Heartbreak Ridge (1986)

I have seen many war films in my time. We Were Soldiers, Platoon, Apocalypse Now, Saving Private Ryan, Enemy at the Gates, and Full Metal Jacket. Those are just a few of my favorites. Now I can add Heartbreak Ridge to the list. Clint Eastwood is superb as Gunnery Sergeant Highway. The film follows the format of most war films. Training, bonding, and finally combat. This film spends a large amount of time in the training and bonding phase and basically follows Eastwood at the end of his career as a marine in a super shitty assignment. Eastwood takes a bunch of misfits (led by Mario Van Peebles) and makes their unit the best in the division. One of the things I really enjoy about this film is the fact that Eastwood consistently proves that he is the baddest mother fucker around and will not take any shit from anyone.

Heartbreak Ridge shows what happens to an old marine that lived for combat and now has to take shit from younger superiors, underlings, and even an ex-wife. Rising above all the bullshit is Eastwood's performance as a sore-throated bastard that won't take shit from anybody (yes I said this already and YES it needed to be repeated). The film ends with the conflict in Grenada. Of course our heroes kick ass and take names in the final battle. Eastwood defies his stick in the mud superior and a general is proud of that action as a badass. Not much else to say about this film, but if you enjoy Eastwood and don't mind military films, then watch this film. It won't be the best war film you ever see, but it is quite enjoyable to watch Eastwood in one of his best (as far as not taking shit) roles.

"Just because we're holding hands doesn't mean we are gonna take warm showers in the wee hours of the morning..."

The Town

The other day I went to the morning movie ($5 versus $10) to see 'The Town' starring and directed by Ben Affleck. The film is a typical heist movie that centers around a small community in Boston known as Charlestown. Several crews operate (though we never see any other crews) throughout the city, but have their base in Charlestown. They are very smart (criminally speaking), highly successful, and very calculated bank and armed truck robbers.





This summer I watched another film (Takers) and found it to be horrible. Horrible might be a bit strong, but it was predictable with very poor acting and almost an unbelievable story. Why would I bring up this other film? Partly because you need some sort of comparison to The Town. Some would say that Heat is the best comparison, but I think The Town is better than both Heat and Takers. Why? The acting is superb. Seriously great. You feel each of the characters emotions throughout the film. Jeremy Renner stills the show as the tough guy, with Jon Hamm throwing in an absolutely brilliant performance as the tough talking FBI agent.

The film is a bit long and like any caper or heist movie, there is an air of predictability. However, one moviegoer that happened to be in the theater with us was quite surprised at every turn...shocked even. Gasping and shouting at the screen. Hilarious. But I digress. The Town is a predictable film. You kind of know everything that will happen, but it makes the journey to get there interesting enough to keep your attention.

So what is my final ruling? 3.5/5 stars. Great acting, poor 'shock' factor as far as plot goes, and a very interesting subplot that allows for some motivation for Affleck's character.

Watch it and enjoy it, but remember that in most heist movies the ending is usually predictable.

INCEPTION

Click here for the trailer!

WOW

That word was on my mind the entire film. First, a great caper movie. Then an excellent premise and idea to push the caper to new depths of imagination. To say the film has depth intellectually is an understatement. So many aspects of the film are in play at all times. The thrill of the movie is almost always at a 10.

So there is the praise. We enjoyed it immensely. I want to watch it again...SOON.

*SPOILERS* (perhaps)

*SPOILERS*

*SPOILERS*

*SPOILERS*

Ok. These may or may not be spoilers.

Dreams can be synced and controlled. Meaning that two or more people can share the same dream and interact. This is explained in better detail in the film (I won't attempt any greater details). And within one dream, you can then sync dreams further (and so on and so forth)...got it? (I'll be saying 'got it?' a bunch of times)

But the movie is about the origin of an idea. Can an idea be planted within someone's mind WITHOUT them realizing that the idea originated from someone else. Got it? It is easy to steal an idea (which our 'heroes' or anti-heroes have already shown they can extract), but the ability to input new material into a subject's mind without their knowledge is thought to be IMPOSSIBLE...or at least IMPLAUSIBLE.

The acting in this film is flawless. Nothing seems forced, everyone works...everyone! The action is, at best, impressive and at worst ridiculous. The hotel fight scene is something to be awestruck by and the snow 'level' battle is completely badass. And now the plot. It works. I won't go into exact details, but let us just say that things that lurk in your subconscious play a huge role in your dreams.

Inception is probably the best concept in quite some time (think 'The Matrix') and executed in a way that is almost sure to win an Oscar for something. Most likely Best Actor for Leo DiCaprio or Best Supporting Actress for Ellen Page.

So go watch Inception and prepare yourself for 2.5 hours of the most unique movie experience in quite some time. Get all your food and drink BEFORE the movie. Pee before the movie. You will miss out if you miss any piece. Too many things are happening throughout the film. Too much action, story, excitement, etc.

GO WATCH INCEPTION!

Recovery - Eminem

Eminem has a new album that will drop tomorrow (June 22nd, 2010). This is his first studio album in about forever (ok...maybe since last year, but whatever) and it is his seventh studio album. To me, this album is kind of a look back on his life of fame. He apologizes for not really coming with fire of late and even speaks about being jealous of other rappers (Kanye and Lil' Wayne). And of course, he shits on Mariah and Nick Cannon. Nothing is off limits in this album, a couple Michael J. Fox references and even a reference to Michael Jackson and his hair catching fire. Each song has compliments his style and the message held within. The beats and production are all on point given the subject matter of each track.

This album makes Eminem seem much more mature and introspective. Even in the songs where he is just shooting the proverbial shit, he keeps 'on message'. That message is that I'm back and literally dropping knowledge with every word.

My favorite tracks so far are (in no particular order) Talkin' 2 Myself, On Fire, Going Through Changes, Seduction, No Love, and 25 to Life. All the tracks bring something interesting to the table and I find myself unable to skip any of them (even W.T.P.). The test of any great album is the ability to replay it several times and never be irritated. This album has that potential (I have listened to it about 15 times over the past two days).

So go get Recovery by any means necessary...I give it 5/5.

Hot Tub Time Machine

Recently (read yesterday) I went out with my lovely wife for a night on the town. The night began with food and then realizing that we were late for our movie. This made us stop in at a bar (MoJo's Lounge...affixed the cup of joe in the mall) where we experienced a great happy hour and some of the OSU NCAA basketball game (they lost...another blog, another time). We each had two drinks (rum/coke, 2 whisky/ginger ale, Guinness) and were ready to leave (so we wouldn't be late for the new showtime), but alas, the barkeep friend we had made the week before gave us a free beer (joy/sadness). That beer didn't last long (devoured). [note the overuse of parentheses] We hurried into the theater, found our seats, and still had at least two previews left. By the way, why do movies have so many previews in 2010? I realized this trend back in 2002 during a trip to Puerto Rico (15 previews and commercials...I shit you not). But what is the explanation?

Finally it was time for Hot Tub Time Machine. But only after being told not to ruin the movie by adding our own soundtrack. What the fuck? I can't laugh now? Fucking movies. Anyway, the movie begins in several hilarious ways (showing each of our heroes lives) and we learn a little about each of them. Then they take a trip and we learn of the hot tub. Keep in mind that I was already DYING of laughter before this part of the film. I can't explain the jokes, but if you enjoy raunchy, irreverent humor, then this film has your name ALL OVER IT!

The film has plenty of dialogue, gags, and running jokes to keep you cracking up. I highly recommend you take some time and watch Hot Tub Time Machine. I give it 5/5. Or maybe 4.5/5. I should check Lougle and see what RottenTomatoes.com gave it...(inside joke)

SL Music Review: Blueprint 3 (SL= Steven L.)

I have it. 10 days early at that; and I am listening to the full thing. I'll give you a track by track rating....

Track 1 "What we Talkin About" 3/5

Nice line includes one from the concert freestyle " I ain't talking about Jimmy I ain't talking about Dame."

Track 2 "Thank You" 4/5

Really like this track. Good production and horn section. Jay's flow is the one we know and love kind of like, dare I say, before. " I was going to kill a couple rappers but they did it to themselves/ I was going to do it with the flow but they did it with their sounds." On repeated listenings, this track really sounds like it could be the bonus track on the classic Camp Lo album "Uptown Saturday night". One of the top 3 tracks on the album.

Track 3 "DOA" 3.5/5

I am certain you all have heard it. I like the track, with by far the hottest line to me being "You n***** jeans to tight, you're colors to bright, you're voices to light" I've been screaming that for YEARS.

Track 4 "Run this Town" 1.5/5

Don't like it. The less Rihanna appears on Hip Hop albums, the better.

Track 5 "Empire State of Mind" 3/5

Nice production. Alicia Key's part really adds to the song. Jay's flow is still recovering on this track.

Track 6 "Real as it gets" 2.5/5

Jeezy rhymes first with a couple nice similes, Jay follows with a normal flow. Nothing jumps out at me.

Track 7 "On to the Next One" 4/5

At first I thought this beat was trash, until I got about a minute into the song, I realized Swizz is a sorcerer. The beat coupled with Jay's flow is crazy. Talks about the progression of the game and defending why he moved away from his Reasonable Doubt style.

Track 8 "Off That" 2/5

This song gets that score just off of the strength of not having Jimmy spit a verse. Not feeling the production.

Track 9 "A Star is Born" 3/5

Talks about the stars that came after him in the game and how they have done, and gives them a "clap".

Track 10 "Venus vs. Mars" 3.5/5

Heard this one a while back as well. I like the metaphor, as well as the beat. Flow as well as production really favors LL Cool J circa "Doin It" and "Hey Lover."

Track 11 "Already Home" 3.5/5

Nice strings, good flow. Jay's 2nd verse much better then the first.

Track 12 "Hate" 3.25/5

FINALLY. Kanye rhymes without autotune. Interesting rhyme scheme between the 2 of them. Wish they were a bit faster with it though. Edit: They actually get faster with the flow about a minute and a half in. Ye could have done a better beat though.

Track 13 "Reminder" 3.75/5

Jay's flow is nice on this one, nice beat. One of the better tracks on the album.

Track 14 "So Ambitious" 4.10/5

Love it. Plays like part 2 to excuse me miss, but more a life mission/bragging tale/goal setter.Pharrell brought a grade A beat, unlike 'Ye. Listen to it on a lazy Sunday afternoon driving with the sunroof open on the way to pick up a snow cone with your chick. Sorry, my mind was wandering. Hot song.

Track 15 "Young Forever" 3.0/5

A direct example of Jay's "new" sound. Very much a ballad. Nice message with the hook.

Track 16 Ghetto Techno 2.0/5

Only reason I give this score is because of the beat, and the fact that I was really expecting Ain't I or so many other tracks that should have been at the end of this album. Jay trying with the Em flow at the begninning.

Final score: 47.1/80

An OK album with a few notable tracks, but lacks the "listenability" of his earlier releases (almost anything pre black album).

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Here's my review...

This film has the necessary elements to not totally piss off those who have read the book and it will totally intrigue those who have only seen the movies. What does that mean? It means it has the action, story, special effects, and comedy to make a well rounded film that is quite enjoyable.

The book that is paired with this film centers around the development of young Lord Voldemort (or Tom Riddle). Its focus is on his family history and difficult childhood. This film misses out on a lot of character development of Tom Riddle. However, I contend that the film series provides enough information to show that Tom Riddle is extremely evil and had a troubled past before even attending Hogwartz. I will also state that the film only has a limited window and has to catch your attention much faster than any book (books are usually drawn out with extra details and unnecessary information). Having said that, let's get to the review.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is probably the second best movie in the series (this is not to say that it was the closest film to its respective book) after the Prisoner of Azkaban. It has suspense, story, action (am I repeating myself...thought so), etc. The film begins with a great opening sequence of Death Eaters attacking both the Wizard world and the Muggle world. And from that the film really never slows down. I think they did a great job of explaining the Harry and Slughorn relationship as well as telling the story of Draco Malfoy. Some things were left out, but overall the film worked for me.

This movie will be a great summer film in a series of terrible summer films (Wolverine, Transformers [yes, too long, boring story...], etc.) and will be enjoyable for many folks. My rating? 4/5.