mneiai Reviews

Fired Up! (2009)

Much Better than Expected

[8/10 · 20 February 2009]

So, you like Bring It On/sports movies in general and/or you like teen comedies, but maybe not the really gross ones. You're thinking about going to Fired Up!, but you've seen a lot of bad things said about the movie.

Well, I've seen a lot of stereotyping going on in those reviews, so I thought I'd follow the pattern.

Why the Stereotypical Male Might Like This Movie:

-There's lots of football references.

-There's two cool guys who get a lot of girls but aren't complete assholes.

-The premise: Two guys having sex with as many hot chicks as they can. -The "buddy movie" aspect.

-There's hot, flexible chicks.

-There's lesbians.

Why the Stereotypical Female Might Like This Movie:

-Cheerleader movie, duh.

-The main characters are two hot guys.

-It shows that lots of sex with random people isn't always best.

-It shows that, yeah, girls want hot, athletic guys, but they also like them to be smart and sensitive.

-It shows girls are people, too.

-There's bromance.

-There's gay guys.

And Why Everyone Should Like the Movie:

-There are some great morals, including how guys learning what's important and how they really feel about girls in general.

-The jokes are often creative and very funny. The dialogue is as real as a movie like this can make it.

-It's not nearly as sexual as one would expect from the premise, managing to capture a lot without being gross or overdone.

-It doesn't take itself too seriously.

-The actors do a surprisingly good job.

-It's predictable, but never boring.

-The ending is very satisfying.

Feast II: Sloppy Seconds (2008 Video)

A so-bad-I-can't-even-be-disappointed sort of sequel

[3/10 · 11 October 2008]

While the original Feast movie was a funny, creative movie that could continue to entertain even after the first viewing, this sequel leaves much to be desired. It has all the aspects of a film that is trying too hard: the gore, violence, humor, and even sexuality are all forced and overdone.

For fans of the first movie, do not expect this to deliver anything similar. It is a good movie to mock, but it does not reach the careful balance of bad and ridiculous that makes some B and even lower quality movies "so bad they're good." For people who are fans of movies featuring: badly acting biker chicks, midgets, scantily dressed and not terribly intelligent blondes, and unrealistic dialogue, then this movie is a good choice.

Eagle Eye (2008)

A great popcorn flick

[8/10 · 25 September 2008]

Eagle Eye is a well-paced, action-packed popcorn movie up at the same level as most of Shia LeBouf's other movies. It had just enough mystery to keep a intellectual interest throughout the explosions, horrific deaths (though, of course, the rating meant they were off-screen), and originally awkward interaction between the two main characters. While an attentive viewer will guess most of the "surprises" before they are revealed, the question as to how the movie will ultimately end makes up for any disappointment.

The acting was better than expected, the storyline as original as it could hope to be, and, all in all, it is certainly a movie I suggest to fans of action, Shia, or government conspiracies.

Greek (2007–2011)

Oh, c'mon, Greek life really is that hilarious

[8/10 · 9 July 2007]

When I first heard about "Greek," I figured I would watch it because it sounded ridiculous. Another of ABC Family's so-bad-they're-almost-good shows. But tuning in with a friend from college found us both enjoying the pilot episode a lot more than we had expected.

As a member of a Greek society, I can say that a lot of the stereotypes that are brought up here are ones that come up almost every time someone starts talking about the sororities and fraternities on a campus. And are also very fun to play with just on are own, let alone to watch on a TV screen. The opening scene harkened to an only-slightly-dramatized version of preparing for an actual formal rush in some sororities and it continued on from there.

This isn't a show for over-sensitive Greeks. If you get offended even at jokes about things that aren't-so-great about Greek life, then you'll spend the entire first episode, and probably many other, cringing and yelling. But everyone else should have a ton of fun watching it. It's nothing new, but when it comes to college, nothing ever is.