Junior (1994)

This was the most awkward movie I have ever seen and I doubt that it can be beaten in that category.
Dr. Alexander Hesse (Arnold Schwarznegger) and Dr. Larry Arbogast (Danny DeVito) are working on an experiment which will reduce a woman's risk of having a miscarriage but then their funding is completely cut. Upset and desperate to continue, Larry comes up with the plan of testing on a human, but without FDA approval, this is impossible, unless they implant one of themselves. For some reason, Larry decides that Alex will be the one to get pregnant. First, he steals an egg, titled Junior. Dr. Diana Reddin) is working on her own experiment with freezing eggs. She was the one chosen to replace Alex and the university but she is the clumsiest woman on the face of this planet. When she first arrives, she lands on Alex because her egg market flies out of control. That's how they meet cute.
So Alex gets pregnant in one of the most awkward scenes ever when Danny DeVito tells Schwarznegger "Let's put a bun in your oven." But the crazy, insane plan actually works. And the results are great. The film gets crazier from here. Alex, a stiff board of a man, actually grows attached to his fetus. And, after the experiement is over, he doesn't stop taking the wonder drug and when Larry discovers this, he is less than pleased but decides that he will help him. But their is a villain in this film. It's the head of the university, Noah Baines (Frank Langella) who doesn't understand why the wonder drug is still being made and decides to investigate. Upon discovering what is really going on, he decides to take custody of Alex and the unborn fetus which Alex takes offense to and pushes Baines over and says that it's his body, his choice. Wow, a woman's right to choose, without ever saying that directly. After this incident, Alex dresses in drag and goes on a resort for the remainder of his pregnancy.
There is another problem. The egg Larry obtained wasn't an anonymous one. It is one of Diana's that she decided to freeze on her own so when Alex discovers that it is her egg, he is less than pleased and tells Diana everything. She freaks out as any person would. But Alex does like her and calls her throughout his stay at the resort and finally she comes around.
The other subplot involves Larry's ex-wife, Angela (Pamela Reed) who gets pregnant courtesy of a one-night stand. Larry is upset because they tried to get pregnant for seven years and failed. Angela also insists on having Larry as her doctor which is also weird but looks normal compared to the other plot.
When Alex goes into labor, he has to be sneaked into the hospital for an emergency c-section because Baines is outside waiting for him with all the media but he is made to look like a fool when Angela gets out of the car instead. But of course, while Larry is still operating on Alex, Angela goes into labor for real so Diana has to coach her through the whole thing.
Alex has a baby girl while Angela has a little boy and both couples get together for the typical happy ending. The problem? Alex and Diana decide to name their daughter Junior, completely ruining the moment for me. That is a horrible name for such a sweet baby; the little boy is named something normal: Jake.
The epilogue takes place on the babies' first birthdays, with the couples still together and Diana pregnant the old-fashioned way. Everything worked out which is good.
The whole concept is completely bizarre and biologically impossible. Other than that, it is the most awkward film ever and just hearing the words I'm pregnant coming out of the terminator's mouth causes me to squirm. Still, despite being a comedy, some serious issues are brought up. For example, only you should have control over your own body; no one else can tell you what you should do. But there still are some funny moments, the best of which is when Diana comes out of the bathroom with a piece of toilet paper still attached to her foot while she and Alex dance together. Still, though this film is fairly good with good performances all-around (there is no amount of money in the world that would make me dress up as a pregnant man in drag, so props to Schwarznegger). Yet, this film is one that I could barely make it through the first time so I will never watch it again because it is just too awkward. Grade: B

All the President's Men (1976)

This is a great film with a topic that couldn't have been more timely at its release and it is filled with great performances.
Here the film opens with some men breaking into the Watergate hotel. Bob Woodward (Robert Redford), a new reporter for the Washington Post is on the story. However, though Woodward has good contacts and is able to obtain the necessary information, he is still green at figuring out how to make a story sound good. Enter Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) who snatches Woodward's story and rewrites it. Though Woodward is mad, he does realize that the story is better with Bernstein writing it, so Ben Bradlee (an Oscar-winning Jason Robards, Jr.) puts both men on the case. They delve further into the story, investigating how high up this break-in goes. However, this is a cover-up of massive proportion. While on the phone with the secretary of the White House Library, in one breath she admits that Howard Hunt checked out tons of books, but once she comes back from checking that out, she says that she never knew this Hunt. They investigate everyone, and no one is willing to admit who authorized the break-in and who paid the men the money that was found on them. Deep Throat (Hal Holbrook) tells Woodward to follow the money and how big the cover-up actually is. Nixon is so paranoid that he won't get re-elected that for the past year that he has done other things to ruin the Democrats. However, because no one will admit anything, this is impossible to prove. Bernstein uses some borderline unethical methods to get information out of this one bookkeeper (Jane Alexander). He barges into her home and drinks coffee for hours to get as much information out of her as possible, but she still won't give them names, only initials. This is a huge problem. But eventually, after talking to Hugh Sloan (Steven Collins) who testified to the grand jury only because his pregnant wife threatened to leave him if he didn't leave his job.
There is tons of old-fashioned leg work and research done by both Woodward and Bernstein, whom Bradlee has nicknamed Woodstein. Some interesting phone calls are taken by both, including one from a man in Minneapolis who is nervous about things because his neighbor's wife has been kidnapped. This man has no idea how the money he donated to the committee to re-elect the president has landed in the hands of a man accused of breaking into the Watergate hotel.
The case gets crazier and then some misinformation almost causes the entire story to unravel. Luckily, that man, though not named by the sources, was truly involved in covering up the scandal. Eventually, everything leads up to the president, and Nixon resigns just days after saying he would never do that.
The film is excellent and shows the power of true investigative journalism, something that no longer exists which is just too sad. The newsroom is recreated with every detail covered. And it seems real, while Woodward is uncovering his story, others are gathered around the TV watching the story where Eagleton, McGovern's vice-presidential candidate withdraws from the race. This film won a much-deserved Oscar for Art Direction. The screenplay also won, much deserved.
The actors, mainly Redford and Hoffman are amazing, but the supporting cast including Martin Balsam and Jack Warden are brilliant. Jason Robards would win an Oscar and Jane Alexander managed to earn a nomination despite only appearing on screen for about six minutes in her role which mainly consisted of nodding. The film deals with some difficult issues and one that will hopefully never happen again. Too bad investigative journalism is basically dead. This film is a true political thriller and one that I will gladly watch again because of all the twists and turns along the way. Grade: A

The Middle: The Name

The episode that I've been dreading has arrived.
I'll get to that one later.
Sue fails her driving test (surprise) because she messed up in all areas. But she is happy about it because she is still upset over the fact that her name is Sue Sue Heck. She tries to figure out what to change it to and comes up with some utterly stupid ideas including Coco. Finally, she settles on Lily because that is what her name means in French, but right before it is about to be legally changed (after spending the entire day in the court house), she realizes that now her name will mean Lily Lily so she doesn't want it changed and the clerk says that is the most unique name she's ever seen so Sue will remain Sue Sue Heck. The funniest moment came when Mike came home and ripped down the celebration sign.
Because Frankie has to study for her big final, she is overwhelmed by everything around the house so her sister, Janet (a great Molly Shannon) arrives to help out but she is so organized and is trying to get the house organized though that means bothering Frankie constantly which means Frankie can't study. But Janet does help Brick a spectacular bridge out of pop-sickle sticks but he only wants his mother's help. Then Janet has a breakdown because her own home life is messed up and Frankie wants to study and can't talk to her. Janet has sent her only daughter (the miracle baby Lucy) away because Lucy constantly screams at her and even bit Janet once. Naturally, she and Frankie make-up.
Now to the plot that angered me and my friends immensely. First off, Cassidy is back. (Nice that they let you out of the big house.) Axl is having dinner with her and her parents and is being pretty nice, helping them out and everything. And then everything went shot to hell. Pardon my French. The ex-boyfriend (yes, he exists, I was totally wrong, she wasn't lying), Cliff (Ryan Rottman) shows up uninvented. Cassidy's parents are thrilled to see him again though Cassidy isn't. In fact, she's sort of upset that he showed up. So Mr. and Mrs. Finch invent him to dinner so Cliff (not my mom's car either people) joins them. Then, even worse, he shows up at the school the next day to let Cassidy know that he is still volunteering to build houses for the poor. Though Cassidy says that she is no longer interested, Axl insists that she still go and he even joins them, but, just as he does everything in life, he half-asses the project so a wall of the frame of the house falls down. I knew that would happen. He should have tried his best because Cliff was super good at this sort of thing.
Axl arrives home, furious and blaming everything else. He was trying not to be jerk but things backfired. Then he just looks at Mike and says the words we've been waiting for, "I'm an idiot." I start clapping. Mike agrees with this statement.
Just as things seem to be working out, with Sue finally embracing her name, Axl bikes (he broke his car by being an idiot in the season opener and driving into a demolition derby) up to Cassidy's house to give her a rose (how sweet, he finally learned) only to see Cassidy getting into her ex-boyfriend's car. Why? That is what my friends and I are asking. I knew that they probably wouldn't last but to have them end (though they haven't officially broken up) like this; it's just devastating, especially since Cassidy told Axl that her parents took the break up hard and probably would have picked Cliff over their own flesh and blood which is just awful (though I'm sure the Hecks would probably have picked Cassidy over Axl). I have never felt so bad for Axl and that's saying something. It only took him four seasons to realize that he is an idiot. And he gets punished for that realization.
The show ended with the most upsetting words a viewer can see: To Be Continued. It better be continued. Next week can't come fast enough. Please place your predictions in the comment box. I'm no longer going to predict anything because I despise being wrong. Grade: A- (despite all my issues with it, it was great)

Admission

This was a good though interesting and unpredictable film. I like those sorts of films.
The concept is basic. Portia Nathan (Tina Fey) is a predictable bore of an adult. She likes her life orderly and neat, constantly snipping her plant on her desk. She is an admission's officer for Princeton and is dedicated to her job. She is loyal, as her long-term boyfriend, annoying English professor, Mark (Michael Sheen) says. She wants to succeed and a promotion is in her sight and then everything changes. Determined to get ahead of her competitor in the admission's office, Corinne (Gloria Reuben), she visits a new high school in New Hampshire run by the worldly and traveled John Pressman (Paul Rudd). He introduces her to his prized student, Jeremiah (Nat Wolff). Jeremiah is a good kid, brilliantly smart (he, like Brick from The Middle can remember absolutely everything he reads) but his record is spotty. His grades, until senior year, are abysmal and he has few extra-curriculars. However, despite never taking an AP class in his life, he nevertheless, took eight tests and passed with all fives (the highest score possible). I have taken four AP tests, after taking the class and only managed two threes and two twos, so yeah, this kid is a genius. 
Then everything changes. Upon returning home from her trip, Mark announces that he cheated on her (after ten years of sinful living together) and got his mistress pregnant, with twins. And John Pressman tells her two things, one that Jeremiah is truly interested in going to Princeton and two, that he is the baby she gave up for adoption years ago. (They both went to the same college, so John heard stuff.) This sends Portia into a tailspin. Her life has changed forever. She, then, precedes to break every rule ever established to get Jeremiah into Princeton, though, she didn't change his resume. Instead, she did something worse. She switched his accepted sticker with the one of another. (No harm [kidding], that kid decided upon Yale anyway.) This forces her to resign from her job, something that she clearly was expecting. And, then, the biggest bombshell. She confronts Jeremiah and tells him that she's his mother and he says no, she's not. He met her and his half-sisters months ago. His biological mother is a hairdresser. Portia is devastated. The birth certificate was smudged, so the hour of birth was wrong. Portia, then, decides to seek out her adopted child, but he is not ready to meet his mother. Waitlisted, not bad, assures John.
Now, there are other plots. Paul Rudd and Tina Fey do end up together, though that is not a cut-and-dry romance either. John is well-traveled, to his mother's dismay. He even adopted a child from Zambia, Nelson (Travaris Spears), who hates traveling. He thinks that Portia is wonderful, because she has had the same job for the past sixteen years. She is the typical, predictable, boring adult. Nelson is sick of traveling and doesn't want to go to Ecuador, the next stop on John's journey to better the world.
And then, the best character of the film, Susannah Nathan (Lily Tomlin), Portia's crazy-feminist mother. She raves about how she didn't want a relationship, but she needed this stranger on the train for his sperm. She is a raging feminist who doesn't even bother to buy her dogs (greyhounds) some food because she is a slave to no one. The dogs can eat whatever they find or kill outside. She also recently had a mastectomy and has fake boobs, bigger than the ones she used to have. She tells her daughter that she wanted to know what having bigger ones would be like. "They get in the way," one the greatest lines of the film. Yet, she, like her daughter, ends up in a relationship by the end of the film. He is one of the philosophy professors at Princeton who is a huge fan of hers. However, Susannah is not perfect. She wants to distance herself from this whole mother thing and insists that her daughter call her by her first name. Toward the end, Portia confronts her and says how furious she is at her mother for never getting the name of the sperm donor on the train. Susannah tells her that it wasn't a plan, but an accident and Portia finally tells her mother that she had a baby in college whom she gave up for adoption. How she could have kept that a secret for eighteen years is beyond me. The film ends with the great line, applicable to many things: What's the secret to getting in, there is no secret. And it's true. You just have to be yourself.
Tina Fey is excellent in this performance proving that she is more than just a comic, able to cry on cue. She is also more believable in this role than in the delightfully funny Baby Mama. Paul Rudd, as always, is great as the guy trying to raise his kid differently than how he was raised, never mind what the child wants. Wallace Shawn, as Portia's boss, does fine work. Lily Tomlin successfully steals every scene which she is in. Nat Wolff delivered a break-out performance. Only Michael Sheen seems out of place. The dialogue is fine and the story managed to turn something simple into something worth watching and remembering unlike The Guilt Trip. This one can be watched over and over again. Grade: A-

