Down on Jump Street

Ahhh how I remember watching 21 Jump Street as a young adult in the 1980's. I loved it when it was on network television. The premise: a bunch of young looking 20 something detectives pose as high school students as they attempt to curb the criminal activity that is perpetrated by high school students.

The plot of the movie is not difficult to follow. Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are enemies in high school; with Channing Tatum being the popular high school jock(Jenko), while Jonah Hill is the socially awkward and geeky Eminem look-a-like(Schmidt). A few years after they graduate from high school, they enroll in the police academy, become friends and are so inept that they are placed in the bike unit. After a messy drug bust they are sent to 21 Jump Street to infiltrate a drug operation in a high school. I won't say more so as not to ruin it for you!

Even though I liked the TV series I was certainly glad that the movie was only loosely based on the original. (You know how movies made from TV shows turn out...can you say train wreck) Hill and Tatum are a perfect fit, a disaster waiting to happen. The chemistry between those two is authentic and fun to watch. I was pleasantly surprised as I am not a fan of Channing Tatum(Yeah I know sue me) but I am a fan of Jonah Hill(even the skinny one). Also Ice Cube's role as the Captain is hilarious! I must admit that I spent most of the movie looking for Johnny Depp's cameo! Almost thought I had missed it! Of course my darling Johnny never lets me down!(10 minutes on the screen and he steals the show!)

21 Jump Street is definitely worth a watch. So grab a bowl of popcorn and sit back and enjoy the laughs.

They should have talked about Kevin!

We need to talk about Kevin is the kind of movie that is not only highly controversial but likely to split viewers into the "love it" or " hate it" camp. Those who hate it are likely to find it beyond disturbing and actually loathsome. So which camp am I? Of course those who know me know I love a good sociopath story!

I will not forget this movie anytime soon. It is perhaps one of the best works I have seen lately. Not since "The girl with the dragon tattoo" have I found something so disturbing yet so powerful. In this day and age of CG (not that I don't like those type) movies for the most part have become redundant in my opinion. Not this movie, it tackles social issues that are rarely touched because they are taboo, such as the complexity of motherhood(what if you loathed your child, couldn't bond and nurture him)? That is literally unspeakable and inadmissible  in the age of the SuperMom/SoccerMom. This film explores the age old question of nature versus nurture and how that affects moral development.(Are people born bad? Or do we make them bad?) Kevin, whom the parents fail to talk about, represents the banality of evil.(Think "Bad Seed") Evil just because. A force that cannot be explained. (and that in itself is disturbing)

I consider this a horror movie, without the gore, just evil manifesting itself year after year...showing signs as it's developing...and then finally erupting.

I've always wondered what happens to the parents of evil people after they've been caught -- what are their lives like in the aftermath? The newspapers never tell you that. This movie sheds some light on it, and it's truly a nightmare straight out of Hell.

After watching "We need to talk about Kevin" I came to the conclusion that my teenage sons are not so bad. Thank God.

I Suck at Girls

 How many of us remember our youth and think to ourselves how did I ever survive the dating scene? Well Justin Halpern's new book holds nothing back. Halpern shares with us all his trials and tribulations with the opposite sex. Through his voice we hear everything from a childhood crush gone awry, to late night exploits with Hooter waitresses, and last but not least his engagement and marriage.

My significant other and I took turns reading it to each other while we laughed till our sides hurt!  It's a hilarious read and we loved it as much as Halpern's first book "Sh*t My Dad says." The humor is crude, though and riddled with profanity, so it probably isn't for everyone.  The funniest  moments in the book obviously come from Justin’s dad’s off-the-wall no-nonsense comments and advice(everyone should have a father like Sam)

The chapter on what a future wife will see(you'll understand when  you come to that part) had me laughing so hard I had to take a break and gain my composure! (It also reminded me of a story I like to share from time to time about my youngest son) 

I will leave you with my favorite wisdom that Sam gives to Justin after he finds out that Justin has stolen some girly magazines from a couple of homeless guys..."Son, you're never going to sleep with a girl who looks like that." Words to live by

I really hate self-help books but....

No  honestly, I really do! The paper they're printed on would be better used for bird-cage liners. (The psycho-babble "I'm OK, You're OK" -- good lord if we're all OK then why in the heck are we reading these?) However I absolutely love Augusten Burroughs so I thought I'd take a chance

I am certainly glad I did. This is not your typical feel good self help book-- no sugar-coating, no garbage no 10 steps, no goal listing, no mirror looking or soul searching just brutal honesty. From ending your life without committing suicide, to becoming "thin," to dealing with the death of a loved one -- you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll feel the sting of a wake-up slap across the face. Burroughs is not here to comfort you or tell you that you're ok(Chances are you're not) he's here to tell you like it is, to help you quit whining and build that bridge and get over it! You've got to face the truth, Because, as he says, truth is a force. And the truth of the matter is if your life sucks...you're probably the main reason it does. Not your mother, father, sister or that high school rival you wanted to slap, but YOU! Now get up, go get that book, change the way you think and behave and then change your life, Augusten is here to be your guide!

Marriage Plot

Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

I could hardly believe the negative reviews of a book by this author. I so enjoyed The Virgin suicides and Middlesex, it just couldn't be true. Could it? Surely, these disgruntled readers have it wrong.(Or so I thought) As I read along and got deeper into the "story" (one of the problems is just that: where is the story?) I came to realize all the reviewers were pretty much correct. Oh Jeffrey! Jeffrey where did you go? Nothing ever really takes off--the scenes, meant to be humorous, are pathetically bad. I mean, AWFUL! I'm almost ashamed to say I finished it!

The story is about 3 Brown University seniors in the 1980's and their first few years after college graduation(little bit like St. Elmo's Fire). A Coed with brains falls in love with a brilliant guy who is severely bipolar. The best part of the book is how Eugenides describes the extreme difficulties which bipolar disease brings to the sufferer and those close to him. (Very accurate)

When I finally finished the story I was glad about two things; one I was thankful that those days of post-adolescence are long over and two, I was thankful the story was over!

Here's hoping the movie version of this story is better!

What are you capable of?

Perhaps no other phrase in the comic book genre applies to daily life as much as Spider-Man's famous, "With great power comes great responsibility." Such a phrase has guided Spider-Man throughout his career, but occasionally the thought comes up: what if he didn't follow this famous mantra, and instead used his powers for selfish reasons? The movie Chronicle explores what would happen if one would use his super powers selfishly.

Filmed documentary style, the movie tells the story of three high school boys who encounter some sort of alien ship or something alien, and then acquire superhuman powers of telekinesis. Predictably, things spiral out of control for the three. (I won't say too much more as not to ruin it for you)

I really enjoyed the first half of this film; getting to know the characters via a hand held camera as they fooled around with their newly acquired powers. Chronicle pretty much lost me during the back half of the movie , however, when it began to resemble something out of the movie Carrie.  It just kept getting darker and darker. 

With that said though Chronicle puts a real world spin on what has always been the most interesting aspect of the superhero/supervillain divide, how these individuals came to be. What would you do  if you suddenly got superpowers? Would you use it for good or evil? Would you get addicted to the power and feel everyone is beneath you or would you help people and make the world better?

Overall, even though Chronicle is one of those shaky "Found footage" movies, it does avoid many of the pitfalls of those type of films by having awesome special effects, exceptional writing and impressive acting. If you like a good superhero movie, then I highly recommend this movie. If nothing else it forces you to think about what the consequences of having super powers might be and how you would use those powers... Remember villains don't start out evil.

The story of Hachi/Hachiko

Before watching this movie I had heard the story about Hachiko many times. I've also come across the two books we have here at the library called Hachiko waits by Leslea Newman and Hachiko: the True story of a loyal dog by Pamela S. Turner. The story goes a loyal dog returns to the train station to meet his master every day even after the death of the master (Richard Gere). The movie takes place in present day and in Connecticut instead of Japan and the 1920s and 1930s. The real Hachiko died in 1934 so this film is long overdue.

I was quite pleased that they kept the story simple; one of a man and his dog, of forging bonds of unconditional love and devotion. What really makes the film stand out is how it shows the perspective of the dog Hachi, who really is the star of the movie, and giving insight into the emotions he felt. I would rate this as probably one of the best dog movies to ever come out of Hollywood. Whether you are a dog lover or not you will not be disappointed in this magnificent film.

Even though I knew how the story ends and prepared myself, the tears nevertheless were inevitable so much so that at one point I thought I might have to turn it off and gain my composure.(I did finish the film but not without quite a bit of tissue)

Hachi's story is an excellent  reminder that ALL dogs have thinking, emotive minds; and that they are part of your family and not something to be possessed. Hachi will continue to educate us from the grave for generations to come. I can't think of a more profound legacy and testament of love from animal to human then Hachi's story.