Someone was trying to copy the success of Juno. They probably haven't done it, but they've made a perfectly enjoyable movie in the attempt. The way I actually described it to the friend I was seeing it with was "like Juno, except they're basically our age (college freshmen) instead of juniors in high school." One thing that threw me off was that the characters seem to be in high school but behave like they're at least 21, walking into and out of clubs and drinking like it's nothing. I didn't quite expect the mad rabbit-hole chase the movie gave (watch the gum) but it worked within the context and provided much of the film's momentum.
There were no truly glaring weaknesses, although a few emerge when you start thinking much about it. It's mostly errors of fact or realism that the film takes in stride and that don't often distract. A lot of the performances had the potential to fall into cliches, but most of them avoid the trap well. It more or less follows "teen romantic comedy" formula, but stays original in all the right ways.
Michael Cera is playing the same character he's been doing since Arrested Development, but he's getting better at it, more and more nuanced with each role. Kat Dennings is brilliant (and smoking hot) as always. Norah had a lot of potential to become one of several cliches -- poor little rich girl, the beautiful but insecure girl, or even a bitch bent on showing up a "frenemy" -- but Dennings avoids all of these deftly, delivering a believable and sympathetic performance that resonates with the audience. When she hurts, we hurt too, and when she's happy, we want to jump up and cheer. Ari Graynor is the standout as the drunk mess the leads spend most of the movie chasing after and caring for, providing a lot of the film's comic relief and committing completely to her role. It would have worked with less but it shines here. Aaron Yoo and Rafi Gavron give good performances as Nick's queercore bandmates Thom and Dev, and the rest of the small parts are at least adequate.
This movie may be nearly impenetrable to small children and older adults, and may be so to anyone who hasn't experienced the New York nightlife or an indie music scene, somewhere. But the initiated and slightly initiated will enjoy it. Not really necessary to see it in the theater, but if you don't, buy it on DVD.
Best Line: "Trust me, honey, Nick is worth the underwire."
Best Performance: Tie. Ari Graynor as the drunk mess friend or Kat Dennings as Norah, the female lead
Best Moment: It's near the end. Nick and Norah in the studio. Norah squeaks -- you'll know it when you see it.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
"The Happening" -- Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo
Not a terrible film, and one with a harrowing message. It exceeded my expectations, but my expectations were through the floor, so that isn't saying much. I left the theater feeling genuinely freaked out (the friend I saw it with sucks at comfort hugs). The message here is that we cannot abuse the planet forever; Mother Nature is going to fight back. However, the film definitely had its flaws, in plot, casting, and shooting. One of M. Night Shyamalan's strengths is in twisting shadows and silence and what you know is there but you're not seeing. He doesn't use this skill much here, and it's a detriment.
The science is sound in a few areas and ridiculous in one. Suspension of disbelief is required when the science is explained, and this film doesn't have the crutch of supernatural events -- or at least, it's trying not to. This is one of the films biggest flaws. Those with logical or scientific minds may find the entire film ruined when the mechanics of the toxin within the brain are explained. Without going into detail, it shuts off the human preservation instinct, causing people, somehow, to kill themselves. One would think that this would do something more like cause people to drink and drive, have unsafe sex, or, to stretch it a little, stop restraining their emotions, particularly anger with others. But apparently, it makes people with guns shoot themselves, and the people around them to, one by one, pick up the dead person's gun and shoot themselves as well. That sound you heard a few minutes ago, while I was still writing this? That was the sound of my eyeroll -- so powerful it generated a sonic boom.
There are some powerful images in this film, no doubt. The image of construction workers raining off the side of a building is haunting and evocative of 9/11. The gore and violence is understated, and you can see Shyamalan's fingerprints in how we rarely see more than maybe a teaspoon's worth of blood, but we know that, were the shot just a little wider, we would have seen something much more terrible. Sound and space, where Shyamalan chose to use them, were used to great effect. The sound of a distant scream is chilling, and the bustle of a city manages to have the same feeling as silence. The wind is imbued with, for lack of a better word, the emotion of the film, and seems to carry shrieks of anger. The problem, however, is that the movie around them just doesn't support the images enough. A few lines of the dialogue are flatly ridiculous, along with the glaringly incorrect science and the performances.
Zooey Deschanel's performance is bad, in a few cases distractingly so. One must wonder what Shyamalan was thinking casting the quirky, bubbly, brilliantly sarcastic Deschanel as a dissatisfied housewife, and whether he intended the audience to laugh out loud at some of her emotional displays. Mark Wahlberg also doesn't do nearly as well here as he does with the badass cop/criminal or the tortured sniper/rock star/astronaut/whatever, although he gives it his level best and certainly does better than Deschanel. John Leguizamo is very good, if not perfect, with no major flaws or weaknesses in his performance. Ashlyn Sanchez has a few wooden moments, but is perfectly good for a child actor. The bit players and smaller roles, however, are all brilliant. Betty Buckley manages a truly disturbing level of intensity as Mrs. Jones, and the various brief traveling companions we see are all excellently done. M. Night Shyamalan manages not to give himself a cameo, except in the credits as a character never seen on screen -- a show of restraint we're all grateful for.
I wouldn't take small children. The gore is mostly understated, but what we do see is deeply disturbing, and the plot is definitely too much for children or maybe even teenagers to handle. See it in the theater if you tend to like Shyamalan's work. Otherwise, rent the DVD.
Best line: "Plastic. I'm talking to a plastic plant. ...I'm still doing it."
Best performance: Betty Buckley
Best moment: Elliot has convinced a kid to take an interest in class by telling him that he looks perfect now, but the ears and nose grow a fraction of an inch every year. A minute later the kid, looking panicked, asks how much and Elliot reassures him that it's miniscule and he'll be a heartthrob all his life.
The science is sound in a few areas and ridiculous in one. Suspension of disbelief is required when the science is explained, and this film doesn't have the crutch of supernatural events -- or at least, it's trying not to. This is one of the films biggest flaws. Those with logical or scientific minds may find the entire film ruined when the mechanics of the toxin within the brain are explained. Without going into detail, it shuts off the human preservation instinct, causing people, somehow, to kill themselves. One would think that this would do something more like cause people to drink and drive, have unsafe sex, or, to stretch it a little, stop restraining their emotions, particularly anger with others. But apparently, it makes people with guns shoot themselves, and the people around them to, one by one, pick up the dead person's gun and shoot themselves as well. That sound you heard a few minutes ago, while I was still writing this? That was the sound of my eyeroll -- so powerful it generated a sonic boom.
There are some powerful images in this film, no doubt. The image of construction workers raining off the side of a building is haunting and evocative of 9/11. The gore and violence is understated, and you can see Shyamalan's fingerprints in how we rarely see more than maybe a teaspoon's worth of blood, but we know that, were the shot just a little wider, we would have seen something much more terrible. Sound and space, where Shyamalan chose to use them, were used to great effect. The sound of a distant scream is chilling, and the bustle of a city manages to have the same feeling as silence. The wind is imbued with, for lack of a better word, the emotion of the film, and seems to carry shrieks of anger. The problem, however, is that the movie around them just doesn't support the images enough. A few lines of the dialogue are flatly ridiculous, along with the glaringly incorrect science and the performances.
Zooey Deschanel's performance is bad, in a few cases distractingly so. One must wonder what Shyamalan was thinking casting the quirky, bubbly, brilliantly sarcastic Deschanel as a dissatisfied housewife, and whether he intended the audience to laugh out loud at some of her emotional displays. Mark Wahlberg also doesn't do nearly as well here as he does with the badass cop/criminal or the tortured sniper/rock star/astronaut/whatever, although he gives it his level best and certainly does better than Deschanel. John Leguizamo is very good, if not perfect, with no major flaws or weaknesses in his performance. Ashlyn Sanchez has a few wooden moments, but is perfectly good for a child actor. The bit players and smaller roles, however, are all brilliant. Betty Buckley manages a truly disturbing level of intensity as Mrs. Jones, and the various brief traveling companions we see are all excellently done. M. Night Shyamalan manages not to give himself a cameo, except in the credits as a character never seen on screen -- a show of restraint we're all grateful for.
I wouldn't take small children. The gore is mostly understated, but what we do see is deeply disturbing, and the plot is definitely too much for children or maybe even teenagers to handle. See it in the theater if you tend to like Shyamalan's work. Otherwise, rent the DVD.
Best line: "Plastic. I'm talking to a plastic plant. ...I'm still doing it."
Best performance: Betty Buckley
Best moment: Elliot has convinced a kid to take an interest in class by telling him that he looks perfect now, but the ears and nose grow a fraction of an inch every year. A minute later the kid, looking panicked, asks how much and Elliot reassures him that it's miniscule and he'll be a heartthrob all his life.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
"Wanted" -- James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman
My friend coined a term recently that applies pretty well to Wanted. NPR -- No Plot Required. Wanted had hot bodies, pretty guns, and fast cars, and I didn't expect or need any more from it, but I was definitely surprised. For a movie that looked the plotless, awesome fun, the plot was actually a little thicker than most movies of its like. It took a little while to get going, but once the film picked up it didn't drag or slow down again.
The action is brilliantly shot, as good as or better than many recent action films. The plot chokes itself a little in places, but you'll walk out of the theater going "OH! And then...and the...I GET IT!" This is one film where spoilers actually do spoil the ending, so I won't talk too in-depth about the plot, but it's got enough twists and turns to keep you occupied and on your toes, without ever being asinine. This would have been very, very easy to do wrong, but it all pulls together into a cohesive whole by the end of the film.
James McAvoy pretty much blew everyone else out of the water. Angelina Jolie is great, as always, along with Morgan Freeman, Common, and Marc Warren, but we've seen these other actors play these characters before. This is a new turn for McAvoy and he brings it off beautifully. He becomes the character completely in a role that probably wouldn't have worked with anything less. Also, I don't know how much physical training he went through for the role, but however much it was it definitely shows. He goes believably from pasty and skinny but fit to still creamy but built and strong. He fits the definition of a superhero, but it's still very easy to relate to him as a human.
The gore and action are fairly standard for an R-rated film in terms of quantity, but there are a few sequences pretty dizzyingly shot, definitely not for the weak of stomach or faint of heart. If you like hardcore action that makes you feel like you're really in it, however, this is definitely the film for you. See it in the theater at least once, and try to buy the DVD when it comes out.
Best Line: "They're all killers and they're very good at it so why don't you keep that gun pointed at me? There, that's better."
Best Performance: James McAvoy
Best Moment: When Fox steps aside to let Wesley past, giving him the best innocent-little-girl eyes I've seen in awhile. Alternately, it may be when Wesley slams a keyboard into his best friend's face.
The action is brilliantly shot, as good as or better than many recent action films. The plot chokes itself a little in places, but you'll walk out of the theater going "OH! And then...and the...I GET IT!" This is one film where spoilers actually do spoil the ending, so I won't talk too in-depth about the plot, but it's got enough twists and turns to keep you occupied and on your toes, without ever being asinine. This would have been very, very easy to do wrong, but it all pulls together into a cohesive whole by the end of the film.
James McAvoy pretty much blew everyone else out of the water. Angelina Jolie is great, as always, along with Morgan Freeman, Common, and Marc Warren, but we've seen these other actors play these characters before. This is a new turn for McAvoy and he brings it off beautifully. He becomes the character completely in a role that probably wouldn't have worked with anything less. Also, I don't know how much physical training he went through for the role, but however much it was it definitely shows. He goes believably from pasty and skinny but fit to still creamy but built and strong. He fits the definition of a superhero, but it's still very easy to relate to him as a human.
The gore and action are fairly standard for an R-rated film in terms of quantity, but there are a few sequences pretty dizzyingly shot, definitely not for the weak of stomach or faint of heart. If you like hardcore action that makes you feel like you're really in it, however, this is definitely the film for you. See it in the theater at least once, and try to buy the DVD when it comes out.
Best Line: "They're all killers and they're very good at it so why don't you keep that gun pointed at me? There, that's better."
Best Performance: James McAvoy
Best Moment: When Fox steps aside to let Wesley past, giving him the best innocent-little-girl eyes I've seen in awhile. Alternately, it may be when Wesley slams a keyboard into his best friend's face.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" -- Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell
Everything I hoped for and more than I expected. I went in thinking, "They can't do it. They can't possibly match the first one." But they did, and possibly even topped it.
All the actors are much better at their craft this time around. I thought they were very good for teen/child actors the first time around, but they're even better here, probably even capable of holding their own with the industry giants. The visual effects were great, in most cases better than in the first film. In the first film some of the animal characters looked a little cartoonish, like obvious CGI, but I didn't see that problem in this film. The script was well-written and the score was great, and the directing was top-notch. The plot is changed slightly from the book, but only the most hardcore of fans will be put out, and the spirit of the book is intact.
Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley have both matured immensely as actors. They were good in the first film but they were child actors, and I found flaws in their performances. The only child actor I've ever seen have basically no flaws in their performance was Rhiannon Leigh Wryn in The Last Mimzy, out of all the child actors I've ever seen, so obviously all child actors will be less than perfect, and they can still be very good and it's an accomplishment for a child under maybe 16 to be anything better than mediocre. Well, Skandar and Gerogie were under 16 during the making of the film, and they're great. I really can't find anything wrong with their performances, and Georgie manages nuances of character that I don't expect from anyone short of Meryl Streep.
Also, someone please tell me Anna Popplewell is a lesbian, because she is smoking hot. She gives and amazing performance as Susan, reprising her role perfectly. Her performance was excellent the first time around, so it should be taken as a compliment when I say she's copied it perfectly, and then deftly advanced it one year. William Moseley's done the same thing with Peter, copied his performance and added in the effects of being a High King for some fifteen years, no longer as willing to put up with small indignities, but possibly a better person for it.
I really can't think of a serious flaw. The movie is absorbing, well-acted, well-shot, and sure to be as well-loved as the first.
Best line: I'm actually having trouble thinking of one good line that carried the film or scene.
Best performance: Georgie Henley
Best moment: Edmund: "If they're smart they'll starve us out." Squirrel: "Ooh! We can collect nuts!" Mouse: "Oh yes! And then throw them at the Telmarines! Shut up."
All the actors are much better at their craft this time around. I thought they were very good for teen/child actors the first time around, but they're even better here, probably even capable of holding their own with the industry giants. The visual effects were great, in most cases better than in the first film. In the first film some of the animal characters looked a little cartoonish, like obvious CGI, but I didn't see that problem in this film. The script was well-written and the score was great, and the directing was top-notch. The plot is changed slightly from the book, but only the most hardcore of fans will be put out, and the spirit of the book is intact.
Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley have both matured immensely as actors. They were good in the first film but they were child actors, and I found flaws in their performances. The only child actor I've ever seen have basically no flaws in their performance was Rhiannon Leigh Wryn in The Last Mimzy, out of all the child actors I've ever seen, so obviously all child actors will be less than perfect, and they can still be very good and it's an accomplishment for a child under maybe 16 to be anything better than mediocre. Well, Skandar and Gerogie were under 16 during the making of the film, and they're great. I really can't find anything wrong with their performances, and Georgie manages nuances of character that I don't expect from anyone short of Meryl Streep.
Also, someone please tell me Anna Popplewell is a lesbian, because she is smoking hot. She gives and amazing performance as Susan, reprising her role perfectly. Her performance was excellent the first time around, so it should be taken as a compliment when I say she's copied it perfectly, and then deftly advanced it one year. William Moseley's done the same thing with Peter, copied his performance and added in the effects of being a High King for some fifteen years, no longer as willing to put up with small indignities, but possibly a better person for it.
I really can't think of a serious flaw. The movie is absorbing, well-acted, well-shot, and sure to be as well-loved as the first.
Best line: I'm actually having trouble thinking of one good line that carried the film or scene.
Best performance: Georgie Henley
Best moment: Edmund: "If they're smart they'll starve us out." Squirrel: "Ooh! We can collect nuts!" Mouse: "Oh yes! And then throw them at the Telmarines! Shut up."
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
"Iron Man" -- Robert Downey, Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow
The thing I heard about this before seeing it that I remember most is that Iron Man is "two hours of gadget porn." That's pretty accurate, and your inner eight-year-old will be positively horny the entire time. There's a long stretch of the film where there's little or no plot, but I really didn't care, because I was so wrapped up in the technology.
The best thing about it was if you have the money, pretty much everything depicted in this movie is probably possible and in use somewhere right now, and the things that aren't, probably will be within five years. Only two things stuck out to me as impossible, improbable, or impractical, and most things, such as Tony's terminally clumsy all-purpose robot (we see it with a claw to pick things up, holding a magnifying glass for Tony, and with a fire extinguisher in the testing of the suit), have the sense of reality to them like this really is happening somewhere, and if you only had enough money, you could have all these toys too.
I heard much debate and despair that Robert "Coke-boy" Downey, Jr. wouldn't be able to pull off the intense genius, but fans of the comic book will actually wish he would have gone more over the top on the playboy side of the character. He does, however, avoid the trap of the character that drinks heavily with no consequences or changes to his behavior, and as a movie character Downey's Stark works well (not to mention being quite fit and looking smoking hot in a sweaty wifebeater). Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane was an astute cast, as Bridges manages to be lovable and benevolent through the first half, then make us hate him when we need to. Gwyneth Paltrow is great as Pepper Potts, Tony's long-suffering and bitingly witty personal assistant. Terrence Howard, however, rises above as "Roadie," inhabiting the character completely. The character's thoughts and feelings are palpable without ever being overdone, and a scene comes to mind where you can see him physically shaking with relief, a great turn for any actor. The rest of the smaller roles range from great to adequate to, in a few cases, bad stereotype, but the larger actors make up for it.
Some of the movie is improbable or stupid, but these parts are easily forgivable because the rest of the movie is so awesome. A triumph for Marvel's first movie, and I expect it to keep grossing at a good clip until it leaves theaters. Definitely see it in the theater for the full effect, maybe even twice, then buy it on DVD when it comes out.
Best line: "If you douse me again when I'm not on fire, I will donate you to the city college."
Best performance: Terrence Howard
Best moment: Pepper walks in on Tony trying to get out of the suit. There's a moment of silence and he says "okay, let's face it, this is not the worst thing you've caught me doing."
