Jokes Facebook, Toronto Maple Leafs

Teen movies have fallen off a great deal since their hay-days in the 1980’s. Most movies released that deal with teens are either horribly stereotypical or just painful low-brow non-sense.  A while there have been some good teens movies over the past 25 years or so, such as the first American Pie movie,  Napoleon Dynamite, and Superbad, these movies weren’t so much centered around teenagers as they were starting teenagers ( or more accurately 20-somethings playing the roles of teenagers). And While Easy A certainly isn’t in the same league as many of those great 80’s movies, it is surprisingly one of the better ones to come along in the past couple of decades.

Sort of a take-off on the theme behind A Scarlet Letter, Easy A is about a teenage wallflower Olive, played by Emma Stone, that gains sudden notoriety when a unintentionally self-started rumor begins to circulate that she’s had sex with some college guy. The story follows along as she builds more and more onto this rumor by allowing the various ‘down-and-outs’ to claim they too, have had some sort of contact with her.  It’s actually a very interesting look at just how petty and tough high school can be (and a reminder for those of us that might be just far enough removed to have forgotten).

While the movie is a comedy, and a pretty funny one at that, it also makes a point of trying to connect with a teenage audience.  The reason movies like The Breakfast Club and 16 Candles are still popular today is that they had an understanding for what it’s like to be that age, and didn’t treat the characters (or audience) like old kids, but rather young adults which, despite the vast array of stupid haircuts and 3-sizes-too-big pants on display everytime you go to the mall, is probably a much more accurate way to view the majority of teenagers.  Easy A attempts to do the same thing. The lead character of Olive isn’t comedic-level clumsy, she isn’t super boy-crazy, nor is she constantly complaining that no one understands her and treating her life like it’s the single greatest tragedy to ever occur. She’s simply a sarcastic smart-ass, which is probably the most identifiable role you can have in a teenage movie.

Emma Stone’s run at this character is easily the element that puts the movie over the top. Her comedic timing and awareness really power the majority of the humour in the movie.  Stone is able to solicit laughs with little more than a well-placed facial expression at times.  The parents are also amazing characters in the movie, played by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson. Again breaking from the standard movie line, the parents aren’t the bad guys or obstacles in the way of fun, but rather just parents. In this case, sarcastic and funny, as it is a comedy movie.  Thomas Haden Church plays Mr. Griffith, the favorite teacher, and does it with the same ultra dry humor that he brings to most roles.

Easy A is a nice reminder of how good teen-movies can really be. While it isn’t at the same level of the various John Hughes classics, it certainly has a similar feel to it.  It also does a nice job of overtly mentioning some of these classic movies as well. And while it’s arguable more directed at girls its appeal is large enough that anyone can enjoy it.

7.5 out of 10 .

Andy Porter

Movie Reviews

I am still finishing up a poker table I started building but I have already started thinking about my next project.

This would be stellar.

Wacky Desk, Han Solo, Star Wars

Resident Evil : Afterlife is the 4^th film in the zombie/video game-turned movie franchise, and like so many movies lately, has looked to 3D to give it a shot in the arm.  But unlike most movies utilizing the gimmicky trend, Resident Evil 4 actually uses it to bump up the fun factor, and does a surprisingly good job of it.  Fans of zombie movies may feel a bit jilted by this movie, as its really more of a monster movie than a tale of the walking undead,  but semantics aside, it manages to be a pretty fun and entertaining horror-esgue movie.

Fans of the game series will notice that is gets back a bit more to the roots of the original story line, which is only really notable because the story line for the games is far more solid than the movies have been able to provide. But either way, this movie isn’t exactly plot driven.  While the story is certainly good enough  to get from A to B without boring people, this movie relies more on the 3D effects playing with the audience and some decently impressive action sequences to keep the viewers entertained.

While 3D blood and gore flying off the screen is great fun ( and this is some of the best 3D to date, with people in the theater actually trying to clear zombie bits off their glasses…no joke) this film could have benefited from a bit more focus towards suspense and a few good old fashion ‘jumpy’ scenes.  It’s usually a common mistake for modern horror movies to rely too heavily on the standard quiet-scene-followed-by-a-sudden-loud-noise, but  the occasional one here and there throughout is not only a bad thing, but almost a requirement. This film was sorely lacking in the chills and thrills department.

Milla Jovovich does a respectable job with her 4^th go around with the character of Alice. While certainly nothing award-worthy, she does a decent job with the femme-fatale role.  Ali Larter does an adequate job with her character, Clair, and  Wentworth Miller does his best Dean Winchester impersonation to play his character of Chris.

