"Michael Jackson's This Is It" - This is it for Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson's This Is It is a compilation of Michael Jackson's rehearsals for and the making of his planned concert series known as "This Is It". Back in March 2009, Michael Jackson scheduled this series of concerts to return to the stage after a 12-year absence. After much rehearsal and an announced date, his 50-date concert tour was completely sold out. Unfortunately, a tragic event happened on June 25 - The King of Pop died due to cardiac arrest. All of his concerts were canceled, but Kenny Ortega (director and/or choreographer of the High School Musical trilogy, Dirty Dancing, the Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour, and Michael Jackson's other concerts) had filmed all of Michael Jackson's rehearsals. All the footage was collected to form this film. Featured songs include "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", "Speechless", "Jam", "They Don't Care About Us", "Bad", "Human Nature", "Smooth Criminal", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "I Want You Back", "The Love You Save", "I'll Be There", "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)", "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Thriller", "Beat It", "Black or White", "Earth Song", "Billie Jean", "Man in the Mirror", "Heal the World", and of course, his most recent, and last, "This Is It" (all in order sans the last two).

I'm sure many people are going to remember Michael Jackson's death for many years the way they remember the 9/11 tragedy. Can you recall what you were doing when you heard that Michael Jackson died on June 25 of this year? I remember I was looking around Borders with my friend, after we'd just seen Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. He had received a call on his cell phone that Michael Jackson had died. My mother was affected the most by it. According to my research, upon his death, the This is It concert tickets had a choice of either being refunded, or kept as a memento of The King of Pop (he designed the tickets himself). Those of you who did happen to purchase a ticket and got a refund can spend considerably less money on seeing the making of what would have been. However, let's face it - we all saw the reaction to his death, and how quickly we forgot about the other star (Farrah Fawcett) who died that day too. This film is pretty much an excuse to cash in on his death, which may be a little disturbing to some, but nonetheless otherwise enjoyable.

The film scored a PG rating. In many scenes, some dancers wore skimpy outfits (and not just women, bare-chested men wore tight shorts too) and one dance involved the dancer grabbing his or her crotch. No mention is made of his inappropriate behavior with children, but during rehearsal, when someone plays a piano, Jackson says "The song doesn't have enough booty". Some of the lyrics to "Smooth Criminal" were "He came into the apartment, he left the bloodstains on the carpet" and "So she ran into the bedroom - she was struck down, it was her doom" and "You've been hit by, you've been struck by a smooth criminal" and the music video for it shows a man chasing a man with a gun, and as he shoots at him, we see the bullets in slow-motion as the other man jumps through a glass window, shattering it. The "Thriller" rehearsal involves dancers dressed like zombies who wear things that look like blood and rotting flesh.

Well, if you think you owe it to The King of Pop to see his rehearsal of what was meant to be, then by all means, see this film. If you don't like the idea of a company profiting off of his death, then don't. Just remember - this is a two-week event, and as of this writing, you only have ten days left to see it. Now one could argue that this could very well top the Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert from 2008 that was scheduled to be a "one-week event" which created so much rush that it lasted longer (and was just repeated with the Toy Story/Toy Story 2 double feature), but that's Disney we're talking about. Sony/Columbia said they weren't going to be so lenient even when This is It was making record sales in advance. So if you want to see it, you better get a move on before it's gone!

"Paranormal Activity" - high on the Paranormal, low on the Activity

Paranormal Activity is a horror film entirely comprised of real footage. Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston (as themselves) suspect that Katie is being haunted by demons, as well as other paranormal activities. This is a compilation of footage to try to capture any paranormal activity on tape.

You heard it, folks - this is not a scripted film. (Even if it was, the script would be nearly empty - not much is said.) It is not your average horror movie - no special effects, no demons popping up or monsters falling out of the sky that leave blood stains everywhere, it's all real... I think. (The budget was $15,000. That should tell you something.) The only real "scary" stuff is doors opening for some reason and other things like that. I said it was "high on the Paranormal and low on the Activity" because the film is basically 90 minutes of build-up leading to one final scene at the end which I won't spoil, because if I do tell you, it will pretty much ruin any reason to see the film. I was actually scared by the end, because for 90 minutes I was waiting for something scary to happen... but I'll be quiet before I ruin it for anyone.

