Message Board Classics: Movies, Movies, and More Movies pt. 6 (last one...I think)
1/5/08
last reviews of films I saw in 2007:
THE GREAT DEBATERS
Denzel Washington again directs a smart, non-sappy emotional film based on a true story. I really liked how everyone in this film was smart, and the dialogue is terrific. Denzel can do grand speeches like nobody else. The cast is strong all around, especially Jurnee Smollett (who looks like my ex-gf's twin!) and also Forest Whitaker. I got a couple quibbles with the story, but nothing major.
WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY
I kind of had Anchorman-like expectations for this, and that's unfair. It's not the funniest movie of the decade, but it is among them. This is the kind of parody they don't do anymore, i.e. a parody of a GENRE rather than just a spoof of a whole bunch of movies. The running gag spoof of the scene in Ray where he discovers drugs is absolutely hysterical. John C. Reilly is spot-on as Dewey Cox. If anything holds this back a bit it's that there aren't many standouts aside from him in the cast. But it's
THE GREAT DEBATERS
Denzel Washington again directs a smart, non-sappy emotional film based on a true story. I really liked how everyone in this film was smart, and the dialogue is terrific. Denzel can do grand speeches like nobody else. The cast is strong all around, especially Jurnee Smollett (who looks like my ex-gf's twin!) and also Forest Whitaker. I got a couple quibbles with the story, but nothing major.
WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY
I kind of had Anchorman-like expectations for this, and that's unfair. It's not the funniest movie of the decade, but it is among them. This is the kind of parody they don't do anymore, i.e. a parody of a GENRE rather than just a spoof of a whole bunch of movies. The running gag spoof of the scene in Ray where he discovers drugs is absolutely hysterical. John C. Reilly is spot-on as Dewey Cox. If anything holds this back a bit it's that there aren't many standouts aside from him in the cast. But it's
a laugh riot that closes one heck of a year for Judd Apatow.
MR. BROOKS
I really got into this one. Costner gives his most interesting performance in ages, and is the most compelling murderer in any movie in a long while too. Demi Moore too is easily the best she's been in her 2nd career. Loved the twist with Costner's daughter (and I'd have kept the nightmare ending). And yes, Dane Cook is in this, but he gets what's coming to him.![]()
HAIRSPRAY
Oy, you make a tacky, cringe-indiucingly lame musical and people rave. I didn't like the music, I didn't get into the story, I thought Travolta's performance was ridiculous. Latifah and Pfeiffer were both awful. I do think Nikki Blonsky's cute, but her relentless bouncing irritated me. Walken's good, and a couple songs are decent, but that's it.
TALK TO ME
Disappointing, but still a thumbs up. Don Cheadle is outstanding, and the whole cast is really. There just wasn't enough of his character on the radio. The scenes where he broadcasts on the night of MLK's assassination were great. We needed more of him on the mic.
MR. BROOKS
I really got into this one. Costner gives his most interesting performance in ages, and is the most compelling murderer in any movie in a long while too. Demi Moore too is easily the best she's been in her 2nd career. Loved the twist with Costner's daughter (and I'd have kept the nightmare ending). And yes, Dane Cook is in this, but he gets what's coming to him.
HAIRSPRAYOy, you make a tacky, cringe-indiucingly lame musical and people rave. I didn't like the music, I didn't get into the story, I thought Travolta's performance was ridiculous. Latifah and Pfeiffer were both awful. I do think Nikki Blonsky's cute, but her relentless bouncing irritated me. Walken's good, and a couple songs are decent, but that's it.
TALK TO ME
Disappointing, but still a thumbs up. Don Cheadle is outstanding, and the whole cast is really. There just wasn't enough of his character on the radio. The scenes where he broadcasts on the night of MLK's assassination were great. We needed more of him on the mic.
first movie of 2008:
ATONEMENT
This was a thumbs down til the very end, but the epilogue with Vanessa Redgrave really saved it. Most of the film is nicely made but rather been there done that. James McAvoy is very good, and Keira is good but has been better. I was impressed with the 2 girls playing Briony, and I gotta go see if they're really related cause they looked just right as the young-younger versions of the same character.
ATONEMENT
This was a thumbs down til the very end, but the epilogue with Vanessa Redgrave really saved it. Most of the film is nicely made but rather been there done that. James McAvoy is very good, and Keira is good but has been better. I was impressed with the 2 girls playing Briony, and I gotta go see if they're really related cause they looked just right as the young-younger versions of the same character.
1/11/08
ONE MISSED CALL
This is another one of the Japanese horror remakes. This one has a bunch of people becoming cursed and dying through their cell phones. The "why?" is pretty boring. I'm not sure if this one had a true ending or not. I really didn't get what happened. Anyway, the film is not at all scary, and Pulse mined similar terrain to much more effect. But it's a decent watch. You get a grizzled Ed Burns and some nice eye candy in Meagan Good, Ana Claudia Talancon, and Shannyn Sossamon in her first big part in ages.
THE HOAX
Too similar to Shattered Glass, which was a vastly superior film. Richard Gere plays a real life author who duped everyone into thinking he had penned an authentic autobiography on Howard Hughes. Gere's good, and the cast is good, especially Alfred Molina.
THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Brilliant at times but also somewhat disappointing just cause of what PT Anderson has done to this point in his career. Now, his films are epic character films, and this is no different. It IS a new Citizen Kane (complete with the overrating imo). The overall story is compelling, the photography is amazing. Daniel Day Lewis is every bit as astounding as he was in Gangs Of New York. He was my pick for best actor then and he will be once again. I really liked this film's approach to religion, me being a staunch agnostic. But man, for me the thing needed Lewis' brilliance to hold it together, especially the last third or so of the film. I found the final scene to be completely, just, awful and poorly staged. Now, I know Anderson had a frog rainstorm to conclude Magnolia, so he obviously doesnt always go for realism and will go over the top. The film's 3 hours almost, but to be honest it seemed like it needed to be longer, to flesh out some of Lewis' later years.
I offer the concession however that I had a very similar response when I first saw Boogie Nights, my fandom for which blossomed on repeat viewings. So I could totally see that happening here too.
This is another one of the Japanese horror remakes. This one has a bunch of people becoming cursed and dying through their cell phones. The "why?" is pretty boring. I'm not sure if this one had a true ending or not. I really didn't get what happened. Anyway, the film is not at all scary, and Pulse mined similar terrain to much more effect. But it's a decent watch. You get a grizzled Ed Burns and some nice eye candy in Meagan Good, Ana Claudia Talancon, and Shannyn Sossamon in her first big part in ages.
THE HOAX
Too similar to Shattered Glass, which was a vastly superior film. Richard Gere plays a real life author who duped everyone into thinking he had penned an authentic autobiography on Howard Hughes. Gere's good, and the cast is good, especially Alfred Molina.
THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Brilliant at times but also somewhat disappointing just cause of what PT Anderson has done to this point in his career. Now, his films are epic character films, and this is no different. It IS a new Citizen Kane (complete with the overrating imo). The overall story is compelling, the photography is amazing. Daniel Day Lewis is every bit as astounding as he was in Gangs Of New York. He was my pick for best actor then and he will be once again. I really liked this film's approach to religion, me being a staunch agnostic. But man, for me the thing needed Lewis' brilliance to hold it together, especially the last third or so of the film. I found the final scene to be completely, just, awful and poorly staged. Now, I know Anderson had a frog rainstorm to conclude Magnolia, so he obviously doesnt always go for realism and will go over the top. The film's 3 hours almost, but to be honest it seemed like it needed to be longer, to flesh out some of Lewis' later years.
I offer the concession however that I had a very similar response when I first saw Boogie Nights, my fandom for which blossomed on repeat viewings. So I could totally see that happening here too.
1/15/08
shoot
Rest in peace to Brad Renfro, dead at 25. I always hoped he'd get his act together cause he had a lot of talent.
The Client, Ghost World, Sleepers, and especially Apt Pupil and Bully. Those were his highlights.
Rest in peace to Brad Renfro, dead at 25. I always hoped he'd get his act together cause he had a lot of talent.
The Client, Ghost World, Sleepers, and especially Apt Pupil and Bully. Those were his highlights.
1/19/08
CLOVERFIELD
The hype proves to be pretty much validated. Granted, at the time it came out I bought into the Blair Witch hype too, but this is I think a much more skilled film, and with JJ Abrams the mastermind you know you've got real talent behind it.
The opening reel may not get the film off to a particularly good start. It has character development (if you can even call it that) that is not even up to the level of your average disaster epic. The characters are like something out of an MTV soap (except the awesome and cool Lizzy Caplan).
But once the fit hits the shan the film owns it! It is a really impressive production, with quality and believable effects. I bet this thing didn't cost much either, which will amuse folks like me who marvel at how Hollywood spends so much more on big event pictures than they need to. It's like, gimme a break, you could make Spiderman 3 for a third of what they chose to. It's all like showing off how big their peckers are!
The hook of how the whole film is supposedly shot by one guy with a handheld camera is hit and miss. The shakiness is way overdone, and frankly you gotta ignore the idiocy of this guy constantly filming during all this.
Also, can we PLEASE get more creative in where we set these disaster movies? I'm tired of seeing New York City demolished. There ARE other major cities in America.
But in the way Cloverfield goes about its business, it is a big success. It gets a lot out of a little.
MAD MONEY
Three women of low means (Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, and m'lady Katie Holmes) rob the federal reserve. I thought this one worked almost exclusively because of the cast. I got tired of Keaton's daffiness after a while (and halfway through the film she becomes a fucking idiot!), but I'm not sure I've ever enjoyed Queen Latifah more. And often times I simply cannot stand her (she was bloody awful in Hairspray). But here she hits all the right notes. Ted Danson (man is he old) is very good as Keaton's hubby, and I also really enjoyed Roger Cross (aka Curtis from 24) as a security guard who's crushin on Latifah.
But yes, I'm most swayed by Katie. I thought she was absolutely adorable in this movie, completely goofy in a way I've never seen her. People can and will take their potshots at her, but it's nice to have her back.
The hype proves to be pretty much validated. Granted, at the time it came out I bought into the Blair Witch hype too, but this is I think a much more skilled film, and with JJ Abrams the mastermind you know you've got real talent behind it.
The opening reel may not get the film off to a particularly good start. It has character development (if you can even call it that) that is not even up to the level of your average disaster epic. The characters are like something out of an MTV soap (except the awesome and cool Lizzy Caplan).
But once the fit hits the shan the film owns it! It is a really impressive production, with quality and believable effects. I bet this thing didn't cost much either, which will amuse folks like me who marvel at how Hollywood spends so much more on big event pictures than they need to. It's like, gimme a break, you could make Spiderman 3 for a third of what they chose to. It's all like showing off how big their peckers are!
The hook of how the whole film is supposedly shot by one guy with a handheld camera is hit and miss. The shakiness is way overdone, and frankly you gotta ignore the idiocy of this guy constantly filming during all this.
Also, can we PLEASE get more creative in where we set these disaster movies? I'm tired of seeing New York City demolished. There ARE other major cities in America.
But in the way Cloverfield goes about its business, it is a big success. It gets a lot out of a little.
MAD MONEY
Three women of low means (Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, and m'lady Katie Holmes) rob the federal reserve. I thought this one worked almost exclusively because of the cast. I got tired of Keaton's daffiness after a while (and halfway through the film she becomes a fucking idiot!), but I'm not sure I've ever enjoyed Queen Latifah more. And often times I simply cannot stand her (she was bloody awful in Hairspray). But here she hits all the right notes. Ted Danson (man is he old) is very good as Keaton's hubby, and I also really enjoyed Roger Cross (aka Curtis from 24) as a security guard who's crushin on Latifah.
But yes, I'm most swayed by Katie. I thought she was absolutely adorable in this movie, completely goofy in a way I've never seen her. People can and will take their potshots at her, but it's nice to have her back.
1/22/08
Heath Ledger has passed away at the age of 28.![]()
Heath first caught my eye in 10 Things I Hate About You back in 1999. I remember thinking that even though he was supposed to be in high school that he looked about 30. But he was charming and likable. It didn't surprise me that he began to have a very good career.
I wasn't crazy about The Patriot or A Knight's Tale, but he was very, very good in Monster's Ball. Halle Berry got all the attention there, but at the time he was actually billed AHEAD of her.
I can't really recall much of what he did between that film and Brokeback Mountain. I know he did that religious horror film The Order, but I never saw it.
Brokeback really got him rolling again. He got a well deserved Oscar nod for the film. He also scored the lovely Michelle Williams, which made me very envious.
And I was and still am very excited to see him as The Joker in The Dark Knight. The trailer made it look like an amazing performance.
Its a very stunning and sad loss. r.i.p. Heath
Heath first caught my eye in 10 Things I Hate About You back in 1999. I remember thinking that even though he was supposed to be in high school that he looked about 30. But he was charming and likable. It didn't surprise me that he began to have a very good career.
I wasn't crazy about The Patriot or A Knight's Tale, but he was very, very good in Monster's Ball. Halle Berry got all the attention there, but at the time he was actually billed AHEAD of her.
I can't really recall much of what he did between that film and Brokeback Mountain. I know he did that religious horror film The Order, but I never saw it.
Brokeback really got him rolling again. He got a well deserved Oscar nod for the film. He also scored the lovely Michelle Williams, which made me very envious.
And I was and still am very excited to see him as The Joker in The Dark Knight. The trailer made it look like an amazing performance.
Its a very stunning and sad loss. r.i.p. Heath
1/24/08
Oscar nominations/picks:
BEST PICTURE
Well, Juno is my favorite film of the whole year, so it's obviously my choice here, although I'd be more than happy with No Country For Old Men. And neither Atonement nor Michael Clayton has much chance to win here, so the only possible upset could be There Will Be Blood, although it would be the strangest film to win in a long time.
BEST
This is a two person (well three person) race, between the Coens and PTA. Again I'd be fine with either winning, although in PT's case I don't think he hit a career peak. Jason Reitman's surprising nod shows there may be even more love for Juno than expected.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody will win. Diablo Cody should win. End of story.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Once again it's Coens versus PTA. I'd go with the Coens here for sure, cause I felt the dialogue and story structure was better in No Country.
BEST ACTOR
Maybe the best race, since Clooney, Day-Lewis and Depp are all contenders. I was also VERY happy to see Tommy Lee Jones recognized for In The Valley Of Elah. That was the nicest surprise of the nominations. My pick of the group would be Day-Lewis for his just intense, crazy work in There Will Be Blood. He's owed one for Gangs Of New York too. Depp should win too though. Maybe we can have a tie.
BEST ACTRESS
I'm obviously pulling for my big time crush Ellen Page. I think she has a legit chance to win as well, although I'd say she's not the favorite, with Julie Christie and Marion Cotillard ahead of her. The hope is that since Ellen is in the film that's been the most prolific that she can ride that momentum.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
I would say the great Javier Bardem is the favorite here, and I'd also choose him too. This is a strong list though. Hoffman was the best thing in Charlie Wilson's War. Hal Holbrook deserves his praise for his emotional role in Into The Wild (which shoulda been a best picture nominee). Tom Wilkinson was excellent in Michael Clayton, and while I didn't see that Casey Affleck film, he gave a breakout performance in Gone Baby Gone.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Usually this category has someone I'm really pulling for, but not so much this year. I know there was a lot going on in American Gangster, but I just don't recall Ruby Dee making much of an impression. I'm a little puzzled by the Amy Ryan hype, as I found her performence to be kind of the standard junkie. I did not see the Blanchett Bob Dylan film, but she's probably the favorite to win again. My pick would be either Tilda Swinton or Saoirse Ronan but again in neither case did I leave the films marveling at how great they were.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Ratatouille for sure. Can't believe they nominated Surf's Up instead of The Simpsons Movie.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
No End In Sight versus Sicko. I'm hoping Michael Moore wins again just so the right wing loons will cry like the babies they are.![]()
BEST ART DIRECTION
Sure, Sweeney Todd looked like every other Tim Burton film...but it looked great.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
I don't know how someone can decide between NCFOM and TWBB.
BEST FILM EDITING
No Country's the pick here, I thought it was paced just right.
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Sweeney, but Atonement might win.
BEST MAKEUP
Um, they're NOT giving an Oscar to Norbit!
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Atonement probably gets this one, although the typewriter thing bugged me.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Which of the 3 Enchanted songs will win?
BEST SOUND EDITING
No Country. I always go for the film that does the best at going quiet.
BEST SOUND MIXING
Transformers cause of how much it had going on.
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Transformers. I wouldn't give the Pirates disaster an Oscar on a bet.
Well, Juno is my favorite film of the whole year, so it's obviously my choice here, although I'd be more than happy with No Country For Old Men. And neither Atonement nor Michael Clayton has much chance to win here, so the only possible upset could be There Will Be Blood, although it would be the strangest film to win in a long time.
BEST
This is a two person (well three person) race, between the Coens and PTA. Again I'd be fine with either winning, although in PT's case I don't think he hit a career peak. Jason Reitman's surprising nod shows there may be even more love for Juno than expected.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody will win. Diablo Cody should win. End of story.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Once again it's Coens versus PTA. I'd go with the Coens here for sure, cause I felt the dialogue and story structure was better in No Country.
BEST ACTOR
Maybe the best race, since Clooney, Day-Lewis and Depp are all contenders. I was also VERY happy to see Tommy Lee Jones recognized for In The Valley Of Elah. That was the nicest surprise of the nominations. My pick of the group would be Day-Lewis for his just intense, crazy work in There Will Be Blood. He's owed one for Gangs Of New York too. Depp should win too though. Maybe we can have a tie.
BEST ACTRESS
I'm obviously pulling for my big time crush Ellen Page. I think she has a legit chance to win as well, although I'd say she's not the favorite, with Julie Christie and Marion Cotillard ahead of her. The hope is that since Ellen is in the film that's been the most prolific that she can ride that momentum.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
I would say the great Javier Bardem is the favorite here, and I'd also choose him too. This is a strong list though. Hoffman was the best thing in Charlie Wilson's War. Hal Holbrook deserves his praise for his emotional role in Into The Wild (which shoulda been a best picture nominee). Tom Wilkinson was excellent in Michael Clayton, and while I didn't see that Casey Affleck film, he gave a breakout performance in Gone Baby Gone.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Usually this category has someone I'm really pulling for, but not so much this year. I know there was a lot going on in American Gangster, but I just don't recall Ruby Dee making much of an impression. I'm a little puzzled by the Amy Ryan hype, as I found her performence to be kind of the standard junkie. I did not see the Blanchett Bob Dylan film, but she's probably the favorite to win again. My pick would be either Tilda Swinton or Saoirse Ronan but again in neither case did I leave the films marveling at how great they were.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Ratatouille for sure. Can't believe they nominated Surf's Up instead of The Simpsons Movie.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
No End In Sight versus Sicko. I'm hoping Michael Moore wins again just so the right wing loons will cry like the babies they are.
BEST ART DIRECTIONSure, Sweeney Todd looked like every other Tim Burton film...but it looked great.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
I don't know how someone can decide between NCFOM and TWBB.
BEST FILM EDITING
No Country's the pick here, I thought it was paced just right.
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Sweeney, but Atonement might win.
BEST MAKEUP
Um, they're NOT giving an Oscar to Norbit!
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Atonement probably gets this one, although the typewriter thing bugged me.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Which of the 3 Enchanted songs will win?
BEST SOUND EDITING
No Country. I always go for the film that does the best at going quiet.
BEST SOUND MIXING
Transformers cause of how much it had going on.
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Transformers. I wouldn't give the Pirates disaster an Oscar on a bet.
1/24/08
THE BUCKET LIST
This got some scathing reviews, cause it's sentimental and critics hate themselves and all of life basically.
Yes, Jack Nicholson kind of just does another performance as himself. So? How come the old time stars critics gush over always did the same kind of role, but that was ok then and not now? He's entertaining, and it's not as if he turns his role into a big joke. Quite the opposite.
Yes, Morgan Freeman again is doing a very saintly role, not to mention narrating. So? He is quite simply the best there is at both.
And the film works. Its soft, yes, but effective. I cried at the end of the film. It's a very nice piece of work. Probably Rob Reiner's best film in ages too.
RAMBO
All the smarts and skill that Sly Stallone brought to his finale to the Rocky series are missing in this witless sendoff to the big bad John Rambo franchise.
This film's failings have little to do with Stallone's age. He's in great, HGH-enhanced shape, and there is not THAT much of him running around (save for one awful bluescreen scene). But there is NO attempt at story or character. NONE! There's nothing even remotely interesting or memorable about Rambo in this film, he's a total non-entity, and quite often is like a cameo player. The relentless bloodshed in the finale is enjoyable on that level, but it's also ridiculous.
We certainly do not need any more of this. It's over, Johnny. It's OVER!
This got some scathing reviews, cause it's sentimental and critics hate themselves and all of life basically.
Yes, Jack Nicholson kind of just does another performance as himself. So? How come the old time stars critics gush over always did the same kind of role, but that was ok then and not now? He's entertaining, and it's not as if he turns his role into a big joke. Quite the opposite.
Yes, Morgan Freeman again is doing a very saintly role, not to mention narrating. So? He is quite simply the best there is at both.
And the film works. Its soft, yes, but effective. I cried at the end of the film. It's a very nice piece of work. Probably Rob Reiner's best film in ages too.
RAMBO
All the smarts and skill that Sly Stallone brought to his finale to the Rocky series are missing in this witless sendoff to the big bad John Rambo franchise.
This film's failings have little to do with Stallone's age. He's in great, HGH-enhanced shape, and there is not THAT much of him running around (save for one awful bluescreen scene). But there is NO attempt at story or character. NONE! There's nothing even remotely interesting or memorable about Rambo in this film, he's a total non-entity, and quite often is like a cameo player. The relentless bloodshed in the finale is enjoyable on that level, but it's also ridiculous.
We certainly do not need any more of this. It's over, Johnny. It's OVER!
2/2/08
THE EYE
The original The Eye is my favorite of all those Asian horror movies that have been being remade in an assembly line-like way the last 5 years.
