Milk (2009)

Director: Gus Van Sant

Rated: R

Length: 128 min.

 

In an era where homosexuality was being met with an iron fist at the hands of police brutality and segregation between the gay and straight workplace, Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) decided it was time for a change. With the help of a great supporting cast, including James Franco (Scott Smith) as his original partner, Emile Hirsch as a fellow campaign worker and gay rights activist, along with his Latin lover, the ever-so talented Diego Luna (Jack Lira); this film oozed inspiration.
“My name is Harvey Milk and I’m here to recruit you.”

In this inspiring film of how a homosexual man changed the face of history with his courage and persistence, Harvey Milk transforms from dirty hippie into the most likable politician we’ve seen in quite some time.

Penn earned his Oscar for best actor in this film by truly transcending the gay man in a discriminatory society. He fully encompassed himself into his character.

At first, I must admit that I was moderately skeptical as if I was going to like the film or not, but I was left with a feeling of satisfaction in my reflection of the film.

I felt a mix of consistent laughter and pure silence in admiration of this film’s entertaining, but also very tragic storyline. This is easily the best film I’ve seen in quite some time.

Director Gus Van Sant’s use of split cinematography between actual news footage and film footage made the film feel as a though it was a historical retelling of one of the most revolutionary innovators of our society today.

Milk gave his life for what he believed in, and that is something to be admired.

Van Sant breaks down all previous sexual walls and openly depicts male to male intimacy with little to no filter.

This film made me feel a sense of remorse for homosexuals growing up during this time period, for the scrutiny they received from the outside world was relentless and unnecessary.

This film leaves a somber audience with a strong message as it come to a conclusion.

Harvey Milk will forever be remembered in my heart.

The Campaign (2012)

Director: Jay Roach

Rated: R

Length: 85 min.



The grouping of two of the most entertaining comedians of our generation should have been a ballpark home-run; however The Campaign fails to get my vote. As to be expected, Will Ferrell (Cam Brady) has a number of one-liners that did give me a nice chuckle from time to time, but as a whole I expected more out of these comedic juggernauts. I was mostly disappointed with Zach Galifianakis (Marty Huggins,) who played a role similar to that of his character in Due Date; the awkwardly short and tubby, questionably homosexual, pug loving pansy; whereas Ferrell plays an incredibly similar role to that of his character Ricky Bobby from the film Talladega Nights; the cocky, arrogant asshole who will do anything in his power to pave the way to victory. This film played on all the political stereotypes of big money funding political campaigns, dirty campaign ads, back-door deals, ungodly dealings and candidate sexual incompetency. Mid way through the film the level of absurdity reaches a point of complete and utter disbelief, in which you no longer care about the plot’s final outcome. And, as the film reaches its conclusion, you are left with a forgettable feeling in your memory and a dissatisfied feeling in your wallet, because you just shed out 10 bucks to see a mediocre film. I would wait for this one to come out on Redbox, regular cable or just skip it all together; this is no must see. The Campaign.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Rated: PG-13

Length: 165 min.



In one of the most anticipated summer blockbusters of all-time...The Dark Knight "Falls." I am disappointed to say that my original hypothesis that this film would be completely ridiculous and over the top came true. I wanted so badly to be wrong about my sequel policy; that any film that goes for the three-peat, fails epically in trying to outdo the two already incredible films that preceded it. The Dark Knight is easily one of my favorite films of all-time and I was absolutely taken in by the film from start to finish. One of the main reasons being Heath Ledger, and the astounding job he did as The Joker. Tom Hardy (Bane) was also a very entertaining villain in this film, but he reminded me too much of a beefy Hannibal Lector. Unfortunately this film could not even be saved by up and coming star Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Blake). In all honesty, the best performance of the film goes to Anne Hathaway (Catwoman), which is surprising even to me, considering I had little to no respect for her work prior to this film. Overall, the film dialogue was extremely poor and the plot was incredibly absurd and hard to follow; however, the cinematography, music synchronization, and battle sequences were all top quality, as to be expected from a Christopher Nolan film.The final verdict on The Dark Knight Rises is obviously to go see it, and see for yourself if you agree with my conclusion. All critiquing and film dissection aside, my heart goes out to all the victims lost in the Aurora cinema shooting; I just hope we can soon again feel safe and find comfort in going to the movies as a family.

