Knight And Day

Director: James Mangold
Writer: Patrick O'Neill
Starring: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz
Release Date: June 23, 2010
Length: 1 hour 49 minutes

What can guarantee the most bucks in a Hollywood picture? A reunion. Not a reunion of an actor and a director, but a reunion of two actors on screen for the audience to see. Of course, if these actors miss seeing each other, they can’t just grab a dinner or movie together. They have to make a million dollar motion picture for the world to see. In the case of Knight And Day, the two actors are Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz who haven’t done a movie together since Vanilla Sky, which came out 9 years ago. You can tell this movie was made just for the two of them having a good time on set because if it wasn’t, one of them wouldn’t have been cast and it would have either been a Cameron Diaz movie or a Tom Cruise movie. Diaz plays June, a beautiful, single thirty something woman heading back home to Boston for her sister’s wedding of which she is the maid of honor. At the airport, June meets the mysterious, good-looking Roy Miller (Tom Cruise), who ends up on her suspiciously almost empty flight. After going to the bathroom on the flight, June realizes Roy killed everyone on board the plane and he is about to land it safely for the two of them before it explodes. June ends up safely in her bed the next morning before getting into a dangerous situation with people who look like they are from the CIA or FBI, which Roy had warned her about. Roy finds June and after changing her mind about a dozen times, June (for some odd reason) decides to trust Roy and goes with him on what seems like an adventure across the world, which is actually just a trip that happens to be around the world to keep the two of them safe. The story for Knight And Day was pointless, stupid, confusing, nonsensical and most of all completely ridiculous. I have a lot of points and questions to raise for Knight And Day. For some reason, Roy and June’s safety meant they had to relocate to an exotic location every five minutes. How about staying in a hiding place a little more low key and a little less flashy? My second question was why on earth did Cameron Diaz keep on trusting this crazy attractive man if she had no idea who the hell he was? He got her into some dangerous near death situations and for some reason she continues to like this guy. Next, Diaz’s character was a bit dimwitted and got her and Cruise’s character into some bad situations because she was careless in doing things like taking a phone call. Well, at a certain point we learn that Roy Miller is, in fact, a former CIA agent. If he is so smart, why did he not just tell her what not to do instead of getting mad at her for almost getting the two of them killed. The most important thing about this movie, I guess, was that I was not bored. That definitely doesn’t mean it was good and I’m certainly not recommending this film to anyone, but I didn’t have any violent thoughts toward the makers of this film and I didn’t fall asleep. That being said, do not see this movie. 

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Director: David Slade
Writers: Melissa Rosenberg, Stephanie Meyer (author)
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
Release Date: June 30, 2010
Length: 2 hours 4 minutes

It’s only been 7 months and already Twilight is back on the big screen for the third time. With barely any breathing time for fans, Summit Entertainment is just striking when the pot is hot. In Eclipse, Bella is still pouting over how she wants to be friends with the shirtless werewolf Jacob, but can’t when she is madly in love with the sexy vampire Edward Cullen. The two monstrous clans have to join forces to protect Bella though, when they discover the evil vampire Victoria is back once again, this time with an army of newborn vamps to finally kill Bella. Kristen Stewart is back to brooding and Taylor Lautner still can’t find a shirt. What else is knew? Well, a new director and some new special effects to make a new, better film altogether. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Eclipse was by no means a spectacular film, but it is the first film of the franchise that is actually decent. When we look back, Twilight was a complete piece of crap, New Moon was ok, and now Eclipse is actually pretty good. This franchise is slowly getting better and better which gives me hope that Breaking Dawn (the fourth film) could be a very good film. Now, of course every teenage girl (including myself) would love this film no matter what. Any depiction of the books at all would get us excited. However, Eclipse is the only Twilight film so far that a non-twilight fan could see, understand and actually enjoy. Fairly unknown director David Slade was the one to improve this ongoing franchise with the shortest amount of time to make and edit the film out of all the films so far. What made Eclipse stand out among the others was a mix of the story, the special effects and even the acting. Credit for the third story obviously goes to Stephanie Meyer, but also to screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg (the writer of the first 2 as well), who I noticed organized the events and occurrences from the book onto the screen much better this time. When I say the acting was better, I’m not referring to the leading 3 actors, but to Nikki Reed and Jackson Rathbone, who play Rosalie and Jasper, two of Edward’s siblings. The two actors did not improve their acting skills, but the story of Eclipse focuses more on their characters than it did in Twilight or New Moon. I found both actors to be very compelling with their new amount of screen time and can only hope there is more screen time for them in Breaking Dawn. Robert Pattinson, who I have always thought to be one of the better actors of the cast, was even more intriguing in Eclipse as well. Replacing Rachele Lefevre with Bryce Dallas Howard for the role of Victoria did not improve or hurt the franchise in any way, but it was nice to see a Canadian on screen for the first two films. Australian actor, Xavier Samuel took on the role of the vengeful Riley and he was quite good in his role, not to mention pretty good looking. There is no point recommending or not recommending this film because I know people who want to see it (teenage girls) will just see it automatically and people who don’t want to see it (everyone else in the world) will probably stay away from the teenage infested theatres. However, it’s worth a chance for those who wouldn’t think of seeing it.   

Toy Story 3

Director: Lee Unkrich
Writer: Michael Arndt
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
Release Date: June 18, 2010
Length: 1 hour 43 minutes

Writer/director John Lasseter is finally back to give us the last part of the story, the toy story that is. This time though, he is sitting in as producer while Lee Unkrich directs. In Toy Story 3, Andy has grown up and is now going to college, which means separation from all his beloved toys. The story is touching and all, but if I had an 18 year old kid, I would just hope that he wouldn’t still be playing with his toys that he’s had since he was a toddler. Although Andy plans on taking Woody (Tom Hanks) to school with him, the rest of the toys are facing being put in the attic. Andy’s mom mistakes the bag they are in as trash and the toys almost die being put in a garbage truck, if not for Woody. Believing that Andy doesn’t want them anymore, the toys sneak their way into a donation box to Sunnyside Daycare. When they arrive at the daycare they are warmly welcomed by Lotso Bear (Ned Beattie) and put into the toddler section of the facility. After their first day with the violent children, the toys realize they would prefer to be in the attic, but their escape might not be as easy as they thought. It has been 11 years since the last installment of the Toy Story franchise and man, have we missed our old pals. To see Woody, Buzz (Tim Allen), Jesse (Joan Cusack) and all the other toys was enough reason for me to see this movie to begin with and I may sound like a 7 year old kid when I write that, but I can assure you that there were as many adults and teenagers as there were little kids in the theater. Everyone wanted to see the final chapter of this lovable story that’s been around for 15 years (as long as I have been alive). Well, the verdict’s in. This film was definitely long worth the wait, but bring at least five boxes of tissues. Maybe I’m a bit sensitive, but this film is not only sad because it’s the end, but in certain parts, you will be sobbing loud enough for the audience to hear you. Then again, you might just think it’s a sweet movie and not cry at all, but a warning is always helpful. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and Joan Cusack were once again amazing as the voices of these well-loved characters. Supporting actors, Don Rickles and Estelle Harris were hilarious as our favourite couple Mr. And Mrs. Potato Head, Wallace Shawn couldn’t have been more perfect once again as Rex, the insecure scared dinosaur and John Ratzenburg as the cocky Hamm, the pig, was great to hear again. Lending their voices for the first time to this franchise was Ned Beattie as the evil Lotso Bear and Michael Keaton as Ken. Beattie was brilliant as a toy that had turned evil after having a traumatic experience as a toy and Keaton was hysterical as Ken, the male girl’s toy who was very feminine. Overall, Toy Story 3 was one of the most touching films I’ve ever sat through, right along with Up. There couldn’t have been a better ending to this lovely tale. Whether you are taking your kid, or you just want to see for yourself (which is not weird), you will not be disappointed by Toy Story 3.

Get Him To The Greek

Director: Nicolas Stoller
Writers: Nicolas Stoller, Jason Segel (characters)
Starring: Jonah Hill, Russell Brand
Release Date: June 4, 2010
Length: 1 hour 49 minutes

Jonah Hill and Russel Brand star in Get Him To The Greek a spinoff of Forgetting Sarah Marshall of which both Brand and Hill were in. Also back on board is director Nicolas Stoller and this time he is the screenwriter as well.  In case you haven’t seen Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) is a charming, smart, crazy British rock star, who is the lead vocalist of the band Infant Sorrow. Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) works at a music agency that has been assigned the task of getting Snow from London to L.A. in three days to perform live at the Greek Theater. Green leaves his girlfriend Daphne and travels to London to pick up Snow, but when he gets there, he realizes his job might be a little more difficult than he expected. The first time I saw the character of Aldous Snow in 2008’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I thought I might have a heart attack from laughing so hard. As soon as I heard a spinoff of the film with his character in the lead would be made, I understood that maybe everyone else loved him too and wanted to see him again. Even if the plot were horrible (which it was not), even if all the other actors sucked (which wasn’t the case), I would have seen anything with the character of Aldous Snow again, especially when he is the main character. Jonah Hill was hilarious and Sean Combs as Jonah Hill’s boss, Sergio made me laugh a lot as well, but Brand carried this movie so well and not just as a comedian, but as a great actor too. It is also important to mention that Brand and Hill share one of the best on screen chemistries in a non-homosexual way, but in a sort of bromance way that is cute and funny. I can’t tell how much improvisation was done in this film, but whether it was the script or the actors, I couldn’t stop laughing. I myself was surprised to see that Stoller not only directed but wrote Get Him To The Greek as well. When you look at the only films he has written, Yes Man and Fun With Dick And Jane, you are surprised to find out he could have written a script as hilarious as this. Even though a lot of the credit goes to Jason Segel for creating these brilliant characters in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, some lines in this film caused me to miss the next joke because I was laughing so hard at the first. Elizabeth Moss finally shows off her comedic side, which no one knew she had because most people have only seen her as Peggy on Mad Men. Some people got a taste of her humor when she hosted SNL a couple years ago, which probably got her the role of Daphne in Get Him To The Greek. Although this seems like one of the most ridiculous comedies ever made, there is a slightly disturbing and dark feel to Get Him To The Greek. Brand’s character just seemed to much like Brand himself which was a little bit eerie. It was not just “I’m famous so I have no one I’m really close to”, but everything from the drug addictions to his horrible parenting made me think of the real troubling life Brand has gone through that he highlights in his autobiography, My Booky Wook. Get Him To The Greek is so far the best comedy of the year and is looking to be the best comedy of the summer. 

Splice

Director: Vincenzo Natali
Writers: Vincenzo Natali, Doug Taylor, Antoinette Terry Bryant
Starring: Sarah Polley, Adrien Brody
Release Date: June 4, 2010
Length: 1 hour 46 minutes

Taking place in a time in the world where science is far ahead of what it is today, Elsa (Sarah Polley) and Clive (Adrien Brody) are two young rebellious scientists who have been creating new species to cure different diseases. When the couple realizes they might be able to cure some forms of cancer, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s by combining human DNA with animal DNA, they go to the head of their company. When their idea is declined, Elsa and Clive go ahead with their experiment, without anyone knowing. What looks like a mutated baby with a tail is born in their lab and is growing at an increasing rate. While Clive starts to regret this project, Elsa becomes personally attached to the creature of which they name Dren.  As Dren gets older, it becomes harder and harder to keep her a secret, not only because Elsa and Clive could be fired or even arrested but also because as Dren gets older, she is becoming more and more dangerous to everything around her. As someone who personally detests watching horror films because I don’t end up watching any of them without covering my eyes, I can’t understand how I loved this movie and will forever be deeply disturbed by it. This must be what people love about horror movies, but after seeing Splice, I almost feel guilty about enjoying a film that was beyond disgusting. Maybe it was the fantastic script, which made the setting of the film unidentifiable in a creepy and not careless way. Maybe it was Vincenzo Natali’s directing that made this film more than a horror movie, but a complex film involving science, that also scares you. I know for a fact though that I wouldn’t have enjoyed Splice as much as I did without the incredible performances from Canadian actor, Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody. I have always classified Adrien Brody as one of the best young actors in Hollywood, so it was no surprise that he was exceptional in Splice. Having not seen Polley in anything before, but understanding she was a child/teenage actor, I was completely blown away with her portrayal of the confusing and possibly insane Elsa. The pair performed so well though because I found they worked amazingly off each other. With the help of director Vincenzo Natali, Polley and Brody managed to create a steady transition of their characters being happy to being driven crazy together by the whole situation. Although I still had my eyes in front of my face at some points of the film, the acting, the directing and the writing couldn’t have been any more perfect in Splice.