Movie Review- "The Blind Side"

I've wanted to see this film for a while now. I wanted to see it since I first saw the trailer last year. And I finally got my chance.

This was a good movie. It had at least two things that really appeal to me: drama and football (or American football, for my international dear readers). I doubt that this film will be nominated for any Academy Awards, but that's OK. I don't it's necessarily trying for that. The film stands on its own.

Americans, by and large, like inspirational stories. This film is no exception. More on that in a moment. First, though, I'd like to take a second to talk about football. Football is regarded as one of the toughest sports in America, but viewed by some outside the US to be too violent. Despite this reputation for toughness, football is often used as a backdrop for inspirational (and dare I say, sensitive) stories. Examples of this are the present film in question, as well as "Rudy", and "Facing the Giants". A case could be made that this applies to any sport. And the good people making those arguments would be right. But for the purposes of this article, we'll stick with the poetry of the gridiron.

As I stated above, this is an inspirational film. And there's nothing wrong with that. To be sure, I personally like my share of heavy,depressing films. But occasionally, we all need something uplifting.

This film tells the story of Michael Oher, a guy with a horrendous childhood. He bounces around life with pretty much no direction, until he's offered a chance at success via a private school education with athletic potential. He's "de facto" adopted by a wealthy white family who takes him in, essentially out of Christian charity and the goodness of their hearts. He flowers under their generosity. Then they legally adopt him. He develops his athletic prowess, goes to college and is drafted by the Baltimore Ravens. This is all based on a true story.

I generally don't care for the film work of Sandra Bullock. I have nothing against her, but she is generally found in romantic comedies, which is my least favorite genre. However, she does a really good job. Also, Tim McGraw surprised me. He didn't look like "Tim McGraw" in this film. I got really tired of the kid, SJ.

I definitely recommend this film. It's worth a view, though, a great case could be made that waiting for the DVD release is not a bad idea. People who saw this movie before me told me it was very emotional and a "tear jerker". I found that tugged at the old heartstrings a little bit, but not to the degree that I was maybe led to believe.

Acting: B+
Directing: A-
That Guy: D
Overall: B+

Movie Review- "Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakuel"

Wow. This is my first movie review in quite some time. Let's see if I remember how to do this.

Regular readers of this blog might be surprised that I am reviewing this film. You wouldn't think that this would be my type of film. And, you'd be mostly right. Regular readers know that my genre of choice is heavy drama. But, I saw it. So let's get to it:

This film is CUTE. That's not a bad thing. It really is adorable. I wasn't feeling bad before I saw, it but it certainly put me in a good mood after.

The plot is pretty much what you'd think it is. It follows the Chipmunks as they try to navigate through "normal" life as rock stars. This includes mostly living with another guardian, as David Seville is in the hospital and going to high school. Along the way, they encounter the normal travails of life in high school. They also find an end to their isolation. By that, I mean they also come across other singing chipmunks, specifically of the female variety. These fellow rodents are an all-girl trio called The Chippettes.

I'm not really an actor by any stretch of the imagination (having been in only a couple plays). But you have to remember that, acting, despite what you may think, is actually hard work. Think about that! Even the worst film you've ever seen, a whole team of people worked hard on that. This is not to say that the end results may not be terrible, because they sometimes are. All I'm saying is when watching a film like this, you should probably know what you're getting into. That's a long, drawn-out way of saying the acting is adequate for a film like this.

So, that leaves 2 things left to mention. The "That Guy" factor is decent here. Jason Lee, of course, plays David Seville. The bigger "that guy" is actually a woman in this film. It's Wendie Mallick. She's well-known for her work on TV. Many of my dear readers will remember her work on "Just Shoot Me". She plays the principal. A principal who has a tattoo of Alvin and the Chipmunks on her forearm. That'd be so rad if she had that in real life. Maybe a bit creepy as well. Still cool, though. Besides, according to imdb.com, she's from Buffalo, NY!

The discussion factor is good if you have kids. You can explore issues of family, friendship, school, etc.

This is a great film for kids, and a good way to kill an hour-and-a-half. It's cute. Not much else needs to be said.

Acting: B
Directing: A-
That Guy: A-
Overall: B+