I Can't Believe You Haven't Seen American Psycho

What a creepy movie.  Christian Bale stars in the 2000 horror murder movie American Psycho, which is known as one of the best films of all time to capture the psycho-serial killer genre.

Story:
Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is a young, wealthy, investment banking executive who enjoys his money, exercising, drinking with his friends, purchasing prostitutes, and on the side he enjoys murdering people.  Bateman is a perfectionist, he keeps his body in perfect condition by maintaining a daily workout regimen, and using distinct facial and bodily products to achieve the best looking appearance that he can.  He makes sure that he never has a hair out of place, and he strives to be the best at everything, even down to having the nicest business card among his friends.  Most importantly, he is a total a-hole.  He and his friends treat women like items to be used and disposed of, they address anyone that isn't a client like their subordinate, and to top it all off Patrick enjoys brutally chopping people to death.

Some anti-heroes are fun to root for, like Walter White in Breaking Bad, or Tony Soprano in The Sopranos.  But Patrick Bateman is only an anti-hero in title, because there is nothing heroic about him.  Although he has a good taste in music, he is straight up mentally imbalanced, in the most evil way.  The way he thoughtlessly kills people is one thing, but the most hatable aspect of his character is the way he treats people, the fact that he's a murderer is an afterthought compared to this.  He has a fiancee that he consistently cheats on.  He purchases prostitutes and treats them like trash (only before eventually killing them).  And he generally has a a lot of hate building up in his mind for the people he's interacting with.

That's actually one of the coolest parts of this movie, is being inside Patrick's head while he's analyzing a situation and trying to make up his mind of how to kill someone.  His conniving personality is entrancing in the way he weaves lies that everyone around him believes because on paper, he is a successful man that seems trustworthy.

Characters:
Christian Bale deserves an Oscar for this performance.  The crazy that he brings out in a terrifying, but sometimes humorous way was addictive to watch.  It's always impressive when an actor can do an accent for an entire film.  Considering Bale is British, and was able to do not just a convincing American accent, but also a Wall Street, frat boy, douchebag kind of accent was fun to see.

Patrick is so evil, so crazy, but the way Bale became this character to maintain his humanity in public was very impressive.  And Bale basically carries the entire movie, Josh Lucas, Reese Witherspoon, Jared Leto and Willem DeFoe all have minor roles but they are all just meant to play off Bale.

Cinematography:
Director Mary Harron does a great job of weaving this creepy story together.  The film is shot in a way that always has you on the edge of your seat, but doesn't rely on jump scares and distorted shots to scare you.  Casting Christian Bale was the condition that sets this movie apart, I don't know that it would have worked without him.  Overall this film was fun and scary, a great character piece that ws compelling from start to finish.

 OVERALL GRADE: 7.3/10

I Can't Believe You Haven't Seen Wet Hot American Summer

Amy Poehler and Bradley Cooper in
  Wet Hot American Summer

David Wain's 2001 film Wet Hot American Summer is the definition of a cult classic.  Sometimes a movie becomes a cult classic because it didn't have a wide release, there weren't enough big names involved, it's a very niche film or it's just plain weird.  Wet Hot American Summer is a healthy combination of all of these, emphasis on the weirdness.  With the prequel series produced by Netflix recently being released, this comedy has been brought back to the light, an we should all be thankful that it has.

Story:
Wet Hot American Summer is all over the place.  There is no coherent plot, but it focuses around the tribulations of many wacky camp counselors as they wrap up their summer on the last day of camp.  The comedy is very meta at times and very childish at other times.  This movie bounces between sophisticated, witty dialogue, and run of the mill fart jokes.  In general the film feels like a sketch comedy show more than an actual movie, which is good because it plays to the strengths of the actors who star.

Characters:
This film has a lot of characters, some who are very likable, and others that are simply there for the gags.  But what is most fun about this movie is going back and seeing some very famous actors at the beginning of their careers.