The best thing about it was if you have the money, pretty much everything depicted in this movie is probably possible and in use somewhere right now, and the things that aren't, probably will be within five years. Only two things stuck out to me as impossible, improbable, or impractical, and most things, such as Tony's terminally clumsy all-purpose robot (we see it with a claw to pick things up, holding a magnifying glass for Tony, and with a fire extinguisher in the testing of the suit), have the sense of reality to them like this really is happening somewhere, and if you only had enough money, you could have all these toys too.
I heard much debate and despair that Robert "Coke-boy" Downey, Jr. wouldn't be able to pull off the intense genius, but fans of the comic book will actually wish he would have gone more over the top on the playboy side of the character. He does, however, avoid the trap of the character that drinks heavily with no consequences or changes to his behavior, and as a movie character Downey's Stark works well (not to mention being quite fit and looking smoking hot in a sweaty wifebeater). Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane was an astute cast, as Bridges manages to be lovable and benevolent through the first half, then make us hate him when we need to. Gwyneth Paltrow is great as Pepper Potts, Tony's long-suffering and bitingly witty personal assistant. Terrence Howard, however, rises above as "Roadie," inhabiting the character completely. The character's thoughts and feelings are palpable without ever being overdone, and a scene comes to mind where you can see him physically shaking with relief, a great turn for any actor. The rest of the smaller roles range from great to adequate to, in a few cases, bad stereotype, but the larger actors make up for it.
Some of the movie is improbable or stupid, but these parts are easily forgivable because the rest of the movie is so awesome. A triumph for Marvel's first movie, and I expect it to keep grossing at a good clip until it leaves theaters. Definitely see it in the theater for the full effect, maybe even twice, then buy it on DVD when it comes out.
Best line: "If you douse me again when I'm not on fire, I will donate you to the city college."
Best performance: Terrence Howard
Best moment: Pepper walks in on Tony trying to get out of the suit. There's a moment of silence and he says "okay, let's face it, this is not the worst thing you've caught me doing."
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" -- Jason Segel, Kristin Bell, Mila Kunis
I wasn't that excited after the trailers, but I think this movie is destined to go down as a classic. One thing I noticed was that it would have worked even if it wasn't funny -- which it was, but the entire film didn't rely on humor. There were several emotional moments, many of which would have been easy to temper with gags, maybe missed opportunities, but I think the film was better for resisting what was probably a pretty powerful urge.
It managed to be more mature than most other Apatow-clan comedies, but still managed to appeal to the juvenile in all of us (incidentally, Segel is a shower, not a grower). Personally, I probably could have done without the cockshots, but my aversion to penises in general probably didn't help that, and I laughed mostly because of the ballsiness (pun not intended, but it's a good one so let's keep it) of showing male frontal nudity not once, but four times in a film. The jokes and plot were actually original, some of which are probably destined to be copied for years.
Jason Segel wasn't bad, and actually managed to be a different character from who he was in Knocked Up (the only other role of his, unfortunately, that I've seen), something that's actually fairly rare -- most actors stick to a character type or at least carry some aspects through all their roles. Kristin Bell wasn't particularly special, but a good cast for the role and giver of a good performance. I enjoyed Mila Kunis as Rachel, the Hawaiian rebound (who coincidentally, was also mostly unrecognizable from most of her other roles -- certainly a good thing). Russell Brand was hilarious as Aldous Snow, and got probably the biggest laugh of the film. Most of the supporting actors were great, playing their characters perfectly and managing to be both lovable and funny when they needed to be. The only exception was Jonah Hill, who was really just annoying and made me want to punch him in the face. His is the only performance since Doomsday's Rhona Mitra that I really didn't care for in any way.
Obviously not for the kids, and I wouldn't even take a teenager. Get a babysitter or send them to see The Forbidden Kingdom. But for adults, especially young adults or people who've had some of the problems shown in this film, you will be very entertained, and be glad that you saw it in the theater.
Best line: "He refused a blowjob from his ex--mid-blowjob!"
Best performance: Russell Brand
Best moment: Aldous' face when Sarah faked an orgasm
It managed to be more mature than most other Apatow-clan comedies, but still managed to appeal to the juvenile in all of us (incidentally, Segel is a shower, not a grower). Personally, I probably could have done without the cockshots, but my aversion to penises in general probably didn't help that, and I laughed mostly because of the ballsiness (pun not intended, but it's a good one so let's keep it) of showing male frontal nudity not once, but four times in a film. The jokes and plot were actually original, some of which are probably destined to be copied for years.
Jason Segel wasn't bad, and actually managed to be a different character from who he was in Knocked Up (the only other role of his, unfortunately, that I've seen), something that's actually fairly rare -- most actors stick to a character type or at least carry some aspects through all their roles. Kristin Bell wasn't particularly special, but a good cast for the role and giver of a good performance. I enjoyed Mila Kunis as Rachel, the Hawaiian rebound (who coincidentally, was also mostly unrecognizable from most of her other roles -- certainly a good thing). Russell Brand was hilarious as Aldous Snow, and got probably the biggest laugh of the film. Most of the supporting actors were great, playing their characters perfectly and managing to be both lovable and funny when they needed to be. The only exception was Jonah Hill, who was really just annoying and made me want to punch him in the face. His is the only performance since Doomsday's Rhona Mitra that I really didn't care for in any way.
Obviously not for the kids, and I wouldn't even take a teenager. Get a babysitter or send them to see The Forbidden Kingdom. But for adults, especially young adults or people who've had some of the problems shown in this film, you will be very entertained, and be glad that you saw it in the theater.
Best line: "He refused a blowjob from his ex--mid-blowjob!"
Best performance: Russell Brand
Best moment: Aldous' face when Sarah faked an orgasm
Friday, April 11, 2008
"Street Kings" -- Keanu Reeves, Chris Evans, Forest Whitaker
Thick and hard to watch, but possibly better on a second viewing. The plot is thick and hard to follow unless you're paying very close attention, with lots of double-crosses, complicated characters and politics, and several false endings, some of them so asinine you half suspect they're screwing with you -- which they are, because here comes another ending. In fact, the whole movie paints such a bleak picture of humans in general and the LAPD in particular, that you think they must be screwing with you through the entire movie. There are enough twists, fakeouts, and deaths to break M. Night Shyamalan's brain.
