Girlfriend, a Heart-wrenching tale of Unconventional Love

In his first full-length feature film “Girlfriend,” director Justin Lerner explores the tense, heart-wrenching relationship between two struggling, small town friends-turned-unconventional-lovers. As a young man with Down syndrome, Evan Sneider (played by himself) attempts to rid his status as the town’s outcast. When Sneider confesses his affection for longtime crush Candy – a single mother with emotional baggage of her own – it leads to an eccentric romance filled with hope and heartbreak. Viewers will leave the theater with a renewed appreciation of the joys and sorrows of mankind’s most revered emotion: love.

“Girlfriend,” the first U.S. feature-film starring a person with Down syndrome, explores the disability (characterized by the presence of an extra copy of genetic material on the 21^st chromosome, usually resulting in some impairment of cognitive ability and physical growth) with pure, blunt sensibility. Viewers do not sympathize for Sneider as an individual with this mental handicap, but as someone struggling to find love and companionship – something that all humans face at some point in time. Although in his mid-to-late-20s, Sneider – with his thin-rimmed spectacles, light freckles, and bowl-trimmed haircut – is a man trapped in a youth’s body, trying to break into the world of adulthood.

The film introduces the close relationship between dependent Sneider and his hardworking mother Celeste (Amanda Plummer) as they try to make ends meet earning meager wages at the local diner. With the sudden death of Celeste ten minutes into the film (unfortunately ridding the plot of what promised to be a powerful character) Sneider finds himself alone with an unexpected inheritance left in his mother’s will. He then attempts to pursue the town’s stunning troublemaker Candy, played by Shannon Woodward (“The Riches”). Sneider still perceives Candy as the cute, bubbly girl that he knew back in high school. But now, with her dull, sunken eyes and pale complexion, Woodward conveys the look of a youth tarnished by the demands of single parenthood and a dangerously jealous ex-boyfriend. When Candy and her son get evicted, they shack up with Sneider, who eventually gives them his entire inheritance to help pay off their debts.

Viewers grimace when acquaintances, portraying themselves as true friends, take advantage of Sneider’s innocence. Although Candy feels unworthy of Sneider’s compassion, she takes his money and allows him to believe that she is his girlfriend, going as far as taking a bath in front of him. Candy’s ex-flame Russ, played by a fiery Jackson Rathbone, fabricates a bond with Sneider in order to elicit personal information about Candy. The role-playing and deception lead to an abrupt plot-twist, allowing Sneider to transform his image as an incompetent, handicapped figure into the lone hero of the film. Candy finally acknowledges the goodness of Sneider as a friend and potential lover.

The film lacks in one critical area; Sneider, Woodward, and Rathbone exhibit the zest and fervor of their individual characters and personalities, but lack enthusiasm when it comes to the chemistry amongst each other. The uncomfortable encounters between Sneider and Candy as a “couple” seem forced on Woodward’s part. When Candy finally gives in to Sneider’s sexual desires, the audience is left with a sense of awkwardness rather than cinematic closure. It is although she is performing a personal duty rather than making love (the film never divulges in such physicality, hence has no rating). Woodward’s sense of detachment speaks of her portrayal of Candy – a woman drained of physical and mental love – but so much so that her character becomes unlikeable rather than pitiful. Closure is somewhat restored right before the credits roll, when Candy grasps Sneider’s hand in an act of union. Whether romantically-driven or a symbol of friendship, Sneider seems content with the outcome.

Sneider, the breakout star at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, carries the film through the intensity of his crisp, unblinking eyes. They transmit the trials of an innocent youth who wants nothing more than to do good for his loved ones. Sneider fully embodies his real life struggles with Down syndrome and successfully conveys them onto the big screen – viewers cannot help but shudder when Sneider sheepishly confides to Candy, “Sometimes I wish I could escape my body.” Sneider portrays the off-camera chemistry between actor and director brilliantly onscreen. When Sneider’s emotions reach a breaking point and it seems his behavior towards Candy may lead to extremes, Lerner provides a sort of shocking suspense without going overboard on the drama. Sneider soon learns to react to such rash instincts and desires of the heart; a pitfall of human nature exposed vividly and triumphantly onscreen. 

In “Girlfriend,” Lerner strips Sneider of his exterior innocence, providing a morally complex and authentic character anyone with a history of emotional compassion can relate to. It goes to show just how powerful the functioning of the human heart can be.

