The 40-Year Old Virgin

PLOT (spoiler alert!!!):

Andy Stitzer (Steve Carell) is a 40-year-old virgin who is involuntarily celibate. He lives alone, and is somewhat childlike and collects action figures, plays video games, and his social life seems to consist of watching Survivor with his elderly neighbors. He works in the stockroom at an electronics store called SmartTech. When a friend drops out of a poker game, Andy’s co-workers David (Paul Rudd), Cal (Seth Rogen), and Jay (Romany Malco) reluctantly invite Andy to join them. At the game (which he wins, due to playing online poker constantly), when conversation turns to past sexual exploits, Andy desperately makes up a story, but when he compares the feel of a woman’s breast to a “bag of sand”, he is forced to admit his virginity.

Feeling sorry for him (but also generally mocking him), the group resolves to help Andy lose his virginity. Throughout the next several days, the gang’s efforts prove to be unsuccessful, partly because all three men give Andy different and sometimes contradictory advice. They take him to have his chest waxed. Cal advises Andy to simply ask questions when talking to women, which makes Andy seem mysterious. His advice proves to be the most helpful, when Beth (Elizabeth Banks), a bookstore clerk, takes a liking to Andy. Andy starts to open up, and begins to form true friendships with his co-workers. David continues to obsess over his ex-girlfriend, Amy (Mindy Kaling). After meeting her unexpectedly during a speed-dating event attended by the group, he has an emotional breakdown while making a sale and is subsequently sent home by store manager Paula (Jane Lynch), who promotes Andy to fill in for him.

Jay, seeing Andy’s continued reluctance to approach female customers, attempts to force the issue by hiring Andy a prostitute. When Andy discovers that Jay has inadvertently hired a transvestite, he is prompted to confront his friends, and tells them that he is taking matters into his own hands. Andy lands a date with Trish Piedmont (Catherine Keener), a woman he met on the sales floor who owns a store across the street. After Andy and Trish’s first date, in which they are interrupted by Trish’s teenage daughter Marla (Kat Dennings) as they are about to have sex, Andy decides to tell Trish he is a virgin. Before he can tell her, Trish suggests that they postpone having sex, to which Andy enthusiastically agrees; they decide they won’t have sex until their twentieth date. Meanwhile, Paula is impressed by Andy’s salesmanship and promotes him to floor manager.

As Andy draws closer to his twentieth date with Trish, his friends begin to deal with the consequences of their lifestyles. David, still spiraling in his obsession with Amy, has become disillusioned with sex and has taken a vow of celibacy, prompting Cal to lure him out by hiring an attractive young woman named Bernadette (Marika Dominczyk) to work in the stockroom. After overreacting during an argument with an obnoxious customer (Kevin Hart), Jay reveals that his girlfriend Jill broke up with him after learning he had been cheating on her. Andy comforts Jay, who says that sex can ruin a relationship. Jill later decides to take Jay back (she is pregnant, and her misgivings about Jay as a father figure were what had spurred the breakup). Andy and Trish’s relationship grows, and Trish suggests that Andy sell his collectible action figures in order to raise enough money to open his own store.

When they finally reach the twentieth date, Andy is still reluctant and resists Trish, upsetting her. An argument ensues, in which Andy accuses Trish of pushing him into changing his life against his will, and Andy leaves for the nightclub where Jay is celebrating his girlfriend’s pregnancy. He quickly gets drunk, and after running into Beth, leaves for her apartment with her. Meanwhile, David finally relinquishes his celibacy and hooks up with Bernadette, and Trish’s daughter Marla convinces her to go and make up with Andy. By this time Andy has sobered up and, after witnessing Beth’s methods of foreplay, he starts to have second thoughts. As Andy is leaving her bathroom, he finds his friends waiting outside, having followed to warn him about Beth and encourage him to go back to Trish. They leave together (except for Cal), and Andy returns to his apartment, where he finds Trish waiting for him.

He attempts to apologize, but Trish, having found myriad suspicious belongings in his apartment, now thinks that Andy may be some sort of sexual deviant. Andy tries to convince her otherwise and declares his love for her, but she leaves in alarm and disgust. Andy chases after her on his bike, but at the moment of intercepting her, he collides with her car and flies headlong into the side of a truck. Trish rushes to his side in concern, and he finally confesses to her that he is a virgin. She is surprised to learn that this is the reason behind his strange behavior, as she does not consider it to be important, and they kiss. Later, Andy and Trish are married in a lavish ceremony with everyone in attendance, with a sidelong mention of Andy’s action figures having sold for approximately half a million dollars. Afterwards, they consummate the marriage, ending Andy’s status as a virgin. They celebrate in a musical scene where the characters sing and dance to “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In”.

REVIEW:

What is it about guys’ virginity and/or celibacy that is so appealing to audiences? Before this film, The 40-Year Old Virgin, we had 30 Days and 30 Nights. It isn’t just the guys, either. I saw a commercial the other day for a show currently on TV about a girl who is a virgin and somehow got pregnant. So, maybe there is something to this topic, perhaps. Let’s take a look at this film, shall we?

What is this about?

At age 40, Andy Stitzer has a pleasant life, but there’s one thing he hasn’t done — so his sex-obsessed coworkers make it their mission to help get him laid. But it all seems hopeless until Andy meets small business owner Trish, a single mom.

What did I like?

Cast. At the time this was released, many of these stars were still up and coming. As a matter of fact, almost all of them have this film to thank for their big breakthrough. Names like Steve Carrell, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, a small cameo by Leslie Mann, and a young Kat Dennings all make appearances that are quite memorable. For me, Dennings’ was the one who stuck with me, partially because of my huge crush on her. Ha!

Weed sprung up. Still speaking on the cast, Romany Malco’s character might have very well been the most intriguing because of his relationship with his wife, his cheating ways, and the way he treats Carell’s character. At first he seems like he is going to be his best friend, then he starts to treat him as a nuisance, and ends up not quite as a friend, but not an enemy either, just a sort of colleague, I suppose. Quite interesting to see his character develop over the course of the film. Too bad we didn’t get more of him, though.

“Ah! Kelly Clarkson!” I don’t need to tell you that the best scene in this movie is when Carell is getting waxed and yelling out all different sorts of exclamations, such as “Ah! Kelly Clarkson!” I remember hearing or reading somewhere that the scene was done for real and in one take. Talk about dedication to your craft. Everytime I see this scene, I wince in pain. You couldn’t pay me to have hair ripped off of me like that. Ouch!

What didn’t I like?

Bad choice. I know that Carell’s character hasn’t exactly had the best of luck with women in his life, hence the reason he’s 40 years old, single, and still a virgin, even if the girls he was with in college were cuties. Still, I have to wonder what he saw in Catherine Keener over the likes of Elizabeth Banks. Sure, Keener is hot for a grandmother, but she looks like an overworked housewife who only has time for her kids and to somehow make it to the gym to workout. Elizabeth Banks on the other hand is downright gorgeous! I guess it just goes to show you that looks aren’t everything. Gosh, I hope this paragraph doesn’t come off sounding as fickle as I think it does.

