3D Fever

I'm going to make this short. 3D is driving me crazy. Everything has to be in 3D. Even TV's are going 3D. You can't watch a movie preview anymore without hearing ...3D, 3D, 3D! It's everywhere. I can't wait until this fad crashes and burns and 3D goes away for 10 years until somebody else brings it back again. And then again...and then again.



This blog is also displayed in 3D where available.

-Matt

Sexual Exploitation of Women in Movies: Is Disney Guilty Too?

I love Disney movies! Grew up on Disney...try to keep up on Disney.

Look at the females characters of Disney. I mean, really look at them! Begin with the earlier movies. Much, much earlier... Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.

Female characters, similar features: long, flowing hair... perfect faces... big, round eyes... perfect brows. Perfect bodies. They were tall and thin, narrow waists. Long, flowing dresses and sometimes... showed a little bit of a neckline. (But no cleavage.)

Later, Disney hit the screen with some real "bombshells"! Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Jasmine from Alladin, and Pocahontas. Still beautiful...perfect in every way. But, their costumes........

Look at them: Ariel has only two seashells to cover the entire top half of her body. Yes, she is a mermaid after all. But her naked turso continues until it forms a very low, low, low cut "V", deep below her navel, until the top of her fin begins.

This same, seductive, low cut "V" is fashioned by Jasmine. With her suit pants. They also hang extremely low. And her top is more like an extravagant bra.

Pocahontas has a very skimpy top as well. It mysteriously stays on by only one strap. And her extremely short skirt is slit on both sides. The slit is cut almost to her waist!

These are just a few of Disney's characters. The Disney I love.

Is this what makes them a "family" movie? Something which ALL of us can enjoy? Is Disney just keeping up with the rest of the film industry? MORE FEMALE SKIN!

The film industry is often accused of sexual exploitaton of women. Is Disney guilty too? Perhaps Jessica Rabbit speaks for all these female Disney characters. She starred in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. One of my favorite movies. She said, "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way."

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief - Good idea, bad delivery

Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) is a high school student who, through a series of weird events, finds out that he is the son of Poseidon(Kevin McKidd) , the god of the sea. This makes Percy a demigod - half human, half god. At the same time that he finds out his true identity, the powerful gods on Olympus are fighting.





Someone has stole the "lightning bolt" which is the most power weapon of the gods.





The war between the gods stems from this and could ultimately launch a war that destroys the entire planet. It is then up to Percy, his protector Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) and fellow demigod Annabeth(Alexandra Daddario) to find who stole the lightning bolt and get it back to the gods before the deadline set by Zeus(Sean Bean)





THIS MOVIE COULD HAVE BEEN SO GOOD!





The plot was interesting, the concept was ellaborate and the creativity level was high, HOWEVER! . . . . .





The way the movie was delivered was. . . juvinelle. . . to say the least.





What's really ironic about this film, is that it is made by the same director as the Harry Potter movies!!!!! How can they make 7 amazing films about wizards and such and make this movie suck so bad?!?!





Needless to say, this movie was not worth 7.50 and should be seen at the dollar movie on a boring weeknight when you literally have nothing else to do.





Movie gets: a C-

-Missy :)

Up In The Air: Hilarious and Tragic, Romantic and Real

This movie is unlike ninety five percent of other films you have seen before. We are used to: good guy-bad guy movies, romantic comedies that end with a kiss, and happy endings for the protagonist.

In the film Up In The Air, the "good" guy is also the bad guy, there's romance, but it doesn't end with a kiss, and the happy ending. . . . . well, it just doesn't exist.

This film revolves around the life of Ryan Bingham (George Clooney). He is a corporate downsizing expert who spends 322 days a year flying to different cities and staying in luxurious hotel suites. He's made it his life's goal to hit ten million frequent flyer miles and become the seventh member of the elite Mile High Club.

Just as he is approaching his goal, his boss hired an arrogant young girl named Natalie (Anna Kendrick) who has developed a method of video conferencing to terminate employment without ever leaving the office.

So, determined to prove her theory wrong and unethical, he takes Natalie across the country on one of his firing expeditions. It is then that he starts to realize the downfalls to the way he lives his life.

This film is exactly as the title describes. It's hilarious. It's tragic. It's romantic. It's real. It's everything you would get from any other movie, but in a more unique and realistic way. Without giving anything else away, i will leave you with my rating for this film. . . . A very well deserved "A+"!

-Missy :)

COMING SOON!

Matt's Top Ten Greatest Sports Movies of all Time.

