Three movies, one week!: thoughts on The Lucky One, 21 Jump Street, and Cabin in the Woods

I saw three movies last week, folks. Three! They were all movies that I might not have picked out on my own, but was invited to see with friends. I wound up having a pretty good time at all of them. Here are my thoughts:

The Lucky One
Zac Efron plays a Marine named Logan. While in battle, he finds a picture of a young woman sticking out of the rubble; he will later describe this experience as "like finding an angel in the middle of hell." He keeps this picture with him, and after he goes home, finding it difficult to adjust to life with his sister and her family in Colorado, he sets off to find the woman in the picture. There is a lighthouse in the background of her picture, and he finds out where that lighthouse is and takes off for Louisiana. Finding her isn't difficult, but when he does, he can't find the words to tell her why he's there. Fortunately, she runs a dog training/boarding facility with her grandmother, and she thinks that he has come to respond to a Help Wanted ad. Although she is actually a little creeped out by him-- particularly by the fact that he tells her that he has walked there from Colorado-- her grandmother hires him, and needless to say, she eventually warms up to him. Complications arise in the form of her young son, or more specifically, his father, who is constantly showing up to act menacing and threaten to take full custody if she (Beth) messes up. His family is a Big Deal in their Louisiana town, and he says he can make it happen. And of course, lurking around the edges of the film is the fact that Logan still hasn't told her why he's really there, though we begin to realize, as the story moves forward, why the picture was there for Logan to find.

It really isn't a bad little movie, you guys. I've read a few Nicholas Sparks books (though not this one) and seen the movies adapted from them, and they're usually fairly solid-- though someone usually dies, and I therefore spent most of this movie whispering stuff to my friends like, "Do you think Beth's ex-husband is going to murder Zac Efron?," and, "Do you think the kid is going to die in the water?" (Actually, we were the only four people in the theater, so I really didn't even have to whisper these things.) I don't think this movie will develop the following that The Notebook had, or anything (true story: a few years back when I asked my students to write a movie review about literally any movie in the world they wanted, roughly 20% of them chose The Notebook. A fairly even mix of girls and guys. I'm serious), but it was fairly enjoyable. I liked Blythe Danner as Beth's grandmother, and Zac Efron pretty much always does a solid job; like, even in those High School Musical movies (High School Musical 3 isn't bad, by the way), you can tell he's pretty game for anything, and giving it his all. I'll respect that. Anyway, I won't say this movie is for everyone, but if you like Nicholas Sparks and/or Zac Efron, give it a whirl.

21 Jump Street
This is probably my favorite of the movies I saw last week, you guys. Like, I never really watched the original TV series 21 Jump Street; when it was on, I was too young for it, I think. I was aware that it existed, but didn't watch it more than once or twice. However, I am fairly sure that it was not an R-rated comedy, or a comedy at all. The movie works as an R-rated comedy.

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum play guys who went to the same high school, but weren't friends back then. Channing Tatum was a popular "dumb jock," while Jonah Hill was a nerdy kid who dyed his hair like Eminem; when he asks a girl to prom, she literally laughs in his face (high school kids are so mean in the movies. In real life, would that girl go to prom with him? No. Would she laugh in his face? Probably also no). As adults, they both go through police training together, and become friends when Channing Tatum needs help passing his exams. They later become bike cops, but mess up their first major bust because Channing Tatum can't remember the Miranda rights. They are then assigned to go undercover at a high school, where they are suprised to find that things have changed. Channing Tatum (whose name is Jenko in this movie, apparently, though he spends most of his time undercover, so I'll just keep referring to him as Channing Tatum) assumes that he'll be popular again, but now all of the popular kids are "all into going green and being tolerant and stuff." They like Jonah Hill, though, who gets the lead in Peter Pan and "sabotages" a school track meet.

It's funny, everyone. I laughed out loud throughout. I don't have a ton to say about it, but I had a good time.

Cabin in the Woods
I don't think I can even write about this without giving stuff away. All I can really say is that it starts with a group of college kids who appear to be the typical "types" from your average teen horror movie (the "slut," the virgin, the jock, etc.) heading off for a weekend in a creepy cabin, but right from the beginning, there are twists. It is simultaneously very aware of, and willing to poke fun at, horror movie conventions while still employing many of them. One friend (hi, Amy!) described it as "like Scream, but with monsters," and I guess that's pretty accurate, though I like the Scream movies better because there *isn't* anything supernatural in them, and because they include lots of actors from TV shows that I like. Anyway, I thought it was okay. Many of the people who I went with were big horror movie fans, and they loved it; I appreciated that it was sort of clever, and I enjoyed that Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford were in it, but it wasn't my favorite thing ever.

I maybe shouldn't have tried to review three movies at once. I feel like I kind of ran out of steam with that one. Oh, well.

thoughts on Titanic 3D

So after yesterday's half-marathon festivities, I met up with a few friends to see Titanic in Imax 3D. I saw Titanic twice in the theater when it first came out, and I know that I owned it on VHS at one point, but before yesterday's viewing, I hadn't seen it for ten-fifteen years. I read one disparaging review of the movie upon its rerelease that indicated that it might not hold up for those of us who liked the movie as teens, but I've got to say, I still think it's a pretty solid movie.

