Reviews by Matt

This past semester movies have sucked. There was not one movie that I could recommend very highly. There were only a handful of movies I would actually consider seeing again. There was nothing I was excited to see, most I saw just because I needed content for the section.

Thankfully, this changed this past weekend. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” was just the movie to break the dull and humdrum movies I have had to seen over the past few months.

Peter (Jason Segel) has a good life. He has a beautiful girlfriend Sarah (Kristen Bell,) an actress on the hit show “Crime Scene.” He does the musical score for the show and in his free time is working on his rock opera about Dracula.

One day Sarah comes over and says that they need some time apart, leaving Peter alone and hurt. He has a hard time getting over the break-up and decides he has to leave Los Angles if he is going to get over her. He goes to Hawaii, where it just so happens Sarah is vacationing with her new boyfriend, Aldus Snow (Russell Brand,) the lead singer of Infant Sorrow.

With the help of hotel concierge Rachel (Mila Kunis) and some of the other island residents, Peter learns that there is more to life than Sarah Marshall.

There are so many things I could talk about with this movie, beginning with the full frontal male nudity, but there is more to this movie than Segal’s “family jewels”

She may not know it yet, but I am Kristen Bell’s true love. So she can stop looking and give me a call. I first noticed Bell in the critically loved, but ratings bomb, “Veronica Mars.” Since then it has been rewarding to watch her get the recognition she deserves. She is gorgeous, funny, witty, smart and a great actress. As Veronica Mars, or her new role as Elle on “Heroes” she has been able to show her dramatic, witty and comedic side and while we get all that in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” she gets to play vulnerable and has to be the straight-man for the more funnier co-stars.

She still cares for Peter and is having as hard a time as he is with the break-up, but she is hiding it better. When Peter gets involved with Rachel, Sarah is noticeably jealous and even confronts Rachel and tells her what a great guy Peter is. It is this side of her that makes her the sympathetic villain. We have to hate her, but at the same time we feel sorry for her.

With all the previous successes some of the cast has had, there is one man who steals the show. Russell Brand is the true star of this movie. Aldus is just so nonchalant about everything. As an audience, we are introduced to Aldus when he asks Rachel is she has seen his other sandal. He has to tell her it is just like the one he is holding, but it is the opposite. The guy is a stupid but also cool about it. He does not worry about the deeper issues of the break-up and tries to befriend Peter. Even Peter is won over by the guy. He can actually have a cordial conversation with him despite the fact that he is the new man in Sarah’s life.

I had huge expectations for this and was not let down. It was the funniest movie I have seen in a long time and was worth wading through the mediocrity that was this past movie semester to get to. I normally leave it up to you to decide whether you go see the movie, but this time I have to say go see this movie and thank me later when you stop laughing.

9 out of 10
Rated R for sexual content, language and some graphic nudity
1 hr 52 mins

There are times when I pay the reasonable sum of just over $9, the bargain price of $11 dollars for popcorn and a drink and walk into a theater with floors so clean you could eat off them and I think to myself, this experience is worth more than the $20 I paid. Then there are movies where I insist on paying more because I enjoyed it so much. I had one of those experiences lately and I have been forever changed by “Jumper” and may never see another movie again because nothing could ever live up to the precedent set by this movie.

When David Rice (Hayden Christiansen) discovers he has the power to transport himself anywhere he wants his life changes. He leaves his father and lives on his own by robbing banks, but always promises himself that he will pay it back

One day he finds that he is being pursued by an organization sworn to kill him and others like him. Lead by Roland (Samuel L. Jackson) this group stops at nothing to make sure these “jumpers” are stopped and killed before they become dangerous.
Hayden Christiansen is the best young actor working today. The range of emotion he shows is stunning. He made the Star Wars prequels what they were and is getting the attention he deserves.

He plays Rice with a blandness that no other actor could give. It is an award worthy performance that is sure to get an Oscar nomination next year.

The other star is Rachel Bilson who plays a childhood friend, Millie. Bilson takes the brilliance that she brought to “The O.C.” She is able to keep Millie from being a character of any substance. She never amounts to anything more than eye candy and it takes real talent to pull that off.

The plot is new and inventive. Never before have we seen a person use a power to his or her own advantage. He can go anywhere and do just about anything. He uses the power to go to England, eat dinner and sleep with women. This is a daring and inventive idea and I wish more movies would go with this incredibly interesting thing to do.

The best part about watching movies is being surprised by what you see on screen. A lot of movies have surprised me, but what is even better is when someone is surprised by as movie I like. This list will surprise even those whom I have known since my freshman year.

“Enchanted” (2007)



Amy Adams stars as Giselle, a princess who, just as she is about to me married is pushed down a well by the evil Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon). She ends up in New York City, alone and very confused. She runs into Robert (Patrick Dempsey), a divorce lawyer, who takes her in while he figures out what to do with her. Prince Edward (James Marsdon) comes to New York to save his betrothed and bring her back, but not if Narissa can help it.

As a life long Disney fan I watched this out of loyalty to my childhood and I loved it. Even though I love all they have done with Pixar, something has been missing from Disney in the past few years. This gets Disney back to what it does best, fairy tales.

There were classic Disney images splattered all throughout the movie and they even cast the women how voiced Belle, Ariel and Pocahontas small cameos in the movie.

Adams played the innocent and naive Giselle so convincingly and over the top. It is exactly how I would imagine Belle or Ariel would react if they were to end up in our world. She wants to believe in true love, but in this new world she learns it is not all happiness and light.

“Waitress” (2007)



Jenna (Keri Russell) works at a restaurant in the South. She has an amazing ability to invent pies and loves her job. She is unhappily married to Earl (Jeremy Sisto) who is very controlling and takes all her money. She hides away as much money as she can so that one day she will have enough to get away from her controlling husband. She dreams of entering and winning a pie baking competition, but Earl refuses to let her leave.

One day she finds that, much to her dismay, she is pregnant. She decides to keep this from her husband and only lets her fellow co-workers, Becky (Cheryl Hines) and Dawn (Adrienne Shelly), know her little secret. As she goes in for her checkups she begins to fall in love with and eventually has an affair with Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion).

Initially, I only wanted to see this because of Nathan Fillion. I am a huge fan of the cancelled TV show “Firefly” and the movie based on the show, “Serenity” he starred in. When I saw it, I got something I did not expect. “Waitress” is an original, funny, genuine and touching movie. It doesn’t have any of the Hollywood big shots or huge special effects. It is a movie that is driven by a story and by the characters. All the performances are really good and make this movie what it is

“Jersey Girl” (2002)



When his wife dies during childbirth, former advertising executive Ollie (Ben Affleck) moves back to New Jersey to raise his newborn daughter (Raquel Castro) with the help of his father (George Carlin). He meets Maya (Liv Tyler) and begins to feel like he could love again.

Most hate this movie. I love it. It may not be the normal Kevin Smith movie, but it has heart. This is Smith’s most personal movie and it shows. It is about fatherhood, something he had just experienced for the first time when his own daughter was born. To listen to the commentary on the DVD is to hear a filmmaker and star not care what others think about the movie. They are proud of it and they could care if the critics hated it.

“Stardust” (2007)



Tristan (Charlie Cox) lives in a town that borders a magical land and when one day a star falls he vows to retrieve it to earn the love of Victoria (Sennia Miller). He soon discovers that the star is actually a woman named Yvaine (Claire Danes) and that he is not the only one after her. A witch (Michelle Pfeiffer) and a prince (Mark Strong) all want the star for their own personal gain.

So another 2007 movie makes it into my list. It just so happens that I had some free time before the semester began and watched a few movies I had a vague inerest in, this included. I was completely surprised that I liked this. It was a cute little fairytale told with all the humor, wit, adventure and magic of a Disney movie, (again good ole’ Walt pops his head into my list).

Musicals



This is going to come as the biggest surprise to a lot of people, but I, Matt Levy, enjoy musicals. I could have easily just done musicals for this list, but I wanted to keep things interesting.
It is not just musicals like “Rent” or “Chicago,” but older ones like the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers classics and “Singin’ in the Rain” and some odd ones like “Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical,” which is based on a 1936 anti-marijuana film.

There is just something about these that I have really grown to enjoy. They are fun to watch and, when done well, are great films.



I used to have this hatred of musicals because they were too out there for me, but they are the perfect escape from reality. In musicals, you are thrust into a world where everyone bursts into song and everyone knows the words and the dance steps.

So, here, take away some of my “man cards” for this, but it takes a real man to admit to something like this.

I love my job at The Record.

Even though it amounts to modern-day indentured servitude.

I do get perks that amounts to free crappy CDs, movie press kits and tons of information on things I will never have to cover or even mention in the paper.
When I was offered a free, screener copy of a DVD I jumped at chance to make all I am put through worth it.

That DVD was “Juno” and it will be available on April 15.

Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) is a 16-year-old high school student who finds herself pregnant after having sex with her friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cerea). She knows she is not ready to have that much responsibility so she and her best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby) decide it would be best to give the unborn child up for adoption.

Juno finds an upper class couple, Mark and Vanessa (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) who are looking to adopt. With the support of her parents (J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney), Juno makes tough choices and learns what it means to be an adult.

This was my favorite movie of last year and I was waiting with bated breath for the DVD. It is funny, sweet, dramatic and touching. It was similar to other movies I have seen recently, namely “Knocked Up,” but stood out at the same time. It was not cliché and went against the Hollywood norm. It takes a very serious subject and looks at it in a different light. Juno’s parents are never angry to hear that she is pregnant. They are clam and offer to help her with meeting the parents and other pregnancy related issues.

Page plays Juno with a witty sarcasm and attitude. She is strong and sure of herself, but, when she becomes pregnant, she finds herself dealing with issues way beyond her level. She shows a softer and more vulnerable side in a few of her emotionally weakened moments. Juno becomes overwhelmed with this situation and it takes a toll on her.

Juno has an attitude about her that is endearing. She knows what she wants and is not afraid to put things bluntly. She is content to give up the child only if she approves of the parents. As things become more complicated, she finds her assurances begin to vanish, she questions more and she is emotionally vulnerable.

There are a lot of good special features on the versions of the DVD. There is a commentary with director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody. The two of them talk a lot about the filming and writing, the highs and the lows, the easy and the hard scenes to film. They keep it funny and informative, which is what makes a commentary worth watching. There are also 11 deleted scenes, some of which would have been great in the movie, but had to be cut out for time and pace.

The gag reel is pretty funny, but there is a gag take that is hilarious. It involved Rainn Wilson, who played the store clerk, and the director having what appears to be a huge fight before filming a take. You can tell it is not real, but that does not make it any less funny.

One of the most interesting special features is 22 minutes of screen tests. Director Reitman had Page, Cera, Simmons and Thirlby come out early and run through a few scenes from the movie. It was mentioned in the feature commentary that some of what they did here went into the final cut.


There are four other features, available on the 2-disc, that focus on the young stars, the writer, director (the picture for this froze up on me and all I could hear was the audio) and both writer and director talking about making the movie.

“Juno” is “Knocked Up” with a bigger heart. It is one of the best movies I have ever seen. In a world where the theater is full of complete crap, it is hard to find a movie that is truly great. There are days where I wonder why I waste my time with film criticism. Then there are movies like “Juno” that, as cheesy as it sounds, renews my faith in movies. If you have not seen it, rent it or buy it on DVD because it is worth every penny

When I find myself with nothing to do, which is not too often these days, I will sit on the couch and channel surf. Who knows how many hours I have spend with my finger on the channel button? Sure I could watch Sports Center, but how many times can you watch the same Sports Center? I mean they run that show just about every hour during the day.
This may come as a surprise to some, but more often than not, I will end up on The History Channel or The Discovery Channel.

I probably watch more shows on those two channels than all the others combined. It is interesting stuff and you do not feel like a slob because you spent 3 hours watching because you actually learned something.

I tell you all this because I have seen numerous shows on the MIT students who counted cards in Las Vegas in the early 90s. So when I went to see “21” I knew it was not going to match up with what The History and Discovery Channels had taught me.

Ben Campbell (Jim Strugess) is a gifted MIT student who recently was accepted to Harvard Medical School. The only problem is that he does not have the $300,000 to pay for it. He wants to get the full ride scholarship, but he does not “jump off the page.” One day he is recruited by Professor Rosa (Kevin Spacey) to join his group of gifted students and go to Vegas and win vast sums of money by counting cards and beating the house at Blackjack.

Things start to unravel when Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne) a security consultant for the casinos begins to notice Ben and his friends winning with such ease.

Let’s face it. If you are going into this expecting a movie that will be full of plot twists, and require intense viewing lest you miss a key piece of information, you will be sorely disappointed.

There is one plot twist, but I saw it coming a mile away. In fact, it was so obvious that I assumed that everyone in the theater knew it. I was wrong (but not surprising since the people behind me were laughing uncontrollably at the “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan” trailer. Adam Sander does Borat is not that funny)

I was not expecting it to be accurate and it was because of this fact that I found myself enjoying the movie. You might as well check your brain at the door because it will not be needed. There is no real explanation of how to count cards, which is a good thing because you know some dumb ass would try it and get his kneecaps broken when he was caught.

How does this rank in terms of card/casino movies? It is middle of the pack at best. If you really want a good card movie watch “Rounders.” Or watch “Casino” if you want to see what really happens when you get caught counting cards.

“21” is not going blaze any new trails in terms of movies with card games at the center, but it is not a waste either. It is nothing more than a movie that asks very little of the audience and provides two hours of entertainment.

7 out of 10
PG-13 for some violence, and sexual content including partial nudity
2 hrs 3 mins