| Here's my favorite indoor summer activity: Movie watching. In this section, I'll outline the movies I've seen over the past 1-2 months, and my very brief thoughts on each. Movies do not need to be new, they include DVDs I've rented//borrowed (this is on another page).This section will be constantly updated, 'cause I watch a lot of movies. |
| Ben's Rating Scale: 0 BenStars: Total, Absolute, utter crap. Avoid at all costs. * BenStar: Awful movie ** BenStars: Has a few strong points, but many weak ones as well. *** BenStars: A good movie to see, but it has its flaws **** BenStars: A great movie; has the official Benny seal of approval Yellow Text: Denotes a movie I saw way more than 2 months ago, but deserves some summer watchin'. The Red Giraffe: The best movie I've seen so far this summer. The Red Giraffe award can change if a new movie is, in my opinion, better than the current Red Giraffe Award holder. The Red Giraffe Award cannot be awarded to a "yellow text" movie. |
| Leaf's movie page. Movies I've seen, complete with some "quality" criticism |
| Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (***): I'm not a huge Will Ferrell fan, but I don't hate the guy. Either way, he is hilarious as a 70's goof anchor, Ron Burgundy. The story follows Ron and his news team as they encounter a *gasp aspiring woman anchor, a medieval battle of news teams, lots of cameos, and much more. Look for great performances from Ferrell and from Steve Carell as Brick the weatherman (with an IQ of 48, he's awesome). If you can put up with some stupid scenes, watch this movie. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (***1/2): I can't stop laughing, even when I'm just thinking about this movie. Average Joe's, a gym with a weird group of members, is about to be bought out by Globo Gym, owned by a Ben Stiller character, White Goodman, that rivals Zoolander in goofiness. The only way to save Average Joe's is to enter a dodgeball tournament in Las Vegas. Everyone contributes laughs here, including some crazy cameos which I won't mention. Have fun with this one. Fahrenheit 9/11 (***1/2): A great documentary following the events that occurred after 9/11, and the possible motives behind them. I loved the movie, and everyone (Liberal+Conservative) should see it, as it will spark some major controversy/discussion. It doesn't get that extra half star because it's kind of all over the place. Although it has many good points, it never finds a central argument other than Bush sucks (which is a good argument nonetheless). Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (****): Outstanding adaptation of the third (and darker) Potter Book. Alfonso Cuaron (Y tu mama tambien), the director, does a great job of capturing the darker and moodier side of the series. Great special effects and a very good cast help round out this blockbuster. If you aren't an HPot fan, now's the time to start. Kill Bill Vol.2 (Vol.1)(****): Quentin Tarantino's 4th movie(s), about The Bride, a woman nearly killed at her wedding and the bloody killing spree she then begins two years later to get back at the people who turned against her. An amazing action movie, not for the faint-hearted (VERY bloody), and a must for fans of old-school Kung-Fu flicks. Shrek 2 (****): The pop-culture references alone lend general humor to the movie, but it's the unbelievable animation, superb plot, hilarious jokes, jabs at Disney, and that cutesy lil' Puss-In-Boots that make this my definite fav of the summer and an outstanding sequel. Spider-Man 2 (****): This is one of the best action movies I've ever seen. Period. It manages to combine the standard superhero action with the "normal" life of Peter Parker, to awesome effect. The movie is outstanding becuase we sympathize with the hero and the villian instead of just watching the CG goodness. Plus, the movie manages to make fun of itself, with a hilarious elevator scene ("it rides up in the crotch a bit") and funny/campy Godzilla-style closeups of random pedestrians screaming. Do not miss this movie, you won't be disappointed. Super Size Me (***1/2): What if you ate McDonalds and only McDonalds for 30 days, every meal? Morgan Spurlock answers this disgusting question in an eye-opening documentary exploring the "super sized" American culture and its repercussions. Oh yeah, the grossest part? Every time a McDonalds employee asks, "Would you like to super-size that?" He HAS to say yes. Troy (***): A relatively faithful yet godless recreation of the Illiad. A very good cast (Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Peter O'Toole, etc.) massive, CG battle scenes ($175Million budget) make this a pretty cool, albeit very long movie to see. Van Helsing (*1/2): A flashy monster movie that tries to combine way too many elements (Werewolves+Mr. Hyde+Dracula+Little Mutated Oompa-Loompas=Blah. So blah, in fact, that I almost forgot I even saw it). Only watch if you love the classic monster movies and want to see how these fiends look in current computer generated glory. Or if you think Kate Beckinsale in leather with a fake transylvanian accent is hot (Add 1/2 BenStar if this applies). |
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| Puss in Boots wants you to see as many movies as possible over the summer. And how can you not listen to Puss? |
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| Looks kinda empty, right? Well, that's because all the movies I've seen on DVD have been moved to another page. |