SHORT MOVIE REVIEW: TICKLED

Here's a good idea, instead of seeing the Ghostbusters reboot nobody wanted, you should really view this thought-provoking, sincere and brave documentary. You may find this a quite odd, which frankly it is, but I guarantee this is a story unlike any you have ever been told. A kwirky New Zealand journalist, David Farrier goes looking for his next big story, when he stumbles upon a sport that is out of the ordinary; competetive endurance tickling. You read that correctly, this is a movie about competetive endurance tickling, and no, it is absolutely not what you would expect. Fascinated by this, he reaches out to the company responsible, and receives a reply that leads him down a rabbit hole of unimaginable depth. I can definitely say this is the best documentary I have seen since "King of Kong: A Fist Full of Dollars". From a film making perspective, it's not the most well put together documentary, but the gripping subject matter alone, makes for one hell of a thrill ride.  A testimony of power, corruption, and lies, with many lessons to learn throughout. A grounding reminder that nothing is what it seems, and there is absolute evil all around us, every secon of this film is more savory than the next. From it's delightfully witty opening, to it's heart-wrenching conclusion, We have a clear front-runner for "Tickled" is a must see.

SHORT MOVIE REVIEW: CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

Now, before I get into this one. I would like to address the most common complaints I've heard about this movie. The first one being "I'm just burnt out witht the whole super hero thing" That, I can't help you with, and to an extent I understand, there are a lot of these suckers, and they're going to keep coming. Just keep in mind that really doesn't have anything to do with this movie itself. So, if you're burnt out with this genre it doesn't necessarily mean this is a bad film. Now the second is "It's nothing like what happens in the comic book." Well, of course not, I've heard the comic book (Yeah, I'm a nerd. Get over it!) There is no way in the world that would work as a movie. Despite the obvious problem of Marvel not owning the film rights to some of the sagas principles characters, ie. Reed Richards, Wolverine, Deadpool. There's just no way a film could be made to fit the scope of what all happens in "Civil War". So you really have to put the book aside (really, you should do this with every film adaptation), and enjoy the movie for what it is; a movie. That being said, I can confidently say that "Captain America: Civil War" is the best super hero movie since "The Dark Knight" and has become the golden standard for films of this genre. Be warned, if you are a fan of the good vs. evil, this film will disappoint you. It is good vs. good, hero vs hero. Whether it's intentional or not Marvel studios has set out to destroy the popcorn movie, making the line between art and entertainment blurry and unrecognizable. Most impressive is the way the film flawlessly adds depth and a personal element to every hero involved.( and there are a lot.) Marvel's resident funny guys Iron-Man, Ant Man and Iron Man feed off each other exceptionally well to create what is probably the best comic relief I've ever seen in a super hero film, which is a great distraction from the heart wrenching fight to the death between beloved heroes we've all come to adore. My only complaint is the title, mostly because it is in no way a story about Captain America, but a story about the Avengers, and their personal struggles to fight for what believe in while protecting others. "Civil War" had my approval and I highly recommend it!

SHORT MOVIE REVIEW: FRANK

Why yes this is a movie about a man wearing a giant plastic head. Don't worry, there's more to the story, his band of  misfits have one goal in mind; to ensure that they never become famous. Until fate would have it they meet an outsider who convinces them to creat "extremely likeable music", and then the real madness ensues. Weird, quirky and original. Armed with a terrific ensemble cast including Michael Fassbender, Domnhall Gleeson, Maggie Gillenhall and Scoot McNairy, 'Frank' is nothing short of a treasure. One of my favorites from a very strong year in film.  Even with it's very unusual and even bizarre premise it is remarkably thought-provoking and sincerely heartfelt. Every actor delivers a stong performance and carries their own weight. Near-perfectly written, near-perfectly acted, near-perfectly executed. Easily one of my favorites from a very strong year in film. I recommend this one for anyone who appreciates originality, and thinking outside the box.

SHORT MOVIE REVIEW: 50/50

The absolute biggest Oscar snub in 2011. In a year that I personally felt was not a very strong year in film '50/50' stood out to me as on of the year's strongest films, and yet was not recognized at any major awards ceremonies (or should I call them shows?). It's one of the best written films you'll see, and it's beautifully simplistic cinematography adds to the gloomy, yet hopeful element of the story. Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives THE best performance of his career as the mild-mannered, overly-cautious Adam Lerner, a young radio editor who is unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer. Seth Rogan plays what we've come to expect, the role of a foul mouthed Seth Rogan, but it actually works with the story. You're going to have to trust me on this one. Anna Kendrick, Anjelica Houston and Jessica Chast...I mean, Bryce Dallas Howard round out the phenominal supporting cast to creat a very complete, engaging and enjoyable film. You'll lalugh, you'll cry, you'll l augh some more. I highly recommend this one. 5 out of 5 whatevers! 

