The Madness of Natalie Portman

As I mentioned in my review of Tron: Legacy, I saw it as a double feature with Black Swan. And while I gave Tron the full review, I figured for things I really do love, there is no need to go into detail about plot as much as just gush about what I love and why. So away we go. And yes, if you continue reading and haven’t seen the film ,you will be spoiled

I like Jay Baruchel

Ya know, after exhausting myself with an endless critique of a film I didn’t like, I figured it was time to talk about something I did. And that is Jay Baruchel in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Is it a good movie? Not really. But Mr. Baruchel’s performance is terrific. Every moment he is on screen I believe what is happening simply because of the emotional resonance Jay imbues the character with. He’s instantly likable and endearing. Heck, he even tears up a few times because of the stress of what the character is going through. The script is awful, but Jay Baruchel shines. It’s so rare for a performance to be so grounded in such a bad movie that I dare say he made me enjoy it. This, plus his great performance in Undeclared and even some terrific voice acting in How to Train your Dragon make Jay a guy I’ll watch a movie for. So yep, time to pop in “She’s Out of My League” Because I owe him that much

Review: Tron Legacy

I’m not really going to get in the habit of reviewing films but considering how much I have discussed Tron here (even to my own surprise) it seemed warranted
I read a ton of reviews for this film. So I already knew most plot points. Knowing a plot point doesn’t bother me if said plot point arrives and is done well. Case in point, when I saw the Sixth Sense I knew the ending. But I enjoyed watching the tricks they used to develop that twist, and still enjoy the movie today. So yes, I knew quite a bit before entering the theater. And my expectations were low. So in this frame of mind, the movie was what I expected.

A Fresh Tron: Legacy

I’m on record with my un-interest in Tron: Legacy. I don’t hate or dislike it so much as I find it very fascinating because it’s rare for a big studio to take an 80′s cult classic beloved by a small but incredibly loyal group and bank a giant blockbuster sequel on it. Not since Superman Returns have we seen a movie made as a direct extension of an original that was 26 years prior (Returns was said to be a direct sequel of Superman 2 which came out in 1980 and disavowed all other sequels). Tron has 28 years between films. That’s a long time for people to remember an original, let alone be motivated to see what happens next. Getting Jeff Bridges back was a good move, but it all ignores the fact that the original, while innovative and visually compelling, was not in fact a good movie.