Films Z-C

Head To HavingSaidThat.net...

2010-01-15T14:34:00.000-08:00

Hello,
Filmsz-c is no more and I will only be updating Havingsaidthat.net from now. I thank you for supporting this site over the last few years and I hope you continue to follow and bookmark my views at Havingsaidthat.net.

Thanks,

Zac

Review: Leap Year

2010-01-08T00:01:00.001-08:00

Leap Year is a conventional rom-com that makes all the prescribed moves and is entirely predictable; only its two likeable leads and excellent cinematography save it from being an absolute failure.
Amy Adams and Matthew Goode are just to fine of actors to be in this trivial and run of the mill premise where the only fresh thing about the picture is its Irish setting. The gimmick of this film is that Amy Adams’s character, Anna, decides to go to Dublin to propose to her boyfriend on the one day that it is apparently ok for the woman to propose in the relationship; February 29th, Leap Day. Her boyfriend is a good guy, just lacks emotional initiative, her trip to Dublin doesn’t go as planned though and she takes a very roundabout way to get there in which she runs into a handsome Irish man, Declan (Goode); guess where this is going. The two then slowly trek their way to Dublin as a number of unfortunate incidents force them to bond and get closer to each other than they hoped for.
The film follows all of the conventions of the genre and it’s a real shame they couldn’t take the film in more interesting places with such strong leads. Adams and Goode are both charming enough and fine enough actors for us to go along with most of the genre’s shenanigans, but even they can’t overcome the contrived turns at the end. This film also another victim of completely victimizing a poor undeserving sap that gets tossed aside for doing nothing of consequence. Why do the guys that get dumped not do horrible things to deserve it anymore in romantic comedies? Now all it takes to leave a guy it seems is a bit of an accent and rugged looks and women are completely ok with the stars of these films dumping their men.
I will say though, Leap Year on more than one occasion really wowed me with some of the camera work on display. Director Anand Tucker really captures the beauty of the Irish countryside and the films locations are a real love letter to the country and its nature. I wish Tucker would have taken his visual inspiration and put it into his storytelling and given us something more original. In fact, the leap the film takes with the couple getting invited to a wedding is quite the stretch and the final gag of the segment is at the expense of another innocent victim that is really upsetting to an extent.
Amy Adams is a great actress, but sadly here she plays a bit to much to type but she is still charming enough to forgive her a bit. Goode on the other hand is quite good and a blast to watch and is the most rewarding part of the film. His charisma is infectious and he is quite funny most of the time perfectly delivering some potentially dreadful jokes so that they don’t fall flat. Adam Scott successfully plays the boyfriend in question, though as an actor he doesn’t do anything terribly different than what he has before and far less funny and edgy which is when he is at his best.
In the end, Leap Year is nothing new for the genre but at least does the genre well. With that said, I don’t think we can really reward a film for going through the paces even if they do it solidly. Goode and Adams are both solid, with Goode really standing out but they can’t save the film from mediocrity. With that said, people who like this genre will probably find little to complain about and the film doesn’t fail as a romantic comedy it just doesn’t do anything new for it.
Leap Year is a D

Review: Youth in Revolt

2010-01-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

Youth in Revolt might look like another run of the mill Michael Cera movie, but in actuality it is one of his best acted and broadest range shown yet in a surprisingly fun and irreverent farce about fighting for the one you love.
Nick Twisp is your average teenage boy, without a girl, enthralled with sex, and is rather awkward when put in a potential female encounter. Everyone is of course getting some around him as well, including his divorced parents, which only rubs salt in his wounds. So when he meets the girl of his dreams, Sheeni, he decides he will do anything to stay close to her as they are torn apart from both sides. This leads to Nick creating an alternate personality to do what Nick Twisp can’t, and his name is Francois Dillinger, and Dillinger is bad.
Dillinger is barely in the film, popping in and out of scenes, for a matter of seconds sometime, but he is endlessly hilarious and shows Cera’s range as an actor and gives one hope he can do more than what the studio heads want him to do right now. It isn’t a surprise that Cera can do this to his fans that have seen him fool around in behind the scenes stuff he has done, but he will catch a lot of people off guard. But this is a good thing and a step forward to Cera breaking out of his shell. Hopefully we get fresh Cera for Scott Pilgrim next year and more in the years to come, because if Francois is any indication of what he is capable we are in for a treat.
The rest of the cast is also full of strong supporting actors from Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Long, Fred Willard, Jean Smart, and introducing Portia Doubleday as Sheeni. There is some real talent here and they are all wonderfully comfortable and hilarious in this world. Doubleday does a very fine job as the smart and cute female lead and creates an original female protagonist that doesn’t really have a type. Everyone else listed above has much smaller roles, but all take full advantage of their screen time and deliver the laughs.
The films tone is also just the right mix of dark and farce having fun with the genre while remaining entirely original and clever. The film is also delightfully R rated as I was not expecting that based on the preview. Anything but tame, the humor is adult and vulgar at times while rarely off putting. Discussions on sex are a plenty and they don’t hold back at all, especially Dillinger. Some of the humor is probably a bit juvenile at times, but I think it is actually quite honest to a lot of younger boy’s thoughts and actions at the same time.
This film has been done for awhile now and delayed a number of times, but don’t let that scare you away as I think the studio is more worried about competition and being able to let the film slowly gain an audience with word of mouth, as it will be good, and January should be a good time for that. And again, the film’s marketing is selling it short of what it really is and is far less conventional than it seems.
In the end, Youth in Revolt is a great comedy to start off the year and a great step forward for Cera. Miguel Arteta deserves credit for adapting an odd novel by C.D. Payne and creating a hilarious and adult comedy about young love. A supporting cast of comedy all-stars help this film to be populated with wonderful characters around Cera’s alter egos, but Francois Dillinger will be the one you most remember. Fans and non-fans of Cera have will both enjoy this film as it is a fresh look for the actor and there are a lot of other characters for the Cera weary to enjoy. Youth in Revolt is a good start for the comedy year.
Youth in Revolt is an A-

Review: Nine

2009-12-25T00:01:00.001-08:00

Nine is Rob Marshall’s return to musicals and the result is a bit unexpected but full of quality performances and entertaining musical numbers that entertain nearly from start to finish.
The film picks up ten days prior to the start date of Guido Contini’s latest and ninth film and the stars, the costumes, the sets are all booked or well under way. The only problem is that Contini has no idea, no story, and no script, just a title; Italia. It also doesn’t help that Contini has had a series of flops and is about ready to launch into a full on mid-life crisis. Juggling the many women in his life, his dead mother, muse of a star, mistress, sultry reporter, his past, his costume designer, and his wife, he searches for inspiration as we plow toward the start of production and he tries to bring this picture together.
Daniel Day Lewis stars as Contini and is marvelous in the role. Funny, frantic, fast talking and just the right amount of sleaze come out of him as he dodges questions and women searching for inspiration. Contini is in every scene of the film and his journey would make for an interesting film even without the musical numbers added in. Day Lewis does a fine job, as expected with the singing and dancing of the role and is entirely convincing as an Italian. The mid life crisis story has been done time and time again, but this one definitely holds up told through the eyes of Contini and is full of entertainment as he imagines his world through musical numbers full of sexiness and flash.
Now the film also flaunts a cast of successful women, though none of the women have very large roles in the film but are nonetheless substantial too Contini’s journey. Marion Cotillard plays Mrs. Contini and she is the stand out of the women on display. Her scenes with the cheating husband and her torn emotions for the man she loves and the man she hates come across wonderfully on the screen and we can sympathize with her all the way. Cotillard also gets a pair of numbers, the only woman to get two, and she knocks them both out of the park. The first is more of a vocal showcase but acts as a perfect set up and contrast to her final number in which she busts out of her shell and melts the screen.
Judi Dench has probably the next most substantial role, as longtime collaborator and costume designer for Contini, and while her number might not be the flashiest and dullest entry she more than makes up with it for her quick wit and back and forth humor and moments with Day Lewis. Though, Dench doesn’t do a whole lot new here, playing the mentoring motherly figure, but she is great at that so I won’t complain.
Penélope Cruz plays Contini’s mistress and is absolutely sexy and sultry and practically breathtaking as she seduces everyone in the audience. Playing Carla with such fire and intensity you can’t help but be attracted to her and her musical number is one of the sexiest things you will find in the cinema in sometime.
Nicole Kidman stars as Contini’s star, Claudia Jenssen, and while she does a fine job, her segment of the film I found by far the least interesting. While I understand its need in the film, I just wish there was more to it as the message is a bit repetitive and her number is nothing special and rather bland with no dancing or anything of interest going on.
Kate Hudson pops up in a few scenes as an American journalist with Vogue who is in love with Contini the man and the film and she is appropriately sexy and full of energy and Hudson doesn’t hold back. Her musical sequence is by far the most fun and the song is almost radio ready by today’s pop standards. The production and choreography is also a blast for her big number and is arguably the most pure entertaining numbers of the film.
Fergie’s role is by far the smallest, playing a prostitute in a flashback to Contini’s childhood, and I think she does a fine job of capturing the attitude of a whore from that era. Her song is probably the best in the film as well and the musical number accompanying it isn’t a spectacle but extremely effective.
Sophia Loren gets about as much screen time as Fergie as Contini’s mother and she is unfortunately fairly forgettable in the film and I’m sorry but I can’t take her seriously with her plastic face; I am not trying to be mean it is just how I feel.
Rob Marshall’s musical numbers are not what you expect as a whole I should warn though. They are rather reserved, outside Fergie and Hudson’s, and aren’t as showy as you might think. With that said they are entertaining and I think his filmmaking abilities on the non-stage stuff has gotten much better since Chicago and is far more creative and interesting; even if the musical numbers are not. The songs are also almost entirely enjoyable with a couple of real standouts as you can tell from before.
In the end, Nine is a fine effort from Marshall and features some solid turns from a bevy of fine actresses. Daniel Day Lewis is fantastic as always but the role isn’t his most memorable work of recent years. The first hour of the film also outshines the latter half and I wish they could have kept up the humor and pacing they had over the course of the whole picture. Fans of musicals will have nothing to complain about here as will fans of film in general. Nine is a wonderful look at the filmmaking process and is told with style to spare and is an effective tale about the struggles of being creative and accomplishing something with yourself and feeling important.
Nine is a B+ with possible room to grow

Review: A Single Man

2009-12-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

A Single Man is a career defining performance from Colin Firth and one of the strongest, most confident, and beautiful directorial debuts I can recall from Tom Ford.
The film’s theme touch on everything from loss, death, love, friendship, and purpose in life and never feels forced, always natural and honest discussions on the subjects. The film follows a man, George, who decides that today will be the day he finally gets over his lost love that died tragically in a car accident while away on vacation. The two had been together for years and months after their death George was still having problems everyday getting through his life and not drowning in sadness.
The film takes place over a single day and engages from start to finish with a number of interesting stops along the way for George as he tries to move on from his lover, Jim. As George grapples with the struggles of the day, they trigger moments in the past with Jim and the scenes are poignant and touching and we really get a sense of their relationship and bond with little screen time devoted to them.
Tom Ford directs the adaptation of Christopher Isherwood and this film doesn’t waste a single frame of the film. Ford is/was a clothing designer so the man knows details and it is no surprise that his film is so articulate and beautifully put together. Every shot is interesting and superbly framed and I can not wait to have this at home on Blu-ray. You could turn the sound off on the picture and still be engaged by the imagery put on screen. Tom Ford has instantly made me interested in everything he does and he can’t make a new film soon enough.
There is only one real concern I had with the picture and that is with the ending which I just don’t get why they did what they did. The protagonists decided method to move on is fully revealed half way through the film and I don’t understand how they got to the end they do. I would love to hear what Ford has to say about it as it is the only thing holding this thing back from perfection.
The film is also quite humorous at times as well injecting humor into situations that should not be funny one bit. Firth’s wit and humor comes across so naturally through this man who is in such a tough place, and the film had a couple of brilliant moments of comedy that seemingly come out of no where and are usually diversions into George’s imagination.
The actors in this film are wonderful beyond Firth, with the only weak-ish link being Nicholas Hoult. Now Hoult isn’t bad by any means he is just outmatched by Firth in their scenes and he feels like he is just delivering his lines and not embodying the character. Lee Pace makes a brief and quite funny appearance in the film and is a great example of how they inject humor into this rather sad material. Matthew Goode is wonderful as Jim and you just wish you got more scenes with him. Goode is such a great actor, somebody make this guy a star already. Julianne Moore plays an eccentric divorcee, longtime friend, and former lover of George’s and she knocks it out of the park as usual. Her main scene with Firth is powerful and revealing for her character and it is amazing to watch the two convey such serious ideas and still be fully believable as they work through it. Jon Kortajarena makes a brief appearance as a Spanish drifter in the film and he is not only handsome and a James Dean ringer, but the chemistry between him in Firth is electric in an instant and he stands toe to toe. Lastly, Firth delivers the performance of his career and arguably the best male or female performance of the year. His range is awe inspiring, crushing your heart one moment then making you laugh the next he is a marvel to watch. As he goes through the motions we can’t help be compelled by his sadness and we can only hope he continues to get such meaty performances from him.
In the end, A Single Man is a wonderful film that outside its ending has zero complaints from me. It is beautiful, finely acted, and an amazing debut from Tom Ford. Firth has never been better and you will find few better turns this year. A lock for top 10 films of the year, I just really want to figure out what they were going for with the ending because they were this close to a masterpiece.
A Single Man is an A

Review: Avatar

2009-12-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

James Cameron’s Avatar is finally here and not only does it deliver the visuals effects we were promised, which are quite possibly the best ever put on film, but the story is engaging and entertaining, if familiar, with a third act that must be seen to believe.
In Avatar, James Cameron has literally created an entire world in Pandora that feels like we barely even break the surface of what Cameron has in his imagination for this expansive and deep universe. What is Pandora and why should we care about it? Pandora is a planet that earthlings have discovered contains an element that is valuable in its resource abilities back on Earth. The problem is Pandora is populated by a number of dangerous indigenous creatures and a humanoid race of people known to humans as the Na’vi. The project has been on going for years as the humans try to co-exist and mine for minerals while the Na’vi resist the encroaching on their land. Enter Jake Sully, a paralyzed marine who is recruited to replace his twin brother who was part of a program that trained humans to control a Na’vi avatar to help research the moon and work towards a peaceful resolution with the Na’vi to mine the minerals of Pandora. Unfortunately when Jake arrives tensions are at an all time high and the two species are on the brink of war and Jake’s path unknowingly will intertwine with the fate of the Na’vi.
So enough plot, how is the film? Pretty damn good actually and the world Cameron has created is one I wish to know more of and hope we get more of in either a directors cut or eventual sequels to this film. Cameron has created tons of creatures, a language and religion for the Na’vi, and a world full of imagination and vision we haven’t seen in a sci-fi film in years. There is so much cool information and material that we barely even get glimpse of and even other tribes of Na’vi we discover in the latter part of the film that we are not even exposed to. Their religion is spiritual and fairly original, the workings of the planet are intriguing and thought provoking, and the creatures are inspired and imaginative. Even the history of the Na’vi seems compelling and leaves you wishing we could have seen some of the events described in the film. The world of Pandora is a true testament to the imagination of James Cameron and you can tell that he loves this world he created.
Technically speaking, this film is really a sight to be seen. The 3-D work in the film blows everything ever done in the third dimension out of the water. The interior scenes at the human base are full of screens and maps that are just so wonderfully realized and beautiful to look at it is almost a distraction at first. Then there is Pandora which you would think is a real place if we didn’t know this was a work of fiction. The creatures, the Na’vi, the landscapes, are almost completely photo realistic and you get lost in the fact that you are watching twelve foot creatures walking around. And when the sunsets in Pandora it is one of the most beautiful locales put on to film. Everything seemingly has incandescence, my favorite being the moss glowing and fading away as it is touched, and how things glow through prayer or physical interaction is awe inspiring. The creation of this world is done so well I would gladly comeback again in a heartbeat.
As a story, Avatar, works for the most part as well. The plot isn’t the most terribly original and things do tend to be a tad predictable, but the fresh layer of paint to this story by placing it in Pandora makes it worth while. But don’t let me lead you into thinking that the film is a rip off or re-hash by any means, the film just feels familiar; which isn’t necessarily even a bad thing. I just found myself hoping for Cameron to do something new or different, story wise, with his tale and he finally blows the doors open in the third act. The fighting and the mythology of the Na’vi really came into play in the films third act and this is when the film is really at its best. Not only is the action top notch and jaw dropping but I think people will really get caught up in the lore and mythos of the Na’vi that come into play. With all this said, I feel like the film could have used an extra hour or so; yes even at two hours and forty minutes. Too many characters are left to the barest of their emotions. If we could have had a few extra scenes with a few characters we could have really got to know a lot more about them and had a bit more of an emotional connection with them and their actions. Show me more of the confliction in Giovanni Ribisi’s Parker over ravaging the planet or peacefully coming to terms. Show me more of Sigourney Weaver’s Grace teaching and back story with the Na’vi. Give us more of evidence as to why these grunts hate the Na’vi so much that they want to kill them. Why does Michelle Rodriguez’s Trudy not have the heart to commit slaughter? These are questions and characters I wish we got to know more of and I think more time spent with them, without cutting anything else in the process, could have elevated this film even further. And you can see where Cameron is trimming things down, let’s hope he gets to do a director’s cut like he has in the past for Avatar on Blu-ray. But when your biggest complaint for the film is that you wish there was more, that isn’t really a knock on the film, as these characters still work in their current state.
The actors mentioned above all do fine work with Ribisi being appropriately weasley, Rodriguez is actually likeable and not playing the hard ass (well most of the time), and Weaver is possibly the highlight of the film on the human side of things. Weaver gets the most laughs and does a fantastic job of creating a counter power figure for science to appose the military side of the humans. Sam Worthington continues to do good work this year and while he might get stuck with a few too many corny lines, he makes enough of the believable that he deserves some credit for that. He also delivers a fine mo-cap performance when he is a Na’vi walking that fine line of human and giving himself over to the Na’vi culture. Zoe Saldana is great as the Na’vi lead, Neytiri convincingly diving back and forth between her broken English and the native tongue. She also is a physical and animal presence as she fight and battles with Worthington and is tender with ferocity lying just under the skin when she needs to. Stephen Lang is fun, and almost over the top, as the human’s head security officer and bad guy of the film. And while he isn’t the most memorable or original enemy to grace the screen, he is still a worthy adversary in the film.
In the end, Avatar is a resounding achievement in effects, atmosphere, and creating an original world in cinema. Pandora and its inhabitants are an engaging world that is a blast to experience and one can’t help but to get lost in its magnificence. The story, while familiar, has plenty of original back story and history due to the rich background of the Na’vi and a third act that contains one of the most impressive action sequences to be put on the silver screen. James Cameron has shown us what 3-D and his imagination can look like when pushed to their limits and his vision of what cinema can deliver technically is might impressive. This film must be seen in 3-D and you will not regret taking a trip to Pandora in Avatar as it is full of wonders and technology that must be seen to believed; and I can’t wait to go back.
Avatar is an A-

Review: Up in the Air

2009-12-11T00:52:00.000-08:00

Up in the Air is a painfully honest film that not only looks into the lives of our three main leads but will cause a number of viewers to reflect back on their own in these troubling times.
Jason Reitman adapts the novel by Walter Kim into a funny and sad tale that takes us all across the country and into the life, or lack there of, of Ryan Bingham; played wonderfully by George Clooney. Bingham’s home is the airport, or should we say, airports. Living his life almost literally in the skies as he flies from company to company around the country as he is hired to come in and make employees redundant. This job has made him numb to the world and unable to make any real connections to just about anyone. Bingham even gives seminars about how to detach yourself from the things that hold you back and possess you instead of possessing them. We see him doing his job, which he does well, and the company he works for sells their business as helping these employees look toward their future and helping them cope with this traumatic moment in their life.
Bingham’s world is put into jeopardy when a young gun, Natalie, with the company plans to revolutionize this niche industry with web based meetings when they fire these unfortunate employees. To make things worse, Bingham is forced to take Natalie along the road to train her a bit and the two set out to downsize a number of companies across the country.
Natalie is played wonderfully by Anna Kendrick and has burst out on to the scene as a young actress to be reckoned with. She had shown some good work with Rocket Science and she is always going to be known for her work in Twilight, but this will be looked at as her coming out party. She is funny, kind of a tight ass, and does a fantastic job at capturing a young women’s life view. She also is marvelous as her idealized view of the world slowly crumbles and her melt down half way through the film is a highlight of the picture.
Vera Farmiga is wonderful as well as a love interest, if we can call it that, of Bingham who gets off on traveling, miles, and executive class clubs offered at hotels, rental companies, airlines, and airports. Her chemistry with Clooney is fantastic and you can’t help but be lit up by her appearance when she crosses paths with Bingham along their travels.
George Clooney delivers one of his finer performances of his career as the seemingly closed off Bingham. At first Clooney charisma is honorable through the tough job he has to perform, his charm and wit are as sharp as ever, and he is incredibly likeable even though he has detached himself from relationships. Clooney really shines as Bingham when he has to adjust to his changing world around him and he slowly realizes his life might not be what he wants any more.
The rest of the cast is rounded out by a strong ensemble full of comedy vets, Jason Bateman, Danny McBride, J.K. Simmons, Zach Galifianakis, and Sam Elliott. Most are regulated to a scene or two, with Bateman and McBride getting the most screen time out of these guys. What’s interesting about these guys is that they are notorious improvisers but neither of them really gets to showcase that at all and still remain very good in their respective roles; which is a good thing. Melanie Lynskey and Amy Morton also contribute fine work as Bingham’s sisters who show up at the later character’s wedding.
Reitman deserves a lot of credit as well for writing a solid script with Sheldon Turner and never giving into Hollywood moments. There isn’t one non-genuine moment in this film and that is a testament to Reitman’s vision which isn’t afraid to challenge the audience and not make it easy for them.
The film’s themes also really resonate with today, surrounding the need for change in our lives, the loss of jobs, and the horrible position it is presenting for so many Americans today. The film tackles the topics straight forwardly and captures the sadness and humor in the situation while still somehow inspiring some hope in a situation that seems hopeless.
In the end, Up in the Air is sweet, humorous, and topical for today’s social climate. Love is failing, jobs are disappearing, and our stars perfectly capture these emotions and the way they affect society. Reitman’s craft gets better with every film out and he continues to make the case as the best young director working today, now three for three with Thank You For Smoking, Juno, and Up in the Air. The performances from the three leads are quite great and Clooney gives one of his better turns in his career. Up in the Air will challenge your emotions and will not conform to what you are expecting and is a breath of fresh air for Hollywood produced drama.
Up in the Air is an A

Review: The Princess and the Frog

2009-12-11T00:01:00.001-08:00

The Princess and the Frog isn’t a return to the brilliant early 90’s heyday of Disney Animation, but it is for sure a huge step in the right direction.
Twisting the classic tale of The Frog Princess on its head this version of the classic fairytale has the “princess” turn into a frog when she kisses the green prince and the two embark on a journey through the New Orleans bayou in hopes of returning to their human form. The tale is full of voodoo magic, jazz anthems, and talking creatures from the swamps pop up and populate the story that does a nice job of paving its own path while evoking enough of those classic films to create a familiarity with them that this desperately hopes it will be considered with.
The story side of things can be a tad bit repetitive and drags a bit once we hit the swaps. The film does manage to squeeze some quality jokes into picture though with Prince Naveen and Louis the alligator providing most of the film's laughs. The film also does a very good job at creating a beautiful period era New Orleans and the city is bustling with music and character.
The stuff that really works in the film is the music and anything that has to do with voodoo. Dr. Facilier is a lot of fun and delightfully wicked. Whether he is calling on evil spirits, spinning a web of deception around Naveen, or scheming in the shadows the character is always interesting. The good voodoo character, Mama Odie, is a bit too stereotypical but they make the most of her screen time and she gets one of the best songs as well. All of the songs in fact are quite good and are easy to listen too and Randy Newman has doe a really great job of capturing the jazz vibe of New Orleans and infusing it into catchy Disney songs.
Tiana, the film’s “princess” frog, has a very humble and sweet background as well and the character is one of the more fleshed out and real to come around in a Disney Animation film in sometime. Her dream of opening her own restaurant is admirable as well and is a dream we can get behind as it is real and not some hokey fairy tale desire. Naveen is charming and humorous and Bruno Campos infuses an instant liability that could easily dive into conceded and pompous, but instead we root for him and Tiana. Keith David also deserves note as Dr. Facilier as he is evil yet believable in that he is able to entrance people into his schemes.
The films directors, John Musker and Ron Clements, and their animation team have crafted one of the most beautiful animated films put on screen and should reawaken people to the fact that we don’t need all our animated movies to be computer animated to look spectacular. I also love how they infuse varying animation looks and styles into certain songs and sequences which help transport us into the characters imagination executed no better than the sequence in Tiana’s future restaurant as she dreams what it could be. The lightning bug sequence and the voodoo number are also extremely impressive and really demonstrate the beauty of hand drawn animation.
In the end, The Princess and the Frog is a huge step forward for Disney Animation and John Lasseter continues to prove he knows what he is doing with the Mouse House. Full of fantastic songs, beautiful animation, a few memorable characters, and a real back story we can be behind, the film is an enjoyable affair. The storytelling could have been a bit more interesting and flowed a bit better, but any fan of animation has to be excited about Disney’s reboot of the hand-drawn style and if it catches fire again we can thank this film for it.
The Princess and the Frog is a B

Review: Invictus

2009-12-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

Clint Eastwood’s latest is an unoriginal and uninspired affair, that while holding a fine performance from Morgan Freeman and some rewarding moments, is too flawed in too many areas to really excel.
The story revolves around the work of Nelson Mandela from the end of South Africa’s apartheid and through the first year or so of his presidency of the country. More specifically his work with the national rugby team, the Springboks, as a way to bring blacks and whites together to bond while trying to put years of oppression behind them between the once white controlled minority government in the predominantly black country.
As the native population finally achieves an equal status in the country, they instantly want to change things to their tradition and ridding themselves of any British ties. Mandela knows this is not possible if they are to succeed, and his strategizing and posturing to keep the peace and bring people closer together rather than father a part are the highlights of the film. These actions are even more powerful as this story and this man are real, making the work he does truly remarkable and inspiring. Morgan Freeman and most of his work and scenes in the film are what makes the film viable and one of the only real reasons to see this film; luckily he is in a lot of the picture.
Sadly the rest of the film doesn’t work nearly as well. Eastwood does not have a good grip on filming the sport of rugby and I was never really that enthralled or compelled by the events on the field which fill up the third act. The only rugby stuff that works was the charity camps the team puts on in the slums which was poignant and humorous and one of the highlights of the film. Outside of that there isn’t a lot for the rugby players to do, even Matt Damon as the Springboks team captain Francois Pienaar. Damon nails the accent but is unfortunately not given much to do with it. He is written thin and we really don’t get the sense of pride this guy really felt and that he was helping bring his country together. In fact, I wish we would have gotten to know this team a lot more and well beyond just Damon. The team is relegated to nothing more than a bunch of faces on the field, how are we supposed to get behind and care for these guys. Maybe if they spent less time focusing on the completely uninteresting and dull body guards we could have cared about the team in the least bit.
In fact, the focus given to the body guards was the films biggest misstep and the messages we get out of their story are plentiful in the plot and help contribute to the overkill of the “black and white together” message. The film also drums up the threat on Mandela’s life way to often when they could have just established it at the beginning and we would have been able to infer on our own that the threat was there; or at least be a bit more subtle with the implication. Subtle is in fact not in the vocabulary of the filmmakers here as the film beats things over your head and treats the audiences intelligence as being rather non-existent really dumbing things down and repeating points to make points painfully clear.
Stylistically and structurally the film could have used some added pep and more forward movement. The fore mentioned body guard scenes drag things to a halt and aren’t funny. In fact, most of the humor falls flat in the film. The film needed another pass in the edit room as well for my taste as things tend to crawl to the finish. And last but not least, the finale had two glaring eye rolling tics going for it, repetitive establishing shots of the CGI crowd in the stadium and around the city, seemingly every 10 seconds they pan across the crowd cheering or to a group of people watching the game, and egregious use of slow-mo. I think at one point the film is in slow motion for literally two to four minutes, it was ridiculous. Also, the insertion of the awful original song, full of relevant but terrible lyrics, was so awkward and out of place it stuck out like a sore thumb.
In the end, Invictus is quite the mixed bag. On one hand we have some great work by Freeman and some compelling story telling around Mandela and in the other there isn’t a lot to write home about. Stylistically the film is a bit odd and Eastwood and company focus on a couple of plot lines that really don’t deserve the attention they receive. The film is about Mandela and the Rugby team yet we learn nothing about the Rugby team. Instead we are hit over the head relentlessly with the black and white together imagery and focus on a number of characters that aren’t really interesting or important. Freeman is worth watching if you’re a fan and the film is by no means bad, I just feel like it could have been and done so much more if it focused its vision and didn’t try to be so all encompassing.
Invictus is a C-

