The 40 Year Old Virgin Review

        When looking at the poster to The 40-Year-Old Virgin, you would think it would be a really lousy comedy. Sort of in the vein of any sub-par Adam Sandler movie from the early 2000s. Surprisingly, this one put Steve Carrell in the map. It was both this film and The Office that really cemented him in the annals of comedy. To wrap up my look into romance films, here’s what I think about this one. 

1. Andy the Virgin

        Just the first opening sequence perfectly describes the predicament that Andy is in. Just the amount of collectibles that cover and dominate the whole apartment is impeccable. We see that he’s not a normal guy since he rides a bike to work and hardly interacts with his coworkers. The turning point is revealed when he’s invited to play poker and inadvertently reveals that he’s a virgin. 

        Steve Carrell absolutely steals the show as Andy. Just his overall mannerisms and any attempt to be cool by imitating the other guys is laughable. It’s tough to even review comedies since it’s entirely subjective to the person that’s watching it. Here, any high brow person without a funny bone can see or at least appreciates the comedy that represents the whole situation. And the fact that it’s an R-Rated movie takes its complete comedic antics to 11.

        One of the things that makes the film so well, is just how Andy goes about losing his own virginity. I’ll elaborate more on the next tab but what also sells the comedy is the chemistry among Andy’s coworkers. When you have Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen and Romany Malco just talking with Andy is hilarious and stupid. Just the attempts to have him go through various means to highlight himself and finding love is all for nothing.

        Even though the film can be viewed through a depressing lens since we do see why Andy is so hesitant up to the point where we see his younger self. Any movie that has the character be active with what he wants to do, instead of just be a passive character for the story sake is probably the most important aspect of this film. Just the fact that we see him go for the girl that he’s genuinely attracted to is also sweet. 

        The moments when we see Andy and Trish together is wholesome since we see just how vulnerable Andy is and eventually the situation that Trish is in as well. It shows just the disparity between being a virgin and a single mom. Both are ridiculed but the main thorn is a guy not losing his virginity. Which leads me to my next tab. 

2. Types of Love

        I think the highlight of the movie is when the guys show Andy how to meet a girl to have his virginity be removed. Hilarious in the various ways Andy is subjected to the level of firsthand embarrassment, mostly all of them represent the guys and how love is shown in the movie. With the chemistry dynamics that the three guys have, all of them have a distinct view of love. 

        One is adventurous, the other is insecure with his relationship that he cheats with other girls and Paul Rudd’s character can’t seem to move on from his ex. It shows just how different they view a relationship or love in general. When Andy is with one or all them, we see how Andy tries their methods and have it blow up in his face. Especially when he’s told to wax his body, that’s my favorite part. I think the main point of the film was revealed after Andy’s predicament was made public to the store.

        The whole film is about the connection that leads to the actual event in question. We see just how backwards the guys view love and having their own relationship problems reflect their odd view into romance. With Andy, he simply followed his gut and did it his own way to go after Trish. Just him winning Trish’s daughters with his charm and earnestness made him redeemable to them. 

3. Overall

        The 40-Year-Old Virgin is on top of the comedic films of the 2000s that defined a decade. 

Marty Review

 

        It’s February once more and time to look at some romantic films. For those that having been keeping up with how I do my look into romance films, typically I pick two to reflect a common theme. Previously I watched tragic romantic films and romance during disaster. This year I’m watching the movies that have the sad sack getting a girl. With this film, it won the coveted Best Picture Award in 1955.

1. Marty

        Before I get started, I wanted to point out that this wasn’t the first time I was exposed to actor Ernest Borgnine. It just blew my mind that when I was little watching SpongeBob that in the episodes involving the heroes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy that Borgnine voiced Mermaid Man. Little did I know that I would watch this movie and hearing him speak, I could catch the instances of Mermaid Man when he was speaking. Perhaps it was providence that made the whole thing complete.

        Anyways, we follow Marty as he works as a meat butcher. It’s established that he feels that he hasn’t accomplished anything despite having a good education. Constantly, he’s been bombarded from customers, friends and even his own mom that he ought to get married. You get to feel for the guy since he’s an upstanding person, but it’s the baggage that he receives from other people and himself that puts him in a corner. 

        One scene really nailed that, and it’s when Marty calls up a girl that he and his friend met. While we don’t hear what the girl is saying over the phone, just the camera slowly zooms in on Marty to really sell that the conversation isn’t going well. Just the performance of Borgnine sell that as hard as he tries, nothing goes his way when trying to find someone. It's that level of hidden frustration and sadness that makes it work. We want him to feel happy, and most importantly to find someone. 

        While it’s not all doom and gloom as the first couple of minutes is led to be believed. The remaining minutes we see that Marty finds someone and from there is when we see the sweetest moments. It’s such a refreshing thing where we actually see some positivity with the main character by just expressing himself and having someone to really get him. 

        That’s where we see Carla near the halfway point in the film. Both her and Marty are the same people where they haven’t had any shot of finding love. As I mentioned before, the scenes involving them are the sweetest aspect since we see just how they haven’t gotten a chance and that they are great for each other. It’s one thing where Carla supports Marty’s endeavors and Marty being reciprocal for her own struggles. 

        The movie as a whole works when there’s no big-name actor in the film. While yes, everyone here is talented but just having someone who’s naturally beautiful doesn’t exactly work in a movie like this. Marty in context works due to having the guy be a little scrappy that struggles and ultimately comes and fights his insecurities. It’s the believability in the performance that sells the picture. 

2. Relationships

        If there’s one aspect of the film that I notice is the overall use of relationships. While the film’s main theme is Marty finding someone, everyone around him are either bachelors, widows or married relatives. Like it’s one thing where we see a contrast between Marty finally being a relationship and his own cousin just not handling being in a marriage. The big picture I believe that the movie is going for is finding happiness.

        With Marty’s friends in the local bar, they keep hooking up with girls to the point where they’re not looking for anything serious beyond gratification. I find it nuance in a sense where it’s established that Marty isn’t in a good place mentally and just finding someone helps him be at ease with his life. In the context of the story, any sense of happiness is sort of run afoul when his own mom wants him to stop seeing his own lover for fear of being alone by herself.  It’s the sort of thing where people in the movie want to be continuously young without being committed to an actual relationship. Which is where they sort of take out on Marty throughout the film. 

3. Overall

        Marty is a classic romantic film of the 50s. A classic feel good story with a strong underdog element. 

Remember The Titans Review

        It’s super Sunday, as always, I talk about a football movie to celebrate the annual Super Bowl. This one is personal to me since it’s the first football movie that I’ve been exposed to. Of course, the commentary angle in the movie flew over my head because I couldn’t grasp it at a young age. Thinking about it more, I think this film was responsible for the multiple sports films that came out from Disney in the early 2000s. 

1. Race and Football

        Based on the 1971 season of the T.C. Williams Titans, the film’s told non-chronologically as we see the football team gather at a cemetery. In the ensuing scene, we see that Alexandria, Virgina is bereft with racial tensions. Making matters worse is that the football team has been forced to integrate with black and white players. Played by Denzel Washington, Coach Boone leads the team alongside Will Patton’s Coach Yoast. 

        Like with any other football movie that came before this one, they all have the basic film tropes such as having an underdog angle involve either a player or a team. The film fits the latter What separated this one among the others was that it leaned heavily at the racial angle. Now, we don’t see the N word be thrown around since it’s a Disney movie. More so that we see just how hot the level of contention between the players and the coaches have to put up with each other. 

        In some way, I feel this is mostly a movie about Coach Boone. He’s forced to coach a team that are at odds with each other. And he has to prove that he’s the one to lead them. And I’m glad that the contested areas aren’t exclusively to the players. Moments when Coaches Boone and Yoast are trying to remain calm in a game just represents how far they are trying to not kill each other metaphorically speaking. 

        The best moment in the film is when the team goes to training camp. We really see the method to the madness of how Coach Boone operates. More so that away from the gridiron, we see the camaraderie that the players develop. As always, there forced to room with each other which leads to fights. It was weird seeing Ryan Gosling be in this one, just before he made it big with The Notebook. I think the follow up scene is when the team hikes to where the site of the Battle of Gettysburg happened punctuates that the hatred everyone has is nothing compared to what happened. 

