The Tree of Life

What did I just watch? Seriously. Someone please tell me. I liked it and I think I get it and I thought it was outstanding, but I'm not entirely sure what I just watched. I haven't been this confused since the first time I ever watched Donnie Darko.


This visually stunning film was a pleasure to watch. Every shot seemed to have a purpose even if it didn't necessarily make sense in the story. There were a lot of things that just didn't make sense to me. I don't know if it was supposed to or if it will as I watch it again, but it worked for me. It made me appreciate all I have in life and the people around me. In the first half hour of the movie I think there were a total of 30 words spoken and the score underneath the images immediately conjured images in my head of 2001: A Space Odyssey. (And the confusing story and ending added to that too)


The Tree of Life is a story about loss of innocence and coming of age. The family we follow has very strange dynamics. One second they are all lovey-dovey and the next second they fight with each other. I guess that's how many families are. A death early on in the film forces one of the children to begin questioning everything. A similar thing open-minded people go through at young ages when they are determining their outlook on life. Many of the scenes are bookended with quotes from the Bible, most specifically from Job. I'm not a religious person by any means, but the whole story sort of revolved around the Bible and questioning God and the things happening on Earth and it worked for me. Every quote, having never heard most of them before, fit in the story and made sense.


As with Super 8 we feel as though we are the kids, but in Tree of Life we not only feel like the kids, we see things at their height in the movie. Rampant with point of view shots from each of the main characters, you begin to feel the ebb and flow of the O'Brien family and feel almost like a part of their family. These point of view shots add to the character development as well, but the acting takes care of itself. Brad Pitt is spectacular in his role and my feelings changed almost every time he was on screen. One minute I liked him the next I pitied him and the next I hated him. Incredible! And the child actors were good too. They remind everyone how difficult it can be to grow up.


The score throughout the film, as I briefly mentioned before was spot on perfect for the movie. As tensions rose in the movie, you could feel them rise in the music, whether it be from a single repeated bass note, or just a symphony record being played.


If you are looking to think about your life and how you have become the person you are today I highly suggest this movie. I'm not saying it makes you think about life in a bad way, it just gets you thinking. It plays with beliefs and religion and made me think about what I believe in and why I believe it. The movie also made me start to wonder how my life would have been had a few things happened differently. But really as much as The Tree of Life focuses on beliefs and religion it focuses on love and the struggle of mother and father inside a child. Two of my favorite quotes from the movie: "Father, Mother. Always you wrestle inside me. Always you will."

"The only way to be happy is to love. Unless you love, your life will flash by."

Overall, outstanding movie, though I don't claim to know exactly what happened by any means. Definitely go see it for the experience and don't be afraid to get too into the film!

8/10

Source Code

I was merrily surprised with Source Code. I didn't entirely know what to expect going into it except for some pretty good reviews from various newspapers and magazines. We are basically thrown right into the action here, with beautiful sprawling shots of Chicago and the train. This oddly enough leads to very subtle foreshadowing, which may or may not have been intended.

A different take on its' similar film, Vantage Point from 2008, Source Code makes you follow Captain Colter Stevens, played by Jake Gyllenhaal (surprisingly well) as he uncovers the mystery of a bombing on a train. However, early into the film we learn that this is not the only mystery he must solve. We and he have no clue where he is or why he is there. This works very well throughout the film. As we gain information about the bombing of the train we slowly get more information on where Colter Stevens is. These two parallel mysteries bring along two different villains as well. That's as far as I'll go so I don't ruin anything for you.

The acting was nuanced and particularly believable. Every actor played his or her character exactly how they should have been played. Jake Gyllenhaal, coming off of two of the weaker movies of his career, delivers in this heartfelt performance. Michelle Monaghan brings her character to life, yet again. She is hands down my favorite actress. I remember first watching her in 2005's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which turns out to be one of my favorite movies. Everything I've watched her in since then has been great! She makes every role her own and is great to watch on screen. Jeffrey Wright is great as Dr. Rutledge and works as the crazed doctor from any good Sci-Fi movie. And finally providing one of the best performances of the movie, Vera Farmiga plays the soldier with a heart and we can see it in her subtle facial tics.