The change. If there is one things us guys can’t stand it is for a woman to swoop in and try to change us. Guess what? That is exactly what Keener’s character does. She sees all the action figures and collectibles in Carell’s apartment and all but tells him he needs to sell them if he wants to keep her. Now, understand that this was released before the geeks inherited the earth, so collectibles and stuff were just “nerd stuff” and not something that more and more people were in to at the time. Still, a guy needs to have his own hobbies and what not, be it golf, watching football, playing video games, collecting random memorabilia, dressing up as 500 lb woman, etc. Keener’s character, and other women like her, need to get that idea through their thick skulls!

Age of Aquarius. I try not to get too annoyed when films end with a song and dance sequence. Sometimes they work very well, such as the American Idol parody sequence in Shrek 2, but other times they just come off as filler, as this “Age of Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” sequence did. I would have been alright with it had they done and abridged version. That is to say, it started out kinda funny and clever, then it devolved into the same thing that we’ve all seen a million times over. Also, who wants to see a shirtless Seth Rogen tapping his belly?

I must say that The 40-Year Old Virgin did not live up to the hype everyone seems to have for this film. Outside of the waxing scene, I think there were maybe one or two other instances when I chuckled. The story is well written and the characters are decent enough. Perhaps it is just that I am still half asleep from the long day I had yesterday and wasn’t in the mood to watch this today, but I just couldn’t get into it. So, no, I do not recommend this.

3 out of 5 stars

Thor: The Dark World

PLOT (spoiler alert!!!):

Eons ago, Bor, the father of Odin, clashes with the Dark Elf Malekith, who seeks to destroy the universe using a weapon known as the Aether. After conquering Malekith’s forces, including enhanced warriors called the Kursed, on their home world of Svartalfheim, Bor safeguards the Aether within a stone column. Unbeknownst to him, Malekith, his lieutenant Algrim, and a handful of Dark Elves escape into suspended animation.

In present-day Asgard, Loki stands imprisoned for his war crimes on Earth. Meanwhile, Thor, alongside warriors Fandral, Volstagg and Sif repel marauders on Vanaheim, home of their comrade Hogun; it is the final battle in a war to pacify the Nine Realms following the reconstruction of Bifröst, the “Rainbow Bridge” between realms, which had been destroyed two years earlier. In London, astrophysicist Dr. Jane Foster’s intern, Darcy Lewis, now with her own intern, Ian, takes Jane to an abandoned factory where objects have begun to disobey the laws of physics and disappear into thin air. Separating from the group, Jane is teleported to another world, where she is infected by the Aether.

The Asgardians learn that the Convergence, a rare alignment of the Nine Realms, is imminent; as the event approaches, portals linking the worlds appear at random. Heimdall alerts Thor of Jane’s recent disappearance, leading Thor to search for her. When she inadvertently releases an unearthly force, he takes her to Asgard. There, Asgardian healers say they do not know how to treat her. Odin, recognizing the Aether, warns Jane’s infection will kill her given enough time, and that the Aether’s return heralds a catastrophic prophecy.

Malekith, awakened by the Aether’s release, turns Algrim into a Kursed and attacks Asgard. During the battle, Malekith and Algrim search for Jane, knowing she contains the Aether. When they fail to capture her, they escape, killing Thor’s mother, Frigga. Despite Odin’s orders not to leave Asgard, Thor reluctantly teams up with Loki, who knows of a secret portal to Malekith’s world, where they will use Jane to lure and confront Malekith, away from Asgard. In return, Thor promises Loki that he can have his revenge on Malekith for killing their mother. With Volstagg and Sif stalling Asgardian soldiers and Fandral assisting their escape, Thor and Loki commandeer a Dark Elf spaceship and escape to Svartalfheim with Jane.

On Svartalfheim, Loki tricks Malekith into drawing the Aether out of Jane. However, Thor’s attempt to destroy the substance fails, and the Aether-empowered Malekith leaves with his ship as Loki appears to be fatally wounded while killing Algrim. Thor, cradling Loki in his arms, promises to tell their father of his sacrifice. Following Loki’s apparent death, Thor and Jane discover another portal in a nearby cave and reunite in London with Jane’s mentor Dr. Erik Selvig — who was briefly institutionalized due to the mental trauma he suffered during Loki’s attack on Earth — as well as with Darcy and Ian. They learn that Malekith plans to unleash the Aether to destroy the universe, and that he will do this in Greenwich, the center of the Convergence. Thor battles Malekith, but a portal separates them, leaving Malekith unopposed. Thor comes back in time to help his mortal comrades use their scientific equipment to transport Malekith to Svartalfheim, where he is killed before he can destroy the universe.

Thor returns to Asgard, where he declines Odin’s offer to take the throne and tells Odin of Loki’s sacrifice. As he leaves, Odin’s form transforms to that of a grinning Loki.

In a mid-credits scene, Volstagg and Sif visit the Collector and entrust the Aether to his care, commenting that, with the Tesseract already in Asgard, having two Infinity Stones so close together would be dangerous. As they leave, the Collector remarks, “One down, five to go.” In a post-credits scene, Jane and Thor reunite on Earth, while somewhere in London a frost monster from Jotunheim, accidentally transported to Earth during the final battle, continues to run amok.

REVIEW:

One thing that has come from the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been the increased attention to certain characters that weren’t known as well, such as Iron Man and the forthcoming Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant Man. Also, they have brought respect to characters that has become nothing but a joke, such as Thor (need I remind you of Adventures in Babysitting)? Thor: The Dark World brings the breakout star of the MCU into a darker tale, but an enjoyable one, nonetheless.

What is this about?

The God of Thunder strikes again as he fights to save the Nine Realms from mysterious villain Malekith, who plans to make the entire universe go dark. Meanwhile, Thor must find Jane Foster, who’s been targeted by the evil denizens of Svartalfheim.

What did I like?

Loki. Talk about a breakout star, if you look up that definition in the dictionary, you’re sure to find a picture of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki. This summer, there was a clip of him at San Diego Comic-Con where he was hamming it up and the crowd was going wild. He obviously loves this character, but the time will come when audiences will grow weary of him. In preparation for this day, they kept Loki in the film, but pulled him back immensely.

Girls night out. Thor, and pretty much all of the MCU films, can be said to be guy’s films. With that in mind, one should notice that the women get a bit more focus here, particularly Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, and Renee Russo’s characters. I wish we could get a lot more of the beautiful Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif, though. Perhaps in the third film, unless the rumors are true and she becomes Wonder Woman.

Portal. Once again, Marvel has outdone themselves with the climactic battle. This time, as a fellow amateur critic put it, they play a game of “Portal Kombat”, which is quite interesting and doesn’t get old. As a matter of fact, I found myself wishing it would go on for another 10-15 minutes, but they way Thor was getting beat up, I doubt that could have lasted.

Learn. It seems like everything that critics were complaining about in the first film, the filmmakers took notice of and fixed. For instance, the biggest complaint was that too much time was spent on Earth, but in this one about 75% of the film is spent on Asgard which is what we all wanted.

What didn’t I like?

Tease. Some of the characters from the last film that had small parts were supposed to have bigger parts, such as Heimdall. True, he does get a slightly increased roll, but other than one scene where he single-handedly brings down an alien ship. Other than that, he just has a few extra lines.

