The Descent is a pretty decent horror film. It doesn't do anything new or exciting, but the cast is good and the premise holds up over the film. If anything the arrival of creatures in the film actually hurts the movie. It provides several "jump" moments and has a generally dark atmosphere that makes it work despite being a fairly generic creature feature.
After an obligatory, quite unnecessary and surprisingly brutal prologue we come to meet our six characters. All women who are about to go on a cave exploration. Once in the cave an unfortunate accident traps them there. They have two choices. Stay put and die or keep moving and try to find another way out. The choose the second one and soon run across some Morlock-esque monsters who start in a traditional movie way killing off our heroines.
The movie moves into a more generic creature gore fest at this point but still manages to keep the plot moving and interesting. There was one completely unnecessary subplot and the American ending is a lot more upbeat than the British version but neither takes much away from the film. If you are looking for a decent horror film, this one works well enough.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Road To Gitmo
You could imagine my shock when I discovered that Road To Guantanamo was not a long lost Bing Crosby/Bob Hope movie. Actually it is a documentary account of three British Muslims who were captured in Afghanistan and held as suspected Al Qaida terrorists for several years in Guantanamo. This documentary is of course barely that given that there is very little documentation that the filmmakers could no doubt get their hands on.
They make up for this with dramatizations of what happened. This includes a very long, drawn out detailed accounting of their time in Pakistan and Afghanistan leading up to the US invasion. The dramatization is intercut with interview scenes of the real men involved. The film is naturally one sided since the US military would clearly refuse to cooperate but that isn't what makes it problematic as a film.
It feels like retread of all the things we already know to be true. There could have been a powerful story told here. They could have interviewed the family of the three. They could have shown efforts by their lawyers or advocates in trying to free them. All of this is absent. In the end it feels like a 45 minute special than a feature length documentary.
They make up for this with dramatizations of what happened. This includes a very long, drawn out detailed accounting of their time in Pakistan and Afghanistan leading up to the US invasion. The dramatization is intercut with interview scenes of the real men involved. The film is naturally one sided since the US military would clearly refuse to cooperate but that isn't what makes it problematic as a film.
It feels like retread of all the things we already know to be true. There could have been a powerful story told here. They could have interviewed the family of the three. They could have shown efforts by their lawyers or advocates in trying to free them. All of this is absent. In the end it feels like a 45 minute special than a feature length documentary.
Lady In The Water
M. Night Shyamalan has been trying to perfect self indulgent tripe for some time now. He has finally succeeded in the agonizingly bad Lady In The Water. When I wasn't pinching myself to keep from falling asleep during this movie, I was contemplating slitting my wrists and ending the agony. Everything about this film was annoying.
The film begins with our introduction to "The Cove" an apartment complex whose superintendent is Cleveland Heap (Paul Giamatti). Cleveland is a stuttering nice guy who is seen interacting with all the major players of the film. These include a bizarre guy who only works out one side of his body, a room full of drug using hippies and an incredibly offensive stereotype Asian mother and daughter.
Story (Bryce Dallas Howard) is introduced as a mystical water creature who has come to view an important man who's work will one day change the world. Of course it is a writer of and *spoiler warning* although not really the writer is played by the director of the film. *end spoiler*
There is also an arrogant movie critic who gets a violent death. Why? Because clearly movie critics can't possibly be right that a film is bad. This movie is so generic and pounds home its sentimental moral. Apparently the whole story originated as a bedtime story for his kids. Which makes me wonder what kind of kid would find a story this self indulgent and blatantly symbolic interesting.
I understand that by their nature fairy tales are formulaic. But you could take any one of the Grimm fairy tales and make it into a better movie than this. Was the acting okay? It was decent except for the terrible director. I feel like Shyamalan has figured himself a new Kubrick who can make crazy out of left field movies against the Hollywood model. The difference being that Kubrick had talent.
The film begins with our introduction to "The Cove" an apartment complex whose superintendent is Cleveland Heap (Paul Giamatti). Cleveland is a stuttering nice guy who is seen interacting with all the major players of the film. These include a bizarre guy who only works out one side of his body, a room full of drug using hippies and an incredibly offensive stereotype Asian mother and daughter.
Story (Bryce Dallas Howard) is introduced as a mystical water creature who has come to view an important man who's work will one day change the world. Of course it is a writer of and *spoiler warning* although not really the writer is played by the director of the film. *end spoiler*
There is also an arrogant movie critic who gets a violent death. Why? Because clearly movie critics can't possibly be right that a film is bad. This movie is so generic and pounds home its sentimental moral. Apparently the whole story originated as a bedtime story for his kids. Which makes me wonder what kind of kid would find a story this self indulgent and blatantly symbolic interesting.
I understand that by their nature fairy tales are formulaic. But you could take any one of the Grimm fairy tales and make it into a better movie than this. Was the acting okay? It was decent except for the terrible director. I feel like Shyamalan has figured himself a new Kubrick who can make crazy out of left field movies against the Hollywood model. The difference being that Kubrick had talent.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
District B13
District B13 is a French action film. Its characters are wooden and poorly developed beyond their archetype. The plot has been recycled from Hollywood. And since it has been recycled it is fairly ridiculous and non-sensical. Oh and just one more thing. It is the most entertaining film I have seen all summer.
The ghettos of Paris have gotten so bad that the government constructed walls around them to contain crime. This essentially makes them large lawless prisons. The film starts following Leito, a man who grew up in District B13 and despite the crime considers it home. He attempts to put an end to a local drug lord but the cops balk and he ends up going to prison instead of the bad guys.
Enter Damien, a by the book, tough as nails, 'I work alone' cop. Damien busts a crime lord and is called in by his higher ups for a special mission. A clean A-Bomb has been stolen and is now residing somewhere in District B13. They need him to recruit Leito and get to and disarm the bomb.
Now with some variation I realized quickly that this was a rehash of John Carpenter's Escape from New York. But that movie worked as an escapist fantasy with a badass hero played by Kurt Russell. And this movie works too. In fact thanks to amazing stunts and martial arts, it might work better.
The movie starts strong with an action sequence of Leito escaping from the bad guys. The fighting is fun and fast, but the best part of it is that the camera stays still! Hollywood directors have gotten into the habit of whipping the camera around so fast you don't know what is going on. It might make it feel more like a fight but it makes it boring to watch.
Because the actors are stunt men and martial artists, everything they do looks and is real. No highly stylized tree running like you see in Ang Lee inspired features. The dragging exposition doesn't last too long and you forget it when the action picks up again.
In the realm of watching films everyonce in a while it is nice to watch a guy kick ass and take names. This was the appeal of Jean Claude Van Damme movies and Steven Segal. I laughed and cringed and oohed and aahed at the things I saw in this movie. It was fantastic.
Yes this movie is light on the development of characters and plot but it makes up for it in action sequences. The scene with Damien in a casino at the beginning of the movie along is worth the price of admission.
The ghettos of Paris have gotten so bad that the government constructed walls around them to contain crime. This essentially makes them large lawless prisons. The film starts following Leito, a man who grew up in District B13 and despite the crime considers it home. He attempts to put an end to a local drug lord but the cops balk and he ends up going to prison instead of the bad guys.
Enter Damien, a by the book, tough as nails, 'I work alone' cop. Damien busts a crime lord and is called in by his higher ups for a special mission. A clean A-Bomb has been stolen and is now residing somewhere in District B13. They need him to recruit Leito and get to and disarm the bomb.
Now with some variation I realized quickly that this was a rehash of John Carpenter's Escape from New York. But that movie worked as an escapist fantasy with a badass hero played by Kurt Russell. And this movie works too. In fact thanks to amazing stunts and martial arts, it might work better.
The movie starts strong with an action sequence of Leito escaping from the bad guys. The fighting is fun and fast, but the best part of it is that the camera stays still! Hollywood directors have gotten into the habit of whipping the camera around so fast you don't know what is going on. It might make it feel more like a fight but it makes it boring to watch.
Because the actors are stunt men and martial artists, everything they do looks and is real. No highly stylized tree running like you see in Ang Lee inspired features. The dragging exposition doesn't last too long and you forget it when the action picks up again.
In the realm of watching films everyonce in a while it is nice to watch a guy kick ass and take names. This was the appeal of Jean Claude Van Damme movies and Steven Segal. I laughed and cringed and oohed and aahed at the things I saw in this movie. It was fantastic.
Yes this movie is light on the development of characters and plot but it makes up for it in action sequences. The scene with Damien in a casino at the beginning of the movie along is worth the price of admission.
So Much Potential, So Little Good
My Super Ex-Girlfriend had a premise I really liked. A man dates secret identity of a superhero. He grows tired of her and breaks it off. She uses her alter ego to harass him. A revenge comedy that could be truly darkly comic. The movie they made was not that, I knew it wouldn't be that but I still held out hope. Luke Wilson has some comedic chops (I'm starting to think more than his hacky brother Owen). This movie wastes every actor it has in it. It isn't worth seeing.
Clerks 2
Clerks 2 represents a sad moment. In some ways I was interested to see the return of Dante and Randal but in other ways it shows the true talent of Kevin Smith. Unfortunately his true talent is dialogue and his weakness is directing. While making Jersey Girl, Smith apparently promised never to return to his View Askew universe that his previous films existed in. When his attempt to move beyond his one trick pony failed utterly, he quickly ran back to the warm embrace of the familiar.
The film returns us ten years after Clerks (1994) but gives us two characters who haven't changed. In fact they are still working in the same dead end jobs. What seemed like witty playful philosophizing in their twenties has been reduced to sad, exhausted dribble. I sat and watched some of Randal's rants and became bored with them and didn't even feel like he was saying them with conviction anymore. Now this could have been intentional but the actor doesn't play it that way, it just comes off that way.
Even Smith's typically clever analogies with Star Wars fall flat. He can't even muster a convincing argument for why the Star Wars trilogy is better than the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Its reduced to focusing on one flaw and hitting it on the head again and again. Dante's dilemma is centered around a bizarre love triangle that doesn't work on any level. And when the high note of your film is a very disturbing donkey show, then you definately have lost perspective.
The more I think about Clerks 2 the more I dislike it.
The film returns us ten years after Clerks (1994) but gives us two characters who haven't changed. In fact they are still working in the same dead end jobs. What seemed like witty playful philosophizing in their twenties has been reduced to sad, exhausted dribble. I sat and watched some of Randal's rants and became bored with them and didn't even feel like he was saying them with conviction anymore. Now this could have been intentional but the actor doesn't play it that way, it just comes off that way.
Even Smith's typically clever analogies with Star Wars fall flat. He can't even muster a convincing argument for why the Star Wars trilogy is better than the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Its reduced to focusing on one flaw and hitting it on the head again and again. Dante's dilemma is centered around a bizarre love triangle that doesn't work on any level. And when the high note of your film is a very disturbing donkey show, then you definately have lost perspective.
The more I think about Clerks 2 the more I dislike it.
Bizarre Experiment that somehow works...sort of
When I try to contemplate a movie that combines Philip K. Dick with Richard Linklater my mind starts to crack under the pressure. The cynical writer of dystopic science fiction combined with a throwback to hippies with lighthearted fair such as Dazed and Confused? Its like crossing Spielberg and Kubrick and I think A.I. stands as testament of how that went badly.
But the world of A Scanner Darkly is one in which America has lost the drug war and Linklater is definitely familiar with drugs in his movies. So perhaps the odd pairing can actually work. This is all thrown in with a bizarre form of animation that seems to just animate actual actors.
I guess in some ways the animation lends itself to drug hallucination and the very bizarre suits that the undercover cops where, not while undercover but while at the office discussing how to put a stop to drug dealers. The movie bounces all over the place left and right. It was at best an interesting experiment in film making and at worst incomprehensible mess of images and dystopic cynicism.
But the world of A Scanner Darkly is one in which America has lost the drug war and Linklater is definitely familiar with drugs in his movies. So perhaps the odd pairing can actually work. This is all thrown in with a bizarre form of animation that seems to just animate actual actors.
I guess in some ways the animation lends itself to drug hallucination and the very bizarre suits that the undercover cops where, not while undercover but while at the office discussing how to put a stop to drug dealers. The movie bounces all over the place left and right. It was at best an interesting experiment in film making and at worst incomprehensible mess of images and dystopic cynicism.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Word Play
Word Play is a movie which I have trouble attaching an easy modifier to. It isn't so much interesting as it is "interesting" if that kind of emphasis can be conveyed through print. I'm almost entirely sure it can not. The documentary follows the lives of people who enjoy Crossword puzzles.
