Movies I have recently that I didn't like

Avatar- most generic storyline ever. the line "I know I started as an undercover badguy, but then everything changed" is so overused I wanted to quit watching.

Bottle Shock- no spite, just not great

Book of Eli- garbage of the worst variety, wrapped in a pseudo-intellectual armor

Legion- to be fair, I saw these last two films at a theater in Joint Base Balad in Iraq, so I was still happy to get to go to the movies. Just disappointed in these pieces of garbage.

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back

Took some time off.

New Position, new focus

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Time Off

I have been taking time off, and will continue to take time off from this blog. Expect more content on the 1st of December.

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Difficulty

It's harder to write a review of a good film than a bad film.

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Power Issues

The power is working intermittently.

I really am only a step away from regular posts again. Be patient.

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Still Watching Movies

I've still been watching movies, viewed The Ghost In The Shell and Terminator on my PSP.

After this weekend will move out of the bunker and have a lot more room to write.

Look forward to some good stuff then.

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Iraq

Currently in Iraq. The facilities are pretty good, so hopefully I will be able to add content regularly. Hope everyone is enjoying the reviews.

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Kuwait

Hello all, I am alive and well in Kuwait, awaiting to go with my unit to Iraq.

While here in Kuwait, I am limited to community internet. With this being the case, I haven't been able to find a way to transfer my reviews from my personal computer to the computers that are connected to the internet (DOD bans the use of thumb drives in Kuwait). Rest assured, that I have continued to write. On tap are reviews of the films, District 9 and 500 Days of Summer, as well as my essay about the ethics of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.


BTW, if you want to keep up with the news of the deployment, my wife has set up a blog urbans apart.

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Leaving

URBAN:

Tonight I am leaving for Iraq.

I intend to try to see films and continue this blog while I am there. Of course, internet availability, leisure, and availability of new film releases, will all influence the amount of work that I am able to do.

For at least the next few days things will be in limbo. Keep checking back and before long I will have a clear picture of what kind of pace I will be able to keep up.

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Missing Review

There will be no review of Inglourious Basterds.

The film will be detailed in an essay that I am writing titled: The Ethics of Holocaust Art: Basterds, Defiance, and Valkyrie, Three Holocaust Films in Two Years.

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Contrarian Critics

I don't really think that I am a contrarian critic. Apparently though, it is possible to be one. Whenever I write a review, I do honestly try to achieve the standard I described in the mission statement of this site. You can read it by clicking the 'about' link to the right.

Usually when I do pan a film, I try to point to several concrete examples of things that are just terrible. This summer, there have been several of those.

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Bio -- Jay Urban

Jay Urban is an officer in the United States Army (1LT). He is stationed at Fort Riley and lives in Manhattan, Kansas. He holds a BA from Hillsdale College in Michigan and is working towards a Master’s Degree from Central Michigan University. He wants people to think of him as a second Woody Allen, but his inner life is undoubtedly more transgressive, kind of Philip Roth, but less poetic. Read about him and philosophical Pragmatism at www.appliedpragmatism.blogspot.com.

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Bio -- Carl Lucas

Carl Lucas is a student currently living in Washington, DC. He has a BA from Hillsdale College, and expects a JD in May 2010. He is caught up in the idea that life can be important and meaningful if he can turn it into a narrative, but has a sneaking suspicion that it may take a bit more. He enjoys puns, good beer, and good movies.

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About

The mission of Cinema Comment is to critically review film from every level, at the highest level that we are capable of attaining. The best criticism is done holistically, taking into account theory, politics, and economics that shape the work. It is our goal, as critics, to point out the art that succeeds and describe why it does so. Likewise, it is also our job to do the same with what fails. Finally, criticism is not only an act of taking apart. The act, in its sum, should posit something.

Cinema Comment will bring you a review of a new feature-length on Friday (or Saturday morning), and secondary content, including top-5 lists, retrospectives, and reviews of non-feature-length films on Tuesdays.

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