Little Fockers set to Release Christmas Weekend

Most films that go on over two movies do not turn out to be that great, but Little Fockers, the third installment after Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers, looks very promising. Starring the original cast including Ben Stiller, Roberto Di Nero, and Barbara Streisand, the hilarious family quarrels of the Focker-Byrnes plans to include two new characters this time around; little twin Fockers Samantha and Henry.

2000’s Meet the Parents drew in audiences with its hilarious plot driven by the petty arguments and slight competition between Gaylord “Greg” Focker and his fiancé’s father Jack Byrnes. Focker spray paints a cat’s tail and Byrnes revives his former CIA training all to impress the fiancé and daughter Pam Byrnes. In the end, Byrnes rescues Focker from a pending terrorist accusation and gives his blessings to Focker and Pam. Now, 10 years and two kids later, Focker is going through a midlife crisis which is not lightened by the intrusion of his hippie-like parents and overbearing father-in-law. Byrnes’ suspicions of Focker resurface, and Little Fockers promises another major showdown between the two.

In the film’s previews, we already see Focker getting himself into some sticky but nonetheless hilarious situations when he cuts his finger at a family dinner and causes a bloody hysteria after he finds out that his parents have purchased a home right down the street. The onscreen chemistry between Stiller and Di Nero was entertainingly apparent in the first two films, and looks to hopefully carry on into the third.

Little Fockers opens nationwide Wednesday, December 22.

Jackass 3D breaks Fall Box Office Record

Camouflaged bullfighting, blue-paint splattering Porter Johns, and flying feces. There’s no such thing as taking it “too far” when it comes to the Jackass crew, who gained notoriety for making fools of themselves on MTV’s hit reality prank show that first aired in 2000. Now bringing their wild antics to the big screen for the third time, Johnny Knoxville and crew continue to keep the laughs coming with even more cringe-worthy stunts and escapades, this time with the help of 3D effects (at least for those individuals who enjoy naked man parts and Steve-O’s constant vomiting flying at them from all directions).

In its opening weekend, Jackass 3D brought in a record-breaking estimated $50 million in over 3000 theaters, making it the most successful Fall opening film ever. Its success even surpasses the gross incomes of the first two movies, which brought in $22 million and $29 million on their opening weekends.

It seems that a movie does not need to have a solid plot as long as it includes immature, dude-like humor and ridiculous, dangerous stunts and pranks. Jackass 3D follows the same premises as its past movies and TV series – the more pain, torture, and grossness the more likely laughs and entertainment are to ensue. Although the Jackass boys appear to be running out of unique ideas when it comes to their stunts (there’s just so much stupidity in hitting each other in the groin and consuming a variety of disgusting bodily fluids before it all starts to blur together) fans are still pleased with the overall mood and success of the Jackass saga.

It’s not common when someone goes to a movie that they will laugh nonstop among fellow audience members throughout the entire film, but that’s exactly what it’s like at a Jackass screening, which makes it all the more fun.

This film’s closing stunt definitely out-grosses all prior movies, with Steve-O launched by a bungee-like contraption into the air while inside a port-a-potty filled to the brim with various human and animal excrements. Picture that in 3D affects, and one will realize that event after 10 years, the Jackass crew still does not fail to shock and disgust – but in the most entertaining, hilarious way possible.

A number of Horror Films set for an October release, just in time for Halloween

It's that time of year for big-time movie labels to get their fair share in of October horror movie releases. Already out this month include the hugely advertised films Let Me In, Case 39 and My Soul to Take and the widely anticipated upcoming releases Saw 3D and Paranormal Activity 2 are already stirring up commotion on the web. Here’s a take on which movies horror enthusiasts should consider spending the time and money to see, and which ones are better left to the imagination.

Case 39, directed by Christian Alvart and starring Renee Zellweger, follows social worker Emily Jenkins (Zellweger) as she struggles to save and then kill 10-year-old demon child Lilith Sullivan. The film’s opening weekend brought in an estimated $5,350,000 nationwide, but has received mostly negative reviews. According to the popular online movie review site Rotten Tomatoes, “Director Christian Alvart has a certain stylish flair, but it's wasted on Case 39's fright-less, unoriginal plot.”

My Soul to Take, also out in 3D, gained a lot of hype because of its infamous horror movie director Wes Craven. The film, similar in plot to Craven’s A Nightmare on Elms Street, just opened this past weekend and thus far has received very negative reviews. Many critics consider it Craven’s worst film yet, and movie-goers say that the plot has no sense of the teen-slasher/horror vibe that the renowned director is chiefly known for.

Let Me In, directed by Matt Reeves and based on the original 2008 Swedish film Let the Right One In, is about a young boy who forms a friendship with a mysterious vampire girl who strives off of human blood. Released the first weekend in October, it is so far the only horror movie to gain positive reviews this month. Many consider it an eerie film which successfully captures the heart of the original with enough uniqueness that allows it to stand on its own as a horror film.

Paranormal Activity frightened viewers last year with its campy feel reminiscent of 1999’s The Blair Witch Project. Trailers for the sequel look very similar to the original film, but this version involves a baby, which typically adds an extra dose of spooky. Saw 3D is set to be the final chapter of the seven series saga. Writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan have kept audiences screaming and cringing with their morbid scenarios and plotlines involved in the Saw films, and the 3D effects featured in the upcoming release have fans talking. The film was original rated NC-17,but was resubmitted six times in order to secure an “R” rating, so should please horror fans interested in the macabre and gruesome.

Paranormal Activity 2 is set to open nationwide October 22, and Saw 3D opens Friday, October 29.

Scre4m slated to begin a new Scream Trilogy

The world of horror seemed reinvented in the mid-1990s when the young Drew Barrymore was chased and slaughtered by a knife-wielding prank caller, while her parents listened to her screams and pleads of help through the telephone a mere few feet away. That opening scene of 1996’s Scream, directed by horror icon Wes Craven, came to impact the horror film industry just as the opening scene of Halloween did back in 1978. Now the fourth installment of the Scream saga is ready to be released (Scre4m) in April 2011, and fans are anxious to see if the film will live up to its original thrills and scares, or tapper off into a made-for-money disappointment.

Scream, although not the best-made horror film, gained a lot attention with its success at poking fun at the entire horror genre industry, while simultaneously providing a good plotline with entertaining thrills and chills. Starring Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, Jamie Kennedy, and David Arquette, Scream centers on a small town in California , terrorized by a masked madman who likes to quiz his victims on horror trivia before he surprise attacks. He has his eye set out on high schooler Sidney Prescott ( Campbell ), and her friends start falling victim one by one. The film provides its own unique plotline while incorporating classic scenes from horror hits such as A Nightmare on Elms Street and Halloween.

Scream 2 and Scream 3, although not as great as the original, both received rather positive feedback from both moviegoers and film critics. Both movies brought back the original lineup of characters (the ones that happened to survive) and continued the storyline of the first film, with copycat murderers flaunting the infamous Scream mask.

Most horror films of the 21st century, especially sequels, have either bombed in theaters or received rather negative reviews. Scream was originally meant to remain a trilogy, but after ten years Craven and writer Kevin Williamson thought it was time for another film. Scre4m will include much of the original cast, including Campbell, Cox, and Arquette, and is meant to be the first film of a second Scream trilogy.

The onstage chemistry between these seasoned actors is evident throughout all the Scream films, and will hopefully not let down fans in this newest installment. The fourth script apparently lives up to the fame of the last three, with an energetic, entertaining, and frightening plot, with new and old blood added to the mix. If Scre4m is able to provide an opening scene as entertaining and gut-wrenching as its predecessors, it is sure to be a classic-in-the-making.

Animal House still Big On Campus

Before Jason Biggs made it so people could never look at an apple pie the same way again in American Pie. Before Will Ferrell made heavy drinking while simultaneously streaking naked down the street funny again in 2003’s Old School. Before these modern-day college favorites was 1978’s ultimate frat boy classic National Lampoon’s Animal House.

Staring the legendary John Belushi as the sloppy, Jack Daniels-totting “Bluto” and Tim Matheson as the smooth-talking and flirtatious “Otter,” Animal House highlighted the crude and crazy lifestyles of the boys of Delta Tau Chi outside of the college classroom. With its crude humor (Otter pretends that a recently deceased college girl is his fiancé in order to get gullible sorority sisters to go out with him and his friends) and pure laugh-out-loud fun (Bluto pretends he’s popping a zit with his mouth, spewing chewed up food everywhere and causing mass hysteria in the cafeteria) Animal House makes for a classic that the college kids of today and the alumni of yesterday can both enjoy.

Directed by John Landis, Animal House received mixed reviews upon its first release in theaters, but over time has grown to become an American comedy icon, grossing over $141 million including video and DVD purchases. No matter how many times one watches this film, withholding smiles and laughs is simply impossible. Belushi makes for the perfect degenerate college kid, drinking and eating his days away instead of going to class, resulting in a 0.0 GPA. Stephen Furst makes for great fresh meat as “Flounder,” the stereotypical freshman and fraternity pledge, trying to please everyone while making a complete fool of himself in the process. The closing scene, where the whole fraternity crashes the annual homecoming parade, makes one want to get up and cheer for the underdog good guys who get the last laugh in the end. Who would not want to seek revenge on the town and school board after Bluto’s impassioned speech, where he proclaims, “Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?! Hell No!” What makes this comedy come full circle in the end is learning that each “bad seed” in Delta Tau hits it big later in life, with Bluto becoming a US Senator and Otter becoming a successful gynecologist in Beverly Hills.

Animal House has made it on the New York Times’ The 1000 Best Movies Ever Made and Bravo’s 100 Funniest Movies. With its wacky cast and its vile yet hilarious humor, Animal House remains a favorite among college campuses nationwide, with the Delta toga party theme still in full force.

Jaws still Shocks Summer Viewers after over 40 Years

Who can forget that suspenseful theme song that has come to personify the horror movie industry – that simple E and F pattern that puts one on edge as soon as the melody starts. Who can forget that scene that left viewers scared to step even a foot in the ocean – when a young boy on a small yellow raft gets ripped to part by some colossal creature while his mother looks on in horror. Jaws, first released in 1975, is considered to be one of the first “high concept” suspense films and among many to be the father of summer blockbuster films. Even with the film’s rather outdated special effects, it remains a very popular and influential movie that continues to frighten beach goers every summer, making everyone think twice before splashing into the great blue abyss that may just hold a monster similar to the horrors of Jaws.

Starring Roy Scheider and directed by Steven Spielburg, Jaws is about a small, New England beach town that gets turned upside down after brutal shark attacks hit the coast during the town’s pivotal vacationing season. After positive feedback during advanced screenings, Jaws became the first movie to open nationwide, with a very successful outcome. Unlike other horror films, Jaws hit viewers with a situation that produced true fear and slapped them in the face with a scary reality, given that a shark attack could indeed happen to anyone willing to go for a simple swim in the ocean. Spielburg was ahead of his times by providing an exciting story that spoke to and deeply affected his audiences, both with physical and emotional fear. Because of the influences of this film, sharks were given a very negative and scary stereotype among mankind – a fear that still permeates among many beach travelers today.

Jaws paved the way for what today is known as the summer blockbuster movie, with followers including Star Wars and Transformers, and its influence on viewers over the past 40 years remains the same – one of fear, suspense, and horror. Once the weather starts to get warmer and the days get longer, many TV stations begin to air this film, knowing that summer viewers still enjoy the thrills and terror of such a great suspense movie.

Zombieland

So here's a movie review for Zombieland I did a few months ago for one of my journalism classes... one of my favorites :)

Nothing screams dark-comedy classic more than a cannibalistic nation filled with pus-skinned, blood yearning, flesh-eating zombies – and a group of four social misfits left to fend for themselves with nothing more than a few guns and a yellow Hummer (and yes, these four are of the breathing, pulsating type). In Zombieland, director Ruben Fleischer epitomizes the American zombie movie with blood and guts galore, adding just enough quirks and wit along the way to produce a few good laughs. Zombieland makes for a unique horror movie experience by combining the fan bases of both the teenage-slasher and black humor genres. This mix provides the two fundamental elements any zombie movie enthusiast would enjoy – fresh humor and pure revulsion.

Zombieland opens with one of the very violent, barbaric zombie attacks which sporadically take place throughout the film, leaving us to either cover our eyes in fright or to fall out of our seats in fits of laughter. The scene takes place in front of the White House – with Jimi Hendrix’s version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” playing in the background – as innocent bystanders get brutally mutilated and eaten by hundreds of crazed zombies. A scene that would normally incite disgust is made humorous through the overabundance of fake, syrupy blood and the witty side remarks made by main character and narrator Columbus (characters are referred to by hometown rather than by actual name), played by the talented Jesse Eisenberg. With chaos and destruction abound, Columbus blatantly states, “Welcome to the United States of Zombieland.”

