ctrout

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre! No one would dare make a comedy set against the backdrop of this brutal gangland event of the 1920s, right? Well, if that were true we wouldn't have one of the funniest movies ever made. Who else but Billy Wilder could take a serious subject like that and turn it into the hysterical comedy romp that is Some Like It Hot?

I was never a big fan of Marilyn Monroe as a leading lady, but this movie is my exception. She's actually quite good, but surprisingly, she's shown up by the other two leading "ladies." For some reason, men dressing in drag has always been extremely funny to American audiences. As an American, I can't disagree.

Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis know exactly how to deliver that great Wilder & Diamond dialogue. But I can't understand how only Lemmon got the Oscar recognition. I can't really choose which actor did a better job with their role and I suppose that's where Monroe comes in.

I don't want to leave out the amazing supporting cast that Some Like It Hot has to offer. You have the always intimidating George Raft as the villain, the always dependable Pat O'Brien as the detective, and the always hilarious Joe E. Brown as Jack Lemmon's love interest. You'll have to see the movie to believe that last part.

With all my rambling on about how funny this movie is, you're probably wondering what it has to do with the St. Valentine's Day Massacre and why the male leads are in women's clothing. Well, Lemmon and Curtis witness the killing and have to escape the clutches the men who carry it out. Along the way, they run into Marilyn Monroe and some of the funniest lines in film.

If you're in the moody for zany hijinks that only to notch comedy talent can provide, then search no further. Some Like It Hot will most definitely satisfy your funny bone.

Everyone these days talks about how great Spider-Man, Batman Begins, or Superman Returns is, but they forget about the one film that made superhero movies popular again. Back when X-Men came out, I was blown away. I'd never seen a comic book movie have so much substance. The action was fantastic and this brand new talent named Hugh Jackman was destined to be a star.

The story revolves around a school for gifted youngsters. The general population refers to them as mutants, but they're really just like everyone else. Some of these "mutants" use the special power they've been given for good. They learn to harness their abilities and let them come out only when it is necessary. These extraordinary people are led by Charles Xavier, played by Patrick Stewart.

Of course, there's another side to all of this. There are those who are using their unique traits for evil. Because of all of the hatred toward the mutants, the villains want to make everyone in the world a mutant. Their leader is Erik Lensherr, played by Ian McKellan, who is the perfect foil to Stewart's good natured character.

Our main characters are that of a wide eyed girl, Anna Paquin, and a battle hardened soldier, Hugh Jackman. Both come to the school for gifted youngsters looking for answers or possibly a new life. Like the audience, they're new to this world of mutants and aren't sure of what to make of their "super" powers.

Through the course of the film, we run into many other mutants, both good and evil. Each one has a purpose and there's a reason for their inclusion in the movie. It's easy to have a favorite character and I'm sure you'll have one by the end of the movie. The fun and adventure is pretty infectious.

One thing I've noticed about X-Men is that it seems to have been overshadowed and tossed aside because of all the other great movies of this genre that have come out since. Many people think that the sequel to this was even better, but true fans know otherwise. Each character, while we may not see much of them, has their own little scene. You'll remember them for something they do, even if they have just a few minutes of screen time.

X-Men is the perfect superhero movie. It has everything you want in that category and more. The fact that it ends up being an allegory for something in today's society only adds to the greatness of this story. You don't have to love these kinds of movies to love X-Men and that's one of the reasons why I loved it so much. I just wish they could make them like this all of the time.

Stanley Kubrick takes us on a voyage into darkness with this humanity tale of the horrors of the Vietnam war and how it affects the human beings who went through it. This is a story of people, real people and what they must do to survive in the harsh world of military boot camp and, ultimately, in the depths of hell.

We see this world of terror through the wide eyes of Matthew Modine. During his stay at Parris Island, he meets his extremely tough sergeant, R. Lee Ermey, and he learns that all of the other recruits are just like he is. Many people believe that boot camp is the highlight of the film and I can see why. I can't think of another movie that makes the viewer feel worried for their own sake when someone is yelling at another character.

The first half really sets us up for what's to come. We get to understand our protagonist and end up feeling just like he does. Modine is an everyman type that you can't help but feel for. You know what's going though his head in the bathroom scene because you're thinking the same thing.

After boot camp, we're thrust right into the Vietnam scene. Not with combat, but with the way it really was. Prostitutes walking down streets and giving venereal diseases to the soldiers who bring them back home are some of the things you think about when you see the city landscape of where we are.

If you've seen and love war movies like I do, you know that after the first combat scene, the feeling of having bullets flying by you just isn't the same. It's different with Full Metal Jacket. The tension in those scenes is drawn out so much that you're hooked into the moment so that even your heart is racing. I believe that these scenes are the best part of the film because there are very few war films that can do that.

What makes Full Metal Jacket different from others of its genre is that we know all of the characters. We've met people or are very close friends with characters like Animal, Cowboy, Hartmann, and even Pyle. Very few films do that anymore and to have a war movie do it is something you can't take for granted.

The finale sums up everything about the 1950s and '60s. It was the end of an era. When you see the scene, you realize the innocence that was taken away from this country so violently. An entire generation was lost because of this conflict and the world was changed forever.