Review: Dazed and Confused

       High school is a different experience for everyone. For some, it is the high point of their lives, a time when they feel like kings ruling over their domain. For others, it's a difficult time filled with awkwardness and agony. Regardless of what you're high school experience is, most people look back on it fondly with a nostalgia that block out most of the more painful moments. It's a time where we come of age, discover who we are, and step into adulthood. This is a truth understood in Dazed and Confused, where we follow different high schoolers on the last day of class and the long night that follows. Each of the characters appears to be having a great time, drinking beer and smoking weed, hanging out at various local establishments, but many of them are to focused on the various small problems in their life to truly enjoy themselves.

Review: Bernie

       Jack Black made a name for himself by being the goofy fat guy from School of Rock, who made his money by appearing in crappy kids movies like Gullivers Travels. He has received very little recognition for his acting abilities because he has spent so much time playing either versions of himself, or playing in limited roles. I've been a fan of Jack Black's musical work in Tenacious D for a long time, but he had yet to impress me with his acting skills. Here in Bernie he plays way against type. Instead of a boorish freeloader, he plays a fastidious, effeminate, Texas funeral director, and he hits it out of the park. It's the casting of Black in this role so far from what we imagine him being and his ability to do so well in that role is what makes Bernie so wonderful.