REVIEW: Zach and Miri Make a Porno

STARRING: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 10/22/2008 DATE SCREENED: 10/31/2008 The Verdict OK - Wait for the DVD

The commercials for Zack and Miri Make a Porno leave you with the feeling that this is the latest Judd Apatow comedy. Instead, it’s the latest from writer/director Kevin Smith. Kevin Smith is a very likeable guy who showed a lot of promise in early films like Clerks and Dogma. His more recent films like Jersey Girl and ClerksII have been disappointing. It makes you wonder if he’d rather be an actor when you see him in films like Live Free or Die Hard. But Zack and Miri has been well received on the Film Festival circuit, so I hoped it would be a return to form.

The plot of Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) Make a Porno is very simple. They are roommates who have been platonic friends since grade school. When their electricity is cut off and they can’t pay the bills they come up with a novel idea. They want to produce an amateur porno and sell it. Miri is already a YouTube sensation, as teens had filmed her changing and posted a video of her in her “granny panties”. With the backing of a friend, who is willing to give up the money he was saving to buy a new big screen TV, Zach & Miri assemble an odd cast of characters to make this film. The assembled cast includes former porn star Traci Lords and current porn star Katie Morgan, along with Kevin Smith’s pal Jason Mewes. A funny thing happens when it’s time to start shooting. Zack and Miri really don’t want the other to have sex with anyone else. And when they have sex for the first time on camera, the emotions they had denied start to flow. What started out as a raunchy sex comedy quickly turns into the typical romantic comedy.

Zack and Miri has a few funny sequences and female nudity (not form E. Banks), but is a disappointment overall. Funny early scenes are forgotten as the movie drags on to its predictable conclusion. Zack and Miri’s 10 year high school reunion is a highlight, as Miri hits on her high school crush (Brandon Routh) who turns out to be attending with his gay lover, played hilariously by Justin Long. They originally attempt to make a film called “Star Whores”, a pornographic version of Star Wars. I have no idea how they got George Lucas to allow even the suggestion of a Star Wars porno, but they eventually go in a different direction and make the movie in the coffee shop where Zack works. Seth Rogan does his usual shtick as Zack, and Elizabeth Perkins is likeable enough as Miri. But the film is basically a romantic comedy. It does seem like an original idea to take the making a porno and turn it into something romantic, but I don’t think that’s what the audience of this film really wants to see. It’s certainly not what I wanted to see. There seems to be no reason as to why Miri would fall in love with an overweight slacker like Zack. An awful gross out gag thrown in out of nowhere towards the end is the movie’s low point. A good first half makes the film worth seeing, but wait for the DVD.

- Ade
Black Belt Theater

REVIEW: W.

STARRING: Josh Brolin, Richard Dreyfuss View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 10/17/2008 DATE SCREENED: 10/14/2008 The Verdict GOOD - See it in the theater

At this point many of us have probably wondered how George W. Bush went from being a ‘C’ student and an alcoholic to the President of the United States. A President who had an approval rating of approximately 90% in 2001, but now has one of 23%. Oliver Stone attempts to answer that question with the film “W.”. It’s surprising that this film is being released while Bush is still in office, as the final chapter of Bush’s Presidency is still being written. But unless he captures Osama Bin Laden on his last day in office, it’s safe to say that his Presidency will end being considered one of the worst.

“W.” covers George W. Bush’s (Josh Brolin) life from the time he pledged a fraternity in college until the Iraq war is basically extended indefinitely. He attended Yale and Harvard Business School, thanks to the influence of his father. Bush wandered from job to job after school, trying to find his niche. Along the way he weds Laura Bush (Elizabeth Banks). He eventually ends up as the owner of the Texas Rangers. When Bush Sr. (James Cromwell ) becomes President, he has high hopes that Jeb would be the son to follow in his legacy. But Bush Jr. eventually decides to quit drinking and get into the family business. He loses his first election, but that only serves as extra motivation. In his next election he becomes the Governor of Texas. While Governor, Bush believes that he receives a message from God to run for President. Once President, Bush’s approval rating reaches its peak after the terrorist attacks of 9-11, due to Bush’s strong response to go to war on terror. Bush’s assembled team of advisors includes Vice President Dick Cheney (Richard Dreyfuss), Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove (Toby Jones), Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (Scott Glenn), General Colin Powel (Jeffrey Wright), and Condeleezza Rice (Thandie Newton). The war on terror started out as an attempt to squash Al Qaeda and capture Osama Bin Laden. It quickly moved into an attack on Iraq. Bush himself always told his father that he should have taken out Saddam Hussein. He seems determined to do what his father would not, regardless of the opinion of the countries of the United Nations. Cheney wants to attack Iraq because they control so much of the world’s oil. Colin Powel is the lone voice of reason, preaching patience and saying that a preemptive strike on Iraq is not a good idea. Bush knows that the American public will not approve of going to war based on personal reasons or oil, so they must show that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). The strike on Iraq is approved with the slightest bit of “proof”. Saddam is captured and the Bush Administration declares victory. But chaos continues to reign in Iraq, soldiers continue to die, there is no exit strategy, and Bush is eventually forced to admit that there are no WMDs. This is ultimately what will define Bush’s Presidential legacy.

“W.” is a very interesting portrait of George Bush. The father-son relationship is a big part of the film, as Bush is always trying to prove himself to his father. Bush feels that Jeb was always his father’s favorite son. Despite his rich upbringing, Bush is the kind of guy that a lot of America felt they would want to sit down and have a beer with. He never comes across as the rich Ivy League educated man that can not relate to the common person. His brother is the one who comes across that way, and although his brother did eventually become governor of Florida, he doesn’t have that charisma to win the Presidency. Bush’s personality, combined with Karl Rove shaping his views on the issues and debate strategies, are the main factors to his successful Presidential campaigns. Unlike his father, Bush makes his decisions based on gut feelings or “messages from God”, as opposed to thinking things through. As president, this makes it hard for him to sift through all the advice from his advisors and pick out the best course of action.

Josh Brolin IS George Bush in this movie. He does a brilliant acting job. Richard Dryfuss is also great as Dick Cheney. All the actors do good work except for Thandie Newton. She seems to be doing a caricature of Condelleza that is more appropriate for Saturday Night Live. Oliver Stone does his best to cut back and forth between the different periods of Bush’s life, but the movie does still drag in spots. I do think this movie should have been made next year, as opposed to this year. It ends without feeling like you’ve seen a complete story arc. With a movie like this, I do wonder how much of it is completely accurate. With Bush still President, who is leaking stories about what went on in the meetings with his advisers? But the film is an engaging enough portrait of the man to be worth a trip to the theater. I’ll end with a quote from comedian Chris Rock, “A black C student can't do sh__ with his life. A black C student can't be a manager at Burger King, meanwhile a white C student just happens to be the President of the United States.” No wonder this county is in such a dire situation…

REVIEW: The Duchess

STARRING: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 09/26/2008 DATE SCREENED: 09/10/2008 The Verdict GOOD - See it in the theater

The English “Period Piece” is one of my least favorite film genres. Dangerous Liaisons is the one such film that I really love. The Duchess is not only an English period piece set in the 18^th Century, but also stars one of my least favorite actresses, Keira Knightley. I realize that she was the 2^nd highest paid actress in 2007, and was nominated for an Oscar in Pride & Predjudice, but she has never impressed me. I’m sure there are plenty of guys looking forward to seeing her in her corset, but I’m not one of them. I entered the screening with very little hope of being entertained by The Duchess.

The Duchess is based on the true story of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Her marriage to the much older Duke (Ralph Fiennes) was arranged when she was 17, with Georgianna having no idea what was expected of her. Her “job” as Duchess is to produce a male heir, nothing more and nothing less. Instead, the Duchess has multiple miscarriages before producing two daughters. She also becomes famous in her own right as a beautiful fashion icon and gambler. Behind closed doors, The Duke was an abusive husband, who not only forced Gerogianna to take care of his daughter from a previous relationship, but also allow his mistress to live with them. And this mistress was Georgianna’s best friend. The Duke rationalized all this by saying that Georgianna was not doing her “job”. Georgianna eventually does have a son, but by this point she understands that the marriage is a marriage in name only. She must keep herself busy to keep from crying. She begins to assist a childhood friend named Earl Grey with his political career. Her popularity helps him immensely. This eventually evolves into a passionate affair. The two lovebirds plan to run off together, but the Duke will not have it. The Duchess would have no rights to her children, and making an enemy of the Duke would not be a good political move for Earl Grey. Behind the outgoing public persona, Gerogianna is a very troubled woman trying to make the best of a bad situation.

The Duchess started off slowly. I began to wonder if I was going to battle with my eyelids the entire night. But a surprising thing happened as the movie went along. I began to actually get into the story. The film has all the trappings of a period piece film, with lush sets, impressive costume design, backstabbing characters, and great acting performances. Ralph Fiennes adds just the right amount of menace to The Duke, and Keira Knightley impressed me for the first time, portraying all the different emotions of the Duchess as she grows from a naïve teenager into an adult. She might get some Oscar consideration for this performance as well. I found Geogianna’s life as The Duchess to be fascinating. The period piece is not for everyone, but those who enjoy them should enjoy this one. See it in the theater.

- Black Belt Theater

REVIEW: The Longshots

STARRING: Ice Cube, Keke Palmer View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 08/22/2008 DATE SCREENED: 08/18/2008 The Verdict OK - Wait for the DVD

If you had told me years ago that Limp Bizkit’s lead singer Fred Durst would make a movie starring my favorite “gansta rapper” Ice Cube, and it would be a family film about a 13 year old girl playing football, I would have thought you were crazy. But here we are in 2008, and Ice Cube has left his “gansta” persona behind, having already made a string of bad family films. His latest, The Longshots does have one thing Cube’s other family films did not have… Keke Palmer. This talented actress/singer made her big splash in Akeelah and the Bee. Playing the 13 year old girl who plays football, I had high hopes that she could elevate this film way above the low standards Ice Cube has set with films like Are We There Yet.

Set in the small town of Mindin Illinois, Longshots is based on a true story. Most of the men in town have been unemployed since the closing of a factory. Curtis (Ice Cube) is one such unemployed male, who used to be one of the middle school’s star players. He walks around in the same clothes every day, carrying a football and watching the middle school team practice in preparation for the upcoming season. His life begins to change when he is forced to watch his 13 year old niece Jasmine every day after school. Her mother has been forced to work later hours, and Curtis is the only family around to baby-sit. Jasmine’s father, Curtis’ brother, had abandoned the family 5 years ago. Jasmine is an unpopular bookworm. When she picks up a football and throws a perfect spiral to Curtis, he realizes that he may have a prodigy on his hands. Soon he is coaching her on how to be a quarterback. She is better than any of the guys on her school's team, and since it’s not technically against the rules, she becomes the team’s back-up quarterback. After a tough loss, she is promoted to the starting quarterback, where she excels and the team begins to win. Jasmine’s father even shows up in town after seeing a story about Jasmine on the news. When the head coach becomes ill, Ice Cube is hired as coach. With Jasmine at the helm, along with an assist from Curtis’ inspirational speeches, the team becomes the first Pop Warner football team to make it to the Super Bowl with a female quarterback.

The Longshots feels like it rushes to its conclusion, only pausing at all the clichéd plot points for movies in this genre. After just a few passing drills with Curtis, Jasmine is on the football team calling plays. When did she learn to run an offense, including running plays? A romance between Curtis and Jasmine's teacher is started but then abandoned. None of the other player’s characters are fleshed out. Jasmine’s mom is in and out of the movie just when her presence is absolutely necessary.

What we do get is the set-up of Jasmine and Curtis as outcasts. Jasmine and Curtis both have to win over the team with their talent and charm. Things quickly move to the “Big Game”, which does have about as much excitement as you can get from a Pop Warner game. They even throw in a moment with Jasmine and her father that will bring tears to some people’s eyes. The audience in the screening ate it all up, clapping and crying at all the right moments. KeKe Palmer is a great young actress and dose elevate this film past Cube’s other family fare, but just barely. This is nothing we haven't seen countless times before. Unless you have kids clamoring to see this movie, wait for the DVD.

REVIEW: Star Wars: Clone Wars

STARRING: Matt Lanter (voice), Ashley Eckstein (voice) View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 08/15/2008 DATE SCREENED: 08/11/2008 The Verdict GOOD - See it in the theater

I fell in love with movies as a 7 year old boy, sitting in Philadelphia's last “movie palace”, completely mesmerized by Star Wars. I've anxiously awaited every Star Wars movie made since. I felt sad after the release of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, thinking that I would never have another Star Wars film to look forward to. My excitement was somewhat rekindled when I read about the upcoming release of the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The very first battle of the clone wars was depicted in Attack of the Clones and the final battles of the clone wars in Revenge of the Sith. Some of the major events in between where shown in the original Star Wars: Clone Wars cartoon aired back in 2003. Although that cartoon was great, I did have some doubts about whether a new cartoon covering more of the Clone Wars would be worth a trip to the theater.

Clone Wars starts off with a WB logo (not 20th Century Fox) and a weak modified version of the Star Wars theme. We are quickly thrust right into a battle, with Obi-Wan, Anakin, and clone troopers defending themselves from an attack by a droid army. The animation is completely different than the original cartoon series. This is a digital 3-D, more realistic type of animation. Unlike the previous cartoon, the Jedi can not do feats that they could not do in the previous films.

During a break in the battle, Anakin is introduced to his new Padawan (student), a female named Ahsoka Tano. She is very talkative and impulsive, and quickly gets on Anakin’s bad side by calling him “Sky-guy”. A nice chemistry develops between them as they take out a shield generator, which leads to a victory in the battle. Yoda arrives, and Anakin and his Padawan are soon off on another mission. They must rescue Jabba the Hut’s son, who is still a baby. Obi-Wan is sent to negotiate with Jabba for permission to transport troops through the Hut's trade routes. It turns out that Jabba's son was kidnapped by Count Dooku’s apprentice Asajj Ventress. The Count visits Jabba to blame the Jedi for the kidnapping. The Jedi must get past both Asajj Ventress and Count Dooku in order to get Baby Jabba to his father and prove the Jedi had nothing to do with his kidnapping. Senator Amidala makes a brief appearance in helping to expose Count Dooku’s plot.

Clone Wars is clearly aimed at children, and not the adults who grew up on Star Wars. It’s much more lighthearted and silly than the three prequels. Anakin and his Padawan have a constant, but funny, banter between them. It’s fun to see Anakin get a taste of his own medicine, with a Padawan who doesn’t want to listen and lacks discipline & patience. She is a great addition to the Star Wars universe. The movie assumes you know all the other characters. If you are not already familiar with Star Wars, you will be completely lost. The droids are portrayed as being completely clueless, making silly comments and silly decisions that no droid would ever make. There is not much talking before the next action scene, so the film never slows. We get large scale space and ground battles, plus extended light saber duels between Anakin & Dooku, and Obi-Wan & Asajj Ventress. I enjoyed myself throughout, and I’m looking forward to the TV show scheduled to begin airing in October. The Clone Wars should be able to provide plenty of interesting storylines and characters to support a series. I do wish it had more of a serious tone, but I understand it’s a cartoon and they have to keep the children entertained. Clone Wars is worth a trip to the theater for the entire family.

REVIEW: Tropic Thunder

STARRING: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 08/15/2008 DATE SCREENED: 07/21/2008 The Verdict OK - Wait for the DVD

Ben Stiller hasn’t made me laugh since Meet the Fockers in 2004. After the complete disaster of Heartbreak Kid, Stiller took matters into his own hands, writing and directing Tropic Thunder. With a cast that includes Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black, plus a story that seemed somewhat original based on the trailer, I had high hopes that Stiller’s steak of unfunny comedies would be over.

Tropic Thunder introduces us to the main characters by opening with fake trailers. We see trailers for the latest movies of action hero Tugg Speedman (Stiller), Kirk Lazarus (Downey Jr.), and funnyman Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black), plus a commercial by rapper Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson). These four stars have teamed up for a big budget war flick. Kirk Lazarus is a playing a black character, in a form of black face. Being committed to method acting he is living as a black person 24/7. Things are not going well during filming. The movie is over budget and the actors are not giving their best performances. An out of control studio executive (Tom Cruise) is demanding results and threatening to fire the director. Acting upon the recommendation of the war veteran on whose book the movie is based (Nick Nolte) the director ships the stars out to a remote area of Vietnam, where they will get a taste of what it’s really like to be a soldier. Things go horribly wrong, and Speedman ends up captured by Vietnamese drug dealers who are familiar with his work. They contact the movie studio, and Les basically tells the kidnappers to go screw themselves. It seems that Les and Speedman’s agent (Matthew McConaughey) are willing to let him die in order to collect the insurance money to recoup the projected loses on the film. It’s up to the remaining actors to band together in order to save Speedman from this dangerous situation.

Tropic Thunder is a mixed bag. Tom Cruise steals the movie, as he is hilarious as the out of control studio executive. I certainly would have never expected this kind of funny, and profane, performance from Cruise. There are also funny moments as the actors wander the forrest trying to figure out if they are in a real dangerous situation or if it’s all an elaborate set-up. And the part in which the leader of the drug gang forces Speedman to re-enact his past role as a retarded kid had me laughing as well.

The main thing I did not like about Tropic Thunder is Downey Jr., as Kirk Lazarus, in black face. This is the year 2008, and the humor in black face is completely lost on me. The movie tries to soften the blow by having the rapper Alpa Chino say things to Kirk that black people will be thinking while watching the movie. Although that may be enough to make most people feel its ok to laugh at the character, it didn’t work for me. I also didn’t find Jack Black’s performance, in which he is either in withdrawal from his heroin addiction or trying to steal heroin, to be funny at all.

Overall, I’d have to say that the film is just OK, and only worth renting on DVD. Downey Jr is lucky he just did Iron Man, as performing in black face is usually not good for one's career these days. Stiller has managed to make a film that made me laugh at times, so the streak is technically over. But there is still plenty of room for improvement in his future comedies.

REVIEW: Swing Vote

STARRING: Kevin Costner, Madeline Carroll View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 08/01/2008 DATE SCREENED: 07/24/2008 The Verdict GOOD - See it in the theater

With this being an election year in which the American public must choose between two candidates that could not be more different, the timing is perfect for a movie like Swing Vote. In Swing Vote a Presidential election literally comes down one person’s vote, and the saying that every vote counts was never more true. That one vote is in the hands of a Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner), an apathetic slacker from Texaco, New Mexico. Bud drinks way too much and just recently lost his job. The vote actually belongs to his twelve year old daughter Molly (Madeline Carroll), who not only registered her dad to vote but was the one placing the vote that is in question due to a voter machine malfunction. Since twelve year olds technically can’t vote, Molly has to take a back seat while her dad takes credit.

When a local reporter, Kate Madison (Paula Patton), breaks the story that the election is being held up for Bud to recast his vote, the national media and both Presidential candidates descend on Taxaco and camp out outside of Bud’s door. Bud is set to cast his vote in ten days, and both candidates put plans into motion to win Bud’s vote. Bud doesn’t even care about the election, but is determined to enjoy his 15 minutes of fame. He meets with the candidates, has parties thrown in his honor, and grants interviews. Kate had previously done a story on Molly, so she has the inside track on the interviews. When Bud says that he is for the environment, the incumbent president changes his stance and becomes a protector of the environment. When Bud says he is pro-life, without even knowing what it means, the other candidate switches to a pro-life agenda. Much to Molly’s chagrin, Bud is making a mockery of the entire political process. Molly wants people to think her dad actually cares, so she answers his stacks of mail from all over the country and tells everyone that her dad takes his responsibility seriously. Molly convinces Bud to hold a debate between the two candidates before making his final decision. When Bud begins to read all of his mail that Molly had been answering it finally dawns on him that the election is actually important, and he is carrying a huge responsibility.

As long as you can get past the ridiculous series of events that leads to the election coming down to one vote, you can enjoy Swing Vote. The movie works as a comedy and a drama. Watching Bud deal with his overnight fame and watching the candidates hurry to film commercials based on Bud’s likes/dislikes provides many funny moments. The film also deals seriously with the relationship between Bud and his daughter Molly, and her absentee mother. The movie takes a completely serious turn at the end when Bud realizes his responsibility. The switch in tone is a abrupt, which made it seem somewhat out of character for Bud. But that might have been necessary for the film to make its final points. The film really isn’t about who he finally votes for as President, but the process this man who never voted goes through in order to realize that voting is important. The cast is really strong, with Madeline being the big find as Molly. When the film started I thought that they should have hired Dakota Fanning for the role, but it wasn’t long before Madeline completely won me over. Kelsey Grammer and Dennis Hopper do a great job as two completely opposite candidates who wonder if kissing Bud’s butt is really the right thing to do. Paula Patton is beautiful as Kate and Stanley Tucci does good work as usual as the President’s aid. Swing Vote is worth a trip to the theater, and I hope everyone leaving the theater will understand that every vote will matter in the upcoming election.