Bad Lieutenant(dir. Abel Ferrara)
REVIEW PENDING...
*** out of ****
Showing posts with label good. Show all posts
Showing posts with label good. Show all posts
Monday, June 16, 2008
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Oh Fulltime Killer...
Fulltime Killer(dir. Johnnie To and Wa Kai Fai?)
REVIEW PENDING...
*** out of ****
REVIEW PENDING...
*** out of ****
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Oh The Darjeeling Limited...
The Darjeeling Limited(dir. Wes Anderson)
First Take:
Second Take:
REVIEW PENDING...
*** out of ****
First Take:
Second Take:
REVIEW PENDING...
*** out of ****
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Oh Yeah...
Film/TV:
The Game Plan(dir. Andy Fickman)[rewatch]
I will continue to champion The Rock's performance until another rewatch convinces me that it's not one of the most entertaining performances of last year, but during this viewing, I actually started to become emotionally involved with this story more than I would have liked to the point that I almost started to cry at given moments. Nothing profoundly depressing really happens, but father-offspring relationships in film, when done well, often have a tendency of getting me emotional beyond belief. The last time I ever cried at a movie was Flags of Our Fathers because of some of the father-son relationship moments, but that was actually understandable. This, he just gets the kid taken away and predictably gets her back, but there's something about this film that I found profoundly touching and heartwarming about its view on familial relationships and how we should cherish these relationships more often. It's not exactly a new message, but the way The Rock and company handle it is most definitely heartfelt and that's all that really matters in my eyes. It does stumble with some of it's comedic moments because it's a fucking PG-rated Disney film with The Rock in it, but The Rock's ability to elicit laughs through what I assume is purposeful hammy delivery of some of his lines like the soon-to-be-legendary "#1 on the field and #1 in your heart" catchphrase his character constantly recites and his genius facial expressions makes it a performance worth cherishing and once, the film turns somewhat serious, his performance actually improves immensely. It's this adaptive element to his performance that makes it fascinating and what I deem more interesting than DDL's in There Will Be Blood. This movie definitely puts the heart at #1 and the mind at maybe #532, but in a way, I think it's some sort of family film masterpiece because of it. It's not considered a guilty pleasure by me any longer. I wholeheartedly recommend.
*** out of ****
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume 2[TV]
When I was watching one of the new episodes recently, it donned on me: Aqua Teen Hunger Force is my favorite TV show. Sure, there are other shows that have vied for this position like Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld, and some other sitcoms, but this is the show that consistently amazes me with its bizarre artistry and happens to make me laugh more often than any of those others shows. It has had its ups and downs like any other show and this season had some lows like the surprisingly lame and tame Super Trivia and the obligatory obnoxious episode with MC Chris's MC Pee Pants character, but for 13 episodes, this season is the pinnacle of television comedy that opens and closes with a bang. With great episodes like Mail Order Bride, Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future, Super Squatter, Super Bowl, and the list goes on, it's hard not to regard this a masterpiece of television art and entertainment.
**** out of ****
The Hunting Party(dir. Richard Shepard)
A film so satisfied with itself that if it was able to suck it's own dick, it would very well do so and afterwards, start making fun of itself for doing so. The film's deconstructive elements don't come off as witty and clever like the filmmakers probably thought they would, but come off as a depressing form of preemptive defense to criticism. You could imagine one of the individuals involved in the production responding to criticism with, "Well, didn't you see the title cards that show that the film is aware that it's not honest and truthful?" In the film's realm of logic, a woman would pride herself for being gang raped for hours at a time to the point that she gives out this information as a display of authority over our central protagonists who are journalists portrayed as adrenaline junkies that find some sort of sick satisfaction out of being around death and war until one of the bitches they were banging turns up dead because of this bad dude's ethnic cleansing campaign. The proceedings are watchable to a degree, but you have to wonder what the fuck were the people making this thinking? The protagonists are as smug as the filmmakers so it's hard to really give a shit about any of them and probably the most infuriating aspect of the film is a title card at the end that puts quotations around searching in a sentence similar to "The U.S. are probably busy 'searching' for Osama bin Laden." I'm fine with people criticizing the U.S., but the image of the director patting himself on the back for being such an awesome rebel rouser is simply inescapable. Fuck you Richard Shepard and fuck your film.
*1/2 out of ****
Blue Velvet(dir. David Lynch)
Usually, I go out of my way not to look at the reviews on the Blockbuster Online site not because I might be influenced and steal someone's ideas for these reviews, but because they're usually so goddamn stupid that it simply astounds me that there's people out there that actually write those horrible reviews. A lot of the users on there wrote about how this film was too weird and I'm properly in the minority that thought it wasn't weird enough at least in relation to Lynch's current output. I just find it difficult to regard this film in a very positive light knowing that he made what I feel are much better films. This whole muckraking theme of digging up the dirty little secrets in suburbia is not an exactly profound one and Frank Booth is such a stereotypically evil dude that he even have lackeys that cackle a bunch. Most interesting aspect of this story is the character of Dorothy, but the film doesn't focus on her all that much at least in comparison to Jeffrey and Sandy that are so golly gee wholesome that they verge on parody. I still enjoyed the film and there's a technique that is employed near the end that makes it seem like we're not supposed to buy into the ending too much so maybe a rewatch would start to unveil something resembling a masterpiece. The ending, while maybe a little too pat, is mainly noteworthy for its final shot of Isabella Rosselini hugging her son and the music of Blue Velvet playing hinting that she will never be able to forget all the abuse that Frank has put her through. It starts to make you question the film as a whole and provides a lot of food for thought that was severely missing in the rest of the picture. I slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
The Brave One(dir. Neil Jordan)
It wasn't as godawful as I was expecting and it remains ultimately watchable throughout, but it just feels so bland and most of all unnecessary that I simply can't recommend it. In a world with Ms .45, I have no idea why I would recommend this. A scene from the film even reminded me of a scene from another Abel Ferrara film, King of New York, with the two black hoods approaching and harassing Foster's character on a subway, but the result is predictable and dull, while the result in King of New York was slightly ridiculous yet totally awesome. This film also leaves really no interpretation for the viewer as it questions its protagonist's actions rather bluntly and a call-in radio session that provides all sorts of angles for this situation for the viewer in probably the most asinine way imaginable. Its not a painful watch or anything, but it's hard to imagine having a desire to watch it ever again or remembering it at all in the coming weeks. It was mediocre.
