The Cuckoo's Calling (2013)

Even now, six years after the conclusion of an era that defined the collective childhood of an entire generation, the prospect of a new published work by J. K. Rowling is still cause for an unhealthy level of excitement for me; I suppose I've never stopped looking for the magic that ensnared millions elsewhere, particularly in the words of her other books. I wish I could truthfully say I was one of the brave few to have read The Cuckoo's Calling before news of Robert Galbraith's identity was leaked, but if I'm being completely honest with myself, I can't remember the last time I read a book that was not already relatively well-known and well-liked, or at least written by an established author.

Even without knowledge of Rowling's authorship coloring its pages, The Cuckoo's Calling is undoubtedly a masterfully written mystery. Conducted entirely through lengthy dialogue interspersed with artful metaphors and descriptions that took me straight to the streets of London, the ending, in typical Rowling fashion, is completely unexpected and utterly delightful in its unexpectedness (though, I confess, somewhat unsatisfactory). Rowling has a distinct writing style--dry humor weaves itself into its words and each character, dead or alive, is incredibly complex.

It's easy to see why the book was written under a pseudonym; The Cuckoo's Calling is clearly no Harry Potter and that's exactly the kind of comparison I'm sure Rowling was trying to avoid. Admittedly, I'm not sure I would have given a review as positive as this one if the author were truly an unknown man named Robert Galbraith. The novel is not without its flaws and I've certainly read mysteries more captivating than this one. Even so, there is a rumored sequel in the works. You can count on me to be the first in line to buy the book at its midnight release (or not, due to my perpetual state of poorness...college struggles).

Waitressing Adventures

I haven't been a server for very long--this is my second summer working as a waitress and as it would appear, I have once again been delegated the wonderful responsibility of serving greasy gyro and souvlaki sandwiches to my fellow patrons. But even with only two summers of experience under my belt, this particular job has given me an eclectic collection of stories to tell and the somewhat useful ability to have a smile perpetually plastered on my face.

The summer months are particularly slow for a restaurant in a college town; I've been consistently making below minimum wage for the past month and I wasn't expecting to make any more than usual when I went in for my shift earlier today. It was mid-afternoon and just as I was beginning to think I was actually going to lose money coming in to work (neither the parking nor the food is free), an old couple walked in and ordered two Arnold Palmers and a single triple decker sub to share between them. I've always had good experiences with senior citizen customers; they always seem to be fairly decent tippers (though if there's one thing you learn as a server, it's that you can never predict who's going to be a good tipper or not based on appearance alone), but with the meal costing around $11 total, my hopes weren't exactly high.

Throughout the course of their meal, the old man jokingly said things like, "This sandwich is great! Did you make it?" or "The food is fantastic! Would you like some?" in response to my standard, "Is everything alright? Do you need anything?" There are, of course, the customers who shower compliments and endless words of gratitude throughout the meal, only to leave a terrible tip afterwards; words of gratitude, while appreciated, are useless without the corresponding tip!! I'm pretty sure this man, however, was an angel in disguise. Upon leaving the restaurant after a cheery "thank you so much for the great meal", I went to clear the table and collect my tip.

He left a $20 tip for an $11 meal.

It felt like Christmas had come early. He managed to singlehandedly restore my faith in humanity. Happiness can come in many forms and today, it came in the form of unexpected kindness from a good-natured old man.

Watch the music video for The Mowgli's (an excellent band I discovered today) "San Francisco" for an apt depiction of my happiness:

Watching Joseph Gordon-Levitt's dance number to Hall & Oates' "You Make My Dreams" from (500) Days of Summer also works.

This Is the End (2013)

This Is the End is everything you'd expect of a movie both directed and written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and I mean this in the best way possible.

Jay Baruchel, who is paying a visit to Seth Rogen in Los Angeles, is dragged to a housewarming party at James Franco's. It's clear that sins of various kinds are committed by a majority of the celebrities in attendance and of course, within the first thirty minutes of the film, when the apocalypse begins to run its course, the sinning actors are thrown into a fiery chasm that opens up in Franco's front yard, leaving only a few remaining survivors trapped in Franco's house. In a movie where actors play exaggerated, tabloid-versions of themselves, it'd be easy to turn the film into a vanity project. Instead, the audience is taken along for the ride and what a ride it is! Funny one-liners and hilarious jokes made at the expense of the actors are thrown at us almost constantly; not even the approach of judgment day can stop quips at Jonah Hill's post-Oscar nomination film choices and Seth Rogen's role in The Green Hornet from being made.

