"Men in Black 3" Review by Chris

Because new ideas are overrated, Columbia Pictures is bringing us yet another "Men in Black" movie.  True to uninspired sequel form, this time around Agent J (Will Smith) must travel back to the past to save his partner. During his journey he'll face countless time travel clichés and plot holes. Despite the “not again” smeared all over this storyline, is there a chance that the third time's the charm?

To start, great acting has never been a problem for the "Men in Black" series. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones roll up to this movie with all their skills hanging out. Newcomer Josh Brolin more than fills the role of Young Agent K — his portrayal of Tommy Lee Jones is terrifyingly accurate. The banter between Agent K and J is, as it's always been, the highlight of the film. Every moment they’re together you bottle your laughter to make sure you don't miss the next punch line. Jemaine Clement, who plays the toothy and villainous Boris the Animal, is less up to snuff. His story and dialogue are generic and the actor brings nothing to the role to make it unique.

The story is just as generic as the trailers imply. Agent J travels back in time to save his partner and thus prevent an alien invasion. Along the way he'll see the secrets of his partner’s past, and learn a few things about his own. There are very few surprises, but the ones that are there are enough to keep the film moving and give it heart. Time traveling also provides nonstop moments for comedy. Whether it's blatant comments on Andy Warhol's paintings or more subtle visual cues, there are plenty of laughs.

Sadly, "Men in Black 3" also has many flaws. Several of the questions early on go either unexplained or are totally underwhelming. The story isn’t friendly to new fans, and there is very little explanation of the characters. It’s best to watch to first two before seeing this one. Fans of the original will also be disappointed that some of the plot of the first two are completely ignored.

So is "Men in Black 3" the intergalactic success this series deserves? No. It fails to fill the shoes of the first film, but is light years beyond the second film. Great acting, an amazing script and bizarre situations make this a fun experience that should be seen.

3.5 "Neuralizers" out of 5

Writing and Image by Chris

Edited by Aaron

True Grit Review by Chris

After winning an Oscar for the original 1969 True Grit, John Wayne said “If I had known, I would have put that eye patch on 35 years earlier.” That about sums up what the Coen brothers were attempting to do with this 2010 remake of the classic western. Assembling the Oscar award winning actors Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon, a classic award winning western and two directors who have won their share of awards. It's no surprise this movie was shooting for as much recognition as possible. But does that make it a bad movie? Not at all.

As much as the advertisers want you to believe this movie is about Jeff Bridges’ character Rooster Cogburn, it's actually the story of Mattie Ross, played by Hailee Steinfeld, and her journey to get vengeance on a man named Tom Chaney, played by Josh Brolin. Mattie quickly finds out that her father's murderer won't be brought to justice for a long time, if at all, so she pays Rooster to help her hunt down Chaney. Early on they meet LaBoeuf, played by Matt Damon, a Texas Ranger who's hunting Chaney for the crimes he committed while in Texas. The three continue to butt heads the entire movie and grow as characters as a result.

The performance of Hailee Steinfeld is was really makes this movie great. She is constantly out talking, out thinking and in general out doing all the adults she interacts with. Some of the most memorable scenes in the movie are when she's trying to negotiate with a sales man to get the money she needs to pay Rooster. The man keeps saying "take it or leave it" but she keeps finding ways to trick him into giving her what she needs. As a result of her silver tongue she comes off as more intelligent then any of the other characters, but still keeps a childish air around her. Jeff Bridges puts new life into Rooster. From the beginning he's a man who cares little for anyone other than himself, but by the end he's grown into a lovable character filled with dark humor. Matt Damon also performs amazingly, but with two stars shining as brightly as Steinfeld and Bridges do, Damon becomes forgettable. Without his character to balance out the other two, much of the growth wouldn't happen, but when telling the world about this movie, none of his quotes will be the first to mind.

Visually this movie is very clean. I'm all for the modernization of the western themed movies, but when a movie is called True Grit you expect some Grit. The imagery of being in a western world comes off loud and clear, but everything is so perfect it almost feels like a wild west theme park, not what it was truly like to live back in those times.

The sounds throughout the movie are well planned and some of the most subtle things, like a hoof hitting the hard dirt or a branch blowing in the tree's above really help you feel like you're in the world. It also helps that the music is kept fairly low and never becomes distracting. This gives it a real world feel like actually being in cold dark woods or dry deserts.

Overall this movie is a grand experience that will really drive you into the old west, but it is done in a modern way with humor and faster pacing which keeps it from feeling dated. My only real complaint for the whole experience was the ending. It didn't feel well planned or even well shot. It gave me the feeling that it was tacked on at the end to make the audience feel sad and confirm there wouldn't be a sequel. Besides that small gripe, this was a great movie and if you saw the trailer and even felt yourself remotely interested then you'll find something to enjoy here.