The Invasion (2007)

This Movie Is About: an alien epidemic that takes over the Earth. Well, not quite the Earth when the movie begins. In fact, it's only really a small town in the US. But don't worry, the epidemic gets bigger. It starts off when a person gets effected, then once that person sleeps, the alien life-form uses the sleep hormones to alter that person's genes. And then that person becomes your friendly neighborhood alien with no emotions and no other purpose but to make everyone else like they are. Sounds like fun except for those stupid humans that keep getting in the way. One of those stupid humans is Dr. Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) who is a psychiatrist and a well known one at that. Her stupid human best-friend who wants to become more than friends, Dr. Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig) are the only two people who are not aliens it seems like. They, along with their scientist friend, must escape the city into a quarantine zone. But not so fast! Carol has a son who's with his stepfather who's acting very very strange but Carol's son has not been affected due to his frequent text messages. Could Carol's son be the cure for this epidemic? Of course he is, and thus the movie begins with the humans trying to get out of the city and Carol trying to get her son out of the grasps of her ex-husband and in the meantime, save the world.

You Should Watch This Movie Because sometimes a movie is worth watching based on the premise along. And this one definitely is one of those. With an interesting concept along with an easy to understand problem, it creates suspense by setting simple rules to play with and manipulate. The simple fact that the humans who are infected can't sleep, creates immediate dangers and is actually quite exciting see all the ways a person can stay up. Furthermore, this movie has quite the star power and even if you are not a Nicole Kidman fan, Daniel Craig is there for your star fix.

What's Hot: The aliens are pretty cool and it is interesting when a person turns into an alien. The transformation is handled nicely and even the rapid cuts away from the action works nicely to replicate the struggles in a person's mind. In fact, the editing of this film is very well done in that they cut away from the action and present time quite a bit in order to show what happens in the future and then they carry on right after the cut. It's kind of like fast-forwarding through all the exposition and just getting into the good stuff. This does make the movie feel faster because it's shorter due to the edits. But at least it doesn't make it boring as you are thrown into action after action. And the characterization and exposition doesn't ever stop.

What's Not Hot: When I said that a movie is worth watching because of the premise, I didn't mean it made it good. And this movie definitely fell short of the promise. When I heard of this movie I was thrilled at the idea and even the trailer looked very good. But once you really get into the meat of the film, there really isn't much there. The story is standard as Carol goes through all the steps that a hero should and the result is predictable half way through the film. Or even from the beginning if you've seen the trailer. They don't go beyond anything amazing with the rules they've created and only do okay in stretching the imagination with the set up. The thriller parts of the movie isn't all that thriller and the emotional parts aren't that emotional because of the one dimensional characterization for Daniel Craig's character. I mean, come on! If they only pushed his character a bit more than the lonely perfect guy best friend, then it would have made it a helluva better in the end, in my opinion.

Last Comments: The Invasion is a good attempt of the 1956 remake but it comes up short for sure. There are some good moments and some excellent editing to make this film at least moderately thrilling. But anyone who wants something serious and at least a bit political will be disappointed. This film does a whole bunch of things but never one that stands out. The insect politics are light and the emotional impact of people losing their right to vote and free thought are light. Even the action and the thrilling parts of the movie are light. I guess you can call this a light movie which was something I was not expecting. And too bad because it did have a lot of potential.

Breaking It Down:
Story: 7.0 (Jack Finney: novel, David Kaiganic: screenplay)
Direction: 8.8 (Oliver Hirschbiegel)
Acting: 7.5
Cinematography: 7.0
Music/Sound: 6.5

Entertainment Value: 7.0 (not an average)

The Nanny Diaries (2007)

This Movie Is About: a college grad, Annie Braddock (Scarlette Johnasson), fresh from her graduation and without a clue what she wants to do. Sounds like something we've all been through, or will go through for those of you still in school. So she's poking around central park in New York when she meets Grayer, the sweestest little boy you will ever find. She immediately meets Grayer's mom, which we will call Mrs. X. Mrs. X is in desperate need of a sitter and since Annie doesn't know what to do any money is always in short supply, she takes the job and becomes Annie the nanny. She moves into the amazing condo and begins her training as a nanny only to realize that life at the top isn't all that great and when you're up there, the only place to go is down.