Obviously the actors would have had nothing to work with had the script not been good. Some points were admittedly unbelievable, but it is a Sci-Fi movie so what can you expect? The dialogue is believable and fits the situation well. There is not much more to say about the script though. One of my favorite parts of the film was when a shot of the Chicago loop was shown. They were claiming that the city was being evacuated and it looked to me like a shot of just normal day rush hour in Chicago.

Possibly one of my absolute favorite things to find in movies is points of foreshadowing. And this movie has a great one! It happens during the montage of shots of Chicago and the train. Every shot of the train is shown traveling across the screen from left to right except for one. Keep that in mind when you are watching it and you will catch an entertaining and interesting bit of foreshadowing. Like I said earlier in this review, this may or may not have been intentional on the director's part, but I greatly enjoyed it.

The opening montage of Chicago scenes is accompanied by music that instantly reminded me of a Mission Impossible movie. I found this fitting of the movie's mood. Following two mysteries/missions that seem unsolvable and improbable, the music sets us up right away for an exciting story. Not to mention the actress veteran from a Mission Impossible film: Michelle Monaghan.

This movie partially parallels aspects of J. J. Abrams' television show Fringe. That last sentence will make much more sense after seeing the movie for those of you who watch the TV show. If I say anything more I would ruin the adventure, excitement, and suspense of following these characters through the Source Code.

8/10

Super 8

Super 8 was incredible! Absolutely fantastic and a great load of fun to watch! It was like The Goonies on crack combined with Cloverfield, E.T., a bit of Stand By Me, and even some Ocean’s 11.  I know that sounds like a lot of movies to fit into one hour and 52 minutes, but it never feels like too much.

Perhaps it’s because of the Disney stereotyped characteristic of lacking a father, but I found it strange that this film involves the absence of a mother instead. Many times in movies with child protagonists the parents are absent much of the film. This is not much different in Super 8, but the fathers are involved in some of the drama amongst the children.

J.J. Abrams, true to his favorite advertising scheme, drew me in with his cliff hanging and vague trailers. I didn’t know what the movie was going to be about and I loved not knowing what was coming. The movie starts off a bit slow, but that does not hold it back at all. Once the train crash seen in trailers occurs the movie is action, mystery, and thrills for the rest of the time. Abrams at first plays the same trick that Steven Spielberg used in Jaws by not revealing the monster until the opportune time. We don’t know what the thing terrorizing this town is or why it is there, but we begin to learn the reasons slowly throughout the film.

The screenplay was extraordinary with believable dialogue and great character development. The characters took Abrams’ script and made it their own. The six main young actors and actresses were astonishing! I couldn’t help but root for each and every one of them. Each character has his or her specialty, which instantly made me think of movies like Ocean’s 11 and The Italian Job. There was an explosives expert (Cary), a ringleader (Charles), and a character that is seemingly overlooked and walked all over, but becomes a leader (Joe Lamb); each one playing off of the others’ strengths. The performances from these young actors were just incredible. I loved following Joel Courtney (playing Joe Lamb) as he and his crew discovered what the monster was and why it was here. The mystery of what the monster looked like was reminiscent of Cloverfield and worked just as well in this movie.

I absolutely loved the way it was filmed. A movie named after the old super 8 cameras looked similar to the way super 8 film actually looks when projected. The film had a grainy look to it and added to the feel of the movie. Following the children throughout the film drew me into the story even more because I love feeling like I’m in movies when I’m watching them. I think having child protagonists works the best in this regard for me because I feel that I am growing up with them. They are put into tough situations and are forced to grow up during the film. The actors play their parts perfectly and I couldn’t see any other actors playing these parts. Kyle Chandler, probably most well known from Friday Night Lights on NBC, gives a wonderful performance as Joe’s father.

The movie even subtly references movie director greats like George A. Romero in the movie within the movie that Joe and friends are working on: a zombie movie involving a chemical plant by the name of Romero. Abrams has a way of enhancing his scripts by adding subtle references to other films and directors that normally go unnoticed. I only found a couple more in this film, but I’m sure there are many more.

This movie works as a coming of age story, a monster story, and even as a story of acceptance. The ending was a little too quick for me, but in general I loved everything else about Super 8 making it a definite must see thriller and will provide entertainment over and over again.

