Our generation has had the, well; let’s call it, luxury, of growing up with “The American Pie” movies.  Whether you like them or not, it is kind of cool that we got to see “The Animal House” of our generation grow throughout its four incarnations.

What is most interesting is how this movie has grown.  For me, and most of the readers of this newspaper, “The American Pie” movies have been meant to parallel the demographic one step ahead of us.

Stifler, Jim and the crew were in high school when we were in junior high and they were getting married just before we shipped off to college. So we, as viewers, have had the unique ability to look at our future selves and that next step in our lives, something we take so seriously, and laugh.

Sure, there is not much wisdom to be gained from a sex-driven comedy, but its nice to see, even if it is fictional, that things will change, but there are always people who you can depend on, whether those are your high school buddies or over the top jokes from Sean William Scott.

Now, is this movie the next instant comedy classic? No. But whether it is a good movie or not will more likely depend on how much you enjoyed the previous films in the series.  I liked “American Pies 1” and 2, and I can assure fans of the series that “American Reunion” is a more than a worthy addition.

The fourth installment brings back all of the characters from the first three movies, and it’s fun seeing how some of the more minor characters make their return.

Fans will appreciate other subtle references and homages from earlier entries as well in the form of Youtube videos, character histories and back stories hinted at through dialogue, and entirely new characters that seamlessly fit into the “American Pie” narrative.

So for what it’s worth, “American Reunion” is a riotously fun comedy.  As the fourth movie in a series that started a relatively short time ago, this movie does what it does very well.

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Ian Storey/For the Review
Ian Storey can be  reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

“Crazy, Stupid, Love” is an outstanding movie. I mentioned it earlier this year as my favorite movie of the summer but didn’t get to do much of a review for it.

“Crazy, Stupid, Love” is the story of Cal and Emily Weaver (played by Steve Carell  and Julianne Moore) and their unfortunate divorce after 25 years of marriage when Emily admits to sleeping with her co-worker (played by Kevin Bacon).

Cal then falls into a deep hole and spends most of his time at a local bar talking to anyone who will listen about the situation. A club regular and player, Jacob, (played by Ryan Gosling) gets tired of hearing about the sob story and offers to teach Cal how to “get his manhood back.”

After accepting the offer, Cal learns from the ladies’ man, Jacob, and begins to move on with his life.

Later, Jacob claims he has found the woman for him, Hannah (played by Emma Stone) and leaves the club scene.

Eventually, Cal realizes that he still loves and misses Emily and wants to go home. This is where all of the fun starts!

Through the beginning of the movie, it was hard to tell exactly what path this movie was going to take. Eventually, it finds its footing and takes off.

“Crazy, Stupid, Love” was clever, emotional, and above all, real. It features at least five different love stories that are all awkwardly connected.

The cast really highlighted this movie. Carell, Moore, Gosling, Stone and even Bacon were incredibly believable. Gosling has really grown on me, and he didn’t disappoint.

Carell was a toned-down version of his usual character, which I thought was one of his best movie roles yet. I also recommend “Dan in Real Life. “

Overall, the humor level was at about a B+, although there was one scene toward the end of the movie where it got bumped up to an A+.

If you’re looking for a solid movie with a mixed up love story that is well-developed and powerful, I highly recommend it.

I give “Crazy, Stupid, Love:” 9.5/10

Once again, this was Hayden from haydensmovies.com bringing you the latest and greatest in movie news and reviews.

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Hayden Mace/For the Review
Hayden Mace can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

“Paul” is an unexpected breath of fresh air in the midst of all of the pollution coming from Hollywood.

I’m a huge sucker for excellent trailers and high expectations, and I’ve been in somewhat of a rut lately when it comes to picking solid flicks. But I decided to give “Paul” a chance.

It’s a road trip comedy about two sci-fi geeks who travel, via a battered RV, to all the alien “hot spots” in the United States. Along their way, they stumble upon Paul, an alien who has been held captive on Earth for several decades.

The two comrades agree to help Paul get to his mother ship but don’t know what they’re getting into. Along their journey, they are chased by federal agents and accidentally kidnap an extremely religious young woman, whose beliefs are frustrated by the very existence of Paul.

I really enjoy the humor of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, both from “Hot Fuzz” and “Shaun of the Dead,” but it’s not for everyone. I’ve met a handful of people who have loved both movies and another group who didn’t understand them at all. I recommend testing one out before diving into this humor genre subsection.

