Project X

Teen party flick is original in parts, but overall shallow.

Like every other teenager with access to a computer or television set, I was immediately interested when I first saw the trailers for Project X.  The trailers were slightly deceptive as to the movie's plot, however.  Project X is about more than just partying.

The plot centers around two high school seniors who are willing to do just about anything to make a name for themselves.  Impulsive Kosta wants very badly to lose his virginity and when his friend Thomas turns 17, he seems his friend's birthday (when his parents are out of town) as the ultimate chance to throw the ultimate party.  Because they are both rather un-popular, he has no idea if anyone will actually come to the party, so he views the entire undertaking as a project.  This he titles "Project X." Thomas is somewhat weary of his friend's ideas and insists that they keep the party small. Kosta is quick to agree to this, but when he sets to work getting the word out via social media, the guest list starts to get bigger and bigger.  When the actual party begins, things start off slow, but once the guests start arriving, things get out of hand..fast!  Before long, both the house and yard are completely filled with teenagers (mostly teenagers that is) and despite complains and threats from the neighbors, the party rages on.  Along the way, both boys learn some valuable life lessons; mainly that the choices you make can easily have everlasting consequences.  This isn't a bad movie, but ultimately its overall message seems to be that being popular in high school is worth sacrificing absolutely everything.  This is a good teen movie, but don't go looking for any moral substance.

3 Stars

The Three Stooges

Early comedy trio slandered by 21st century culture.

I grew up watching the original Three Stooges and naturally when I heard they were making a modern three stooges movie, I was happy at first.  My joy quickly turned to doubt, however, when I learned that this readaption was going to be set in the modern, 21st century.  It just didn't seem right, but when this film was released, I watched it, mostly out of respect for the original stooges.  Now I wish I hadn't.

This modern retelling begins with three babies being dropped off at an orphanage run by nuns.  The identity of the person who did the dropping is never reveled and the boys, named Moe, Curly, and Larry grow up in the orphanage.  It should come as no surprise that they are never adopted.  The three troublesome boys grow up into men who never leave the orphanage, that is until they learn that all their troublemaking has thrown their home into financial ruin.  Vowing to come up with the thousands of dollars needed to pay off the bank they venture into the outside world, but quickly discover that earning money in the 21st century is difficult, particularly when you have no trade or education.  All the same, the lovable trio of dimwits presses on and meets with many adventures, getting mixed up in a murder scandal involving a childhood friend of their's along the way.

Fans of the original stooges can expect all the usual stunts and catchphrases, but beyond that, this film has little to offer.  Simply put, The Three Stooges should not be put in the 21st century and none of them, repete none of them, should ever appear on Jersey Shore.  Ever. Don't watch this movie expecting to be impressed, particularly if you are, or were, a fan of the original stooges.

2.5 Stars

The Amazing Spider-Man

Early superhero remake has its moments, but ultimately falls short of original.

Spider-Man was first brought to the big screen by director Sam Raimi in 2002.  Raimi's version of the web slinging superhero stared Tobey Macguire as Peter Parker, a nerdy, socially inept high school student.  On a class tip, he was bitten by a radioactive lab spider and thus the story began.  Not quite halfway through the film, Peter graduated high school and set out to make his way in the adult world.  Around the same time that Peter grew into his web-slinging powers, his friend Harry Osbourne's billionaire scientist father, Norman was working hard to save the company he created from men who wanted very much to see him fail.  When his attempt to test his latest project went wrong, he became Green Goblin, the foe Peter would spend the movie battling.  Kirsten Dunst co-stared as the beautiful Mary-Jane Watson, Peter's love interest while James Franco also appeared as Harry Osbourne, Norman's son and Peter's best friend.  J.K. Simmons gave a screen stealing performance as J. Jonah Jamison, the quick tempered editor of The Daly Bugel, a small newspaper where Peter went to work as a photographer.