The film received an R rating... the MPAA description was "Language" and nothing else, and yeah, that's just what it is. There's about 40 f-words, and many religious exclaims ("God", "Jesus", etc.) The only violent scene can't be described without spoiling, though some may find the door opening on its own a bit scary, as well as an Ouija board somehow being set on fire. There is a drinking scene, and Micah telling Katie to "pop a pill" because he thinks she's just crazy. Throughout the film, Katie is seen wearing cleavage-bearing tops, and in one scene where Micah is holding the camera, he asks her for a striptease. She says no. He then asks her to just strip down to her bra and panties, and again she says no. Much of the film takes place while the couple are in bed, and there is implied sex, but no nudity.

If you want a film were stuff keeps happening throughout, or a horror film where the characters are constantly bombarded by demons and monsters, this isn't for you. If you can sit through 90 minutes of no-show leading up to something big, then this is your film. Of course, you could always rent it and fast-forward to the end, but that might just ruin the suspense. (I saw the midnight showing, and there was a lot of the audience talking during silent scenes.)

"The Stepfather" - not who he appears to be, but isn't it obvious?

The Stepfather is a remake of the 1987 horror film of the same name. Susan Harding (Sela Ward, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, House) is a divorced mother of three: Michael Harding (Penn Badgley, Gossip Girl), his younger brother Sean Harding (Braeden Lemasters, Ghost Whisperer), and their younger sister Beth Harding (Skyler Samuels). She has just met a man who supposedly goes by the name of David Harris (Dylan Walsh, Nip/Tuck) whom she is planning to marry. However, Michael, as well as his blood-father Jay Harding (Jon Tenney, The Closer) are very suspicious of "David", believing him to be Grady Edwards, a serial killer that they've seen on America's Most Wanted. In a subplot, Michael's girlfriend Kelly (Amber Heard) is trying to help Michael get into college, but he keeps putting it off for the investigation, which she does not believe in.

Other stars in the film include Nancy Linehan Charles as Mrs. Cutter, the elderly neighbor, Paige Turco (Guiding Light, All My Children, Big Shots, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II and III) as Jackie Kerns, Susan's sister, and her lesbian lover Leah (Sherry Stringfield, ER, Shark).

Let's face it - the only reason I saw this film was to laugh at it. I've never seen the original version, but the trailer simply made this film look like a joke - and that's what it was. It's really obvious who David Harris is, given the ominous music that plays around him every time he appears on screen. There really isn't much more to it than that.

The film got a well-deserved PG-13 rating. When Sean is playing his video game with the volume up high, his mother tells him to turn it down. "David" grabs him by the neck and says, "She said turn it down!" in a menacing voice. "David" pushes Mrs. Cutter down the stairs and closes her nose and mouth to suffocate her to death. I won't describe the end sequence in too much detail, but I'll bring up these highlights: During a chase, "David" crashes through a bathroom door where Susan is hiding, shattering the mirror, then Susan grabs a shard of glass and stabs "David" (there is some blood on him, and some coming out of Susan's hand, but not too much). Michael kicks "David" down the steps to the attic, Kelly attempts to use a buzz-saw on "David" but falls through the fragile floorboards (no one is hurt by the buzz-saw, but they are both knocked out). "David" punches Kelly in the face, and there is a bit of blood on her face. I will only describe the very last violent scene in private. Many scenes with the dinner table have some alcoholic beverages at them, and "David" shares a tequila with Michael (nothing intoxicating happens). There is also talk about drunk victims who were killed. I could only count one f-word and one s-word. Last of all, for sexual content... Kelly wears a bikini in nearly every scene except the end sequence (except two scenes where she wears a tanktop). She also tells Michael that she is "screwing" someone else (to get his attention).

I won't spoil the film for the three people who can't figure it out, but if you just want to sit back and laugh at a film, this is your film. Just don't expect anything good from it.

"Where the Wild Things Are" - in all of us no matter the age

Where the Wild Things Are is the film adaptation of the 1963 children's book of the same name by Maurice Sendak. Max (Max Records, The Brothers Bloom) is not happy with his family, and he enjoys playing make-believe. When he gets into a fight with his mother Connie (Catherine Keener, Being John Malkovich, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Soloist), he runs away from home and finds himself among the Wild Things: Carol (voice of James Gandolfini, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3), Ira (voice of Forest Whitaker, The Shield, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai), Judith (Catherine O'Hara, Away We Go, Chicken Little, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events), Alexander (Paul Dano, Taking Woodstock, Little Miss Sunshine, The Girl Next Door), Douglas (Chris Cooper, October Sky, American Beauty, Seabiscuit), and The Bull (Michael Berry, Jr., Star Trek, Mission Impossible III, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl). The Wild Things have gotten into a fight among each other, as they are upset over the departure of K.W. (Lauren Ambrose, Six Feet Under), but Max convinces them that he is their "King". He tries to have fun with them, but it only leads to more misery, especially when K.W. returns.