For one thing, I'm impressed now in a way that I wasn't as a teen by the fact that it must have taken *a lot* of work to make this movie; I don't know a lot about the making of it, but the effects in the scenes where the ship was sinking were very impressive, so I've gotta respect that. Also, I remember when I saw the movie as a teen that I was less interested in the scenes where the ship was sinking than the rest of the movie because I was mainly just into the love story. However, this time around, I was really struck by the utter chaos that breaks out once the ship starts sinking, especially as the situation gets more and more dire: the utter disregard for the people in steerage; the futile attempts to maintain order, or an appearance of order, until it's absolutely impossible to do so; the fact that eventually it seems like people are pulling out guns left and right. It also struck me just how many mistakes had to be made for 1) the Titanic to sink and 2) its sinking to be as big of a disaster as it was. I'm sitting there all, "No! You don't need to go faster!," and, "Ahh! There aren't enough lifeboats!," and, "No! Why are you only putting twelve people in a boat for sixty-five?"

Other random thoughts: I remembered that Victor Garber was in this, but I didn't really even remember who he played, and certainly not that he had a slight Irish accent. After this viewing, I would definitely rank him in my top five favorite things about the movie. Also, while I remembered that Rose's fiance was a jerk, I did not remember just how crazy things get with him. He's chasing Jack and Rose with a gun at one point! And he just grabs some random kid and pretends she's his to get onto a lifeboat! Also, there were things that I didn't realize I remembered until I saw them: for example, when Jack is handcuffed and Rose is looking for a key, I'm all, "Doesn't this ship have an emergency axe somewhere? Oh! It does! That's actually what happens!"

Anyway, bottom line is, I enjoyed it quite a bit. You'll notice that I haven't even mentioned the 3D; that's because the 3D aspect of it wasn't all that impressive, and I don't really care for 3D that much as a whole. I don't hate it like Roger Ebert hates it, or anything, but I just haven't seen it used all that effectively, and it kind of gives me a headache. I don't think 3D really added a lot to Titanic, and I think if they needed an excuse to rerelease the movie in theaters, the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's sinking would have been as good of one as any. Nevertheless, it didn't really hurt my viewing experience. I had a good time.

thoughts on American Reunion

So, I have kind of a soft spot for the American Pie movies. Remember what a big deal it was when the first one came out? I was twenty, I think, home from college for the summer and working as a temp; I went to see it with a friend from work after hearing how awesome it was from many people. I later went to see American Pie 2 and American Wedding; neither of them were particularly memorable-- like, I can remember the basic plot of both, but few really funny or awesome moments. Well, no, wait, there was a pretty funny dance-off scene in American Wedding. But anyway, I still have good feelings toward the series as a whole, so obviously I was going to see American Reunion.

For one thing, I enjoy seeing casts that I like reunited; like, the first Sex and the City movie didn't even come out that long after the show ended, and I remember sitting there in the theater thinking how happy I was to see everyone again. I felt the same way when I saw Scream 4. I think there's something about thinking that a series is over, then getting to catch up with the characters again. Like, I heard that there is a Sweet Valley High novel that catches up with the Wakefield twins as adults, and I totally plan to read it.

Anyway. American Reunion catches up with the gang as they return home for their thirteen-year reunion. Yes, thirteen. Their school didn't get around to having a ten-year reunion. This made me giggle. Jim and Michelle are married with a two-year-old. Oz is a sportscaster and appeared on a Dancing with the Stars-type show. Kevin is married and an architect. Paul Finch is supposedly a world traveler. Stifler is a temp. The plot involves Jim and Michelle trying to recapture the "spark" in their marriage whilst Jim is constantly being hit on by a girl he used to baby-sit; Jim trying to convince his widowed father to start dating again; Oz and Heather realizing they still have feelings for each other; Kevin having conflicted feelings about Vicky even though he loves his wife; etc. There are lots of parties and drinking. There are also lots of reminders of stuff that happened in the original movie (like the whole school seeing the video of Jim and Nadia), and lots of stuff that is similar to stuff that happens in the original movie; for example, there is a scene where Jim has to try to sneak the girl he used to baby-sit (Kara), who has gotten drunk, stripped naked, and then passed out in his car, into her house while the rest of the guys distract her parents. I thought to myself, "Oh, YEAH, there was always a part like this in those movies!" There is some grossness here and there. There is also lots of awesome nineties music and funny references to advances in technology that have happened since the first movie; like, Stifler's big plan for distracting Kara's parents is to knock on the door, say that their car broke down, and ask if he can use their phone to call Triple A. Kara's dad: "Um, none of you guys have cell phones?" Stifler to Oz: "The last time I tried this, cell phones hadn't been invented yet!" Oh! And the guys get into a little war with some high school kids, which is pretty funny.

So, basically, if you liked the first movies, I'd recommend seeing it. I'm not sure if it would have much appeal for people who hadn't seen the first ones, though there are some funny moments. There was this forty-something couple in the theater when I saw it who seemed to be enjoying *the heck* out of it; like during the closing credits, they show a bunch of pictures of stuff that happened in the first three movies, and at one point the guy was all, "Oh, do you REMEMBER that, from the second one? With the TROMBONE?"

Also: they showed a preview for a movie with Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg that I'm sorry to say looks like it's going to be the worst movie of all time. I really like Andy Samberg, but it looks HORRIBLE.

That's all.