** out of ****
Music:
Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark
** out of ****
Against Me! - New Wave
**1/2 out of ****
Blonde Redhead - 23
**1/2 out of ****
The Game Plan(dir. Andy Fickman)[rewatch]
I will continue to champion The Rock's performance until another rewatch convinces me that it's not one of the most entertaining performances of last year, but during this viewing, I actually started to become emotionally involved with this story more than I would have liked to the point that I almost started to cry at given moments. Nothing profoundly depressing really happens, but father-offspring relationships in film, when done well, often have a tendency of getting me emotional beyond belief. The last time I ever cried at a movie was Flags of Our Fathers because of some of the father-son relationship moments, but that was actually understandable. This, he just gets the kid taken away and predictably gets her back, but there's something about this film that I found profoundly touching and heartwarming about its view on familial relationships and how we should cherish these relationships more often. It's not exactly a new message, but the way The Rock and company handle it is most definitely heartfelt and that's all that really matters in my eyes. It does stumble with some of it's comedic moments because it's a fucking PG-rated Disney film with The Rock in it, but The Rock's ability to elicit laughs through what I assume is purposeful hammy delivery of some of his lines like the soon-to-be-legendary "#1 on the field and #1 in your heart" catchphrase his character constantly recites and his genius facial expressions makes it a performance worth cherishing and once, the film turns somewhat serious, his performance actually improves immensely. It's this adaptive element to his performance that makes it fascinating and what I deem more interesting than DDL's in There Will Be Blood. This movie definitely puts the heart at #1 and the mind at maybe #532, but in a way, I think it's some sort of family film masterpiece because of it. It's not considered a guilty pleasure by me any longer. I wholeheartedly recommend.
*** out of ****
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume 2[TV]
When I was watching one of the new episodes recently, it donned on me: Aqua Teen Hunger Force is my favorite TV show. Sure, there are other shows that have vied for this position like Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld, and some other sitcoms, but this is the show that consistently amazes me with its bizarre artistry and happens to make me laugh more often than any of those others shows. It has had its ups and downs like any other show and this season had some lows like the surprisingly lame and tame Super Trivia and the obligatory obnoxious episode with MC Chris's MC Pee Pants character, but for 13 episodes, this season is the pinnacle of television comedy that opens and closes with a bang. With great episodes like Mail Order Bride, Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future, Super Squatter, Super Bowl, and the list goes on, it's hard not to regard this a masterpiece of television art and entertainment.
**** out of ****
The Hunting Party(dir. Richard Shepard)
A film so satisfied with itself that if it was able to suck it's own dick, it would very well do so and afterwards, start making fun of itself for doing so. The film's deconstructive elements don't come off as witty and clever like the filmmakers probably thought they would, but come off as a depressing form of preemptive defense to criticism. You could imagine one of the individuals involved in the production responding to criticism with, "Well, didn't you see the title cards that show that the film is aware that it's not honest and truthful?" In the film's realm of logic, a woman would pride herself for being gang raped for hours at a time to the point that she gives out this information as a display of authority over our central protagonists who are journalists portrayed as adrenaline junkies that find some sort of sick satisfaction out of being around death and war until one of the bitches they were banging turns up dead because of this bad dude's ethnic cleansing campaign. The proceedings are watchable to a degree, but you have to wonder what the fuck were the people making this thinking? The protagonists are as smug as the filmmakers so it's hard to really give a shit about any of them and probably the most infuriating aspect of the film is a title card at the end that puts quotations around searching in a sentence similar to "The U.S. are probably busy 'searching' for Osama bin Laden." I'm fine with people criticizing the U.S., but the image of the director patting himself on the back for being such an awesome rebel rouser is simply inescapable. Fuck you Richard Shepard and fuck your film.
*1/2 out of ****
Blue Velvet(dir. David Lynch)
Usually, I go out of my way not to look at the reviews on the Blockbuster Online site not because I might be influenced and steal someone's ideas for these reviews, but because they're usually so goddamn stupid that it simply astounds me that there's people out there that actually write those horrible reviews. A lot of the users on there wrote about how this film was too weird and I'm properly in the minority that thought it wasn't weird enough at least in relation to Lynch's current output. I just find it difficult to regard this film in a very positive light knowing that he made what I feel are much better films. This whole muckraking theme of digging up the dirty little secrets in suburbia is not an exactly profound one and Frank Booth is such a stereotypically evil dude that he even have lackeys that cackle a bunch. Most interesting aspect of this story is the character of Dorothy, but the film doesn't focus on her all that much at least in comparison to Jeffrey and Sandy that are so golly gee wholesome that they verge on parody. I still enjoyed the film and there's a technique that is employed near the end that makes it seem like we're not supposed to buy into the ending too much so maybe a rewatch would start to unveil something resembling a masterpiece. The ending, while maybe a little too pat, is mainly noteworthy for its final shot of Isabella Rosselini hugging her son and the music of Blue Velvet playing hinting that she will never be able to forget all the abuse that Frank has put her through. It starts to make you question the film as a whole and provides a lot of food for thought that was severely missing in the rest of the picture. I slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
The Brave One(dir. Neil Jordan)
It wasn't as godawful as I was expecting and it remains ultimately watchable throughout, but it just feels so bland and most of all unnecessary that I simply can't recommend it. In a world with Ms .45, I have no idea why I would recommend this. A scene from the film even reminded me of a scene from another Abel Ferrara film, King of New York, with the two black hoods approaching and harassing Foster's character on a subway, but the result is predictable and dull, while the result in King of New York was slightly ridiculous yet totally awesome. This film also leaves really no interpretation for the viewer as it questions its protagonist's actions rather bluntly and a call-in radio session that provides all sorts of angles for this situation for the viewer in probably the most asinine way imaginable. Its not a painful watch or anything, but it's hard to imagine having a desire to watch it ever again or remembering it at all in the coming weeks. It was mediocre.
** out of ****
Music:
Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark
** out of ****
Against Me! - New Wave
**1/2 out of ****
Blonde Redhead - 23
**1/2 out of ****
Friday, February 08, 2008
Oh Injuns...
Cheyenne Autumn(dir. John Ford)
He used this film as a way to atone for some of his sins as a filmmaker relating to the portrayal of Indians in his previous work and ended up making probably his most politically incorrect and offensive film to most viewers and fans today. I wasn't offended, but it's easy to understand how someone would be offended by the film and be unable to defend it as wholeheartedly as his earlier work because of the use of Latino actors for the roles of Indians. Maybe, during the time when films like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner were considered cutting edge socially conscious cinema, this was considered noble and important, but now, it's hard not to look at it with disdain for such a ridiculous move on the filmmakers' part. However, I can't look at the film too negatively mainly because of recent examples in cinema(Memoirs of a Geisha, I'm looking at you) that are even more offensive and ridiculous in their casting and given the time it was released, it's hard to criticize Ford's sentiment, even if the Indians are predictably portrayed as noble victims instead of full-rounded characters in the film. Being a Ford fan, the idea of a film directed by him with a truly epic running time is especially enticing and even if this film doesn't rank among his best work, it's still a fascinating watch much in the same way as a film like Southland Tales is. As a cohesive whole, it might not work as well as one would like, but for the sum of its parts like a memorable comedic interlude with James Stewart playing an amusingly apathetic Wyatt Earp, it definitely warrants a watch. I recommend.