The action itself is hard to watch, due to the crazed and frenetic style in which they're shot -- lots of shaky handheld cameras and louder-than-life gun blasts. It's actually somewhat poignant from an outside-looking-in view, true to what this kind of violence really is and should be portrayed as, but for entertainment value, the loud noises are annoying and the camerawork sacrifices neatness for style and just kinda makes you want to close your eyes.
Keanu Reeves and Hugh Laurie are brilliant, with Reeves turning in easily one of the best performances of his career. Laurie's part is small, but significant as the character pulling the strings for most of the movie, like a scruffy, cop-catching Tinkerbell. Forest Whitaker is king of the hill, as always, inhabiting his role as the one cop who seems to be clean among all the dirt, and climbing high because of it. The smaller roles, all the cops orbiting the main players, are all well-played, with each character bringing just enough of their flavor and skill to the role without stealing scenes (normally I approve of such a practice as scene-stealing, but in this film you need to pay close attention to the plot, and you don't have time to watch the pawns too closely). Chris Evans is great as Diskant, or "Disco," the slightly naive young cop from Internal Affairs who's trying to figure out what really happened in that convenience store that ends the first act -- if only so he can cover it up and help cover it up. Pretty much the only part of this movie's message that isn't dark is the brotherhood between cops, and it establishes well the sense of safety and camraderie among the police officers, who may fight like cats and dogs, but who mostly have each others' backs.
Not for the racially sensitive -- the movie begins with a comment about Koreans who "dress white, talk black, and drive Jew." Thick as the plot is, it's still full of holes and what seem to be ridiculous oversights on the part of the characters. Good for a few laughs, but if you're going to see it, hold out and buy the DVD -- you'll require multiple viewings to get the plot, and the big screen doesn't help the action, so much as makes it painful.
Acting: 8.5 of 10
Writing: 4 of 10
Direction: 4 of 10
SFX: 7.5 of 10
Overall: 6 of 10
The action itself is hard to watch, due to the crazed and frenetic style in which they're shot -- lots of shaky handheld cameras and louder-than-life gun blasts. It's actually somewhat poignant from an outside-looking-in view, true to what this kind of violence really is and should be portrayed as, but for entertainment value, the loud noises are annoying and the camerawork sacrifices neatness for style and just kinda makes you want to close your eyes.
Keanu Reeves and Hugh Laurie are brilliant, with Reeves turning in easily one of the best performances of his career. Laurie's part is small, but significant as the character pulling the strings for most of the movie, like a scruffy, cop-catching Tinkerbell. Forest Whitaker is king of the hill, as always, inhabiting his role as the one cop who seems to be clean among all the dirt, and climbing high because of it. The smaller roles, all the cops orbiting the main players, are all well-played, with each character bringing just enough of their flavor and skill to the role without stealing scenes (normally I approve of such a practice as scene-stealing, but in this film you need to pay close attention to the plot, and you don't have time to watch the pawns too closely). Chris Evans is great as Diskant, or "Disco," the slightly naive young cop from Internal Affairs who's trying to figure out what really happened in that convenience store that ends the first act -- if only so he can cover it up and help cover it up. Pretty much the only part of this movie's message that isn't dark is the brotherhood between cops, and it establishes well the sense of safety and camraderie among the police officers, who may fight like cats and dogs, but who mostly have each others' backs.
Not for the racially sensitive -- the movie begins with a comment about Koreans who "dress white, talk black, and drive Jew." Thick as the plot is, it's still full of holes and what seem to be ridiculous oversights on the part of the characters. Good for a few laughs, but if you're going to see it, hold out and buy the DVD -- you'll require multiple viewings to get the plot, and the big screen doesn't help the action, so much as makes it painful.
Acting: 8.5 of 10
Writing: 4 of 10
Direction: 4 of 10
SFX: 7.5 of 10
Overall: 6 of 10
Saturday, April 5, 2008
"The Ruins" - Jonathan Tucker, Shawn Ashmore, Jena Malone
Speaking as someone who doesn't really like horror movies, I liked this. It was scary rather than startling (although it did that a few times too), but still not so scary as to give a person nightmares. The only reason I usually like horror movies is because it's the only genre in which the bad guy consistently wins, and on that count this movie fails -- not to say that the good guys win (see the movie to figure that out), but that the bad guy was a...plant. I don't really care if the plant wins (even if it is a pretty awesome plant). The bad guys could also be interpreted to be the Mayans, but their only clearly established goal is a sustained thing, and thus there really is no win or loss for them.
The plot was pretty formulaic and predictable -- enemy introduction, character introduction, seeds of conflict, off on the adventure, things go wrong, death/injury, something else goes wrong, death/injury, conflict erupts facilitated by enemy...etc. All I know about horror script writing is the two or three other horror movies I've seen, and I even I could see the clear formula. Still, the details are reasonably creative, the special effects are reasonably good (some obvious CGI but that's not terribly surprising and mostly forgivable, and some seriously rocking sound effects to make up for it), and there's touches of dark humor in just the right places.
The performances and directing were mostly good. I felt like Joe Anderson could have done much better as Mathias, the fifth-wheel German tourist who actually leads the group to the ruins, following his brother and an archaeologist who "should have been back by now." His introduction was cute but improbable and kindof stupid, and there were many better ways to have handled it, without even changing the actual lines said. Jonathan Tucker was good in what I hope will be a breakout role for him. Jena Malone was good as well, once again expanding herself beyond what she's been playing before and rising clearly above her peers as the best actress in the bunch. Laura Ramsey was good, but choosing another horror role for her second major film was probably a mistake. As for Shawn Ashmore, the only thing I can think of was he was trying to expand himself like Jena Malone was. The trouble is, he failed. Instead of playing a somewhat naive but serious kid, he was trying to play a slightly naughty, adventurous and ready-for-anything party guy. He failed and came off just kindof a dumbass, despite having a couple of the best-written and best-delivered lines.
Obviously don't bring your small children, but if you don't mind some gore, the plot is probably safe for anyone over the age of ten. See it in the theater to get the full effect, and rent the DVD when it comes out. Especially if you don't work with plants a lot, it will be easy to distance yourself if you want to, so non-horror-fans will probably enjoy this movie, if for nothing else but the effects and Jena Malone's performance.
