The Oneders

Over Christmas break (I still refer to this period as break although I'm many years out of school), I've finally fallen prey do the addiction that has been sweeping the country. Yes, I'm a wannabe Guitar Hero. I thought it would never happen since the game looked semi-lame and I was more of a Bustagroove dancing rhythm kind of guy. But after being exposed to Guitar Hero for more than ten minutes, I got hooked. Big time.Everything they say about...

No Country for Old Men (2007)

There's certain films that critics adore that I really can't get into. A History of Violence was one. Most David Lynch stuff is another. Apparently my one Art of Film class wasn't enough to shed any light on what it all means. What I can say about No Country for Old Men is that it's finely acted and everything seemed to be really dramatic and important, but in the end, I just felt like I'd missed something. And not just because of the abrupt...

Juno (2007)

Everyone's calling Juno this year's Little Miss Sunshine but it's far and away a better experience. Little Miss Sunshine was saccharine drippy and disgusting to swallow. Juno is sarcastic, caustic, and filled with hilarious dialogue. What's not to like? I think Ellen Page is one of the finest actresses around -- of any age -- and she deserves to have an amazing and fruitful career. With all the positive press Juno has been getting, it's sure...

Starting Out in the Evening (2007)

Full of excellent dialogue and characters that immediately catch your attention, Starting Out in the Evening begins quite well but then drifts toward an ending that is altogether unsatisfying. Frank Langella is a literary lion working on his last book when a young graduate student invades his space and proceeds to turn his life upside down, sort of. Sadly, the expected epiphany or denouement never arrives and it bugs because the movie as a whole...

King Dork (2006)

"In youth-oriented movies and books, the guy like me often has a huge crush on a specific blond cheerleader who doesn't know he exists and would never stoop to talking to him. Or maybe she is kind of mean to him even though she's friends with him and asks him for advice on how to get the football guy to make out with her, which drives him crazy, and so forth.Now, don't get me wrong, I'm definitely that guy. But there isn't any one particular girl...

Lonelygirl

Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick have a new show called "Quarterlife" and the material is right in-between thirtysomething and My So-Called Life. It's about a group of twenty-somethings trying to figure out what's next -- exactly the type of premise I like. With Herskovitz and Zwick behind the project, I'm very willing to sift through every episode and while it's not amazing so far, it's also not bad. The interesting thing about the show is that...

Three-Peat

Into the WildChristopher McCandless graduated from college, gave away his savings, and set off to traipse around the United States in an attempt to escape consumerism and become one with nature. Inspired by Henry David Thoreau and Jack London, he also subsequently joined them as RIP two years after he disappeared.You could look at the whole thing as a touching tale of a young man finding himself or as a spoiled kid who died because of his arrogance....

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

Well, this was a first. I've watched plenty of movies by myself but never in a completely empty theatre. Like a little girl, I initially thought, "Wow, I hope this movie isn't too scary." But then like a man I strapped on a portable machine gun, readied my rocket launcher, flipped the safety off the pepper spray, and dug into my popcorn.I'm happy to report that the movie is as good as everyone says it is. I won't even go into any plot details...