Pacing. I mistakenly listening to a review of this before watching the real thing and I wonder if that inadvertently brainwashed me because this review mentioned that the film slowed down without Loki. Indeed it does seems as if things go a little slower without him, especially when you consider how things pick up when he seems to lift the mood of things and give us some vintage Loki moments upon his release from prison, including allowing a quick cameo from a certain “Star-Spangled Man”.

Thor: The Dark World is darker than its predecessor, but still had laughs and fun to be had, something that couldn’t have been said about its fellow MCU entry this year, Iron Man 3. Now, the question is, does this stack up to its predecessor. Do the Dark Eleves work as a new threat? Should this be seen in theaters? Well, to answer those questions…yes, yes, and most likely. I wasn’t blown away by this, but I haven’t been blow away by anything this year, I still enjoyed it for what it is. I would most definitely check it out ASAP!

4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Thor

 

PLOT (spoiler alert!!!):

In 965 A.D., Odin (Anthony Hopkins), king of Asgard, wages war against the Frost Giants of Jotunheim and their leader Laufey (Colm Feore), to prevent them from conquering the Nine Realms, starting with Earth. The Asgardian warriors defeat the Frost Giants and seize the source of their power, the Casket of Ancient Winters.

In the present, Odin’s son Thor (Chris Hemsworth) prepares to ascend to the throne of Asgard, but is interrupted when the Frost Giants attempt to retrieve the Casket. Against Odin’s order, Thor travels to Jotunheim to confront Laufey, accompanied by his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), childhood friend Sif (Jaimie Alexander) and the Warriors Three; Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Joshua Dallas) and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano). A battle ensues until Odin intervenes to save the Asgardians, destroying the fragile truce between the two races. For Thor’s arrogance, Odin strips his son of his godly power and exiles him to Earth, accompanied by his hammer Mjolnir — the source of his power, now protected by a spell to allow only the worthy to wield it.

Thor lands in New Mexico, where scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her assistant Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and mentor Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) find him. The local populace finds Mjolnir, which S.H.I.E.L.D agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) soon commandeers before forcibly acquiring Jane’s data about the wormhole that delivered Thor to Earth. Thor, having discovered Mjolnir’s nearby location, seeks to retrieve it from the facility that S.H.I.E.L.D quickly constructed but he finds himself unable to lift it, and is captured. With Selvig’s help, he is freed and resigns himself to exile on Earth as he develops a romance with Jane.

Loki discovers he is Laufey’s son, adopted by Odin after the war ended. When Odin, overcome with stress, falls into the deep “Odinsleep” that allows him to recuperate, Loki becomes king and offers Laufey the chance to kill Odin and retrieve the Casket. Sif and the Warriors Three, unhappy with Loki’s rule, attempt to return Thor from exile, convincing Heimdall (Idris Elba), gatekeeper of the Bifröst Bridge – the means of traveling between worlds – to allow them passage to Earth. Aware of their plan, Loki sends the Destroyer, a seemingly indestructible automaton, to pursue them and kill Thor. Sif and the Warriors Three find Thor, but the Destroyer attacks and defeats them, prompting Thor to offer himself instead. Struck by the Destroyer and near death, Thor’s sacrifice proves him worthy to wield Mjolnir. The hammer returns to him, restoring his powers and allowing him to defeat the Destroyer. Kissing Jane goodbye and vowing to return, he and his fellow warriors travel to Asgard to confront Loki.

In Asgard, Loki betrays and kills Laufey, revealing his true plan to use Laufey’s attempt on Odin’s life as an excuse to destroy Jotunheim with the Bifröst Bridge, and thus prove himself worthy to Odin. Thor arrives and fights his brother before destroying the Bifröst Bridge to stop Loki’s plan, stranding himself in Asgard. Odin awakens and prevents the brothers from falling into the abyss created in the wake of the bridge’s destruction, but Loki allows himself to fall to his apparent death after realizing that he disappointed Odin once again. Thor makes amends with Odin, admitting he is not ready to be king, while on Earth, Jane and her team search for a way to open a portal to Asgard so that she can reunite with Thor.

In a post-credits scene, Selvig has been taken to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, where Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) asks him to study an unnamed device, which Fury says may hold untold power. Loki, invisible, whispers to Selvig to agree, which Selvig does.

REVIEW:

Unless you’re a fellow comic geek, then your knowledge of Thor may be limited to Norse mythology, what you’ve seen occasionally in cartoons where he’s popped up spouting medieval lingo, or the little girl’s obsession in Adventures in Babysitting.

Well, the good people over at Marvel Studios have finally decided to bring Thor to the big screen, and they do so with a pretty big bang, if I do say so myself.

To my knowledge, Thor is the first feature film the Norse god of thunder has been featured in (excluding his segment in Hulk Vs.), so this is kind of a big deal, especially since this is supposed to be the first big film of the summer (no offense to Fast Five).

The plot of this film is basically an origin tale, because unlike Superman, Batman, Spider Man, etc., not may people are familiar with the history of the character of Thor. As we are getting to know Thor we learn that he is a kind of pompous jerk, who lets his ego go too far one day and not only threatens the lives of some of his friends, but also violates a truce, and subsequently gets banished from Asgard and stripped of his powers. Once he lands on Earth, he meets up with a trio of scientists who are studying something up in the sky (I can’t remember what it was exactly). After a few character development scenes, the film ends with some true kick-ass action scenes!

I’ve made the decision to basically boycott the use of 3D (I’m making an exception for Green Lantern, though). I mean, I have yet to see a film that makes good use of the technology, and I honestly think studios are just using it as a way to charge more money (as if ticket prices aren’t high enough).

Having said that, I think there might have been some pretty swell 3D scenes in this film, especially on Asgard, but still not enough to warrant the extra $$$.

The casting in this film really caught my attention. Let’s start with Thor, himself, played by Chris Hemsworth. Another Australian to follow in the footsteps of Mel Gibson (before he lost his mind), Heath Ledger, and currently Sam Worthington. This guy looks exactly like Thor, especially since he buffed up since he was last seen on-screen as Kirk’s father in Star Trek. On top of all that, the guy doesn’t do a bad job with this role.

Tom Hiddleston is another bit of brilliant casting as Loki. It isn’t very often that we see a villain become a villain before our very eyes and feel for him as we do here, and Hiddleston does a great job of bringing the audience to his side. I would have liked for him to have had more fun with the character. After all, Loki is the god of mischief!!!

Anthony Hopkins as Odin…do I really need to say anything other than genius?

Natalie Portman does a decent job as Jane Foster, but this isn’t really her movie, let alone anything for her to write home about. Don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t bad, this was just a small role, and she’s just coming off The Black Swan, those two things coupled together caused a bit of confusion, but in the end, she did what she had to and owned this role.

Idris Elba was controversially cast as Heimdall. There was an organization who actually threatened to boycott this film because of his skin color? Can you believe that? After all that hullabaloo, Elba does what he does with all his roles, treats them very professionally and delivers a knockout performance. To those people who wanted to boycott because of his skin color…well, I won’t type what I want to say to them….just use your imagination.

The sets were fantastic. Wait, let me take that back. Asgard and the lair of the Frost giants are spectacular, while the little town in New Mexico (which is somehow directly beneath Asgard –scratches head–) looks like nothing more than an old set they dug out from the studio archives and filled with extras. Did they really spend all their money on Asgard, I wonder?