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)

This is supposed to be a feminist film, but it's really not, at least not by today's standards.
Alice Hyatt (Ellen Burstyn) is a married woman with a young son, Tommy (Alfred Lutter) and husband, Donald (Billy Green Bush), but her life is an unhappy one. Her son is a smart-ass (her words not mine, though he is one) and her husband is a stick in the mud. Nothing makes him happy so Alice is likewise unhappy. She is far away from her home of Monterey California. (The film begins briefly with Alice as a child, singing as she's coming home.) But then, Donald dies. He's killed in a truck accident. Alice is devastated, though that doesn't last for too long. She packs up her car and loads her son in it and begins to travel, her destination, Monterey. She cries more over leaving her best friend, Bea (Lelia Goldoni) than when her husband died.
Needing to make some money along the way, Alice and Tommy first stop in Phoenix, where she eventually finds a job as a singer. This is only after refusing to turn around for one manager and crying her eyes out, though not on purpose to the owner who at long last gives her a job. She is a good singer and someone catches her eye. His name is Ben (Harvey Keitel), and at first, Alice is reluctant to go out with him, though he seems nice. They start going out but then his wife, Rita (Lane Bradbury) confronts Alice about everything. Alice is super sorry though Rita isn't mad about that. She's angry about her husband missing some work because they need the money to pay for medication for their sick baby. Everything seems fine but then Ben breaks down Alice's door and beats his wife and threatens to beat Alice as well. Out of fear, she says that she will meet him again, instead, she packs her bags and lives town, never mind the hotel room with clutter all around.
The next stop is Tuscon. Here Alice gets a job as a waitress, determined to support herself and Tommy. At first, she is overwhelmed, but slowly starts learning the ropes. However, she doesn't like Flo (Diane Ladd, great) who is the head waitress because Flo says some crazy jokes. Vera (Valerie Curtin) is the other waitress, absentminded and odd, sorting around the people's plates after putting it down in front of them.  Alice also meets David (Kris Krisstofterson). He is divorced and owns a ranch. He and Tommy get along, at first and Alice also likes him. Life seems to be getting better, but then David and Tommy get into a nasty fight and Tommy hits David and David spanks him right back. Though Alice had threatened throughout the whole film, she never laid a finger on him and is furious at David when he does so. However, on the drive home, sick of all Tommy's lip, she tells him to walk the rest of the way home. He doesn't go home. Tommy goes to his friend, Audrey's (actually Doris's) house. Audrey (Jodie Foster) is crazy. She drinks alcohol and steals things. That night, they get arrested, but luckily no charges are filed.
Alice is reluctant to get back together with David, though she says she loves him. (I don't know about this, but whatever.) Toward the end, David promises to take her to Monterey, the ranch means nothing to him. However, the thing that bothered me about that scene is the dishes on her tray kept changing the sides they were on. Though I normally don't care (or, more likely) notice inconsistencies, when I do, they bother me.
In the end, the ending is left ambiguous. Though Alice tells Tommy they may never make it to Monterey, the sign in the distance says Monterey. Tommy also says that he likes David too, because even though they fight, he still likes him.
I didn't like the ending. It is supposed to be a happy ending, with David and Alice getting together, but I cant' be happy about it. David is nice, but Alice needs to be by herself for awhile. (Listen up, Taylor Swift!) She even said herself that her future needs to include singing it, which is true, considering she's not that bad and is certainly popular at it. I really wish the studio wouldn't have insisted on having Alice end up with David.
The dialogue, on the other hand, is fabulous and quite realistic, with some of it scripted and some it improved. One of my favorite lines is when Alice asks Tommy why he isn't hanging around with Audrey and he informs his mother, deadpan, that Audrey has the curse. And this is front of David and everything.
The performances are also great, though Ellen Burstyn spends too much crying, though I suppose that's somewhat realistic, but it got annoying after a while. Diane Ladd is great in her some role and deserved more than her nomination. Alfred Lutter is also great as her young son and Jodie Foster couldn't have been better cased as Audrey. It is also odd that Martin Scorese went from directing this film to directing Taxi Driver, which is more offensive but, as a whole, a better film. Still, this film is really good and gutsy for the time, and Ellen Burstyn couldn't have delivered a better performance (props especially for the singing and learning how to play the piano), despite all the crying. I admire her dedication to the role. Still, I found Frozen River, to be a more feminist film, but you can't even compare the two films, really as Frozen River is a modern-day independence feature. Pick that one instead. Grade: A-

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

This is a great film.
Here, John Nash (Russell Crowe) is 'attending' Princeton. I use that word loosely because John doesn't attend classes. He's a mathematical genius and thinks classes are beneath him. He is a smart-alack and  horrible to be around. When trying to pick up a woman (though his friends have set him up for failure), he says, basically, let's just awesome that I've said everything needed to have sex. She stares at him and then he compares sex to just a simple exchange of bodily fluids. She slaps him. Which he deserves.
He also gets a roommate, Charles Herman (Paul Bettany) who is his only real friend and tells him that one of his early teachers told him that born with two brains but only half a helping of heart, which is basically accurate. But John needs a breakthrough so he can get a good placement. Finally he has a breakthrough, with the help of his friends trying to attract a blonde, with this, he disproves a century old theory and gets a job at MIT and occasionally is called into work at the Pentagon. While here, William Parcher (Ed Harris) enters his life and gives him secret missions to mine through magazines to find codes to locate a bomb. Also while teaching one of his classes (his co-workers finally get him to teach one of the classes he's supposed to), a young student catches his eye. Her name is Alicia (Jennifer Connelly) and for whatever reason (surely not because he's a pig) she's likewise attracted to him. They get married, despite the odds. John does become a better person around her, but his secret mission is becoming more dangerous and even involves a shoot-out. He starts to withdraw from his wife. He begs Parcher to let him out of the mission but Parcher says that's impossible because if he leaves, then the Soviets will be after him. John orders Alicia to go stay at her sister's. Alicia becomes concerned; she calls a doctor and after a lecture, John (convinced that the doctors are Soviets), is taken to a mental hospital by the order of Dr. Rosen (Christopher Plummer). Upon arriving here, the viewer learns that they have been lied to. Charles Herman (and his niece Marcy [Vivien Cardone]) and Parcher are fictitious, created by the crazy mind of Nash. He is in reality, mentally-ill. Schizophrenia. After some shock therapy, he is placed on medication and life moves on. Alicia has their baby, who is never named and they return to Princeton. But his genius is gone, the medication has muddled his brain. He can't come up with anything Earth shattering. He can't take care of the baby and he can't have sex with his wife. Here comes Connelly's best scene, where she goes into the bathroom and throws her cup of water against the wall.
John's every move is being watched. He can't even take the trash out without Alicia worrying. She doesn't believe that he was talking to the trash man. It isn't until Alicia sees the trash man that she believes him. Then, John decides to stop taking his medication, but the results are devastating. Believing that Charles is watching the baby, the poor thing nearly drowns and then Parcher appears and threatens to shoot Alicia because she knows too much. To protect her, John pushes Parcher out of the way, but he hits Alicia instead. She and the baby get into the car and head out to her mother's. Then John has a revelation. "Marcy can't be real, she doesn't grow." Which is true.
John wants to work out his illness by himself, without medical intervention. He does tell Alicia to go to her mother's because it isn't safe her for here, which is true, though she doesn't go. He literally has to tell his imaginary friends good-bye, and slowly starts to ignore them. Over time, he builds his life back together, thanks to the help of his wife and friend, Hansen (Josh Lucas), he eventually returns to teaching, because he thinks that there is still some good left in him. He develops more formulas and, after some time, is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Upon accepting the award, he delivers a heartfelt speech demonstrating just how much his wife truly means to him. He does have a beautiful mind, but thinks a beautiful heart would be more valuable. He's probably right.
The film is filled with good performances with Crowe and Connelly as stand-outs. Connelly fully deserved her Oscar and Crowe deserved more than his nomination as he was better here than in Gladiator, which actually won him the award.  Roger Deakins had brilliant cinematography along with the wonderful aging make-up, turning Crowe into a convincing old man. True, the film isn't historically accurate, but what film in Hollywood is. I can forgive that because the film, despite having a somewhat despicable character in the lead, turning the viewer toward something extremely stirring. The time spent is not even close to being wasted. Grade: A

Alice Adams (1935)

