2 Razors

Tom Cruise’s Noble Nazi Flick

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Valkyrie
  • IMDB: link

“God promised Abraham that he would not destroy Sodom if he could find ten righteous men.  I have a feeling that for Germany it may come down to one.”

Valkyrie

Tom Cruise stars as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg one of many Nazis loyal to the fatherland, but disatisfied with the Fuhrer’s running of the country.  After getting blown-up in the early scenes the now eye-patched Stauffenberg joins a resistance group and begins planning the assassination of Adolf Hitler (David Bamber).

The film, written by Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander and directed by Bryan Singer has so many issues not even Superman’s return could save it from disaster.

Let’s start with the Nazi’s themselves.  A more honest good-natured group you’d be lucky to find anywhere outside a Hogan’s Heroes re-run.  All the the conspirators are presented as noble, self-sacrificing men who might be handing out money to the poor and donating their time to work with the elderly if it weren’t for that Hitler guy.  Were all these men tricked into joining the Nazi party?

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The Amazing Stephen Colbert

/ / Comics
  • Title: The Amazing Spider-Man #573
  • Comic Vine: link

“Hey, aren’t you TV’s Stephen Colbert?  You look more liberal in person.”

Marvel has screwed the pooch so utterly on Spidey’s continuity it’s hard for me to get a bearing in this issue.  The story begins with Spidey and Anti-Venom breaking into Norman Osborn‘s base to take down some baddies.

The story includes appearances by Norman Osborn as the Green Goblin, Harry Osborn, a Venom-ized Scorpion, Songbird, Radioactive Man, Aunt May, and Harry’s new squeeze Lily (who seems to have a thing for Peter – that should turn out well).

Let’s start with the fact that Norman, Harry, and, to a lesser extent May, all play important roles in this issue and all are supposed to be dead.  In the old Marvel Universe when someone died they stayed dead, now it’s filled with the resurrected.  There’s less walking dead in an Evil Dead flick!  What’s next, you gonna’ dig up Uncle Ben?

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The Amazing Stephen Colbert Read More »

Music from Senior Year

/ / Music News & Reviews
  • Title: High School Musical 3 (Official Soundtrack)

I’ve never gotten into the High School Musical phenomenon which hit the scene well after I escaped high school, but I am a fan of musicals and have a soft spot in my heart for teen movies.  The one-disc set includes twelve songs including “Just Getting Started,” the dance pop singles “Now or Never” and “A Night to Remember,” “Senior Year Spring Musical,” and the overly-sappy “We’re All In This Together.”  Nothing to tap your foot to there.  Also included here are the film’s slightly more interesting personal songs featuring Vanessa Hudgens singing “Just Wanna Be With You,” “Right Here, Right Now, and “Walk Away.”  The singing is well done and fans of the series may enjoy the simple catchy tunes.  Me, I think I’ll stick with Grease 2.  Aside from music the CD also includes a ringtone and a fold-out poster for the film.

The one-disc set includes only twelve songs, which seems a bit light for a musical soundtrack.  More for those who will love the movie and want a nostalgic souvenir this isn’t the type of disc which stands on its own two feet.  Fans of the series, no doubt, will rush to pick this one up, but there’s really not much here to bring in new listeners.

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Sex Drive

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Sex Drive
  • IMDB: link

“What smells like jizz?”

Ian (Josh Zuckerman) is a senior in high school and still a virgin much to the dismay of his best bud Lance (Clark Duke) and his over-agressive brother Chet, I mean Rex (James Marsden doing a spot-on imitation of Bill Paxton from Weird Science).

Ian’s life is complicated in his hidden feelings for his best friend Felicia (Amanda Crew) who has a crush on Lance.  The threesome pile in Chet’s car for a road trip together to get Ian hooked up with a girl he met online (Katrina Bowden) and hilarity, or vague resemblance to it, ensues.

The film is exactly what you expect it to be, no more and no less.  It’s a braindead teenage love story filled with odd humor (Ian dressed up as a donut), the inevitable trip to jail, embarrassing situations, some hot chicks (Alice Greczyn, Jessica Just), crazy people met on the road (David Koeschner, Dave Sheridan, Seth Green), and a slow realization from all the characters about who they are and who they truly belong with.  Awwww…

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Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
  • IMDB: link

“Where’s Fluffy?”

The film is about Nick (Michael Cera), the only straight guy in an all gay band who was recently dumped by his longtime girlfriend Tris (Alexis Dziena), and Norah (Kat Dennings), a straight-edge alternative girl with a good taste in music and a a bad taste in guys(Jay Baruchel), a dislike for Tris and a crush on her unknown former boyfriend.

Through circumstances you will only find in movies like this Nick and Norah pretend to be boyfriend/girlfriend in an attempt to keep Tris of their backs for five seconds.  A quick kiss, for Tris’ benefit, immediately shows sparks between the two, who spend the night together and apart all over the city.

Although a bit contrived the set-up here works well enough to get these two young actors together on the streets of Manhattan.  The possibility of a teen Before Sunrise (read that review) is lost however as the love story is constantly derailed by the script.

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Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist Read More »