Anna Sophia Robb and Josh Hutcherson give strong performances as the two heroes of the tale who find connection with one another in a school that’s basically locked them out socially. Jess is a bullied outcast, and Leslie is a free spirited thinker who is instantly a target for bullying once she displays individual thought. The performances from the child actors had me at attention and they both deliver their characters with great talent. Hutcherson’s take on the conflicted and neglected artist is often times heart wrenching, while Leslie is an quickly sympathetic heroine who we want to see more of as the time goes on her. Robb has a wide-eyed innocence about her that makes her the perfect compliment to the principle cast.
Tag Archives: Adventure
Robot Bastard! (2001)
Nothing pisses me off more than discovering a movie I find to be one of the most unique and original creation in years to discover that it’s actually pretty old and quite well known. Not only do I feel more out of the loop than ever, at that moment, but I also kick myself for not looking into independent short flicks better. Life dictates my internet usage, I’ve accepted it. Thanks to a happy accident, I discovered “Robot Bastard!” for the first time and couldn’t believe my eyes. Here was a movie that was so weird, and so unusual, and yet so funny, and so damn cool.
Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale (2007)
If you go into “A Nutcracker Tale” expecting full blown Tom and Jerry mayhem involving burning hands, cut tails, and knives to the butt, then you’re going to be disappointed. We’re now at a time of sheer confusion where a cat cutting a mouse’s tail is crossing the line yet we’ll willingly allow our children to watch MTV. Censors and the FCC can never seem to make up their damn minds, anymore.
Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
I’ve come to grips with the fact that we may never be able to have an almost accurate and horrifying zombie film stemming from “Resident Evil,” but perhaps someday someone will reboot the franchise and actually create some great zombie flicks. In case you didn’t know it, “Extinction” recaps the entire three films, including the story of Umbrella ad nauseum, and yes, there’s nothing like a warmed over sense of tension and suspense. From the first five minutes, it’s pretty obvious this has no idea what it wants to be, but truly, it’s just another episode in an ongoing franchise, regardless of the pretense it sets up that it’s the final film in the series. It’s not.
Red Princess Blues, Animated: The Book of Violence (2007)
Okay, so here the dealio: Alex Ferrari, one of my current favorite indie directors is hoping to create his first big budget, or moderately budgeted action thriller, and has with him a pretty good star in the way of the luscious Paula Garces. Ferrari made “Cyn” which was a sort of prequel, and now we have the animated short “Red Princess Blues” which is a seven minute short being shopped around as a potential launching point for a live action revenge action thriller named “Red Princess Blues.” And you know what? I think Ferrari may pull it off.
The Batman: The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
It was pretty obvious around the time the fourth season of the dubious success of “The Batman” had all but been questioned, and the writers had run out of ideas. This is when Batman finally took a back seat and a range of characters were introduced which would set the stages for the fifth season which became mainly a jumping point for potential spin-offs of better superheroes in the DC Universe. “The Batman” had run out of ideas by this time, and a slew of new characters were introduced, further bringing the watered down concoction to a level of a chaotic ensemble piece.
Here we saw the likes of Robin and Batgirl, both of whom became Batman’s smart mouthed sidekicks Batman interacted with while on the battlefield. Suffice it to say, they’re the most irritating parts of this new season.
Titan A.E. (2000)
There’s just no love for “Titan A.E.” and trust me, I understand why. It’s cliche, and a bit rehashed, but surely enough, it’s one of my favorite animated films of all time. Bitch and moan, insult and criticize, but “Titan A.E.” is perhaps one of the finest works of animated science fiction film I’ve seen in a long time, and I’ve loved it since it 2000, when I struggled to find someone to go to the movies with to watch it on the big screen. I never had that chance, but surely enough I watched it as soon as I could, and I wasn’t disappointed. This is a film that takes the writing talents of Joss Whedon, and the wonderful animation of Don Bluth and creates a hell of an entertaining and tense animated epic about attempting to rebuild planet Earth once and for all.