It's Kind of a Funny Story

So, amidst all the March Madness (hooray, Butler!), both basketball and law school, I took some time out to watch a movie about a young lad that gets committed.

It's Kind of a Funny Story stars Keir Gilchrist, Emma Roberts, and Zach Galifianakis. Gilchrist plays Craig, a 16-year-old who wants to kill himself, but can't go through with it. Instead of jumping off a bridge, Craig commits himself. The problems facing him are not all that unfamiliar: stress about school, stress about friends, stress about not fitting in, stress about not being good enough. However, after having himself committed, Craig soon finds he does not really fit in with the patients on the psych ward either: his problems seem nowhere as big as his fellow floormates. Needless to say, Craig struggles to adjust to his new surroundings and adds yet another stress to his life: what will people on the outside think.

Galifianakis plays Bobby, Craig's older and wiser guide to life on the psych floor. It's apparent from the get-go that there is something Bobby is hiding from Craig and that he has many regrets, which consequently provide the foundations for his advice to Craig. It was interesting to see Galifianakis in a more serious role; the best analogy I can come up with is Steve Carell in Little Miss Sunshine: a typically comedic actor in a darker, more serious dramedy.

Overall, I thought the movie was excellent. It was quirky and was smart and the cast were equally as quirky and smart. Roberts had an edge, this was no Nancy Drew after all (don't get me wrong though, I liked that movie!). I had never seen Gilchrist in any other project before, so I found his performance refreshing and charming. And, as I said about Galifianakis, I am always impressed when a guy known for outrageous comedy is able to take on a more serious role. But, what made this movie really great was that it had a lot of heart. The story was relatable: funny when it wanted to be, somber and reflective when it needed to be. The only thing that was crazy and extravagant was an 80s-fied lip sync to the timeless Queen and David Bowie hit, Under Pressure--how can you not love that?! So, if you are in the mood for a good flick that isn't gunning for the cheap laughs or crazy plots, but is just a simple story that seems like it could be your own, check out It's Kind of a Funny Story.

~Erin

Take Me Home (or to the Movies) Tonight.

My first contribution to Commercial Break! Thanks Erin and Emily for asking me to do a guest review. This is quite the privilege! You see when Erin, Emily and I all lived in the same town it was easy go to dinner and a movie on a Friday night. Now, however, inter-states, corn fields and a few major cities hinder us from casually viewing the latest chick flick or drama in the comfort of a Kerasotes Cinema.

That being said, I don’t often go to movies in the theater, anymore – it just isn’t as much fun when you don’t have 15 of your closest friends with you eating buckets of popcorn and making comments here and there. However, this past weekend I ventured out with a friend to see “Take Me Home Tonight.” (I honestly can’t ever say that title without singing the rest of the song) and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I’d give you 80 reasons why I loved this movie since it is an 80s-esque movie, but I’ll spare you that many. Instead just three:

1) The Costumes.

Leg warmers. Skinny ties. Metallic material. Wayfarers. Bright colors. No, I’m not talking about my and most of my friends’ closets. HA! It was obvious this movie was going to have fun costumes and that is definitely one of the things that made it so great.

2) The Soundtrack.

My toes were tapping the entire movie and I wasn’t alone! My friend even leaned over to me and said, “I know what soundtrack I am going out and buying after this movie.” Let’s be real, the 80s had some great dancing jams! Don’t tell me you can stand still when “Come On Eileen” by Dexy's Midnight Runners comes on at a bar.

Music can help make or break a movie. And while this one may have had it easy because the story line revolved around a great decade, the musical directors chose a nice selection from their broad 1980s discography menu.

3) It’s "like a totally rad film."

Take Me Home Tonight is light hearted and fun. While I wasn’t sure what to expect (I feared it would be some sort of 80s spoof, which would have crushed me because I love 80s movies – Hello?! Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Molly Ringwald?) it was genuinely well made. If you need a break, a good laugh, or for some, a walk down memory lane go see "Take Me Home Tonight." Isn’t it crazy that technically this could be considered an era film?

So, those reasons seem pretty vague. But as soon as you see the movie, you’ll understand that "Take Me Home Tonight" is a story that is only good if it is staged in the 1980s.