If you are like me, which is almost assuredly not the case you enjoy the crossword puzzle. I have fond memories of working on a crossword puzzle while sitting at the loading dock desk at the Museum of Art that I used to work at, killing the hours. I've even tried my hand killing time between class working on a crossword. So I'd like to think I am a fan of crosswords. Then I saw this film.
The film focuses on Will Shortz, editor of the New York Times Crossword and his yearly competition. Its form is similar to Spellbound that recent documentary about spelling bees. The key difference being that the latter was about kids and the former is about adults. If the characters in Spellbound were obsessive and a bit odd, you could pass it off as a phase or the result of overbearing parents.
But full grown adults obsessed with crosswords? We've crossed over into a bizarre sub culture that in truth I could have happily lived knowing never existed. The saddest thing about the movie is that it tries to make you relate to these bizarro people. I didn't. I laughed. And this was a clear case of me laughing at them not with them. They are so desperately sad. And when the credits role and a new champion is crowned you just kind of shake your head and pray you never become so obsessed with something so trivial.
But I don't think that was the moral the filmmakers were going for.
If you are like me, which is almost assuredly not the case you enjoy the crossword puzzle. I have fond memories of working on a crossword puzzle while sitting at the loading dock desk at the Museum of Art that I used to work at, killing the hours. I've even tried my hand killing time between class working on a crossword. So I'd like to think I am a fan of crosswords. Then I saw this film.
The film focuses on Will Shortz, editor of the New York Times Crossword and his yearly competition. Its form is similar to Spellbound that recent documentary about spelling bees. The key difference being that the latter was about kids and the former is about adults. If the characters in Spellbound were obsessive and a bit odd, you could pass it off as a phase or the result of overbearing parents.
But full grown adults obsessed with crosswords? We've crossed over into a bizarre sub culture that in truth I could have happily lived knowing never existed. The saddest thing about the movie is that it tries to make you relate to these bizarro people. I didn't. I laughed. And this was a clear case of me laughing at them not with them. They are so desperately sad. And when the credits role and a new champion is crowned you just kind of shake your head and pray you never become so obsessed with something so trivial.
But I don't think that was the moral the filmmakers were going for.
You, Me, And Dupree
Apparently Owen Wilson feels that after the success of Wedding Crashers that he can make any film he wants. And I'm inclined to agree with him. So what he did was go out and make You, Me, And Dupree. What I take issue with is that Mr. Wilson has the gall to go on tv and in print and say that this film is funny. This film is not funny. This film was agonizing. Its been weeks since I saw it and I'm desperately trying to keep from recalling anything about it. Wilson is unfunny. Kate Hudson is still a bad actress. I'm fairly sure Michael Douglas must have felt that he had to get a paycheck to pay the nanny or something. I'm officially tired of Owen Wilson. Yes, Wedding Crashers was funny but mainly because of Mr. Vaughn not Mr. Wilson. Avoid this movie.
Miami Vice
Michael Mann has a way of taking a genre we are familiar with and making it work in such a way that we don't care that it has been done before. He made a bank robber story into something amazing to watch, if for no other reason than it brought Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino into the same frame of a movie and had them interact. People more fondly remember Jonathon Demme's Silence of the Lambs (1991) but for effect I am quite fond of Manhunter (1981). To this day I feel that Brian Cox is a better Hannibal Lector than Anthony Hopkins.
But I digress. Mann also impressed me with Collateral (2004). Miami Vice works. It isn't anything like the 80s TV show that truly defines what I think of when I think of that decade. But then again, it is. No, Crocket and Tubbs aren't wearing white jackets over pastel shirts. No Don Johnson is nowhere to be found. But the film does exist in its own fantasy world. The dialogue isn't the most effective I have ever heard. Half the theater laughed when one character said 'let's take it to the limit one more time' and in any other movie I probably would have laughed as well.
Except this film exists in its own world. The key is that the world is established and it almost never violates that world. The romance is still the shallow romance you might expect from an action flick. It didn't impress me and it didn't make sense and it set up a silly sideplot but it didn't detract so much that I got annoyed.
The plot revolves around Sonny and Rico as they go deep undercover. They penetrate a drug operation at the behest of a generic and very underused Ciaran Hinds. Hinds was masterful in Munich (2005) and in HBO's "Rome". Here he is nothing but a generic authority figure. As they get deep into the operation they raise the suspicion of one key figure who is apparently prescient with his ability to uncover undercover ops.
He's also borderline crazy which made me wonder why a crime kingpin would keep him around. Crazy people are the cracks in the foundation. Still he works as a more immediate villain. At one point the movie actually forgets its very premise which I thought funny but let pass because in the end it is just so damn entertaining. The film is gritty and dark. The main characters are well developed. Ancillary characters suffer in that attention to detail but I got over it.
Is Michael Mann untouchable? No, but I trust him to get me a good film. He has earned that trust. This film easily holds the top spot for films released for the summer but not the top spot for a film I saw this summer. I only saw Brick (2005) in June and it still stands out as the best film. But Mann has shown again that smart action films are possible.
But I digress. Mann also impressed me with Collateral (2004). Miami Vice works. It isn't anything like the 80s TV show that truly defines what I think of when I think of that decade. But then again, it is. No, Crocket and Tubbs aren't wearing white jackets over pastel shirts. No Don Johnson is nowhere to be found. But the film does exist in its own fantasy world. The dialogue isn't the most effective I have ever heard. Half the theater laughed when one character said 'let's take it to the limit one more time' and in any other movie I probably would have laughed as well.
Except this film exists in its own world. The key is that the world is established and it almost never violates that world. The romance is still the shallow romance you might expect from an action flick. It didn't impress me and it didn't make sense and it set up a silly sideplot but it didn't detract so much that I got annoyed.
The plot revolves around Sonny and Rico as they go deep undercover. They penetrate a drug operation at the behest of a generic and very underused Ciaran Hinds. Hinds was masterful in Munich (2005) and in HBO's "Rome". Here he is nothing but a generic authority figure. As they get deep into the operation they raise the suspicion of one key figure who is apparently prescient with his ability to uncover undercover ops.
He's also borderline crazy which made me wonder why a crime kingpin would keep him around. Crazy people are the cracks in the foundation. Still he works as a more immediate villain. At one point the movie actually forgets its very premise which I thought funny but let pass because in the end it is just so damn entertaining. The film is gritty and dark. The main characters are well developed. Ancillary characters suffer in that attention to detail but I got over it.
Is Michael Mann untouchable? No, but I trust him to get me a good film. He has earned that trust. This film easily holds the top spot for films released for the summer but not the top spot for a film I saw this summer. I only saw Brick (2005) in June and it still stands out as the best film. But Mann has shown again that smart action films are possible.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Half Way There!
On June 30th I saw The Devil Wears Prada and thus hit the half way point for my movie watching goal. I, for those who don't know made a New Year's Resolution to see 100 movies in the theater in the year 2006. Yes I know in terms of a resolution it could have been a lot better. But last year I hit 85 and it irked me that I was so close to 100. So on June 30th I had officially seen 50 movies or half my goal at the half way point. Since then I have seen two more so only 48 to go. Here for no reason other than to procrastinate is every movie I've seen with a one line (or as close to one line as I can manage) review of those movies in chronological order.
01. January 05: The Producers - An uninspiring remake with songs (I hate musicals).
02. January 07: Bloodrayne - Uwe Boll badly adapts yet another video game into a movie.
03. January 08: Rumor Has It - An ultimately disappointing comedy playing off the Graduate plot.
04. January 15: Hostel - Gruesome and mindless slasheresque film that exploits and didn't need to be made.
05. January 20: Underworld:Evolution - A pointless sequel to a pointless original movie, Kate Beckinsale in leather does not a good movie make.
06. January 21: The New World - Terrence Malick takes his love of the noble savage to nauseating new heights in a long but visually wonderful retelling of the Pocahontas tale.
07. January 22: Hoodwinked - A surprisingly clever animated film (and I generally don't like animated films).
08. January 25: Brokeback Mountain - A decent character driven drama that doesn't live up to the hype but still is worth watching.
09. January 27: Match Point - Woody Allen pulls off an amazing thriller with excellent performances.
10. February 02: Looking For Comedy In The Muslim World - Mildly amusing Albert Brooks film, he's done better.
11. February 05: The Matador - Pleasant dark comedy with Pierce Brosnan breaking free from his James Bond image.
12. February 11: Mrs. Henderson Presents - Charming comedy about a nude review in WW2 England with delightful performances by Bob Hoskins and Judi Dench.
13. February 12: Transamerica - Felicity Huffman is amazing as a pre-op transgender person struggling with the fact that she has a son she just found out about.
14. February 13: Final Destination 3 - Even by the Final Destination series standard this isn't a good movie.
15. February 17: Date Movie - Desperately unfunny, would someone let the parody film die.
16. February 23: Capote - Interesting character study of Truman Capote brilliantly played by Philip Seymour Hoffman.
17. February 24: The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada - A well done Western themed tale with cheers for Tommy Lee Jones for directing and acting in it.
18. March 04: Night Watch - disappointing muddled genre movie from Russia.
19. March 04: Ultraviolet - Ridiculously bad futuristic vampire film.
20. March 05: 16 Blocks - Standard buddy flick material but with decent performances from Mos Def and Bruce Willis.
21. March 10: Failure To Launch - Nauseating romantic comedy that wasn't funny or terribly romantic.
22. March 11: The Libertine - Johnny Depp being eccentric in an eccentric film but one that doesn't entertain.
23. March 20: V For Vendetta - Stupid and boring comic book adaptation that attempts to play on the current fears of the public.
24. March 25: Inside Man - A Spike Lee film that falls short by being a bit too predictable and unoriginal.
25. April 01: Slither - A Comedic Horror film that tries very hard but doesn't succeed at either genre.
26. April 05: Stay Alive - A stupid movie.
27. April 07: Lucky Number Slevin - A film that reveals it's hand in the first scene but is still surprisingly enjoyable to watch unfold with great over the top performances by Ben Kingsley and Morgan Freeman.
28. April 09: Thank You For Smoking - A clever satire of Big Tobacco and Washington DC politics held together by the delightful Aaron Eckhart.
29. April 22: American Dreamz - A satire that fails miserably.
30. April 23: Silent Hill - Yet another video game turned movie and this one fails even without Uwe Boll at the helm.
31. April 24: The Sentinel - Fairly predictable but decently put together thriller that entertains enough.
32. April 28: Stick It - God awful gymnastics movie trying to be "Bring It On" and failing.
33. May 05: Mission Impossible III - The summer movie season began with this boring third in the franchise with uninspiring performances by Tom Cruise et al.
34. May 07: Don't Come Knocking - Charming character driven film about a tired old actor trying to figure out his life.
35. May 15: Poseidon - Uninspiring remake with a plot so predictable that I knew who would be dead by movie's end after the characters were introduced.
36. May 21: The Da Vinci Code - A boring thriller that is paced horribly.
37. May 26: X-Men: The Last Stand - A travesty of a film that doesn't even have the guts to follow through with its own sequence of events.
38. May 28: See No Evil - Sometimes nothing else is out and you need a movie to keep you moving towards your goal, this happens more often than I wish it would.
39. June 01: Brick - A movie like this makes suffering through a movie like "See No Evil" worth it.
40. June 02: The Break Up - Not dark enough for the subject matter and certainly not funny.
41. June 07: The Omen - I think this movie was remade solely because its release date (6/6/06) made such good marketing sense and it shows.
42. June 11: A Prairie Home Companion - Typical Altman style with a plot that isn't interesting.
43. June 12: Down In The Valley - I like that indy films tend to go away from the standard Hollywood conventions but that doesn't mean they are automatically good as this film demonstrates.
44. June 15: On A Clear Day - A film that attempt to be the charming tale of a man in mid life crisis, but it just felt uninspiring.
45. June 16: The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift - Fast cars and fancy driving don't rescue the idiotic plot.
46. June 21: Nacho Libre - Sometimes you are so close to your goal and even though you wouldn't normally let yourself be dragged to crap like this you go just to get you closer to your goal.
47. June 24: Click - "It's A Wonderful Life" this is not but it still had its moments.
48. June 25: The Proposition - Falls flat for me but does make me want to see a better Western set in Australia.
49. June 27: Superman Returns - Nice summer popcorn flick and a nice homage to the original Superman films.
50. June 30: The Devil Wears Prada - Okay if a bit after school special-esque comedic drama.
01. January 05: The Producers - An uninspiring remake with songs (I hate musicals).
02. January 07: Bloodrayne - Uwe Boll badly adapts yet another video game into a movie.
03. January 08: Rumor Has It - An ultimately disappointing comedy playing off the Graduate plot.
04. January 15: Hostel - Gruesome and mindless slasheresque film that exploits and didn't need to be made.
05. January 20: Underworld:Evolution - A pointless sequel to a pointless original movie, Kate Beckinsale in leather does not a good movie make.
06. January 21: The New World - Terrence Malick takes his love of the noble savage to nauseating new heights in a long but visually wonderful retelling of the Pocahontas tale.
07. January 22: Hoodwinked - A surprisingly clever animated film (and I generally don't like animated films).
08. January 25: Brokeback Mountain - A decent character driven drama that doesn't live up to the hype but still is worth watching.
09. January 27: Match Point - Woody Allen pulls off an amazing thriller with excellent performances.
10. February 02: Looking For Comedy In The Muslim World - Mildly amusing Albert Brooks film, he's done better.
11. February 05: The Matador - Pleasant dark comedy with Pierce Brosnan breaking free from his James Bond image.
12. February 11: Mrs. Henderson Presents - Charming comedy about a nude review in WW2 England with delightful performances by Bob Hoskins and Judi Dench.
13. February 12: Transamerica - Felicity Huffman is amazing as a pre-op transgender person struggling with the fact that she has a son she just found out about.
14. February 13: Final Destination 3 - Even by the Final Destination series standard this isn't a good movie.
15. February 17: Date Movie - Desperately unfunny, would someone let the parody film die.
16. February 23: Capote - Interesting character study of Truman Capote brilliantly played by Philip Seymour Hoffman.
17. February 24: The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada - A well done Western themed tale with cheers for Tommy Lee Jones for directing and acting in it.
18. March 04: Night Watch - disappointing muddled genre movie from Russia.
19. March 04: Ultraviolet - Ridiculously bad futuristic vampire film.
20. March 05: 16 Blocks - Standard buddy flick material but with decent performances from Mos Def and Bruce Willis.
21. March 10: Failure To Launch - Nauseating romantic comedy that wasn't funny or terribly romantic.
22. March 11: The Libertine - Johnny Depp being eccentric in an eccentric film but one that doesn't entertain.
23. March 20: V For Vendetta - Stupid and boring comic book adaptation that attempts to play on the current fears of the public.
24. March 25: Inside Man - A Spike Lee film that falls short by being a bit too predictable and unoriginal.
25. April 01: Slither - A Comedic Horror film that tries very hard but doesn't succeed at either genre.
26. April 05: Stay Alive - A stupid movie.
27. April 07: Lucky Number Slevin - A film that reveals it's hand in the first scene but is still surprisingly enjoyable to watch unfold with great over the top performances by Ben Kingsley and Morgan Freeman.
28. April 09: Thank You For Smoking - A clever satire of Big Tobacco and Washington DC politics held together by the delightful Aaron Eckhart.
29. April 22: American Dreamz - A satire that fails miserably.
30. April 23: Silent Hill - Yet another video game turned movie and this one fails even without Uwe Boll at the helm.
31. April 24: The Sentinel - Fairly predictable but decently put together thriller that entertains enough.
32. April 28: Stick It - God awful gymnastics movie trying to be "Bring It On" and failing.
33. May 05: Mission Impossible III - The summer movie season began with this boring third in the franchise with uninspiring performances by Tom Cruise et al.
34. May 07: Don't Come Knocking - Charming character driven film about a tired old actor trying to figure out his life.
35. May 15: Poseidon - Uninspiring remake with a plot so predictable that I knew who would be dead by movie's end after the characters were introduced.
36. May 21: The Da Vinci Code - A boring thriller that is paced horribly.
37. May 26: X-Men: The Last Stand - A travesty of a film that doesn't even have the guts to follow through with its own sequence of events.
38. May 28: See No Evil - Sometimes nothing else is out and you need a movie to keep you moving towards your goal, this happens more often than I wish it would.
39. June 01: Brick - A movie like this makes suffering through a movie like "See No Evil" worth it.
40. June 02: The Break Up - Not dark enough for the subject matter and certainly not funny.
41. June 07: The Omen - I think this movie was remade solely because its release date (6/6/06) made such good marketing sense and it shows.
42. June 11: A Prairie Home Companion - Typical Altman style with a plot that isn't interesting.
43. June 12: Down In The Valley - I like that indy films tend to go away from the standard Hollywood conventions but that doesn't mean they are automatically good as this film demonstrates.
44. June 15: On A Clear Day - A film that attempt to be the charming tale of a man in mid life crisis, but it just felt uninspiring.
45. June 16: The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift - Fast cars and fancy driving don't rescue the idiotic plot.
46. June 21: Nacho Libre - Sometimes you are so close to your goal and even though you wouldn't normally let yourself be dragged to crap like this you go just to get you closer to your goal.
47. June 24: Click - "It's A Wonderful Life" this is not but it still had its moments.
48. June 25: The Proposition - Falls flat for me but does make me want to see a better Western set in Australia.
49. June 27: Superman Returns - Nice summer popcorn flick and a nice homage to the original Superman films.
50. June 30: The Devil Wears Prada - Okay if a bit after school special-esque comedic drama.
Superman Redux
For about a week after watching Superman Returns I kept fixating on the movie. I felt what I have said about the film was right but still it kept coming into my head. So I went back and rewatched it. This time I focused on the details. Some of the background decoration or the way Supes' cape always moves. I also looked more closely at the decisions the actors made for each of the scenes. I looked for the criticisms I had read in other reviews as well. I liked the movie a lot more on the second viewing. My expectations that were so high going into the film were no longer slanting my perceptions. I still don't agree with many of the criticisms and I fully acknowledge that it is not the best film or the year or the best superhero film ever. But it is enjoyable and worth seeing.