8.5/10

Thor

The third of the films about the four Avengers for the upcoming film, Thor brought Nordic mythology to film and made it enjoyable. While a film about a god/superhero it never lost my attention. It starts by dropping us right into the action and then backtracks and explains how and why Thor ended up on Earth.

The script was great. It gave enough background on Thor and the mythology behind it that it made sense for me who is new to this superhero though I am a fan of the Avengers. The dialogue between characters seemed to be a mix between old english and nordic languages. It made Thor seem like a genuine good person.

While watching the film I, at first, did not like Thor portrayed by Chris Hemsworth. I thought he was cocky, self-absorbed, and hot-headed. I actually, at first liked his brother a lot more than I liked him. By the end of the film my opinions flipped. I greatly enjoyed cheering for Thor and condemning his brother. This is partly due to the writing, but also to the acting. It was definitely written so the viewer hated Thor at first and then grew to like him, but it would have not come off that way without an outstanding performance by Chris Hemsworth. He fit the role perfectly and played off of the other actors very well. He actually humanized the god he was playing and made me care about his character.

Natalie Portman fresh off of her award winning role in Black Swan gives another great performance. She acts as the main cause of Thor's humanization process. She is one of my favorite actresses so I don't really think that she can do any wrong roles (except maybe No Strings Attached). Stellan Skarsgård plays a great voice of reason throughout the film and never airs on being too fatherly, which follows a common theme of daddy issues all through the film. Thor is trying to convince his father, then defies his father, and finally comes around, but much of the movie has to do with appeasing the father figure of the film.

The acting as I've already said made the characters believable and fun to watch. Seeing Thor swing his mighty hammer Mjǫlnir and watching the camaraderie between the characters was just a thrill to watch. I highly recommend this movie for anyone who wants some background on another Avenger. We've gotten to see the Hulk, Iron Man, and now Thor, and I for one cannot wait to see Captain America in full action on July 22nd!


Overall the acting and the script were outstanding and the cast fit the personalities perfectly. Anyone who likes a good superhero/summer movie will enjoy Thor.


8/10

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Coming from humble beginnings as just a theme park ride Pirates has grown into an international film sensation. Beginning with an outstanding first film and growing into a trilogy, the newest film in the series acted as a reboot and did just that. On Stranger Tides acts as a reboot to try and wipe the slate, dirtied by At World's End and Dead Man's Chest, clean.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides follows Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa, and Blackbeard, and their quest to find the fountain of youth. The acting is still there and so is the entertainment. Had the characters spent more time on screen together the movie would have been even better. Much of the film featured just the adventures of one character at a time and we don't get much interaction on screen. Johnny Depp continues to make his character Jack Sparrow as entertaining and clever as ever and that helped keep me from straying attention.

The writers and director made the correct choice by ridding the series of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. The storyline between the two of them thankfully ended in the third one. What really worked the best for On Stranger Tides was the fact that it was a standalone film, but can definitely lead to another trilogy. A few plot points are brought up from previous films like the map Jack had leading to the fountain of youth and his compass leading to what he wants most.

The action was still there and so was the entertaining dialogue, but ultimately what made this film work was still Jack Sparrow and Barbossa. Depp and Geoffrey Rush give great performances and Penélope Cruz and Ian McShane as Blackbeard feed off of those characters to give equal if not better performances. The chemistry between Depp and Cruz can be felt in the theater and is great when they are on screen together.

Though the movie still received a PG-13 rating it was a bit more family friendly than the pervious films. The innuendos used were more obscure and would be tough for small children to understand what is really being said. The action spent most of its' time in the cheesy/childish/slapstick/comedic realm with the exception of a few scenes, which were truly violent.

Overall, I think this installment of the Pirates franchise was a step up from the previous two films and could definitely lead to another trilogy. How I feel about that, at this point, I can't say until I see a preview or read up on future films, but I can say that if Johnny Depp keeps reprising his role as Captain Jack Sparrow and Geoffrey Rush comes back as Barbossa the films will still have my attention because the two best characters of the franchise will be back and working with and against each other. Worth seeing, but maybe wait until DVD.

7/10

Bridesmaids

Wow! What can I say about this movie. It is hilarious! I saw it twice in the theaters and laughed harder the second time. The last time that happened to me in a movie was The Hangover. This movie really outdid itself.