*** out of ****
He used this film as a way to atone for some of his sins as a filmmaker relating to the portrayal of Indians in his previous work and ended up making probably his most politically incorrect and offensive film to most viewers and fans today. I wasn't offended, but it's easy to understand how someone would be offended by the film and be unable to defend it as wholeheartedly as his earlier work because of the use of Latino actors for the roles of Indians. Maybe, during the time when films like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner were considered cutting edge socially conscious cinema, this was considered noble and important, but now, it's hard not to look at it with disdain for such a ridiculous move on the filmmakers' part. However, I can't look at the film too negatively mainly because of recent examples in cinema(Memoirs of a Geisha, I'm looking at you) that are even more offensive and ridiculous in their casting and given the time it was released, it's hard to criticize Ford's sentiment, even if the Indians are predictably portrayed as noble victims instead of full-rounded characters in the film. Being a Ford fan, the idea of a film directed by him with a truly epic running time is especially enticing and even if this film doesn't rank among his best work, it's still a fascinating watch much in the same way as a film like Southland Tales is. As a cohesive whole, it might not work as well as one would like, but for the sum of its parts like a memorable comedic interlude with James Stewart playing an amusingly apathetic Wyatt Earp, it definitely warrants a watch. I recommend.
*** out of ****
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Oh the Sun, England, and the Old West...
Sunshine(dir. Danny Boyle)
This film was a beautiful-looking yet empty experience. The film's narrative inched at a crawl through most of the running time and once the film ends, you realize that you didn't give a shit about what happened to any of these characters because of a serious lack of character development. Several of the actors were sketchy at best and once the characters started to get picked off one by one, you were kind of glad that you don't have to watch some of these actors try to act anymore. I'm probably the only person out there that thought the narrative's turn to slasher territory was for the better because of the immediacy it created that was severely lacking in the narrative up until that point. The special effects were incredible to look at, but the film as a whole was a disposable experience.
** out of ****
Control(dir. Anton Corbijn)
A by-the-numbers account of Ian Curtis's short life with Joy Division, his wife, and his mistress. The only things differentiating this from other music biopics is it's gorgeous black and white cinematography and it's pacing. The pace of the film is hypnotic at first as it took on the aimless rhythm of a young Curtis's life, but once everything is set up for his downward spiral, it became tedious. Samantha Morton gives an incredible performance as Curtis's wife who disappointingly ends up being relegated to the background for most of the running time. Sam Riley is fine as Curtis even if his performance is perhaps too elusive and acts more like a marker for Curtis instead of an embodiment of him. It's worth seeing, but if you're expecting to learn anything about Curtis and Joy Division, you're definitely going to be underwhelmed.
**1/2 out of ****
Unforgiven(dir. Clint Eastwood)
The film's anti-violence slant would have be fine if it didn't indulge itself with an act of vengeance with it's finale. It would be one thing if Eastwood directed this act as something that would alienate the audience say with it's grotesqueness, but it just comes off as a heroic act that undermines everything that the film has been preaching on about up to that point. Clint is fine in the role that he plays in pretty much every film he's in and Morgan Freeman doesn't really fit into this picture with his portrayal of the same character he always plays, Morgan Freeman. The character of The Kid was basically a screenwriter's construct to shoehorn this underlying message that violence is bad and his turn, while for the better, was totally expected. Gene Hackman's portrayal of the gruff sheriff was definitely the most entertaining and interesting part of the film and the long period of the running time that the film focused on his character was definitely the best portion of the film. It's anti-violence message would have been fine if the film didn't come off as so preachy and hypocritical and the fact that The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance handled similar themes in a much more elegant and subtle fashion 30 years before it tells you something. I definitely would not call this film a masterpiece of modern western cinema, but it's still a film to check out.
*** out of ****
This film was a beautiful-looking yet empty experience. The film's narrative inched at a crawl through most of the running time and once the film ends, you realize that you didn't give a shit about what happened to any of these characters because of a serious lack of character development. Several of the actors were sketchy at best and once the characters started to get picked off one by one, you were kind of glad that you don't have to watch some of these actors try to act anymore. I'm probably the only person out there that thought the narrative's turn to slasher territory was for the better because of the immediacy it created that was severely lacking in the narrative up until that point. The special effects were incredible to look at, but the film as a whole was a disposable experience.
** out of ****
Control(dir. Anton Corbijn)
A by-the-numbers account of Ian Curtis's short life with Joy Division, his wife, and his mistress. The only things differentiating this from other music biopics is it's gorgeous black and white cinematography and it's pacing. The pace of the film is hypnotic at first as it took on the aimless rhythm of a young Curtis's life, but once everything is set up for his downward spiral, it became tedious. Samantha Morton gives an incredible performance as Curtis's wife who disappointingly ends up being relegated to the background for most of the running time. Sam Riley is fine as Curtis even if his performance is perhaps too elusive and acts more like a marker for Curtis instead of an embodiment of him. It's worth seeing, but if you're expecting to learn anything about Curtis and Joy Division, you're definitely going to be underwhelmed.
**1/2 out of ****
Unforgiven(dir. Clint Eastwood)
The film's anti-violence slant would have be fine if it didn't indulge itself with an act of vengeance with it's finale. It would be one thing if Eastwood directed this act as something that would alienate the audience say with it's grotesqueness, but it just comes off as a heroic act that undermines everything that the film has been preaching on about up to that point. Clint is fine in the role that he plays in pretty much every film he's in and Morgan Freeman doesn't really fit into this picture with his portrayal of the same character he always plays, Morgan Freeman. The character of The Kid was basically a screenwriter's construct to shoehorn this underlying message that violence is bad and his turn, while for the better, was totally expected. Gene Hackman's portrayal of the gruff sheriff was definitely the most entertaining and interesting part of the film and the long period of the running time that the film focused on his character was definitely the best portion of the film. It's anti-violence message would have been fine if the film didn't come off as so preachy and hypocritical and the fact that The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance handled similar themes in a much more elegant and subtle fashion 30 years before it tells you something. I definitely would not call this film a masterpiece of modern western cinema, but it's still a film to check out.
*** out of ****
Monday, January 21, 2008
Oh Quadriplegics & Gold...