The remake is not as good. It's the definition of average, which is too bad cause its average screenplay and slack direction squanders a really terrific performance by Jessica Alba, who just gets better and better despite what the critics say.
Generally the Asian horror remakes have lived and died based on their typically female stars. Pulse had Kristen Bell, The Grudge had Sarah Michelle Gellar, and The Eye has Jess, who plays a blind woman who gets cornea transplants and begins seeing nasty ghosts.
It's not a scary movie. There are a few solid jump scares, but the directors (I think it was a duo) don't seem to have a lot of style, and the writing is flat. They even make Parker Posey bland and dull...which I guess IS an improvement over her usual irritating showboating.
The original The Eye got sequelized (and that was good too), but I think once is enough for the stateside version.
The remake is not as good. It's the definition of average, which is too bad cause its average screenplay and slack direction squanders a really terrific performance by Jessica Alba, who just gets better and better despite what the critics say.
Generally the Asian horror remakes have lived and died based on their typically female stars. Pulse had Kristen Bell, The Grudge had Sarah Michelle Gellar, and The Eye has Jess, who plays a blind woman who gets cornea transplants and begins seeing nasty ghosts.
It's not a scary movie. There are a few solid jump scares, but the directors (I think it was a duo) don't seem to have a lot of style, and the writing is flat. They even make Parker Posey bland and dull...which I guess IS an improvement over her usual irritating showboating.
The original The Eye got sequelized (and that was good too), but I think once is enough for the stateside version.
2/9/08
UNTRACEABLE
Another torture porn flick, this time dressed up as a slick studio thriller. It manages a few scant moments of quality, but mostly the film is routine junk, complete with one of the most convoluted explanations for a killer's madness that I have ever seen. It's BONKERS! And then you have to deal with a series of ridiculous plot holes (the NSA comes off poor). And that annoying little girl from Kill Bill is back, having gained no acting ability in those 4 years since.
Diane Lane is fine, but what is a respected Oscar-caliber actress doing in this, the kind of role that deep sixed Ashley Judd's career? To end on a positive though, it's cool to see Colin Hanks in his first kind of grown up role.
EAGLE VS SHARK
A numbingly lame and blatant ripoff of Napoleon Dynamite. The story is this, I guess, romance between a lonely geeky girl, and an ugly nerdy guy. All of it is acted out in relentless deadpanned monotone that grows tiresome fast. At least in Napoleon there was a LITTLE variation. And this guy in the film is so unpleasant and unlikable (the woman is midly charming) that I ended up hating the film and hoping it would end.
Another torture porn flick, this time dressed up as a slick studio thriller. It manages a few scant moments of quality, but mostly the film is routine junk, complete with one of the most convoluted explanations for a killer's madness that I have ever seen. It's BONKERS! And then you have to deal with a series of ridiculous plot holes (the NSA comes off poor). And that annoying little girl from Kill Bill is back, having gained no acting ability in those 4 years since.
Diane Lane is fine, but what is a respected Oscar-caliber actress doing in this, the kind of role that deep sixed Ashley Judd's career? To end on a positive though, it's cool to see Colin Hanks in his first kind of grown up role.
EAGLE VS SHARK
A numbingly lame and blatant ripoff of Napoleon Dynamite. The story is this, I guess, romance between a lonely geeky girl, and an ugly nerdy guy. All of it is acted out in relentless deadpanned monotone that grows tiresome fast. At least in Napoleon there was a LITTLE variation. And this guy in the film is so unpleasant and unlikable (the woman is midly charming) that I ended up hating the film and hoping it would end.
2/13/08
I never added to my best of 2007 post, with my favorite performances of the year and such.
Best male lead performances of 2007:
(random order)
-Will Smith- I Am Legend
-Johnny Depp-Sweeney Todd
-John C Reilly-Walk Hard (WHY AMERICA? WHY DID YOU NOT GO SEE THIS MOVIE?)
-Emile Hirsch-Into The Wild
-Tommy Lee Jones-In The Valley Of Elah (Oscar got it right)
-Samuel L Jackson-Black Snake Moan (makes it all the more frustrating when he does the lousy paycheck roles)
-Michael Cera- Superbad (I love this guy)
Best male supporting performances of 2007:
(random order)
-Javier Bardem-No Country For Old Men (iconic)
-Tommy Lee Jones-No Country For Old Men
-Paul Rudd-Knocked Up (his finest hour)
-JK Simmons-Juno
-Michael Cera-Juno (love the guy)
-Robert Downey Jr-Zodiac
Best female lead performances of 2007:
(random order)
-Ellen Page-Juno (hands down my fave, it's not even close really, I love every frame of her work here)
-Christina Ricci-Black Snake Moan (ballsy)
-Amy Adams-Enchanted (too bad the rest of the movie was a wreck)
-Katherine Heigl-Knocked Up
-Rose McGowan-Planet Terror (enjoyed the hell out of it)
-Halle Berry-Things We Lost In The Fire (her statement to the idiots who thought Monster's Ball was some kind of fluke)
-Jessica Alba-Awake (yep, sorry folks, a damn good dramatic performance)
Best female supporting performances of 2007:
(random order)
-Jennifer Garner-Juno (I'd have found a spot for her at the Oscars too, loved her work even more on viewing #2)
-Jurnee Smollet-The Great Debaters
-Eva Mendes-We Own The Night
-Meg Ryan & Kristen Stewart-In The Land Of Women (just an unfairly overlooked film all the way around)
-Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito and especially Tracie Thoms-Death Proof (badass)
Worst performances of the year:
(random order)
-Dan Fogler-Good Luck Chuck (the WORST, I can't even describe it)
-Justin Timberlake-Alpha Dog, Black Snake Moan and Southland Tales (his laughably bad "acting" really stood out in the latter two...at least in Alpha Dog everyone sucked)
-John Travolta-Hairspray (David Poland raved about it, which is a large reason why I've stopped reading his columns)
-Robin Williams-License To Wed
-Dustin Hoffman-Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (I really have no clue what the hell this man was doing)
-Ashley Judd-Bug
-Lindsay Lohan-Georgia Rule & I Know Who Killed Me (it's not even her acting per se, just her palpable contempt for everyone and everything around her)
-Marcia Gay Harden-The Mist (she's trying to get us to revoke her Oscar, I'm sure of it)
-Nicole Kidman-The Golden Compass (it wouldn't be a worst list without the queen of unwarranted praise)
Queen Latifah & Michelle Pfeiffer-Hairspray
Biggest surprise: Into The Wild-this thing was not really on my radar, but I gave it a peek and adored it
Biggest disappointment: Spiderman 3-time has not healed this wound
Favorite villain: Kurt Russell-Death Proof
Favorite Juno cast member NOBODY talks about: Olivia Thirlby-let's show her some love, huh? she's charismatic, gorgeous and drills all her funny lines
Favorite ending: Death Proof (girl power!)
Worst nude scene: Natalie-Hotel Chevalier (least sexy scene she has ever done, hell, she was hotter in Developing! lol )
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
reviews
ONCE
Count me in to this film's fanbase. I found it totally disarming. Liked the songs. Really thought that lead actress was divine. Liked the bittersweetness of it all, and lame as it sounds I actually sat there hoping they'd get together at the end.
BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD
Pretty damn excellent. Where's this at the Oscars? Phillip Seymour Hoffman does standout work. Ethan Hawke is finally great again. Amazing what he can do when he's not lazy on screen. Marisa Tomei, well, damn! That's all I gotta say about her. Albert Finney is absolutely fantastic! The plot is not that original, and even the jumbled structure isn't, but it really gripped me as it went on, and genuinely ends up not where you'd expect.
Best male lead performances of 2007:
(random order)
-Will Smith- I Am Legend
-Johnny Depp-Sweeney Todd
-John C Reilly-Walk Hard (WHY AMERICA? WHY DID YOU NOT GO SEE THIS MOVIE?)
-Emile Hirsch-Into The Wild
-Tommy Lee Jones-In The Valley Of Elah (Oscar got it right)
-Samuel L Jackson-Black Snake Moan (makes it all the more frustrating when he does the lousy paycheck roles)
-Michael Cera- Superbad (I love this guy)
Best male supporting performances of 2007:
(random order)
-Javier Bardem-No Country For Old Men (iconic)
-Tommy Lee Jones-No Country For Old Men
-Paul Rudd-Knocked Up (his finest hour)
-JK Simmons-Juno
-Michael Cera-Juno (love the guy)
-Robert Downey Jr-Zodiac
Best female lead performances of 2007:
(random order)
-Ellen Page-Juno (hands down my fave, it's not even close really, I love every frame of her work here)
-Christina Ricci-Black Snake Moan (ballsy)
-Amy Adams-Enchanted (too bad the rest of the movie was a wreck)
-Katherine Heigl-Knocked Up
-Rose McGowan-Planet Terror (enjoyed the hell out of it)
-Halle Berry-Things We Lost In The Fire (her statement to the idiots who thought Monster's Ball was some kind of fluke)
-Jessica Alba-Awake (yep, sorry folks, a damn good dramatic performance)
Best female supporting performances of 2007:
(random order)
-Jennifer Garner-Juno (I'd have found a spot for her at the Oscars too, loved her work even more on viewing #2)
-Jurnee Smollet-The Great Debaters
-Eva Mendes-We Own The Night
-Meg Ryan & Kristen Stewart-In The Land Of Women (just an unfairly overlooked film all the way around)
-Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito and especially Tracie Thoms-Death Proof (badass)
Worst performances of the year:
(random order)
-Dan Fogler-Good Luck Chuck (the WORST, I can't even describe it)
-Justin Timberlake-Alpha Dog, Black Snake Moan and Southland Tales (his laughably bad "acting" really stood out in the latter two...at least in Alpha Dog everyone sucked)
-John Travolta-Hairspray (David Poland raved about it, which is a large reason why I've stopped reading his columns)
-Robin Williams-License To Wed
-Dustin Hoffman-Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (I really have no clue what the hell this man was doing)
-Ashley Judd-Bug
-Lindsay Lohan-Georgia Rule & I Know Who Killed Me (it's not even her acting per se, just her palpable contempt for everyone and everything around her)
-Marcia Gay Harden-The Mist (she's trying to get us to revoke her Oscar, I'm sure of it)
-Nicole Kidman-The Golden Compass (it wouldn't be a worst list without the queen of unwarranted praise)
Queen Latifah & Michelle Pfeiffer-Hairspray
Biggest surprise: Into The Wild-this thing was not really on my radar, but I gave it a peek and adored it
Biggest disappointment: Spiderman 3-time has not healed this wound
Favorite villain: Kurt Russell-Death Proof
Favorite Juno cast member NOBODY talks about: Olivia Thirlby-let's show her some love, huh? she's charismatic, gorgeous and drills all her funny lines
Favorite ending: Death Proof (girl power!)
Worst nude scene: Natalie-Hotel Chevalier (least sexy scene she has ever done, hell, she was hotter in Developing! lol )
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
reviews
ONCE
Count me in to this film's fanbase. I found it totally disarming. Liked the songs. Really thought that lead actress was divine. Liked the bittersweetness of it all, and lame as it sounds I actually sat there hoping they'd get together at the end.
BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD
Pretty damn excellent. Where's this at the Oscars? Phillip Seymour Hoffman does standout work. Ethan Hawke is finally great again. Amazing what he can do when he's not lazy on screen. Marisa Tomei, well, damn! That's all I gotta say about her. Albert Finney is absolutely fantastic! The plot is not that original, and even the jumbled structure isn't, but it really gripped me as it went on, and genuinely ends up not where you'd expect.
2/15/08
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
It's not bad, but it's not great. I'd probably go with a marginal thumbs down on it. I originally had no interest but decided to check it out since Casey Affleck got nominated for it. I don't see how his merely solid work deserves a nomination. I thought he was vastly better in Gone Baby Gone. Brad Pitt on the other hand gives a performance that went very unnoticed it seems. The Deak gives great photo! Loved seeing Michael Parks in there, but why was James Carville in it? The film really dragged for me. It seemed to be filmed with the intention of being overlong, as some scenes just went on forever!
RESCUE DAWN
Pretty good. We've seen plenty of films about guys in prison, or in this case a prison camp, but Christian Bale gives, I think, a very original performance and carries the film in which not much really happens over 2 hours. Jeremy Davies does some bad overacting. He's better right now on Lost. The rah-rah finale was a little strange.
THE BROTHERS SOLOMON
2007 was the year of the pregancy comedy. So joining Juno and Knocked Up we have...uh... this thing. Ok, this one's the miscarriage. This is maybe the creepiest, most ill-conceived comedy since Freddy Got Fingered, but this one has more talent available.
Ok, I don't include Will Arnett, who I've yet to see be even remotely funny in anything. But Will Forte has been very funny on SNL. And this movie also criminally wastes the terrific Kristen Wiig, not even giving her anything funny to do.
Mostly the movie is just creepy, as these 2 guys never resemble anything even remotely human. You have to make it somewhat believable to pull off the gags here. The only joke I liked was the long airplane banner.
If Forte ever gets another crack at movie stardom, here's hoping for The Tim Calhoun Story!![]()
MR. WOODCOCK
The laziest comedy in recent memory. Officially now it is no longer funny to see Billy Bob Thornton play the Bad Santa role over and over again. But sadly it's all he ever does anymore. School For Scoundrels, which hit theaters almost exactly a year prior to this, is basically the same exact film. This time he punishes Seann Wiliam Scott, the grown up version of a kid Billy used to torment in school. Scott's talented, but he is bloody awful here. And the detestable Billy is about to marry Scott's idiotic mama, played inexplicably by Susan Sarandon, who looks like a prisoner. Everything in this movie is completely predictable and telegraphed. They did not even try to do anything unique. This movie has the unusual honor of making 2 other lousy flicks look better by comparison: Scoundrels, as well as director Craig Gillespie's Lars and the Real Girl.
SEX AND BREAKFAST
Thus begins my Blockbuster raid on obscure little indies.
This one caught my eye cause it co-stars my beloved Eliza Dushku, whose non-superstardom baffles me. She's half of one of 2 couples that is having relationship problems, mostly of the sexual kind, who seek out this self help guru who suggests group sex. Yes we get that scene. No, it contains NO nudity whatsoever. I mean, it doesn't make or break the film, but come on! The other girl is that Alexis Dziena, who was all kinds of nude-o in Broken Flowers, and one of the guys is none other than Macaulay Culkin. Culkin's not that bad really. Eliza's good too, but the film is never really that insightful or deep, and of course the men are shown to always be wrong while the women are always right. Which is of course so accurate.![]()
JUMPER
It's odd. I really dug Doug Liman's potential blockbuster, about a guy (Hayden Christensen, who's pretty solid) who can teleport himself, despite my 2 big draws being somewhat unmemorable. Samuel L Jackson (with hair like frosted flakes) is the bad guy trying to wipe out all "jumpers" like Hayden. He's just ok. And while my future wife Rachel Bilson brings her irreplaceable offbeat cuteness to the girlfriend role, she's given little to really do and is forced to say some really dumb things. Jamie Bell gives the film's liveliest performance as a fellow jumper.
This time the action and effects really do carry a film of this type. There are a couple moments where vehicles are sent flying through these "jump scars" at people that are really awesome. And unless the location budget set new records, then kudos for some very convincing green screen.
This seems set up to have a sequel. i hope it happens.
SUBURBAN GIRL
Can't quite give a thumbs up to this Devil Wears Prada-meets-Shopgirl chick flick, although at its center are 2 very nice performances. Sarah Michelle Gellar gets maybe her 1st ever chance in a movie to show all that she's got. And Alec Baldwin, who's been playing nothing but sleazy leches lately, plays an actual nice guy here and is very charming. The story is kind of dull though, and the last 30 minutes or so are pretty jumbled up.
It's not bad, but it's not great. I'd probably go with a marginal thumbs down on it. I originally had no interest but decided to check it out since Casey Affleck got nominated for it. I don't see how his merely solid work deserves a nomination. I thought he was vastly better in Gone Baby Gone. Brad Pitt on the other hand gives a performance that went very unnoticed it seems. The Deak gives great photo! Loved seeing Michael Parks in there, but why was James Carville in it? The film really dragged for me. It seemed to be filmed with the intention of being overlong, as some scenes just went on forever!
RESCUE DAWN
Pretty good. We've seen plenty of films about guys in prison, or in this case a prison camp, but Christian Bale gives, I think, a very original performance and carries the film in which not much really happens over 2 hours. Jeremy Davies does some bad overacting. He's better right now on Lost. The rah-rah finale was a little strange.
THE BROTHERS SOLOMON
2007 was the year of the pregancy comedy. So joining Juno and Knocked Up we have...uh... this thing. Ok, this one's the miscarriage. This is maybe the creepiest, most ill-conceived comedy since Freddy Got Fingered, but this one has more talent available.
Ok, I don't include Will Arnett, who I've yet to see be even remotely funny in anything. But Will Forte has been very funny on SNL. And this movie also criminally wastes the terrific Kristen Wiig, not even giving her anything funny to do.
Mostly the movie is just creepy, as these 2 guys never resemble anything even remotely human. You have to make it somewhat believable to pull off the gags here. The only joke I liked was the long airplane banner.
If Forte ever gets another crack at movie stardom, here's hoping for The Tim Calhoun Story!
MR. WOODCOCKThe laziest comedy in recent memory. Officially now it is no longer funny to see Billy Bob Thornton play the Bad Santa role over and over again. But sadly it's all he ever does anymore. School For Scoundrels, which hit theaters almost exactly a year prior to this, is basically the same exact film. This time he punishes Seann Wiliam Scott, the grown up version of a kid Billy used to torment in school. Scott's talented, but he is bloody awful here. And the detestable Billy is about to marry Scott's idiotic mama, played inexplicably by Susan Sarandon, who looks like a prisoner. Everything in this movie is completely predictable and telegraphed. They did not even try to do anything unique. This movie has the unusual honor of making 2 other lousy flicks look better by comparison: Scoundrels, as well as director Craig Gillespie's Lars and the Real Girl.
SEX AND BREAKFAST
Thus begins my Blockbuster raid on obscure little indies.
This one caught my eye cause it co-stars my beloved Eliza Dushku, whose non-superstardom baffles me. She's half of one of 2 couples that is having relationship problems, mostly of the sexual kind, who seek out this self help guru who suggests group sex. Yes we get that scene. No, it contains NO nudity whatsoever. I mean, it doesn't make or break the film, but come on! The other girl is that Alexis Dziena, who was all kinds of nude-o in Broken Flowers, and one of the guys is none other than Macaulay Culkin. Culkin's not that bad really. Eliza's good too, but the film is never really that insightful or deep, and of course the men are shown to always be wrong while the women are always right. Which is of course so accurate.
JUMPERIt's odd. I really dug Doug Liman's potential blockbuster, about a guy (Hayden Christensen, who's pretty solid) who can teleport himself, despite my 2 big draws being somewhat unmemorable. Samuel L Jackson (with hair like frosted flakes) is the bad guy trying to wipe out all "jumpers" like Hayden. He's just ok. And while my future wife Rachel Bilson brings her irreplaceable offbeat cuteness to the girlfriend role, she's given little to really do and is forced to say some really dumb things. Jamie Bell gives the film's liveliest performance as a fellow jumper.
This time the action and effects really do carry a film of this type. There are a couple moments where vehicles are sent flying through these "jump scars" at people that are really awesome. And unless the location budget set new records, then kudos for some very convincing green screen.
This seems set up to have a sequel. i hope it happens.
SUBURBAN GIRL
Can't quite give a thumbs up to this Devil Wears Prada-meets-Shopgirl chick flick, although at its center are 2 very nice performances. Sarah Michelle Gellar gets maybe her 1st ever chance in a movie to show all that she's got. And Alec Baldwin, who's been playing nothing but sleazy leches lately, plays an actual nice guy here and is very charming. The story is kind of dull though, and the last 30 minutes or so are pretty jumbled up.
2/18/08
DEFINITELY, MAYBE
I thought this was the best romantic comedy in a long, long time. I found it to be smart, funny, sweet, and even the cutesy moments mostly worked on me. Ryan Reynolds, who I've been a fan of almost his whole career, is terrific as a father who tells his daughter (Abigail Breslin, again, totally charming) the story of how he met her mother. And we are left to guess which of 3 past flames of his becomes that woman. No complaints about the ladies. Elizabeth Banks is kinda saddled with the dud role, but Rachel Weisz is glorious, and Isla Fisher is just about the most divine actress going right now. And Fisher's been great in stuff like Hot Rod, but here she's got a complete character and is just beyond lovable. Sacha Baron Cohen you god damn lucky bastard!!! Kevin Kline is also entertaining as a pompous college professor. Throw in a little 90's nostalgia on top of that and you have the best film of this young year.
CHERRY CRUSH
I was amused by the making-of doc. on the DVD, where the writer-director applauds himself for the genius idea of setting a film noir in a high school. Guess this guy never saw Brick, which is about 100,000 times better than this dud.
Its got the femme fatale right. Nikki Reed is just a sexpot machine. Now after playing this same role at least 3 times (along with Thirteen and Mini's First Time) I hope she takes a decent role soon.
The male lead, unfortunately, is that skinny little wimp Jonathan Tucker. You'd know him if you saw him. He was in Hostage, and I think Wrong Turn. And he also delivered grating narration to a movie called 300 Girls. That irritating narrating returns here, and is done over I think every single scene. And every word is pompous and annoying. Generally in the movies where a guy gets drawn into trouble by a woman, the guy's sympathetic too, but Tucker is a sleazy prick and never elicits sympathy.
THE SAVAGES
A minor work, well done but nothing special aside from the two very good performances by Phillip Seymour Hoffman (nice 2007 for that man!) and Laura Linney.
THE HOTTEST STATE
Yes, a total vanity project by Ethan Hawke. He wrote and directed, adapting his own novel, has a supporting role and lead actor Mark Webber blatantly channels a young Hawke. This thing could have drowned in its own indulgence, but somehow it rises above it all and is one of the best discoveries of really the last few years.