Resident Evil : Afterlife is a pretty fun movie with some great 3D effects, but far to light on the horror aspect that a zombie  (or monster) movie should inherently provide.

6 out of 10.

Andy Porter

Movie Reviews, Uncategorized

The Dark Side of Goldeneye from Gregory Pike on Vimeo.

Video track of the intro to Goldeneye.
Audio track of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service by Propellerheads

The Dark Side of the Oz (aka the Dark Side of the Rainbow) is a popular and bizarre combination of the video of The Wizard of Oz and the audio of the unrelated Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon.

The Dark Side of Goldeneye is much the same except featuring the intro to the James Bond movie Goldeneye and the song On Her Majesty’s Secret Service by Propellerheads

I discovered this back in high school shortly after buying the album Decksanddrumsandrockandroll by Propellerheads.

I was listening through the album when On Her Majesty’s Secret Service came on. As I listened to the song I felt a sudden urge to watch a Bond movie. It was the song. It had the feel of the Bond movie.

To this point I was still unaware that the title of the track was On Her Majesty’s Service Service.

I decided to grab my favorite Bond movie, Goldeneye, on VHS and pop it into my VCR.

This was all after having seen Dark Side of the Moon for the first time recently, so the idea was fresh in my mind.

For fun I hit the play button on my CD player just as the movie was starting. Not expecting much I was pleasantly surprised and immediately shared it with my friends.

Now I am sharing it with you.

The Dark Side of Goldeneye from Gregory Pike on Vimeo.

Videos, Wacky Dark Side of the Moon, Goldeneye, James Bond, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Pink Floyd, Propellerheads, Wizard of Oz

These are some photos taken by Sandra Lee Photography which are both stunning and devastating of the aftermath of Hurricane Igor.

Maybe use the ATV to get out? Oh wait…

You need a bridge to get to this bridge!

I wonder why someone is trying to rent out this perfectly good space?

Double whammy.

Water garden.

City driving.

From Sandra-Lee Photography: Hurricane Igor – St. John’s, Newfoundland

For more photos of the aftermath of this hurricane, visit http://hashalbum.com/igornl

Interest, Local News Hurricane, Hurricane Igor, Photography

The first Tik Tok movie remix I saw was to Back to the Future, which was excellent. Now here is a collection of movies and shows that have been Tik Tok’d.

The  Simpson’s -- Tik Tok

Star Trek -- Tik Tok

The Fifth Elemenet -- Tik Tok
by my friend Jedediah

Comedy, Music, Videos Back to the Future, The Fifth Elements, The Simpsons, Tik Tok

Right now in St. John’s there is a Tropical Storm Warning and a Hurricane Watch. What does that mean?

Essentially it means the weather conditions in the city resemble that of a tropical storm while the possibility of a hurricane exists, but is uncertain.

Here is a breakdown of the different types of extreme weather conditions.

Advisory -- Weather conditions are serious and possibly dangerous if caution is not excercised.

Warning -- Weather conditions are serious and very dangerous.

Watch -- Weather conditions have the potential to be serious but the outcome is uncertain.

Here is the effect this storm has had on Waterford River.

Interest Advisory, Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Warning, Watch, Weather Conditions

The American is a perfect example of how truly difficult it can be to make a good movie.  Movies are so complex and require so many different elements be included and done well that simply having one or 2 top notch components isn’t enough to make a movie good.  While The American has a absolutely great story, along with strong acting, it fails horribly when it comes to telling that story.

Centered around George Clooney’s character Jack the film tells the story of an assassin tired of the profession and on one last assignment in Italy before retiring. The movie has a very intriguing story of how difficult it is to leave that particular life, and the many dangers that would come with it. And while there are a few very good moments of suspense and a considerable amount of mystery about what exactly is happening, the overall pacing of the movie is brutally slow and needless. Slow playing for dramatic affect or to build suspense is one thing but this movie far exceeds these limits and pushed far into the realm of just plain boring.

Clooney does a very admirable job portraying the emotional baggage a life of an assassin would presumably leave on a person and brings his usually high level of talent. But strong acting is nearly enough to snap the audience out of its comatose state.  Along with Clooney, Paolo Bonacelli does a great job as Father Benedetto and deserves some mention, if for no other reason than being the least boring thing in the entire movie.

There isn’t much to be said about The American. Good idea, poor execution.  The result of which is a great story wrapped in a boring celluloid shell.

4.5 out of 10.

Andy Porter

Uncategorized

Interest Jonathan Toews, National Jersey Day, Western Conference All-Stars