This more modern version shows Peter in a similar stage of his life, but focuses more on one specific part of his life.  Peter (portrayed by Andrew Garfield) spends this entire movie in high school and never takes a job at any newspaper.  The character of J. Jonah Jamison is written out completely, as is the character of Harry Osbourne, although Norman is credited as the founder of Oscorp Industries.  Mary-Jane is completely absent from this film, but in her place is Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), a smart and talented girl from Peter's school.  As luck would have it, however, Gwen's father (Dennis Leary) happens to be the very police captain who wants to put Spider-Man away for good.  The original film had no mention of Peter's parents, but this one begins with him being dropped off at his aunt and uncle's house to live "for a little while."  When he happens across his father's old briefcase, he discovers a photo of his father and another scientist.  His uncle Ben reveals this man to be Dr. Curtis Conners, his father's former partner.  When Peter sneaks into Oscorp Industries to learn more about him, he is bitten by a spider which of course gives him his powers.  This movie didn't quite top the original, but it is still interesting enough to be worth watching.  Even fans of the original Spider-Man films, like myself, should enjoy this.  Its not a bad movie at all, just not quite as good as the original.

4 Stars

Jack and Jill

Norbit meets The Nutty Professor meets any bad Sandler flick.

As much as I typically enjoy Adam Sandler's work, I was not impressed with Jack and Jill.  I am not opposed to raunchy and crude humor by any means, but this movie was too stupid even for me.  As talented as he is, Adam Sandler should stick to male roles.  Some men were not meant to play women.

Sandler stars as Jack Sadlestein, a working class kid from the Bronx turned wealthy Southern California advertising executive.  He has a beautiful wife (Katie Holmes) and two great kids; his life on the whole is sweet except for one person; his clingy, unattractive, socially awkward twin sister Jill (also played by Sandler).  Jack can't stand Jill and dreads the her anual visit every thanksgiving.  Jill transforms Jack's perfect world completely upside down with her outrageous demands and crazy stunts, from riding a jetski through his pool to parading around his home in her undergarments.   He can't stand hosting her but when the lonely Jill decides not to leave, things get really out of hand.  To cure his sister's lonliness, Jack tries to hooking her up with a man through online dating (Craigslist in specific), but she manages to drive away the only man willing to date her.  Things seem bleak, but when the infamous Al Pacino falls for Jill, Jack begins to wonder if maybe his embarrassing sister might just be good for something after all.  Things take a turn for the worst, however, when Jill falls for Jack's charming gardener and despite her brother's urgings, does not return Pacino's sentiment.

This movie is painful to watch in some scenes (specifically the ones that show Adam Sandler in a woman's bathing suit).  If you enjoy bad movies this just be enjoyable, but it depends; just how stupid of a movie are you looking for?

2.5 Stars

Avengers

The one superhero movie to rule them all.

In the past few years, there have been many superhero movies, some spectacular, others awful.  Even superheros are only as super as the actors who play them; from Toby McGuire's epic performance as Spider-Man to Ben Affleck's "blind" performance as Daredevil.  This movie, however, did not have a bad actor in it.  Marvel Avengers was super in every way.

Many of Marvel Comic's "Avengers" have had their own movies over the years and in this movie they all came together.  It features Chris Evans as strong, patriotic Steve Rogers (aka Captain America), Robert Downy Jr. as the flashy, wise-cracking Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) and Chris Hemsoworth as deep-voiced, kingly Thor.   Although there have been two Incredible Hulk movies in the past decade, neither one has been worth the time or money that went into making it.  In The Avengers,  Mark Rufolo outdoes both Eric Bana and Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner and needless to say, as the Hulk himself.  Samuel L. Jackson is very good as well as Nick Fury and Scarlet Johansen shines as Black Widow.  Adding to the mix is Lokki, the younger brother of Thor, who descends upon Earth and instantly begins causing chaos, killing many people and laughing about it as he goes.  Directly after declaring war, Fury gathers the Avengers aboard a floating air-fortress but before they get very far, things start going wrong...fast.  Many personal conflicts arise as personalities clash.  Steve Rogers and Tony Stark don't quite see eye to eye, nor do Thor and Fury.  Dr. Banner does everything possible to control his temper, but it becomes very hard when Lokki is taken aboard.  This movie truly has something for everyone, action, humor and even romance.  The grand finale is truly incredible, with feats from every single hero.  There's even a laugh now and then.  This is not a movie anyone should miss.  See if in 3D if you can, but if you can't its still worth seeing.