The special effects were awesome, but in a film of this genre and with this subject matter, would you really expect less?

I was especially impressed with how much this film kept close to the source material. The one thing I would have liked for them to have kept, though is Thor’s helmet. He wears it when we initially see him, but he takes it off and it is never seen again. Something tells me, that we’ll get something similar with the upcoming The First Avenger: Captain America. Something about wings on a person’s head just doesn’t work these days, I guess. No wonder Flash hasn’t been on the big screen, yet.

I do have a bit of an issue with the pacing of the film, mainly when it shifts to Earth. It seems that down here the film drags on, except for the S.H.I.E.L.D. tent scene and the appearance of the Destroyer. Without those, this film all but makes you hate living on Earth because it is such a bore down here, as opposed to the non-stop action that occurs in the other worlds.

The mixture of action and comedy really works here, even better than it did in the first Iron Man. This is what a comic book movie should be, not something all dark and depressing, if you ask me.

Thor starts this summer off with a bang, and the subsequent films that are set to come out between now and Labor Day have some big shoes to fill. No, this film isn’t perfect, but it was something even better…entertaining! They also snuck in a subtle hint towards the forthcoming Avengers movie (after which, I’m sure there will be a sequel to this film). Do I recommend this film? Yes, Yes, YES!!!! you should drop everything and see it right now! It is that good!

4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Shorts

PLOT:

The Plot is put into “a series of shorts” shown in non-chronological order.

Episode Zero

The Blinkers
Characters: Eddie and Betty

The movie starts before the logo with a pair of twins (Cambell Westmoreland and Zoe Webb) who decide to have a staring contest. The game throughout the course of the movie as a running gag. Both brother and sister lose because their mom snapped her fingers in front of their faces, causing both to blink at the same time. As they wondered who won the game they began a new round, which starts the logo and begins the film.

Episode Two

Alien8ed
Character: Toby “Toe” Thompson

Toby “Toe” Thompson (Jimmy Bennett) begins telling the story from his point of view and explaining The Black Box Inc, where all the adults work. It is this company that creates the “Black Box”, a small cube that can fill any technological need and which every adult at Black Falls works at. Toe goes to school only to be bullied by his worst enemy Helvetica “Hel” Black (Jolie Vanier) and her brother Cole (Devon Gearhart). Toe speculates in front of everyone that Hel loves him, which infuriates Hel. As Toe walks home Cole and his gang start throwing rocks at Toe, one of which is the rainbow colored wishing rock. Toe wishes for friends which come in the form of small aliens. Toe takes the aliens to school, which leads to a series of events ending with Toe and Hel falling from the school’s roof with broken arms. The aliens leave, but Toe keeps the rock. One alien says Toe has friends all around, but he doesn’t know it.

Episode One

The Wishing Rock
Characters: Loogie, Laser and Lug Short.

The Wishing Rock appears for the first time in front of the Short’s House. The three brothers Loogie (Trevor Gagnon), Laser (Leo Howard), and Lug (Rebel Rodriguez) use the rock to wish for a giant fort. The brothers start an argument on who gets to wish for something and the rock ends up falling into the fort’s “canyon”, which Loogie filled with snakes and alligators. The brothers escape with the rock and try to decide what to do with it. Lug and Loogie prefer to use it for fun, but Laser wants to use it wisely. To solve the dilemma, Loogie wishes that one of them was super smart but, as he was not more specific, the power is given to their nearby infant sister (portrayed by Bianca Rodriguez and voiced by Elizabeth Avellan) who convinces the boys to lose the rock into a pile of dirt, where Cole finds it the next day to throw it at Toe

Episode Four

Big, Bad, Booger
Characters: Nose, Toe and Loogie

Toe’s older sister Stacey (Kat Dennings) arrives to tutor “Nose” Noseworthy (Jake Short), Toe’s old germaphobic friend. Nose picks his nose against his father’s wishes and accidentally flicks the booger into his father’s radioactive work study. Toe and Loogie, now friends, arrive at Nose’s house in time to see Nose’s booger mutate into a giant monster. They leave as quickly as possible, but Toe gets caught by the booger. Nose rescues him by saying that if the booger mutant should eat his friend, Nose will eat the booger’s friend (another booger), and the two run out of the house as soon as the booger mutant gives in to Nose’s commands.But goes ahead and tries to eat Toe and Nose. After helping Nose’s father (William H. Macy) capture the monster outside of the house, Toe and Loogie take the rock and leave.

Episode Three

The Miscommunicators
Characters: Mrs. Thompson, Mr. Thompson

Mrs. and Mr. Thompson (Leslie Mann and Jon Cryer) are having trouble with their relationship, as Mr. Carbon Black (James Spader) forces them to compete in making a new sales idea for the black box. Mrs. Thompson goes to look at Toe’s phone, and finds the rock on the floor in his room. She takes the rock just as Toe wakes up. She and Mr. Thompson go to a Black Box Inc. costume party. While on the patio of Mr. Black’s house, she wishes that she and her husband were closer, due to the fact that earlier, Mr. Thompson texted her hugs and kisses, while literally standing right next to her. They become mutated together into a two-headed person and try to hide from Mr. Black. He finds them and invites them inside (thinking they’re wearing a costume). Meanwhile, Toe realizes that Mrs. Thompson took the rock and rushes to the costume party, despite Helvetica warning him against coming. Hel finds the rock as Toe arrives to try and explain its power. Toe is interrupted by Cole, who dumps him in the garbage. An infuriated Hel wishes Cole into a dung beetle before losing the rock. The rock is found by Mr. Black who, unaware of its power, accidentally wishes for all of the employees to go for each others throats. In the chaos, Toe retrieves the Rock and wishes everyone back to normal including his parents. Hel takes the stone, wishes off her casts and escapes before Toe throws the rock as far as he can, where it lands at the Noseworth’s house.

Episode Five

The End
Characters: Everybody

After the events of episode 4, Toe and Loogie contemplate what to do with the rock. They are ambushed by the rest of the kids and they all fight over the rock until it winds up in the hands of Mr. Black. Mr. Black wishes that he was the most powerful thing in the world. He turns into a giant Black Box and the children team up to stop him. Soon, the infant tells them that the rock is starting to feel misused, as shown by the fact that the rock starts undoing all of their wishes. She also tells them the rock could destroy the Earth because of all of the petty wishes they make. Together they get rid of it and all of the events that happened because of the wishes disappear. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson state they plan to work together to Mr. Black who agrees. He later reverts the Black Box into the Green Box, suggesting it to be more environmental. Mr. Noseworthy and son lose their germaphobia, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson become closer, and last it is suggested that Hel and Toe will marry in the future,then Hel said “I didn’t say that”. All the children become friends and walk off while stating they wished their story became a Hollywood movie, breaking the 4th wall and concluding the movie

REVIEW:

 Like many of you, I saw the trailer for this film and was like WTF?!? However, my nephew loved it and he and I have similar tastes, so I decided to give this a shot. Man, was I surprised.

First off, let me say that this is no doubt a kids movie, so if you’re looking for anything adult in it, you’d best go find something else. Second, I have a newfound respect for director Robert Rodriguez. I haven’t seen any of the Spy Kids movies, but I have seen some of his other adult, violent films. The way he is able to go from those to this is amazing.

Shorts is a series of…um…shorts that are all connected to tell one story of a town and their adventures with a rainbow wishing rock.

I’m not quite sure why it is a rainbow-colored rock, other than that gives it a distinctive look.

If you’ve seen any of Rodriguez’s other kiddie films, then you know that the effects aren’t exactly the best, but they are sure to grab the eye of their target audience. While some critics have all but crucified him for this, I applaud him. Sure, these things look fake, but that’s just fine. Seriously, we all know these things aren’t real, so what the need to make them look real?

We need to keep an eye on this young cast. They could all be future stars some day. Leave us not forget that Taylor Lautner starred in a Rodriguez film before he went on to the Twilight franchise. He was Sharkboy on The ADventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.

The standout, though, is little Jolie Vanier. I read somewhere that she is a dead ringer for Christina Ricci. I don’t see it, but hopefully she’ll have the same kind, if not better, career than Christina.

On the adult side of things, James Spader makes a great villain. He seems to just fit perfectly in this role.

Kat Dennings is hot as ever, as is Leslie Mann.

William H. Macy is totally believable as the germophobic scientist and Jon Cryer does all he can not to get lost in the shuffle and fast pace of the film.

When the dust clears and Shorts ends, you are left with a sense of wonderment and awe that is rarely felt from film today. Robert Rodriguez has put together a great film here, covering p the randomosity of it by having the narrator say he remembers it out of order. I highly recommend this to everyone!

4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Defendor

PLOT:

The movie begins with a psychiatrist Dr. Park (Sandra Oh) interviewing Arthur Poppington (Woody Harrelson) in a psychiatric evaluation which he has confused for a test that has right or wrong answers. At first he is confused, somewhat delusional but he slowly opens up to Dr. Park regarding an incident in which he assaulted a dry cleaning store owner; a Mr. Debrofkowitz.

He starts his story one night where he is investigating shipment docks, and assaults a police officer who claims to be working undercover. Dooney (Elias Koteas) is a corrupt detective whose crack smoking, and having a prostitute in his company, leads Defendor to believe that he is under the employ of his arch nemesis, named Captain Industry. After leaving Dooney, he goes to a coffee shop, and after his description is PB’d to the radio of a nearby policeman, he is arrested. The captain in charge, Fairbanks, (Clark Johnson) sparks a kinship with Poppington as both of their grandfathers had served in the war upon recognizing the trench club that Poppington uses as a primary weapon. After releasing him, Arthur takes his weapon back and disappears. It becomes apparent that Arthur lives alone in the government construction department that he works at during the day, his life is very solitary, but after another confrontation with Dooney, he meets Angel, the prostitute who was smoking crack with Dooney. He is brutally beaten by Dooney’s friends and she helps him recover. He learns that she is aware of Captain Industry’s whereabouts and he allows her to live with him because with Dooney mad at her, she has no place else to go. For $40 a day he enlists her help in apprehending Industry. It is also revealed that Poppington’s mother Fae had left him as a child, drug abuse and possibly prostitution killed her some years later. His grandfather said that the “Captains of Industry” did her in. As a child he misinterpreted and got the impression that one man was responsible. Angel later reveals that she had been lying about her name, and about Captain Industry due to a personal vendetta she has with him. Her real name she reveals is Katrina Debrofkowitz.

Arthur’s boss and close friend Paul (Michael Kelly) becomes concerned that Arthur is living at the construction depot with a prostitute and tries to help him, even offers to have Arthur come and live with him and his family which Arthur refuses. Paul gives Arthur a cell phone in case he is ever needed. Arthur ventures out that night to spy on “Captain Industry” and Dooney in a meeting, but accidentally makes himself known. After a short chase he calls Paul’s line and then is shot by one of the henchman’s machine guns, Paul forces Kat to take him to where Arthur was supposed to be that night and they call the paramedics. While undergoing surgery, Paul orders Kat to leave Arthur alone. They are relieved when they find out that he was shot with training bullets, and not the actual thing. Before leaving Kat visits Arthur who is lying unconscious in recovery, she reveals the reason she ran away was because her father was physically abusing her. After she leaves, Arthur opens his eyes, having heard everything. His anger that anyone would do that to her leads him to walking down to the mall in his hospital robes, beating up Mr. Debrofkowitz at his store, throwing him through the glass window of his shop then stuffing him into a garbage can.

Dr. Park absorbs the story, telling Arthur that the thing she admires most about him is his honesty, though she implies that there are better ways of dealing with someone like Mr. Debrofkowitz. A hearing prior to their meeting revealed that Paul came to defend Arthur after the issue at the mall, telling him about Arthur’s delusions of being Defendor, and the judge mandates a psychological evaluation to determine if he can be returned to society or locked up in prison. A reporter approaches Paul and convinces him to let her run a story about Arthur as the Defendor and he agrees in hopes of some positive approval ratings. It works, people become inspired with Defendor’s attempts to save lives and fight crime despite his personal risks and arrest. The judge orders Paul be Arthur’s guide to reintroduce him to society, which is nearly ruined when news that he can never become Defendor again causes Arthur to nearly go ballistic. Depressed about having to leave Arthur, Kat becomes desperate for a hit, and so tries to get back with Dooney. However, knowing her affiliation with Defendor, he instead holds her hostage, and sends Arthur a threat to not reveal anything he had learned to the police. Arthur decides to take the risk to save Kat and once again dons his persona. Kat manages to escape Dooney through some well deserved punishment and the pair reunite. She becomes devastated when he reveals he still plans to go after Captain Industry, and orders him to take a gun she stole from Dooney for safety. He reveals his plans to the police but escapes before they can take him into custody again, instead leading a trail of road flares to the docks. Defendor manages to subdue Industry’s henchmen, but does not defend himself against Industry himself who fatally shoots him. As Arthur lays dying, Kat runs to help him. She promises to stop smoking crack and to get a job outside of prostitution. In an earlier conversation Kat revealed she had always had a talent in writing, which Arthur had described as being “like Lois Lane”. She promises to be like her and Arthur dies in her arms.

Later, it is revealed that Dooney and Captain Industry were arrested for their crimes. Dooney is to serve 26 years in prison and Industry is being extradited to be tried in his home country. Arthur’s legacy lives on, as a memorial is held for Defendor under a spray paint mural that was drawn in his honor. Dr. Park and her daughter attend as well, remembering the man and inspired by the hero that no one could see. The last shot of the film is of Kat sitting at her typewriter, writing stories as a wasp flies into the room.

REVIEW:

A couple of years ago when Hancock was out in theaters, everyone said it would be the start of anti-superhero flicks. You know, the kind where the hero isn’t as heroic and invulnerable as we would like for them to be. At the time I brushed this theory aside, but now I’m not so sure.

Defendor is probably a film that you haven’t heard of. The only reason I know anything about it is because a few movie critic friends of mine (they actually went to school and get paid to do this) told me about it.

The story here is best described as a hybrid of the origins of Batman, The Spirit, and the aforementioned Hancock. Defendor has no powers and his equipment is about as low-rent as you can get. So much so that he duct tapes a ‘D’ on his chest for an insignia and uses a camcorder with videotapes for some reason, it is never really said what the point of that was.

