The Film Chronicles

Easy A

Easy A, Comedy, 2010
Plot: A high school girl pretends to have sex with one of her classmates as a favor to him but the rumor spreads around school and she develops a negative image around the campus and community.

Thoughts: This was a pretty good movie, it was nice to have a break from the onslaught of Bromances that have been hitting the comedy market since Superbad came out in 2007. Emma Stone makes a name for herself as the being the next thing in not only women comedians, but young comedians in general. The writing was okay in this movie, at times it was witty but the story seemed to think that it was more clever than it actually was. Good movie to watch with a not-so-typical leading lady.

3.4/5

P.S. I found it kind of hard for her act to be a huge deal in California in this day and age.

Mrs. Brown

Mrs. Brown, Drama, 1997
Plot: After the death of her husband, Queen Victoria becomes depressed and rarely leaves the house. Manservant John Brown is called in to assist her and the two end up having a very strong friendship that seems to transcend their lifetime.

Thoughts: This film was full of fantastic acting and direction. The story was well done and it was authentic in that it showed how relationships develop and still maintained the boundaries between Queen and common folk. I thought it could have ended sooner but I really could see the relationship’s worth and could understand where they were coming from. It was also interesting to see pre-300 Gerard Butler with one ugly haircut.

3.8/5

The Town

The Town, Thriller, 2010
Plot: 4 bank robbers from the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston (which, according to the beginning credits, has produced more bank robbers than the entire world). The lead bank robber falls in love with a woman they held hostage and the FBI is right on their tails as they make one last heist before calling it quits.

Thoughts: Not too bad, I haven’t been too disappointed with Ben Affleck’s writing and the directing in this film started slow but picked up as the film went on. The suspenseful parts of the film really had me on the edge of my seat and Jeremy Renner’s performance was very well done. He will be awesome as Clint Barton in the upcoming Avengers movie. Bank heist movies have been a little overdone but I still enjoyed this fresh look at it.

3.4/5

Wedding Crashers

Wedding Crashers, 2005, Comedy
Plot: Two best friends who attend random weddings for the sake of meeting and having one night stands with women take one wedding crash too far after one of them falls in love with a young lady.

Thoughts: This is one of my favorite comedies thanks to the acting and improv talents of Vince Vaughn. The plot was pretty creative and the story was interesting but the film went on just a bit too long. Will Ferrell’s few minutes of screen time were very enjoyable and it would be awesome to see all of them team up for another film.

4.5/5

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman, 2008, Action
Plot: This movie is based on the origin story of DC’s first lady Wonder Woman as she battles against the likes of Ares.

Thoughts: This was a good animated feature. DC animation has yet to disappoint me. It had a great cast and a story that both inroduces and still remains relevant/ good. There was a tad too much man vs. woman, but what can you expect from a movie based on the Amazons. Good movie and really great animation. I liked the director’s/ writer’s take on Hades.

3.6/5

Broken Lullaby

Broken Lullaby, 1994, Romantic Comedy
Plot: A woman researches her Aunt’s (not biological) family history to see where her roots come from. While she’s there she is rapped up in a mystery involving a priceless fabrege egg.

Thoughts: Another Harequin movie, another laugh. This movie was full of cheesy acting, a weak script, and mediocre looking people. The assassin hired by the mystery is the worst assassin ever. How do you not kill a defenseless person? The biggest surprise was the egg that looked like it was bought from Ross.

Real Movie Rating: 1.3/5

Harlequin Rating: 4.3/5

Despondent the Clown

Despondent the Clown, 2011, Dark Comedy
Plot: A clown named Kevin is has a tough life after not being able to find any graphic design jobs.

Thoughts: This was the first film that I’ve made and it was a hectic one at that. It was made for the 48 Film festival and was put together by several of my colleagues at the great University of Houston. The story is funny and the acting is hilarious. We really put a lot of sweat and tears into this production. I’ll post the video of it when we get it back!

5/5!!! (lol)

Here’s the completed project:
Despondent the Clown Short Film

All-Star Superman

All-Star Superman, 2011, Action
Plot: Superman is tricked by Lex Luthor and ends up absorbing too much power from the Earth’s sun. This makes him more invincible than he already is but brings his body closer to destruction because he can’t contain all of that energy.

Thoughts: This wasn’t the best DC animated production but it was decent. The plot was really average and it was interesting to finally see Superman meet his downfall. I wish they could have used Jim Daly and Clancy Brown to enhance the overall feel of the film. The end was really cheesy as the title came into play, but overall this was a decent movie.

3.2/5

X2: X-Men United

X2: X-Men United. 2005, Sci-Fi/Action
Plot: Based on the comic book team “The X-Men”, this film follows the background of Wolverine and the government’s continuing clamp down on mutant rights.

Thoughts: I caught this movie on FX as a precursor to the new X-Men movie coming out tomorrow night. This one is the best film by far for one simple reason: Nightcrawler. The opening scene was unmatched in cinema before. The story was pretty good and the ultimate climax to the disappointingly third installment of the franchise.

4.6/5

P.S. I am STOKED about tomorrow’s midnight showing!

Thrown to the Curb/ Pack & Deliver

For today I went to a double documentary premiere of 2 students from the University of Houston.

Thrown to the Curb, 2011, Documentary

Plot: A young filmmaker attempts to understand the challenges facing bike riders within Houston proper.

Thoughts: This was a pretty informative movie that really looked at Houston’s growing bike community and the issues that face them; i.e. bike lanes, traffic signs, sharing the road with large vehicles. The structure was a little off, it seemed more like a television show than a film because the topics were brought up with subtext. Overall this was a decent movie and was a good look into the Houston bicycling scene.

2.8/5

Pack & Deliver, 2011, Documentary

Plot: A look at the sex trade in the city of Houston.

Thoughts: This film had much potential that it didn’t tap into. The material was really rich (as you can see with the accompanying 150+ page thesis) but the production value was poor. I wished for more from that side of the film, it even became a distraction to me (but I have a trained eye for film so that’s no surprise). The framing was unprofessional, there was an excessive use of subtext, and also the lighting was poor; but you can’t expect too much from individuals not trained in the field of media.

As for the film in general, it was really interesting. I never thought about sex trafficking in Houston because Texas is a state that really turns a blind eye to subjects like this. It was very neat to see an actual victim speaking on the subject and hopefully this will raise awareness.

2.6/5