Paparazzi

Paparazzi stars Cole Hauser as Bo Larami who is affected by a gang of slimy paparazzi's. Realistically, it is a revenge film from Mel Gibson against the paparazzi who have annoyed many celebrities and politicians.

Larami is a small town guy from Montana who is thrust into stardom with his first action movie, "Adrenaline Force" (what a lame title). At first, he digs the attention, but then the flashing bulbs blind him and he becomes distraught.

He eventually punches a PAP for taking pictures of his son at a soccer game and is forced to attend anger management. He thinks it's over, but when the paparazzi surround his family and cause an horrific accident that leaves his son in a coma, Larami loses it.

Through a series of events, Laramie begins picking off the four PAP's who caused the wreck. One by one they all go down.

The movie rises a severe moral question as Laramie kills these guys for injuring his family. "You don't mess with a man's family." He refuses to turn in his small town values for the values of the new Hollywood culture. He is fed up with these guys trying to ruin his life, so he takes matters into his own hands.

At best, this is one of those bad 80's revenge B-movies that Mel Gibson made a living with. He should have played the part. Though he does have a cameo as an anger management patient outside the doctor's office. Probably the truth.

This movie does a really lame job at projecting family love and unity as well as the small town homeyness of the grocery store. This director is a hack and I will not bother posting his name. This is his only motion picture. The rest of his work is dedicated solely to TV shows.

This movie surely ruined any career he may have had (though I doubt he would have had one anyway). His direction of the acting is so poor. Cole Hauser is a joke. This was supposed to be his break out role to establish him among the elite. So much for that. This probably ruined his future as well.

Gibson got a bad rapt for this and he was hated for months for it, but he always comes back.

Tom Sizemore plays Rex Harper, the lowest, foulest paparazzi of the whole bunch. Sizemore is as slimy and greasy as ever. Daniel Baldwin is his buddy who is just as dirty. The movie projects the paparazzi as the lowest of the low. The dirt on the bottom of the shoe. The scum of society. They cause a wreck and then they take pictures of the mangled bodies in the car. All the while, the other driver died.

One could consider this movie a good look at the invasion of privacy and how it affects people's lives. Do they deserve the right to take pictures of your life? Question, question. Of course, this movie is biased against them, but are they right?

One thing I could not figure out was the random cameos. Gibson was understandable, but Vince Vaughn? Chris Rock? Matthew McConaughey? What is this? Just for kicks?

A short running time (1:21) is about the best part of this movie aside from the ridiculous revenge murders (that he gets away with). If you like those kind of movies, you may get a kick out of this, but the poor direction will make you run for higher ground.

4 of 10

Hand-held Beauty

I've been thinking about making a movie for the past couple weeks and last night I finally got the chance thanks to some big help from some friends and my brother. They had to think I was crazy, but they helped out a lot.

Lately, I have become obsessed with hand-held camera movement. I just love the chaos from using a hand-held. It is amazing how camera movement can make the situation that much more intense.

The hand-held camera does not have to increase intensity as it can be used to showcase the lifestyle of a another culture of a different culture. I write this about my new found love: Mexican filmmaking. Directors like Alfonso Cuaron, Alejandro Inarritu and Guillermo del Toro.

These guys can create amazing worlds through the use of the hand-held camera. It really is beautiful how they can create these lifestyles. I cite Cuaron's "Children of Men" (such a great movie) and "Y Tu Mama Tambien" (despite the subject material, Cuaron's Mexico is delicious), del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" and Inarritu's "Amores Perros."

These guys really know how to make movies. I had been wanting to test out my own use of the hand-held camera, so I came up with a quick, lame plot just to test out different methods. I also love nighttime in an empty downtown, so I decided to shoot the movie in an empty downtown at night.

The car shots in the movie are great, but I got into some trouble when I sent my characters down an alley. I knew I would have some trouble with the lighting, but my goodness, I didn't expect the lighting to be that bad.

I was shooting with a crap, Wal-mart camera that refuses to pick up night time shots. So my run down the alley is really dark. I was kinda disappointed in this, but we'll see how it turns out when we edit it.

We also have a major sound problem that I can't seem to figure out at the moment. Luckily, there isn't much sound to be used in the movie other than screams and hits.

My hand-held work is decent, but I think at times I was too aggressive. My problem was I shook the camera and ran with it, so I had double the shake. If I had just let it flow naturally and tried to maintain a steady balance while I ran, it would have been better and not as drastic.

There is definitely an art to this form of cinematography and I commend anyone who has mastered it. Each movement is planned to a T and they really know what they are doing. Their presentation is so beautiful, whereas mine is sub par.

I need a lot of practice.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

DuhDuhDuhDuh DuhTaDuh duhduhduhduh DuhTaDuh

Indy's back! He is back to save the world again. As I walked throughout the theater waiting for the movie to start, I heard the glory of the theme song playing throughout the theater. At first, I thought it was coming from one of the screens, but I quickly learned it was set up on the PA system. Doesn't get much more awesome than that. I was also glad they used the same poster design as the original series.

Indy returns in 1957 in search for a skull to unlock El Dorado, the city of gold. New and old characters abound for the latest adventure. Indy is reunited with old flame Miriam (Karen Allen) from Raiders of the Lost Ark. He quickly finds out that the kid who took him to save his mom is his son. His son is played by Shia LaBeouf.

Skull is loaded with action and adventure as one might expect. Ford is old, but he can still pull off some of the stunts. They even make several jokes about how old Ford is throughout the movie.

The movie remains true to the originals in the fact that they use great stunt work as opposed to CGI for people. The stunt work is perfect and manages to capture Ford as an able, athletic fighting machine.

My first problem with this movie is all the car chases. There were like 3 huge car chases that took up a bulk of the action. Don't get me wrong, they were good, but they gave Indy a more stationary role in this one (cause he is so old). I know car chases and fights are an Indiana Jones stigma, but this one is a bit overboard. It seems the only fighting takes place on vehicles.

To praise the sound effects, I was so glad they used the same awesome, ridiculously loud punches. They are so awesome and just like the originals.

More criticism. I don't like the 50's world as much as I like the 30's world of the old movies. The 30's just seemed like the perfect time to be an adventurer and treasure hunter. The 50's is just a gross hair world. I much prefer the 30's.

Why o why Cate Blanchett? She tries so hard to make me hate her. I don't know why she is in this role, but I can't stand it. I think she is a good actor, but the roles she takes are starting to make me angry. She is showboating her skills.

In this movie, she is ugly with a disgusting outfit and haircut. There is no reason they could not have gotten some random Russian to play the part. It wasn't that essential to have star power in this role. She is really getting on my nerves.

Final criticism. What is this ending? The whole movie is adventurous and great up to the point when they walk into the room with alien skulls and skeletons. I knew it was going to turn weird. Course we can't have a George Lucas movie without some kind of ridiculous alien plot.

This really disappointed me. Sure the first three movies had supernatural happenings with religious artifacts, but never aliens with spaceships. I just found this hard to swallow. It just turned ridiculous and strayed so far from the Indy we all know and love. What was Spielberg thinking?

Despite the aliens and the sub par special effects, I still enjoyed the movie and I still love my hero, Indy. He will always remain one of the greatest characters of all time and definitely the best action hero. Indy is the bomb. I don't need any more Indy's because the originals never get stale.

4 of 5 stars

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Now, to the one I didn't remember all too well, the Last Crusade. This one was actually made when I was alive! Made four years after Doom, the Last Crusade takes place in 1936 and reincorporates the Nazis as bad guys.

I don't know why I didn't remember this one very well. I guess it is because I did not watch it as much as the other two.

Looking back at this movie, I was in for many surprises and it was just as entertaining as the first time I watched it. This one is loaded with action and adventure.

The introduction of Sean Connery as Indy's father was perfect. I really enjoyed him in this. This movie seems to have a ton of explosions and significantly less hand to hand battles. Maybe it is because of the massive tank battle that lasted half the movie.

This could be Indy's biggest adventure yet. He travels all over the world in search for the legendary Holy Grail, the mecca of all treasures.

This movie is littered with more humor than the previous movies. I just love Indy's countenance throughout the whole movie.

Spielberg claims this to be his favorite of the three and I can see why. The movie is great for the adventurer's spirit.

Crusade starts in 1912 with Indy as a Boy Scout who tries to steal a cross from jewel thieves. He thinks it belongs in a museum. The scenes as a kid explain a lot about Indy in the future, his hatred of snakes, his use of the bull whip and his hat.

Crusade is not only about a search for the Holy Grail but also about a search for reconciliation between a father and son. Dr. Jones Sr. neglected his son and his son left. Indy saves his life multiple times and they are united in the end. We will see how the last twenty years played out in the Kingdom of the Crystall Skull.

I'm interested to learn what Indy has been doing for the past 20 years. Ya, 20 years from Crusade to the newest sequel. What is the deal with resurrecting franchises from the 80's?


4.5 of 5 stars

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Moving on to my brother's favorite and possibly the darkest of the series, the Temple of Doom. Everything Spielberg couldn't get into Raiders he stuffed into this one. Escape the bad guys behind a rolling gong, use an inflatable raft as a parachute and safety blanket as he flies from a burning plane and a mine cart chase.

This movie has it all. Indie is back in the prequel to Raiders that is set in 1931 a few years earlier than Raiders. Doom was released in 1984 and was so violent, it helped garner a new system than introduced a PG-13 rating. The violence includes Molorom ripping a dude's heart out.

Doom centers on rural Indian villages that have been robbed of sacred stones. Indie must save the day. Doom has a lot of cult mysticism, child slavery and bizarre customs. Loaded with critters as opposed to snakes this time, Doom is sure to make even the strong squirm.

What my brother and I enjoyed so much about this movie was the character of little Shortie as Indie's sidekick. How we wished we could have been him as kids. To be our hero's sidekick would have been glorious. We always pretended we were Shortie and that we could save Dr. Jones whenever he needed help.

For the second time, this series won best visual effects at the Academy Awards. John Williams adds the typical awesome score. This movie is loaded with great action and is equally as entertaining as the first, but the darkness and weird spirituality are kind of a turn off in the series. I tend to think this is the weakest of the trilogy.

The thing I love about rewatching these movies is the old school sound effects. The punches sound so ridiculous and way over the top violent, which makes the movie even more exciting. I wonder if the new Indie will use the same? Probably not...

Thank you for #2 in the series which was equally as entertaining and thrilling. The adventures of Indie will stand the test of time and any kid will always think of Indie as the greatest hero of all time. Much better than today's "super"-heroes.

These movies are so well-developed and clearly thought out. It really is one of the best ideas for a hero ever. Thank you Lucas for that but not for Star Wars. I prefer the possible (haha, yeah Indie is very believable).

Harrison Ford gets more and more injured with each movie. In this one, he hurt his back. The previous, his ribs. He is probably in a wheelchair after Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.


4 of 5 stars

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

As the newest installment of Indy approaches, I felt the need to watch the original trilogy, which began in 1981. Can you believe that 27 years have passed and yet here comes another with Harrison Ford on his death bed?

The story of Indiana Jones is legendary and was one of my favorite movies as a kid. The adventure and daring escapades of Indy are incredible to a kid. Indy was easily the greatest character ever.

Harrison Ford was the perfect choice in this epic Spielberg film. His guise as a professor/archaeologist hides the truth that he is a treasure hunter. He is a handsome, rough teacher that his students greatly love.

Set in the 1930's, Indy is hired on by the government to beat the Nazi's to finding the Ark of the Covenant that is supposedly in Egypt. The thing with Indy is that he does all the grunt work - finding legendary treasures by passing all the traps - and some bad guy jerks it out of his hand and leaves him for dead.

The bad guy in this one is some Hitler cronie with an ugly face and a disgusting laugh. I really hate that guy.

The Ark is ripped from Indy and he and Marion (his girl) must get it back to discover the secrets within and to ensure it does not make the Nazi army invincible. The movie turns sci-fi (true to Spielberg and buddy and story writer George Lucas form) when the Nazis open the ark.

The Ark is legendary from Biblical times when the Hebrews carried it around at God's instruction as they wandered the wilderness. Anyone who touched it instantly died. It has spiritual power of some kind and has never been found.

The great thing about this epic movie is all the adventure as I previously stated. It still has some of the best fight scenes and action sequences of all time. This movie really stands the test of time. The movie is loaded with good humor as well.

Indiana Jones is one of the greatest characters/heroes ever made and I love him to death. I am so glad they made more than one movie and I can't wait for the next one. Ark is the best of the trilogy and likely the best of the series.

I didn't realize how well this movie was received back in the day. It was nominated for 8 Academy Awards including Best Picture, which I find kinda hard to believe. O well, awesome. It won 4 - Best Art Direction, Best Effects, Best Editing, Best Sound.

Congrats Spielberg on one of your best movies and series ever. I could watch this every day forever.

4.5 of 5 stars

Shotgun!

I saw this picture and almost busted a gut laughing. Not to take away from all that Rosa Parks accomplished, but this is just a funny picture. No doubt it was tough what she went through, but if you can't laugh in life then you're screwed.

Rosa Parks did much with her life as an activist who essentially began the Civil Rights Movement. Her refusal to give up her seat for a white person on December 1, 1955, led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which is one of the largest movements against racial segregation in U.S. history. This single event propelled Parks into a leadership role within the Civil Rights movement and forever garnered her notoriety.

Martin Luther King, Jr. rose up from the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Therefore, Parks is seen as the Mother of the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement. She helped ensure equality and the end of segregation. She did help change the world.

So, you have to laugh at the picture because Parks definitely deserves shotgun. Regretfully, she died like three years ago.

Call the picture offensive, call it in bad taste. But I call it hilarious. It does not change my view of her at all but rather emphasizes it. I probably respect her more. She was a great person.

Hopefully she followed all of the rules of shotgun.
1. Everyone has to be outside
2. You have to be able to see the car
3. Everyone has to hear you, especially the driver (so they can defend you if it turns nasty).
4. It's rude to take shotgun twice in a row (but for Rosa Parks, it wouldn't be).