5 Stars.

Moneyball

Heartwarming sports drama touches the soul.

Being a diehard baseball fan, I was curious to see how this nonfictional bestseller by Michael Lewis would transfer to the big screen. His previous novel to be made into a film The Blind Side was very good, so my hopes were high. Moneyball didn't disappoint.

I'll admit I was a little surprised by many of the actors cast in this film. Be prepared, if you follow professional baseball, you'll know what Billy Beane, Art Howe, David Justice and many other baseball figures portrayed by actors in Moneyball look like.  Brad Pitt bears about as much resemblance to the tall, slim real life Billy Beane as Philip Seymour Hoffman does to the tall, slim real life Art Howe. Both play their roles very well though. Jonah Hill, star of such films as Superbad and Get Him to the Greek, is fantastic and screen stealing as Peter Brand, a young Yale educated economist who catches Billy Beane's eye due to his new and strange but nonetheless effective way of figuring out baseball. The film focuses on Beane's journey as general manager of the struggling Oakland Athletics, a team with few fans and even less money. With only a few people who believe in him, Beane embarks on a quest that shocks many and almost costs him his job but forever changes the way the game is played. Whether you're a baseball fan or not, this is a great movie. Don't expect the tearjerking family drama of The Blind Side but this movie has some emotional scenes of its own. Its not about sports on the whole, its really about one man's courage and determination to leave his mark on the game he loves. A truly heartwarming account of nonfictional events, Moneyball will steal your heart and leave you cheering.

50/50

Will make you laugh out loud but also touch your heart.

We're used to seeing Seth Rogen in crass films such as "Knocked Up," "Pineapple Express," "Zack and Miri Make a Porno"..ect, playing crass roles. In this movie, however, Rogen manages to play the same obnoxious character but actually come across as almost deep.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Adam, a 27 year old young man whose life is pretty good until he discovers that he has a rare spinal cancer. Aided by his crude friend Kyle (Rogen) and seemingly perfect girlfriend Rachel (Bryce Dallas Howard) he begins the slow, painful path to recover, paved with heartbreak, painful reality checks, and overbearing parents. Through it all though, Adam keeps his head up because he knows he has a 50/50 chance of conquering this disease. As Kyle says "If you were a game in a casino, you'd be the one with the highest odds. On the whole, Adam's journey is more one of self discovery than anything else. He is also aided by a cute but somewhat quirky therapist (Anna Kendrick) who proves surprisingly useful in helping him sort out his life, in more ways than one. This movie isn't a comedy but it does have some good laughs and plenty of heart. What are the odds you will enjoy it? I'd say at least 50/50

4 Stars

Rise of The Planet of The Apes

Old series is reborn with stunning effects.

Hollywood legend Charlton Heston (R.I.P) first made Planet of the Apes a sensation when it first hit the big screen many years ago. The first film, which gave the series its name was by far the best although none of the follow ups were horrible. In 203, however, Mark Walberg stared in a remake of the Heston classic but failed to out-do Heston miserably. Then, in 2011, came this follow up, with visual effects created by the remarkable team that made Avatar what it was and the series was given a second chance.

This remake features James Franco as Dr. Will Rodman, a young scientist working on discovering a cure for alzheimers's disease, and testing it out on Chimpanzees. When a demonstration goes horribly wrong and a mother chimp is killed, Will brings its newborn baby home and raises it himself. Caesar, as Will's father (John Lithgow) names the ape, grows quickly and develops an incredible mind, far greater than that of a human child his age. Will discovers this is due to a sample of his drug given to Caesar's mother before his birth which was passed down to him. Caesar soon grows into a large, powerful, intelligent animal but when he attacks a neighbor while defending his master, he is sent by the law to a neglectful home for private. Things really take off from there, leading up to a spectacular battle sequence. This one solid action film you won't want to miss.

5 Stars