Mr. Brooks proves to us that people aren't want they seem. Sometimes those who seem to have the most, have the biggest things to hide. Ear Brooks (Kevin Costner) seems to have everything going for him. A loving wife, (Marg Helgenberger), an articulate daughter, Jane (Danielle Panabaker), and a successful career as a business man. As a matter of fact, the model citizen Mr. Brooks has just been named "Man of the Year" in Portland. What he also has is schizophrenia. A mental disorder that has caused him to be a mastermind killer for several years. It becomes evident that Mr. Brooks is lead by his alter ego that only he can see, Marshal (William Hurt). He's Brooks' partner in crime. Brooks has gone while with out murdering but is soon unable to curb his appetite. The very night he wins Portland's "Man of the Year" award is the night he decides to murder again. This time, it's different, Mr. Brooks is usually meticulous enough to cover his tracks that even the best can not trace him to the crime. This time, He gets caught by a young backwards man, Mr. Smith (Dane Cook). Mr. Smith agrees not to turn in Mr. Brooks on the basis that he allows him to help him murder his next victim. This murder has the city in an uproar and the best detective, Tracy Atwood (Demi Moore) is put on the case.
You would think having a credible eye witness, ready to throw you under the bus at any moment, and having one of the states top blood hound detectives on you would be the worst of your Mr. Brooks problems, but it is late in the film we realize it's not. When murders pop up around Jane (Brooks' daughters) campus, the evidence is so mounding that Brooks cannot deny that these murders were in fact, his daughters doings. It is now he begins to realize that she also suffers from the same mental illness of schizophrenia that he does.
In the end, Brooks is clever enough to escape the detective, and kill the Mr. Smith. He is also about to clear his daughter of the suspicion of the murders she committed at her college campus, but what he can't escape is the fact that his own daughter suffers from an awful illness she inherited from her father.
I personally enjoyed this film, but I would enjoy almost anything with Costner (as he's one of my favorites). I would recommend it, it's a great thriller film and it keeps you on your toes.
Monday, March 8, 2010
40 Year Old Virgin
40 Year Old Virgin. Just what exactly is this film trying to say? Many of the people reading this have probably already seen the "feel good" comedy 40 Year Old Virgin. I'll be honest, part of my reason for reviewing this film is because of it being on of my favorites. This film offers plenty of crude humor, T and A, and Seth Rogan to go around. Would we really expect any less from a Judd Apatow film?
40 Year Old Virgin tells the story of the socially backward, yet very lovable Andy Stitzer (Steve Carell). Stitzer appears to be your somewhat average guy. Lives in a modest apartment, dresses a little awkwardly but still within the social norms, and maintains gainful employment at the local electronic store. One day while working, his colorful coworkers asked him to join them in a late night, boys only poker game. Even though he was only asked because one of the regulars would not be able to make it, Andy agrees to join his coworkers. During the card game, normal guy talk ensues. As the conversation gears towards sex, Andy becomes increasingly uncomfortable. When finally asked about his sexual experiences, it becomes clear to his coworkers that at age 40, Andy is still a virgin. From there, his coworkers make it their sole mission to make sure that their new buddy Andy get's laid. As you can imagine, their antics get of control, from speed dating, manscaping, and many other shameless attempts, his co-workers are still unable to their friend, Andy, some action.
One day, Andy meet's a girl, Trish (Catherine Kreener). This is a girl that Andy is legitimately interested in and will presue a relationship with. Trish and Andy begin dating and it becomes evident to the viewer that as the date comes closer for Trish and Andy to seal the deal, nerves run higher. Trish is very tolerant of some of Andy's lack of social skills and even works to bring him out of his shell somewhat. In the mix of dating, the both somehow agree to hold of sex for 20 some dates. During this time Andy experiences an extreme amount of pressure from his buddies to "get some" experience before him and Trish consumate their relationship. Again, these attempts while extreme in nature, are never successful. At this point, even the Andy's female boss, Paula (Jane Lynch) offers her services to Andy, in what is one of the movies funnies scenes...in my opinion.
Down the road Andy finally admits to Trish that he is still a virgin, and is quite nervous about experiencing a sexual relationship. Always understand Trish agrees to help him through the process all while reassuring that she loves him anyway. The last scene of the movie shows Andy and Trish at their wedding. We all know what happens next. We don't see much of it, as the screed fades to black and the white text appears "One Minute Later". It shows the couple laying side by side, clearly done having sex. So Andy, in the end is finally not the 40 year old virgin anymore, but boy did we sure have fun laughing both with him, and at him on his journey to find the one worthy of "deflowering" him.
I would highly recommend this movie. It has an excellent cast and is laughs from start to finish. While this film can be crude at times, their is a deeper meaning hidden beneath the constant smut that I believe encourages us to wait for the right person and the right time despite what our frat boy friends might think.
40 Year Old Virgin tells the story of the socially backward, yet very lovable Andy Stitzer (Steve Carell). Stitzer appears to be your somewhat average guy. Lives in a modest apartment, dresses a little awkwardly but still within the social norms, and maintains gainful employment at the local electronic store. One day while working, his colorful coworkers asked him to join them in a late night, boys only poker game. Even though he was only asked because one of the regulars would not be able to make it, Andy agrees to join his coworkers. During the card game, normal guy talk ensues. As the conversation gears towards sex, Andy becomes increasingly uncomfortable. When finally asked about his sexual experiences, it becomes clear to his coworkers that at age 40, Andy is still a virgin. From there, his coworkers make it their sole mission to make sure that their new buddy Andy get's laid. As you can imagine, their antics get of control, from speed dating, manscaping, and many other shameless attempts, his co-workers are still unable to their friend, Andy, some action.
One day, Andy meet's a girl, Trish (Catherine Kreener). This is a girl that Andy is legitimately interested in and will presue a relationship with. Trish and Andy begin dating and it becomes evident to the viewer that as the date comes closer for Trish and Andy to seal the deal, nerves run higher. Trish is very tolerant of some of Andy's lack of social skills and even works to bring him out of his shell somewhat. In the mix of dating, the both somehow agree to hold of sex for 20 some dates. During this time Andy experiences an extreme amount of pressure from his buddies to "get some" experience before him and Trish consumate their relationship. Again, these attempts while extreme in nature, are never successful. At this point, even the Andy's female boss, Paula (Jane Lynch) offers her services to Andy, in what is one of the movies funnies scenes...in my opinion.
Down the road Andy finally admits to Trish that he is still a virgin, and is quite nervous about experiencing a sexual relationship. Always understand Trish agrees to help him through the process all while reassuring that she loves him anyway. The last scene of the movie shows Andy and Trish at their wedding. We all know what happens next. We don't see much of it, as the screed fades to black and the white text appears "One Minute Later". It shows the couple laying side by side, clearly done having sex. So Andy, in the end is finally not the 40 year old virgin anymore, but boy did we sure have fun laughing both with him, and at him on his journey to find the one worthy of "deflowering" him.
I would highly recommend this movie. It has an excellent cast and is laughs from start to finish. While this film can be crude at times, their is a deeper meaning hidden beneath the constant smut that I believe encourages us to wait for the right person and the right time despite what our frat boy friends might think.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Primal Fear
A self proclaimed sucker for Courtroom drama's I can't believe I just now happened upon the psychological, twisted thriller, Primal. I was encouraged to watch this film by my psych professor after telling her how much I loved movies that dealt with court and practicing law. This film also has a strong psychological foundation as the suspected murder in the film Aaron (Edward Norton) after being psychologically accessed is found to suffer from Multiple personality disorders. After avidly denying his involvement of the killing of long time mentor and Arch Bishop Rushman, we began to believe that the innocent, soft spoken, well mannered southern boy Aaron is incapable of committing such a heinous crime. As a matter of fact, he's got everyone convinced including this hot shot defense attorney, Martin Gail (Richard Gere). It's about halfway through the film we began to see a completely different side of Aaron, while under psychoanalysis we began to find that Aaron suffers from multiple personality disorder, and that his "other personality", Roy, is indeed the one who killed the Arch Bishop. This leaves attorney Gail, at a loss as he can not change his plea to insanity mid trial. Though clearly Gail, along with the audience believes that the innocent Aaron is indeed insane and can not be held fully accountable for his actions. There are several other plot twists including lewd acts performed with Arron, another alter boy, another women and the arch bishop. All of which leads both attorneys, the judge, and the jury to believe that they are indeed dealing with an insane person. To make a long story short, Gail uses his savvy to help convince the jury and judge that Aaron needs psychological help, not to be sentenced to the death penalty. But not so fast, just when you think the movie has had it's final plot twist, it's then we find out that Aaron does not suffer from multiple personality disorder. That it was all part of his twisted scheme to get away with murder. Upon finding this out, Gail blankly walks into the distance as if almost to say that he has just fulfilled the worst prophecy about defense attorneys, they put murders back on the street.
