28 Days Later...(dir. Danny Boyle)
I should preface this by saying I hate fast zombies. They're the lamest trend in recent undead cinema. Yes, it makes perfect sense that when the dead rise and walk the Earth that they'd be as fast as fucking Michael Johnson, but since this film concerns itself with humans that get infected by a virus that makes them super pissed off instead of true zombies, it's much more believable and not nearly as ridiculous. The film actually doesn't really focus on the whole virus and the individuals infected by it all that much in comparison to how much it focuses on the survivors, which makes the film very engaging as a whole. It's one of the most emotionally satisfying "zombie" films I've seen and it's definitely one of the best. It's not flawless, however, especially with it's portrayal of the majority of the military characters in the film as stereotypical savages. There would be nothing particularly wrong with this if it was more fair and balanced in it's display of savagery like Day of the Dead, where it displayed most of it's scientist/civilian characters and military characters in an equally disdainful manner. Other than that, it's a near-masterpiece. I highly recommend.
***1/2 out of ****
The Simpsons Movie(dir. David Silverman)
It's a decent enough diversion, but it's particularly frustrating that it hits an emotional chord so successfully and then doesn't really follow through with anything nearly as poignant afterwards. That particular emotional chord hitting moment would be Marge's videotape, which was surprisingly incredibly affective for a movie based on The Simpsons, but you'd expect there to be some sort of change in Homer's character afterwards. I've actually changed my mind on giving it just a mere "decent" label and give it the full blown good treatment. It's probably the best animated film of the year outside of Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters and almost makes me want to start watching the show regularly again. I recommend.
*** out of ****
Stardust(dir. Matthew Vaughn)
I would like to start this review with a quote.
"The stars, yeah, the stars. One shining star in the night shining brighter than all the other ones and I'm talking light years away, yeah." - Macho Man Randy Savage
What does this have to do with the movie at hand? Well, this movie is about a star that comes in the form of Claire Danes so when the opportunity strikes, you know... The best part is easily Robert De Niro playing a cross-dressing pirate. It's almost the equivalent of Ving Rhames's role in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and almost as funny just because of De Niro's stature as an actor in comparison to Rhames's, but due to a lack of screen time and being in a movie that isn't nearly as fun, it's not quite the same. The film's dependence on visual effects to create spectacle and audience engagement is easily it's biggest detriment. It doesn't really care about creating true emotional engagement through a human story, it just cares about creating overly fake images that are designed to make people go "awe" and it's not even successful at that. It should have focused more on creating flesh and blood characters instead of computer-generated images. Do yourself a favor and just rent The Princess Bride instead if you're looking for a light-hearted and whimsical fantasy film. It was merely average.
** out of ****
I should preface this by saying I hate fast zombies. They're the lamest trend in recent undead cinema. Yes, it makes perfect sense that when the dead rise and walk the Earth that they'd be as fast as fucking Michael Johnson, but since this film concerns itself with humans that get infected by a virus that makes them super pissed off instead of true zombies, it's much more believable and not nearly as ridiculous. The film actually doesn't really focus on the whole virus and the individuals infected by it all that much in comparison to how much it focuses on the survivors, which makes the film very engaging as a whole. It's one of the most emotionally satisfying "zombie" films I've seen and it's definitely one of the best. It's not flawless, however, especially with it's portrayal of the majority of the military characters in the film as stereotypical savages. There would be nothing particularly wrong with this if it was more fair and balanced in it's display of savagery like Day of the Dead, where it displayed most of it's scientist/civilian characters and military characters in an equally disdainful manner. Other than that, it's a near-masterpiece. I highly recommend.
***1/2 out of ****
The Simpsons Movie(dir. David Silverman)
It's a decent enough diversion, but it's particularly frustrating that it hits an emotional chord so successfully and then doesn't really follow through with anything nearly as poignant afterwards. That particular emotional chord hitting moment would be Marge's videotape, which was surprisingly incredibly affective for a movie based on The Simpsons, but you'd expect there to be some sort of change in Homer's character afterwards. I've actually changed my mind on giving it just a mere "decent" label and give it the full blown good treatment. It's probably the best animated film of the year outside of Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters and almost makes me want to start watching the show regularly again. I recommend.
*** out of ****
Stardust(dir. Matthew Vaughn)
I would like to start this review with a quote.
"The stars, yeah, the stars. One shining star in the night shining brighter than all the other ones and I'm talking light years away, yeah." - Macho Man Randy Savage
What does this have to do with the movie at hand? Well, this movie is about a star that comes in the form of Claire Danes so when the opportunity strikes, you know... The best part is easily Robert De Niro playing a cross-dressing pirate. It's almost the equivalent of Ving Rhames's role in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and almost as funny just because of De Niro's stature as an actor in comparison to Rhames's, but due to a lack of screen time and being in a movie that isn't nearly as fun, it's not quite the same. The film's dependence on visual effects to create spectacle and audience engagement is easily it's biggest detriment. It doesn't really care about creating true emotional engagement through a human story, it just cares about creating overly fake images that are designed to make people go "awe" and it's not even successful at that. It should have focused more on creating flesh and blood characters instead of computer-generated images. Do yourself a favor and just rent The Princess Bride instead if you're looking for a light-hearted and whimsical fantasy film. It was merely average.
** out of ****
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