This was a pretty good film, though, as most films are from the 1930s, horribly dated but it was pleasantly odd.
Katharine Hepburn is brilliant as the title character and deserved far more than her Oscar nomination. Alice Adams is a young girl, growing up in an unnamed town. She is poor. That's not the right word, but the one they want you to use. She is not poor by my standards. Her family has a nice house, food on the table and she never repeats a dress throughout the whole film. Sure, she is poor by the standards of the town perhaps, but that doesn't stop her brother, Walter (Frank Albertson) from going out on dates.
Mother Adams (Ann Shoemaker) and Alice are pushy. They want their husband/father, who is currently ill, to get a better job. Alice wants the money. She's tired of being ignored at fancy parties and dancing with a socially awkward guy. Finally, a guy does notice her. He is Arthur Russell (Fred MacMurray) and is described as a playboy by the description on the film, though his wild ways are never shown or even hinted at, though it is mentioned that he is supposed to be engaged to his cousin. Nothing appears to phase him, not catching Walter gambling or even finding out that Alice is really poor. However, the part is rather one-dimensional but it's hard to talk when Katharine Hepburn keeps interrupting you.
The better plot (in acting and personal preference) is the one involving the Adams family. Virgil (Fred Stone) is ill, but his job is rather understanding about the whole thing. He (and Walter) work for Mr. Lamb (Charley Grapewin, best known as Uncle Henry from The Wizard of Oz). But while working for Mr. Lamb, Virgil invented this new, better glue and his money-hungry wife wants him to build a factory. This happens and no fuss is made but then it is discovered that Walter doctored the books to cover a debt and Lamb wants revenge so he will open his own, bigger glue factory right across from the location of the Adams's factory. Luckily, Alice confronts the man and says that her father felt hopeless because of the constant bullying he overtook at the hands of his wife. Mr. Lamb must have a soft spot for her because he says that everything will work out. It is heavily implied that they will go into business together and figure out a solution for Walter's situation.
Now, back to the main plot. Alice lies to Arthur constantly. Convincing him that her family is secretly wealthy and she and her mother put on a good scene for them, though her father couldn't be more out of place in his nice suit. Hattie McDaniel is hired as the day maid, though the maid outfit they give her doesn't fit. Virgil also hates the caviar sandwiches and doesn't know what brussel sprouts are. The scene is extremely awkward, just as so many scenes in today rom-coms are. Everything works out, despite Alice's constant lying, Arthur opts to ignore everything people say about her and at the end of the film, informs Alice that he loves her. Problem solved.
The problem I have with the film is that Alice is perfectly capable of getting a job for herself. She even tells Mr. Lamb at the end that she will get a job to pay back her brother's debt. In addition, she is about to enroll in the business school when she runs into Arthur and they start talking. She is handy around the house, but that is it. I would be bored stiff if I were her. And this was before TV. That said, the film was enjoyable in an odd sort of way. Grade: A-

Glory (1989)

This is a good film, telling the tale old time story of the Civil War, but this one tries to put a different twist on it.
Here, the governor of Massachusetts decides to recruit African American soldiers to help the case. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) is the son of abolitionists and has two years of war experience behind him. He volunteers himself and his friend, Cabot Forbes (Cary Elwes) to be in charge of the new unit. In addition, Shaw's lifelong friend, Thomas (Andre Braugher) joins up. Thomas, because he is well-educated, faces problems not being able to keep up with all the physical demands the army needs. He and Trip also get off on the wrong foot because Trip hates how educated Thomas is.
Though Shaw is in charge of the soldiers, the company, he seems to do little work, leaving most of it to the Irish Mulcahy (John Finn) who whips the men into shape, little by little. He is a nasty drill sergeant and doesn't even understand that some of the soldiers don't know the difference between the right and left. The soldiers are also more interesting than Shaw. There is the runaway slave, Trip (an Oscar-winning Denzel Washington), the kind-hearted older man (Morgan Freeman), who eventually becomes a non-commissioned officer because he demands respect and the athletic Jupiter (Jihmi Kennedy), who can shoot a weapon better than most, though not nearly good enough for battle. Why is the film not told from their points-of-view?
There are problems, such as the enormous lack of supplies for the men because no one believes they will ever see combat. Trip runs away to obtain shoes and is sorely beaten for it. (Later he is asked to bear the colors, though he refuses this position.) That is his most powerful scene. Eventually, the man get what they need and, after some blackmail, they fight for real. By this time, a journalist from Harper's Bazaar has joined them to write stories about the infantry division. The men face difficulties, before facing combat, they are joined with another division to raid a southern Georgia town, which angers Shaw greatly.
The best part of the film is the night before the final battle depicted in the film. The men are sitting around the fire, praying and singing about the upcoming event. Then comes the nasty battle, where many of the men of the 54th Massachusetts are killed, including Shaw.
Though the film tells a great story, why can't it be told from someone else's point of view? Many of the characters, especially Shaw and Forbes, are rather underdeveloped, and the dialogue seems quite contemporary. However, despite these major problems, the film manages to look at the world through entirely different eyes and drives the viewer toward something stirring. The editing is also seamless with great cinematography. I have now seen the film three times so I think I'm good for some time. In the end, Denzel Washington's performance sticks with you the most, which is probably good since he was awarded the Oscar for this role. Grade: A-

Oz: the Great and Powerful

This was an interesting film.
It begins in 1905 Kansas, where Oscar (James Franco) is nothing more than a con-man, and a man-whore, with a traveling circus and a girl in every town and an under-appreciated side kick, Frank (Zach Braff). To make each girl feel special, he gives them a music box he claims belonged to his grandmother. Only one girl, Annie (Michelle Williams), has gotten through, but someone else has asked her to marry him. Oscar tells to her to marry the other guy because he will never be a good guy. At least he can admit it to himself. Then someone else realizes that Oscar is a scumbag and starts to chase after him. He climbs into the hot air balloon and starts to fly away but then gets caught up in a tornado. Part of me wishes he never got taken up by a tornado. I wanted to see what would happen hear. Would Annie marry John Gale (yes, a reference to the real story) or would Oscar have fought to get her back and became a changed man? But he must go to Oz.
Then the color enters and Oscar lands in Oz. The first person he stumbles upon is Theodora (Mila Kunis). She is delighted to have found him because he is the prophecy coming true. They quickly fall in love and then he shows her a music box (great, this again) and while dancing, they kiss. It wasn't epic, just a kiss. But whatever. She is convinced that he will marry her and then become queen.Then Theodora brings the great man home. Her sister is less than pleased. Evanora (Rachel Weisz) doesn't believe her sister, thinking that the evil witch may have hired Oscar to trick her. She tells Oscar that he can have all the riches. But first, he must kill the wicked witch. So he sets off on this journey. Joining him is Findlay (Zach Braff) whom he rescued and now is his servant. They find a chinatown (literally, a town made of china) which has been destroyed by the wicked witch's minions. Here, they meet a broken china doll (Joey King, who was in a wheelchair in Kansas). He is able to mend her here thanks to the power of glue, which he brought with him.
Then they find the wicked witch and he nearly breaks her wand (which will kill her) when she reveals herself to him. She is Glinda (also Michelle Williams) and Evanora is the evil one and she has lied to everyone, even her own sister. But thanks to her spyglass, Evanora shows Theodora that Oscar has betrayed her and she develops a rage in her heart. Thanks to eating a green apple, Theodora turns completely evil (only after realizing that her sister is the nasty one), her heart being destroyed so it will never be broken again. She also turns green, just like she was in The Wizard of Oz.
Glinda brings Oscar to the town where he is greeted like a hero. He finally admits the truth to her, not that she cares, as the people don't know that, so he must continue to fool them. He does nearly leave, but after some encouraging words from china doll girl, he decides to stay. Oscar must perform his biggest and best trick ever. Thanks to the help of the citizens of the town, including the tinkers, munchkins and farmers, they band together and they certainly do. Scarecrows are built to go through the toxic poppy field, which kills some of the nasty flying monkeys, while Oscar sneaks into the palace, thanks to Knuck (Tony Cox), a well-placed spy. However, just when it all seems to be lost, as Glinda is captured and is about to die, and then they see Oscar fly off in a balloon and Evanora and Theodora throw fire balls at it and it burns away, appearing to kill him. Glinda gets her wand back from the china doll girl, who sneaks it through enemy lines. Glinda escapes and then, using real world magic and channeling Thomas Edison, Oscar reappears, scaring the witches away, using pyrotechnics and fireworks to terrify them. Then Evanora and Glinda get into an epic fight, with Glinda being tossed down the stairs. But then Evanora loses her power because during the fight, Glinda ripped the emerald necklace off her neck so her powers are gone. She escapes. All is calm, for now. The film ends, as The Wizard of Oz did as well, with the wizard bestowing gifts to his honored companions. He and Glinda kiss in his secret booth. Though this probably shouldn't have happened, I am nevertheless glad it did. All is right in the world, for now.
That's only part of the problem. The film cries sequel and one is already in the works, which kills the mood. Heaven forbid we use our imagination to imagine what is going to happen, though we all know what will happen, thanks to The Wizard of Oz already being made into a film. The dialogue is also rather weak and contemporary at times. My friend called it cheesy, I suppose that is right. James Franco is also not that great, with a role he just can't sink his teeth into and he even makes the weirdest face ever at one point. Fortunately, Michelle Williams (brilliant in My Week with Marilyn) saves the film. She is absolutely great and beautiful. Plus, she's the good witch so it's easy to root for her. Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis are alright, better than Franco but not nearly as good as Williams, but I feel that the fault lies in the script, not in their performances. The special effects and costumes are fantastic so the film was visually awesome so that is the reason to see the film, not because of the story, but it was still fairly enjoyable. Grade: B+

Enchanted (2007)