Also, I go back and forth on Seth Rogan, so I was initially a little uncertain with the casting of his voice for the alien, Paul, but he does a magnificent job and I ended up liking the character.

I thought the writing of Pegg and Frost combined with the directing of Greg Mottola, the man who brought us Superbad and Adventureland, made for a great combination. Everything worked extremely well together.

The jokes are smart and crude, and I know science fiction fans will get a good laugh from all of the gestures toward the genre. The lines about people hinting that the two might actually be a couple and the jokes about anal probing got a little old, but in the end, everything ran fairly smoothly.

Paul is definitely an underdog type of movie, and I don’t mean the story. It’s just got a lot stacked up against it from the beginning. Not a lot of people are huge fans of Pegg and Frost’s work, Seth Rogan or alien movies in general, whether they’re comical or action-based.

I think the movie was an overall success just from this standpoint alone. It’s not the best work of Pegg and Frost, but it was definitely still a good ride.

Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Blythe Danner, Sigourney Weaver and many others join Pegg, Frost and Rogan.

I give “Paul” an 8.4/10.

Once again, this was Hayden from haydensmovies.com bringing you the latest and greatest in movie news and reviews.

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Hayden Mace/For the Review
Hayden Mace can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

“Attack the Block,” although attention-grabbing because of its promise for action and drama, really isn’t all its cracked up to be.

Although the director has created successful movies before, “Attack the Block” didn’t live up to expectations.

“Attack the Block” is written and directed by Joe Cornish, who brought us “Hot Fuzz.”

It’s the story of a teenage gang in London and their unlikely battle against a group of aliens who have landed in their neighborhood.

I enjoyed “Hot Fuzz,” and the trailer for “Attack the Block” looked pretty good, so I thought I’d give it a shot.

The alien invasion story is a bit overused, and this story wasn’t anything fantastic.

The humor wasn’t there, and I could hardly understand what anyone was saying because of the accents.

There wasn’t anything special about this movie, and overall, it wasn’t that entertaining. I give “Attack the Block”: 6.5/10.

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Hayden Mace/For the Review
Hayden Mace can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

I’m sure most of you are anticipating a Top-five scary movies list. Unfortunately, horror movies aren’t my strong point, so I decided to do another edition of “Watch This, Not That.”

In honor of Halloween, I’ve decided to compare two movies that were so bad it was almost scary. I’ll be comparing “Battle Los Angeles” and “Sucker Punch.”

“Sucker Punch” stars Emily Browning and Vanessa Hudgens. It’s the story of a girl, known only as Baby Doll (Browning), who is forced into a mental institution by her abusive stepfather.

Once admitted, Baby Doll discovers a way to retreat into a fantasy world where she learns of a possible escape from the horrible situation she is in.

Baby Doll encounters every possible enemy imaginable: dragons, nazi zombies, large terracotta samurai warriors, robots and nasty, creepy mustached men.

Baby Doll and her band of four other inmates roam through many different alternate worlds and take on these easily killed enemies.

In the end, the story was boring, action was questionably weak and the movie was a letdown.

It’s directed by Zack Snyder, the director of the visionary films “300” and “Watchmen.” He will direct the new Superman flick, “Man of Steel,” and I hope he does a good job with that.

One could say I was sucker-punched when I saw this movie. Disappointment plays a major factor in my rating here.

“Battle Los Angeles” stars Aaron Eckhart and is the story of an alien invasion. These aliens have landed off the coast of many major cities around the world, but our movie covers the battlefield of Los Angeles.

Eckhart held his own for the majority of the movie, but one character is not enough to pull this one out of the dumps.

The special effects weren’t great and the aliens were boring.

Michelle Rodriguez was in this movie, and she played her normal role of either a police officer or military member.

I’m beginning to shy away from movies in which she makes an appearance.

“Battle: LA” was uninspiring. This storyline has been worn out…over and over again.

Look for “Battleship” if you love this genre and story. Aliens attack with overwhelming force, the military arrives, we fight the aliens, and after many back and forths between the two sides, we end up destroying the mother ship and win the battle.

I’ve just described the entire movie, so even if you were considering seeing it…don’t.

I was dying to see “Sucker Punch” since I first saw the trailer. Some of the fight scenes were pretty cool, so if you’re only looking for some decent action then I guess I could recommend this to you. If you’re looking for a solid all-around action flick with a good story, steer clear.

“Battle Los Angeles” was hard to watch. It’s the story of military stereotypes fighting alien stereotypes.

At the end of the day, I recommend you don’t watch either, however, this is Watch This, Not That. I recommend you watch Sucker Punch (6.0/10) and not Battle Los Angeles (5.0/10).

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Hayden Mace/For the Review
Hayden Mace can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

It’s been a busy fall semester for me, so I haven’t been able to make it to many movies at the theater. To make up for it, I wanted to put together a Top-5 list of movies coming up in the next few months. Here is my best of the rest, the Top-5 Movies Still to Come Out in 2011.

#5—“ Dangerous Method”

“A Dangerous Method” stars Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley and Viggo Mortensen. It’s the strange story of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud and the birth of psychoanalysis. It looks like an edgy, powerful film. I’ve always thought Freud was kind of a weird guy, and I was hesitant about including this in the Top-5. It has a good cast and an interesting story, so I hope it doesn’t disappoint. Expected release date: Nov. 23.

#4—”Carnage”

“Carnage” stars Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly. It tells the story of two sets of parents who get together for a meeting to discuss a brawl between their two sons. It looks like the entire movie will be set in one scene, a home of one of the families, which always makes for an interesting movie. These types of movies are either hit or miss for me, but “Carnage” looks to me like it’ll be a hit. Expected release date: Dec. 16.

#3—”Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol”

“Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” stars Tom Cruise and Jeremy Renner. Ethan Hunt and his team are back in action, this time to clear their names after they’re blamed for a bombing. Seriously, who isn’t a fan of the “Mission Impossible” movies? Even the second is enjoyable during some points. The third installment revived the franchise, and the fourth one looks to be the best yet. If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, I strongly recommend taking a visit to haydensmovies.com! Expected release date: Dec. 21.

#2—”Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

“Tinker Tailor Solider Spy” stars Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy and many others. It’s a Cold War story about an agent who is asked to come out of retirement to help find a Soviet mole in the agency. It was hard for me not to put this as my #1, but I know that this will be a great movie. It has an outstanding cast and a gripping story. I hope this ends up being a box office success and rakes in some trophies come award season! Expected release date: Dec. 9.

#1—”J. Edgar”

“J. Edgar” stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer and Naomi Watts. It appears to be the entire life story of J. Edgar Hoover. It is directed by Clint Eastwood, so I know it’ll be solid. And it seems like anything that DiCaprio touches ends up being pure cinematic brilliance. I don’t think it’ll have any over the top action, but it should be an outstanding film with incredible depth. Is it too early to say Oscar-worthy? Expected release date: Nov. 9.

Honorable Mention: “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “Anonymous,” “The Descendants,” “Immortals,” “The Sitter,” “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” “The Adventures of Tintin,” “We Bought a Zoo, and In Time.”

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Hayden Mace/For the Review
Hayden Mace can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

It’s another edition of Watch This, Not That. I’ll compare “Win Win” and “Everything Must Go.”

Usually when I do Watch This, Not That, I’ll compare movies that have something in common, like actor, genre or new release. This week, I decided to review two new indie films.

Indies aren’t usually overly exciting, but movie fans of character relationships and drama tend to enjoy these films more than others.

“Win Win” stars Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan (Holly from The Office). It’s the story of Mike (Giamatti) and his struggles to keep his law firm open, while still coaching the high school wrestling team and supporting his family.

Things take a turn for the better when the grandson of one of his clients shows up. Mike decides to take him in and allows him to wrestle on his team.

It turns out that the kid is an amazing wrestler and, in the end, helps bring out the best in Mike.

I wasn’t sure what to expect here, but I was pretty happy with “Win Win.” I thought Giamatti did a great job and the story was strong.

“Everything Must Go” stars Will Ferrell and Rebecca Hall.

It’s the story of Nick (Ferrell) and an unfortunate turn of events. On the same day that he’s fired from his long-time job, his wife changes the locks and puts all of Nick’s belongings out on the front lawn.

Nick hires a kid to help him set up a yard sale in exchange for minimum wage and teaching the kid how to play baseball.

Nick has a strong drinking problem and must overcome that and several other personality defects to move on.

I liked Rebecca Hall in “The Town” and was excited to see her in this.

