Into the Wild is a movie directed by Oscar winning actor Sean Penn. The movie is about the life of Christopher McCandless. It chronicles his voyage into the wild of Alaska. The film features an all star cast. The movie talks about issues of human greed and decadence. It is a critique of modern society. The film is very deep and inspirational and touching. Emile Hirsh, who plays McCandless does a great job in this movie. I’ve seen him grow up from “The girl next door” to “Lords of Dogtown.” He was always a teeny bopper but he shows off his acting chops with this flick.

This movie is not for popcorn. You can’t just grab a bag of chips and digest this one. You have to be in a certain mood to understand it. Being an unsatisfied guy in his late 20s or early 30s, i was able to take some things to heart. I want material success, but at the same time, i know that won’t satisfy me either. I want to go to Walden Pond and be a Walden Baby. I want to grow as a human being and be more spiritually in tuned with my natural surrounding.

Anyway, this movie is a thumbs up for me. Watch it when you are in a thinking mood.

Happiness stars an indie style all star cast. The film features Phillip Seymore Hoffman as a shy pervert. The lives of all of the characters are inter mingled. The characters all seem to escape happiness. It’s an examination of how shitty life really is. The outwardly perfect couple in the movie is the worst off. The film is pretty long but each story line moves smoothly along so the viewer doesn’t really notice. It’s a black comedy that should be viewed by mature audiences. The theme of abnormal sex is a motif through out this film. The movie seem Freudian. Sexual tension and sexual frustration is what makes these people so dysfunctional. It was pretty cool watching Phillip Seymore Hoffman play a character he knows how to play best. He plays the loser perfectly. His character is both sad and creepy. Everything about him is creepy and disgusting. Bravo Hoffman. Thumbs up!

Some of you may not know this movie. It was a little indie film that ended up making a lot of movie. It opened the way for the potential of amateur films to gross a lot of money. Blair Witch project was a success because of the marketing strategy. They confused reality and made it seem like it was a documentary. The films footage was made to look like the lost footage of three film makers out to find the Blair Witch. The movie caused a stir because of the rough camera work. People were throwing up in theaters. I think Cloverfield was able to make money because of Blair Witch. It uses similar tactics and similar film making styles. Both films were pieces of shit. But, i guess pieces of shits make money in Hollywood.

Lars and the real girl is a movie starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Mortimer. The film is beautifully acted and the story focuses on the characters. The main character played by Gosling is a sweet young man who lost his mother when he was a baby. To supplement the love from his mother, he becomes delusional and believes that a mail order sex doll is his new girlfriend. The story sounds ridiculous, but it works because of the acting. The character is so sweet and the whole town loves him. The scene he first introduces his new girlfriend to his brother and is wife is a classic. The film is touching and deep. It’s funny and it’s got heart. Thumbs up way up for this movie.

Lions for lambs features Tom Cruise as a presidential hopeful who is in charge of carrying out a covert military mission. The unpopular war in Iraq is making Hollywood churn out these anti America/anti war movies. I like the premise behind this film, but the only problem is that this didn’t seem like a movie. It seemed like it was more of a lecture of the evils of war. It seemed like a sermon about America’s involvment in the middle east.

When Hollywood tried to get political or preachy, the films usually turn out to be shit. This is the case with Lions for Lambs. Personally, i’m not sure if Robert Redford is that great of a director. Where, Clint Eastwood seems to get better with age, Redford seems to spoil. Even for diehard Tom Cruise fans (if you guys still exisit) this movie is a pass. Thumbs down for Lions for Lambs.

Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts finally make a movie together. Too bad it sucks. Too bad they choose to collaborate together after they peaked in Hollywood. This movie is bland and it was put together without thinking about whether the movie will be good or not. The dialogue was obvious and it seemed like it was more a lecture then two characters talking to each other.

I love the director of this movie. I love The writer and producers. I also love the actors in this film. Why did i hate this movie? Maybe because it was corny. Maybe because they dumbed down the movie a little too much. Maybe because, Julia Roberts looked really creepy in this flick.

I don’t know why, but i feel bad for Tom Hanks. I used to think that he was an Ace. I would get all excited when a new movie of his would open in theatres. Those days are gone and i feel like this movie was a bad way to say good bye to one of my favorite actors.

I was watching a movie called Bella today. It’s an independent film about the beautfy of life. I usually like movies like this, but i couldn’t help but be distracted by the terrible acting in this flick. The main actress, is a terrible actress. Her delivery is choppy and melodramatic. I do admit that the theme and story is interesting. I think if the film had a higher budget, it could have turned out ok. The main actor in “bella” is pretty pimpy. He’s not bad of an actor, and he looks good on the big screen. If you’re bored and want to kill a couple of hours, i suggest you rent something else. Bella is a thumbs down for me.

A surprisingly good movie. King of California stars Michael Douglas and the lovely Evan Rachel Wood. It’s a father daughter treasure hunt story. The father is a crazy man and the daughter is a precocious old soul. The story is generic but the characters are kinda interesting. Miss Wood is lovely. I think she has a very bright future in front of her. She’s not your typical teen actress. She has depth and is on the dark side. I think she could blossom into a premier actress in Hollywood. These underdog redemption stories are only good if you feel for the character. Maybe, my age makes me take more heart with this film. Being a certain age makes you stressed about financial success. Since the main character is a father who never made anything of himself, i ended up routing for the hero. I wanted him to succeed. It’s a good dvd find. Only wish there was a love story mixed in for Rachel Wood. It would have been nice to see. Corny at times, but worth renting. Thumbs up.

Chasing Amy is by far the best film Kevin Smith ever made. It’s a pretty deep drama about the definition of love. I wasn’t a uber fan of Clerks, but i did enjoy the dialogue of that flick. Chasing Amy follows this dialogue rich style of movie making but it also has strong characters. The definition of love is examined in this movie and it really made me reevaluate my own meaning of love. Some of the jokes are lame but most of the characters are loveable and really do start routing for the main character, Holden, played by Ben Affleck. Joey Lauren Adams is super hot and perfect for this role. I’m actually surprised that she isn’t a bigger star in Hollywood. I think she could have easily played any role that Renee Zellwieger played. I think Ben Affleck peaked with this movie. He really should have gone the Matt Damon route and passed on that relationship with J. Lo.

Dirty Dancing is one the my all time favorite movies. I’m a hetrosexual males but i love this film. It’s a classic girl meets boy, girl loses boy, girl gets boy back with a killer dance story. It feature one of the best movie quotes, “nobody puts baby in the corner.” The film deserves a lot of credit for casting cause Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey are perfect in it. The final dance sequence is one for the ages and have been imitated on many dance shows and weddings. This is one of those rare movies where you can watch over and over again.