Which sports movie will be number one?

30 Second Movie Review: Green Zone

Action, Action and...oh yeah, more ACTION! Green Zone is an adrenaline filled thriller that stars Matt Damon as a soldier in the U.S. Army that searches for Weapons of Mass Destruction in a war torn Iraq.


With a fast pace and quick camera work, Green Zone ignites into a frenzied fireball right from the first scene to the closing credits.

Though many have complained about the film's anti-war statement, Green Zone is a film in which the viewer can forget about politics and enjoy some firefights and explosions.

Fans of any of the Bourne movies will enjoy this for sure.

The Good- Tremendous action.
The Bad- Little character development.
The Ugly- Political theme might turn people off.

Overall- B+

Green Zone is rated R and is playing everywhere.

-Matt

How all this SEX got started anyway. Exploitation history.

Once upon a time in Hollywood when films first started being made......

Moralists immediately began objecting. Too much nudity. Too much sexuality. Films had too much violence and criminality, too.

Censorship and control was in place. At various levels. But it was unorganized and inconsistent.

Some states prohibited a film to reveal an ankle. Yes, a naked ankle!

Or...Pregnancy. Pregnancy could not be mentoned, either.

Studios were worried they would be shut down. In 1922, the film industry formed Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA). William H. Hays was elected head "Housekeeper" and his cleaning list began:

-banish the industry's scandalous Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle (or at least make the public think he's gone)

-approve morality clauses in actor's contracts

-regulate film content

In 1927 Hays' list of "Don'ts" included: suggestive nudity, sexual perversion, white slavery, sex hygiene and venereal diseases, and childbirth.....just to name a few.

But restrictions were ignored. Studios knew enforcement would still not be effective.

Audiences wanted to see what was being blacklisted. They paid to see the foridden "don'ts". And filmakers knew it. The shows went on.

Hence, "The Legion of Decency" in 1934. A creation of the American Catholic Church. Another attempt to censor films.

Again, Hollywood "redirected". This time disguising their prohibited sights as "educational works". Necessary to show "the evils" in order to educate. Educational exploitation.

One of the most successful of these films was Mom and Dad (1944). The movie is a teenage girl "in trouble". Other films were included within it showing childbirth, a caesarian, veneral diseases and their treatments. Very graphic images of female anatomy.

Mom and Dad still played at the drive-ins up into the '70's!

After WWII and by the 1950's the strict censorship declined. In 1952, Supreme Court decision Burstyn v. Wilson decided film would finally by freed from federal censorship.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) now has a voluntary ratings system in place by age classification (i.e., G, M, R, X). The Hays Code was abandoned officially in 1968.

Thereby opening the doors for films today. No longer needing to be called or presented as "educational". Film can be free to be what it wants. If it so chooses.....exploitational!"

And others, thankfully, will be entertaining and exceptional!

Christine

Nine: Singing. Sex. Scandals.

You are sure to find each of these in Nine.

This film is a musical.

The story revolves around Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis), a famous film director who faces a mid-life crisis. He is hit with a creative block along with troubles in his personal life. Contini is balancing several women at once:

*his wife Luisa (Marion Cotillard),

*his mistress (Penelope Cruz),

*his film star muse (Nicole Kidman),

*his confidant and costume designer (Judi Dench),

*an American fashion journalist (Kate Hudson),

*the whore from his youth (Fergie), and

*his mother (Sophia Loren).

The film revolves around Contini's latest movie, "Italia", that he has yet to write a script for.

He escapes to a seaside resort to get away from the pressures of production and to try and write his script. While failing to do so, Contini thinks about the impact of all the women in his life.

I believe the highlight of this film was seeing all of the actresses sing and dance. Kate Hudson was the actress that stood out to me the most. Her song "Cinema Italiano" was by far my favorite performance in this film! I found it awesome that she stepped out of her comfort zone, of romantic comedies, to perform in this film.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who is into complex, interesting and symbolism filled movies. Or if you just like seeing girls dance in very little clothing.... anyways, I give Nine an "A"!

30 Second Movie Review: Cop Out

Cop Out can best be described in one word...funny. Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan work very well together and the supporting cast isn't too bad either.

With equal parts physical comedy and hilarious jokes, Cop Out is anything but a strike out. Just make sure not to bring the kids to see this one.

The Good - Funny throughout.
The Bad - Lack of deep story.
The Ugly - Jason Lee's chest hair. C'mon Man!

Overall - B

Cop Out is Rated R and is in theaters everywhere.

-Matt