Must see: 50/50

So I really liked 50/50. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as a 27-year old guy named Adam who gets the short straw in life - cancer. And it's one of those unpronounceable types of cancer too, so it's difficult when he tries to explain it to other people.

Adam's best friend and co-worker is Kyle (Seth Rogan), a rogue of a character who's every angle is to somehow get laid. Upon hearing the news that Adam has cancer, Kyle immediately wants to go out and play that trump card for a sympathy fuck. It's in Adam's best interest, of course.

The summary is basically all you get out of the synopsis/summary of the movie, so there aren't any spoilers here. This movie often makes light of a serious life-threatening disease, but it's mainly a defense mechanism. You didn't really want to get all depressed and sad-like did you? Of course not, so the best defense is to use humor to lighten the mood. This movie is a comedy after all.

Worse would be if you just numb yourself to your pain, and not *feel* anything or let yourself feel the emotional rush that would inevitably occur were you to be hit with a bombshell of news like cancer. Would you feel angry at the world for pulling such a dick move at your young age? Would you feel helpless in your impending doom and lapse into a depressive stupor? Would you look on the bright side? After all, fifty-fifty would be the best odds in a casino!

I don't know how I'd react. The characters in this movie all play their emotions and feelings quite convincingly. We don't get to see much of Angelica Huston though. I think her character could have been built upon more. I suppose it alludes to the parental relationship between Adam and his mother. Which is to say.... practically none.

All in all, I found myself identifying with Adam a lot -- his personality felt familiar -- in all his awkwardness with girls as well as his adherence to so many rules, to his rage against the world for dealing him such a shitty hand in life.

No, I don't have cancer, but I do have my temper tantrum moments. You just won't see them often.

30 Minutes or Less

A hapless pizza delivery guy gets coerced into robbing a bank. Some dickheads strap a bomb onto poor Jesse Eisenberg and give him 10 hours to get 100,000 dollars in cash.

This movie goes all over the place with jokes and gags, and it's rated R too so it gets dirty sometimes, as well as violent. People get punched, kicked, shot, burned, maybe all the same person even. It's definitely a mixed bag, but I kind of liked it.

Must-See: (500) Days of Summer

I'm a sucker for romantic comedies. I'm also a sucker for Zooey Deschanel. "First of all, this is not a love story" warns the narrator. Oh. I'm also a sucker for narrators. Not in THAT way though.

So if this isn't a love story, what is it? Well, don't look at me. Okay, I'll try to explain. But seriously, I'm trying too hard already. I mean, I'm writing a blog post about it! Without spoiling the movie, I've found it much too difficult to write movie reviews. That's one of the biggest reasons this blog hasn't seen any love in a long time.

At one of my previous family reunions, the trivia fact my mother wrote for me was "Still searching for The One." What an embarrassing weekend that was. Anyway, Tom is searching for The One. He believes that once you find that person, everything will click. You just know, you know? Summer, an assistant at the office that Tom works, doesn't believe in that fairy tale. She believes in just having fun, and not getting attached, and living in the moment.

I really love how the movie jumps back and forth between different points in their relationship, and how he awkwardly courts her during the initial days. The narrator periodically makes comments about some historical fact for each character. I imagine myself in some of those awkward situations and likewise face-palm.

You see, I'm actually writing a serious review. That's how much I loved this movie. So go out and see it if you're into romantic comedies, romance, Zooey (Summer), or Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Tom). I hope I don't set your expectations too high.

Quantum of Solace - a sleeper

AS IN PUT YOU TO SLEEP. Events here happened either too quickly to care about or too slowly to stay interesting. No further commentary.

Must-See: Religulous

Bill Maher takes a trip around the world and interviews/investigates why people are so irrational when it comes to religion. What he finds might scare you. Bill Maher's irreverent interview methods provide some comical deer in the headlight moments, punctuated by brief flashes of more serious yet inappropriate scenes to drive home his point more.

Bill Maher wants us to question our beliefs. Blind faith makes for easier leadership, makes it easy for the shepherd to keep the sheep together. Yet, Bill is very rude in some of his interviews, which makes for comical moments, yet probably doesn't help the "intellectual discussion" he purports to foment. However, Bill is as close-minded as the faithful he's trying to instill doubt into, so it doesn't seem like there will be any middle ground meeting in the future.

For those atheists that already disbelieve in a god, or agnostics who are still on the fence, this will probably be a good laugh. Otherwise, this movie takes potshots at a good majority of the popular religions today, so cover your ears when yours comes around, and you might not take offense.

Get Smart: quite entertaining

Get Smart stars Steve Carell in an action-comedy of secret agents and saving the world. The original Maxwell Smart television series was something I vaguely remember from my youth. Most importantly I remember he used his shoe as a communication device. I always used to play with my own shoephone as a kid. But I digress.

Steve Carell is an office analyst for a secret agency called Control. Supposedly the agency was disbanded after the cold war era, but that was just a cover story. Steve is, to this very day, working for Control, posing as a bumbling Office manager in Scranton, PA. But Steve aspires to be more than just an intelligence analyst. He wants to get into the front lines, G.I. Jane style.

Steve gets to train with a professional wrestler in order to get ready for field work. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is Agent 23, who is one of the best in the business. It's nice when you have the protection of the big guys in the joint.

Well, after years of yearning, Steve gets his wish. He gets to be a field agent! His partner? A stone-cold bitch hardened by years of training under the tutelage of one of the most vicious fashion magazine editors in the world: Agent 99.

Cue all the n00b secret agent comedy, and even some surprises. Great stuff. Grade A for Steve and Anne.

Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull: ungood

Going in with high hopes is a sure disappointment. Harrison Ford is an old man, he needs to retire already. That Fedora of his needs to be colored so he can become the spokesman of RedHat in his old age, much like the venerable William Shatner is for Priceline.com.

Nearly 19 years to the day since the previous movie with Sean Connery, this Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull becomes much too predictable, rehashing already tired jokes and themes, and far too tipped toward the comedic end of the spectrum for my expectations. When I want a comedy I'll go see a comedy.

Harrison Ford just went through the motions on this movie. There may definitely have been more action than previous movies, but the dialog and pacing of this felt rushed, and I didn't feel immersed in the adventure like I remember in previous movies.

Again, it could be my age. Damn, I'm 32 now. Where has the time gone? I wasted it watching this movie. C+ for Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull.