The Goonies (1985 movie)

Despite the horror this may induce in many people, I have never seen the Goonies before now. This review is on my first viewing, despite the fact that I was born in the 80's. I've been told it was the quintessential 80's movie and that I had. to. see. it.

I did enjoy the movie, but I didn't find it any more 80's quintessential than "Honey I Shrunk the Kids", which I did grow up with. Not to say that means it isn't classic 80's movie-making. It is. It did have another weight-lifting, unpopular, guy who gets a girl in it (just like "The Lost Boys"!), it had the adventure and the fun, without realistic complications or Post Traumatic Stress. Simple, bumbling bad-guys (like Home Alone, although technically early 90's). Kinda like "National Treasure", which is about as close to "The Goonies" as a movie from the millennium gets.

So "The Goonies" is an "enjoyable", funny, classic movie. One of the reasons Steven Spielberg is so lauded, I suppose. I recommend it.

Up (movie)

The most impressive thing about Pixar is that they do not shy away from material which is difficult, unhappy, or adult (not like that!) but at the same time aren't offensive or crass or unsuitable for children. In this asect, Up does not disappoint. It has an impressive amount of depth to it, a simple enemy that is good for the younger audience and a more intangible enemy for the more thoughtful audience. It has dark and unhappy events, which are realistic, and happy events (which are less realistic, come to think of it...) and is consistently funny.

So I found the movie to be pretty "Good". However, it's not what I would consider the best movie, not even among the Pixar collection. Though perhaps the best in the last few years and proof that Pixar can create a quality product even if it has been acquired by Disney--after Wall-E created the fear that it may have been Disney-fied: good up until it had to have an acceptably cute and crappy ending. Up does get a little cheesy, the ending is predictable, but it is more acceptable in this piece than it was in Wall-E. The style of the story allowed for it.

It also allows for copious amounts of unrealism. One remembers that this is, in essence, a cartoon where everything is possible. Don't think about physics or time while watching this movie because it wont be considering them either. It is a cute film, meant to be entertaining and Aesopian, not real.

My biggest problem with the movie was trying to understand that crotchety old man. I do understand him much more now, but I had to think about it for a while. I was annoyed at the standard "bad guy", until I was convinced that it was necessary to make the film accessible to a wider audience, which has its merits. The style is getting... usual, so visually, I thought they could have done more with it, but I like the square-ness exhibited by the characters.

So Up is a good film: better than Wall-E, Ratatouille, and Cars, better than Finding Nemo. But is it "Liar Liar" good? ...No, not really.

Star Trek (movie, limited background knowledge)

I haven't seen much of the original Star Trek. Nor have I seen much of Next Generation or any other series, really. I've seen a few, but forgotten much. However, despite how much I don't know about Gene Roddenberry's universe, I don't remember quite so much fighting! Nor do I recall so many plot holes.

I was un-impressed. It seemed really "Fan-Servicey" to me. Full of battles, fighting and ship-to-ship combat, there's partial nudity and such... Better special effects than anyone could achieve in a poorly funded 1960's television show. Yay. But in the end, that is all it was. Special effects and spectacle. Very little, if any, true substance. The only good that came out of this Fan Service was the casting. Each of the characters is impressively reminiscent of the original cast and it was cool to see ol' Leonard Nimoy on screen. If I was more familiar with the original, I'm sure that would be even more impressive.

But there would still not be any substance outside of nostalgia. If you used to know Star Trek really well, then watch the movie and see what all the buzz is about. But without the old series to dream about, this movie is pretty unimpressive.

SAPA speaker in Gunnison

Western State
College's Sexual Assault Prevention Advocates (SAPA) group invited a speaker to
their last meeting on Tuesday. This speaker, who will be anonymously referred to
as Faye for the purposes of this article, came representing both Alamosa and
Mineral counties to speak about her work as a victims advocate. "Working with
victims is my passion", she said and talked about specific sexual assault cases
she has had to work on. Some of these involved very small children and some
involved wealthy perpetrators, respected by their community and difficult to
prosecute.

Faye went over a number of
statistics about sexual assault and left an ample supply of literature for the
SAPA program.

The group discussed how
mentally damaging it can be to have been sexually assaulted. Most of the sexual
assault victims Faye has worked with develop self-destructive behaviors such as
copious alcohol and drug use, dropping out of school, or becoming highly
promiscuous. Some develop clinical depression or post-traumatic stress
disorder.

Faye shared her own experiences
with Sexual Assault as well. Her and her brother had been attacked at nearly the
same time. She used drugs to try to run away from the problem until almost
killing herself in a car accident. He has been on
anti-depressants.

Faye also discussed what a SANE
(Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) evaluation is like. Describing it as "More
invasive than the actual rape ... I would not wish that on anybody." But if a
victim is to prosecute, the evidence from that evaluation is needed. According
to Faye, many people do not come forward with their story because of this, or
because it is taboo, or because they simply don't know if the assault was a
crime.

The main question of the night
was what could be done about sexual assault and how to prevent
it.

At Adams State College in
Alamosa, they have installed "blue phones" which are immediately connected to
911 when the receiver is picked up and blast light all around the phone. Adams
State is also trying to "silence the night" by lighting up every
corner.

However, the biggest thing we
can do, according to Faye, is to educate people. "The fact of the matter is, a
woman should be able to walk around naked without being assaulted."

Lars and the Real Girl (rewatched)

This is one of the most "Beautiful" movies I have ever seen. It is intricately woven and very carefully planned. From the very first scene, there are symbols and foreshadowing for what is going on throughout the movie. But it is subtle enough that you probably wont catch it (much of it you can't) until you are watching in for a second time. I was impressed with the acting; Ryan Gosling has a decent depth as an actor and Kelli Garner was good as well. Perhaps it is largely because I don't know any of the actors from any other project (besides Gosling), but I don't see any actor behind any of the characters.

But the technical aspects of the movie are the least of what I like. The story is what captivates me. I love this movie because of its morality. Now, I agree with those 'literatureists' who insist that the best stories were not written for a specific purpose, but instead stay true to the characters. These stories have depth and mean something different to every viewer or reader. Much of the time, this is true. The problem with a movie like "Lars and the Real Girl" is that it will sound preachy to somebody, especially if they disagree. To me, it wasn't preachy at all. It just portrayed an example of how we should treat each other. And I like that message.

The tone of the movie is pretty melancholy. Though funny at times, the comedy is cynical and dry. It doesn't avoid humor, but doesn't ever really crack a joke. The color palate is largely brown, and the setting in the bleak north (where it is more likely for something like this to be possible). I know one person who hasn't been able to stay awake for the entire movie, and others who find it hard to achieve the level of disbelief suspension the movie requires. It is not that it needs a high level of suspension, like a fantasy, but that it doesn't need a lot. The movie is set in "our world", basically, and for the most part is realistic. But there is this small level of idealism which would be difficult if not impossible to find in our world as it stands now. However, that is the point, I feel. The movie is idealistic. It proposes an alternative from what we usually see.