There were certain moments in the film that were strangely terrifying and hilarious simultaneously, which is a feat rarely accomplished by movies claiming to be horror comedies. There are excellent, well-written scenes that parody The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby; they manage to make a demonic possession comedic. There are very well-endowed devils born from the underworld now running rampant on Earth. The movie, while funnier than I ever expected, was also gorier than expected, with no shortage of bloody killings (Michael Cera gets a particularly gruesome death) and even some cannibalism. A sweet emotional undercurrent runs throughout the film; while this film is as crass and raunchy as you might expect it to be, underlying feelings of hope and ultimately, friendship of the purest kind, ties the movie together.

For those that do not enjoy this particular brand of movie, the kind that exploits crude and sexual humor to as far as society will let it, this movie will not be enjoyable. Those that can get past that will be surprised by just how funny and well-crafted the movie can be.

Now You See Me (2013)

I don't know what I was expecting upon walking into the movie theater--perhaps some newer, better (if that were even possible) version of Christopher Nolan's The Prestige, but I should have learned by now: never walk into a movie theater with high expectations; you're only setting yourself up for the inevitable disappointment. Now You See Me had an excellent premise--four magicians robbing banks through elaborate magic tricks? Count me in! But it never quite lives up to its potential.

Four magicians, each gifted in different fields of magic and each summoned by a mysterious benefactor via tarot card, are performing together in Las Vegas as a single act, "The Four Horsemen". As with any magic show, a member of the audience is brought onstage to add a dimension of realness to the "magic" being performed. In this case, the audience member is apparently transported to his bank vault in France, where he activates an air duct that vacuums up the Euros and showers it down on the crowd in Las Vegas a few seconds later. Morgan Freeman, playing an ex-magician who makes money by revealing the secrets behind well-known illusions, serves his usual role, effectively narrating and explaining the mechanics behind each trick. And as Morgan Freeman's character makes clear, the bank heist is actually achieved not through magic, but through an elaborate, almost logic-defying plan that seems just as unbelievable as magic itself.

The movie is full of these flashy, superficial illusions involving hypnosis, holograms, doubles, giant mirrors, flash paper, and more, but that's what makes this movie so fun. The onscreen magic tricks are a source of endless entertainment; that is how the movie weaves its own magic. What is lacking, however, is the development of the actual storyline. The identity of the mysterious benefactor is something that's at the back of your mind through the entire film because it's clear that without his careful planning, the Four Horsemen could not exist; however, who he is, his motive, and ultimately, the entire point of the movie, is thrown at you towards the end, and before any time is given to process what exactly is going on, the credits start rolling. And really, by the time the benefactor's identity is hurriedly revealed,  it feels as if it doesn't really matter anymore because the point of the movie isn't to pinpoint the perpetrator of all this, but to just sit back and enjoy the magic show.

OneRepublic at Wolf Trap

On August 5, 2013, OneRepublic performed at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts and while it was not the borderline religious experience that I had with The Antlers concert earlier this year, I can honestly say that of all the hours I've lived through during my short 19 years of existence, this concert was, without a doubt, one of the best one and a half hours I've ever had the fortune of experiencing in my life. The concert was that good.

Monsters University (2013)

When a studio like Pixar announces the release of yet another movie and a sequel (or rather, prequel) no less, the pressure to live up to the expectations set by not only the original movie, but also the standards set by every other excellent Pixar movie made (with the exception of Cars) is always high. While I did not expect Monsters University to be nearly as good as Up, one of my favorite Pixar movies to date, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was nearly as good as Monsters, Inc, which is a feat in and of itself.

Not so much the heartwarming tale that forms the basis for Monsters, Inc., Monsters University is a coming-of-age tale, campus comedy, and sports movie all packaged into one outstanding movie. While the spirit that embodied Monsters, Inc. continues to live on in its prequel, the movie's creators never rely on the audience's love for the first movie to carry on through this one--the new creative content is endless.

"The Blue Umbrella", the Pixar short that begins the film, tells a love story between two umbrellas. It's imaginative, artistic, and cute, utilizing anything that can pass off as a face (drainpipes, crossing signals, to name a few), as characters. This is not Pixar's best short; it's relatively bland and unmemorable, but I can't deny its creativity.

Monsters University starts off with a 6-year-old Mike, who dreams of becoming a scarer upon visiting Monsters, Inc. on a school field trip. Mike is relatively friendless as a kid and is unable to find a partner when asked to pair up on the trip. It's hard not to pity Mike at this point because this is a scene that is relatable to anyone--everyone has experienced, at some point in their lives, that moment of panic when the teacher asks the students to pair up for some group project and you think you might end up alone. The politics of partner-finding are more complicated than you might think, but I digress. A good movie must be, above all, relatable to its audience and Monsters University is full of these kinds of moments.