I've seen this movie probably at least ten times, but I really never get sick of it. It is a Disney film, but it sort of spoofs on all the other Disney films.
Giselle (Amy Adams) is not a princess, yet. She is a country girl with animals as friends. The evil queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) has a stepson, Edward (James Marsden) who will soon inherit her throne, but she doesn't want to give it up. Edward and Giselle can never find each other, but they do. Narissa disguises herself as an old woman and sends Giselle to a place where there are no happy endings, aka current day New York City. Here enters the divorce attorney, Robert (Patrick Dempsey). He is a single-father to Morgan (Rachel Covey) and hates fairy tales, thinking they are stupid and unrealistic. They stumble upon Giselle and Morgan falls in love instantly, clinging to her every word. Robert thinks she is nuts.
The next morning things only get worse, with Giselle cleaning the apartment and using animals to do so. Then Nancy (Idina Menzel), Robert's fiance, arrives and is furious to see Robert with another woman. Giselle is likewise horrified, convinced that Edward will rescue her, which he is in the process of. Along with Edward is Narissa's right hand man, Nathaniel (Timothy Spall), who also harbors a secret crush on the queen and she exploits this. Nathaniel does everything in his power, and uses the supernatural (Narissa has supplied him with poison apples) to do so. In the meantime, Robert and Giselle grow closer together, though he still thinks she's crazy for falling in love with Edward so fast.
By the next morning, Edward has come and Giselle goes off with him, but she is having second thoughts after marrying him and spending the rest of her life with him. She convinces Edward to go on a date, a foreign concept (literally) to him and they meet up with Robert and Nancy at a costume ball later that night. One of the best scenes comes here, with the couples switching partners. But everything good must come to an end, with Narissa, once again as the old lady, coming to break things up. Giselle swallows the poison apple and Edward's kiss doesn't wake her up and Robert can't believe that he is her one true love, but he is. However, upon awaking up, Narissa turns herself into a dragon, still determined to break up the couple, so the epic battle begins. It's great as Giselle ends up rescuing Robert, instead of the other way around. She will stay in New York with Morgan, whom she relates to well, and Robert while Nancy will go off to the fairytale land with Edward.
The film mixes animation (the fairytale world) with live action (New York City), and it works great. The songs, especially the musical number where Giselle explains to Robert about how he will know if she loves him, are fantastic, three of them earning Oscar nominations, though they would all lose. Amy Adams is also brilliant as the cluelessly oblivious to the real world, and fully deserved her Golden Globe nomination. The whole idea of divorce terrifies her and she cries upon learning that a couple is no longer in love for ever and ever. There are also the funny moments with Nathaniel telling the construction workers patching up the manhole between the two worlds that he is seeking a man. Most of the comic relief is provided by the chipmunk, Pip who is trying to save Giselle. No one else can understand why Giselle considers Pip to be a friend and not a pest. When Pip survives a fire at a local pizzeria she is delighted, never mind the weird look from the reporter. 
Sure, I could nitpick about this film too, with Giselle being treated like a child by Robert and not an adult, but I choose not to as the film is wonderful and makes me believe in fairy tales all over again. It makes me cry and laugh, sometimes at the same time and I love happy endings. Grade: A-

Despicable Me (2010)

I finally saw this film and it was pretty good.
Mr. Gru (an unrecognizable Steve Carell) is a super-villain, or at least he tries to be, though he often fails at doing anything marvelously bad. He's also not really a bad guy at heart. His main goal is to obtain a shrink ray and build a space shuttle and fly to the moon and shrink it so he will have all the control he wants. However, to get the shrink ray, he needs to steal it back from the new super-villain on the block, Vector (Jason Segel). Gru also needs money, badly. To get the shrink ray, he decides to use three little girls, orphans, Margo, Edith and Agnes as pawns and turn their cookies into spies and while they deliver the cookies to him, Gru will sneak in and steal the shrink ray. Though this plan is successful, Gru doesn't know anything about dealing with children. His own mother (Julie Andrews) was distant from him and never showed any interest in all his wants and desires or accomplishments. However, soon he becomes more caught up in everything the girls are involved in, including their dance recital. His right-hand man, Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), thinks the girls are taking up too much of his time and distracting him from building the rocket so he makes a call and sends the girls back to the orphanage.
Gru ventures into space and succeeds in his mission but Vector immediately steals the shrunken moon back. Gru rushes back for the girls' recital but misses it. Vector has taken the girls into space. There is also a problem, because the moon is no longer in the sky, everything that has been shrunk starts to grow again, causing huge problems. Gru rescues the girls and promises to never leave them again; it was one of the worst mistakes of his life.
Then comes the happy ending. The moon is back in the sky and Gru is a doting father. Even his mother believes him to be just as good as her if not even better. Even the minions (all the little yellow people) that Gru has working for him are happy. Life is good.
There are some funny parts, mainly when Margo (Miranda Cosgrove) says that because Gru is bald, she thought something like Annie would happen, but that is not really the case. It was quite enjoyable, though the plot is fairly predictable, with only one real twist and turn and there were no creepy bugs in this one, so I'll gladly watch it again. Grade: A-