Wish I Was Here

In all of my nearly 25 years, I had never cried in a movie. I had tried several times, when I felt I was close to crying in some sadder scenes, I tried to force tears, yet no tears rolled down my cheek. Until tonight.

Zach Braff's "Wish I Was Here" isn't particularly sad. In fact, it's quite funny. But the reality of being faced with the probability of abandoning your dreams hits close to home, so I found it particularly easy to connect with Braff's character.

Braff plays Aidan Bloom, a husband and a father of two whose family is struggling financially while he attempts to follow his dreams of becoming an actor, but has seen little more than one part in a commercial. All the while, his father stops paying for his grandchildren to go to a Jewish Private School due to financial and health complications in his own life. Aidan takes it upon himself to begin home schooling his children in an unconventional way, while also cleaning up his own life.

With the poor reviews this film has been getting, it makes me wonder. Perhaps I just saw this movie at the right time in my life, or perhaps most film critics are just so cynical, they hate movies that have the audacity to suggest that maybe instead of complaining and feeling sorry for ourselves, we should instead enjoy life as it happens.

"A film that tells us to enjoy life? This is one critic

who wishes he wasn't here." -Cynical Critic, because that's

the stupid shit they say.

This movie is probably not for everyone, and I won't be surprised if a lot of you don't like it or just think that it's OK. But in my non-professional opinion, it was pretty damn good…

I know. That was a very deep statement.

My Grade: B+

Despicable Me 2

I think it's safe to say that the reason the first "Despicable Me" was so popular was because of the minions. The hundreds of little yellow three stooges-esque guys had some of the funniest parts in the last one, and I think the studio got the message. They were a lot more prominent this time around.

In this hilarious sequel, Gru is hired by the Anti-Villain League to find out who has stolen a serum from a lab in Antarctica... actually the whole lab, not just the serum. The serum changes cute, little things into giant, coked out purple monsters! Kind of like if the Incredible Hulk and a crack-head had a child together. Gru sets up surveillance in the local mall and hunts down the villain all while trying to raise his newly adopted daughters, all the while, the minions start to disappear!

They did what to Kevin?!

As with the first one, the real selling points of this movie are the minions. Every scene they have is hilarious and even overshadows Agnes' adorableness. They sing songs on multiple occasions and there is even a cameo of Boyz 2 Minions.

It's been a while since I've seen the first one, but everything I remember about it had to do with the minions. But I can't be sure which one is better.

Honestly, they should drop the whole act with Gru and the girls and just make a movie about the minions. I'd pay to see that. And I don't have to pay.

Overall, this was a fun movie. Anyone who saw this, did you notice the "World War Z" nod towards the end? Or am I crazy?

My Grade: B

The Sessions

There are some roles that I can imagine are very difficult to portray for actors. Roles that require the character to be mentally or physically disabled are among them. For mentally impaired characters, you don't want to, pardon the reference to Tropic Thunder, go "full retard". If the actor does not have a mental disability, then  doing so could seem comedic to some. Playing a blind character, you have to pretty much turn your eyes off and playing a character with any other physical disability, you have to not use the limbs that are affected.

In The Sessions, John Hawkes transforms himself into a man with a severe case of polio that has deteriorated the muscles throughout his body, taking away expressions through body language.

Based on a true story, John Hawkes plays Mark O'Brien, a writer who is confined to a guerny. Mark us asked to write a column on the sex lives of people with physical disabilities. Never having experienced sex himself, Mark hires a sex therapist to whom he loses his virginity. But, being a poet, Mark finds it difficult to separate romance from the sessions with his therapist and finds himself falling in love with her.

John Hawkes gives the performance of his career thus far in this heart warming and inspiring movie about a man wanting nothing but a sense of normalcy. Although I doubt it will get much publicity this coming award season, I feel it deserves many nods for its superb acting.

Go see this movie.

My Grade: A

Dredd

Action movies are kind of a grey area for me. If they take themselves to seriously, I don't tend to like them. When they take themselves to seriously, it feels like they are trying to be something more than the are. Mindless action movies should be just that. Mindless. Which is more fun.

You can turn your brain off for Dredd and still have fun.

In a nuclear radiated future where nearly all land is uninhabitable, there is a Mega-city the stretched from Boston to Washington D.C. In this city, there is chaos. Gangs run the streets. The only justice there is are Judges. They are Judge, Jury and Executioner. Judge Dredd is one of the best. He is given the task of training a Rookie Judge who has psychic abilities.

When they go to investigate a triple homicide at the Peach Trees tower, they are met by a new gang. The Ma-Ma Gang. This gang makes and distributes SLO-MO. A drug that makes the brain feel as though time is traveling at 1% it's normal speed. Mama, the leader of the gang, holds the entire tower hostage promising not to open the 12 steel walls and doors until someone brings the two Judges to her, dead. Judge Dredd and the rookie must fight off the entire block.

This is a remake of the 1995 movie Judge Dredd, starring Sylvester Stallone. I haven't seen that one, but I can't imagine it being better than this. That's right, it is possible for a remake to be better than the original.

This movie is a fun movie, filled with violence and bad one-liners. But the thing that makes this movie good is that it feels like the filmmakers had fun making it. They didn't take themselves to seriously and they didn't want the audience to take it to seriously. How could you take it seriously when the main character has the biggest frown in the world on? I didn't even know it was possible to frown like this!

Dredd will have you smiling through the whole movie. It is great entertainment.

My Grade: B+