Review: Thirst

2009-12-08T17:13:00.000-08:00

Chan-wook Park’s entry into the vampire genre is one of the fresher and more interesting entries into the genre yet is a bit uneven to be an absolute success.
Following Sang-hyun, a young and giving priest who does nothing but good for his community secretly doubts the failing world he lives in. Making the almost ultimate sacrifice he decides to participate in a clinical trial looking for a cure of a ghastly virus called, the Emmanuel Virus (EV). When the study goes bad everyone dies in the experiment except Sang-hyun and while he contracted the virus himself, which leads to legions all over your skin and vomiting blood, he shows no signs of the illness. This all changes though when he meets a young family at church from his childhood and is suddenly drawn to his old friend’s wife, Tae-Ju, which leads to unfortunate circumstances. This attraction causes his EV illness to suddenly arise and after a violent attack he awakes a vampire.
The film is a slow and deliberate affair for the first half of the film, but remains very interesting and engaging as we get to know Sang-hyun and we see him struggle with his humanity. Once he turns, the film does as well, diving into erotic romance, bizarre scenes (good bizarre), and a vampire ying and yang as two school of thoughts emerge with Sang-hyun deciding he must not kill to quench his thirst while another vampire that breaks on to the scene is all about the kill.
The visual style and look of the film is magnificent as usual when it comes to Park’s films and he cements himself as one of the oddest and interesting filmmakers working today. Though it was great to see such an original and inventive take on the genre especially in a time when a lot of filmmakers are trying a lot of things with said genre. The films sexual energy is also quite provocative and graphic and like many of Park’s film is a predominant theme to the film. Add to this the fact that Sang-hyum is a priest who begins to engage and enjoy the experience is startling and saying quite a lot about celibacy. The vampire action is also done very well, being very cool and original without being flashy and over the top. The finale act of the film also really shines as tension builds and the battle between the vampires hits a fever pitch and Sang-hyum slowly realizes his ultimate end.
The actors in the film are all quite good and while they might come across as a bit over the top at times in there melodramatic actions at times, they still coveys their characters emotions with such ferocity, or simplicity in one case, you can’t help but buy into their story. Sang-hyum is played with quiet confidence by Song Kang-ho and he and Kim Ok-bin as Tae-ju work wonderfully together whether they are engaged in an odd and passionate sexual experience or at each others throats over a differing of opinion. Shin Ha-kyun plays the husband of Tae-ju and he invokes such a feeling of helplessness and creepiness when necessary you can’t help but feel uncomfortable as intended when he is around in the final half of the film. Major props to Kim Hae-sook as well who shows an amazing amount of range as Tae-ju’s mother in law as she plays an almost entirely different character in the later half of the film and conveys and amazing amount of tension and emotion with few acting assets at her disposal.
In the end, Chan-wook Park creates an original vampire vision that is engaging and bizarre and full of invention in the genre. Great work by the actors and excellent direction from Park really makes the film original and full of creativity. The film gets better and better as it moves along and culminates in a perfect finale that is humorous and heartbreaking but ultimately feels right. Fans of Park shouldn’t miss this and from people looking for a fresh take on the vampire genre this right up there with Let the Right One In for best entries in the genre in recent memory.
Thirst is a B+

Review: Everybody's Fine

2009-12-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

Everybody’s Fine is an interesting look at family life for a widower but lacks any real plot or enlightening meaning to really make us admire it beyond its performances.
Kirk Jones’ film is a remake of an Italian film of the same name and stars Robert De Niro as said widower, Frank, who decides to spontaneously visit his children who are now spread all around the country after he fails to get them all to visit. As he heads out on to the road we learn that one of his sons, David, is in some sort of trouble in Mexico and his other children shuffle him along to one another keeping the issue a secret from him. David was the first child he visited, who obviously wasn’t home, and then he moves on to Amy, Robert, and Rosie in succession. And that is about the crux of the whole story and nothing much happens along the way leading to a rather dull plot, if you could call it that, to follow.
The most interesting and eventful stop is with his son Robert, who is played by Sam Rockwell, in which Frank gets a cold hard punch of truth when he finds that his son is not the aspiring conductor he was lead to believe by both his wife and Robert. It is hear it really begins to hit home with Frank and us that his kids aren’t entirely truthful and have a fairly poor connection with him. Rockwell plays the part extremely well on top of this being a bit neurotic and looking like he is going to break and let out the secret around David at any minute. Rockwell’s work here does touch his best, but he still brings a lot to the part regardless.
Kate Beckinsale plays Amy and gives off the seemingly perfect little life with her huge house and happy family, though there seems to be a rift between her son and his father. Beckinsale does a fine job at selling us on the outside but showing enough behind her skin that there is something not quite right going on with her. Subtle and very well done, Beckinsale’s work is very well done and bounces right off De Niro as she turns in some fine work.
Drew Barrymore plays Rosie whom Frank visits in Vegas and this visit goes as smoothly as any of the others with Frank learning a bit more about his kids he didn’t expect. Barrymore is very good here, sweet and charming, and she and De Niro have some great chemistry. She doesn’t have to show a lot of range but regardless she comes across as the most likeable kid of the bunch.
De Niro is in good form as well in a role that definitely puts him out of his normal bubble. Playing an ordinary middle class man is something we never really get to see from this fine actor and he eases right into the role. Really diving head first into the character he has a handful of little beats and tricks up his sleeve that give the character a real sense of authenticity. It is some of De Niro’s finer turns in years and hopefully he can keep this level of work going for some time.
With all that said about the performances there isn’t a whole lot to enjoy beyond that. The meetings are uneventful with the children, the attempt to create tension or an over arching plot with the mystery surrounding David’s incident doesn’t really work, and while the actors work well together their interactions are nothing we haven’t seen before. The gimmick with the younger version of the kids works at first but goes overboard once they all get together; you’ll know what scene I mean, and the tension attempted around Frank’s medication seem all a bit to contrived.
In the end, Everybody’s Fine is a finely acted film with a couple sweet moments thrown in throughout the picture. All this can’t overcome the plot less narrative and the fact that nothing interesting really happens the whole film. While the film does manage to not stray into sappy sentimentality, well almost, the overall experience is rather dull and quite sorrow. This is quite contrary to the ads for the film which are selling it as a warm family comedy of sorts, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I would wait to rent this picture, as it is worth watching, but it is a rather sad little film that will not blow you away by any means.
Everybody’s Fine is a C-

Review: Hunger

2009-12-01T01:04:00.001-08:00

Steve McQueen’s directorial debut is a triumphant first picture that has such sure of itself directing and acting it is a great start to a promising career told through a remarkable tale of political sacrifice.
The film is based on events surrounding the hunger strike of Bobby Sands in protest of Ireland’s ongoing struggles with British government. The film is contained almost entirely to the prison all of these IRA prisoners are being held in and we get a look into their lives of non-conformity as well as a look at the life of a particular guard. In fact Bobby Sands doesn’t show up until half way through the film, but he will captivate you every moment on screen.
While we wait for Sands to show up, the film is just as compelling as we follow the path of a new prisoner who demands he be treated to the terms of “The Five Demands”, an prison guard enforcer who fears for his life every step outside of the prison, the cell life of a pair of inmates as they smuggle contraband, smear their feces along the walls, and live without beds in protest. The film captures the intensity of the prison with such ease and in such interesting ways; the director’s vision is incredible for a rookie director. Some might complain the film lingers too long, but I think the films setting of prison and the long dull hours of life on the inside compliment the film well, and McQueen never leaves a lingering shot without a dull image or something interesting going on. Simple and affective, I can’t wait to see what he does yet and with a budget.
McQueen’s ability to invoke moods and tension through simple mechanisms is equally impressive and he will get your blood going on more than one occasion. McQueen also tells us so much with so little, sometimes even no words at all. Giving us full realizations of a minor character in a brief sequence with little more than the actor’s facial work and an establishing shot here and there, it is remarkable.
McQueen also gets incredible work out of his actors, starting with Michael Fassbender as Bobby Sands. From the physical endurance of the role to the expressing the man’s mind through words, Fassbender is remarkable and lets hope between this and Inglourious Basterds that he is on his way to bigger things. Liam Cunningham also deserves notice for going toe to toe with Fassbender in an absolutely amazing display of acting in a single take sequence of dialogue between Sands and a priest (Cunningham). The two seem so natural and speak so eloquently, it is a real marvel to watch, even if it might have carried on a tad to long. Stuart Graham who plays the main guard is also riveting on screen and quite great at creating this dual persona and conveying his feelings of not quite being down with his job with only his face to express it most of the time. The rest of the cast is almost courageous as Fassbender working with some disturbing and intense material and conveying so much with so little dialogue, there is nary a weak link in the group.
In the end, Hunger is one of the finest films to be released in the last year and will not be an experience you forget anytime soon. Based on a disturbing and remarkable true story, Bobby Sands life is engaging even if we only experience the final ones. Hunger has to be one of the finest prison films to ever be release and one of the finest directorial debuts of the decade. This little seen British/Irish gem needs to be seen by a far bigger audience and you should do yourself a favor and seek out this wonderful film about the power of sacrifice and standing up for what you believe in.
Hunger is an A

P.S. This film is currently available (12-1-09) on IFC on demand, check it out for free on your cable box in HD!

Review: Ninja Assassin

2009-11-30T00:51:00.000-08:00

Ninja Assassin is a follow up film for James McTeigue to the superb V for Vendetta and he has successfully burned the majority of his street cred with this awful mess.
Based around a rouge assassin from a secret society of ninja clans we get a two pronged tale that eventually runs into each other. One follows the fore mentioned assassin, Raizo, who is avoiding multiple threats on his life and the other is an investigation by a young female agent, Mika, at Europol that is uncovering the alleged ninja assassin clan. All of this is inter cut with flashbacks to Raizo’s past and upbringing through the clan system and these are without a doubt the most interesting aspects of the film; probably because we can actually see what is happening, more on that later though.
The ninja clan would take young children and orphans and train them to become ninjas that were farmed out for political killings and so forth. Raizo was always special and watching him train and form a connection with a young girl is about the only compelling thing that happens in the film and in fact works quite well for the most part. The brutal treatment and unflinching nature of some of the image with children is not something we usually see in most pictures and while a tad brutal still felt fresh. Sadly the rest of the film doesn’t live up to these portions of the film, which weren’t anything incredible to write home about on their own accord.
Now, I understand ninjas are supposed to be invisible and undetectable, that is their skill, but the viewers should be able to see them right? But we don’t most of the time and while the film is full of these elaborate fight scenes that seem kind of cool, I can’t really tell because you can’t see what is going on 90% of the time in the fight scenes. All of a sudden a non-ninja gets an arm chopped off or a ninja falls out of the darkness after being shot by a lucky police officers bullet. The ninjas actually seem almost too good and are untouchable for the most part, until the bombastic ending in which the somehow are easily blown out of the shadows and are weaklings running away which was a bit odd. It’s a shame too because McTeigue did have the balls to kind of go all out and dedicate a large portion of the film to action, which is what an action film should do, but isn’t that fun when we can’t see it. Fans of nineties style action films will feel right at home with this picture though as it feels decidedly old school in style and tone mixed in with modern effects and ridiculous gore.
There is also a small hint of fantasy added to the picture and I really couldn’t buy into that either, from the healing to the quick disappearing into the shadows. The more grounded and realistic this film is the better it was, i.e. the origins, and these attempts to make the ninjas more powerful than humans rather than the hardest working made little sense.
The actors in the film are all laughable as well with Rain’s work being a step down from his acceptable turn in Speed Racer. The rest of the cast is full of faces I barely recognize and rightfully so as most of them turn in some awful work to go along with awful dialogue for them to spout out. Asian stereotypes also squeak into the picture on a number of occasions and I can’t help but wonder what this really helps or appeals to, other than the offending of a number of people.
In the end, Ninja Assassin is a complete waste of time and a poor, poor, effort from an already proven director. McTeigue has some interesting ideas but and an exciting premise but manages to kill any excitement or thrills with a terrible script and action that is completely undecipherable. A ninja movie should be far cooler than this and the flashback sequences showed they had at least a solid groundwork to build from, sadly it didn’t pan out. This is a rental at best for action junkies, but like I said, I don’t think there is even a lot for them to enjoy as you can’t see anything.
Ninja Assassin is an F

Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox

2009-11-25T00:02:00.000-08:00

Wes Anderson returns to the screen with a film that fits into his little world only this time with a bunch of talking animals from the wonderful fable by Roald Dahl.
Mr. Fox was always a daring individual, and stole live stock for a living before he met Mrs. Fox and was planning on having a child with her. He decided to settle down and became a writer for 12 fox years, but the itch of adventure and change in a mid-life crisis of sorts over took him and he put himself in a situation where he can become a thief again on the sly. Though this doesn’t go well and before he knows it his friends and family are at risk of the evil Boggis, Bunce, and Bean, his human neighbors whose product he has begun to steal.
This film continues the fantastic trend of animated and family entertainment this year that is suitable for all ages and able to be enjoyed, maybe more than the kids, by the parents. Anderson’s dialogue and character traits are all here, but I feel like this is his most accessible film to date to the general public. There are cute characters and action for the kids and witty humor and grown up issues for the adults, if it wasn’t for Up this would be the most broadly appealing film of the year. Anderson also does a nice job at creating actual tension and thrills through the adventure of the film and isn’t afraid to do some silly bits for humor’s sake as well.
The ‘cuss’ joke is a brilliant move as well, allowing the dialogue to remain very adult and keep the younger audience rating. Us grownups will know what they are saying and there is some odd enjoyment that the films dialogue if went uncensored without the ‘cuss’ bit would be an easy R rating for language. With that said though, it is nothing offensive or something that will put your kids off or corrupt them, in fact I think it is an encouraging way almost to keep kids from cussing by having them use ‘cuss’ if they get angry; funny and clean.
The cast is anchored by an inspired performance by George Clooney as the charismatic lead. Bring life and energy into the animated character, his charm is endlessly humorous and full of spirit and while the character is similar to some of Clooney’s past work, he is still great here. The voice recording was also very unique in that much of the characters dialogue were recorded together and allowed for a very natural flow and banter among the characters you usually don’t get in the animated medium. Back to the cast, Wally Wolodarsky, one of Anderson’s long time friends, is delightfully dim as Kylie the possum and the running gag of the spiral eyes was classic with the character. Jason Schwartzman lays on the right amount of angst and frustration needed for Ash the son of Mr. Fox, and Meryl Streep is solid as the mother of the house hold. Owen Wilson stands out in his brief appearance as a Whack Bat coach getting some laughs as does Bill Murray as Badger, Mr. Fox’s lawyer and friend. The voice work is top throughout in fact, and while there are some big names involved, there are plenty of good turns by some unknowns in there.
Lastly, but not least, the animation in the film is superb; even in its low tech nature. The look not only has Anderson’s signature all over it, but elaborate tracking shots, great sight gags, and inventive effects (no computer effects were allowed unless absolutely necessary) the animators really deserve a pat on the back. The film is also littered with little jokes and gags that I couldn’t have possibly caught them all and the film will definitely benefit from repeat viewings; like most of Anderson’s films.
In the end, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a success on every level and I really can’t find a complaint for the film. It is missing a certain something after one viewing to pin it as an absolute masterpiece, but it easily sits up with Anderson’s work which has been superb every time out. A film that is accessible to all ages and is even arguably more enjoyable for adults, no one should have reservations about seeing this film because it looks to kiddy. This year has been one of the most successful years of a young audience gear films that appeal to adults just as much as children. Up, Where the Wild Things Are, Coraline, and now Fantastic Mr. Fox have capped an excellent run for family entertainment this year and this film will go down as the very best of 2009.
Fantastic Mr. Fox is an A+

Review: The Road

2009-11-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

John Hillcoat’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s post apocalyptic The Road is executed extremely well, but the lack of great ability in one of the films leads holds it back from being truly magnificent.
Viggo Mortensen is not the lead in question and turns in another marvelous performance to add to his resume of superb work as of late. Viggo stars as a nameless man on the road with his nameless son as they push there cart of goods and avoid danger in any which way it may a rise. The cause of the apocalypse itself is never discussed or given any screen time at all over the course of the film, so don’t expect some sort of mystery story trying to figure out what happened. The film is a story of family and survival that is constantly in jeopardy from the most unlikely of enemies.
The film has a series of flashbacks sprinkled through out the first half of the film between the nuclear family before they were broken up, giving us depressing back story and heartbreak for our two companions that drives them on as they head on. And the film itself is pretty much a downer from start to finish; don’t expect a lot of laughs and good times along their path. In fact, the films main threat leads to a number of incredibly executed and horrifying situations that are almost unbelievable and terrifying to think of. This film is full of some of the most intense scenes of the year and will have you coiled up in your seat trying to hide from the emotion.
Hillcoat’s ability to create such bleakness and sadness in this world is quite the feat, pulling you deep into these characters world and not letting you go until long after the credits roll. The film also looks wonderful, especially for a ravaged post-apocalyptic landscape and Hillcoat and his team are able to establish the direness of the world with a few simple establishing shots dabbled throughout the picture that do their job perfectly. I think the films greatest accomplishment in its setting is to never let you feel safe for our companions on the screen and your psyche watching them. Some thing awful lingers around at every scene change and the presence of an unfortunate end is never far from anyone’s mind in the film.
Viggo is a marvel as always and his rugged father figure perfectly captures the balance between needing to be a protector, a trainer, and being a regular a dad as one can be in these dark times. The film quickly establish Viggo’s bond to his son and his untrustworthy nature to everyone they encounter along the road. Kodi Smit-McPhee plays the son and while he does an admirable job that is never really bad, he really fails to shine ever in the film and doesn’t have the reciprocal chemistry that Viggo brings to the father/son relationship of the two. Now, the kid’s performance doesn’t diminish the film in any negative light by any means, it just holds it back from this film from being an all around triumph. There are also a number of cameo’s and bit parts in the film as well with Robert Duvall shining through a slew of make-up as a grizzled old-man. Charlize Theron plays the wife/mother in the flashbacks and does a very fine job at establishing her characters impact on her son and husband in only a few scenes. Michael K. Williams is sad to watch as a petty thief and Guy Pearce nails his brief appearance being exactly what we need at his critical appearance to the film.
In the end, The Road is quite the achievement on almost every level and one of the finer films of the year. Grim, disturbing, and treacherous is the path our heroes are on and their survival is almost always in question as John Hillcoat leads us on this incredible path. Viggo gives another fine performance and one of the top turns of the year and I think the film will grow even stronger as repeat viewings are warranted since you can better prepare yourself for the film after you discover where it goes. A dark and bleak adventure film that isn’t all that happy doesn’t sound like the most ideal film for your weekend visit to the theater, but with The Road you are getting one of the finest films of the year and one that you can discuss long after the credits roll.
The Road is an A-

Review: Precious

2009-11-21T00:38:00.001-08:00

Precious has been lauded with praise since its debut at Sundance this year and considered a front runner for Best Picture for a while now, and while I don’t quite agree with that assessment the film is still a well made drama about overcoming your obstacles in life no matter how hard they come.
Precious is a sixteen year old girl pregnant with her second child, both fathered by her own father, living in an abusive home with her mother, and while intelligent lacks in her abilities to actually show her smarts. It’s funny that this film goes pretty much nationwide in a limited release the same day as the similarly themed The Blind Side as they send the same message but told at almost completely different ends of the spectrum. In The Blind Side, things are hard off for our main focus, but as he moves on and gets better, good things seem to happen, where as Precious takes one step forward and then something tries to knock her ten steps back.
The film piles it on and is relentless with obstacle after obstacle thrown at her. Everything horrible that you could probably imagine happens to this poor girl, but she keeps moving forward in this ultimately tragic tale. I won’t go into her hurdles as it is quite spoilery, but expect the worse. That isn’t to say that there aren’t some lighter points in this film though, and while they might be few and far between, they offer some nice moments of levity to a film that is constantly pulling you down. Almost every character gives you a moment where you can get behind them and there progress, but also will shake your head in sadness at something else about their lives that might be even out of their hands. The only character in the film that is mostly unaffected and leading a normal life is Precious’ teacher Ms. Rain; unless you are a republican.
Lee Daniels directs the film in a very believable fashion, making the film feel authentic without giving into stereotypes or generalizing about race and social class. I really liked what he did to shield us and Precious from some of the horrible news and events that happen to our young hero, though the scenes of Precious’ fantasy almost make the horrible act hurt more left to our imagination. His decisions thematically are a bit weird as well, as the film feels a bit disjointed at times and I’m not sure how I feel about all the fade to blacks. But he gets a hell of a lot of mileage out of his actors; many of which who are unknown.
The lead, Precious, is played by Gabourey Sidibe and she is quite remarkable in her first major acting role. She can be kind and relatable, a badass enforcer in the classroom, a loving mother, or even a fire cracker ready to go off at any moment. She shows quite a bit of range and really shines in her fantasies where she leads a glamorous life. Besting her though is Mo’Nique as the evil mother, Mary, who hates Precious because Precious stole Mary’s boyfriend whom is also Precious’ father; really messed up stuff. Mo’Nique lights up the screen with her fire and wickedness towards Precious and absolutely kills you in the films final scene as she explains her view of why she is the way she is towards Precious; tragic stuff. Mariah Carey plays a welfare worker that won’t give Precious any more checks after learning her path and does a fine job in her small role showing confidence yet hides sorrow for this girl’s situation. Paula Patton is also excellent as the alternative school teacher that helps Precious learn to read and write and is the driving force for hope in the picture not just for Precious but her classmates as well. Patton captures hope inside her turn as Ms. Blue Rain and is an inspiring force. Lenny Kravitz also deserves mention for bring a smile to our face in his two brief scenes as a nurse that befriends Precious and shows some good acting chops here.
In the end, Precious is an interesting character study about hope and breaking free that is tragic even with its happy-ish ending. Grounded and feeling real due to a bevy of great performances, lead by possibly the finest supporting female role of the year from Mo’Nique, there is a lot to appreciate here and it is not nearly the downer of a film the trailer sells you on. With that said though, it is no easy road, horrible things will happen repeatedly, almost to the extent it becomes too much to believe in. Thankfully it never crosses that line and while the story might be quite sad and not quite as happy as the end would make it seem it is a story worth experiencing if you think you are up for it.
Precious is a B-

Review: The Twilight Saga: New Moon

2009-11-20T00:02:00.000-08:00

The Twilight Saga returns with a new director, a new set of monsters, and a New Moon, but the film feels rather rehashed and far to similar to previous film instead this time it is girl meets wolf; compare to girl meets vampire.
Everything starts off alright, in fact it was making me feel quite positive about everything unfolding. Chris Weitz’s direction is far stronger and more confident than Twilight’s Hardwicke, with the camera doing far more interesting things. The focus seems to be solely on Bella, her father, and Edward and the Cullen’s as it should be and pushing all the unnecessary characters to the background. The actors seem to be doing better; everything seems to be going in the right direction and then the Cullen’s leave. The most, and almost only, interesting thing about these films is taken away for the majority of the film and only return in the final few scenes to save the film from being a fairly bad experience.
The story mirrors Bella’s path in the first film with a weird killer in the woods, a budding romance with a boy with a secret, and a secret group of creatures living secretly right under her town’s nose. The new boy is Jacob, Bella’s old friend from her childhood who lives on the local reservation as he is a Native American. A bit younger than Bella, he has always kind of had a thing for Bella, and now with Edward out of the picture, he makes his move. Bella and Jacob slowly bond, but her desire for Edward can’t fade as they become closer friends and his secret is revealed. While the two have chemistry, we have seen this song and dance before in the previous film. Plus, all of the things Bella does to cut her adrenaline going to “see” Edward gets a bit ridiculous and never lets us really buy into the whole love triangle as Bella really shows no signs of leaving Team Edward.
Besides the romance not really working and Bella’s bitching getting a bit to much to bare, the effects work was a real disappointment. The few set pieces in the film were pretty well crafted, it’s just the effects work was only adequate and not awesome A+ stuff. These films make so much money there is no excuse for a shotty effect shot or blue screen work in this picture and there are a number of nasty takes. The wolves look good, could look better though, but I guess the target audience of this film isn’t that worried about that; though every shot of the cliff was border line horrendous. The film also jumps around quite randomly at times and feels like we are missing huge plot points or they get glossed over with a sentence. The first film had this issue as well and as in the first film as well it stays away till the final act which all of a sudden rushes forward and seems a bit too convenient.
But, there were some things that worked in the film. Everything with Edward, vampires, and the Cullen’s was very good and the best part of the film. The dynamic of Bella and Edward arguing over turning her is also a nice little thread, but the most promising element of this film is the introduction of the Volturi family in Italy who are the sort of deciders of the Vampire race. Michael Sheen and Dakota Fanning will provide some solid actors for their future plots and they are as interesting and engaging as Edward, Alice, and Carlisle Cullen. Looking forward to more of them and the high point of the series so far is the encounter with the Volturi.
In the end, New Moon is sadly neither a step up or down for the series but continues to serve as a sampling of intriguing ideas and characters that they can’t flesh out into a fully engaging story. I don’t know how the wolf/vampire dynamic will play out in the last two films, as the wolves seem to be almost useless now even with the half assed attempt to keep the threat alive in the final scene. Though, if they can keep the dynamic alive, lets hope they make it interesting and compelling and same for the rest of the story, focus on the Cullen’s and Volturi and this series good eventually become a good franchise instead of an average one.
Twilight Saga: New Moon is a C+

Review: The Blind Side

2009-11-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

The Blind Side is exactly what it is selling itself as, a heartfelt and emotionally inspiring story that avoids sap and stereotypes for the most part to create a film that deserves our emotional response.
Following the high school years of Michael Oher an at risk student who gets a second lease on life when a wealthy family takes him under there care. Sandra Bullock breaks her type and plays a fast talking southern belle that gets what she wants and delivers a fine performance as a mother bonding with her adoptive son. Michael Oher was given a chance to get a good education in a good school and while this is being sold as a football film it just as much as a student’s story overcoming his personal obstacles to learn. The football aspect of the film doesn’t show up until the final third of the film, so don’t expect an all out sports movie here. Instead what we get, and this isn’t a bad thing, is a wonderful story about family and how anyone can defy there preconceived image and surprise people.
Oher’s journey of living on couches and surviving/escaping the life he seemed trapped in is nothing new, but being thrown into a world where the contrast is so different to his own and with a character as engaging as Bullock’s Leigh Anne Touhy. The film not only completely sells you on the relationship and bond between Touhy and Oher, but creates a likeable and fun family as well in the rest of the Touhy family. The youngest Touhy S.J. will provide a number of laughs throughout the picture and is one of the funnier little kids to pop up in a movie for a while. Tim McGraw provides possibly his best performance yet as the supportive father role here and proves his acting chops are worth a damn. Quinton Aaron plays Oher and while he starts off with very little to do as the quiet type, he slowly blossoms into a soft spoken but strong personality that we really can connect with even in the subtle nature of Aaron’s performance.
The film does take a couple missteps along the way though as it relies on stereotypes a bit to much painting blacks as poor and disheveled people with no sign of any examples to prove that this isn’t always the case to be seen. It also paints whites as all being rich and happy which is quite a stretch as well, but balances things out a bit by grounding Touhy a bit and admonishing stereotypical/racist things popping out of some characters mouths. Thankfully, this is only a minor occurrence, and most of the emotional pathos are earned in the film from strong connections between characters and not from generalizations and over coming them, I just wish they never crossed that bridge at all. The film also does a good job at avoiding sappy movie type scenes, and while there were a couple of cheesy lines here and there most moments don’t feel contrived for emotion or unearned.
The football aspects of the film are done adequately as well and actually add to the relationships of the story as well instead of just being some action for the film. The film also does a good job of explaining the position and game of football as well for anyone that is unaware of the pieces of the game. So if you are afraid your lack of football knowledge or care for the game will diminish your enjoyment of the film, don’t, this is not a sports movie and there is so much more to it than that.
In the end, The Blind Side is a bit long in the tooth, but for the most part it does what you expect and at a high level. From the acting, to the story, and the message of the film there is a lot to get behind in the picture and it will be tough for you not to have an emotional reaction to the film. And while the film doesn’t bring anything terribly exciting or new to genre, the film is so well done, and one of the better brands of this type of film, that it isn’t really an issue; though it keeps it from being a true gem.
The Blind Side is a B