Acting: 8.5 of 10
Writing: 4 of 10
Direction: 6.5 of 10
SFX: 10 of 10
Overall: 7.5 of 10
The plot was pretty formulaic and predictable -- enemy introduction, character introduction, seeds of conflict, off on the adventure, things go wrong, death/injury, something else goes wrong, death/injury, conflict erupts facilitated by enemy...etc. All I know about horror script writing is the two or three other horror movies I've seen, and I even I could see the clear formula. Still, the details are reasonably creative, the special effects are reasonably good (some obvious CGI but that's not terribly surprising and mostly forgivable, and some seriously rocking sound effects to make up for it), and there's touches of dark humor in just the right places.
The performances and directing were mostly good. I felt like Joe Anderson could have done much better as Mathias, the fifth-wheel German tourist who actually leads the group to the ruins, following his brother and an archaeologist who "should have been back by now." His introduction was cute but improbable and kindof stupid, and there were many better ways to have handled it, without even changing the actual lines said. Jonathan Tucker was good in what I hope will be a breakout role for him. Jena Malone was good as well, once again expanding herself beyond what she's been playing before and rising clearly above her peers as the best actress in the bunch. Laura Ramsey was good, but choosing another horror role for her second major film was probably a mistake. As for Shawn Ashmore, the only thing I can think of was he was trying to expand himself like Jena Malone was. The trouble is, he failed. Instead of playing a somewhat naive but serious kid, he was trying to play a slightly naughty, adventurous and ready-for-anything party guy. He failed and came off just kindof a dumbass, despite having a couple of the best-written and best-delivered lines.
Obviously don't bring your small children, but if you don't mind some gore, the plot is probably safe for anyone over the age of ten. See it in the theater to get the full effect, and rent the DVD when it comes out. Especially if you don't work with plants a lot, it will be easy to distance yourself if you want to, so non-horror-fans will probably enjoy this movie, if for nothing else but the effects and Jena Malone's performance.
Acting: 8.5 of 10
Writing: 4 of 10
Direction: 6.5 of 10
SFX: 10 of 10
Overall: 7.5 of 10
Saturday, March 29, 2008
"21" -- Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey
A good movie about an awesome story. I've been hearing this story told over and over pretty much since it happened in the early 90's, so I was excited to see it on screen, and, for the most part, it didn't let me down. The movie is actually based on a book called Bringing Down the House, which is based on the true story. I haven't read the book, but the movie doesn't stray too far from the real story, so I assume it's pretty faithful. I mean, they added a bad guy and changed some details, but overall it's the same story.
The movie did not begin well, but by the second act it picked up. The beginning of the movie's biggest problem was that it assumed you knew what the movie was about and that you had already seen a lot of press for it, or at least knew the plot beyond what they had changed from the original story. Movies should never do that. You need to assume that your audience knows nothing, or some people watching will be confused. Then, it got worse by spending at least ten minutes on the main character's refusal to join the blackjack team. This is either assuming we know nothing of the plot or it's a cheap trick to get us involved by making us yell at the screen. The filmmakers needed to assume we knew or we didn't, not change their minds halfway through the first act. The end result was that it was tedious and unnecessary, and felt like filler in a movie that would have been a fine length if ten minutes were taken out. There was little to no character development in this time -- one thing you can assume the audience knows is that the geek wants the pretty girl.
However, it picks up in the second act, and managed to make the main character's training and memorization exercises interesting. You felt like you were right there next to him, and more than once did I hear murmuring of the number around the theater when someone said the code word. The third act managed to throw four or five twists at you without ever being asinine, an amazing feat. Double and triple-crosses and an ending with a professor with a truly priceless expression on his face.
Kevin Spacey is great and believable as Mickey Rosa, the eccentric chalk-throwing math professor (we've all had some of those, no?) who's willing to do whatever he needs to to get his money. Jim Sturgess is good as the geeky Ben (becoming Stanislav Stupnitsky on the weekends), and Laurence Fishburne, as usual, inhabits his role as a brutish enforcer being pushed out by better technology. Kate Bosworth is adequate as Jill, the prettiest girl at MIT, and Aaron Yoo and Liza Lapira give scene-stealing performances as Choi and Kianna, but the racially sensitive may only see the token Asians in an environment that should probably be all or mostly Asian.
I would highly recommend buying this on DVD when it comes out. It's not necessary to see it on the big screen, but I'd also recommend seeing it in the theater just to feel other people's reactions and to see it sooner. The special effects and soundtrack are minimal, but effective, and the realistic Vegas sets put you right in the action.
Acting: 8 of 10
SFX: 7 of 10
Writing: 10 of 10
Directing: 8 of 10
Overall: 8 of 10
The movie did not begin well, but by the second act it picked up. The beginning of the movie's biggest problem was that it assumed you knew what the movie was about and that you had already seen a lot of press for it, or at least knew the plot beyond what they had changed from the original story. Movies should never do that. You need to assume that your audience knows nothing, or some people watching will be confused. Then, it got worse by spending at least ten minutes on the main character's refusal to join the blackjack team. This is either assuming we know nothing of the plot or it's a cheap trick to get us involved by making us yell at the screen. The filmmakers needed to assume we knew or we didn't, not change their minds halfway through the first act. The end result was that it was tedious and unnecessary, and felt like filler in a movie that would have been a fine length if ten minutes were taken out. There was little to no character development in this time -- one thing you can assume the audience knows is that the geek wants the pretty girl.
However, it picks up in the second act, and managed to make the main character's training and memorization exercises interesting. You felt like you were right there next to him, and more than once did I hear murmuring of the number around the theater when someone said the code word. The third act managed to throw four or five twists at you without ever being asinine, an amazing feat. Double and triple-crosses and an ending with a professor with a truly priceless expression on his face.
Kevin Spacey is great and believable as Mickey Rosa, the eccentric chalk-throwing math professor (we've all had some of those, no?) who's willing to do whatever he needs to to get his money. Jim Sturgess is good as the geeky Ben (becoming Stanislav Stupnitsky on the weekends), and Laurence Fishburne, as usual, inhabits his role as a brutish enforcer being pushed out by better technology. Kate Bosworth is adequate as Jill, the prettiest girl at MIT, and Aaron Yoo and Liza Lapira give scene-stealing performances as Choi and Kianna, but the racially sensitive may only see the token Asians in an environment that should probably be all or mostly Asian.
