The Muppets: It's time to meet The Muppets

A long time ago, I heard that Jason Segel had a project to bring back the Muppets. I was familiar with the characters thanks to watching Muppets from Space as a kid, but I had never taken my fascination any further. Flash forward twelve years, and the Muppets have come back to theatres with as much charm and laughs as anyone could hope for.

The Muppets (the movie) centers around a brand new muppet named Walter and his brother Gary, Jason Segel. All his life, Walter has wanted nothing more than to see the famous Muppet Theatre and take a tour of the studio. When Gary decides to take his long-time girlfriend Mary, Amy Adams, to Los Angeles for their tenth anniversary, he lets Walter tag along to see the Muppet studio. On a tour, Walter finds out that an oil tycoon, Tex Richman, played by Chris Cooper, wants to buy the studio and drill there. The only way to save the studio is to raise ten million dollars, so Walter, Gary and Mary set out to reunite the Muppets and put on one last show.

This movie is Jason Segel’s dream project. He has been a huge fan his whole life and always wanted to make a Muppet movie of his own. Taking matters into his own hands, Segel proceeded to write, produce, and star in this movie, essentially making it his own; this is anything but bad. Any audience member could tell that this movie was truly a labor of love. Segel poured every last bit of comedy and nostalgia out of himself and stuck it in this movie. Segel does a great job as the lead, over-exaggerating emotions and making everything over the top, which is a staple of the Muppets, and Segel keeps it going. Amy Adams was the perfect choice to play his girlfriend. Adams is a charming bundle of joy and showed her great comedic musical acting in Enchanted, which carries over well with The Muppets. One of the greatest parts about The Muppets is the cameos. There are literally dozens of cameos in this film and you are bound to recognize at least one of the people making a surprise appearance. All of these cameos are done spot-on and always kept me smiling and pointing at the screen.

Director James Bobin, writer and director of Flight of the Conchords, works well within the confines of what the camera can show with The Muppets. Emotional scenes always look strong, and every sight-gag is handled with finesse. Segel’s writing is darn near perfect. Every joke deserves a laugh and, although the pacing may be a bit too fast, the music is fantastic. Music numbers are a common occurrence with the Muppets and they make their triumphant return here with catchy tunes and an unfortunate lack of classics (only two).

The Muppets is the definition of a feel-good movie. There was never a moment when I thought to look away from the screen and I had a smile practically plastered on my face. Although it may move a bit too quick and there is a surprising lack of classic tunes, The Muppets is the best time I’ve had at a movie theater all year. 9/10

Moneyball: Hits it out of the park

Moneyball was a movie I was looking forward to. The premise looked good, and everyone behind it seemed great for the job. Reviews began to come out, and it seemed to appeal to more people than I initially anticipated. In the end, Moneyball is a great movie that almost anyone can enjoy, even if you’re not a baseball fan.

The plot centers around the down and out general manager of the Oakland A’s, Billy Beane (Brad Pitt). Billy is having trouble with his team because he just can’t seem to get the money that is usually needed to build a winning team. Billy soon meets recent economics college graduate Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) who explains an interesting theory. It is mostly lots of different algorithms that predict which players would be best fit for a team. Most of these stats are reliant on a player’s on base percentage. Billy is caught up in a whirlwind of seemingly random players and must convince the scouts and all of Oakland that what he and Peter are doing is what’s best for the team.

I follow baseball pretty well. I don’t check players’ stats or watch every game, but it is America’s pastime, and a good one at that. Moneyball brings this to a whole new level involving complex math equations, and it’s surprisingly interesting to watch. Every time you wondered why you would need what you’re learning in math class, you would never think to look to baseball. It’s an odd thing to see a film based upon such a thing, but it works really well.

Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill work perfectly off of each other. It’s nice to see Pitt doing the thing he’s best at and doing it well. He has finally embraced the fact that he’s not a young boy, but is old enough to play mature rolls. Pitt has some Oscar buzz surrounding him, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he got a nod. Jonah Hill can be very hit or miss, but he knocks it out with Moneyball. It’s not just Hill that’s good, but it’s the script that he’s given that helps to push him along onto the right track.