Review: Bright Star

2009-11-19T16:41:00.000-08:00

The new Jane Champion film is a period love story where the two lovers are destined to never be together and while it can be a bit slow and overly dramatic at times the three main actors are in top form and are worth the price of admission.
Following the love affair of Fanny Brawne and poet John Keats the two’s tragic tale is different and almost unbelievable in today’s day and age. Fanny comes from a well to do family with Keats coming from a lesser background and carrying on as a poor and unsuccessful poet. The two don’t hit it off from the get go with Fanny not even being a big fan of literature or his work either. The two become acquainted when Keats moves in with the Brawne’s neighbor Mr. Brown as they work together and Brown helps Keats keep a roof over his head. The two houses share a wall and are connected by a door in the foyer, so the two sides spend a lot of time together. With Fanny being the Brawne’s of age daughter, they are looking for her to find a proper suitor, Keats’ lack of wealth is not what they are looking for and she finds herself being constantly advised against falling for him as they grow closer.
The film is interesting to watch as there are a few sub plots that play into the proceedings as well odd actions of the family to keep Fanny free of unwanted men. Fanny is constantly followed by her younger brother and sisters, literally going everywhere she goes, and keeping Keats and Fanny from doing anything even as simple as holding hands. There is also an engaging plot surrounding a competition of sorts among Fanny and Mr. Brown for the attention of Keats that provides a number of laughs from the film while also creating an interesting view of society at the time and the relationships among men and women.
In fact, Paul Schneider as Mr. Brown is the real stand out in the film, though he has been one of the best young actors for years now, turning in great work in everything he does. I hope he gets to break out into more mainstream stuff sooner rather than later. Abbie Cornish is also getting quite a bit of praise for her work as Fanny in the film, and while I think she goes a bit over the top with her pain and sadness at times, she is very likeable and charming throughout and she has a great chemistry with her co-star Ben Whishaw who plays Keats. Whishaw is appropriately conflicted and a bit closed off as Keats, and when we see him break out of his shell with Fanny it is a nice surprise and touching. In fact I wish the story was a bit more centered on Keats rather than Fanny as I think he was far more interesting a character and person in this tale.
The over acting and over emotions in the films aren’t my only concerns as the film is a tad pretentious especially when celebrating the mastery of Keats. You can tell the filmmakers adore the writer, but it is a bit much at times and goes beyond being just a celebration of the man’s words. Though the story remains oddly compelling even if you find yourself rolling your eyes at the long winded Keats readings and again I think this goes to the credit of the performances.
In the end, Bright Star is an actors showcase and tragic story. While Fanny might go a little overboard with sadness the outcome of this story is rather sad. Two people in love kept apart by the times they live in is an unfortunate tale but one we have seen before. If they film would have focused a bit more on the life of Keats I think the film might have been a bit better, but with that said, the film is well made and, outside a couple minor complaints, works. The three main leads are all great in their roles and are worth checking out on their own right. Luckily there is an interesting and mostly engaging story to go along with these acting showcases, though I can’t help but feel that the film couldn’t have found a better film in this intriguing ground work. The film is still worth your time though if a fan of period romance or real life tales.
Bright Star is a B-

Review: Assassination of a High School President

2009-11-19T01:30:00.000-08:00

Assassination of a High School President has gone through a long process to get to the masses, a Sundance 08 film that received a decent amount of praise and deemed marketable has finally hit DVD almost two years later and I don’t know why it took so long.
The film follows a sophomore student, Bobby Funke, who is trying to make a name for himself in the school newspaper world. When he discovers the high school’s president, Paul Moore, was behind the disappearance of the school’s recent SAT’s he gets a story that not only makes his newspaper career, but gets him noticed, and the hottest girl in town. But after a few encounters with the Moore, Funke begins to doubt his reporting and he begins to unravel a darker conspiracy to it all.
Now this all sounds a bit silly, and it might be, but the film understands it is a bit of a farce while remaining darkly humorous. And the dark humor is very good and rivals some of the best high school dark comedies out there. Smart and mischievous most of the time the dialogue is well written and the plot and pacing were quite good, if a tad unoriginal. Comparisons to Brick will be quick to mind, but I think it keeps itself different enough in that it is more investigation journalism rather than a detective story; and this film is a tad less dark and not as stylish.
The film might not blow you away, but it will keep a steady grin on your face with a couple of great laughs along the way. Though I must say that I found the players in the twists to be a tad predictable, but the motives of the individuals was actually pretty clever and thought out. There is a broad variety of characters and types to be found, but for every type, there is a fairly original character you would find in a high school that you don’t really get to see all that often in film.
It’s a shame this film wasn’t ever really given a real chance in theaters outside a couple festivals as the film is a solid high school black comedy. Though I can see it as being tough to market without many familiar faces and it seems to have been destined to hopefully find a cult following on DVD like many high school black comedies seem to do.
The actors in the film all do a pretty good job as well, with Reece Thompson as Funke doing a fine job of carrying the picture on his shoulders. Very funny and the perfect attitude to the part, Thompson makes Funke likeable yet laughable and is one of the better high school characters in recent memory. Bruce Willis is hilarious in his brief appearances as an inappropriate principal, spouting curses and possibly physically harming students. Mischa Barton is cute and decent as the love interest and takes her top off as usual, but doesn’t elevate role much beyond that. The rest of the cast is made up of a bunch of unfamiliar faces but create a number of fun characters to surround Thompson and provide laughs along the way.
In the end, Assassination of a High School President is a solid black teen comedy with an engaging plot and a bit of mystery. While not terribly original in its style, its characters are fresh, the humor works most of the time, and you will be entertained from pretty much start to finish. While the film is not breaking ground for the genre it is a solid entry that falls below Brick and Donnie Darko but is better than most of the high school movies of the decade. If you like the genre, seek this one out as it is an interesting spin and entertaining high school dark comedy that deserves to be discovered.
Assassination of a High School President is a B

Review: Pirate Radio (The Boat That Rocked)

2009-11-13T00:03:00.000-08:00

Richard Curtis’ silly, random, and plot-less ode to rock n’ roll, comedy easily overcomes any of its own short comings by having a knock out cast and a number of good laughs along the way.
Back in the sixties when British rock was at an all time high, the British government didn’t allow the music to be broadcast over the radio. To counter act this a number of rebel sects launched pirate radio stations that broadcast from the North Sea evading laws and circumventing the bans by the government controlled stations. Our focus is on a boat/station Radio Rock that is full of interesting characters/DJ’s that allow for some weird and wacky fun to unfold over the course of the film. The problem that some people will find with the film though is its lack of any real structure or plot. If you can look past this, which isn’t too hard to do, then you will find plenty of fun to be had along the way.
Plots that pop up are a mystery around a young crew member’s father, many ups and downs of the sexual escapades, a wedding, and many moments of getting to know these characters better by watching them interact and goof around with each other. The film rolls through the course of a year over the two hour film and we jump around weeks at a time on the boat and while the crew’s only mission is to spread the gospel of rock and roll we stop and pause to get a look at some of their finer moments. From attempts to de-virgin a crew member, games of Delinquents, and an elaborate game of chicken between rival DJ’s, nothing really happens of consequence but remains a blast to watch. The closest thing to a plot in the film is the impending closure of the pirate radio stations by the government spear headed by a government official who tries everything to make their actions illegal to stop their poisoning of their countries youth.
The film does fall a bit flat on occasion and is almost ridiculously convenient and over the top with its good nature, but it never hurts to have a movie with exuberant good spirits I guess; they could have made this one hell of a tragedy though. The soundtrack is also top notch from start to finish, though oddly missing The Beatles, but you will recognize every hit they blare through the radio and they do some cute and clever cues to correspond with the action on screen.
The cast is also wonderful with a largely British cast of faces that you will probably recognize and Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the American face on the boat. Hoffman is not at all the lead of the film, as it is a true ensemble piece but he brings his usual excellence to the loud mouthed and crude Count. Bill Nighy is also great as the owner/captain figure on the ship and is as cool as cucumber and getting to have fun instead of playing a grouchy villain as he usually is cast as. Rhys Darby, or Murray from Flight of the Conchords, has his second successive supporting role spouting off hilarity every time he opens his mouth. Nick Frost is fun as the sexual smooth talker Dave and has a number of quality lines sprinkled through out. Kenneth Branagh and Jack Davenport are a lively combo that keep the off ship action just as funny and silly while disguised as the silly section of the film. And the rest of the crew shines as well, without a weak link in the bunch, I just wish there was more January Jones!
In the end, Pirate Radio is a fun comedy that rarely misses a beat and never drops a joke. While there might not be a plot or cohesive story, the characters and hi-jinks they get into are way to fun to not enjoy and will have you forgiving the occasional slow spot that crops up here or there. If you like the British, rock n’ roll, or Phillip Seymour Hoffman than this one shouldn’t be missed.
Pirate Radio is a B+

P.S. This film was released in England at a running time of about twenty minutes longer and was called The Boat That Rocked for any of you that seem to have thought they saw something about this before under a different name.

Review: 2012

2009-11-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

Roland Emmerich’s latest is a good fun premise and starts off as an entertaining little disaster movie quickly dives into head scratching plot holes and absurdity that doesn’t make sense at any turn.
(Spoilers throughout, sorry they must be discussed)
The plot of the film revolves around the supposed end of the world predicted in the Mayan calendar with the end coming Dec 21st, 2012. The discovery of the impending changes is discovered three years early when some geological studies discover rising core temperatures and changing crust density that will lead to cataclysmic destruction and displacement of the land masses of the earth. The United States from here spear heads a massive project to build a set of arcs to help preserve the life and society of earth during the mass destruction. As the impending destruction arrives, the initial destruction of LA that we experience through John Cusack’s family characters eyes is indeed an impressive cinematic moment but after this and the explosion of Yellowstone the film drops off in quite a hurry.
The first problem is the Russian family that is inserted into the plot are completely unlikable and a waste of time. From here, how many times can we really see an airplane take off in destruction and narrowly make it? Once Cusack joins up with the Russians, his story become pretty worthless, and unfortunately they stay away from Chiwetel Ejiofor’s scientist with a conscious plot which is far more interesting, well until we get to the ludicrous final scenes. From here let me bullet point some thoughts that crossed my mind:
-it turns out that one of the four completed arcs encountered some roof damage so they decide to not put anyone on board since there chances of survival are so much better sitting in the side of a mountain that will flood rather than on a huge boat that has a damaged ceiling, right
-the president of the U.S. decides to go down with the ship as they say and none of the other top officials make it back to assume the presidency, so Oliver Platt who is a high ranking official takes over, almost coup like, and bosses around the leaders of all the other nations involved. The president dies and we are supposed to believe that all the much higher ranked officials from around the world are going to do everything they say.
-homage or ripping off take you pick, but there are a number of references that seem like they are only in there to convey some established emotion in us. The Princess Diana tunnel, which you can figure out before they tell you, the endless Titanic references, and even an shot of a collision that mirrors the iceberg cutting the ship, and this is to only name a few
-our heroes are to believe Hawaii is going to be a land able destination? Islands are VOLCANO’S!! I think they are going to be messed up?
-The Russians, really Roland?
-Or how bout the fact that all the finale’s tension hinges on the fact that everyone will die if they run into the side of Mount Everest as they slowly drift across a new lake formed bellow the summit. This after they have already bashed into other ships and mountains at a much greater velocity, but their slow crawl is going to end them.
-Also, how did they get to Everest so fast?
-Also, why would you ship be unable to turn on its engine because an f’ing door is open!!!
-Let’s seal off the door ways so the water can’t get through, even though the ceiling is grated and will over flow.
-Also, how does the middle compartment flood and drowned people, but the compartment connected to where the water is pouring in not?
-You’ve seen all the best bits already in the trailer
-Tzunami’s that go so high and far inland they submerge the Himalayas? What!
-Woody Harrelson is the films best bit, that’s a good thing
I could go on and on, but hopefully this is enough to dissuade you from seeing the mess. Yes the effects are top notch and impressive, but if the story and heart aren’t there what does it matter. Now, I wasn’t going into this flick expecting it to be a expert piece of filmmaking, I was expecting dumb fun, and while the first third of the film might be fun, the rest of the film is just dumb. Also at two and a half hours the film is way, way, to long. And I won’t really spoil the certain fates of characters and more intimate moments of the finale, you can’t possibly watch it without being embarrassed at the filmmaker’s perception of your intellect to find this plausible or interesting.
In the end, 2012 could have been a fun film with an interesting premise but becomes a dumb down action film that makes zero sense whatsoever. Anyone with a the ability to think will be scratching their head at this one way more than they should and the filmmakers insult us for thinking we wouldn’t notice. Dumb fun flicks can be a blast, but there has to be more to the film then big effects and beyond belief events. Cusak and Ejiofor both do a decent job in this mess, but they can’t come close to saving this train wreck.
2012 is an F

Review: Coco Before Chanel

2009-11-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

Anne Fontaine enlists Audrey Tautou to star in this solid, if run of the mill, biopic that doesn’t do a whole lot that is interesting or different but has great performances from all three of its leads and is a quite remarkable story surrounding the rise of Coco Chanel.
Starting off as a singer at a brothel after be raised in an orphanage for most of her young life Gabrielle Chanel is deemed Coco after a song her and her sister sing by a patron, Balsan, who ends up helping her on her way to dominating the fashion industry. When her sister runs off to outside Paris with her potential suitor, Coco decides to hunt down the Balsan who lives outside Paris as well and is actually a wealthy man. Coco becomes a sort of muse just loafing around his house and expanding on her fashion eye as she goes against the grain of the traditional French wardrobe. While she has a relationship of sorts with Balsan, a young businessman nicknamed, Boy, enters her life through Balsan and they two’s attraction becomes more than either can bare.
The film is very run of the mill when it comes to biopic’s but it is done at a high quality and doesn’t dull till near the end where it lingers a bit to long before moving on to the finish. Sure it’s nice when someone puts a fresh spin on the genre, but Fontaine knows she has some good material to work with and Coco’s breakthrough and uniqueness give the film the fresh feeling a biopic needs to stand out from mediocrity. Chanel’s work and style was so revolutionary and forward thinking, it was really quite remarkable to watch her rise and doing it almost single handedly along the way.
Audrey Tautou is wonderful as always and flex’s her acting muscles on almost ever level. Singing, dancing, romance, woman of power, broken hearted, she gets a little bit of everything to work with and never falters as she creates this powerful and confident woman. She also builds some fantastic chemistry with he co-stars and we buy into this unconventional love triangle and the relationships she holds with these men in and out of their respective romances. Benoît Poelvoorde plays Balsan and just nails the part as a rich mogul who has feeling for Coco but is apprehensive to share her with his upper crust friends as fear of embarrassment. But he quickly finds out that she is an excellent and interesting social tool and her appearance makes him more relevant which he likes and Poelvoorde captures Balsan’s slow realization on his feelings with ease. Enter Alessandro Nivola as Boy who is younger and more suave than Balsan and English to boot and we can’t blame Coco for getting swept off her feet. Charming, handsome, and a romantic, Nivola is super convincing in the role. Oozing sexuality and seducing with his eyes he also brings the respect needed to the situation that helps make this triangle so convincing.
In the end, Coco Before Chanel is a solid biopic and a showcase for the three main actors involved. All giving top notch performances, the actors help to really tell this remarkable tale of a self made woman in a time where a woman doing what Chanel did was almost unheard of. An engaging film and story that rarely fail to engage is an enjoyable experience through and through. Fans of Tautou will have plenty to enjoy and this is a very accessible foreign film as it fits right in with Hollywood’s style of filmmaking, if that is good or bad, that is for you to decide.
Coco Before Chanel is a B

Review: Mad Men - “Shut the Door, Have a Seat”

2009-11-09T04:54:00.000-08:00

Mad Men 3.12 “Shut the Door, Have a Seat”
If you didn’t watch Mad Men’s third season or haven’t jumped on the show yet, you are missing out on some of the best television of the decade.
(Spoilers Throughout)
This season of Mad Men has been described as slow, boring, character driven and even mediocre by some. I fall into none of these camps, except character driven, and have been rewarded with a number of episodes that you could argue deserve to be in the top five ever for the show.
Last weeks episode saw the effects of the Kennedy assassination on the folks of Sterling Cooper and the beginnings of the final crumbling of the Draper marriage as Betty’s reflection caused by the loss of the president decides that divorce seems to be the only option left. But Don will not go quietly and hopes to fight for their marriage. The finale picks up three weeks after the last episode and Don is still as determined as ever to keep this alive but Betty has checked out and is ready to move on with Henry Francis who she has known for about a minute. I have always been behind Betty and supportive of her through her ups and downs, but I just don’t like what she is doing here. Sure Don is kind of a bastard and a cheater but he tries even if he fails. Betty is running off without even thinking about it, and into a man’s arms she barely knows, it just doesn’t make sense. Though, something seems to be up with Henry and I don’t see that one ending well for Betty.
The scene where Betty and Don tell the two intelligible kids that Don is moving out was also the third week in a row where Don has been crushed on the home front and now more than ever wants his family to be together.
But moving on to the meat and potatoes of the episode the vastly changing face of Sterling Cooper. With news that Sterling Cooper is being sold and PPL with it to a firm Don has no interest in being a part of, he rouses Cooper and Sterling into getting their company back by buying it back from PPL. Though, their bid falls short of what PPL is looking for, or so Lane Pryce thinks before learning that PPL is on the move as well and him to be most likely on the street before he knows it. From here the four men decide to team up and form their own firm through a clever loop hole having Lane fire the three partners to free them of their contracts and begin stealing Sterling Cooper’s clients and employee’s.
The episode from here moves along beat after beat with new members being signed up one after another and others not so easily. All of the dark nature of the season and drama created among the characters this season is paid off brilliantly as we excitedly watch Don repair his bridges and recruit the people he knows do the best work at their shop and makes them feel truly wanted as a part of Sterling Cooper Draper & Pryce. Don and Peggy have a delicate dance and a reestablishing of prospective for the oblivious Draper which leads to a wonderful scene that gives John Hamm and Elizabeth Moss each a chance to shine as their relationship is restored. Pete Campbell finds his way into an amazing opportunity with the new firm and a chance to add his name to the title. Though my favorite moment of the recruitment is the one we don’t even get to see but had me shouting with excitement when Sterling went to make a phone call that we all knew would lead to the return of Joan.
All in all, there wasn’t a dull moment in the brightest and arguably best episode of this fantastic season. The show is firmly in place to set its self in a wonderfully open and intriguing new direction as Don is now single, we ponder the fate of Sterling Cooper, Roger and Don can become a tag team again, and we try and figure out how big a train wreck Betty and Henry might be. Next September can’t get here soon enough as the next chapter in the saga of Draper and company will hopefully continue one of the best stories you can find on the big or small screen.

Review: An Education

2009-11-09T04:10:00.000-08:00

An Education is one of those little treasures of a film that sneaks up on you in not only the quality of the overall film but by the incredible turn by its star Carey Mulligan.
Jenny is a seventeen year old school girl in 1960’s England and is set on getting into Oxford for seemingly everyone around her. Bright, pretty, and cultured well beyond her age, Jenny seems to have a pretty good head on her shoulders even if she thinks all the work she goes through is a bit much. Enter David, a late twenties/thirty something man who spots Jenny on the corner in the rain and offers her cello a ride as he is fond of music and would hate to see it ruined and wouldn’t dare expect Jenny to accept a ride with a stranger. She eventually hops in and the two hit it off quite well which leads to David and Jenny both looking for this relationship to go somewhere further. Jenny’s parents are loving and demanding and are a bit taken aback by the prospects of David, but before they barely realize it he smooth talks his way on to Jenny’s arm and into the night for a show with his friends. The two’s relationship grows and progress with the utmost respect to Jenny’s wishes and an unlikely romance begins to bud as Jenny begins to doubt her seemingly chosen path to attend Oxford.
This coming of age film feels both fresh and original while moving on at a whips pace. The film flies by and Lone Scherfig and crew deserve serious props for assembling this refined picture. Nick Hornby also wrote the screenplay and deserves major acknowledgement as well for creating a bevy of fleshed out and interesting characters with dialogue that snaps and makes you laugh. The film’s mood remains light for most of the film with a couple of suspicious and down turns thrown in the films dramatic twists but nothing feels cheap or unearned and comes across as extremely natural.
Everything is fun and exciting here as we experience this interesting world through the eyes of Jenny and we feel as she does as our eyes open with hers to this world we have been hidden from. The questions and issues the film also tackles from the time are neither forced nor forgotten and do a fine job of rising question to the absurdity of the era’s schooling methods.
The actors in the film are all top notch across the board as well starting first and foremost with its star Carey Mulligan. Mulligan seizes the opportunity given the lead here and carries herself wonderfully and convincingly. Demanding respect to Peter Sarsgaard’s David she always seems in control and while things might not be what they seem at times, once she is in on the rouse she shows how strong she is. Mulligan also holds her own with the vets around here when it comes to make us laugh or go dramatically toe to toe and will probably be in the running for an Oscar after this turn and making herself one of the new it girls in Hollywood. Peter Sarsgaard also gets to shine again and he is endlessly charming and convincing as David. He is easy to trust and spins with the best of them lifting us seemingly off our feet like Jenny we get so caught up in his words. Alfred Molina is also at his best as Jenny’s father bringing plenty of sweet tenderness and humor to the role and is both overbearing yet still very likeable and we never think his actions are unjust; which they aren’t. Olivia Williams and Emma Thompson both walk fine lines of being overbearing B’s but walk their parts just right to keep them feeling honest and never dive into stereotype or convention. Dominic Cooper and Rosamund Pike are appropriately beautiful and charming as David’s friends and help us buy into and fall in love with the world they open up to Jenny as they are both fun and exciting to be around. Pike also captures the dimwit ness of her character without looking like an idiot and instead a respectable socialite. And Matthew Beard deserves credit for creating the sad and simple Graham that doesn’t stand a chance.
In the end, An Education isn’t just one of the finest indie films of the year, but one of the best in general. Fast paced, filled with great performances, and plenty of charm, drama, and humor to entertain the film rarely falters. Everyone involved should be proud of what they put on screen and will possibly be rewarded for their work come award season. Carey Mulligan turns in a star making turn and is worth the price of admission alone, but beyond her you will find plenty to love and fall for in this film that will pull you in from start to finish.
An Education is an A

Review: The Men Who Stare at Goats

2009-11-09T03:15:00.000-08:00

Grant Heslov’s feature debut is an inspired, weird, odd, and fun tale that has some wonderful origins that far surpass an aimless plot that occupies the other half of the film.
The plot surrounds a journalist, Bob Wilton, who is looking to maybe win his ex back by going to Iraq during the early stages of the second Iraq War to prove himself man enough to be her husband. Stranded in Kuwait without clearance to Iraq he runs into a supposed business man, Lyn Cassaday, whose name rings a bell from an old story Wilton did with a supposed para-soldier from an old army experiment back in the late seventies and eighties. The two head off to Iraq after Cassady volunteers his true nature to Wilton, quite easily, and they begin their adventure on a secret mission into the heart of Iraq. The film from here jumps between flashbacks of the origins and exploits of the paranormal soldier First Earth Battalion for the U.S. Army and Lyn and Bob’s trials and tribulation’s in Iraq
The films flashbacks are executed extremely well and harbor most of this comedies best laughs. This portion of the film is in fact the preferred section and saves the film from being a potentially wandering mess. The more present day affairs of the film lack little direction and meaning as we get most of the good stuff behind these para-soldiers in the flashbacks which Jeff Bridges shines in as the hippie commander Bill Django. After a study of soldiers in Vietnam, Django began to search for an alternative training for soldiers and was given government money to engage in a wealth of hippie activities only to return some years later with his place for the First Earth Battalion. Sporting a dude-esque demeanor, though a bit more coherent, Bridges gleefully delights as he encourages dancing, telepathy, and good spirits among his men. Stephen Lang is the most fun of his converts as the hard nosed and firm believing General who sponsors the First Earth Battalion and some how remains deadly serious in the midst of all the silliness he watches and participates in.
The closest thing to a villain in the film shows up in the wonderfully harmlessly sinister Larry Hooper played by Kevin Spacey. Spacey is having a blast trying to turn the group on their head and competing with Clooney’s Lyn as top soldier. Clooney is also hilarious and in good form getting to be wonderfully silly and over the top as the self titled “Jedi Master” and continues to show his range in all types of films. Ewan McGregor also plays a fine straight man as Bob Wilton who is quite befuddled over this whole mess and trying to figure out if Lyn is really all he says he is.
Now, most will come out really enjoying the flashbacks here and they are pulled off very well. The thing that will hang up some on this film is the plodding narrative that serves these flashbacks, or really lack of a real narrative. Lyn and Bob meander through Iraq running into a couple of interesting challenges but none that really shine or are as clever as the flashbacks. Though a couple laughs are pumped out of these bits and the ending is odd and appropriate to the film, one can only suspect what this could have been if they had a more compelling plot for the modern element of the film.
In the end, The Men Who Stare at Goats is a mostly successful affair that makes up for most of its dull points and short comings. Heslov proves to be an able director in his feature debut, but has some work to do to catch up to his production partners talents in Clooney. With all that said, Bridges, Clooney, and Spacey are all having quite the time here and are worth the price of admission alone. Some might find the modern elements of the film a tad bit boring or slow, but the film moves back and forth fairly evenly through the flashbacks and those never disappoint. If you are a fan of the actors involved, don’t miss this, and if you are only mildly intrigued it wait for video but definitely check it out.
The Men Who Stare at Goats is a B-

Review: A Christmas Carol

2009-11-05T22:01:00.001-08:00

Robert Zemeckis’ third foray into the 3-D motion capture world is a retelling of the classic A Christmas Carol and the results are a beautiful and well executed version of the classic tale that could easily become many peoples “go to” version of the fateful night of Ebenezer Scrooge.
The tale of Scrooge doesn’t really need to be rehashed, we all know the stubborn hater of Christmas is visited by three ghosts of past, present, and future visit him over the course of a single night and forever change his views on the holiday. The question is how Zemeckis’ version is any different or better than the tales already out there. So is it different? Not really, it rarely strays from the classic tale and the most different thing about it is the filmmaking style it is told in. Better? Not sure about that either, but it is definitely not a weak entry into the telling of this tale.
So why should you want to see this version of a Christmas Carol? Well first off, you are unlikely to find a more beautiful and awe inspiring version of the tale. Zemeckis’ has pretty much decided to film every movie he does in this process until something comes along to jolt him from this phase but with each film he is improving on the craft. Overall this film’s is more to look at than The Polar Express or Beowulf, though I think a few of the big scenes in Beowulf out shine anything in this film, and the beauty of the film is a sight to be seen on its own. Zemeckis’ re-telling of Scrooge’s night is also really well done and if you are looking for a fresh interpretation on the material this is bound to entertain.
In fact, I was really caught off guard by how dark and scary this film gets over the course of the run time. I know it is a dark tale, but Zemeckis really gets to flex his filmmaking muscles as he concocts some creepy scenes and moments through out the picture. Overall the tone of the film is very dark from nearly start to the uplifting finish with nary a laugh or light moment to be seen; which is very contrary to what the trailer is selling you.
Zemeckis doesn’t hit an absolute homerun here though as there are a couple of things to pick at along the way. The set pieces in the film quickly become tired and repetitive and come off as trying to show off rather using the 3-D as a storytelling tool. How many times do we really need to fly through the buildings and over the roof tops again and again before it gets old in a hurry? Also, just about everything with the ghost of Christmas present doesn’t work. The gimmick of seeing through the floor and the annoyance of just about everything the ghost does is just irritating. The stuff inside the Cratchit house works for this scene but that is it. Luckily the other two ghosts who visit him along with Marley’s ghost are executed extremely well and make up for the misstep of the Christmas present stuff.
Zemeckis also assembles a fine little cast that dive into multiple roles with Jim Carrey at the lead as Scrooge and the three ghosts that visit him. Carrey is fantastic as the old and crotchety delivering one of the finest performances of the old man. He perfectly captures the man’s fear and horror of the situation as he crumbles through the knowledge he learns on his visits and is perfectly wicked in the events leading up to Marley’s visit. Gary Oldman also does a fine job as both Marley and Cratchit, and is rather terrifying as the sad Marley in what is probably the scariest scene in the film next to the final ghost’s scenes. A couple of other familiar faces pop in there, Robin Wright Penn, Colin Firth, Cary Elwes and Bob Hoskins all do fine work and help support Carrey who takes the film on his shoulders as he appears in almost every scene.
In the end, A Christmas Carol is an all around solid effort and a fine entry into the holiday film catalog. With gorgeous visual and fantastic work by the animators the film is probably the prettiest version of this Christmas tale you will ever see and one that will become the household favorite version of this tale. Zemeckis continues to drive the motion capture format forward and this along with Avatar may finally put the format over the top along with 3-D as well. If you are in the mood for the holidays already, then this will be sure to quench your thirst and will probably be the finest Christmas movie entry this year.
A Christmas Carol is a B

