The unlikely hero is well-worn material as we all know, but more than that, it is practically a set in stone requirement of young adult fiction. Young adults, to put it right out there, want to be heroes... but, they are clever enough to find it unlikely. How to Train Your Dragon is the story of Hiccup, a young Viking lad, who has little Viking about him. He lives in a village that is a little … [Read more...]
There's been a good deal of chatter about Law Abiding Citizen, and not all of it has been positive. For good or ill, the trailer for the film seems to let you know exactly where you are, and thus viewers are moved to quick decisions. You're either interested in a film about a guy who starts dealing out his own form of justice while in prison, or you aren't, and that's the kind of story that sets … [Read more...]
The Ugly Truth is the sort of movie that's going to attract all the romantic comedy buzzwords. It's formulaic, contrived, predictable, perhaps even stupid. These words will be tossed around rather smugly, as though they did not apply with equal measure to whatever we might list as the best romantic comedies ever. Before words are even on paper, and the writer merely has the thought, "I'll … [Read more...]
