Fanboys

Impressions before seeing it
Didn't know much about it except that the idea sounded kind of fun, it took forever to be released, and it has Kristen Bell, who I'm starting to like.

How was it?
Maybe my expectations were high but this could have been a better movie than it was. It didn't have the charm that other road trip movies tend to have, and it kind of fell flat on the "teen comedy" level as well. Also I just don't like Dan Fogler (how did this guy get into movies?), who was supposed to be the funny one but wasn't.

But to talk about the positives: it is at least entertaining and has plenty of fun cameos if you enjoy that sort of thing. I also liked Seth Rogan playing two roles, one a Star Trek fan and the other a Star Wars fan, and then getting into a fight with himself. If you are a big Star Wars fan then this movie might hold an extra level of enjoyment for you because it's also full of references to the series, although my personal favourite part was when the gang was looking through George Lucas's memorabilia room and one kid got excited about Willow's spellbook and nobody else cared. That kid would be me, because I am a huge Willow fan and think it's actually way more fun than all of the Star Wars films put together. I hope what the movie was trying to do by inserting that moment was to hint at how underrated Willow is, but more likely they were probably saying it sucks. Dicks.

Recommendation
If you're a hardcore Star Wars fan you might get a kick out of it. For anyone else, it's average at best.

Let the Right One In

Impressions before seeing it
I'd only heard it was a vampire romance that is better than Twilight. I'm up for anything labeled "better than Twilight"!

How was it?
The first thing that struck me was how European it is. You know how, even if you ignore the language, you can tell when a movie is European by the costumes, hair, sets, and violence that somehow always seems crueler than North American cinema? This movie has that. I'm not saying it's a good thing or a bad thing, just that it's noticeable. But it is Swedish, so why wouldn't it be? But that being said, I believe all of the stunts and visual effects were done in camera, no CG, and they looked good except for a slightly absurd cat attack scene. If not for this fact it would almost look like it could have been made in the 70's or 80's.

I thought making the protagonists 12 years old was an interesting idea though - it allows for Oskar's childish naivete to keep him ignorant about his crush being a vampire for most of the movie, and it is kind of the backbone for the bully plotline, which reminded me of Bridge to Terabithia. The best part was probably the pool scene at the end, which I won't spoil, but I will say it was awfully satisfying. I think the kids held the movie up fairly well for child actors, although acting is harder to judge in other languages, but maybe that's a bonus for us English speaking audiences because most child actors ultimately make me cringe.

Recommendation
If you like vampires it's worth checking out, but if you think Twilight is the best movie ever, this one is probably above you.

Watchmen

Impressions before seeing it
Never read the comic, didn't know anything about the story. But for the most part I do like superhero movies.

How was it?
I love a good opening credits sequence. It's like when they say breakfast is the most important part of the day because it starts you off right. I think the same thing goes for opening titles because they get you really excited to see the rest of the movie when they're done well. Watchmen uses that time to give us a dramatic and moving overview of an alternate history incorporating superheroes into historical moments. Great stuff.

I also have to say that the character development was much deeper than any Marvel Comic movie (and so was the acting). It is a long movie, and maybe that is partly why, but I appreciate that it took the time to tell us through flashbacks who everyone was and how they came to be who they are. With the exception of Dr. Manhattan, however, I'm not sure if any of the other superheroes are actually "super". As far as I know they have no powers and just like to run around saving people while wearing masks and costumes. Maybe that's why they're so likable and easy to identify with.

I don't think I have any complaints about this movie. Story, characters, special effects, action, performances, everything was awesome.

Recommendation
I can't say whether you'll like it if you've already read the comic, but if you like superheroes, SEE THIS MOVIE. It might be the best comic book movie to date.

Fallen Angels

Impressions before seeing it
I had heard that this was originally meant to be the third part of Chungking Express, and that gave me an intellectual boner. Then I forgot that fact and remembered it again about halfway through the movie, when I subsequently got another boner... Intellectually, that is.

How was it?
As you may be able to tell by the poster, this movie uses the fish eye lens a lot and contains cuts to first-person speeding through tunnels and roads. At first glance it gives you that sense of "what a rush!", but I think it's meant to show you that these characters are always on the move, not literally but in the sense that change is frequent. Especially for the mute character who seems to take up a new job every night. And the fish eye lens slightly distorts most of the movie, but that's what point of view is, subjective distortion, and given all of the voiceover narration I'd say point of view plays a big part. So right off the bat it gives you that sense that you're seeing something from the viewpoints of dynamic characters.