So how do you turn a 10-sentence children's book into a 9o-minute movie? Like this. Each of the Wild Things represents a different personality - Carol is the most outspoken, Douglas wants attention, and so on, and so forth. I thought this was a very enjoyable film with a good message, and I feel anyone can enjoy and relate to it. The message is about how difficult (and maybe impossible) it is to make everyone happy. Despite the book being short, the film didn't take that many liberties with it - it's still basically the same story, just greatly expanded on.

The film received a PG rating, mainly for violence - of course, there's no blood, but in the beginning, Max bites his mom (we don't see it that well though). He also tries to play a game where he divides the Wild Things into "good guys" and "bad guys" and gets them to throw dirt clods (and a raccoon) at each other. K.W. steps on Carol's face, Carol goes on a huge tantrum and starts smashing things, and K.W. hides Max in her mouth (we see him on the inside of her stomach). Carol also tears off Douglas' arm (sand or dirt comes out of it, and he later replaces it with a stick). There isn't much sexual content, though Ira does... something (can't really tell) to Judith in one scene (she tells him to stop and he does). That's about it.

Well, if you like the book, or enjoyed reading it when you were little, the movie is definitely for you.

"The Invention of Lying" - a different kind of "What If?" movie

The Invention of Lying is a fantasy comedy film. It is set in a world where no one can lie or even withhold anything true; there is no fiction. All the signs say things like "Restaurant: Where People Go To Eat" and all "films" are merely documentaries. The story centers around Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais, The Office (UK), Extras, Night at the Museum, Stardust) who is a screenwriter for the company "Lecture Films". He is assigned to do a film about the 13th century, but not much happened back then besides the Black Plague, which few people are interested in. As a result, he is fired. On top of it all, his blind date Anna McDoogles (Jennifer Garner, Juno, 13 Going on 30, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Catch Me If You Can, and Dude, Where's My Car?) bluntly tells him that he is out of her league because of his looks and financial situation. The rent collector tells him he has one day to pay his $800 rent bill or he will be evicted. He goes to the bank to withdraw the $300 he has left to move his stuff out of his house, but the systems are down. Just then, something in his mind tells him to lie and say that he has $800 in his account. The bank teller buys this, even when the systems go back online, and gives him $800. Since no one has ever lied before, everyone seems to believe everything he says, so he uses this not only to try to win Anna back, but also to help people, such as trying to convince his neighbor Frank (Jonah Hill, Superbad, Funny People, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian) not to commit suicide, as well as calming down his terminally ill mother Martha (Fionnula Flanagan, Yes Man, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Star Trek: The Next Generation), but this is the first time anyone's mentioned an afterlife. When the doctors overhear this, word gets out about this, and Mark is forced to make up a story about "the man in the sky" and the afterlife.

Also starring in this film are Tina Fey (Baby Mama, Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, Mean Girls, Ponyo) as Mark's assistant Shelley, Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, The Hangover, Monsters vs. Aliens) as Mark's boss Anthony James, Rob Lowe (The West Wing, Brothers & Sisters, The Outsiders) as Mark's rival at work, Brad Kessler, and Louis C.K. (Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kennel Live) as Mark's best friend Greg.

Unfortunately, I got to the theater a few minutes late, so I missed the first part of it (when I arrived, Mark was on the date with Anna). However, what I saw of the film was pretty funny. In the title, I called it "a different kind of 'What If?'" because it is the answer to the question "What if lying, the afterlife, and fiction were all invented in modern times?" It opened my mind to how people viewed the world in ancient times, and made me wonder how the first lie or piece of fiction came into play, and if people bought it or not. The film's message seemed to be "make your own choices instead of believing others" and I think it delivered the message quite well - it didn't beat it into the viewer's heads, not even at the end. My favorite thing about the film was just how deep Mark was going with his lies - it seemed as though he was just digging himself deeper with each one, especially the part about the afterlife. Even the old cliché "Look over there!" gag seemed like it was fresh and new in this film. Another thing I liked was the fact that when he found out anyone believed anything he said, he used it more to help people than for power or money (well, he did cheat in a bet at a casino, but it was because his friends suggested it, and he later used the money to help a homeless man).

The film scored a PG-13 rating, mainly due to drinking and sexual content. A lot of social drinking occurs throughout the film, usually at bars or restaurants, though in one scene Greg drives while intoxicated, and is then pulled over by a cop (Edward Norton, Fight Club, The Incredible Hulk) (who wants a $5400 bribe to fuel his cocaine addiction). Greg blows into a breathalyzer, and the cop says it's "off the charts". As for sexual content, when Mark finds out that anyone believes anything he says, he asks Greg and the bartender (Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt, The Big Lebowski, Mission: Impossible III) what they would want more than anything else, and they say "to touch a girl's boobs" and maybe to have sex. This prompts Mark to go out on the street, where he meets a woman (Stephanie March, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Head of State) who says that she is not attracted to him, but he tells her that the world will end if she does not have sex with him soon (she buys it and we later see them in a motel, she takes her belt off and asks Mark to undo her dress, and though she panics, they don't actually have sex). Mark also forbids Anna from having sex with Brad because he wants her to avoid pre-marital sex, but this makes her birthday present to Mark - a "sex coupon" - useless. Anna considers dating Brad so their kids will look better, so Mark calls Brad a "sperm donor". A waitress at the bar says she wanted to be a stripper, but she's not attractive enough. There is minimal violence in the film, such as a hit during the aforementioned pullover scene (played for laughs) as well as Martha's death, and Anna mentions her father died of a heart attack. Someone else in a crowd mentions her mother had cancer, and someone else mentions his boat was capsized on a boating trip (Mark says "the man in the sky" is responsible for all this). There's also a scene where two bullies push another kid's ice cream onto his shirt. There is some mild profanity as well.

While it may not be the best film of the year, personally I thought it is by far the best film of the year to go see if you are going to the theater looking for a 90-minute escape from reality (my previous choice was Shorts) as the thought of imagining everyone listening to you might be enticing. If you're a fan of fantasy comedy or anyone in the cast, I say it is definitely the film for you, but as per the film's message, don't see it just because I told you to - make the decision yourself.

"Whip It" - not to be confused with DEVO

Whip It is a drama/comedy film based on the Shauna Cross novel Derby Girl. Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page, X-Men: The Last Stand, Juno) is being forced to enter beauty pageants just because her parents Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden, Flubber, Meet Joe Black, Mona Lisa Smile) and Earl (Daniel Stern, Home Alone, Dilbert) want her to. She works at a local diner with her best friends Pash (Alia Shawkat, Rebound, Arrested Development) and "Birdman" (Carlo Alban, Sesame Street). But one day, she decides to sneak out and without her parents knowing, she lies about her age so she can play roller derby. She goes by the name "Babe Ruthless" and joins the "Hurl Scouts" team, including "Maggie Mayhem" (Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live, Knocked Up, Extract, Adventureland, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), "Smashley Simpson" (Drew Barrymore, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, He's Just Not That Into You, Never Been Kissed, Donnie Darko, Scream, etc.) "Rosa Sparks" (Eve, Glee, xXx), and "Bloody Holly"(Zoë Bell, Inglourious Basterds, Gamer, Kill Bill, Xena: Warrior Princess). Their main rival is the "Holy Rollers" team, namely Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis, Starsky and Hutch, Cape Fear) and Eva Destruction (Ari Graynor, The Sopranos, Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, Fringe, and the upcoming Youth in Revolt). But what happens when Pash is nearly arrested and Bliss doesn't stick up for her, her parents find out about this, and her team finds out that she is only 17?

I was blown away by this film. Forget what I said about I Can Do Bad All By Myself, Whip It is my new favorite film of 2009, and possibly one of the best films I've ever seen. It has a strong female character who is the opposite of a female stereotype - I mean, she declines the opportunity to join a beauty pageant to play a sport. They immediately accept her, and she has a lot of fun with them. Many films with female leads nowadays just have a female lead as a huge fashion-obsessed stereotype (Confessions of a Shopaholic, anyone?) or who is simply there to wear skimpy clothes and be what we call the "fanservice" girl (like Megan Fox in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Jennifer's Body) or both (practically the whole cast of Sex and the City) or, while not so bad, just for a love interest (The Proposal, My Life in Ruins, The Ugly Truth, etc.) But there comes a rare gem where the female lead is strong and either independent, the decision-making type, or enjoying her surroundings that don't involve fashion, dating, and sex. This year, we had some examples, such as My Sister's Keeper, Post Grad, Julie & Julia, and even Monsters vs. Aliens. In Whip It, the female lead is strong, both physically and mentally. She does have a love interest in Oliver (Landon Pigg, this being his film debut), but he doesn't take up that much screen time. She does wear skimpy clothes at times, but do you really think she is going to be fully clothed during a sport like this? The ending is not what I expected at all.

The film scored a well-deserved PG-13 rating. Drug use consists of some underage drinking (Bliss lied about her age, she is 17 but said she was 22) and Pash nearly gets arrested for holding a beer when the police are around. A lot of people of varying ages drink while watching matches. As for sexuality - as mentioned before, people wear skimpy clothes, but it's not for erotic effect. However, the announcer Johnny (Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live/Weekend Update) makes many sexual jokes, including "a sequel in his pants" (which is "Spider-Man Three and a half inches wide"), and a sign that says "Call Me: STD Free". Bliss and Oliver do strip at the bottom of the pool, but there is no full nudity and we don't see the actual stripping. Since the film is about roller derby, you can bet your bottom dollar there is violence, and Smashley Simpson gets a bloody face in one scene. There are a few s-words as well.

Another excellent film that deserves my recommendation, especially if you're looking for a good film with a strong female role.

"Zombieland" - more comedy than gruesome

Zombieland is a horror comedy film. The plot mainly follows Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg, Adventureland) who lives in a world dominated by zombies (hence the title "Zombieland"). He has a set of "rules" that he uses to survive in Zombieland. On his journey, he encounters another human, Talahassee (Woody Harrelson) who is obsessed with Twinkies and will do anything just to eat one. On their travels, they meet two sisters, Wichita (Emma Stone, Superbad, The House Bunny, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine, Nim's Island, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, My Sister's Keeper). The sisters have their own rules of surviving Zombieland, and trick Columbus and Talahassee several times, stealing their weapons and vehicles. As they pursue the sisters, Columbus starts to fall for Wichita, but Wichita will not admit if the feeling is mutual. But what happens when the girls are trapped at the top of an amusement park ride? Do Columbus and Talahassee trust them? Bill Murray also stars as himself.

I'm not really much for horror, but I found this film thoroughly enjoyable. It wasn't as disgusting as I was expecting, and it was a lot more funny. I won't spoil any of the funny parts, but I'll say that a buddy movie in a land of zombies where a boy is dedicated to survival and a man is dedicated to finding a Twinkie is as ridiculous as it sounds... but funny nonetheless.

The film scored an R rating. Of course, there is a lot of blood and shooting, and zombies having various amounts of blood on their faces (and Bill Murray with fake blood on his face), but that's about all as far as violence goes, aside from the sisters' hijacking of the vehicles and weapons, and them getting trapped on the amusement park ride... though we also hear that Columbus's puppy and Talahassee's son were killed. As far as sexual content, there is a scene in the beginning with a half-naked zombie stripper (she has tassles on her breasts) and Talahassee asks Columbus if he is thinking about "fucking Wichita". There is some mild drinking, as well as a bong. There is quite a bit of swearing, too.

If you don't like any kind of horror film whatsoever, then avoid this one unless you have a dedication to someone in the cast. If you like horror comedy, this is the film for you. The rest should be self-explanatory.

"Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" in 3-D - two legendary films that have aged pretty well

My next review will be for two old films that have been re-released to the big screen - Toy Story and Toy Story 2 - now in 3-D. This time, I will not only talk about the films themselves, but the experience of reliving them on the big screen in 3-D.

Toy Story (1995) was not only Pixar's first feature-length film, but also the first ever fully-CGI full-length film to hit the big screen. The film centers around the toys of eight-year-old Andy Davis (John Morris), namely his favorite since kindergarten, Sherrif Woody the cowboy (Tom Hanks), and many others such as Slinky Dog (Jim Varney), Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), Hamm the piggy bank (John Ratzenberger), and Rex the T-Rex (Wallace Shawn). It's Andy's birthday, and the family is moving soon. One of the presents he gets is a toy space ranger, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), who does not believe that he is a toy. When Andy and the other toys start to like Buzz more, Woody unwittingly tricks Buzz into falling out the window, but after a series of events, both Woody and Buzz end up in the possession of the neighbor Sid Phillips (Erik von Detten), who is known for destroying his toys. It's up to Woody and Buzz to escape Sid and get back to Andy before he moves... but Woody's reputation is at an all-time low now.

In the sequel, Toy Story 2 (1999), four years after the original, while playing with his toys, Andy accidentally tears Woody's arm, so he is put on the shelf of broken toys, where he finds an old squeaky penguin named Wheezy (Joe Ranft) whose squeaker is broken. Andy's mom (Laurie Meltcaf) is about to sell Wheezy at a yard sale, but as Woody rescues him, a collector named Albert "Al" McWhiggin (Wayne Knight), owner of Al's Toy Barn, steals Woody and takes him to his apartment. It's up to Buzz, Hamm, Rex, Slinky Dog, and Mr. Potato Head to rescue him. But in the apartment, Woody is reunited with his old "roundup gang", including his girlfriend Jessie the yodeling cowgirl (Joan Cusack), Bullseye the horse, and Prospector Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammer). Woody learns about his past, seeing Al's collection of Woody's Roundup merchandise, and learns how famous he once was. Al is planning to ship Woody, Jessie, Bullseye, and Pete to a museum in Japan, but the museum wants the full set of all four of them. Woody wants to return to Andy, but Jessie warns Woody that she thrown out by her former owner Emily. Will Woody go back to Andy and risk being thrown out, or will he abandon Buzz and the gang and head to the museum where he'll last? In three subplots, Rex is having trouble defeating Buzz's arch-nemesis Emperor Zurg in a video game, and Buzz gets replaced by another Buzz from the toy barn who goes through the same thing Buzz initially did, and a toy Zurg (Andrew Stanton) seeks to defeat Buzz.

Well, there you have it. Just think about all the popular CGI movies of today... Shrek, Ice Age, Kung Fu Panda, Monsters vs. Aliens, and Pixar's latest WALL-E and Up... without Toy Story, none of those might even have existed today. Seeing them on the big screen brought back many memories... the original Toy Story was the first film I ever saw on the big screen and stayed awake during. It was like it was 1995 for 90 minutes, and then 1999 for 90 more minutes. The 3-D greatly enhanced the film, though nothing really over-the-top. The interludes were pretty good too - there was an introduction, then Toy Story, then a 10-minute intermission, then Toy Story 2. The introduction had some comments from Rex and Hamm, and during the intermission, you get some trivia and treats. Some of the trivia questions are easy (e.g. "What does Buzz say when he blasts off?") to tricky if you're not paying attention ("Who was Woody's repairman modeled after?"). The treats are just short clips of funny things happening, but I'm not sure if those are exclusive, or are sneak peeks of Toy Story 3 coming June 18, 2010.

Both films recieved G ratings, but most of the violence is toy-based.

In Toy Story, violence consists of Mr. Potato Head losing his parts (usually for comedic effect) and Sid destroying toys (he blows up an Army Man and switches the heads of a Raggedy Andy and a pterodactyl - which are fixed later). Woody asks "Etch" (an Etch-a-Sketch) to "draw", and it draws a picture of a gun, then Woody is seen holding his chest as if he'd just been shot, saying, "D'oh! Got me again!" Woody knocks an 8-ball behind a desk, and asks Buzz to rescue it, but then controls RC (an RC Car) to try to knock Buzz behind the desk, but it hits a lamp and a Rube Goldberg style of events knocks Buzz out the window. Woody also pushes Buzz out of a truck and starts punching him in the face, but Buzz closes his helmet on Woody's hand. Buzz attempts to fly, but falls, knocking his arm off. There's nothing sexual or drug-related, though. There is some hinted profanity, in which Woody says "The word I'm searching for I can't say because there are pre-school toys present!" and Mr. Potato Head's "Son of a building block!" and just name-calling like "dummy" and "punk in a rocket" (in the song "Strange Things" by Randy Newman) and the famous "hockey puck" (said by Mr. Potato Head to an actual hockey puck).

