Hot damned, was I looking forward to seeing this movie. When I first saw the announcement, the book cover alone got me all riled up.

And then the teasers came out?

Man, I was pumped. Deep down inside I knew it would probably be dumb, but I also wanted to just embrace the bad for the sake of having fun.

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So, apparently, this movie The Golden Compass inspired The Catholic League to conduct a two month, nationwide protest of the film, and the books that inspired it, by writer Philip Pullman. The Catholic League even released a pamphlet outlining Pullman’s atheist agenda (Pullman is indeed an outspoken atheist), and his intent to force “god-hating” propaganda into the mind of innocent children across the globe.

Hollywood, on cue, removed much of the “offensive to Christian” material from the movie. In the world of The Golden Compass, the Magesterium represents a repressive Catholic church-like institution bent upon keeping the truth and knowledge of the world to itself; and controlling the population’s inquisitiveness and curiosity - starting with childhood. Human souls are represented by “daemons” which take the form of animals that belong - as conscience - to each person. The Magesterium has the idea that, if they separate these souls from children while they are young (”it’s just a little cut”), that they will become complacent adults.

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Juno begins with its title character walking to the convenient store to purchase her third pregnancy test in as many hours. The film morphs from live action to a drawing style animation backed by a Moldy Peaches song, an auspicious and stylish start. The story follows Junebug (as she is affectionately called), her pregnancy, and her subsequent decision to give the baby up for adoption. The whole teenage pregnancy storyline is handled with a certain amount of levity…too much levity. Juno teeters on the edge of amusement during her pregnancy, showing little emotional attachment throughout. Aside from one scene where she pulls the car over to rid her dormant tears, we never get a real sense that pregnancy for a 16 year old girl is anything but a catalyst for comedic material.

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Some enchanted evening…. or afternoon, rather. I saw the new Disney family adventure, “Enchanted” at 4pm on a Sunday, which caused my friend and I to have to sit in the second row in front of a theater filled with parents and their offspring. Truth be told, I had been dying to see this marshmallowy film since I giggled during the trailer. However, I was not looking forward to kids talking/screaming/spilling stickiness on me. [ Read The Full Story -> ]

Some enchanted evening…. or afternoon, rather. I saw the new Disney family adventure, “Enchanted” at 4pm on a Sunday, which caused my friend and I to have to sit in the second row in front of a theater filled with parents and their offspring. Truth be told, I had been dying to see this marshmallowy film since I giggled during the trailer. However, I was not looking forward to kids talking/screaming/spilling stickiness on me. [ Read The Full Story -> ]

Damn them. The Coen brothers, that is. After a couple of movies that failed to live up to their earlier promise, I thought it was OK to write them off as good, but not great filmmakers. Then they go and make a movie that not only fully entertains, but also remains with you and haunts you, long after you’ve seen it. No Country for Old Men is adapted from Cormac McCarthy’s novel of the same name and it is a modern day version, or, perhaps, death, of the classic western. It contains all the necessary aspects of a western: money, morals, and a really pissed off guy, but with more substance. While there is a focus placed on money, the money primarily serves as a vehicle to present the films compelling characters. [ Read The Full Story -> ]

For the past couple of years Hollywood has been awash with single descriptive word horror films. Movies like The Cave, Saw, & The Descent have been stamped by “tinsel town” as sure-fire moneymaker, popcorn films, that are relatively cheap to make and put butts in seats. When I first got a look at the poster and title of The Mist, I was very apprehensive about the films prospects. Nevertheless I was seduced by the possibility of being scared, something that so rarely happens now days, and went to check it out. [ Read The Full Story -> ]

It’s 2:00pm and I’m at the ArcLight in Hollywood, I’ve just purchased my ticket to see the new Dylan biopic. Looking around the lobby as I go, I’m struck by the lack of patrons. Especially for this movie, I would’ve thought that a Dylan flick would be the exact kind of “hip” LA. I don’t really care if no one is going to see this film, at least not today; that’s more Zimmerman for me. The room goes black and that beautiful screen comes alive, I scrunch myself down into my seat and prepare to have my ass kicked, and my friend, that’s exactly what happened.

This is the best movie I’ve seen all year. [ Read The Full Story -> ]

It is the season for movies with substance. We made it passed an excruciating summer, putting up with garbage like Transformers. Now get ready for the real directors of big budget Hollywood that use money on talent, not effects. What to see? Lions for Lambs, Robert Redford’s first film since The Legend of Bagger Vance. A good flick I thought, but I’m bias, I golf. It was definitely no Quiz Show. Not since then, has Redford given us a must see film. [ Read The Full Story -> ]

The filmmaking duo behind Deacon’s Mondays, Lowell Frank and Destin Daniel Cretton (featured right).

Student film festivals are often hit AND miss, but every once in awhile you get lucky and see a gem. This year’s 5^th annual International Student Film Festival Hollywood, held at the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn, was no exception. If you don’t know who Beverly Garland is, she’s a longtime actress who played a role in one of my very favorite sequels, Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie’s Island Adventure, a true holiday classic. Apparently unfulfilled as an actress, she decided to operate a Holiday Inn with three of her four children. I like to pronounce her name with a New York accent…Bevahly Gahland. Just try it. Bevahly Gahland once rode a horse through a community gahden. What I’m getting at here is that this was an interesting venue for a film festival, but lets get back on track. [ Read The Full Story -> ]

Apparently Zach Helm wrote this movie because he worked in a toy store and found the experience fascinating and magical. Ten minutes into this thing I was thinking that the bathroom stalls at the Theatre in the Fox backlot were more fascinating; and the fact I was secretly sipping a soda in a theatre with a no food or drink rule much more magical.

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Upon seeing the new feel good family movie, “Dan in Real Life”, I couldn’t help but think that this was the poor man’s “Family Stone”. Now, the “Family Stone” wasn’t exactly a milestone in cinematic history, so you can imagine what level this film achieved…hovering right around mediocre, at best.

However, I will say that it was somewhat entertaining. I, too, laughed with the aged audience who had come for the 4:30 showing last Sunday afternoon. You see; I didn’t walk into this sticky movie theater with any expectations. In fact, I’m pretty sure I had negative hope for this move, so anything was something.

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