        I think what makes the film better aside from the players learning to tolerate each other is that they still live in an area where it’s still divided. It shows us that the players have learned to accept each other but the past doesn’t necessarily fixes it either. Like, it’s not hamfisted in an obscene way but just how this one team somehow made it work beyond everything that was happening. 

        If I have any faults with the movie is that it pulled a Gipper move. So what’s a Gipper, well it was a nickname for a player at Notre Dame that got famous when the coach gave a motivating speech to his team win the game for him. Halfway through the movie, one of the key players gets injured on the eve of the championship game. In some respects, I give the movie this where the coach doesn’t give a rousing speech to the team to win the game for the injured player. It’s a trope, but it’s one thing when reading about the actual events that the player in question got injured after the team won.

2. Legacy

        It felt like with the success of Remember the Titans, Disney planned more movies from every individual sport. You had others like The Rookie, Miracle about the 1980 US Hockey Team that beat the Soviets and Invincible to name a few that the studio had cornered the market with telling those stories. To me, I can’t confirm if that was the case or if everything was already greenlit but with Titans’ box office gross gave Disney more of a clear shot to move forward. What I do know is that among the live action films that the studio puts out, these are safer with getting critical and audience praise. 

3. Overall 

        Remember the Titans is one of the best football movies of the decade and the one to kick off the new century. 

Mad Max: Fury Road

        To wrap up my look into the Mad Max franchise, well there’s really no better supposed finale like Fury Road. There’s a 30 year period where George Miller broadened and made his films more commercially acceptable. I think with Beyond Thunderdome sort of gave us a glimpse of what his films would look like. Additionally, he had a hand with Babe and took control of its sequel. It’s even up for debate if Happy Feet is considered his best film. With Fury Road, nothing is held back with the level of carnage on display. 

1. Chase

        With marathoning each film for the month, it’s like all of them cover a type of film sub-genre. The first is a revenge film, second is an action film. The third one is more in the lines of a fantasy film with a children’s angle to it. With the recent one, it’s a return to form with hints of The Road Warrior. Knowing that, it’s amplified with today’s technology to be even more insane and easy to follow. 

        Just saying that, you would think that the action makes the overall story inessential. No, if it was just action exclusively then the whole film would just be boring for the casual viewer. So we follow Max as always, he’s haunted by the victims of the past that he didn’t save. A new group of vandals led by Immortan Joe capture Max and use him as a blood bag for his minions called War Boys. Joe calls on new character Imperator Furiosa to make a trade for the village, who in turn escapes leading through a series of chases. 

        As simple as the overall story, there’s nothing carried over from the prior films. Which makes all of the entries independent of each other. For one thing it’s great since there was a 30-year grace period with Fury Road where it can go in either direction. What’s even more interesting is that Max isn’t the one who has the main spotlight. Even though his name is on the title, he has very little screen time. I’ll talk about that in a moment. 

        It's kind of surprising just how the chases start and ends. There’s three of which I counted and they’re different in terms of the context of the story. I feel that since they’re all different, nothing is repeated with how they executed the chase. The first chase leads through massive dust storm that only Australia can create. And it just shows how much the action can go from a 10 to an 11. One thing as well is that it’s readable. There is no quick cuts like something where Michael Bay has a hand since with his action directions, it’s like way too much happening and you have no idea what’s even happening. 

        I’ll talk about Furiosa in the next tab, but I want to highlight the side characters that are given more screentime. With one of them called Nux. He was part of the War Boys, and you can say the odd one out since he’s a believer in what Joe preaches among his clan. Drawing heavily with Norse mythology where Nux wants to have a glorious death. How that ties in with the big picture of a story is that he doesn’t get that. He sees through that and joins Max and Furiosa in their escape from Joe. 

2. Furiosa

        Aside from Max sort of getting a back seat in his own movie, Furiosa steals the show. Just after the movie premiered when it was released on video, she’s featured in the front instead of Max. It just shows who’s movie the film belongs to. I think this is one of those instances where it’s sort of like a passing of the torch films. It became prevalent with other films in the 2010s like Creed and The Force Awakens where you have the new characters sort of inherit a franchise. 

        In this case, Max is trapped to be used as fuel for the War Boys whereas Furiosa leads Immortan Joe’s forces to chase her. She handles herself when she tries to fend off attackers. It makes the action even more exciting knowing that Max can’t do anything. More so that Furiosa also has live cargo as she is transporting Joe’s many wives to safety. Just that first chase shows just how much of a character she is, especially when we see her lead the chase through the storm. 

        Beyond the chase sequences, she’s an interesting character because it’s revealed that she was Joe’s best as far as tactics are concerned. Moreover, during the various conversations that she has with Max, she wants to go to a place called the Green Place. A sort of heaven where the Wives also talk about as well to get away from Joe. It’s reveal is not to surprising considering the world that the whole series takes place in. 

        With the revelation of Furiosa witnesses as well as Nux, it all ties into what I think is the overall theme of the movie. It’s the trauma and hope that makes the movie great when you peel out the layers out of this one. The first three are mostly about humanity, while you can say that the apocalypse angle can tie into trauma. With Max especially, since he lost his family, and he has guilt over the people he couldn’t save. 

        Lastly, it’s rare to have a breakout character in a sequel in a franchise. So much so that with how the movie’s structured, we would think that she would be a one-off character. Just her popularity made Warner Bros. and George Miller create a spin-off when she was younger. On one hand, I feel that it’s unnecessary and just her mystique in the film was fine enough. But I’m more than willing to give Miller the benefit of the doubt to make another worthy entry. 

3. Overall

        Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the best Mad Max films and best action films of the 2010s. Nothing could come close to the level of carnage and character depth than this one. 

 

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

        We’re halfway through talking about the Mad Max franchise. This is where it’s often up for debate whether this was the series at its peak or at its lowest point. Specifically, it’s where the shift in setting and characters is met with praise or derision from casual fans or die hard followers. Beyond Thunderdome is an interesting entry.

1. Thunderdome

        One thing that must be stressed about these films is that you don’t have to watch them in order to understand what’s going on. Each film is self-contained with nothing carried over in terms of plot device or having an expansive story. With the third entry, we see that Max is still the loner in the Australian apocalypse. His car now being pulled by camels is stolen and he goes to get it back. 

        From there he reaches Bartertown, and it’s oppressive leader Aunty Entity who gives him a task to help him. After Max disobeys, he’s ordered to fight in Thunderdome. He fails to kill his opponent and is then exiled away. Compared with the prior entries, I feel that this one tries to do something different and tries to deconstruct Max. Like taking his away his car and his weapons, we see just how he tries to survive without the things he’s known for. 

        I feel that it works since for one thing it would be repetitive by doing The Road Warrior once again but this time run into a quasi-civilized place that is being oppressed. More so that we just see how Max adjusts when he’s thrown into the Thunderdome and fight with something on the spot. It’s a mixed bag since the series up until that point has that grittiness of being in the desert and we see just how the apocalypse changed the people. 

        I’m being a devil’s advocate since I read that the entry is a good one and the worst one. Having it be where it’s set makes sense since we see just how expansive and vast the apocalypse displaced everything. Especially in the moment where we see the kids in an oasis setting. While I’ll talk about them in a moment, this is the point where the series is at it’s most controversial. Mind you, the movie’s not poorly plotted in the least bit or any sense of stupidity lowers the film’s quality as well.  

        As I mentioned earlier, the film lacked that grittiness of being in the desert since that’s where the film and the series has that edge to it. It’s certainly hits that it’s a Hollywood film, and what I mean by that is that it opens with a song that was in the running for an award. A high-profile singer turned actress that is featured very prominent in the film’s poster. It’s the definition of being a sell out when the prior entries has that punk element to it. It’s one thing to rag on it for it’s creative choices, but it can be understandable for not being repetitive. 

