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Prom Night – Review

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On Saturday night, I checked out the movie Prom Night. Let me just cut to the chase here. It was bloody awful. And no, I’m not turning British. I say that because it was both bloody (albeit fake) and awful. Brittany Snow stars as Donna, a contender for Prom Queen. We learn in the beginning of the film that one of her high school teachers became obsessed with her. He was fired after acting inappropriately and subsequently subject to a restraining order from her family. As a result, he killed her entire family as Donna watched in horror.

Flashing back to the present, her and her boyfriend Bobby (played by Scott Porter) descend on their prom at a historic local hotel, just as her aunt and uncle, with whom she now lives, find out that the killer has escaped from prison and is on the loose. As predictability would have it, he shows up at the hotel and, through a series of poorly-orchestrated scenes and events, systematically kills her friends as they go back to their rooms one by one for different reasons.

The plot is boring, stagnant, extremely predictable, and just overall terrible. The supposed gory stabbing scenes reminds me of the blatantly fake and outdated shower stabbing scene in the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock classic, Psycho. I’m telling you, it couldn’t have been made much worse. Honestly, I’d go so far as to say I’d be embarrassed to have had any part in this film.

Oh, and tell me this: What’s up with having older actors play teenagers? It’s not just in this movie, but it’s so obvious in this one. Brittany Snow is 22 years old, which isn’t extremely noticable, but come on, Scott Porter is 29 and it shows! That’s just another thing to add to the list of things that were fake or not believable in this film.

I also saw editing flaws. For example, there’s a scene where the couple is talking on the side of the dance floor (Side note: What’s up with the dance floor? It looks like something out of a ridiculously-overdone bubblegum-pop music video. Completely unrealistic) and as they’re chatting, the music cuts out and you hear nothing. Then it starts again once they walk back on the floor. I thought it was some weird technique, but no, it’s not.

There’s no plot in this movie, just people dying (in as many phony ways as possible). And I was even more surprised to learn that this is a remake of the 1980 film by the same name? Apparently it starred Jamie Lee Curtis and Leslie Nielsen. Interesting. From reading about it, it seems like a typical ’80s slasher film, but I bet it was better than this.

I found myself (as well as my friends and the rest of the audience) laughing through many of the supposedly scary parts. It was one of the most poorly-made movies I’ve ever seen, period. I wish I could somehow give it negative stars.

Overall Rating:

Baby Mama – Review

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I went to see Baby Mama this past Friday. Tina Fey stars as a busy woman in her late thirties who has always put her career before her personal life. She suddenly comes to the realization one day that her biological clock is ticking and, after trying every other way, decides to have a baby through a surrogate mother.

The mother (played by Amy Poehler) is desperate for money and will do anything for the cash given to her for carrying the baby. There are several big plot twists that I’m tempted to share, but like I said, I’m not doing spoiler reviews anymore!

The plot line is funny and relatively easy to follow. The character development is strong as well. Steve Martin adds comic relief as well with his role as CEO of the organic foods company Fey works for.

If you’re up for a feel-good comedy, check this one out, but don’t expect a whole lot more.

Overall Rating:

Forgetting Sarah Marshall – Review

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Quick Note: So I’ve decided I’m going to stop posting spoiler reviews. While I always got comments from people about how they appreciated me saving them nine dollars at the theater when the movie wasn’t all that good, I think I’m just going to stick to the synopsis and my overall take on the movies I see in the future. With that said, let’s get down to it!

I saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall the other night. Honestly, it probably wouldn’t have been my top pick, but it was awesome.

Jason Segel plays an average guy who writes music for a CSI-type TV crime drama. His girlfriend of four years (played by Kristen Bell) is the star of the show. She meets a new man, a British rock star, and leaves him for the new guy. Brokenhearted, he decides to take a trip to Hawaii, where the couple just so happens to be vacationing. The plot focuses around the new people he meets on his trip and his ex’s ultimate decision to try and win him back.

The script and plot line in this movie are both incredible. The dialog is quick, punchy, and extremely witty. I laughed out loud through the whole thing. There was, however, a lot of unnecessary nudity. I’m not exactly preaching against it or anything, it’s just that there really wasn’t any need for it. It was almost as if it was thrown in without explanation. It just didn’t really fit in with the overall feel of the movie.

In summary, this was an overall excellent film. It has the perfect blend of comedy, romance, and drama that will satisfy most anyone’s tastes.

Overall Rating:

Smart People – Review

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WARNING: Spoiler Review! If you haven’t seen this movie and plan on it, you’ve been warned.

I went to see the movie Smart People last night. Dennis Quaid stars as Lawrence Wetherhold, widowed, a self-centered, slightly arrogant English professor at Carnegie Mellon University. After jumping a fence at a university impoundment lot to get a briefcase out of his car, he injures himself and ends up in the hospital. There he meets a former student of his, played by Sarah Jessica Parker.