There was a show on Sci-Fi channel (that’s what it was called back then) a couple of years back where Stan Lee was searching for the next great superhero. I can’t think of the name of it right now, but his costume reminds me of some of those that were on there in the first episode before they got “upgraded”.

As far as superhero movies go, this one falls flat. Now, let me explain why I say that. The film doesn’t establish our hero or his intentions until halfway through, and we get even less info about his origin and secret identity. What kind of superhero doesn’t have a supervillain to face? When Defendor spends most of the film talking about Captain Industry, I thought there was going to be an actual villain. Perhaps it would end up being someone with the same mental capacity as him, perhaps not, but it still would have been great to have a foil for him. No superhero can exist without a supervillain. Sure, they can clean up the city of thugs and drugs, but so can the cops. This is what I felt was missing the most.

As far as the relationships with Kat and Paul, well, I would have liked for there to end up being some kind of romantic angle between the two, but that’s just me. With Paul, it would be better if he would have been a big brother, rather than a boss, in my opinion. Sure, it was good to have him as a mentor figure, but if he was a big brother, maybe he could have really been able to help, or even known his secret identity?

Defendor needs to decide what it wants to be in terms of tone. At times it comic book fun, then it gets all gritty, then overly dramatic. There is a way to combine these factors, but it doesn’t happen, and just makes the film seem so disjointed.

Woody Harrelson has been praised for his performance in this film, and I can’t blame them. He truly does make this film. Defendor is like a mixture of Woody’s character from Cheers and Bobby Boucher.

Kat Dennings, who I love to death, gives a good performance. Speaking as a guy, though, I would have liked for her to show more of her humongous frontal lobes (trying to be P.C., here), but I think the reason she kept them covered up was that she wanted the audience to focus more on her acting, which is fine. I do find it a bit odd that a prostitute is that covered up, though.

When push comes to shove, Defendor makes a valiant attempt to become a film that you’ll remember for years to come and stack up against the other superhero films that have been released, but it just doesn’t cut the mustard. The uneven tone and lack of focus doom this film to be anything bu mediocre. However, it is still worth a viewing or two, so I recommend it to anyone who just wants a break from the usual superhero faire.

3 out of 5 stars

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist

PLOT:

Nick O’Leary (Michael Cera) is a teenager from Hoboken, New Jersey who is heartbroken after his girlfriend, Tris (Alexis Dziena), breaks up with him. His friends and musical bandmates in the queercore band The Jerk-Offs (of which Nick is the only straight member), Thom (Aaron Yoo) and Dev (Rafi Gavron), convince him to leave the house to perform at a club later that night only because his favorite band “Where’s Fluffy?” would be playing somewhere in New York City that night. Norah Silverberg (Kat Dennings) is a college-bound girl who is best friends with Caroline (Ari Graynor). They go to school with Tris, whom Norah dislikes. Tris shows Norah and Caroline a mix CD Nick has made for her and throws it away. Norah takes the mix CD out of the garbage and says that Tris doesn’t appreciate the artwork or the songs. She has been recovering the discarded mix CDs for some time now. That night, they all end up at Arlene’s Grocery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side where The Jerk-Offs are playing. While performing, Nick sees Tris in the audience with another guy. Meanwhile, Norah eyes Nick on stage. Thom and Dev meet Lethario (Jonathan B. Wright). Norah asks Nick to be her boyfriend for five minutes to prove to Tris that she is going out with someone. Norah kisses Nick, not knowing that Nick is Tris’ ex, and Tris is jealous. Caroline gets drunk and Norah wants to take her home, but Nick’s band-mates, who see Norah as a potential girlfriend for Nick, give Norah some clothes they know that Nick likes and then offer to take Caroline home so she can ride with Nick. They begin trying to find a rumored concert by the legendary publicity-shy indie band, “Where’s Fluffy?” Caroline wakes up in the back of the van and overhears Thom and Dev having a graphic sexual conversation. Fearing that they are talking about raping her, she decides to run away. Nick and Norah travel around, discovering they both love “Where’s Fluffy?”. Nick brings up Tris’ name, to Norah’s dismay, and they decide to call it a night after having an argument. Nick gets a call from his band-mates telling him that they lost Caroline. Nick tells Norah about Caroline and they meet with the band-mates to try to find her. After no luck finding Caroline, they assume that she is already at the “Where’s Fluffy?” concert. They all go to a club to see if the band and Caroline are there. Nick decides to show he is interested in Norah and starts dancing with her only to be interrupted by Norah’s ex, Tal (Jay Baruchel).

It turns out to be a show for another artist, “Are You Randy”, and everyone leaves. While trying to find Caroline, they are followed by Tris who wants to get back with Nick. Tris tries to convince Norah that Nick isn’t for her and taunts her with the knowledge of her secret that she has never had an orgasm. Tris gets a phone call from Caroline, who tells Norah that she has “found Jesus” and an altar boy without pants. Norah tells Nick and the band about the information she got from Caroline, and luckily Thom and Dev know where she is. They find Caroline on stage drunk at a gay cabaret dressed as a Christmas tree. On the way back home Nick sees Tris waiting on the hood of his Yugo and decides to confront her. Before he leaves, Norah stops him to say how nice it was to meet him. Nick simply leaves, without saying anything in response. Upset, Norah calls Tal. When Norah meets up with him, she realizes that he wants to use her because her father is a music producer. Tal wants to see if his band can make a deal with Norah’s father. When the check arrives for Tal and his friends’ drinks, he asks Norah if she can “take care of it” because of her connections from her father’s reputation. She agrees, but instead she tells the waitress that there was a miscalculation and to add another zero to the check. As Nick confronts Tris, she shows how she wants him back and asks for a ride home. Tris asks Nick to stop by the river, where she tries to seduce him to take her back by putting his hand on her breast. She seductively dances in front of the car to “You Sexy Thing” by Hot Chocolate, but as she dances, Nick thinks about all the fun he had with Norah and drives away, leaving her.

Nick calls Norah, apologizing for leaving, and she agrees to meet up with him again. They both decide to go somewhere no one they know will find them. Norah offers to drive, and turns out to be a reckless driver, who crashes his car into a fire hydrant. They arrive at Electric Lady Studios which is owned by her father. Nick is fascinated at the equipment and history of the studio. Norah asks to let Nick record something in the recording room. As he sings, Norah laughs and enters the room with him. They both stare at each other for a moment then, the sound equipment picks up Norah having an orgasm. She gets a text message from Caroline saying “Fournd Flufdy,” so they decide to go. They arrive at the concert to find Tal and Tris already there. Tris can’t understand why Nick won’t take her back and Tal wants the same answer from Norah. Tal pulls Norah away from Nick. Nick and Tal start shoving each other until Lethario decides to headbutt Tal and then cries. Nick and Norah share a smile, grab each others’ hands and leave. They reach Penn Station, but as they head for the train, Norah questions Nick about missing the concert. But he doesn’t care and she steps towards him and they share a kiss on the escalator while going down.

REVIEW:

I was looking forward to seeing this film in theaters when it was released, but because of tight finances at the time, I didn’t get to see it. Thank goodness for Netflix,though. Even though I’ve been waiting since it came to DVD, it was worth it.