Let My Love(LY Life) Door Open the Door [to your creative findings on the web].

Beastly Review

Hey! Long time, no....blog?!

Well, I finally have something fun and new to blog about! But, before I get to my review of the new film, Beastly, I want to make a brief commentary on the Oscars. The day after the Oscars, all anyone could talk about was how bad the two hosts were, mainly how bad James Franco was. It goes without saying that James Franco is an odd kid: he does odd things, he says odd things. One of the many reasons I love James Franco is because he is extremely strange and awkward. I find his oddity refreshing...and attractive! HOWEVER, it is because of how awkward he is that I anticipated his Oscars gig would not resonate with the majority of its audience...and I was right. Everyone Monday morning seemed so shocked at how "awful" both James and Anne were at hosting. I was not disappointed. Were Anne and James the greatest hosts ever? No, but I still managed to be entertained. I think people made much ado about nothing. The Academy Awards is a night to celebrate the movies and the people in them. Do not get me wrong, I live for stuff like the Oscars, but there is nothing about them that makes a lasting impact beyond those people in Hollywood. Anne and James are actors--they do not make a living from being show hosts! They are good at what they do and that is why the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences asked them to host. After all, James was up for Best Actor for his portrayal of Aron Ralston in 127 Hours. If people wanted a show host, they should have hired Bob Barker.

And now on to my review of Beastly...

First confession? I saw Beastly by myself. Now before you all start to say "oh, how pathetic," I have always wanted to see a film by myself. I have finally achieved something on my bucket list. AND, this was a great movie to see by myself. Don't have to recite a ton of jokes to people and laugh about it for hours on end, nor am I sobbing and just want to sob with someone else who knows why I am sobbing. It was an enjoyable hour and half. Okay, now really on to my actual review...

Beastly stars Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens, with a little help from Mary-Kate Olsen and one of my faves, NEIL PATRICK HARRIS! (sorry for the all caps...I will continue calmly) Beastly is a modern take on the classic fairytale, Beauty and the Beast. Similar to Clueless and Easy A, Beastly spins a classic story and puts it in a high school setting...however, although Beastly is fun, it is not smart like those two other movies.

Pettyfer plays Kyle, the cliche guy in high school who has it all: money, popularity, and good looks. The problem? He knows what he has all too well, no thanks to his good-looking, absent news anchor for a father. Hudgens plays Lindy, a quiet and shy girl who is at Kyle's elite prep school on scholarship. It is not a coincidence that Kyle, having no sense of the world around him, meets Lindy after three years of being in the same school. He is immediately intrigued because, being the self-respecting girl that she is (yay, Lindy!), she does not much care about what Kyle has; and it is because Kyle is intrigued, the audience gets glimpses of a Kyle who is not a self-absorbed monster (turns out Lindy sees that too). Unfortunately, those glimpses of goodness are just that, glimpses.

Olsen's character, the "witch" in this story, truly sees Kyle for who he is and what he is: ugly on the inside. After being scorned by him, she turns the tables around casting a spell on him. He is finally as "aggressively attractive outside" as he is on the inside. Kyle has a year to find someone to truly love him for the curse to break and to regain his good looks.

Well, much like the Disney telling of Beauty and the Beast, Kyle is locked away in a castle of sorts: a brownstone over the bridge from Manhattan. Instead of a talking clock and candlestick? Kyle has a housekeeper (Zola, played by Lisa Gay Hamilton) and a tutor (a la Neil Patrick Harris, who plays Will), both with their own tragedies. It is only when Kyle is in his beastly state that he begins to realize how everyone saw him, and that's how Lindy's character truly captures his attention. A mishap here and a mishap there, Lindy ends up Kyle's captive. With the guidance of Zola and Will, Kyle finally begins to realize the man he can be and he wants to be, someone Lindy can love. Luckily for Kyle (who goes by Hunter once taking Lindy captive--after all, what would be the intrigue if she knew he was the "once hot" Kyle?!), Lindy sees this side of him all along despite his being ugly on the outside.

I'm not going to pull any punches. The rest of the story is much like its Disney counterpart, after all, that is the one most audiences know and love! If it is a spoiler-alert that the movie unfolds much the same way as any other version you might have seen, my apologies. However, because it is a movie geared at an older audience, its humor and elements of its storyline are also slightly more mature. Like any take on a classic, Beastly offers its own interesting twists.

With all of that said, I really enjoyed this movie. I have been wanting to see this flick since May and it was supposed to come out last July, but due the onslaught of other summer movies, the distributors thought it could not compete and so it was released today. I was hesitant about the movie at first: as a fan of the High School Musical trilogy, I never liked Vanessa Hudgens. What made me want to see this film? NPH, of course. But good news HSM but not Vanessa Hudgens fans: her voice is not high-pitched and obnoxious like Gabriella in this movie (so I am assuming in real life the same can be said?!), nor is she just running around and giggling all the time. Hudgens plays a smart girl who is not all about the glitz and glam. Most refreshing about Hudgens in this film is that unlike her HSM character who is supposed to be the nerd but is always well-dressed with perfect hair and makeup (not to mention Zac Efron on her arm), she looks like an average teen. NPH was lovely of course, but played a very different character from his alter-ego, Barney Stinson. And Pettyfer, who is the focus of the film I thought played his role well: in the beginning, he is very unlikable yet you know there is something there; slowly, his character evolves so that what you see on the outside is not reflective of what is on the inside. It does not hurt that he is an extremely attractive guy in the beginning and end, but because of the nature of the film, he cannot rest on his good looks (other than his great abs...those are out for show a lot of the film!).

As far as content is concerned (beyond the story itself), the movie did not go for the cheap laughs (not saying it was tremendously deep or anything), nor did it seek to impress its audience with a ton of special effects. It was just a good ole chick flick for the teeny-boppers and people like me who will always love that kind of stuff regardless of how good or bad it is. The overall flow of the story was good, but the end did come about rather rapidly.

Maybe I was not the most objective critic. After all, I already admitted I have been wanting to see this movie for quite some time (however, I suppose the same could be said for How Do You Know and I was totally disappointed with that one). I suppose this is what it all boils down to: I am a girl who is a sucker for the classic fairytale. And however unrealistic things may be, it is nice to escape for an hour or two into a story of romance and happy endings. Beastly won't be the best movie you see this year (probably nowhere close to the top ten or twenty), but I think you will find it an enjoyable one.

-Erin

White Collar

 

I have been telling my friends for months about the show White Collar.  They are probably sick of me talking about it but I just love the show.  I probably can no express my love for the show. It had been on a mid-season break but finally after four months it returned to back to USA Network. (THANKS HEAVENS!)

So you are probably thinking well I have missed a season of the show so why watch when  I will be lost. Have no fears I am here to give a you a recap.

The show is about Neil Caffery (Matt Bomer, who also played Bryce Larkin in NBC’s Chuck) a con artist, who has 3 months left to go on his jail sentence escapes from jail to go find his girlfriend Kate.  To his disappointment when he finally made it to Kate’s apartment Kate was gone only leaving an empty wine bottle.  Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) a FBI agent who caught Neil before finds him in the apartment an arrests him.  Later, Burke goes to visit Neil in prison to get while there Neil notices a fiber on Peter’s jacket that helps Peter solve the current case that he was working on. Neil proposes Burke with a plan.  He wants to become a consultant with the FBI.  He could serve out the rest of his term under Burke’s custody using a tracking anklet. Burke and the FBI agree and believe that he can be a valuable consultant.

Throughout the numerous adventures of the show, solving cases for the FBI, Neal uses many of his old contacts from his “past” days as a con man.  This includes his (unadmited) best friend Mozzie who, although plagued with clinical paranoia and OCD, is without a doubt the most complex, in depth, mysterious, and lovable character on the show.  He is full of obscure yet insightful quotes, and later in the show grows to have a delightful banter-filled relationship with Burke as well.  Mozzie aids Neal in many of his schemes, plots, and capers and is his go-to guy when he needs someone of “unsavory character.” 