The writing in this movie is undeniably smart. Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin worked extremely well together. Jokes are witty, conversations seem natural, and it all just flows perfectly. It can get a bit sappy at times, but even that can’t stop the writing from being some of the best so far this year.

Bennett Miller, of Capote fame, handles the direction with ease. Shots are composed artfully and add to the tone of the scene every time. If it’s emotional, you’re going to see wide pans and close-ups on the actors’ faces. When things get less serious, you’ll see a lighting change that can make all the difference. It’s difficult to keep people interested in a behind the scenes sports movie, but the direction is what always kept me in.

Moneyball is a great movie and an amazing baseball movie. Fans of the sport will fall in love with it, and everyone else will still be enthralled, even if they don’t understand it all. It starts out a bit slow, and I feel like I’ve seen some of it before, but Moneyball is a great way to kick off the fall movie season. 9/10

Unstoppable: Make it stop

I remember seeing the trailers to this movie and thinking how bad it could be. I skipped it on my own intuition, but when reviews came out praising it, I was shocked. I finally had the chance to revisit it, and now I know why I skipped it.

Unstoppable is “inspired by true events.” I guess that’s the looser way of saying based on a true story, especially since the plot is pretty nonsensical. Anyways, the story starts when a dumb railroad worker accidentally lets a train go unmanned. This train continues to pick up speed with nobody in it, leaving a possibility for it to derail in a heavily populated area. Before this occurs, Frank (Denzel Washington) gets a new rookie partner named Will (Chris Pine). They each have their own background story, but it’s mostly unimportant. The runaway train passes Frank and Will, and Frank decides that they can save the train by themselves.

One of the biggest problems I had with this movie was its opening. First impressions are everything, and Unstoppable does not make a good one. Products, TV shows, and company names are spread throughout the beginning and left me thinking if Coca-Cola part of the title of this film. Luckily, that slows down, but one thing that never ends is a simple camera trick that annoyed me to no end. During a wide shot, the camera would zoom in on a person’s face, and when the camera is zoomed in, it pulls out to show the scene. This happens all the time and sometimes even in conjunction. I stopped noticing it a little, but it never ceased to bother me.

The acting in this movie is not the best I’ve seen from any of the actors in it. Denzel Washington has a little fun running around a train, and making cracks at himself, but his genuinely good acting only shines through for a couple minutes. Chris Pine did his own stunts in Unstoppable, but that doesn’t mean his acting is as good as it could be. If you want to see him in a good movie, go see Star Trek. Rosario Dawson is not known for being the best actress out there, but she does a good job considering her other work, but, unfortunately, that’s not saying much.

Director Tony Scott is not known for amazing movies, but he has worked with Denzel Washington a few times, which may be a reason why Washington has some sub-par acting. Scott may have made him feel too comfortable, but I can’t tell for sure. The shaky camera style comes into play too much in this movie, and I once again can’t help but mention the zooms. The biggest problem with Scott’s direction is that he always repeats. There are a few scenes when people are talking on the phone, and every time the camera pans across the room of each person. Once is fine, but when it happens again and again, it just gets irritating.

The writing in this movie is its saving grace. Mike Bomback doesn’t phenomenal writing, but it still connects. Comic relief is common in this movie, and it works really well. It doesn’t interrupt the action, but is instead inserted into time spent in the train with Will and Frank. Being the writer for Live Free or Die Hard, Bomback knows how to construct an action sequence, and the tensest moments actually work. It was slightly boring at times, and some things could have been more fleshed out, but it seems Bomback did his research on trains.

Unstoppable is not a great movie. The acting is mediocre and the direction is annoying, but well-composed action sequences and some good dialogue keep it from being a total train wreck. 6/10

Planet Terror: Scary good

I noticed that this weekend the horrible-looking Spy Kids 4 is coming out. I looked back fondly on Spy Kids and remembered the great first and the good second films. I decided to take a look at director Robert Rodriguez and find something of his worthwhile to watch. I found Planet Terror. I remember seeing the preview for some reason and, being twelve, decided it would be the most amazing thing ever. Seeing as it was a hard “R,” I never saw it. That is until now. My twelve-year-old self wasn’t completely correct, but Planet Terror is a campy, hilarious, and downright gross piece of cinema.

The plot in Planet Terror is mostly left aside, but it goes a little something like this: An experimental toxin is leaked into the air at a military base in rural Texas. This toxin has an interesting effect. It turns people into flesh eating “sickos,” which can be described as a covered-in-boils zombie. The story has no true center, but rather follows several people including recently retired go-go dancer Cherry (Rose McGowan), her shady ex Wray (Freddy Rodriguez, no relation to Robert), a doctor (Josh Brolin) out for revenge on his cheating wife (Marley Shelton), the local sheriff (Michael Biehn), and several others. All of these characters try to survive as blood and guts fly everywhere with the recent outbreak.

Before I go my usual way of talking about actors, I must talk about this movie for just a while longer. The interesting thing about Planet Terror is that it is shown as though one were watching it in an old 70’s movie theatre. Grain is everywhere and the flecks of dust pop in and out of the screen all the time. Some might take this as a bad thing, but I think that it was a risk worth taking. The campy vibe of the movie along with the rampant blood and guts work extremely well to keep a 70’s exploitation movie vibe. I was amazed at how much I loved it even without ever experiencing it in real life.

It’s difficult to talk about just one actor, so I’ll try to wrap up all of them. Every actor knows very well that this movie is meant to have somewhat subpar acting due to its homage feel. Although this is taken into account, I can’t help feeling that some of the actors took this a bit too far, or just can’t act. Brolin was great as the vengeful doctor and so was Shelton as the runaway. Freddy Rodriguez and Biehn seemed to have the best feel for what to do along with a special guest appearance about an hour into the movie. I don’t want to spoil it, but that actor knows what he’s doing. My biggest problem was with Rose McGowan. It seems that she is only known for her sex appeal and that is made completely apparent in the movie. Near the end she does get to have some fun, and does a great job with those scenes, but before then her performance is nothing but bland.

Robert Rodriguez does almost every other thing imaginable with this movie. He wrote, directed, composed, produced, edited, supervised the visual effects, and even was the cinematographer. All praise and blame can be directed squarely at him, but he luckily deserves more praise. The direction is some of the cheesiest I’ve ever seen, and the visual effects probably have the most blood put in a movie ever. Images of infected genitalia are shown, and he almost always leaves nothing to the imagination. The writing is probably his best achievement. Although campy lines are spoken, Rodriguez puts some considerably funny moments into the script and then handles them with ease as the director, not to mention how back-and-forths between characters seem strangely natural.

Planet Terror may not appeal to all audiences, but if you like the idea of a campy film with rampant violence, gore, and hilarity, go check out Planet Terror. 7/10

Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Long name, great movie

When this movie was announced, I was extremely skeptical. A prequel to one of the best classic movies ever? I finally saw a few previews and I just got a little more doubtful. It looked more like an attack movie rather than a true story. The reviews began to pour out for this movie and I was shocked. I had to see for myself how good this movie is. Let’s just say that I came out stunned and wanting more.

Rise of the Apes, as I will now refer to it, starts when scientist Will Rodman, James Franco, makes a breakthrough in his research to cure Alzheimer’s, but when something goes wrong, Will’s project is shut down, forcing him to put down all of his ape test subjects. Will finds out that one of his subjects had a baby, and so he decides to take it home with him and name it Caesar. Will finds that this chimp is especially smart due to the fact that he was born from an ape that was given his Alzheimer’s medication. As Caesar grows up, he becomes bigger and more powerful, not to mention much smarter. When something happens, Caesar is put into an ape “sanctuary” with tons of less smart apes. From then on, you probably know what happens.

Now the thing about Rise of the Apes, is that James Franco is not the main character. Instead, the story focuses on the CGI ape, Caesar. A CGI primate as a main character is not something seen often, but for this movie it works. Caesar acts more like a human than any other ape in the movie, and this lets him convey emotion, particularly through his body movements. But the movements aren’t done by animators, it is done by the immensely talented Andy Serkis, known for the voice and movements of Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I cannot give this man enough credit for his contribution to this movie, and it makes me wonder if he could get a nomination for best actor.

The only other prominent characters in this film are James Franco and Tom Felton. Franco does a laudable job, but I know that he’s done better. After seeing 127 Hours I expected a little more engrossment in his part, but it never seemed to shine through. Felton, best known for being Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter series, does a nice job as the bully in the ape “sanctuary.” Felton does what he does best, and he does it well.

The strong direction in Rise of the Apes is done by Rupert Wyatt, a relative newcomer to film direction. The pans and camera movements that accentuate the movements and feelings of Caesar are flawless, not to mention the action sequence at the end of the movie. It seems that Mr. Wyatt will be getting a few new gigs, pending he hasn’t signed up for this movie’s eventual sequel.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is an extremely interesting look on society, and quite a powerful movie as well. There was this one point when something slightly funny happened and then boom. Something intriguing occurs and the whole audience looked straight at the screen and realized this movie’s seriousness. If only the acting was better and the movie didn’t scream for a sequel, Rise of the Apes could have been one of the best movies of the year. 8.5/10

Minority Report: The future looks awesome!

Going into this movie, I knew very few things about it. I knew that it starred Tom Cruise and that the technology in it is slightly mirrored in the world today. What I didn’t know, was that the movie was as deep and as complicated as a Christopher Nolan film, the direction was done by Spielberg, and that the special effects are amazing even if the movie had come out today.

Minority Report takes place in 2054 when the world looks radically different and murder has been almost completely eradicated. The lack of murder is thanks to a new breed of crime fighting called precrime. This allows officers to see a murder before it happens. The logistics of this are best explained through the film, but that’s the basics. Tom Cruise plays Chief John Anderson, the head of the precrime division. John believes firmly that precrime works flawlessly, but when it is predicted that he will kill somebody, John must go on the run and prove his innocence. The story takes many twists and turns, and it becomes very difficult to say any more without giving away too much.

As I said in my review of Knight and Day, Tom Cruise is one of my favorite people to see on the silver screen. In Minority Report, Cruise has to be less snarky and a little more badass. Cruise’s great reactions to the special effects make the situation feel so believable, thus pulling the viewer in more. His reactions to more emotional situations are heart-wrenching and his overall performance is remarkable.

Director Steven Spielberg has never failed to amaze me. Every movie he directs is phenomenal and Minority Report makes no exception. Camera-work is done pitch-perfect and every action sequence is filled with excitement. All of the chase scenes look very much like his work with the Indiana Jones movies. This coupled with the Blade Runner-esque art style of the dregs of society are a great vision.

Watching these special effects, I had to see who the cinematographer was. Janusz Kaminski has worked with Spielberg’s action films before and even worked with Tom Cruise on Jerry Maguire. The special effects are beyond phenomenal for a movie made in 2002, much less one that was made in 2011. I have seen recent movies with special effects worse than that of Minority Report’s and that is saying something.

The two writers don’t have many credits, in fact, one has none other than Minority Report, but the dialogue is fantastic. There are a few scenes where the characters can seem a little out of place, and others when moments are funny in this very seriously-toned film. But the movie itself is based off of a short story written by Phillip K. Dick, the mastermind behind other books such as the aforementioned Blade Runner and the just as greatly adapted Total Recall.

All in all, Minority Report is a fantastic movie that is a thrill to watch. From every sci-fi futuristic toy, to every chase and every surprise, I never took my eyes off the screen. If only the jokes were left behind, this movie could be even closer to perfect. 9/10

Insomnia: Hard to stay awake

                I looked at this movie’s description and thought to myself, “How could this go wrong?”  An all-star cast of three Oscar-winners join up with Christopher Nolan to make a movie.  Luckily, Insomnia doesn’t go very wrong.  If you want a usual Chris Nolan mindfreak, you won’t find it here, but Insomnia is still a gripping mystery.