Michael Showalter co-wrote the film and plays
the character of Coop

This movie features Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, Christopher Meloni, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, and many other comedians that all came together early in their careers to make this film.  As an audience member you can feel how much fun it must have been for all these funny people to get together and make what is definitely a passion project.

The film mostly focuses on Michael Showalter's character Coop, who is you average nice guy, and the only one who is actually a good camp counselor.  He cares about the kids and looks after their feelings because he can relate to their over-romanticized outlook on life.

The real laughs come from Paul Rudd's character Andy.  Andy is a terrible camp counselor, accidentally letting two kids drown (in a dark, humorous way) because he was too busy flirting with other counselors and campers.  Seeing Rudd play what is supposed to be a 'bad boy' is fun because he plays it in such a dry, ironic way.

Cinematography:

Paul Rudd and Elizabeth Banks

David Wain is not very well known.  Wet Hot American Summer is probably his most notable piece of work, and even that took a few years to gain notoriety.  He has a very niche style of comedy and storytelling, which some people will like and others despise.  Overall I think this movie was ahead of it's time.  Presently, the meta and dry, awkward humor has caught on more thanks to shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation, both of which you can tell draw their roots from comedy like Wain's.  It is also evident that this style of humor has left an impact on the actors, as people like Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd continue to make movies and TV shows with such niche comedy.  This was a fun movie, not very groundbreaking or particularly memorable, but culturally important because of it's uniqueness and many differences to mainstream comedy.

Christopher Meloni before his fame on Law and Order: SVU

OVERALL GRADE: 6.2/10

I Can't Believe You Haven't Seen Jerry Maguire

1996.  The United States hosted the Summer Olympics, Mad Cow Disease was running rampant and Eric Clapton was still relevant.  All pale in comparison to the cultural milestone that occurred when Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger gave us the romantic comedy Jerry Maguire. Directed by Cameron Crowe, this is more than just a Valentine's Day release, run of the mill Zac Efron RomCom.  This is a nuanced story with performances that will knock you off your feet, which is why it remains a 90's gem and one of the most quotable films of all time.

Story:

Tom Cruise as Jerry Maguire in his
iconic "Show me the money" scene

Tom Cruise stars as the titular character in this film, an L.A. sports agent who has it all: a great job, money, a beautiful fiancé, cars, friends - you name it, he had it.  The story, being narrated by Cruise's character Jerry, begins with a voiceover monologue of Jerry having a euphoric experience during which he writes an extensive mission statement about bringing integrity back to the business he works in.  In Jerry's case, he believes that himself and his fellow agents can be better human beings if they take on less clients and focus more on relationships with the athletes instead of the money they can usurp from them.

Jerry sends his mission statement to everyone at his agency where he is greeted with a standing ovation for his bravery and integrity, and then promptly fired for proposing a strategy that involves making less money.  The scene when Jerry is fired is m favorite Tom Cruise moment of all time.  Singing 'You've Lost That Loving Feeling' in Top Gun is a close second, but Cruise's unhinged, borderline crazy plea for his coworkers to join him at his new agency is some of the best acting from a man who is usually a one-note action star. Not to mention the iconic scene just before in his office talking to his biggest client Rod Tidwell (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.), during which Rod implores Jerry to "show me the money."

In the process of starting his new agency, Jerry partners up with Dorothy Boyd (played by Renee Zellweger), a former receptionist at Jerry's agency and his secret admirer of his mission statement and his good looks.  She and her son Ray (played by an 8 year old Jonathan Lipnicki) get to know Jerry and help him get through the crisis of losing all of his clients (with the exception of Rod) and trying to get back on his feet.  This turns into a romantic relationship between Jerry and Dorothy, but not your typical romance. Jerry is in many ways forced into the relationship because his sexual desires for Dorothy eventually turn into pity because of her situation as a single mother who is not very trusting of men.  It's a great twist on the usual RomCom because you really don't want these characters to get together.  As a viewer you can tell Dorothy just wants to give Ray a father, and Jerry just felt obligated to stick around, but neither of them really loved the other.

It's an interesting depiction on the hasty nature of humans when we experience change.  Jerry admired Dorothy's loyalty when they were fired, and since his circle of influences was lacking loyalty up until then, he quickly fell in "love."  Now of course, it is still a romantic comedy, so of course it's going to have a nice clean ending.  Normally this would be stale and repetitive.  But the fact that Tom Cruise can convincingly say "you complete me" without getting an audible laugh from the audience, and Renee Zellweger can do the same with "You had me at hello" speaks to the genuine acting that these characters were given.

Cuba Gooding Jr. stars alongside Tom Cruise as
 Arizona Cardinal Wide Receiver Rod Tidwell

Characters:
As I mentioned above, Tom Cruise acts his face off in this movie.  He breaks his usual mold of the good looking guy who beats up some henchmen and saves the day.  Instead he's the good looking guy who has a nervous breakdown, is a little bit of an a-hole, but manages to save the day even surprising himself.  In addition to his 'Show me the money scene,' the scene in Dorothy's living room when Jerry is drunk and monologging while swinging around a fire pick is a masterclass in Tom Cruise nuances. It's amazing how Tom Cruise can basically play himself in every movie, but it is always a different performance.  Cruise's chemistry with Jonathan Lipnicki is one of the best aspects of this film, as Cruise is amused but consistently creeped out by this cute and mutant-esque little boy.  Remember, the average human head weighs eight pounds!

Cuba Gooding Jr. won an Oscar for his performance as Rod Tidwell, and deservedly so.  Gooding Jr. is a straight up mad man in this movie, perfectly capturing the kind of crazy it takes to be a professional athlete and the toll that the pressures of that career can have on a man.  The best scenes with Rod were always watching him interact with either his wife or Jerry.  Tidwell's wife is equally as crazy and self-centered as him (in a lovable way), and his constant questioning of Jerry's methods is a fun character trait considering Rod trusts Jerry implicitly.

Renee Zellweger stars as Dorothy Boyd

I'll be honest, I never really liked Renee Zellweger.  I've never seen many of her movies, but of the ones I have I always just thought of her a a run of the mill, romantic second fiddle.  Renee Zellweger owns this movie, and her character is the most fun in the film.  Dorothy is sweet, down on her luck, and always feeling sorry for herself.  But she is always making fun of herself and making light of what she would describe as her own incompetence.  That's why when opportunities come along for her, she convinces herself that she deserves to capitalize on them because she has suffered long enough, which as an audience we agree.

Cinematography:
Cameron Crowe does a great job organizing and shooting this film.  The football scenes all look great, reminiscent of a true football movie like Remember the Titans or Friday Night Lights, and the interaction among the characters is all captured beautifully and intentionally.  The movie was edited well, it never drags and is always teetering between dramatic, hilarious, or grueling scenes embroiled with tension.

Jerry (Tom Cruise) explains to Ray (Jonathan Lipnicki) why
he should never say the f-word

What this movie does especially well is it plays to it's strengths.  It is unique because there had never been a movie about this cool industry, and it gives depth to it's characters who are portrayed by actors that knock it out of the park.  It's a crime that I had never seen this movie until now, as it has quickly become one of my all-time favorites.







OVERALL GRADE: 9.3/10

I Can't Believe You Haven't Seen Pulp Fiction

1994 was an extremely formative year for me, I experienced some of life's greatest milestones in that year.  Milestones including being born, smiling for the first time, rolling over for the first time and pooping my pants for the first (but not last) time.  So as an infant learning all of these new exciting things about life, I didn't have time to get to the movie Theater and see Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction.  Pulp fiction is consistently ranked among the greatest movies of all time, so it was a long time coming that I finally sat down and watched this masterpiece.

