Gamer

Goolphipp Award: 4 (No Peanuts Chucked)

Goolsby:

As a fan of Gerard Butler, I went into this movie blind. I thought I knew the basics, but boy was I wrong. This movie sort of threw me off balance. It paints a world where something popular like Sims evolves into a real life version – where human players control human avatars. The human avatars are not forced into their roles, but actually paid, basically creating a new caste system. Gerard Butler’s character Kable, is a prisoner who participates in a game as an avatar. If he survives, he wins his freedom.

I think the neatest part of this movie is the future society and technology it creates. The world was created down to the details with vivid, vivid detail. Yes, it was a shocking alternate universe, but a very interesting one. I enjoyed the plot line. This movie was very confrontational, in the sense that most of the movie puts the viewer in this awkward place. We saw the bad and very bad of this new society. I appreciated the originality of the movie, but felt out of my element during specific scenes involving sex and drugs.

I think the actors’ delivery was great. Everyone did a good job, nothing corny or over played. Dexter’s Michael C. Hall gave a spooky but amazing performance as Ken Castle, the creator of the new gaming universe.

I guess I’m on the fence at where this movie stands. I was fascinated and disturbed by the future society. There haven’t really been that many main stream satirical movies lately, but this one sure leaves me scratching my head.

Goolsby overall: 4

Gamer is in a category of its own. It pushes the boundaries, and as much as I want to give it a lower score, it really did a good job at delivering what it set out to do. Add it to your Netflix queue when it comes out, but be prepared.

Phipps:
While I agree with Goolsby, I thought they could have toned the sex and drugs aspect down a little. I got their point early, and didn’t really need reinforcement every five minutes. For this reason, this movie’s audience must be 18+. If you are on the conservative side, I’m not sure this is the movie for you.

But I honestly couldn’t help but be fascinated with the plot. I’ve heard complaints that there was no plot, but I thought it was complicated and real albeit reactionary. Our man Kable (AKA Gerard Butler) is reacting the entire movie – as are most of the secondary characters – to the actions of Ken Castle and the virtual (or not so virtual) society of gaming. I love all the ethical questions Gamer brought out. It totally unglued me, because the fact is, this kind of technology doesn’t require a ton of stretch – we could see it one day.

The action was solid. Cinematography and filters were definitely different and contributed to how the audience was stuck in, as Goolsby called it, an “awkward place.” It felt like we were participants by simply observing the story. I was disgusted when confronted with the worst aspects of human nature, which Gamer does not hide or apologize for.

Gamer simply shocks you out of your skin. It makes you think. It takes the world we are building via Facebook, Second Life, and Wii and shows us where it could go if we aren’t careful. As much as I hated watching this movie, I can’t deny that it was sort of brilliant.

Phipps overall: 4
Simply shocking…in that strange makes-you-think way.

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The Ugly Truth

Goolphipp Award: 3.5 (Worth 11 Bucks)

Phipps:
Well, I’ve heard The Ugly Truth. I laughed a lot – although, sometimes I was so shocked…I had to nervously laugh. This movie is definitely adult. I’m thinking college crowd would enjoy it the most. It’s definitely not the movie you want to watch with your grandma. That being said, I enjoyed the movie.

The orgasm-in-the-middle-of-a-restaurant felt like a nod to When Harry Met Sally…and then promptly took it to the next level.

Gerard Butler, of course, is great as the good guy with edge.

The male stereotype soapboxes are brought out in the open. This movie is written by a bunch of women, who obviously wanted to back their male lead into a corner to prove a point. Sure, sure, men are absolute pigs. Sex sells, but at the end of day, someone has to fall for the neurotic females. And why? “Beats the s***t out of me,” says our male lead. I thought it was very interesting that it was all about breaking down men…as if women are angelic in their understanding of relationships. In the end, Katherine Hiegl’s character, Abby, doesn’t even say “I love you” back.

But I think, the main reactions you’ll get from people are, “it was funny” and “that guy was hot!” Sounds like a successful romantic comedy to me.

Phipps overall: 3.5
I could watch 2 hours of Gerard Butler any day!

Goolsby:
We went to see this for my birthday with my mom. It was a birthday choice because of Gerard Butler. He delivered of course. I knew that this would be adult humor, but goodness. Once I got over the “this-is-awkward-sitting-next-to-my-mom” I was fine. The character dynamic was great. Your typical brash guy meets controlling girl. They fall in love. The real core of this is the humor of course. The jokes were honest. The truth is always funny. There are a couple of scenes that I just died laughing. A certain panty scene in a restaurant was the most unexpected thing ever.

All girls can relate to Abby (played by Katherine Heigl) – who hasn’t done a happy dance when they thought no one was looking? I have. I’m also glad that they didn’t ruin some of the more major jokes in previews or trailers. I’m happy with the movie; it delivered what it was supposed to.

Goolsby overall: 3.5

I wont be buying it, but Gerard put a smile on my face.

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