I would highly recommend buying this on DVD when it comes out. It's not necessary to see it on the big screen, but I'd also recommend seeing it in the theater just to feel other people's reactions and to see it sooner. The special effects and soundtrack are minimal, but effective, and the realistic Vegas sets put you right in the action.
Acting: 8 of 10
SFX: 7 of 10
Writing: 10 of 10
Directing: 8 of 10
Overall: 8 of 10
Sunday, March 23, 2008
"Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day" -- Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Shirley Henderson
An enjoyable period romance with great performances on all sides. I didn't have any real thoughts or expectations going in, because I hadn't read much press on the movie or heard much about it, beyond seeing the trailers for it in the theater seeing other films. Interestingly, the bulk of the movie does actually take place in one day, which was a somewhat interesting approach to a romance movie -- especially a romantic comedy, the lifeblood of which is usually the buildup and awkward mishaps in the beginning of a relationship.
The story is a fairly classic one as far as romantic comedies go, but the film manages not to feel like most of its kin do: overproduced, too formulaic, stars with the same performance they gave in their last film, just another chick flick churned out from the Hollywood machine. Miss Pettigrew has an entirely original feel, a refreshing change from the same romantic comedy that we've pretty much seen twenty times before (I'm looking at you, 27 Dresses).
Frances McDormand is typecast yet again as the frumpy governess, but she turns in a lovely performance as Miss Guinevere Pettigrew, a vicar's stubborn daughter and down-on-her-luck governess who becomes the new "social secretary" of a young, pretty actress trying to make it big in London's West End. She goes from a conservative, hard-headed woman who is kicked out of her job agency and goes into a silent snit at a suggestive comment, to a more relaxed, more enlightened, happier woman. Amy Adams is the flighty Delysia LaFosse, an American singer and actress who, when we first meet her, is fresh from bed with a big producer -- well, a producer -- well, the son of a producer. At times she goes a little over-the-top, but it actually contrasts well with the more honest moments with Miss Pettigrew and the man she loves (a different man from the producer, who is a different man from who she lives with), giving a performance that seems like a person who has to act and pretend so often that she does it all the time. Shirley Henderson gives an understated but blindingly brilliant performance as the shrewish Edythe DuBarry. The cast is rounded out with Tom Payne, Lee Pace, and Mark Strong, Delysia's three love interests, and Ciaran Hinds, the love interest of Edythe and Miss Pettigrew.
Overall, if you get a chance to see this in the theater, do so, but if not, certainly buy the DVD. It is a bit of a chick flick, but men will enjoy it too, and it makes for a great date movie. The great 30's jazz and swing soundtrack and excellent sets, costumes, and bit players round out a highly enjoyable movie. It's worth it solely for Shirley Henderson, who is once again underused, but brilliant with what she's given.
Acting: 10 of 10
Writing: 9 of 10
Direction: 8 of 10
SFX: 8.5 of 10
Overall: 9 of 10
The story is a fairly classic one as far as romantic comedies go, but the film manages not to feel like most of its kin do: overproduced, too formulaic, stars with the same performance they gave in their last film, just another chick flick churned out from the Hollywood machine. Miss Pettigrew has an entirely original feel, a refreshing change from the same romantic comedy that we've pretty much seen twenty times before (I'm looking at you, 27 Dresses).
Frances McDormand is typecast yet again as the frumpy governess, but she turns in a lovely performance as Miss Guinevere Pettigrew, a vicar's stubborn daughter and down-on-her-luck governess who becomes the new "social secretary" of a young, pretty actress trying to make it big in London's West End. She goes from a conservative, hard-headed woman who is kicked out of her job agency and goes into a silent snit at a suggestive comment, to a more relaxed, more enlightened, happier woman. Amy Adams is the flighty Delysia LaFosse, an American singer and actress who, when we first meet her, is fresh from bed with a big producer -- well, a producer -- well, the son of a producer. At times she goes a little over-the-top, but it actually contrasts well with the more honest moments with Miss Pettigrew and the man she loves (a different man from the producer, who is a different man from who she lives with), giving a performance that seems like a person who has to act and pretend so often that she does it all the time. Shirley Henderson gives an understated but blindingly brilliant performance as the shrewish Edythe DuBarry. The cast is rounded out with Tom Payne, Lee Pace, and Mark Strong, Delysia's three love interests, and Ciaran Hinds, the love interest of Edythe and Miss Pettigrew.
Overall, if you get a chance to see this in the theater, do so, but if not, certainly buy the DVD. It is a bit of a chick flick, but men will enjoy it too, and it makes for a great date movie. The great 30's jazz and swing soundtrack and excellent sets, costumes, and bit players round out a highly enjoyable movie. It's worth it solely for Shirley Henderson, who is once again underused, but brilliant with what she's given.
Acting: 10 of 10
Writing: 9 of 10
Direction: 8 of 10
SFX: 8.5 of 10
Overall: 9 of 10
Saturday, March 22, 2008
"Jumper" - Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson, Jamie Bell
An enjoyable movie, but falls short in a few places. I hadn't seen too much of the press on this movie going in, but I wish I had, because I would have gone to see it much sooner. An interesting premise for a movie, with good actors, great effects, and decent overall directing and execution.
Possibly Jumper's biggest problem is that it tries to be too many things at once. It executes most of them pretty well, but around the third act it starts to stretch a little far. It's an interesting (if not completely original) sci-fi premise, with the look and sound of an action movie, and the feel of a drama. There's touches of comedy and horror and even the growing genre of "teen film" too, making a movie that's apparently supposed to appeal to all audience members. The final product of all these bastardized bits and pieces is a film that ends up only accomplishing two (maybe -- MAYBE -- three) of these six goals well, attempting the rest with mediocre or entirely poor results. The story, however, holds together well, with a nonconventional structure to the story that works pretty well nonetheless, and acting and directing that are at least adequate, at best very good. If nothing else the special effects are superb.