John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson star in Pulp Fiction

Story:
Pulp Fiction is a complex film because it really doesn't have a cohesive plot.  Instead it is a collection of stories focusing around compelling characters that eventually intertwine.  And it's the characters that keep this movie interesting, because without the masterfully crafted dialogue this movie would be an absolute snooze.  The plot never really feels like it's going anywhere, which I disliked until the very last scene of the third act, when the multiple chapters finally converged.  This plot device made the payoff so much sweeter, because the characters, who are smart and cool and fun on their own, thrive when they are interacting with each other and exposing the different facets of their personalities.

Tarantino does a good job of trusting his audience to appreciate and take note of such subtle characterizations, which drive the plot in a controlled humorous way.  There are definitely some dark, borderline vulgar themes in this film.  But not dark in the sense that Tarantino was trying to make a gritty crime drama, more so in a way that exposes the ugliness of the world, and sometimes it's best just to laugh at it.

Characters:
As I mentioned above, it is the characters that make this film so great.  Vincent Vega (played by John Travolta) is a soft-spoken, cold-blooded killer for hire.  But his willingness to kill isn't one out of blood lust, it is more a by-product of him never trying or being good at anything else.  He got into business with the dangerous Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames), and has since been tied to his bidding.  The reason he can't get out, and often how he deals with these inhibitions, is a crippling heroin addiction.  Vincent is partners with Jules Winnfield (Played by Samuel L. Jackson), who is one of the most fascinating characters ever put to film.

Samuel L. Jackson plays Jules Winnfield

Jules is Vincent's equal in terms of his willingness and ability to kill, but is still a devout Christian and God-fearing man.  Jules is looking for his place in the world in proportion to his God some divine occurrences that are infused into the story.  The only complaint I have about Pulp Fiction is that I wish we spent more time with Jules.  His confliction between being an obedient servant of the Lord and an obedient employee of Marsellus Wallace is such a coercive characterization, and it seems like what we learn about this man is very limited, but that's another mysterious aspect about him that makes him an imperative addition to film history.

Cinematography:

Quentin Tarantino

This movie would have been a flop with anyone but Quentin Tarantino at its helm.  Tarantino has such a way with creative writing and bringing amazing characters to life.  He is one of the most passionate directors in Hollywood in terms of trusting his own vision, and because he operates out of his own studio, he can have full control over the story and characterizations without any executive interference, which is evident in the way this movie flows.  Tarantino gets the most out of his actors by giving them a clear window into the brain of the character, and he shoots in such a way that often no words are required to tell the story.  The unorthodox story structure of Pulp Fiction is one of the unique quirks that will keep this movie fresh and re-watchable for years to come.


OVERALL GRADE: 9.1/10

I Can't believe You Haven't Seen Mission: Impossible

The year is 1996, I am a 2 year old boy living in in Mushroom Country, Pennsylvania.  Unfortunately for me, 2 year old suburban infants did not fall into the demographic audience that Director Brian De Palma was targeting with his revolutionary film Mission: Impossible.  I was at the appropriate age to see Mission: Impossible III, MI: Ghost Protocol, and MI: Rogue Nation when they were released in theaters, and I loved all three, but until now I had never seen the original project that kicked off this worldwide spy phenomenon.


Tom Cruise stars as Ethan Hunt in all 5 installments of the Mission: Impossible franchise

 Story:
It's no secret that The Mission: Impossible series, in many ways, was meant to be the American version of James Bond.  But this is in no way a cheap knock off of the renowned British secret agent, it is something completely different and the franchise has its own unique quirks that make it so iconic, and everything it has become stems from the roots planted in this first installment.  Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise), is in the prime of his espionage career working as a spy for IMF, or the Impossible Missions Force.  Hunt is part of a team consisting of a computer hacker, an escape driver, two field agents, and Hunt's mentor and team leader Jim Phelps (played by Jon Voight).  The IMF team is sent to Prague to stop the theft of a NOC List that contains the names of all government uncover agents that have been implanted around the world.  Unfortunately the mission goes south, and Ethan is the only survivor, making him a wanted man in the eyes of IMF, as they believe he was a terrorist mole and betrayed his team.  Ethan sets out to retrieve the NOC List, clearing his name in the process.

