Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Im Leaving Blogspot
Sorry but because of the lack of followers i am joining Tumblr. For those of you who do read here id the new URL http://moses-on-everything.tumblr.com/
Swing Vote a Swing in the Right Direction
I remember back last fall while I was watching the hour on CBC, George Stroumboulopoulos did an interview with Kevin Costner about his new movie, Swing Vote. As you can probably guess, the film is about one man who is given the fate of the US presidency because of a miss vote. Well when I heard what he said about the film I was expecting it to be a very simple predictable film. Well, on the outside it was. It was very predictable, and very funny. But the writing was absolutely fantastic. The dialogue was witty, and characters delivered it well, and overall the film showed some really great values about what is wrong with politics in the states.
Kevin Costner played Ernest "Bud" Johnson, an alcoholic, single father with a 10 year old daughter who is much, much smarter then her father. Being so politically apathetic, when Bud gets laid off on election day, he goes to the neighborhood bar and gets completely wasted while forgetting about his promise to his daughter to vote. This causes a bit of a dilemma for Molly (his daughter). She, being so politically minded, makes a stupid move and tries to vote for her father. While in the voting booth, a freak accident causes the computer to be reset and the vote to not be counted. In the mean time, the election gets to be very close. So close that Buds county becomes the one that will decide the election. During a moment of panic Bud and Molly lie and say that Bud voted instead of Molly and gave Bud the chance to re cast his vote.
There were a couple of reasons that this movie was as good as it was. One was the acting, Kevin Costner took a very simple character (Joe the Plumber meets Bill Engvall kind of guy) and made you care about him. He had all the faults you could expect and still came out looking good. His daughter, played by Madeline Carrol, was just as good if not better then the rest of the cast. She was very reminiscent of Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine. The rest of cast were great as well with the standouts being the presidential candidates, played by Kelsey Grammar and Dennis Hopper.
The other thing that made this movie great was its political satire. Throughout the movie, there were interviews done with Bud to see what mattered to him. Along with each interview a new political add was unveiled. For instance, when Bud said that he was pro gay rights, Kelsey Grammar and the Republicans made an add supporting gay rights. Then Bud inadvertently implies that he is pro life, the Democrats make an anti abortion add. The satire (although completely predictable) shows exactly what is wrong with politics. To much focus on PR and not enough on what will actually help the world. It really says something about our political situation and it is perfectly summed up in Bud's final speech. He says, "America needs someone who is bigger then their speeches."
Overall the film was really great, and despite its predictability it was a good feel good movie. I warn any parents who want their kids to see the film to watch out for the language cause Bud can be a bit fowl. 8/10 stars.
Kevin Costner played Ernest "Bud" Johnson, an alcoholic, single father with a 10 year old daughter who is much, much smarter then her father. Being so politically apathetic, when Bud gets laid off on election day, he goes to the neighborhood bar and gets completely wasted while forgetting about his promise to his daughter to vote. This causes a bit of a dilemma for Molly (his daughter). She, being so politically minded, makes a stupid move and tries to vote for her father. While in the voting booth, a freak accident causes the computer to be reset and the vote to not be counted. In the mean time, the election gets to be very close. So close that Buds county becomes the one that will decide the election. During a moment of panic Bud and Molly lie and say that Bud voted instead of Molly and gave Bud the chance to re cast his vote.
There were a couple of reasons that this movie was as good as it was. One was the acting, Kevin Costner took a very simple character (Joe the Plumber meets Bill Engvall kind of guy) and made you care about him. He had all the faults you could expect and still came out looking good. His daughter, played by Madeline Carrol, was just as good if not better then the rest of the cast. She was very reminiscent of Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine. The rest of cast were great as well with the standouts being the presidential candidates, played by Kelsey Grammar and Dennis Hopper.
The other thing that made this movie great was its political satire. Throughout the movie, there were interviews done with Bud to see what mattered to him. Along with each interview a new political add was unveiled. For instance, when Bud said that he was pro gay rights, Kelsey Grammar and the Republicans made an add supporting gay rights. Then Bud inadvertently implies that he is pro life, the Democrats make an anti abortion add. The satire (although completely predictable) shows exactly what is wrong with politics. To much focus on PR and not enough on what will actually help the world. It really says something about our political situation and it is perfectly summed up in Bud's final speech. He says, "America needs someone who is bigger then their speeches."
Overall the film was really great, and despite its predictability it was a good feel good movie. I warn any parents who want their kids to see the film to watch out for the language cause Bud can be a bit fowl. 8/10 stars.
Monday, June 8, 2009
I Can Handle the Truth
The first masterpiece written by the creator of the West Wing television show was a 1992 movie directed by, actor turned director, Rob Reiner. A Few Good Men, is a military/court drama about two marines accused of murder. This film has always been a personal favourite and is one that is a good one to watch multiple times.
Daniel Kafee (portrayed by Tom Cruise) is a young navy lawyer working for the NJAG (Navy Judge Advocat General). Known for plea barganing Kafee is handed a murder case about three young marines at Guantanimo Bay in Cuba. Assigned with Kafee is his friend, fellow NJAG lawyer, Sam Weinburg (Kevin Pollak), and Naval investigator Joanne Galloway (Demi Moore) who has an odd attachment to the two marines on trial, Dawson and Downey. The situation on the night of the murder was; PFC William Santiago was in his room asleep when in the middle of the night Dawson and Downey came into his room, tied his hands and feet, and stuffed a rag into his mouth. Suddenly Santiago started to bleed from his mouth, so they untied him to see what was wrong. An hour later he died at the hospital and Dawson and Downey were arrested for murder. The only reason they werent sentanced staraight away to 20 years at Leavenworth is because Galloway heard their story and thought that the case sounded very similar to a "code red" (a code red is where the members of a squad or platoon gang up on another member to teach him a lesson. i.e. if a sodier dropped his lesson during drills he would get his hands glued together). Also appearing in the film are; Jack Nicholson as Colonel Nathan R Jessup, Kevin Bacon as the prosecuting attourney, Keifer Sutherland as an officer at Gitmo, and J.T. Walsh as another officer at Gitmo.
The writing in this film is basically as good as it gets. Aaron Sorkin (also known for his work on the West Wing and the American President) wrote the play the film was based on and also wrote the screenplay for the film. The film is also very visually appealing and although it lacks the action of many modern movies it has a similar quality to 12 Angry Men in how the writing provides all the action the film needs. Overall I give it a ten out of ten and it is an amzing film.
Daniel Kafee (portrayed by Tom Cruise) is a young navy lawyer working for the NJAG (Navy Judge Advocat General). Known for plea barganing Kafee is handed a murder case about three young marines at Guantanimo Bay in Cuba. Assigned with Kafee is his friend, fellow NJAG lawyer, Sam Weinburg (Kevin Pollak), and Naval investigator Joanne Galloway (Demi Moore) who has an odd attachment to the two marines on trial, Dawson and Downey. The situation on the night of the murder was; PFC William Santiago was in his room asleep when in the middle of the night Dawson and Downey came into his room, tied his hands and feet, and stuffed a rag into his mouth. Suddenly Santiago started to bleed from his mouth, so they untied him to see what was wrong. An hour later he died at the hospital and Dawson and Downey were arrested for murder. The only reason they werent sentanced staraight away to 20 years at Leavenworth is because Galloway heard their story and thought that the case sounded very similar to a "code red" (a code red is where the members of a squad or platoon gang up on another member to teach him a lesson. i.e. if a sodier dropped his lesson during drills he would get his hands glued together). Also appearing in the film are; Jack Nicholson as Colonel Nathan R Jessup, Kevin Bacon as the prosecuting attourney, Keifer Sutherland as an officer at Gitmo, and J.T. Walsh as another officer at Gitmo.
The writing in this film is basically as good as it gets. Aaron Sorkin (also known for his work on the West Wing and the American President) wrote the play the film was based on and also wrote the screenplay for the film. The film is also very visually appealing and although it lacks the action of many modern movies it has a similar quality to 12 Angry Men in how the writing provides all the action the film needs. Overall I give it a ten out of ten and it is an amzing film.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Just an Add On
Just to add on to my best of Disney list I have my best of Pixar list.
#10 Cars
#09 Toy Story 2
#08 Finding Nemo
#07 A Bug's Life
#06 Monsters Inc
#05 Up
#04 Wall-E
#03 Toy Story
#02 Ratatouille
#01 The Incredibles
#10 Cars
#09 Toy Story 2
#08 Finding Nemo
#07 A Bug's Life
#06 Monsters Inc
#05 Up
#04 Wall-E
#03 Toy Story
#02 Ratatouille
#01 The Incredibles
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Best Disney FIlms
In light of my latest review, I have decided to make a complete list of my favorite Disney animated films. Every major film buff from this generation started off by watching the classic Disney films; Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, Aristocats. Although they are all great films I am not someone who agrees with the saying, "Older is Better." I think that although the classics are good movies, they have been surpassed by some of the newer films. There are twenty entries from an initial list of thirty so here are some of the films that did not make it.
Up
The Aristocats
Dinosaur
The Rescuers
Pinocchio
There are also some non-Disney animated that deserve a shout out even if they can't be included on this list.
