Michael Jozwiak

What’s not to love about Joseph Gordon-Levitt? He’s a talented young actor who’s good-looking and very charismatic. He starred in great films such as Inception, 500 Days of Summer, and Angels in the Outfield (He played the main character who saw the angels, I just blew some of you’re minds didn’t I?). So what if I told you that not only did he star in, but also written and directed a film where he plays a Guido from New Jersey who has an addiction to pornography and masturbation? You all probably are thinking “What, Really?” Well he does just that in the 2013 comedy Don Jon.

So what’s the film about? It’s actually simple. Gordon-Levitt plays Jon, a young man who only enjoys a few things in life, his body, his place, his girls, his family, his church and pornography. Oddly enough the thing he loves most of all is porn, more than sleeping with woman. Why? Because the girls will do anything and everything in porn that girls in real life won’t do. He enjoys his simple life that is until he meets Barbra, played by Scarlett Johansson. He immediately falls for her and they start to go out. The film follows Jon as he tries to balance his two loves, Barbra and porn.

Don Jon is Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut, and for his first film, he does well. The story is simple and even though it has a few clichés in it, it does enough different where it keeps the film fresh and original. The film has a great flow to it and it doesn’t rush scenes where you don’t know what happen, nor does it drag, making you wish that it would just move on. You want to know what happens to our main character and how he solves his problem. The cinematography is pretty standard for this kind of film, good but nothing great. The only problem I kind of had was that the film kept going to same places over and over again. It almost seemed to repeat some scenes, but change them slightly.

You think you’re going to hate Gordon-Levitt’s character after the first 10 minutes. Being from New Jersey and absolutely hating Jersey Shore, (If you liked it, more power to you) I was ready to root against Jon. However as you watch the film, you start to like him. He’s confident and doesn’t believe he has a pornography problem, but he’s also hard working, caring, and he does try to change for Barbra. Gordon-Levitt is so good at making you like him, even if you don’t want to. Scarlett Johansson also does a great job of being both sweet and fiery, as she wants Jon to change for her. The other main character is Juliana Moore as Esther, a student with Jon in college as she tries to help him with his problems. Moore does great as always, but it is a little weird watching playing the role she does, trying to seduce a much younger Gordon-Levitt. The rest of the supporting cast is good as well, specially Hank Azaria as the crazy Italian father.

In the end, it’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who I think is one of Hollywood’s most underappreciated actors, who really sells this film. Having performed what I like to call the hat trick in films by acting, writing and directing, Don Jon is great comedy that people should give a watch.

Pain and Gain is an action/comedy film directed by Michael Bay. Now before you close this page and immediately say this movie is crap, let me explain, because this film is actually pretty good. Starring Mark “Marky Mark” Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie, the film, based on a true story, is about three gym rats who decided to get rich quick by stealing wealthy business man Victor Kershaw’s (Tony Shalhoub) entire fortune. Their plan involves kidnapping Kershaw and forcing him to sign away his money to them. The film centers on their heist, the aftermath and everything that goes wrong.

The biggest strength the movie has is that it is a comedy. Being directed by Michael Bay this could’ve easily been a poor action flick that takes itself too serious about three guys committing a theft. However the film doesn’t do that, often making fun of the situation our “heroes” are in. While not all of the jokes hit, most of them do and they had me laughing. The film itself is very surreal; ranging from the cinematography to the actual story it is based on.

Mark Wahlberg plays Daniel Lugo, the leader of the small group of criminals. While at first glance it may seem like he’s playing a typical criminal, but surprisingly, his character goes through more than you think he would. Lugo’s personality ranges from an asshole gym rat, a determined go-get’er, a (somewhat) criminal mastermind, a psychotic killer, just psychotic, and a bumbling idiot. Wahlberg has to go through a lot, but he handles it well.

However, the one who really steals show though is Dwayne Johnson’s character Paul Doyle, an ex convict who reformed through religion and Jesus Christ. Now just the idea of The Rock playing a softhearted, religious nut case alone is funny enough, but I found myself laughing at almost everything he did, like comforting the man they just kidnapped to trying to steal money. You never know what his character is going to do, but it’s hilarious either way. The rest of the supporting cast does a good job, though nothing spectacular.

I did find a few problems with the movie though. Like I said, some of the jokes do miss, and when they miss, they really miss. It takes a little while in the beginning to get going and the end of the film gets away a little but from the surreal, goofy tone that was making the movie great. While Anthony Mackie does a fine job as Luco’s partner Adrian, he’s not as a good as Wahlberg or as funny as Johnson.

If you want to have a good time with some friends and watch a silly film about three idiots trying to pull of a kidnapping, then you can’t go wrong here. It has a few moments that make you scratch your head, but as a whole, the film is crazy, funny, and above all else, enjoyable.

The film Serenity is the movie sequel to Joss Wehdon’s popular, but short-lived TV series Firefly. Firefly was a sci-fi series with many western elements thrown in. Though the film does a good job of explaining things to those unfamiliar with the series, here’s a quick synopsis. In the future, our Earth that we know has been dried up of all its resources, causing the people to travel to other parts of the galaxy. There we’re able to terra-form new planets and the central planets became under control of the Alliance (the galaxy’s form of government). The series follows Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), a former soldier of the rebellion that fought and lost against the Alliance, and his “lovable” crew of the starship Serenity as they travel around the outer planets, looking for any work they can get and avoiding the Alliance, as they hide two fugitives, a doctor named Simon, and his psychic sister River.

One thing that made the series so great was the relationships between the crewmembers of Serenity. The film carries the great chemistry that the actors had in the TV series onto the big screen. Each of the different crewmembers has his or her own distinct personality. From Zoë (Gina Torres) being the tough-nosed second in command, to Wash (Alan Tudyk) as the snarky, comical pilot, to Simon (Sean Maher) as the smart but caring doctor, each character gets enough time to really shine. The writing is really top-notch for a sci-fi film and the acting is spot on most of the time. Nathan Fillon, who plays the captain, brings his A-game to this film, going from a wise-ass to a cold, stern leader flawlessly. Chiwetel Ejiofor is also great as the villain. As for the story itself, it’s pretty straightforward and easy to follow. The pace is great and like I said, it does a good job of explain things to newcomers.

The main problem that I saw with the film was that while it does explain things for newcomers, it definitely helps to have watched the TV series in advance. As some things, mostly character relationships, make better sense if you watch the series. You’re also more attached to the cast going in and it hurts more when certain characters die (no spoilers). The effects in the film are also kind of hit and miss, ranging from video-game like to actually pretty impressive for the time.

Overall: While it helps to watch Firefly in advance. Serenity stands by-itself as a really solid sci-fi film. The acting and writing is what really makes this movie shine. For those who are familiar with Firefly, its everything you’ve come to expect from the series. Those unfamiliar, its still a very fun and unique film that will leave you satisfied. However, I still advise you check out the series, it’s one of my favorites of all time.

The film currently holds a 4.1 out of 5 stars on Netflix.