The story is a compelling first chapter to the franchise.  We are introduced to Ethan, and get to spend a lot of time with him figuring out the mysteries with him as he seeks his redemption.  It's interesting to watch a film that, at the time, was extremely advanced technologically and culturally.  Computers were only just becoming a fixture of society in 1996, and Mission: Impossible incorporated them immensely in the plot, but the hardware and software is very noticeably early 90's tech which dates the film but in a charming, nostalgic way.  The first scene is Jon Voight's character sitting on an airplane, and he has just received a message containing his next mission that will then "self-destruct in 5 seconds".  The tape deck starts smoking, so to cover it up Voight pulls out a cigarette and lights it.  It's very clever writing, but what's crazier is thinking about film and flying before 9/11.  This guy is just casually smoking a cigarette on a plane in an attempt to NOT draw attention to himself.  Culturally this film is so different from its sequels which kept the movie fresh and entertaining, and the plot was carefully crafted in a way that consistently kept me engaged.

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and Jim Phelps (Jon Voight)
during the film's climactic scene

Characters:
Hollywood is filled with celebrities.  There are great actors like Daniel Day-Lewis and Tom Hanks, there are funny comedians like Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd, and there are performers like Michael Fassbender and Brad Pitt who try to dabble in a little bit of everything.  Hollywood has a lot of celebrities, but what it's missing now-a-days is movie stars.  Straight up, blockbuster bashing, charismatic, movie-stars, who keep the industry fun and alive with their huge roles.  Chris Pratt is getting there, and an argument could be made for Robert Downey Jr. being the best example we currently have, but neither of them compare to Tom Cruise in his prime.

Tom Cruise just knows how to make a fun, action-packed movie.  And the reason I call him a movie star rather than just an actor is because he can just be himself in any scenario and it makes for an awesome movie.  That's not to say that he can't act, Tom Cruise acts his butt off in movies like Jerry McGuire and Minority Report, but what's so fun about the Mission Impossible franchise is Cruise's addictive personality that continues to draw us in.  This is surprisingly a very character-driven film, contrary to the reputation of spy thrillers as being all explosions and sex scenes.  We as an audience get to spend a great amount of time with the character of Ethan Hunt, as he faces betrayal, grief, and the revelation that he would be on the run for the rest of his life.  Also, Ethan doesn't fire a gun once in this movie, and only once or twice has to fight someone hand-to-hand, a trend that changed as this series has evolved.  But Tom Cruise makes this one of the smartest installments in the franchise by conveying a desperation that can only be solved with brains, not brawn.

Jon Voight, on the other hand, was an underwhelming villain, a struggle that this franchise faces in basically all its movies (with the exception being Philip Seymour-Hoffman in MI:III).  It's an emotional betrayal considering he was once Ethan's mentor and friend and then tries to kill him, but honestly he's not present in most of the movie and his motives were never that well fleshed out.  Jon Voight is an amazing actor so he plays the part in a menacing and fraudulent manner, but sometimes it comes across as too fast a change in his character arc and you never really get the sense as to who he is as a villain.

Cinematography:
Like many of the cultural references in this film, it is apparent that this is a 90s movie.  It is a little dated in terms of the way it is shot, and sometimes the transitions and uses of music are a little slow and awkward.  Otherwise, the movie does a great job of holding on to your attention for its duration.  It is smart, the dialogue was natural and not too contrived, and Brian De Palma created some of the most iconic sequences in film history, such as the scenes with masks, and Tom Cruise dangling from the ceiling when he retrieves the NOC List.  Overall, Mission: Impossible was a fantastic start to a franchise that has improved and changed throughout its run.  The series has had a different director for each movie, which makes each one unique and fun to watch over and over, but without the original and its grand success, the franchise would've been dead in the water.  Tom Cruise owns his role of Ethan Hunt, and Brian De Palma masterfully weaves this spy thrilling story into a compelling narrative for the audience to enjoy.

