She's come a long way since The Princess Diaries

So today I watched a film called Havoc, which was released back in 2005 as a straight-to-DVD film. As soon as I hear the words "straight-to-DVD" I assume the worst, as this right is usually reserved to less-than-par sequels and basic garbage that the studio couldn't really afford to have shown in cinemas. And to be frank, this one was pretty much the proof in the pudding.

I had seen a movie poster for the film a couple of weeks ago, but hadn't really considering checking it out, as the 2 names mentioned are "Anne Hathaway" (The Princess Diaries) and "Bijou Philips" (I'll be honest, I had to look her up. Apparently she's been in Almost Famous and Hostel Part 2. Oh and in GTA San Andreas as a character called "Helena Wankstein"). Not exactly entirely enticing, but if I tell you now that you see Hathaway's boobsicles at least twice, will you change your mind? Probably not, the Internet is littered with these things people call 'breasts'.

The reason I finally got round to watching it tho? Well honestly, in "researching" my last post, I looked on the wikipedia page for the new G.I. Joe movie, and was surprised to learn that Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock from the Sun) was in it. Now I've been a fan of his for quite some time, probably spreading back to when he was on 3rd Rock, but since then he's done some pretty stellar low-key indie flicks such as Mysterious Skin, Brick, and The Lookout, all of which showcased his tremendous skills as an actor. Having seen he was in Havoc, I figured that he'd at least add some serious weight to the cast (which also includes Channing Tatum of Step Up fame), but alas, it was not to be.

Levitt's role is fairly small, and frankly, not that great, which didn't exactly give me hope for the rest of the film. The film itself depicts the life of so-called rich 'Wiggers' and the rebellious nature of upper-class teens becoming mixed up in a world unknown to them (which apparently is alllll the way from Beverly Hills down to East L.A.). Now the premise for the film is actually fairly intriguing, and could have potentially made something of itself. However, one can't exactly get over the fact that Anne Hathaway is playing the lead, who to me doesn't exactly strike me as someone who could really portray the angst that should have been felt by her character. To me, she seemed TOO Beverly Hills, and I couldn't connect with her representation of a character who is trying to fit in with an East L.A. Mexican gang.

If you're like me and you have nothing better to do (or are intrigued by the afforementioned Hathaway boobathon), then give it a watch and see what you think. Just don't go into it expecting miracles. What you should watch out for though is Levitt's upcoming movie 500 Days of Summer, which alongside Zooey Deschanel (You may have seen her in Yes Man or Elf , but I much prefer her roles in The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Go-Getter, an excellent cameo in Weeds) is looking like a great film from the trailer. I like the fact it's being released on Fox Searchlight Pictures, which specialises in great Indie films, and according to wikipedia has brought us I ♥ Huckabees, Super Troopers, Thank You For Smoking, Garden State, Little Miss Sunshine, The Darjeeling Ltd, Juno, and is set to bring us the Arrested Development movie. There's no bias there, but I'm pretty certain thats one of the greatest collections of films I've ever seen :)

~Lazy