He Was a Quiet Man(dir. Frank A. Cappelo)
The thing that irks me most about this film is the tone. It's cartoonish and exaggerated, but it's dealing with this serious subject of office shootings and people being paralyzed because of it so it's lack of sensitivity to the loss of life on-screen kind of disturbs me even if it's just fictional characters. The film is basically that whole epilogue to Taxi Driver where everybody thinks he's a hero extended to feature-length with a little dab of Million Dollar Baby "euthanize me!" nonsense as well. It's a watchable little flick, but along with it's tone, it's "twist" ending is also dumb so you could definitely put this in your "to forget" bin after you watch this sucker.
** out of ****
Exiled(dir. Johnnie To)
It's essentially a modern Chinese/Hong Kongese version of The Wild Bunch with a more honorable suicidal bloodbath for a finale. This is the best action film of last year mainly because it examines male comradery in a refreshing way with some kick ass action scenes thrown in here and there. It's not quite as good as To's best film(I've seen so far), PTU, but it's still definitely one a good one to watch.
*** out of ****
The thing that irks me most about this film is the tone. It's cartoonish and exaggerated, but it's dealing with this serious subject of office shootings and people being paralyzed because of it so it's lack of sensitivity to the loss of life on-screen kind of disturbs me even if it's just fictional characters. The film is basically that whole epilogue to Taxi Driver where everybody thinks he's a hero extended to feature-length with a little dab of Million Dollar Baby "euthanize me!" nonsense as well. It's a watchable little flick, but along with it's tone, it's "twist" ending is also dumb so you could definitely put this in your "to forget" bin after you watch this sucker.
** out of ****
Exiled(dir. Johnnie To)
It's essentially a modern Chinese/Hong Kongese version of The Wild Bunch with a more honorable suicidal bloodbath for a finale. This is the best action film of last year mainly because it examines male comradery in a refreshing way with some kick ass action scenes thrown in here and there. It's not quite as good as To's best film(I've seen so far), PTU, but it's still definitely one a good one to watch.
*** out of ****
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Oh One Legged Cowboys, Ballet, and Severed Heads...
3:10 to Yuma(dir. James Mangold)
I've never seen the original film so I can't compare the two. This is just a straight-forward modern western. It doesn't try to rewrite the rules of what a western should be and in a way comes off sort of bland and clichéd because of it. The film gets more lively in it's final 15 minutes and this is definitely the point where I became more interested in the film after a long period of disinterest. It's not going to blow your mind, but I still slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
The Company(dir. Robert Altman)
It's basically a low-key version of Nashville that focuses on a Chicago ballet company instead of the Nashville country music scene. This is his most visually elegant film and it's one of his few films to be shot on digital. The gorgeous cinematography keeps you interested especially when it shows the ballet dance scenes that go on perhaps too long. I don't have an interest in ballet all that much so it's probably more my problem than the film's. The story is charming, but it frustratingly takes a backseat most of the time for the ballet. With my frustrations aside, I recommend.
*** out of ****
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia(dir. Sam Peckinpah)
It's a deranged near-masterpiece. It sort of gets silly with the whole talking to the head side of things, but for something this demented and strangely poetic, it's definitely a minor complaint. Warren Oates gives a hell of a performance in this. I might be underrating it, but I'd rather underrate something than overrate it. I highly recommend.
***1/2 out of ****
I've never seen the original film so I can't compare the two. This is just a straight-forward modern western. It doesn't try to rewrite the rules of what a western should be and in a way comes off sort of bland and clichéd because of it. The film gets more lively in it's final 15 minutes and this is definitely the point where I became more interested in the film after a long period of disinterest. It's not going to blow your mind, but I still slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
The Company(dir. Robert Altman)
It's basically a low-key version of Nashville that focuses on a Chicago ballet company instead of the Nashville country music scene. This is his most visually elegant film and it's one of his few films to be shot on digital. The gorgeous cinematography keeps you interested especially when it shows the ballet dance scenes that go on perhaps too long. I don't have an interest in ballet all that much so it's probably more my problem than the film's. The story is charming, but it frustratingly takes a backseat most of the time for the ballet. With my frustrations aside, I recommend.
*** out of ****
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia(dir. Sam Peckinpah)
It's a deranged near-masterpiece. It sort of gets silly with the whole talking to the head side of things, but for something this demented and strangely poetic, it's definitely a minor complaint. Warren Oates gives a hell of a performance in this. I might be underrating it, but I'd rather underrate something than overrate it. I highly recommend.
***1/2 out of ****
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Oh Amsterdam & Hong Kong & Cabo & Hong Kong Again...
Ocean's Twelve(dir. Steven Soderbergh)
I thought the first one was cool and suave and the third was dumb and clumsy. This is basically(and obviously) a stepping stone between those two films and essentially a combination of the two with more smugness and less fun. It's already convinced that it's bitching so why even bother to watch it? Ocean's Eleven was a near-masterpiece in my mind and Ocean's Thirteen was a fun albeit ridiculous movie, but this one fails to ooze the cool of the first one or be amusingly silly like the third one even when it has some ludicrous bits like Julia Robert's character posing as... wait for it... Julia Roberts. A bit like this is simply incomparable to the divine majesty of Casey Affleck's character heading a Zapata-esque revolution at a Mexican dice factory. It was ultimately watchable, but it was also incredibly disposable.
** out of ****
Election(dir. Johnnie To)
The comparisons to The Godfather are apt since this is a rather low-key film about Hong Kong mobsters or Triads. Those comparisons are not exactly what one might call flattering since this film does not contain a scene quite as memorable as the baptism found in that film, but it still has some inspired moments. All the killings are wonderfully intense yet light on the blood and gore, which is actually sort of refreshing. A gun is also never fired so Eastern Promises immediately came to mind while watching this film, but this came out before that film so no need to compare the two until I get to Triad Election. It's no PTU, but this film definitely oozes style. I recommend. NOTE: I didn't realize this was also released last year.
*** out of ****
The Heartbreak Kid(dir. The Farrelly Brothers)
I happen to consider Dumb and Dumber a comedy classic, but I can't say I was expecting much from this film. I was surprised to find it bearable given the negative critical reaction, but it's ultimately not worth the effort. The sex scenes and Ben Stiller's character illegally immigrating back in the country are easily the most inspired and funniest parts, but everything else is just basically dull. The film constant bending over to please it's audience becomes quickly tiresome since Stiller's character doesn't really deserve the happy ending he receives. It's not as bad or offensive as many critics will lead you to believe, but it's also not particularly good, either.