2. Children

        I guess kids don’t belong in the Mad Max series. It’s almost head scratching why so many die-hard fans rail against having kids in a series that mostly featured near naked characters with leather barely covering their bodies. Just as Max passes out from exhaustion, he’s picked up from a clan made up of kids. And talk about a change of scenery since their hideout has an oasis. The kids believe that Max is a captain of a downed airplane that is meant to help them get out. 

        In some way, I think it helps that the film continues with that theme of humanity. More so, it’s about rebirth in an apocalypse. We see how the kids lean in on this legend that they created and see Max as an opportunity to go to that place. This is what makes Max an even more interesting part of that story because he doesn’t belong. He’s a product of the world he’s in and he only leads the kids in destroyed Sydney to rebuild. 

        It’s very reminiscent of the old western film The Searchers. Especially with how the film ends with the final shot of Max being a shadow, sort of like a puzzle piece that doesn’t fit in a grand design. With everything we see of Max, he still maintains he sense of heroics but still being a drifter in the desert. Nothing is lost when he’s with the children, especially in the moment when we see him try and rescue them from quicksand.

3. Overall

        Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is a complicated film for the die hard fans of the franchise, but a worthy one in the series to at least diversify it’s setting. It’s the last entry of Mel Gibson playing Max Rockatansky. 

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

        It’s in unanimous agreement among fans of the Mad Max series that before Fury Road, The Road Warrior was the best in the franchise. Seeing it for the first time was a massive upgrade in terms of scope and budget. Warner Bros provided the financial backing and it’s hard to believe that this is George Miller’s second movie.  And this is where the ever-famous look of the series gets its start and would be copied in various mediums. 

1. In Search of Gas

        I was confused as to why the film started with a tv-esque aspect ratio. Seeing it played out made sense to anyone who hasn’t seen the first Mad Max, it gets everyone up to speed as to what’s going on with the world and to see a glimpse of Rockatansky before he went Mad. From there, we transition to the present and see Max doing what he does in a post-apocalyptic Australia, survive. 

        Story-wise it’s very simple since we follow Max getting involved with a group who’s been raided by marauders led by Lord Humungus. He goes to them since he’s running low on fuel. There’s at least one reason as to why he goes to them, then the situation becomes even more urgent. Since it was my first time watching it, we are also introduced to another new character named Gyro Captain.

        I thought it would follow the trope where the main character would have a wacky side character that would annoy the hero. Seemingly it turned out that way, but what I like is that he helps Max and his contribution to the story helps expand his character. If there’s one scene that I like in the whole movie is when it involves him. Specifically, when he sees the Marauders killing members of the traveling group. The music and Gyro’s facial expression of what’s happening is just the cherry on top.

        The action sequences are so well done and a massive upgrade. Something about the practical stunts and just the kinetic energy is something that the series prides itself on, and in this sequel it’s something to admire. I think the way the camera shots show us in either point of view or what I call motorcycle shots makes the action even more intense. It’s an artform that I feel is lost nowadays. The best moments is when the crashes happen. Gone are the moments when the eyes pop out, but just the impact and deaths in between make the action more satisfying. 

2. Humanity

        Aside from the post-apocalyptic setting and the car chase set pieces, I think the film and the series revolve around the concept of humanity. In a world where everything has gone up, humanity is what’s lacking in that setting. More so, that we see Max being stoic and weather beaten while also being heroic. It’s sort of what makes him interesting since he’s looking out only for himself but is pulled into something when he’s just a loner. 

        He's the Australian version of Clint Eastwood’s character in the classic Dollars trilogy of Western films. Well, the film can be looked at as a modern western film, just replace the horses with cars and well, there is a character with a mohawk but that’s not the point. We see just how much he helps the civilians by even devising a plan to escape Lord Humungus and his clan. 

        I think the use of the feral kid in the film even helps amplify the theme. We assume that he’s silent and he’ll speak when the story pivots to that direction. Instead, he’s just a child that has a dangerous boomerang. In all seriousness, the sweet moment when Max plays the music box to the child that he hands it over to the boy. His smile and joy while listening to the music makes him happy and seemingly moves him away from being feral. 

3. Overall

        Mad Max 2 is one of the best sequels I’ve seen and from the original Mel Gibson films of the series.