August in December

Funny People
Starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, and Jason Schwartzman

It's funny, it's sad, and it has excellent performances by Sandler, Rogen, and Mann, but this Apatow dramedy is just like every other Apatow film - too freaking long!

Grade: B


(500) Days of Summer
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel

Some indie films feel indie, probably because they're more indie than others, but I don't really know. "(500) Days of Sumemr" creates a world where the audience knows the ending, knows the heartbreak's looming in the future, and still we hope for the lead man. It's an indie that can stand on its own feet and feel like a high-class film. The point of view is perfect, allowing us not to see the enitre picture at once, and the ending is hilariously perfect. Also, I knew he was going to start a song-and-dance routine!

Grade: A-


District 9
Starring Sharlto Copley

The thing about most sci-fi-alien-attacks-earth movies is that most of them never let you care. "District 9", on the other hand, presents us with a likeable, unknown actor named Sharlto Copley as the shit-on protagonist who undergoes changes that defy the usual character transformations (talking psychological/emotional here), and break into mutating characters physically without losing the character drama that is "District 9".

Grade: B+



Inglorious Basterds
Starring Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth, and Diane Kruger

Tarantino at his best! When screenwriting books and blogs and guidelines tell you NOT to keep your characters in the same scene for too long, they should have a meeting with Quentin. It felt like a play but a kick-some-Nazi-ass one. The screenplay created a sense of entertainment, of old-fashioned Hollywood, like something in between "Casablanca" and "Taxi Driver". "Inglorious Basterds" glues you to your seat, makes you sweat, nervous, and jealous that Pitt and his Nazi-killing thugs are having so much fun. Watch out Oscar, here comes Christoph Waltz - the best villain since Anton Chigurh.

Grade: A

Knocked Up

Knocked Up
Starring Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen

In a summer full of blockbuster trilogies, "Knocked Up," from director Judd Apatow ("Talladega Nights," "40 Year Old Virgin," and "Anchorman"), is the side-slitting, breath-of-fresh-air comedy of the year. The story follows two young twenty-somethings, Allison (Katherine Heigl) and Ben (Seth Rogen). Being presently promoted to host on an E! television show, Allison and her whiny, dirty-mouthed sister Debbie (Leslie Mann) take a trip to an L.A. hot spot to celebrate. There Allison meets Ben, an unshaven, pot-smoking, chubby, unemployed guy who buys her a drink. When Debbie leaves, Allison and Ben hit it off; Allison looking to celebrate and Ben thinking "I've never had sex with a hot girl!" In a so-called calamity of events, Allison becomes pregnant.

The humor in "Knocked Up" comes from both the antipodean relationship between Allison and Ben and their friends and family caught in the background of the 9-month mistake. The typical Hollywood leash wrapped around "Knocked Up" is that their character opposition, both physically and emotionally, causes the two to fall in love, struggle with this thought, and then, of course, fall back into the swing of things. I'm usually a fan of endings that are atypical of Hollywood feel-good flicks, but for "Knocked Up," I fell for it. Because of the realism of the movie, you become so caught up in the characters that you can't help but root for them. And "Knocked Up's" realistic capabilities is what holds the film together, allowing it to stray from the cheese so many romantic comedies find themselves devouring. The dialogue is so raunchy, so ridiculous, and yet, I hear it all the time among people we see in this film. It's funny, not inhumane.

With an uproarious script, you need the right actors to deliver the lines. These guys do it with class and sass. Rogen and Heigl have great chemistry and flair together. Theirs is the story being told, but it wouldn't be possible with a list of supporting roles, especially the hindering marriage of Debbie (Mann) and Pete (Paul Rudd). With two youngsters to care for, this pair establishes a possible futuristic view of what's to become of Ben and Allison: unhappiness and inevitable hostility. Pete needs his space and Debbie needs anger management classes. It's a perfect tool for observation of the audience and the lead roles. Then there's Ben's unruly gang of porn-watching idiots. This clan breaks the tension with riotous comments and sensationally gut-wrenching antics, particularly the bet for Martin (Martin Starr) to grow out his hair while taking minute-by-minute jabs about it. These characters are witty and necessary.

With a brash, ballsy script and actors who know how to deliver a show, "Knocked Up" is the highlight of Judd Apatow's resume and the popcorn hit of the summer.

Grade: A-