** out of ****
Triad Election(dir. Johnnie To)
Ultimate message to this film: a thirst for power and security makes you do some crazy and nasty shit. There's some Ms .45 style meat grinding up in this motherfucker. To takes who I essentially viewed as the moral center of Election and makes him probably the most depraved character in this film, making it perhaps a little bit less emotionally engaging in comparison. It's obvious with this, Election, and PTU that To is a master at mood lighting especially during a memorable scene where some of his characters are wearing masks too silly and innocent for their tough and dark demeanors. Since this film was released last year, comparisons to Eastern Promises must be made. If I had to pick between the two, I would probably pick Promises even if this is more aesthetically pleasing and moves at a quicker pace. None of characters are quite as interesting as Viggo's in Promises. I definitely prefer this ending over the one found in Election mainly because I dig satisfyingly inconclusive cuts to black and that ending was a little too cheery and maybe too tongue-in-cheek to be satisfying. Election, however, easily beats this and Promises in quality. I'm looking forward to the inevitable third film. I recommend.
*** out of ****
Double Take(or Reassessment):
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End(dir. Gore Verbinski)
I usually don't do this, but here's a film that has simply nagged at me and has refused to leave my mind. The more I think about it, the more I think it is a near-masterpiece of summer blockbuster film making and it's perhaps one of the few if not the only film from last year to have special effects that I actually consider to be special. Like I said in my original review, I mainly enjoyed the film because Keira Knightly was absolutely ravishing(perhaps too ravishing since she mysteriously never gets a smudge on her face throughout the whole film) and pirates are coolio, but there's a certain cinematic quality to the film that is seriously lacking in a lot of today's cinema. It's one of the few recent films to strive for spectacle and actually achieve it with it's breathtaking CGI-laden locales and set pieces. The plot is a complicated and incredibly fun mess with a sort of crazy logic to make the whole enterprise feel somehow painstakingly modulated. It's a film that clearly works in the realm of cinema instead of reality because , well, it's a movie based on an amusement park ride so when the film recalls the score from Once Upon a Time in the West, it does not come across as a smug referential gesture to cinema's past, but as an acknowledgment of it's own inherent cinematic-ness. I'd imagine watching this film again would lead me to lower my rating again since that grand sea battle really bogged down the pacing to practically a halt, but it's still intoxicating in it's borderline insane(ly fun) artistry.
***1/2 out of ****
I thought the first one was cool and suave and the third was dumb and clumsy. This is basically(and obviously) a stepping stone between those two films and essentially a combination of the two with more smugness and less fun. It's already convinced that it's bitching so why even bother to watch it? Ocean's Eleven was a near-masterpiece in my mind and Ocean's Thirteen was a fun albeit ridiculous movie, but this one fails to ooze the cool of the first one or be amusingly silly like the third one even when it has some ludicrous bits like Julia Robert's character posing as... wait for it... Julia Roberts. A bit like this is simply incomparable to the divine majesty of Casey Affleck's character heading a Zapata-esque revolution at a Mexican dice factory. It was ultimately watchable, but it was also incredibly disposable.
** out of ****
Election(dir. Johnnie To)
The comparisons to The Godfather are apt since this is a rather low-key film about Hong Kong mobsters or Triads. Those comparisons are not exactly what one might call flattering since this film does not contain a scene quite as memorable as the baptism found in that film, but it still has some inspired moments. All the killings are wonderfully intense yet light on the blood and gore, which is actually sort of refreshing. A gun is also never fired so Eastern Promises immediately came to mind while watching this film, but this came out before that film so no need to compare the two until I get to Triad Election. It's no PTU, but this film definitely oozes style. I recommend. NOTE: I didn't realize this was also released last year.
*** out of ****
The Heartbreak Kid(dir. The Farrelly Brothers)
I happen to consider Dumb and Dumber a comedy classic, but I can't say I was expecting much from this film. I was surprised to find it bearable given the negative critical reaction, but it's ultimately not worth the effort. The sex scenes and Ben Stiller's character illegally immigrating back in the country are easily the most inspired and funniest parts, but everything else is just basically dull. The film constant bending over to please it's audience becomes quickly tiresome since Stiller's character doesn't really deserve the happy ending he receives. It's not as bad or offensive as many critics will lead you to believe, but it's also not particularly good, either.
** out of ****
Triad Election(dir. Johnnie To)
Ultimate message to this film: a thirst for power and security makes you do some crazy and nasty shit. There's some Ms .45 style meat grinding up in this motherfucker. To takes who I essentially viewed as the moral center of Election and makes him probably the most depraved character in this film, making it perhaps a little bit less emotionally engaging in comparison. It's obvious with this, Election, and PTU that To is a master at mood lighting especially during a memorable scene where some of his characters are wearing masks too silly and innocent for their tough and dark demeanors. Since this film was released last year, comparisons to Eastern Promises must be made. If I had to pick between the two, I would probably pick Promises even if this is more aesthetically pleasing and moves at a quicker pace. None of characters are quite as interesting as Viggo's in Promises. I definitely prefer this ending over the one found in Election mainly because I dig satisfyingly inconclusive cuts to black and that ending was a little too cheery and maybe too tongue-in-cheek to be satisfying. Election, however, easily beats this and Promises in quality. I'm looking forward to the inevitable third film. I recommend.
*** out of ****
Double Take(or Reassessment):
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End(dir. Gore Verbinski)
I usually don't do this, but here's a film that has simply nagged at me and has refused to leave my mind. The more I think about it, the more I think it is a near-masterpiece of summer blockbuster film making and it's perhaps one of the few if not the only film from last year to have special effects that I actually consider to be special. Like I said in my original review, I mainly enjoyed the film because Keira Knightly was absolutely ravishing(perhaps too ravishing since she mysteriously never gets a smudge on her face throughout the whole film) and pirates are coolio, but there's a certain cinematic quality to the film that is seriously lacking in a lot of today's cinema. It's one of the few recent films to strive for spectacle and actually achieve it with it's breathtaking CGI-laden locales and set pieces. The plot is a complicated and incredibly fun mess with a sort of crazy logic to make the whole enterprise feel somehow painstakingly modulated. It's a film that clearly works in the realm of cinema instead of reality because , well, it's a movie based on an amusement park ride so when the film recalls the score from Once Upon a Time in the West, it does not come across as a smug referential gesture to cinema's past, but as an acknowledgment of it's own inherent cinematic-ness. I'd imagine watching this film again would lead me to lower my rating again since that grand sea battle really bogged down the pacing to practically a halt, but it's still intoxicating in it's borderline insane(ly fun) artistry.
***1/2 out of ****
Oh England & Davy Jones's Locker & Washington DC...
Atonement(dir. Joe Wright)
The production values are superb, but the emotional content is lacking. The characters never become developed enough to resemble anything other than characters in a movie and when the shit hits the fan for them, it's not all that tragic. That's not to say that this movie was a bore because the production values like the costumes and sets go a long way to make this as unpainful of an experience as possible, but once the ending rolls around, which reminded me of the series finale of Roseanne, you realize that you pretty much don't care what happens to any of these characters. It was just ultimately a disposable experience.
