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Dan in Real Life (2007)
Worst Movie of the year
I saw this movie knowing nothing about it but that a good friend of mine really wanted to see it. Ten minutes into it I decided that I had wasted my money. The production quality of this film borders on amateurish. I'm very confident that any local independent production company could have pulled off this film, and spent a whole lot less money on it. I'm sure the only reason they spent much money on this film at all was to pay for the actors salaries, which are certainly more than they deserved in this film. Except for maybe the young girls, there is still hope for them. The storyline while holding a great deal of potential was just filled with too many filler scenes. If I want happy family scenes in my life I'll go hang out with my brothers and sisters and cousins, and it will be a whole lot more fun than paying for someone to try to entertain me on the big screen.
Serenity (2005)
Even better when you take the time to think about it.
Serenity on the surface is the exciting adventures of the starship Captain Mal Reynolds and his crew; it is also conclusion of the television series Firefly. But looking past the action and great special effects this film like most science fiction contains numerous commentaries on our society today. At the heart of this film is the question, what do you believe, and how far are you willing to go for that belief? The story takes place in a distant solar system hundreds of years in the future. The crew of the Firefly class starship Serenity have become outlaws after being on the losing end of a war against the galactic government known as the Alliance. They had fought for independence, the right to for each planet to govern themselves and not to be governed by a distant regime. The alliance was better manned and better equipped than the rebels fighting for their independence and these rebels commonly known as Browncoats soon lost at the bloody battle of Serenity Valley. Captain Mal Reynolds was one of the few survivors. With time he found himself operating a transport ship with a crew of like minded individuals. Some of their jobs were honest, many were not. But like Robin Hood the crew of the Serenity only committed illegal acts against the government that they despised. Although they would never admit it they were continuing to fight a war long done, simply because of their belief that the Alliance was an evil empire.
One of the major reasons that the crew of the Serenity continues to annoy the Alliance is that they do not agree with the Alliance's philosophy that they can force a man to think and behave in what they deem as acceptable ways. River Tam, a young woman aboard the Serenity is an example of this. She was rescued by her brother after the Alliance military performed numerous experiments on her brain, conditioning her to become an assassin at the Alliance's beck and call and stripping River of her personal freedom. Another example of the Alliance's attempt to control the minds of the people they governed happened on the planet Miranda. The introduction of a chemical into the air killed millions and turned millions of others into monsters. The knowledge of this act finally forces Mal to realize that he does have a belief system and that he truly does not just go with whichever way the wind is blowing.
This belief of course puts Mal at odds with the government operatives who have the opposite belief. That mankind must be controlled to make the world a better place. Everyone is willing to die for their beliefs, but as Mal puts it, "That's not exactly plan A." So while of course our hero, flawed as he may be, succeeds in his goals the message of the film is not that he is right and others are wrong, but simply, it does not matter what you believe in, just that you believe in something. Having a belief in something larger than yourself is what will guide you in your life and point you on the right path for you.
Once Upon a Wedding (2005)
Barely Bearable
The story takes place on a Caribbean Island ruled over by the Commandante, a fifth generation dictator. His beautiful, but sheltered daughter dreams of what life would be like outside of the diamond leash she is on. When she accidentally hits a village boy with her car she soon finds herself falling in love and questioning if she is making the right decisions to marry the man her father has chosen. I rented this film and it sounded somewhat interesting but I was severely disappointed. While the film making was well done for the most part the story itself was very formulaic and a paint by the numbers. I felt that any crew fresh out of film school could have slapped this together and probably have done a better job. So if you are into prince and the pauper romantic comedies mixed with a little bit of fantasy you'll enjoy it, otherwise pick another film.
Pride and Prejudice (2003)
A thoroughly enjoyable film.
I thoroughly enjoyed the film Pride and Prejudice. I went to see it with low expectations, and was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying it. The film is a comedy directed by a first time feature length director and I think Andrew Black did a good job on it. I look forward to see what he creates in the future. I also think that the fairly long theatrical run, and consistent ticket sales says something for the film. Many of these so called Mormon films have not done nearly as well. The film is slowly spreading out into other states and is having some success. Especially among college age young adults to whom the film is targeted to. I plan on going to see it again, and would recommend it to anyone.