You Should Watch this Movie Because: despite all the criticism and some plot issues, this film is actually pretty funny. It's nice and I know some people or a lot of people don't go pay to see nice, but I think this movie has potential to please a lot of casual viewers. It's light in tone but deals with a real problem in child rearing in today's busy society and having a character like Annie, on the brink of chosing her life and seeing what she can potentially become, is something that we can all use in our lives. This film offers an unique point of view of not only Annie but of Grayer as well. A child is supposed to be innocent but this film toys with the notion that no one is innocent anymore because of the social standards that we've adopted. Sure this film is a romantic comedy but deep inside, it explores these themes which need exploring.

What's Hot: Scarlette Johansson does a good job in trying to shed that hot female in distress but really knows what's going on and plays everyone cause she's hot. Sure she's pretty in this film but not overly so. I think this film is a good platform for her skills to come through and even though she does play a stereotypical role in a stereotypical movie, she does a good enough job in distinguishing herself nicely. Laura Liney plays a great antagonist as Mrs. X and her character is amazingly deep. In my opinion, she's the most interesting part of this film and having an experienced actress play that role was definitely the right decision. She's not a straight up antagonist which is hard to do but adds depth to the story as well as her charactre arc. Then who is the antagonist you might ask. Well, I don't know. Guess you will have to watch the movie and decipher that yourself.

What's Not Hot: Damn you production studios! I say this not because I hate you and I don't want a job cause I do and I probably do a lot of unmentionables to get a job but seriously, this is a film that got butchered because of studio demands and it's all over the movie. Having mentioned the theme as one of the strong points of the film, it's completely taking a back seat here and substituted for the romantic sub-plot because Annie and the Human Torch (Chris Evans). Sorry, his name here is Havard Hottie. He plays the character that's too good looking to be nice but then turns out to be nice and perfect only to have it screw up because of misunderstandings and then a big talk about life to resolve it. I hate to say any story line is stupid but this one really was. It served no purpose other than give Annie a romantic interest but it wasn't needed cause her love for Grayer when his own mother wouldn't even love him was the real interesting part and I think they missed some great possible beats because they sacrificed it for a romance story that didn't really have anything to do with anything.

Last Comments: The Nanny Diaries is a clever take on a social piece but putting it in the romantic comedy genre which is smart because it will attract viewers who may not have been looking for something so serious but also can see a real problem in society. What's not so clever is the fact that the romance in the story was really not necessary and felt tacked on. I think if they just focused it more on the relationship between Annie, Grayer, Mrs. X and her husband, it would have made much more sense and those plots would have gotten more room to breathe and develop. As a result, the story moves along nicely and it has a fun tone and there is some real comedy there but the heart of the story goes missing in certain parts and that's just too bad. But nonetheless, it's a valient effort in trying to do something special with something already so formulaic. And because of that, this movie is definitely worth a watch if you want something light and mildly clever.

Breaking it Down:
Story: 6.9 (Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus: novel, Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini: screenplay)
Direction: 7.2 (Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini)
Acting: 7.6
Cinematography: 6.5
Music/Sound: 6.0

Entertainment Value: 6.5 (not an average)

Bee Movie (2007)

This Movie Is About: Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfield) who just graduated from bee school with his best friend, Adam (Matthew Broderick). They are both excited to start working on the hive and contribute to the perfect working machine which hasn't taken a year off for 27 million years. Barry and Adam are ready to pick their jobs until the tour guide tells Barry that he can only pick one job for the rest of his life. Barry doesn't know what he wants to do today let alone for the rest of his life. He decides to join up with the bee jocks who collects the pollen. Once he's out, he breaks the rule and talks to a human: Vanessa Bloome (Renee Zellweger). She introduces him to the human world but once Barry see's how bees are treated in the human world, he doesn't like what he sees and finds his calling in life, to put bee's back on the map. To bee or not to bee, that is the question that Barry has to answer.

You Should Watch This Movie Because: Dreamworks has a pretty good record lately with animated films and they don't break the mold with this movie. This film brings you into the wonderful world of bees and their life. Barry is a fun character there is no one better to play his role than Jerry Seinfield if you are a fan of the show then you will love Barry's character. The people around him make his character all that much better. And one he's out into the human world and begins to interact with Vanessa, things get interesting and you can say all you want about Renee Zellweger but she does a great job in playing an animated character.

What's Hot: The comedy in this movie a bit different than what you might expect from an animated film. The humor is slapstick at times, but there are some real clever moments in here that will please people of all ages. Make no mistake though. This is a kids' movie through and through, and in that, it doesn't disappoint. If your kids don't love this movie when they see the hive for the first time, then your kid is not a kid. The cute way which the bees act all add to the fun and the ending especially is pretty fantastical that it's sure to please young audiences.

What's Not Hot: This film doesn't quite live up to the high expectations set by Dreamworks from the past. The story itself is not as compelling as something like Over the Hedge and although this movie is fantastical in the fact that it's dealing with talking bees, it does cross that line of making it believable. I think the problems start when Barry leaves the hive and enters the human world which is okay, but once he starts talking to the humans, that's when everything goes down hill. I guess I'm just being picky and that I should have a more open mind, but it just seems like every animal can talk to the humans so why hasn't this story happened before? This combined with physics for the insane contribute to the scoffing of this film. There are times when you just won't accept what's going on. That's too bad because I really think film had all the ingredients to be a great film if they just focused a bit more on the hive and the people or bees in it.

Last Comments: Bee Movie doesn't live up to the hype that it generated based on Dreamworks previous successes but it doesn't disappoint that much. It has a wonderful world and even though you don't see much of the hive after the 15 minute mark, that first introduction to the hive is great and I really wish I could have seen more of that. The characters are charming and even though Barry sometimes comes off selfish and stupid at times, it just adds to his character in the end when he learns his lesson. I think that this film will be a hit and miss for many people because the type of humor is mature at times and really only appeal to people who likes Seinfield. I could be wrong about this but I didn't find this movie all that funny but I have heard otherwise. Having said all of that, this is still a great movie to take the family too and a nice alternative to all the christmas/drama movies that are coming out these days.

Breaking it Down:
Story: 6.8 (Jerry Seinfield & Spike Feresten)
Direction: 8.0 (Steve Hickner & Simon J. Smith)
Voice: 8.2
Animation: 8.5
Music/Sound: 6.0

Entertainment Value: 6.6 (not an average)

The Golden Compass (2007)

This Movie Is About: a young girl named Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) who loves adventure, so long as it's within the confines of Jordan College run by the Magisterium. Where is Jordan College you might ask? Well, Jordan College, along with everything else in the world exist in a parallel universe. Everything is similar to our world but just a little different. Okay, back to Lyra. So she hangs around with her friends and her Daemon, Pantalaimon, which is a little pet that everyone is born with. The person's daemon is their soul and if one hurts, so does the other. Lyra and Pan are always causing mischief until they meet Marisa Coulter (Nicole Kidman), who is a instructor at Jordan College. She tells Lyra that she's going to the North to study something. Rumor has it that's she's going to find the mysterious Dust that circles the area. Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) has already left on the journey. He proposed a few days ago that this Dust is the key to another dimension, thousands of dimensions, in fact. What's more interesting is that Dust is what connects the people to their Daemons. The adventure begins on the wrong foot when Lyra learns of Ms. Coulter's connections with the shady Magisterium and their involvement with the recent kidnappings around Jordan College. It's not until Lyra escapes from Ms. Coulter does she find her true calling. Oh, yeah and she has a gold compass but that's not important.

You Should Watch This Movie Because: it's based on the same-titled Carnegie Prize-winning book. The world is fantastical but familiar so it's easy to make the leap in believing that this world can actually exist. What's more, everyone wants to go on an adventure in a magical world and experience all the fun and excitement it has to offer! I mean, if I was in a magical new universe I definitely would want to go explore it. And this movie brings you front and center into the action and takes you into the deepest caves of danger. It's all very exciting stuff and having the story unfold through the eyes of a little girl adds more depth to the story. Then you have the golden compass. I don't know what this thing really does or how powerful or important it is, but so far it looks pretty neat and if I had a golden compass I definitely would be pretty happy.

What's Hot: The digital design for the Daemons is handled superbly. They come alive in their own way and since everyone has one, it must've have taken a lot of work to get them all in the shots and use them effectively to show us what their connection to their hosts is all about.The action sequences are handled nicely and there were times when you really thought you were in the North. Or maybe it was just because the theatre was really cold. Either way, the atmosphere is great and the whole visual experience of the book has been translated on film quite well.

What's Not Hot: At first, I just thought I was confused because I didn't read the book and wasn't familiar with the world. Then I thought: "wait a minute, I shouldn't have to have read the book to enjoy a movie." And that is where this movie fails. If you haven't read the book like me, you will definitely be confused at what's going on. This movie doesn't explain the world very well. Or a better way to put it, it doesn't explain the whole world very well. There are times when they would just sit around and talk and talk about what the world is like and what they have to do. And then there are times when they just do something or someone would show up like Serafina Pekkala (Eva Green), say something and then show up later with no solid reason for being there. It seems like all the characters are just in there to be on this adventure for no reason. The only real reason anyone has to go to the North is Lyra. Everyone else just seems to go help her without knowing anything. Perhaps I missed something there but there was just so much expositional hemorrhaging that I got lost in the plot and the purpose for the characters. This is a trilogy and at times it felt like it. That is, this movie didn't take care of itself. Instead, it spent large parts of it talking about things that will happen in the future, things that we don't see in this movie. Well, that's no good. Each film has to stand on it's own and this is where this movie doesn't come together. Lord Asriel seems like a pretty bad ass dude with his Daemon but we never see him past the 15 minute mark. Come on! And even though this film works structurally, it just felt the end goal and the resolution is small in comparison to what's going to happen. That's good in the sense that each part of the trilogy is supposed to build to a grand climax in the third movie, but because they were trying too hard to set up the next movies, and talking about all the great stuff that's to come, the climax of this film just felt insignificant in comparison and not all that important.

Last Comments: While The Golden Compass is a marvel to look at and has a lot of exciting visual treats, the story just isn't there. I think this is a case when the people behind the film were too involved with the novel and really wanted to bring the same experience to the big screen. I think that's where this movie fails and a movie like Lord of the Rings succeeds because the makers recognized that it's a different experience. There is no way a novel like this can be fully translated into film format and it shows in this attempt. There are parts where it is just downright boring with the talking about what's to come and then there are parts when it's just confusing because there was no explanation of why people are doing what they're doing. I think that this film will be fun for children and lovers of the novel to see their characters come to life. To see that Ice Bear fight and hear Ian McKellen do the voice of Iorek Byrnison is treat but there are times when it's just too much story and not enough at other times, not enough. This movie felt like a big set up for what's to come making seem insignificant and even unnecessary to watch.

Breaking it Down:
Story: 6.0 (Philip Pullman: novel, Chris Weitz: screenplay)
Direction: 8.0 (Chris Weitz)
Acting: 7.8
Cinematography: 8.8
Music/Sound: 6.8

Entertainment Value: 6.5 (not an average)

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)

This Movie Is About: the moment before you're fucked. The moment when you think everything will be alright and that you might just possibly get away with a crime that you shouldn't have been doing in the first place. That's what this movie is all about as Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Hank (Ethan Hawke), brothers and friends to start, decide to knock off a jewelry store in order to get some money. They plan to rob none other than their parents place. It all makes sense on paper, small place, nobody on weekends, they know the layout, and the place is covered by insurance. Nobody gets hurt! That is until the robbery goes horribly wrong and their mother gets shot in the crossfire, not to mention the guy Hank hired to rob the place. So what are brothers to do when they get their own mother killed? That is the story of this fascinating movie which takes us back in narrative throughout the movie and shows us the different perspectives of everyone involved in this robbery and how our decisions affect everyone around us.

You Should Watch This Movie Because: It's one of those films that's hard to classify. On one hand, it works nicely as a crime film. That moment after a crime's gone wrong hasn't been explored properly since Reservoir Dogs and this film does a good job in using this extreme situation to show us a messed up family dynamic which is the underlying problem in this crime. That brings me to the other reason you should watch this. This film stars two characters that are so messed up from the very beginning. Not only do we have Andy, who's the older brother that's been under appreciated by his parents. And despite having a smoking hot wife, Gina (Marisa Tomei) has turned to heroine and cocaine to ease his pain. Hank isn't much better. Divorced, and back on child support, he's having a hard time making ends meet. Not helping is his constant fear of taking responsibility for his actions and doing something about his situation. This dynamic plays out over a robbery and shows us what happens when you listen to your idiot older brother.

What's Hot: I Do I need to say it, guys? I don't think so. There are three scenes in here worth watching alone. will not spoil it for everyone but let's just say that Mr. Skin was very happy. The story itself is interesting but it wouldn't be nearly as interesting without the acting. Of course it's good with two Academy Award winners in Hoffman and Tomei but Ethan Hawke steps it up too and puts in a performance worthy to be compared to Training Day. The crime itself is nothing special but that messed up family drama is real interesting and makes us question our own character under that kind of pressure. These are normal everyday guys who has lost their minds by the pressures of society and that is something we can all relate to.

What's Not Hot: The crime itself is a bit thin on the details. It's not the best conceived plot and plan which is okay since these guys aren't not the sharpest tools in the cupboard but there were no sign of the cops in this. The cops just didn't do anything about it. Maybe that's what the story was supposed to be. What happens when society doesn't give us shit and when they just don't care about us. What do we do? Perhaps that was something they were going for but it just made things confusing when it wasn't properly taken care of. Other than that, the cutting back and forth between different times of the robbery is major confusing. This is a a film that felt like it could have been made in a straight line and having it chopped into pieces didn't feel necessary. Sure there were parts where we watched a same sequence over again from a different point of view, but some scenes extended longer than others which made the sense of time really confusing and unnecessary. There are some minor subplots that weren't properly resolved. This leads to the ending which feels a bit incomplete on Hank and Gina's part and a bit undeserved on Andy's part.

Last Comments:Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is an interesting concept which has that extra dimension with the added family dynamic. The story is funny at times and sometimes just ridiculous which goes with the whole tone of a light crime film. There were moments that the cutting back and forth were confusing and even though the subplots were not really resolved properly, there are some great dramatic scenes in the beginning and the end which makes this film worth watching. The film does slow down at times especially in the 2nd act which will cause a couple of yawns but overall this is definitely a good film to watch. It's fun, and light but there are some dark and dramatic moments mixed in there to give it that extra depth.

Breaking It Down:
Story: 7.8 (Kelly Materson)
Direction: 8.0 (Sydney Lumet)
Acting: 8.8
Cinematography:7.9
Music/Sound: 7.0

Entertainment Value: 7.9 (not an average)

Awake (2007)

This Movie Is About: Clayton Beresford Jr. (Hayden Christensen) as one of the 700 people per year that is awake during surgery. Apparantly this is a real number. Damn! isn't that scary just thinking about the possibilities when you go into surgery, God forbid. So Clayton is a successful business man. The most successful business man in New York and pretty much the US and he's under 30! What's more is that he's engaged to the beautiful and sexy Samantha Lockwood (Jessica Alba). They have a beautiful relationship except Clayton doesn't want to introduce Sam to his over protective mother (Lena Olin). Oh, yeah, he has a severe heart problem that requires a transplant. That is where Terence Howard comes in. He is the head surgeon at the hospital that Clayton attends. Dr. Jack Harper is the common man's doctor, but the common man doesn't love him because he's had four mal-practice lawsuits against him and his team. But when the new heart finally arrives, Clayton doesn't want anyone else to do his surgery than his doctor, and his best friend. But once Clayton gets on the table, he has an adverse reaction to the anesthesia and doesn't go under properly and what he hears while his 'best-friend' is doing the surgery really makes him wish he listened to his mother.

You Should Watch This Movie Because: the concept alone should be intriging enough for it to get some consideration. But they went further than just the concept. They added a storyline to the patient that stays awake during surgery and gave him a real emotional back story with the death of his father and his over-bearing mother. It is a nice idea and the movie is loaded with subplots which make the one-location 2nd and 3rd act much more interesting than what people might think.

What's Hot: Jessica Alba is not the hottest person in this movie. Well, she is physically but Lena Olin for me was one of the stars in this film. Not only did she play that role of the over-protective, abused mother with the dark past to perfection, but she looked great for her age. Other than that, Hayden Christenen does well in trying to shed his Anakin Skywalker shell and this film is definitely a step in the right direction. Other than that, the surgery and everything in that operating room is real tense. Some of the best suspense I've seen in while and the set up is clever and although it takes a while for everything to get under way, it just flies by like the rest of the movie. Or perhaps it was because it's only an hour and eighteen minutes long but nonetheless!

What's Not Hot: I hate to say it guys but this nice concept and many subplots just didn't come together properly. This film just felt major rushed. The biggest problem with the film is that Clayton being awake and hearing a whole bunch of stuff doesn't go anywhere. Without spoiling what he hears, it's pretty much something pretty bad that the doctors are planning for him. So he has to wake up and expose the doctors for what they're doing, but in the end, what he hears has nothing to do with the ending. It gets resolved for him. I'm not going to say how or what happens because I think it is interesting but I think they really missed a good note because they must have gotten this flagged at story meetings. Too bad. Other minor things include how convenient everything is. Like everything. That's all I will say. Terence Howard plays that confused character who doesn't know what's wrong or what's right and is emotionally torn. You've seen this character a few times already and it doesn't change.

Last Comments: Awake is a nice concept and there are many interesting subplots that run through it. The tension is great at times and the surgery scenes are especially tense and the direction is fabulous for those scenes. But the story is where the heart is and it's just not there. Other than the fact that what he hears has no bearing on the ending, him being awake or not doesn't really factor into anything whatsoever. The whole set up of the crime or the operation is a bit too easy and what happens is all a bit too easy. And although the backstory with Clayton's father is interesting, it really didn't have enough weight on it to warrant him being alive or dead in the end. I just thought since this film was only an hour and eighteen minutes, they could have taken a bit more time at the beginning and the end to sure up the logic and add a bit more emotional punch to the characters which would have gotten the audience more on board with the emotional aspects of the film.

