Jesse Eisenberg

Adventureland
$29.99
I lack the education needed to effectively tell you how bad this movie is. Save your time and energy and definately dont buy it.

The Squid and the Whale
$2.99
Very thought provoking realistic script with confronting aspects about divorce, marriage and sibling relationships. As art, amazing....As a viewing experience...I did not enjoy it at all.

The Education of Charlie Banks
$29.97
"What's the point of this movie?" Honestly, this was the one thought that kept going through my mind. I found it pointless, slow and a bit unfocused.

This is a "coming of age" movie that focuses on the relationship between Charlie Banks, a nerdy and sensitive kid, and Mick, a bully and friends with Danny, Charlie's roommate and childhood friend. Mick shows up one day at the university Charlie and Danny attend ad stays for about a month. Charlie and Mick's relationship is shown to evolve to a sort of friendship albeit always strained.

The story is told from Charlie's point of view, and I could have cared less. I would have preferred Mick's point of view, it would have been more interesting.

This movie is a social study, a character story and a setting study. Mick, a self-proclaimed blue collar character, experiences the differences in social status. The setting is just as much part of the story as the rest of the characters, as it is instrumental in bringing about changes to Mick showing him the possibilities of what could be.

The cinematography was superb but the direction was all over the place. The acting sometimes fell flat, especially for Eva Amurri. Frankly, I was more interested in Gloria Votsis' character (Nia) and would have preferred if she were more central to the story.

Although this is an interesting story with a lot of potential, it could have been better with a little more editing. The featurette is the only extra worth talking about as it explains the basis behind the movie and the motivations of the characters. The rest of the extras are the audio commentary and trailers. Overall, it was ok, and recommend you watch if you like books such as The Catcher in the Rye.

DVD case is an VIVA Eco-Box, which reduces the amount of packaging and impact on the environment.

One Day Like Rain
$19.99
I really enjoyed this film. I would describe it as a cross between Donnie Darko, Virgin Suicides, and Mulholland Drive. I thought about giving up on the film at a few points because it got a little too bizarre for my tastes, and I think that the dialog could have been a bit better (redeemed largely in the latter half of the film), but essentially I have never seen anything quite like it before. The young age of the main characters and protagonist throw an interesting twist on the traditional "metaphysical" film themes, although I suppose Donnie Darko used this same idea. I would have liked to get to know the protagonist a little bit better -- her character seemed a bit off the walls for me, and how she came to instigate this experiment (what motivated her to be self-actualized in this way) did not seem all that believable or credible because the audience never gets to know her character very well until the end of the film. All in all, this film takes you on an interesting experience. I really enjoyed the filming techniques and the soundtrack is amazing. I recommend this film for anyone who can handle "bizarre" films more firmly based around a concept than a plot.