Review: The Fourth Kind

2009-11-05T21:59:00.000-08:00

When it comes to aliens, extra-terrestrials, life out there, or whatever you want to call it, I am a firm believer and for anyone that likes that kind of stuff The Fourth Kind is right up your alley.
Now, I am not a cultist or of the belief that aliens are inherently violent or want to destroy us all, I am just convinced that there has to be life out there. As the saying goes, if there is nothing out there, it sure seems like an awful waste of space. But the mystery in question here is of the violent nature and causing problems for the city of Nome, Alaska. The film opens by breaking the fourth wall with actress Mila Jovovich who stars as the proposed real life psychologist Abigail Tyler. Tyler apparently uncovered some disturbing secrets in the minds of some of her patients who have all been suffering from sleep disorders and have an identical recollection of an owl in the wee hours of the morning that they identify with their loss of sleep. The study is a continuation of the work Abigail’s husband was doing who was murdered in his sleep a few months earlier while in the middle of the same study. After putting one of her patients under hypnosis, Tyler, begins to discover something darker to these peoples sleeping issues and suppressed memories that she can’t really explain.
Now, all of this is inter cut and infuses “real” footage and audio recordings made throughout the study while we are watching the dramatization of these events by the actors. The editing and style the film is presented in is done extremely well and the flow back and forth is usually done through split screen and slick transitions that work fairly well. When we get down to the most disturbing scenes we almost always view them through the archival “real” footage and even through the distortion and unclarity of the images they provide some positively creepy thrills.
Half of the fun in the film comes from you simply trying to figure out whether this is all real or a put on for effect to heighten the terror in the film. In fact, all of the video’s and audio recordings are done extremely well and again the editing and visual cues the director puts on screen to acknowledge that we are now experiencing a real tape works very well. The weakest part of the film, besides the implausible confusion around the fate of Abigail’s husband in her mind, is the apparently “real” interview that the real Abigail Tyler has with the director of this film, Olatunde Osunsanmi. I just had a really hard time believing and buying into Abigail Tyler as being a real person. The footage we are shown is very convincing and creepy but coming back to her time and time again left me thinking, “I don’t know about this?” Though, by the end of the film I still had this feeling in my gut that this might be real and I suggest you go into the film and judge for yourself before investigating the validity on the inter-webs as I think a lot of the fun in the picture is trying to figure that out.
The actors in the film all do a great job, if the “real” footage is fake then those actors deserve great accolades and the possible actress who plays Tyler really shines in her archival scenes if she doesn’t convince in the interview. Jovovich does a nice job playing the quiet and reserved Tyler in the dramatization scenes and parallels the footage reportedly shot during the study. Elias Koteas is good as well as Tyler’s therapist and serves as our perspective on the material as it unfolds and we slowly begin to believe. Will Patton also delivers some fine work as a non-believing cop who tries and be sympathetic but grows more and more tired with Tyler as more and more bad things happen around her.
In the end, whether a gimmicky trick or not, Olatunde Osunsanmi’s The Fourth Kind has a number of solid scenes and some terrifying moments. Half the fun of the film is trying to figure out if you buy into all this being real or not and it will get you to jump regardless of your belief as things get weirder and weirder as the film moves along. Solid turns by the actors help keep this potentially silly premise hold together and props to Osunsanmi for not giving into convention and giving us something fresh and different. While by no means the best alien film ever, it is definitely a fun and solid little horror flick that makes you at least ponder the potential truth behind all of this madness. Shame this is coming out a week after Halloween, at least you can keep the scary holiday spirit alive this weekend if you are into the whole alien’s exist thing.
The Fourth Kind is a B-

Review: Trick 'r Treat

2009-11-03T01:53:00.001-08:00

Michael Dougherty’s anthology film is in love with Halloween and captures the fun, dark, and creepiness of the holiday to success while also providing a fast paced and engaging film.
The film is a quick tale over the events of one night of Halloween in a small Midwestern town that embraces the holiday with open arms. Loosely connected and tying into one another we follow the path of a killer school principal, a group of young girls looking to de-virgin their young companion, a group of young students investigating the towns oldest ghost story, and an old shut in that hides from the night of Halloween inside his run down house. When the film settles on one story it pretty much sticks with it till its run its course, but Dougherty does a pretty good job at blending them all together into a more cohesive film that runs together rather than breaking it up with title cards are what have you; think Traffic or Syriana.
I guess I should throw a little history on this picture while I am at it as well as this flick has been sitting on Warner’s shelf now for the last few years, outside a couple of festival appearance, and has been pushed back from being release theatrically time and time again for some unknown reason until finally finding it’s way this fall direct to video. I think Warner missed out on a real chance to make some good bank with this picture as fresh and fun Halloween material is nowhere to be seen in most films marketed this time of year.
The film never reaches terrifying levels but also doesn’t dip into a well of pop up scares to get its kicks. The film will tense you up and put you on edge a plenty and the legend the younger students investigate is executed in a haunting and eerie flashback that is the highlight of the film. But most importantly the film is a blast to watch and a lot of fun which is what makes this film so easy to enjoy. It’s not a send up or straight up horror film, it lies somewhere in between and is always respectful to the genre and never spoofy. In fact, its linking protagonist is quite the little creepy but likeable creation that you can’t help but enjoy.
Dougherty’s writing has plenty of good laughs and its comic book inspirations and pacing really help things move forward. Never a dull moment in the picture, it doesn’t hurt anything that it is a shade under 90 minutes, in fact it works wonderfully to not over stay its welcome. The film is a nice little Halloween treat you can enjoy when you need to get in the holiday’s spirit.
The actors in the film also have quite a bit of fun with Dylan Baker getting the best stuff to work with. His tale is by far the darkest and most f’d up of the film but it also had me laughing the hardest and having a lot of fun with a really faux pas subject matter, kids dying. Brian Cox gets to have the most fun with his climatic clash of the film and the fighting is both fun and surprising while Cox chews up the scenery as his haven becomes his hell. Anna Paquin shot this pre-Sookie Stackhouse and she is cute and harmless as our stories little red ridding hood virgin who might get into more than she can handle. The real accomplishments in this film though come from the number of solid turns by the multiple kids in the film that play bit parts to leads depending on the story. Everyone involved with the local legend does some solid work and do a convincing job at keeping us on guard and unsuspecting of their plots next turn. There are a bevy of other cameos and parts for some familiar faces as well with everyone doing a just fine job in their little bits here and there.
In the end, Trick ‘r Treat is a fun and entertaining horror movie that is perfect for a little Halloween spirit. Providing a variety of characters and stories and moving along at a whips pace there is very little to complain about in this picture. It might not be the scariest horror film, or the cleverest homage to the genre ala Shaun of the Dead, but it will suck you in for the course of its run time and have your revisiting it on the holiday for years to come.
Trick ‘r Treat is a B

Review: Antichrist

2009-11-02T16:22:00.001-08:00

First and foremost, Lars von Trier’s Antichrist is an unsettling tale in its morbid character study under the circumstances of a lost child, the sexual nature of the film, and the mutilation and violence that arise in the film. But the film is extremely affective and beautifully shot with daring and brave turns by the two actors involved.
With all of this said I don’t think I could ever find another reason to watch this film again but not because I didn’t think it was good, but because it is such a messed up experience. The violence, the disturbed emotion state of She (Charlotte Gainsbourg), the beautifully shot but heartbreaking tragedy of the prologue, the mutilation, the mind f*** of the later part of the film, it is all very unsettling. If you think you can stomach this though the film is beautifully realized and intriguingly bizarre.
The film, in brief, follows He (Willem Dafoe) and She as they cope and She battles her inner demons over the loss of their son in a tragic accident. He is a therapist who is trying to help his wife She as they try different copping methods and strategies to get over their loss which eventually leads them to a family cabin in the woods of Eden. From here, things begin to get a bit out there.
Technically, as I have already touched on, is superb. The actors are magnificent and some how dive head first into this world. The gruesome bits are realistic and believable and not at all over the top which makes them even more disturbing in their realism. Trier’s visual flair is also awe inspiring even when the imagery makes you want to look away. When he crafts a film that keeps you glued to the screen even when you can barely take what is being shown on it because the cinematography is so gripping you have to stand back and appreciate what he and his team has done. The film also moves along quite well, never dulling or becoming un-engaging to the viewer as Trier’s work will transfix you and I think that above all is a testament to this film when it works.
The story itself, while I think is a great premise to borough into peoples psyche, is a little light on motivation once things really get crazy in the final act. The sexual needs and acts also see almost random at times as things go on and don’t make a whole lot of sense, especially in contrast to the need in the beginning. She’s deductions on women are also quite a stretch for her to buy into so easily for someone as intelligent as she is and that is the biggest problem for the film most of all that She would go through this transformation.
The actors deserve a lot of credit as well for completely giving themselves over to these characters, with Gainsbourg particularly going to dark places you rarely see in main stream film. The nudity, the sex, her sickness, the violence, she takes it all seemingly in stride and never wavers our belief in her character even if the story is a bit of a stretch. Dafoe also does a fine job in the second fiddle role here but its his chemistry and desire to help with She throughout the early goings that make the final act as affecting as it is as we try and get our heads around why this is all happening.
In the end, Antichrist is a beautifully shot and arresting film that could have used a little bit more story and plausibility. That’s not to say the film won’t suck you in and transfix you to the screen as awful things unravel over the course of the film. The actors go all out and they will shock you along with Trier’s twisted vision in this film that will not settle well with most. But if you aren’t scarred away by all this talk yet, you might want to give the film a shot as there is a lot to appreciate here on a number of levels, just don’t expect this film to become your new rainy day favorite by any means.
Antichrist is a B-

Review: Amelia

2009-10-22T22:01:00.001-07:00

Mira Nair’s latest is a dull, bland, and almost completely forgettable effort that while capturing the look, sound, and stories of Amelia Earhart it fails to create any drama, tension, or just about any emotion inside of us over it’s run time.
Spoilers ahead if you some how have know grasp on history.
Picking up at the launch of Earhart’s tragic flight around the world we will float back and forth through her life from the moment she met her future husband George Putnam and multiple stages along her fateful flight. Right here from the get go the film is in trouble. The relationships that begin to form in Amelia’s life are quickly glossed over and the film jumps forward through time at a fairly strong pace. Earhart’s relationship with Putnam manifests almost out of thin air and next thing we know they are married. Ditto for an affair that arises in the film and implies infinitely more than it shows. All this would be fine if we at all believed in their relationship, one that a certain Earhart biographer deemed the love her life, but instead comes across as really nothing very passionate at all. In fact the film fails to rouse any passion at all, be it in its heroine’s relationships, her supposedly death defying flights, or her impact on the culture of America and the fame that she garnered.
The films dialogue is also awful, ranging from hokey to pretentious, its eye rolling bad at times. And it feels like they try to make everything freaking word out of Earhart’s mouth to be profound, insightful, and important, but is never nearly as ingenious and marvelous as they intended. The films flow and pacing is also a train wreck with the film crutching on news reel montages to moves us forward and leaving many scenes feeling truncated and zero transitional abilities from one scene to the next; you will be sick and tired of the “cut to white clouds” transition they use way to much. There are a few pretty shots from the air in the around the world flight portions of the film, but other than that there isn’t a lot to praise about this film technically.
The actors are ok; Hilary Swank nails the look, feel, and sound of Earhart but is unfortunately given zero good material to really work with. Putnam is even dryer and more boring the Earhart and Richard Gere isn’t able to elevate the role at all and is instead forced to deliver all the worst “movie lines” of the film. The only real bright spots are Christopher Eccleston as Earhart’s around the world navigator and Ewan McGregor as Gene Vidal. Sadly, any spark they can bring to the picture is limited to very few scenes and moments of screen time and they are barely able to spare any bits in the film.
Above all I think I was most disappointed at the complete inability to make any of the flight scenes some what tense or at all thrilling. The attempts at suspense feel contrived and one flashback sequence during a thunderstorm on the way to Europe flying solo is just completely pointless, out of place, and bizarre. I will say that the final scene of the film as Amelia struggles to maintain radio contact and find her island did pull me in and finally engage me in some capacity, but by the time I was out of the theater I found myself groaning at the awful mess of a film I just saw.
In the end, Amelia seemed like a very good opportunity for a biopic but is sadly a dud on almost all levels. Swank successfully fills the role of Earhart in spades but the film does very little to make her compelling or interesting and the story is just as non-engaging. I can’t really recommend this film to anyone, not even fans of the aviator as I am sure the many books written on her are far more interesting and entertaining because that is the last thing this film will ever be described as.
Amelia is an F+, the plus is for Swank

Review: A Serious Man

2009-10-17T03:03:00.002-07:00

The Coen brothers annual entry, A Serious Man, is their oddest film since Barton Fink and for all the thought provoking twists and turns that may befuddle, it remains a funny and often hilariously sad portrait of a man trying to find himself.
Setting you up for something different from the get go, we dive into a scene between a European Jewish wife and her husband, presumably sometime one to two hundred years before the films setting of 1967, as the bicker over a chance encounter the husband had with a man that has been presumed dead for sometime by the wife. Jump ahead to our main characters, Larry Gopnik and Danny Gopnik, inter-cutting between a pair of events that fill come full circle and not without consequence. The film from here follows Larry primarily with diversions into Danny’s life in the final days leading up to his bar mitzvah. What entails though is a strange, random, yet lightly intertwined series of events filled with black humor and many an existential consequence.
The direction and writing from the Coen brothers is as sharp as ever as this very different film would clearly come undone in less skillful hands. In fact, if the Coen brothers were not the ones behind this film I don’t think there is a chance in hell anyone studio would have made this thing. It is such a unique and intriguing picture, yet incredibly difficult to explain to make the film sound both appealing and convey how clever of a film it really is without coming off as a fool. Certainly not for everyone, it challenges the viewer to think and sticks in your brain well after leaving the theater. Trying to decipher the tale is half the fun, even if it gives you a headache, and it will have you randomly lighting up as a new idea or clue dawns on your brain.
The Coen’s also deserve accolades for assembling a pitch perfect cast, as usual, from very few names you will recognize. Outside a few faces, most of these actors are fairly fresh or under used and everyone pulls there weight and then some. Michael Stuhlbarg’s turn as Larry is comic genius at times and all at once sad as he struggles with righting his life as it slowly unravels around him. Richard Kind nails every moment he gets on screen as the socially inept and odd Arthur that is living in with the Gopnik’s. Fred Melamed is also hilarious as Sy Albeman who is built up so wonderfully and Melamed lives up to the expectations of the character and makes him even funnier that we anticipate. The rest of the cast shines just as bright as these three as I mentioned earlier and this is vital to keeping us in the world of this film as it will take you up, down, and back around again.
Mining for themes in the film is also quite the task as there are so many layered on top of one another that you can keep pulling back ideas and meanings behind what this all means. A dark comedy on the surface, followed by a tale of Judaism in the 60’s, mid-life crisis, coming of age, the karma of cause and effect, defending family, ending marriage, being smote by the almighty, dental mysteries, ethics of education, this is just breaking the surface; and there is plenty more to find. The density of the film is unrivaled in most films today with so much swimming below the surface that you could get lost for days trying to figure it all out. And with that said, the film DEMANDS a second viewing (which I have sadly not had yet) as you can just tell it will open up the world even further with a second run through.
In the end, A Serious Man is one of the most unique and thought provoking films your will find in quite sometime; and it just so happens that the film is also quite funny as well. The Coen brothers continue to show that they are getting back into their A game and this will hopefully be just another step in a long line of original films by them for years to come. I can absolutely not wait to see it again to not only pick up on the subtext but just to get lost in this insane little world that the Coen’s have created and revel in the brilliant dark humor that is rarely found in today’s film landscape.
A Serious Man is an A-

(Oh, and Kudos to Roger Deakins who continues to be THE MAN!)

Review: Where The Wild Things Are

2009-10-15T22:01:00.006-07:00

Spike Jonze’s long delayed adaptation of the beloved novel Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak finally has hit the screens and the results are more or less wonderful on every level.
Our hero is Max, a young nine year old with a wild side that can emerge from his everyday child hood demeanor when his buttons get pushed a little too far. In fact, it doesn’t take much pressure to set the kid off and when Max and his mother get into when she has a gentleman caller over, Max runs out of the house and sails of to a foreign land inhabited by a group of giant monster like wild things. Max quickly becomes anointed their king with promises to bring changes and happiness to their land.
That’s right, happiness, and I think you will quickly find that this film isn’t the fun filled adventure the trailers are selling it as. The wild things are not a happy race of creatures and their defacto leader, Carol, is riding an emotional roller coaster over the course of the film. Elated one minute, angry the next, and moping around depressed the next, Carol, is a fairly diverse and complicated character that is much unexpected for a film for younger audiences. In fact, outside Ira, most of the wild things are grappling with some kind of emotional distress and Max does his best to try and address everyone’s issues though very little is resolved over the course of the film.
Now that isn’t necessarily saying there isn’t some fun action and adventure in the film, there are some quite thrilling scenes to be seen and the overall magic and wonder of the land is a sight to be seen. Once you get the land of the wild things you will get lost in the world that is as bizarre and unique as any world put on to the screen, especially by a main stream studio. The choice to use the actual puppets over CGI pays off in spades and brings so much more to the table knowing that these wild things are really running around with Max. The actors as well in the puppets deserve some super kudos as well as they do some fantastic work that really nails the voice actors’ performances and works perfectly with the CGI work on the faces. In fact the wild things are some of the coolest creatures to grace the silver screen and will live on in the minds of children and adults for some time to come.
The film is an all to brief window into the world of the wild things as Max learns a lot about family and himself through the wild things themselves as each share many characteristics to Max’s own personality. Max uses his time with the wild things to realize the errors in his ways and while he loves his new friends and land he longs to return to the family he left behind. The writers, Jonze and Dave Eggers, did a great job at expanding the brisk novel to a feature length film and the choice to parallel the wild things to Max’s personality not only made each of the wild things unique but also allowed Max to be quite diverse himself.
Jonze should also be commended for creating the absolutely breathtaking visuals he puts on the screen and takes full advantage of his Australian terrains. The cinematography is also stupendous, creating mood and atmosphere with such ease that you could pull almost any frame out of the picture and hang it on your wall.
In fact the film is constructed very well and remains very engaging for as little that does actually happen in this film. There is no real plot or goal here and any plans that come up quickly fall to the way side as Max and the wild things attention swing else where. Jonze also throws in a nice balance of scary situations, bizarre moments, funny comedy bits, and heartwarming scenes to go along with the action and sad stuff to create a film that has a little bit of everything for everyone and will almost for sure find a way to connect to most members of the audience.
Max Records does a great job as Max showing quite a bit of range for a first time actor and giving you the feeling of watching a real kid let loose in this crazy world. James Gandolfini brings so much to Carol making him such a diverse character that can be cute and cuddly and truly terrifying to Max and us the viewer. Catherine O’Hara is the other real stand out of the voice cast as Judith as she wines and sasses everyone in the pack and actually is the biggest proponent to the fear that the wild things very much are willing to eat Max as a snack. Chris Cooper and Paul Dano are delightfully melancholy as Douglas and Alex, with Forest Whitaker nailing the lovable nature of Ira. Lastly, Lauren Ambrose as KW is a bit aloof and out there, but this allows the film to go to some delightfully bizarre and weird tangents that will stick with you the most after the film.
In the end, Where The Wild Things Are is a surprisingly sad adventure but one that forces the viewer to reflect and get wrapped up in these animals lives. Spike Jonze should be heralded for creating such an engaging, original, and unique vision to bring to the screen and executing it flawlessly. Without a complaint to really harbor against the film, I still think its tone will catch you off guard if not expecting the sadness there is in this world. Though don’t let that scare you away as you will be smiling, laughing, and be enthralled for much of the films run time; just know it isn’t afraid to punch you in the gut. I can’t wait to see it again and it is a film that I think will only grow on future viewings but don’t miss this film; it is a truly original experience and puts Spike Jonze at a solid A average for his three feature films; not to shabby.
Where The Wild Things Are is an A-

Review: The Invention Of Lying

2009-10-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

Ricky Gervais makes his American writing and directing debut with the help of Matthew Robinson and the results are a dramedy that doesn’t deliver the laugh a minute pace you might be expecting, but it doesn’t try to and it works fairly well.
The premise of the film is very high concept and takes place in a world where everyone tells the brutal honest truth. They don’t hide things by just ignoring saying the things that might be inappropriate, they have no barometer for what is appropriate or not, they just say whatever is on their mind and believe everything everyone says because there are no lies. Our focus is on Mark Bellison, an average bloke who doesn’t have much money, no romantic prospects, and is probably at risk of losing his job. He has his eye on Anna but she is well out of his league, which she quickly will acknowledge, and is quickly becoming, more and more depressed with his existence as even his ailing mother acknowledges his lack of being much of anything. This is all until one day, Mark, discovers the ability to say something that isn’t and the circumstances of his discovery prove fruitful at first but complicate things in not only his own life but over the entire world.
The gags and jokes that Gervais and Robinson are able to create on the surface are very clever and well done but there is a lot more to the picture than the simple, “look how rude everyone is” bit. The writers ask a lot of questions about life, religion, and whether we are better off telling little white lies every now and then. The world itself is borderline depressing at times as the beautiful people get the best in everything and treat everyone else like dirt. Seeing people called out for their flaws and humiliated left and right is a little funny at first but when you think about the consequences this has on the world it makes you take notice to how mean this is in the films world and our own. It’s a bit sad we live in this world where the successful and beautiful are so lauded and held on such a high pedestal, we are all people and we would be better to treat each other well and I think the filmmakers did a great job of making us think about this.
Another major social topic that comes under the microscope is religion and the power a promise of afterlife can take over people. The film also addresses the silliness and contradictory nature of religion and while not openly blasting it, it asks the audience to at least step back and go, “this is a bit absurd”.
Gervais’ inspirations for the film were Woody Allen and films like Groundhog Day and knowing that going in will really help your enjoyment of the film. I think even with my limited exposure to the ads of the film I was caught expecting more of a traditional straight forward comedy. The film, while quite funny, has plenty of drama to it as well and I think people will even get caught up in a few of the scenes as well.
The cast is also quite good across the board with a who’s who of comedy making countless appearances in the film. Gervais is great in the lead and shows quite the range from heartfelt to absurd while not feeling like a retread of his previous characters to boot. Garner has a lot of fun as Anna and really throws herself into the role which requires her to be obliviously mean and silly towards just about everyone she encounters. Rob Lowe sleazes his way along as the arch enemy of Gervais and his smugness is delightful. Tina Fey, Jeffery Tambor, Christopher Guest, Jason Bateman, Jonah Hill, and Louis C.K. also all make funny appearances as well as a couple of A-list cameo’s that will have you chuckling the whole time.
In the end, The Invention of Lying is a fine little thoughtful comedy that I think will benefit even further from future viewings. Providing plenty of laughs from start to finish, there is also a heart to this story that catches you off guard and is unexpected if you don’t know it is coming. With that said, I still enjoyed the film a great deal, especially another wonderful turn by Gervais and his excellent supporting cast. Go into this film with the right expectations and I think you will find that there is a lot to enjoy and I can’t wait to see this one again under righted impressions and will shine even brighter as time goes on. I just wish they didn’t cut Karl Pilkington! Check it out for sure if you are a fan of Gervais and thoughtful comedies that are two part laughs, one part heart.
The Invention of Lying is a B-

Review: The Boys Are Back

2009-10-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

Scott Hicks’ adaptation of the memoir of a man left to raising his son after the loss of his wife seems like a depressing subject matter, but the results are an uplifting and unique look at parenting, whether you agree or disagree with the way he goes about things, and its delivered in a top notch performance by Clive Owen as the father in question.
Joe Warr is a British sports reporter living in Australia with his wife and young son. We are introduced to the family after Joe’s wife passes away and then flashback to the events leading up to her passing. We quickly see the bond among the family is strong and true and the couple is as happy as a couple could be. While attending a party, Joe’s wife is come over with pain and they discover she has cancer. After she passes, their son Artie does handle it well but by no means melts down, the problem is more on Joe’s side of things as he looks for some way to raise his son and to further there connection as father son as it isn’t as strong as it could probably be as Joe has traveled a lot as a sports reporter through the boy’s life. Added to all of this, Joe has a past life back in England where his ex-wife and son, Harry, from a previous marriage live and his connection with his other son is not terribly strong either. This leads to Harry coming to Australia to live with Artie and Joe and they begin to form a bond that they have both been looking for.
The film is heartfelt and quite funny at times with Artie supplying a number of laughs along the way. Joe takes on a very odd parenting style that will have you shaking your head and wondering if it might really work, which apparently it did since this is based off a true story. The film just floats through the lives of these three as they carry on in the world and run into obstacles along the way. Be it Artie’s grieving grandmother, tension from Joe’s ex back in England, or pressure from fellow parents on Joe’s ways, there is always a force acting upon the way Joe carries himself. The film is ultimately a character study of this family’s endeavors as they over come their obstacles and work towards a common goal of just being happy.
The film is also produced exceptionally with some great acting and directing that really makes these relationships feel real and true. The opening scenes of the film with Joe and his wife are heart wrenching, even with the short screen time we are given and we instantly feel the warmth of this family’s relationship that connects your to them over the course of the whole picture. The film also strikes that excellent balance of comedy and drama and does an excellent job of presenting the mind of a child, however dizzying it might be.
The acting in the film is what carries this picture to being as good as it is and it all begins with Clive Owen’s wonderful turn as this free spirited father. Owen is given countless obstacles and detractors along the way to work off of and does an amazing job being both serious but calm through the worst of times. You can feel his frustration even though he never yells, the pain of his loss runs under his skin and he is never once not believable in his sincerity; it really is a wonderful turn and change of pace from the other great roles we have seen him in over the years. Owen also works extremely well with the younger actors in the film and their bond feels authentic and true. The other real standout in the film is Nicholas McAnulty who plays Artie and is a wonderful little find by the creators of the film. Coming across as real as a child can in a film, he is crazy, quiet, and adorable all at once and you never know what he is going to do next. McAnulty really makes you forget you are watching a child actor as he embodies the character the whole time and never once comes across as a weak link, in fact he soars above expectations most of the time with his natural characterization of Artie. George MacKay also pulls off the abandoned son bit quite well and quietly gains confidence over time in Australia. MacKay gets to really show his range in the latter part of the film as well, but you will have to discover that on your own.
In the end, The Boys Are Back is a wonderful look at fatherhood and family and what makes those things great. Never sappy or sympathetic, the film feels honest and real to life through and through. Anchored by great work from it’s three main actors their bond quickly rubs off on you and you can’t help but be sucked into their world and feel for them along their path. Clive Owen shows his range and proves again why he is one of the best working actors in this story that while sad will have smiling by the end and laughing along the way.
The Boys are Back is a B+

Review: Couples Retreat

2009-10-08T21:59:00.001-07:00

Peter Billingsly’s feature debut with screenwriting stars and duo Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau have created a relationship comedy that has a number of interesting points on couples, but really lacks a lot of good humor and drags at a miserable pace for the last forty five minutes or so.
Dave, Jason, Shane, and Joey are a group of four friends and their respective significant others Ronnie, Cynthia, Trudy, Lucy are all going through varying stages of their relationships. Lucy and Joey are on the verge of divorce once their daughter heads off to school, Trudy and Shane are a young couple (two weeks) and Shane still isn’t over his divorce, Dave and Ronnie are fairly content in their lives, and Jason and Cynthia are having problems conceiving. Jason and Cynthia are also contemplating divorce as the stress of the lack of baby making is wearing thin and as a last ditch effort they decide to go on a couples getaway and want their friends to go with them as it gets them a discount rate. After a bit of convincing they are all off to Eden West, and before they know it they are unsuspectingly thrown into couple’s therapy activities under the tutelage of an expert on repairing relationship, Marcel. From here, everyone’s relationships get a bit turned all around, stretched thin, and problems arise as they go through zany exercises and sessions to supposedly help their relationships.
Now, the film starts off pretty well and I will admit that I am a big fan of Vaughn, Favreau, Bateman and they are quite good to start things off. Though as things progress forward the trio is given less ability to riff and kind of improvise which these guys are pretty great at and the film gets bogged down in a boring and pointless plot. The idea behind it all is actually quite clever and they couldn’t have assembled a better cast for the picture. The problem is that Vaughn, Favreau, and Dana Fox who wrote the film fall into stereotypes, convention, and old gags that we have seen time and time again. They give themselves a premise that allows them to rewrite the rules and go just about anywhere with this revolutionary couple’s therapy but they just stick to jokes we have seen before. Also, the films third act is just an absolute mess and drags on and on with things getting resolved way, way, way to easily for everyone. Also, don’t put a 3-5 minute Guitar Hero duel in your movie, it might be a blast to play at home but nobody wants to go to a movie and watch someone play guitar hero, no matter how you edit it.
The films tone is also a bit of an issue as it jumps from serious to farce from scene to scene. Now, I am all for trying to create this balance and when films do it, it usually works great, but they do not execute here. Now, that isn’t to say that they didn’t have some nice and well thought out serious moments about relationships and what you have to do to survive, but when in one scene one of the women walks out on their mate and then the next you are trying to get the humor back with the fore mentioned Guitar Hero dual, doesn’t really work.
The actors in the film also do fair enough work thee just isn’t a lot for them to do most of the time. Bateman and Vaughn produce the most laughs in the picture though after the first few scenes, these start to become few and far between. Jean Reno is having a blast as Marcel but his character quickly loses depth and we grow tired. Kristin Davis and Kristen Bell are both regulated to the background and given very little to do, but Malin Ackerman does a nice job as the female lead and feels genuine in her character. Faizon Love was actually quite good in the film as well, showing a surprising amount of range as he was in the most dynamic relationship of the group as Shane. All in all no one really underperforms, they just get underwritten.
In the end, Couples Retreat is more or less a mis-fire on all levels. A meandering plot, sluggish pacing, and a lack of any real original humor really keep this interesting concept from being anything more than average at best. Bateman does have one of the best one liners of the year and Vaughn and Ackerman’s younger kid in the film, Colin Baiocchi, steals every scene he is in, but other than that it’s a lot of stuff you have seen before. It’s a shame to, as Vaughn hasn’t made a good movie in which he leads in years now especially when there was such potential with the team and cast behind this one. Oh well, but I can’t really recommend this picture in theaters; a rental at best.
Couples Retreat is a D