                Insomnia is the story of two Los Angeles cops who are sent to Alaska to find the killer of a teenage girl.  But when Will Dormer (Al Pacino) has something go wrong with his partner, Will begins to lose sleep.  Hilary Swank helps Dormer on their case as rookie cop Ellie Burr, as Robin Williams tags along as, well, a spoiler.  This is a mystery and I’d rather not give away too much of the plot.

                Al Pacino is an undeniably great actor and it is shown quite well through this movie.  As every new piece of evidence is unfolded and every new lead is figured out, the viewer can tell that Pacino stays in character nicely.  He seems to have that very normal feel to him.  Pacino acts how just about anyone in that situation would act, but he does so in an unnatural situation, and that’s what makes him great.

                Hilary Swank does a good job as the eager newbie.  The genuine kindness in her eyes fades as the plot gets thicker and it’s a nice change from similar faces in every scene.  It’s very difficult to talk about Robin Williams’ character, but he does a great job in it.  I’m not used to seeing Williams do a drama, but it seems to work very nicely for him.

                The writing in this movie is just about the only thing I have a problem with.  The screenplay is largely based off of an extremely similar Sweedish movie of the same name.  When I say extremely, I mean they’re almost exact copies.  The rest was up to screenwriter Hillary Seitz, whose only other credit is admittedly terrible Eagle Eye.  The writing isn’t bad per se, but the story seemed to be one big lag with a pickup in the last five minutes.  I know mysteries are meant to be slow, but this was bordering on unbearable.  I was kept in by wanting to know the ending and how it plays out.  I have to admit, the movie definitely kept me hooked.

                Director Christopher Nolan has great direction as usual.  I recently saw Memento and the style doesn’t seem to change that much.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing, Memento was very well directed, but I do wish that there was a slight change in style from Nolan’s other movies.

                Insomnia is a gripping mystery that will keep you wanting it to end, but without skipping the details.  Two hours is a long time these days and slow mysteries aren’t usually my favorite, but Insomnia kept my attention with smart direction, an intriguing story, and great acting, especially by Pacino.  7.5/10

Catch Me If You Can: Taking forgery to new heights!

This is a movie I have looked forward to watching. It has gone in and out of my mind and I’m glad I finally saw it. The fact is, Catch Me If You Can is now one of my favorite movies of all time. That is a very difficult club to become a part of, and I hope this review can explain why it deserves that spot.

Catch Me If You Can is based on the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., a check embezzler played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Sixteen-year-old Frank finds himself going from rich to poor after his dad, Christopher Walken, has a hard time keeping his business up. After a short time Frank’s parents get a divorce and he decides to run away with what little money he has. Frank uses his new checkbook to “bounce” his way through several hotels and apartments. Frank soon decides he needs real money, and concocts a scheme to pose as an airline pilot, forging checks payable to his new persona. Frank then travels around the country cashing forged checks and getting in over his head. The FBI finds out about his schemes and sends Carl Hanratty, Tom Hanks, to catch Frank. Antics ensue as DiCaprio runs away from Hanks.

Leonardo DiCaprio is one of my favorite people to see in a movie. From Titanic to Inception, he can play every role pitch perfect. Catch Me If You Can is no exception to the rule. DiCaprio plays the young criminal flawlessly. Every line and every word is delivered with finesse and respect for the source material. I can’t tell you enough how much I loved him in this role.

Tom Hanks is Tom Hanks. He is famous for being great. Hanks plays the New York detective like a pro. Carl feels put down at his job and even more so by a criminal that seems impossible to catch, and this distress is shown through Hanks flawlessly. Every missed mark and every wrong check can be seen though Hanks’ body language.

The director needs no introduction. He is the one and only Steven Spielberg. Perfect at every turn, the direction could not have been better. Spielberg pulls it off once again with genius timing and astounding skill. As montages go, Catch Me If You Can had one that I may never forget. It’s difficult to make a movie like this, but I know nobody else who could do it better than Steven Spielberg.

Rarely will I write about or even notice the music in a film, but composer John Williams made several catchy pieces that will be stuck in my head for weeks. John Williams has had an outstanding past with movies and Catch Me If You Can will be added to one of his many other successes.

It is not often that I see a movie as enthralling as Catch Me If You Can. I was almost always on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what Frank and Carl would do next. I say almost because it lags a bit at the end. The lagging is understandable, but I wish there was a way to make it a little more exciting. Other than that, Catch Me If You Can is one of very few almost perfect movies. 9.5/10

Knight and Day: Witty, Charming, Fun

When this movie debuted, I was super excited to go see it. The fact that Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise are two of my favorite actors, coupled with the genuinely good-looking trailers had me pumped. Unfortunately, I saw the reviews and was taken aback. I decided to skip the apparently mediocre film and move on to other things. That was until yesterday when I finally decided to see this movie, and while it may be formulaic, Diaz and Cruise make it such a fun time that I was always excited to see the next scene.

Knight and Day is about Diaz’s character, June, having a chance meeting with Cruise’s character, Roy. They bump into each other at the airport, and Roy is put onto the same flight as June except June’s ticket becomes invalid. When she is put back on the plane, she finds out that Roy is a rogue spy trying to clear his name. Throughout the movie, June is pulled into tons of crazy situations with Roy right behind her, saving her life. This movie follows a definite formula, but that doesn’t hinder how much I enjoyed this affair.

Cruise is the star of the show. His comedic timing is perfect and he always has that classic Tom Cruise charm to his acting. Whether he is running around a battle, talking to someone else, or even drugging Diaz time and time again, Tom Cruise always makes his character likeable.

Diaz doesn’t play as big of a role as Cruise, but she is still funny. Diaz pulls off the cute and innocent girl with ease, and even though she is getting older, she can still be very attractive (something that is also shown in her recent film, Bad Teacher).

The writing in this movie is great. The film is very fast-paced and newcomer Patrick O’Neill pulls of the romantic-comedy-action genre with style. Every little quip was placed perfectly and every line was spot-on. I never felt like I was cheated out of a good situation. Every time Diaz and Cruise are somewhere, the most is made out of every second they stay in that place. This is largely thanks to the lightning-fast pacing, and although it slows down a bit in the middle, as most movies do, the writing was an amazing mix of three genres.

The direction was also very well-done. James Mangold, the director behind Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma, and Girl, Interrupted, knows how to make a great action and romance sequence. Every car that flew by, every thing that exploded, and every set piece that flew by was handled with finesse. Whether it was a fistfight in close quarters, or a gun battle in a large area, the direction was always excellent.

Knight and Day may play by a few rules, but the funny writing, the amazing direction, and the charming leads make this movie a joy to watch. 7.5/10

The Losers: A loser of a movie

When I saw the trailer for this movie last year, I didn’t think it looked half bad. But it was then that the reviews came out saying that it was meant for thirteen-year olds and not that good. Being fourteen, I decided to skip it. I recently revisited the movie and am proud to say that the reviews give it more credit than it deserves.

The Losers is about a ragtag gang of men who I think were soldiers. The plot is never truly well explained, but I’ll do the best I can. At one point all of these men are betrayed by their boss, Max, and are thought to be dead by the public. A while later, Zoe Saldana pops in to ask the leader (Jeffery Dean Morgan) if he and his team will track down Max for her. The rest is nonsensical and cliché. From gunfights to more betrayals, this movie follows the book so well I almost predicted every second.