** out of ****
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End(dir. Gore Verbinski)
I didn't bother to see the second one, but I can't imagine having seen that film beforehand would have really changed my experience with this. The film starts off unusually bleak with people getting hung for piracy including a child and if you hung around for the post-credits scene, that scene starts to look even more relentlessly dark for a summer blockbuster. The film starts off on a surprising high note with that and for some reason, I was digging the whole musical aspect of it's beginning with that scene and the scene that followed, but it got shaky with it's rendezvous with Chow Yun-Fat's Singapore pirate captain mainly because he looks ridiculous and he's not all that sinister and it's ensuing action scene that was sloppily choreographed and shot. After that, however, the film quickly exposed two things that could be dubbed my critical kryptonite: pirates and a gorgeous Keira Knightley. These two things, however, were unable to prevent me from viewing it's epic sea battle as mind-numbingly long and once Knightley takes a backseat to some of the other actors like Orlando Bloom, the film suffers mainly because Bloom is a bland screen presence and the hallucination bits with Johnny Depp were pretty lame. Geoffrey Rush was particularly good in this for what the movie was, which is essentially a mindlessly fun pirate movie, but that sea battle really screwed up the film's pacing and took it to practically a halt in comparison to what preceded it. It felt unusually quick for a two hour and forty minute long movie, but that's probably because I dig pirates and Keira Knightley. Surprisingly, I thought the action sequences were the worst part about the movie. You'd expect a summer blockbuster to have some good ones, but this film had sequences that went on for far too long and were rather sloppy in execution. The characters aren't exactly deep or anything, but they were still entertaining along with the film as a whole. I slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
The Walker(dir. Paul Schrader)
Paul Schrader is probably one of the most underrated directors ever. Sure, he has his flaws mainly stemming from his love for Pickpocket's ending and feeling the need to include it in every film he makes including this one, but he still remains an interesting one. This film can't compare to Mishima or Light Sleeper, but it still remains an intriguing character study even if it's not as intriguing as those films. Woody Harrelson's depiction of a gay socialite is a little stereotypical and Schrader's portrayal of homosexual love is surprisingly hands off. The couple only kiss once and it ends up being his 27th homage to the Pickpocket ending because he has them kiss through a wired fence looking thing in Carter's boyfriend's apartment. This film is disinterested in it's own mystery plot, but when it starts to put emphasis on it in order to move it's story along, it's usually for the worse since Schrader is unable to make this "grand" tale about corruption all that mysterious or thrilling. An on-foot chase also shows that Schrader is unable to direct a fairly traditional "exciting" scene and make it exciting. Thankfully, this film doesn't really dwell on such aspects all that much and instead focuses on it's character, who is interesting, but his problems with his deceased father are given perhaps too much time in the dialogue and makes him appear a little shallow in comparison to some of Schrader's other characters. Aside from these issues, I recommend.
*** out of ****
The production values are superb, but the emotional content is lacking. The characters never become developed enough to resemble anything other than characters in a movie and when the shit hits the fan for them, it's not all that tragic. That's not to say that this movie was a bore because the production values like the costumes and sets go a long way to make this as unpainful of an experience as possible, but once the ending rolls around, which reminded me of the series finale of Roseanne, you realize that you pretty much don't care what happens to any of these characters. It was just ultimately a disposable experience.
** out of ****
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End(dir. Gore Verbinski)
I didn't bother to see the second one, but I can't imagine having seen that film beforehand would have really changed my experience with this. The film starts off unusually bleak with people getting hung for piracy including a child and if you hung around for the post-credits scene, that scene starts to look even more relentlessly dark for a summer blockbuster. The film starts off on a surprising high note with that and for some reason, I was digging the whole musical aspect of it's beginning with that scene and the scene that followed, but it got shaky with it's rendezvous with Chow Yun-Fat's Singapore pirate captain mainly because he looks ridiculous and he's not all that sinister and it's ensuing action scene that was sloppily choreographed and shot. After that, however, the film quickly exposed two things that could be dubbed my critical kryptonite: pirates and a gorgeous Keira Knightley. These two things, however, were unable to prevent me from viewing it's epic sea battle as mind-numbingly long and once Knightley takes a backseat to some of the other actors like Orlando Bloom, the film suffers mainly because Bloom is a bland screen presence and the hallucination bits with Johnny Depp were pretty lame. Geoffrey Rush was particularly good in this for what the movie was, which is essentially a mindlessly fun pirate movie, but that sea battle really screwed up the film's pacing and took it to practically a halt in comparison to what preceded it. It felt unusually quick for a two hour and forty minute long movie, but that's probably because I dig pirates and Keira Knightley. Surprisingly, I thought the action sequences were the worst part about the movie. You'd expect a summer blockbuster to have some good ones, but this film had sequences that went on for far too long and were rather sloppy in execution. The characters aren't exactly deep or anything, but they were still entertaining along with the film as a whole. I slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
The Walker(dir. Paul Schrader)
Paul Schrader is probably one of the most underrated directors ever. Sure, he has his flaws mainly stemming from his love for Pickpocket's ending and feeling the need to include it in every film he makes including this one, but he still remains an interesting one. This film can't compare to Mishima or Light Sleeper, but it still remains an intriguing character study even if it's not as intriguing as those films. Woody Harrelson's depiction of a gay socialite is a little stereotypical and Schrader's portrayal of homosexual love is surprisingly hands off. The couple only kiss once and it ends up being his 27th homage to the Pickpocket ending because he has them kiss through a wired fence looking thing in Carter's boyfriend's apartment. This film is disinterested in it's own mystery plot, but when it starts to put emphasis on it in order to move it's story along, it's usually for the worse since Schrader is unable to make this "grand" tale about corruption all that mysterious or thrilling. An on-foot chase also shows that Schrader is unable to direct a fairly traditional "exciting" scene and make it exciting. Thankfully, this film doesn't really dwell on such aspects all that much and instead focuses on it's character, who is interesting, but his problems with his deceased father are given perhaps too much time in the dialogue and makes him appear a little shallow in comparison to some of Schrader's other characters. Aside from these issues, I recommend.
*** out of ****
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Oh Commies & Watermelons...
Stop Loss Trailer
The use of The Drowning Pool song in the beginning is flat-out retarded, but once the trailer stops with that song and the war footage, it gets better. It seems like a standard Oscar-bait movie, but there's something about it that actually makes me want to see it. Some of the dialogue is sort of sketchy, but it looks like it's going to be earnest, sincere, and not annoyingly preachy unlike other movies of it's kind. I'll probably check it out when it comes out.
