World War Z (2013)

I am a man who is very easy to please when it comes to film. I have never walked out of a movie in the theater. I’ve almost always been able to make it through an entirely bad movie on the first viewing (Troll 2 being one of the few exceptions). My point is: Keep a sliver of my attention, and I’m in it until the end. Well, World War Z did just that. Just a sliver.

I’m going to preface this review by saying I have not read the book. I don’t know how closely the film resembles the book, if at all.

World War Z is a movie inspired by the Max Brooks novel of the same name. It stars Brad Pitt as some U.N. agent bad-ass tasked with finding a cure for a recent viral infection that possesses the victim and turns them into a mindless, athletic, gore-monger with an insatiable lust for blood and smashing car windows this his/her head. You’ve all seen it before. There is nothing more for me to say about the plot. Moving on.

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Ever since “The Dark Knight” came out, all other superhero movies have taken a back seat to me. Sure, I watch them, but nothing can really make me feel like Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale, and Heath Ledger made me feel in that film. That’s the superhero movie that all other superhero movies, from this point on, will be compared to. I feel like we’re on topic, but we’re switching tracks. Let’s fix that right now.

Iron Man 3 is, obviously, the third installment in the Iron Man series. This movie takes place in a post-Avengers world and people (Tony Stark) are having trouble coming to terms with what happened. Robert Downey Jr. was born to play the role of Tony Stark. There’s no question about it, and he knows it too. Stark has become a madman; creating new suit after new suit. Seeing all the different suit designs is a something to behold. Everyone of them has their own look and personality. Stark’s obsession with his suits is a point of contention in his relationship with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).

This is the End (2013)

When I go into a movie, more often than not I know what to expect. I know exactly where my expectations should be. Should I be mentally prepared for a deep emotional film that will put me in a funk for a few days? Should I just be prepared to laugh and enjoy a silly and wild romp? Well, “This is the End” is not the former. Not that any of you thought it was.

The movie starts kind of slow, which isn’t a bad thing. Everyone in the movie plays themselves, to an extent. They’re playing more of a character that has the same name as them. I can’t imagine James Franco is anything like the character he plays. Or Jay Baruchel. Or any of them.

Well, maybe Seth Rogan. He’s a pretty easy dude to read.

When the movie picks up, it’s with a bang. This is when the characters go to 11. Everyone who was a minor asshole, is now a major prick. The crazies bounce to straight up insanity. It’s a good thing though. The script is what you would expect from the minds of Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogan.

The camera is very active throughout the entirety of the film. There aren’t many still shots. There are, on the other hand, a copious, but not over bearing, amount of tracking, over the shoulder action shots. It’s really a step up from the previous works of Goldberg and Rogan (Superbad, Pineapple Express).

I felt satisfied watching “This is the End.” My expectations weren’t necessarily high, but that shouldn’t matter. High expectations or not you will be pleasantly surprised.

I give the most meta film of all time 7 James Franco paintings out of 10.

Writers of the Brain Trust: Ian Hiltunen

Woah. Hello. I didn’t see you there. Well, since you’re here and all, please come in.

I’m Ian. What’s your name? I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Oh, a bit shy are we? I’ll start the conversation, then. I’m a writer. Not necessarily a good one, and not one by trade. What I mean is I enjoy writing–when I have the time, of course. It’s incredibly therapeutic, and is an excellent way to compartmentalize your thoughts. Look at me, talking about it as if you’ve never tried it yourself. How condescending.

I assume you’ve met my friend C.T. He’s been a friend of mine for many years. We’ve done almost everything together. One thing we hadn’t done (until now!) is co-author a blog. This is something I am very excited about. C.T. and I used to live within 20 minutes of each other, but I recently moved across the U.S. We still talk very regularly, and this is just another way for us to keep constant communication. We’re hetero life-mates. Those of you who don’t understand what that means: 1) I feel sorry for you, and 2) Look it up silly, then you can understand.

I suppose I should venture into movies for a paragraph before I close out this mindless blathering. I’ve respected every film I’ve seen. That might seem ridiculous and hard to understand for some of you. The way I see it, every single movie is the best thing to ever happen to at least one person. There’s something poetic and beautiful about that sentiment. The kinds of movies you can expect me to rant, rave, and review are anything and everything. I also want to let everyone know I’m open to any and all recommendations. Except horrors. Not that I am scared or nothin’. Just, that’s C.T.’s thing. We have rules!

Anyway, that’s all for me. Thank you, and take care, dear readers.