Who Watches The Watchmen? I did.

Watchmen
Director: Zack Synder
Starring: Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffery Dean Morgan & Patrick Wilson
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-fi
Rated: R
Tag line: It's the End of the Superhero As We Know It.
My rating: 4 stars

Plot: After the murder of Edward Blake, a.k.a. The Comedian, masked vigilante Rorschach begins to investigate the death of his old friend. Paranoid that a "mask" killer is out targeting his former partners, he digs deeper into the conspiracy. As the dots begin to connect, mapping what he feared, something more devious is revealed: The plot to kill millions of innocent people.

Review: I'm not going to lie to you: Like every nerd out there in the world who read Watchmen, I was afraid that an adaptation of the movie would fail and ruin the concept of the highly acclaimed graphic novel. Zack Snyder isn't known for his masterpieces - at least in my opinion - as he pretty much destroyed the concept of Dawn of the Dead when he remade it. However, direction of the movie (and the screenplay as well as actors) was more than I anticipated. The movie, in sum, was awesome.

What was known as the unfilmable comic book does not displease those who loved the original concept. Approximately three hours long, the movie isn't for those who have the misguided information that this is in fact a superhero movie. It isn't. Much like the graphic novel, the movie digs deep into the psychologies and philosophies of each independent superhero the film revolves around. From the powerlessness of Dan Dreiberg who never let go of his alter ego, Nite Owl, to the god that closed his eyes concept of Dr. Manhattan. Each actor gives his and her own interpretation to each of the characters, never straying from their true meaning.

I should now take a small side step to let those of you who are planning to take your children to see the movie: Dr. Manhattan is completely naked throughout most of the movie and you get to see him ENTIRELY.

The movie leaves you with the question: What if Superheroes were real? Would they resemble the ones we fictionalized in our comics, or would they be more inclined to be like the ones presented in Watchmen?

Soundtrack
Watchmen OST
Artist: Various
Amazon rating: 4 out of 5 stars
My rating: 4 stars

Even with the shitty My Chemical Romance remake of a classic Bob Dylan song aside, the soundtrack to Watchmen is nothing less than stellar. Featuring artists that have left their mark in the music hall of fame - MCR, aside of course - the music takes you back to a yesteryear when music was good and had significance.

The Watchmen Score is also worth listening to.

W. (2008)

W.
Director: Oliver Stone
Starring: Josh Brolin, Richard Dreyfuss, James Cromwell, Elizabeth Banks, Toby Jones & Ellen Burstyn
Genre: Docudrama
Rated: PG-13
Tag line: Get Ready
Amazon Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
My Rating: 3 stars

Plot: The life of George W. Bush: from his "struggles" growing up and living his father's disproving shadow to his quagmire of a war in Iraq.

Review: It's no secret that former president and war-criminal George W. Bush had no business in politics. His eight-year term went from low approval ratings to high approval ratings to really low approval ratings. Nothing this man ever said amounted to anything other than horse crap. So why didn't I like this movie more? Because Oliver Stone is an opportunist. Knowing that Americans had enough of President Bush's antics, he set out to make a movie, released during an election year in order to remind people what we just went through, as if a reminder needed to be issued. I'm a far cry from being a Bush supporter - I was in high school, but I was stupid in high school (I live in Texas for kristsake) - but this movie was entirely unnecessary.

With that in mind Josh Brolin's portrayal of George W. Bush was more of a caricature of what the man was and is, which plays on our emotions because most of us wish we could undo the last eight years of our history. (On a side note, however, I should add how my girlfriend first thought the movie was a comedy rather than a drama, figuring it was just another spoof movie during an election year.) However, not all the acting was so bad. You have to give it up to Richard Dreyfuss's immortalizing of Dick Cheney - he really did hit on the button. Don't forget James Cromwell's George H. W. Bush, the ever disappointed father of his good-for-nothing son who cops out in the end in order to save face in the Bush name.

The movie was tailor made for a nation who is still mourning the lost of its power - meaning, the power to think for ourselves, as you can see we are very well stocked with war muscle. I suppose if it weren't for the fact that the movie was made too soon, it may have done a better job of recreating a historical blunder.

Religulous (2008)

Religulous
Director: Larry Charles
Starring: Bill Maher
Genre: Documentary
Rated: R
Tag line: Heaven help us.
Amazon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
My Rating: 5 stars

Plot: Writer, comedian and television talk show host Bill Maher travels across the country and the world to debunk the religion mythologies that has plagued the human race for far to long and release us from the shackles of our religious leaders.

Review: Bill Maher is making a call to arms: In order for the human race to continue, religion must die. Over the last few years, several writers and documentary makers have done the same, but no one has ever really taken the in depth look at the insanity that some people of faith hold. From a the brutality of Islam to the out of this world beliefs of the Church of Latter Day Saints to the brutal display of Jesus' final walk at a family friendly theme park, Maher covers it all.