*** out of ****
Charlie Wilson's War(dir. Mike Nichols)
This film thinks dressing up it's Congressman protagonist's lifestyle as rock star-ish makes for cutting satire. It doesn't have anything to say about our current political climate or about the one that the film takes place in. The film is a little too comfortable and proud of itself for it's own good given it's gung-ho let's kill some commie bastards attitude. It's similar to the The Kingdom except less offensive because it takes place during the Cold War instead of the current situation we're in right now. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is easily the best out of the principal actors, but Ned Beatty is the true standout in the picture mainly because he's one of the few actors along with Amy Adams to not deliver the lines in the smug "aren't I witty?" sort of way that the rest of the cast does. The only mildly thought-provoking aspect of the film is it's final title card before the credits roll. It's almost the equivalent of a decent punchline after a long drawn-out set-up. There are some laughs here and there, but overall, it was merely average.
** out of ****
The Wayward Cloud(dir. Tsai Ming-liang)
If I were to pick my favorite semi-recent director working today, I'd probably say Tsai or Hal Hartley so this review might not make for a great recommendation if you're not a fan of Tsai or even if you're just a mild one. It's easy to see how this film alienated audiences and critics alike especially with it's controversial finale and in a way, I sort of agree with them. Tsai is obviously not a big fan of pornography and if you read that finale as just a critique of porn's influence on individuals' conceptions of an erotic display of love, it starts to become too obvious, simplistic, and clunky, but I feel there's more at work here. This is probably the first Tsai film I've seen that seems specifically designed for interpretation since it's watermelons are used in such a way that they must mean something given the events in the narrative and how they almost have an influence on the flow of the film. Sure, Tsai used clocks in a similar way in What Time is It There?, but none of the clocks were utilized in such a way to hint that there was some underlining meaning to them outside of constantly reminding Hsiao-kang of his "love" that is spending time in Paris and maybe the time that he missed out on with her and his deceased father. Once Chen's watermelon falls to the ground and breaks, the tone of the film and Chen and Hsiao's relationship seems to change. My interpretation of the use of watermelons and the ending is fairly Catholic-minded, which might not make sense with a film directed by a Taiwanese Buddhist, but whatever. The watermelons are used in a similar way as the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. When Chen gives Hsiao watermelon juice, he decides not to drink it, hinting that he wants to stay pure and not corrupted. Also, when Chen's watermelon falls and breaks on the ground, it's as if her innocence is shattering with it since after this event, she decides to watch one of the pornos that Hsiao "stars" in. These events lead to the finale that in my mind is simultaneously a sacrifice and washing away of one's sins. Hsiao's final act is thus an extremely perverse form of communion. I enjoy the film a lot because it provides food for thought, but it's disdain for pornography, while understandable, is sometimes too clumsy or obvious in it's totally unerotic sex scenes and especially with it's finale to make for an insightful argument against porn. The editing in this film is also some of the "fastest" I've ever seen in any of his films and it disrupts the beauty and rhythm in some of his better shots in this, making it especially frustrating and then there's the musical portions of the film that serve no purpose at all. I had similar feelings while watching The Hole, but once the ending rolled around in that film, they became absolutely necessary because they were used to set up for that wonderful ending, while the musical interludes in this are just there for what I assume is entertainment/amusement value and they don't deliver in that regard as well. One could easily call this film an artistic misstep, but it's still easily one of the most fascinating movies released this year.
*** out of ****
The use of The Drowning Pool song in the beginning is flat-out retarded, but once the trailer stops with that song and the war footage, it gets better. It seems like a standard Oscar-bait movie, but there's something about it that actually makes me want to see it. Some of the dialogue is sort of sketchy, but it looks like it's going to be earnest, sincere, and not annoyingly preachy unlike other movies of it's kind. I'll probably check it out when it comes out.
*** out of ****
Charlie Wilson's War(dir. Mike Nichols)
This film thinks dressing up it's Congressman protagonist's lifestyle as rock star-ish makes for cutting satire. It doesn't have anything to say about our current political climate or about the one that the film takes place in. The film is a little too comfortable and proud of itself for it's own good given it's gung-ho let's kill some commie bastards attitude. It's similar to the The Kingdom except less offensive because it takes place during the Cold War instead of the current situation we're in right now. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is easily the best out of the principal actors, but Ned Beatty is the true standout in the picture mainly because he's one of the few actors along with Amy Adams to not deliver the lines in the smug "aren't I witty?" sort of way that the rest of the cast does. The only mildly thought-provoking aspect of the film is it's final title card before the credits roll. It's almost the equivalent of a decent punchline after a long drawn-out set-up. There are some laughs here and there, but overall, it was merely average.
** out of ****
The Wayward Cloud(dir. Tsai Ming-liang)
If I were to pick my favorite semi-recent director working today, I'd probably say Tsai or Hal Hartley so this review might not make for a great recommendation if you're not a fan of Tsai or even if you're just a mild one. It's easy to see how this film alienated audiences and critics alike especially with it's controversial finale and in a way, I sort of agree with them. Tsai is obviously not a big fan of pornography and if you read that finale as just a critique of porn's influence on individuals' conceptions of an erotic display of love, it starts to become too obvious, simplistic, and clunky, but I feel there's more at work here. This is probably the first Tsai film I've seen that seems specifically designed for interpretation since it's watermelons are used in such a way that they must mean something given the events in the narrative and how they almost have an influence on the flow of the film. Sure, Tsai used clocks in a similar way in What Time is It There?, but none of the clocks were utilized in such a way to hint that there was some underlining meaning to them outside of constantly reminding Hsiao-kang of his "love" that is spending time in Paris and maybe the time that he missed out on with her and his deceased father. Once Chen's watermelon falls to the ground and breaks, the tone of the film and Chen and Hsiao's relationship seems to change. My interpretation of the use of watermelons and the ending is fairly Catholic-minded, which might not make sense with a film directed by a Taiwanese Buddhist, but whatever. The watermelons are used in a similar way as the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. When Chen gives Hsiao watermelon juice, he decides not to drink it, hinting that he wants to stay pure and not corrupted. Also, when Chen's watermelon falls and breaks on the ground, it's as if her innocence is shattering with it since after this event, she decides to watch one of the pornos that Hsiao "stars" in. These events lead to the finale that in my mind is simultaneously a sacrifice and washing away of one's sins. Hsiao's final act is thus an extremely perverse form of communion. I enjoy the film a lot because it provides food for thought, but it's disdain for pornography, while understandable, is sometimes too clumsy or obvious in it's totally unerotic sex scenes and especially with it's finale to make for an insightful argument against porn. The editing in this film is also some of the "fastest" I've ever seen in any of his films and it disrupts the beauty and rhythm in some of his better shots in this, making it especially frustrating and then there's the musical portions of the film that serve no purpose at all. I had similar feelings while watching The Hole, but once the ending rolled around in that film, they became absolutely necessary because they were used to set up for that wonderful ending, while the musical interludes in this are just there for what I assume is entertainment/amusement value and they don't deliver in that regard as well. One could easily call this film an artistic misstep, but it's still easily one of the most fascinating movies released this year.
