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 ****