In Toy Story 2, Al tosses a skateboard at the yard sale (we hear what sounds like breaking glass) to distract Andy's mom before making off with Woody. Zurg blows up Buzz (but then we find out it's just a video game). Andy tears Woody's arm by accident, and Al tears his arm clean off, though it is later repaired. Pete hits Woody with his pickaxe, tearing his arm again, and tearing it further as he hangs from a plane (it is fixed later). Buzz fights with a Buzz from Al's Toy Barn and gets shoved in a box. The Buzz from the toy barn fights the Zurg toy on an elevator, and Rex knocks Zurg off with his tail. When the toys cross to Al's Toy Barn, they hide under traffic cones, causing a huge traffic jam with some crashes. Rex shoves a strategy guide in everyone's face while Tour Guide Barbie is driving them around, causing them to nearly crash. As for sexual content, several Barbie dolls are seen wearing bikinis in a pool set, causing Hamm, Slinky Dog, and Mr. Potato Head's mouths to open wide. When Tour Guide Barbie gets in the car, Mr. Potato Head says "I'm a married spud, I'm a married spud!" to himself, when Hamm pushes him over and says "Single people only!" During the "blooper reel" in the closing credits, Pete farts in his box, "Mike" the microphone toy whacks Wheezy in the head, and Jessie pulls Woody's string off.

I've said enough. If you want to re-live the old moments in 3-D, definitely go. If you're not interested in paying extra for two films that you can see at home on DVD for free (if you have them), then suit yourself and don't go, but be warned that this is only a two-week event (unless it becomes really popular, a lá Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour from 2008) and as of January 31, 2009, both Toy Story and Toy Story 2 have been sent to the Disney Vault, and won't come out again until March 2010! (I just checked Amazon, it says Toy Story is $19.00, and the Toy Story 2 is $17.00) Therefore, if you haven't seen one of these films, definitely check them out. Remember - it's two films for the price of one. And don't forget to stay tuned during the credits of Toy Story 2 for the "blooper" reel!

"Fame" - it doesn't come easy

Fame is a remake of the old 1980 film of the same name. It shows us what happens over a timespan of four years at the New York City High School of Performing Arts. Since this film is mainly character-driven, it's probably best to just list the characters and what they do. The New York City High School of Performing Arts is taught by teachers such as Mr. Alvin Dowd (Charles S. Dutton) the drama teacher, Ms. Fran Rowan (Megan Mullally, "Will & Grace") the music teacher, Mr. Joel Cranston (Kelsey Grammar, "Frasier") the piano teacher, and Ms. Lynn Craft (Bebe Neuwirth, "Cheers", "Frasier", "Jumanji", "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"). Their students consist of pianist Denise Dupree (Naturi Naughton, "Notorious") who wants to try hip-hop, African-American Malik Washburn (Collins Pennie) who wants to learn to be a better rapper, keyboardist Victor Taveraz (Walter Perez) who aims to be a music producer, Jenny Garrison (Kay Panabaker) who wants to be an actress, and several others with different ambitions and talents. But even the teachers have something they need to learn too.

I think I've explained enough of what the film was about (if you want me to describe the rest, contact me privately). Now, I haven't seen the original 1980 version, but I enjoyed the 2009 version. Some people say it's too similar to High School Musical, but I highly disagree. There is so much in this film that High School Musical does not even begin to cover. The message of the film is that fame comes at a cost, and it stays like that. It doesn't just fall into their laps, and we learn about all their hardships (including Malik's mom not approving of this at all) and what they had to go through. Now this may be because I've never seen the original version (which I heard was rated R), but on its own, the 2009 version is a great film IMO.

The film scored a PG rating, but of course, when remaking an R film to a PG rating, limits must be pushed. There is a bit of teen drinking in this film, namely theater-study and Sesame Street actress Joy Moy (Anna Maria Perez de Taglé, "Hannah Montana", "Camp Rock") who actually gets drunk, raps about "bitches" and "hoes", and then vomits, and superstar Andy (Cody Longo) who tries to have sex with Jenny (who then considers using this to get on the show... contact me privately for more info). Iowa dancer Kevin Barrett (Paul McGill) nearly commits suicide by walking toward train tracks with a metro bus heading his way, getting ready to jump in front of it (contact me privately to know how he turns out). We also learn Malik's sister was murdered in a drive-by shooting. A few s-words are present, and some song lyrics (e.g. "Pissing the night away" from "I Get Knocked Down" by Chumbawumba).

Well, it's a musical film... I personally love seeing musicals on the big screen, but... whatever floats your boat. Just remember to have some tissues handy - parts of the film are real tearjerkers.