*** out of ****
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Oh 28 Days Later...
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 ****
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Oh Man Dick...
Superbad[Unrated Cut](dir. Greg Mottola)
Still feel about the same as I did when I saw it the first time, which means that I still don't buy Seth changing over night. You could make a point that he was always like that and was just being basically an obnoxious sleazeball for show, but really? He acts that way pretty much throughout the whole film even when he's with his best friend, who he should feel most comfortable around. I'll say now that I prefer this over Knocked Up because that film examined unplanned pregnancy in a too light and breezy way probably due to being told mainly from a male perspective, but this film has similar problems with it's portrayal of female characters because of it being told from a male perspective as well. This film is definitely funny, but it's hard not to feel that Seth is a sleaze and wish that Evan would find someone a little bit more decent as a friend. It's not a comedy classic like Rush Hour 3, but what is?
*** out of ****
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters(dir. Dave Willis and Matt Maillero)
As a comedy, it's not particularly good. As an avant-garde WTF-fest in a similar vein to Inland Empire, it works surprisingly well, almost too well. The plot is rather simple, it's just the trying to describe individual moments and trying to make sense of them on a narrative level that proves difficult. A movie that is filled with killer gigantic exercise equipment and cannons that make kittens explode is bound to be a little incomprehensible and the film almost achieves a sense of grace with it's insanity. It is, indeed, #1 in the hood, G.
***1/2 out of ****
Drama/Mex(dir. Gerardo Naranjo)
Raw and honest. It's almost something Cassavetes would have made if he was Mexican and into this current trend of intertwining storylines with several characters. It's essentially two movies in one and really good ones at that. It never ends up trying to unify both stories together. The characters simply visit some of the same locales and end up seeing and running into each other several times, but they never converse with each other outside of Tigrillo asking Gonzalo for a ride. The stories are rather bleak, but the film consistently looks on the bright side, which is actually sort of refreshing especially after recent bleak films like No Country for Old Men that are needlessly pessimistic. I highly recommend.
***1/2 out of ****
We Own the Night(dir. James Gray)
I don't understand this film's average rating on Metacritic. Maybe, I'm just out of touch with the critics and regular film watchers, but I think this film is impeccable. I would label it as great and I'm definitely going to. Critics have compared this film to The Departed and I personally think this film makes that film look like dog shit in comparison. It's understandable why the critics compared the two since this film's marketing and trailers used a similar font to the one used by that film's marketing and Mark Wahlberg appears in both, but that film wishes it had this film's sense of Catholic guilt and spirituality. In a similar vein(my phrase of this forum post) to Michael Mann and Jean-Pierre Melville, James Gray uses criminality as a way to examine the soul. When Bobby's brother(Mark Wahlberg) is almost killed, he feels a profound sense of guilt that is seriously lacking in a film like The Departed that revels in death. In this film, death has much more weight and isn't something to be used for mere entertainment value. Bobby's path to redemption is never as easy as it is in a film like Black Snake Moan, he actually makes sacrifices. It easily contains the car chase of the year despite me not having seen The Bourne Ultimatum yet, but I can't imagine that film's car chase(s) being as emotionally charged and transcendental as the one found here. It's a masterpiece.
**** out of ****
Still feel about the same as I did when I saw it the first time, which means that I still don't buy Seth changing over night. You could make a point that he was always like that and was just being basically an obnoxious sleazeball for show, but really? He acts that way pretty much throughout the whole film even when he's with his best friend, who he should feel most comfortable around. I'll say now that I prefer this over Knocked Up because that film examined unplanned pregnancy in a too light and breezy way probably due to being told mainly from a male perspective, but this film has similar problems with it's portrayal of female characters because of it being told from a male perspective as well. This film is definitely funny, but it's hard not to feel that Seth is a sleaze and wish that Evan would find someone a little bit more decent as a friend. It's not a comedy classic like Rush Hour 3, but what is?
*** out of ****
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters(dir. Dave Willis and Matt Maillero)
As a comedy, it's not particularly good. As an avant-garde WTF-fest in a similar vein to Inland Empire, it works surprisingly well, almost too well. The plot is rather simple, it's just the trying to describe individual moments and trying to make sense of them on a narrative level that proves difficult. A movie that is filled with killer gigantic exercise equipment and cannons that make kittens explode is bound to be a little incomprehensible and the film almost achieves a sense of grace with it's insanity. It is, indeed, #1 in the hood, G.
***1/2 out of ****
Drama/Mex(dir. Gerardo Naranjo)
Raw and honest. It's almost something Cassavetes would have made if he was Mexican and into this current trend of intertwining storylines with several characters. It's essentially two movies in one and really good ones at that. It never ends up trying to unify both stories together. The characters simply visit some of the same locales and end up seeing and running into each other several times, but they never converse with each other outside of Tigrillo asking Gonzalo for a ride. The stories are rather bleak, but the film consistently looks on the bright side, which is actually sort of refreshing especially after recent bleak films like No Country for Old Men that are needlessly pessimistic. I highly recommend.
***1/2 out of ****
We Own the Night(dir. James Gray)
I don't understand this film's average rating on Metacritic. Maybe, I'm just out of touch with the critics and regular film watchers, but I think this film is impeccable. I would label it as great and I'm definitely going to. Critics have compared this film to The Departed and I personally think this film makes that film look like dog shit in comparison. It's understandable why the critics compared the two since this film's marketing and trailers used a similar font to the one used by that film's marketing and Mark Wahlberg appears in both, but that film wishes it had this film's sense of Catholic guilt and spirituality. In a similar vein(my phrase of this forum post) to Michael Mann and Jean-Pierre Melville, James Gray uses criminality as a way to examine the soul. When Bobby's brother(Mark Wahlberg) is almost killed, he feels a profound sense of guilt that is seriously lacking in a film like The Departed that revels in death. In this film, death has much more weight and isn't something to be used for mere entertainment value. Bobby's path to redemption is never as easy as it is in a film like Black Snake Moan, he actually makes sacrifices. It easily contains the car chase of the year despite me not having seen The Bourne Ultimatum yet, but I can't imagine that film's car chase(s) being as emotionally charged and transcendental as the one found here. It's a masterpiece.
**** out of ****
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