After a few awkward incidents, he finally asks her out on a date. He proceeds to drive her away on their first date, though, after talking about a book he’s writing for forty-five minutes without letting her get a single word in. He then goes back to the ER to ask her for one more chance, and the second date goes much better.

He ends up finding a publisher for his new book and decides to bring her along to New York City for the meeting. She ends up getting pregnant and tries to tell him, but he’s being too arrogant and unapproachable to notice. They end up together and relatively happy in the end, though.

Ellen Page, star of last year’s hugely successful film Juno, plays Quaid’s daughter and provides comic relief, along with Thomas Haden Church, who plays his adopted, sedentary, do-nothing brother. They do little more than lighten the mood, though. Their characters both remain very stagnant and have hardly any dimension to them throughout the duration of the film.

If you like movies such as The Family Stone, you’ll probably enjoy this film, but will probably also notice the lack of a dynamic story line or character development. Overall, though, I really didn’t think it was a bad film at all.

Overall Rating:

Drillbit Taylor – Review

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WARNING: Spoiler Review! If you haven’t seen this movie and plan on it, you’ve been warned.

I went to see Drillbit Taylor the other night. Starring Owen Wilson, the film portrays a laid back homeless man (Drillbit Taylor) who is trying to make it to Canada to start a new life. With no other options for a job, Taylor hears about three high school freshmen who need an affordable body guard to protect them from the wrath of some older bullies at school. He comes to their school and blends in as a teacher, even dating one of the other teachers. His laziness and lack of attention leads to his non-effectiveness as a body guard.

He proceeds to train the three boys to defend themselves, but his tactics prove unsuccessful. In order to make more money, Taylor claims to need to collect defense supplies from the boys’ houses to use in training, but instead pawns them at a local shop.

I was pleasantly surprised at how great this movie was, and found myself laughing hysterically throughout a lot of the film. Still, it was a little long and drawn out. If you’re looking for a great laugh-out-loud comedy, definitely check this one out.

Overall rating:

Charlie Bartlett – Review

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WARNING: Spoiler Review! If you haven’t seen this movie and plan on it, you’ve been warned.

I went to see Charlie Bartlett last night. I usually go to a movie every week or so, but I hadn’t been in nearly a month. It was a great movie. Anton Yelchin plays Charlie Bartlett, a wealthy private school student who is expelled for running a lamination mill in his room where he created fake IDs for hundreds of classmates. He then decides to attend public school, still wearing his private school uniform on the first day. He tries unsuccessfully to make friends, and realizes that the best way to gain popularity is to offer free medications to fellow classmates.

Charlie begins listening to his peers’ problems in a makeshift “office” in the men’s restroom, and when he found out their issues, he goes to his psychiatrist and tells him he has the same symptoms as his classmates in order to get prescriptions he can in turn pass on to them. He makes a huge profit, wins the love of the entire student body, and largely helps them medically when no one else would listen or they had no one else to turn to with their problems.

After a while, Charlie starts dating the principal’s daughter, landing him in even more hot water than he’s already in with school administration. His drug scheme is finally busted when a classmate tries to commit suicide by overdosing on Ritalin. He ends up going to jail for a short time, but makes amends with the principal and everyone else.

This was a great story told at an interesting angle, so if you’re up for some hearty laughs, a fast-paced, fun story line, and a sprinkle or two of drama, check this film out.

Overall Rating:

Juno – Review

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I’m on a roll here with the movies this week. I saw another one last night: Juno. It was the best movie of any type I’ve seen since Superbad. Ellen Page stars as Juno, a sixteen-year-old girl who’s gotten pregnant by her friend Paulie, played by Michael Cera (from Superbad).

The story evolves around what she decides to do with the baby. She opts for adoption and forms a bond with the family that is to keep her child. I’ll stop there because I always spoil a lot of the movie for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, and I really think you should. There’s no deep, complex plot beyond that, though, but it’s the dry humor and sporadic hilarious lines in this dark comedy that make it so great. Michael Cera is brilliant in this film just as he was in Superbad, and his sarcastic, slightly awkward ways make for a very, very funny movie.

This was a Fox Searchlight picture (described by many as an “Indiewood” (Hollywood-style but still independent) studio), just as Napoleon Dynamite and Little Miss Sunshine were, and although these are all lower-budget films, they were all excellent. Juno was the best by far, though. I don’t usually do it, but I am planning on seeing this movie again. Definitely check this one out.

Overall rating:

Dan In Real Life – Review

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I went to see “Dan In Real Life” last night with Tori. I’ve never seen anything bad with Steve Carell in it, movies and television alike. This movie was no exception. I thought maybe it would be sort of a chick flick, but it actually had a great story line and had a lot to say about the way life is. Steve Carell showed a whole new side to his acting talent in this movie. In The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Evan Almighty, and NBC’s The Office, he’s in a more comedic role. That’s not to say that this movie wasn’t funny, but it had a more serious undertone than his other roles.

My overall rating: