David Morse screams serial killer and so having a movie in which he plays one (or a potential one) is about as thrilling as taking out the trash. If you watched the trailer for Disturbia then it basically gave away the major plot point which is unfortunate but it didn't give away how it gets to that plot point. It is that which makes this movie enjoyable to see. It spends a lot of time following Shia LaBeouf's Kale.
Kale is a teenager with angst but the movie gives a fairly unexpected reason for said angst. A quick set up has us following Kale around his house as he is under house arrest for three months. His fed up mom (Carrie-Anne Moss) cuts off his X-Box and his Itunes and Kale starts to go a little stir crazy. That is until he starts watching the neighbors, especially his new attractive female neighbor. To be fair his voyeurism is a big creepy and I'm not sure the watched girl would respond the way she does but in this universe she decides she likes Kale.
It is only after this rather lengthy set-up that we finally move into the thriller part of the movie. Its fairly traditional and follows the guidelines Hollywood set down long ago. Its passable in all this, nothing spectacular happens but it doesn't totally foul it up. For me the movie worked because it spent time in the build up. In the end I enjoyed watching this film. I certainly won't buy it, or likely ever watch it again but for an hour and a half it kept me entertained.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Pathfinder
Pathfinder had two things going for it. The theater I saw it in was empty save for me and my friend and it starred Clancy Brown. Unfortunately I didn't know it was Clancy Brown and he was speaking in Viking(?) the whole time. But the fact that the theater was empty is still a plus. One, it gives me hope that all considerations of quality are not gone from this world. Two, it meant I could make all the jokes at the screen that I wanted.
This film was simply horrible. Caricatured noble savages, tough but apparently incredibly stupid enemies and a ridiculous amount of conveniences and telegraphed set ups abound in this film. Its like watch a poor man's Conan. At least Conan had a plot that made mild sense. Karl Urban is trying desperately to eek out a living as an action star but sadly he lacks one key factor. My vague recollection of the Lord of the Rings trilogy makes me think he was an okay Eomer but since then he has underwhelmed me in everything I've seen.
And back to Clancy Brown. Seriously how can any film hide Clancy Brown behind bulky armor and a helmet. He's Clancy f---ing Brown, don't they understand that? You don't hide Drill Instructor Zim behind a mask, you put him out front chewing up scenery and emoting like you never saw no b-list actor emote before. This is a film travesty of significant importance, just like in Final Destination 3 when there was no Tony Todd. What were they thinking?
This film was simply horrible. Caricatured noble savages, tough but apparently incredibly stupid enemies and a ridiculous amount of conveniences and telegraphed set ups abound in this film. Its like watch a poor man's Conan. At least Conan had a plot that made mild sense. Karl Urban is trying desperately to eek out a living as an action star but sadly he lacks one key factor. My vague recollection of the Lord of the Rings trilogy makes me think he was an okay Eomer but since then he has underwhelmed me in everything I've seen.
And back to Clancy Brown. Seriously how can any film hide Clancy Brown behind bulky armor and a helmet. He's Clancy f---ing Brown, don't they understand that? You don't hide Drill Instructor Zim behind a mask, you put him out front chewing up scenery and emoting like you never saw no b-list actor emote before. This is a film travesty of significant importance, just like in Final Destination 3 when there was no Tony Todd. What were they thinking?
Monday, April 16, 2007
I put two and two together and decided you're pissing me off
Back in the days when I had free access to cable (either my parents' or one of my friends') I could watch Adult Swim on tv. One of the odd ball comedies was Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Roughly twelve minutes of comedic insanity that would have dialogue that would just resonate in me and have me repeating it over and over again even though it wasn't all that funny out of context. "Yeah, it is a good morning, it's three in the morning!" That still makes me laugh.
So when I heard that Aqua Teen Hunger Force was going to be a movie, I...well to be honest I thought it sounded like a pretty bad idea. How can a show that is funny in bits of 10 going to sustain itself over 80 minutes? Well sadly this is a question that will remain unanswered because this movie could in fact not hold up for that long. Sure the movie is crammed full of many of the favorites of the show, the Moonanites, the Plutonians, Carl but it just isn't that funny. I would have been better served by just watching a marathon of episodes.
So when I heard that Aqua Teen Hunger Force was going to be a movie, I...well to be honest I thought it sounded like a pretty bad idea. How can a show that is funny in bits of 10 going to sustain itself over 80 minutes? Well sadly this is a question that will remain unanswered because this movie could in fact not hold up for that long. Sure the movie is crammed full of many of the favorites of the show, the Moonanites, the Plutonians, Carl but it just isn't that funny. I would have been better served by just watching a marathon of episodes.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
The Namesake
The Namesake is a film directed by Mira Nair following the Ganguli family over a period of about twenty five years. The film starts with Ashoke Ganguli (Irfan Kahn) who is a bookish young man who prefers to read over travel. A train accident makes him change his mind and the book he was reading when it occurred the works of Nikolai Gogol remain in his memory. We meet up with him several years later as his parents are arranging a marriage for him with Ashima (Tabu).
After their marriage the coupe goes to the United States where Ashoke is in school. The film follows the couple as they adjust to each other and Ashima adjusts to living outside of India. They have a family and name their first child Gogol. As Gogol grows up he is resistant to his parents and wants to change his name. At this point the film follows Gogol (Kal Penn) while also returning to Ashoke and Ashima. Tragedy strikes the family and Gogol must struggle between the American life he knows and has established with his Indian culture.
This film was quite good. It's quite pleasing with all the fancy footwork films made in Hollywood pull off, that there are still people making films that are just about people. This is just a character study that follows some very interesting people. Kal Penn is pleasant enough as Gogol but the meat of this film lies in Tabu's and Irfan Kahn's performances. As the couple of an arranged marriage they show amazing range. From the early scenes of disorientation of Ashima being with a man she hardly knows in a country so different from her own to the confident way she announces her plans now that her children are settled, I was fascinated with Tabu's performance. Irfan Kahn was no different. The two of them together had amazing chemistry.
I actually found myself irritated when the film moved away to deal with Gogol's life. It isn't as though he is less interesting (or maybe it is that he is less interesting) but Ashoke and Ashima just leap off the screen. This film is funny and sad (even heartbreaking) all while showing a culture that I know very little about. If you like a strong character driven plot then I recommend this film.
After their marriage the coupe goes to the United States where Ashoke is in school. The film follows the couple as they adjust to each other and Ashima adjusts to living outside of India. They have a family and name their first child Gogol. As Gogol grows up he is resistant to his parents and wants to change his name. At this point the film follows Gogol (Kal Penn) while also returning to Ashoke and Ashima. Tragedy strikes the family and Gogol must struggle between the American life he knows and has established with his Indian culture.
This film was quite good. It's quite pleasing with all the fancy footwork films made in Hollywood pull off, that there are still people making films that are just about people. This is just a character study that follows some very interesting people. Kal Penn is pleasant enough as Gogol but the meat of this film lies in Tabu's and Irfan Kahn's performances. As the couple of an arranged marriage they show amazing range. From the early scenes of disorientation of Ashima being with a man she hardly knows in a country so different from her own to the confident way she announces her plans now that her children are settled, I was fascinated with Tabu's performance. Irfan Kahn was no different. The two of them together had amazing chemistry.
I actually found myself irritated when the film moved away to deal with Gogol's life. It isn't as though he is less interesting (or maybe it is that he is less interesting) but Ashoke and Ashima just leap off the screen. This film is funny and sad (even heartbreaking) all while showing a culture that I know very little about. If you like a strong character driven plot then I recommend this film.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Grindhouse
Grindhouse is what I can only describe as a cinephiletic orgasm. If you watched the trailer you either had no interest in it or you thought it was going to be the event in your life that you needed to see. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez directing 70s style exploitative violent films. This film delivers although at a 191 minutes long it doesn't give you everything you wanted in a reasonable time.
Rodriguez' Planet Terror is a send up and take on zombie films. It's high intensity and has a lot of humor and beautiful women to fill the screen. As a fan of the zombie film, I was watching eagerly watching the creative ways of killing zombies and the over the top acting from such classic B movie actors as Michael Biehn and Tom Savini!!.
Tarantino's Death Proof is the second film and it has the classic dialogue you expect from his films. It however goes a bit too long and after the no stopping intensity of Planet Terror, this film starts to drag a bit. The action scenes are well done and the film has a largely satisfying ending but it felt a little too self indulgent from Tarantino.
The film also has several fake trailers which are fun to watch from various directors. If you like Tarantino, Rodriguez or film in general (and can stomach a lot of gore) then this is definitely a movie to see, in a large audience if you can manage it.
Rodriguez' Planet Terror is a send up and take on zombie films. It's high intensity and has a lot of humor and beautiful women to fill the screen. As a fan of the zombie film, I was watching eagerly watching the creative ways of killing zombies and the over the top acting from such classic B movie actors as Michael Biehn and Tom Savini!!.
Tarantino's Death Proof is the second film and it has the classic dialogue you expect from his films. It however goes a bit too long and after the no stopping intensity of Planet Terror, this film starts to drag a bit. The action scenes are well done and the film has a largely satisfying ending but it felt a little too self indulgent from Tarantino.
The film also has several fake trailers which are fun to watch from various directors. If you like Tarantino, Rodriguez or film in general (and can stomach a lot of gore) then this is definitely a movie to see, in a large audience if you can manage it.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Reign Over Me
I saw this movie because I like Don Cheadle and I'm trying to give Adam Sandler a chance in serious movies. But P.T. Anderson's Punch Drunk Love this is not. The movie follows Cheadle's character as he sees and re-befriends his old college roommate who lost his whole family in the 9/11 terror attacks. Sandler's Charlie is suffering from PTSD and refuses to even think about his life before. Unfortunately this film has been handled with all the subtelty of a tack hammer to the head.
Director Mike Binder attempts to pull every emotional string he can in the course of this movie and he loads it down with what he considers moving rock songs from his past. Now I like listening to Bruce Springsteen as much as the next guy (actually probably more than the next guy) but the symbolic scene when Sandler and Cheadle 'jam' to a song from the river had one thing going for it, the song. This is a sappy sad story with no real emotional depth but decent performances. You can see Sandler wanting to break out but he holds it in check.
There are two subplots to this film neither of which works in any satisfying way. One involves a bizarrely crazy woman (played by the beautiful Saffron Burrows) who makes a sexual advance on Cheadle, threatens to sue him and then apologizes before falling for Sandler's character. This also helps resolve a weak plotline where Cheadle stands up to his firm partners. The other plot is the struggle in Cheadle's own marriage which gets only the briefest attention and is resolved hurridly at the end.
This bizarre mix of overly bittersweet melodrama and confused side plots makes for quite a mess of a movie.
Director Mike Binder attempts to pull every emotional string he can in the course of this movie and he loads it down with what he considers moving rock songs from his past. Now I like listening to Bruce Springsteen as much as the next guy (actually probably more than the next guy) but the symbolic scene when Sandler and Cheadle 'jam' to a song from the river had one thing going for it, the song. This is a sappy sad story with no real emotional depth but decent performances. You can see Sandler wanting to break out but he holds it in check.
There are two subplots to this film neither of which works in any satisfying way. One involves a bizarrely crazy woman (played by the beautiful Saffron Burrows) who makes a sexual advance on Cheadle, threatens to sue him and then apologizes before falling for Sandler's character. This also helps resolve a weak plotline where Cheadle stands up to his firm partners. The other plot is the struggle in Cheadle's own marriage which gets only the briefest attention and is resolved hurridly at the end.
This bizarre mix of overly bittersweet melodrama and confused side plots makes for quite a mess of a movie.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
The Lookout
The Lookout follows the life of Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt , who four years prior had been in a car accident that left him suffering from memory loss. Chris goes through the motions of his day remembering the glory he had as a student athlete in high school and the comparably miserable existence he has now. His roommate and good friend is Lew (Jeff Daniels) who is blind and smart and hoping for the best for Chris. Chris is approached one night by Gary Spargo (Matthew Goode) under the auspices of friendship and ends up hooking up Chris with a pretty ex-stripper Luvlee (Isla Fisher). Soon, it is revealed that its less about friendship and more about bank robbing as Chris is pulled into a plan to rob the bank he works at.
This was a pretty good film. It had strong performances from all the key people and some excellent character work by Bruce McGill as Chris' father. The memory loss plot device is handled well as is the greater character arc for Chris. Some of the characters come and go without satisfactory closure and the ending was a bit weak but the acting and mostly good story telling made it worth seeing.
This was a pretty good film. It had strong performances from all the key people and some excellent character work by Bruce McGill as Chris' father. The memory loss plot device is handled well as is the greater character arc for Chris. Some of the characters come and go without satisfactory closure and the ending was a bit weak but the acting and mostly good story telling made it worth seeing.
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