A dream job of mine has always been to be a movie critic.  I see so many horrible movies out there that people lead me to believe actually have substance to them, and I am almost always disappointed.  I read reviews, but I do not trust the reviewers. nbsp; Most of the time, we don't have similar views on what is tasteful and what is just plain awful.  I pride myself in recognizing a phenomenal movie, and being able to pick out a terrible one.  And there are the mediocre ones in between of course.  So here I am, promoting myself to all of you:  Let ME tell you what to watch!! 

A movie in recent past caught my attention and has become one of my top ten, one I will watch continuously, which has not happened in awhile.  It is called "Humbolt County".  Now, I know what you think when you hear that title. probably something like, "Oh, a stoner movie", or even "Oh cool!  A stoner movie!!".  The title gives a false impression of the deepness of this movie.  First of all, the acting is some of the best I have seen in quite a few years.  There are a few monologues that are so powerful and delivered so well, you cease your munching or drinking or whatever it is you are doing while you watch this movie.  Yes, the movie has a theme of pot smoking and pot farming, but it is so much more than that.  It is about the trials and tribulations of the people in that area farming marijuana just to get by.  And how a small community bands together when times get tough and help each other through it.  It's a story that on the surface looks like everybody just gets high and has fun, but underneath leads you to believe that everybody is just looking for a way to get by or a way to get out.  I felt so many different emotions during this movie, both positive and negative, and to me, that is what makes a terrific movie.  For the direct plot, this movie is about a young, uptight medical student who winds up in a car with a girl who takes him to her home in Humbolt County.  Very much out of place, she ditches him there and after a couple failed attempts at catching a bus, decides he maybe does not want to leave Humbolt County quite yet.  The family he stays with gladly adopts him as one of their own right away and he begins to learn a little bit about a life he realizes he doesn't know anything about.  Stoned or sober, this is a fantastic movie to watch.  Tears may surprise you as they run down your cheeks by the end of the movie. 

Let me also tell you what NOT to watch.  'Cause let's face it:  there are some movies out there that you watch that you feel like you just wasted time with.  "The Way Of War" was one of those for me, and I didn't even finish it.  There was no need.  It was almost all the way through and I felt nothing towards the characters or the storyline.  It stars Cuba Gooding Jr. and it is about a man who is used by the goverment to do some evil things that they will cover up and how he stood up for what was wrong and was punished for it. So he decides to fight them on his own.  Something like that....it was one of those movies that jumps the timeline around for dramatic effect.  That effect sometimes works, and sometimes fails.  This one failed miserably.  You know exactly what the movie is about from the trailer, but watching it, it jumps around with flashbacks and current events so much, it leaves you confused with why he is having these continued flashbacks.  In the big picture you know why, but in the movie,  they come at such odd times and keep getting continued, so that you really lose compassion for the character, because nothing actually triggers these flashbacks, they just occur.  So when they tried the really dramatic, heartfelt scene, I felt nothing.  I could not identify with the main character, or anybody else for that matter.  It jumped around so much, you knew exactly what was going on, and are left wondering why they chose to try to confuse you or lead you on so that you are so intrigued you want to watch the entire movie to see how it all fits together.  You know right away how it all fits together, and wonder why they don't just follow a normal timeline in the sequence of events.  If they had done that, I might have been able to be sympathetic towards the character and feel emotion towards the plot.  Instead, I felt absolutely nothing.  I didn't even want to finish it.  Cuba Gooding Jr was pretty good, but the writing just killed this movie.  They almost had it.  They had good actors, a great story line, but they just put it together all wrong and failed at really attracting and pulling in the attention of the audience, or at least this audience.  Do not bother with this movie, even if you are a fan of Cuba Gooding Jr, it will just disappoint you.

So if you have seen either of these movies and agree wholeheartedly with me, please contact me for more tips on what to watch and what not to watch, I love to share good movies with people.  If you do not agree with me, that is okay, that just means we have opposite views on what makes a movie good.  I aim my movie reviews at an audience that I can identify with, that have similar ideaologies as myself.  I won't be offended if you have an opposite understanding of my reviews.  Just get your movie ideas from someone else then.  If anybody likes what I have written and wants to share movie ideas with me to watch or avoid, please do!  

Give these movies some thought, and if you agree with what I have said, then please:  Let ME tell you what to watch!!!  If I can't have my dream job in reality, I can have it in theory at least, right??