Wanderlust (2012)



Director: David Wain

Rated: R

Length: 98 min.



In this story of a couple who seem to have lost their way but find their true selves in an intentional community (hippie commune), Paul Rudd is the only moderately comical part of this film. Jennifer Aniston, who is always fun to look at, doesn't even scrape the surface of how entertaining she was in films like Horrible Bosses and The Break-Up. The only part worth watching in the entirety of this film involves a monologue in which Rudd is giving himself a motivational speech for his future sexual encounter. I can only hope that Rudd will continue to produce comedies on the level of I Love You, Man and Role Models. All in all, I would say this film (which was recommended to me by a friend) failed to reach the full potential I expected from this uproarous cast. Even for all you un-bathed tree-huggers out there who enjoy a good story about those who find themselves in love, laughter, and happiness; not even you will fall under the spell of this hippie b.s. In the few times I did happen to laugh at this poor excuse for a romantic comedy, I quickly lost interest in yet another predictable plot outcome. I mean what the hell does Wanderlust even mean?! Let me know if ya figure it out...

Project X (2012)

 Director: Nima Nourizadeh

Rated: R

Length: 88 min.

In a firsthand portrayal one of the most belligerent house parties known to man, Project X is a fun filled adventure from start to finish. With great syncs of both soundtrack and slow motion shots, this mockumentary displayed a number of scenes with incredible transitions. However, with a poor dialogue and level of absurdity that reaches a point of unbelivability; this film fails to reach its full potential. As a kid we all dream of throwing a party of this magnitude, but we also are not completely ignorant to the consequences of our actions like our boy Thomas here. There is a fairly good message on display in this film, for it shows us the significance of being responsible, but also tricks us into believing "if you build it, they will come." Overall I found the film to be highly entertaining, but also moderately ridiculous at the same time. If you're looking for loud music, naked women, and excessive partying, this is the film for you.

The Skin I Live In (2011)

 Director: Pedro Almodovar

Rated: R

Length: 120 min.

In one of the most sexually disturbing thrillers I have ever seen, director Pedro Almodovar creates a world of unforgivable fate for those who have taken advantage of the weak. With some of the most gracefully synchronized cinematography and soundtrack since A Clockwork Orange, there are multiple scenes throughout the film that evoke an intense emotional outpour from the audience. This "in your face" thriller will keep you consistently on your toes. Not only does this film have a spectacular back drop in the city of Toledo, Spain; but it also inculdes the likes of stunning Spanish actress, Elena Anaya (Vera Cruz). And for those of you (like my mother), who can't handle a healthy amount of sexual passion and nudity, just stick to The Notebook in the PG-13 safety zone;) However, I must admit that even I found myself questioning my own emotional reactions to the plot as it unfolds onscreen. All in all, I'd say I enjoyed the film, for it produces an ample amount of audience involvement; even though it struggles on the fronts of dialogue and supporting cast. I have always said that the ending to a film is all that truly matters, and this film's conclusion will leave you to ponder about how optimistic you'd be about the possibility of a new life...I think we all need to take a step back and take a good hard look at The Skin I Live In.

Prometheus (2012)

 Director: Ridley Scott

Rated: R

Length: 124 min.

Surprise, surprise...For the umpteenth time a sci-fi thriller failed to produce the level of excitement that it had been hyped up to be. With incredible scenery and astounding special effects that rival that of Avatar, this film still fails on all the truly important aspects of film; plot, direction, and dialogue. The subsequent prequel to what some regard as the best sci-fi film of all time, Alien (with the exception of Star Wars of course;), this was nowhere near the level of astonishment that I had expected from a Ridley Scott film. For those of you who enjoy the visual appeal of a film, this delivers on all counts; but for all you science buffs out there looking for a truly epic scientific adventure, go ahead and just watch the re-run of the original Star Wars trilogy on Spike TV. The unfortunate part about this film is that it had so much promise to be an intriguing film at its beginning; but with little to no plot explanation, this film was extremely hard to follow. Not to mention the fact that the originality of this film was about a 2 on the shock and awe scale. I mean how many times have we seen space explorers reach another planet to find extra terrestrials? I remember my first sci-fi film (it was E.T. and I was 9). When are we going to move on from this obsession with aliens? I mean grow-the-f@*% -up. Prometheus.