Michael Cera has carved out a niche in Hollywood as the soft spoken, nerdy, emo guy. This is no departure from the same kind of character that worked for him in Superbad and Juno.

Speaking of making a name for themselves, Cera may have had a couple of major starring roles to his credit, but buxom beauty Kat Dennings biggest film role to date was Charlie Bartlet. While her role in that film was pretty hefty, she gets even more of a chance to shine here, and does so with magnificent, flying colors.

Alexis Dziena plays the ex-girlfriend Tris, who notices that Nick is falling for Norah and decided she wants him back. Dziene is a little know actress, but is the sexiest character in this film.

There are quite a few funny moments in this film, as well as some touching ones. Cera’s Nick is highly relatable, especially for me, since this kind of thing almost always happened to me.

This is a very cute film. I went in expecting some sort of independent artsy fartsy film that tries to hard to be funny, but was pleasantly surprised that this was pretty good. Every now and then a film like this comes along that transcends generations due to subject matter and a killer soundtrack. Well,  by that logic, this film does just that. Why don’t you give it a try and let me know what you think.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars

House Bunny

PLOT:

Shelley (Anna Faris) is a Playboy Bunny living the life of luxury. The day after her twenty-seventh birthday, she awakes to find a note from Hugh Hefner asking her to pack up and leave. Sadly, she gets out on the road looking for a new life, and happens to see girls who remind her of herself: beautiful and fun. She immediately follows them and sees that they live in luxury too. She tells them her situation and asks to join, not knowing that they are in a sorority, and is rejected because she is not a student, as well as the fact that the girls are completely stuck up. She sees there are ladies that watch over the girls and live there also, but after asking them to join, she is rejected again.

As she carries on, she finds another sorority, Zeta Alpha Zeta, whose members are socially awkward, although they reject her also. However, once they see that she is able to attract boys and friends, this fact changes. She turns the girls around and teaches them everything they need to know to surpass the other girls. During this process she meets a man named Oliver (Colin Hanks), and although she can teach everyone else how to flirt, she has to get help from her new “students” on what to do in order to socialize with him.

As the girls of her sorority become more popular on campus, they realize that they changed themselves too much to please other people and blame it on Shelley. Conveniently, she gets a call from the Playboy Mansion informing her that she was set up, and they never wanted her to leave. It would seem perfect for her to go back to her old life, but when she tries, she sees she cares far too much for her girls, who reciprocate the sentiment. She decides to fix the devastation that the Phi Iota Mus have done to Zeta Alpha Zetas while she was gone, but does it with help from everyone. The Zetas also play matchmaker, and manage to fix Shelley up with Oliver.

REVIEW:

I loved this film. It had many hilarious moments, however, it did seem to be a bit predictable.

The Zetas transformation into hotties is pretty good, but I was more impressed with them at the end when they realized who they really were and mixed that with what they had learned from Shelly.

Anna Faris is best known from the Scary Movie films. In those movies, though, she didn’t look near as good as she does here. I read one critics review of this film, and he said this will probably be the launching pad for her career. I can’t disagree with that statement.

Casting for the Zetas must have been difficult, especially when you consider that these are supposed to be the “outcast” girls. Having said that, with the exception of Katherine McPhee, the actresses playing the Zetas aren’t exactly cover girl beauties (they’re not exactly ugly either).

The subplot involving the chick who wanted to get rid of Shelly just so she can become a centerfold didn’t really seem to work and may very well have been the low point.

This is one of the funniest films I’ve seen this year. Unlike many of the comedies I’ve been watching lately, it doesn’t lose its funny bone and become a drama at the end. I highly recommend this to everyone, especially those that are headed off to college or thinking about joining a sorority.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Charlie Bartlett

 

High schools just want someone to listen to them. Perhaps if someone doesn’t, then they’ll resort to finding ways of escaping their problems through underground prescription drugs.

PLOT:

Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin), a precocious teenage boy, has just been expelled from yet another private school, this time for using a laminating press to make fake IDs for his classmates. He returns home with his mother Marilyn (Hope Davis), despite her best attempts to pay off the dean.

The film then shifts to Western Summit High School’s principal, Nathaniel Gardner (Robert Downey Jr.), who is having difficulties in his relationship with his teenage daughter Susan (Kat Dennings). After she refuses to talk to him, he pours himself a bourbon and checks his phone messages; one from the superintendent and one from his ex-wife. Afterwards, he sits outside and drives his remote-controlled boat around the pool.

The following day marks Charlie’s first day in public school. On his bus ride, he meets an array of misfits and nobodies, including a very large mentally handicapped student named Len (Dylan Taylor) who offers Charlie a sticky lollipop from his shirt pocket.

Upon his arrival at Western Summit High School, Charlie is immediately mocked and ridiculed by most of his peers for his blazer, tie and briefcase (Charlie later informs a student that “I believe its an attache case.”). The school bullies Murphy (Tyler Hilton) and Jordan (Jonathan Malen) then dunk his head in the toilet before being caught by Principal Gardner.

At lunch, Charlie is rejected by most of the students with the exception of Len. Later, he auditions for the school play at the encouragement of Susan Gardner, where he performs a monologue about a girl getting her first period. After school, he is beaten up again by Murphy, while Jordan films the incident.

Upon seeing Charlie’s black eye, Marilyn decides to keep him home the following day and send him to a therapist. At the therapist’s office, Charlie says that he doesn’t fit in because he’s “abnormal”. Ultimately, the therapist prescribes Ritalin after Charlie tells him he has trouble focusing.

Charlie then takes the patch off his blazer, and is welcomed back at school by Susan and shoved by Murphy. It is announced that security cameras will be installed in the student lounge, and after a brief outrage by students, Charlie goes out and pulls the fire alarm, which Susan notices and somewhat admires.

On his first day of Ritalin, Charlie does vast amounts of homework at the dinner table, which his mother doesn’t particularly approve of. His behavior becomes increasingly frenzied over a short period of time; by the fourth day, he is outside in only his underwear while screaming at the top of his lungs.

On the bus the next morning Charlie asks Len if he’d like to make $50 after school. After school, as Murphy is walking the train tracks home, Charlie’s limo pulls up next to him. Len pulls Murphy into the car and Charlie gives a list of reasons why Murphy is such an angry person. He then tells Murphy that he wants to be friends, as well as business partners by selling 90 pills of Ritalin at $10 apiece. Murphy accepts.

At home, Susan asks her dad for a 1 am curfew, and leaves for the dance. At the dance, Murphy tells Charlie that he’s sold all the pills. It becomes apparent that the entire student body is high on Ritalin.

Charlie is soon confronted by a shy, nervous boy named Kip (Mark Rendall). In the bathroom, Kip describes his symptoms to Charlie and asks him if he can get depression medication. After some research, Charlie goes to his therapist claiming he is experiencing symptoms of depression, and is prescribed Xanax and Zoloft.

More students begin to hear of Charlie’s unconventional therapy methods, and he is soon running a tidy business in which he sits in one stall and the “patient” sits in another. Charlie then prescribes medication, which Murphy doles out and collects money for. However, Principal Gardner becomes increasingly suspicious of the long line outside the boys’ bathroom.