Fast-forward a decade and Mike is a scare major at Monsters University, presumably one of the most prestigious colleges in the monster world. He's a hard-worker and he gets the good grades, but it's obvious he just doesn't have the talent for a life of scaring. Enter Sulley, who by any standard is the polar opposite. He's a jock who gets by the scaring program based solely on pure natural talent passed down along generations of famous scarers. We find that Sulley's lazy, underachieving attitude, however, is really just a front to cope with the high pressure and expectations that come with being born into a distinguished scarer family. If it's not obvious enough already, the dimensionality of every character within the movie is crazy; you begin to forget that the movie is filled with monsters, not humans. That the characters' mannerisms are not achieved through human acting, but through pure animation, is astounding.

As a current college student myself, Pixar's portrayal of college life, while slightly exaggerated, is still strangely realistic, or as realistic as a movie about monsters in college can be, and completely relatable. There is the school rivalry between Monsters University and Fear Tech (ahem, Virginia Tech) and the annual scare games held by Monsters University's Greek system, which itself consists of the fraternity of stereotypical jocks, the fraternity of outcasts, the sorority of bubbly, giggly monsters, among others. There is no shortage of adventure and it is in this movie that we get to see the start of Mike and Sulley's friendship and eventually, partnership at Monsters, Inc. (as told through a series of well-chosen "photographs" of the two).

Was this movie worth $11.50? Without a doubt, yes! Pixar movies are Pixar movies because of Pixar's attention to even the smallest detail. It's a quality that has yet to be successfully emulated by any other animation studio. Monsters University is just a testament to Pixar's continued genius.

Despicable Me 2 (2013)

I never understood the appeal of Despicable Me. The yellow minions were a little cute and there were the occasional funny and emotional moments, but I found the movie to be completely bland and unremarkable as a whole. Rarely does a sequel ever successfully meet the standards set by the original and if anything, with an ending as conclusive and satisfying as the one to Despicable Me, it's clear a sequel was made solely because Universal Pictures couldn't resist raking in the first movie's $251 million dollar domestic box office gross yet again. If I haven't made it obvious enough already, I walked into the movie theater almost reluctantly and with almost zero expectations. Unfortunately, the movie met my expectations in almost every single way, and I mean this in the most disappointing way possible.

Despicable Me 2 was essentially a worse version of the original. At least the first movie successfully managed to tug at my heartstrings a bit towards the end, and while the sequel does have its moments, it's just nowhere nearly as good. Gru, the former criminal mastermind turned father, is recruited to help Lucy, from the Anti-Villain League, find the villain responsible for using the mutagen, PX-41, to turn even the most harmless of fluffy bunnies into indestructible killing machines. Working together as undercover bakery owners at a mall where every shop owner is considered suspect, the inevitable happens: Gru and Lucy fall in love. It's a little heartwarming because everyone in the movie realizes that Gru's adopted daughters are in need of a mother, even the girls, who take it upon themselves to set up an online dating profile for the guy, but again, this plot is no where near as inspired as that of the first movie. The movie's full of one-liners that are kind of funny, but not funny enough to make me laugh.

If it weren't for the minions, who play a bigger role than ever in this sequel, this movie would not have the same appeal that it did. Scientific studies show that 80% of the movie's audience watched the sequel solely for the minions (only half-joking, of course). It's no surprise Universal is making a spinoff dedicated solely to those adorable yellow creatures.

While Despicable Me 2 was cute and funny, it was not cute and funny enough to warrant spending $11.50 for a ticket. Save your money for something better (like Monsters University, for example).

Friends with Benefits (2011)

Friends with Benefits follows the generic rom-com formula to a tee: two characters, Dylan (Justin Timberlake) and Jamie (Mila Kunis), fall in love despite agreeing to keep their relationship strictly physical (hence the title). Obstacles are hit, fights are fought, and just when you think things couldn't get any worse for the two, some cheesy reconciliation is achieved, through a flash mob no less. There is even the supporting character; Dylan's father, an Alzheimer's victim, provides the predictable, but crucial speech, delivered coincidentally during a just long enough lucid period, to give Dylan the push needed to see the error of his ways and to chase after the love of his life before it's too late.

It's hard to keep movies like these from getting too repetitive and bland, but director Will Gluck makes it work with excellent direction and witty dialogue. And to be honest, it's hard not to like this movie when Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake are delivering the lines--their likability is too hard to resist.

Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

I walked into the movie theater knowing only two things about the series: that it involved cars (the fast) and that it had to involve some completely predictable plot line to form the basis and I suppose, "furiousness," of the movie, as with any other run-of-the-mill action flick (the furious). I don't know what I expected (my expectations were undeniably low), but I guess you get exactly what you expect with a movie like this: cars, beautiful people, ridiculous action sequences, more cars, and more ridiculous action sequences. I can see why this testosterone-fueled series developed such an avid following over the years; this movie has all the ingredients of an action movie made specifically to entertain, without much to say for its plot.