It's really a shame that Hayden Christensen got a bad rap after Star Wars, because he's really not a bad actor. He's not on a level with Meryl Streep or Al Pacino, but he holds his own quite well with his costars -- including Samuel L. Jackson, who I felt wasn't at his best. Maybe it was the ridiculous scars and improbably white hair, but I just didn't believe him, and a character we were supposed to hate and fear became...kindof annoying. Rachel Bilson (and her young counterpart, Annasophia Robb) gave great performances as Millie, the girl-next-door and dreamer-turned-barmaid. Jamie Bell was nothing terribly special, but adequate in his role.
The bottom line is that Jumper tries to be too many things at once and falls short in the third act (bits of which felt like a desperate rewrite after bad test screenings or a higher rating), but the first two acts are very good, and if you don't go in with too high of expectations you'll enjoy the film.
Acting: 9 of 10
Writing: 7 of 10
Direction: 9 of 10
SFX: 10 of 10
Overall: 8 of 10
Possibly Jumper's biggest problem is that it tries to be too many things at once. It executes most of them pretty well, but around the third act it starts to stretch a little far. It's an interesting (if not completely original) sci-fi premise, with the look and sound of an action movie, and the feel of a drama. There's touches of comedy and horror and even the growing genre of "teen film" too, making a movie that's apparently supposed to appeal to all audience members. The final product of all these bastardized bits and pieces is a film that ends up only accomplishing two (maybe -- MAYBE -- three) of these six goals well, attempting the rest with mediocre or entirely poor results. The story, however, holds together well, with a nonconventional structure to the story that works pretty well nonetheless, and acting and directing that are at least adequate, at best very good. If nothing else the special effects are superb.
It's really a shame that Hayden Christensen got a bad rap after Star Wars, because he's really not a bad actor. He's not on a level with Meryl Streep or Al Pacino, but he holds his own quite well with his costars -- including Samuel L. Jackson, who I felt wasn't at his best. Maybe it was the ridiculous scars and improbably white hair, but I just didn't believe him, and a character we were supposed to hate and fear became...kindof annoying. Rachel Bilson (and her young counterpart, Annasophia Robb) gave great performances as Millie, the girl-next-door and dreamer-turned-barmaid. Jamie Bell was nothing terribly special, but adequate in his role.
The bottom line is that Jumper tries to be too many things at once and falls short in the third act (bits of which felt like a desperate rewrite after bad test screenings or a higher rating), but the first two acts are very good, and if you don't go in with too high of expectations you'll enjoy the film.
Acting: 9 of 10
Writing: 7 of 10
Direction: 9 of 10
SFX: 10 of 10
Overall: 8 of 10
Sunday, March 16, 2008
"Doomsday" - Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins, David O'Hara
A lot better than I expected. But then, I went in expecting shit, so that's not saying too much. Doomsday looked pretty ridiculous and I went to see it as a backup because my first choice movie wasn't playing yet. I anticipated watching some pretty pictures for a couple hours, with maybe some hot girls thrown in.
Instead, I was met with an interesting and coherent story with characters I cared about and felt the need to root for. It starts emotional, goes hardcore action, and then gets the political stuff done a few minutes in, after you're already hooked. I cried about five minutes in, was gasping in horror by eight minutes, and knew whose side I was on within twelve minutes of the opening title.
I felt like I wasn't watching the same cardboard cutouts I'd seen before, although there were clear archetypes -- the badass female commander, the Machiavellian politician, the grizzled old mentor -- the actors mostly bright good performances to their roles that made you think "person" and not "character." The only exception was Rhona Mitra, the lead actress. I'm not sure if Rhona Mitra is just a bad actress, this wasn't the right role for her, or even if the director didn't quite know what to do with a female performer. Either way, the movie could have been great with a better performance from the female lead.
A few cult faces in small roles, which was a fun little thrill. Nora-Jane Noone of The Descent and Magdalene Sisters played a small role as a soldier killed early on, and MyAnna Buring (Doctor Who fans will recognize the face of Scooti Manista) had a somewhat substantial role in the second half of the movie as well.
EXTREMELY graphic, both in violence and depictions of the disease. I kept expecting a boulder to roll over on someone, leaving only a blot of gore. A rabbit was shot to liquid with a machine gun, a cow was run over with a tank, multiple people were graphically shot or run over with vehicles, a child lost an eye on screen, a person was cooked alive and eaten, and those with the disease, the Reaper virus, vomited a lot and were covered in boils. Apparently the most virulent form of infection was blood contact, because they showed infected blood splashing on people to infect them on multiple occasions. Don't go if you have a weak stomach, and don't take your small children.
Acting: 6 of 10
Writing: 7.5 of 10
Direction: 9 of 10
SFX: 8.5 of 10
Overall: 7 of 10
Instead, I was met with an interesting and coherent story with characters I cared about and felt the need to root for. It starts emotional, goes hardcore action, and then gets the political stuff done a few minutes in, after you're already hooked. I cried about five minutes in, was gasping in horror by eight minutes, and knew whose side I was on within twelve minutes of the opening title.
I felt like I wasn't watching the same cardboard cutouts I'd seen before, although there were clear archetypes -- the badass female commander, the Machiavellian politician, the grizzled old mentor -- the actors mostly bright good performances to their roles that made you think "person" and not "character." The only exception was Rhona Mitra, the lead actress. I'm not sure if Rhona Mitra is just a bad actress, this wasn't the right role for her, or even if the director didn't quite know what to do with a female performer. Either way, the movie could have been great with a better performance from the female lead.
A few cult faces in small roles, which was a fun little thrill. Nora-Jane Noone of The Descent and Magdalene Sisters played a small role as a soldier killed early on, and MyAnna Buring (Doctor Who fans will recognize the face of Scooti Manista) had a somewhat substantial role in the second half of the movie as well.
EXTREMELY graphic, both in violence and depictions of the disease. I kept expecting a boulder to roll over on someone, leaving only a blot of gore. A rabbit was shot to liquid with a machine gun, a cow was run over with a tank, multiple people were graphically shot or run over with vehicles, a child lost an eye on screen, a person was cooked alive and eaten, and those with the disease, the Reaper virus, vomited a lot and were covered in boils. Apparently the most virulent form of infection was blood contact, because they showed infected blood splashing on people to infect them on multiple occasions. Don't go if you have a weak stomach, and don't take your small children.
Acting: 6 of 10
Writing: 7.5 of 10
Direction: 9 of 10
SFX: 8.5 of 10
Overall: 7 of 10
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