Monday, February 1, 2010
http://thecelebritycafe.com/movies/full_review/58.html
The film I have chosen for my Critical Essay is Legally Blonde. Now, I know some of you reading this are probably thinking "Oh boy, here we go, another blonde girl (yes, I am blonde) writing about a chick flick" and, you're probably right in feeling that. Not to long ago, I probably would have shared those same feelings, and Legally Blonde is one of my favorite movies. However, I grew a new appreciation for the film when I was encouraged to write a short essay on if for an upper level psych course. In writing the essay, I was forced to watch the film as more than a passive viewer who thought Reese Witherspoon was funny, and Luke Wilson was hot. I had to try and dissect the true intent of this film, what the writer and director was trying to get across, and what was the psychology behind what seemed on the surface to be another run of the mill chick flick. It was in doing this assignment I realized this film was very strong in satire, stereotypes, and self fulfilling prophecy. In my psych class, I was limited to a 1-2 page assignment that only called for us to analyze a few scenes. So when I heard we'd be doing a critical review in this class, I knew this was the movie I wanted to use. To fulfill the intent of this particular blog, I read a review from an online website entitled Celebrity Cafe. Take this site for what you will, the sites film reviews are geared towards your average passive viewer. If the writer of this particular review thought there was any deeper meaning to Legally Blonde it wasn't brought up in her writing. For the most part the writer stuck to reviewing the film through description and plot summary. I feel the writer almost gave away too much of the plot in doing so, but I had already seen the film several times. No surprises. This review paints the film as feel good chick flick, high in fashion (which was brought up several times), laughs, and a good looking cast, and to many, the film is just that. To a passive viewer Legally Blonde is only that. So having a deeper understanding of the film, and desiring to expand upon what I already know of this films intent, I was not a big fan of this review. For a popular audience, I think it serves it's purpose.
The film I have chosen for my Critical Essay is Legally Blonde. Now, I know some of you reading this are probably thinking "Oh boy, here we go, another blonde girl (yes, I am blonde) writing about a chick flick" and, you're probably right in feeling that. Not to long ago, I probably would have shared those same feelings, and Legally Blonde is one of my favorite movies. However, I grew a new appreciation for the film when I was encouraged to write a short essay on if for an upper level psych course. In writing the essay, I was forced to watch the film as more than a passive viewer who thought Reese Witherspoon was funny, and Luke Wilson was hot. I had to try and dissect the true intent of this film, what the writer and director was trying to get across, and what was the psychology behind what seemed on the surface to be another run of the mill chick flick. It was in doing this assignment I realized this film was very strong in satire, stereotypes, and self fulfilling prophecy. In my psych class, I was limited to a 1-2 page assignment that only called for us to analyze a few scenes. So when I heard we'd be doing a critical review in this class, I knew this was the movie I wanted to use. To fulfill the intent of this particular blog, I read a review from an online website entitled Celebrity Cafe. Take this site for what you will, the sites film reviews are geared towards your average passive viewer. If the writer of this particular review thought there was any deeper meaning to Legally Blonde it wasn't brought up in her writing. For the most part the writer stuck to reviewing the film through description and plot summary. I feel the writer almost gave away too much of the plot in doing so, but I had already seen the film several times. No surprises. This review paints the film as feel good chick flick, high in fashion (which was brought up several times), laughs, and a good looking cast, and to many, the film is just that. To a passive viewer Legally Blonde is only that. So having a deeper understanding of the film, and desiring to expand upon what I already know of this films intent, I was not a big fan of this review. For a popular audience, I think it serves it's purpose.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Review of Bride of Frankenstein
Review of the Bride of Frankenstein
The bride of Frankenstein is very interesting in that the underlying themes contained within the film are ahead of their time. It has been argued that there are strong religions, sexual orientation, sexism, and racial undertones in this film. You can learn a lot about the time period in which the time film was shot and the culture of that day by watching the Bride of Frakenstein. The director, James Whale, was homosexual, perhaps this plays a part in the themes of discrimination in the film. Being openly homosexual could cause him to be more aware of the prejudices that were existent during that day and age.
One theme that ran throughout the entire film was the theme of gender roles and laws of attraction. This can be seen in the male on male relationships between Pretorius and Henry. They devise a women specifically for the monster, to be his bride but even she, though designed for him, is scared by his outward appearance. Also, another place where gender roles come into play is when Mary Shelly is mocked in the beginning for being the writer of such a horrific tale. It is also important to note that the same lady who played Mary Shelly, also played the Bride. This is very important cause it could perhaps suggest that Mary Shelly feels like she is married to a monster, and society has been molded and made into what society thinks she should be.
The bride of Frankenstein is very interesting in that the underlying themes contained within the film are ahead of their time. It has been argued that there are strong religions, sexual orientation, sexism, and racial undertones in this film. You can learn a lot about the time period in which the time film was shot and the culture of that day by watching the Bride of Frakenstein. The director, James Whale, was homosexual, perhaps this plays a part in the themes of discrimination in the film. Being openly homosexual could cause him to be more aware of the prejudices that were existent during that day and age.
One theme that ran throughout the entire film was the theme of gender roles and laws of attraction. This can be seen in the male on male relationships between Pretorius and Henry. They devise a women specifically for the monster, to be his bride but even she, though designed for him, is scared by his outward appearance. Also, another place where gender roles come into play is when Mary Shelly is mocked in the beginning for being the writer of such a horrific tale. It is also important to note that the same lady who played Mary Shelly, also played the Bride. This is very important cause it could perhaps suggest that Mary Shelly feels like she is married to a monster, and society has been molded and made into what society thinks she should be.
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