Pirates 2: Dead Plot
I like many was a fan of the first Pirates of the Caribbean (2003). I had few expectations when I saw it. In that opening scene when Johnny Depp rides the sinking boat into the harbor by standing on the crow's nest and then he steps perfectly on to the dock, I grinned so hard my face hurt and I laughed and smiled through much of the film. So of course I was willing to go to a sequel. How could I not want to have another adventure with Jack Sparrow, Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner.
I'll tell you how, when it turns out to be the movie I had to suffer through. I can think of no better example of Hollywood corruption of a movie than this film. It is as if a movie analyst figured out all the things people liked about the first film, brought them back and multiplied them by ten. There is too much of everything in this movie. Yes even too much of Johnny Depp. There are at least five plot lines in this film which forced the movie into a long and tedious two and a half hours.
The actors can't even hold up here. Depp's Sparrow is getting old fast due to so much screen time. Keira Knightley's Elizabeth has been turned from a spirited woman into a frustrated complaining damsel. Poor Bill Nighy is underused and covered in prosthetics to make him a monstrosity. Even Stellan Skarsgård is woefully underused as Bootstrap Bill, Will Turner's long thought dead father.
The action sequences run long and there is a unconvincing romantic subplot of sorts, as they try to play up the attarction of Elizabeth and Jack. Logic loop holes abound, such as why the undead monkey from the first film is still dead. And the film has the nerve to end in a set up for the third film. No doubt that one will multiply everything by fifty instead of ten and be even more horrible. Even the news that Keith Richards will cameo doesn't raise my spirits.
I'll tell you how, when it turns out to be the movie I had to suffer through. I can think of no better example of Hollywood corruption of a movie than this film. It is as if a movie analyst figured out all the things people liked about the first film, brought them back and multiplied them by ten. There is too much of everything in this movie. Yes even too much of Johnny Depp. There are at least five plot lines in this film which forced the movie into a long and tedious two and a half hours.
The actors can't even hold up here. Depp's Sparrow is getting old fast due to so much screen time. Keira Knightley's Elizabeth has been turned from a spirited woman into a frustrated complaining damsel. Poor Bill Nighy is underused and covered in prosthetics to make him a monstrosity. Even Stellan Skarsgård is woefully underused as Bootstrap Bill, Will Turner's long thought dead father.
The action sequences run long and there is a unconvincing romantic subplot of sorts, as they try to play up the attarction of Elizabeth and Jack. Logic loop holes abound, such as why the undead monkey from the first film is still dead. And the film has the nerve to end in a set up for the third film. No doubt that one will multiply everything by fifty instead of ten and be even more horrible. Even the news that Keith Richards will cameo doesn't raise my spirits.
Devil and Fashion
Despite the title, The Devil Wears Prada isn't actually about the devil. Which is really unfortunate because the end of this movie could have used a gripping scene that decided the fate of a young woman's soul. Actually in a way it kind of did. Roger Ebert described this movie as an after school special. In that analysis he isn't far from the mark but it doesn't mean there aren't moments of amusement in the film.
The film jumps right into the story by showing the lead Andy (Anne Hathaway) arriving at the offices of "Runway", a fashion magazine, to interview for an assistant job. In mid interview in comes the titular devil. She is Miranda (Meryl Streep) the very difficult editor and chief of "Runway". She like the rest of the workers scoff at how drab Andy looks but Miranda sees a certain inner strength in her and hires her.
Andy suffers through a montage of abuse from her boss but perseveres promising herself that if she can survive a year in this place she can work anywhere she wants. She slowly starts to pick up on fashion with the help of one of the clothes designers and soon becomes the star assistant. Meanwhile her relationship with her boyfriend and friends start to deteriorate as she becomes more superficial in her actions.
Andy desperately tries to keep her core values or at least convince herself that she has kept them. By movie's end she realizes that she has indeed forgotten what made her who she was and rejects this new lifestyle. She walks away from the job and she is whole again.
Yes, it is that silly of a plot. I liked the first half just enough to suffer through the second half of the movie. This all despite the fact that Andy's values are clearly supposed to be good wholesome mid-western values corrupted by the Big City. The way it jumped into the world and introduced characters quickly and efficiently was so well done that in the first few minutes I had a smile on my face. The early torment and the first time Andy appears in fashionable outfits are nice touches as you root for her. That it inevitably falls into such a standardized plot is partially saved by decent acting.
The film jumps right into the story by showing the lead Andy (Anne Hathaway) arriving at the offices of "Runway", a fashion magazine, to interview for an assistant job. In mid interview in comes the titular devil. She is Miranda (Meryl Streep) the very difficult editor and chief of "Runway". She like the rest of the workers scoff at how drab Andy looks but Miranda sees a certain inner strength in her and hires her.
Andy suffers through a montage of abuse from her boss but perseveres promising herself that if she can survive a year in this place she can work anywhere she wants. She slowly starts to pick up on fashion with the help of one of the clothes designers and soon becomes the star assistant. Meanwhile her relationship with her boyfriend and friends start to deteriorate as she becomes more superficial in her actions.
Andy desperately tries to keep her core values or at least convince herself that she has kept them. By movie's end she realizes that she has indeed forgotten what made her who she was and rejects this new lifestyle. She walks away from the job and she is whole again.
Yes, it is that silly of a plot. I liked the first half just enough to suffer through the second half of the movie. This all despite the fact that Andy's values are clearly supposed to be good wholesome mid-western values corrupted by the Big City. The way it jumped into the world and introduced characters quickly and efficiently was so well done that in the first few minutes I had a smile on my face. The early torment and the first time Andy appears in fashionable outfits are nice touches as you root for her. That it inevitably falls into such a standardized plot is partially saved by decent acting.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Superman
Superman Returns is exactly what I was looking for in a summer blockbuster. It is well acted. It has a decent plot for a super hero movie and once it gets going its down right entertaining. I read a lot of reviews about this film before I saw it, sometimes a bad thing but all I can say is that I don't know what movie most of these people saw but I disagree with many of them. I do not think Brandon Routh was imitating Christopher Reeve, I think he was playing Clark Kent. I think Spacey's Lex Luthor is closer to the maniac he is than Gene Hackman's Luthor. I still like Hackman's role from the previous Superman films but I think Spacey's Luthor is done better. I'll save special mention for Kate Bosworth later.