It's a total heart-on-sleeve romance between Webber and the luminous Catalina Sandino Moreno. It nails the recklessness of falling in love with a girl you know is gonna break your heart eventually. And this poor guy gets his heart broken and just keeps at it, only adding to his pain. Yep, a relatable story for me.
Webber's kind of obnoxious. I do wish a better actor had been cast. He's given a lot of rambling dialogue that would never believably come out of this guy's mouth, but I came to like that aspect of the film. Catalina is just lovely. Michelle Williams is terrific as a possible rebound girl, and Laura Linney's here too.
It's a work of passion, you can tell. And it is maybe the best thing Ethan Hawke has ever done.
I thought this was the best romantic comedy in a long, long time. I found it to be smart, funny, sweet, and even the cutesy moments mostly worked on me. Ryan Reynolds, who I've been a fan of almost his whole career, is terrific as a father who tells his daughter (Abigail Breslin, again, totally charming) the story of how he met her mother. And we are left to guess which of 3 past flames of his becomes that woman. No complaints about the ladies. Elizabeth Banks is kinda saddled with the dud role, but Rachel Weisz is glorious, and Isla Fisher is just about the most divine actress going right now. And Fisher's been great in stuff like Hot Rod, but here she's got a complete character and is just beyond lovable. Sacha Baron Cohen you god damn lucky bastard!!! Kevin Kline is also entertaining as a pompous college professor. Throw in a little 90's nostalgia on top of that and you have the best film of this young year.
CHERRY CRUSH
I was amused by the making-of doc. on the DVD, where the writer-director applauds himself for the genius idea of setting a film noir in a high school. Guess this guy never saw Brick, which is about 100,000 times better than this dud.
Its got the femme fatale right. Nikki Reed is just a sexpot machine. Now after playing this same role at least 3 times (along with Thirteen and Mini's First Time) I hope she takes a decent role soon.
The male lead, unfortunately, is that skinny little wimp Jonathan Tucker. You'd know him if you saw him. He was in Hostage, and I think Wrong Turn. And he also delivered grating narration to a movie called 300 Girls. That irritating narrating returns here, and is done over I think every single scene. And every word is pompous and annoying. Generally in the movies where a guy gets drawn into trouble by a woman, the guy's sympathetic too, but Tucker is a sleazy prick and never elicits sympathy.
THE SAVAGES
A minor work, well done but nothing special aside from the two very good performances by Phillip Seymour Hoffman (nice 2007 for that man!) and Laura Linney.
THE HOTTEST STATE
Yes, a total vanity project by Ethan Hawke. He wrote and directed, adapting his own novel, has a supporting role and lead actor Mark Webber blatantly channels a young Hawke. This thing could have drowned in its own indulgence, but somehow it rises above it all and is one of the best discoveries of really the last few years.
It's a total heart-on-sleeve romance between Webber and the luminous Catalina Sandino Moreno. It nails the recklessness of falling in love with a girl you know is gonna break your heart eventually. And this poor guy gets his heart broken and just keeps at it, only adding to his pain. Yep, a relatable story for me.
Webber's kind of obnoxious. I do wish a better actor had been cast. He's given a lot of rambling dialogue that would never believably come out of this guy's mouth, but I came to like that aspect of the film. Catalina is just lovely. Michelle Williams is terrific as a possible rebound girl, and Laura Linney's here too.
It's a work of passion, you can tell. And it is maybe the best thing Ethan Hawke has ever done.
2/22/08
DEDICATION
Love that Mandy Moore! If only she could pick good films to be in (she's had 2 good ones out of at least ten). Here she plays an illustrator who works on a children's book with a neurotic author, Billy Crudup. Now, it's not believable that this guy would write children's books, but he's a mostly entertaining character. I liked how his car-phobe wore a crash helmet while driving. It's an ok film when these 2 are just pissing each other off, but the last third of the film foolishly tries for a romance that is dead on arrival.
THE DEAD GIRL
As with any film that's broken up into various stories, some fare better than others. I found little in the Toni Collette or Mary Beth Hurt segments. I did like Rose Byrne's one however, and the film ends with its 2 best acts; the first with a never better Kerry Washington, and Marcia Gay Harden (delivering her only good performance in years); the second and last with the titular girl, played by a dynamite Brittany Murphy.
-and the Amber Tamblyn double feature:
STEPHANIE DALEY
Grim stuff. This is by no means an enjoyable film, as it deals with a teenage girl on trial for killing her newborn baby. Tilda Swinton is the woman assigned to find out what exactly happened. Swinton's good, but would it kill her to just once play a character who isn't an ice queen? Amber's very effective too although the film seems to rarely even focus on her.
NORMAL ADOLESCENT BEHAVIOR: HAVOC 2
Ok, first of all, this has ZERO to do with the film Havoc, in which Anne Hathaway went all badass and doffed her top to the delight of many men such as myself.![]()
Here, miss Tamblyn is part of this high school clique who only hang out and have sex with those in the group. The others are no-names, aside from Kelli Garner (usually a cutie but here made to look like a heroin addict). And One Tree Hill's diamond in the rough, Hilarie Burton, plays a shunned ex-clique member. So Amber then falls for this outsider guy and there's, like, major drama.
This film is a little bit of sleazy fun (the spanking scene was a treat), but it's also kind of tame. I mean, put this up against Thirteen and it looks like High School Musical. And Amber's very good, but she's also so clearly smarter than anyone else in the film that's it's not at all convincing that she'd be dumb enough to even associate with these other delinquents.
Love that Mandy Moore! If only she could pick good films to be in (she's had 2 good ones out of at least ten). Here she plays an illustrator who works on a children's book with a neurotic author, Billy Crudup. Now, it's not believable that this guy would write children's books, but he's a mostly entertaining character. I liked how his car-phobe wore a crash helmet while driving. It's an ok film when these 2 are just pissing each other off, but the last third of the film foolishly tries for a romance that is dead on arrival.
THE DEAD GIRL
As with any film that's broken up into various stories, some fare better than others. I found little in the Toni Collette or Mary Beth Hurt segments. I did like Rose Byrne's one however, and the film ends with its 2 best acts; the first with a never better Kerry Washington, and Marcia Gay Harden (delivering her only good performance in years); the second and last with the titular girl, played by a dynamite Brittany Murphy.
-and the Amber Tamblyn double feature:
STEPHANIE DALEY
Grim stuff. This is by no means an enjoyable film, as it deals with a teenage girl on trial for killing her newborn baby. Tilda Swinton is the woman assigned to find out what exactly happened. Swinton's good, but would it kill her to just once play a character who isn't an ice queen? Amber's very effective too although the film seems to rarely even focus on her.
NORMAL ADOLESCENT BEHAVIOR: HAVOC 2
Ok, first of all, this has ZERO to do with the film Havoc, in which Anne Hathaway went all badass and doffed her top to the delight of many men such as myself.
Here, miss Tamblyn is part of this high school clique who only hang out and have sex with those in the group. The others are no-names, aside from Kelli Garner (usually a cutie but here made to look like a heroin addict). And One Tree Hill's diamond in the rough, Hilarie Burton, plays a shunned ex-clique member. So Amber then falls for this outsider guy and there's, like, major drama.This film is a little bit of sleazy fun (the spanking scene was a treat), but it's also kind of tame. I mean, put this up against Thirteen and it looks like High School Musical. And Amber's very good, but she's also so clearly smarter than anyone else in the film that's it's not at all convincing that she'd be dumb enough to even associate with these other delinquents.
2/25/08
OSCARS RECAP
A show that largely went unexpectedly until the end. I only went 11 for 20 on categories I actually picked. (tomorrow I'm sure David Poland will do a column claiming he knew all along the winners in every category!)
No gripe whatsoever about the No Country For Old Men victory. yeah, I was kinda pulling for my precious Juno, but I frankly don't want anymore backlash against that film than there already has been. And the Coen Brothers win, and Diablo Cody wins! Minnesota owns the Oscars!![]()
We'll have to see if I can follow in their footsteps.
Daniel Day-Lewis wins for his genius work. (props to SNL's Bill Hader for his note perfect impression of him on this weekend's show) Marion Cotillard wins in a surprise. Again, I was pulling for Ellen, who looked so pretty. Javier Badass Bardem wins, and Tilda Swinton pulled off a bit of an upset. She was my pick of, imo, a weak group.
Most of the smaller awards were upsets though. The Golden Compass for effects? Must've been the bears, or just that everyone hates on Michael Bay. Documentary was a surprise. I was praying Michael Moore would win so Rush Limbaugh's big fat head would explode. Very happy to see the song from Once win. Jon Stewart did the coolest thing ever bringing that actress back out to finish her speech that got cut off by the DIPSHIT BAND! NOBODY WANTS TO HEAR THE DIPSHIT BAND! THEY PLAY THE EXACT SAME PIECE OF MUSIC 100 TIMES PER SHOW!
It was fun seeing Amy Adams sing. It was great to see Jessica Alba. She'll follow in the line of Halle and Charlize one day, of that I have no doubt.
Good show. Jon Stewart did an excellent job, but in another tiresome Oscar tradition he will get ripped for allegedly being a bad host.
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Saturday was the Independent Spirit Awards, which for me is becoming as much of a must-see as the Oscars. Juno won best picture, Diablo won, and my girlfriend Ellen Page won!![]()
I'm not making her my future wife yet. I'd like to just date her.
No gripe whatsoever about the No Country For Old Men victory. yeah, I was kinda pulling for my precious Juno, but I frankly don't want anymore backlash against that film than there already has been. And the Coen Brothers win, and Diablo Cody wins! Minnesota owns the Oscars!
We'll have to see if I can follow in their footsteps.Daniel Day-Lewis wins for his genius work. (props to SNL's Bill Hader for his note perfect impression of him on this weekend's show) Marion Cotillard wins in a surprise. Again, I was pulling for Ellen, who looked so pretty. Javier Badass Bardem wins, and Tilda Swinton pulled off a bit of an upset. She was my pick of, imo, a weak group.
Most of the smaller awards were upsets though. The Golden Compass for effects? Must've been the bears, or just that everyone hates on Michael Bay. Documentary was a surprise. I was praying Michael Moore would win so Rush Limbaugh's big fat head would explode. Very happy to see the song from Once win. Jon Stewart did the coolest thing ever bringing that actress back out to finish her speech that got cut off by the DIPSHIT BAND! NOBODY WANTS TO HEAR THE DIPSHIT BAND! THEY PLAY THE EXACT SAME PIECE OF MUSIC 100 TIMES PER SHOW!
It was fun seeing Amy Adams sing. It was great to see Jessica Alba. She'll follow in the line of Halle and Charlize one day, of that I have no doubt.
Good show. Jon Stewart did an excellent job, but in another tiresome Oscar tradition he will get ripped for allegedly being a bad host.
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Saturday was the Independent Spirit Awards, which for me is becoming as much of a must-see as the Oscars. Juno won best picture, Diablo won, and my girlfriend Ellen Page won!
I'm not making her my future wife yet. I'd like to just date her.REVIEWS(of course)
BE KIND REWIND
Would've enjoyed this more if it weren't for an irritating showboat performance by Jack Black. The scenes of him and Mos Def "sweding" films were amusing and very clever, but there weren't enough of them. I did like the themes of the story and its got a lot of heart. I found the ending to be sweet. I liked the mega cute Melonie Diaz.
DESCENT
This one's grimmer than Stephanie Daley. Rosario Dawson plays a college student who suffers a brutal rape. Then frankly the film goes off the rails. The dvd had a screening Q&A with Dawson and the director, and that told me a whole lot more about what the film was about than the film itself did. Large chunks of story seem to be missing. It's sort of a revenge fantasy, with Rosario getting back at her attacker. The ending is messed up, but provocation seemed to be the point, rather than making a coherent, watchable film. I'd argue a better filmmaker could have done both. Still, it's not easily forgotten, and Rosario dazzles in one of her best roles to date.
BE KIND REWIND
Would've enjoyed this more if it weren't for an irritating showboat performance by Jack Black. The scenes of him and Mos Def "sweding" films were amusing and very clever, but there weren't enough of them. I did like the themes of the story and its got a lot of heart. I found the ending to be sweet. I liked the mega cute Melonie Diaz.
DESCENT
This one's grimmer than Stephanie Daley. Rosario Dawson plays a college student who suffers a brutal rape. Then frankly the film goes off the rails. The dvd had a screening Q&A with Dawson and the director, and that told me a whole lot more about what the film was about than the film itself did. Large chunks of story seem to be missing. It's sort of a revenge fantasy, with Rosario getting back at her attacker. The ending is messed up, but provocation seemed to be the point, rather than making a coherent, watchable film. I'd argue a better filmmaker could have done both. Still, it's not easily forgotten, and Rosario dazzles in one of her best roles to date.
2/27/08
VANTAGE POINT
I guess this'll have to suffice until 24 returns next year. It's in that genre for sure. we see a presidential assassination from the perspective of a whole bunch of characters one at a time, as we piece together the truth of what happened. It works pretty well, and it's set up well so each segment ends with a nifty cliffhanger. But as with a lot of thrillers and mysteries, it falls off towards the end as we get the answers. Acting-wise Forest Whitaker does a really good job and William Hurt is good as the POTUS. Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox do rather dull action man stuff.
WIND CHILL
Nice effort in trying to do a horror movie that's more about spookiness than scariness. But still, it is mostly 2 people sitting in a car and that is hard to make compelling. Gotta love Emily Blunt and her bedrom eyes though.
SMILEY FACE
Anna Faris' goofy comedic skills have certainly been evident in the Scary Movies, but even there she's always having to cede the screentime and laughs to others. Not here. Smiley Face gives Faris her long-deserved showcase. I giggled and laughed, and yes, swooned throughout this entire stoner comedy, where she plays a pothead who goes on one of those odd journeys the heroes of stoner comedies always go on. Anna is just adorable every second. I was having head-in-hands laughter with this movie. The gender switch on the stoner comedy works, cause we've seen it the ther way countless times. I liked this movie WAY more than Harold and Kumar (John Cho actually appears here too).
The movie looks like crap, like it was shot for about ten bucks. And improbably it was helmed by pretentious gen-X hack Gregg Araki. The supporting characters are a waste (why cast Adam Brody and give him nothing funny to do?), but they got the right star. It's the Anna Faris show and I hope she gets another lead real soon.
I guess this'll have to suffice until 24 returns next year. It's in that genre for sure. we see a presidential assassination from the perspective of a whole bunch of characters one at a time, as we piece together the truth of what happened. It works pretty well, and it's set up well so each segment ends with a nifty cliffhanger. But as with a lot of thrillers and mysteries, it falls off towards the end as we get the answers. Acting-wise Forest Whitaker does a really good job and William Hurt is good as the POTUS. Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox do rather dull action man stuff.
WIND CHILL
Nice effort in trying to do a horror movie that's more about spookiness than scariness. But still, it is mostly 2 people sitting in a car and that is hard to make compelling. Gotta love Emily Blunt and her bedrom eyes though.
SMILEY FACE
Anna Faris' goofy comedic skills have certainly been evident in the Scary Movies, but even there she's always having to cede the screentime and laughs to others. Not here. Smiley Face gives Faris her long-deserved showcase. I giggled and laughed, and yes, swooned throughout this entire stoner comedy, where she plays a pothead who goes on one of those odd journeys the heroes of stoner comedies always go on. Anna is just adorable every second. I was having head-in-hands laughter with this movie. The gender switch on the stoner comedy works, cause we've seen it the ther way countless times. I liked this movie WAY more than Harold and Kumar (John Cho actually appears here too).
The movie looks like crap, like it was shot for about ten bucks. And improbably it was helmed by pretentious gen-X hack Gregg Araki. The supporting characters are a waste (why cast Adam Brody and give him nothing funny to do?), but they got the right star. It's the Anna Faris show and I hope she gets another lead real soon.
2/29/08
CHARLIE BARTLETT
A high school comedy with some charm, but not enough. A rich kid gets expelled from private school and goes to public school. Anton Yelchin (about the only human being in Alpha Dog) plays Charlie, and manages to be charming and enthusiastic, but not TOO much so. He deals out psychiatric advice and prescription drugs to the students. The movie is clearly a Rushmore wannabe, but this is much more bland. It's fairly intelligent though, and I liked Kat Dennings (the daughter from 40 Year Old Virgin, who is a virtual twin of this girl I crushed on at work for like 2 years) who is fresh and cool as Charlie's gf. But Hope Davis does another one of her mannered mom parts, and Robert Downey Jr is surprisingly colorless as the principal. It's a near miss of a flick.
WEDDING DAZE
Lame title, ok romantic comedy. Jason Biggs proposes to a total stranger (Isla Fisher, who is beyond lovable) and she says yes. Very contrived, yes, but the movie plays out with an unexpected amount of sweetness. Unfortunately it tosses that aside for a tedious barrage of zaniness in the last half hour. It's nothing new for Biggs, who's been playing the same affable doofus since American Pie, and Fisher is well on her way to star status. Of course, both have done better.
THE CONTRACT
So how does a thriller starring Morgan Freeman and John Cusack go straight to dvd? When it is as lifeless as this. Freeman plays a rare bad guy, whose attempted escape from the feds brings him into contact with a father and son on a hiking trip. Dad is Cusack, who winds up having to escort the prisoner out of the Washington woods and back into federal custory. And of course there are a bunch of goons on their trail.
The film is merely functional. Strangely it ends up turning into a ripoff of Cliffhanger, only w/o the snow. You'd think having Cusack and Freeman in so many scenes together would be great, just to watch em go at it. But they have very little interaction really. For a brief 90 minute film they have an awful lot of supporting characters to hog screentime away from the leads. Cusack especially gives a flat performance. Just a very disappointing film.
A high school comedy with some charm, but not enough. A rich kid gets expelled from private school and goes to public school. Anton Yelchin (about the only human being in Alpha Dog) plays Charlie, and manages to be charming and enthusiastic, but not TOO much so. He deals out psychiatric advice and prescription drugs to the students. The movie is clearly a Rushmore wannabe, but this is much more bland. It's fairly intelligent though, and I liked Kat Dennings (the daughter from 40 Year Old Virgin, who is a virtual twin of this girl I crushed on at work for like 2 years) who is fresh and cool as Charlie's gf. But Hope Davis does another one of her mannered mom parts, and Robert Downey Jr is surprisingly colorless as the principal. It's a near miss of a flick.
WEDDING DAZE
Lame title, ok romantic comedy. Jason Biggs proposes to a total stranger (Isla Fisher, who is beyond lovable) and she says yes. Very contrived, yes, but the movie plays out with an unexpected amount of sweetness. Unfortunately it tosses that aside for a tedious barrage of zaniness in the last half hour. It's nothing new for Biggs, who's been playing the same affable doofus since American Pie, and Fisher is well on her way to star status. Of course, both have done better.
THE CONTRACT
So how does a thriller starring Morgan Freeman and John Cusack go straight to dvd? When it is as lifeless as this. Freeman plays a rare bad guy, whose attempted escape from the feds brings him into contact with a father and son on a hiking trip. Dad is Cusack, who winds up having to escort the prisoner out of the Washington woods and back into federal custory. And of course there are a bunch of goons on their trail.
The film is merely functional. Strangely it ends up turning into a ripoff of Cliffhanger, only w/o the snow. You'd think having Cusack and Freeman in so many scenes together would be great, just to watch em go at it. But they have very little interaction really. For a brief 90 minute film they have an awful lot of supporting characters to hog screentime away from the leads. Cusack especially gives a flat performance. Just a very disappointing film.
3/7/08
THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL
None of Natalie's recent run of flicks has excited me, or even really interested me. This included. But I enjoyed this one a whole lot more than I expected to. It's a lot less stuffy and proper than your usual period costume movie. This film, for me anyway, was far better than the overrated Atonement.
The weak link is Eric Bana, in a performance of such blandness that you wonder why an actor of any stature was even cast. His King Henry has one trait:
he's horny. That's all we see.
The rest of the film might've been a ho-hum affair, but the casting of Natalie and Scarlett was just right, as they each play against type. Now true, Scarlett gave kinda the same performance in Girl With A Pearl Earring, but she was very good. And Natalie is on fire in this film! I loved seeing this. Not
None of Natalie's recent run of flicks has excited me, or even really interested me. This included. But I enjoyed this one a whole lot more than I expected to. It's a lot less stuffy and proper than your usual period costume movie. This film, for me anyway, was far better than the overrated Atonement.
The weak link is Eric Bana, in a performance of such blandness that you wonder why an actor of any stature was even cast. His King Henry has one trait:
he's horny. That's all we see.
The rest of the film might've been a ho-hum affair, but the casting of Natalie and Scarlett was just right, as they each play against type. Now true, Scarlett gave kinda the same performance in Girl With A Pearl Earring, but she was very good. And Natalie is on fire in this film! I loved seeing this. Not
just since she revved up a sex appeal missing from almost everything else she's done (especially her asexual role in Mr. Magorium). But she's just electric, and HOT! And since this film works best as a well dressed sleaze-fest, that's key. I guess the film is too clumsy with facts and all, but I was
pretty entertained.
pretty entertained.
SEMI-PRO
Not in the classic league of Anchorman or Talladega Nights, but WAY better than Blades Of Glory. Like Boleyn Girl, this takes a real situation (the NBA-ABA
merger) and plays loose with it. Will Ferrell does his thing. Woody Harrelson is great. This guy is due to really get acknowledged, cause he's done wildy
diverse stuff and done it all well for almost 20 years. It's an R film, and that helps cause it can get crazier.
Not in the classic league of Anchorman or Talladega Nights, but WAY better than Blades Of Glory. Like Boleyn Girl, this takes a real situation (the NBA-ABA
merger) and plays loose with it. Will Ferrell does his thing. Woody Harrelson is great. This guy is due to really get acknowledged, cause he's done wildy
diverse stuff and done it all well for almost 20 years. It's an R film, and that helps cause it can get crazier.
