Try - Asher Book

Recently I watched the new movie "Fame", a remake of an older Oscar-winning film. While the musical numbers were impressive and featured exceptional talent, I found the overall story sorely lacking. Certain story lines would be picked up and elaborated on only to be suddenly dropped and never resurrected. In the story lines that were touched upon more than once, the huge gaps in time left a lot to be assumed on the part of the watcher.

However, as I said before, the musical numbers were great, and the song of the week is one of these:

"Try" - Asher Book
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7zqrOP_oBA

Movie Review: Benny & Joon

Title: Benny & Joon

Rating: PG

Length: 98 minutes

Stars: Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson

My Rating: 5 stars *****

Basically, this movie is awesome. I LOVE Johnny Depp, and he is simply amazing in “Benny & Joon”. He makes you laugh, and he makes you cry. You want him to succeed and you fall in love with him.

Joon is a mentally ill young woman who lives with her brother, Benny. She has to be watched by a house sitter and rarely leaves the house. She loves to paint. She goes with Benny to a poker game and she loses, and therefore must take a young man named Sam home with her. Joon and Sam form a friendship, originally to the wonder of Benny, and then to his dismay.

That’s the plot setup. I’m sure you can guess what happens next. The acting, especially on the part of Mary Stuart Masterson, is very good, and the plot is priceless.

Aaaand, this is a sucky review but I honestly can’t think of anything else to say about it except that it’s amazing and you should watch it.

Movie Review: Master and Commander

Title: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Rating: PG-13

Length: 138 minutes

Stars: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany

My Rating: 4 stars ****

Recommended by: The Odd Wizard of MO

The story centered around a British naval captain, Captain Jack Aubrey, and his ship, the HSM Surprise. The movie is set in the very early 1800s in the oceans around South America (maybe Africa). The ship suffers from a surprise attack by a French ship. Captain Aubrey decides to chase this ship down and capture it, despite the ship being bigger and faster, and consequently ‘out of their league’.

This movie is not for the faint of heart. I certainly don’t enjoy violence, but in this movie it is simply a part of the story and was not overly emphasized, so I could live with it.

At the same time, humor also has its place in the movie and is well-used. An example: “Name a shrub after me. Something prickly and hard to eradicate.”

As for the characters, they are realistic and believable. You grow attached to them quickly, and, as a warning, not all of them survive. It’s a battleship. There are battles. Men die. That’s just the facts. Even some of the guys you care about will die.

The captain, Jack Aubrey, is a powerful character. You come to care about him, but you also realize he is not perfect and can make bad decisions. In the end he redeems himself, as all truly good characters do. His friend, Stephen, was a difficult character for me. I liked him, but I don’t think I would want to be friends with him. Maybe part of what bothered me about him was that I recognized the actor but couldn’t place him. Turns out he (Paul Betanny) played Dustfinger in “Inkheart.” The friendship between Jack and Stephen is explored in relation to their different levels of authority, which adds an interesting element.

Sadly, there are no absolutely no women or girls “Master and Commander”. :( I just felt the need to mention this and bemoan it.

Rusell Crowe was...okay, okay, I'll say it. Hot. Even with long(ish) hair. Happy now? He had a confidence and command that 'proved' his character. Don't ask me what that means :P

Overall, it was a good movie. Not absolutely spectacular, but it earned four stars.