Kyle Kerr

Moviepalooza

11/29/07 | Genius Mode, Movies, My Writings | 0 Comments

In the past two weeks, I have seen a LOT of movies.  Some were good, some okay, some amazing, some a bore.  Yes, I experienced at least one of each.

But before I talk about these movies, I wanted to say two things:

1) My classes end on December 4th, which means that I will have an ENTIRE MONTH to work on my novel!  I’m going to bunker down and work my widdle fingers raw, so help me god!  It has been driving me absolutely mad not being able to write, to the point where it’s all I can think about lately.  Thank god I only have five more days of this crap to deal with!

-AND-

2) My friend Dawn finished her first novel, Absolution…!!!  Congratulations Iusey!  From what I’ve read and heard about it, it’s going to be amazing… I’ll be first in line (though, of course, I’m really expecting a free, signed copy… I’ll buy one and give it to someone to spread the love!).  If any members of our Ohana read this, please send out some positive energy that the book gets picked up by an agent soon!

WATCHED

August Rush

I am notoriously easy to impress when it comes to movies.  As long as I felt mildly entertained during its duration, I feel the movie did its job and am relatively pleased with it.  So, my method of rating movies is rather simple.  Meaning, I like the majority of movies I see.  However, it is rare that I walk out of a movie completely speechless, yet it does happen occasionally (most recently with V for Vendetta).  Well, it happened again.

This was, quite literally, quite amazingly, one of the best movies I have ever seen in my life (and in a very long time).  It is almost impossible to pinpoint my criteria for favorite movies, because each of them is so different from the others.  Some of my favorites are (in no particular order): Michael J. Fox’s The Secret of My Success, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Powder, Finding Neverland, The Bourne Supremacy, Pay It Forward, and Love Actually.  A comedy, sci-fi action, drama, comedic drama (I say it like that because there’s way more drama than comedy), action/suspense, family drama, and romantic comedy, respectively.  Any relation?  No.  I’m just crazy.  Now, I can add August as one of my Top 10 Favorite Movies.

I know that one of my favorite adjectives is “amazing,” but it’s a really versatile word.  This time around, I’m going to use a different word: extraordinary.  I have liked Freddie Highmore since I first saw him in Finding Neverland.  There’s something about him that most adult actors can’t emulate, a sort of sadness and deep, penetrating gaze.  I knew that he was destined for great things, and I wasn’t wrong.  Freddie plays a boy who has lived at an orphanage for the first eleven years of his life.  He has an intrinsic passion for music, a passion he runs away to New York to pursue in the hopes that it will help him find his parents.

In NYC, the eccentric Wizard (Robin Williams, who was perfectly cast for the role… watch the movie and you’ll see why) gives him shelter and provides the musical knowledge and instruments August needs to broaden his talent.

Lyla Novacek (Kerri Russell) is an acclaimed orchestral cellist, who even headlines the New York Symphony at a young age.  One night she meets Louis Connelly (Jon Rhys Meyers), a charming, Irish rock singer.  They spend the night together, fall in love, but are kept apart by Kerri’s father (played by Roswell alum, William Sadler).

I wish I could just tell you all about the movie and its amazingness, but that would give away too much and ruin the movie for you (something I HATE… I once overheard a conversation where someone said, “But then you find out that Bruce Willis was dead the whole time!”… NOT cool).  So, please, go and see it.  And, because of the musical score and how important it is to the plotline, you should really see it in theaters.  You won’t regret it one bit.

Enchanted

You know what?  This movie was a lot better than it looked.  It looked so stupid from the commercials and trailers, but it actually turned out to be really funny (and, of course, adorable).  The beginning of the movie is done in the classic Disney animated fashion, but the plot twists when the wicked Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) pushes the unsuspecting and naive Giselle (Amy Adams) down a well, where she ends up in New York City.  There, she meets Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter, Morgan, who take her in (though reluctantly).  Prince Edward (James Marsden), the queen’s loyal servant Nathanial (Timothy Spall, who played Wormtail in the third and fourth Harry Potter movies), and Pip the Chipmunk follow, and hilarity ensues.  Worth a watch.

Michael Clayton

I have great respect for George Clooney and Tilda Swinton (the White Witch in the first Chronicles of Narnia movie, and Gabriel in Constantine), and this movie got such great reviews that I had some high hopes for it… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz… Oh, sorry, did I just doze off right there?  Right, well, this movie had a really cool premise, and some amazing actors, but… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

The Illusionist

This movie has been out for a while, but I watched it for the first time last weekend.  It was surprisingly good.  Edward Norton plays an illusionist (well, duh), who falls in love with a childhood friend, Sophie (Jessica Biel), but they are kept apart because of their different social classes.  They are reunited later in life, when Sophie is betrothed to Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell… why does this guy always play bad guys?  I’m starting to hate him as a person).  With one of the best plot twists I’ve seen in a long time, drama ensues.  Definitely check it out if you haven’t already.

There are actually a couple more movies, but I think this post has gone on long enough.

Until next…

Kyle W. Kerr