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Citizen Kane….my first REAL classic movie review…

While browsing the DVDs at my local library, I came across Citizen Kane, the 1941 Academy Award winning classic, starring Orson Welles. I had heard of it, and knew it was considered a classic. I figured I’d culture myself and watch it.

While this film does not have amazing action scenes, dazzling special effects, or even an exciting story, it does capture the essence of man. Man who was given away for money. Man who could get almost anything he wanted. We journeyed with that man. We saw that man at his best, though he never achieved what he could, and we saw him at his worst.

Charles Foster Kane didn’t have God, he never really loved, and he strove for the love of others, to win the hearts of the people. His people.

I thought the film was brilliantly written, with the perfect ending. I would recommend anyone who is mature enough to watch it. It earned the title classic.

Citizen Kane was made before ratings, but I wouldn’t show it to kids, they wouldn’t get it and would probably be bored. I give it 9 ramheads out of 10.

They’re blue, but they’re not Smurfs…*UPDATE*

*I SAW IT AGAIN IN 3D AND DECIDED TO UPDATE THIS REVIEW*

W
hile watching Avatar for the first time, all I could think was, “Wow.” Ever since I left, all I could think was, “I want to see it again.” I actually did see it again. Yeah, I loved Avatar.

To start, James Cameron’s epic was visually amazing. The Na’vi looked real. Pandora looked stunning. The creatures were convincing. The human weapons, ships, robots were also realistic and believable. But enough about the CG and special effects, what about the story?

Many action movies and sci-fi movies don’t have much of a plot. Avatar does not fall in this category. Cameron layers this story, intertwining numerous different themes.

The first evident theme is shown by Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang). Quaritch is hardcore, hardened military man. He shows no mercy to his enemies and is quick to decide you are his enemy. He had an unwavering prejudice of the Na’vi and those who side with them. He is eager to fight them. The underlining theme here is that some like Quaritch fight first, ask questions later. Military is shown in a negative light in this film, but it really isn’t military, they are hired “security”. This brings me to the next theme woven into this film.

The next theme is that of corporate greed. Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) is trying to please shareholders by destroying the home of the Na’vi to get the conveniently named unobtainium. He needs to make money at all costs. We see this around us every day. Greed. Love of money above the lives of others. It is sad, but true.

Another theme I’ve noticed is that of love. Jake falls in love with Neytiri. Cameron is good at telling stories like these (Titanic). Just to be clear, though, this is NOT the main theme. Sure it is there, but it does not consume the story.

I’ve only touched on those themes that are evident to me and more obvious. I’m sure there are many more–I just thought of one: redemption–but I just wanted to convey that this film is much more than pretty visuals and action. There is a heart and soul to this movie.

There was solid acting all around. They aren’t the biggest names in the film industry, but the actors in this film do their job. The musical score in this film is good, not great. James Horner’s score in some places is spectacular and in others somewhat generic. I’ve listened to it separate outside the movie (and obviously during the film) and I like it. It doesn’t match his work in Titanic, but it does the job well. On a side note, this movie doesn’t feature unnecessary sex scenes, swearing, or any other garbage featured in a lot of today’s movies; I was pleasantly surprised.

Finally, the 3D is cool, but not needed. I think in someways it really adds, but really, the film doesn’t need 3D to be a great film.

P.S. Cameron said if Avatar is successful, he might make up to 2 sequels to it.

I expected to enjoy this movie, but not this much. I’m not going to give any more away. I was truly drawn into the Avatar experience. I think you can be too.

Avatar runs 162 minutes and is rated PG-13. I give it 10 ramheads out of 10.

Jimmy’s 2009 Christmas List

I figured this year I would start early on my Christmas List. So here it goes….

  1. UP – Single Disc Widescreen DVD
  2. The Lost Symbol – A novel by Dan Brown
  3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack
  4. Money for guitar
  5. Small CD tower

NEW Relient K Album

Well, it is finally here. Kinda. Forget and Not Slow Down is streaming the FULL album on Absolute Punk. Currently, I’m on my 7th time through listening to it. Yeah, I’m a little obsessed. You know what? You should be too. It is an AWESOME album. It is musically awesome, it is written from a thoughtful, Christian point of view, and IT ROCKS. Yeah, it is more rock than pop, which is good.

(Good lyrics + Good music + Jesus)Relient K = Forget and Not Slow Down.

It makes me happy and it will make you happy too. Listen.

I am going to give it 9 ramheads out of 10. The only thing that is missing is their signature fun song.

MATT DAMON!

I just finished The Bourne Ultimatum last night and I decided that I should review the Bourne Series. The three movies are based on the Robert Ludlum novels from the 1980s (which I intend to read sometime in my lifetime.)

The Bourne Identity (2002) starts this CIA conspiracy story off and really gets the heart pounding. An action packed, well-written story like this is a rare find. The things that Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) does are not unrealistic, they’re just awesome. The story gets you rooting for Bourne and against the US government. It is impressive.

The Bourne Supremacy (2004) picks up where Identity left off. Jason and his girlfriend are hiding in India where a hit-man comes and tries to take Bourne out, and ends up killing his girlfriend. This pisses him off and he searches for the people who tried to kill him and gets tangled with the CIA again. He ultimately remembers some stuff from his past and deals with that while once again escaping CIA capture.

The third one, The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) is the most recent Bourne film and the best one yet. I liked the story, how things are resolved, and the action was phenomenal. It continues where Supremacy ended (and actually overlaps some times) and he’s trying to find out about how he became a brainwashed CIA agent/assassin. He does find out (but I’m not going to tell you how). There was some resolution in this one, including Bourne learning his real name, David Webb.

As far as the future goes, Matt Damon stated that he is working on a fourth Bourne film, which is good because those movies are really enjoyable and Damon does an excellent job.

All three movies are rated PG-13 and they run 119, 108, and 115 minutes respectively. This film isn’t as violent as Gladiator so I think most kids are ok watching it. I give the first 3 movies in the Bourne Series 8 ramheads out of 10 for solid action in a good plot.

He throws phones and kicks butt….

Most people remember when Russell Crowe threw a phone at a housekeeping worker at a hotel. That was really funny, but kind of a letdown. Russell Crowe is a tremendous actor and I hope he lives a good life off screen. Gladiator, however, was no letdown.

This film also co-stars Jacquin Phoenix, who went AWOL with acting and had an awkward experience on Letterman in February. Phoenix is a great actor and does an awesome job as the villain in this film, and you really hate him.

The story was severely entertaining and superbly written. There was action a-plenty. The acting was near perfect. Hans Zimmer’s music is tremendous (but weirdly Pirate-esque). The special effects were seamless, especially when you realize that this film was released almost 10 years ago.

I had only one problem with this film. There are a few lines here and there that are mumbled and quiet that I had to rewind and listen to again (sometimes 3 times). That got to be a little annoying.

This film is an epic. It is rated R (i’m sure for violence) so any desensitized kid is ok watching it. I wouldn’t recommend it, but if they are already messed up with video game violence, this film won’t hurt any. It runs 155 minutes (unless you get the extended version on DVD). I give this really cool film 9 ramheads out of 10.

It looks better with completed CG…

Yeah, you caught me. I watched X-Men Origins: Wolverine online, in an uncompleted format. Sure, the quality was low, but it still was a cool movie. And besides, I’m in college and I don’t have any money. That was last spring. This time I watched the completed, DVD quality version. The movie was pretty much the same, but the action was way better.

Origins has a somewhat complex plot for a comic book movie. It really took me two times (the second of which I was NOT tired) to really grasp the full effect and feel of this film. It is a highly interesting story, especially for someone like myself who has not read the comics. Ever since the first X-Men movie came out, I’ve always wondered what made Wolverine what he is. This story does that and more. It shows how other popular X-Men characters intertwined their origins with Wolverine’s.

Technically speaking, this movie is phenomenal. The special effects and action are heart-pounding. The music isn’t “go-out-and-buy-this-soundtrack” good, but it does a decent job. The acting is solid, Hugh Jackman is good as ever, and ripped as ever. Although I was really impressed with this movie it is far from perfect. It has a big plot, but doesn’t have a ton of substance: not really good verses evil, but good is seeking revenge, gets confused, gets screwed, then gets screwed again, then gets shot in the head and forgets everything. I give it 7 ramheads out of 10, I liked it, but it wasn’t standout. It is rated PG-13 and runs 107 minutes. You really can show this to your kids if you want, it isn’t that bad. Honestly, they’ll like the action (if they are boys) or just get confused with the plot (if they are girls).

MUSIC PREVIEW: Relient K’s new album “Forget and Not Slow Down”

If you’ve read my blog before, you probably know that my favorite band is Relient K. I like them because never once was I ashamed to listen to them. They play good, clean, heartfelt music from a Christian perspective. Sure they’re sinful humans, but they have God and don’t care who knows about it. They are real. They aren’t putting on a show when they give a concert. They are themselves, not someone they just act out on stage. Finally, they are extremely talented musicians who write their own music. That is why they are my favorite band.

My favorite band is making a new album. Here’s what they have to say (from their bio on Myspace):

Sometimes the best way to deal with a break-up is to write a batch of great songs about it, turn up the amplifiers and just rock out…….

Think of enduring classics – from Liz Phair’s Exile In Guyville to Nine Inch Nails’ Pretty Hate Machine to Beck’s Sea Change – and how they achieved musical catharsis from the crumbling walls and crossbeams of a relationship gone bad.
On their latest release, Forget And Not Slow Down, Relient K carry the break-up album into the 21st century, tweaking it with clear-eyed songwriting and a four-to-the-floor optimism that is positively refreshing. Yes, there’s sweet sorrow in “If You Believe Me.” And yes, there’s lingering nostalgia in “Part Of It” and “Savannah.” There’s even the occasional recrimination, as in the bitter sting of “I Don’t Need A Soul” and “Over It.” But when it comes to regret, lead singer and songwriter Matt Thiessen is not one to wallow.
As he sings on the rousing title track, “I’d rather forget and not slow down than gather regret for the things I can’t change now.”
Not that it doesn’t take some effort of will. As Thiessen says, “It’s hard to forget and move on emotionally, but sometimes it’s better for you. You have to keep the bigger picture in mind. If you’re feeling sorry for yourself or reflecting on things that aren’t good, you’re not being productive. So to move forward is to concentrate on ‘What can I do better?’ That’s the whole idea of the record.” The band’s guitarist Matt Hoopes agrees. “It’s about learning from mistakes and not just focusing on all the things you wished you would’ve done differently. Everyone has those things. What’s important is the knowledge that when you make a mistake, your life is not over.”
To gather material from these forward-thinking convictions, Thiessen made like Thoreau, retreating to a remote lake house in Winchester, Tennessee. “I was by myself for about two or three months, in total isolation,” he says. “It was awesome. You could think about something, and keep thinking about it, and no one would interrupt you for six or seven hours. You could keep your brain on one train of thought. I’ll never want to write another record any other way.”
For Thiessen, the solitary creative process was a lot like prayer. “Songwriting and praying are kind of synonymous for me,” he says. “You’re using your heart, you’re using your brain, you’re collecting your thoughts, inner emotions, and putting them all together, and you’re saying, ‘Where does this all fit into my life?’”
During his sojourn, Thiessen stayed in constant contact with Hoopes and the rest of the band – drummer Ethan Luck, bassist John Warne and guitarist Jon Schneck – sharing song ideas and mapping out a direction for the album. One guiding principle soon emerged: this record should rock. Reteaming with longtime producer Mark Townsend (“We’ve got an almost telepathic relationship,” Hoopes says. “He’s family”), the band brought the spontaneity and revved-up spirit of their live performances into the studio. On such standout songs as “Therapy,” “Candlelight” and “This Is The End,” their trademark blend of sweet melodicism and caffeinated pop-punk has never sounded as urgent and powerful.
The album was mixed by ace engineer Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Jeff Buckley, Sheryl Crow), who ups the ante even further by imbuing the songs with widescreen grandeur and crunching clarity. “We definitely wanted to make a rock record,’” Thiessen confirms. “We wanted it to be uptempo and energetic. As far as the sonic aspect, we wanted to make it less modern sounding, with classic rock textures – Counting Crows, Foo Fighters, those kind of ‘90s albums. That was a good time for rock ‘n’ roll.”
It was also a time before computers took up permanent residency in recording studios. Thiessen says, “A lot of bands use MIDI and synthesizers – fake instruments. We have too. But on this record, everything you hear is really played. It’s organic. I know a lot of bands do that now. But for us, it was really the first time we made it the real thing.”
That humble claim aside, Relient K has been making the real thing since 1997, when Thiessen and Hoopes formed the band in high school. In the decade since, they’ve released five full-length albums (three are certified Gold), five EPs and a Christmas record, toured the globe, and racked up several hit singles, a Grammy nomination, two Dove Awards and performances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O’ Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Live. The Los Angeles Times has praised Relient K for “its smart blend of punk pop and power pop, weaving together influences as diverse as the Beach Boys, Blink-182 and Fountains of Wayne” while Spin noted, “Few bands play punk-influenced modern rock as proficiently.”
With anticipation high from fans the world over and upcoming tour dates, the band’s hopes for Forget And Not Slow Down – the first release on their new Mono vs. Stereo label – are simple. “The songs that tend to be the fan favorites in the past are the ones about making mistakes but ultimately moving past them,” Hoopes says. “And this record has a lot of that feeling. No matter what trials and tribulations you encounter in your life, it doesn’t have to be the end of your story. You can move on and be happy and experience joy.”
Thiessen adds, “We always hope our listeners understand the resolution and positivity that the songs are alluding to. All these songs are written out of a good state of mind, and that’s what the songs are encouraging people to do – find that in their own lives. If you’re going through turmoil, you can find your way through it.”
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