Jay Scully – Behind the Proscenium

American Reunion

With Wit, Reviewed By Kimmo Mustonenen

Kimmo was in trouble.

Big trouble.

Last week I had super cool “Wrath of the Titans” review that I made.

Then the dumbness strikes.

I e-mail copy of review to my Uncle Tukka who is in living outside of the Helsinki – not to Kyrle, who is the editor that manages these things.

I have screwed Straight Up (like Paula Abdul!). Kyrle has made a rule that is new: Kossu shots OR bong loads, not Kossu shots AND bong loads.

This is fair, in my heart and in my head thoughts. I know that booze is good. So is the sweet, sweet smoke.

Together? I begin to be a Greeter Man at WalMart.

Sorry to my 15 loyal readers. I feel shame.

Now – for a movie!

And what a goddamn good time for a movie to have! I was very worrisome.

Every time Hollywood touches my past it is “the wrong touch.”

But “American Reunion?” I am sporting a Stifler!

Really. I am not kidding.

Plot? Sure!

All of our “American Pie” friends come back – 13 year reunions are important in America.

So, like locusts on Egypt they return. Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) are married with kid attached. Oz (Chris Klein) works at crap ESPN channel. Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) is worldly in many ways. Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is whipped by Gossip Girls. Stifler (Seann William Scott) is… you will see as moments come by.

All are older, some are bigger in the wise area, some are better now as people than as high school students.

We see a penis.

Craps are taken in places where craps have never been before (so I hope).

Chicks that were once to be sat on as babies are now so hot for drooling.

Lies are lied.

Love is kindled (from the past) then rekindled – like fire!

Life is tested… some pass, others think they are taking another test (true story – remember old joke about Norwegian who stayed up all night studying for his urine test? NEVER GETS OLD!!!).

Many happy faces from the past float on the screen. We (I) smile.

I missed my “American Franchise” friends.

But sometimes, expectations are face rubbed in gravel.

The surprise that surprised me was too surprising. This is a movie about a Stifler.

I will now, out of my mouth (computer mouth) say – “Seann William Scott is the most funny comic actor of the last 20 years.” His eyeballs tell stories.

He makes sounds that my heart go a kind of “chugga-chugga”, in that straight “chugga-chugga” way. He is the man (boy) that my aspirations were looking at when I was the young.

Now he is complete. I feel, now, to be complete, too.

Jim’s father (Eugene Levy) deserves some kind of outing. He, now widowed, is still the father we wanted (without the Pie fucking advice – that was a metaphor anyhow – Jim was kind of a dumbness).

Stifler’s Mom (Jennifer Coolidge) has many more lines (on face and on script).

She must still be done. And done again.

Vicky (Tara Reid) is now a zombie – but hotter than any zombie on “The Walking Dead”. It was good to see her. But not for too long.

And Heather (Mena Suvari) has learned to cover her forehead (or 8-head, if we’re going by the thing’s size) with bangs. She is now to be whacked to – in a pinch.

So, two thumbs straining to heaven – which is warm pie!

I am in love with “American Reunion.” Laughs were barked out of my mouth and Dr. Pepper flew through my nose and on the critic to my front place (sorry, Peter Travers).

But never in the life that I live would I thought that I would be in Stifler love.

And I am. Like an American!

Kimmo Mustonenen – (Kimmo On Kino) – Behind The Proscenium

P.S. “American Idol” is the suck. I will now only watch “The Voice”. Or anything. Please comment on things that I may watch without Kosso AND bong loads. In advance – thank you!!!

Super 8

With Wit, Reviewed By Kimmo Mustonenen

From the title, Super 8 ad spectacular: we’ll travel through (and in) time.

Indeed, when the Amblin logo fills the screen, supported by a bombastic score and air, we’re back in the early 80s, when Steven Spielberg directed, and edited stories for teens bursting of monsters and wonders (the stories, not the teens so much).

The reference to the glorious era of Gremlins or Back to the Future is fully assumed by JJ Abrams, who grew up before these movies long before he became the instigator of the series Alias and Lost (what the hell – just me, or you, too?), then offer breathe new life sagas Mission: Impossible and Star Trek.

Officially sponsored by the director of E.T., he declares his love here cinematic without ever falling into the trap of slavish imitation or wink supported (with a nudge maybe).

For Super 8 has its own personality and obviously draws much of his inspiration from childhood memories of the filmmaker (which are his).

We are in 1979, at the end of the school year, in a quiet village in Ohio (my city was gone! See that?).

A small group of teenagers, who runs a cheese eating zombie film in Super 8 under the influence of George Romero, is witnessing a train wreck extremely spectacular. Following this accident, the townspeople begin disappearing and strange phenomena are increasing. While the army began to occupy the place and the police seem powerless, our young heroes seem the only ones who can undercover the truth.

While most seem kind of compulsory figures at the rendezvous, JJ Abrams deftly slaloms between all the clichés strewn in his path, refusing archetype (take that, Joseph Campbell!) and a caricature (flights very overrated The Goonies) in favor of a strong dramatic structure protagonists and extremely touching (not like that).

The hair-raising action sequences (the crash of the train is a piece of anthology that will probably date and harm your ear holes) do not ever thus on the characters, vehicles with humor (what?), tenderness and emotion.

Super 8 affirms the move as a real balancing act, halfway between the sincere nostalgia (those who have experienced the joys and frustrations of short films in 8 mm will have their memories refreshed), the constant quest for originality (the scenario does constantly take us by the nose to a climax of beauty – yes!) and assumed tribute to the cinema of Steven Spielberg, whose omnipresent shadow seems to hover over the entire film.

Alternately, Close Encounters Third Kind, E.T., The Jaws, Jurassic Park and even The War of the Worlds (Scientology!)there are visual and thematic correspondences, while the sumptuous soundtrack written by Michael Giacchino pays tribute to the symphonies of John Williams.

However, Abrams keeps the style of its own, both in writing his dialogues in his visual bias (the famous “lens flare” of Star Trek are always of the party – where the guest stay too long and make sick on the toilet).

So this is a work in a state of grace, which almost miraculous alchemy stems both from its authors at its magnificent cast of young actors vying for accuracy and spontaneity.

Apparently there are two Fannings. The world is a better place yet.

Kimmo Mustonenen – Behind The Proscenium

Tag: Jay Scully

American Reunion [REVIEW]

Super 8 [REVIEW]