Admittedly the film starts a little slow. The hero has been absent for five years and the world has moved on. Lois Lane has a kid and a steady live in boyfriend and has won a Pulitzer prize for an editorial on why the world doesn't need Superman. Superman returns and has a few unnecessary flashbacks to his early discovery of his power as well as a poignant scene with his mother played by Eva Marie Saint. I like Eva Marie Saint. She is underused here. If you want to be reminded of how good she is go back and watch On The Waterfront (1954) or more recently as the ever forgiving mother in the very pleasant Don't Come Knocking (2005). Having returned Superman dons his familiar glasses and also returns as Clark Kent.
Some people bitch and make mockery of the fact that Superman's disguise is so obvious but I think such complaints are trivial. It is part of the fantasy that should be accepted. Superman's return is advantageous as he rescues a plane full of people in a really well done action sequence. His return brings conflict to Lois' life as she struggles with her feelings for Superman. Meanwhile tried and true Superman villain Lex Luthor is hatching an evil plot. It is reminiscent of his plans in the original movie. It's devilishly wicked and yes non-sensical but delightful in the way only a comic book villain can be. The movie kicks into high gear and ends well (no turning the Earth backwards on its axis to reverse time, thank god).
Okay, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. Kate Bosworth is a better Lois Lane than Margot Kidder. I keep hearing about how Margot Kidder was better and I stare blankly at these statements and try to ponder on what earth that is true. Bosworth's Lois looks at Superman with pain and love in a way I never saw Kidder. Kidder's Lois looked at Superman like a piece of meat, it never felt like love almost always lust. Bosworth seems truly torn for her undeniable attraction and love of Superman with her feelings for Richard White (James Marsden). I thought the scene on the roof of the Daily Planet between Superman and Lois was one of the best moments of the film.
Could Bryan Singer work on the pacing a bit more? Yes. Still Superman is back and I hope there are more films because he is a great character. He isn't conflicted by balancing his life with superheroism like Spider-Man nor by a darkness inside him like Batman but he is instilled with the same sense of duty that those characters are, the duty to help those who need it. He's also almost entirely selfless which is sort of refreshing in today's age.
Admittedly the film starts a little slow. The hero has been absent for five years and the world has moved on. Lois Lane has a kid and a steady live in boyfriend and has won a Pulitzer prize for an editorial on why the world doesn't need Superman. Superman returns and has a few unnecessary flashbacks to his early discovery of his power as well as a poignant scene with his mother played by Eva Marie Saint. I like Eva Marie Saint. She is underused here. If you want to be reminded of how good she is go back and watch On The Waterfront (1954) or more recently as the ever forgiving mother in the very pleasant Don't Come Knocking (2005). Having returned Superman dons his familiar glasses and also returns as Clark Kent.
Some people bitch and make mockery of the fact that Superman's disguise is so obvious but I think such complaints are trivial. It is part of the fantasy that should be accepted. Superman's return is advantageous as he rescues a plane full of people in a really well done action sequence. His return brings conflict to Lois' life as she struggles with her feelings for Superman. Meanwhile tried and true Superman villain Lex Luthor is hatching an evil plot. It is reminiscent of his plans in the original movie. It's devilishly wicked and yes non-sensical but delightful in the way only a comic book villain can be. The movie kicks into high gear and ends well (no turning the Earth backwards on its axis to reverse time, thank god).
Okay, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. Kate Bosworth is a better Lois Lane than Margot Kidder. I keep hearing about how Margot Kidder was better and I stare blankly at these statements and try to ponder on what earth that is true. Bosworth's Lois looks at Superman with pain and love in a way I never saw Kidder. Kidder's Lois looked at Superman like a piece of meat, it never felt like love almost always lust. Bosworth seems truly torn for her undeniable attraction and love of Superman with her feelings for Richard White (James Marsden). I thought the scene on the roof of the Daily Planet between Superman and Lois was one of the best moments of the film.
Could Bryan Singer work on the pacing a bit more? Yes. Still Superman is back and I hope there are more films because he is a great character. He isn't conflicted by balancing his life with superheroism like Spider-Man nor by a darkness inside him like Batman but he is instilled with the same sense of duty that those characters are, the duty to help those who need it. He's also almost entirely selfless which is sort of refreshing in today's age.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Shrimp on the Barbie Western?
In 1964 a film directed by the Italian Sergio Leone was released that reinvisioned the Hollywood genre of the Western. A Fistful Of Dollars was more violent and bloody than had previously been seen. I'm not going to say that The Proposition (2005) is going to revolutionize westerns, in fact it doesn't do anything groundbreaking. But it does fall into the Sergio Leone tradition of violence and it does offer a unique look at a frontier that I would like to see more of.
The film starts with the capture of two brothers, Charlie and Mike. Captain Stanley, the local peace officer offers Charlie a proposition. If he will kill his older brother, Arthur, a practically insane more dangerous man then Charlie and his younger brother will be pardoned for their crimes. From there the film moves on and actually pretty much loses sight of its premise rather quickly. Of course there are some wonderful performances by the likes of John Hurt and Danny Huston, but the film falls flat as it meanders back and forth between following Stanley and Charlie.
At first as Charlie set out I couldn't help but think of Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) in Apocalypse Now (1979). I thought that this would turn into a similar soul searching journey as he struggled with the idea of killing one truly wicked brother to save one innocent brother. But that isn't what happened, instead the film came to a climax in an orgy of violence and death.
In the end this movie failed to put forth something that is worth a trip to the theater, it might be worth renting though. But it did offer up potential for someone else to exploit. Australia and its history, in particular for Americans, could be fascinating areas to explore for the western.
The film starts with the capture of two brothers, Charlie and Mike. Captain Stanley, the local peace officer offers Charlie a proposition. If he will kill his older brother, Arthur, a practically insane more dangerous man then Charlie and his younger brother will be pardoned for their crimes. From there the film moves on and actually pretty much loses sight of its premise rather quickly. Of course there are some wonderful performances by the likes of John Hurt and Danny Huston, but the film falls flat as it meanders back and forth between following Stanley and Charlie.
At first as Charlie set out I couldn't help but think of Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) in Apocalypse Now (1979). I thought that this would turn into a similar soul searching journey as he struggled with the idea of killing one truly wicked brother to save one innocent brother. But that isn't what happened, instead the film came to a climax in an orgy of violence and death.