The Decade's Best - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

2009-10-06T17:12:00.004-07:00

Ang Lee’s – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
On the surface, Lee’s film is a martial arts movie with elaborate set pieces, beautiful choreography, and noble heroes. But under that surface making the film what it is are layers upon layers of sub plots and stories that create wonderful characters and an intimate story that is tragic and heartbreaking.
Li Mu Bai is a master of the martial art Wudan and after having an epiphany during his meditation decides to hang it up and retire from his life of martial arts and defense. Turning his legendary sword, The Green Destiny, to an old friend and state official, Sir Te, it will leave his ownership without avenging his master’s death ten years prior to the villainous Jade Fox. Upon delivering the sword to Sir Te, it is quickly stolen under the watchful eye of Yu Shu Lien, the rumor of the return of Jade Fox begins to spread through Peking, and the crime raises an eye to the Governor’s house hold whose daughter, Jen Yu, has taken a special interest in Yu Shu Lien and The Green Destiny. Upon Li Mu Bai’s arrival to Peking to see Yu Shu Lien he discovers the loss of his sword and discovers the surfacing of his master’s killer and decides to stay his retirement to reclaim his sword and avenge his master’s death.
This is the simplest way to line out the plot for you, but over the course of the runtime where this portion of the plot unfolds, I haven’t even touched on a number of intriguing sub-plots that arise, nor the two fantastic fights that unfold as well. The theme that becomes quickly clear and only grows over the film is the theme of love between people. Yes there are a number of awesome action scenes and fights in the film, but at its heart it is a story about love and the things that keep us from it in our lives. Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien have had a bond for years and from the moment that we first see them together in this film you can tell more is there between the two, but neither one of them is able to show one another. Same goes for Jen Yu who is being forced into love through an arranged marriage where her heart lies somewhere else. This theme is countered with the idea of being free and living life to its fullest and offering point/counterpoint throughout as characters struggle with the paths they have chosen and will choose.
The film also serves as a detective story of sorts over the course of the first act with a number of players lurking in the shadows; for good and bad. As the plot around the theft of The Green Destiny and The Jade Fox unfolds things get a bit dense with a father and daughter tacking down Jade Fox, the palace’s main guard Bo investigating the theft, and Li and Yu going about their methods to get to the bottom of the mess. All of this provides for a nice mix of mystery and intrigue as details are revealed about our characters which ultimately set up the second half of the film which is more a tale of self discovery for Jen Yu who must come to grips with her past as she moves forward. Lee does a fantastic job of balancing all of these story elements and styles into a wonderfully cohesive and engaging story that will not let you go.
The film’s fight scenes are also some of the best you will find in film and are beautifully photographed by Lee and his team. The fights are also epic and unreal as the fighters glide through the air over rooftops and bamboo, duel with an array of weapons, and many times involve a host of participants. You never get lost in the action and it is not shot in that zoomed in nature that many modern directors deem good action photography. The film is also an excellent showcase for women as heroes and action stars as either Jen or Yu is involved in every single fight and they do not fail to impress.
The actors in the film are also quite wonderful, starting with Chow Yun-Fat as Li Mu Bai. Calm, wise, and intimidating, even with a smile, Fat’s portrayal of Li is so strong and with such presence we just know he is not one to be messed with. Fat is perfectly paired with Michelle Yeoh as Yu Shu Lien and the two project their sadness and longing for each other and their history right under their skin with beautiful subtlety. Yeoh also shines in the action scenes bringing an intensity and skill that catches you off guard. She also nails the dramatic beats especially in the heart wrenching finale. Zhang Ziyi stars as the young Jen Yu and not only handles the fighting but carries herself wonderfully as the cocky, bratty, and conceited Jen and appropriately reacts when that attitude gets her into trouble. Chen Chang plays a bandit that is apart of Jen’s past and he brings a bit of fun and charisma to the proceedings while successfully conveying his heartfelt emotions when he has to. Lastly, Pei-Pei Cheng is appropriately nasty and evil as Jade Fox and wickedly takes advantage of her limited screen time.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is one of the most successful foreign language films on American shores and rightfully so. It is a masterfully crafted piece of cinema by Ang Lee and has a beautiful story to boot. Providing visceral thrills, thought provoking subject matter, and great storytelling you can’t help but get wrapped up in the picture. Beautifully shot and put together there isn’t a wasted frame and when its all said and done you will not be able to shake the experience for some time as it is one of the finer films you are sure to come by.

Review: Zombieland

2009-10-06T13:15:00.002-07:00

Ruben Fleischer’s feature debut is an extremely fun zombie comedy that is definitely more comedy than any of the many other genres on display here, which isn’t a bad thing since it is frequently hilarious.
The zombie apocalypse is well under way in the United States and the living dead vastly outnumber the living. We follow the path of Columbus, as in his destination is Columbus, Ohio, in which he hopes to find his family still intact. Columbus lives by a set of rules to keep from becoming the living dead, many of which we will get a lesson in over the course of the film. Columbus is a former college student who has now hit the road and he ends up running into and pairing up with a man known as Tallahassee, a bit reckless but a hell of a zombie killer, the two form an unlikely team that is both effective and beneficial to their survival. The pair eventually runs into another couple on the run, this time a pair of sisters, Wichita and Little Rock are their call signs with Wichita being the older and Little Rock a 12 year old on the run. The foursome eventually team up, though not very smoothly and they decide to watch each others backs with the hope of finding a little peace if not what they are looking for.
The film as I mentioned in the opening is quite the genre mash up. One part horror, one part indie romantic comedy, one part action film, and three part comedy the film has a little bit for everyone. The film is first and foremost a comedy, and those looking for the horror/action stuff will find it is rather contained to beginning and the end of the picture with the middle devoted to getting to know these characters and building compassion for them along the way. And the film does that really well by making everyone likeable and fun to be around which also helps elevate the horror and the action of the picture when it is around as we really care about these characters and are hoping none of them bite the dust.
Those looking for a scared though, don’t come in expecting a creep fest. There are a couple of tense and out at you moments, but for the most part it is the graphic gore in the early goings that will get the faint of heart. Though, Fleischer does a nice job of using some of the gore to good comic effect, but after he sets the table through the first couple of scenes there isn’t a lot to worry about over the rest of the picture. This is all too just let you know that it is a comedy genre film not a gross out horror fest, in fact it is more keen to an indie comedy in its structure in pacing than anything else.
The writing in the film is very sharp and the execution of the rules is done incredibly well. The film opens with a run down of the rules, then quickly a scene of Columbus executing them. But the rules pop up over and over again and it is a lot of fun to watch our heroes execute them, and even funnier when they sneak the rules written out subtly in the background.
The cast, though sparse, is fantastic from top to bottom. Jesse Eisenberg is great as always and gets his biggest main stream role yet which he knocks out of the park. Columbus is neurotic, sticks to his rules, and has never really taken risks in his life and Eisenberg does a great job at capturing that but still instilling the snooty confidence the character has. He also makes a potentially unappealing and relatable character likeable and you will find yourself quickly getting behind him in the picture. Woody Harrelson on the other hand has to do very little to win us over. The character is written and created so well, you can’t help but not get behind Tallahassee. Harrelson dives head first into the character and makes him even bigger and better then he is written on the page, providing endless one liners and one of the better characters I have seen in a movie in a while. Emma Stone is sexy, funny, and has a bit of an edge to her that works perfectly for Wichita. The character has some trust issues and Stone nails it, but gives the character depth as she slowly lets down her guard and softens up to her new companions that we first only see with her sister Little Rock. Little Rock is played by the always great Abigail Breslin and it is fun to see her take on a film that is entirely unexpected. She doesn’t have a whole lot to do, but she shines when she does, and throws in a couple of good lines throughout the picture. Amber Heard has another solid turn in a brief appearance in Columbus’ flashback and gets to play both sides of the ball if you catch my drift. The cameo you might have heard of by now is also as good as you hear it is, but I won’t spoil here.
In the end, Zombieland is a grand ole time at the theater and one of the most fun films of the year. It is well crafted and rarely drops a joke, though I wish it had a bit more of the zombie fighting throughout the picture. Again, that’s not to say I was disappointed, I just think Fleischer and company did an excellent job with the action/zombie fighting stuff I wish there was more of it. Other than that, not a whole lot to complain about, maybe a bit better pacing in the middle of the picture but I think that feeling is more attributed to the fact that the zombie stuff dies down a bit and we focus on the characters, which is great just caught me off guard. Check it out if you are a comedy fan, even if you are a bit off put by the horror stuff I promise it won’t diminish your experience.
Zombieland is an A-

Review: Whip It

2009-10-01T21:59:00.002-07:00

Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut is a fun, humorous, and uplifting tale that appeals to all audiences with its themes about being yourself and not bashing anyone along the way and it is about as fun as a movie can get when it is firing on all cylinders.
Bliss Cavendar is a seventeen year old girl living under the tutelage of her mother in the world of beauty pageants and is quickly growing disinterested with the whole thing. Growing more and more into her own, Bliss is looking for something more up her ally. Not full of her self and never trying to set a trend, she is a quiet and gentle outsider when it comes to school but while visiting Austin she sees a group of roller derby girls promoting an event and quickly takes an interest to the sport. With her best friend Pash, the two head out for the big city to catch the event and Bliss becomes an enthralled by the event that unfolds. Upon discovering there are open tryouts for the league in a few weeks time, Bliss decides to bust out her old skates and start training to hopefully make a team. After a rough try out, her speed finds her a spot on the The Hurl Scouts with teammate like Maggie Mayhem, Smashley Simpson, Rosa Sparks, and Bloody Holly. Having to keep this world secret from her mom she leads a second life as a roller derby girl and even finds romance in a fan of the sport that helps her further discover herself.
The film from here becomes one part sports movie, one part young romance, one part fighting for what you believe in and Barrymore does a very find job of making them all gel together. Now, I will say, the roller derby stuff and anything involved around the teams and events are the best parts of the film by far. Bliss comes out of her shell and the supporting cast is fantastic from top to bottom. The laughs are also the most ferocious here and the action is fun, fast paced, and extremely well done. The film captures the fun and atmosphere of a roller derby so well that you can’t help but want to go out and watch a real event after you walk out of the film. The romance portion of the film is the weakest, but that is more or less because there isn’t quite a lot to it. Girl meets boy, start hanging out, sparks fly, and things get good. This subplot is definitely secondary but it does allow us to see another side of Bliss and delivers one of the cooler scenes in the movie; hint: it involves a pool. The last thread was the most delicate and is handled about as perfectly as you can imagine. Obviously the mother is going to find out and disapprove of things and you have the expected yelling scene of disapproval, but where the film shines is its handling of the aftermath. It could have taken the whole, mom’s evil she will never understand route, but Bliss gets advice from the most unlikely source on how you should view your parents and the results are some touching mother daughter scenes that you don’t really get in films very much nowadays.
But the film does mostly stick with the derbies for the most part and showcasing the eccentric characters in and around the world. The action is a lot of fun and the humor plentiful and you will find yourself biting with anticipation for the next scene. Luckily Barrymore doesn’t ever make you wait long and concocts some really wild and fun characters to surround Bliss in the film.
Ellen Page stars as Bliss and does a fine job at creating a quiet girl that can bust in and out of her shell when necessary and opens her heart when she has to as well. She handles the small scenes and the action scenes extremely well and is a strong lead for the picture that nails the part. Page is the straight man, for the most part, throughout the picture while everyone else gets to be a little crazy and over the top around her. Kristen Wiig is great as usual as Maggie Mayhem but she is the most down to earth of the group off the rink and becomes a good friend to Bliss over the course of the film. Drew Barrymore is also quite silly and good as Smashley Simpson, a dimmer and ADD riddled hard ass that is getting tossed out of games left and right. Juliette Lewis is also nasty and a lot of fun as the film antagonist and resident star of the derby league. Lewis’ character Iron Maven is a bit of a bitch but there is still this over ridding togetherness to the league that creates these weird bonds among all the athletes so you never get a complete villain feel from the character, which is good. Andrew Wilson and Jimmy Fallon provided the most laughs in the film as Coach Razor and the resident rink announcer respectively, and there simply wasn’t enough of these two in the picture. Marcia Gay Harden is great as always as Bliss’ mom and she shows a deft range and puts a nice fresh spin on the overbearing mom by giving her an underlying edge. Daniel Stern is also quite good as Bliss’ father and he slowly gets more and more to do as the film roles on, culminating in some great bits in which he nails. Alia Shawkat also stars as Pash and is a bit over the top but still fits in the spirit of the film though she does miss a couple of times as on her comedy beats, but oh well she still does a nice job.
In the end, Whip It is a fun sports film that both girls and guys will enjoy and has a lot of fresh ideas going for it. Be it the wicked action of the sport, the alternative coming of age tale, or the grand ole time the film is having and the feeling of fun popping out of the screen it is hard not to get swept up in the film. The movie is all at once a bit to conventional with its structure but at the same time will surprise you with fresh bits and pieces along the way, especially with a great portrayal of a mother/daughter relationship. With all this said, Whip It, is one of the most fun films of the year as well as one of the funniest and you should show no hesitation this weekend when heading out to see this one.
Whip It is an A-

Where Is My Halo Movie?

2009-10-01T00:22:00.001-07:00

It's obvious Bungie knows what they are doing when making commercials and can help produce a fantastic picture if they are creative and astheticlay involved, so why oh why do we not have a Halo movie in the pipeline?
Neil Blomkamp was picked by Peter Jackson to bring Halo to life a couple years ago but the studio's didn't deem him a big enough director to make the film and it all folded in on itself. Blomkamp and Jackson went on to make District 9 instead and have those studio execs shaking their heads as the movie quadruples its budget.Now for the release of Halo 3: ODST Bungie commisioned a new live action commercial and the results are stunning. Who isn't going to love watching an epic film in this world! Bring back Blomkamp and Jackson and lets do this!

Review: 9

2009-09-30T11:54:00.003-07:00

Shane Acker’s feature length debut is a bit of a half baked idea paired with astonishing visuals that in the end overcomes most of its short comings with its imagination and originality.
9 awakens in a world destroyed by war and immediately is thrown into an adventure to not only save a new friend, but to discover the world and what happened to it. 9 himself is a sack like creature (think Little Big Planet without as big a head) and he quickly discovers that he is not the only one of his kind milling about. The human race is all but gone, as a war with machines has decimated both their world and the species, and all that we are aware of being left is a group of frightened and reclusive sack creatures numbered from 1-9. The remaining group quickly tries to convince 9 to hide with them and not try and do anything heroic after the loss of the fourth member of their group to a monstrous machine that prowls the city. But 9 won’t have it and is able to sway 5 to head after 2 and the adventure soon becomes even bigger than they thought possible as a new threat arises from their search.
Now the whole idea of machines destroying the world and what have you I understand is a bit tired, but it is not the focal point and is more a catalyst for the story and the confrontations of the film. Above this idea lies an interesting and unique story about these little creatures that are enlightened by 9’s appearance and his gung ho attitude to see what is out there. Though a couple things might make you go wait a minute? 9’s motivations come out of no where and he seems to be acting just because the film needs him too as the hero. Now the origins of these creatures might help you rationalize why he is the way he is, but it doesn’t quite make sense and isn’t adequately explained. In fact, the end game of the picture leaves you scratching your head quite a bit as it is a touching end but doesn’t quite make a lot of sense again as they leave things to open.
But like I mentioned in the intro, the film mostly overcomes these confusing bits with incredible visuals and elaborate set pieces that will distract you from any of the awkward story stuff. The action scenes come quick and are beautifully executed with everyone playing a part that is involved in each respective scene. The battles are also just epic in proportions, taking place all over the sets and causing loads of destruction and drama for the characters in their peril. In fact, one thing that this film has going for it is its ability to establish anyone can go at any moment as a number of the characters will fall before it is all said and done. In particular, the attack by the winged creation on the characters is one of the finer action sequences of the year and was the stand out scene in the film. 3 and 4 are also extremely well done and are creative characters and will probably become your favorite of the 9 the instant they show up.
The voice work in the film is also very adequate with John C Reilly as 5 and Elijah Wood as 9 getting the most time in the picture. Wood brings confidence and go for it attitude to 9 but is more or less the same character from Happy Feet here. Reilly on the other hand creates this torn and vulnerable character that slowly emerges from his shell and is really the stand out in the picture. Crispin Glover as 6 also does some nice work, though he is delegated to the background most of the time.
In the end, 9 is a wonderful looking animated film that has a unique vision that doesn’t quite execute to its fullest. Be prepared to wonder why everyone is acting the way they are and hopefully you can make some sense of the explanation and ending as I don’t think it works 100%. But at a tight run time and a quick pace the film moves right along with some awesome action scenes grounded with wonderful production values and some great animation that will make the film more than enjoyable. One just can’t help but wonder what this could have been if they had worked out all of the head scratching plot details and made a more cohesive story. Oh well, its still worth your time.
9 is a B-

The Decade's Best - Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

2009-09-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

David Wain’s – Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
Released under the radar and still no more than a cult following today, David Wain’s feature debut is a silly, absurd, insane, and bizarre film that pokes fun at cliché through the world of a Jewish summer camp that is about to end it’s summer run and the results are hilarious.
It is the last day of camp at Camp Firewood and when the longest conversation ever between our hero, Cooper, and camp counselor hottie Katie sparks a desire inside our hero the quest for love begins. Now, I know that sounds corny and all but that is the simplest and most understandable plot description of the film. This is the most consistent theme that pops up throughout the film, but once the first few minutes of the film passes by you are about to enter a random world of silliness that you won’t soon forget. A sexually repressed Vietnam vet cook, gay marriage, capture the flag, astrophysics, robbing an old lady, dying children, a van crash, drug binges, a talent show, countless make out sessions, and a trip into town if only for an hour are only the tip of the iceberg of the events that unfold over the single day the film takes place over. And every single one of the above events will have you laughing, yes even the children dying. The random absurdity keeps the film fresh, fast, and completely unpredictable with a joke rarely missing the mark. The film is also layered and sneaky with new quirks and jokes popping up every time you watch the film as there are little easter eggs of silliness hidden in every frame of this film it seems.
The films ability to also parody and satirize all those clichéd moments you find in films couldn’t be any sharper and the way Wain and Showalter flip these conventions on your head will have you shaking your head at any film that takes them on. The humor is just as sharp when it comes to the original material as well, with some jokes and the cleverness behind them being really surprising in such a silly and absurd world that is Wet Hot American Summer.
The cast for the film is also phenomenal and stars many household names of today long before they were ever stars. David Wain pulled some of the cast from his days with The State, including Joe Lo Truglio, Michael Ian Black, Ken Marino, and co-wrote the film with Michael Showalter. Wain also nailed some top talent in the likes of Janeane Garofalo, Molly Shannon, and David Hyde Pierce. The rest of the cast consists of smaller names at the time in the likes of Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Elizabeth Banks, Bradley Cooper, Christopher Meloni, Marguerite Moreau, and A.D. Miles. As you can see, the talent on display here is hard to compete with and all of them turn in some of their funniest work out there.
The real standouts though are David Hyde Pierce and Christopher Meloni who are so obviously having a blast that they are just infectious to watch. Meloni plays the camp cook and has some wonderfully awkward moments with A.D. Miles and a can of Vegetable Soup that are hard to top in this film. Pierce on the other hand plays a nerdy astrophysicist that takes a group of indoor kids under his wing as he flirts with Garofalo’s camp director. The initial meeting between the two is comic gold and to spoil it would be a crime.
In fact, telling you any of the jokes would be a shame as they are best experienced off guard and unexpected as they will knock you on your ass repeatedly as they never stop coming. But I hope I have laid the groundwork for not only what you are getting into, but give you a taste of the talent involved to peek your interest in the film. The fact that I am listing it in this series is no fluke either and I urge you to seek this film out for enjoyment as it is a comedy gem that is far too undiscovered considering its brilliance.
Go find Wet Hot American Summer!

Modern Family on ABC is Hilarious!

2009-09-23T22:59:00.003-07:00

Just got done watching the series premiere of ABC's new mockumentary family comedy and I was very impressed. Focusing on a family with just about everything, the Dad has just married young and she is a fiery Latino with a young romantic son, a gay couple that just adopted a baby girl from Vietnam, and a more traditional family with three kids and a "cool" dad.
The jokes are edgy, the pacing is quick, and the writing is super sharp. The show has a little bit of something for everyone and can appeal to a diverse demographic range. All the actors are also quite good, including the kids, with Julie Bowen and Ed O'Neill being the most recognizable leads.
I really hope this makes it, as it is as funny as Glee and even easier to relate with; even if it is a tad over the top. Let's hope ABC keeps their heads on straight and gives it a chance, it is going head to head with the biggest hit of the year so far the fore mentioned Glee, and doesn't cancel it early like they did to the exceptional Sons & Daughters which is of the same ilk.
Check out the official site here, which should link you to full episodes later today.

The Decade's Best - The Lord of the Rings (2001-2004)

2009-09-21T23:00:00.001-07:00

When it was announced that Peter Jackson, a small time and rather unknown Kiwi director, was going to be taking over the reigns of one of the most sought after and daunting film tasks in the history of cinema many didn’t expect a whole lot. But one came out of this man’s mind is an adaptation that Tolkien couldn’t have supervised much better himself and will go down as not only one of the greatest fantasy films, but flat out best films ever to grace our silver screens.

Now, let’s set the record straight right off, The Lord of the Rings is one film, broken up into three volumes for our butts and studio execs pockets pleasure. You will also note that my dates for the film is from 2001-2004, and that is because we didn’t have the full film experience in our hands until the release of the extended edition of Return of the King on DVD in 2004. (Though, don’t count out Jackson on making a couple changes and maybe even extending further on Blu-ray to coincide with The Hobbit)

The story takes place in the land of Middle Earth, populated by races of men, elves, orcs, goblins, dwarves, wizards, and most important to our quest hobbits. Hobbits are smaller people, not entirely different from men aside from their stature, state of leisure, and fascination with pipe weed. We are introduced to there world when Gandalf the Grey, a wizard of Middle Earth comes to visit his old friend Bilbo who possesses a ring that might be more powerful than they could ever imagine. This ring is the bane of an ancient lord of Middle Earth, Sauron, who is regaining his power lost since this ring was cut from his hand. If he were to regain the ring he could march across the lands of Middle Earth and put it permanently into darkness, but Gandalf has other plans for it. Putting the ring in the hands of the hobbit Frodo, the nephew of Bilbo who found the one ring on his travels with Gandalf (see The Hobbit in 2011 & 2012), he sends him out towards Mordor where the ring can be destroyed only where it was forged. Gandalf bands together a fellowship to assist Frodo on his quest consisting of an elf, a dwarf, and two men, one of which is the heir to the throne of Gondor and the leader of men, Aragorn. Once all joined together, the fellowship, which also includes three of Frodo’s hobbit friends, sets off to Mordor to destroy the ring of power and destroy the greatest threat to Middle Earth.
This film, once finally seen by the public, quickly displayed that the time was right then to finally make this adaptation and that we didn’t have the abilities to do so as effectively until then. Jackson uses every trick in the book to bring Middle Earth to life. From superb make-up work, groundbreaking CGI rivaled only by ILM at the time, beautiful and detailed miniatures (or bigatures) that gave the epic buildings and sets a real life feel, beautiful costume design, and above all a concise sense of scope and vision that allows you to just fall into it with ease and buy into everything you are seeing.
The three volumes themselves slowly build up to the next, ramping up the scale and grandeur of the proceedings, and make you wishing the first two films didn’t end. When I walked out of The Fellowship of the Ring I had rarely ever been blown away by a film. As the credits rolled, I was ready to go for another three hours and couldn’t believe I had to wait another year to see the next part of the story. Few films have that affect on people and that is a testament to how magnificent these films are.
Now, I will say this, theatrically these films are by no means perfect, especially the final two releases, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. With that said, FOTR theatrically was an amazing experience and I had about zero complaints with the film, but that was until Jackson released the Extended Edition of the FOTR before the release of TT in theaters. The movie somehow got better, way better, and at three and a half hours the film felt even faster and better paced than the theatrical edition. Bringing the film even closer to the book and had me eagerly awaiting the next volume of the story.
Unfortunately, The Two Towers, theatrically, was a bit of a mess. Feeling rushed, truncated, and missing whole scenes, the story was just too much for a three hour film. So when it was announced that the extended edition of that film was going to be forty minutes longer, I was ecstatic. And the results were not disappointing in the least bit as the release stood toe to toe with Fellowship now which was a laughable claim after seeing the theatrical version. The extended edition fleshes out all the characters, allows everyone their moment to shine, and doesn’t short change Merry and Pippin like the theatrical release. The extended cut even feels like a shorter and faster film at forty minutes longer as the film builds a flow that works impeccably and never lets you go from start to finish.
The Return of the King was now being released only a month or so later and the anticipation couldn’t have been higher and the film met the expectations on a number of levels. The Battle of Pelennor Fields was unlike anything I have ever seen in a film and on such an epic scale it has yet to be even remotely duplicated since. The affects were wonderful and the acting as good as ever, but again it felt like we were missing some things and the film could have moved along a bit better. With that said, this theatrical release was far more successful than The Two Towers but I would hold out judgment until the extended editions was released. The results were fifty more minutes of great footage and again a better and pacing and flow for the film even at its extended length. Aragorn gets the most help from the extended cut, as do the pair of misfit hobbits, and Jackson made the Battle of Pelennor even more grand and phenomenal. The Return of the King might be my least favorite of the three volumes, but it is still better than most films released every year, it had to meet an almost impossible standard set by the first two films and it’s amazing it almost hit said standard.
Jackson was able sell us on the world of Middle Earth pretty much from the get go but his actors made the story work as they molded these memorable characters we would care for over the eleven plus hours of the film and make us wish we could spend even more time with them. Elijah Wood becomes Frodo and does a great job with the character as the weight of the ring slowly becomes heavier and heavier of a burden on him. Sean Astin plays his sidekick of sorts Sam, and while his accent can be a bit iffy at times, he slowly molds himself into quite the hero as they get closer and closer to the end. The other hobbits are played by Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd who start off as great comic relief and then discover their true purpose in Middle Earth as they both shine in their character arcs. Ian Holm also shines in his brief scenes as Bilbo Baggins and is both charming and a tad bit heart breaking as he digresses after giving up the ring. Orlando Bloom made his break out turn here as Legolas the elf but is more of an action superstar in the film than anything else, luckily he is very convincing as the bad ass of the group. Ian McKellen owns the role of Gandalf and no one else could possibly even be conceived as playing this role better than him, he is Gandalf. John Rhys-Davies has a blast as Gimli the dwarf, but I always wished his character remained more serious rather than becoming the bit of comic relief he evolved into in the later parts of the film. Viggo Mortensen shines as the reluctant leader and is great as the quiet leader who can bust out of his shell when he has to lead like the man he was meant to be. Sean Bean is regulated to mainly just the first volume of this tale, but his Boromir might be my favorite character in the film. He is so good with the temptation of the ring and carries himself with such confidence and spite it really is a marvel to watch, and he is also the shining spot of one of the best scenes of The Two Towers that reveals so much about his characters torment and mindset. David Wenham and John Noble both do fine jobs as the men from Gondor that get the most focus but I think their characters were to of the least well written, especially compared to their roles in the books, so I don’t think they are to blame for their characters not standing out like others. The characters from Rohan are all over shadowed by Bernard Hill’s King Theoden who gets your blood going and absolutely shines on the Fields of Pelennor. The elves are also represented by a nice trio of actors, Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler, and Hugo Weaving with all doing very fine jobs in their more limited screen time. Christopher Lee is also menacing as the dark wizard Saruman and Brad Dourif is slimy as the advisor to Rohan. The most impressive work in the film though has to go to Andy Serkis who played the role of Gollum and was digitally rotoscoped out with the cinema changing CGI character. When you see footage of the work he was putting in on set, he is Gollum, they mimic his performance in the CGI character and I still don’t think he has achieved the full appreciation he deserves for that role.
In the end, The Lord of the Rings is an amazing feat of cinema unlike almost anything we have ever seen. An epic eleven plus hour film that is not only endlessly engaging, but leaves you feeling that you could go on for eleven hours more. I can’t say enough that if you have not seen the extended edition of this film than you have not experienced The Lord of the Rings in its entirety as they completely flesh out the story and really improves upon ever aspect of the story. I am sure many of you have seen the film, but I urge you to go back now almost ten years after the first volume was released and experience just how well this thing holds up. And when you do decide to dive back in, make sure you get the full experience with the extended editions as it is Peter Jackson’s epic in its absolute best form and will be remembered for years to come as a landmark feat in filmmaking.