One-to-one interviews, slices of religious propaganda, church services and so on make up the film that shows you the dark side of the "good life." We also reveal how people choose their leaders in the USA - not through skill, intelligence or anything that matters, but through what faith they have (one senator even goes out to say one doesn't have to pass an IQ test to be a senator). This movie comes at the right time, asking those of us too timid to express our true beliefs in nothing but humanity.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Director: Peter Sollett
Starring: Michael Cera & Kat Dennings
Genre: Romantic Comedy/Teen
Rated: PG-13
Amazon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
My Rating: 5 stars

Plot: Nick is still feeling the pangs of lost as his ex-girlfriend, Tris, dumped him on his birthday. In a way to move on - or rather, hold on - to his feelings for her, Nick makes "mixed CDs" which Tris simply disposes of. Enter Norah, a college-bound student, daughter of a famous music producer, dispiser of Tris, who collects the discarded CDs and slowly falling in love with their compiler. Little do either of them know that their paths will cross during a concert of Nick's almost all gay band, The Jerk Offs. While Norah doesn't know that Nick is who is, she introduces him to Tris as her boyfriend. Nick's band mates see an opportunity to erase his mind of Tris through Norah. Music, searching for a drunken friend, heartache, falling in love and getting over old flames all ensure during one wild night of looking for the popular indie band, Where's Fluffy?

Review: Normally, these sort of movies repelled me. But with Michael Cera's success of hooking me into his characters, I gave this one a chance. I wasn't let down. I came in, never once picking up the YA novel in the past - now I'm just tempted. Michael Cera and Kat Dennings's chemistry just works, no doubt about it.

And unlike most movies that deal with the similar subject of boy-loses-girl-then-meets-new girl, this one never has a down point where you begin to wonder why you're watching it in the first place.

It's a must for all music lovers. The selection of the soundtrack is perfectly selected to match the tone of the movie with indie-esque sounding musicians. Hopefully more movies such as this, which will have its place in movie history as the theme is universal, will replace the typical teenage movie that has morphed into a fuckfest of getting laid and raging hormones.

The Wackness (2008)

The Wackness
Director: Jonathan Levine

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Josh Peck, Famke Janssen & Olivia Thirlby
Genre: Drama
Rated: R
Tag line: Sometimes it's right to do the wrong things.
Amazon rating: 4 out of 5 stars
My rating: 5 stars

Plot: It's the summer of 1994 in New York City and Luke Shapiro is a lonely teenager winding down his final summer before college by selling marijuana. He takes advice from his unorthodox therapist, whom he pays with marijuana, while falling in love with Dr. Squires's step-daughter.

Review: It's the sort of thing you never expect to see: A great actor like Ben Kingsley starring besides Josh Peck, of Drake & Josh fame. Skeptics beware, the movie isn't horrible. It's the complete opposite.

Both actors carry the movie. From beginning to end, you are fully aware that the movie is less about the drugs that they both use, and more about the loneliness of human nature. Both characters are grasping onto the fantasy of love, all the while losing grip on the reality of it. While Luke Shapiro falls head over heels for Stephanie, we see the downfall between Dr. Squires and his wife, Kristin.

Jonathan Levine wrote and directed a film so universal that its affect will stay with you for days to come. He knows exactly where to put a joke in order to lighten the mood, all the while never losing the effect of the emotions that go through us during the first and last time we tell someone we love them.

If there is one anthem of a summer, it is definitely found in The Wackness.

The Strangers (2008)

The Strangers
Director: Byran Bertino
Starring: Liv Tylor & Scott Speedman
Genre: Horror, Suspense Thriller
Rated: R (Theatrical version) Unrated (DVD)
Tag line: We tell ourselves there's nothing to fear - but sometimes, we're wrong.
Amazon Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
My Rating: 4 stars

Plot: While staying at a vacation house in the middle of nowhere, a young couple are terrorized by masked assailants.

Review: With the raves for psychological horror movies, I'm sure that The Strangers will be horribly overlooked and insulted by the masses. The feel of the movie alone won't live up to the hype of the neo-slasher flick fans whose canon is made up of Saw, Hostel, and the remakes of Halloween and the soon to be released Friday the 13th.

However, the look at feel of the film is genuine - something out of a 1970's B-horror movie such as The Last House on the Left. The movie starts off immediately, little is left for character development. You never learn the identities of the masked assailants, nor do you get to know you're victims before the torture starts.

The acting is brilliant, as is the direction of the movie. What really gets me, however, is the fact that the killers are of a few words. There isn't a ton of dialogue to build fear in the victims. The fact that they are quiet rather than tormentors of speech makes the movie even more realistic.

Trivia: While the film is marketed as inspired on true events, the movie is completely fictitious. Bryan Bertino does note, however, that the film's inspiration is greatly due to the Manson family murders (true crime book Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murdersby Vincent Bugliosi & Curt Gentry).