Columbus, a goofy loner obsessed with World of Warcraft, Code Red Mountain Dew and his deep-seated fear of clowns, concocts a list of 32 rules that he swears by during a zombie attack. Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick do a wonderful job of adding comic relief through Eisenburg’s character, making his quirky personality one people can both laugh at and personally relate to. Columbus’ first rule, “Cardio,” is introduced during a scene when an obese teen is run down and slaughtered by a zombie, with Columbus pointing out that “the fat ones were the first to go.” These rules pop up whenever a zombie attack ensues, as if the movie resembles a game show and the rules are blinking bonus hints to help ensure survival.

The plot builds momentum when Columbus crosses paths with Tallahassee, a washed-up, banjo-playing cowboy wannabe played by a riotous Woody Harrelson. Tallahassee’s tough exterior eventually gives way to laughable, childish behavior. He can smash in the head of a zombie without a flinch but gets upset and throws tantrums whenever he is unable to find a Twinkie. Tallahassee’s take on the zombie apocalypse adds an entertaining sense of morbidity to the film. At one point, driving down the street, the two come across a zombie-woman dressed in a nice business suit tearing the flesh off of her victim, and Tallahassee nonchalantly points out, “She’s just enjoying her manwitch.”

Columbus and Tallahassee eventually join ranks with two con-artist sisters, and the rest of the movie follows this odd group as they attempt to trust one another as family while simultaneously having to avoid zombie manslaughter. Abigail Breslin perfectly executes one of her first “grown-up” roles as the younger sister Little Rock (no longer is she the goofy, lovable Olive from Little Miss Sunshine), and her character bonding with Harrelson onscreen is genuinely believable. Tough guy Tallahassee eventually grows a soft spot for Little Rock, treating her as if she’s his own daughter and even teaching her how to correctly aim a gun at a Zombie’s brain in order to guarantee a satisfactory death.

Such eccentric personalities and scenarios set Zombieland apart from other well-known zombie movies. While movies such Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead focus on just how much blood and violence one can fit in to a mere two hour timeframe, Zombieland takes the plot a step further by exploring actual character development and relationships. Instead of people leaving a theater with the profound yet pointless knowledge of which character can better handle a machete, Zombieland allows the audience to feel for its characters and to connect with them on a much deeper level. Such authentic character bonding along with over-the-top gore and wit (picture 2004’s zombie-comedy Shaun of the Dead without all of the blunt British commentary) allows Zombieland to stand out among a large genre of cult-classic films.

The film progresses as the battle between human survival and complete zombie takeover finally comes to a head at a very ironic location – a happy, childhood amusement park in California called Pacific Playground. The hardcore battle scene that follows almost feels like a videogame sequence. Rock music blares in the background as the four humans left on earth ride the rides and take aim at the numerous targets surrounding them, hitting each one with precision and vigor and making for a truly revolting and sidesplitting finale. Music composer David Sardy does a terrific job at fitting gruesome zombie scenes with rather ironic music choices. A slow motion killing spree accompanied by classical music and intense, limb-bashing moments accompanied by heavy rock ballads greatly add to the film’s overall sardonic feel.

It seems that every teen horror movie (even the few great ones) must have a sappy teen romance embedded in the plot somewhere, and this holds true for Zombieland. Emma Stone plays Wichita, the older sister and a true bad girl at heart, who eventually finds a “hero” within Columbus after he comes to her rescue at Pacific Playground. He miraculously sheds his scaredy cat image in a mere five seconds and fights off about 20 blood hungry zombies in order to pull off the ultimate movie rescue of Fall 2009. But who can really blame Fleischer for taking this direction. The only two horny teenagers left in a nation full of man-eating zombies were bound to fall for one another in the end eventually. A slightly corny scenario does not take away from the overall success of the film, given the many instances of pure entertainment, including a brief appearance by Bill Murray playing himself.

The great direction led by Fleischer and the outstanding cast makes Zombieland a great zombie flick, right when many modern horror movie ratings were beginning to falter. Zombieland’s clever combination of terror and humor appeals to a wide range of moviegoers and brings about a storyline truly different from the stereotypical zombie flick. The zombie attacks are extremely gruesome and violent in every way, but the eccentric ways the main characters face and interact with these problems adds a great dose of humor. As Columbus would say, “It’s tough growing up in Zombieland,” but it is not tough to enjoy its blood, guts and outrageousness.