March 08
MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY
A lively throwback to the old fashioned screwball comedies. Two near perfect performances by the lead actresses, the superb Frances McDormand and the divinely ditzy Amy Adams. Both are about as good as they've ever been. Loved the opening 20 minutes, then the movie sags for a while as it loses some of its early pizazz, before regaining it quite well for a very welcome happy ending.
THE INVASION
An at times laughable fiasco, replete with dreadful acting (nothing unusual for a Nicole Kidman project), ridiculous editing, no suspense whatsoever, a real
world message that is relentlessly pounded into the viewer's skull, and one of the most rushed endings in history.
A lively throwback to the old fashioned screwball comedies. Two near perfect performances by the lead actresses, the superb Frances McDormand and the divinely ditzy Amy Adams. Both are about as good as they've ever been. Loved the opening 20 minutes, then the movie sags for a while as it loses some of its early pizazz, before regaining it quite well for a very welcome happy ending.
THE INVASION
An at times laughable fiasco, replete with dreadful acting (nothing unusual for a Nicole Kidman project), ridiculous editing, no suspense whatsoever, a real
world message that is relentlessly pounded into the viewer's skull, and one of the most rushed endings in history.
CITY OF MEN
Billed as a companion piece, rather than a sequel to the brilliant City Of God. This is set in the same area, the villages of Brazil, and it too deals with the gangs.
It's less epic and visceral, more intimate, and it is very good. It'd seem better if its predecessor hadn't been one of the best films of this whole decade.
THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Finally got around to this one, and can proclaim Forest Whitaker TOTALLY deserving of his Best Actor Oscar. I'm tempted to say it ranks favorably with the
greatest performances I have ever seen, it's THAT mesmerizing. He is SO charismatic, yet scary too. I really wish the film had been more centered on him and not the James McAvoy character. Not that McAvoy is bad, but the screentime is very skewed, and it's kinda silly how he boffs basically every woman in the film.
BANDIDAS
Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz rob banks. So right there you know you've got a film that's incredibly easy on the eyes. Thankfully the film (co-written by Luc Besson) is never just camp, it is no different than any other film of the genre. It has no real directing style, but the stars are a lot of fun. Cruz
especially is a doll. I wish she'd shown half this spunk and personality during her early decade string of english language duds. She'd be a huge star if she had. And you've got a very amusing Steve Zahn as an investigator who gets caught up in their crime spree. And he gets to make out with both gals more than once. Lucky bastard!
DORM DAZE 2
Worthless. Like the first one, this was written by 2 guys I went to high school with...guys I knew to be funny. You'd never know it from their garbage films.
FUNNY GAMES
2 preppy guys hold a family hostage in their own home, torturing them. This film bugged me. It's SO self aware, as one of the psychos sometimes turns to the camera to ask the audience if they want to see these people harmed further. But it's nearly impossible for a film to both condemn audiences for watching violence while at the same time unspooling brutality before our eyes. Now this isn't as violent as a lot of films, it's more of a mentally bruising film to
sit through. The director films everything in a still quiet, and lets scenes drag on endlessly. (no none will ever forget the 10 minute egg-getting scene!). That the film manages to work at all is a credit to a fine group of actors. This is Tim Roth's best work in years, Michael Pitt is tremendous, and this may be the best performance of Naomi Watts' career. Well, ok, as I typed that I remembered 21 Grams, but this is her 2nd best for sure.
THE NANNY DIARIES
This one's all over the place, but I did prefer it to The Devil Wears Prada. That film championed shallowness, while this one has a heroine who doesn't sell out. Scarlett Johansson is a young woman who takes on a job as a nanny to a pair of rich yuppies (Laura Linney & Paul Giamatti). Scarlett is pretty
miscast here, but it's a great sign for her career that she's able to overcome that. She really carries a film that in other areas is a mess. Linney is an atrocious cliche, and Giamatti is worse. I can't imagine why these 2 respected actors would take on such one note roles...and then add nothing to them.
Alicia Keys is pretty much wasted as Scarlett's best friend. Scarlett herself though is quite charming. There are some sweet moments with her and the kid. Chris Evans is likable as her object of desire.
SNOW ANGELS
A really nicely done small town drama. This was directed by David Gordon Green, whose All The Real Girls was for me a crushing bore. Then his last film
Undertow showed a lot of improvement, and now here he's finally done a truly good film. Yes, this film drags at times, and Green uses an annoyingly repetitive camera move where he keeps panning past actors til they are out of the frame. But the story compells and moves along, with standout performances from Kate Beckinsale, Michael Angrano (I think that was his name), Nicky Katt and the darling Olivia Thirlby from Juno, who is perfect. I just love her! Sam Rockwell's performance is hit and miss.
21
I hate Vegas, yet I like most movies set there. Not this time. Blackjack just doesn't make for an interesting hook, I was confused by all the tricks the characters employ to win (the ADD editing doesn't help). The thing is completely, um, by the numbers. And in its attempts to stay at a PG-13, we get an annoyingly tame sex scene and a strip club scene where no women are naked. Good cast though. Jim Sturgess (Natalie's bro in The Other Boleyn Girl) is a solid lead, Kate Bosworth is quite yummy, and both Kevin Spacey and Laurence
Fishburne rip into their roles.
Billed as a companion piece, rather than a sequel to the brilliant City Of God. This is set in the same area, the villages of Brazil, and it too deals with the gangs.
It's less epic and visceral, more intimate, and it is very good. It'd seem better if its predecessor hadn't been one of the best films of this whole decade.
THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Finally got around to this one, and can proclaim Forest Whitaker TOTALLY deserving of his Best Actor Oscar. I'm tempted to say it ranks favorably with the
greatest performances I have ever seen, it's THAT mesmerizing. He is SO charismatic, yet scary too. I really wish the film had been more centered on him and not the James McAvoy character. Not that McAvoy is bad, but the screentime is very skewed, and it's kinda silly how he boffs basically every woman in the film.
BANDIDAS
Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz rob banks. So right there you know you've got a film that's incredibly easy on the eyes. Thankfully the film (co-written by Luc Besson) is never just camp, it is no different than any other film of the genre. It has no real directing style, but the stars are a lot of fun. Cruz
especially is a doll. I wish she'd shown half this spunk and personality during her early decade string of english language duds. She'd be a huge star if she had. And you've got a very amusing Steve Zahn as an investigator who gets caught up in their crime spree. And he gets to make out with both gals more than once. Lucky bastard!
DORM DAZE 2
Worthless. Like the first one, this was written by 2 guys I went to high school with...guys I knew to be funny. You'd never know it from their garbage films.
FUNNY GAMES
2 preppy guys hold a family hostage in their own home, torturing them. This film bugged me. It's SO self aware, as one of the psychos sometimes turns to the camera to ask the audience if they want to see these people harmed further. But it's nearly impossible for a film to both condemn audiences for watching violence while at the same time unspooling brutality before our eyes. Now this isn't as violent as a lot of films, it's more of a mentally bruising film to
sit through. The director films everything in a still quiet, and lets scenes drag on endlessly. (no none will ever forget the 10 minute egg-getting scene!). That the film manages to work at all is a credit to a fine group of actors. This is Tim Roth's best work in years, Michael Pitt is tremendous, and this may be the best performance of Naomi Watts' career. Well, ok, as I typed that I remembered 21 Grams, but this is her 2nd best for sure.
THE NANNY DIARIES
This one's all over the place, but I did prefer it to The Devil Wears Prada. That film championed shallowness, while this one has a heroine who doesn't sell out. Scarlett Johansson is a young woman who takes on a job as a nanny to a pair of rich yuppies (Laura Linney & Paul Giamatti). Scarlett is pretty
miscast here, but it's a great sign for her career that she's able to overcome that. She really carries a film that in other areas is a mess. Linney is an atrocious cliche, and Giamatti is worse. I can't imagine why these 2 respected actors would take on such one note roles...and then add nothing to them.
Alicia Keys is pretty much wasted as Scarlett's best friend. Scarlett herself though is quite charming. There are some sweet moments with her and the kid. Chris Evans is likable as her object of desire.
SNOW ANGELS
A really nicely done small town drama. This was directed by David Gordon Green, whose All The Real Girls was for me a crushing bore. Then his last film
Undertow showed a lot of improvement, and now here he's finally done a truly good film. Yes, this film drags at times, and Green uses an annoyingly repetitive camera move where he keeps panning past actors til they are out of the frame. But the story compells and moves along, with standout performances from Kate Beckinsale, Michael Angrano (I think that was his name), Nicky Katt and the darling Olivia Thirlby from Juno, who is perfect. I just love her! Sam Rockwell's performance is hit and miss.
21
I hate Vegas, yet I like most movies set there. Not this time. Blackjack just doesn't make for an interesting hook, I was confused by all the tricks the characters employ to win (the ADD editing doesn't help). The thing is completely, um, by the numbers. And in its attempts to stay at a PG-13, we get an annoyingly tame sex scene and a strip club scene where no women are naked. Good cast though. Jim Sturgess (Natalie's bro in The Other Boleyn Girl) is a solid lead, Kate Bosworth is quite yummy, and both Kevin Spacey and Laurence
Fishburne rip into their roles.
4/8/08
STOP-LOSS
The best film of 2008 so far. The stillborn right-wingers who'd slam this film as unpatriotic are stupid as hell. This film is bulletproof on any sort of political level, as it tells its story FAIRLY, and hell, the way it winds up would make the warmonger McCain giddy. Kimberly Pierce is a hell of a filmmaker. She never panders, keeps the film moving along nicely, and elicits career work from her cast. I'm now ready to say Ryan Phillippe is a great actor. He sure wasn't when he began in all those teen movies, but he's just been getting better and better. Channing Tatum is surprisingly good, the impeccable Joseph Gordon-Levitt is amazing. The only reason JGL's performance isn't his best ever is because he's already done Manic and Brick. And don't even talk to me if you haven't seen those 2 films, among this deacde's best. Ciaran Hinds is excellent as Phillippe's pop. And even though she looks just like my trashy ex-gf, Abbie Cornish is quite awesome too. Stop-Loss has a few preachy scenes, but it's powerful stuff. Well done.
MARRIED LIFE
Dull, predictable story, eased along by terrific acting by the gorgeous Rachel McAdams, Pierce Brosnan, Patricia Clarkson, and especially Chris Cooper.
MEET BILL
Oy! What a mess of a screenplay, maybe one of the worst I've encountered in some time. Why these people do what they do, and even exist in the same world
as each other makes no sense. I love Jessica Alba, and as always her warmth is welcome, but her character makes zero sense. Why is she hanging around with this high school boy and flirting with him? Why is she posing as the wife of some guy she's never met previous? Why is she wasting time with Cash Warren when she oughta be with me?
Ok...got off track a bit. Anyway, this film is a mess. Aaron Eckhart is woefully miscast as a dopey loser. Elizabeth Banks is awful as a horribly written shrew. Tim Olyphant (who actually gives the one bad performance in Stop-Loss), is irritating here as a tv newsman. It's an unpleasant film, just mean and nasty.
HOME OF THE BRAVE
The best film of 2008 so far. The stillborn right-wingers who'd slam this film as unpatriotic are stupid as hell. This film is bulletproof on any sort of political level, as it tells its story FAIRLY, and hell, the way it winds up would make the warmonger McCain giddy. Kimberly Pierce is a hell of a filmmaker. She never panders, keeps the film moving along nicely, and elicits career work from her cast. I'm now ready to say Ryan Phillippe is a great actor. He sure wasn't when he began in all those teen movies, but he's just been getting better and better. Channing Tatum is surprisingly good, the impeccable Joseph Gordon-Levitt is amazing. The only reason JGL's performance isn't his best ever is because he's already done Manic and Brick. And don't even talk to me if you haven't seen those 2 films, among this deacde's best. Ciaran Hinds is excellent as Phillippe's pop. And even though she looks just like my trashy ex-gf, Abbie Cornish is quite awesome too. Stop-Loss has a few preachy scenes, but it's powerful stuff. Well done.
MARRIED LIFE
Dull, predictable story, eased along by terrific acting by the gorgeous Rachel McAdams, Pierce Brosnan, Patricia Clarkson, and especially Chris Cooper.
MEET BILL
Oy! What a mess of a screenplay, maybe one of the worst I've encountered in some time. Why these people do what they do, and even exist in the same world
as each other makes no sense. I love Jessica Alba, and as always her warmth is welcome, but her character makes zero sense. Why is she hanging around with this high school boy and flirting with him? Why is she posing as the wife of some guy she's never met previous? Why is she wasting time with Cash Warren when she oughta be with me?
Ok...got off track a bit. Anyway, this film is a mess. Aaron Eckhart is woefully miscast as a dopey loser. Elizabeth Banks is awful as a horribly written shrew. Tim Olyphant (who actually gives the one bad performance in Stop-Loss), is irritating here as a tv newsman. It's an unpleasant film, just mean and nasty.
HOME OF THE BRAVE
Lots of good stuff here, mixed with a good deal of bad stuff. I always appreciate a serious Sam Jackson performance, and he's good despite being saddled with a few really badly staged, badly written scenes on the homefront. Jessica Biel isn't amazing, but she's pretty good. 50 Cent shows a lot more
potential here than he did in Get Rich Or Die Tryin, but his part is underwritten. I'd have liked to know why his gf was such an evil bitch to him.
LEATHERHEADS
I enjoyed this. Hey critics, Clooney is not obligated to do Oscar movies all the time. I wished there was more football in this, cause the early days of the NFL is an interesting thing to me. I think a lot of the detail is pretty accurate. Clooney is effortlessly charming and I enjoyed his repartee with Renee Zellweger, who's starting to look like an old hag but who is her most enjoyable in some time. There are some fun supporting performances, and the whole movie has a nifty old time energy.
3:10 TO YUMA
I found it rather boring. Russell Crowe and Christian Bale are good, but neither is at his best imo. I thought Ben Foster gave the most memorable performance.
All his movie characters need a shower.
THE NAMESAKE
A nice, rather moving film about the whole life of an Indian immigrant family. Kal "Kumar" Penn sort of has the lead, but I found the story arc of the parents to be the highlight. It's kinda nice to see an arranged marriage where they actually are in love.
SMART PEOPLE
This thing is all over the place. I loved my girlfriend Ellen Page of course. So what if her character is Juno-esque? I love how she does it and hope she does
it another ten films!! And Thomas Haden Church is very fun as the kind of guy I'd not want around me but who is fun in a movie. I didn't like Dennis Quaid much though. I thought his character was a miserable ass from first frame to last. And Sarah Jessica Parker...please! Crappy actress, wooden
performance, and do we need all the close-ups of her gross mole? There's some good dialogue here and overall its a smart film, but not a lot of fun for a
supposed comedy.
PROM NIGHT
I believe the teen horror genre is now officially back at square one. This remake is a seriously lazy effort. There's not one thing done well here. It's not remotely scary. The dialogue is awful. The acting is porous, even Brittany Snow, who is appealing but blank. Johnathan Schaech is embarrassingly one note as the psycho killer.
STREET KINGS
Not exactly a subtle film, but I'm not sure it would work subtle. I kinda dug the melodrama, and all the cliches and twists. It's all very pulpy. Keanu Reeves, who is unpredictable in both roles and quality of performance is pretty solid as a corrupt cop. Forest Whitaker does his Idi Amin thing as the corrupt police chief. Everyone's corrupt here. I don't get why Common would take on a cliched gangbanger part, and there are plot holes everywhere. This one
skates by on slick entertainment value.
potential here than he did in Get Rich Or Die Tryin, but his part is underwritten. I'd have liked to know why his gf was such an evil bitch to him.
LEATHERHEADS
I enjoyed this. Hey critics, Clooney is not obligated to do Oscar movies all the time. I wished there was more football in this, cause the early days of the NFL is an interesting thing to me. I think a lot of the detail is pretty accurate. Clooney is effortlessly charming and I enjoyed his repartee with Renee Zellweger, who's starting to look like an old hag but who is her most enjoyable in some time. There are some fun supporting performances, and the whole movie has a nifty old time energy.
3:10 TO YUMA
I found it rather boring. Russell Crowe and Christian Bale are good, but neither is at his best imo. I thought Ben Foster gave the most memorable performance.
All his movie characters need a shower.
THE NAMESAKE
A nice, rather moving film about the whole life of an Indian immigrant family. Kal "Kumar" Penn sort of has the lead, but I found the story arc of the parents to be the highlight. It's kinda nice to see an arranged marriage where they actually are in love.
SMART PEOPLE
This thing is all over the place. I loved my girlfriend Ellen Page of course. So what if her character is Juno-esque? I love how she does it and hope she does
it another ten films!! And Thomas Haden Church is very fun as the kind of guy I'd not want around me but who is fun in a movie. I didn't like Dennis Quaid much though. I thought his character was a miserable ass from first frame to last. And Sarah Jessica Parker...please! Crappy actress, wooden
performance, and do we need all the close-ups of her gross mole? There's some good dialogue here and overall its a smart film, but not a lot of fun for a
supposed comedy.
PROM NIGHT
I believe the teen horror genre is now officially back at square one. This remake is a seriously lazy effort. There's not one thing done well here. It's not remotely scary. The dialogue is awful. The acting is porous, even Brittany Snow, who is appealing but blank. Johnathan Schaech is embarrassingly one note as the psycho killer.
STREET KINGS
Not exactly a subtle film, but I'm not sure it would work subtle. I kinda dug the melodrama, and all the cliches and twists. It's all very pulpy. Keanu Reeves, who is unpredictable in both roles and quality of performance is pretty solid as a corrupt cop. Forest Whitaker does his Idi Amin thing as the corrupt police chief. Everyone's corrupt here. I don't get why Common would take on a cliched gangbanger part, and there are plot holes everywhere. This one
skates by on slick entertainment value.
4/21/08
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL
Another one of the Apatow comedies, and damn if it's not another winner. This one is less funny than Knocked Up or even Superbad, but as a guy who can relate to
having his heart broken and being turned into an emotional wreck I found the story relatable. Jason Segel is not on Seth Rogen's level as a laugh getter, but he's very very appealing as the poor sap who gets dumped by Kristen Bell (game, but a bit underused for my taste). I was quite stunned by Mila Kunis. Freed from being a one note ditz on TV now, she is a gem here, completely lovable, and just gorgeous! I'm in love, I think. Mac Culkin, you gonna be home
alone after I take your girl!![]()
Um, anyway, the rock star boyfriend is not a believable character, but he's pretty funny so I guess I can't complain. Plenty of good supporting characters. Some funny gags about TV crime shows.
HALLOWEEN (2007 remake)
Sorry folks, this does nothing to change my opinion that Rob Zombie is a total hack of a filmmaker. I laughed that Michael Myers came from biker trash, since
in Zombie-world everyone has long hair and rides a Harley. The psychobabbling of Malcolm McDowell was laughable. And then, from that point on it's just a
hopeless, uninspired, not at all scary slasher flick copycat. Whole scenes were just lifted from the original film. Why bother? I do appreciate him getting Danielle Harris to run around topless, since she was a very early actress crush back in the day, but as a filmmaker Rob Zombie is
wasting my time. He and Eli Roth need to just go buy a remote island and move there.
FEAST OF LOVE
Like Love Actually, only not so fluffy and much more depressing. Morgan Freeman's character makes no sense, but he's easygoing as a guy who sees all
sorts of romance around him. Greg Kinnear is a poor sap whose wife (Selma Blair) leaves him for another woman, and whose rebound gal (Radha Mitchell) is fucking another guy when they meet, after they're dating, and who ends up leaving him for the guy eventually. And both these women are AWFUL. But a couple other romances are ok. The performances are fine. The film is a feast of nudity, quite frankly. Mitchell, Blair, Alexa Davalos...not a lot of no-nudity clauses in this thing.
Another one of the Apatow comedies, and damn if it's not another winner. This one is less funny than Knocked Up or even Superbad, but as a guy who can relate to
having his heart broken and being turned into an emotional wreck I found the story relatable. Jason Segel is not on Seth Rogen's level as a laugh getter, but he's very very appealing as the poor sap who gets dumped by Kristen Bell (game, but a bit underused for my taste). I was quite stunned by Mila Kunis. Freed from being a one note ditz on TV now, she is a gem here, completely lovable, and just gorgeous! I'm in love, I think. Mac Culkin, you gonna be home
alone after I take your girl!
Um, anyway, the rock star boyfriend is not a believable character, but he's pretty funny so I guess I can't complain. Plenty of good supporting characters. Some funny gags about TV crime shows.HALLOWEEN (2007 remake)
Sorry folks, this does nothing to change my opinion that Rob Zombie is a total hack of a filmmaker. I laughed that Michael Myers came from biker trash, since
in Zombie-world everyone has long hair and rides a Harley. The psychobabbling of Malcolm McDowell was laughable. And then, from that point on it's just a
hopeless, uninspired, not at all scary slasher flick copycat. Whole scenes were just lifted from the original film. Why bother? I do appreciate him getting Danielle Harris to run around topless, since she was a very early actress crush back in the day, but as a filmmaker Rob Zombie is
wasting my time. He and Eli Roth need to just go buy a remote island and move there.
FEAST OF LOVE
Like Love Actually, only not so fluffy and much more depressing. Morgan Freeman's character makes no sense, but he's easygoing as a guy who sees all
sorts of romance around him. Greg Kinnear is a poor sap whose wife (Selma Blair) leaves him for another woman, and whose rebound gal (Radha Mitchell) is fucking another guy when they meet, after they're dating, and who ends up leaving him for the guy eventually. And both these women are AWFUL. But a couple other romances are ok. The performances are fine. The film is a feast of nudity, quite frankly. Mitchell, Blair, Alexa Davalos...not a lot of no-nudity clauses in this thing.
4/23/08
SUMMER PREVIEW
On paper maybe not the best lineup, aside from a few big ones, but maybe that'll mean some excellent surprises.