Review: The Informant!

2009-09-21T14:31:00.002-07:00

Steven Soderbergh’s latest is a unique picture that spins a pretty serious and messed up character study into a comedy by applying a silly tone and ramping up the absurdity that this actually happened and the results are pretty good for the most part.
Mark Whitacre is a bit out of his element. He is a PHD in biochemistry but was promoted to an executive level at his company ADM and quickly became a valuable asset to the company and began making large sums of money in his new role. One day he receives a phone call from an employee from a rival Japanese company that claims they have a mole in ADM’s midst and he is sabotaging their lysine production and that he needs ten million dollars to make this problem all go away. When the FBI is brought in to assist with the embezzlement proceedings, Whitacre begins to get nervous and he decides to turn informant on his own company as he is afraid that the FBI will uncover the company’s price fixing frauds. From here, the film dives into Whitacre’s exploits as an informant as the story around the man slowly gets weirder and weirder.
Now, Mark Whitacre is a real individual and he did turn informant like the trailers lay out, but the previews are unable to really dive into what the picture is to avoid spoiling things. This is both a good and a bad thing, good because there is a lot that unfolds you don’t see coming, bad because I think I was really caught off guard by how convoluted and weird the story gets. Again this isn’t at all a bad thing, in fact I think the film will play even better the second time around since you know what you are getting into, but just be warned things get a bit crazy. In fact, it is refreshing to see material that is so different and unpredictable, especially in the hands of such talented film makers like Soderbergh and Matt Damon.
The writing in the film is also quite fantastic with the real stand out of it all being the little thoughts of Whitacre’s head that just pop up through out the film. They will give you a laugh every time and some of them are flat out hilarious at times. Any bits where we get lost for a moment in the narrative are quickly corrected as well and things get back on track fairly easily as things tend to get a bit confusing from time to time for a moment as the story jumps around quite a bit. The music selection and score also deserves to be praised as it completely sets the mood and tone of the film as the subject matter could be taken quite seriously. But then you hear this silly carnival like music that reminds you we are having a bit of fun with this and to not get all serious; it really helps the picture cue how you should be taking things in the moment.
Above all else, the main reason to see this film is Matt Damon as Whitacre. Damon is absolutely fantastic, completely handing himself over to the role and making you forget you are watching a man act. The way Damon carries Whitacre is so confident yet so clueless at times it makes it impossible to get a ready on him. We never know to trust Whitacre yet we want to all the same and get swept up by everything he says. Damon has rarely been better than he is here and deserves all the accolades he is sure to garner. The supporting cast is a surprising group of comedians that are surprising because all of them play serious roles for the most part. Joel McHale, Tom Papa, and Patton Oswalt, to name a few, all come in and play against the type we are used to seeing them and the results are quite good. The fact that a lot of the supporting cast are comedians in a serious role lends itself to the fact the film is first and foremost a comedy and I think Soderbergh did a fine job with this casting quirk. Scott Bakula is the second biggest character in the film as Whitacre’s FBI contact and he does a great job of nailing the dry comedy in the role and bounces off Damon just right so that we take his character both seriously but can laugh at everything still. Melanie Lynskey also deserves mention as Whitacre’s wife as she plays the supportive role but like Damon hides something just behind the surface that everything might not be what it seems.
In the end, The Informant! is a unique and fresh comedy that is not only funny but relevant for a story that is now almost fifteen years old. The corporate greed message comes across loud and clear without preaching and Soderbergh tells the story in such a way that we can laugh at the travesty of big business screwing the public. Damon is in top form and is worth the price of admission alone, and as an added bonus you will get to see a clever and unexpecting comedy unfold that is made even stranger in the fact that it is based off a true story.
The Informant! is a B

Review: Big Fan

2009-09-19T23:00:00.001-07:00

Robert Siegel makes his feature debut with a low budget dark comedy that is an interesting character study of what someone might do for the team they love if taken to the extreme, but might have needed a different direction for the lead to make it more convincing.
Paul is a New York Giants fan. You could even argue that he is one of the most diehard fans there are. Calling into the local late night sports radio talk show, so well known the producer pushes him in front of callers so the people can hear his thoughts; which he writes out ahead of time while working. He has an ongoing back and forth with an Eagles fan, Philadelphia Phil, which calls the New York stations to harass the Giants fans as their teams’ race for the playoffs. Unfortunately for Paul, his minor celebrity as a repeat talk show guest does not help his station in life. Paul’s current situation includes living with his mom, being pitied by his siblings, and working in a dead end job as a parking garage attendant doesn’t seem like the greatest way to carry on one’s life. With that said, he seems content and happy supporting his Giants from the parking lot at home games with his buddy Sal and worshiping his favorite player Quantrell Bishop. When Paul and Sal happen to see Bishop at their local gas station the decide to follow him to try and see what he does and maybe meet him only to have things go nowhere near as planned.
Now, I enjoy Patton Oswalt a lot and he is very good in this movie, but I can’t help but feel that if they went a little bit more intense with his character Paul this movie could have been funnier and more successful. Now, I am not calling for a clichéd over the top super fan, and I appreciate them showing some reserve, but I just feel like he needed to be a step or two towards that extreme more than he was. Paul is just a little to laid back and easy going to feel like he is as big a fan as he is supposed to be. Oswalt’s Paul is very good though and we clearly get that he is supposed to be a huge fan, but I think the extremes the film goes to in the characters decisions would have been helped by having the character be a tad more extreme himself. And while this makes things a bit more of a stretch, it doesn’t ruin the movie by any means.
The second half of the film is full of a lot of decisions by Paul that many of you will no t buy into, I can guarantee that. I had even some trouble accepting his actions; in fact I still don’t buy at all the climactic scene for Paul in the film. Though the final scene of the film is just about perfect for the premise and sells us on just how die hard he is more than his calm demeanor and support of the team. Though, Siegel had a fine line to walk with making the film believable or absurd and I will say I am glad he kept it more to the real then dancing on the extreme. We all have met guys like Paul before I just don’t know if Paul is capable of what he actually does in the film.
As I mentioned before, Patton Oswalt does a very fine job here and is impressive in his ability to single handedly carry the film on his back. He stays quite reserved compared to some of his explosions on stage and creates a sad character out of one that is actually happy which makes it even sadder. The rest of the cast are very one note and are there simply to prod Paul in a certain direction, but the cast that rounds out these parts are good, especially for almost an entire group of unknowns.
In the end, Big Fan is an interesting character study that supplies some laughs but might have you scratching your head. Well paced and performed by Siegel and Oswalt, I can’t help but think the film could have been that much better with a bit different direction for Paul that I know Oswalt is capable of playing. With all this said, it is a nice little independent effort that feels like it came from the same world as Siegel’s previous film The Wrestler (he wrote it). A gritty and realistic look at a man’s life that will serve as a fine and sad little character study and an interesting spin on a sports film that will find an audience that enjoys it, but won’t be blowing people away any time soon.
Big Fan is a C+

The Fantastic Mr. Fox & Where the Wild Things Are Character Posters

2009-09-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

Both of these are easily in my top five most anticipated films left this year and both studios just bombarded us with a ton of print art for both films featuring all the characters. Don't mistake these films for kids movies either, suitable for children for sure, but just for kids, not at all. Both are being directed by two of the finest autuers (Spike Jonze and Wes Anderson) of the last decade and film fans everywhere should be really excited. Plus both use old school techiniques to bring their films to life from puppetry to stop motion animation, oh and they are also both adaptations of a pari of the most beloved children's novels of all-time. I can't wait...

Check them out below, Empire and MySpace scored these first.

The Decade's Best - Munich (2005)

2009-09-18T13:29:00.003-07:00

Steven Spielberg’s – Munich (2005)
Steven Spielberg continued his successful run of historical period pieces with this spy/thriller of sorts following the Israeli reaction to 1972 Munich Olympic hostage massacre that not only captures the tension of assassination, but perfectly conveys the right vs. wrong of the Israel/Palestine conflict.
The film opens amid a flashback that we will re-visit throughout the film of the Palestinian terrorists group Black September infiltrating the Olympic housing and taking the Israeli athletes hostage. After following the press/public perspective of the event unfolding, leading up to the haunting line “There all gone,” on NBC’s broadcast. We next jump to a top secret meeting of Mossad in which lead by the Prime Minister of Isreal they compile a list of targets as part of retaliation and retribution of the terrorist attack. To lead this mission they recruit Avner, the son of a war hero and a former body guard of the Prime Minister. With the aid of four other specialized individuals, bombs, documents, clean up, and cars, he will eliminate the desired targets as all ties are cut from his connection to the government. Operating on cash out of a safety deposit box and names on a list Avner is at his own means to locate their targets and eliminate them.
The film starts from here to turn into a hit man, spy thriller of sorts and the set pieces around the kills are elaborate and wonderfully executed. Spielberg throws in countless camera tricks and ramps up tension with ease, keeping the viewer on the edge of their seat as we watch the assassination attempts unfold. Though, they have their ups and downs as bombs don’t quite work as planned, they try to avoid civilian casualties, and they slowly realize that they might be being hunted as well. As the film goes on the film focuses more and more on Avner as he grapples with being away from his family and paranoia slowly boils over in his mind as the group gets deeper and deeper and Eric Bana just nails it. We get completely lost in his character and feel for him every step of the way. As his new born arrives, as he tries and protects his family, as loses his trust in everyone around him, it is one of Bana’s finest performances to date.
Bana is surrounded by a talented wealth of actors as well starting with Daniel Craig as Steve, a smart ass with a fire under his ass for killing Palestinians that not only brings a bit of edge to the proceedings but a bit of humor as well. In fact, Spielbergs ability to weave humor into such heavy proceedings never ceases to amaze me and he does it expertly well through out almost the entire length of the films run time. The other supporting players include the always great Ciarán Hinds as the fixer and rational mindset among the assassination team and Geoffrey Rush as their only connection to Mossad and they both really shine in their roles. Michael Lonsdale and Mathieu Amalric are both superb and unreadable as a family of French informants that assist Avner along his way and keep you guessing as to if they are helping them, hunting them, or both. Mathieu Kassovitz and Hans Zischler round out the team and give the group a bit of humanity with Kassovitz really shining in a few scenes as he begins to buckle under the pressure.
Spielberg’s camera never fails to impress in this film with some incredible single takes that take full advantage of everything in the frame. Mirror’s, crane shots, moving in and out of cars, the camera is a marvel and helps keep Eric Roth’s tightly knit and fast moving screenplay plow forward at a whips pace. The costume and set design is also stupendous as the film looks and feels shot in the 70’s, the grain and grit of era pops and helps further envelope you into Spielberg’s world and the era.
The film also does a fine job of discussing and analyzing the Israeli and Palestinian tensions from all angles. Who is right, who is wrong, is anyone doing anyone any good by killing one another. What is being gained by all of this and sadly these thought and questions still aren’t answered today making the film still extremely relevant as ever even thirty-five plus years later.
In the end, Munich is an excellent example of creating a diverse thriller that not only entertains and thrills, but makes you think and analyze history on more than a surface level. Spielberg produced a message film that was part action flick, spy thriller, and a decent into a characters self being and all elements work beautifully. All this coupled with a fantastic pace and amazing cinematography and you will be hard pressed to find a whole lot of historical period pieces that work as well as this one.

Sorry I Have Been Gone!

2009-09-14T22:02:00.000-07:00

But I will be back real soon!

Review: Taking Woodstock

2009-08-27T20:10:00.002-07:00

Ang Lee’s latest is his lesser effort as of late as he starts off on the right foot but slowly dissolves into a bit of a mess with no narrative to speak of for the second half.
Elliot Teichberg is a want a be artist living in New York City, only to see most of his income be thrown into his families inn that resides in upstate NY. Scrapping to get by, his mother is a stingy Jewish woman that is a bit crazy on top of that while his father just quietly sits by and lets things happen. Forced to move back home, Elliot begins to find new ways to spruce up his families inn to attract new business while splitting time as being the local chairman on the commerce committee of White Lake. Elliot who keeps one ear to the arts and music scene learns about a music festival that can’t find a home has been looking for a place to call home in the surrounding Catskills communities and Elliot invites them up to his inn as a potential site for the festival. Michael Lang is the face of Woodstock Ventures and when he arrives to White Lake he and Elliot find the perfect spot for their festival and begin to put in motion a final attempt to get their “little” music festival off the ground.
The film starts off really great as a building up and making things happen sort of film as the principle players try and pull off Woodstock in White Haven with Elliot’s family serving as a counter lifestyle getting thrown upside down by the hippie invasion of their inn. The first hour of the film is a well paced and executed story that is really interesting and engaging only to have all that build up disappear once the actual concert starts. From here we dive into a trippy three day bout of self discovery for Elliot that fails to capture the excitement and engage us as the first half of the film did.
The first half of the film gave us some tastes to this eventual direction as there is a bit of let’s throw it at the screen and see if it sticks mentality of the themes that Lee tries and squeezes into the picture. And I think one of the big problems with this film is its inability to really define itself as what it wants to be. Social commentary on prejudice of the day, a hippie culture showcase, a look behind the curtain of how Woodstock came to be, a look at anti-Semitism, an interpretation of the aspects of drug culture, a coming of age film, a homosexual self discovery film, I mean you can classify this film as any of these themes and probably even more; it is quite the smorgasbord of ideas. And I’m not saying these aren’t worthy themes, it’s just that Lee can’t really decide what he wants to focus on while never really doing much justice to each of these themes, they all feel rather just thrown in.
The complete lack of direction for Elliot’s “experience” over the course of the three days of Woodstock makes a bit of sense concerning the drugs and culture around the event but there is no rhyme or reason to any of it, and I don’t find it terribly profound by any means. We come across some Woodstock staples, LCD trip, mudslides, electrified grounds, but nothing particularly is all that interesting. Lee’s timidity around the homosexuality of Elliot is also quite odd, sure it was a secret to his family but that doesn’t mean he has to shy away from showing his feelings to the viewer.
The actors on display are thankfully very, very good though and make the film more worthwhile than it probably deserves. Henry Goodman is quite but extremely effective as Elliot’s father, and it’s almost scary to see how close he resembles Eugene Levy who is also quite good in the film. I thought he was playing to parts, the father and a farmer, but Goodman is fantastic, where as Levy plays just a twist on Levy as usual, but he is quite funny. Emile Hirsch is good in a bit part as a Vietnam vet local that is dealing with being back home. Jonathan Groff is delightfully sublime as Michael Lang, always carrying a wry smile and looking blissful. Liev Schreiber is the stand out in the group as a cross dressing “security advisor” providing a number of laughs and silliness. Imelda Staunton is also quite spectacular, if a bit over the top, as Elliot’s stingy mother, but she completely disappears into the character. Paul Dano also makes a cameo appearance as a Woodstock “almost” patron on a hill and his mellowed out drug induced speech is quite believable. Lastly there is Demetri Martin as Elliot and he is a bit all over the place. His quite and calm demeanor works for the character a majority of the time and he drops a number of good one liner’s as well. What hurts him is the dramatic stuff that sometimes he just seems not quite up to the task for. He gives it a good effort and he is a rather new actor, but he doesn’t quite have the chops yet to really carry an entire picture.
In the end, Taking Woodstock is an average effort from an extraordinary director that almost created something special. Starting off on the right foot the film quickly dissolves during the second half of the film. The film feels like a bunch of ideas and themes just kind of thrown out there and hoping something resonated with the crowd and nothing really does anything special. The film is quite good when it is a making of Woodstock film but Elliot’s journey is far less interesting. Now, granted, I wasn’t even a thought process in my parents mind when Woodstock happened, so maybe the imagery and scene won’t resonate with me, but the story still should be able to pull me in as it goes, not lose me.
Taking Woodstock is a C-

Review: Play the Game

2009-08-27T09:15:00.003-07:00

This cute little independent picture has a good idea at its core, but has a bit too much cliché and uneven work by its lead to really stand out above being an average comedy.
David Mitchell is a ladies man and he has a plan and he sticks to it no matter what. Not looking for anything serious and employing elaborate set ups and games to catch his women, Mitchell has found plenty of success with the help of his co-worker. This is a diversion from his dead end job as a car salesman where he is just as successful at selling cars as he is with women but has longed hoped for something more in his life as he was a hair shy of getting his advanced degree only to have to spend the money to put his grandfather in a home as he is the only one left in his family who gives a damn. David pays his grandpa a visit one day to encourage him to get back in the game since his wife/grandma is no longer in the picture having passed on. David invites Grandpa Joe out to the bars with him and he teaches him his tricks of the trade with the ladies. As Joe gets in the game, David meets a girl that might lead him to wanting to get out of it, but he finds it hard to shake his old ways.
Now, Marc Feinberg’s feature debut does have some nice moments and is quite solid across the board whenever Joe is involved with the proceedings. As he re-discovers himself sexually it provides for a number of laughs and awkwardness that work great. The problems with the picture lie with an uneven performance by the films lead David and a weak subplot around his father that never even gets close to getting off the ground. With that said though, David’s scenes do work intermittently, just not as consistently as Joe’s plot.
It doesn’t help either that David’s plot feels a bit tired and unoriginal outside his working with his grandpa. The whole ladies man finding a girl he can’t quite catch has been done time and time again, Feinberg gives a little bit of spin and even a twist here and there but he doesn’t redefine the old trick that the plot is. The final twist to this all is a quite and elaborate and slightly contrived bit of work, but I kind of liked it and it caught me off guard so I guess it worked in the end.
There is also an awful subplot involving David’s dad that goes really know where at all and lacks any emotional punch as it is treated as almost and afterthought and just thrown in there at hopes for a bit of drama. Trimming these scenes, even though we would lose Clint Howard’s work, would have helped push the film forward faster and could have helped the pacing of the film that feels like it drags a bit at the end.
The actors in the film are decent enough, with Andy Griffith standing out above the pack. Griffith’s Joe is a delight as he chases tail in the old folk’s home and rediscovers himself in more ways than one. His frankness and bit of crude nature provide a majority of the films laughs and one kind of wishes the film was more focused on him and his exploits rather than the other way around. Paul Campbell plays David and his performance is a bit uneven. One, I am not to sure I buy him as a ladies man and he is more convincing as the smart salesman then he is at bagging broads. His performances is also just all over the place with some scenes doing great work and other ones coming off just kind of bad and seeming almost out of character. The female lead Marla Sokoloff does an admirable job coming off as very real and genuine in her performance and doing a better all around job then her male counterpart. She is quite cute and charming as well and makes it easy to see why David would fall for her. The two old folks home love interests for Joe are two seasoned vets as well with both Doris Roberts and Liz Sheridan of sitcom fame having a lot of fun playing “sexy and willing” at there age and working with the very good Andy Griffith.
In the end, Play the Game is an uneven effort that is by no means horrible but not a gem by any standards whatsoever either. Grounded by a mostly solid cast, the films lead is quite a leading man and can’t carry the picture all on his own. Thankfully Andy Griffith picked up a lot of the slack and made this film worth checking out if interested at some point or another in the theater or at home. A bit of trimming and balancing of the two stories might have helped this film settle a bit better if it didn’t drag a bit in the third act. As it stands it is a part inspired, part tired romantic comedy that you can applaud for trying to freshen things up a bit but didn’t quite execute to its fullest.
Play the Game is a C-

Review: Inglourious Basterds

2009-08-20T18:00:00.001-07:00

Quentin Tarantino’s latest is the long in development WWII epic that is not really a war film but a dialogue heavy affair like all of Tarantino’s work and the result is slow burn plot that builds amazing tension through fantastic characters all culminating in an explosive final act that could potentially re-write WWII history.
Split into five chapters, ala Kill Bill, there are a trio of characters/groups that are at play here. Fist off is Aldo Raine. Lt. Raine is the leader of the Jewish American platoon of soldiers dropped behind enemy lines in France to do only two things, kill lots of Nazi’s and take each and every one of their scalps. Next we have Hans Landa, or “the Jew Hunter” who is a detective for the Nazi regime seeking out the truth of the regimes occupied countrymen who may be hiding Jewish families from the authorities. One of these families put in question is at risk in the opening chapter of the film and the hate and fear that derives from this encounter produces our third protagonist Shosanna Dryfus. Dryfus owns a movie theater and after catching the attention of a young Nazi soldier, her theater is put into the running to be the host of the world premiere of the perceived German masterpiece, Nation’s Pride. These three paths eventually fall in line and lead them to the premiere where the Nazi high command is in attendance and their intentions lead to ups and downs along the way.
Now, first and foremost, this is not the movie The Weinstein Company is selling; not even close. In fact, it isn’t even remotely the movie Tarantino has been selling us in interviews for all these years. A men on a mission tearing up Nazi’s movie this is not. That doesn’t mean that they “basterds” aren’t doing this over the course of the films timeline, we just don’t get to see put a minuet glimpse of it. Instead we focus on the path of Shosanna and the staging of the “basterds” final steps to infiltrating the film premiere. The first two chapters serve as these characters introductions/motivations, the second two put plans in motion, and the final chapter is where everything comes together. Now, is this a bad thing, no, not in the least bit, it is just not at all what we were expecting, more so if we have been clamoring for this film since before Kill Bill.
What Tarantino puts on screen is a tension filled time bomb orchestrated with amazing precision. Filled with wonderful and epic dialogue that is pop culture relevant for the time frame of the picture, it’s as if Tarantino wrote this thing right after the end of the war with all the references he plugs in there. The film is also quite funny at times and full of unique, interesting, and fun characters that are a joy to watch. At the top of this list is Hans Landa who is just so wicked and evil, yet intoxicating and charming, we just never know which way to take him. Aldo Raine also delivers the best laughs in the film and almost everything out of his mouth is good for at least a chuckle. Our third lead Shosanna is also just as compelling, but more for her situation and tension on what she might do while being slowly sucked under the Nazi thumb.
The actors in the film are also quite good, with Christoph Waltz’s Hans Landa leading the charge as the most stand out performance. Waltz comes from pretty much nowhere and dominates and steals every scene he is in. His cunning, his swagger, his lack of compassion throw you all over the place and he might turn out to be one of the most likeable evil Nazi’s ever to grace the screen. He is the one you will be talking about after seeing this picture and is actually probably the star of the film, even though Pitt gets top billing. That isn’t to say Pitt is terrible though, in fact he is quite good and a hell of a lot of fun as southern roughneck Aldo Raine. As I said before, he is full of laughs and attitude to spare it’s just that he isn’t in the film a whole lot, especially with the way they are marketing the film. He is absent for two entire chapters of the film and is barely in a third, which isn’t a criticism, just letting you Pitt fans know what you are getting into. The “basterds” themselves are actually quite faceless and are pretty much banished to the background. Eli Roth gets the most screen time, with BJ Novak getting a scene as well, but outside that everyone in the “basterds” is a line here or there. Diane Kruger has probably the fourth meatiest role as German film beauty Bridget von Hammersmark and she takes full advantage of every scene she gets. Using her looks and words to keep her head above water when thrown into a sticky situation with a cellar full of Nazi’s, Krueger shines showing both confidence on the surface while fear bubbles underneath through he eyes. Daniel Brühl and Mélanie Laurent are the focal points of chapter three revolving around Laurent’s (Shosanna) encounter with Brühl’s Fredrick Zoller who is the star of the real life events and of the film in question for the premiere. Lastly, Michael Fassbender is wonderful as a British soldier who joins the “basterds” and is caught in the mix up at the local tavern. Playing it cool and collected, he carries the scene as the conversation slowly burns the tension higher and higher, it is quite a marvelous scene.
In the end, Inglourious Basterds is a talky and alternate take on WWII history that builds wonderful tension with fascinating characters. While you might be caught off guard by the films dialogue heavy and deliberate nature it is all extremely well done and is almost constantly engaging. The action/violence that does show up is a bit over the top and gratuitous, in fact the premise and outcome of the film is quite silly as well. The ending is borderline absurd, but it is so much fun to experience and aware of itself that it all works. This is not to say the film is silly though, as the intensity of three of the chapters is quite a bit to handle and has you cringing with nerves, just remember that film is kind of winking at you and trying to have fun as well. Tarantino’s latest is an excellent and fun piece of cinema, I just don’t know where it will settle overall in his filmography; I am going to have to see it once or twice more before I decide that. As for you, if you like Tarantino, do not miss it, just don’t expect what you are expecting, the film is anything but that.
Inglourious Basterds is an A-

Review: Adam

2009-08-20T17:59:00.000-07:00

This little spin on a love story is anchored by a fantastic turn by Hugh Dancy, but is marred by a bit of clichéd, contrived, and predictable subplot that makes a film that should stand out seem dull and ordinary too often.
Adam has asbergers and his father has just died and while he has enough independence to hold a job and live a somewhat normal life, his loneliness is likely to get the best of him as he is unable to really develop any relationships with ease. Enter Beth, a young 20 something that moves into Adam’s building and kind of clicks with Adam, even in his state of unintentional awkwardness. The two start off slow but as time passes they begin to form a bit of a bond and Adam beings to open up a bit to his outside world. But soon after they meet Beth finds out that her father is potentially in a lot of legal trouble and that dynamic begins to add stress to their relationship as Beth’s priorities are stretched thin.
The subplot in question is the one surrounding Beth’s father as it just doesn’t feel natural in the slightest. Sure things like this have happened, but it feels artificial to the story and only there for the sake of sparking drama and creating crisis for the couple. The couple actually works quite well in the film but with a condition like Adam’s you would think that they could have drummed up some drama from that dynamic instead of instilling it from an outside component to these characters story. We are left wishing the focus would remain on Adam and Beth, but sadly the third act isn’t really about them at all.
Thankfully the film still feels quite authentic and real in every other aspect of the story. Adam’s relationship with his father’s long time friend Harlan is sweet and genuine and when Harlan has to work with Adam it feels quite real. Adam’s struggles at work and in everyday life are also quite believable as well with the only other unnatural encounter coming from a very odd sequence with a couple of cops that is pumped up for pure cheap tension and drama and then thrown away with ease. Beth and Adam’s progression is also very well done with things never really going smoothly and taking a bit of work to get to a good point for the couple. The film does have, “that scene” though between the two and it is rather conventional and not quite believable since we don’t get any other real sense of what could set Adam off.
Hugh Dancy owns this film and is the many reason to see the picture. Completely diving into the role and entirely convincing as someone with asbergers you couldn’t ask for more out of Dancy. Never playing this over the top unless necessary we instantly believe in him and his condition and never take for granted the fact that he is acting. Rose Byrne also might have saved her career by showing that she can act after her awful turn in Knowing this year. While she does play things a bit too befuddled on occasion the awkwardness feels right and the two stars have chemistry. Peter Gallagher is also good as the father of Beth, it’s just his story as I have mentioned is quite buyable by the audience as much as his performance is per say.
In the end, Adam is a nice little romance that is built on being an unconventional love story but hurts itself by diving into contrived and cliché plot lines. With that said, Hugh Dancy keeps the picture easily afloat and the first two acts are executed particularly well. A nice balance of heart and humor, the film is pound to entertain and please viewers, I just think it could have been so much more had it not gone where it did in the third act and focused on the couple and not outsiders to their relationship. The film’s ending is very well done and helps erase the misgivings of the final act and reminding us that this is a story about a pair of lovers and that is the stuff we should remember.
Adam is a B-

Review: Paper Heart

2009-08-20T13:50:00.003-07:00

Charlyne Yi’s pseudo documentary drama is bound to make you smile and get caught up in the love thrown up on screen by the real life interviewees and the dramatized version of her own coupling with Michael Cera.
This documentary opens with our narrator contemplating her own ability to find love and whether she thinks she is even capable of said emotion. So here and her ever present director, friend Jake Johnson, set out to find out what love is by finding stories from around the continent that encapsulate what love is. As the filming progresses on, Charlyne runs into Michael Cera at a party and he becomes a bit infatuated with her and begins to maybe try and spark something to happen. Michael and Charlyne’s bonding starts out friendly and slowly evolves into something more and becoming a part of the documentary itself as it is a real life litmus test to see if Charlyne can fall in love.
Now, the film plays with you a little bit as the stuff between Michael and Charlyne, and as well as the director’s interactions with the two are entirely staged. But here is the rub on that, the two (Cera and Yi) are actually dating in real life and their encounters are sincere and probably them just being themselves around each other so it is both authentic and fabricated. The interviews are real and out of them we get some really great stories and tales about love and how funny, fickle, and confusing it can be. Yi’s observations also seem quite authentic as well and her musings on the subject are coming from a not so common place of thought but valid none the less.
It is just nice to see some of these stories and examples of what love can bring to two people, and Yi spices them up by acting out these peoples stories in a stick figure theater of sorts that is both very low budget with a lot of ingenuity that will gets some laughs and provide a nice visual template for these tales of love. With this said though, the film does drag quite a bit in the third act and we could of done with a lot less of the depressed mopping around of Yi and Johnson as they try to figure out their relationship and film, respectively. If they were trying to stretch the run time, I am sure they just as easily could have plugged in another interview or two here or there and it would have been far more enjoyable then wallowing around Paris.
Luckily Yi puts together a silly finale for us in puppet form and sends us out on a high note, and it’s her odd charisma that keeps us engaged throughout the film. Yi is an odd duck but a kind soul that is easily to like and fun to watch as she awkwardly works through these interviews. Cera on the other hand is playing Cera and the results are quite funny as usual. Wise cracking smart ass he is, Cera is having a lot of fun getting to more or less be himself and have some fun in front of the camera, trying out jokes and dropping a number of good one liners. Nicholas Jasenovec is the films director and “plays” Johnson in the film and quite frankly we could have done without as much as we get of him. I get he is supposed to be intrusive on this relationship but he becomes as annoying to the viewer as he does to the couple, thrusting himself in front of the camera as much as possible over the third act and I think it was a bad move on his part. He is nowhere near as likeable and interesting as Yi or Cera and he should have stayed out of the way and let them do their thing.
In the end, Paper Heart is a fun little film that is hampered by a slow third act and a bit of posturing by the director in front of the lens of the film. The film is an honest look at love and has a couple of really nice stories from real people on the subject matter. Yi and Cera also light up the screen and provided the laughs when together and I wish they would have stuck with these two elements over the needless self pity of the third act. With that said the film is still quite good and is a fun take on the subject with some hilarious moments provided by the two leads. The stick figure puppet shows are also quite good and help keep the film fresh and original and not just a bunch of people staring into the camera talking. An interesting hybrid of documentary filmmaking, I feel like the film succeed far more than it dropped the ball and is a must see for any fans of the two stars who really shine in the picture.
Paper Heart is a B-

Review: Mad Men 3.1

2009-08-17T21:49:00.003-07:00

The third season of Mad Men began last night and the results were just what we want from a series premiere in the middle of the shows run.
(Spoilers here in for the episode)
I will say I find it rather interesting that the show reset some of the characters back their more original selves over the course of the show. Where the second season last left us, Don Draper seemed like he might be ready to give his family life a shot, leaving the women on the side behind, especially after Betty his wife is found to be pregnant with their third child. Pete Campbell also seemed to be maturing and growing up, becoming a more likeable character and less of a conniving and selfish employee at Sterling Cooper.
When the season starts up, a few months have passed as Betty is now showing and Don is on his way to Baltimore to sure up client relations as the last of the firings after the companies British merger falls upon their victims. The winners of these firings happen to be Ken Cosgrove and Pete Campbell who are anointed the new head of accounts, though Pete’s good mood is quickly dashed as he realizes they are positioned to compete.