Breaking It Down:
Story: 6.0 (Joby Harold)
Direction: 8.0 (Joby Harold)
Acting: 7.0
Cinematography: 6.5
Music/Sound: 7.6

Entertainment Value: 6.8 (not an average)

Hairspray (2007)

This Movie Is About: Baltimore in the 1960s. More specifically, it's about the black and white relations in the work area. The conflict centers around the the local TV station and a happy go lucky teenager, Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) who loves the Cory Collins (James Marsden) Show. In fact, she loves it so much that's all she wants to do is dance on it. One day, the show calls an audition for a new happy girl who can do the twist and Tracy is all over it. But once she gets there, she meets the dance-Nazi, Velma Von Tussle (MIchelle Pfeiffer) and her daughter, Amber (Brittany Snow). Velma is the stage director and Amber is her prodigy. Together they wish to conquer the TV dancing world and their success all centers around the Ms. Teenage Hairspray pageant at the end of the season. Tracy desperately wants to win that pageant but has no chance now that she's stuck in detention. But when God closes the door he opens a window or so the saying goes. And Tracy meets her window in a group of African American dancers. Through them, Tracy learns a new style of dance that the TV world has never seen before giving her a chance at her dream.

You Should Watch This Movie Because: It's fun and funny. Those two reasons should be enough for anyone to watch this movie. But that's not all. Since it's based on the musical, you can expect there to be a lot of singing and even more dancing. The songs are all pretty good and catchy and gives the movie that modern feeling even though it's set in the 1960s. But that's only the first half of the movie. By the time the race issue kicks in, it starts getting grim and the drama begins. But don't worry, there is still plenty of singing and dancing during these dramatic issues dealing with society but the tone lowers a bit and really gives this film that added dimension which will please many people looking for some drama and social commentary about the 1960s.

What's Hot: Other than the singing and dancing, the story itself is very well balanced between fun and laugh out loud moments with deep and meaningful scenes which reflects the problems in the 1960s. Velma is the perfect antagonist and people will recognize her type immediately. It doesn't turn that Michelle Pfeiffer is still uber hot even for her age. Hell for any age! This film has a big cast and sometimes it's easy for people to get lost in these casts but this film avoids this problem by having it all centered around Tracy. Her actions are the ones that always takes center stage and all the characters move and play around her. It really focuses the picture and gives makes sure the audience doesn't get lost in all the mayhem. In the end, you're left with a group of characters that are defined by the way they interact with Tracy and how they respond to her change through out. It's a clever decision made by the writer and one that greatly benefited the movie.

What's Not Hot: I've been saying this about a lot of movies now and that's the ending. This film, it dragged on way too long. It just wouldn't end! I mean I love the singing and the dancing and the singing and the dancing but there is only so much I can take before it gets boring. That's the biggest problem with the film but I have a personal issue with this film. I understand that black people weren't given equal rights during this time and it's definitely wasn't right and it's still not right in many parts of the world. But this film makes it seem like all the white people hate black people and all the black people are really nice. That is, they make the white people seem like the enemy when really it was only a portion of the population at that time. And seriously, not all black people were that nice! Not all black people were inviting and kind to the whites. There has to be a balance there and this movie didn't show it. It showed that were white people in power that was racist and they showed people like Tracy who eventually learn about integration but they did not show that spectrum and diversity in personality with the black people which, in my opinion, isn't a fair presentation of the society in the 1960s.

Last Comments: Hairspray is a lively performance and a very well crafted social commentary on the 1960s in American. It blends in singing and dancing which is the vehicle for a much deeper theme and message. Although the characters themselves were all very stereotypical, it didn't take anything away from the experience has audiences will identify with the characters easily. Tracy and Velma are two sides of the same coin in that they are very similar in their ambition but different in the way they see the world. Protagonist VS antagonist has never been so clear in cinema and it works brilliantly. The movie does drag for parts of the film especially the end and people who don't like the happy go-lucky feel will definitely dislike this movie. But having said that, most people who like music and dance and seeing it on a big screen with colorful characters and a meaningful story line is second to none.


Breaking It Down:
Story: 8.0 (Leslie Dixon & John Waters (1988))
Direction: 9.0 (Adam Shankman)
Acting: 7.0
Cinematography: 8.0
Music/Sound: 8.8

Entertainment Value: 8.0 (not an average)