MAY:
-Indiana Jones 4-
(I'm not much of a fan of the franchise, but this looks fun)
-Iron Man-
(the character is of little interest, but I know Downey is gonna be great as it)
-Sex And The Shitty-
(I'd sooner stick needles into my eyes than see one frame of this)
-Speed Racer-
(ok, Christina Ricci has never looked hotter, and Emile Hirsch is a damn good actor...but what the hell? Looks like it may be a bigger blight on the Wahowskis
filmography than Matrix Reloaded)
-What Happens In Vegas-
(looks excruciating)
-Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian-
(the first was surprisingly good, so I'll give this one a look as well)
-The Tracey Fragments-
(I wouldn't miss an Ellen Page movie)
JUNE:
-The Incredible Hulk-
(why bother? This seriously looks like the exact same movie, only with a better actor in Edward Norton, and a somewhat scaled-down Hulk)
-Wanted-
(looks like slick fun, and Angie Jolie actually looks hot for the first time in ages)
-The Happening-
(M. Night is due, and to me this looks like a damn fine comeback)
-Get Smart-
(eh....looks amusing, plus Anne Hathaway is plenty hot)
-Kung Fu Panda-
(well, I liked the "silence is golden" ads)
-The Love Guru-
(The bomb of the summer. It looks hideously awful, even if Timberprick wasn't in it. I'll have to see it though since it has the once in a lifetime
pairing of the 2 sexiest actresses on the planet, Jessica Alba and Meagan Good)
-Wall E-
(um, it's Pixar and will therefore be excellent)
-You Don't Mess With The Zohan-
(looks pretty lousy, but it also looks less safe than anything Sandler has done in some time)
JULY:
-The X-Files: I Want To Believe-
(I don't)
-Hancock-
(haven't actually seen anything of this yet, but c'mon, it's Will Smith)
-The Dark Knight-
(hands down my most anticipated film of the summer/year. I'm pissed they kicked Katie out of it, but Heath's performance looks like it could be
amazing. I always felt the sequel was when this franchise was gonna roll)
-Step Brothers-
(Will Ferrell in a comedy with no sports involved. And most importantly, it's directed by the same guy he did Anchorman with)
-The Wackness-
(looks interesting, and it co-stars my new gal Olivia Thirlby)
-Mamma Mia-
MAY:
-Indiana Jones 4-
(I'm not much of a fan of the franchise, but this looks fun)
-Iron Man-
(the character is of little interest, but I know Downey is gonna be great as it)
-Sex And The Shitty-
(I'd sooner stick needles into my eyes than see one frame of this)
-Speed Racer-
(ok, Christina Ricci has never looked hotter, and Emile Hirsch is a damn good actor...but what the hell? Looks like it may be a bigger blight on the Wahowskis
filmography than Matrix Reloaded)
-What Happens In Vegas-
(looks excruciating)
-Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian-
(the first was surprisingly good, so I'll give this one a look as well)
-The Tracey Fragments-
(I wouldn't miss an Ellen Page movie)
JUNE:
-The Incredible Hulk-
(why bother? This seriously looks like the exact same movie, only with a better actor in Edward Norton, and a somewhat scaled-down Hulk)
-Wanted-
(looks like slick fun, and Angie Jolie actually looks hot for the first time in ages)
-The Happening-
(M. Night is due, and to me this looks like a damn fine comeback)
-Get Smart-
(eh....looks amusing, plus Anne Hathaway is plenty hot)
-Kung Fu Panda-
(well, I liked the "silence is golden" ads)
-The Love Guru-
(The bomb of the summer. It looks hideously awful, even if Timberprick wasn't in it. I'll have to see it though since it has the once in a lifetime
pairing of the 2 sexiest actresses on the planet, Jessica Alba and Meagan Good)
-Wall E-
(um, it's Pixar and will therefore be excellent)
-You Don't Mess With The Zohan-
(looks pretty lousy, but it also looks less safe than anything Sandler has done in some time)
JULY:
-The X-Files: I Want To Believe-
(I don't)
-Hancock-
(haven't actually seen anything of this yet, but c'mon, it's Will Smith)
-The Dark Knight-
(hands down my most anticipated film of the summer/year. I'm pissed they kicked Katie out of it, but Heath's performance looks like it could be
amazing. I always felt the sequel was when this franchise was gonna roll)
-Step Brothers-
(Will Ferrell in a comedy with no sports involved. And most importantly, it's directed by the same guy he did Anchorman with)
-The Wackness-
(looks interesting, and it co-stars my new gal Olivia Thirlby)
-Mamma Mia-
(I don't want to see ya!)
-Journey To The Center Of The Earth 3D-
(It's 3D and stars Brendan Fraser, so that's 2 strikes)
-Meet Dave-
(Dreamgirls already seems a long way in the past for Eddie Murphy)
-The Longshots-
(are you kidding me? "directed by Fred Durst"????)
-Hellboy 2-
(liked but didn't love the first one...it's promising they decided to throw it out there in summer)
AUGUST:
-Pineapple Express-
(the name Apatow is gold right now)
-Tropic Thunder-
(Ben Stiller and Jack Black together...in a movie that's actually funny?)
-The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants 2-
(first one was ok; if I have a steady gf in August I'll take her to this)
-The Mummy 3-
(Rob Cohen? who let HIM out?)
-Vicky Christina Barcelona-
(actually passed on Woody Allen's last one, but this one has Scarlett and Penelope Cruz)
-Star Wars: The Clone Wars-
(hey, I'll take what Star Wars crumbs I can, and that cartoon is actually quite excellent)
-The House Bunny-
(Anna Faris is just awesome, I love her)
-Bangkok Dangerous-
(Nic Cage is back in a real rut, and he has Next hair again)
-Babylon A.D.-
(hey, I'm up for a new Vin Diesel actioner)
-Journey To The Center Of The Earth 3D-
(It's 3D and stars Brendan Fraser, so that's 2 strikes)
-Meet Dave-
(Dreamgirls already seems a long way in the past for Eddie Murphy)
-The Longshots-
(are you kidding me? "directed by Fred Durst"????)
-Hellboy 2-
(liked but didn't love the first one...it's promising they decided to throw it out there in summer)
AUGUST:
-Pineapple Express-
(the name Apatow is gold right now)
-Tropic Thunder-
(Ben Stiller and Jack Black together...in a movie that's actually funny?)
-The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants 2-
(first one was ok; if I have a steady gf in August I'll take her to this)
-The Mummy 3-
(Rob Cohen? who let HIM out?)
-Vicky Christina Barcelona-
(actually passed on Woody Allen's last one, but this one has Scarlett and Penelope Cruz)
-Star Wars: The Clone Wars-
(hey, I'll take what Star Wars crumbs I can, and that cartoon is actually quite excellent)
-The House Bunny-
(Anna Faris is just awesome, I love her)
-Bangkok Dangerous-
(Nic Cage is back in a real rut, and he has Next hair again)
-Babylon A.D.-
(hey, I'm up for a new Vin Diesel actioner)
4/28/08
MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS
A lot of times in films that are sliced up into individual vignettes, I wish they lasted longer. Here I felt they were seriously padded. Even the Natalie sequence dragged on. Now, I did enjoy Natalie's over-the-top performance, cause it's something I haven't seen from her. She has one freakout that
irritated me, but she had a lot of attitude. She's doing a nice job of trying out new screen personas in smaller roles. I thought Jude Law, one of the most overhyped actors of the last decade, was extremely charming. David Strathairn gives a nice performance, while the usually sharp Rachel Weisz is all shrillness. And while she's been ragged on a lot, I thought the beautiful Norah Jones was just divine in her first acting role. She's not showy, she's really subtle, as basically it's her job to just react to everybody else on screen. She does a good job. Her presence matches the film's best asset, its rather entrancing mood. It's a minor pleasure.
BABY MAMA
Disappointing, perhaps the year's biggest so far. Maybe the Apatow-style comedies have spoiled me, but this one just doesn't deliver (oops, made a pregnancy pun). Tina Fey is a big time talent, but the lady just does not have what it takes to carry a movie. She's very bland here. Amy Poehler is a
little better as the baby mama. I don't know that she is a movie lead either, and her character is all over the map (redneck trash one moment, smart the next, than back to idiotic). It's noticeable when pros like Greg Kinnear and Steve Martin show up, not to mention 40 Year Old Virgin's Romany Malco. It's a
pleasant movie, and has a few nice laughs, but I didn't laugh much.
DECEPTION
Slick, entertaining trash. This is one of those movies where the bad guy is impossibly omnipresent yet invisible. Where the sap is impossibly naive. Where the
hot girl is actually good at heart (yeah right!!!). Picking the film apart would be easy, but as a pulpy thriller it works. I thought Ewan McGregor was terrific as said sap, who gets wrapped up in a sleazy sex club, along the way screwing a plethora of beautiful women (we should all be so lucky). Hugh Jackman fares not quite as well, but is solid. Michelle Williams turns on the heat as an improbably fantasy girl. She had ME sweating in one scene! The twists are predictable, the ending is vague, but compared to something like Perfect Stranger and this one is a lot more entertaining.
A lot of times in films that are sliced up into individual vignettes, I wish they lasted longer. Here I felt they were seriously padded. Even the Natalie sequence dragged on. Now, I did enjoy Natalie's over-the-top performance, cause it's something I haven't seen from her. She has one freakout that
irritated me, but she had a lot of attitude. She's doing a nice job of trying out new screen personas in smaller roles. I thought Jude Law, one of the most overhyped actors of the last decade, was extremely charming. David Strathairn gives a nice performance, while the usually sharp Rachel Weisz is all shrillness. And while she's been ragged on a lot, I thought the beautiful Norah Jones was just divine in her first acting role. She's not showy, she's really subtle, as basically it's her job to just react to everybody else on screen. She does a good job. Her presence matches the film's best asset, its rather entrancing mood. It's a minor pleasure.
BABY MAMA
Disappointing, perhaps the year's biggest so far. Maybe the Apatow-style comedies have spoiled me, but this one just doesn't deliver (oops, made a pregnancy pun). Tina Fey is a big time talent, but the lady just does not have what it takes to carry a movie. She's very bland here. Amy Poehler is a
little better as the baby mama. I don't know that she is a movie lead either, and her character is all over the map (redneck trash one moment, smart the next, than back to idiotic). It's noticeable when pros like Greg Kinnear and Steve Martin show up, not to mention 40 Year Old Virgin's Romany Malco. It's a
pleasant movie, and has a few nice laughs, but I didn't laugh much.
DECEPTION
Slick, entertaining trash. This is one of those movies where the bad guy is impossibly omnipresent yet invisible. Where the sap is impossibly naive. Where the
hot girl is actually good at heart (yeah right!!!). Picking the film apart would be easy, but as a pulpy thriller it works. I thought Ewan McGregor was terrific as said sap, who gets wrapped up in a sleazy sex club, along the way screwing a plethora of beautiful women (we should all be so lucky). Hugh Jackman fares not quite as well, but is solid. Michelle Williams turns on the heat as an improbably fantasy girl. She had ME sweating in one scene! The twists are predictable, the ending is vague, but compared to something like Perfect Stranger and this one is a lot more entertaining.
5/6/08
IRON MAN
A superb start to the summer movie season! This was the best comic book origin film since Spiderman, and it's as entertaining as anything I expect to see over
the next few months (except The Dark Knight, which my expectations could not be higher for). I'm surprised Jon Favreau pulled this off in his first big film (though I never saw his fx movie Zathura, and perhaps should now). He gets the cool iconic moments just right. The pace never lags. My god, he wrings a passable performance out of Gwyneth Paltrow! Robert Downey Jr. gives a performance of such effortless charisma that he will deservedly have a whole new career. Now, his acting style here isn't new. He's done it in films like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang recently. (hmmm, woulda loved Kiss co-star Michelle Monaghan here instead of Gwynny) When he's in this kind of zone he's as fun to watch as any actor.
The final fight scene suffers some from confusing editing (like Transformers, it is 2 big robots crashing around and it's hard to tell what's happening), and
Terrence Howard is underused (next time, right?). but it's truly tough to fault this film in any way. If you don't enjoy this movie, then stop going to movies.
HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY
Just cause it's targeted at potheads doesn't excuse it from being a poor sequel from the standpoints of acting, direction and laughs. The political angle here is botched badly. Rob Corddry is not only a horrible actor, but his character here is grating from his opening scene. He's trying to be Jim Carrey circa Ace Ventura. John Cho and Kal Penn are a good pair, but none of the "wacky" situations they find themselves in pay off. The bottomless party has gratuitous nudity...but it's vagina nudity. Vaginas are not attractive. The "other" Bush scene is amusing. With quality writing it could have been a classic. Obviously, Neil Patrick Harris' scenes are glorious! Everything the guy does makes me laugh. And One Tree Hill mega bitch Danneel Harris is hard to not go all sweet for here.
But we do not need #3
ROMANCE & CIGARETTES
John Turturro's musical's quirkiness annoyed me at first, but its oddball charms eventually grew on me a little bit. I think it happened once Christopher Walken appeared, doing exactly the kind of goofy Walken acting we all love. Mandy Moore is sharp, and you've never seen Kate Winslet like this before! James Gandolfini is a dull lead here though, and frankly the film is light on story even for a musical.
THE 11TH HOUR
If you've seen An Inconvenient Truth, you've seen the only global warming film you need to. This one is informative, but it is also 90 minutes of
scientists and assorted experts lecturing the viewer.
THE COMEBACKS
Another pretty bad spoof, this one of sports movies. But it gets watchable after a hideous opening 20 minutes. I guess I have some level of appreciation for a spoof that targets obscure flicks like Stick It. The movie has such an inability to even tell its jokes that most are doubly bad. It has a few solid yuks, but
then again so did Epic Movie.
THE LIFE BEFORE HER EYES
A borefest from start to finish, albeit a prettily photographed one. Uma Thurman gives a performance that is utterly lifeless as a woman scarred by a school shooting 15 years earlier. In flashbacks we see her teenage self, played very well as always by Evan Rachel Wood, who has developed a nasty habit of being in dreadful films. The whole thing builds up to a sort of twist that is not very interesting, certainly not enough to build a story on.
A superb start to the summer movie season! This was the best comic book origin film since Spiderman, and it's as entertaining as anything I expect to see over
the next few months (except The Dark Knight, which my expectations could not be higher for). I'm surprised Jon Favreau pulled this off in his first big film (though I never saw his fx movie Zathura, and perhaps should now). He gets the cool iconic moments just right. The pace never lags. My god, he wrings a passable performance out of Gwyneth Paltrow! Robert Downey Jr. gives a performance of such effortless charisma that he will deservedly have a whole new career. Now, his acting style here isn't new. He's done it in films like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang recently. (hmmm, woulda loved Kiss co-star Michelle Monaghan here instead of Gwynny) When he's in this kind of zone he's as fun to watch as any actor.
The final fight scene suffers some from confusing editing (like Transformers, it is 2 big robots crashing around and it's hard to tell what's happening), and
Terrence Howard is underused (next time, right?). but it's truly tough to fault this film in any way. If you don't enjoy this movie, then stop going to movies.
HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY
Just cause it's targeted at potheads doesn't excuse it from being a poor sequel from the standpoints of acting, direction and laughs. The political angle here is botched badly. Rob Corddry is not only a horrible actor, but his character here is grating from his opening scene. He's trying to be Jim Carrey circa Ace Ventura. John Cho and Kal Penn are a good pair, but none of the "wacky" situations they find themselves in pay off. The bottomless party has gratuitous nudity...but it's vagina nudity. Vaginas are not attractive. The "other" Bush scene is amusing. With quality writing it could have been a classic. Obviously, Neil Patrick Harris' scenes are glorious! Everything the guy does makes me laugh. And One Tree Hill mega bitch Danneel Harris is hard to not go all sweet for here.
But we do not need #3
ROMANCE & CIGARETTES
John Turturro's musical's quirkiness annoyed me at first, but its oddball charms eventually grew on me a little bit. I think it happened once Christopher Walken appeared, doing exactly the kind of goofy Walken acting we all love. Mandy Moore is sharp, and you've never seen Kate Winslet like this before! James Gandolfini is a dull lead here though, and frankly the film is light on story even for a musical.
THE 11TH HOUR
If you've seen An Inconvenient Truth, you've seen the only global warming film you need to. This one is informative, but it is also 90 minutes of
scientists and assorted experts lecturing the viewer.
THE COMEBACKS
Another pretty bad spoof, this one of sports movies. But it gets watchable after a hideous opening 20 minutes. I guess I have some level of appreciation for a spoof that targets obscure flicks like Stick It. The movie has such an inability to even tell its jokes that most are doubly bad. It has a few solid yuks, but
then again so did Epic Movie.
THE LIFE BEFORE HER EYES
A borefest from start to finish, albeit a prettily photographed one. Uma Thurman gives a performance that is utterly lifeless as a woman scarred by a school shooting 15 years earlier. In flashbacks we see her teenage self, played very well as always by Evan Rachel Wood, who has developed a nasty habit of being in dreadful films. The whole thing builds up to a sort of twist that is not very interesting, certainly not enough to build a story on.
5/27/08
INDIANA JONES AND WHATEVER THAT SHINY THING WAS
I've never been much of an Indy fan. Found em all pretty interchangable and forgettable. I won't forget this one though, since it has a very memorable collapse in its last half hour. For much of the way, I enjoyed the film's spirit and throwback ways. I was impressed by how much stuntwork Harrison Ford seemed to actually be doing.
Ford's performance isn't much of s step up from the dullard act he's been doing repeatedly for years, but he smirks a few times. I found Shia LaBOOF much less grating than I expected him to be. I loved Cate Blanchett's over the top villainy. And a couple action sequences were very good.
But then here come the aliens, and all the bubbling beefs with this movie came out. Even by goofy summer adventure standards, this thing is incomprehensible
plot-wise. It is empty for any sort of real character meat. The reveals involving these aliens are completely unsatisfying. It doesn't even fit in with the series itself. Yeah its gone all mystical before, but its at least been grounded in some kind of reality.
Oh, and the monkey scene was a flat out catastrophe.
It's overall a solid piece of entertainment, but in no shape, way or form do I believe THIS was the best Spileberg/Lucas/Ford could have done.
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN
I thought this was a solid improvement over part 1, which itself was better than I expected. It's a good deal darker, which is key. It has some solid battle
sequences. I liked some of the new characters, especially the swashbuckling mouse and Peter Dinklage as a dwarf. And Warwick Davis had a pretty big part, which was cool. Lucy's a real charmer too. Caspian's kind of bland-ish, and the main bad guy is dull. I'm still not overwhelmed by this franchise, but if it keeps improving each time out it could get real good someday.
LIONS FOR LAMBS
There's a lot of intelligent, talented people involved here, and it has a lot on its mind, most of it being things I agree with. But its just a horribly structured film, barely structured at all really. It's a bunch of archetypes lecturing each other for 90 minutes. There are no compelling characters, save for the soldiers played by Michael Pena and the always impressive Derek Luke (can't wait to see him play Puffy in the B.I.G. movie). Cruise is well cast as a smug Republican. (ok, guess you don't need to add the "smug" part)
I've never been much of an Indy fan. Found em all pretty interchangable and forgettable. I won't forget this one though, since it has a very memorable collapse in its last half hour. For much of the way, I enjoyed the film's spirit and throwback ways. I was impressed by how much stuntwork Harrison Ford seemed to actually be doing.
Ford's performance isn't much of s step up from the dullard act he's been doing repeatedly for years, but he smirks a few times. I found Shia LaBOOF much less grating than I expected him to be. I loved Cate Blanchett's over the top villainy. And a couple action sequences were very good.
But then here come the aliens, and all the bubbling beefs with this movie came out. Even by goofy summer adventure standards, this thing is incomprehensible
plot-wise. It is empty for any sort of real character meat. The reveals involving these aliens are completely unsatisfying. It doesn't even fit in with the series itself. Yeah its gone all mystical before, but its at least been grounded in some kind of reality.
Oh, and the monkey scene was a flat out catastrophe.
It's overall a solid piece of entertainment, but in no shape, way or form do I believe THIS was the best Spileberg/Lucas/Ford could have done.
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN
I thought this was a solid improvement over part 1, which itself was better than I expected. It's a good deal darker, which is key. It has some solid battle
sequences. I liked some of the new characters, especially the swashbuckling mouse and Peter Dinklage as a dwarf. And Warwick Davis had a pretty big part, which was cool. Lucy's a real charmer too. Caspian's kind of bland-ish, and the main bad guy is dull. I'm still not overwhelmed by this franchise, but if it keeps improving each time out it could get real good someday.
LIONS FOR LAMBS
There's a lot of intelligent, talented people involved here, and it has a lot on its mind, most of it being things I agree with. But its just a horribly structured film, barely structured at all really. It's a bunch of archetypes lecturing each other for 90 minutes. There are no compelling characters, save for the soldiers played by Michael Pena and the always impressive Derek Luke (can't wait to see him play Puffy in the B.I.G. movie). Cruise is well cast as a smug Republican. (ok, guess you don't need to add the "smug" part)
6/22/08
YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN
Bizarre jokes and characters are nothing new for an Adam Sandler comedy, but they work when those sorts of things are on the fringes. If the center of the movie is sane, the edges can have crazy stuff and it's really funny. But like Little Nicky, Sandler's previous worst star vehicle, Zohan is nothing but weirdness, and it's so tacky and broad that its lack of laughs is extra painful. It does have some laughs, don't get me wrong. John Turturro is hilarious,
and again Nick Swardson is great. Emmanuelle Chriqui is not funny, but she's hot. But Rob Schneider's role is excruciating, the whole thing with the old women is just gross, and Sandler's just not that funny.
THE HAPPENING
Well the M. Night haters are out in full force bashing this film. You read some of these reviews and you'd think this was the bomb of all time. Nope! Of course, I have seemed to have a different grasp of his films than the consensus does. I thought Sixth Sense was mediocre, that Unbreakable was a masterpiece, and that Lady In The Water was actually ok. I think The Happening is his best film since Signs. It's the latest really creepy end of the world-type spooker. The premise of having plants emitting a toxin that makes humans kill themselves is undeniably creative, and the scenes where he shows mass suicides are spot-on unsettling. It's a hard to shake film.
