Ken Jr

OK, not really…but director Roland Emmerich did say that it would be his last disaster film (should we really believe him? C’mon, this is the guy who gave us the now classic uber-patriotic-alien-disaster-movie, Independence Day. More recently he directed the “Everyman’s version” of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, aka The Day After Tomorrow.)

So, after finally seeing 2012 (thank you Redbox) I can weigh in on all of the deep philosophical questions that people have been wrestling with since this movie debuted. These questions include “Would you risk your only chance of survival to save your purse-sized dog?”, “Is it more ethical to pay 1 billion euros for a place on the doomsday survival boat or stow-away on that same boat?” Oh, and I can’t forget the classic conundrum “Now that it’s the end of the world, should I actually be nice to my ex-wife’s boyfriend or should I try to outlive him and win back her heart?” If you are hoping for anything deeper when you watch 2012 you will probably be disappointed as the movie can’t decide whether it is better to glorify human survival in the face of impossible odds, or make ridiculous one-liners while billions of people are dying due to earthquakes and tsunamis (don’t worry, only CGI people were killed during the making of this film, not actual humans…well, except for that one guy).

Some other thoughts on 2012:

Pros: Woody Harrelson playing a hilarious conspiracy nut who turns out to be right, cheesy Russian accents, airplanes dodging falling buildings

Cons: lame acting in the midst of what should be horrific moments (especially the scene where a huge chasm opens up in the middle of a grocery store), excessive (and probably misused) scientific jargon, the movie’s unfortunate switch from campy to preachy half-way through (although the cut scene’s reveal that the ending was intended to be far more positive and cheesy), an incredibly anti-climactic ending (trust me, it’s bad, you don’t even want to know)

That’s all for now folks :)

If you thought that my review was enlightening or way off the mark please leave a comment below before the world ends.

Yesterday I was standing in front of the Redbox vending machine in McDonalds, trying to pick out a DVD before the five people behind me became impatient. I was very fortunate to have Bright Star catch my eye. I was looking for something romantic but not fluffy or overworked and this film fit the bill perfectly.

The story follows the life of John Keats and his love of three years, Fanny Brawne. I’m no expert on Keats’s life so I can’t comment on the accuracy of the film. I can say that the attention to detail in regards to the script (where I felt like I needed an unabridged dictionary at times to look up archaic phrases) and the period costuming will insure that this film becomes a staple for English teachers struggling to give their students a more lively feel for the life of one of the most renowned Romantic poets.

The story is simple and beautiful. Very little “drama” in the usual cinematic sense occurs. We simply observe two characters who happen to fall deeply in love and yet are unable to be together. The film is subdivided by the various obstacles that keep them apart: money, sickness, distance and finally death. Despite all of this tragedy the film and its story remain quite beautiful. Pure love isn’t bemoaned as an inescapable prison, a vexing problem that the plot must work out. Love is instead something to be observed and wondered at. Like Keats’s poems the value isn’t in being able to figure things out immediately, but enjoying the sensation of being immersed in the story. Very few films seem to have this level of artistic sophistication. If you watch the film be prepared for moments where nothing “significant” is occurring. Take in the scenery and the atmosphere, because every little detail forms a world that lets modern audiences look into the lives of people who thought about life and love in ways that are still very uncommon.

If you are looking for a quality “date-night” movie I wholeheartedly suggest Bright Star. Even if you aren’t a literary buff you will find the characters to be memorable and the story immensely meaningful.