Garden State got a ton of praise and just as much hype, but the people that I asked said it was only so-so. I finally got a chance to see it on DVD and I think that “pretty good” is a good way to describe it. I think fans of “Lost in Translation” will probably enjoy this, as they are both paced slowly but are nonetheless interesting. I liked the range this movie had, and by range, I mean that at times it was funny, sad, happy, or confusing. It’s nice when a movie is not overwhelmingly themed in one particular way. Life is complicated, so a movie about life should also be complicated!

I think Director/Writer/Star Zach Braff was biting off a bit more than he could chew, but the end result is a great effort and a movie that is worth seeing. I could pick apart aspects of it, but I will let you be the judge. Be sure to check out the deleted scenes on the DVD! Ian Holm, who is a stellar actor, is completely underused in this movie because his big heart-wrenching emotional scene was cut entirely! This large scene cut could have been avoided by a more experienced director/writer, but there’s no point in being frustrated by what a movie could have been like. The fact is, there is some awkward pacing, but it’s still a cool movie. Check it out! 3/5 stars

From the moment I saw the commercial for Sin City on TV, I knew I had to see it! To be completely honest, I didn’t care if the plot was going to suck at all, I was just so taken by the visual style that I knew I would enjoy it. Thankfully, the plot did not suck! Sin City tells three seperate stories that intertwine slightly, each one being a gritty and dark tale that is (from what I’ve heard) straight out of the graphic novel.

I know a lot of people don’t like comic book movies with exaggerated characters and lots of disbelief-suspension, but I do… and this movie was a comic book movie I knew that this was going to be a kind of “action film noir” movie, but I figured it would be fairly hollywood. I was dead wrong, it was straight up action film noir. It’s extremely violent and bloody at times, there is some nudity, and it holds true to the film noir style of not being a happy story.

While it’s not what I would call a “brilliant” movie in terms of its writing, it was brilliant in terms of its presentation. There are many memorable scenes and it was really a thrill to watch. Go see this movie while it’s still on the big screen! 4/5 sin-stars!

When my friend told me about this Metallica documentary about the making of their latest album (which was kind of a let-down for me) I thought it was probably decent but not really all that amazing. Then he told me that they had a therapist with them the whole time and that in one scene they showed Dave Mustaine (Megadeth, formerly of Metallica) talking to Lars Ulrich about how he always felt like a failure after he was kicked out of the band (despite the millions of loyal Megadeth fans). Being really into Megadeth at the time, I wanted to see this movie just for that one scene! It turned out that the rest of the movie was pretty good too!

This documentary covers probably the most profound time in Metallica’s history: the making of their latest album. After years without producing any new material, the band came together and tried to collaborate on a new album… but would maturity ruin the greatest metal band of all time? James Hetfield was battling alcoholism and trying to grow up a little, now that he was a dad and a husband… Lars was living large and with all that money, what is there to be angry about any more? Jason Newstead quit the band, so they would need a new bassist. Kirk… well, he’s Kirk Would the therapist destroy the band by eliminating their inner demons? How did the band find a bassist worthy of the Metallica name? Would their long-time producer Bob Rock come through with another hit? How much money did the therapist earn during his stint with the band (you’ll sign up for psych classes as soon as you hear the numbers)? See this documentary to find out the answers to all these questions and more!

In all seriousness, this documentary is not just for metalheads, it’s also for anyone who enjoys watching people struggle to reach a common goal (reality TV for example). Check it out! 4/5 stars

If you live in New York and you’re a Time Warner Cable customer, you probably know that Fox Sports and MSG have been temporarily replaced by other sports channels. One of those channels is CSTV: College Sports TV, and they seem to be showing college lacrosse almost every time I flip past the station! I played lacrosse in high school and I was always disappointed at how rare it was to see it on television. Now that CSTV is on and featured in a very nice channel location (channel 26), I think some people may get to see the sport on TV for the first time ever.

Lacrosse is one of the fastest most intense sports around, and Division 1 college lacrosse is a thrill to watch. Everyone knows that college sports players have twice as much heart and hustle than the pros, but since it’s rarely on TV it’s easy to forget. If you’ve never seen top-notch lacrosse, you should tune in and see what it’s all about. If you like it, call Time Warner and tell them! 212-358-0900 is the number for New York City, so call them and tell them to keep CSTV around after they bring back Fox Sports, or lacrosse may fade back into relative obscurity.

Also, for anyone missing hockey this season, I have never seen it on, but hopefully CSTV might show college hockey too!