I also like that Ferrell can still have a serious role in a movie.

Overall, I was really excited to see “Everything Must Go” and was slightly let down.

“Win Win” was a solid movie from start to finish, and it kept me interested throughout.

“Everything Must Go” has an interesting story and had a few laughs with it as well.

At the end of the day, I would recommend that you watch “Win Win” (8.0/10) and not “Everything Must Go” (7.4/10).
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Hayden Mace/For the Review
Hayden Mace can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

Just Go With It

Switch

Hello, movie fans! This is Hayden from haydensmovies.com bringing you the latest and greatest in movie news and reviews. It’s another edition of Watch This, Not That! I’ll be comparing “Just Go with It” and “The Switch.” I rented both movies from Movietime Video, one of the only movie stores left in the area. It’s just across the street from campus, next door to El Primo Mexican Restaurant.

“Just Go with It” stars Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston and Brooklyn Decker. It’s the story of Danny (Sandler) and his unusual pick-up technique of telling women that he’s married, and it isn’t going well. Usually, the story
attracts the women, and Danny gets what he wants. Danny hooks up with the girl of his dreams, Palmer (Decker), without using the pick-up lines on her. The next morning, she discovers that he’s “married,” so Danny
tells her that he’s currently getting a divorce. When Palmer asks to meet his ex-wife, Danny must rush to create a fake family and life.

It’s a fairly simple movie that provides some quality laughs without using the crude card. I thought Sandler and Aniston worked well together and created some good on-screen chemistry. I’m a big fan of Sandler’s early work, so it’s been tough to watch some of the crap he’s made recently, but I was pretty happy with “Just Go with It.”

“The Switch” stars Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston. It’s the comical story of Kassie’s (Aniston) artificial insemination. Wally (Bateman) and Kassie are long-time friends, and Wally isn’t in favor of Kassie’s choice for a sperm donor. He ends up getting drunk and swapping his DNA with the donor’s. Kassie takes a job out of town but returns seven years later. Wally meets Kassie’s son and finally remembers what he did all those years ago.

It wasn’t a laugh-a-thon, but it had a decent story. I’m a big Bateman fan, so anything he’s in will be OK by me. If you’ve never seen “Arrested Development,” Bateman’s best work of art, make sure you check that out.

“The Switch” was pretty average, but Bateman and Aniston were both impressive. “Just Go with It” surprised me. I wasn’t expecting much out of it, but ended up being a crowd-pleaser. Neither was extremely impressive, but I recommend watching “Just Go with It” (7.9/10) and not “The Switch.” (7.2/10)

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Hayden Mace/For the Review
Hayden Mace can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

Take Me Home Tonight movie poster

Hello, movie fans! This is Hayden from haydensmovies.com bringing you the latest and greatest in movie news and reviews. I didn’t make it to the cinema this week, but I did have the chance to watch a couple of big budget comedies- Your Highness and Take Me Home Tonight. I’d like to introduce you to my new segment, “Watch This, Not That”.

Your Highness stars Danny McBride, James Franco and Natalie Portman. It’s the story of Prince Fabious (Franco) and his lazy, worthless brother, Thadeous (McBride). Fabious’s bride is captured by an evil wizard and the duo sets out on an extraordinary quest to save her.

Don’t expect much from Your Highness. It’s one of the more immature movies that I’ve seen in a while, but I was busting up laughing at times. It had its laughs, but if I had one word to describe the movie, it would be stupid. If you’re looking for cheap laughs or something to watch while procrastinating, I could recommend it.

Take Me Home Tonight stars Topher Grace and Anna Faris. Matt (Grace) is a recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate who is stuck working at a local movie rental store because he doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life. His high school crush is back in town, and Matt wants to impress her, so he makes up a high profile job to try to get her attention.

Take Me Home Tonight isn’t overly crude but did have its moments. It wasn’t as funny as it looked, which is always a disappointment, and it didn’t have a lot else to offer. There was something about it, however, that was slightly satisfying. Maybe it was the ice cream I was eating at the time.

Your Highness was crude and over-the-top, while Take Me Home Tonight was funny but nothing special. I’d recommend not watching either, but since I have to choose, I recommend you watch Take Me Home Tonight (7.0/10) and not Your Highness (6.8/10).

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Hayden Mace/For the Review
Hayden Mace can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.