The Entertainment Authority

Movie Poster for Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Directed by new comer Nicholas Stoller and staring Jason Segal (Freaks and Geeks, The 40 Year Old Virgin), Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the latest movie to come from producer Judd Apatow (40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad, Talladega Nights, and the recent Tropic Thunder).The movie starts with Peter Bretter (Jason Segal) looking very content with his life as a musician for a prime time TV show, and boyfriend to prime time TV star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). Soon after the movie starts however his life is turned upside down when he, in a very funny scene, is dumped for another man, sending him into a deep depression. He decides to take a vacation to Hawaii to clear his mind, only to find his ex there with her new British pop star boyfriend Aldus Snow (played hilariously by Russell Brand).Jason Segal, who also wrote the script, is great as sad sack Peter, playing the character without being to self deprecating or to self confident and it comes off as very honest and open and results in some verry funny scenes. This is definitely an Apatow movie so you can expect many Apatow regulars, (like Jonah Hill and Paul Rudd) make appearances. Also, like many other Apatow movies you can expect some male nudity. The Dvd is full of extra scenes gag reels, and alternate takes, so even if you saw it in theaters, the DVD is worth a second view.

All in all, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a terrific comedy full of some of the best one liners of the year. This DVD is a must have for anybody who is a fan of the Apatow crew, and. if you can deal with a little raunchiness, a great move for anybody looking to laugh.

Starring Clive Owen and directed and written by Alfonso Cuaron (director of Harry Potter, The Prisoner of Azkaban but more widly known for his spanish language movies) comes Children of Men, a stunning and brilliant depiction of a chilling dystopian future. The film takes place in the year 2027 and mankind has not been able to conceive a child for 18 years. Governments all around the world have broken down due to the chaos caused by the infertility and only Britian remain solvent, although just barely. Immigration is completely illeagel due to the huge number of global refugees, and british citizens live a controled and moniterd existence. The movie centers on Theo Faron (Clive Owen), a former hippy protester turned government worker who finds himself pulled back into working with a radical pro immigrant group called The Fishes and led by his former love (Julianne Moore).  Theo finds himself thrust with the responsiblity of protecting a young girl who might hold the key for mankinds future.

The plot is immersive and covers topics ranging from Government control and terrorism to immigration rights overpopulation and legalization of ganja. It is very well acted with some great character acting by several actors and a particuarily good and nuanced performance by Clive Owen, but what really made this movie was the dynamic way it was shot. Children of Men is a stunning movie containing some of the most breathtaking and compelling cinematography in recent memory. Every scene is shot with care and an inspiring attention to detail and many of the best scenes are long complex single shots that are amazing in scope and vision. The action scenes are intense and visceral in a way that reminds me of some of the best war scenes from Saving Private Ryan, and the movie maintains a very real and enthralling look. The director does a great job of not, like so many other movies about dystopian futures, focusing his attention on the technology of the future but keeping his movie rooted in charachters and themes that are universal and very compelling.

Children of men is one of the best and most original movies i’ve seen in a long time, it was overlooked by most people when it came out, but this movie deserves a watch by anybody who loves good movies.