At its very base, Fast & Furious 6 is about friendship and that, to me, is the only redeeming quality of the movie. With the antagonists essentially a mirror image of Dom's crew, the only thing that differentiates the two is loyalty and that is essentially how Dom and his Fast Six crew wins out in the end. If there's one thing Justin Lin has yet to learn, it's that the best action movies are the ones where the audience is made to care. At the heart of any action movie is the character's basest need to survive. It is the director's job to make the audience root for the characters as they struggle to live while undoubtedly risking their lives for some honorable cause. Friendship alone is not enough to save the movie from the boredom I felt at certain points in the film. You'd think car chases (with a tank plowing down the wrong side of a highway, no less) and explosions would cause some level of excitement, but instead I felt only restlessness and the hope that those scenes would soon be over to allow for the plot to continue to move forward. Some characters do end up dying in this movie--the Fast Six crew cannot remain intact forever with all the crazy antics they get involved in, but I felt maybe only a short moment of loss, if that, before more explosions and car chases were thrown at us. I couldn't even care about the characters if I tried; we weren't given a chance to.

Some of the action sequences were so outrageous I actually laughed out loud in the theater. With any action movie, we have come to expect the survival of at least the main characters, despite how ridiculous the odds are they'd survive if that same scenario were to occur in reality. There is a limit to that ridiculousness, however, and this movie toes that line. Some of the more outrageous moments involve gravity-defying jumps and a fight involving The Rock and the antagonistic version of himself.

Was this movie worth $11.50? In my opinion, definitely not, but you'll certainly get your fill of explosions and car chases for maybe an entire month.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

This review is coming from the standpoint of a person who has never even remotely been a part of the Star Trek universe. I had and still have not watched The Wrath of Khan; I did not understand any of the references in the movie to the past Star Trek universe. It is precisely in this way, however, that J. J. Abrams manages to succeed: he makes the movie appealing to both audiences unfamiliar with Star Trek and those that have been Trekkies from the start.

By any standard, Star Trek Into Darkness is a superb action movie. Certain action movies have come to bore me (read: Fast & Furious 6, but that's for another day), but J. J. Abrams keeps the movie interesting by doing what he does best--developing the characters in such a way that the audience actually cares for their wellbeing. Of course, there are some moments that engender some incredulity, but what are Hollywood action movies without characters who survive despite the impossibility of it all?

The movie begins on a gorgeous red planet populated by a primitive white species. While trying to save the planet from an impending volcanic eruption, something invariably goes wrong and violation of the Prime Directive is necessary to save Spock from being burnt to a crisp in the volcanic core. It is here that we begin to see the dynamic that has come to define Kirk and Spock's relationship. Spock, with his actions defined by irrefutable logic and the ongoing internal conflict between his Vulcan and human roots, would rather sacrifice his life than violate the Prime Directive. Kirk, with his careless, playboy, "I do what I want" attitude, has no problems disregarding the Prime Directive to save his friend. It's Kirk's general tendency to make spontaneous and completely rash decisions that unfailingly result in Kirk winning by the seat of his pants that keeps this movie moving along. Plot twists and emotionally-charged moments (read: Spock and Kirk's bromance) are abound with a scene that harkens back to The Wrath of Khan. I didn't get it at the time, but I feel like it would have been a nice touch to Trekkies everywhere.

Benedict Cumberbatch makes for an excellent villain. I'd hate to have to share a screen with Cumberbatch--any acting by most other actors just pales in comparison. While Chris Pine is no doubt an excellent actor himself, there are some scenes where he falls short of Cumberbatch, not even with the aid of his piercing blue eyes (pretty sure half the movie's color palette was chosen specifically to complement his eyes).

This movie was not only worth the $11.50 for a ticket, but also worth the extra $6 to watch in 3D. While most movies released in 3D today seem to serve no other purpose than for the sake of being in 3D (and reaping the cash), the effects were truly something special--it's hard to believe the 3D effects were put in post-production.

Rainy Day Essentials

I love summer rain. I can open my windows and let the sound and smell of rain accompanied by the notes of a select few songs instill a certain special sense of serenity; it's a feeling you'd be hard-pressed to find elsewhere! Here are a couple songs and artists I consider essential to any rainy day mix. Enjoy!

- Comptine d’un autre été : L’Après-midi / Yann Tiersen
- Anything by Ludovico Einaudi (I suggest "Experience", "Run", and "Giorni Dispari")
- Any of the Chopin nocturnes (Nocturne #19 in E minor and #20 in C# minor are my favorites)
- Avril 14th / Aphex Twin

(Reviews of movies posted almost immediately after the initial viewing requires a certain kind of discipline that I lack. I'm working on my reviews though, I swear! Expect them sometime in the near future.)