500 Days of Summer

500 Days of Summer is a story about love, not an actual love story. Presented with a documentary style, 500 Days is the story of Tom, a man who works at a card company who always believed that he would never be happy until he finds “the one”. It is also about Summer, a woman who does not want to ever be in a relationship, who meets Tom. All of this information is told through the narrator, who successfully gives the movie a documentary like feel. The narrator is a bit creepy however, as for he does give us a lot of information about Summer, giving me the impression that he used to be her stalker.

The premise of 500 Days of Summer is pretty uninteresting, but it introduces a twist that distinguishes it from other romantic comedies. It is not the plot, but the way the story is told that makes it such a unique experience. The story is told through flashbacks and flash-forwards, as for the movie starts at day 488, and then goes back to day 250, where it then goes back further to day 1. The movie never seems to have any pattern, but just shows the most significant dates, meaning that you won’t be going through a detailed 500 day diary of how his relationship went. ( THANK GOD!!!) Other unique points would come from the fact that the film seems to have PERFECT comedic timing, leading to one of the FUNNIEST romantic comedies I have seen in years.

The acting is solid, as for none of the characters are very unique, however,it does well for what it has. The most interesting characters has definitely got to be Tom’s friend, brother and sister, as for they all seem to be just your average movie sidekicks. They usually have little influence on the story, and are just their to make you laugh. (And what a great job the film does at that.)

500 Days of Summer is an experience that many romantic comedies will never match up to. While it does have an interesting premise, the execution is perfect and unique, as for it offers unique story telling, a SHOCKING ending, great supporting characters, and a creepy narrator who successfully give this film a documentary like feel. If you have any humanity at all, please watch and enjoy this movie.

Random Movie of the Week: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

One of my favorite movies to come out during the golden age of 1939, has definitely got to be Frank Capra’s finest, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Having seen this movie recently, I realized that the timing can’t be any more perfect, for incidents of corruption in our government have been numerous recently(Blagojevich, Stevens, etc). Mr. Smith Goes to Washington scared the crap out of many people, because of it’s depiction of a government that could easily be influenced by corrupt politicians who are in positions of great power. In fact, this depiction scares the hell out of me, as for it shows how fragile democracy is and the results if the power of democracy is abused.

The death of a Senator Sam Foley has governor Hubert Hopper (Guy Kibbee)looking for a new Senator. Unfortunately, his corrupt political boss, Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold), wants him to choose a handpicked stooge while the public wants him to choose a reformer. When he finally makes a decision, he decides to choose Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), a naive and inexperienced Senator, who has the ideas of a true reformer. It is through his experience as a Senator, where he discovers the corruption of the government.

What makes Mr. Smith Goes to Washington such a great movie, is the fact that it accurately depicts corruption in Washington. It also portrays the senate as human beings rather than perfect beings, which really is something that series and films like The Bourne Series, State of Play, and many other political thrillers and dramas would take inspiration from.

For those who are interested in politics, this is a film that you must watch. What makes this such an appropriate film, is the fact that many politicians have been discovered to be involved with corruption. Let this film remind us how fragile democracy is.

Angels and Demons (7 Angels out of 10)

Having watched the Angels and Demon's predecessor, The Da Vinci Code, I did not expect this one to be remotely good, or interesting for that matter. The flaws of The Da Vinci Code was probably its ludicrous and EXTREMELY dull story, to storytelling that made the movie make no sense what-so-ever. So my expectations for this movie where extremely low. But when I actually got around to watching the movie, I had an extremely pleasant surprise.

The movie revolves around Robert Langdon as he investigates the capture of 4 Vatican members by a terrorist group called the Illuminati, who are bent on destroying the Vatican City with an Anti Matter Bomb. Tom Hanks does return as Robert Langdon, and his performance is average, if a little bland at times. The story is also something of a complete opposite of it's predecessor. While The Da Vinci Code was hard to understand and dull, Angels and Demons is interesting and easier, if still a little hard, to understand.

The story has Robert Langdon attempting to save these church members, by running around in a few of the locations around The Vatican City. Each location has many puzzles for some reason, and usually has Langdon pointing at an area and explaining what the answer to the mysterious puzzle is. The flaw in the movie that stops it from rising above other films, is the lack of sense this movie makes, as Langdon somehow has the brains to figure out puzzles that are not only implausible, but make no sense what so ever. While this flaw damages the image of Angels and Demons, it doesn't deliver fatal blows to this otherwise enjoyable and riveting movie.

Angels and Demons is a film that is not only enjoyable, but also riveting and horrifying at times. It is only damaged by one aspect, a ludicrous plot that you may find to be a little weird, but it's an unforgettable experience that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Star Trek (10 Warps out of Ten) (The Best Movie of 2009)

Having pretty much been a Trekkie most of my life, I was naturally excited by this movie. I wasn't expecting it to be a masterpiece, but I did expect it to be at least good. What I got was not only great, but what I would also call a mind blowing experience.

Star Trek starts off with an opening scene that shows the birth of James T. Kirk, the death of his father, and certain events that lead to extremely cool looking battles, that are not only bad-ass, but keep you at the edge of your seat. I usually don't give movies credit for cool looking effects, but these are not cool-looking effects, these are the best visual effects I have seen in any Sci Fi Movie. The action sequences are not only chaotic, but so freakin intense, that I was actually awed by the scale of these battles.

The plot follows the story of James T. Kirk, before he became Captain of the enterprise. What really does stand out is the characters. Each character has a personality that gives them a sense of realism. Kirks rebelious hate of being told what to do, McCoy's constant sense of negativity, and Spock's constant problems with hiding emotions, breathes life into these characters.

Star Trek, is a phenomenom that completely changed the culture of our world. The original series may have not gotten the attention it deserved, but the series sparked 5 new series, and a dozen movies that really made this franchise successful. This movie, is clearly the high point of the franchise. It has an extremly well done story with well done characters that engage in the most bad ass action scenes ever. Regardless of your knowledge of this franchise, this is a movie that you shouldn't pass up.

Waterloo Records 9/10 (Great Place to Buy Music)

Austin is known as "The Live Music Capital of the World". With many concerts and music festivals, denying this would be impossible. Austin's culture revolves around the creation and distribution of music. So me, not being such a fan of concerts or music festivals, decided to locate a record shop. My search led me to the famous Waterloo Records, and it was not in vain. As I declare, that Waterloo Records is the best record shop in Austin From an extensive library, to the amazing prices, Waterloo Records is the main area to buy music.