In the end this movie failed to put forth something that is worth a trip to the theater, it might be worth renting though. But it did offer up potential for someone else to exploit. Australia and its history, in particular for Americans, could be fascinating areas to explore for the western.
Click
I've never been a fan of Adam Sandler and I've never seen him in a movie that I liked. I mean that. At best I have tolerated Adam Sandler in movies such as The Wedding Singer (1998) or Punch Drunk Love (2002). So as I do from time to time, I went to Click fully expecting a movie I was not going to like. My expectations were met dead on...for the first act.
Click starts as a fairly predictable and rather unfunny little film. When he first gets the remote Sandler's character does use it for typically juvenile Sandler antics. But slowly he starts to use it to get ahead and to 'in his own view' stop hurting his family. In the process he starts missing things and eventually wakes up having missed most of his life.
Suddenly he has learned his lesson. His fastlane life has caused him to miss out on some of the most important things. Yes the message is a bit corny and yes at times Sandler can't help but drop in a crude joke but the film has evolved into something else. It is by no means perfect and had there been another choice of movie out this weekend I might not have seen Click but in the end the film grew on me.
Even if the message is corny the saddest truth is, that this is the way a lot of the world runs its life. I mean this is the same world where a person can't go to a movie for two hours without someone having to answer the phone in the middle of it. So as much as I'd like to think a sappy movie like this didn't need to be made, the truth is it probably did. It could have been made better, no doubt, but it wasn't. In the end this isn't a movie I recommend but I must admit it grew on me by the time the credits rolled.
p.s. - Christopher Walken is fantastic in this film, as always.
Click starts as a fairly predictable and rather unfunny little film. When he first gets the remote Sandler's character does use it for typically juvenile Sandler antics. But slowly he starts to use it to get ahead and to 'in his own view' stop hurting his family. In the process he starts missing things and eventually wakes up having missed most of his life.
Suddenly he has learned his lesson. His fastlane life has caused him to miss out on some of the most important things. Yes the message is a bit corny and yes at times Sandler can't help but drop in a crude joke but the film has evolved into something else. It is by no means perfect and had there been another choice of movie out this weekend I might not have seen Click but in the end the film grew on me.
Even if the message is corny the saddest truth is, that this is the way a lot of the world runs its life. I mean this is the same world where a person can't go to a movie for two hours without someone having to answer the phone in the middle of it. So as much as I'd like to think a sappy movie like this didn't need to be made, the truth is it probably did. It could have been made better, no doubt, but it wasn't. In the end this isn't a movie I recommend but I must admit it grew on me by the time the credits rolled.
p.s. - Christopher Walken is fantastic in this film, as always.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Now I have a headache
There are comedies in the world that make one laugh in genuine humor. There are comedies that make you chuckle but not laugh. There are unintentional comedies that are other genre movies that are so bad they make you laugh. Then there are movies so painfully unfunny that no only do you not laugh but they in addition cause you physical pain. Nacho Libre falls into that last category. I had actually developed a headache by film end. I cannot stress how unfunny Jack Black truly is. I should have been tipped off that this film would be trailer (both its own trailer and the trailers attached to the film itself) and the fact that the producers were Nickelodeon. The film was directed by Jared Hess who had recent success with Napolean Dynamite (2004) a film I haven't seen and now have no interest in seeing.
Fast And The Furious 3?
Oh that is right, there was not one but two sequels to a mediocre action vehicle for one Vin Diesel. Of course Vin didn't show up for the sequels, a wise move on his part. Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift is simply put ludicrous. In the opening one sees the hero racing a rich kid played by Zachary Bryan (of Home Improvement fame, he's lost the Ty I guess) and causing lots of damage. So the hero's mom sends him to his dad, who conveniently lives in Japan. I'm not kidding, that is the setup of the movie.
There is little else to concern yourself with other than the hero gets involved in racing again called 'drifting', apparently a real style but no doubt made more impressive by special effects. This movie was so unintentionally funny that I was laughing most of the movie. Then having glimpsed a trailer for the film a few days before I could have sworn I saw Vin Diesel in the film. And with seconds to spare who should make a cameo? I'll admit I cheered loudly and to the annoyance of those around me. It was so ridiculously absurd at that point I couldn't help myself.
There is little else to concern yourself with other than the hero gets involved in racing again called 'drifting', apparently a real style but no doubt made more impressive by special effects. This movie was so unintentionally funny that I was laughing most of the movie. Then having glimpsed a trailer for the film a few days before I could have sworn I saw Vin Diesel in the film. And with seconds to spare who should make a cameo? I'll admit I cheered loudly and to the annoyance of those around me. It was so ridiculously absurd at that point I couldn't help myself.
Monday, June 12, 2006
R.S.V.P./Tart
R.S.V.P.
If you want to see a plodding uninteresting serial killer film loosely inspired by Alfred Hitchcock and proudly boasting a cast that includes Jason Mewes then R.S.V.P. (2002) is the movie for you. If the film I just described makes you physically sick or makes you laugh outloud in embarassment that it was ever made, then I recommend staying far, far away from this film. I watched it due to a new found delight in the actress Nora Zehetner, she is in the movie for about fifteen minutes and does what she can with what she is given. Jason Mewes plays his character Jay which is basically just Jason Mewes being himself.
Tart
Tart (2001) boasts a cast of the would be Hollywood future. Brad Renfro, Dominique Swain and Bijou Philips lead the cast. Unfortunatley the film is about self entitled rich kids, who act reckless. The problem being that who cares if self entitled rich kids act reckless. This is already the stereotype.
If you want to see a plodding uninteresting serial killer film loosely inspired by Alfred Hitchcock and proudly boasting a cast that includes Jason Mewes then R.S.V.P. (2002) is the movie for you. If the film I just described makes you physically sick or makes you laugh outloud in embarassment that it was ever made, then I recommend staying far, far away from this film. I watched it due to a new found delight in the actress Nora Zehetner, she is in the movie for about fifteen minutes and does what she can with what she is given. Jason Mewes plays his character Jay which is basically just Jason Mewes being himself.
Tart
Tart (2001) boasts a cast of the would be Hollywood future. Brad Renfro, Dominique Swain and Bijou Philips lead the cast. Unfortunatley the film is about self entitled rich kids, who act reckless. The problem being that who cares if self entitled rich kids act reckless. This is already the stereotype.
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