Gone Girl

Expectations:

Oscar season is here, folks! No more mediocrity... No more superheroes... Not quite as much mindless movie-watching... The world is a better place! And, to start it all off, we get an exciting film from the great David Fincher... Gone Girl. Add the excitement for Gone Girl to the amazing MLB Playoff games and the insane College Football weekend, and the last few days have really been quite impressive (from an entertainment perspective). Not that entertainment is the answer to every world problem, but nobody needs to be thinking about ISIS all of the time. Although I knew very little about what would unfold in Gone Girl's thrilling plot, my expectations were relatively high, due to the praise that the film is receiving and the fact that David Fincher is an amazing filmmaker. If you've never seen The Social Network, I forbid you to watch another film until you have done so. Now that we have that out of the way, let's talk about Gone Girl...

Plot:
The complexity of the trickery used throughout Gone Girl was absolutely thrilling. While the whodunnit could have been guessed at any point, there is no doubt that uncertainty would have prevailed. But, looking back on how I felt during the film, the biggest problem was that I didn't know if I could actually trust the answer to the whodunnit. Unfortunately, I think that struggle took away a bit from the revelation. However, the events that followed were so complex and thrilling that I could care less. The direction of the unfolding of the story was great, and I think the story was meant to be visualized by David Fincher. If you've never truly appreciated a director and what he or she brings to the plate in the filmmaking world, just watch Gone Girl's thrilling murder scene (also note the amazing score). That's all I can give you without spoiling everything.

Characters:
Well, let's just get down to business...

Negatives:
While Neil Patrick Harris's Desi Collings was a necessary and interesting character, I don't know that Harris was the perfect casting decision. He certainly played the character how it was meant to be played, but there was just something that wasn't quite satisfying about his performance, in my opinion. The only character that I thought was a bit misused was Emily Ratajkowski's Andie Hardy, who I cannot really discuss. Just think about it, once you figure out who she is...

Positives:
Where to start?... How about with the lovely couple! Ben Affleck's Nick and Rosamund Pike's Amazing Amy were absolutely great characters, and each of their performances were spot-on. Unfortunately, I can't talk about them too much, but be sure to let me know what you think! On a much, much smaller scale, I was greatly impressed with Scoot McNairy's performance as Tommy O'Hara. This guy has huge star-potential. He will win an Oscar, one day... Just wait and see!

My absolute favorite character, however, was Kim Dickens' Detective Rhonda Boney, who I truly anticipated that I would HATE. Her attitude annoyed the crap out of me in the trailers, but she ended up being such an amazing example of sound justice. Add to that the fact that there were crazy people running all around her, and she may just look like the most sane character of 2014.

Conclusion:
Well, if you want to quit worrying about the "problems of the world," I would suggest watching Gone Girl. Trust me, your worries will quickly refocus on your neighbors' home or maybe even YOUR VERY OWN BEDROOM! Honestly, I can't remember the last time I was so baffled at the psyche of one character. While the character in question is much different, the unbelievably real and frightening reactions of this character brought me back to the bafflement that overcame me while watching Theodore Twombly in Her. The likelihood that anybody else had that connection is minimal, but I thought it should be shared. Throughout the film, when I thought a silver lining was on its way, the clouds quickly darkened.  Of course, this review has been fairly vague, in order to avoid spoiling the film, but I will say that I was on the edge of my seat throughout. If you enjoy any of David Fincher's mystery thrillers, you are sure to enjoy Gone Girl. If you have somehow managed to avoid watching any of Fincher's mystery thrillers, Gone Girl would be a great place to start (only because The Social Network is not really a mystery). The last few months of 2014 are sure to be filled with exciting films, and I hope that many of them can measure up to this awesome, awesome film. I give Gone Girl 4.02 out of 5 stars. 

A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas

Expectations:
I don't know about you, but I love Harold and Kumar. They are undoubtedly the funniest potheads, this side of Cheech and Chong. But, even more than that, I freakin love Christmas movies. It is certainly a weakness of mine. Now, what could make Harold and Kumar better than a little bit of Christmas cheer? The answer: a little bit of dirty, Christmas hilarity. As I said, I do love these guys, but I was a little skeptical of how far they could really take the series of films. Sure, people watch, but Harold and Kumar aren't as important to society as people like The Hangover guys. Nevertheless, they press forward, using a brilliantly creative theme.... CHRISTMAS!!! I didn't expect this movie to be the greatest of all time, but I really wanted to see how much they could pick at traditional Christmas movies and 3D.

Plot:
The biggest surprise of the entire movie was the fact that there actually was a plot! If my blog would have existed when the first two films hit theaters, this entire section would be empty. The first two films were filled with random, funny, dope-smoking moments that somehow became a movie. This film actually taught a lesson: don't forget the people who mean the most to you in your life. You might would expect this from any other Christmas film, considering the holiday season brings families and friends together, but you wouldn't expect that to coincide with these crazy characters. Regardless, it happened, and I was shocked. Of course, there were many jokes that would offend sensitive Christmas lovers. Also, make sure that you don't watch this film with your kids or parents.

Best Scene: Harold shoots Santa Clause (Richard Riehle) out of the sky. That was pretty funny. But, knowing that was in the previews, I don't want to discourage you. There were many other funny parts that the trailer doesn't show.

Characters:
The characters obviously drive the plot along, with their name being in the title and all. Harold (John Cho) has finally grown up and become more mature, but Kumar (Kal Penn) continues to struggle with his life. The two have been separated, and a little Christmas magic reunites them in an unpeaceful way. The pair, as usual, encounter a few crazy individuals along the way. Neil Patrick Harris is crazy as himself, and both Harold and Kumar have replaced one another with new friends Todd (Tom Lennon) and Adrian (Amir Blumenfeld), who turn out to be rather hilarious. Overall, the cast was great and funny.

Best Character: Ava, who was Todd's baby daughter, was undoubtedly the funniest character in the movie. Played by Ashley, Chloe, and Hannah Cross, Ava was always getting into some sort of illegal substance. While this may sound a bit rough, it is. But it's freakin hilarious!

Worst Character: Kenneth Park, played by Bobby Lee, was the most useless addition to the cast, hence his landing in the worst character spot. You might know him as the guy in the trailer that points at the screen and says, "It's gonna be amazing!" That's about all he does.

Conclusion:
I was very pleased. I think the addition of a plot really helped this movie avoid being just stupid-funny, not that it didn't have those qualities. Also, the 3D was rather cool at times. It did what 3D is supposed to do, by jumping out at the screen and having stuff fly at your face. If I wanted to look at a person walk around in 3D, I would just go to the mall. The characters were hilarious as usual, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see a fourth installment in the Harold and Kumar series. It was a nice start to the Holiday movie season. I give A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas 2.81 out of 5 stars and ask you to be patient, as Arthur Christmas is on its way!

The Smurfs

Expectations:
As a kid, I loved the Smurfs. They were magical, small, and funny, just like me! I could not pass up the opportunity to see my little blue friends on the big screen, even as I approach age 20. I didn't really expect much out of the movie, mostly because I do not find Neil Patrick Harris the least bit interesting as an actor. Also, this summer has really been lacking as far as animated films are concerned, which is extremely rare. Usually we can count on animation to save Hollywood, because they don't have to make movies about the same old crap every time. They can create whatever characters and put them in whatever world they choose. So I just pray that animation makes a triumphant rebound next summer!

Plot:
The plot is simple and very childish with no depth whatsoever. I did not feel any emotional connection to Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris) or his wife Grace (Jayma Mays). It was like the writers were trying soooo hard to develop some sort of lesson to learn from this movie and utterly failed. Obviously, the Smurfs are trying to avoid being captured by Gargamel (Hank Azaria) and his cat, as they do in the old cartoons. I personally felt like they should have left that as the only real storyline. The addition of the real world and the humans made for some funny events, but I really would have rather seen the Smurfs remain in their own little world. This movie would have been so much better if it were strictly animated.

Characters:
The characters really lacked any depth at all. The only two Smurfs I cared about were Clumsy and Papa. Every other character just seemed awkward to me, mostly because the situation was awkward. As I said, Neil Patrick Harris struggles to interest me in this film as well as everything else. Jayma Mays did alright, so I have nothing bad to say about her. The voices for the Smurfs were pretty good, and I liked that none of the Smurfs fell for Smurfette, because kids don't give a crap about that anyway, and this is definitely a kids movie. I really liked Clumsy (voiced by Anton Yelchin) more than any of the other Smurfs. He actually represented overcoming your troubles to accomplish something great. Something that kids need to see.

Best Character: Azrael, Gargamel's cat, was actually pretty freakin hilarious. He really made Gargamel look like an idiot and brought on many laughs from the kids, which is the most important thing.

Worst Character: Gargamel, played by Hank Azaria, was just not a very threatening villain. If I were still five years old, I would have said that he was just stupid. Obviously you can't remove the villain from The Smurfs movie, but they could have done something different.

Conclusion:
I didn't expect much with The Smurfs nor did I get much from The Smurfs. I really thought the Smurfs were digitalized very well. Ten minutes into the movie, I was ready to adopt one and bring it home with me. There were some awkward parts where Patrick would give them a hug or Grace would pick them up, and it was very very fake looking. Overall I got what I expected, but I thought there were many things that could have been done better. I give The Smurfs 2.03 out of 5 stars and hope the studio stops after one film. I don't want the 21st century to ruin the Smurfs for my future children.