserve to be seen, but be warned.

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Gordie: But you didn't miss him. Chris Chambers never misses, does he? Chris: Not even when the ladies leave the seat down.