Ken Miller: I always say girl plus car equals dead animal.
-Freaks and Geeks

Until 30 Rock and The Office return, I think I’ve found something to occupy my time: Northern Exposure. This quirky comedy follows a Jewish doctor from New York who ends up becoming doctor for a small Alaskan Town. This quirky comedy is filled with great laughs and philosophical moments (thank you John Corbett). It’s something to warm your heart in the cold Alaskan tundra. All six seasons of the 90s comedy are out on DVD for you to discover as well.

How do I review a film like this? It’s this internal struggle of whether to take it seriously or accept it for what it is: a corny, over-the-top action thriller. That’s what I hoped for, and that’s exactly what Rambo provides the audience with.
John Rambo (none other than Sylvester Stallone) returns after 20 years, now living in Thailand. His mission: to help bring a group of nice Christian Americans safely up a river to war-torn Burma to bring medical supplies. Traveling up a river in a small boat through a war-devastated country, sounds kind of like Apocalypse Now only Marlon Brando does not wait at the end of the river for us. Only a bunch of crazed rebels.
Stallone delivers an Oscar Worthy performance (just kidding). His performance is just like that of the rest of the series; much grunting and shouting and a whole lot of killing.
Whether you should see it, it’s all up to you. If you want to see a violent work of art, go see There Will Be Blood or No Country for Old Men instead. Those of you looking for a fun 90 minutes at the movies filled with brutal killing and hammy laughs, this is the movie for you. I had a blast, and most likely, so will you.

No matter what, you must always be yourself and never do what the rest of society tells you to do. That is the lesson of Persepolis. This masterful work of animation is a darkly comic coming of age story set in the background of the Iranian Revolution of the late 70s.
Marjane is just a child as efforts to overthrow the emperor and strive for a democracy. She also lives through Iran’s bloody war with Iraq. Marjane is not like most girls however. She wears a vail walking down the streets but underneath wheres a pair of sneakers and listens to Iron Maiden. She was born in a family of political prisoners and therefore learns how to stand up and most importantly, always be proud of who you are.
The Iranian Revolution was a perfect way to show a coming of age story. It allowed this girl to leave and roam free while discovering harsh lessons about life throughout the world like artificialness of love and the cruelty of strangers.
Instead of using the typical computer animation, the director decided instead to go traditional. Every character looks like a 2D cutout but they gush with life and fascinating stories to tell. Persepolis reaches the height of the greatest works of Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke) as an animated film that reaches out to its younger audience while still ringing true to the adults that view as well. Everything is mythical but relatable, each shot stunning. The lessons of this film may guide the lives of the younger viewers wise enough to watch it and give them a better understanding of the world. This is one of the year’s best films.

Larry the Cable Guy: Witless Protection

Out February 22…

Michael Scott: Yeah, I went hunting once. Shot a deer in the leg. Had to kill it with a shovel. Took about an hour. Why do you ask?
-The Office

Becca: [drunkenly making out with Evan] I *so* flirt with you in math.
Evan: Tell me about it. I – same-sies.
-Superbad

Every week, I will have a new top 10 list prepared. What better way to start my blog then with the top 10 movies of all time? So here it is:
The top 10 movies of all time:

1. A Clockwork Orange-Kubrick’s brutal view of the future offers unforgettable images, shock, and hilarious irony. 30 years on, and it’s still as shocking as it was upon its release.
2. The Godfather-Coppola’s timeless crime saga contains one of the greatest performances of all time (Marlon Brando) as well as an unflinching portrayal of honor and betrayal that will forever outlive all predecessors and imitators.
3. Pulp Fiction- Tarantino’s hilarious and fascinating dialogue manage to avoid focusing on plot and instead show subtle character development. It’s also the best performance by (Scientoligist) John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson.
4. Goodfellas- Another great crime film from the 90s is also Scorsese’s greatest work. It brings us into a life we don’t want to hear about it but by the end, we’re haunted and begging for more. To bad Dances with Wolves beat it for Best Picture.
5. Once upon a Time in the West- The Good the Bad and the Ugly has always been the most revered, but West is Leone’s greatest film, and the genre at its finest. The prolonged silences and lack of dialogue are substituted by its beautiful musical score. Clocking in at nearly three hours, its worth every minute.
6. Chinatown- Polanski took this homage to 40s crime thrillers and pumped it up with the demons of his own life for this film. Every snippet of dialogue and plot is unforgettable along with one of film’s darkest endings ever.
7. The Graduate- Made in 1967, this film brought down Classical Hollywood and the line between Baby Boomers and the new generation. Not at all political, but a comment of its time and a timeless portrait of the loss of innocence and the aimless journey to adulthood.
8. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest- Nicholson’s free-spirited R.P. McMurphy brings life into the cold halls of a corrupt mental hospital ruled by evil Nurse Ratched. The ending never fails to bring me to tears even as I stand up and applaud.
9. Taxi Driver- DeNiro’s best performance is well beyond the legendary mirror scene. Nobody but the team of him and Scorsese have created such a truthful and haunting portrayal of loneliness and isolation.
10. American Beauty- Unjustly considered by many the worst film ever to win best picture (Rocky over Taxi Driver/Network/All the President’s Men, anyone?) the film truly embodies its tagline: “Look Closer”. Look closer to understand one man’s (Kevin Spacey) struggle to break free from his dull suburban life and reach the so-called “American Dream”. Haunting and hilarious, it dares to portray this country in the darkest ways that no one else will.

“Come on, man. I had a rough night and I hate the fuckin’ Eagles, man!”
-The Big Lebowski