So, REAL STEEL is interesting, in that it seems to have had a somewhat polarizing effect on couples. You either really wanted to see it (me) or really didn’t want to see it (CH). At the same time, it’s not like, say MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, a movie, which you’d be perfectly content to watch alone. No, REAL STEEL demands to be seen with a partner, a family member, or a friend — which is why I somewhat manipulated high-falutin’ CH (used the old “fine I’ll go by myself” okee-doke) into going to see this movie with me. Was it worth the marital strife? In a word: yes. Because this movie is — in another (this time all-capped) word: AWESOME. Listen, REAL STEEL is exactly what it looks like in the trailer. ROCKY meets OVER THE TOP meets Rock Em Sock Em Robots — really both Sylvester Stallone and Mattel deserve a cut of the gross. But seriously, when is the last time you watched a movie that wasn’t made for you, but for the 80s-era kid still lurking inside of you — and not in a craven way (lookin at you, TRANSFORMERS), but in an almost old-fashioned way, completely dependent on craft, relationships, and robots! REAL STEEL is sooooo much fun and just full of awesome sauce. I laughed, I cried, I winced, I cheered — it was easily the best movie-going experience I’ve had since I can remember. Do yourself a favor. Check your inner-movie-critic at the door, and go see this good time disguised as movie. And just in case you feel you can’t trust me on this one — CH (rather reluctantly) admitted to like it,...

When T.E. reported on Friday that X-MEN: FIRST CLASS was getting all sorts of great reviews, I got a bit excited and wondered if this would be the movie that would turn the summer around for me action-wise. I’m a big James McAvoy fan, and I loved the thought of getting to see the origins of some of my favorite X-Men characters, like Mystique, Beast, and of course, Dr. Charles Xavier. Did the movie live up to the hype? Not exactly. What It’s About: It really is the X-Men origins story. The movie even starts off with scenes featuring, prepubescent Professor X, Mystique, and Magneto. What Makes It Different: While all the other X-Men movies have only payed lip-service to the whole idea of mutants being a disenfranchised group, this movie puts that idea at the forefront. It also helps that this theme is set against the backdrop of the early 60s, featuring a CIA that is mostly male and lily white. Four Things I Loved 1. Mystique. In a world where a young woman’s coming of age usually involves a pretty extensive makeover, it was refreshing to see one female character working toward self-acceptance. 2. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? This film is intelligent in that it offers us no easy answers to the questions that have been presented to disenfranchised minorities since the dawn of time: should we work with the powers-that-be or overthrow them? Both sides have strong arguments in their favor. 3. Xavier and Magneto. It was so nice to see these guys be friends as opposed to enemies. Their chemistry was so good, I kept on rooting for them to kiss when they had deep conversations. As a writer, it made me realize that at the end of the day,...

YOUR HIGHNESS Other than the blatant sexism, woman-based ageism, Danny McBride’s general mien and delivery, rape jokes (hilarious!), and the ridiculous amounts of gay jokes (attn: straight male comedians – this meme is way past it’s due date, please start coming up with fresh material already), YOUR HIGHNESS was … okay. But James Franco and Natalie Portman were both really good in this, and there were a few chuckles, so it’s not a complete thumbs down. Anti-Paul Report Were There any People of Color In It? Yes. One black guy and a couple of Asian guys. Did Any of Them Have Speaking Parts? Yes … I think so. I can’t remember what any of them said, but I’m fairly sure that they spoke. How Many of Them Were From THE WIRE? Zero Were Any of Them Were Bad Guys? Sadly, every person of color with a speaking part was. However, there were a few cheering peasants in the background, who seemed perfectly nice. SOURCE CODE What’s It About? A soldier is sent back in time in 8-minute intervals to discover the identity of the terrorist who blew up a Chicago-bound metro train. What Makes It Different: We only get tales like GROUNDHOG’S DAY once or twice a decade. 4 Things that I Loved: 1. Instant adrenaline. The story begins with the soldier waking up on a metroliner with no memory. He then has to figure out what’s going on from there, finally piecing the story together with the little bits of information he’s been given. As a result we as the audience are invested from minute one. This isn’t the kind of movie that you pause. Once you start watching it, you’re in. 2. The structure. I’m a sucker for a repeating storyline, and...

It seemed that I kept on reading about this indie movie, SUPER, starring Rainn Wilson (best known as Dwight Schrute from THE OFFICE) and Ellen Page (a now-perennial favorite of mine). But I hadn’t bothered to watch the trailer or even read any of the SUPER-related posts, so when my husband asked me if I wanted to see this movie last Friday for date night, I thought, “Sure, why not?” It’s so rare that I get to go into a movie knowing very little about it. And all I knew about SUPER was that it had been getting somewhat strong buzz from two of my favorite sites Jezebel and i09. So, of course, this feminist sci-fi nerd was in. What’s it About: Frank, a sad sack diner cook has only two joyful memories: his wedding day to his recovering addict wife (Liv Tyler) and the time he pointed a police officer toward a purse-snatching criminal. When his wife gets turned out by a strip-club-owning drug-dealer (Kevin Bacon), Frank decides to become a pipe-wrench-wielding superhero dubbed the Crimson Bolt. Call it KICK-ASS with way more motivation and grown-ups. What Make it Different? You know how a lot of movies have gore and violence, but the violence in this movie is extremely verite. I think the majority of the budget might have gone toward make-up — specifically making it look gruesomely real when someone got whacked across the head with a pipe wrench or hit over the head with a glass vase. Respectively we see skin split open as blood comes rushing out and glass embedded in the face of an attackee. No one ever passes out in this film. When hit they scream and writhe in what looks like very real pain. This makes for...