Sticks Pick: at the Movies

Ok, before the football madness gets underway, I wanted to post my first non-sports article. August is one of the most boring sports months of the year, so I might make this an August tradition. I have always been quite the movie connoisseur, so what better than to give my reviews of the summer movies. A quick disclaimer: these are the movies that I wanted to see (so I will not be reviewing Twilight Eclipse.)

Inception- the most anticipated movie of the summer. Chris Nolan had been working on this movie pre-Dark Knight, so my expectations were obviously through the roof. First of all, if you see movies to relax, then this isn’t the movie for you. We’re talking a plot within a plot within a plot. Now, if you like more of the intellectual movies, then this is right up your alley. Starring Hollywood heavyweight Leo DiCaprio, I was expecting good things. The movie’s central theme involves whether or not it is possible to plant ideas in someone’s dreams. Like the matrix, this movie will make you look at things from a different view. It had great action scenes, good plot, and great director, what could go wrong? My only objection to this movie is that in order to fully understand it, you must see it twice. In a time where going to see it once takes a great deal of effort, seeing it twice is just unreasonable. With that in mind, I’d strongly recommend this movie. I just wouldn’t want to miss anything. Sticks Pick: A-

Toy Story 3- growing up in the “Toy Story” era; it was my civil duty to see this movie. And Pixar knew its target audience too, tying in college to the movies main plot. Introducing new characters, Pixar has not skipped a beat. The third Toy Story is as good as the rest, and depending on your taste, maybe even a little better. Warning: the ending of this movie may or not bring a tear to your eye. I wouldn’t want to spoil anything. Sticks Pick: A

The Other Guys- I had the opportunity to see this movie at the luxurious Gold Class Cinema. Now, I will say I was more impressed with the theater than the movie (not always a good sign). An Adam McKay and Will Ferrell movie, how could this not be great? Well, it wasn’t. This was nowhere close to Step Brothers and miles away from Anchorman. While there are some laugh out loud moments, the movie’s plot drags on and on and on… It seemed that they tried way too hard to think up jokes, and it just didn’t seem like natural dialogue. Sad to say, but this is the worst movie of the Ferrell-McKay duo. Wait till it comes out on DVD. Stick’s Pick: B-

The Expendables- the Ultimate Action movie. I’m to the point where I will see anything written and directed by Sly Stallone. At least you know what you’re getting (great action, terrible dialogue). Not to mention, this movie has enough star power to make even the biggest action movies seem under cast. For those who are familiar with Stallone’s Rambo, think of this movie as Rambo V. Same plot, same action, just added some new characters. And arguably, one of the better cameos of the decade by the Govenator himself. Stallone has a great one-liner to Arnold, but I wouldn’t want to ruin it. My opinion is very biased due to my love for action and star power. Stick’s Pick: A

Dinner for Schmucks: This is one of the movie’s that looks great on paper, but fails to perform. Starring two great comedians, Rudd and Carrell, the previews had some promise. Then word got out that it was awful, and my stubborn self didn’t want to believe it. How could Jay Roach (director of Austin Powers and Meet the Parents) deliver a rotten movie (or in movie terms a rotten tomato)? However, I loved the rock star role played by Jermaine Clement (Russell Brand, you can take some notes from Clement). Besides that, the movie was decent but not up to my expectations. Stick’s Pick: C+

Iron Man 2: I’m not sure if this counts as a summer movie, but might as well throw it in. Coming off one of the greatest superhero movies since Dark Knight, this sequel was much anticipated. You can’t go wrong when you have a billionaire playboy as the superhero (see Batman and Iron Man). Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell play excellent bad guys, and I also liked Scarlett Johansson’s addition to the cast.  Robert Downey reprises his role as the great Tony Stark, and Favreau delivers another great movie.  Just like the first one, you must watch until the credits are over in order to see the bonus scene. With that in mind, looking forward to the Avengers next summer. Stick’s Pick: A

MacGruber: Oddly enough, this movie wasn’t bad. In fact, it was quite good. SNL has been struggling to put out a quality movie since Night at the Roxbury, so I was glad to see this had decent reviews. Val Kilmer plays a great bad guy (and seemed to put on about 80 pounds too). Overall, this movie revolves around Will Forte’s shock humor, and is worth the watch. Stick’s Pick: B+

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: I didn’t expect much from this movie, and was pleasantly surprised. This is the best movie I have seen all year (you can mark that down). Although the plot isn’t groundbreaking, the film is very entertaining. Not once did I look at my watch which is extremely rare for me. The film’s fight scenes are enough to please even the die-hard action fan, and there’s enough humor and romance to please all kinds of audiences. The thing that stood out the most for me was the way Edgar Wright (director of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead) made this movie like a video game. This new style of film-making was almost revolutionary, keeping you entertained even at the most mundane parts of the film. So if you like a good graphic novel, good action, or even good romance, this is the film for you. It is safe to say that I was very impressed with the film, and this could be the sleeper movie of the summer. Sticks Pick: A

You might notice that I didn’t give many bad reviews. Unlike movie critics, I see only the movies that interest me, and therefore am rarely disappointed. I know I’ve left a few movies off the list, so I guess you will have to judge those yourselves. You just can’t watch them all. Hope you found these movie reviews to be useful, and stay tuned for more articles soon.