His storytelling is a little sloppy in spots, as the apparent rules regarding the "event" change a lot. And he badly misjudges the entire "crazy old lady" character. That part hampers the last act big time.
I liked Mark Wahlberg's performance. I liked the little girl too. Overall I'm glad to see Shyamalan churn out a very good film again.
THE INCREDIBLE HULK
Maybe not incredible, but certainly a very efficient improvement over the justly panned Ang Lee film from 5 years ago. It can be taken either as an original or
a sequel.
This film improves greatly the last film's 2 weakest elements:
1. Edward Norton is a HUGE improvement over Eric Bana. Bana's a good actor, but not in Hulk. He was dull as can be. Norton's never bad.
2. the Hulk effects work is MUCH more convincing. It looks about as realistic as a giant green man could.(they didn't make Abomination look very real though).
I thought the early scenes in Brazil were very good. I liked Tim Roth, though I wish he'd had more to do. I didn't mind Liv Tyler, but why was she
constantly whispering? You're gonna have to speak up, I can't hear you over the loud explosions, babe! I liked the Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno cameos. The Iron Man crossover was actually pretty clunky, I thought.
Bizarre jokes and characters are nothing new for an Adam Sandler comedy, but they work when those sorts of things are on the fringes. If the center of the movie is sane, the edges can have crazy stuff and it's really funny. But like Little Nicky, Sandler's previous worst star vehicle, Zohan is nothing but weirdness, and it's so tacky and broad that its lack of laughs is extra painful. It does have some laughs, don't get me wrong. John Turturro is hilarious,
and again Nick Swardson is great. Emmanuelle Chriqui is not funny, but she's hot. But Rob Schneider's role is excruciating, the whole thing with the old women is just gross, and Sandler's just not that funny.
THE HAPPENING
Well the M. Night haters are out in full force bashing this film. You read some of these reviews and you'd think this was the bomb of all time. Nope! Of course, I have seemed to have a different grasp of his films than the consensus does. I thought Sixth Sense was mediocre, that Unbreakable was a masterpiece, and that Lady In The Water was actually ok. I think The Happening is his best film since Signs. It's the latest really creepy end of the world-type spooker. The premise of having plants emitting a toxin that makes humans kill themselves is undeniably creative, and the scenes where he shows mass suicides are spot-on unsettling. It's a hard to shake film.
His storytelling is a little sloppy in spots, as the apparent rules regarding the "event" change a lot. And he badly misjudges the entire "crazy old lady" character. That part hampers the last act big time.
I liked Mark Wahlberg's performance. I liked the little girl too. Overall I'm glad to see Shyamalan churn out a very good film again.
THE INCREDIBLE HULK
Maybe not incredible, but certainly a very efficient improvement over the justly panned Ang Lee film from 5 years ago. It can be taken either as an original or
a sequel.
This film improves greatly the last film's 2 weakest elements:
1. Edward Norton is a HUGE improvement over Eric Bana. Bana's a good actor, but not in Hulk. He was dull as can be. Norton's never bad.
2. the Hulk effects work is MUCH more convincing. It looks about as realistic as a giant green man could.(they didn't make Abomination look very real though).
I thought the early scenes in Brazil were very good. I liked Tim Roth, though I wish he'd had more to do. I didn't mind Liv Tyler, but why was she
constantly whispering? You're gonna have to speak up, I can't hear you over the loud explosions, babe! I liked the Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno cameos. The Iron Man crossover was actually pretty clunky, I thought.
6/26/08
THE LOVE GURU
Yeah it's pretty crappy, but it has just enough laughs and strangeness to not be a total disaster.
First the bad. The plot is embarrassingly weak. This thing has NO story. Verne Troyer (who has a sex tape now...vomit time!!!) is atrocious as an actor...not
that that's any real surprise really. Jessica Alba, my darling who has been on a good run of performances, is just stranded out there with nothing to do. My other future wife Meagan Good is completely wasted. Justin Timberlake, well, his performance is so bad it makes his work in Alpha Dog look like a tour de force. Maybe now he'll stop being cast in things now that we see he's a joke of an actor, not to mention how everything he appears in is a financial flop.
The good. Well, Romany Malco from 40 Year Old Virgin is funny. Mike Myers never lets up and he eventually becomes kind of amusing as this character. I laughed at the acronyms for all his self-help teachings. The random rooster fight was funny. Stephen Colbert is hilarious as a strung out hockey announcer. There are a few legitimately funny cameos, and in one we get to hear what it must sound like when Jessica Simpson orgasms. That should be in ALL the ads!!!
WANTED
Yeah it's slick and it gets by just barely on its attitude and exaggerated violence...but this exact kind of movie was already done better TWICE last year, with
Smokin Aces and Shoot Em Up. They were each funnier, more enjoyably over the top and neither one tried to install any real plot.
Wanted has its moments, such as the impossible NOT to love scene where James McAvoy tells his boss to go fuck herself. Some of the action is crazy fun. Jolie
certainly looks hot, though at this point she's like a cyborg with no trace of humanity. Morgan Freeman impresses by managing to keep a straight face.
But it's a very empty film, and its plot twists are not at all interesting since at no point do we care about anyone on screen. Some would say it's like all
Yeah it's pretty crappy, but it has just enough laughs and strangeness to not be a total disaster.
First the bad. The plot is embarrassingly weak. This thing has NO story. Verne Troyer (who has a sex tape now...vomit time!!!) is atrocious as an actor...not
that that's any real surprise really. Jessica Alba, my darling who has been on a good run of performances, is just stranded out there with nothing to do. My other future wife Meagan Good is completely wasted. Justin Timberlake, well, his performance is so bad it makes his work in Alpha Dog look like a tour de force. Maybe now he'll stop being cast in things now that we see he's a joke of an actor, not to mention how everything he appears in is a financial flop.
The good. Well, Romany Malco from 40 Year Old Virgin is funny. Mike Myers never lets up and he eventually becomes kind of amusing as this character. I laughed at the acronyms for all his self-help teachings. The random rooster fight was funny. Stephen Colbert is hilarious as a strung out hockey announcer. There are a few legitimately funny cameos, and in one we get to hear what it must sound like when Jessica Simpson orgasms. That should be in ALL the ads!!!
WANTED
Yeah it's slick and it gets by just barely on its attitude and exaggerated violence...but this exact kind of movie was already done better TWICE last year, with
Smokin Aces and Shoot Em Up. They were each funnier, more enjoyably over the top and neither one tried to install any real plot.
Wanted has its moments, such as the impossible NOT to love scene where James McAvoy tells his boss to go fuck herself. Some of the action is crazy fun. Jolie
certainly looks hot, though at this point she's like a cyborg with no trace of humanity. Morgan Freeman impresses by managing to keep a straight face.
But it's a very empty film, and its plot twists are not at all interesting since at no point do we care about anyone on screen. Some would say it's like all
summer movies, but those of us who pay attention know that's not true.
7/6/08
HANCOCK
This looks like another big hit for Big Willie, although this one's been getting clobbered by a lot of critics. I don't disagree that the film is tonally all over the map. Basically it's as if the writers and director Peter Berg decided to give us not only the superhero origin story, but also the sequel
and threequel all at once.
It's a mess, but a damn entertaining one, and it hits more than it misses. There are some very funny parts (mostly in the opening half), a few fx sequences that
I found pretty impressive and very fun, and when the time comes to get serious it does well too. It helps to have Will Smith, one of the few stars who can do
comedy, drama and action and do them all extremely well. Charlize "the sleaze" Theron has a role that can only be described with spoilers, but she's pretty good. Jason Bateman as always is just completely likable.
and threequel all at once.
It's a mess, but a damn entertaining one, and it hits more than it misses. There are some very funny parts (mostly in the opening half), a few fx sequences that
I found pretty impressive and very fun, and when the time comes to get serious it does well too. It helps to have Will Smith, one of the few stars who can do
comedy, drama and action and do them all extremely well. Charlize "the sleaze" Theron has a role that can only be described with spoilers, but she's pretty good. Jason Bateman as always is just completely likable.
7/8/08
THE NINES
A really confusing movie that's almost redeemed by its big reveal. Ryan Reynolds, an actor who I like a lot, plays 3 similar versions of the same guy...but
who is he really? The answer is pretty clever, but the prelude is pretty boring and lifeless, quite disappointing since it was W&D'd by John August, who wrote Go, one of my absolute favorite films.
WHY DID I GET MARRIED?
Tyler Perry's done a lot of movies, most hits, but this is the first one I've seen and I gotta say I liked it enough to go back and check out his other ones (except the one where he's in a dress). It doesn't break new ground, as it's a simple drama about a quartet of married couples. But it's entertaining
throughout, has some very funny parts and some tearjerking parts and the cast is very good (especially Jill Scott, who is wonderful, and Janet Jackson's not
bad--she's oddly twitchy but she nails her big emotional scene quite well). Some of the characters are over the top to say the least, but it's a nice film.
GET SMART
Enjoyable and amusing, but absolutely nothing more. This thing definitely stands out among recent comedies in that is really built on old fashioned comedic styles. Very little outrageousness or scat humor. I appreciated that, but I probably would've sacrificed some class for more jokes, especially since the plot is an afterthought. No gripes with the cast. Steve Carell is deadpan genius, and Alan Arkin is geat as the chief. Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock is kind of wasted though, as they fail to capitalize on either his action skills or comedic ability. For me the runaway star here is Anne Hathaway. Give this dazzler the role of Wonder Woman and call it a day.
A really confusing movie that's almost redeemed by its big reveal. Ryan Reynolds, an actor who I like a lot, plays 3 similar versions of the same guy...but
who is he really? The answer is pretty clever, but the prelude is pretty boring and lifeless, quite disappointing since it was W&D'd by John August, who wrote Go, one of my absolute favorite films.
WHY DID I GET MARRIED?
Tyler Perry's done a lot of movies, most hits, but this is the first one I've seen and I gotta say I liked it enough to go back and check out his other ones (except the one where he's in a dress). It doesn't break new ground, as it's a simple drama about a quartet of married couples. But it's entertaining
throughout, has some very funny parts and some tearjerking parts and the cast is very good (especially Jill Scott, who is wonderful, and Janet Jackson's not
bad--she's oddly twitchy but she nails her big emotional scene quite well). Some of the characters are over the top to say the least, but it's a nice film.
GET SMART
Enjoyable and amusing, but absolutely nothing more. This thing definitely stands out among recent comedies in that is really built on old fashioned comedic styles. Very little outrageousness or scat humor. I appreciated that, but I probably would've sacrificed some class for more jokes, especially since the plot is an afterthought. No gripes with the cast. Steve Carell is deadpan genius, and Alan Arkin is geat as the chief. Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock is kind of wasted though, as they fail to capitalize on either his action skills or comedic ability. For me the runaway star here is Anne Hathaway. Give this dazzler the role of Wonder Woman and call it a day.
7/20/08
THE DARK KNIGHT
Yes folks, it's the real deal. The Dark Knight is a high water mark for the comic book/superhero/whatever you wanna call it genre. This film is at times so dark and intense and brutal that it makes Revenge Of The Sith look like Mamma Mia.
Christopher Nolan DID IT! All along, even as much as I liked Batman Begins, I knew that with the backstory and set-up outta the way, the sequel was where things would get great. And it's almost sad, cause the bar has been set so high that there's almost no way the next film can match it.
Heath Ledger. Fantastic! You truly cannot take your eyes off of him for one second, and cliched as it sounds, you forget it's him almost instantly. I will say that the Oscar talk is maybe a bit much, if only because this is really a hammy bad guy role. I've seen plenty of deliciously entertaining bad guy performances that never got a sniff of an award. Ledger's work here certainly ranks with the greatest of all time, and what really doesn't get mentioned is how completely unique this was among his limited filmography. He is truly the star of the show.
Christian Bale's kind of the forgotten man here. He is again just rock solid, even if his "mean Batman voice" is a little overdone. On the way
back from the flick I was amusing my gf by doing my take on the voice.
Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are their usual impeccable selves. Some of the smaller roles are filled out just ok. Why is Eric Roberts getting significant screentime in this film?
I do like Maggie Gyllenhaal, and she's fine here, and I know I'm in the minority here, but Katie Holmes was better in the role. If Katie had been the one getting blown up I'd have been crying in the theater, just blubbering in my seat. Katie's innate sweetness was essential to Batman Begins. Maggie's nice and kinda feisty. Gary Oldman really gets time to shine this time. I loved every scene of his.
Props to Aaron Eckhart. I knew he would actually become Two-Face in the film, but I did not know HOW that would play out. I thought he'd be set up as the
bad guy for the next film. But the arc he was given here was absolutely note perfect. I enjoyed the hammy performance of Tommy Lee Jones back in Batman Forever, but Eckhart's is on another level. He is fantastic, best thing he's ever done.
The Dark Knight is the near masterpiece it is because of how committed it is to having bad things happen relentlessly, and to forging an unshakeable feeling of
dread. This thing never lets up for air. After a somewhat slow opening 20 minutes it just gets better and better.
Best film of the summer.
Best film of the year.
Christopher Nolan DID IT! All along, even as much as I liked Batman Begins, I knew that with the backstory and set-up outta the way, the sequel was where things would get great. And it's almost sad, cause the bar has been set so high that there's almost no way the next film can match it.
Heath Ledger. Fantastic! You truly cannot take your eyes off of him for one second, and cliched as it sounds, you forget it's him almost instantly. I will say that the Oscar talk is maybe a bit much, if only because this is really a hammy bad guy role. I've seen plenty of deliciously entertaining bad guy performances that never got a sniff of an award. Ledger's work here certainly ranks with the greatest of all time, and what really doesn't get mentioned is how completely unique this was among his limited filmography. He is truly the star of the show.
Christian Bale's kind of the forgotten man here. He is again just rock solid, even if his "mean Batman voice" is a little overdone. On the way
back from the flick I was amusing my gf by doing my take on the voice.
Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are their usual impeccable selves. Some of the smaller roles are filled out just ok. Why is Eric Roberts getting significant screentime in this film?
I do like Maggie Gyllenhaal, and she's fine here, and I know I'm in the minority here, but Katie Holmes was better in the role. If Katie had been the one getting blown up I'd have been crying in the theater, just blubbering in my seat. Katie's innate sweetness was essential to Batman Begins. Maggie's nice and kinda feisty. Gary Oldman really gets time to shine this time. I loved every scene of his.
Props to Aaron Eckhart. I knew he would actually become Two-Face in the film, but I did not know HOW that would play out. I thought he'd be set up as the
bad guy for the next film. But the arc he was given here was absolutely note perfect. I enjoyed the hammy performance of Tommy Lee Jones back in Batman Forever, but Eckhart's is on another level. He is fantastic, best thing he's ever done.
The Dark Knight is the near masterpiece it is because of how committed it is to having bad things happen relentlessly, and to forging an unshakeable feeling of
dread. This thing never lets up for air. After a somewhat slow opening 20 minutes it just gets better and better.
Best film of the summer.
Best film of the year.
August 08
THE WACKNESS
If you were one of the 5 people who saw Charlie Bartlett, then you'll see a lot of similarities here (in plot if not quality). Once again there's a punk kid (the rather charisma-free Josh Peck) who deals drugs and who is in love with the daughter of his main male role model, in this case the consistently amusing Ben Kingsley. The daughter is my future wife Olivia Thirlby, who dazzles me once more. It has some very touching and touchingly sad moments. It has an awesome soundtrack, as it's set in 1994, arguably the peak year in rap history. It's familiar and has a few of those typical indie pretentious moments, but overall I enjoyed it.
HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY
Definitely a junior varsity entry compared to The Dark Knight, but it's impossible to not enjoy the creative spectacle put on by Guillermo Del Toro. All sorts of neat designs and creatures. It is definitely a bigger film than the original Hellboy. The cast all does a fine job, though Abe Sapien is voiced differently
this time. Luke Goss, who was the baddie in Del Toro's mega awesome Blade 2, makes for a pretty good villain here as well. Selma Blair looks mega hot (not a
pun). I really liked the new character of the German guy who's made of gas. Ron Perlman actually gets short-shrifted. The dialogue is the film's weak point, as he gets few great lines.
I'm up for #3.
STEP BROTHERS
The 3rd collabo between Will Ferrell and director Adam McKay, the first 2 having yielded Talladega Nights and my beloved Anchorman. This is easily the weakest of the 3, as it gets less funny as it goes along and is really, really padded even at 90 minutes. Gotta love the pairing of Ferrell and John C. Reilly, who give their all, although they're playing identical characters, which I felt was a mistake. Really liked Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen as their befuddled parentals. There aren't that many ace supporting performances here, the hallmark of Ferrell's top films. But it's a pretty funny movie, on the level of
a Semi Pro.
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
I have a limit to how funny I find it to watch two guys bumble around stoned all the time. Pothead flicks rarely do it for me. But I enjoyed this one. It's not
even remotely as great as Knocked Up or even the slightly overrated Superbad, but this has a lot of laughs and a terrific performance from James Franco as the
pot dealer. I go from hating the guy basically to liking him now. Seth Rogen is pretty good, but he's already veering into a Jack Black "loud is funny" zone. The murder plot and all that is extremely derivative despite the funny henchmen and the long awaited....ok the somewhat awaited....ok the
return of Rosie Perez.
This one lacks the heart of the other main Apatow productions. But the laughs are still coming (more if you're baked, apparently).
WALL-E
It's boring to review a Pixar film, cause it's the same compliments every time. But this one, at least in its first half, is maybe unmatched in the pantheon. The section of the film that takes place on Earth is basically perfect, a visual wonder that doesn't use or need dialogue to captivate. The rest of the film set in space is still very good but it does lose some of its lowkey charm. Loved the sweet little love story between the robots. As always the animation is
perfection. When will these guys stumble?
SWING VOTE
It has its charms (Kevin Costner, the spunky Madeline Carroll & Paula Patton--THE most gorgeous woman walking our earth), but it's also a mess. It tries to be a screwball comedy, a political satire, a sweet little father/daughter story, and a preachy civics lesson. At points it does well on each count, but the mixture also makes the film inconsistent. Some characters are just cartoonish, its portrayal of the media is hopelessly outdated. They're still doing the bit where a throng of reporters all yell in unison, and then they all stop for some reason so one of them can ask a question. It all goes down easily. There are some laughs, and it's good to see Costner at his regular guy best, and I got lost gazing at Patton repeatedly. But less would have been more here.
If you were one of the 5 people who saw Charlie Bartlett, then you'll see a lot of similarities here (in plot if not quality). Once again there's a punk kid (the rather charisma-free Josh Peck) who deals drugs and who is in love with the daughter of his main male role model, in this case the consistently amusing Ben Kingsley. The daughter is my future wife Olivia Thirlby, who dazzles me once more. It has some very touching and touchingly sad moments. It has an awesome soundtrack, as it's set in 1994, arguably the peak year in rap history. It's familiar and has a few of those typical indie pretentious moments, but overall I enjoyed it.
HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY
Definitely a junior varsity entry compared to The Dark Knight, but it's impossible to not enjoy the creative spectacle put on by Guillermo Del Toro. All sorts of neat designs and creatures. It is definitely a bigger film than the original Hellboy. The cast all does a fine job, though Abe Sapien is voiced differently
this time. Luke Goss, who was the baddie in Del Toro's mega awesome Blade 2, makes for a pretty good villain here as well. Selma Blair looks mega hot (not a
pun). I really liked the new character of the German guy who's made of gas. Ron Perlman actually gets short-shrifted. The dialogue is the film's weak point, as he gets few great lines.
I'm up for #3.
STEP BROTHERS
The 3rd collabo between Will Ferrell and director Adam McKay, the first 2 having yielded Talladega Nights and my beloved Anchorman. This is easily the weakest of the 3, as it gets less funny as it goes along and is really, really padded even at 90 minutes. Gotta love the pairing of Ferrell and John C. Reilly, who give their all, although they're playing identical characters, which I felt was a mistake. Really liked Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen as their befuddled parentals. There aren't that many ace supporting performances here, the hallmark of Ferrell's top films. But it's a pretty funny movie, on the level of
a Semi Pro.
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
I have a limit to how funny I find it to watch two guys bumble around stoned all the time. Pothead flicks rarely do it for me. But I enjoyed this one. It's not
even remotely as great as Knocked Up or even the slightly overrated Superbad, but this has a lot of laughs and a terrific performance from James Franco as the
pot dealer. I go from hating the guy basically to liking him now. Seth Rogen is pretty good, but he's already veering into a Jack Black "loud is funny" zone. The murder plot and all that is extremely derivative despite the funny henchmen and the long awaited....ok the somewhat awaited....ok the
return of Rosie Perez.
This one lacks the heart of the other main Apatow productions. But the laughs are still coming (more if you're baked, apparently).
WALL-E
It's boring to review a Pixar film, cause it's the same compliments every time. But this one, at least in its first half, is maybe unmatched in the pantheon. The section of the film that takes place on Earth is basically perfect, a visual wonder that doesn't use or need dialogue to captivate. The rest of the film set in space is still very good but it does lose some of its lowkey charm. Loved the sweet little love story between the robots. As always the animation is
perfection. When will these guys stumble?
SWING VOTE
It has its charms (Kevin Costner, the spunky Madeline Carroll & Paula Patton--THE most gorgeous woman walking our earth), but it's also a mess. It tries to be a screwball comedy, a political satire, a sweet little father/daughter story, and a preachy civics lesson. At points it does well on each count, but the mixture also makes the film inconsistent. Some characters are just cartoonish, its portrayal of the media is hopelessly outdated. They're still doing the bit where a throng of reporters all yell in unison, and then they all stop for some reason so one of them can ask a question. It all goes down easily. There are some laughs, and it's good to see Costner at his regular guy best, and I got lost gazing at Patton repeatedly. But less would have been more here.
8/24/08
STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS
It is without question the worst Star Wars film ever...but it's actually a pretty solid adventure flick if you give it a chance (something the diehard Lucas haters are incapable of). It's much more of a throwback to the original trilogy, as it's much more lightweight. I liked Ashoka, the padawan assigned to Anakin. I thought she was an appealing character and the griping between the two of them worked for me. The animation is not bad per se, but it looks bad on the big
screen and is not as easy on the eyes as the work in the previous cartoon. Incidentally this film causes a handful of inconsistencies with the earlier series.
Little hutt was cute. The fights are cool. The upcoming series will probably be just fine. Now I'm gonna go watch Sith for the 100th time.
TROPIC THUNDER
It's uneven, but it's definitely the best thing Ben Stiller has done in...well, maybe ever. Lots of big laughs here. Loved the trailers. Downey is in the kind of zone now where I'd even watch him in Satan's Alley. I did find the much hyped Tom Cruise cameo overrated.
Frankly, I hope I never see Jack Black again. This guy is an abomination. He's a piece of excrement that I keep seeing on screen over and over. Screaming and being fat IS NOT FUNNY! Get a fucking act! Learn yourself some acting talent you fucking IDIOT! After Be Kind Rewind this is the 2nd film this year that would be great without him.
MIRRORS
The worst film I have seen in a theater this year. I felt embarrassed for Kiefer Sutherland, who has lapsed into a mode where he cannot give a performance as anything but Jack Bauer. It's like he feared losing the character between seasons or something. And frankly, in this film he is so miserable and unpleasant that no one could care what happens to him. The film is incredibly dull as directed by Alexandre Aja, previously sharp with High Tension and The Hills Have Eyes.
Never before has a film featured more scenes of a character slowly creeping through a dark place with a flashlight. (and btw, why would a burned-out
department store need a night watchman?) The flop almost crosses into entertaining camp with some of the stuff involving Kiefer's ex Paula Patton (the most gorgeous woman on the planet), who is at least placed into a wet shirt for a while. And Kiefer kidnaps a nun, which not even Jack would do.
THE HOUSE BUNNY
I LOVE Anna Faris. She's worthy of any positive adjective you can think of. The girl has telent up the wazoo and she needs all of it to prop up this blatant Legally Blonde ripoff. But she does it. There's no script here and really few jokes, but she can sell this stuff. Plus she's unleashing a sex
bomb within. But she stays funny first.
The flick is clearly a Happy Madsion project (only Sandler would continue to employ Sean Salisbury in acting roles), and I wish it were more original. Even the
soundtrack is a lazy checklist of recent pop hits. It's cast well though, as we've got Emma Stone and Kat Dennings, who are both gonna be around a long
time.
DEATH RACE
Purely idiotic testosterone-fueled mayhem. And probably the most watchable movie ever to be helmed by Paul W.S. Anderson. He still cannot choreograph action
scenes for shit, but the titular race comprises such a huge percentage of the running time that it's less of a problem here. And there are a few cool stunts
included. The cast is too talented for this, but that helps. Jason Statham remains my favorite non-huge action star, even though he always does the same gruff tough guy. Tyrese Gibson does what he can with a very badly written character. Model Natalie Martinez is, well, hot. I dunno why they have super hot female inmates as race navigators, but one gaze at this honey and I didn't much care!![]()
Ian McShane is great, and Joan Allen slums gloriously, and utters the instant classic line "fuck with me and we'll see who shits on the sidewalk"
BANGKOK DANGEROUS
Yeah, ok, Nic Cage does a lot of pretty forgettable action flicks in there, but he always elevates them with his oddball Cage-ian ways. Not this time. I maybe
could have put up with the boring, entirely unoriginal story, completely uninteresting action scenes and dull characters if Cage was at least good. He's
not. This is his worst performance, a dull, sullen brooding act that literally any lousy action star could have done the same. Steven Seagal would have had no
problem here.
It is without question the worst Star Wars film ever...but it's actually a pretty solid adventure flick if you give it a chance (something the diehard Lucas haters are incapable of). It's much more of a throwback to the original trilogy, as it's much more lightweight. I liked Ashoka, the padawan assigned to Anakin. I thought she was an appealing character and the griping between the two of them worked for me. The animation is not bad per se, but it looks bad on the big
screen and is not as easy on the eyes as the work in the previous cartoon. Incidentally this film causes a handful of inconsistencies with the earlier series.
Little hutt was cute. The fights are cool. The upcoming series will probably be just fine. Now I'm gonna go watch Sith for the 100th time.
TROPIC THUNDER
It's uneven, but it's definitely the best thing Ben Stiller has done in...well, maybe ever. Lots of big laughs here. Loved the trailers. Downey is in the kind of zone now where I'd even watch him in Satan's Alley. I did find the much hyped Tom Cruise cameo overrated.
Frankly, I hope I never see Jack Black again. This guy is an abomination. He's a piece of excrement that I keep seeing on screen over and over. Screaming and being fat IS NOT FUNNY! Get a fucking act! Learn yourself some acting talent you fucking IDIOT! After Be Kind Rewind this is the 2nd film this year that would be great without him.
MIRRORS
The worst film I have seen in a theater this year. I felt embarrassed for Kiefer Sutherland, who has lapsed into a mode where he cannot give a performance as anything but Jack Bauer. It's like he feared losing the character between seasons or something. And frankly, in this film he is so miserable and unpleasant that no one could care what happens to him. The film is incredibly dull as directed by Alexandre Aja, previously sharp with High Tension and The Hills Have Eyes.
Never before has a film featured more scenes of a character slowly creeping through a dark place with a flashlight. (and btw, why would a burned-out
department store need a night watchman?) The flop almost crosses into entertaining camp with some of the stuff involving Kiefer's ex Paula Patton (the most gorgeous woman on the planet), who is at least placed into a wet shirt for a while. And Kiefer kidnaps a nun, which not even Jack would do.
THE HOUSE BUNNY
I LOVE Anna Faris. She's worthy of any positive adjective you can think of. The girl has telent up the wazoo and she needs all of it to prop up this blatant Legally Blonde ripoff. But she does it. There's no script here and really few jokes, but she can sell this stuff. Plus she's unleashing a sex
bomb within. But she stays funny first.
The flick is clearly a Happy Madsion project (only Sandler would continue to employ Sean Salisbury in acting roles), and I wish it were more original. Even the
soundtrack is a lazy checklist of recent pop hits. It's cast well though, as we've got Emma Stone and Kat Dennings, who are both gonna be around a long
time.
DEATH RACE
Purely idiotic testosterone-fueled mayhem. And probably the most watchable movie ever to be helmed by Paul W.S. Anderson. He still cannot choreograph action
scenes for shit, but the titular race comprises such a huge percentage of the running time that it's less of a problem here. And there are a few cool stunts
included. The cast is too talented for this, but that helps. Jason Statham remains my favorite non-huge action star, even though he always does the same gruff tough guy. Tyrese Gibson does what he can with a very badly written character. Model Natalie Martinez is, well, hot. I dunno why they have super hot female inmates as race navigators, but one gaze at this honey and I didn't much care!
Ian McShane is great, and Joan Allen slums gloriously, and utters the instant classic line "fuck with me and we'll see who shits on the sidewalk"BANGKOK DANGEROUS
Yeah, ok, Nic Cage does a lot of pretty forgettable action flicks in there, but he always elevates them with his oddball Cage-ian ways. Not this time. I maybe
could have put up with the boring, entirely unoriginal story, completely uninteresting action scenes and dull characters if Cage was at least good. He's
not. This is his worst performance, a dull, sullen brooding act that literally any lousy action star could have done the same. Steven Seagal would have had no
problem here.
12/25/08
THE SPIRIT
I didn't expect Sin City, and this ain't no Sin City. However, it is eons more entertaining than 300. Largely, the whole thing comes down to this:
Frank Miller is no Robert Rodriguez. Yeah, Miller got a co-director credit on Sin City but we know that the FILM was all Rodriguez.
Here we also have grizzled narration by Gabriel Macht as the title character, as opposed to Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen and Bruce Willis. Macht is solid, but again the comparisons to the earlier film are damaging. But I liked the style here again, and the flashes of humor, and Eva Mendes vamping it up (also, the younger version of her character is the cutest girl EVER!). We get 24's Edgar Styles as a never ending succession of happy cloned henchmen. We get a nearly naked Paz Vega. We get the kind of over the top bad guy role that could only have been acted out by Samuel L Jackson. Of course, we also get a truly awful performance by a blatantly disinterested Scarlett Johansson. So it's a mixed bag and definitely a love/hate film, but I enjoyed it.
SEVEN POUNDS
Will Smith is getting to the point where he can do no wrong, and this film does not change that. It's not going to be the big blockbuster most of his other films have been, but one look at the thing and you can tell it wasn't made to make $200 million. The critical backlash is more surprising, unless you buy
the argument that most critics have souls.
I found this film to be a little manipulative, yes, but its payoff is an unforgettable stunner. The tone is tricky, it's grim but also kind of sentimental, and there's a romance that has some moments that are so strong and moving that I was moved to tears almost. It's a truly powerful film, and one of the year's best.
Smith is just fantastic as usual, and I think Rosario Dawson absolutely shines in maybe the best role she's ever had. I also liked Woody Harrelson, who has seen his leading man career end but who has now become one of the most reliable supporting actors in film. I'd have liked to see more of Barry Pepper too, who is terrific in his few scenes.
YES MAN
This is not a throwback to the days of the great Jim Carrey comedy, but it's fun, and actually holds up even when the jokes aren't flying at you (the last part was not always the case with his older flicks). You gotta love Zooey Deschanel, and the guy who plays Carrey's boss. The premise runs out of steam but the performers don't.
>>I watched Meet The Spartans a couple nights ago too, but I don't believe that piece of wretched shit deserves a review. If we made Gitmo detainees
watch this film I truly believe they'd ask to go back to the waterboarding.
I didn't expect Sin City, and this ain't no Sin City. However, it is eons more entertaining than 300. Largely, the whole thing comes down to this:
Frank Miller is no Robert Rodriguez. Yeah, Miller got a co-director credit on Sin City but we know that the FILM was all Rodriguez.
Here we also have grizzled narration by Gabriel Macht as the title character, as opposed to Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen and Bruce Willis. Macht is solid, but again the comparisons to the earlier film are damaging. But I liked the style here again, and the flashes of humor, and Eva Mendes vamping it up (also, the younger version of her character is the cutest girl EVER!). We get 24's Edgar Styles as a never ending succession of happy cloned henchmen. We get a nearly naked Paz Vega. We get the kind of over the top bad guy role that could only have been acted out by Samuel L Jackson. Of course, we also get a truly awful performance by a blatantly disinterested Scarlett Johansson. So it's a mixed bag and definitely a love/hate film, but I enjoyed it.
SEVEN POUNDS
Will Smith is getting to the point where he can do no wrong, and this film does not change that. It's not going to be the big blockbuster most of his other films have been, but one look at the thing and you can tell it wasn't made to make $200 million. The critical backlash is more surprising, unless you buy
the argument that most critics have souls.
I found this film to be a little manipulative, yes, but its payoff is an unforgettable stunner. The tone is tricky, it's grim but also kind of sentimental, and there's a romance that has some moments that are so strong and moving that I was moved to tears almost. It's a truly powerful film, and one of the year's best.
Smith is just fantastic as usual, and I think Rosario Dawson absolutely shines in maybe the best role she's ever had. I also liked Woody Harrelson, who has seen his leading man career end but who has now become one of the most reliable supporting actors in film. I'd have liked to see more of Barry Pepper too, who is terrific in his few scenes.
YES MAN
This is not a throwback to the days of the great Jim Carrey comedy, but it's fun, and actually holds up even when the jokes aren't flying at you (the last part was not always the case with his older flicks). You gotta love Zooey Deschanel, and the guy who plays Carrey's boss. The premise runs out of steam but the performers don't.
>>I watched Meet The Spartans a couple nights ago too, but I don't believe that piece of wretched shit deserves a review. If we made Gitmo detainees
watch this film I truly believe they'd ask to go back to the waterboarding.
1/1/09
BEST OF 2008
I'll admit up front this best-of list needs a big old, New England Patriots-sized asterisk, due to the unprecedented number of potentially excellent films
that I either have yet to see (i.e. Doubt, Benjamin Button, The Reader) or that simply did not open in Minneapolis by the end of the year (i.e. Gran Torino, The Wrestler, Revolutionary Road and Defiance). But I always like to make the year ending lists. I just might reassess said list a month from now....
THE TOP TEN FILMS OF 2008
1. THE DARK KNIGHT
An easy choice. A film that will stand as the pinnacle of the comic book movie for a long time to come.
2. SEVEN POUNDS
Lotta hate for this film. I found it completely captivating and original, and the emotional stunner of an ending is unmatched in almost anything I have ever
seen.
3. IRON MAN
The best comic book movie of any other year. Robert Downey's triumphant comeback.
4. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Worth all the attention it has gotten. It hits on every note a film can (comedy, drama, tension, romance, music...)
5. THE EXPRESS
Now, I tend to like most football movies anyway, but even with that this is a true notch above. Rob Brown is one of the most underrated actors out there.
6. MILK
Stellar work by Sean Penn, and like The Express a thoroughly well made biopic.
7. DEFINITELY, MAYBE
Oh, why can't all romantic comedies be as charming, fresh, funny and Isla Fisher-packed as this one?
8. STOP-LOSS
The best of the Iraq war movies. This one packed a real wallop, and had fine acting all around.
9. QUANTUM OF SOLACE
Guess I'm in the minority, but I thought this was better than Casino Royale. A revenge-bent James Bond is a gripper.
10. WALL E
Another Pixar triumph. I thought the second half of the film in space was a little mundane, otherwise the film would be top five.
Honorable mentions:
-Lakeview Terrace, the most entertaining thriller of the year.
-Cloverfield & Quarantine. Both used the same hook of having all the action seemingly filmed by the characters, and I frankly thought both were terrific,
especially the often scary latter.
-Snow Angels, quietly powerful stuff
-Forgetting Sarah Marshall & Role Models. Only the former was actuallty from the Apatow factory, but both had the mix of laughs and heart.
-Religulous, Slacker Uprising, Man On Wire & Bigger, Stronger, Faster: the year's top documentaries
-The Happening. I'm telling you this film was superb!
-Valkyrie. Showed Tom Cruise still has it (except the right accent)
-Hancock & Jumper. Each were damn entertaining attempts at launching new franchises.
-The Incredible Hulk & Hellboy 2. Each were damn entertaining attempts to keep franchises going.
THE TEN WORST FILMS OF 2008
(this also warrants an asterisk cause I never saw Sex And The City)
1. MEET THE SPARTANS
So jaw-droppingly awful that it will surely become the topic of many a thesis paper on how not to make a movie.
2. MIRRORS
I felt bad for Kiefer Sutherland, that this was the best his agent could find for him to do between 24 seasons.
3. BANGKOK DANGEROUS
Nic Cage has had a few clunkers, but never like this.
4. BLINDNESS
Just an ugly, repugnant film that thought it was saying something profound.
5. 27 DRESSES
Oh, why must most romantic comedies be as superficial and lifeless and UNromantic as this?
6. PROM NIGHT
It's official. The teen slasher genre is back at square one.
7. MEET BILL
I can't even believe a screenplay this bad could get produced.
8. RAMBO
Makes the high quality of Rocky Balboa seem like a true miracle.
9. THE LOVE GURU
Mike Myers bottoms out...hopefully.
10. TRANSPORTER 3
Took an enjoyable franchise and took way everything that made it fun.
DIShonorable mentions (maybe not the year's other worsts but the biggest disappointments):
-W: Why did Olver Stone bother to just stage re-enactments of so many things we knew by heart already?
-Zack & Miri Make A Porno. It concerns me as a Kevin Smith diehard that this felt as desperate to be shocking as it did.
-Baby Mama. Pretty damn forgettable, I thought, despite Tina Fey's obvious talent.
-Frost/Nixon: Frank Langella is amazing, but am I really the only one who finds this a wholly inconsequential topic for a big time film?
that I either have yet to see (i.e. Doubt, Benjamin Button, The Reader) or that simply did not open in Minneapolis by the end of the year (i.e. Gran Torino, The Wrestler, Revolutionary Road and Defiance). But I always like to make the year ending lists. I just might reassess said list a month from now....
THE TOP TEN FILMS OF 2008
1. THE DARK KNIGHT
An easy choice. A film that will stand as the pinnacle of the comic book movie for a long time to come.
2. SEVEN POUNDS
Lotta hate for this film. I found it completely captivating and original, and the emotional stunner of an ending is unmatched in almost anything I have ever
seen.
3. IRON MAN
The best comic book movie of any other year. Robert Downey's triumphant comeback.
4. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Worth all the attention it has gotten. It hits on every note a film can (comedy, drama, tension, romance, music...)
5. THE EXPRESS
Now, I tend to like most football movies anyway, but even with that this is a true notch above. Rob Brown is one of the most underrated actors out there.
6. MILK
Stellar work by Sean Penn, and like The Express a thoroughly well made biopic.
7. DEFINITELY, MAYBE
Oh, why can't all romantic comedies be as charming, fresh, funny and Isla Fisher-packed as this one?
8. STOP-LOSS
The best of the Iraq war movies. This one packed a real wallop, and had fine acting all around.
9. QUANTUM OF SOLACE
Guess I'm in the minority, but I thought this was better than Casino Royale. A revenge-bent James Bond is a gripper.
10. WALL E
Another Pixar triumph. I thought the second half of the film in space was a little mundane, otherwise the film would be top five.
Honorable mentions:
-Lakeview Terrace, the most entertaining thriller of the year.
-Cloverfield & Quarantine. Both used the same hook of having all the action seemingly filmed by the characters, and I frankly thought both were terrific,
especially the often scary latter.
-Snow Angels, quietly powerful stuff
-Forgetting Sarah Marshall & Role Models. Only the former was actuallty from the Apatow factory, but both had the mix of laughs and heart.
-Religulous, Slacker Uprising, Man On Wire & Bigger, Stronger, Faster: the year's top documentaries
-The Happening. I'm telling you this film was superb!
-Valkyrie. Showed Tom Cruise still has it (except the right accent)
-Hancock & Jumper. Each were damn entertaining attempts at launching new franchises.
-The Incredible Hulk & Hellboy 2. Each were damn entertaining attempts to keep franchises going.
THE TEN WORST FILMS OF 2008
(this also warrants an asterisk cause I never saw Sex And The City)
1. MEET THE SPARTANS
So jaw-droppingly awful that it will surely become the topic of many a thesis paper on how not to make a movie.
2. MIRRORS
I felt bad for Kiefer Sutherland, that this was the best his agent could find for him to do between 24 seasons.
3. BANGKOK DANGEROUS
Nic Cage has had a few clunkers, but never like this.
4. BLINDNESS
Just an ugly, repugnant film that thought it was saying something profound.
5. 27 DRESSES
Oh, why must most romantic comedies be as superficial and lifeless and UNromantic as this?
6. PROM NIGHT
It's official. The teen slasher genre is back at square one.
7. MEET BILL
I can't even believe a screenplay this bad could get produced.
8. RAMBO
Makes the high quality of Rocky Balboa seem like a true miracle.
9. THE LOVE GURU
Mike Myers bottoms out...hopefully.
10. TRANSPORTER 3
Took an enjoyable franchise and took way everything that made it fun.
DIShonorable mentions (maybe not the year's other worsts but the biggest disappointments):
-W: Why did Olver Stone bother to just stage re-enactments of so many things we knew by heart already?
-Zack & Miri Make A Porno. It concerns me as a Kevin Smith diehard that this felt as desperate to be shocking as it did.
-Baby Mama. Pretty damn forgettable, I thought, despite Tina Fey's obvious talent.
-Frost/Nixon: Frank Langella is amazing, but am I really the only one who finds this a wholly inconsequential topic for a big time film?
2/10/09
Well, now I have seen all of the late 2008 films I wanted to (except for Defiance and Wendy and Lucy), and as expected my ten best lst has a few new entries:
1. The Dark Knight
2. Seven Pounds
3. Iron Man
4. Slumdog Millionaire
5. The Express
6. GRAN TORINO (I arguably like this the very best of all the great Clint Eastwood films of the last several years-yes, maybe even more than Million Dollar Baby! It does make some of the thugs into caricatures, but the main cast is excellent. I really was sprung on Ahney Her (I think that was her name, whoever played Sue) cause she was a near clone of this one ex-flame of mine. And if you can't enjoy Clint kicking ass one final time then I pity you.)
7. THE WRESTLER (Yes, a Darren Aronofsky film blew me away, the world has truly gone mad! Although I suspected he could do a good film if he actually told a story. Nothing too original about said story, but it didn't need to be. Mickey Rourke nails it, creating a self-destructive fuckup who you actually DO like, as opposed to characters like this that films always WANT you to like. The way his world crumbles in the 3rd act is so sad, culminating in a PERFECT ending, as good as any I have ever seen. Props to Marisa Tomei for staying in shape, and to Evan Rachel Wood, who hasn't received anywhere close to Tomei's praise but is her undeniable equal on screen)
8. Milk
9. Definitely, Maybe
10. Stop-Loss
1. The Dark Knight
2. Seven Pounds
3. Iron Man
4. Slumdog Millionaire
5. The Express
6. GRAN TORINO (I arguably like this the very best of all the great Clint Eastwood films of the last several years-yes, maybe even more than Million Dollar Baby! It does make some of the thugs into caricatures, but the main cast is excellent. I really was sprung on Ahney Her (I think that was her name, whoever played Sue) cause she was a near clone of this one ex-flame of mine. And if you can't enjoy Clint kicking ass one final time then I pity you.)