Speaking of characters I have to say that the females were kind of annoying. Well, two of them anyway. One seemed excessively childish and the other was crazy and obsessive. I'm not sure if there was a reason for it or not. Michelle Reis's character was okay though.

But the best part is that it does have the same feel as Chungking Express (you know, interesting characters forming even more interesting relationships) and even some references that I was delighted to see, such as a line about expired pineapple, a Chinese woman in a blonde wig, and the appearance of the ever popular bistro where much of the other movie took place. Awesome.

Recommendation
If you liked Chungking Express, you'll like this one, and vice-versa. That is all.

Flakes

Impressions before seeing it
A movie about cereal starring Zooey Deschanel? Yes, please!

How was it?
I really liked the first half and would have been content to have the entire movie just be about people hanging out in a cereal bar. Then it turned into a commercial against capitalism and commercialism, and while I have no problem with that message I do think it weakened the movie. The problem is that if you say it in a mainstream movie, you're a hypocrite, and if you say it in an indie movie, you're being self-righteous. In that sense I think it would be better left unsaid.

But there are fun times to be had. I liked the idea of a cereal bar (I don't know if they actually exist but I hope they do) and seeing all of the old, obscure cereals, and watching the two businesses compete was interesting. It was nice to see Christopher Lloyd back as the kooky, senile old guy, and Zooey Deschanel was charming as usual (I will admit my bias here, because I will never say that Zooey Deschanel isn't charming), and did I mention that I love cereal as well?

Recommendation
In the long run it's watchable but not really anything special. Might be worth checking out if seeing obscure cereal brands interests you... Otherwise take it or leave it.

Synecdoche, New York

Impressions before seeing it
I didn't know much about it other than that it was written and directed by Charlie Kaufman, one of the most brilliant and original screenwriters working today. SOLD.

How was it?
It begins as a seemingly normal film and progressivley gets weirder as it begins to tread almost into David Lynch territory. However the difference is that when David Lynch makes a movie I have absoultely NO clue what it's about, but I felt that this one was accesible enough for me to at least form theories as I watched. This is definitely not a straightforward film. The characters are not always themselves - sometimes they play other people and sometimes there are two or three people playing the same character - and time sometimes seems to skip large gaps without anyone noticing until a character casually mentions how many years have gone by. It is confusing, yes, but it provokes a lot of thought and this is an excellent reason to watch it more than once. If it's too much for you, I suggest reading Roger Ebert's review of the film because he had a good grasp on it and will explain things.

I also want to say that this movie had an exceptional cast: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest and Jennifer Jason Leigh, all of them quite good.

Recommendation
Personally I really enjoyed it, but I don't know if I can recommend it to anyone else because I don't think many people generally like this type of film. So unless you're a fan of abstract symbolism and metaphor, you should probably stay away.

Sunshine Cleaning

Impressions before seeing it
I'd been wanting to see it for a while because I liked the idea. It looked like a sweet little indie comedy and I am a fan of Amy Adams so I was all for it.

How was it?
I found it rather similar to Little Miss Sunshine, which isn't necessarily a bad thing since that movie is awesome, but it's not necessarily a good thing either because it makes it a little less original, and because it doesn't pull off the charm quite as well.

Aside from both having Sunshine in the title and Alan Arkin in the cast (he plays almost the same character in both, by the way), these movies are largely about family and have a young child acting as the heart of the film. There is even a scene that makes you think Arkin's character has died, and I couldn't help thinking that it was kind of like an inside joke for those who have seen Little Miss Sunshine. Maybe it's just me, I don't know if anyone else who saw it made these connections.

But I don't mean to bash it, because it was cute and entertaining. Amy Adams and Emily Blunt were especially good as bickering sisters who go into business together. Steve Zahn also shows up as a married man having an affair with Adams, but I feel he was wasted here because his character doesn't have a lot to do and the extra-marital affair plotline isn't that exciting anymore. But again I do love the fact that someone made a comedy about people who clean up violent crime scenes.

Recommendation
If you tend to love films with heart that are typical to the indie genre and are a fan of Adams and/or Blunt then I say check it out. If you want something wildly new, this might not be for you.