The acting is nothing special. Everyone involved seems to do an alright job. The only standout performer here is Zoe Saldana. She plays the sexy and gunslinging girl well, but doesn’t take it too far. Jeffery Dean Morgan was I name I hadn’t heard. In fact, watching the movie, I thought the actor was Gerard Butler, and that’s just how bad he was. I laughed twice during this movie: One time I chuckled at a joke, the other time was when I broke out laughing due to Butl- sorry I mean Morgan’s horrible delivery during what was supposed to be a serious moment. The rest of the characters and their respective actors are forgettable.

The writing is somewhat off kilter. I felt as if the movie was trying to be juvenile and adult at the same time. There were moments when people were having a serious conversation or a great action sequence, and then someone breaks out a horrible “yo mama” joke. Maybe some pre-teens would laugh at that, but even this youngster had a confused look on his face. The direction in this movie is nothing more than moving the camera around a scene. I swore I was just watching a dream I had when I was twelve, but with awkward camera angles.

The Losers is not a good movie. There are random sensual scenes, people getting shot and then doing parkour stunts, and just plain alright acting. If your kid wants some mindless action, give them this movie and they might be glued to a screen for a mere hour-and-a-half. 3/10

50/50: Funny and Touching

When I saw the trailer for 50/50 I didn’t think it could be done: a comedy about a life-threatening disease that is scaring the whole world. Fortunately, the team behind this movie did very well crafting a story both moving and funny, but like many other movies, it has its faults.

50/50 is about a man named Adam, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who finds out he has cancer. To help him get over his troubles are his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen), his psychiatrist Katie (Anna Kendrick), and his girlfriend Rachel (Bryce Dallas Howard). During the movie Adam is faced with different obstacles he must overcome. These include telling his parents, regular hospital visits, and psychiatric evaluations. All of this must be done without Adam ever being able to drive a car, as he has never learned. This is a clever element that adds much-needed character interaction and makes for some interesting situations.

Every actor does a commendable job. Seth Rogen plays his character just like he does any other, but he seemed to have more of a charming appeal as Kyle. Rogen usually plays the exact same cookie cutter character, almost like the stoner Michael Cera, but he always does it well, especially with his delivery of the hilarious dialogue.

Anna Kendrick plays her role as the awkward right-out-of-college therapist nicely, helping Levitt out in his troubling times. She is not seen much, but the glimpses given of her are a warm welcome to a mostly depressing time.

Bryce Dallas Howard is a name I had never heard before I saw this movie. The daughter of Ron Howard, a living legend, she does a very good job portraying Gordon-Levitt’s girlfriend. As a matter of fact, I wish there was a little bit more of her in the movie. She was quite a springboard for Gordon-Levitt’s character to jump off of, and there are several scenes when they play off of each other very well.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt had the best performance. The audience could tell that he took his character seriously and took time to connect with the script. All of the emotions expected from someone who recently discovered they have cancer come out nicely through Gordon-Levitt. Every up and down throughout the movie can be seen just by looking at his actions.

The writer, Will Reiser, is another name I had never heard of. The only other writing credit he has besides 50/50 is a TV short, but after this movie releases wide I am sure he will be getting a few more things to do. Reiser does an amazing job creating a script that dishes out laughs and touches hearts. Half the movie is spent in laughter, while the other half is spent welling up and actually thinking. The only complaint I could possibly have is that these halves of laughing and crying are slightly uneven. One minute I could be laughing, but the next ten are spent staring tentatively at the screen. For the next twenty minutes, I am once again laughing. There are several scenes where the laughs are nothing more than comedic relief from the seriousness brought along with the film’s premise, and that works well, but there are other scenes in which Reiser doesn’t know whether to make it funny or serious.

The director, Jonathan Levine, has no noticeable directing credit besides the critically acclaimed indie film The Wackness. Levine does a good job with what he has. The camera moves back and forth between the characters almost like a TV show which is typical for an amateur director, but Levine does his best work with the more emotional scenes. Panning views work well along with close-ups of characters at their weakest. It’s not amazing direction, but it is still pretty good.

50/50 is a funny R-rated comedy and should be commended for its balance of emotion and laughter. If you need both a funny and endearing movie that includes R-rated elements 50/50 is your best bet for the summer. 8/10