When not working on cases Neil is trying to locate Kate.  He believes she did not leave him but that she is in trouble.  During his search he keeps finding clues that Kate has left for him.  Neil finds a picture of Kate with a hand reaching to touch her shoulder with a ring on the hand. With help from Mozzie, they find out that the ring belongs to someone who is in the FBI.  Neil gets suspicious of the people that he works with especially Peter.  When confronting Peter he finds out that ring is given to agents who have served 10 years in the FBI.  Peter also tells him that he has been doing some of research on his own.  They found out that the people that are holding Kate want this important Amber Music box and they believe that Neil has the box, so their way of getting the box was to take Kate to get to Neil. Neil is able to find the music box and find the agent that has been trouble with Kate.  The agent and Neil make a deal that would get him away from the anklet and out of trouble with the FBI so that he can be with Kate for the music box.  Neil decided that he wants to take the deal. Neil is about to board the plane at the airport, when Peter shows up.  Peter tells Neil that he knows about the deal and how he understands that if he leaves its perfectly legal and there is nothing that he can do to stop him, but he wants Neil to think about what he is doing if that is really what he wants to do or to stay with him and actually make a difference.  While talking to Peter, the plane that Kate is on explodes and season one ends.

The show is just so wonderful.  Each show they have a different case they are trying to solve, so it gives the mysterious element of a Law and Order but is has humor in it.  They writers do an excellent job at making the show exciting and suspenseful but at the same time keeping it light hearted.  Most shows there is always a couple bad episodes that you think that the writers must have had an off night but not with White Collar, there is not one bad episode.  You will want to keep coming back and watching them over again.  If there is one thing you will do when reading this blog please watch White Collar you will not regret it. I mean it is my New Year’s resolution to get more people to watch White Collar.  So go watch!!

The show is on Tuesday nights at 10pm on USA Network.

Here is a clip of the show that tells you the basis of the show:

 

A thanks to our reader Chris White for his help with a description of Mozzie

To Infinity and Beyond

My movie watching extraganza continues. One morning I made Jayme watch Toy Story 3 with me. I had seen it in theatres but I knew Jayme had not seen it and I knew she just had to watch it. When I first heard the premise of the toys getting donated to a daycare I was really worried about the movie, wondering if the writers were just pulling on straws to get a new movie out, but oh was I wrong.
The movie begins with a slideshow of what happened in Andy’s life to get us to the point in the movie that he was going to go to college. Yes, the kid that was just having a childhood birthday party in the first movie was going to college. Andy’s mom tells him that it is time for him to clean out his room and has to decide whether the stuff in his room goes in the attic, goes to college with him, goes in the trash and what gets donated. When Andy finally reached the toy box he begins to put all of his toys in a trash bag all besides Woody, who gets put in a box to go to college. When Andy goes to put the bag in the attic his sister Molly begins to have trouble with boxes that she is carrying downstairs so Andy goes to help her leaving the bag behind. Andy’s mom mistakes the bag for trash and puts in on the curb. The toys and Woody begin to panic. Woody goes to try to help his friends escape. Thanks to Rex’s tail the toys are free. Believing that Andy does not want them anymore and that they were destined for the landfill Buzz, Potato Head, Ham, Rex and the rest of the gang decide they should go start a new life at daycare. Woody tries to tell them that Andy was not going to throw them away but the toys do not believe him. While disputing Andy’s mom gets in the car and drives to the daycare. Once at the daycare they meet all the other toys who have been at the daycare. These new toys try to show them the ropes of the daycare and show them all the perks of being there telling them that it is a dream land for toys because they get played with all time. Andy’s toys come to find out they they are not made for daycare and long to be back with Andy even if that does mean sitting in the attic. So in typical Toy Story fashion they toys begin on their journey back home. Like all of the other Toy Story movies the writers know how to pull at your heartstrings and make you feel the story. I usually do not cry when I watch movies but I do admit I cried twice when watching the movie. I was just happy that the first time that I saw the movie in theatres I had my 3D glasses on to hide my tears. But the movie will get you every time that you see it I again teared up when I watched it with Jayme. I highly recommend Toy Story 3. If you have not seen any of the Toy Story go now and rent them you will not regret it. I do have to say after watching Toy Story I feel guilty about my own toys that I had when I was a child, wondering if they feel like they are abandoned since I have grown up. I can see why people are hoarders. Anyways check out Toy Story 3 you will love it.