SHORT MOVIE REVIEW: THE FUNDEMENTALS OF CARING

Paul Rudd, man. Who doesn't love Paul Rudd? If you're raising your hand, you take your mainstream hating, against the grain hipster attitude to some other hipster vegan blog! So, remember when Netflix was an up and coming smaller business that offered the service of renting movies online and shipping them to your house, and now they're basiclly a full fledged multi-million dollar movie studio? Yeah, that's just kind of how capitalism works. Anyway, from Netflix comes a really well written, well acted, feel good, buddy comedy about finding friendships in unexpected places, leaving comfort zones, trying new things, going above and beyond to help people starring Selina Gomez. Really though, it would pass for a Disney movie if it weren't for the excessive use of the F-word(You know the one). Paul Rudd and Craig Roberts (whom you may recognize from the film 'Submarine') both deliver sincere heartfelt performances that I would say are borderline Oscar-worthy if the Academy can forgive them for starring in a Netflix movie (Which they won't). I highly recommend this little gem to anyone who has their own, or their parents' or their roommates' Netflix account. I give it 4 dark chocolate candy bars out of however many is considered good. 

SHORT MOVIE REVIEW: DEADPOOL

I guess I should start by saying for the longest time I did not like Deadpool. I did not like him as a character. Then I later realized that I don't actually hate Deadpool. I really don't. I really do, however, hate Deadpool's fans, or as I like to call them worshipers. You know, you see them at the mall all the time, the meth-heads wearing the Deadpool basketball jerseys witht he number "89" on the back (Deadpool made his comic book debut in 1989. Now you know). You see my issue with Deadpool fans is that I don't think they even know why they like Deadpool, they just know they're supposed to because it fits their riddlin abusive lifestyle. However, the real question is; can Deadpool fans even read? I mean, it's a valid question. No Really.... Deadpool is accredited for being Marvel's first anti-hero, (though, it was actully Wolverine) meaning he's not in it for the good of the people, he doesn't follow the same idealogy that say, Spider-Man or Captain America do. He's Marvel's far less annoying male equivelant of Harley Quinn (Heavens, I hate Harley Quin), and above all else he's funny. Reading his comics are like reading a 'MAD TV' spoof of a well, comic book, and there you have Deadpool. As far as this film is concerned you'll find it histerical... if you like Family Guy-esque crude humor with constant 4th wall breaks, and the constant reminder that the 4th wall breaks are indeed 4th wall breaks. If you read that sentence, then you've got the general synopsis of 'Deadpool'. In all honesty, this movie has some good moments. Ryan Reynolds does a great job as the protagonist, and it's incredibly well written. At the end of the day, it's enjoyable. Just dont make me watch it more than once every few months. That would get annoying really fast. I give it 43shoe laces out of 5.

SHORT MOVIE REVIEW: BEGIN AGAIN

There's a new breed of Romantic Comedy taking our box offices and living rooms by storm.The likes of '500 Days of Summer', 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind', with less comedy and more crap that hipsters like. Well, not real hipsters, but you know, fake hipsters that dig on Regina Spektor, Mumford and Sons, Florence + The Machine, and will occasionally try to throw out a bit of trivia about Bob Dylan and Joy Division. They toy around witht he idea of being a vegan, but love Carl's Jr. just too much to do anything about it. Meanwhile the real hipsters are out watching foreign films, protesting capitolism, annoying everybody and one-ing eachother up. Wait, what was I talking about? Yes, from this new breed of Romantic Comedy where the "will they? won't they?" narrative either keeps us guessing, or just flat out tells us they won't comes a musical (or one of those movies where the stars play music) 'Begin Again'. Though it has some flaws, such as the writing, and the editing. I found this little love story quite moving. Exceptional perfomances from the consistently stellar Mark Ruffalo and often on point Kierra Knightly elevate this film to something more than you would normally see in a Lifetime Original movie. Performances by Adam Levine and C-Lo Green are.... well, they're in it too! (Luckily not for too long) It definitely does a great job of empathizing with anyone that has gone through romantic heartache, which unless you're a heartless tool is everybody. Again, don't expect to be blown away, but it's a great date night movie. I don't really have a points system, so I'm going to give 'Begin Again' 3 high fives and a handshake out of 5.