OVERALL GRADE: 7.2/10

Information Sharing Websites I Frequent:

1. International Movie Database
The International Movie Database, more frequently referred to as IMDb, is an appropriate website to start with as this is a film review-style blog.  IMDb provides information on every professional or semi-professional story ever put to film or television dating back to 1878's The Horse in Motion all the way through to films that are currently in production, some not even to be released until 2020.  It is the perfect mechanism of research for film history, news in the industry, and user-friendly critical reviews.  Personally, I enjoy the trivia section of the website, which provides interesting, lesser known details of the production of certain films, the life of an actor, and thousands of other facets of the industry that would otherwise be masked to the eye of the audience.  From Charlie Chaplin to Steven Spielberg, from Casablanca to The Avengers, from Cheers to House of Cards and everything in between, IMDb is a useful portal to the vastness of Hollywood and the filmmaking industry.

2. The Associated Press
Occasionally referred to as "The Marine Corps of journalism" due to their mantra of "first in, last out" regarding broadcasting, The Associated Press is a reliable news source that other news outlets will look to in times of breaking news.  The AP is a breath of fresh air compared to many major news sources because they pride themselves on avoiding bias while maintaining integrity in their pursuit of a story. Part of their mission statement says "we abhor inaccuracies, carelessness, bias or distortions", which is promising because a journalist who hates doing his job poorly is a powerful force in society, and hopefully a positive one.

3. Deadspin
Deadspin is a blog started in 2005 by Will Leitch, which has now grown to a formidable sports news outlet.  Deadspin has famously broken stories in the past, such as Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend, as well as Brett Favre's alleged sexual misconduct in 2010.  What sets Deadspin apart is that it considers itself a comedic website before a news source.  This doesn't mean their content is inaccurate, it just means the writers don't hold their opinions back when analyzing the behavior of athletes, fans, commentators, or really anyone in the public eye.  Being a blog, Deadspin never censors itself, which makes it an entertaining read in addition to the fact that they keep regular updates coming from all arenas of sports.  Also, because of its comedic origin, Deadspin doesn't just limit itself to sports.  Although athletics are its focus, the writers expand to politics, pop culture, music, and really anything that can be made fun of, which means their potential for stories is unlimited.

4. Nerdist
The Nerdist Podcast was started by Chris Hardwick in 2011 and has since grown into a division of Legendary Pictures.  What started as a podcast is now an interactive website that is home to said podcast, as well as a premium content YouTube channel, a broadcast news division, and a print news division.  Nerdist focuses on news in the film and television industry, but also investigates and reports on upcoming annual technology updates and scientific advancements.  The website has thrived in appealing to the "nerd zeitgeist" that has become so popular in the last decade, capitalizing especially on the many movie franchises that continue to grow and require immense attention and speculation.

5. FiveThirtyEight
FiveThirtyEight is a journalistic website founded by Nate Silver, a widely known statistician and mathematical analyst.  Because of Silver's influence, all articles published on the website are very fact-driven and cite statistics frequently and the reliability of those statistics.  Along with that, there is a blog running in conjunction with the major stories to analyze and dissect what has been presented in the articles.  FiveThirtyEight thrives during presidential political seasons, as they dig deep into the numbers and figures thrown out by politicians during their campaigns, and inform their readers o the validity of the claims.  It was during the 2008 presidential campaign that FiveThirtyEight became a licensed feature of The New York Times.  FiveThirtyEight has won numerous awards for its reporting, and is a reliable news source with an aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate website.