Meanwhile in Baltimore, it seems that Don’s faithful streak lasts about as long as his last attempt as he is right back in the game as he allows a stewardess to follow through on her desires. As a fan of Betty, even though she is a bit crazy and wanting to see her and Don happy and faithful, this is of course just a head smacking disappointment. And what kills you even more is the fact that the proceeding sequences set you up to think Don might be on the right track. A flashback opens the episode as Don warms a pot of milk for his wife late at night in the kitchen as he sees the origins of his birth and where he came from family wise. Leading us to think he realizes he needs to be there for his newborn and family as he was the orphaned son of a young prostitute. (Which also seemed to reveal Don’s real name, Dick, came from insane and vulgar ramblings of a dying girl referencing her night with a client who got her pregnant) This scene is followed by a touching moment with Betty which feels so tragic after Don’s adulterous ways return to the viewer.
Sal’s story brings us the most intrigue in the episode as he dives into a one night stand with the bell boy, with the bell boy catching Sal by surprise and even leading us to believe that this might be Sal’s first experience with a man. Pete also sadly falls back into being a bit of a whiney weasel that he used to be, which sucks as he saved so much face over the course of the second season. His situation with Ken will create some interesting drama though for sure in the upcoming episodes, but I think this does not bode well for Ken Cosgrove’s future at Sterling Cooper.
We are also introduced to a couple of new characters from the new British side of the company and both are rather intriguing on the surface level we have gotten to know them. Lane Pryce is the financial officer at Sterling Cooper’s office and should be viewed as high in the company as Don, probably even more so. The character himself showed a nice balance of humor and professionalism absent from the similarly positioned Duck Phillips, though I am beginning to wonder where our character we love to hate is going to come from. His assistant, John Hooker, also has a budding storyline as he butts heads with Joan over his perceived position and title with the company, on top of the way he fraternizes and distracts the women in the office from their work with his British charm.
It was unfortunate that we didn’t really get much from any other characters besides the ones mentioned, but that is what the season is for. Peggy showed a bit of resentment towards her secretary and Pete seemed to want to have nothing to do with her when he was assigned his accounts, so I guess Pete wasn’t able to reconcile after getting torn down in last seasons finale by Peggy. Though we are left wondering about Sterling’s affair, Joan’s relationship, why Don stayed, what happened to Duck, and we are left with some juicy questions like Harry Crane’s surprising stature in the split of the company’s accounts.
The show has lost no sense of style and its humor was as sharp as ever in this episode. Draper is still as cool as they come, Betty still has a short fuse with the kids, Sterling is as free as a spirit as when we last left him, and we instantly feel right back at home with these characters and are ready for a whole new season with them; I think the premiere did its job.

The Decade's Best: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

2009-08-17T19:35:00.002-07:00

Wes Anderson’s “action” movie sticks to the themes that you find in a lot of his films and the results are a fantastic blend of adventure, farce, humor, sadness, and drama that not only gives us Anderson’s spin on the action/adventure genre drama but serves as an excellent character study of a man on the verge of being irrelevant in almost every aspect in his life.
I have been a huge fan of Wes Anderson since I saw Rushmore back before the release of The Royal Tenenbaums back in the beginning of the decade and I guarantee you will see at least one more of his films in this feature before the year is out. The Life Aquatic is the biggest departure for Anderson in that it is by far his most grand and epic film to date taking us all across Europe and the Mediterranean sea of Wes Anderson’s world.
Steve Zissou is a Jacques Cousteau type that has had a successful run of nature films investigating the open seas all around the world, but has been losing both notoriety and funding over the last few years with the shadow of his nemesis Alistair Hennessey slowly casting him and more and more darkness. When Zissou’s best friend and partner Esteban is apparently eaten by a mysterious “tiger shark” the film is poorly received, taken in bad taste, and even doubted in its validity sending Zissou on a mad scramble for cash as he hopes to seek revenge on the shark and prove his critics he still has it as he slowly fades away. Added to this, Zissou’s “maybe son” shows up after the death of his mother and Zissou decides to recruit him to join his team in hopes of maybe forming a bond while also feeling important again getting to show off to someone that looks up to him a bit. Added to this are a crumbling marriage and a reporter tagging along covering him at his most fragile hour and this trip is bound to not go smoothly.
The story is a bit busy but never overwhelming even with the wealth of characters to follow. Beyond the five fore mentioned characters you have the members of Zissou’s crew, his business associates, and pirates that pop in and out of the picture and while that may seem a bit daunting Anderson eases them in and out of the story giving us plenty of tidbits into these characters defining them all and keeping them all unique with their own individual identities.
The cast is full of A talent across the board with Bill Murray staring as the elusive and wounded Zissou. Deadpan and a bit angry, Murray paints Zissou with sadness and self pity behind his front of cocky and selfish persona he puts up to the public. Slowly tearing down his guard are Cate Blanchett as fast talking reporter Jane Winslett-Richardson and Owen Wilson as his “might be son” Ned Plimpton. Both delivering performances unlike anything I have seen from either of them, both just as fragile as Zissou they are overcoming their own personal crisis as they serve as catalysts for Zissou’s turn in character and perspective on life. Delivering great secondary work to the picture is a list of who’s who of great character actors in Hollywood. Angelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Gambon, Noah Taylor, Bud Cort, the film is just full of great actors, so much so that I can’t single out their excellent work they all deliver. Dafoe deserves special mention if anyone does for his delightfully bizarre and child like right hand man for Zissou. Constantly stealing scenes there is never enough of him in the picture and he is the most memorable character beyond Zissou.
The film itself is expertly crafted in all facets of the production. The script is clever and quirky by Anderson and Noah Baumbach. The tone is a bit silly and tongue and cheek as it pokes fun at the genre and delivers ridiculous and hilarious action scenes that are beyond absurd; and that’s a good thing. The film moves along at a whip pace and never dulls or bores even when the tone changes at a breakneck speed. The film also sports some wonderful stop motion animation from Henry Selick as he and his team created some imaginative and colorful creatures to inhabit the undersea world of Steve Zissou. The creatures range from funny, unique, and bizarre, but entirely original and they make you wish we got more glimpses into this underwater wonderland. The films soundtrack is also quite fantastic and includes a number of Bowie songs rearranged acoustically by one of the films star Seu Jorge who plays them throughout the course of the film on his guitar around the ship. Anderson also stages some fantastic shots using a very stage like cross section of the ship that allows for a couple of long takes that take us around the entire ship from room to room that truly impress. There are also quite a few great sight gags, Hennessey’s Arian crew, little bits in the background that reward on repeat viewings, the quirks of the underwater creatures, and the fore mentioned action scenes provide a number of well earned laughs from the viewer.
In the end, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is Wes Anderson’s most grand effort to date and the result is a slowly appreciated film that rewards more and more on subsequent viewings. An odd and completely different experience that really has few comparisons out there it’s hard to really gauge after your first time through with the film. Few films have grown as considerably in my eyes over subsequent viewings as this film but once you grasp what Anderson was going for the film becomes considerably rewarding. Murray’s Zissou is a classic character of the decade and his adventure for the “tiger shark” makes for some great cinema and a film that feels unique and original which is something we don’t get enough of nowadays.

Review: District 9

2009-08-13T23:31:00.002-07:00

Neil Blomkamp’s feature debut is another breath of fresh air to the sci-fi fans out there featuring a thought provoking story, interesting characters, and amazing special effects all adding up to one of the best films of the year.
Wilkus Van De Merwe is an official for MNU’s human and alien relations team and he is the focus of a documentary following the MNU’s inaction of a new plan to clear District 9 of all its residents. The thing is District 9 is a shanty town slum inhabited by aliens left over from a mysteriously stalled alien mother ship looming above Johannesburg. The MNU is relocating the aliens to District 10, two hundred kilometers outside Joburg due to increasing hostilities from the locals of the city who have had enough with their visitors and are getting more and more vocal in their protests. The documentary focuses on interviews with a number of people in and around Joburg and even more so focused on people in Van De Merwe’s life. Everyone seems to have an opinion on something he has apparently done. Some interviewees praising him, some calling him a traitor, leading us to wonder what exactly happened in District 9.
The hype for this film has hit a near fever pitch and I will say that I was eating it up quite a bit leading into the screening for this film. And I have to say, I was not disappointed one bit. Unlike a lot of people, District 9 has been on my radar for quite a while now and my anticipation has been peeked ever since we saw the first glimpse at a trailer for the picture. So when I say it lived up to the hype, that is certainly saying something.
Blomkamp’s vision and story are also something to be praised as well. Following mainly Van De Merwe, we also get to know an alien and his son that we build the strongest relationship too throughout the film if you ask me. Twists, turns, and shocking developments unfold almost every scene constantly pushing you back to the edge of your seat. I found myself utterly enthralled with the picture, getting lost in the picture.
Van De Merwe’s arc is also quite fantastic and we slowly get to see his character mold into something so much more than when we first meet him. Blomkamp also seamlessly threads his visual effects into the picture with only a shot or two looking like they were artificial. It is almost mind blowing to find out that ever alien in the film is an entirely CG creation, it is incredible. Add to this the fact that the film was made for only 30 million dollars and the feat becomes even more staggering. This film should be an inspiration to all the major studios that they don’t have to spend a couple hundred million dollars to get some good effects work and allow some visually creative and ambitious directors to make their films on a tighter budget at a high quality.
The actors in the film are also almost entirely unknowns and first timers which makes Sharlto Copley’s performance even more astounding. Playing Van De Merwe is an arrogant yet bumbling official makes his transformation all the more impressive and the realizations he comes to ware on him more and more as his life slowly gets thrown upside down. Crumbling and becoming a stronger and better person all at the same time, Copley is able to convey this with ease and all while being thrown into quite a physically demanding role to boot. The animators of the two main aliens in the film also deserve endless praise as well for creating such rich and foreign characters that we can connect with and care about as their work was truly phenomenal.
In the end, District 9 is a fantastic piece of science fiction that we can cherish for a long time. An original tale that teaches us history all the same, the film is full of social undertones, thrilling action, and unexpected turns every few moments. Grabbing you from the opening scene and rarely letting you breath throughout the run time, District 9 is one of the best films of the summer and the year and one can find very little to complain about in the film as it has a taught pace, beautiful effects, great characters, and a fine little story that makes you think about our society on its own, the film is quite a remarkable feat.
District 9 is an A

Now show me Halo with Blomkamp for real this time!

Review: Not Quite Hollywood

2009-08-13T21:53:00.003-07:00

This documentary’s look at the genre film scene of Australia is a crazy and fun look into the world of over the top cinema and how it greatly helped Australia’s film community thrive and survive.
Now, first and foremost, if you are offended by cursing, gore, sex, male genitalia, female genitalia, ultra violence, and lots and lots of boobs, this movie is not for you. Full of clips and scenes from countless examples of the films in questions there is no shortage of the fore mentioned explicit content. Though, this film isn’t about that though, it is about the films that were about that content back in the day. A walk down memory lane into the boom of Aussie cinema can be thanked to these exploitation pictures that found success both in their native country and even in the U.S.
Full of interviewees from the dozens of films they get into it is actually quite impressive the number of people they were able to get on and talk about these films. And even better, no one is shy or bashful at all about the content or exposure they had in these films. The result is an honest and unfiltered examination of what these films meant to these people and the effect they had on the countries culture and film community in general.
In the early 70’s, most films made in Australia portrayed the country’s history or as a sort of exotic outback with kangaroos and kolas. The exploitation film boom allowed for filmmakers to not only make a number of interesting and outrageous films, but also show that Australia is not just wild animals and stuck in the olden times.
These films allowed showing the raunchy, sexual side of the country as well as putting on a brand of humor that was unique to the country. The success of these films allowed for more mainstream films to be produced and eventually opened the door for financing boosts to allow for a plethora of offerings in the weird, crazy, and wild side of production later on in the Aussie genre film golden age. These films turned out some international success such as Mad Max and some films lost to grind houses for Tarantino to enjoy and inspire him. Tarantino shows up repeatedly in the film, heralding these films and brings a lot of excitement and positive vibe to the genre.
Above all, the film gets you excited and wanting to see these films even if they are cracked out and over the top. The film gets you wrapped up in the fun of these films and really sells you on why you should seek out this genre of cinema however way you can. It may seem cheesy, ridiculous, over the top, or even absurd, but they are a lot of fun it seems if you sit back and enjoy the ride.
<In the end, Not Quite Hollywood is an entertaining and informative documentary on a sub genre of films a lot of people don’t know about. Shocking and eye opening to what some films did back in the day; the film not only educates but successfully rationalizes the production of these exploitation films. Allowing for a bit of zany creativity and fun it these films delivered something that you couldn’t find in most films and let you try something different in your cinema taste from time to time. Best of all, the film inspires you to seek out some of these films and those like them, and I can’t imagine someone viewing this film doesn’t help grow the exposure of these “genre” films to their friends and film fans. If you can stomach it, it is a very nice little documentary that opens your eyes to a film world known by too few.
Not Quite Hollywood is a B

Review: The Time Traveler's Wife

2009-08-13T08:21:00.004-07:00

This adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s novel of the same name is a tad confused narrative full of intriguing sci-fi ideas that slowly comes together by the end.
Henry is a time traveler. Disappearing into time at random, unable to take his clothes or any object with him, running around naked can get him into sticky situations. He can’t explain it, control it, and has a rather loose understanding of it all. Unable to change the events in his past that seemed to be controlled by fate he finds the ability more of a nuisance than anything. Working at a library in Chicago he meets a twenty something girl, Clare, who claims she knows him and that he told her this is how they would meet. The two begin a relationship and Clare being aware that he is a time travel allows Henry to feel safe and normal for the first time in his life but the risks of time traveling at any moment puts him and his relationship at risk.
The film starts off as a rather bad romance with hokey dialogue and eye rolling lines professing love for one another. The film has a hard time deciding what it is for quite a while, not sure if it wants to be an alternate look at sci-fi or an epic romance for the ages. Slowly the film decides that it is a sci-fi film first and the relationship stuff will end up lending itself to the plot and the perils of time travel. Lots of good time travel ideas come out of this story providing twists and turns that will not only surprise you, but hook you in for what is going to happen next. The story even is capable of avoiding any major paradox to the best of my knowledge with Henry and Clare’s story being told from the perspective of Harry already visiting Clare in her past, since he returns to similar spots, and his time travel is random so he is not intentionally trying to make his presence apparent to Clare in her youth.
The film does start a little rough though and you may find yourself a little antsy with the eye rolling nature of a lot of the first third of the film or so. Its one thing to be a romance, but honestly the writing was just plain awful at times and the two leads really lacked any sort of real chemistry. In fact, the film as a whole really fails to really nail the emotional swells it was probably capable of. Full of a number of good moments, there are only a few that really stand out, and some fall flatter then they really should. It could have been the lack of a good sound system in my screening, but scenes and moments felt emotionally muted and there was nothing there to lift things to another level. Though, I still found rather intriguing and engaging, it just felt like it could have been far more engrossing.
Also, I feel like the makeup team could have done a bit better job at aging up and down the two leads, the only way we can tell if it is older or younger Henry is his grey hair and because he tells us. As for Clare she looks more or less the same throughout the whole picture and it is a bit curious as to why they didn’t try and sell this age changes as much. You can see subtle differences but I feel like a bit more could have made things a tad more clear and convincing, with that said the time travel effects were very well done and effective; so at least they got half of the time traveling effects right.
The first half of the film also feels very truncated and a bit all over the place editing wise. I know this movie has been kicked around for quite awhile and you really feel like the film is missing some serious chunks from the books, I just think this film could have been much, much, more as it has a really great concept at its core. A little more time to flesh out the characters and less meandering on trying to figure out what kind of film this wanted to be in the start and we could have had us a great little sci-fi romance to praise for the ages potentially. We are unfortunately left with a good little effort that feels truncated and falls short of what it could have been.
The actors in the film are both quite good at times, but even they can’t even overcome some atrocious sap that gets thrown in to the mix throughout. Rachel McAdams as Clare is stuck with the brunt of the bad dialogue and she fights through it the best she can. We get that she loves this man and will endure through this issue for him, but I feel like she was cheated of her fair shake in the story. Her character is helpless, and McAdams conveys that well, but she has little to do it seems. The film is really Henry’s story and Eric Bana does a fine job playing our time jumping lover. He brings an understanding to Henry without losing that sense of confusion and desire to have his condition stop, especially after his fate might have been thrown before his eyes. Bana has to wade through a couple of rough dialogue as well, but he comes out less scathed then McAdams. Ron Livingston and Stephen Tobolowsky are the only other substantial supporting roles in the film and both create interesting characters and relationships that feel incredibly cut short of what they could have been. You can tell Livingston’s Gomez could have been a great outlet for both Clare and Henry to explore their relationship and the whole time traveling mess that never really comes. But Livingston makes the most of it by charming us like he does so well creating as strong as a connection to his character that was probably possible in the short time he is on screen.
In the end, The Time Traveler’s Wife is a fairly successful exercise in sci-fi and exploring the idea of time travel in a rather unique way. Taking a bit too much time to establish what it wants to be and feeling rather truncated, the film still manages to suck you in though fails to really blow you away on any occasion. Kudos to the filmmakers for sticking with an ending that isn’t easy for the viewer and creating a coherent time travel story that doesn’t fold in on itself and create paradoxes. The actors do admirable job with rather weak material at times, but the viewer can’t help but leave the experience entertained but feeling like we missed out on something that could have been truly spectacular.
The Time Traveler’s Wife is a B-

Review: Ponyo

2009-08-13T08:11:00.005-07:00

Hayao Miyazaki’s latest is given the A+ voice over treatment for American audiences with the help of John Lasseter and the results are a beautiful looking animated tale full of wonder and imagination that is a bit all over the place and can’t sustain it’s full run time.
Sosuke is a young boy that lives on the top of a hill of a port town. His mother works at retirement community and his father is a boat captain that docks in and out of their local port. Sosuke loves the water and one day when playing by his house he discovers a small red fish like creature with a rather human face. This fish he names Ponyo turns out to be on the run from an underwater sorcerer of sorts who begins to pursue Sosuke and his mother as the boy takes Ponyo down to school with him. Ponyo seems to be an unusual fish, as she can speak and apparently heal people, and Sosuke bonds with her immediately. When the sorcerer gets his hands on Ponyo again, Ponyo begins on the path back to Sosuke with the help of a little magic that will allow them to bond even further.
The film is a fantasy full of magic and wonder and when Miyazaki lets it all loose the film is jaw droppingly good. Unfortunately these grand and wonderful moments are few and far between and we are left with a cute and rather endearing film that works but we are left wanting more of those huge moments Miyazaki treats us to in the picture. One moment in particular is a tidal wave sequence that is just awe inspiring. Part chase scene, part powerful display of magic the scene thrills, makes you laugh, and puts you on the edge of your seat hoping for the outcome to work out for the best.
The story is a bit out there and rather eastern feeling in nature and the pacing leaves something to be desired. Inspired by the original story of A Little Mermaid, you easily can feel the references and I enjoyed the fresh spin on the subject matter, you are just wishing the magic on display was spread out over every once of the picture. Fleeting moments of wonder keep you interested and pull you back in from time to time, but outside the tidal wave sequence I never found myself just caught in awe and all that interested. The film felt like a series of moments that would have been much better served had there been less scenes of dilly dallying between Ponyo and Sosuke in between these great moments. Actually, the first half of the film is what really could have moved along better as the story doesn’t really get going till Ponyo’s return to Sosuke and there is a bit too much runtime dedicated to the simple notion that the two kids want to get back to each other. The ending is also pretty much a let down, not that it is not a desirable conclusion it is just so hammy and simple we almost feel cheated that there wasn’t more wonder in the conclusion for a film full of magic and fantasy.
Plotting and pacing aside, the animation is wonderful. As most Miyazaki films go the artistic work is a visual feast. Full of color and creative creatures the art style is just as imaginative as the plot can be at its best without the world getting as overtly weird as some Miyazaki productions have in the past. The fantastic visuals are almost enough to distract you from any dragging plot points and it’s nice to see some beautiful 2D animation once and a while nowadays; and I hope Lasseter succeeds and revitalizing that waning art form.
The voice cast is also full of A list actors, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Tina Fey, Liam Nesson with the children being played by Disney’s next wave of child stars, Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas. Jonas actually does a pretty good job at carrying the film and Cyrus is delightful as the overzealous Ponyo though there wasn’t much to her character beyond yelling one word at a time.
In the end, Ponyo is a hit and miss affair that makes it worth watching for any animation fan due to Miyazaki’s wonderful imagination and visuals. The tidal wave sequence is worth the price of admission alone, but I don’t know if the oddness of the film will go over with American audiences. The kids in the screening I saw seemed to enjoy the picture though and the visuals are sure to arrest the little most of the time. Ponyo is incredibly cute and while showing signs of wonder and imagination at an A+ level, it never really sustains that caliber for more than a scene or two her and there. Still, something you can take the kids to that is smart and different should be an exciting prospect as is a much needed 2D foray for animation fans that have so little to quench their 2D thirst anymore.
Ponyo is a B-

Review: Julie & Julia

2009-08-06T21:00:00.002-07:00

Nora Ephron’s adaptation of two books connected to the life and teachings of the chef Julia Child is an often hilarious yet a bit overly long tale that overall is quite the success in the end and carries one of the finest performances of the year.
Julie Powell is a wannabe writer. Having written half a novel and never got around to finishing it, she is now living a life in a cubicle and at home in a nine hundred square foot studio apartment in Queens with her husband. While the couple is happy, Julie dreams of more and hopes to follow through on something once in her life. Enter Julia Child’s book Mastering the Art of French Cooking and a goal of preparing every recipe in the book over the course of the year while blogging about her experiences online. Julie’s story is intercut with Julia Child’s first adventures into cooking and her success along the way both professionally and personally as her relationship with her husband Paul takes center stage. We follow the two as they move through their lives and their paralleling of sorts works us towards Julie’s deadline to finish all the recipes in the book.
The film is a mostly up beat affair with little drama and no huge life altering events that stick out over the course of these two character’s stories. So anyone who is looking for a story with all these twists and emotional turns, look elsewhere, well still come here, just don’t expect that kind of film. The film is more of a celebration of food, Julia Child, and personal triumph while setting you up to believe in yourself if you want to do something. Thankfully the film is also appealing to both sexes and anyone who loves food. After walking out of the film you will want to go out and buy Child’s cookbooks and get cooking everything looks so good in the film. And the men in the film are also extremely likeable and realistic providing a number of touching moments, hilarious lines, and strong companions for their lovers in the film. The film overall feels very honest and stays true to the books without sensationalizing things it seems. This fact is never more relevant in the big pay off we expect that never comes, which might upset some viewers, but ultimately does nothing to hurt the film; instead just making us ponder why said event never happened.
The film does over extend itself a bit though sadly, because for the first hour of this film I was falling head over heels for it. The film moves along at a whips pace and will have you laughing every scene along the way. When Julie begins to have to overcome that inevitable wall is where the film might have needed a bit of tightening. And the personal drama in Julie’s life seems a bit overdone and was played up just for the simple fact that for some reason filmmakers think we have to have a conflict in a film. Now, they don’t blow things out of proportion, they just linger on said event and drag it out much longer than necessary, especially for an event that only lasted a day or two. The film also begins staying with one story longer and longer it seems in the latter half of the film and the extended breaks work about 50% of the time, the other half I found myself anxious to get back to see what is going on with the other story. These quips hardly hurt the film in anything but a minor way and overall the film is thoroughly enjoyable.
The actors in the film are also a marvel with Meryl Streep transforming into Child and delivering one of her best turns in years. Constantly hilarious, loud, and a blast to watch, every scene with Child is a delight. An incredible personality, Streep has no problem filling out her shoes and it helps her even further to be able to bounce off of the excellent Stanley Tucci as he husband Paul. The two spend most of their scenes together and their chemistry is as delectable as the entrées going up on the screen. Tucci is full of heart and is constantly making us laugh along the way. There story is so engaging, it is a real testament to how good Amy Adams and Chris Messina are as we still want to see their story as well. The only curious moment between them came in that bit of contrived and over extended drama I touched on earlier, but other than that they are extremely charming and natural as a young couple living a life one meal at a time through Child’s cook book. The two’s chemistry is just as strong as the other couple in the film, but it is a modern romance compared to the old school nature of the Child’s. Chris Messina is having a nice little run of late popping up in some quality films, and I for one have always enjoyed him and he is great here as well. Adams is cute and uplifting as Julie, but the third act is supposed to have us believing she is some sort of bitch, and if the characters weren’t telling us this, I would never have thought it because she is just so likeable. Anyways, I think that lends itself more to the lack of writing enough bitch into the character and instead just tells us she is one because that is what the book says. Jane Lynch also has a nice brief turn as Child’s sister and I am always up for more work from her as she is as fun her as always, but gets to bust her acting chops a bit more here than usual.
In the end, Julie and Julia is a thoroughly entertaining and light hearted tale full of hilarious moments and some sweet relationships. A little slow at times, the film is otherwise thoroughly engaging outside a couple of contrived character moments that the filmmakers seemed to play up a bit too much trying to add some drama to this delightful story. Meryl Streep is phenomenal, delivering one of the finest performances of the year, and the rest of the cast is excellent as well. You will remember Streep and Tucci’s work the most, but Adams and Messina turn in just as admirable work if a bit understated to their “competition”. A great little biopic at its heart, a couple dull moments hold it back from being fantastic, but I still wholly recommend you dive into Child’s world as there is plenty to love and enjoy in this film.
Julie and Julia is an A-

The Decade's Best - The Aviator (2004)

2009-08-03T14:11:00.003-07:00

Martin Scorsese's - The Aviator (2004)

Martin Scorsese’s biopic of the entrepreneur and aviator Howard Hughes is a marvelous, entertaining, and interesting look into the life of one of the most unique, oddest, and accomplished individuals ever to capture and live in the public eye; all grounded by an extraordinary performance by Leonardo DiCaprio.
Howard Hughes was the heir to a fortune that came from drill bits in Texas but he moved on to bigger and brighter lights in Hollywood with the dream of making movies in between his love for flying. Fueled by his dream to build the fastest planes possible and the most successful films of their age Hughes found much success and translated that into romances with the biggest Hollywood starlets of his age. He was able to accomplish all of the even while his mind slowly faded into madness due his OCD and germ phobia that would plague the later years of his life and almost destroy his reputation when trying to take on the government and Pan Am in their historic dispute over the monopoly of the sky.
The film is one of Scorsese’s best looking to date and pops with rich colors that take you back to filmmaking of the day. The color in the film is actually quite intriguing as Scorsese made the pallet look only as good as the color photography of the year the scene takes place in throughout the film. So greens have a bluish tint and so on and so forth, giving the film a unique and timely look that lends itself to encapsulating us into the era of Hollywood the film constantly intertwines with. The scenes in the air are also equally impressive with some fantastic CG work and a real sense of excitement, terror, and speed depending on the situation.
With a number of amazing scenes to site in the film we can’t really take the time to mention them all. Though one of my favorite sequences of the decade came from this film and that is the scene in which he goes for the air speed record with his long engineered plane that we follow through its multiple interpretations leading up to its big day. Howard Shore’s magnificent score, the cinematography, and the editing of the scene all some together in a real think of beauty as we see Hughes finally take his baby for spin and culminating in a crash in a beat field that is almost to amazing to believe. A couple other scenes of note, the in the air filming of Hell’s Angels, the spy plane crash, and the Hepburn family dinner are the real standout scenes but the film flows so well it is almost hard to discern one from another.
DiCaprio in this film will go down as one of the truly great and amazing performances of his much herald career. He become Hughes, from his voice, his attitude, his mannerisms, he just nails it. You never feel like you are watching an actor his performance just grabs you by the neck and pulls you along for the ride. Scorsese was also able to assemble an incredible supporting cast around his lead. Cate Blanchett becomes Katharine Hepburn capturing everything about her that never feels like she is just doing an impersonation as she is effectively emotional as well. Her portrayal, along with DiCaprio’s, are so natural it makes the experience seem just that much more realistic. Alec Baldwin is nasty and a lot of fun as Pan Am C.E.O. Juan Trippe, plotting to stop Hughes and his growing TWA, Baldwin gets to play an unconventional villain in the film. Baldwin’s Trippe is supported by the just as excellent Alan Alda as the smearing Senator Brewster leading the Hughes hearings. Alda is so good in a lunch meeting with Hughes where the two are sizing each other up as the friendly fronts slowly erode into a lacing of the gloves before the big event. The back and forth between Alda and DiCaprio is also just perfect at the hearings exposing Brewster for the weak puppet he is. The rest of the cast is just as good and rounded out by a number of superiorly talented individuals in roles both big and small, John C. Reilly, Ian Holm, Kate Beckinsale, Jude Law, Danny Huston, Adam Scott, Matt Ross, they are all just great and playing on the level by the others around them.
The Aviator’s greatest accomplishment is its ability to capture the essence of this individual, Hughes, in less than three hours. His paranoia, his love for women, his oddness, and his secrecy, his amazing skills as an aviator and engineer, the list can go on and on. You really feel like you got a fantastic look into the life of this man and why he is the way he is. And you sit back and marvel and all that he was capable of accomplishing with so many issues to overcome. Constantly on the verge of sinking the ship, he would right his course and find a way to move on.
In the end, The Aviator is one of the finer biopics in a decade littered with them and is a wonderful filmmaking experience that takes you back to the days of old. Grounded by an A++ performance by DiCaprio, Scorsese and his amazing supporting cast fill in the rest as they created a wonderful and brilliant film to enjoy for years to come. Should be a go to film on how to craft a winning biopic and is a crown jewel in the crowded crown upon Scorsese’s talented head.