~Emily

And Now, Special Guest and fellow Blogger with an A+ blockbuster

As I said before I spent my week off enjoying movies with my best friend Jayme watching all of these moives. We have been friends since the 7th grade. I do not know how we have put up with each other this long but we have.
Enough about us, the next moive that we watched was Easy A. Jayme wanted to share her thoughts about the movie. So enjoy her guest blog post.

"Like many of you, when I was not Christmas shopping, at family gatherings or baking every possible holiday treat known to man, I spent the rest of my holiday in front of the television watching movie after movie. I’m sure Emily has given you the rundown of all the movies watched by her and myself, but I’m here to talk specifically about one of the best romantic comedies since “10 Things I Hate About You.” Our generation’s “Sixteen Candles” or “Pretty in Pink.”

Easy A

Now I’m not making the drastic statement that Emma Stone, who plays our fiery heroine, Olive, is the new Molly Ringwald. However, this retelling of the “Scarlet Letter” knows exactly what it is without being your typical run-of-the-mill teen movie. Witty, smart and fun.

Standout performances go to Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson, who plays Emma Stone’s (Olive’s) parents, Dill and Rosemary. Not the most conventional of parents, they truly conveyed support, concern and a parent’s love for a child without being overbearing or sappy, but with humor and levity.

A movie about one sassy virgin who gets a bit too caught up in her newly tainted reputation, judgmental Jesus freaks, eccentric parents and high school kids just trying to fit in, this movie is not only entertaining but also heart-warming. So if you are looking for a good laugh in 2011, look to one of the best all-round, feel-good films of 2010.

Well thanks for reading and now back to Emily"

Don't You Forget About Me

Most of us have not gone untouched by John Hughes' work. Even though John Hughes became MIA in 1991 (he continued to write screenplays but most often did so under a pseudonym), his teen comedies/dramedies of the 1980s are still as relevant today in 2011 as they were in 1984. Whether you wish you were singing "Twist and Shout" in the middle of downtown Chicago like Ferris Bueller in Ferris Bueller's Day Off or have longed for the ideal ideal guy like Samantha Baker does in Sixteen Candles, we all can relate to John Hughes' films. I have always wished Ferris Bueller was my best friend and no actor will ever be a better "ideal" high school boy than Michael Schoeffling (his look is timeless!) was in Sixteen Candles. For me personally, I find myself relating to most John Hughes' movies...except for Weird Science...

Considering the impact John Hughes has made on teenagers spanning three generations and given his abrupt exit from Hollywood, it is no wonder that four young aspiring filmmakers in 2008 went on a search to find John Hughes. Don't You Forget About Me is a documentary that chronicles the journey of these four aspiring filmmakers on their search for John Hughes. Along the way, the filmmakers talk about how John Hughes' movies changed their lives, they talk to teens of today to learn what they think of his films, and they interview some of the stars of these beloved classics (Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy to name a couple) in addition to other people in the movie industry (Roger Ebert, producers, current filmmakers). The common theme of what everyone has to say about John Hughes is that no one has been able to replicate what he did. Unlike teen movies of today which generally are all about the cheap gimmicks to attract their audiences, Hughes' movies have a heart. I think most would agree that Hughes' movies show a respect for their teenage audience rather than dumb things down. I think most importantly though, every teen interviewed in this documentary said the characters in Hughes' movies are relatable: they look, they talk, and they act like someone you would know or did know in high school.

Ultimately, these filmmakers' journey from Canada to Lansing, Michigan (Hughes' hometown) ends in 2009 in a Chicago-suburb that Hughes calls home. The filmmakers' goal is to land an interview with John Hughes and ask why he left Hollywood when he did. But, how does one go about approaching John Hughes? Will he be receptive to these aspiring filmmakers? These are all things you will have to find out for yourself by watching the documentary.

One quick note: this documentary is somewhat timely. Shortly before its release, John Hughes suddenly passed away after suffering a heart attack in Manhattan. This documentary obviously is dedicated to him and honors his memory; you only have to hear how much people love his work and loved him as a person to know that.

~Erin