The League of Evil Exes

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman

4.5 stars out of 5

Based on the graphic novels of the same name, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World may be the most efficient - and fun - transfer of comic book sensibilities into a movie (full disclosure: I have not read the graphic novel). Scenes are fast paced, quickly edited, transition into different settings seamlessly, and occasionally feature text boxes with tidbits. There are times when there is so much visual information, it's easy to miss something. Repeated viewing and pausing is almost a prerequisite.

Your enjoyment of this film may be directly proportional to your feelings towards Mr. Cera. If you are among those who are tired of the prototypical Michael-Cera-role (Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Superbad, Arrested Development, etc.), your prejudices may color how you feel about Scott Pilgrim since essentially, he plays the same character as those aforementioned roles. However, Cera's fight scenes are a welcome change-of-pace from his days catching objects with his shoulder as George Michael Bluth.

Beyond visuals, Scott Pilgrim is a funny film with a great supporting cast. Kieran Culkin provides a fair share of laughs as Cera's roommate and it's fun seeing some of Hollywood's A-listers portraying evil exes. In addition, Anna Kendrick is wonderful in her limited screen time as Cera's sister. And Allison Pill delivers some of the most hilariously deadpan lines.

Another key ingredient to the film is the music. Scott Pilgrim (the character) is the bassist in a band and their songs are quite catchy. Cera is an actual bassist in an actual rock band these days (see: Mister Heavenly) so it's not a stretch to see him slapping the bass during the film.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a fun film with a few laughs, amazing visuals, and a style all its own. It was criminally ignored while it was in theaters (I don't recall seeing too many advertisements either so it may have been ignored by its own marketers) but is a strong recommendation for anyone with a Netflix account or $14 to spend at Amazon.

Intro

Hi all,

This is my movie review blog. As I watch new movies, I'll be posting reviews on each of them. I'll be using a 5-point system but just know that I'm not trying to make comparisons of different types of movies. If I give 10 Things I Hate About You a 5-star review, it has no relation to a 5-star review for Schindler's List. I'll also try and avoid plot summarizing since you can find that through a simple wikipedia search, but some summarizing is unavoidable.

Every so often, I'll post a movie re-review, in which I'll review a movie I've already seen (i.e. Armageddon). I don't go to the theater as often as I'd like to so I rely heavily on my Netflix account. Eventually, I'd like to have polls for movie re-reviews and guest posts. That is all.

-Brian

It's Kind of My Life Story

It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010)

Directed by: Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck

Starring: Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts

4 stars out of 5

It's Kind of a Funny Story - based on a novel of the same name by Ned Vizzini - is in one sentence, a coming-of-age tale set within the confines of a psych ward in a New York hospital. On the surface, it seems like your typical mad libs plot:

<insert age> year old, <insert gender but most likely male> protagonist is stressed out about <something>, so he/she goes <somewhere>, meets <a member of the opposite sex>, deals with kooky adults and/or best friend, and comes out better for it

(As a side note, try that game with any number of movies: Adventureland, Into the Wild, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, etc.)

What separates It's Kind of a Funny Story from the typical Hollywood coming-of-age film is solid acting, great storytelling, and exceptional writing. The characters feel real and more importantly, their dialogue feels real. No 16 year old can accurately describe the thousands of thoughts and feelings running through their minds, so when the film's protagonist Craig (Keir Gilchrist) attempts to pinpoint exactly why he's depressed and all he can do is hem and haw, it feels like a natural response.

A specific mention must be made of Zach Galifianakis' portrayal of Bobby, a sort of mentor/guide to Craig at the psych ward. It would have been very easy for the writers (who also happen to be the directors) to write Bobby as an over-the-top clown, especially when considering Zach Galifianakis' previous work in The Hangover. Thankfully they did not. Suffice to say that Bobby's storyline, while underdeveloped for obvious reasons, is engaging and poignant, and Galifianakis plays his part with great subtlety. It's a shame that this film has flown under the radar while all the attention is focused on Galifianakis' "other" movie, Due Date.

However, the film is a comedy after all, and perhaps one of my few gripes is that it was almost too fun. Halfway through the movie - after a scene featuring the psych patients engaged in arts and crafts - my friend leaned over asked me if I thought mental institutions were that much fun. I answered, probably not. My other (minor) gripe involved casting Jim Gaffigan as Craig's father, George. George is portrayed as a workaholic and (possibly) overbearing father, to which I don't see from Gaffigan. (In fact, here's a line directly from his wikipedia page: Gaffigan is also known for various routines or skits relating to being lazy and eating food).

I'd be remiss if I did not mention this film particularly resonated with me because in many ways, I saw myself in Craig. In the film, there are numerous reasons for Craig's depression: parents, friends (or lack thereof), girlfriends (or lack thereof). But at the core, Craig has trouble dealing with the pressures of an elite school, and the pressures of micro-focusing (I just made up that word. I'll explain later).

The film's fictional high school is obviously a stand-in for the actual high school that I attended (they mention details: it's a public school, entrance is exam-based and not tuition-based, and the top 800 scores are admitted. Yup, sounds like Stuyvesant). Stuyvesant was a hyper-competitive environment. One of the more prevalent rumors I heard before applying was that students would rip out the pages of textbooks and library books so that others would not be able to it. Of course, that was ridiculous because it was not 1905 and it did not take 24 weeks to print a single copy of a book.

I recently read a book (Play Their Hearts Out) about AAU basketball for 8th graders. One coach drills into his players that the result of every play and every game would determine whether they made the NBA. Obviously, that is a recipe for disaster on a physical and psychological level. That is how I would describe the Stuyvesant experience for some. Every exam, every essay, every report card was given extraordinary value (hence, micro-focusing). And failure at any junction meant that an entire mapped-out future was ruined. It's an overwhelming feeling and something that I can relate to. And just like those 8th grade basketball players, some adjusted and dealt with it better while others could not.

Perhaps I'm biased to enjoy the film (Emma Roberts certainly helps in that regard), but it's one I would definitely recommend for those who want a touch of sweetness and realness with their comedy.