"Movie Mania": May 2010

Rental of the Week: "To Kill a Mockingbird"

All summer long I'll be recommending older, classic movies! Now, I realize that most people don't care to be sitting around watching a movie on a nice summer day, but today's recommendation is good to watch on one of those rainy days! In my opinion, "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a great film to kick off this whole classic recommendation theme! It's actually based off of a novel by Harper Lee of the same name. Half of the movie focuses on a mischievous pair of siblings. There's 6 year old, Scout (Mary Badham), and her older brother, Jem (Philip Alford).

The two kids are being raised by their father, Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck). Not only is Atticus a widower, but he is also a lawyer. The movie takes place in Alabama during the Depression-era. If you read a quick summary of this movie it might read: A lawyer living in the south during the 1930s, defends a black man against a rape charge! Okay, whoa! Let's get back to the kids... Both Scout and Jem, along with a neighborhood friend, embark on many adventures in the little fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama. The movie mainly focuses on when they spy on the neighborhood "boogieman," "Boo" Radley. The siblings' care-free life eventually changes when their father defends a black man, Tom Robinson (Brock Peters), who is being falsely accused of raping a white woman. Keep in mind that the movie takes place in a time when racism was accepted and the "N" word was used freely. Though Atticus is practically shunned by many of the white people in the community, he doesn't give up. His children begin to get curious about why they are being treated differently. Atticus simply takes the opportunity to explain to them why racism is wrong. A good bit of the movie takes place during Tom's trial. Actually, the movie holds the title of having the most famous (and best) court scene of all time... I kind of agree! The court scene would probably be the only part

that might bore someone. Of course, I can't give away anything about the outcome of the trial. You'll have to watch the movie if you want to know what happens. As for what really makes this movie special... the kids! It's interesting to see how much fun they have without televisions, video games, computers, etc. So, is this appropriate for kids? Well, younger children won't understand about the trial, but they'll love seeing all the mischief that Scout and Jem get into. Adults who like good, not just enjoyable, but good movies, will like this. I will say that you actually have to pay attention to keep up with what's going on! So when a rainy day comes along this summer, be sure to sit down and watch "To Kill a Mockingbird!" Even if it doesn't rain, watch this movie!

Spoof it Up!

Spoof it Up becomes our new segment!

"Shrek Forever After" Review

It's been nine years since the original "Shrek," and since then there has been "Shrek 2," "Shrek the Third," a TV Christmas special called "Shrek the Halls," "Shrek the Musical on Broadway," and now the final chapter has arrived. Whether you call it "Shrek Forever After," "Shrek: The Final Chapter," or even "Shrek 4," the film is still the fourth and allegedly final installment of the series. Shrek has finally made it to his happily ever after, but it's not exactly "ogre" enough for him. He has kids to take care of, a wife to please, and he's also a celebrity these days. So who is there better to solve his problems than the sneaky Rumpelstiltskin? Shrek makes a deal with Rumpel in which he must give up a day of his life in order to have a day that he can return to being the ogre he once was. Of course, there's always a catch to a deal that's too good to be true, and Rumpel takes away the day Shrek was born. So what would things be like if Shrek never had been born? He would never have met Donkey, Puss in Boots, nor his wife, Fiona. So, what if? That's exactly what you'll find out when you see this movie! As you can tell, the plot is a little weak; however it's not as weak as you'd think. Overall, it reminded me of a few other movies like "The Santa Clause 3," in which the main character, in this case Shrek, is fed up with life, but doesn't realize how good his life is until it's gone. I went into the movie with very low expectations because this was the fourth time filmmakers have had to try and please audiences. When the first film released, I feel like everyone was wrapped up in the idea of something new and fresh that appealed to both kids and adults. The same goes for the second one, but not that many people were crazy about "Shrek the Third." I personally thought the third one was fine, and I feel the same way about this new one. It lacks the adult appeal that the first two movies had, but simultaneously, it is still a cute movie! It probably would have made a better straight to DVD release, for it did not continue the story, but instead, ended it on a happy note!

Music Mania: "Dreamworks Animation"

Critic's Round-Up: "Iron Man 2"

"Iron Man 2" Review

The ever so obnoxious, self-centered, narcissistic Tony Stark is back! If you're unfamiliar with the first movie, "Iron Man," Tony Stark (played by Robert Downing Jr.) is the head of Stark Industries, which is basically a weapons manufacturing company. Now Stark may be a genius, but he doesn't quite have a clue. Luckily though, he has a superb assistant who goes by the name of

"Pepper" Potts! Pepper, who is played by Gwyneth Paltrow, gets a promotion in the new movie and becomes the CEO of Stark Industries. Stepping in as Tony's new assistant is none other than Scarlett Johansson. So if Tony is no longer the CEO of Stark Industries, and he has a personal assistant to wait on him 24/7, what exactly does he do? Oh wait, he's Iron Man! This time around Iron Man has himself a new foe to fight off, Whiplash aka Mickey Rourke! But he doesn't have to do it alone. That's where his friend "Rohdey," or as some like to call him, War Machine, steps in. Oh, and they also have some help from Black Widow, who is really Tony's assistant, who is really Scarlett Johansson. So does that make any sense? Well for fans of the "Iron Man" series or comic book junkies, it might! But as for the average movie goer, not so much! Now I wasn't a huge fan of the first "Iron Man," but after seeing this one I immediately had to go back and watch it again. Why did I do that? Well it wasn't because this new one was so good that I decided to give the first one another try... I just wanted to compare the two! So what is my comparison? Well, I really don't think I liked one of them better than the other, but there were certain elements that I liked better in each one. I felt like the first "Iron Man" did a better job of keeping the movie's humor consistent, while "Iron Man 2" did a better job of keeping the movie's action sequences consistent! My biggest problem with the first "Iron Man" was that it didn't keep my attention as good as "Iron Man 2" did. In the first film we were just kind of being introduced to Iron Man and th

e whole film led up to on big action scene. But with the new one, there were about 3 or 4 action scenes, which still wasn't enough to satisfy me. I mean, I left wanting more, and when I say that, I don't mean it was so good that I could have watched another hour or so... I just felt like it wasn't enough, and maybe I was the only one that felt like that because apparently I was the only one who wasn't crazy about the first movie!
As for the actors... Robert Downing Jr. was of course great! I think he does a really good job in the role of Tony Stark. I don't think his smart-aleck attitude got as many laughs as I though it would. Gwyneth Paltrow is also very good in the role of "Pepper" Potts! I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, but there was actually a moment in the movie when I thought we were going to lose "Pepper!" Mickey Rourke nailed that Russian accent! I was really happy to see him in this film because he and Robert both have really made comebacks in their careers. Scarlett Johansson actually surprised me! I was a little disappointed that she didn't get very much screen time as Black Widow, but maybe they'll include her more in "Iron Man 3," if they make an "Iron Man 3," which I'm sure they will! Don Cheadle stepped in for Terrance Howard to play "Rohdey" in the movie, and I would have to say that he did a good job! Was he as good as Terrance? Well I don't know! I don't think he played the role exactly like Terrance did, but he still managed to give a decent performance. Oh, and let's not forget Samuel L. Jackson! He plays this guy who is trying to recruit Iron Man to join the Avengers, which is another comic book series that's kind of a collaboration of superheroes. But anyway, yeah, it's Samuel L. Jackson! So do I recommend this movie? Well it wasn't enough to satisfy mean, but I think it's still worth checking out! Be sure and stay after the credits, and keep your eyes open for Stan Lee!