Weekend Movie Reviews: Kick-Ass, Precious, Philadelphia, and Charlotte’s Web

Ever since I first saw the trailer to this movie, I knew I had to watch it. Kick-Ass seemed so ridiculous and over-the-top that it couldn’t be anything other than awesome. After all, it had McLovin’ in full superhero gear, cussing as he falls off of a dumpster in the alley.

The basic premise behind Kick-Ass sounds similar to a film like Watchmen: everyday people decide to don crazy costumes and dish out some superhero-fueled vigilante justice… but without any superhuman powers. The difference is that Kick-Ass delivers a more compelling story, told with a great sense of humor. If you can imagine the teenage awkwardness of Superbad combined with John Woo or Quintin Tarrantino style violence, you’ll understand this movie.

While the main Kick-Ass character is meant to be the protagonist, Hit Girl steals the show. She’s eleven and, well, she kicks ass. It’s quite jarring to see a little girl beat up on a gang of well-armed, full-grown men. It’s jarring to hear her say that she’s just f-ing with her daddy. It’s quite jarring to see her get shot with a gun. And it’s thoroughly entertaining the whole time. I anticipate great career ahead for Chloë Grace Moretz, not only in action films, but in movies in general.

If extreme violence and foul language don’t bother you, go see Kick-Ass. It’s not perfect, but it’s still a great superhero flick. Period.

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)

We’ve seen several movies depict the lives of lower-income black families in urban ghettos, but many of these end up following the lives of drug dealers and gangsters. Distinctly different from a film like Menace II Society is the Academy Award-winning Precious.

Now available on DVD, Precious follows a teenage girl who has been abused in just about every way. Gabourey Sidibe offers a great rookie performance and Mo’Nique demonstrates that she is more than “just” a comic. Precious tugs at your heartstrings and keeps you captivated.

Philadelphia (1993)

I am ashamed to say that, up until a week or two ago, I had not watched Philadelphia. I don’t know why I waited so long, but I am glad that I finally got around to watching this groundbreaking film. The courtroom dramas are incredibly intense and thought-provoking, attacking the social stigmas attached with homosexuality and AIDS for the first time on the silver screen.

Based on a true story, Philadelphia is about a lawyer (Tom Hanks) who believes he was unjustly fired from his job when his superiors discover that he is gay and afflicted with AIDS. The key to this movie is that his lawyer (Denzel Washington) is disgusted by gay men, but he still believes that a law is broken.

The take away message? Even if you don’t agree with another person’s lifestyle, ethics, and morals, you can still fight for what is right. Amazing film, fantastic score.

Charlotte’s Web (2006)

One of my favorite childhood classics growing up had to be Charlotte’s Web. The original book by EB White was great and the animated movie from 1973 was pretty good too. Unfortunately, the 2006 live action remake left something to be desired.

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but this updated version didn’t have the same heart-warming quality that the originals did. Dakota Fanning is a better actress than her portrayal of Fern leads us to believe and CGI Charlotte the spider just creeped me out.