Review: In The Loop

2009-08-03T12:26:00.002-07:00

This political satire of the American and British government’s reaction to an impending war in Iraq is quite funny at times but ultimately feels like Christopher Guest lite.
Following a set of individuals in and around the governments of both the American and British states, with individuals both for and against the war, we get to see a little bit of everything. The stories closest thing to a main character is Simon Foster who is a Secretary of the British Government who makes a comment on the impending war in the middle east as unforeseeable which sends the press and governments into motion over the events we get to see in the film as everyone tries to spin things the way they want. The Prime Ministers watch dog, Malcolm Tucker, is all over Simon trying to get him to fall in line while in the meanwhile an Assistant Secretary of Diplomacy for the US, Karen Clarke decides to try reel in Foster as a British ally in her fight to avoid war in the Middle East. Karen is in cahoots with a U.S. General who is behind her call for peace and they begin to use Simon as a pawn in there play as Tucker tries to do the same while he spins.
Now, the film moves along franticly and can be a tad bit confusing from time to time with everyone playing one another and a large ensemble to try and keep track of. If you don’t allow yourself to get overwhelmed you can keep it all in line, for the most part, and get what is going on in the picture. The characters in the film are played to types much of the time as well, which is ok since this is satire, but it also helps us keep track of who is who and what not since you can just be like, “oh this is the war mongering douche.” Even though the characters are types, that doesn’t mean that they are not fun and interesting. Both Simon Foster and Malcolm Tucker are quite enjoyable to watch and are often hilarious as they are the real standouts of the film.
Like I mentioned before, the film is a bit all over the place, but the frantic setting and push of the governments agendas in the film lend to the craziness of everything going on and makes the silliness of seem more acceptable as people run around like chickens with their heads cut off. I think one of the things I enjoyed most about the film was the bits of silliness thrown in that tends to come with British humor. There are also a considerable number of great one liners throughout the film and the Malcolm Tucker character is delightfully verbally profane.
The director, Armando Iannucci, does do a very fine job at touching on a number of political ideas and the idiocy of it all at times. There is a wealth of good ideas and jokes here that are executed fairly well for the most part, but few feel like we are breaking any real new ground. The film does drag a bit towards the end though and did have to struggle to hold your interest. Luckily, there was usually a good bit or gag right around the corner with these lulls, but the film could have been probably a bit finer tuned.
The cast has a number of winners in it with Peter Capaldi as Malcolm Tucker being quite the stand out. Loud, obnoxious, and brutally honest he is a joy to watch and you can tell he is having a blast getting to play the guy everyone hates to be on the other side of but is too scared of him to do anything about it. Tom Hollander is delightfully clueless as Simon Foster and he slips in a number of great lines throughout as the soft spoken pawn. James Gandolfini is fine as the U.S. general in the picture but I wish he had a little more to work with personally. David Rasche is fantastic in the film as well in his brief appearances as a war supporting secretary that has a secret committee that Karen is trying to get on to. Steve Coogan also shines as an upset constituent of Foster who is concerned about his mother’s safety due to a faulty wall.
In the end, In The Loop is a fairly successful comedy that just never feels like anything special. It doesn’t hold a candle to the best of the mockumentary style films out there, but isn’t poor by any means. There are a number of great laugh out loud moments throughout the film and a few great performance by those involved as well. The film real hits the nail on the head on a number of occasions when skewering the modern political scene but as a whole doesn’t bring anything revolutionary or just knock it out of the park. Either way, if you are a fan of some good British comedy, political satire, or mockumentaryish style films, (there are no personal interviews, think For Your Consideration) then there is probably something here for you, so at least make a rental out of it because there are some points that really shine.
In The Loop is a C+

Review: $9.99

2009-08-03T12:19:00.004-07:00

This latest stop motion animated drama is an odd, lonely, and somewhat interesting tale that doesn’t do anything special and leaves you a bit bewildered with everything.
The film focuses on a set of individuals living in an apartment building as they all deal with issues in their lives while also coming rather loosely connected to one another. There is a man who lives with his son that is searching for direction in life through a series of 9.99 books in a catalog while his dad copes with his wife having left him years ago and the recent suicide of a homeless man indirectly because of him. The other sibling in this family falls for a new tenant who is a spokesman on TV and she has a thing for hairlessness. A near engaged couple deals with an impending break up as the young man copes by smoking weed, drinks, and chows on junk food with three miniature people. There is also a boy who becomes attached to his piggy bank. And lastly, an old man meets an angel and the two begin to bond over discussions on life and what not.
At a brief 78 minutes the film moves along fairly quickly, though a scene or two still drags from time to time. The animation in the film is done well enough though and the look of the film is quite good with some really interesting and well done shots. The thing that makes me curious is the filmmaker’s choice to do stop motion at all for this picture in the first place. The only sequences the style lends itself to are the miniature friends, the angel’s wings, and a short bit at the end of the film revolving around some “chairs” but I can’t really see how this would have killed their budget to go live action.
The world is filled with some interesting characters though and the film does make you laugh on a few occasions but there were just too many “huh?” moments littered throughout the film and a couple of out there ideas that never are really explained nor giving you anything to really work with to decipher there meanings. Now, I am not saying I need everything spelled out in every film, but I would at least like a hint or two at what you were going for most of the time, or else make the idea so weird and clever that I don’t really care.
The voice work in the film is of very good quality though and the actors bring a lot of good humor and life to even the oddest of characters. Geoffrey Rush is quite snide and good as the oddest angel you will ever meet. But sadly, his character is not wrapped up very well, like many plot points, and it kind of robs the character a bit; but if mystery is appropriate for anything in this film it would be this angel. The rest of the cast is applicable as well with no one really standing out or showing weakness among the cast. The animators also deserve a shout out here again as well as they really did craft a fine film successfully individualizing a large cast of characters and bring to life all the weird ideas involved in this production.
In the end, $9.99 is an interesting film that works rather intermittently but does gel as a whole. Getting snippets of these characters lives in the midst of learning some life lessons is an interesting premise and executed ok here, there is just far too much left unexplained and open to too broad of an interpretation. The oddity of the film is also a bit hard to get past and not leave one befuddled but at least it tries to be something different and not conform to the mainstream; if only its messages were just a tad more concise. I do appreciate the filmmakers attempt at creating adult cinema through animation, and they partially succeed here, though the film is just a bit too abstract to be super accessible and enjoyable as a whole I feel.
$9.99 is a D+

Review: Funny People

2009-07-30T21:30:00.002-07:00

Judd Apatow’s latest is his lesser effort to date, but is still quite funny at times it just drags on a bit to long and doesn’t hit the emotional highs I think it was going for.
George Simmons is a comedy superstar. He lives the life of celebrity, alone, in a large mansion paid for by the countless blockbuster hits he has starred in. This all seems well and good until one day he finds out that he has a form of leukemia and that it is too late in the game to do anything conventionally associated with cancer treatment. So while George takes his experimental drugs he decides to get back to his roots of stand up and recruits a young and upcoming comedian, Ira, to be his assistant and joke writer as well as being the only person that knows of his condition.
The film kind of goes where you think it will from there, finding himself, becoming a better man, trying to reconnect with that one lost love, the usual. Apatow does bring a lot of fresh humor and laughs to the proceedings though, and makes the conventional worth experiencing again as this is far more a straight forward effort then his bit crazier previous features. James L. Brooks has been heavily cited as Apatow’s influence here and that is clearly seen throughout the film; albeit a bit raunchy, crude, and dirtier. When the film tries and get dramatic it works, but it isn’t any groundbreaking emotional swell that it might have hoped to be. With that said the normally comedic actors here all handle the dramatic chops just fine, the story is just not as effecting as it could be.
The humor in the film is of the same brand of any Apatow effort and if you are a fan there is plenty to like here. Seth Rogen’s Ira is constantly dropping fantastic one liners and Sandler fits right into the group as well. In fact, it almost felt like Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman were a bit underutilized as Ira’s successful roommates as they are both constantly hilarious every time on screen; but maybe it’s best to leave them with us wanting more. Also of note is Aubrey Plaza whose stand up is quite good while her awkward and odd character works as a good romantic interest for the roommate characters. And speaking of stand up, the film is littered with it and it is all quite funny with some really good jokes spread through out. In fact, the Blu-ray release of this film will probably end up being funnier than the film itself with all of the improvisation from all the cameos that was cut out to go along with all the raw stand up footage you know is destined for the release.
Since I am touching on the actors I might as well his up their overall performances as well. Sandler delivers his best work this side of Punch Drunk Love and makes you wonder why he doesn’t try and do more stuff like this more often; though I am sure his productions are a lot of fun on his Happy Madison films, surrounded by his buddies. Rogen is back in his lovable loser type role, but this is his best turn yet, getting to show a bit of range and has actually come quite far since just a couple years ago in Knocked Up. Leslie Mann and Eric Bana are both very good in their truncated screen time as well and don’t expect them to show up till the third act. Hill and Schwartzman were great as always, but like I mentioned earlier, we wish we could have had more of them and Plaza as well.
In the end, Funny People hits the right chords and achieves what it is going for the most part. The film is a bit long, with the third act really dragging; a good bit of tightening up could have really helped the film out. But other than that, and a bit of a clichéd moment or two for Sandler’s character (being a big star asshole) in the third act, there aren’t any major complaints. Plenty of laughs, both big and small, and plenty of heart to go around, funny people is enjoyable and never bad, one just wish it was a bit faster paced. While it isn’t the comedy stand out that his previous efforts were Apatow’s latest is still a successful comedy that doesn’t sully his hot streak one bit.
Funny People is a B

Review: 500 Days of Summer

2009-07-29T09:18:00.003-07:00

Mark Webb delivers another unconventional and excellent rom-com for the calendar year, filing his film with originality, style, plenty of laughs, and a pair of great performances from his boy and girl leads.
The film on the surface is your classic boy meets girl story, but our narrator warns us early on that this is not a love story. With that said though, you can’t help but get swept up in the love tale being told on the screen as we watch Tom and Summer court each other. The funny thing is the film opens with the day right after their break up and Tom having to be talked off a ledge, figuratively, by his little sister over the loss. We are then thrown into the couple’s back story from Day 1 when they met up ending with the 500th day of their intertwined lives.
The film is filled with quirk, coolness, and style. Both of our leads are smart and hip people, but are in no way pretentious at the same time and Mark Webb and company do a fantastic job of creating something that feels real and genuine, even amongst some fantastical moments. Tom’s thought process is genuine and too rarely seen in films these days for a guy's perspective. Insecure at times and a bit shy and awkward he is easy to identify with and his trials and tribulations are something we can all connect with. Summer on the other hand is written as the perfect type of girlfriend type but not the kind of girlfriend Hollywood tries to force down our throats. She is real and beautiful and fun and we can easily see why Tom falls head over heals for her.
The film itself has a number of cool moments are clever bits thrown in and while some might not be wholly original, it feels fresh and is done with such a high quality they work extremely well. Webb implements split screen on a number of occasions to great effect, and once to amazing effect when we get to see the expectations vs. reality scene that really elevates the film to top notch work. The film is also laced with sly film, music, and geek references that are never waving their hands for attention but provide great laughs if you catch or get them.
The film also got the balls to not succumb to stereotypes, clichés, or convention in the rom-com format and is another breath of fresh air for the genre this year. Stories about relationships have had some real winners this year and this as a double bill with Away We Go would be a fantastic display of how to do romantic comedy. I will say, the film contradicts itself a little bit with the whole grand conception of love, fate, and whether it exist or not, but it’s ok because I think most people kind of go all over the place with their feelings on this topic depending on where they are at in their life romantically. But with that, there isn’t a moment in the film that doesn’t feel honest and you can’t say that about too many movies nowadays.
The actors in the film are also quite good to great and that really helps elevate the film to the level it achieves. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Tom and he continues to shine as one of the best young actors working today. He makes Tom real and genuine making a strong character even through all his faults and weaknesses. Levitt also brings the funny with ease and has excellent chemistry with his co-star Zooey Deschanel. Deschanel always plays a great girlfriend in movies and she does so again her as the free spirit Summer. The way she works through life might be frustrating for some and relatable to others, but she will suck both mindsets in as she acts all cute on screen. Deschanel is a bit type cast here in that we have seen variations on this character before, but she is the most sound and real and less aloof then in past turns and it is one of her finest turns yet.
In the end, 500 Days of Summer is a winner on just about every level. The film will have you smiling, laughing, and tug at your heart with the brutal truths of love. The films structure that jumps forward and back through out the course of their relationship works very well to keep us on our toes as we try and figure out how this is going to all play out. One minute they are a happy couple then the next Tom is bashing summer or is a hopeless wreck, but the film still suckers you into rooting for these guys in the end and you will have to check out the film to see whether it works out or not.
500 Days of Summer is an A

Review: Revanche

2009-07-26T23:01:00.002-07:00

Götz Spielmann’s Austrian crime-’ish’ drama is an engaging character study that slowly builds up the tension and plot that is a tad bit bloated but remains a pretty good look at the human condition.
Alex is an ex-con who is dating a prostitute, Tamara, and the two’s feelings for one another are real. Unfortunately both of their lives are held back by debt and the lack of an ability to escape their lives. Susanne manages a grocery and is married to a young police officer, Robert. They have been struggling to have a child for sometime now, but live happily and peacefully in the country outside the big city. Susanne happens to be friends with Alex’s grandfather have lives alone in a cabin slowly struggling to get by as he fades into the twilight of his life. All of there paths slowly begin to become entwined when Alex and Tamara finally decide to make a break for a new life and Alex plans one last heist to get them on their feet.
The film’s story slowly unravels over the course of the two hour run time. Never boring, the characters on the screen are wonderfully conceived with dark pasts and intriguing thought processes that will lead to twists and turns in the picture that will surprise and catch you off guard. The pacing might be too slow for some, and I will agree that the film over broods on a couple of key characters dilemmas in the film, but the film isn’t rushing to the finish at any point in the picture.
The film will actually probably throw some people off as the most fever pitched moment of the film actually comes in the film and then slowly descends into the minds and decisions of the characters as they contemplate the consequences of their actions and lives. And while the film might over articulate these feelings and overkill it a little, it’s never a feeling of like, ‘this is terrible.’ You can just kind of see that this film might have been even better of it would have been a few minutes shorter as they easily get the point across of how these characters are feeling in less time then they actually spent in the film.
Johannes Krisch creates a complex and conflicted character in Alex that struggles with his every decision and battles his emotions as he tries to come to grips with that which was laid before him. Tamara is played very well by Irina Potapenko who is put into such delicate situations and isn’t afraid to bare it all for the camera, both physically and emotionally. The fragile situations she ends up in bring a lot of the films tension and she does a great job conveying her fear quietly in these scenes. Andreas Lust gives a pretty one note performance, but the emotions that haunt him are everywhere he turns and his decent into guilt is handled well for his limited screen time. Lastly, Ursula Strauss shines as the wife of Lust’s character and is forced into even greater complications potentially than Alex’s is. She leads a simple life and her world is thrown upside down when she decides to make a sacrifice for the hopeful good of her family.
In the end, Revanche is an engaging crime/human drama that is decidedly different from the first to second half of the film. With that said, both sides work very well and both give interesting looks and almost a different story all together. The first half sets up the emotions for the second, but the plot itself doesn’t carry over beyond that. I feel like if trimmed this could have been an even better film as it would have been a bit faster paced and a tad less redundant, but still enjoyed the film very much. Already a nominee for Best Foreign Language film at this past years Oscar telecast this is worth seeking out as it slowly rolls out in theaters across the country.
Revanche is a B

Review: The Hurt Locker

2009-07-19T23:00:00.002-07:00

The latest effort from Kathryn Bigelow is a gritty and realistic look into the life of an Iraq War bomb squad that is thrilling when defusing the bombs but meanders a bit when not.
In and around Iraq during our skirmish over there since we went to war in the country, the enemy has been getting more and more crafty with there techniques at trying to kill American soldiers. One efficient way they have been able to do that is by planting bombs on the side of roads and what have you and detonating them once there are enough casualties to go around. In The Hurt Locker, we get to follow around a team of specialists who are brought in to do the riskiest work in the field and that is to diffuse the bomb without blowing it themselves or letting some observing detonator do what they were meant to. The team we get to follow consists of three men, Sgt. Bill James who is the bomb man, Sgt. JT Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge who spot and protect the situation as best they can while making sure nobody detonates the bomb while they work. We pick up with them only having around a month left to go before their tour in Iraq is over and Sgt. James is thrust into their squad after the loss of their previous bomb man. The film hits the ground running along with James who dives into every situation he is put in with almost reckless abandon, but he quickly proves he is very capable at what he does.
This serves as an adequate set up for everything, but the film isn’t all about diffusing bombs and the fight that comes with it. In between we get a peek into these soldiers’ lives, these young men being thrown into an almost ridiculous situation and the effect that it has on them. Specialist Eldridge is constantly being tracked down by the bases resident psychologist as he deals with his inability to protect his previous commander when it mattered most. Sgt. James struggles with his personal life back home where he has a newborn kid but doesn’t know the status between him and his child’s mother. Sanborn grapples with his feelings over James and his cowboy attitude of doing things that might get him killed sooner than he would like to do to James’ gung-ho nature. These plots all work to varying degrees but each doesn’t work just as much as it does. Sanborn’s irrational thoughts that crop up from time to time are a bit too much if you ask me and it makes it seem disgenuine when he and James buddy up in the heart of battle. But maybe that is the way it is, and probably should be, showing how many soldiers have problems with one another but have to put it all aside when in the hear of battle for the betterment of themselves and their squads.
The bomb diffusing set pieces will easily distract you from some weak character arcs and instead will enthrall you with the intensity and insanity of what these soldiers go through. With about six extended sequences involving the squad out in the field, you will find yourself clamoring for more every time we get away from it. Especially after the film rolls off the first four almost back to back over the first hour of the film. In fact it makes you wonder if the material was weak or simply just not nearly as interesting as we anticipate the next call to action for these soldiers. The film could have used some editing in the second half of the film as it meanders into redundant and a bit unbelievable territory. The characters motivations to do what they do towards the end makes some sense character wise and why they are upset, but logically they would have to be idiots to run into danger in a way they are unaccustomed too. But maybe we are supposed to take James’ bull headed drive to do whatever comes to him as reason enough to risk themselves as much as they do, but I had a hard time buying to James’ decisions that left his squad once and himself the other time seriously at risk and exposed in a situation they couldn’t control.
Dicey decisions written for the character or not, Jeremy Renner shines as Sgt. James and helps bring to life the really great parts of his character. For the first half of the film, Renner perfectly captures the insanity, humor, and balls it takes for someone to do what James’ does. Running in with a grin on his face and the feeling of fun flowing through him, Renner lights up the screen as he tears into these bombs and that’s not to say that he doesn’t handle the non bomb stuff well either. He creates a convincing confused soldier that is torn with what he should actually be doing with his life, it’s the films pacing and length that hurts any of those scenes. Anthony Mackie also shines here as Sgt. Sanborn, and is able to overcome some weak writing around his character. Mackie is tough, direct, and to the point, with him bouncing off Renner perfectly as the two get into time after time over their differing opinions. Brian Geraghty also does a good job rounding out the squad as the soldier dealing with the loss of a fellow soldier and doing a great job at bringing the mentality and indecision from failing to pull the trigger to every scene as they are thrown into hostile conditions. The film is also full of a number of cameos and brief work for some really fine actors. Guy Pearce is funny and quite commanding in an early scene. David Morse pops up for some needed humor to break the tension as a commanding officer. Ralph Fiennes steals his scene in his brief time on screen as a British soldier or mercenary, they aren’t ever really clear but I think it was a mercenary.
In the end, The Hurt Locker is a mostly engaging and thrilling trip through the lives of three American soldiers in the Iraq war. While the film may drag a bit in the second half and meander into not quite convincing territory for some of its character arts, it always makes up for that with it’s thrilling bomb/action scenes. Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie both make breakout turns among a number of great appearances from some great actors. Will get your heart pumping and put you on the edge of your seat, this is the most effective Iraq War movie to be released yet and it does so without pandering to be a political message. It just shows us what life might be like for some extraordinary individuals that go out everyday risking their lives to save those of their fellow soldiers diffusing bombs as their job. See it for the set pieces, Renner, Fiennes, and Mackie and because it is one of the more solid war movies to roll across our plates in the last few years.
The Hurt Locker is a B

Review: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

2009-07-14T23:00:00.001-07:00

David Yates returns at the helm of the sixth and second to last adaptation in the Harry Potter series and the result is a character driven story that sets up the final chapter that lacks a lot of action, as the source material dictates, that makes it a bit of the odd duck in the Harry Potter films.
Harry, having just lost his last living person he would call family in his godfather Sirius Black, Harry has spent the summer in a bit of a malaise away from the magic world. But when Lord Voldemort’s minion’s, the Death Eaters, actions begin to pour over into the muggle world he can’t help but notice the entire world becoming less safe a place to be. Potter is surprisingly visited by Dumbledore right before the start of the new school year only to be whisked away to help service Dumbledore’s attempt to recruit an ex-colleague back to Hogwarts. We then discover that Draco Malfoy has been tasked by the Dark Lord with a life risking endeavor that leads his mother to seek out Severus Snape to form an unbreakable vow to protect the Malfoy boy from harm. Potter quickly discovers that the professor Dumbledore recruited, Slughorn, has an important key to Dumbledore’s fight against Voldemort and understanding how to beat the Dark Lord. Harry is called upon to help Dumbledore gain this memory of Slughorn’s and he attempts to coax it from the professor in between the romantic ups and downs of himself and his best friends Ron and Hermione.
Now, there isn’t a lot going on in this chapter of the story when you write it out like that, but the key to this part of this tale is getting to know these characters as they really begin to turn into adults and deal with bigger emotions in their lives. The film’s main focus is the romantic endeavors of our main trio and the humor it gives to us as the teens deal with flaring hormones. Harry is a hot commodity with the girls as he is the world’s most famous wizard, but his gaze is on a girl with a lot of hurdles for him. Ron and Hermione continue their song and dance as they circle each others true feelings for each other while they get into snogging situations with other classmates.
While the film focuses on these characters growth and not a lot of plot really happens, the film is still full of magic, is the funniest film in the series to date, and is full of beautiful cinematography and creativity in its shots that it rivals Prisoner of Azkaban as the finest filmmaking in the series. The film also sees the return of the beloved wizard sport of quidditch and the two instances of the game are fun and thrilling, while providing most of the action in the film as well. And while on the action, there isn’t a lot in the picture. In fact, the filmmakers had to add an action sequence at the Weasley house to the picture just to try and keep up with the action packed installments that preceded it. So for anyone out there that loves the films for the wizard fights and other action sequences, be warned that you won’t find much here.
Also, for fans of the book, the film is a fairly faithful adaptation of the source work. There isn’t as much quidditch as there is in the book, nor are there many ups and downs in Ron’s new career as keeper, but there is plenty of quidditch to quench our starved thirst. The real nitpicking will come towards the end with the handling of the finale of the film. The scene at the lake works well, but once we go back to Hogwarts things deviate from the film a bit and I can’t help but question their decisions. They not only take away all of the fighting and action that took place, but they also make the actions of Harry seem odd, weak, and against what he would normally do if put in that situation. I also feel like the big emotional punch in the film wasn’t earned as well they could, and while the moment unfolds like it does in the book, the build up to the moment unfolds with little tension and no struggle in the middle of all hell breaking loose below at Hogwarts.
The acting film is as good as it has ever been in the series and the younger cast continues to grow under Yates’ direction. Emma Watson’s Hermione has always been the weakest of the three leads, by far, but she catches up to the pack in this one with no cringe inducing moments that she had in the previous installment. Rupert Grint is the best of the trio again as Ron, providing countless laughs and a hilarious turn as the most love swept character. Daniel Radcliffe gets better as well as Harry Potter and stands toe to toe with Michael Gambon and Jim Broadbent in almost every scene away from the kids. Broadbent is the new professor this year, Slughorn, and he does a fantastic job at creating the nervous and fame loving teacher that holds a dark secret; and he knows Dumbledore is after it. Gambon also gets the most screen time he has gotten since his first appearance in the series and that is a good thing for us. His rendition of Dumbledore is more spry, fun, and silly making him one of the most enjoyable characters in the series and he doesn’t disappoint. Jessie Cave is also hilarious as Lavender Brown, the love struck Gryffindor mate of our leads that goes gaga for Ron. Bonnie Wright is also able to make the step up in her biggest role yet in the films. Tom Felton also grows up as the sulking and always lingering Draco Malfoy, whose mission from Voldemort remains a mystery as he lurks in the background of the halls of Hogwarts. Alan Rickman also gets plenty to do as Snape, wrangling Malfoy being his primary job, and more Snape is always a good thing.
In the end, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is a solid entry into the series, but after first viewing is not my favorite. It drags a little bit when Harry makes his final push on Slughorn and like I said earlier, failed to really resonate emotion at the end. With that said it is the funniest film and probably the finest produced in the series and really sets up the characters for the final act, The Deathly Hollows. The film itself serves as a set up more than anything, planting seeds that we won’t get answered until the final chapter in the series and I think that hurts the pictures ability to really stand out as a great film. Lacking action and a lot of fantasy spectacle the film might let down some, but when you sit back and look at it all it serves as a nice set up for the final film and will play better once that film is out I imagine. The most segue way film of the series there is plenty to enjoy in the quality picture, just prepared that it is a bit different trip this time around, and if you can get past the book nitpicking, that really isn’t a bad thing.
Potter gets a B+