Shrek
Shrek 2
Chicken Run
Flushed Away
Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius
Over the Hedge
The Road to Eldorado
Surf's Up
Now that that is over with, the top twenty go something like this.
#20 Oliver and Company
#19 Fox and the Hound
#18 Jungle Book
#17 The Black Cauldron
#16 Atlantis: The Lost Empire
#15 Tarzan
#14 The Rescuers
#13 Peter Pan
#12 The Little Mermaid
#11 Lion King
#10 Ratatouille
#09 Fantasia
#08 Treasure Planet
#07 Toy Story
#06 Mulan
#05 Hercules
#04 Sleeping Beauty
#03 The Incredibles
#02 Beauty and the Beast
#01 Aladdin
I would go into more detail but I am incredibly tired.
Up
The Aristocats
Dinosaur
The Rescuers
Pinocchio
There are also some non-Disney animated that deserve a shout out even if they can't be included on this list.
Shrek
Shrek 2
Chicken Run
Flushed Away
Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius
Over the Hedge
The Road to Eldorado
Surf's Up
Now that that is over with, the top twenty go something like this.
#20 Oliver and Company
#19 Fox and the Hound
#18 Jungle Book
#17 The Black Cauldron
#16 Atlantis: The Lost Empire
#15 Tarzan
#14 The Rescuers
#13 Peter Pan
#12 The Little Mermaid
#11 Lion King
#10 Ratatouille
#09 Fantasia
#08 Treasure Planet
#07 Toy Story
#06 Mulan
#05 Hercules
#04 Sleeping Beauty
#03 The Incredibles
#02 Beauty and the Beast
#01 Aladdin
I would go into more detail but I am incredibly tired.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Pixar's Streak Still Running
10 and 0. That is a record not many members of the film industry can boast. Having ten mega hits in a row is very impressive whether it is for a producer, and actor, or a director. One of the few that can is Pixar Animation Studios. Pixar has been producing and animating hits since their 1995 success, Toy Story, and their latest creation, Up, is a testament to that success.
The movie Up is about an elderly man named Karl Fredrickson who has had a good long life. He knows tragedy and has become more and more self dependent since the death of his wife, Ellie. One day after haggling with the construction people next door and a young Wilderness Explorer, Karl over reacts and assaults someone working with the construction company. He is then declared a public menace after a trial and is forced to give up his beloved house. Luckily, before he leaves his house, he fills up thousands of balloons with helium so that his house will fly and he can visit Paradise Falls, A small area in South America where his childhood hero had traveled to in a giant blimp. After taking off he finds out that the young Wilderness Explorer had stowed away on his house. Eventually after flying through a storm, Karl and the boy (Russel) land near Paradise Falls. On the other side of the ridge to be exact. On their way across the ridge, Karl and Russel meet Karl's childhood hero, Charles Muntz, who seems to have gone crazy though all the years of isolation.
I was very unsure before coming to see this because of WALL-E last year. "How could they follow that up?" I though to myself, and once the credits rolled, all my expectations had been blown away. This movie was unbelievably good. All the voice actors knew exactly when to put the emotion in to their voices and when to keep a straight voice. The animation was as good as ever and the laughs were all genuine. Besides the funny stuff the film had its misty moments that even made me come close to balling. Overall, it was fantastic and it is going to be a good contender for the Oscars this year.
The movie Up is about an elderly man named Karl Fredrickson who has had a good long life. He knows tragedy and has become more and more self dependent since the death of his wife, Ellie. One day after haggling with the construction people next door and a young Wilderness Explorer, Karl over reacts and assaults someone working with the construction company. He is then declared a public menace after a trial and is forced to give up his beloved house. Luckily, before he leaves his house, he fills up thousands of balloons with helium so that his house will fly and he can visit Paradise Falls, A small area in South America where his childhood hero had traveled to in a giant blimp. After taking off he finds out that the young Wilderness Explorer had stowed away on his house. Eventually after flying through a storm, Karl and the boy (Russel) land near Paradise Falls. On the other side of the ridge to be exact. On their way across the ridge, Karl and Russel meet Karl's childhood hero, Charles Muntz, who seems to have gone crazy though all the years of isolation.
I was very unsure before coming to see this because of WALL-E last year. "How could they follow that up?" I though to myself, and once the credits rolled, all my expectations had been blown away. This movie was unbelievably good. All the voice actors knew exactly when to put the emotion in to their voices and when to keep a straight voice. The animation was as good as ever and the laughs were all genuine. Besides the funny stuff the film had its misty moments that even made me come close to balling. Overall, it was fantastic and it is going to be a good contender for the Oscars this year.
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