3/50x2: Being John Malkovich

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in someone else's body?

Well, what about if that body was that of actor extraordinaire John Malkovich?

Being John Malkovich gives you the opportunity to do just that. Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is a puppeteer, who does small jobs here and there, but wants to make puppeteering huge.

He is married to Lotte Schwartz (Cameron Diaz), who is completely obsessed with animals - and has a ton of them throughout their apartment. Lotte wants to have a child, but Craig doesn't feel they are ready financially yet. He does agree, however, to get a job and he lands one at a weird office at LesterCorp on the 7 1/2 floor. He becomes a file clerk under new boss, Dr. Lester (Orson Bean).

While there he runs into Maxine (Catherine Keener) and becomes very attractive to him - despite her non-attraction to her, he stays very persistent.

Schwartz the makes a pretty iconic discovery - a small door that when entered allows you to get inside the body of actor John Malkovich for 15 minutes. Then it spits you out on the side of the NJ Turnpike.

Schwartz brings this to the attention of Maxine in hopes to gain her attention, and it sort of does, but more in the form that the two of them begin charging money for people to spend time inside John Malkovich.

This was a very strange, yet entertaining film. I like when films go out on a limb a little bit and don't completely fall on their face.

The acting was done very well, but the most entertaining was John Malkovich practically playing himself - yet even more over the top, if that is possible.

Grade:

26/50: Knight and Day

Last year a couple films came out that sort of had the same premise. An agent that runs into a run-of-the-mill woman, who somehow gets involved in their world.

I wanted to watch both to see which one I would like better, but I have to say I already think it is going to be Knight and Day.

Roy Miller (Tom Cruise) appears to be a rogue agent. He travels on a plane and does his best to keep everyone off of it - knowing what is on the plane - but somehow June Havens (Cameron Diaz) manages to make it on board. While in the bathroom, a bunch of agents jump out and attack Roy, who manages to kill everyone (including the pilots). When June comes out of the bathroom she is confronted with the airplane heading down and a bunch of dead passengers.

After the crash, Roy drugs June and she wakes up in her apartment - where Roy hopes to have left her for the last time. However, the other agents think that June may be teamed with June and capture her to question her.

This leads us on a trip around the world as Roy and June try to evade the other agents and track down Simon Feck (Paul Dano), who has created the Zephyr - a perpetual energy battery.

I have to admit, I really enjoyed this. This is the type of Cruise we need at almost all times - the crazy, off the wall actor. Also enjoyed Diaz in her role and without seeing the other film, I suspect I will have enjoyed her over Katherine Heigl.

Grade:

5/50: Shrek Forever After

OK. I have stated before how much I love the Shrek franchise. The first Shrek is one of my favorite cartoons of all time. And, I have liked each additional Shrek along the way as well - probably each a little less than the previous.

I think it is good that this last one was, in fact, the last Shrek. Shrek Forever After was decent. I laughed a few times and it was sort of cool to see what exactly would have happened had Shrek not rescued Fiona. But, it sort of fizzled out and didn't have that certain special something that the other films had before it.

In a look back we see that Fiona's (Cameron Diaz) were about to make a deal with Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn) that would give him their castle and rule if he could have their daughter rescued. But, before they signed on the dotted line, they get word that their daughter has been rescued - by Shrek (Mike Myers) of course from the first film.

Back in present time it is the ogre babies birthday party and Shrek is really freaking out. He loves his family and friends, but he longs for the days that he was feared and was a normal ogre. After freaking out at the party, Shrek starts walking home and gets picked up by Rumpelstiltskin - he makes him feel at home and gets him to sign an agreement that would give Shrek one day as his old ogre self and all he would have to give up is a day from his past - so Shrek agrees.

Well, it turns out that the day Rumpelstiltskin got rid of was his birthday - so Shrek was never born. And, in this new world, Rumpelstiltskin is now the ruler and witches terrorize everyone. Fiona and other ogres are trying to lead a rebellion against Rumpelstiltskin; Puss In Buss (Antonia Banderas) is a fat cat; and Donkey (Eddie Murphy) is singing and pulling a wagon for the witches.

There is only one way to break the spell and it is up to Shrek to figure out what it is before the day is over - or things will remain this way forever.

Like I said, not a horrible film, but compared to the Shrek's before it there is really no comparison. Also, I am not sure who this Walt Dohrn is. Did they run out of money on this film? Why could they not get a well-known voice for the part? Also, I think it would have been a fun idea to have Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) return when everything changed - it would have been a great way to tie all of the movies together.

Grade: