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
Saturday, March 29, 2008
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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