Bridesmaids really surprised me! I went into it with an open mind and walked out of the theater still laughing. I love seeing films written by and starring actors and actresses from Saturday Night Live (mainly because I really love Tina Fey and everything she does) and I loved seeing that it isn't just Tina Fey who is funny and has the talent to write a hilarious comedy.

Kristen Wiig is absolutely perfect for the role she plays; a combination of awkward, cute, and endearing. She and Maya Rudolph have some of the best female "sis" (read bro/frat guy) chemistry I've ever seen and it really pays off in the end of the film. They interact in ways that seem real. Never does it seem out of place to me. However, the character who I know will make the film entertaining for most guys is Megan played by Melissa McCarthy. She is one of the funniest characters of the film, if not the funniest and in my opinion nearly steals the whole film. Wiig's character, Annie, is funny and awkward and the one we follow throughout the film, but Megan provides a lot of the slapstick/crude humor. She acts as the male comedic relief to me. She's gaseous, open about her sexuality, and seems to really not care about what other people think of her. I think an obvious comparison, based solely on the self-confidence, is to Alan from The Hangover. Each one carrying their respective insecurities, yet each one striving to be themselves and acting no different around others.

The script for this movie could not have gotten any better. It had its' moments of gross out humor (puke), heartfelt humor (in the form of awkward humor), just straight up witty rapport throughout the dialogue, and of course heart. Having so many differing female personalities clash was pure genius! We get Annie and Lillian, the best friends for a long time, Becca (the newlywed), Rita (the unhappy married woman), Megan (the confident one), and Helen (the bitch). The acting and chemistry amongst these six characters is almost unbelievable! Every actress adds nuances to the characters that make them believable.

My personal stand-out performance, however, goes to Rose Byrne. As a guy I don't think I've experienced the same emotions portrayed throughout the film between Annie and Helen, but I felt them in the film. Helen is a controlling devil woman who, through Annie's eyes, is trying to steal Annie's best friend Lillian away. The things that Helen does obviously upset Annie and since we are cheering for Annie to prevail during the movie we can feel what the character feels. We begin to bond with Annie in the hatred of Helen. While this movie is nearly perfect, one flaw really bugged me.

The State Patrolman. In Wisconsin the state police do not sit around on side roads, they don't go into bars in their uniforms for a beer, and they can't use their car for personal use... I know those are small details of the great picture of the film, but it bothers me only because of how real the movie feels otherwise. A great deal of this felling of reality is simply because many of my friends could easily slip into Annie, Lillian, Becca, Rita, Megan, and Helen.

Bridesmaids was simply outstanding and I recommend it to anyone and everyone. Definitely the comedy of the summer so far!

9.5/10

The Hangover Part II

For those of you who don't know. The Hangover Part II director Todd Phillips changed the name from The Hangover 2, to The Hangover Part II because he felt that the two films were most closely related to The Godfather Part I & II only in relation between sequel to original. Boy was he wrong. The Godfather Part II expanded upon a fantastic first part. I feel that The Hangover was a great first part, but I think it would have been better off just left alone. Had it stayed on its' own it probably could have gone down in history with comedy greats like Caddyshack, Animal House, and Airplane!. While some of those films had sequels as well, none of them ever even came close to equalling the hilarity of its' predecessor.

I am not going to say that I didn't laugh during The Hangover Part II, but the humor seemed far too familiar to me. It seemed like a rehash of the first one, but in a different country and a different person is missing. Yes the times that the characters were figuring their "situation" out were funny, but they seemed far too similar to the first film. The events follow the same pattern that they did in the first one. The problem is that the first movie had the huge advantage of surprise, which this one could have used! The fact that the writers "came up" with the same story, but in Thailand (pronounced "Thighland" thanks to Alan) was just uncreative to me. It is still a funny movie, though just a new/cruder style of humor. The most specific example of this involves Stu. The scene with Phil, Alan, and him in the strip club is funny at first to watch, but by the end of that scene the humor was walking a very fine line for me. I laughed, don't get me wrong, but the "women" walking around throughout...It just got awkward by the end.

The humor may have gone from witty and creative to bland and boring, but the chemistry amongst the actors is still there. Bradley Cooper reprising his role as Phil, "the cool guy", has obvious chemistry with every character he comes in contact with during the film. Ed Helms again playing Stu, the "Doctor", plays the same "wild and crazy (only when he's drunk)" character he did in the first one. And of course, who could forget Alan, portrayed by Zach Galifianikis, the "lovable oaf". Each character still brings his own personality to the table and they still work well together. However, I went into this movie hoping and praying that Doug would get to be a part of the bachelor party and the shenanigans, but he was, yet again, "too cool" to participate in the festivities so to speak. Stu, Phil, and Alan still go through some interesting experiences, which I don't want to reveal to you because you should still see them for yourself.

While Stu doesn't pull another tooth, as seen in the trailers he has gotten a tattoo (the same one as Mike Tyson), instead of a tiger, they find a monkey, and instead of the groom going missing, a different character disappears. The sense of adventure, surprise, and pure enjoyment of the first one was just lost for me. I found the movie to be almost repetitive. It was still a funny movie, but in no way surpasses or expands upon the first one as Todd Phillips had thought it would.

I'm sure The Hangover Part II will still hold its' own at the box office and in peoples' minds, but the fact is, it follows the same plot (person goes missing, follow clues from pockets, discover misadventures of night before, someone drugged someone else, Stu has an epiphany) as the first one. The chemistry amongst actors is definitely still there and I felt that the heart was still there. Maybe not the "heart" per se, but the brotherhood/camaraderie was still there. I still think that fans of the first one will enjoy this movie, but definitely take it with a grain of salt and don't expect to be too surprised.

6.5/10

X-Men: First Class (An Ironically Good First Post)

X-Men: First Class has brought the original trilogy back to the basics…and it has done it with action, style, and zest. A much more character based film than the previous three, it allowed the actors to play off of each other and give great performances all around. James McAvoy as Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender give especially outstanding performances and play well off of each other when on screen together.

While technically following X-Men Origins: Wolverine, this movie acts as a prequel and adds a lot to the first three films. For those of us who know the characters of X-Men only from the films it explains Magneto’s anger and rage, Xavier’s reason for being confined to a wheelchair, and the personal divide between the two. The latter being a cause of much of the drama used in the trilogy. The fact that we did not know much about Sebastian Shaw’s (played terrifyingly well by Kevin Bacon) cronies made them characters darker and more mysterious and made the story more compelling. I think the background information given about the original X-Men offset the not knowing about Azazel, Emma Frost, and Riptide.

The movie was not without its’ outstanding female performances either. McAvoy, Fassbender, and Bacon played their characters to a ‘t’, but Jennifer Lawrence, playing the conflicted teenage Mystique and Rose Byrne, the CIA agent hell-bent on uncovering the involvement of a US General in a plot to basically start World War III, knock their roles out of the park. Each coming off of critically acclaimed films: Winter’s Bone and Bridesmaids respectively, they kept the momentum they gained from those films and brought it to X-Men.

Being a more character based movie, X-Men: First Class set itself a part from other comic book/superhero movies. Instead of just focusing on the action like previous X-Men films, it takes you deeper into the story. Many questions I and I'm sure many other fans of the films had were answered through the background information provided. Each character has their shining moments and fans are even provided with a comedic, though brief, cameo by Hugh Jackman. The comedy doesn't end there. If you like a badass character, Magneto's revenge scenes in the beginning of the film are wonderfully entertaining: like watching an underdog come from behind to win, Fassbender provides the character with just the right amount of malice and rage.

The script was surprisingly realistic and in true X-Men fashion uses social issues and history to move its’ story along. X-Men: First Class follows the Cuban Missile Crisis and creates a situation where WWIII nearly begins. Not only does the film use historic events and footage of President Kennedy, but it also includes a few nods to previous war films; a few scenes occur in a room reminiscent of the war room in Dr. Strangelove and the beginning, while a commonly portrayed scene, reminded me of Schindler’s List.

X-Men: First Class surprised me and upheld my high expectations. Not being a die-hard follower of the comic books or cartoons I can say that this movie was a great summer movie and I would definitely recommend the film to fans of the X-Men universe, though it may be helpful to watch the three films before seeing this one. A movie with the ABC’s of a great summer flick: action, betrayal, and comedy. Go see it.

9/10