One day, while hanging out with Murphy and Jordan and watching the video of himself being beaten up, Charlie gets an idea. Telling Murphy and Jordan that they should somehow “make it up” to their victims, Charlie helps them produce a DVD entitled “Western Summit High School’s Greatest After School Fights”, which showcases Murphy beating up a number of students. In addition to selling the film in the student lounge, they also compensate each of Murphy and Jordan’s victims with $20. When Charlie is called to the principal’s office, he is given three days suspension despite his assertion that he does not understand what he has done wrong.

While on his suspension, Charlie spots Susan downtown and invites her back to his house, where he plays piano for her. Susan also gets to meet Marilyn for the first time as she prances into the room singing. Susan then asks about Charlie’s father, and he makes up a long story about his father being hit by an ice cream truck.

Upon his return to school, Charlie is confronted by Principal Gardner, who tells him that he knows Charlie is seeing his daughter. That day, Susan also goes to her first “session” with Charlie. They talk about her father and her mother’s affair, and Susan tells Charlie about her father’s alcoholism and bizarre behavior, including his remote-control boat hobby. Ultimately, the session ends with a kiss between the two.

Back out at the student lounge, Murphy throws his leather jacket over the security camera and announces that Charlie is throwing a party at a Drive-In themed club. The party turns out to be a success, and Charlie is called upon by football team captain Dustin Lauderbach (Jake Epstein) for advice. He tells Charlie that he wants to go to Paris and study painting which Charlie encourages. Murphy also confides to Charlie at the party, telling him that he has a crush on Dustin’s girlfriend, Whitney Drummond (Megan Park), and that he used to be in school plays but quit because he kept getting beaten up by “people like him”.

Susan then comes up to Charlie asking him to “step into her office”, which is on a balcony inside of an old painted up car behind a curtain. They cuddle up together and Charlie finally confides in her about his own family problems, including his father’s incarceration. Ultimately, they have sex in the car. While Susan is smoking a cigarette, Charlie jumps out of the car in his boxers and proclaims to the crowd below that he is no longer a virgin, to which they all cheer loudly.

However, the next scene cuts to Kip, who is at home writing a suicide letter. He then takes the last of the pills Charlie has prescribed him.

The next morning, Charlie comes downstairs to find his mother and Principal Gardner, who tells him that Kip has overdosed and is recovering at home. He also says that Charlie is lucky Kip did not tell his parents where he got the drugs. He gives Charlie a chance to admit what he has been doing in the bathroom. Charlie replies that he is only helping the students; many of whom have nobody else willing to listen to their problems.

Later that day, Charlie goes to visit Kip, who appreciates that Charlie came by but says that he still has problems and that there’s nothing that can be said to make him feel any better. Charlie attempts to cheer him up by reminding him how fortunate he is, and sticks around to play video games with him. He then finds out that Kip has secretly written a play entitled “Hell Comes With Your Own Locker”, which he encourages him to submit.

However, Principal Gardner takes offense to the play’s title and promptly shuts it down. Kip and Charlie argue that the play is valuable because it has truth to it, and Charlie convinces the drama club to get on board with them.

In the student lounge, Charlie stands on the pool table, announcing that he will no longer be providing medication, but he will still be holding his bathroom sessions as usual, free of charge. Murphy then sarcastically says, “I’m one of those people not speaking to you”.

As he makes his way up to his office, the line in front of his door is longer than ever. His first patient, Whitney, reveals that she has slept with most of the football team because she does not like saying “no”, and tells Charlie that all she wants is for a guy to take her to dinner and a movie. Knowing of Murphy’s crush on Whitney, Charlie says he knows of someone who would gladly take her on a date. The next scene cuts to Murphy clad in a polo shirt as he picks Whitney up for their date.

At school, the student body begins to protest the security cameras after their petition is disregarded by the administration. As the day continues, more and more students join the protest. While Charlie agrees with the reasons behind the protest, he also sides with Gardner on a few points. To avoid getting everyone at the protest suspended for 3 days, Charlie tells everyone to come back later that night.

After school, we see Charlie walking up Susan’s driveway carrying a pharmacy bag. Susan greets him with a kiss, which an intoxicated Principal Gardner sees. He then runs outside demanding to see what’s in the bag, but Susan refuses to tell him, asking him not to make her choose between him and Charlie. The argument quickly turns physical, and Charlie ends up punching Principal Gardner. Susan then throws the bag at her father, which turns out to contain a box of nicotine gum.

At the protest that night, Charlie makes a speech to the student body, telling them that they do not need him and should stop listening to him. At this point, the police show up and arrest him for assaulting Principal Gardner. The students revolt even further by smashing the security cameras and trashing their own lounge. As the superintendent watches the mayhem, he tells Principal Gardner that he is fired.

The next day in jail, Charlie is told that his mother has arrived to bail him out. She is unsure of how to punish Charlie, who tells her that the normal amount of time for a grounding is 24 hours. Because he has received a misdemeanor, however, Marilyn decides he should be grounded for 30.

Soon after, at the opening of the play, Charlie asks Susan how her father is doing and she says that he’s locked himself in his study and that he probably doesn’t want to be around a group of people who hate him.

Charlie then goes to Susan’s house to talk to Principal Gardner. After there is no answer at the door, he lets himself in and finds Gardner outside with a bottle of bourbon in one hand and a revolver in the other. He scares Charlie into sitting down after firing a shot into the pool, and then tells him how angry he is with him for turning the entire student body against him. Charlie expresses a desire to help, but says he can’t because he’s just a kid. This slightly pleases Gardner as he turns around with the gun and raises it to the air near his head. Charlie tries to stop him but falls off the deck and hits his head on the diving board before falling into the pool. Gardner dives after him and pulls him up into the shallow end, telling him to “never ever attack a drunken guy with a gun”. Before they go to the play together, he tells Charlie that there are far worse things in life than having a parent in prison for tax evasion.

The play is a stage cut in half with parents commenting on their children’s actions, and on the other side Susan being peer-pressured by Jordan. We then see that the peer-pressure is over singing. Susan sings and notices her dad and they exchange smiles.

We then see clips of Charlie and Marilyn visiting his dad in prison and of Gardner back to teaching history. The last scene finds Charlie at a psychiatric institute interviewing for a summer internship. As Charlie is sitting in the office, the interviewer tells him he has a hell of a day in front of him. In a witty fashion, Charlie asks, “Would you like to talk about it?”

REVIEW:

What high school kid do you know of that doesn’t want to be popular? I, for one, didn’t want to be the most popular kid in the school, but I did want to be known. I can relate to Charlie.

No, I wasn’t giving out advice and prescription drugs in the boys’ bathroom, but I was a very friendly guy who juts wanted to be accepted.

This movie was pretty good. It went up and down for me. There are moments that are pretty funny, and other that are a bit overly dramatic.

I was reading some comments and reviews about this movie and some people called it this generations Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Anton Yelchin reminds me of Matthew Broderick. I look forward to seeing him in bigger and better roles and hope this isn’t it for him.

Robert Downey, Jr. is on his game as usual. One must wonder if he was drawing on his personal demons for this role.

It’s definitely worth a watch if you haven’t seen it.

4 out of 5 stars