7. THE WRESTLER (Yes, a Darren Aronofsky film blew me away, the world has truly gone mad! Although I suspected he could do a good film if he actually told a story. Nothing too original about said story, but it didn't need to be. Mickey Rourke nails it, creating a self-destructive fuckup who you actually DO like, as opposed to characters like this that films always WANT you to like. The way his world crumbles in the 3rd act is so sad, culminating in a PERFECT ending, as good as any I have ever seen. Props to Marisa Tomei for staying in shape, and to Evan Rachel Wood, who hasn't received anywhere close to Tomei's praise but is her undeniable equal on screen)
8. Milk
9. Definitely, Maybe
10. Stop-Loss
With Doubt just outside the top ten. You won't find better ensemble acting.
Revolutionary Road was...ehhh...ok. Terrific acting of course, but the stars did better with Titanic, and Kate and Sam did suburban angst better each with Little Children and American Beauty respectively.
The Reader's sudden Oscar glory baffles me. Ok, Kate is great (although I secretly hope she doesn't win her Oscar for a subpar film), and so are Ralph Fiennes and Lena Olin. But face it, the first half hour of the film is simply soft core with a historical backdrop and the rest of the film is a half baked courtroom drama.
Benjamin Button I just saw this past weekend finally. I admired it more than I liked it. It's Forrest Gump without the pushy sentiment. Pitt's good, but his other Fincher collabos were much better. Loved Taraji, as I always have since Baby Boy. The ending was very sad, but I dunno, it just lacked something for me.
'09 REVIEWS
Notorious:
I'm an easy audience for this one, and I loved it. They nailed the casting, especially with Biggie and Kim (I'm crushin on Kim from this film). Even Angela Bassett nailed Biggie's mom's voice. Music aint bad either.![]()
Paul Blart: Mall Cop:
Too bad. Kevin James' movie career had begun so well with Hitch and I Now Pronouce You Chuck and Larry. But this was a low rent Happy Madison production
that isn't up to his talents. But its made tons of money so good for him.
Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans:
Well, I did enjoy Michael Sheen a lot more here than in Frost/Nixon. But w/o Kate Beckinsale this is instantly forgettable and probably should've been straight to DVD.
The Unborn:
Isn't terrible, but isn't a standout either. Odette Yustman is quite the dish, and Gary Oldman is good but you've seen it all before.
He's Just Not That Into You:
Mixed. Parts of it are as phony as any lousy romcom, where people speak in thesis statements. And nothing special about Jennifer Aniston (as usual acting as if in a sitcom) or Jennifer Connelly (who even in a light comedy is incapable of even cracking a smile-is she this miserable in real life???). But it's also got some unexpected depth in places, and some very strong performances from Justin Long, Ben Affleck, the welcomely normal Scarlett Johansson, and my future wife Ginnifer Goodwin, who I would TOTALLY call.
Revolutionary Road was...ehhh...ok. Terrific acting of course, but the stars did better with Titanic, and Kate and Sam did suburban angst better each with Little Children and American Beauty respectively.
The Reader's sudden Oscar glory baffles me. Ok, Kate is great (although I secretly hope she doesn't win her Oscar for a subpar film), and so are Ralph Fiennes and Lena Olin. But face it, the first half hour of the film is simply soft core with a historical backdrop and the rest of the film is a half baked courtroom drama.
Benjamin Button I just saw this past weekend finally. I admired it more than I liked it. It's Forrest Gump without the pushy sentiment. Pitt's good, but his other Fincher collabos were much better. Loved Taraji, as I always have since Baby Boy. The ending was very sad, but I dunno, it just lacked something for me.
'09 REVIEWS
Notorious:
I'm an easy audience for this one, and I loved it. They nailed the casting, especially with Biggie and Kim (I'm crushin on Kim from this film). Even Angela Bassett nailed Biggie's mom's voice. Music aint bad either.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop:Too bad. Kevin James' movie career had begun so well with Hitch and I Now Pronouce You Chuck and Larry. But this was a low rent Happy Madison production
that isn't up to his talents. But its made tons of money so good for him.
Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans:
Well, I did enjoy Michael Sheen a lot more here than in Frost/Nixon. But w/o Kate Beckinsale this is instantly forgettable and probably should've been straight to DVD.
The Unborn:
Isn't terrible, but isn't a standout either. Odette Yustman is quite the dish, and Gary Oldman is good but you've seen it all before.
He's Just Not That Into You:
Mixed. Parts of it are as phony as any lousy romcom, where people speak in thesis statements. And nothing special about Jennifer Aniston (as usual acting as if in a sitcom) or Jennifer Connelly (who even in a light comedy is incapable of even cracking a smile-is she this miserable in real life???). But it's also got some unexpected depth in places, and some very strong performances from Justin Long, Ben Affleck, the welcomely normal Scarlett Johansson, and my future wife Ginnifer Goodwin, who I would TOTALLY call.
2/19/09
OSCAR PICKS
Best Picture
Will win: Slumdog Millionaire
Should win: Slumdog, cause Dark Knight is not here.
Best Director
Will win: Danny Boyle
Should win: Boyle. That film was a hell of a project to put together.
Best Actor
Will win: Mickey Rourke. Either him or Penn, but my hunch is the big career comeback story trumps the whole prop 8 factor.
Should win: Frank Langella. It's close, but I still think his was the most amazing performance of the bunch.
Best Actress
Will win: Kate Winslet, who will join a long list of greats who won Oscars for the wrong films.
Should win: Anne Hathaway. In its de-glamorizing way this was her Halle/Charlize film, but the film itself didn't catch on enough to get the win.
Best Supporting Actor
Will win: Heath
Should win: Heath. I think even if he were alive he'd win this.
Best Supporting Actress
Will win: I'll still say Penelope Cruz but I'm thinking more and more this could be a Viola Davis win.
Should win: I really love all 5 here, but in the end Penelope elevated her film the most, narrowly edging out Taraji.
Will win: Slumdog Millionaire
Should win: Slumdog, cause Dark Knight is not here.
Best Director
Will win: Danny Boyle
Should win: Boyle. That film was a hell of a project to put together.
Best Actor
Will win: Mickey Rourke. Either him or Penn, but my hunch is the big career comeback story trumps the whole prop 8 factor.
Should win: Frank Langella. It's close, but I still think his was the most amazing performance of the bunch.
Best Actress
Will win: Kate Winslet, who will join a long list of greats who won Oscars for the wrong films.
Should win: Anne Hathaway. In its de-glamorizing way this was her Halle/Charlize film, but the film itself didn't catch on enough to get the win.
Best Supporting Actor
Will win: Heath
Should win: Heath. I think even if he were alive he'd win this.
Best Supporting Actress
Will win: I'll still say Penelope Cruz but I'm thinking more and more this could be a Viola Davis win.
Should win: I really love all 5 here, but in the end Penelope elevated her film the most, narrowly edging out Taraji.
2/22/09
OSCARS RECAP
Well, while I fully expect the annual whines about how terrible the Oscars were and how everything was awful, I'm here to say that as a production this was one of the finest I have ever seen.
First, what I didn't like:
I didn't like the way they presented the acting awards this time. Having past winners each talk about the nominees felt really irrelevant, as opposed to a
well-chosen clip from each film. I wanted to see what clip of Heath's they showed, for instance. I enjoyed some of what the presenters said, but I would hope this is a one time thing.
I wanted Mickey to win after the hilarious (and often profane) speech he gave at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday.
What I liked:
The rest. Seriously. Hugh Jackman was a much livelier host than expected. The pared down opening song and dance was clever.
The winners were all deserving, if predictable. I only got 3 categories wrong, and Penn over Rourke was the lone major award I missed. But at least his win and speech will piss off Bill O'Reilly and cause another of his homophobic rants.
Kate Winslet winning an Oscar is justified, but I still do wish she'd won for a better overall film. But now Anne Hathaway joins Natalie in the "future make good" category. Penelope Cruz was delicious.
The band didn't play anyone off stage! That has to be the surprise of the night, huh? They actually let people talk. I also liked how they grouped some of the similar awards together this time. It saved time.
I liked the montages, the 2008 yearbooks, especially the Pineapple Express one. The musical tribute was pretty good, cause Beyonce killed it and I got to see
my beloved Vanessa Hudgens.
Natalie looked gorgeous. Her bit was fun, even if Stiller ripped off the exact same thing some guy did at the Independent Spirit Awards yesterday (unless that too was Stiller...don't think so).
Freida Pinto? Most gorgeous woman on the planet. Case closed. End of story.
First, what I didn't like:
I didn't like the way they presented the acting awards this time. Having past winners each talk about the nominees felt really irrelevant, as opposed to a
well-chosen clip from each film. I wanted to see what clip of Heath's they showed, for instance. I enjoyed some of what the presenters said, but I would hope this is a one time thing.
I wanted Mickey to win after the hilarious (and often profane) speech he gave at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday.
What I liked:
The rest. Seriously. Hugh Jackman was a much livelier host than expected. The pared down opening song and dance was clever.
The winners were all deserving, if predictable. I only got 3 categories wrong, and Penn over Rourke was the lone major award I missed. But at least his win and speech will piss off Bill O'Reilly and cause another of his homophobic rants.
Kate Winslet winning an Oscar is justified, but I still do wish she'd won for a better overall film. But now Anne Hathaway joins Natalie in the "future make good" category. Penelope Cruz was delicious.
The band didn't play anyone off stage! That has to be the surprise of the night, huh? They actually let people talk. I also liked how they grouped some of the similar awards together this time. It saved time.
I liked the montages, the 2008 yearbooks, especially the Pineapple Express one. The musical tribute was pretty good, cause Beyonce killed it and I got to see
my beloved Vanessa Hudgens.
Natalie looked gorgeous. Her bit was fun, even if Stiller ripped off the exact same thing some guy did at the Independent Spirit Awards yesterday (unless that too was Stiller...don't think so).
Freida Pinto? Most gorgeous woman on the planet. Case closed. End of story.
3/1/09
PUSH
I LOVED director Paul McGuigan's Lucky Number Slevin a few years back, but this is not on that level. It earns points for not being based on a comic (at least nothing known) and for being a little bit low-tech. But it felt really thrown together, as if it was made up as they went along. Dakota Fanning is great
in a rare pure fun role and Djimon Hounsou is a solid villain. But Chris Evans just does not have the chops to carry a lead, and while she is gorgeous beyond words, I'm still waiting to see Camilla Belle give a PERFORMANCE that actually impresses.
TAKEN
This is ALL Liam Neeson. His class and gravitas elevates what in almost any other hands would be a very routine action movie. It's fun seeing him bash heads
while trying to save his daughter (Maggie Grace, looking, um, lost).
FANBOYS
It's ok, but it's telling that I am a very easy target for this film and thought it was just barely above par. It has some laughs and fun cameos (not from Lucas
though), and Kristen Bell is at her spunky best, but it does not tap into the pre-Phantom Menace nostalgia (which I recall quite well) and, ugh, it has Dan Fogler, who continues to make Jack Black look deep and subtle by comparison. So it's very average overall, and Starwoids is still the quintessential Star Wars
geek movie in my book.
DEAD LIKE ME: LIFE AFTER DEATH
A straight-to-dvd movie that pretty much wraps up the cancelled-too-soon Dead Like Me. I was a big fan of the series, but this movie version would only have
ranked as a middling entry in it.
THE VISITOR
A really nice film, led by the very deserving Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins. Has a subtle immigration message in there too.
FROZEN RIVER
Melissa Leo was good, and the story is interesting, but the story did not really grab me much.
TEETH
Whoo this was some nasty shit! A virginal high schooler (the swell Jess Weixler) has teeth in her hoo-hah and a handful of horny guys suffer for it. I'll tell ya, I can see limbs lopped off all day long and it doesn't faze me, but have a guy get his dick cut off and I feel faint. But this movie has some insane humor in it, and it IS fun. Plus Weixler is a mega crush-in-waiting.
HARSH TIMES
Christian Bale plays a volatile loose cannon. Wonder how they thought of him for the role! He's actually pretty mesmerizing as usual in what is essentially the middle film of David Ayer's "Streets Of L.A." trilogy, following Training Day and preceding last year's underrated Street Kings. Also very good is Freddy Rodriguez as his buddy and Eva Longoria does a good job with the thankless role of the girlfriend who gets left behind while the tough guys
go do tough things.
DADDY'S LITTLE GIRLS
Well I'm 2 for 2 on liking Tyler Perry movies. It's a simple story of a father (Idris Elba) trying to regain custody of his 3 daughters while also falling for the lawyer (smokin fine Gabrielle Union) helping him with the custody case. The movie is completely predictable and lays it on so thick with the mother that
it's basically parody (you never buy for a second that any judge would let these kids be near her) but the leads are terrific and it's all very charming.
TOWELHEAD
Not an easy film to like at all, or to forget. It's about an Arab-American girl (Summer Bishil, who thankfully is legal) and her sexual awakening in the suburbs.
She has a dictator father, a harpie mother (Maria Bello in a career worst performance) who doesn't want her, a neighbor (Aaron Eckhart) with the hots for
her, a school crush who's black and she's therefore forbidden to date, and lots of other messes to deal with. The quality of this film is all over the place, with the divine Bishil and the racial material being the highlights. It's a smart film it just didn't all work together, as often happens with novel
adaptations.
BATTLE IN SEATTLE
A docudrama set around WTO protests in Seattle in 1999. It's not terrible, and isn't that preachy, but it barely works as a film. Great cast though, with Michelle Rodriguez, Woody Harrelson, Ray Liotta, and Charlize Theron (who is in it cause her man Stuart Townsend directed the film)
I LOVED director Paul McGuigan's Lucky Number Slevin a few years back, but this is not on that level. It earns points for not being based on a comic (at least nothing known) and for being a little bit low-tech. But it felt really thrown together, as if it was made up as they went along. Dakota Fanning is great
in a rare pure fun role and Djimon Hounsou is a solid villain. But Chris Evans just does not have the chops to carry a lead, and while she is gorgeous beyond words, I'm still waiting to see Camilla Belle give a PERFORMANCE that actually impresses.
TAKEN
This is ALL Liam Neeson. His class and gravitas elevates what in almost any other hands would be a very routine action movie. It's fun seeing him bash heads
while trying to save his daughter (Maggie Grace, looking, um, lost).
FANBOYS
It's ok, but it's telling that I am a very easy target for this film and thought it was just barely above par. It has some laughs and fun cameos (not from Lucas
though), and Kristen Bell is at her spunky best, but it does not tap into the pre-Phantom Menace nostalgia (which I recall quite well) and, ugh, it has Dan Fogler, who continues to make Jack Black look deep and subtle by comparison. So it's very average overall, and Starwoids is still the quintessential Star Wars
geek movie in my book.
DEAD LIKE ME: LIFE AFTER DEATH
A straight-to-dvd movie that pretty much wraps up the cancelled-too-soon Dead Like Me. I was a big fan of the series, but this movie version would only have
ranked as a middling entry in it.
THE VISITOR
A really nice film, led by the very deserving Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins. Has a subtle immigration message in there too.
FROZEN RIVER
Melissa Leo was good, and the story is interesting, but the story did not really grab me much.
TEETH
Whoo this was some nasty shit! A virginal high schooler (the swell Jess Weixler) has teeth in her hoo-hah and a handful of horny guys suffer for it. I'll tell ya, I can see limbs lopped off all day long and it doesn't faze me, but have a guy get his dick cut off and I feel faint. But this movie has some insane humor in it, and it IS fun. Plus Weixler is a mega crush-in-waiting.
HARSH TIMES
Christian Bale plays a volatile loose cannon. Wonder how they thought of him for the role! He's actually pretty mesmerizing as usual in what is essentially the middle film of David Ayer's "Streets Of L.A." trilogy, following Training Day and preceding last year's underrated Street Kings. Also very good is Freddy Rodriguez as his buddy and Eva Longoria does a good job with the thankless role of the girlfriend who gets left behind while the tough guys
go do tough things.
DADDY'S LITTLE GIRLS
Well I'm 2 for 2 on liking Tyler Perry movies. It's a simple story of a father (Idris Elba) trying to regain custody of his 3 daughters while also falling for the lawyer (smokin fine Gabrielle Union) helping him with the custody case. The movie is completely predictable and lays it on so thick with the mother that
it's basically parody (you never buy for a second that any judge would let these kids be near her) but the leads are terrific and it's all very charming.
TOWELHEAD
Not an easy film to like at all, or to forget. It's about an Arab-American girl (Summer Bishil, who thankfully is legal) and her sexual awakening in the suburbs.
She has a dictator father, a harpie mother (Maria Bello in a career worst performance) who doesn't want her, a neighbor (Aaron Eckhart) with the hots for
her, a school crush who's black and she's therefore forbidden to date, and lots of other messes to deal with. The quality of this film is all over the place, with the divine Bishil and the racial material being the highlights. It's a smart film it just didn't all work together, as often happens with novel
adaptations.
BATTLE IN SEATTLE
A docudrama set around WTO protests in Seattle in 1999. It's not terrible, and isn't that preachy, but it barely works as a film. Great cast though, with Michelle Rodriguez, Woody Harrelson, Ray Liotta, and Charlize Theron (who is in it cause her man Stuart Townsend directed the film)
THE DESCENT
Another overhyped new horror "classic" that did nothing for me. Yeah, the film is competently acted and has some good gore, but such small victories
do not a great film make.
DISASTER MOVIE
Well, it's a whole lot better than Meet The Spartans. I actually laughed a few times at this one. Having demonic Alvin and the Chipmunks cannibalize Juno is funny. Actually the Juno actress here and her writing is pretty funny throughout. But the rest of the movie is another Friedberg/Seltzer grab-bag of poorly done parodies (High School Musical, Enchanted, Indiana Jones, Iron Man, etc.) and cruddy acting (once again we get the fugly ho skank Carmen Electra, this time
accompanied by attractive ho skank Kim Kardashian). But I believe the worst is over.
I REALLY HATE MY JOB
Neve Campbell was once my 2nd favorite actress behind Natalie, but this one would be a career ender if anyone saw it. Set at a London restaurant, this thing is
nothing more than a half dozen repellent women yelling at each other for 90 minutes. Neve takes her top off, but her rather icky breasts ruin that too. Oh
well, we'll always have Scream and Party Of Five.
Another overhyped new horror "classic" that did nothing for me. Yeah, the film is competently acted and has some good gore, but such small victories
do not a great film make.
DISASTER MOVIE
Well, it's a whole lot better than Meet The Spartans. I actually laughed a few times at this one. Having demonic Alvin and the Chipmunks cannibalize Juno is funny. Actually the Juno actress here and her writing is pretty funny throughout. But the rest of the movie is another Friedberg/Seltzer grab-bag of poorly done parodies (High School Musical, Enchanted, Indiana Jones, Iron Man, etc.) and cruddy acting (once again we get the fugly ho skank Carmen Electra, this time
accompanied by attractive ho skank Kim Kardashian). But I believe the worst is over.
I REALLY HATE MY JOB
Neve Campbell was once my 2nd favorite actress behind Natalie, but this one would be a career ender if anyone saw it. Set at a London restaurant, this thing is
nothing more than a half dozen repellent women yelling at each other for 90 minutes. Neve takes her top off, but her rather icky breasts ruin that too. Oh
well, we'll always have Scream and Party Of Five.
3/28/09
WATCHMEN: This past weekend I showed up too early for the movie I was gonna see, so I went and sat in Watchmen again for about 25 minutes. And I found it not bad. I suspect that watching any small part of the film is fine, but a few weeks earlier I saw this as a whole and found it to be a mess. Zack Snyder is a
terrible director. This is about as good as he can do. Jackie Earle Haley and Billy Crudup give great performances, but then we have the usually sharp Patrick Wilson, Matthew Goode and Malin Akerman doing awful work. I found myself completely uninterested in anything going on in the story. The satire is lame. But I
expected little anyway.
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC: To no surprise it's a trifle, and uninspired at that. But Isla Fisher is just divine beyond words. I love her. Not that I wish to spend a great deal of time defending this one, but claims that the movie glorifies reckless spending are baseless. Moral-wise this is perfect for the recession Bush left us.
I LOVE YOU, MAN: Damn funny and smart, the best comedy in a long time. I kinda got into this cause I can relate to the dilemma of Paul Rudd's character in
not having close guy friends. I've wondered myself who'd be my best man at my wedding. The whole cast is great, including Rashida Jones, who I'd like more if she didn't so closely resemble a cousin of mine.
KNOWING: Very disappointing. I'm not like the whiny critics who attack everything Nic Cage does cause he's not making movies FOR said whiny critics, and this is certainly better than Bangkok Dangerous. But as apocalyptic films go, this is not up to snuff. It also has an overbearing religious aspect to it that wasn't as nauseating as I'd expect, but that was essentially ripped off from Signs. Some crushingly boring stretches mix with some WAY over the
top acting from Cage and Rose Byrne in a career worst outing. The fx depiction of the end of the world is pretty amazing stuff though.
terrible director. This is about as good as he can do. Jackie Earle Haley and Billy Crudup give great performances, but then we have the usually sharp Patrick Wilson, Matthew Goode and Malin Akerman doing awful work. I found myself completely uninterested in anything going on in the story. The satire is lame. But I
expected little anyway.
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC: To no surprise it's a trifle, and uninspired at that. But Isla Fisher is just divine beyond words. I love her. Not that I wish to spend a great deal of time defending this one, but claims that the movie glorifies reckless spending are baseless. Moral-wise this is perfect for the recession Bush left us.
I LOVE YOU, MAN: Damn funny and smart, the best comedy in a long time. I kinda got into this cause I can relate to the dilemma of Paul Rudd's character in
not having close guy friends. I've wondered myself who'd be my best man at my wedding. The whole cast is great, including Rashida Jones, who I'd like more if she didn't so closely resemble a cousin of mine.
KNOWING: Very disappointing. I'm not like the whiny critics who attack everything Nic Cage does cause he's not making movies FOR said whiny critics, and this is certainly better than Bangkok Dangerous. But as apocalyptic films go, this is not up to snuff. It also has an overbearing religious aspect to it that wasn't as nauseating as I'd expect, but that was essentially ripped off from Signs. Some crushingly boring stretches mix with some WAY over the
top acting from Cage and Rose Byrne in a career worst outing. The fx depiction of the end of the world is pretty amazing stuff though.
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